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Since young, Martin loved photography. He always enjoyed seeing the imperfect yet beautiful results. His photography obsession quickly grew when he received a polaroid camera for his 10th birthday. It was nothing expensive, only for a couple of bucks for it, but it was Martin's most prized possession growing up. It contains so many memories from his childhood that he couldn't bear to throw it away even when it broke three years later, just before he joined HYBE. The camera can still be found in his personal little wooden cabinet in the dorm room, cracks sealed with cheap cellophane tape that is wearing off at the edges.
The sad backstory of the broken polaroid camera was that his older sister accidentally stepped on it and it cracked the whole thing. Thankfully, no polaroids were inside during that time as he just ran out. He does not want to admit he cried for an hour while trying to use tape to undo the damage. His mood was down in the dumps as he cherished that camera like his own life. Then one day, his dad said that he could buy another one for him on his next birthday. He is really grateful for his parents and appreciates his sister alot, but they were going through a rough time, and adding up some financial issues, Martin really couldn't burden his family with a hobby, so he just said it's okay despite loving a camera. It was the only one for his hobby. He didn't have other cameras.
He never thought he would receive it in the HYBE mail through layers of bubble wrap. It was the same exact model, just bigger. The package doesn't only have the camera, but also rolls of film, all brand new. Inside was a note:
"Sis' first paycheck. Sorry for breaking that camera, I never got to apologise properly. Love you, hope you're doing great over there. Happy birthday, big man.
— Me, Dad, Mom.
Martin cried happy tears that time.
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To this day, 17 year old Martin still kept the note and the camera. He bought more film for a lower price for his photography and got onto this hobby again. Now, freshly debuted with CORTIS, otherwise known as his second family, Martin made countless memories by snapping pictures of them eating, laughing, talking, and developing them in the studio when no one was there. The results turned out beautiful, capturing the nostalgic vibe of home. The Polaroids hung on the photo grid that he made on the wall.
It was cute, it was stunning, it was everything Martin could dream of when he was younger: to make Polaroids of his friends and keep them as memories in his heart. Even through hectic schedules, practice, fan meetings and song writing, Martin still finds the time to do photography. No matter if it's Polaroids, on his phone or an analog, he still does. He has a variety of mini cameras that work differently in his cabinet. All of them still function as good as new as he takes very good care of them.
On this very day, the staff announced that they would be going to a theme park to post on YouTube very soon. James was ecstatic about it because he is an adrenaline-junkie and loves rollercoasters. Everyone was packing up for the theme park, and at the very last minute, Martin decided to grab his polaroid camera that he hasn't used for a while to snap some pictures once they're there. It might be a bit of a struggle considering that he doesn't want a red tint over his polaroids, but that's the cost of fun and he'd be more than willing to pay the cost.
He snapped a group photo once they arrived, rushed to the air conditioned souvenir shop and requested the kind staff to let him leave the polaroids there until they fully developed. She agreed happily, saying that she's also a fan of photography. He also snapped 7 more pictures, one being Juhoon mid-bite into a hotdog, and another one where he managed to snap a pic of Seonghyeon and James on a rollercoaster, screaming at the top of their lungs with smiles plastered on their faces. All of those pictures were fully developed once they were heading home after a day full of rides and adrenaline. Most importantly, the smiles on all of their faces afterwards. They were so radiant, it might be among one of the brightest things Martin saw in their journey of debuting.
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Once they got home, they all raced to the bathroom to shower. In the end, they agreed that Seonghyeon would be first, Juhoon next, Keonho after, James and then Martin. When Seonghyeon was in the bathroom, Keonho and Juhoon were in the living room while Martin was in his bedroom and James somewhere around the dorm. Martin was sat on the edge of his mattress, looking at the polaroids that had developed. All of them had a slight tint of orange to it, but Martin didn't mind. It's a part of their trip. He grabbed a permanent marker and carefully wrote a sentence on the blank space on the group photo. He chuckled when his eyes glanced on the polaroid he took of Keonho at an unflattering angle. He picked the polaroid up, and flicked it gently.
Each polaroid has its own speciality. The group photo was Martin's favourite. Juhoon taking a bite of that hotdog when they ate a snack, Keonho's nose being extraordinary prominent at this bad angle, Seonghyeon posing in front of a massive rollercoaster noticeably looking terrified.. Martin realized that besides the group photo and the photo with Seonghyeon, he never captured a solo picture of James.
And he had one more clip to fill.
Just as Martin was contemplating whether to snap a picture of James right now, or just leave it blank when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Martin's head snapped up and his mind thought: 'perfect timing.'
James was leaning against the doorframe, hands crossed over his chest, looking tired but relaxed. "How long were you there?"Martin asked as he signaled James to enter and sit beside him.
"A while," James answered, sitting down on the mattress, making it dip a bit under his weight. "Polaroids? I didn't even realize you took them to the theme park today."
Martin smiled and turned towards the polaroids, angling them slightly so the ceiling light catches onto the transparent cover on the group photo. "It was a last minute choice. I still have one more area to fill, or else it'll go to waste."
James hummed in response, a yawn following quickly after.
"Tired? You went on most of the rides. I'd be surprised if you weren't."
"Yeah, got a little too pumped up." James said sheepishly, his hand unconsciously moving to rub his neck.
They stayed in comfortable silence when Martin broke it. "Can i take a picture of you real quick? For the film."
James seemed to snap out of a half-asleep condition. Martin got concerned a bit at how quickly James' head snapped up.
"Sorry, didnt know you were asleep."
James waved it off. "No worries. And yeah, I'd be more than flattered."
Martin got his camera ready and carefully turned his body around to snap the pic, but then James suddenly falls onto Martin, quite literally passed out. Martin froze instantly, because James never usually does physically contact, even when asleep. Once Martin successfully changed his position, he carefully moved James' head a bit more onto him to ensure he sleeps atleast comfortably. "Never thought I'd see you this tired.." Martin said, mostly to himself. He snapped the picture of James sleeping on top of him, and waited for the film to develop. "Never thought you'd be this cute either."
In the end, the polaroids were successfully arranged and clipped onto the DIY photo grid with the group photo having a sentence under it.
'We're on a JoyRide' —7 Nov 2025.