/amitheasshole

jeon minjoon. 26. lawyer

[hgminjoon]

the jury is out, for lunch.

/ -- @hghyein | “so you’re one of the interns -- having fun?” he was too busy skimming the papers scattered on the desk to look up at her. it was a bit too stuffy, the suits outside the conference room were a bit too dull for his liking, and this was generally not his kind of scene. the whole ordeal was aging him. but a promise was a promise. and if these little favors kept the peace, then minjoon had no choice but to oblige.

do as i say, not as i do -- words to live by. minjoon wanted to explain as much. but he had only been a full-fledged lawyer for a few months, it didn’t even feel like he was a full-fledged adult most of the time, so how was he supposed to give any advice? today was supposed to be simple; but he loathed this place -- its offices and facade had been changed by the years but he could feel the burden of it all. it was ingrained. he couldn’t really sit there and give some half-assed advice on how to pass the bar. his conscience -- yes, even jeon minjoon had one of those -- just wouldn’t let him. 

“are you up for a field trip?” he asked, letting go of the coffee cup he had been holding onto for dear life. paranoid? maybe. “there’s nothing you can learn here, but i do know a place.” he got up and headed for the door, leaving the papers and coffee cup for someone else to clean up. they didn’t need resumes where they were going. “i’ll drive and you can ask...whatever it is you want.”

[hgminjoon]

93.08.25 -- until whenever

[hgriohxxxxx]

recollect.

[hgminjoon]

hgrioh:

“nobody can seem to.” rioh pairs it with a smile, and it looks pleasant enough. the way his voice sounds is pleasant enough, too. a near-inaudible strain and the flex of his jaw before he he distracts himself with his coffee. it’s something that grates even when it has no right to. of course everyone expects it out of him, and who is rioh without the ice? that career robbed from him and he wouldn’t be anywhere near where he is. an office worker instead, maybe. and would that be any better? he chews at his straw again, a quiet contemplation. eventually, he lifts his shoulders at the question. not because he doesn’t care, necessarily, it’s just that he doesn’t want to talk about it. not here anyway, and not with minjoon.

instead, rioh deflects. angles it back on minjoon and cracks a smile at his answer. “practically infamous.” he decides, his own posture loosening as minjoon sinks back into his chair. “i could, you’re right. shouldn’t you be offering me something so i’ll keep my mouth shut?” he jabs his straw around at the contents of his glass. mostly so he can keep his hands busy, though it’s not really a conscious decision. 

once new glassware comes out, he’s redirected. makes sure there’s enough split between them – though he drinks this distraction down. he figures minjoon will follow suit. 

it’s more sentimental than he expected, what minjoon says next. rioh’s not entirely sure how to respond. how he wants to respond. so he drinks a little more instead, until the orange juice rubs a little too acidic at the back of his throat, and he has to muffle a small cough into his sleeve.

“i mean, yeah.” his voice comes out rough, and he clears it once before he continues. “of course i would, i mean. we were…friends” – and that word hands like a near-question – “for so long…just…” another shrug, and he knocks a nail against the mostly-emptied cup. listens to the crystalline ring of it. “you know. why wouldn’t i come?” if anything, rioh would’ve guessed minjoon would be the more liable party to keep things finished. but he doesn’t voice it, maybe he’s too sober for it still.

“silence isn’t exactly something you can buy,” that was mighty and unnecessarily philosophical of him so he elaborates quickly after, “it’s more like a gift; you shouldn’t take back a gift -- i’m sure i can pay you back someday. just find some bad habits and i’ll help you sort them out.” it was more of a suggestion than an explanation. it had never occurred to him that rioh would sell him out. even now he didn’t entertain the thought. it might have been a foolish, perhaps even false, sense of loyalty. one he hoped went both ways. written in permanent marker; unwilling to fade no matter how many times life had tried it. 

minjoon looked at the drink -- would it really do anything? it’s nowhere near the buzz he chases these days. but he drinks it anyway. the glass managing to hide whatever expression could have, possibly, flashed across his face at that moment. it was better that way -- no chance to overthink. they were just words after all. words that shouldn’t merit detective work. but he almost falls into old habits, older than whatever it was he and rioh had. he almost overthinks it.

they’re friends? it was strange to hear, especially coming from rioh. sure, minjoon had been waiting to hear those words. after all, they were here to get back whatever pieces of their friendship had survived. but it didn’t make it any more common. “of course,” he doesn’t miss a beat. agreeing with far more enthusiasm than it warranted. but that was just like him -- covering things up with a cheerful tone and a smile. as if he was selling the idea -- how typical. “it’s just that, i’m sure you’re busy. i’m just glad we could meet up again. it’s been a while. honestly, i can’t remember the last time we met up.” tsk, how easily he slips into lies. the type reserved for small talk during fundraisers and the like. the kind of lie he doesn’t even notice. just sounds, just words. “we should do this more often -- we shouldn’t be strangers. don’t you agree?” 

[hgminjoon]

no destination, on my way.

[hgminjoon]

chaeyounghg:

Chaeyoung smiled a little. “I think more than me. You might grow to resent me a little, since I would have to be terrible to you so your mom will worry about her precious son,” she said. It was a lot of big talk, of course, she knew she couldn’t do it, as much as she wanted to. She had already been trained to act a certain way around adults, around people older than her in order to keep up a good image. It was almost like an instinct, and it was hard to quit. 

“Oh yeah,” Chaeyoung snorted. “Or at least to remember to be safe so there’s no need to rush the wedding…because even in today’s day and age certain things should happen after marriage and if it happens before, then you’re just…a bad person, for lack of better words.” She could only imagine how her own parents would react. Likely they’d want measures taken to kill the idea of it before anyone else could ever find out. That, or as she had mentioned, rushing it to make it look like it happened at just the right time. 

The silence once again spoke loudly. I like the way you think. It felt like the only way to think right then and there, and the best person for either of them to have deal with it all was standing right in front of them. Or at least, that’s how Chaeyoung felt. Minjoon never questioned her, he simply acted and moved on, and she never questioned him either. Neither cared much to dig further but if they were forced to end up together, then only time would tell what would happen to them. Somehow, it felt like it would all just be a big mess.

Chaeyoung followed his lead, considering the options that he had presented her. “Lets just drink it all,” she said, reaching over to grab a few bottles of soju that she could carry. “I just don’t want to think anymore.” 

“couldn’t you just pretend to be terrible? i’m a great actor -- but,” he shrugged, “ it doesn’t really matter, she would probably tell me to stop whining. i’m kind of the black sheep of the family. didn’t you know?” minjoon actually didn’t know just how much she had heard. obviously, no upstanding hwang geum resident would be dealing in drugs. but it was still hard to gauge just where he stood on the social ladder. his parents had gotten good at covering for him -- they had years of practice. still, there was only so much that bribes and good old fashion power could do to hide the fact that he was far from the perfect son. he had stopped caring a long time ago. 

“for sure; i believe in all of that too. no sex before marriage, cereal before milk, beer and then soju -- i’ve got it down.” he nodded. for all intents and purposes, jeon minjoon didn’t care. he didn’t have to mind himself. granted, his parents would likely be mad -- not because they cared about that side of his life, so far they had refrained from commenting, but rather because chaeyoung was someone they chose. so whatever did happen between the two of them, mattered to the six of them. a bit crowded for his taste. 

“alright,” he nodded before shutting the fridge. he grabbed a pair of cups and, of course, shut the infamous drawer. there was a lonesome bag of chips in one of the cupboards -- he grabbed that too. “follow me, i think i know a place.” in all fairness he had been living there for less than a week. the idea had been to show off, practicality wasn’t a priority. so he knew there was a balcony -- the kind that let you see so far off into the distance that one could remember this too was seoul. but minjoon took a few wrong turns before finding the right door. 

“best view in kwangsun.”

[hghaejin]

good and bad [haejin&minjoon]

[hgminjoon]

hghaejin:

Haejin laughed, pleased with the older’s reaction. “Sorry hyung, but it is what it is,” he teased. Sometimes it just had to be said bluntly to make its impact, and it seemed to work. For a moment he couldn’t help but wonder if a part of Minjoon craved that rush towards the end, and if there was a cause for concern there. He didn’t think so.

“Definitely…this is not scary, people are happy and dancing and most people down there never even know what’s going on behind the scenes, they’re just there to have a good time and be entertained,” Haejin said, watching over at the people on the dance floor. He was half tempted to join himself, his foot tapping along to the beat of the song currently playing. 

Haejin pondered at his question, and imagined a young Minjoon sneaking out of his house to play video games. It seemed like something that he could easily visualize, but also like it was something that someone else would do, but perhaps young Minjoon was different than the one in front of him now. Haejin took a sip from his drink. 

“Well…I actually like playing video games now,” he said. “Not really arcade games, but like….you know, on consoles and PC games and stuff. I also like dancing. It’s…I guess therapeutic? But I also just enjoy it, it’s always fun. I can always change it up how I want to,” he explained, biting his tongue before he set off rambling too much on the subject. 

“I mean, I can understand that…but at the same time…what would you say your hobby is in that case? Getting drunk and just…seeing where that takes you? Whether it’s like…that movie Hangover or…something scarier, it just…I don’t know, it doesn’t appeal to me,” he frowned, pausing to take another sip of his drink. “I read once somewhere that you never really recover and become healed from that. You’re always…that. In most cases people do relapse, and it takes a lot to not do that. So I’m doing a lot to not do that.”

entertained yes -- haejin had somehow landed and completely missed the point minjoon had been trying to make. people came here to just let go -- let the music lift them away from whatever had been weighing them down. and he couldn’t imagine anyone down there was sober -- if they were then, well, there was a severe lack of dancing talent present that night. minjoon didn’t see the need to point any of that out. 

"it’s not healthy.” he shook his head before downing a shot. “video games can mess with your head,” not everyone felt the need to spend energy-drink fueled day-long gaming sessions. but then again, he assumed everyone had gone through such a phase at some point. therapeutic wouldn’t be the word he’d use. “if you’re not careful -- but you’re usually careful so i shouldn’t worry, right?” --- “you dance?” 

“yah, is that a hobby?” he almost laughed -- almost. sure, hobbies were hard to come by nowadays but wasn’t that part of growing up? minjoon thought about it for a moment. he enjoyed other things, things that didn’t include alcohol. rowing? oh, but he hadn’t picked up an oar since university. reading? when was the last time he had read anything other than a contract? how unnerving. haejin had hit a nerve that not even minjoon knew existed. but life had simply gone in this direction -- what could he do? “it’s more like an adventure. don’t tell me you never - just - want to see what happens? movies have to be based on something, people really live like that. it can be fun -- once in a while.”  

“that’s interesting,” he poured another shot and looked at it, “you went through all that but you’ll be afraid for the rest of your life.” a sigh, as if these were his own worries “even criminals can let go of their past after serving some time. why can’t you enjoy whatever you want? they should’ve taught you to be stronger. but instead, they taught you to fear yourself? somehow that doesn’t seem right...” he trailed off, the shot of sake still untouched on the table. 

[seasonsfm]

SIBLING THINGS

[hgminjoon]

hgsoohyngs·:

she wasn’t sure when the last time she saw minjoon was. soohyang was too immersed in her own work these days that she hasn’t checked up on him in a while. ever since she moved out, she hasn’t seen much of her siblings as they, too, had lives of their own now.  they weren’t little kids anymore rather were adults, set off on their own different paths. it wasn’t until her parent’s constant pestering that she thought stop by his place. that, and she did miss him. growing up, minjoon was her best friend. one of the few people who deeply understood her and vice versa. when he was born, she promised to protect him no matter what, even from their parent’s unattainable expectations. 

since she came unannounced, she brought some chicken & beer with her as sort of like an offering. that, and she came from a work out and was hungry. soohyang wasn’t sure if he was at home and went there on a whim. she parked her car in front of his house, brought her purse and the food with her, typed the passcode to this house, and opened the front door like she owned the place. 

“—YAH JEON MINJOON ! ” she yelled as she entered the place. almost horrified at the mess. “get your ass down here before i come find you,” her nagging big sister self kicking in. “i am not sure if a grown man lives here or a two year old— MINJOONAH !!! ” rubbing her temples as she walked into the kitchen to place the box of chicken on top of the counter. // @hgminjoon·

minjoon had grown up -- gone to school abroad, passed the bar, left his parent’s house, started a business and moved into a mansion house. he was a full-fledged adult. and yet there he was, wondering who he should blame the mess on. the gardener? the maid? obviously, they had yet to arrive or this mess wouldn’t be around. he had been handling things -- for the first week or so. but over the last 72 hours, things had spiraled out of control. boxes and furniture had arrived, take out had been ordered, and walls had been unnecessarily ‘painted’ by yours truly. thankfully soohyang was still downstairs. no need for her to see the full extent of the mess. “noona?” he shouted from the top of the stairs. that dumb smile that always appeared around soohyang, the one that usually got him out of trouble, on his face. 

“don’t say that,” he walked into the kitchen, “it’s not my fault, nobody is taking care of me. two-year-olds have it better.” sure, he was lamenting his lack of...supervision? but minjoon preferred this freedom -- even if he didn’t get to see soohyang as much as he’d like. life had a habit of getting in the way of their reunions. they rarely had time to meet nowadays but in a matter of seconds, he was next to her, nudging at her shoulder and eyeing the food. as if nothing had changed. “what did you bring, huh, chimaek -- you’re the best.” minjoon wrapped his arms around her, pulling soohyang into a hug. “you only brought one box?”

[hgminjoon]

qui vivra verra.

[hgminjoon]

hgsheila:

“but !! there is one way to solve this.” 

far from her the thought of believing that he truly thought this was his room, no, she definitely did not trust him. but the quick thought process was here as she’d summoned it, she had to get them both in a more public area, with other people–before she did something stupid like knock him unconscious again or worse happened to her. ugh, goosebumps. she usually wouldn’t just stomp out of a place not dressed properly but drastic times called for drastic measure and sheila was at the door and out of the room before she was throwing over her shoulder, “i am getting the reception desk and the manager and we can fix this once and for all!” 

“what did you just call me?” there was something unusual in his voice -- genuine disbelief. the sort that he hadn’t been cursed with since the first year of uni. maybe he should stop leaving seoul. i’m the creep? never had jeon minjoon heard that word directed at him. nevermind the situation -- no, he wasn’t the type to willingly put himself in someone else’s shoes. her assessment was wrong -- she was deflecting or buying time...who knew -- he had decided that much. and if this conversation was any indicator, this was going to be a long day. “don’t you know this is -- defamation.” minjoon put the phone away and slowly got up, pretending to be in far more pain than he actually was. an unconscious choice, a ‘just in case nobody believes me’, after all, he was the hurt party. “what a great idea!” he quickly pronounced it as so and almost sprinted out of the room. he was determined to get there before she did. 

minjoon walked past her -- heading straight for the elevator as if he hadn’t just gotten the lights knocked off him after being seasick all day. a dose of adrenaline -- mind over body and all that. he must’ve pushed the down button a hundred times before the elevator doors opened. funny how a few seconds can so easily seem like a few hours under the wrong conditions. but he was ready when the it arrived. he walked a foot or two into the empty elevator and turned around, a sly smile on his face. “there’s always the next one.” he stood there, blocking the entrance, and furiously pressing the closing button. 

sheila...had he heard that name before? it sounded familiar. but then again if they had met before -- surely he would remember. after all, today was at no risk of being forgotten. he should have gotten a family name --something more tangible than a first name and an insult. sure, he had it on video, but being called a creep wasn’t exactly a crime. not yet anyway, surely the jeon family could manage to prosecute that. shit, he should have looked for whatever hit him in the head. was this amateur hour? worst.day.ever.

to his dismay, the elevator stopped three times before reaching the lobby. minjoon had been leaning against the back wall. quietly observing every breed of dog and person that, with their mere presence, ruined his chances of getting downstairs first. 

“monsieur monsoir,” the receptionist was still out of earshot but minjoon was heading straight towards it -- ready to complain. he had been thinking about it on the way down. the hotel was probably at fault. not that he was letting sheila off the hook -- she had knocked him out. “ouch--”  a sour look, right hand holding on to the side of his head, and a slight limp -- couldn’t they see how much pain he was in? “i’ve been assaulted at your hotel. this woman just tried to kill me. i want the police and a security detail.”

[hgminjoon]

JEON “good person in training” MINJOON: a moodboard

[arabwife]

if u can’t handle me at my worst, u don’t deserve me at my longest yeah boi ever

[hgminjoon]

no destination, on my way.

[hgminjoon]

chaeyounghg·:

There wasn’t a lot to say. Or at least, not a lot that would help them. The room was filled with silence and occasionally, a look that one cast on the other. This look said a lot more than words. It screamed everything that they wanted to say out loud, but it was no use. The eyes really were the window to the soul. Even if they liked to pretend they could close the curtains and keep the rest of the world out, there was always a way to look in.

A small part of her reminded her it could be worse…it could be a lot worse, the words constantly repeating themselves in her head and if she was honest, she hadn’t dated anyone in years. It wasn’t as though she had hope for true love, that she would have a happily ever after. She knew better than that. She knew the world she lived in.

“Obviously,” she said. “But I can be….a bridezilla. If that helps,” the suggestion was empty in words, because she knew she couldn’t do that. But if push came to shove, and she had hopes for a last resort to get out of this, being a stubborn bride who wanted a wedding where she decided everything might be her best bet. It would definitely bring negative attention to her family, but she felt a little desperate and she blamed her parents for this. They should have let her make the decision, they shouldn’t have made it for her. A childish thought, but one that was true nonetheless.

Her name on his lips surprised her. Then, she saw the look on his face, and it lifted the mood a little. Lifted the weight she hadn’t realized so suddenly was placed on their shoulders. He was joking, it was obvious, but it was sad how true those words there. “It’s all we can do,” she sighed. “Just get completely fucked up and not go home…for me, anyway. They know I’m with you, maybe they’ll think Im’ spending the night and be against the idea,” she said, matching his tone to imply she was joking too, but it was always an idea.

“Why? Because there will be drugs and stress mixed together? What could possibly go wrong? Lets throw alcohol into the mix and call it a night.”

“it wouldn’t, but it does sound entertaining -- for us at least.” and anything that could possibly upset their parents, and this whole arrangement they had planned out all by themselves, sounded good in his book. minjoon was far too old and worn out to pull any stunts. no -- if he wanted out of this then a bit of scheming and planning would need to happen. no easy task considering the number of lawyers involved. either way, this was no time for serious plans.

the thought made him chuckle. “yeah right, i’m sure they’d be outraged. maybe call to check in and make sure our, er-- meeting is going well.” and then again it would be fun to toy with their expectations, an eye for an eye sort of thing. “wow -- look at this. you’re already making yourself at home. i would give you my bed, but i don’t really have one.” he said a little too proud of the fact. “and what about my reputation?” not that he had a particularly good one to uphold. he was, however, not sure if the rumor mill would be so kind to chaeyoung.

“i--” he paused for a moment, leaning on the kitchen counter. the call had been unexpected, and he was increasingly sedated by the smoke. but neither of those things were reason enough for whatever odd premonition had wondered into his head. no, this was about the obvious. what their parents had failed to see. it was her -- minjoon and chaeyoung had always managed to miss each other hadn’t they? same friends, different circles. hwang geum was small, but it had allowed them to be worlds apart. now things would be different, and that soundedlike trouble to him. even if they managed to get out of marriage -- the damage would be done. and then there was this whole situation -- which felt like the ultimate test. would he give in and admit that he could never escape his parent’s shadow or would he take his chances in the real world? it all seemed a bit too much for one night. “i like the way you think.” 

he nodded and headed for the fridge. “we should be fine; unless we go out in public or, you know, start calling our exes.” the fridge was void of food, instead water and alcohol -- far more than anyone could need filled it. “soju, wine, or vodka?” 

[hghaejin]

good and bad [haejin&minjoon]

[hgminjoon]

hghaejin·:

“True, but you won’t be forever,” he responded. Again, the words were a bit blunt, but he didn’t mean for it to sound as harsh as it was. “And there’s no reason to…rush towards death if it’s not your time, right?” he said, although he knew everyone had their stories. Everyone was different and not everyone would agree. He hoped Minjoon wasn’t one of those people, although he never seemed like it. 

Minjoon was teasing him now, he knew, and he laughed at his question. “I do…they’re good sometimes. I don’t watch them as much anymore though,” he smiled. Again, he had his reasons for that too but it was easy to distract himself from a movie than it was in real life. Or so he told himself. “Oh yeah, usually it’s like…the meat locker of a butcher’s shop…which is not sanitary at all.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Haejin said, pleased. “I know I may not seem like Im’…loose, as you put it, but there are ways to have fun…and be sober. Trust me, I’ve been at it for four years,” he said. He never touched on the details of his past, and people just knew he had been in rehab for one reason or another. “Ah…well, I was a minor when I went into rehab, so I never did drink…but I know it doesn’t go well with…drugs. It starts the whole spiral thing.”

life’s not a race -- or so a shrink had drilled into his head. but the woman was just another one of his mother’s minions so it was hard to decipher whether there was some truth to the saying. hearing a similar sentiment from haejin felt a bit better. sure, there was no reason to rush towards death. but it was better than staying still and waiting for things to happen. everyone’s going in that general direction after all. but minjoon hadn’t been in any rush lately so he simply agreed. “i suppose not. once you say it like that -- it sounds like a terrible idea.” the attitude suddenly not looking so devil-may-care and cool as some of his other friends liked to paint it as. 

“a meat locker seems scari--er. i don’t think anyone would be scared by this.” intimidated perhaps. after all, when it came to wielding power over others and intimidation people raised like them were just as good as the gangsters. the only difference is that they quickly rejected the idea that this was so. 

“alright, i’ll give you a chance,” he was interrupted by the arrival of their drinks. the sake and a cola. minjoon stirred the tokkuri out of habit before pouring a shot. "what do you usually do for fun? actually -- when i was a kid i used to sneak out to gangnam and play arcade games all night but even that got boring. when you drink, it doesn’t matter. things just become fun.” he believed it, sure, but even minjoon couldn’t believe that had uttered something so objectively dismal. “anyway -- it’s not the same as drugs. plus, aren’t you over that?” 

[dizzysouthernconstellations]

The Story — Conan Gray

[hgriohxxxxx]

recollect.

[hgminjoon]

hgrioh:

it had worked with minjoon. until it hadn’t.

rioh catches a teardrop of condensation with his thumb. smears a smiley face into the side of glass with it. watches it drip itself into a disapproved sort of frown soon after as he plays catch-up with his thoughts. “i guess alright. mostly the same.” most of what he’s willing to share is the same, at least. “just skating, really. did alright in canada a few weeks ago. bronze.” even as he says it like a triumph, rioh’s nose curls in distaste. like he hates himself for it. “what about you, manage to get arrested yet?” the corners of rioh’s lips twitch up; sly, like a fox nosing out a burrow of rabbits. it feels almost like a throwback. and it had been part of the reason rioh had been drawn to him in the first place. he always sort of liked the way trouble made his heart race. the quick pull of it that shot adrenaline off through his veins like a drug. made everything seem less rote. like he might’ve actually enjoyed the experience of living. 

“or have you learned to pick better hobbies by now?”

the way rioh says it makes it sound like he hopes he hadn’t.

as a child, he had been the observant one -- eyes wide open to the small mistakes that happen to slip through pleasantries. things were never quite what they seemed and minjoon had found some beauty in that. it gave most people an edge -- duplicitous, but entirely more interesting than they would have otherwise been. rioh had been enigmatic in all the right ways. a puzzle he couldn’t put together but whose pieces he understood. he did, didn’t he? those instincts, that drive to always read between the lines, had been dulled by time. not altogether on accident. so he couldn’t tell, and part of him didn’t want to know, whether rioh was simply falling back on old habits, old tricks that always lightened the mood and loosened lips-- or if he simply couldn’t stand the sight of minjoon while sober.

no use picking on old wounds. regretting all the good habits they never managed to pick up along the way. and he wishes all the thoughts running through his head would fade away into the indifference he affords most people. because he doesn’t do this anymore. he doesn’t hang on words, doesn’t look for signs where they are none. the small things, for whatever beauty they hold in their simplicity, had lined the path to their ending. 

he should have known about canada. or, rather, part of rioh’s life would always be on display -- so, “canada,” he could have known. had, somewhere in the back of his mind, minjoon not made it a hobby to sidestep anything that would urge him to reach out. “that’s great, i can’t imagine you off the ice.” a lie. for all the memories stored away in scents and polaroids, a surprisingly few of them had anything to do with skating. long days spent doing everything but nothing at all -- warmth much like the sunlight that filled the space. those moments he didn’t mind remembering. those moments he kept close to his heart and played them back now and then. they had dragged him here. making amends was the only way to keep those recollections intact, the only way to make new ones.

“how many medals does that make?” he wasn’t going to make a comment -- wasn’t going to ask rioh what his coach had said about that or whether he’d heard from his mother. nothing too heavy, the day was still young. 

“me?” he cocked his head to the side. jeon minjoon’s actions actually catching up and tearing down what was left of that image his parents had so carefully crafted? unheard of. “never, somehow i always get away. seoul pd must be busy.” he didn’t mind admitting that much, even if it was through the guise of a joke.  “you could call them, turn me in -- it would make things fair.” he relaxed now, shifting into a far more comfortable position and letting the background chatter drown out the worries. 

so the words just appear on his lips before he can grab on to them. “i didn’t think you would, but -- i’m glad you showed up.”

[hgminjoon]

qui vivra verra.

[hgminjoon]

hgsheila·:

to add to the list of experiences sheila never needed to have in her life, knocking someone unconscious. a lot happened too with a heavy body lying on the floor with a pulse at least, because she’d checked that first–right after she’d lost her frozen state. which took about, more than a few seconds for sure. silence, pure silence had knocked her out of her shock and her CPR instructor screaming in her ears to move fast or she could be losing a life !! 

instincts had also made her shut all the windows and curtains, just in case someone took a peek in and assumed the body she left lying on the floor was dead. then after a few seconds of the man being unconscious she’d gone straight for the phone and sat on the side to wait for something to give. actually, she was waiting for him to show more than a pulse, maybe open his eyes and do something, say something so that she could be reassured and then call the police. oh, right of course she wasn’t going to let him get away with this just because she’d maybe caused him some permanent damage to his brain and–

“oh jeez !!” startled out of her mind through the pacing she hadn’t realized her legs had taken her in, she turned to face the now awake culprit. his words though? his words took awhile to register. sheila’s hands found her hips as she regarded him through the brightness of all the lights she had to turn on since she’d cut the natural brightness of the daylights from the scene of the crime. 

“you’re alive, that’s good, kicking and alive, we like that. i am, one, very sorry for the lamp, it was an accident.” two, what did he mean by regret it, or her getting out? she’d slept in that bed. she’d checked in at the reception, “what i regret is knocking you hard enough to make you blabber nonsense, aw poor baby, that head must hurt. but, just to let you know you walked in my room uninvited so you’ll just have to deal with the consequences.” phone back in action, in her hands and sheila quickly started to dial the emergency number, “i am calling the police right now, so don’t even think about moving.”

it seemed to him -- somehow clear despite the constant ringing going on in his ears -- that this very much felt like the beginning of a murder mystery book. the victim had yet to be decided, but the motive had been planted. it was hiding somewhere between him walking into an occupied room and her throwing a lamp straight to his head. oh great, at least she was sorry. the apology, although he would hesitate to call it that, did little to help the situation. no -- the longer she talked, the more prominent minjoon’s scowl became. 

“you have it all wrong.” he insisted, the lawyer in him advising that he keep this conversation as curt and amiable as possible. a tough order to follow considering the other’s tone. “conse--” he scoffed at the thought. if someone was getting kicked out of the hotel, and possibly facing time in a french jail, it was her. “look who’s talking.” he looked around, this time taking in the room. the curtains were drawn -- the hell? this could be a scam, a kidnapping attempt, or a simple case of a stowaway. either way, minjoon was planning on sticking around to find out. if she didn’t want him to move, he would oblige. 

“go ahead, call the police, i’ll be right here when they take you away,” he said it quite smugly for someone sitting on the floor with a possible concussion. “considering this is my room -- i have a reservation -- this shouldn’t take long.” he had no doubts that the wronged party was him. however, whether or not this would be a simple and quick ordeal was a different thing. quietly, he sneaked a phone out of his jean’s pocket and brought it up to eye level. 

if they couldn’t resolve this quickly and a friendly manner he would need proof. the weapon, the closed curtains, the (what he was assuming) was a guilty look on her face. he would need proof of it all. “smile, you’re on camera miss--” he would find out just who she was. “whatever your name is!”

[hghaejin]

good and bad [haejin&minjoon]

[hgminjoon]

hghaejin‌:

Haejin nodded along, trusting the older and pleased he agreed to leave him as the responsible one. However, at the comment of him driving, he looked at him, appalled. “What?!” he said, the surprise clear in the single word. “No way, if you’re drunk, you’re not driving,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll be sober, and I’m a good driver, you and your care will be safe…if you drive…I don’t know if anyone, or your car, will be.”

“Well, not all of them,” he mused. “Some are still dirt poor and get…ugly digs to hang out in and see everything.” It wasn’t necessary to debate something like this, and he wasn’t fighting the older, but Haejin spoke his mind, which could prove to be a bad thing if he said the wrong thing at the wrong time. 

When the waiter came around, Haejin drummed his fingers on his knees, waiting for Minjoon to place his order. When it came to his turn, the panic set in once more. “Oh, no…no, no, I can’t,” he said, shaking his head. “One turns into two and then two into three and then it spirals and then it can get bad…I’ll just have a cola, please,” he said to the waiter, hurrying them off before Minjoon insisted further.

“Sorry hyung, I just…had a hard time in the past, so I can’t divulge in those kinds of things. It’s for the best for me,” he said, offering an apologetic smile. After all, this wasn’t the first time the two had spent time together, and it wasn’t the first time that Minjoon suggested something that Haejin was absolutely against. “I hope you don’t hate me for it.”

“i’m still alive.” he joked. but considering all the reckless stunts he’d pulled in the past, it was a miracle that he was still in one piece. it’s hard to be cautious when fate seemingly favors the daredevils and dauntless. 

minjoon nodded -- he couldn’t really comment on the movies. but there was something to be said about the real-life mobsters that roamed the streets of seoul -- or at least of hwang geum. he had only seen the glam and the thrill of it all. and it didn’t appear all too different from how his father and company liked to flaunt their money. "haejin -- do you watch a lot of gangster movies.” minjoon couldn’t imagine he had the time. “i bet they would kill for this view. it’s something to work towards either way."

he was about to open his mouth and say something, undoubtedly surface-level, but decided against it. instead, he let the waiter run off without an objection. an alcohol-fueled spiral didn’t sound so bad to minjoon. the experience had never left him with anything worse than blurry memories and large bills. but it was obviously something haejin didn’t see in a positive light. “why would i hate you?” he shook his head, “as your hyung it's my job to get you to live a little, loosen up -- i won’t let you spiral into anything.” false promises he knew he couldn’t keep but nonetheless couldn’t help himself but offering. “and, the past is in the past. how long has it been since you’ve had a drink?”  

[hgminjoon]

no destination, on my way.

[hgminjoon]

chaeyounghg:

There was no way their parents would leave it be. They would set the date. They would pick the location, they would pick the food…the most freedom they would have was picking what they would wear…only with the appropriate parties tagging along to add their input. Chaeyoung just wanted to scream.

When Minjoon spoke, there was hope that suddenly spurred. She couldn’t think of what he could possibly have to fix this situation, but if anyone would, it would be him. Then, he found what he had been looking for, and Chaeyoung realized he had found a temporary fix, not a permanent one. 

“Fuck it,” she sighed. “I’m in. I don’t think I want to go home right now so lets just get fucked and forget about all this.”

monsters were plenty around these parts. it had dawned on him, at some point long ago, that being good didn’t get you fancy houses and shiny things. no matter how much his own family embraced the idea of hard work and righteousness. being a monster, or pretending to be one of them, was a requirement. so he nodded in agreement -- in acceptance of the world they lived in. minjoon had been doing a lot of that lately. of caving in, of letting things just flow without so much as a word. how much could one person really do? 

he looked at her, momentarily defeated by the news. and it was obvious that there was nothing that he could do or say to make chaeyoung feel better. to make either of them feel better. truth be told he had never mastered the art of moving forward. without some external force minjoon would be stuck in that moment, still mourning the loss of his imaginary freedom. and he had always, never mind whether it was consciously or not, encouraged her to do the same. it happened every time he gave her pills. narcotics to numb the pain and neglect the real problem.

“details?” it was poison to hold out hope for any sort of freedom. it was false hope. they didn’t get to sort anything out. didn’t have to. “i’m sure they just want us to show up and smile.” for parties, for the wedding, for whatever came after. they were expected to just follow. and he couldn’t decide whether to fight or flight. not when for weeks their engagement had been nothing but talk -- something they could joke about while thinking that their lives would never intertwine in this way.

“lee chaeyoung,” he faked surprise, glad to know that she was on the same page. even if it was the last place either of them wanted to be. “isn’t this all we can do?” minjoon offered her one before picking another for himself -- he couldn’t deal with this without some help. “next life i’ll be a dolphin, anything but this, humans are too much work.” only one drag later and he was already talking nonsense. a few more and he’d probably be walking barefoot through the manicured backyard, worrying too much about things he couldn’t change -- things he was too afraid to challenge. 

“i have a weird feeling about this.”

[clubeskimo]

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