โธป ย you ย were ย told ย that ย the ย knights ย in ย their ย shining ย armours, ย or ย the ย king ย sitting ย on ย his ย esteemed ย throne ย were ย the ย strongest ย characters ย in ย a ย fairytale ย story. ย theseย charactersย wereย paralleled ย by ย the ย masculine ย figures ย in ย your ย life; ย your ย father,ย his ย father ย before ย him, ย and ย his ย father ย before ย him. ย where ย do ย you ย fit ย in ย thisย ย streamlined ย history ย of ย your ย family? ย how ย do ย you ย force ย yourself ย in ย a ย place ย that ย never ย once ย learned ย how ย to ย accommodate ย you? ย you, ย in ย all ย your ย feminine ย habits. ย do ย they ย not ย realise ย that ย a ย smile ย can ย be ย turned ย into ย a ย fierce ย weapon? ย they ย must ย have ย missed ย the ย time ย when ย you ย learned ย how ย to ย whisper ย krypton ย laced ย nothings ย in ย the ย ears ย of ย your ย people. ย they ย lost ย you, ย you ย warrior ย of ย a ย girl.ย ย as ย you ย break ย down ย the ย walls ย of ย your ย world, ย you ย know ย that ย only ย time ย can ย tell ย when ย they ย will ย learn. ย GIRL ย ALMIGHTY, ย they ย should ย have ย known ย better ย than ย to ย let ย you ย fend ย for ย yourself.ย ย
helloooo everyone and welcome to aeraโs life !!! my nameโs keith ( she/her, gmt+8 ) and iโm very excited to be here !! i have under this little intro message a tl;dr of aeraโs biography and i also plan to add in some plots over here as soon as i can. if youโd like to work something out for our muses please like this post so that i can come to you for plotting !! other than that, here goes miss shin aera out to slither her way into your lifeย !!ย
born in 1996 to a technology tycoon and hedge fund investor, and a neurosurgeon.
her parentsโ marriage was one of convenience and never love. what started off as friendship ended up being the worst relationship that either of them had ever known.ย
hence, aeraโs childhood was very isolating. aside from the fact that her parents never bonded as a result of their strained marriage, they were both extremely busy people what with her father and his business, and her mom and her patients.
her dad never really liked her anyway because he wanted a son instead of a daughter. her mother on the other hand, loved her enough to spend time with her but once she got a little bit difficult ( as most kids are ), she was quick to hand her off.ย
it took awhile but in turn, aera understood that her parents only ever wanted to be around her when sheโs being pleasant. once she had half a mind to pretend, she would always put her best self forward every time her parents are around. her nannies perhaps had a million horror stories to talk about when it comes to raising her as her tantrums and crocodile tears only made appearances around them.
so yes, her nightmarish fake personality of being an absolute sweetheart was born out her desperate need to please her parents. knowing then that she could get whatever she wanted should she smile and speak at the right moment was simultaneously the best, and worst thing she had ever learned.
ff at eleven years old, her parents finally separated. aera chose to live with her father until high school because she saw how happy her mom was living independently ( her one selfish act her entire life!! never again!! )
about a year after their divorce was finalised, her father remarried a younger former model. she was nice and all but aera hated her.
her dadโs second marriage resulted in two kids; a son and a daughter. because her father finally had the child he originally wanted, aera was basically forgotten. just in time to move in with her mother and start studying at hannam high school !!!ย
in school, she was known as the nice, sweet girl. despite her familyโs riches, she wasnโt outlandish and was known to be humble and approachable. sheโs supportive, studies hard, and is involved in various organisations for personal growth and because she wanted to help. she talks without an air of pomp and always seems to be just about ready to drop everything whenever someone needs her.
in reality, she does all of that to hide the fact that sheโs merely collecting alliances and people toย โhelpโ so that she can use their gratitude to her advantage when the time comes. doing so makes her feel important and to a neglected child thereโs truly nothing better than that !!
so she probably has a lot of surface level friendships and her closest ones were probably a product of โi know your secret, you know mine now weโre stuck together protecting each otherโs backโ.
she graduated from snu with a degree in business administration. shortly after, she started her own events planning business using her trust fund money for capital and used her family connections ( and the ones sheโs built from school and those who felt indebted to herย ) to gain high society clients as a way to market her business.
in no time, her events business was flourishing and thatโs where sheโs been keeping herself busy for the last couple of years !!
i think iโve covered all the important bits !!! pls plot with my hellfire of a girl โก
helloooo !! just quickly popping in here to bid all of our new muns/charas a very belated welcome to the rp !!! โก and also, i would like to apologize to all the imโs and dmโs i havenโt replied to in a while ( thereโs not much but itโs there iโm sorry ๐ญ ). these past few weeks have just been incredibly overwhelming ( tldr; my parents got c*vid and weโve just been scrambling around the house since then ) and i needed to take a quick step back from actively rping, hence all the queued posts. since iโm here now and feeling much better mentally, iโd like to open aera up again for plotting since we donโt have much going on for her atm !! i still have a few open spots here but as always, iโm down to check out yours or brainstorm for something fun !! if youโd like to work something out, pls feel free to either like this post, message me here, or add me on discord (ย parisa kamali's gf (real)#9866 ). thatโs it and ily all โก
truth โ what is the toughest decision you've ever had to make?
โchoosing to live with my dadโs new family and sticking through that decision for a few years instead of living with my mom right away.โ it was the first thing that came to my mind because it was the greatest sacrifice of her otherwise privileged life.ย โit was hell living with him and the family that he loves so much but i chose to do that because i know having some time to herself was something that my mom desperately needed. thank goodness i never have to do it ever again, though. just one time was too much time.โ
truth: if you could switch lives with someone from school, who would it be and why?
โthatโs a tough one because i know we all have some pretty fucked up livesย โ some more than others.โ wrinkling her nose, she tries to think of a few names and attaches what she knew about their current lives in the criteria that she has set in order to properly answer this question.ย โi think iโll go for eira. miss jeon eunha herself.โ smiling, she continues.ย โiโm well aware that her life isnโt all that pretty because i know her and saw what sheโs been through but i chose eira because she has something that iโve always wanted. you know, a family.ย a proper family.โ you could say she has always been envious of it, wishing she had grown up with the same kind of affection and devotion. unfortunately, such was not the case.ย โiโd love to be able to experience what itโs like to have been adored and respected like that. to never have to doubt your familyโs love because youโve always felt it, no matter what.โ she ends her explanation in a lighter note.ย โbesides, sheโs extremely talented. i think it would be fun to have that kind of grace and talent for once!โย
truth - what was the most embarrassing thing to happen to you? (excluding the whole pregnancy thing)
"thereโs nothing that could top the embarrassment of that pregnancy scare.โ she says with a grimace.ย โbut i do have a few every day embarrassments that just make me laugh now when i think about them.โ lifting a hand, she counts each embarrassing memory by raising a finger.ย โfirst, when i was trying to discreetly take a picture of a ceoโs son but then my camera flash went off and he caught me right away.โ she smiles, followed by a small shake of her head.ย โthereโs also this one time that i accidentally gave a random stranger a back hug because i thought they were the cousin i was close to. in my defence, their stance looked exactly like hers!โ
he breaks the silence lingering around them, teasingly dancing around the pair and taunting them to move forward with their plans. his arms wrap themselves around her just slightly tighter than before and he pulls her back in, their faces only inches apart and both being able to feel each otherโs warm breath against flushed skin. heโs quick to capture her lips with his, gentle pressure applied to supple lips as they move against each other in rhythm. he only breaks apart for air, gaze finding its way directly to her eyes, locking them in momentarily before he feels a laugh beginning to bubble. what had originated as a lustful evening has become something quite the opposite it seems, as his gentle laughter increases in volume. soon, his arms are relaxing from her dainty waist and falling against his mattress as he rolls over onto his back and lets out a deep sigh.ย
โiโm sorry. itโs not you that iโm finding amusing, itโsโฆโ there it is again, the same laugh that had just sounded moments ago. truly, he isnโt laughing atย her, but at their situation and how they came to be. two good friends with countless memories and shared moments in tow, perhaps the smart thing would be to notย soil such a foundation by succumbing to physical urges despite his body telling him otherwise.ย โโฆitโs just that something feels offย doing this with you, yโknow? my good friend aera, my not-day-one-but-close-to-day-one girl friend. youโre hot, donโt get me wrong.โ thereโs a brief pause and he eyes her up and down as if for effect and confirmation. oh yeah, sheโs hot. โbut for some reason i canโtโฆdo i sound ridiculous? i probably do.โ he finishes off with another laugh before turning his head sideways to look at her, body twisting to follow as he props himself up with an elbow.
from the curve of her feet in eagerness, the warm flush of her skin as the inevitable effect of being in close contact with another body, and the thrum of anticipation loud in her ears โ the intimate intricacies of desire were sorely missed. as she watches him from under her lashes, aera cannot help but wonder just what took them so long to reach this point. there was no denying that she had always thought that sungho was incredibly attractive; certainly the type of man she could have easily fallen for based on looks alone. yet their high school personas were so stringent on never crossing the boundaries of their friendship ( on her end, she just didnโt want to hook up with someone she wanted to one up ) that her attraction was never accounted for.ย
what changed?
perhaps it was the desperation bubbling from within her. her frustration bleeding into something that shouldnโt make sense until her body was tricked into believing that it does. the despondence of losing to a newborn daughter, knowing that she will never be loved as much as this child would be. it had her running; desperately looking for a place to find affection. aera does not regret being hereย โ to find solace in the taste of sunghoโs lips was the very companionship she needed. however, the more that they stray farther away from rationality the more that the entire ordeal feels wrong. the peculiarity of it slowly creeping in from within the recesses of her mind, trying to break through her. it was not until they broke apart, staring into each otherโs eyes that she sees her own thoughts reflected in his own eyes.
when he laughed, her first thought was to get offended. โstop it!โ she flicks him in the arm, trying to keep it together but when her resolve finally cracked, she fell into easy laughter with him. it started with a smile she tried to bite down, a grin, then full blown cackles that lifted the tension around them.ย โno, no, i totally understand.โ giggling still, she wipes the tears of amusement that fell from her eyes before pulling herself up to sit cross legged.ย โi was thinking the same thing too. like in the back of my mind, it just felt like something wasnโt adding up.โ rolling her eyes at the appreciative glance he gave her, she still canโt move on from the hilarity of it all.ย โholy shit, sungho what were we thinking?โ she laughs again.ย โiโm so sorry. it feels like we just went on a roller coaster ride of emotions just now.โย
truth - whatโs the most embarrassing thing your parents have caught you doing?
"nothing, i think!โ she laughs even though thereโs something sad about it.ย โthatโs not to say that i never did anything embarrassing because i know that i did when i was a kid but they were both too busy to ever take notice. now, iโm confident enough to say that iโm way too careful for them to ever catch on to anything. you learn as you grow!โ
truth ; whatโs the craziest thing youโve ever done for love?
"iโd say buy something insanely expensive but honestly, i donโt think it qualifies.โ that certainly wasnโt love; more of an infatuation, lust, something fleeting. the question had her deep in thought. disappointment slowly clouding her features as she begins considering the fact that perhaps she has never fallen in love like that. a love so encompassing you felt compelled to do something crazy, just to make sure that it would never slip from your fingers.ย โromantically, i donโt think iโve ever done anything crazy. when it comes to familial love on the other hand...โ mulling it over, she thinks about her mother and what she chose to do several years back for her happiness.ย โsacrifice. you know, the suffering for them and their happiness type of crazy.โ
aera emits the most frustrated groan ever heard from her as soon as an answer came to mind. shaking her head in part embarrassment, part annoyance, her lips were set in a grim straight line before answering.ย โthe rolex watch i bought for my asshole of an ex.โ defeated, she crosses her arms as her frustration began getting the best of her.ย โgranted, it was only one of their entry-level watches and i did give it to him for his birthday but damn it annoys me so much to think about it. he didnโt even have the decency to give it back after all the shit he put me through!โ huffing, she prepares to finish her tangent.ย โheโs definitely not worth rolex. i probably shouldโve just gotten him a daniel wellington or worse, those knock-off ones from coupang.โ
mass drags on longer than any other service haseok has sworn heโs been to โ probably a direct sign from god. he catches sight of aera once the ceremony has finished and the churchgoers begin to trickle out of the nave and excuses himself from the younger couple his parents had been speaking to, gravitating towards her.
โactually sort of surprised to see you here,โ he says once theyโve fallen into step with one another, the droning of the crowdโs voices making his head hurt again. it wasnโt commonplace to see her here, but it feels nice to have a familiar face around to talk to. she looks pretty, made up to look like a sweet church girl, though haseok knows sheโs only dressed up just for the sake of appearances.ย
he leads her over to the corner with an array of votive candles and far less people around to eavesdrop on their conversation. in typical haseok fashion, he gets straight to the point, forgoing small talk that wasnโt necessary. โyou donโt have any painkillers by any chance, do you?โย he doesnโt register the internalized guilt discussing his hangover in church that leaves his shoulders heavy. he feels scrutinized by the intangible. his voice is low, hushed, but still feels like their conversation is being intruded on.
aera used to always believe that religion was a farce; that it was nothing but a symbol of oppression tidied and wrapped up to make it look approachable and righteous in the eyes of the masses. its decadent history proves it so, but even more, oppression was how religion came into her life. it was forced onto her by her father ( quite possibly the farthest person from righteous ) in order to maintain appearances and to gain the โdesired favour of godโ ( whatever that means ). hence for as long as she knows, aera has been a familiar face within this churchโs walls. its stained windows, dark pews, elevated altar, and the smell of incense so remarkable she could close her eyes and conjure such sights and senses in her dreams.
despite her years long reservation when it came to religion, aera was quite the devoted attendee today. sure, her head hurts a little courtesy of the drinks she had the night before; and her younger sister was being quite the nuisance from her side which accounts for the slew of curses she was screaming inside her head; she still manages to maintain her composure and sings the worship songs on cue. to anyone watching, it would be unusual. shin aera always looks as though she enjoys being here. however this time, not only does she look like it, but she feels it.ย
as she stands up from her kneeling position, her head down low, she silently repents for the sin that was unearthed during the namโs divorce party. god, wherever you are, iโm sorry, she speaks to the divinity with all the bashfulness she can muster. iโm grateful for the fact that it was only a pregnancy scare because if it wasnโt, iโm sure i wouldnโt be welcomed here anymore for what i wouldโve done next. thank you for humbling me. heaving a sigh, she looks up quickly only to hiss as the harsh light meets her eyes. must have been godโs weary forgiveness, or whatever.
as the service reach its end, she stands up and fixes the creases on her pretty and conservative dress. she immediately removes herself from the vicinity of her fatherโs family as soon as she catches sight of haseokโs approaching figure.ย โi had to go. aside from my dadโs insistence, i felt like i had something to apologise for. then again itโs not like iโm not a diligent church attendee.โ she says lightly, a small smile on her lips. underneath it all, a fire was brewingย โ the conversation sheโs recently had with his younger sister remains stark in her otherwise mushy recollection.
once theyโve reached a more secluded area, the chatter of their families and everyone around them lulling, aera allows for a fraction of her facade to crack as she narrows her eyes at him.ย โyouโre the future doctor here.โ she quips at him just to say something, reaching inside her bag to give him an advil from her medicine tin.ย โyou know, i shouldย let you suffer but i need you to listen to me and that canโt happen when youโre whining over your hangover. just how much did you drink last night?โ she hands him her water.ย โyou look like shit. iโm surprised your parents let you come with them.โ
speaking ofโshe takes a short video, prefers the look of authentic motion over a still image. the event planner moves with a practiced ease, flitting across the table to neaten it up before sheโs distracted by vanity. the business student taps on the screen of her phone, fiddles with the settings for a moment, testing out different filters. the late afternoon sun dusts an orangey-gold hue over aeraโs cheeks, au naturale. and, she supposes, disguising some of the ailments rose has been insinuating. not that that really matters all too much to somin herself, as long as the video comes out well.
the younger woman nods and holds out her phone,ย โhere, do you wanna see it first?โ she doesnโt usually run them through aera, despite the other technically being her higher up, but sheโs already here and the focus of this story, anyway. presses play for her, and waits for an opinion. โreally, thereโs nothing to fix,โ somin reassures her, teasing smile on cherry lips.ย โyou look so veryย professional, andย hot. iโll probably take a couple of pictures when the party gets going, while, yโknow,โ a hand wave, unsaid expectations for what a gathering of hannam highโs most notorious alum entails,ย โeverything looks good, but iโve gotten what i want, set-up wise.โ
she melts like putty at sominโs words; ears perked and smile wide over a compliment that she cannot just brush away. aera has always been proud of her many achievements. as a young business owner, she sees the success of her business as a culmination of several yearsโ worth of dedicated work. hence, any compliments thrown its way had her preening like a contented mother.ย โthank you, i guess thatโs true.โ she says affectionately.ย โbut to see it rise to greater heights when you came in had been very rewarding.โ aera knows she will write somin the most stellar recommendation letter once she decides her time with shooting star was over.
putting on her scrutinising stance, she tries to be objective as she watches the clip that the younger woman has taken. despite putting on the airs of being nonchalant, the first thing that her eyes flew to was her featuresย โ good, she did not look as dead as she feels. the makeup had done wonders to her skin and the fabric of her dress clung to her shape. satisfied, aera was quick to turn her attention elsewhere; noting how beautifully somin was able to capture the scene and the way each element in the clip flows wonderfully together. even her actions looked natural.ย
โthat looks great.โ the excitement was palpable in her voice, already reeling from a job well done before the party even began. laughing, she shakes her head as she takes a comfortable step away.ย โprofessional and hot, now that sounds like a powerful combination. thanks for making me look it.โ taking one last glance around the room, aera heaves a sigh over the fact that everything appears to be where theyโre supposed to.ย โyeah, everything looks perfect for now. do you want to get a drink before the mayhem starts? i think iโd like to relax a bit.โ playing the role of service provider and guest simultaneously was quite exhausting so it seems.
along with her mother, gweneiraโs the only other person in aeraโs list of emergency contacts.
aera sees gweneira as a hybrid between a best friend and a little sister; respects and supports her like the former, desires to protect and uplift her like the latter.ย
that being said, thereโs no one else she would go down fighting for if not eira. even if youโre friends but youโve done eira wrongly, then youโre immediately in aeraโs block and fight list.
if you think aera doesnโt deserve eiraโs friendship, itโs true; she doesnโt and she knows that. itโs why sheโs extremely grateful for the younger girl because despite their glaring differences personality wise, she still sees aera as someone worth her time and genuine friendship.ย ย
very supportive of her most talented friend. would watch eiraโs opening performances and makes sure to bring her elaborate and expensive flower arrangements.
she used to visit eira in russia as much as she can. every time she does, she makes sure to bring a little token from home to her. if it wasnโt a random snack from the convenience store, itโs tea bags from her favourite tea place.ย
alternatively, every time she comes home from her trip and someone asks about eira, she would smile proudly and would excitedly gush about how good she was performing with the russian ballet, talking about random facts sheโs learned from eira herself, knowing that these simple things can keep the curious satisfied.
keeping in tradition with their first time meeting, aera always calls up eira to ask if she can be her date to any society function she finds herself being invited to. granted that eira wasnโt already going with someone else, the two would make their appearance arm-in-arm. only to avoid the inevitabilityย of men being such a bore.ย
"lying, probably.โ spinning white lies, often thought to be harmless when they were far more than that was something aera does too often. thereโs no good way to defend dishonesty and blatantly manipulating your words to sound nicer to another person so she refuses to justify her misdeeds. doesnโt matter the overused mantra of โthe ends justify the meansโ. it was bullshit; she knows sheโs terrible and sometimes that internal admission is just enough.ย
โi know objectifying women is a thing of the past but iโd bang nabi, because hello, have you seen her? sheโs not just gorgeous but sheโs hot. not that iโm into wome โ whatever, i donโt have to explain myself. moving on,โ thereโs an unabashed smile on her lips, the question amusing her way more than she would like to let on.ย โmarry jisu because she seems like an absolute sweetheart and wouldnโt it be nice to be married to an angel? plus, sheโs an extremely talented idol and i like the fact that this means i can boast about my partnerโs accomplishments at any given moment.โ despite being quite pleased with herself, she still answers the final option with some slight reluctance.ย โi guess that leaves blocking miyoung but iโd probably unblock her right after.โย
truth - โif you could live without any painful experiences, would you? why or why not?โ
โi would.โ she says without pretence as memories of her own familial heartbreak and neglect came bubbling through the surface.ย โpain is an important part of human experience, sure, but to be honest i donโt really care for it. if i could live my entire life without having to experience it, iโd love that.โ perhaps she would be a better person because of it. after all, it was her own pain that motivates the more sinister side of herself.ย