having trainees coming and going was something yoojin should’ve been used to; some would get the chance to debut, others would just give up for whatever reason, so he never really got attached to people or befriended them too deeply, because shit could happen.
but he never faced someone so exquisite - yes, that would be the correct word to use with that person - such as jinyi. the trainee acted weird sometimes (yoojin was sure he was playing some character), had a trainee schedule that would exhaust him more than any other (perhaps because he was sometimes getting to the dorms past curfew - yes, he noticed!), and didn’t get that many hours of sleep.
he wanted to ask about it, but jinyi looked so shady, he found it better to just mind his own business instead of getting in touch or witnessing something he wouldn’t want to deal with the consequences in the near future. yoojin had a plan to debut and have a successful career, to be distracted with someone who maybe wouldn’t even be there the next term was just pointless.
the week after they returned from chuseok was particularly rough for him. yoojin had been piling up more things on his shoulders that he could handle, and his sleep was paying the price for it. so when his light sleep was interrupted by a voice, and he found a pair of eyes staring at him - yes, yoojin could see them even in the pitch black room - his first instinct was to pull back and put some distance between them, knocking his head against the opposite wall, a curse escaping his lips in the process.
“what? help? what are you doing here? how?” he whispered back, then realized what he had been doing, “why are you whispering like that? how you going to help me?”
"I was trying to not scare you, guess I failed at that." He heard that bonk, even from here. That must have hurt. "What am I doing here? I...I live here." Jinyi felt slightly bewildered. "Do you...not remember me being your dormmate?" Did Yoojin sustain an injury that was actually serious in nature? To the point that he was suffering memory loss? Should Jinyi call someone?
Or maybe Yoojin was just disoriented from just waking up. Let's not be too hasty to make assumptions.
"I help my clients sleep for my part-time job," Jinyi explained, carefully setting one elbow onto Yoojin's bed to anchor himself because he was still standing on the ladder. It wasn't high up, but knowing his personal history with gravity, Jinyi was not taking any chances. "People say I am really talented," he said. "As a meditation instructor."
Yoojin's energy did feel somewhat off. They've been living together long enough for him to sense that much. Jinyi raised his free hand and hovered it in the air. "There is a heaviness that's not usually there. Did something happen over the holidays? Are you unhappy, Yoojin?"
Lights, noise, scent of smoke and grease - too much for most introverts, let along this one with a poorly trained nervous system.
Jinyi put a hand over his racing heart and bid it to calm. He told himself to not fight the current of discomfort and instead, to ride its waves and go with its flow. This was, after all, the life that he had chosen. Better to drown in stimulus than sit alone in silence again. Better to disappear into a crowd than to stand out as the solitary one on the sidelines. Even if he didn’t belong, he could at least pretend.
He ordered two servings of tteokbokki from the stand that had the most interesting options and carefully weaved through the crowd to get to the rendezvous point they'd agreed upon.
"I got rice cakes," he announced, once he'd spotted Tiger. "Here you go." Jinyi offered his friend a bowl with paper napkin tucked underneath. "That's how it works, right? I am older, so I should be getting food and taking care of my little brother Tiger?" He smiled, soft like a feather, but heavy with sincerity.
This was supposed to be a straight forward day of searching for the perfect fall vlog spot. Jinyi had a vision! He was thinking about finding a place with different, vibrant-colored leaves that would represent autumn. In fact, he sort of already had an idea of where to go...but various situations pulled him from his schedule.
The day of chaos started with a child who had gotten lost from her mother. She was sobbing so hard that it took about half of an hour of gentle coaxing to gather the necessary information to finally reunite them. After that, it was a tourist in need of assistance. Lunch time rolled around and Jinyi thought they'd finally be able to get back on track and have sandwiches under those trees he'd thought about, but then they got cornered by the local fluff brigade. The felines, though soft in appearance, had numbers on their side. Jinyi attempted to negotiate with their leader - the one who'd emerged from a trash can and had chewed up ears - to exchange half of his tuna for safe departure from their alleyway. Why only half? Because he’d just gotten this can of premium Japanese tuna from a client this morning, and he absolutely intended to eat some of it himself.
Once they'd fled from that gathering of whiskered gentlemen, they finally got to the spot Jinyi was speaking of. "What a day," he sighed, sliding a little pile of the remaining tuna (about a quarter-can at this point) onto some crackers for a quick energy boost. "Sorry, I know I said it was only going to be a twenty minute walk from the dorms." Oh yes, Danny was here the entire time. "But there is still light out, and we can still make the vlog happen-" The sound of argument cut Jinyi off. Right as he was about to offer Danny crackers too.
A couple was fighting. Really intensely.
Jinyi's attention was once again diverted and by the time Danny joined them, he'd sat down with the couple and was nodding along to the story he was being told.
"I understand from both of your perspectives." Jinyi clasped his hands together. "It's true that he shouldn't have used your expensive limited edition shampoo, especially a whole handful of it, that was indeed wasteful. But this gentleman did say he ran out of his own and it is an one time mistake- Danny, what do you think?" He turned towards his fellow trainee. "Would you be upset if someone used your shampoo?"
there was a time when she was younger that ruby was convinced that she was unlucky.
it had started in gym when a ball smacked her in the eye. the impact left her reeling and, unfortunately, resulted in a black eye. pictures were being taken the next day. ruby wanted to cry. then she had realised a pimple was forming right in the middle of her forehead. as most dumb pre-teens did at that time, she popped it, which left it angry in its wake. the day had finished off with ruby falling in mud, making it look like she soiled herself on her walk home.
days like that would happen often: something goes wrong that starts a chain reaction. getting stuck in the elevator and suddenly her headphones stop working. ripping her pants. shoelace gets stuck in something. there's always something going on in ruby's life and today was no different.
it had been raining and she didn't have an umbrella. ironically enough, her previous umbrella had broken by being turned inside out by the wind. she hadn't had the time to buy a new one and she was feeling the regret now.
then in a split second, ruby was on her back. the impact surprised her. when she opened her mouth, she hissed in pain. she had bit her tongue in surprise on impact. overall the damage was minimal. her eyes flicker up to her unfortunate assailant.
"okay? dude, i'm bleeding," she said, cursing softly. not too much to worry about but she was pissed from the overall interaction. "walk much?" she says, putting her hand on his chest to give them some more space. "i'm fine. just get up please."
"I am so sorry." He pulled himself off of her in one smooth motion, clasped his hands together and bowed so low that one might almost be impressed with his flexibility. "I have no excuse for my incompetence with gravity and wish to take full accountability for my action. I have no right to beg for forgiveness but if you can find it in your heart- bleeding?" Jinyi raised his head mid-apology to search the girl for the location of the injury.
"Let me help..." He started digging in his messenger bag for items of use. "I have a first aid kit here." Complete with cartoon band-aids. He didn't recognize the characters, but got them because he found their forms pleasing. "And a spare umbrella." Jinyi handed it over, having noticed that she wasn't carrying one, and she should in this weather. It was blue striped and extra compact so it fit well in his bag.
"Oh, um..." Should he explain why he'd go around carrying a spare umbrella? Not everyone did that, correct? "Misfortune tends to find me," he admitted with a smile. "And I've learned it's best to always be prepared. So two umbrellas, a change of clothes...basic first aid kit..."
or well, he was listening to r&b when he was weaving his way through the jazz and hip hop booths out of mild curiosity. but that was before he realized that legacy had given him the most perfect weapon. to do what, you ask? to eavesdrop.
he becomes more interested in visiting booths then, especially those bustling with fellow actors shouting at each other, blissfully unaware that they're still wearing noise-cancelling headphones. mind you, rowon has mellowed out quite a lot. it's not like he intends to do anything with the information he gathered—it's a just in case. old habits die hard.
jinyi, or should he say, father song surprises him when he turns the corner to the food station. a dash of salt is thrown his way, and rowon recoils as if he's been struck. "you think your salt can defeat me?" he snarls, eyes narrowing—only to break character a second later with a laugh. "caught me off guard there. i almost didn't recognize you, though i suppose your costume should've given you away. ... a priest, huh."
the last part lingers with a smile that reads i know something that you don't. except rowon doesn't know anything. he just pretends he does to see people squirm.
"have you ever had a candy apple?" rowon offers one up like the devil did once upon a time. ( what he doesn't realize then is that a certain noble consort rowon was also once very fond of apples. )
Scary demon snarl! But Father Song stood his ground for humanity's sake. He whipped out a cross and was about to continue the battle when Rowon's laughter declared the game over.
"Isn't it an interesting costume? I borrowed it from a meditation client. She said it's a character from some show I haven't seen. Said it was a classic." He had not seen many series in general. "Not sure if I am doing the character justice." He did try, though, and listened to some pretty acoustic music with dark undertones upon his entry, also visited the classical music booth.
Jinyi took the candy apple and turned it in his hand. "And no. Is it really alright to eat these? They are so beautiful." All glossy and red and inviting.
It reminded him of something. Vague and murky and about to slip away from his mind again if he didn't grasp at it fast enough.
"I actually had a dream last night about hyung," he said with a frown, trying to hold onto the fragments. "It was a strange one. Not quite a nightmare but...I had a hurt ankle." Jinyi pointed down. "Were you cutting a fruit for me? Taking care of me? Or maybe it was for yourself, because you didn't look like you felt bad for me at all," he mumbled as he did his best to recall. "You actually looked happy that I was in pain-" Jinyi stopped suddenly. "I am sorry, I am doing the thing where I am behaving socially inappropriately again, right? You shouldn't tell people when you have bad dreams about them. Only talk about the good ones."
It was just past dinner time, but in fall, the sky darkened early.
"There it is, the street where Miss Sonia was last seen." Jinyi gestured at the sidewalk of uneven ground and flickering lamp post. "Some claimed they saw her stop right there beside this strange circle symbol on the wall, and turned her head towards this abandoned building." He mimicked the gesture, only with slight exaggeration for emphasis. "Then, supposedly, instead of continuing home, she went inside this condemned infrastructure as if lured by unknown evil. We are here to investigate the situation today, and hopefully find her." Miss Sonia's mother was truly devastated by her disappearance and would give anything for her safe return.
Why was Jinyi narrating as if he was with a TV crew? No clue, honestly, he was probably just a little nervous. This was, after all, one of the most exciting excursions he'd ever gone on - an investigation in search for a missing victim.
"I have the Churu," he said, holding the stick of treat up for Cherry's examination. "Miss Sonia's mother said these cheese flavored ones are her favorite." Yes, they were looking for a cat.
What woke him was the cold. Guess now that it was fall, his usual sleeping attire of baggy tank and shorts needed to be switched out. Jinyi was surprised, really. He'd spent more than ten years on ground and straw to train his resilience. Now, just a few years in a regular bed with comforter and he'd become weak.
Rustle rustle.
Those sounds were coming from the bunk above him. It would appear he wasn't the only one awake at this hour. His poor dormmate sounded like he was struggling again. Jinyi considered offering his help a few times already, but didn't want to impose, especially since he still couldn't figure out how Yoojin felt about him. It wasn't like his dormmate was unpleasant or anything, he just looked at Jinyi strangely sometimes when he came back from work exhausted.
Well, perhaps this was an opportunity to become closer! Jinyi liked having friends very much, and wanted a lot more.
He slipped out of his bed to the utter dismay of his entire body (it's freezing, bro! Can't you find a cardigan first? Sincerely, your legs) and climbed up the ladder with a few near silent steps. In hindsight, maybe he should have been noisier, because now he might scare Yoojin.
"Hi," he called out, keeping his voice whisper-low and non-intimidating. "Uh, I heard you tossing and turning. Can't sleep?" Jinyi asked. "Want me to help you with that?"
INFJ-A (the advocate): Introverted, intuitive, empathetic and insightful. Jinyi considers himself a better listener than a talker. He loves spending time alone, but can also enjoy the company of one good friend or two. Large crowds tend to overwhelm him after some time, though because he's INFJ-A, he can push himself to be more extroverted if needed. The more time he spend with people, the longer solo time he would require to recharge. He's a creative problem solver and doesn't believe in resolving issues with blunt force.
TYPE NINE - the peacemaker: Jinyi does not enjoy conflict and would actively try to prevent it. He is accepting of people regardless of what lives they choose for themselves and wishes simply to be the source of stability in their lives. He can anchor them, with his calmness, his gentleness, so that no matter how chaotic their lives got, he can still be counted on to be present for them. This, unfortunately, does mean he'll sometimes swallow his own words/feelings and just accept outcomes he doesn't desire. If it's something he really cares about, he's willing to abandon the peacemaker status, but it'll take pushing.
Xenarthra: funny story, I legit didn't know what a xenarthra was and had to look it up. They are quite precious lil creatures that reminds me of sloth. It does fit Jinyi's personality - these guys are patient, intuitive and deeply connected to the earth. They move slowly, but purposefully, and have a calming, meditative presence much like Jinyi. Xenarthra daemons are supposedly introverts that have their heads up in the clouds. Jinyi is definitely like that, as he can spend hours meditating or just chilling in his own thoughts. Due to his background of being alone often, he had to become his own friend and his mind had to become an interesting place to retreat into.
Ravenclaw: I took two tests and one gave me puffs and one gave me ravenclaw. I think both houses could suit him, but Jinyi would likely choose Ravenclaw personally because he would want to be among the creative and wise.
In the corner of the party floor, a young man dressed sternly in black stood. His eyes were slightly narrowed, hands clasped neatly at his chest and lips pressing into a thin line - the very picture of intense contemplation. What could he possibly be thinking about with such focus?
Deep fried mandu. Golden brown and crispy, with a moist, savory filling.
Mmm.
Roasted bacon rice cakes. Smoky fat flavors a delicious contrast from the drizzle of sweet gochujang sauce.
Yes.
Jinyi honestly couldn't decide which he wanted more. He certainly cannot and should not have both. That would be giving into gluttony, and he was supposed to be a man of discipline. Especially tonight, dressed as a priest.
Although, is it weird for a priest to be wearing mala beads? He could have taken it off for the costume, but the temple masters did say the beads should never leave his body. So Jinyi tucked them under his sleeve and hoped that wasn't disrespectful.
"Oh, Rowon!" A familiar face appeared. "Quick, help me decide what I should eat-" Oh hold up, what was this man wearing? Gasp. A demon costume? "Or maybe food can wait. I should be doing my duty to humanity first." Jinyi cleared his throat and deepened his voice, even though he was smiling. "Be gone, demon hyung!" A pinch of salt was sprinkled in Rowon's direction. That amount probably wouldn't have done much damage to any demons, but Jinyi really didn't want to make a mess and trouble the cleaners after.
Somehow it happened again and gravity refused to be his friend. At this point, Jinyi was used to this. During the split second that he had as he felt his balance shift, he assessed the situation.
The tumble: cannot be prevented.
The environment: one person in front of him - a young girl heading up these stairs. Unfortunately, their soon-to-be collision was also destined. It was still raining a little, and the ground was wet. This fall would be a cold and messy one for both of them.
He had only time for a single action, and used it to take the coat slung over his shoulder and whip it downwards. If executed perfectly, the coat would serve as their cushion.
Excellent, it worked!
The coat slid beneath the girl just in time, soft fabric against wet stone. Jinyi let loose a breath of relief and let himself collapse forward. The rest was up to fate.
A thud, followed by a startled breath.
When the world stopped spinning, Jinyi found himself braced over the girl, hand planted by her head, rain dripping from his bangs.
hello, it is muffin with a lgc2nd. you can get more info on this guy via his profile & history. I have a bit of surface level info here to give you an idea of who you are dealing with!
as a trainee: entered jan 2024. been spending most of his time, frankly, learning korean. very mediocre idol skills. guess he can be considered rap "strong" because rapping and reading sutras = similar in that you gotta talk fast and with passion. special trainee skill - graceful tumble. he tends to trip over his own foot during dance practice and has developed the ability to stick his landing beautifully. not necessarily comfortably, but gracefully, and not on his face.
as a person: laid back, hard to rile up, easily amused and eager for adventures. would try anything and everything once. forgiving and would give people second, third, fourth & fifth chances. has a calming presence and is beloved by the animals, including the rodents he's deathly terrified of. because a lot of the things in the world are new and exciting, it is possible for him to get distracted easily. jinyi's a huge glutton and I think I'll probably write every thread with him trying something new.
special skill - meditation. he actually has a part time job as a meditation instructor. one of those uncertified people you can just meet up with in person or online and they'll guide you through relaxation sessions. fantastic at putting people to sleep.
plot ideas are under the cut, please reply or like this post and i'll hop into your dms.
★★ also, PLEASE HELP ME WITH TRAINEE MISSION by sending in questions for get to know me. PLEASE. one per mun. I LOVE YOU IN ADVANCE FOR HELPING.
PLOTTY PLOTTU:
everything's ok when I am with you: this would be his best friend. you don't have the type of upbringing he did without sustaining some serious trauma, jinyi is just good at hiding it. i would say his hugest issue is regarding his identity. since he doesn't know his parents, his origin or his purpose in life, it's easy to feel lost. this person is essentially the one that's like it's fine, we'll figure out who you are together.
adventure time: trying new things together, doing semi-hazardous things. preferably someone around his age so they can be young, wild and free together.
oops, said too much: your character was in a weird place and needed someone to talk to. since he was readily available and a decent listener, your character really just vented. too much, perhaps. seriously, not this man knows way too much and you might have to kill him.
meditation client: do you have trouble sleeping? are you stressed out of your mind? no problem, uncertified meditation instructor is here to assist! it's pay whatever you want. seriously, he'd take your packet of gum if that's all you can afford.
it's just a kiss: this is a pure accident. you know in dramas when one person just end up smacking their lips onto another person? yeah. except ever since that happened you've been having migraines. and...jinyi eventually confesses that when he was younger, he was made to take a chastity vow, and since he cares deeply about other people's wellbeing, the temple masters asked for the consequences of any violations to his vows to befall on the other person's head. yeah. so any person he lies with shall receive four days of intense migraine, three days of constipation, two days of endless sneezing, one bite from a large, potentially vicious dog and finally get struck by lightning. since it's just a kiss, you are just getting a migraine. that is, if you believe in this divine punishment bullshit. [his age or older]
suspicions: or maybe your character does not believe in his meditation prowess and think he's a total scammer. they are determined to expose him...maybe!
graceful tumble victim: jinyi tripped at the top of the staircase and ended up gracefully tumbling...onto you.
SPECIAL PLOTS:
requires for you to read his dreams first. your character essentially reminds him of someone from his dreams and that'll impact how he sees/behaves around you.
the pale moonlight: the one who'd gotten away. the girl he was supposed to marry and happily grow old with. someone cut his red string of fate early, and he spent an entire life time resentful. 60% familial fondness, 30% guilt + pining and 10% curiosity of the unknown. would they have worked out if they actually got married? [mature, older sister vibes]
the red rose: the princess he ended up marrying. she had 15 others rotating through her chambers already, so why the hell did she have to come after him? through her, he gained immense political power, but prince consort still had the word 'consort' in it. 95% hate, 5% love, but the love's significant. [spoiled brat, i step on hot men and they'll learn to like it vibes] ok maybe there was 10% love. they were married for like 12 years.
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