reed

professor han by day . red by night .

[its-creed]

intro • profile • powers

ooc — sun , 25+ , gmt-5

plotting on tumblr pls triggers: animal abuse ( open to writing anything really! ) ( HEADS UP ! i work a full time job and have irl obligations that make my schedule inconsistent. i might be fast at times but otherwise typically slow )

TRACKER !

YOON JAEYEOL , HOUR 01:07 , yours

HAN SARANG , HOUR 16:32 , mine

MOON SEONJAE , HOUR 18:14 , yours

JI HANSOL , HOUR 20:36 , yours

YE SONG LI , HOUR 22:13 , yours

KANG JISOO , HOUR 02:51 , yours

[its-creed]

HOUR 22:13 // ANTHILLS ( continued @thegentlesmile ) "Mostly just here to observe. You?"

reed cracks a smile at li’s retort. 

it was refreshing to him, to have an acquaintance that never crossed the lines, whether it be reed’s or his own when interacting. a fully developed mind that didn’t bounce or dig into business that wasn’t its own but still managed to be decent company.

something rare that reed appreciated amongst all the people he’d been forced to meet and form connections with through the past two years.

“that is being too generous.” reed agrees as he watches a group of individuals come through the stairwell at same time the pair that had been struggling with the entrance finally make it inside. “i was theorizing that maybe a building full of metahumans would have slightly better survival instincts than regular humans.”

to see that he was both right and wrong, was amusing.

“but humans are humans at the end of the day regardless of any special abilities i guess.”

“apocalypse or not it’s nice to see someone else with their head screwed on right around here,” reed adds as he rests his elbow against his knee, listening to the discourse at the desk growing louder about how many flashlights and candles were allowed per person.

“i was on my way down to see if any staff from maintenance might be around to take a look at the laundry machines on the fifth floor. although from the looks of it they have their hands plenty full.”

[its-creed]

HOUR 01:07 ( continued @invsibl ) "don’t just stand there, do something," he snaps at his neighbor as if he’s the one responsible for all this.

reed is slightly amused when the younger takes a step forward and aggressively taps his card against the scanner again before it responds with it’s glaring red flash as if to mock them. at the male’s question, reed silently confirms to himself that there’s no sign of anyone living on the ground level close enough to hear them… no one he's able to detect that would be able to hear the ruckus that was being made with the fists against the glass.

it’s take a bit to hold back the laugh threatening to escape from reed’s lips as he watches from the side, letting the other commence with his tantrum. it’d been a long time since he’d seen someone express themself so freely.

“what—” he bites his tongue. again. what the hell was he expecting reed to do. it wasn’t like he was a fucking magician that could unlock the door mechanism from outside.

instead, he takes a step back from the entrance and looks around, pretending like he’s trying to see if anyone might be around. part of him considers if there might be another door somewhere that they’d actually be able to break into. of course, he wasn’t against breaking down the main doors but — as much as he was tempted, he knew better than to tempt fate during such a risky time.

“you think we can maybe break one of the windows open?” 

yes. he was now fully suggesting breaking into someone’s apartment. but maybe… just maybe there was a chance the guy lived on the first floor. the second would make it a little harder, but not entirely impossible. and if he was up any higher, well… with the lack of patience either of them had, something was getting broken into.

[its-creed]

”no way. i’m not going there in the dark.”

HOUR 02:51 : KANG JISOO : SUBLEVEL, SILVERLINE APARTMENTS tw: tbd

reed holds back the urge to roll his eyes in utter annoyance. everyone had been treating the city blackout like it was the end of the world. why couldn’t people see it for what it truly was? a blessing in disguise.

there was so much that reed had been able to do within the past 24 hours in the dark of the city — especially with no cctv to catch or record any places he was going to and from. but no. everyone had to act like every little noise or shadow was something out to get them. in hindsight, they probably weren’t wrong but frankly, reed couldn’t give a rat’s ass.

“well, you chose to come along.” reed says matter-of-factly before sighing with slight exaggeration. with the way that the two of them are positioned to begin with, if anything were to jump out from the dark reed would’ve been the first in line to get hit or whatever.

“what could you possibly think would be down here anyway.” reed murmurs under his breath as he continues walking forward into the pitch black end of the sublevel hall. “if the map i saw was right the breaker should be up ahead and i can’t exactly see if you continue standing there with the only light.”

what he fails to mention is that he does in fact, sense someone — or something — at the end of the hall.

[its-creed]

25. / when was the last time you told someone honestly how you felt about them?

reed cringes internally at the question. what the hell kind of question was that anyway… it wasn’t as if reed ever got to know anyone close enough to that level that he had to ever express himself like that. at least not within the past five years.

maybe in passing? a comment or two about how someone wasn’t as full as shit or useless as he first assumed but those individuals usually resulted in a full-blown fight because they tried to double cross him.

so he lies. it’s not the first he would have told anyway.

“hmm you know i think it was probably last week? on the way to the university, there’s a stall owner who sells an old family recipe of tteokbokki that i haven’t tasted anywhere else. it’s a little creamier than it is pasty or thick.” he smiles distastefully softly. “i told her that i truly enjoyed her food.”

[its-creed]

"It's like these people have never seen the power go out before ... "

HOUR 22:13 : YE SONG LI : LOBBY, SILVERLINE APARTMENTS tw: tbd

there’s a truth to the statement that li makes.

he’s never quite seen the residents of the silverline as disgruntled or jittery as they were now. from where they watch in the corner of the lobby, reed thinks they’re similar to a colony of ants scrambling about to prepare for the winter season. 

it comes as a minor surprise to him to see how many people seem to be unprepared for the situation at hand — although it really more just confirms his thoughts about the masses than all else. never trust anyone, especially those in authority. 90% of the time they didn’t actually know what the hell they were doing and a situation like such only further proved this theory.

“it’s not going to get pretty when they start panicking. i give it an hour before the free resources run out,” reed’s comment is almost sarcastic in nature based on the assessments he’s made. he’s entirely convinced this is going to be the case, however, considering the human instinct of hoarding and prioritizing one’s own safety and comfort when in an emergency.

“you seem to be fairing perfectly well doctor. are you here to grab freebies too?”

[its-creed]

" what were you thinking ?! "

HOUR 20:36 : JI HANSOL : NEAR HANGANG DRIVE IN, EDEN tw: insinuation of mugging/attack

reed is a little more than bewildered when he hears the exclamation coming from behind. 

after all, the situation in front of the younger male must have looked less than promising the way reed was crouched over the unconscious man. the stranger’s wallet in reed’s hand must have looked much more devious than what reed was actually doing as well — for once.

“are you serious?” reed huffs out as he tries to catch his breath before standing to his full height. “did you not see the metal bat in his hand?”

if anything, reed is more pressed about not being able to give the man tenfold what he had received with the younger closely watching on. there were plenty of ways reed would have been able to have his fun — either way the stranger would have regretted ever trying to attack reed for the rest of his life. it wasn’t like reed to take kindly to these sorts of things.

he knows that the wallet in his hand seems more suspicious than knocking the stranger out cold, but it’s easy to explain any inch of skepticism away, “there’s cctv everywhere, but getting his ID will make things faster when filing a report to the authorities.”

[its-creed]

"did you hear that?"

HOUR 18:14 : MOON SEONJAE : FIFTH FLOOR LAUNDRY ROOM, SILVERLINE APARTMENTS tw: tbd

through the two years that reed has spent at the silverline apartments, most of the residents have seemed harmless enough that he didn’t need to be overly cautious when in the building. however, there was always two or three that seemed to become suspicious over time that would end up on his radar at some point.

on one hand, reed could’ve been considered the odd one because despite living on the 16th floor, he had a habit of throwing his laundry into the 5th floor laundry room out of convenience for the amount of time he was able to spend running errands and the sort between the wash and dry cycles. only… the past four times that reed has happened to stop by the laundry room he’s noticed that one singular resident always seems to occupy the laundry room at the same time he does.

reed isn’t a paranoid person. but when certain patterns start happening, it’s only natural of him to take extra notice to the circumstances each time. 

he keeps to himself however and just as he finishes putting his load into the dryer, the male speaks up.

(did you hear that?)

there’s a bit of tension with the silence considering none of the machines are currently running. but reed takes the sudden interaction with a grain of salt before looking towards the doorway.

“what are you talking about? did you hear something out there?”

[its-creed]

"i think we're stuck here."

HOUR 16:32 : HAN SARANG : ROOF TERRACE, SILVERLINE APARTMENTS tw: tbd

to say that reed is agitated is a bit of an understatement. completely, in fact. 

he’d been notified of a package that would be placed on the roof terrace where all drop-offs were always made whenever he was expecting something. however, with the blackout going on reed had no doubt that someone had found it somehow and swiped it. he had told his supplier to hold onto it specifically because he had already anticipated this happening. 

ready to rip his supplier a new one, reed pulls his phone out in preparation of dialing the number when he finally senses the presence of someone else on the terrace. he freezes midaction, phone in his hand as he turns to scan the area when he finally lays eyes on them. her. standing at the roof entrance like a deer caught in headlights. 

the adrenaline rushing in his veins urges him to leave before he does anything else, lest the young female try something. he’d noticed — the amount of times she suddenly appeared in the corner of the lobby or the way she seemed to linger around the corner of the building whenever he was coming and going. frankly, the last thing he wanted in that moment was to confront whatever it was she might have been following him for.

as reed charges towards the door ready to take his exit, he hears her statement (i think we’re stuck here) and immediately stops in his tracks — now an armslength away from her.

“did you do something to the door?” his tone is slightly accusatory with his patience wearing down.

[its-creed]

# 16 : is it easier to make people love you or hate you ?

reed chuckles lightly at the question because anyone who knew, knew.

“i think that’s a fairly easy question to answer. it just depends on intention you know? most people make it fairly easy to put themselves in a situation where they could hate someone. and if you pay close enough attention, it’ll be easy enough to make them love you — or think that they love you.”

for reed, it’d take a couple words to persuade someone to feel any which way but ultimately…

“about me specifically though? it’s very easy to make people hate me when there’s not much they know about me to begin with.”

[its-creed]

what's something no one else knows about you?

the secret sits far in the empty crevices of the back of his throat. reed always entertained the idea of someone finding out his true identity one day but merely out of curiosity in how he would get out of said situation if it ever did occur. it also depended on the when, how, where, and who aspect of course.

but he’s a simple biodmedics professor. was there supposed to be something interesting enough about him to make people look twice?

“that’s not a question i get asked everyday. i’d have to say, maybe… that i can speak three other languages than english and korean?”

[its-creed]

what was the moment you realized your life wouldn't go the way you thought it would?

the question ticks something old and buried deep inside reed. jealousy. but he swallows it easily like it’s nothing more than an afterthought and shrugs lightly.

“it was when my brother manifested his powers before i did.” he hated that it wasn’t him first. “maybe it’s a twin thing. when you do so much together, you kind of expect that things will happen at the same time especially for something that significant.” he hated even more that his brother’s ability was mimicry. because growing up, it felt as if reed never had his own power and yet, his brother was able to have his and more. “childish envy. things ended up working fine when i eventually manifested my own ability though.” 

reed discovering his power negation was most definitely the catalyst of their strained relationship. instead of realizing his life might not go the way he wished, it instead taught him there was always a loophole and way to get what he wanted.

[its-creed]

11 + 17 💭❓

reed laughs because he’s probably told more lies than he’s ever truths. this being one of them — “not exactly a lie per se, but the biggest in relation would probably be when i swapped places with my brother for a day. he had a situation at work he wasn’t too enthusiastic to deal with so i went in for him.”

having a different ability is something reed has thought about one too many times. specifically when it came to thinking about what would’ve made his life more convenient during certain times. “if i could have any other ability it would probably be something time related. i think some would look for the ability to go back in time to change stuff, but i’m a little more invested in traveling to the future. just imagine all the things we could learn might happen? a lot of things we could do with that information.”

[its-creed]

do you believe in heroism? in heroes? :^^)

reed scoffs internally and displays with a convincing smile. 

heroes and aeternals were essentially the same kind of joke. who in their right mind actually agreed with the system that had been set up — metahumans being trained to save people? doing things for the good? as far as reed was concerned, everyone only claimed to be better than others. the different buyers he sold information to spoke enough for that. 

“well, if there are villains out there running rampant, then there have to be heroes to stop them. who else would protect those like us?”

[its-creed]

#13 ╱ if your life paused for a day and you could go anywhere you want and do anything you want, where would you go?

the underlying malice is absent without full context. maybe it sounds a little endearing, but the bloodthirst pounding in reed’s veins says all else. “i’d like to be reunited with my twin brother. catch up with him and hear about what he’s been up to or what’s been going on. he’s been… missing for a little over two years now without any communication. it feels like no end in sight, but i know he’s out there somewhere.”

[its-creed]

when was the last time you lost your temper?

composure is something that reed has always seemed to have a good hold on from a young age. the jealousy he had at times watching his twin being able to mimic other’s powers held a strong grip on him in his youth until he realized he was able to persuade people to do things. ever since then, there wasn’t much that really got under reed’s skin — especially after discovering that in reality, his main ability was much much more than it seemed.  if reed were to choose one moment though, it would have been when he discovered his brother was even more conniving than he anticipated. an eye for an eye — forcing reed to chase him down halfway across the world and some how managing to evade reed all this time in between. hell let loose and in short, it wasn’t pretty.

“that’s hard to say. i think as a newer professor who’s had to teach biomedics in an educational system i wasn't completely familiar with — the last time i lost my temper was probably at the start of my transition here having to get used to the cultural difference in teaching and hierarchy. who doesn’t love a senior telling you how to do your job and enforcing their way with their political power, am i right?”

[its-creed]

"the scanner won't read my card and i can't get back in, so..."

HOUR 01:07 : YOON JAEYEOL : SILVERLINE APARTMENTS tw: tbd

the grip that reed has on the small box of pastries from the bakery next door in his hand tightens for a second as he stares at the much younger male waiting at the entrance. there’s a quick silence that falls on him as he considers his choice of words — letting the true ones sit nonexistent on the tip of his tongue. it was a fucking outage, if the scanner wasn’t working what the hell was he expecting reed to do.

“this black out has really been an inconvenience,” reed chooses a lighthearted smile as he pulls his wallet from the inside pocket of his jacket. he looks down at the card that clearly reads someone else’s name, flipping it downwards as he steps forward to give his try at the door.

the scanner flashes red for an instance and for a split second, reed considers how much trouble it would cause if he were to break down the door. his eyes flit up to the security camera in the corner and he thinks — if the scanner wasn’t working, what were the chances the cameras were?

with the dark of the night and city looming behind them, reed is positive no one else will be coming through the doors anytime soon. he taps the card against the scanner one more time before it flashes red again. “maybe third time’s the charm?”