[junghaerin]

( kim go-eun, cis woman, she/her ) HAERIN "RIN" JUNG in new york city! heard the THIRTY-FIVE year old belongs to THE SIGNAL as a JOURNALIST. word on the streets is that they can be CUNNING, DETERMINED, but they can also be UNETHICAL, SELF-DESTRUCTIVE.

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📂 dossier ›

full name ⸻ haerin jung. nickname(s) ⸻ rin. age ⸻ thirty-five. birthday ⸻ september 15 gender identity ⸻ cis woman. orientation ⸻ bisexual. pronouns ⸻ she/her. hometown ⸻ busan, south korea. current occupation ⸻ journalist (for the signal) character inspiration ⸻ camille preaker (sharp objects), fleabag (fleabag), rachel goldberg (unreal), eve polastri (killing eve), dory sief (search party), mavis gary (young adult), sarah wilder (palm springs), darlene alderson (mr. robot), rory gilmore (gilmore girls)

📂 about ›

haerin jung was born in south korea and raised in a pressure-cooker environment where success was treated as both duty and currency. expectations were high, emotions were private, and failure was certainly not an option. her parents were wealthy and well-connected, but they were also involved in corruption and crime, leading haerin to live a very secretive life. she was a bright, disciplined student and was praised for her intelligence, reliability, and restraint. still, she didn't have much of a childhood.

at fourteen, she was sent alone to new york to attend brearley, an elite all-girls private school on the upper east side. as it turned out, giving a tightly-wound fourteen-year-old an apartment in manhattan with no adult present was not the best idea. once the other girls found out, her place became somewhere to drink and have parties. yet rin knew how to lock in at school, keeping her social life separate. and she did excel. she later earned admission to harvard, studying journalism.

at harvard, rin’s grades were immaculate; her life was not. she procrastinated constantly, drank heavily, and left damage in her wake. she fell out with friends over ambition, wrote controversial pieces, even got pregnant before ghosting her then-boyfriend entirely. her work was sharp and uncompromising; her interpersonal skills were, frankly, shit.

after graduating, rin moved to chicago and built a strong reputation as an investigative reporter, known for relentless sourcing and abrasive instincts. at thirty, a scandal ended her career there. the public story was professional misconduct. she returned to new york, checked herself into a rehab program, and was approached by the signal at her lowest point. they placed her at channel 212 and she owes her career to them. rin entered journalism to expose corruption and now works inside it. it's a contradiction that quietly eats at her.

📂 headcanons ›

she speaks fluent korean, english, spanish, conversational chinese, latin and basic russian and italian. she loves telling dumbass men she's a polyglot and them thinking she's talking about being polyamorous.

keeps meticulous digital and handwritten notes. color-coded, cross-referenced, backed up twice. deletes nothing, just archives.

does and always has used questionable and unethical tactics to gather information like manipulating and/or seducing sources, misrepresenting her identity/intentions, using fake credentials, bribery, trespass, or blackmail.

drinks SO MUCH coffee. an obscene amount. she often forgets to eat until she realizes she's hungry. and she's a functional alcoholic lowkey, so she certainly drinks way too often.

she's a huge cynic and doesn't believe in anything spirituality/religion-wise. but she understands why people do.

her style is deliberately unremarkable. she dresses to disappear. a lot of oversized sweaters, crewnecks, hoodies layered under worn jackets, and utility outerwear. she's usually in jeans or slacks and sneakers. her only accessory is the messenger bag that she always carries her laptop and notebooks around in.

she doesn't know how to interact with kids. she's not one of those people that hates children, and she tries to be nice to them but genuinely has no idea what to....do?? as such, she has no real desire to be a mother. she also has Mommy Issues™ so she prolly shouldn't.

she's the queen of a pity party. she's not unfeeling by any means, and she has a lot of guilt for the way she's treated people in the past for the sake of a story or just because she gets depressed and does stupid things and is AVOIDANT as HELL. yet she turns around and makes the same mistakes all over again so is she really sorry??

📂 wanted ›

opps and angst and drama pls. people she fucked over for a story. or wrote an unfavorable story about them. she lied to them to get info. she got close to them with ulterior motives. she led them on. ex friends she fell out with. romantic partners she ghosted the list goes ON

drinking buddy

sources...maybe in the government or police

the wholesome plots bc it can't all be doom and gloom even tho rin is a mess gjkfkfjg. friendships, people she looks out for, the angel on her shoulder, good influences, etc.

[giannarossi]

with — @junghaerin

location — rin's office??? channel 212??? wherever she would be <3

There was a saying she kept returning to - something about trees and forests, about proximity reducing your ability to see the bigger picture. She'd said it to her own clients before, and now, somewhere around two in the morning and her sixth cup of coffee when she'd gotten through another stack of her father's documents, followed up by another news article, another statement from a victim of the fires - all amidst a living space where Dior had once existed - Gianna soon came to understand that what she was dealing with had begun to narrow her ability to expand outside what was in front of her. She could no longer run it alone. Not only for the fact she hadn't slept in days but because the grieving clouded her logistics, as much as she attempted to deny it.

Down the short list of resources at her disposal came the name Haerin Jung. The journalists ties to The Reserve made it easy - it placed Rin in the sort of position to help Gianna quietly. She could present this as a mutual exchange where each walked away with something, rather than a request for help which would have pained her each step to have to perform. So much so that she'd showed up without warning, to grant her that exit window if she changed her mind. She hadn't. So as she continued through the building, tired brown eyes raked over the buzzing scenes of a newsroom until she found the open office door she was in search for and knocked. "Hey." A smile that didn't quite reach her eyes quirked at the corner of her lips, not yet stepping in. "Could I grab a few minutes with you? If you're free."

[junghaerin]

𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 computer like she had just physically escaped from out of it; like it was some other dimension that had sucked her in and spit her back out. because in a way, it was. work had been unrelenting for rin since the fires. between that and harry’s injury, she felt like she was walking around in a fog, moving from one bad piece of information to the next. she had one hand wrapped around a coffee she had forgotten to drink and the other resting on a stack of notes she had been pretending to organize for the last twenty minutes. the second she saw gianna in the doorway, something in her posture changed. “hey,” she said, and glanced once past gianna into the bullpen, instinctively checking who might be watching. gianna looked tired in a way rin recognized. but then again, everyone in the city did lately. the fires had seemingly touched everyone. rin pushed aside a folder with two fingers, clearing a spot on her desk that still did not look particularly clear. there were printouts everywhere, notes stacked on notes, highlighted timelines, names circled too many times. she had been staring at them long enough that half of it had started to look like nonsense. “ignore the mess. it’s not a cry for help. it’s a system,” she said, then paused. “a bad system, but still.”

rin leaned back in her chair and nodded toward the seat across from her. “you can sit. i don’t have much to offer you except a shot from the bottle of vodka i keep in the third drawer.” the joke came out dry, automatic, but her attention stayed fixed on gianna. she reached for the coffee, remembered it was cold, grimaced, and set it down again. then her gaze flicked back toward the open door. “is this a close-the-door conversation?”

[dadivosos]

harry was technically taking time off from -- going into the office while his hand regained some mobility and his head stopped throbbing every time he turned his head in every direction. he called it progress , even though he was still logging in every other hour to check in on his team. he was at his chair in his home office on his phone when he heard the familiar voice. the tension eased in his shoulders but then tensed back up when he could practically see how bothered she was. he didn't question how she had gotten into his house , maybe in his drugged state he had given her a key or the access code. he blinked as she continued -- the girl , who was the girl ? then it all clicked , she didn't know about nara. he tried to hide the amusement in his face. " to be fair , i don't think writing a couple of emails constitutes as working. " he put his phone down on the table , not answering especially not when she was already busting out the nervous tick. he grabbed the bag with his left hand before leaning down to ear level to whisper , " her name's nara -- my cousin. " he said with the usual shit eating grin on his lips before rising. " plus , she's a lesbian so if anything i should be worried. " he was about to walk away when he turned back towards her , small smirk on his lips , " wait --- were you jealous ? "

[junghaerin]

𝐫𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞, faint embarrassment twisting her features for a microsecond despite herself. “okay,” she said, too quickly. then, because that sounded insane, she added, “well. good for her.” good for her? jesus christ. “also, you should not be bending down like that. you have a head injury.” she pointed at him, grateful for the change in subject, even if she had invented it herself. “and writing emails is working. that’s literally one of the main forms work takes in the modern age. what, do you think it only counts if you’re in a little coal mine with a pickaxe?” she rolled her eyes, but it came from a place of concern. “jealous?” rin repeated, brows lifting. “what are we, sixteen?” she said it like the idea was ridiculous. like she had not, moments ago, stood downstairs holding takeout and quietly decided she hated a woman for opening harry’s door. “anyway, why would i immediately assume cousin?” she asked, moving farther into the room. “for all i know, she could’ve been an ex.” rin set the bag down on a dresser, letting it rest for a moment. “or whatever. someone from your past. i don’t know your whole life.” that was the problem, maybe. she knew pieces of him. the work version. the version that bickered with her and pushed back and knew exactly how to get under her skin. she did not know the women who let themselves into his house, or got called when he was injured. she assumed she was the only one, but was she wrong to? technically, they weren’t anything official. “not that i care,” she added, too late to make it believable. “speaking of,” she said, tone shifting. “i saw gwen at the hospital.” she watched him carefully, trying to make it look casual and failing by maybe half an inch. “did she mention that?”

[eleanorharrigan]

@junghaerin

Location: Lottie’s Office

Ellie had no idea where Lottie was. Wherever she’d gone, it wasn’t here, and that meant her chair was free. So Ellie was comfortably settled behind Lottie’s desk, legs crossed, spinning idly as she scrolled through the website of a Manhattan pet store. She’d been fixated on the idea of getting a Chinchilla lately. It felt like a very her kind of pet. Of course, this could’ve been a task she did at her own desk, but she needed a change of scenery. She barely noticed the figure that appeared in the doorway until the shift in the air made her glance up. "Oh, Hi.” She greeted with a grin, assuming Haerin had been looking for Lottie. They were in her office, after all. “I dunno where Lottie went. Something something Ben Affleck smoking meme.” Lifting her shoulders in a small shrug, she turned her attention back to the screen. “Hey, what do you think about Chinchillas?”

[junghaerin]

𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲. for a second, her brain performed the neat little magic trick of refusing to process what she was seeing. lottie’s office, lottie’s desk, lottie’s chair — and ellie sitting in it like some blonde hallucination. rin didn’t see ellie often. not really. the reserve had a way of being everywhere and nowhere at once; a pressure system, not a person. still, everyone knew who held the leash. “hi,” rin said, because she had been raised with manners. technically. selectively. under duress. she stepped inside anyway, folder tucked under one arm, coffee in the other hand. her eyes flicked to the computer screen. “i think chinchillas look like someone tried to invent a rabbit from vague memory.” she didn’t sit. sitting felt too casual. “uh, why do you ask?” she inquired, trying to keep up politeness, the way she did when she spoke with someone she didn’t fully have a read on quite yet.

[junghaerin]

who: @nfitzpatricks where: idk some bar where they'd meet to exchange the tea

𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 he and cc became…whatever the hell they were now. cc had introduced them back when the two of them were still platonic, and it had made sense. every lawyer could use a journalist. and every journalist could use a lawyer. mutually beneficial and beautifully transactional. and she liked nolan well enough, really she did. but she had never once felt anything that could be described as giddy before meeting him. not until today. today, rin had a plan. she was just going to create the right conversational conditions for nolan to bring up cc on his own. organically, coincidentally. without rin violating the sacred vows of girl code. she’d promised cc she wouldn’t say anything, and she meant that. but if nolan said something first? well, that was a legally different situation, wasn’t it?

she returned to the table with a menu and slid it in front of him. “here. didn’t know if you wanted a cocktail or a beer, and then the bartender started yapping at me about ipas, i had to get the fuck out of there.” she could flag down a waitress. she was not going to stand there being lectured by some twenty-three-year-old with a septum piercing and lumberjack cosplay explain beer that was trendy in 2016 while he was in middle school. “what part of my sleep deprived face makes it look like i’d care?” rin dropped into the chair across from him and opened her own menu. “you been busy because of the fires? guess you’re criminal defense, so it’s different. but i’m sure there are lawsuits abound. pretty lucrative time to be a civil lawyer. they must be foaming at the mouth.”

[ccxcorioni]

The comment about it being too soon pulled a laugh from her before shoulders shrugged, knowing she'd never cared about what was appropriate before. "For someone else, probably." Face scrunched up at Rin, maybe rightfully, chastising her account when she knew that she'd have done the same if the roles were reversed. There was no denying she could be prone to hyperbole for the sake of dramatic effect but her retelling had been devoid of anything close to the usual level of entertainment she employed when telling a tale. But before she could put more of a spin on it, they finally got a chance to place their order. "Oh thank god. I'll have a margherita - a strong one, charge me for an extra shot or whatever." She'd likely need it to get through the conversation her friend seemed intent on having but she wasn't about to have the waiter think she was someone who expected something for nothing. "Maybe." It felt like too much to admit, especially when she'd yet to say anything close to Nolan. "I don't know, I'm trying not to think about it too hard." Because every time she did the seriousness of it made her nauseous. She'd never been one to avoid commitment before but there was no denying that it felt different this time. The stake felt higher. He knew her so much better than almost everyone else she'd dated, there was a certain vulnerability that came with that level of intimacy. "But I think I could." If she didn't already. "She said something about climbing and him ignoring her. Didn't get much else out of her about it." But no sooner had the words left her lips something else occurred to her. "Oh, said he doesn't talk much which probably suits her just fine."

[junghaerin]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 snapped rin out of the conversation, only momentarily. “uh,” she said, speed-reading the menu like she was cramming for an exam before giving up entirely. “i’ll have what she’s having.” a pause. “and a shot.” the waiter hesitated, clearly trying to process that combination. rin sighed. “yes, i want a strong margarita and a shot of something on the side.” she tried to jump right back into the conversation, only for the waiter to ask what kind of shot. rin let out an audible exhale. “dude, i don’t know. anything. surprise me.” then she looked back at cc immediately, fully reengaged. “so what happens next? you guys still work together. and, no offense, but declarations of maybe love in the workplace feel like the kind of thing that gets messy fast.” aka: figure your shit out before it does. “god, i’m meeting nolan soon for work, too,” she added, already grinning at the thought. “it’s going to be so hard to keep a straight face. but relax, i’m not gonna say anything. girl code, blah blah blah.” out of everything happening in her life lately, somehow this had become the storyline she was most emotionally invested in. somewhere buried under rin’s cynicism was a deeply embarrassing little romantic who already wanted to skip ahead to the wedding episode. “he ignored luna?” her brows shot up. “oh, so he’s either brave or insane.” she leaned back in her chair, thoughtful for exactly one second. “i don’t know what her deal is yet, but trust me, i’m gonna find out. this is my new side project. luna’s mystery man. we’ll need another girls’ night soon so we can pump her for details.”

[dxncingonmyown]

Neither one of them is warm or fuzzy. They talk about what's important; news, strategy, work. And that, in and of itself, breeds the sort of intimacy that has Amelia giving her a singular nod of knowing as they step into the elevator. "Talking is overrated sometimes." She should know; she's avoided her therapist like the plague as of late. "I've got some whiskey in my office." Because at this point, beer or wine won't cut it. "Come on," back to the newsroom, where they are most at home.

"This is going to be one of New York's largest tragedies." Amelia hums in agreement, pouring out the drinks. Doubles, of course. "And everyone is going to write about it like that. The horrors. The lives lost. As they should." But the longer Amelia thinks about it, the more she wonders... Is that what the city needs? More pieces about how awful it was? "We're going to investigate it. Put all our energy into it. But," she can't help but pause. "What if we tried to do some good? Spotlight the heroes, put eyes towards the businesses that are hurting?"

[junghaerin]

𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 cut back on drinking. it wasn’t sobriety or anything dramatic. maybe just less using alcohol as a way to cope with guilt. but drinking at work was practically professional in situations like this, she told herself. fuck it. the city was on fire metaphorically and otherwise. she took the drink from amelia without hesitation. a double. obviously. “i mean, everyone and their mother is gonna be looking for a way to exploit this tragedy,” she sighed. “i’ll investigate, sure. but i don’t wanna go anywhere near victims’ families right now. i’ve been called a piece of shit enough times this week already.” that was oversimplifying the whole gwen situation, but emotionally? that was what it felt like. the last thing rin wanted was to shove a microphone in someone’s face outside a funeral home hoping for a soundbite.

she took a sip, dropped into the chair, leaned back. “that’s optimistic of you,” she said, brow lifting slightly, though she wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. honestly, she was relieved amelia was steering them somewhere other than grief porn and sensationalism. “it’s…” she flipped open her notebook, pages crowded with messy handwriting and arrows. “i know the nines got hit bad. one of the owners died in the fire. uh…” her eyes scanned the page. “dior calloway. so that’s gotta be a nightmare. two people died at haus of saab, so you know lottie’s gonna want us all over that immediately.” then, quieter for only a fraction of a second: “the corner market…” her voice nearly snagged there, but she kept going like nothing happened. “someone got trapped inside. sounds like the damage was bad.” she swallowed it down with another drink before continuing. “and apparently at giulietta’s, the owner was running back into the fire trying to pull people out, so…” a small shrug. “another strong contender.”

[junghaerin]

who: @dadivosos (harry) where: his place

𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 harry’s bedroom door. three sharp knocks, and then she let herself in anyway. she hadn’t been in a mood before she got there. technically, she wouldn’t even admit to being in one now. but something in her had soured downstairs when the door to harry’s place opened and she was greeted by some… woman. some woman rin had never seen before, who looked irritatingly at home in harry’s place. she hadn’t been especially talkative, just let rin in with this casual, unbothered ease. so who the hell was she? “you’re not supposed to be working, you know,” rin said, before she’d even fully stepped into the room. it was a guess, because she knew him well. she lingered near the doorway, fingers curled around the handles of the takeout bag. “the…girl. downstairs. she let me in.” rin paused, then lifted the bag slightly, like evidence. “i brought food. but i didn’t realize it was supposed to be for three instead of two, so…” she ran a hand through her hair, trying very hard to seem casual and unbothered. as unbothered as the bitch downstairs. woman. the woman downstairs. rin wasn’t jealous, obviously. and if she repeated that enough times, maybe she’d convince herself. “i can go back out or something,” she added, a little too flatly. “get more. or leave. whatever’s less inconvenient.”

[gwenxhope]

"See? You fluctuate from apologetic to apoplectic. So what am I to believe?" Gwen wants so badly to curse, but it was driven into her how doing so brought nothing to the conversation. She didn't have anything but proof of why Rin was not sorry for her actions and in fact was delusional in excusing her behavior. "My brother is an adult and a public figure who lost a family member and was angered about the way it was handled and spoke out of all those feelings. You are an adult who saw those feelings and took that inappropriate moment and publish it." She would never believe otherwise and she wouldn't allow Rin's upset act about Harry to cloud that. She furrowed her brows at her words. "Why wouldn't I tell him that you were here? I wouldn't hide that from him." Gwen had no reason not to tell him that Rin had been here, though she would certainly have questions for Harry as to why Rin was there. Gwen looked towards Haerin, not recognizing the woman in front of her even though nothing but her own perception of her had switched. "The article led to my brother being suspended as ADA and larger criticism reflected onto me and my brother. So whether you wanted anything to happen to them physically or emotionally, your actions and my brother's actions led to consequences. I'm very much not okay actually."

[junghaerin]

“𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 say, it’s not gonna matter. i could stand here and tell you that hurting you fucking eats at me. that i lose sleep over it. i could get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness, and it wouldn’t change a fucking thing.” she knew that because she’d done this before; burned bridges, crossed lines, told herself the story mattered enough to justify it. and somehow she still ended up here, feeling ashamed when people hated her for it. “i shouldn’t have published it, okay?” the admission came rough but honest, still carrying that edge of defensiveness she couldn’t quite sand down. apologizing had never come naturally to her. avoidance did. rationalizing and compartmentalizing did. “i wish i could go back and not be such a selfish piece of shit.” for a long time, she’d framed it as exposing the truth. then as obligation. the job. the reserve. the power they held over her career. but buried underneath all of that was something uglier: ambition sharp enough to trample people she cared about; the constant, gnawing need to prove herself. rin hated that she’d done it. she hadn’t said that to anyone, including amelia. she’d smiled through praise about the article while feeling vaguely sick. “but i can’t change it. i can’t unpublish it.” a sigh escaped her. “anyway, i meant it. i’m gonna go. harry will be out of the hospital soon, and then we can manage to avoid each other from there,” she said, grabbing her messenger bag from where she’d thrown it earlier, shoving the bag of chips inside. “i really am sorry, gwen. and i wish i had more for you than just words but,” she gave a shrug, waiting to see what gwen would have to say before she turned to walk out of the room.

[dadivosos]

eyes narrowed at the woman's questions not entirely convinced , " you know were my office is and i didn't hear anything from the nurses. " she was just pushing to see where rin's limit was before she admitted who she was there to see -- though she had somewhat of an idea. she let out a sigh , " you're not even supposed to have a list. " though she supposed rin had her ways. " couple of serious cases , others not so much -- three dead. " from what she had heard , they were taken by the coroner's office at the scene. " concussion but romeo got her out. how's the person you came to see ? " brow arched , waiting for rin to give in. " tons of people had smoke inhalation , there's only one respiratory therapist and pulmonologist so i was asked to help. "

[junghaerin]

𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 she wasn’t convinced. rin couldn’t blame her. she was in no condition to convincingly lie or deflect right now. “oh come on, lu, you know i have my sources all over the city. it’s like at harvard, remember that nurse from campus health who handed me all that confidential shit for the std piece i did? except, you know, ten times worse around here.” most people could be bought or bargained with. luna would hate to know how many of her coworkers would violate HIPAA for a quick hundred bucks. “three? fuck. hopefully the families have been notified. 212 is trying to get a story out, like, yesterday.” she let out a sigh. “well i’m glad she managed to get out. if she’s up, i’ll pop in. say hey. doubt she even remembers me. did she come to our graduation?” she had to have been, what, thirteen? “he’s good. awake,” the words slipped out before she could strategically filter and edit the he to they. great, now luna knew it was a guy. might as well admit it, she would easily guess. “it’s harry. i mean, i just figured…you know. like, our families run in similar circles and i’ve known him my whole life and…his parents, they suck like mine, so i figured i’d...you know...check in…”

[dxncingonmyown]

"Do you want to talk about it?" She echoes back softly, a shine of knowing in her eyes. They don't gab about their personal lives, or exchange niceties about what they do on the weekends. And yet, Amelia likes to think she knows Rin well. Enough to know that the impact to her is more than just as a journalist, but a person too. There's a worry set between her brows. "Truthfully..." Amelia tapers off, watching as the doors to the office are unlocked.

"I want to work." Work is where there is control. Work is where it's safe. And in this case, where she and Rin can actually do a world of good. "I think it's the only thing that's ever made me feel any better, about anything." Sad as it is, but in her company, it's simply the truth. She gives Rin a small nudge, companionable as she hums; "We've got this."

[junghaerin]

𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚. amelia wasn’t the type to linger, or if she was, she didn’t do it where anyone could see. people didn’t often catch the cracks. didn’t often see her slow down. “wouldn’t expect anything else.” it landed like a compliment, in their shared language, even if she knew there was more beneath it. “mm. i don’t know.” she shrugged, loose, noncommittal. “feels like all i’ve been doing lately is talking about it and…” a faint, knowing smirk. “all it’s done is make me want a stiff drink.” she exhaled lightly. it had been a constant emotional swing; up, down, then back again before she could settle. “still…” she trailed, the word hanging. an offer, or maybe just habit. still, she was here. still, they could talk. or not. bury it in work like they always did.

“luckily there’s plenty of that.” a quiet sigh. there was more than enough work to be done. six fucking fires. “i’ve gotta admit, this feels…different. from anything we’ve done before.” heavier, maybe. or just more personal.

[dadivosos]

eyes scanned her expression as she began speaking , well attempted to speak about convincing him to stay. he honestly was telling her to leave just so she could do what she really wanted to. he assumed she would be itching to write about what was occurring and with her at the hospital that couldn't happen. or she just wanted or needed a drink , regardless he thought she rather be home. he opened his mouth to speak but she continued , then he heard it -- a crack in the usual persona she used in her personal and professional life. it wasn't something he was used to , anger , yes , irritation , yes but never anything like vulnerability. there was no space to argue , she was making it very clear she wanted to stay -- for him. despite all the years where he had said harsh things about her , about her family , about her work -- now she was the one he was waking up to and wanting to stay in an environment he knew was no good to anyone's mental capacity. brow furrowed as he caught glimpse of something , water , was she crying ? he was unsure if it was all an act or if she really was crying because she feared for his life. head turned to fully face her , arm resting on his side as his eyes surveyed her face. a face he had grown to long for , one that he would use almost any and all excuse to go and see.

he cleared his throat at her confession --- a confession he didn't exactly know how to take. it wasn't like he had ever thought of the prospect of liking anyone after gwen. rin had snuck up on him and even he still couldn't fully grasp what she meant to him. he let out a breath as he saw the tear fall , he never imagined being so important to someone that they cried for him. his family didn't raise him to immediately feel , he was always to examine if those feelings were necessary and yet -- in this instance all he wanted to do was be there with her despite his condition. right hand reached for her as he moved to the edge of the bed pulling her towards him , " come here , " he said , motioning towards the bed. " i'm alive , that's all you have to focus on. "

[junghaerin]

𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 any of this. when she heard harry had been injured, she’d acted on impulse, barely giving herself enough time to even register the why of her actions. but now she was here, and the truth was spilling out of her. it made her feel…god, it made her feel young. and not in a good way. she was fourteen again, standing out on the balcony of her apartment with cameron woodford, cheap alcohol still warm in her system, telling him she had a crush on him. she could practically feel the ghost of it; braces, bad haircut, that same embarrassing, exposed vulnerability that was currently causing her cheeks to flush red. she almost expected harry to look at her and call it what it was: pathetic. predictable. she could hear herself already, if she were writing it instead of living it. girl sleeps with guy for a few months, catches feelings. groundbreaking. enemies to lovers? really? she’d delete the whole thing, tell herself to do better. and yet, here she was. living the cliché in real time.

his reaction wasn’t what she expected, though. it didn’t sting or shut her down. it didn’t make her want to take it all back. if anything, it did the opposite. something in her loosened so suddenly it almost made her dizzy, like she’d been bracing for impact that never came. she almost felt like she could crumble from relief. she moved to the bed, perched herself precariously on the edge. “i know,” she nodded slightly, then repeated it as if to convince herself. “i know.” but he could have died. that version of events kept finding her. “you’re important to me. you’ve been important to me. i know we were never, like, friends,” she let out a short scoff at that. understatement of the century. “but i almost can’t imagine my life without you in it. and when i heard about the fire, the first thing i thought of wasn’t work or covering the story or amelia or lottie or any of that.” obviously her first thought was him, but saying that felt too melodramatic. he could surmise as much. on the tv, a soundless gameshow rerun flickered. “i wanted to drink. fucking drown it all out but…i came here instead.”

[gwenxhope]

The way that Rin spoke was like she was his keeper or perhaps that maybe they were in a relationship. The thought of it was not something she wanted to think about further. Gwen felt anger at the thought of Rin not only trying to destroy her family, but taking away Harry as a friend. The way that Rin kept trying to use her care for Harry against her was something she could see through so vividly. "I want people in his corner that have good intentions. You have proved to be a person who cannot be trusted and is willing to betray friends. So your point is moot. History does a good job of showing what your intentions that is what I am going off of." Gwen didn't know what Rin expected her to say, what she had done has cut deep. "I am plenty capable of being cordial by keeping silent. There is no longer an us, you made sure of that when you made the choice to hurt my brother and ultimately my family. That will not be forgiven nor forgotten. At a moment of grief, you chose to partake in rubbing salt in the wound. Harry knows what my family means to me. He also knows I am not going to change my mind when it comes towards my family. Something you also know."

[junghaerin]

“𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐠𝐰𝐞𝐧, 𝐢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 article with your grown adult and public figure brother’s own words and suddenly i’m some amoral monster incapable of genuine human care for anyone.” the words, oozing with sarcasm, were out before rin could fully stop them. “the way you view the world in black and white is so fucking refreshing.” she bit down on the inside of her cheek. that was exactly what she had been trying not to do; get defensive. after all, rin had no right to be, and she knew it. still, there was a frustration that gwen would never believe that she was sorry or here with harry’s best interest at heart. her old friend would always look at her with disgust, and there was nothing rin could do to change her opinion. genuineness and manipulation were, apparently, indistinguishable from each other in gwen’s eyes. and the worst part was that rin had no one else to blame but herself. she sighed then. “i’m sorry. you know what, i’m going to head home.” the last thing she wanted was for harry to wake up to this tension. besides, he would wake up to his ex and current situationship staring at him and have absolutely no idea what to do with that. “i’d ask you to let him know when he wakes up, but i know you won’t.” she opened her mouth, then closed it. gwen would only throw what she wanted to say back at her. but twenty years of friendship was twenty years, and she said it anyway. “i’m glad you’re okay. and your family. i know the article was…” she drifted off for a second before catching herself, continuing, “but, uh, that doesn’t mean i’d want anything to happen to you or them and…well i’m just glad you’re ok.”

[gwenxhope]

"Don't make apologies for things you would do again." Gwen said in a matter of fact tone as she looked straight into Rin's eyes. She wasn't saying this to have the woman beg for forgiveness. Gwen would not be giving it. She knew that this was not about her and her distrust for the woman, but she also had a feeling that if she could do it someone that she had been friends with for decades, why not do it to someone else she'd known for decades? "I know it's about him, that's why I'm not leaving." Gwen said as she shook her head at her comment which only made her grip onto the chair she was sitting on. "The only person's best interests you have is your own." She shared as she had made that very clear to Gwen before even attempting to apologize. And if she could be persuaded to do something shitty to her then what would she do to Harry when she no longer owed him a favor? "Don't attempt to guilt me into staying and being cordial with you for his sake, that's tacky. I am here for him, that is it. Manipulation is not needed, I care about him without needing owed favors or reminders of his parents. That's what friendship is."

[junghaerin]

𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐰𝐞𝐧’𝐬 insistence on staying, the chip bag in rin’s hand crinkling as her grip tightened. “i never told you to leave,” she pointed out, a little sharper than intended, almost tacking on an ‘unlike you’, but stopped herself. she exhaled, shifting her weight. “and i’m not trying to guilt you either. fuck, gwen. i want you here. i want people to be caring for him. people who actually give a shit about him, unlike his fucking parents.” it slipped out more earnestly than she liked, and she felt it immediately, how exposed it sounded. she was sure gwen would be wondering why rin suddenly cared about harry, given their mutual dislike of each other. her gaze flicked toward him for half a second before returning to gwen. “and my point is that you should want as many people in his corner as possible, too. regardless of whatever happened between you and me. it has nothing to do with harry. and respectfully, he wants me here. he knows why i’m here. you don’t get to decide my intentions.” she crossed her arms, not budging. “so if you can’t manage to be cordial, and neither of us plan to leave, what do you think we should do?” her shoulders lifted in a small, dismissive shrug. “because standing here doing this?” she gestured faintly between them. “it’s not doing anything. for him or for us.”

[dadivosos]

he shook his head , " you have a bigger nose. " he teased , before closing his eyes as he felt a headache come on. his head was pounding but he probably had to wait for his next dose of whatever medication they had him on. he figured the nurses didn't necessarily want to fight her on anything and security was already overwhelmed with the influx of people. they probably just settled and if harry had any problem he would tell them. " she has to make sure the building is secure. " there would be issues about where he was located and what he was doing. the second part of her statement went unacknowledged , not necessarily wanting to have a dilemma over his mortality. " i don't even know how it happened , " or where it happened , but he supposed he should be grateful he survived. eyes glazed over her , as she began recounting the events like she was writing an article and then it dawned on him -- she could just be there for a story , like he had suspected. he was starting to feel soreness all over his body , not necessarily wanting to argue with a brick wall. " i don't need 24/7 care , the nurses are fine. " he supposed. he adjusted himself with his left hand , small groan leaving his lips before turning his head to look at her once again. " thank you for coming but seriously you can go. "

[junghaerin]

“𝐢 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭—” 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, then stopped, like the sentence had slipped out of her grip halfway through. her hand dragged through her hair in a restless motion she didn’t quite finish. “i just think i should stay. because…you could’ve fucking died.” it came out stripped down, none of her usual edge softening or diluting it. “when i heard you were one of the injured, i didn’t know what condition you were in. i just heard fire and—” her voice cracked, a hairline fracture only someone who’d memorized its usual cadence would catch. “my brain went straight to the worst. and then i walk in here and you’re—” her eyes moved over him again, the gauze on his head, the way he was propped up, the fact that he was even awake at all. “you’re like this. and i can’t just leave you here. not after that. not after what you went through, because—” she cut herself off, breath hitching slightly. rin swallowed, hard, her gaze dropping for a second before she forced it back up to him. tears were perched on the edge of her voice. “because i fucking care about you, okay? and it’s not just the sex.” although she couldn’t deny that part was good (really good). but there was something else. it was the way they could slip into something resembling domesticity without even trying; the way they’d eat dinner together, lay next to each other in bed. how he knew about some of the ugliest parts of her and instead of running, he’d simply raise an eyebrow and wait for her to do better. he made her feel like she was worth something. it was the opposite of how she saw herself.

“i like you,” she said, more deliberate now. “i like that you don’t bullshit me. i like that you call me out when i’m being an asshole instead of just letting me get away with it. i like that you’re smarter than me, and you’re always, like, three steps ahead, and it pisses me off but also—” she shook her head faintly. “i don’t know. having you around, it makes things make sense.” she dug her nails into her hands to keep from crying, but a droplet ran off her eyelash. “you’ve known me since i was a little dress-up doll for my parents,” her mind flashed to those charity galas and events of childhood, her scalp still stinging from her mother’s comb, dressed in some frilly monstrosity, the constant whispered reminders of ‘smile, don’t speak’. harry would be there too, both of them like expensive accessories their parents had forgotten in the corner. they had so much in common, even back then. and part of her wondered what could have been if they hadn’t wasted so many years circling each other, too proud to admit how much they could relate to each other. “and all the years after that. sometimes i think you know me better than anyone else. and that you’re one of the only people out there who thinks i can be better. and honestly? i don’t know what i would’ve done if you didn’t wake up. i don’t…i don’t want to be anywhere else right now.”

[gwenxhope]

"I don't believe you." Gwen said feeling as though more than likely Rin wasn't technically working when she'd taken Maddox's words and plastered them in the news outlet. The way she'd taken his grief and blasted his stage of reckless anger. She had taken actionable steps to do this, and she didn't care for the excuses she'd given the last time they spoke; which Gwen had believed would be their last time speaking until this moment. Gwen had never been a possessive woman though she would call herself protective and she could only imagine the stories that Rin would spin. Trust would not be mending between them. It wasn't all that shocking that she may have known him, but she didn't remember Harry ever having anything to say about Rin before. She shook her head at the woman's question as she looked over to Harry instead. "Right, so you have been here often then?" The way that Rin had entered with a bag of chips answered that for her, but she just wanted to hear her say it.

[junghaerin]

“𝐧𝐨, 𝐢 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭, would you?” she questioned, catching the snappiness in her own voice. she exhaled slowly, dragging her palm across her face for a second. “listen, gwen, i don’t want to do this with you here of all places.” the hospital offered no escape routes, no dark bar corners where she could drown feelings in vodka. “i fucked up, okay? i put my job above your family. and your feeling. and for what it’s worth, i’m sorry,” she only paused for a moment, knowing forgiveness wouldn’t come but offering the apology up anyway, before continuing. “but this isn’t about us. it’s about harry.” he could’ve died. rin knew gwen was aware of that. “you don’t have to like me and i know you don’t, but i’m here with harry’s best interest in mind, okay? he helped me out before when he really didn’t have to. i just want to return the favor.” he’d given her that computer, gave her advice during the caravelli debacle. yes, they had their own complicated entanglement of sheets and feelings, but that wasn’t what mattered right now. “so yes, i’ve been here often. but he could use a village right now, don’t you think? i’m sure he told you about his parents when you guys dated. they’re not exactly caring.”

[dxncingonmyown]

@junghaerin | Haerin and Amelia, Outside of Channel 212

"I had security do a sweep." Amelia says on approach, peering at Haerin from beneath her 'NYU' cap. It has been two weeks of Amelia 'working from home' due to the flu, attempting to buy time for her face to heal. But with the fires, and the need for an immediate response, Amelia decides it's plausible enough she'd be caught up in it. Besides, Haerin pulled the ship herself for the last two weeks. It's time she come back, but not before ordering a full security sweep of the office. "I know everyone needs to get to work. But," Well... A source of news is exactly the sort of place the Pantheon would target.

"Um... Rin, I--" They work together. And in Amelia's book, that's more intimate than friendship itself. But neither are soft or emotive by nature. Even so, she looks at her dear friend from behind her bruising. A careful smile as she gives her a nudge, "I'm really glad to see you." Safe, unharmed, and back to work with her.

[junghaerin]

𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐝 been tracking amelia’s absence. vacation wasn’t in amelia’s vocabulary. they were both like that, basically married to the newsroom. their relationship defied job titles. it was this unspoken thing: two women who’d sell their souls for a scoop, who carried private scars neither acknowledged aloud. they never talked about any of it, really. but when amelia looked at her across the office, rin knew they could trust each other, and they cared about each other in an unspoken way.

“i’m glad to see you, too. and that you’re okay. well, relatively speaking.” her eyes moved over amelia’s face, sensing there was a story there that went beyond the fires. maybe it was reporter’s intuition. or maybe just the way she’d gotten to know amelia. there was something she wasn’t offering up. “you wanna talk about it?” she asked, her usual armor of professional detachment momentarily set aside.