the reaper

kwong jiyong | 29 years closer to the end | professor of neuropsychology at seoul national university | currently serving as the reaper doing "god's work"

[ctzxjiyong]

20-30

20: Margarine or butter? Which did you grow up with?

"Neither. I preferred strawberry jam on my toast."

30: The latest you’ve ever slept?

"While doing God’s work, sleep is arbitrary." 

[arcxseunghyun]

Alone on the Water | Seunghyun & Jiyong

It was a Saturday night, the busiest night of the week at the casino. Not only did locals congregate here to indulge in their gambling addictions, but there was a rather large foreign crowd that was drawn in. Though through all the faces that Seunghyun saw, he was looking for one in particular. This person was a frequent player at his card table. His name was Jiyong and Seunghyun assumed that he was in his late twenties. He was just as smooth, if not even smoother than Seunghyun himself was while dealing cards. He didn’t know much more about him, but through the many hours that they’d spent together in the middle of the bustling casino, the agent had become very intrigued.

He promised himself he wouldn’t do research on him. He promised himself he wouldn’t try to figure out his full name, where he lived, and where he worked. Seunghyun could have all the information about this man that he wanted in a few clicks or by dropping some cash to some of his informants, but this was different. He was intrigued in a way that he’d never been before. Was it infatuation? That deep-dimpled smile rarely faded when Jiyong came to play at his table. Maybe he was a little more than just attracted to his acquaintance.

The fact that Jiyong was unlike anyone else he’d ever met was what got Seunghyun. Most human beings were so typical. They told Seunghyun everything he wanted to know in the first few seconds of meeting him. Their body language, speaking patterns, and little annoying habits were easy to pick up on. With Jiyong, the most he knew was that he had a good fashion sense and actually cared about grooming himself. For some reason, he couldn’t read past his outer aesthetics. That worried Seunghyun. Was he getting bad at his profession, or was this man really different from everyone else?

Having never really lusted for another human being, Seunghyun found his emotions hard to decipher, but slowly became irritated at himself for not even trying to get to know Jiyong or buy him a drink. This, of course, led to nights of indulging in far too much wine and getting far too intoxicated for any healthy human being. Seunghyun began to question just why he couldn’t break down his walls and take a chance for one person.

As Seunghyun stood there in his Alexander McQueen suit, he couldn’t help but focus directly on the entrance of the casino. He watched as men and women cycled in and out through the door, some coming, some going. Most of the time he’d be laying his charm on the customers that were walking by his table, trying to get them to sit down for a hand or two of poker with him, but it was almost that time of the night. It was almost the time of the night when Jiyong came in and Seunghyun’s entire world stopped.

He adjusted the way his jacket fit his torso. He ran a hand over his perfectly styled hair. Dark eyes glanced down at the watch on his wrist. He picked at his nails. Tonight was the night Seunghyun was going to say something to Jiyong outside of his dealer’s table. The table was his comfortable, professional zone, and anywhere outside it, he was vulnerable. Maybe being vulnerable was what he needed. Seunghyun almost wished he believed in having friends so he could interrogate them on what to do when you’re interested in getting to know someone.

What if Jiyong wasn’t into the idea of Seunghyun buying him a drink or chatting with him?

Inhaling through his nose, Seunghyun tried to shake his worries away and instead decided to distract himself by actually being productive and to try to get into that charming persona that he was when behind the table. It wouldn’t help his little crush (Was it a crush?) by being the anti-social prude that he normally was. That wasn’t attractive in the slightest. Seunghyun cleared his throat and shot a charming smirk at a woman who was coming near his table.

"You interested in a game of cards tonight?"

[ctzxjiyong]

Gambling was a natural part of Jiyong's life. He took risks. He took risks while doing God's work and when gambling with emotions. Taking risks was another feeble attempt of his to try and feel some kind of feeling. According to his research, taking risks was supposed to make you feel like you had a sort of high. Heightened heart rate and nervousness as you held the potential to make or break your life in your hands. Yet, Jiyong felt nothing. So many gambles made, but nothing. Most people would think that Jiyong had an impeccable poker face, but neutrality wasn't an option for Jiyong. He didn't feel anything, nothing at all. His "poker face," as most people misconceived it, was his lack of portraying any of the emotions he had well rehearsed over the years. Poker, simply a pastime. However, the face that most would consider easy on the eyes was pleasant enough to see dealing the cards each time Jiyong was there. Familiar faces were good, a sort of stability in a very unstable environment. Not that Jiyong felt nervous or anything, not that he could. Tonight was just like any other, Jiyong's hair combed back, his frames resting lightly on the bridge of his nose, and his midnight blue button down without a single wrinkle as it tucked into his dark pants. Impeccable was his appearance, just as the emotions he mocked on his face. He cast a quick glance at the young female that passed by the table Jiyong himself was nearing. Pretty, young, and dirty with sin. Her smile made Jiyong bore into her skin, wanting to end that smile and that glittery aura right there and then. But he'd wait. He'd take her home, she couldn't resist, none of them could. But for now, he'd have to wait. Oh, she came alright. For both the man she stood beside and the man she faced at the table were exactly the kind she preyed on. It was about time the predator found out what it was like to be hunted. Pity she wouldn't realize it more than once, and not until her final moments. He flashed a quick, small smile towards the dealer, a face he had become well accustomed to by now and winked, as if the two were sharing a secret. "May the odds," he said, locking eyes with the other male, "be ever in our favor."  

[ctzxjiyong]

metus | jiyong&gain

[scrxgain]

An eyebrow raised at the new title, never had GaIn intended to meet a professor or any other distinguished person outside of fantasy and roleplay, she wasn’t perturbed by the correction, instead finding it all the more entertaining. Though intellectually speaking GaIn wasn’t a match for the man before her, there was something about him which the woman found interesting to say the least. As if a silent battle of wills was going on between the two, from the one whose sense of life had been destroyed at a young age and from one… well, GaIn could only assume that as the man knew so much about how the mind worked and behaved, he knew how to manipulate it. Something that was both identical yet completely distant from her own job.

Of course her interest in the man and her determination to find out who had hurt her most promising ‘child’ did not completely silence her fears of being out of her comfort zone and left alone with another, a man no less, in a place she had never experienced before. As GaIn followed him she ensured that she had the chance to examine every escape route possible, or at the very least every potential hiding spot or weapon, she had left her gun at home for fear of it being confiscated and therefore had very little to protect herself with beside her own desire for survival. Distracted by the slight notion of worry that had crept upon her GaIn almost missed the man, ah, Professor Kwon, talking to her.

"Yes, though you may drop the ‘Miss’ if you’d prefer." Formalities were her scene no more than family names, for reasons that were both neither here nor there. She thanked him as she hurried herself into the room, keeping herself as close to one wall as she could whilst still pertaining a strained aura of politeness.

"I doubt you would notice this, considering how many people were in this lecture alone, but one of your students is missing today. I was hoping if you could tell me why." Of course GaIn had barely planned this encounter, how was she supposed to say this though? "Hi one of your former students was a prostitute under my roof, I say former because I recently found her bloody, mutilated corpse, whodunnit?” GaIn may lack tact at the best of times yet she liked to think she was better than that.

"Kim GaYun, young and pretty though she often looked under the weather or tired. She always spoke highly of you, indeed aside from… well aside from work we only ever seemed to talk about you. Therefore I was wondering if you would be able to shed some light on anyone who… might want to hurt her?" A shuddering breath was released as GaIn had finally managed to ask, in a very roundabout kind of way, what she had wanted to ask. She knew little about this man aside from him supposedly being a genius, therefore she knew not how to tempt him into answers or even if he might have any to begin with. The woman had spent her entire time since he had entered the lecture hall trying to read the man and deduct what type of person he was, yet for some reason she was getting no answers.

[ctzxjiyong]

He nodded, taking her request in regard, "Alright, Gain then," he began, a small smile spreading across his lips. Formalities weren't her thing, where they? Then, did his own title make her uncomfortable? She looked uncomfortable, he didn't need to be a genius with a PhD in body language to notice that. Jammed up against one wall, if he didn't know better, he'd think that she figured him as a dangerous serial killer and was worrying and watching for her life. But, he did know better.  "Oh?" he said, his brow furrowing in concern. Or the look of concern he had perfected over the years. His student. This student she spoke of. Someone she obviously showed some concern in regard to. She cared about this girl. "Did she?" he spoke softly, his expression softening as he gazed lightly, almost through her, as if remembering the face of the young girl who he remembered so well. "What sorts of things did she say about me?" he asked, looking up at her with sad eyes. He knew how to make his eyes cloud with the emotions he couldn't feel, but could express so well.  "Hurt her?" he said, cocking his head to the side before shaking it lightly. "I haven't the slightest clue, Gain," he said slowly, as if pondering the idea. "Gayun was a quiet, and sweet girl. Why would anyone want to hurt her?" He could think of plenty of reasons, including the reason why someone did. But why was she here? Why exactly? To track down her dead hooker? Is that why? Most likely. She was a bad person, and her presence made Jiyong's skin crawl in disgust he couldn't really know he felt for sure. "Is there a reason," he began slowly and deliberately as he met the female's gaze, "that someone would want to hurt her?" 

[ctzxjiyong]

obsidian | jiyong&taeyeon [au]

[ctzxtaeyeon-deactivated20140422]

She knew it had been a bad idea to go out tonight, and yet she still went against her judgement. Fighting against chance was what she did often, despite her nature. Kim Taeyeon was usually more calculated than this. Going through all the possibilities before making her decision, never on a whim since she knew the chances of making a mistake was higher that way. Fate wasn’t something she usually believed in but sometimes, she couldn’t help but think if the stars actually controlled their lives. She had been left alone at an orphanage, picked on by the other kids, but was soon taken away by a kind family. Was it meant to be? Or was it just by luck? Luck was such a fickle thing; it was never there when you need it, coming at unexpected times.

Like now, luck was the very thing she needed. Taeyeon didn’t remember how she ended up laying on the ground, but when she opened her eyes slowly, she saw nothing but pitch blackness. The girl sprang up in a second and was frantic, turning her head in all directions in hopes of seeing something, but the room, the place, wherever she was, was much too dark. She didn’t like the dark, she never did. Even as a child, she would always prefer having a small light on. Of course, in the orphanage, the kids teased her for being a scaredy-cat but they were right. Taeyeon didn’t have much courage or confidence in anything. Maybe it was because of the kids themselves which had given the girl this poor mindset. Nonetheless, she immediately grabbed onto the first thing beside her.

She had expected it to be a pole of some kind, something cold. Instead, she felt herself beside something warm, something movable and she immediately let out a short yelp, jumping backwards before she crashed into something else in the room. “W..Who-.. wha…Oh my god…” She stammered as she brought her knees to her chest, cowering at whatever or whomever she touched. Where was she? This surely wasn’t home. How did she even end up here anyways? Was she kidnapped? Why would anyone kidnap her? She was a nobody, her parents were normal folks, what would anyone want with her? Questions flew into her mind at rapid speed; she was too confused to comprehend the situation well enough. Her mind had gone into a frenzy, imagining all possible scenarios about how she would die today. “W..What do.. Whatdoyouwant?!” Fear made her voice go up a pitch as words tumbled out. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. What if her tone angered the being? Taeyeon mentally groaned at her own stupidity.

[ctzxjiyong]

What had he been doing? Something arbitrary of course. It didn't matter how he got here, there was no use sinking his mind into the past. What mattered was that he was here, and he was here now. There was nothing that could be done about that, and there was nothing that could be done about the warm thing that was moving, and now speaking into the darkness. "Shhhh," he whispered, turning to place a hand on the warm thing. Oh, how the warmth radiated from her body. He would have felt happy feeling it if he could have. "Calm down," he soothed, his voiced dropping slow and smooth. The warmth radiating from the warm thing, the girl, this girl he was leaning against was a good think and Jiyong liked it. He couldn't have the stupid girl moving around and taking the warmth from him.  He could feel her fear, it exuded along with her warmth from not only her body, but also her voice. The tremor, the shaking, it all signaled fear. He almost chuckled, feeling nothing, but something close to amusement if anything at all, at her nervousness. How she shook, how the warmth shook. She was warm, and that the almost the only thing keeping Jiyong from snapping her neck to stop the tremor from seeping into the darkness.  If he ended the tremor of her fear, he'd end the warmth. That was something he couldn't afford to lose. "I'm here," he went on, rubbing his hand against the wall of warmth that was her back. "I don't know where this is," he went on slowly, keeping his voice low and even, wanting to soothe her so that the warmth would stay still, "But I'm here with you. Don't be afraid." It was true, she had no reason to be afraid. Unless that tremor came back. But even then, she wouldn't fear. The end would be painless, but it was a bleak chance, the warmth was something he was quickly growing attached and unwilling to part with. 

[ctzxjiyong]

Obscure Questions

1: What eye color do you find sexiest?

2: White, milk, or dark chocolate mocha?

3: If you could get a Sharpie tattoo on your back, what would it be?

4: Did you grow up in a small or big town? Did you like it?

5: Your favorite adult as a child? (and not your parents, if they were your favorite)

6: What kind of smoothie sounds really good right now?

7: Most embarrassing moment from your elementary school years?

8: Most embarrassing moment from your middle school years?

9: Most embarrassing moment from your high school years?

10: Pirates or ninjas? Why?

11: Have you ever climbed a tree more than twenty feet off the ground?

12: Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing set?

13: If you could have any pet in the world, illegal or not, what would you get?

14: What's your most favorite part of your body?

15: What's your most favorite part of your personality?

16: Madonna or Lady Gaga? Neither? Both? Who cares?

17: Have you ever watched the Superbowl all the way through?

18: Have you ever watched any major sporting event drunk?

19: What's the most delicious food you've ever eaten in your life?

20: Margarine or butter? Which did you grow up with?

21: Whole, skim, 1%, or 2% milk? (Did you know they make 1 1/2% milk?)

22: Which continents have you been on?

23: Do you get motion sickness? Any horror stories?

24: Backpacks or satchels?

25: Would you wear a rainbow jacket? A neon yellow sweater? Checkered pants?

26: What was your favorite cartoon growing up?

27: If you had to have a cow or a pig, which would you take? Why?

28: If you had to look at one city skyline for the rest of your life, which would it be?

29: Longest plane ride you've ever been on?

30: The latest you've ever slept?

31: Would you buy a sweater covered in kitten pictures? Would you wear it if someone gave it you for free?

32: Do you pick at scabs?

33: Favorite kind of bean? Kidney? Black? Pinto?

34: How far can you throw a baseball?

35: If you had to move to another country, where would you move?

36: Have you ever eaten Ethiopian food? Vietnamese? Korean? Nepalese? How was it?

37: Small, liberal arts school or public university? Why?

38: A relationship with love or one with sex?

39: Do you eat enough vegetables?

40: Do you like horror movies? How about thrillers?

41: Would you scratch a crotch itch in public?

42: Do you swear in front of your parents?

43: Coolest thing you've ever been for Halloween?

44: If you could change your natural hair color, would you? To what?

45: Do you want to get married? Have kids?

46: Do you use a reusable water bottle? If not, you should.

47: City or nature person?

48: Have you ever used something other than "makeup" as makeup? (Like paint? Markers?)

49: Can you walk well in high heels? Even if you're a guy?

50: Post 5 awesome things about yourself. BRAG AWAY!

[ctzxjiyong]

[frommemetoyou]

Leave "Oh, it's you." in my askbox

And I’ll generate a number from 1-12 to see what our muses get. 

Read More

[ctzxjiyong]

obsidian | jiyong&taeyeon [au]

Dreams are haunted, and nightmares are painted. Dreams consist of the remnants of the day, a vicious cycle of mundane life repeating over and over. It was a pity that Jiyong's rinse and repeat cycle was awash with blood. Blood, and so much of it. It was with that blood that Jiyong painted his nightmares. Not that he felt any of them. No fear, no terror, nothing. That was his tragic flaw; Kwon Jiyong could not feel. What a pity. Pity, another emotion he could not feel. Emotion was one thing, need another. What he needed right now was water.  He arose slowly, his eyes opening into slight slits, and then slowly wider as he took in his surroundings. Pain was something he was aware of, he was a sociopath, not those strange souls that were unable to feel pain. He felt an ache in his shoulder, and in his neck, something accustomed to one not sleeping in the correct position. The fact that Jiyong was not in his bedroom was slightly alarming, but he felt no panic. After all, it all came down to the basic fact that he couldn't. Slowly, he turned his head, and slowly, he moved his limbs, regaining the normal sensation that he knew his body was supposed to feel. He wasn't alone, no, Jiyong wasn't alone in this dimly lit room. There was something, someone else, someone warm. Someone warm right next to him. Warm, warmth, body heat, he liked this. Or did he? He never knew if he liked something. Did this make him happy? It didn't matter, happiness was trite, as were emotions. He was glad he didn't have them. Or was he?  All matters aside, water was what he needed, so Jiyong moved, letting the warm thing resting aside him move the slightest bit. No, what if the warm thing arose? What was it? The lighting in the room didn't allow Jiyong to see anything clearly, leaving him clueless about what the warm thing was. Maybe... He moved again, the slightest bit, and then back, nudging the warm thing. "Wake up," he whispered into the darkness, watching his words disappear as he rested his head against the warm thing.

[ctzxjiyong]

metus | jiyong&gain

[scrxgain]

A mother’s instinct and a drive to protect their young can be seen as a force to be reckoned with, one more deadly than the phrase of ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’. Even if it meant her own death, a mother would ensure the safety of her child. Yet what was to become of the mother who failed to protect their child? The need to protect them was still strong and yet they knew, deep down, they would never see the fruits of their labour even if they were to die doing so. This could lead to two things; the mother’s feeling of anguish and failure eating her up until nothing remains, or the mothers instinct going into overdrive, seeking revenge after revenge until some other force manages to stop her, constantly seeking a result they would never achieve.

The child did not even need to be related by blood for this to be effective, as GaIn found out the day she mourned the first passing of a ‘child’, a girl under her roof, someone she had vowed to protect the moment she became the brothel manager. Her death had been no accident, nor had it been the work of an out-of-control customer. GaIn had received an odd text from her just a couple of hours before and, after gaining the help of some in the other side of Scorpio, had managed to track her down.

This was definitely not an accident.

This was definitely not the work of a customer.

Somebody had set out with the soul intention of leaving her in this bloodied state. GaIn had seen enough dead bodies to make a few assumptions, after all to learn from the mistake of others was one way she learnt how to survive. The wounds were filled with a calm hatred, it wasn’t messy but still devastating. They wanted to send a message, yet what one GaIn couldn’t tell for certain. She could, of course, make further assumptions, most people killed prostitutes because of a hatred of their mother, they’re easy targets, to make them feel like a man. Things of this nature.

But why had they targeted this one, out of all of them? This girl was slowly clawing her way back into society, she was so close to buying herself out of this nightmare that it seemed almost spiteful to keep her in it in such a gruesome fashion. The worst part was all GaIn could do was leave the scene of the crime as if she had never been there, after all the  police would only see her to blame even if she did phone it in. In a couple of days another unfortunate soul would walk past this place, and a half-hearted attempt to find a murderer of a prostitute would commence and end quite suddenly.

It was this devastating discovery which had led GaIn to quite an unusual location. Sat between many other people, blending in with a crowd of a privilege much higher than her own as she listened to words she couldn’t quite understand, her eyes focused on the one speaking them. This was the man who, unknowingly or not, had been helping GaIn’s ‘child’ to freedom, the one giving her knowledge far beyond the older woman’s comprehension. The only other one who had known her.

She did not laugh at the joke like the other people, slightly disgusted that people believed such a thing as heights and venomous snakes to be true fear. For true fear did not come from physical objects, as GaIn had learnt, it did not come from nature, it came from man itself. It came from the uncertainty of the morrow, manipulation, blackmail, it came from being degraded into nothing, whittled down until the core is empty. This fear was the strongest, yet it was also the one that could leave you. Yet when it does leave, that’s when you truly have to worry. For you mind cared no longer, hell was upon you.

At least you would die from a snake-bite eventually.

The last question was definitely food for thought, what was GaIn afraid of? She had long since grown bored of the threat death made to her every day, she had hit the bottom of life and had faced many enemies who had hurt her, some who she knew would come back to finish the deed off. It had been a long time since she felt fear, the empty feeling having replaced it many years ago.

She had waited until most of the other students filed out of the classroom before she approached the front, waiting impatiently in a queue of people praising the lecturer, asking for help on their assignments or just generally talking about nothing in particular.

These people could wait, their future was guaranteed for them whereas some people did not have this luxury. When it was finally her turn GaIn forced a smile upon her face, there were still too many people in the room for her to revert to more ‘traditional’ tactics to get the answers she wanted. She had to maintain an image of normalcy so foreign to her she questioned how normal it could truly be.

"Mr… Jiyong, correct? My name is GaIn, I was wondering if you could help me, if we could go somewhere private to chat… about work, of course?"

[ctzxjiyong]

Though his eyes strayed from hers, his attention was on her. He felt very aware of her presence, even as she stood in the back of the long line of students. Yes, yes, he was a wonderful lecturer, it wasn't difficult to keep young adults entertained with pretty words. He knew who she was, how could he not? His skin crawled with the presence of such... filth in the room, but he did his best to keep collected. It wasn't difficult, keeping a calm outwards appearance was something he was good at. Picking what emotion he wanted to emulate was an art that Jiyong had all but perfected over the years.  A look of interest to the girl asking whether or not her thesis statement was acceptable, and a small smile when told his lectures were extremely engaging. Three more. Three more people, and there she was. He couldn't help but feel excited. Ha, that was a joke. He just wanted to feed her every lie he had composed since he had laid eyes on her as he looked her straight in the eye. Two more. She was getting closer, he could feel it. He could feel the essence of the invisible grime that covered her. He should have felt hate, a deep, painful rooted feeling, but it was something he couldn't do. One more. Brushing off a stuttering undergraduate with the assurance that they were going to do fine in a neurobiology major, he looked up to face her with a hint of a smile. "Professor," he corrected smoothly, his body posture showing a hint of confidence, rather than arrogance. Arrogant was something Kwon Jiyong was not, "Professor Kwon." His smile widened the slightest bit as he nodded, but he let his eyebrows quirk a bit, feigning curiosity. "We can head to my office, it's just upstairs." He gathered his belongings from the desk, a sleek shoulder bag and his books, before leading the way out of the lecture hall and down the hall towards the stairwell. He looked back at her to make sure she was following, before starting up the stairs. "My office is just up here," he said, still leading as he climbed up the short flight of stairs. As they reached the door to his office, Jiyong slid his faculty card in the slot, and pushed open the now unlocked door. "Miss... Gain, was it?" he asked, looking at her for a look of assurance towards the name he already knew, as he nodded at her to go in first, "What was it that you needed help with?"

[ctzxjiyong]

metus | jiyong&gain

"The amygdala is the part of the brain that deals with contentious emotions such as aggression, rage, and fear." Jiyong, or Professor Kwon to the hundred or so students in the lecture hall, was a smooth speaker, articulate and clear when his voice sounded. He didn't need a microphone, even in a class as packed as this. No one was talking, no one was one their phones, and all eyes were on him. "Fear," he continued, scanning the entire room coolly as he leaned back against his desk, crossing his arms across his chest, "is a basic survival mechanism that most creatures have. We avoid dangerous things: poisonous snakes, heights, the dark. We fear them, so we stay alive." 

She was afraid, she was so afraid. She was usually calm and collected, half paying attention, half not in class. But that time, she was afraid. The fear made her eyes widen, because she knew. It wasn't so bad when she didn't know, but when the gears started turning, the fear set in. Too bad her fear didn't do her any good.

A small smile crossed his lips as he held no gaze more than a few seconds, each brief locking of eyes intense, "The key to survival, is fear. Fear, above all, is the one emotion that keeps us alive. We fear, so we submit. If no one was afraid of anything, we'd all be jumping off bridges and playing with cobras." Snickers sounded across the room, and Jiyong let a small smirk cross his lips. It was baffling how something like that could strike people as funny. Laughter was an perplexing action, and the cause of it was bewildering. Humans could laugh at the strangest things.  She laughed. She laughed at this silly remark he made. Something about the sky falling down, but Jiyong didn't remember too well. He was too busy thinking of how he was going to rid this besmirched city of a speck of its contamination. God's work, it was. That's what Jiyong was doing.

 "Everyone feels fear. Everyone is afraid of something,"  He went on, his eyes going back and scanning the room once more. Faces blurred, too many people came into sit in his lectures that weren't in his class. Not that he minded. Or particularly cared. One face, one set of eyes were set on him, much more deeply than any others. He held her gaze, well aware of the clock ticking towards the final seconds of his designated lecture time as he said his final words of the class, "What are you afraid of?"