₊˙ ◌ ⁎˚ 〇﹒﹙(kai) kim jongin. cismale. he/him.﹚ guess who was almost late for their shift at mall store again?? that’s right, it was hwang inho! it’s a wonder their job as a salesperson in goyun skate isn’t in jeopardy. the twenty-seven old has been working at sunset galleria for one and a half year, and is well known for their charismatic nature. on bad days, they can be rather stubborn trait, though. when the mall is dead at night, they can usually be found flirting at the vesper lounge but don’t tell their boss! ﹙ zen. twenty-six. they/them. gmt+8. none. ﹚
heylo, this is zen with my rather goofy flirting mess of a puppy! please never take him seriously unless he's in his "professional" zone aka when he skates (or flirts). read more for some tldr headcanons!! like this as well and i'll reach out to brainstorm a thread / if you're interested in any of the prompts
about | plots | playlist | moodboard
basics
surprise surprise, he isn't daegu born actually. he's seoul borne, specifically from the rich residential area of gangnam is where he stayed, but who know what he is up to in daegu
as much as he denies it, he comes from a 'comfortable' position where money is the least of his concerns, hence why he's always been a salesperson aside from the freedom it gives.
because of his passion in skating though, he isn't an absolute shit at his job. in fact, he could best advice what gears you'd need. perhaps even give you a personal training session
he knows he's good looking and uses that to his benefits of course. from sugaring people up to pretending he's an innocent man, he'd work his way in and out to get what he wants
he can be found rather anywhere in the mall if he's playing hanky panky off work. it can be a slow day, so he's off around to flirt and well, to mess with people.
off duty though, you can still find him at the mall where he'd most likely be found at the vesper lounge in which he could definitely buy himself a drink but never will. if you work there then god bless you.
more tba!
prompts i would like to write
given his flirtatious nature, naturally i'd like a fun plot where he flirts with people regardless (he's doesn't label himself with any sexuality or romantic preference), whether it actually works or not we can def discuss that
someone who harbors a silly crush at him just because he's good looking (whose heart he might break, or he would just entertain the silly little crush but never too involved with it)
and naturally someone he breaks the heart of
exes???
that One (1) best friend from another store who he bothers a lot but your muse don't actually consider them as friend (yet would not mind his presence regardless)
someone who hates his flirtatious and charismatic nature. perhaps someone who works in the opposite store to goyun skate and sees the crowd flocking in to the store, wondering how in the world inho could get so many 'customers'. (friendly rival??)
someone who frequents the lounge as much as he does, but inho actually parasites on them for free drinks
one night stand of sorts
a rather fun plot where he gets someones help in purchasing a lipstick colour (ends up in a mess of swatches, or just plain o' flirty kiss jokes)
an alternative friendly rival in which your muse may be trying to dig some dirt to use against inho and to reputation, where he was caught browsing the adult section in the store, though he really was just clumsy that one time and dropped something that fell into that aisle.
lastly (for now), someone he actually falls for and it doesnt work out well in his favor
heylo swear i'm still around but havent been able to do postings because im having my pc on repair! i should be able to get it back and work on replies and starters i owe next week
the thought of taking over the bar sends cold chills down eunwoo’s spine whenever it crosses his mind. he would rather turn over and count every complementary peanut than take a mixer into his hands, but some days it cannot be avoided. and of course, one of those is today. his poor bartender schedules for the day had called in sick with a fever, making eunwoo scramble together whatever he had learned during the few mixology classes he had taken for situations like these.
he tries to play off how awkward he is with the mixer, relieved that it is a relatively relaxed weekday evening. a few mojitos here, some long island iced teas there. his favorite customers are those that order shots or anything plain on the rocks. little to no room for mistakes. he earns a chuckle or two when his team members see him struggle, but whenever he offers to swap places, the smiles disintegrate into nothingness and everyone goes back to minding their business.
eunwoo is in the middle of doing ham on the counter, determined to scrub off a stain that has been bothering him for weeks, when a sentence is uttered towards his direction. at first he does not assume that it is actually directed towards him, but when no one responds, he looks up. he meets a pair of soft, brown eyes, a smile to smug and self-assured, it feels like it has been painted onto the man’s face.
when he continues, eunwoo looks down the bar, wondering if his words are targeted towards someone sitting down the line, but it’s obvious to anyone else who would look at the scene that he is talking to him. eunwoo cannot help but scoff, wondering if his bartenders have to endure such attempts every night. if so, they deserve a raise. “really bold move for a first conversation,” eunwoo says, throwing the towel in his hands over his shoulder. “what’s the end goal? free drinks?”
there's this satisfaction that blooms within inho when he's gotten the bartender's attention and his smug turns shittier with the reaction he's given. something about this seems self fulfilling to him; being a menace yet in the worst flirtatious possible way. his regular bartender who had only gotten flustered the first few times of them being acquaintance turned immune to the skater's bold remarks and at some point had ignore him and passing it off as some old friend's joke. so to say this is refreshing for him, would be something that inho will admit to but won't tell the man, of course.
"well, they did say that first conversation or impressions should be impacting. i hope you've not fallen for me yet, have you?" the raven haired grins wider, now propping to rest his arms against the table in a rather relaxed manner. "free drinks would be great though, but being able to get your number is better." his words flow casually, as if trained to say the poor pick up line over and over again had turned into something that could slip into casual conversations.
"and well," he adds on before thinking of what to say, "maybe a bloody mary as well?" inho orders after thinking of which complicated-making cocktail he could think of. perhaps, he truly like being a menace. his regular bartender would know that inho would only order something simple, like a clean shot of vodka, or on mellow days, a glass or two of draft beer. the glimpse of the handsome man being clumsy with making drinks however, made inho want to tease him for it. you could say it's an old-fashioned kindergarten way of teasing someone - by making them suffer a little.
with a twist of the keys in hand, inho locks up goyun skate for the day and as early into the night unlike any other. the skate store in particular had been a really slow day since it is the weekday and there isn't any public holiday falling on that day. even his regulars seem to not be coming by hence he's been given the green light to close up early. what other things could inho possibly do if he didn't feel like going home or heading to his regular places at the longue or store? the answer brings him to the cinema. purchasing a ticket for a recently released animation that he's yet to have time to watch.
the hall is cold as he enters with a popcorn bundle that he's bought in hand and after disturbing his friend who had been counter duty today, he makes his way to his seat; one that is about 4 rows from the back but a middle seating. he had particular liked this seat since the skater did not need to strain his neck that much, be it if the screening had happened in a big or a small hall.
the advertisement starts and inho looks around to see the hall empty much like other nights he has watched alone. though recently inho finds himself with the company of a woman whos name he has not gotten of, but has seen quite often. the 'quite often' being an understatement though, as he only sees her in the cinema hall but it happened more than twice. perhaps some day he would strike up a conversation with her.
as if speaking of the devil though, he sees a rushed figure entering the hall who appears to be a familiar figure. the very same woman he had been thinking about.
there's a small anticipation when inho makes his way to his regular pet supplies store. it's not surprising that it's the one located in the very same mall he works for, and one he frequents as well. the store greets him with the usual furry feline smell as he makes his way to where the pets for adoption is kept in a well cleaned pent. if there's one thing that the skater had liked aside from the 'adopt don't shop' policy of the store, would be the fact that he gets to see these felines for free.
sure, it would have been great if he had a cat of his own and it's not like there's a 'no-animal' policy in the apartment he lives in. (he's seen some poodles and golden retrievers from the floor below when he gets on the elevator on some good days), but if there's one thing that he fears ⎯ and that would be him being incapable of taking care of someone. or a pet. for now, he settles to only looking at them especially if they aren't his, and donating as much as he could for these furry babies until they get a good home.
that being said, he remembers the shelter he's constantly donating to should be running out of supplies soon, at least that's what he inho thinks. heading to the counter and being greeted with a familiar face, he places his orders while getting his wallet out for payment. "can i get ten bags of fifteen kilos to be delivered to the same place?"
if there is one thing that hwang inho loves more than himself and cats, it would be drinking. the raven haired has high tolerance and knows well to hold his alcohol, never reaching even borderline tipsy but just enough of consumption to give him a good eight hours of sleep at night. tonight like any other, he finds himself at the lounge, a place he frequents quite often if not to drink, then to people watch. perhaps, even pick up along the way on good days. tonight however, is strictly for leisure drinking.
he makes his way to his favorite seat, waiting for his regular bartender who seem to be nowhere in sight. "a bummer," inho tells no one in particular but to himself. while he isn't one to order complicated drinks, he rather liked the way its prepared by his favorite, and what more that they have established a sort of friendship that he gets the 'staff discount' to bum off from.
the staff on duty catches his attention, one he had never seen before since - and admittedly - he's often already in a conversation with his favorite. if not flirting up another patron or regular for a free drink (which works most of the time). he props his arm up, resting on the bar as he rest his chin to the back of his head while the skater keeps his gaze at the working man.
"i think i would know if such an attractive man like you is working here, but it seems i wasn't paying attention enough," inho speaks out with a grin when the man finally turns his head to take his order after settling the order from a previous patron. "then again, man like you should be in the cover of magazines rather than being here."
the mall is as dead as it is at night when inho comes to his shift at nine in the morning. if anything, the mall felt more alive at night than it is when the sun greets and shine its beam over the land of daegu. though in all fairness, the mall don't exactly open until a while later and that is only when old married couples and busy housewives comes right on the dot with the opening of the supermarket to get their hands on fresh vegetables and meat for the day.
there is still time for him to spare since he's cleaned up the store day and what would a skate shop do if they open so early. he'd be sitting around playing some random mobile game he had downloaded or watch some bad chick-flick absentmindedly until school and work ends for his regulars. occasionally there would be some high schoolers who end up skipping classes for him but he's told them off the last time that education comes first. after all, even if they had ended their class, he would still be in goyun skate until the end of his shift.
inho's thoughts however, gets interrupted when the cries of a child rings his ears, looking down to realize the crying toddler had grab onto his jeans. he does a double take before scanning around to search for the child's parent who is nowhere in sight.
now the thing is, it isn't exactly common for children to be lost in malls, he's been in such situation himself as a child. but having to deal with a crying child attached to him is another, considering he isn't the best in child rearing. much less, a crying child at that.
the skater scans around the interior, still not finding any worried figures that could be the child's guardian so he tries to bend down in attempts to sooth the crying child. "hey baby, where are your parents?" he asks, child soft as to not alarm the child. the attempts turn futile when he's not given any response and instead is met with more crying and attempts of the child clinging to his arm instead while he juggled a bottle of coke and a bag of chips in the other.
in panic, he turns around to look for some help since he isn't all too familiar in handling a clingy and crying child as he would with someone whom he had broken up or played with. he turns his direction and meets in eye contact with the person nearest to him, hoping he would get some help instead.
let me just assemble a quick playlist for inho and a moodboard (cus im extra and free) before reaching out to those who reacted to the intro call (for those i havent) and write one open starter
have you ever fooled around with a customer inside the store?
❝ if my manager hears of this, or the owner— well since they're not here and will most likely close their eyes regardless to my actions. yeah, perhaps more than once but never the same patron, of course. i'm never one to keep someone attached to me like that. ❞
❝ i think this is simple. i'm simply someone who breaks the heart of others, out of my personal entertainment. ❞ inho shrugs casually and he continues with a grin. ❝ my green flag though, is that i'm self-aware. but i don't think i'll ever stop acting out of boredom or for my own entertainment, so you better put on that rose-colored glass, babe. ❞
are you ever afraid of getting badly hurt when you're skateboarding?
❝ this may be a bit of an oversharing but – ❞ the skater pauses to laugh at the sudden recollection of his past before shaking his head as he continues, ❝ when i first started out skateboarding, i was eager to learn new tricks and show off, of course. so guess what i did. of course i had to learn some hard tricks just two days into picking up skateboarding. what i did was called willy grind and it wasn't the hardest trick in the books of skateboarding but well, it's hard for someone who barely skate- ❞ he scratches his head with a grin.
❝ well, the outcome was really just me ending up having a broken bone as i fell off the stairs doing the trick. took 'bout twelve weeks to recover and i have this metal piece in me. ❞ he points to his left arm. ❝ so yeah, i don't think i'm afraid. it's one but many injuries i've been through though nothing as worst as that fractured arm. i am afraid of not being able to skate anymore though – but i'm too hot headed to give up even if my bones are all cracked and broken. ❞
the notion of fear sits heavy on inho's shoulder. what is fear for a man so fearless than most? he's always been a guy who lives with the motion of 'do or die' so there hasn't been any particular moment where he feels fear. as privileged as he is as well in the guise of saying he's comfortable enough to keep his plate and belly filled with the lack of concerns on his wellbeing deteriorating, he's never felt fear of not having enough either. so truly — what would his fear be?
❝ i think i fear the idea of never moving forward. ❞ the raven haired skater settles on his words after pondering but chooses not to elaborate
