jung jieun. 22. hwaseong.
i guess i'll just go home
oh, god knows where
i'm scared of what's behind
and what's before
but there will come a time, you'll see,
with no more tears
apologizing to @msujinri / backdated to fall 2019.
this wasn’t how jieun had imagined her reunion with jinri would turn out. in her head, the reunion went perfectly, with the both of them talking, coming to a mutual understanding, then moving on — simple as that, and then it’s suddenly as if nothing even happened. but dreams never really do come true, do they? because as much as she had wished for, dreamed about a simple, effortless and uncomplicated reunion with her childhood friend, here she is. with none of her plans, the words she had so carefully chosen and practiced over and over again in her head, having come to fruition.
instead, jieun had just about made it her personal goal to stay as far away from the geumseong student as possible, until— until today, a month into the semester, when they’d been paired together in potions club, and the silence between them could no longer prevail. but, instead of being nice, friendly, in an effort to regain the friend she so desperately missed, jieun had...
okay, so she’s ashamed, no way around it. she’d been acting cold, dismissive of jinri’s every word, unwilling to even say anything unprompted. this wasn’t how things were meant to go, but... with the people surrounding them, nothing had felt like it called for a moment of vulnerable honesty from the younger. too complicated, too personal, too—
point is, she has to apologize, no matter how much she’d rather not confront this head-on. most of the club have left at this point, though jinri is still there, gathering her stuff. taking a deep breath, jieun begins approaching the older, forcing her feet into action before she can change her mind.
“jinri?” fuck. her voice almost sounds as if it’s breaking already — this is not going to end well. jieun clears her throat before speaking again. “do you think we could talk?”
so, while i’ve been on hiatus, i’ve been trying to think of ways to revamp jieun, as i found myself slightly losing muse for her. i decided to go through with the revamp and have made a few changes here and there, which will be summarized under the cut! there will also be a few plot ideas (since i do not have a plots page for her and her intro will be kind of outdated with these new updates), and so this post will also function as a plot call! please LIKE this post if you’d like to plot something with the new and improved jieun, and i will come message you either here or on discord!
so, first for the things that are staying the same (aka a super quick summary):
born in busan, south korea, jan 23rd 1998
grew up with a single, muggle mother. had no idea she was a wizard until she got her acceptance letter from the korean wizarding school.
felt out of place in the muggle world, but when she came to the wizarding school, she still didn’t feel like she completely fit in, as she struggled quite a bit with mastering magic.
her mother died just as she was graduating the korean wizarding school. that + not being able to afford going to mokseong right away had her in a bad place for a few years, but she still spent her time working to save up enough money to be able to attend on a partial scholarship.
has a great interest in fashion and styling, and likes doing it in the muggle way as a hobby. it stems from her wanting nice clothes when growing up, but due to her mother’s lack of money, she couldn’t afford what she wanted, and instead started trying to repurpose old clothes.
chaser on the quidditch team, in art club and the debate club.
works as a sales associate at remarkable robes in mokseong village.
now, for the changes that have been made:
instead of majoring in fashion design with a minor in feminist studies, jieun is now a biomedical engineering major with a minor in potions. while she still keeps her interest in fashion as a hobby, she’s now more focused on her career ambitions. potions was one of the things she struggled the least with when introduced to the wizarding world, and she worked hard on perfecting the art. she suspects she found it easier as it is similar to muggle chemistry, and sciences was something she did well at when she was still going to muggle school. her ultimate career goal is to work on combining muggle sciences and wizard potions to create new, more powerful medicines.
to go along with her minor in potions, she’s also in potions club now!
while she was already on the quidditch team before the revamp, i had her headcanoned as someone who didn’t care much about the sport and was mostly there to have fun, without putting too much effort into practices (aka she was probably one of the worst ones on the team and it’s a miracle she wasn’t kicked to reserves). with the revamp, though, she’s far more interested in the sport, as flying was one of the first things she found that she excelled at when introduced to the wizarding world. she’s been playing the position of chaser since her third year at the korean wizarding school. while she’s still not the best quidditch player, she does put significantly more effort into practicing the sport. she could use some work on her techniques though, and does tend to play it safe way too often.
jieun’s father is now more involved in her life, sort of... originally she grew up with only her mother, and never knew who her father was. while that is still true, one thing has been added onto this. while she doesn’t know her father’s identity, she knows he’s a wizard, as he sent her an anonymous letter with money attached when she couldn’t afford to attend mokseong straight after graduation. however, jieun never used this money as she doesn’t want to take anything from the man who abandoned her mother and couldn’t contact her until after her mother had died and she was left with nothing, so she keeps the money hidden instead of spending it.
and lastly, some plot ideas (and thank you for reading this far!):
an ex-boyfriend from the korean wizarding school. we can figure out the specifics of it, but the overall idea i have is that this was someone jieun did like, but ended up breaking it off with because she was scared of committing to having deep feelings for someone. can be on good or bad terms now.
friends from the korean wizarding school. following her mother’s death, jieun didn’t talk to anyone outside of levi, dahlia and their mother, meaning she would have ghosted them until arriving at mokseong. they can either be happy to see her again, or salty that she disappeared just like that.
anyone need tutoring in potions or muggle sciences?? jieun’s your girl
or if anyone needs help with their makeup, hair style, fixing their outfit in any way... hit her up
any fellow employed ppl working in the village who wants to go get a drink with her after their closing shifts pls!! or alternatively any co-workers
she still struggles a bit with magic, despite her best efforts to get better at it. charms, transfiguration, dueling etc. are all things she’s not exactly good at. so anyone helping her with any of these things would be great, especially since she has to take some core classes as she’s still only a sophomore. rip
also, her lack of magical skills means she oftentimes do things the muggle way, which is prob seen as the less convenient way in the eyes of her fellow witches and wizards. so if anyone wants to help her get into the habit of including spells in her everyday life, feel free to!
any connections related to extracurriculars (quidditch, art club, potions club, debate club)
i’m also more than willing to brainstorm anything!
...is that they don’t always work out. isn’t that right, @msukirby?
it’s been almost a month now since jieun had reconnected with kirby, the geumseong junior finally allowing her in her life again. 25 days, to be exact — not that she’s counting. okay, maybe she is, just a little bit, but can she really be blamed? after the way she had treated kirby last semester, she had started to lose all hopes of ever being back in the other’s friendly graces again. but, following jieun watching the other’s band performance during the halloween party, the two had started talking again, which — and jieun is slightly excited about this, she won’t lie — had them resuming their hangouts.
“wait, how do you do this again?”
jieun looks up at the older, a look of helplessness present on her face. they’re in the school’s auditorium, band practice just having finished. jieun’s got the junior’s bass on her lap, though her fingers are struggling to remember exactly where they should go. how had kirby gotten so good at this? muscle memory, perhaps. jieun doesn’t know, but what she does know, is that holding down these strings, surprisingly, hurts a lot.
she lets out a laugh. “i don’t think i’m meant for this. my fingers are way too delicate.”
there’s something so damn funny about jieun calling him ‘babe’ that he almost snorts out loud, but he manages to cover it up with a half-hearted cough. it’s even more hilarious that she has to settle into her role so quickly, taking a hold of his arm and kissing his cheek like that. it’s so cringy because being this affectionate towards each other has never been their thing — they’re more the type to divulge their deepest secrets and then threaten to beat each other up if they ever told anyone else, not the type to hold hands and cuddle like him and callie. he’d kill a man for jieun, sure, but he wouldn’t know what to do if she ever came to him crying (…again, because she had once, and he never wanted to experience that again).
“you heard the lady. i think it’s about time for you to go, my man.”
it’s obvious this guy is thinking about whether to stay or leave, like he thinks he could take levi on and then sweep jieun off her feet because he’d ‘kicked’ her ‘boyfriend’s’ ass or something. levi’s not sure what anime this dude thinks he’s in, but he makes sure to draw himself to full height. ‘come on, take a hit, i dare you.’ but it seems as though the muggle changes his mind after that, mumbling something under is breath that levi can’t quite catch before he’s leaving, pushing his way through the crowd and towards the bar. probably to bother someone else. what a loser.
turning back towards jieun, he grins at her. “do i get a reward for saving my girlfriend?” he’s puckered up his lips, but it’s obvious he’s not expecting her to actually give him anything when he drops the act a moment later. “i can’t believe you almost took out your wand, dumbass, what the hell was that?” he’s lowered his voice to an inconspicuous whisper, not wanting anyone to overhear that, as he settles into the now vacant the seat opposite her. “your boyfriend got you a drink, by the way,” he gestures towards the bottle, clearly still making fun of the way she’d clung onto him. “you’re welcome.”
the guy is finally leaving, and jieun can’t help but let out a sigh of relief. she jerks away from levi’s side the moment the muggle is out of sight, almost as if she had been burned by his close proximity. she hadn’t, of course — while they’re not the most affectionate of best friends, it’s not like they’ve never been affectionate before. but, then again, contract #2, §1 says to not talk about that, ever. and that goes for both of the times.
“your reward,” she starts, fixing the older with a glare, a proper one this time that she’d been waiting to give him since the near slap of her ass, “is that you get to never call me girlfriend again.” her face twitches at the mere thought of the two of them ever dating. don’t get her wrong — she loves levi, she really does, but she’d have to be on some pretty powerful brain-altering substances to ever consider dating him. no, their relationship is perfect as it is — platonic soulmates, a bond she’d argue is just as strong, if not even stronger, than any romantic connection she might end up having at some point.
“and... thank you, i guess.” her apology sounds insincere, and perhaps it is, just a little. because while she’s grateful, jieun hates admitting she needs someone’s help, even if the person helping her is levi. needing people makes her feel weak.
levi is right, though. she wasn’t handling this situation well, considering she didn’t even realize she had her hand on her wand until he had swooped in to deescalate what was going down. “i don’t know,” she admits, “i wasn’t really thinking. i just wanted him to leave me alone.”
it’s with a smile that she settles into her seat again, gaze landing on the bottle in front of her as the comment about levi being her boyfriend is promptly ignored. “thank you,” she repeats, her tone more sincere this time. “for the drink. and...” she pauses, her instincts telling her to stop talking, not say too much to avoid divulging any kind of vulnerability, but... this is levi, who’s been with her through her worst times, and who she knows would never judge her, not over anything. he’s her person.
“for saving me.” there’s a smile, her features softening up as she meets his eyes. “my very own knight in shining armor, huh?”
“that’s what i’m saying! it’s absolutely nuts for him to be here….but i have to check.” it didn’t feel right not to do anything with this information. a ghost that happened to be a former us president meant that a wizard was a former us president. that was mind boggling. haeun had thought that most witches and wizards who chose to live amongst muggles never went for something in the spotlight for the sake of not breaching the statute of secrecy. a president though….how ambitious.
haeun definitely had many questions for him.
“muggles can’t become ghosts,” haeun reminds the elder. as much as muggles always harp on about ghosts, they simply couldn’t leave an imprint in the world without magic. nor could they properly see a ghost. all of their lore and ideas were fabricated without a hint of accuracy. it’s what made their movies so interesting. her eyes are wide as she leans in, completely mystified with this potential discovery. “that means the president is a wizard. that’s amazing, don’t you think?”
jieun had an air of maturity about her. she was older after all. haeun doesn’t expect someone like her to be interested in such a silly rumour and an even sillier proposition. it was unfounded. nothing more than campus talk, really. so when jieun indulge haeun’s seemingly childish whims, she’s ecstatic. she figured there would be a little more convincing. “wait, really?”
she grabs jieun’s hand, excited to get started. “c’mon let’s go! i think we can catch him roaming the campus grounds. someone mentioned the lake once.”
“oh. i knew that.” did she, though? between growing up in the muggle world, and not having too much of an easy time accumulating into the wizarding world, jieun had to admit — there are still, even after all these years, things she doesn’t know. or forgets. not that it helped practically living as a muggle in the years before attending mokseong. as much as she loves the wizarding world (because she really does), jieun sometimes thinks the muggle world is easier. less complicated, less chances for her to feel inadequate.
but — never mind that, haeun seems to have moved on from the comment, probably didn’t even think twice about it, and so should she. “hmm. a wizard as the muggle president?” she cocks an eyebrow. not that she knew much, if anything, about old us presidents, but that does seem like sort of an odd thing. so, like she said, she has to find out if there’s actually any truth to this.
“yes, really!” she starts, about to make another comment about how she would never lie to haeun, but the younger grabs her hand, rendering jieun silent as her body is put back into motion. but, yeah, let’s do this.
“the lake?” she questions as she’s dragged along by the younger. “did he drown here?” the more information she heard about this, the less likely it seemed like it would be an american president. “seems weird, but sure, let’s go have a look.”
the rush of a first kiss with someone was always exhilarating. it was new , it was exciting , it made her heart beat a hundred miles per hour and it wouldn’t have been a lie to say that jamie was addicted to this feeling. but the only catch was the nervousness that came along with it , rather the uncertainty. in her defence though , all the signs were there —- the way the younger stuck by her the whole night , the little confessions that , in the big picture , didn’t mean much but still made her heart flutter &. and when the distance between the two almost disappeared.
so , how could she have not? jieun was without a doubt beautiful woman , she was smart and talented and genuinely someone the grad student found herself attracted to —- so how could she have not? —- IF she had not , jamie knew it’d be something she would regret , her mind an endless record of ‘ you should’ve just kissed her ! ’ and jamie didn’t know how to regret , she just knew how to fully live each moment.
it was definitely a good sign the other other hadn’t pushed her away , no , judging by the growth of the intensity , it almost felt like she was waiting for it to happen and jamie really couldn’t stop how her lips slightly curved upwards in a smile. the noise of the common room had been long forgotten , perhaps replaced by the sound of her heartbeat , or was it the younger’s? either way , it felt like the place could up in flames around them and yet all jamie would want to continue doing is getting lost in the kiss.
one thing lead to another and now her fingers were entwined in her hair while jieun was positioned on top of her which lead jamie to comfortably intensify the kiss as her own hands snaked around the chaser’s waist to pull her closer , if that were even possible. long gone was the the delicate way it started because once their lips reconnected , the amorous feeling grew along with the heated passion of the kiss —– until jamie realised she didn’t want to share this view with anyone and the common room was possibly not the place they could’ve let this progress as desired.
pausing her actions for a moment , jamie parted their lips to let them both catch their breath as she continued to stick close , her forehead leaned against the other’s while she she spoke in a hushed whisper , “ that was… this is… wow… ” it was hard to find the right words , especially when it was so easy to get distracted and crash their lips together once again , focus jamie ! “ would it be okay if we went somewhere quieter? —- somewhere it’s just us… ” her eyes fluttered open as one hand found it’s place to rest on the crook of her neck while her thumb gently caressed her cheek.
jieun hums into the keeper’s lips, as she’s pulled even closer, though she had already thought that wasn’t possible at this point. their kiss is no longer soft, tentative, searching — now, it’s heating up, the passion between them increasing. honestly, it’s almost a touch overwhelming. jieun can’t remember the last time she had been this close to anyone, much less a girl. or, well, she does remember, actually, but she’d rather not think about that — not now, not while she’s with jamie.
still, there’s the issue of the two of them being on display for the entire hwaseong common room to see, if they so desire. jieun has no idea if anyone’s even looking at them — they are, thankfully, situated in the couch furthest out of sight, but that doesn’t mean they’re invisible to those close to them. so, she’s almost relieved, in a way, when jamie breaks the kiss, pulling back slightly. part of her longs to get the contact back, and she has to stop herself from leaning back in to reconnect their lips.
“yeah,” she breathes out, giggling as she opens her eyes to look at jamie. the older’s eyes are still closed, and jieun has to admit that she looks beautiful like this. her attention is so focused on taking in the other’s features, that she nearly misses her question, her brain registering it a moment later than it would usually, and—
oh. jieun feels almost as if her heart stops. the realization that she’s here, kissing jamie, feels as if it hits her suddenly, though it shouldn’t feel like that — not really. she’s well aware of exactly what she’s been doing up until now, as the alcohol hadn’t affected her that much. sure, she might be a tiny bit tipsy, but her head’s still clear. she supposes part of her had just thought this could be for fun, that it wouldn’t mean anything, nothing would happen from it. but now, with jamie’s request to go somewhere with more privacy, it becomes all too clear to jieun what she’s been doing here.
but, the weird part is, she doesn’t feel opposed to the idea. no, in fact, she finds that she wants to go with jamie. despite how new the situation might be, how scary it is to think about what it might mean, she finds the offer... well, hard to refuse. her body is craving the older’s, her mind already running through possible scenarios of what might happen when they—
okay. yeah, you know what, fuck it. she might not have done this before, she might be terrified as fuck, but for once, she’ll choose to ignore whatever worries she has, instead following what her heart wants.
“yes.” she nods, decisively — she’s determined to go through with this now. “let’s...” god, she can’t believe she’s about to suggest this, “go to your room? i, uh, have a shared dorm, so...” her words trail off, as her eyes finally meet jamie’s, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as the nervousness she’s feeling is clear across her features.
it was nights like this that made dahlia believe life wasn’t all that bad. just her, a glass of red wine, and jieun to accompany her throughout the night. what more could a girl ask for? at least, this was all dahlia ever wanted, a girl’s night with a bottle of wine, a selection of snacks, and uno.
and by the looks of her deck, it seemed like it really was her night. of course, jieun’s deck could be even better, but lia wasn’t the type to be pessimistic— let alone the type to go down without a fight. “anything new? it feels as though we haven’t been able to really sit down and talk in awhile.” red skip. red reverse. it was hard for lia to contain her poker face, as the number of cards in her hands was rapidly decreasing. she laid down a red card with the number five on it. “seen levi lately? i feel like he’s been hiding from me, which…rude but whatever.”
“hmm.” jieun hums, considering the question as she puts down a green five on top of dahlia’s red. god, she really hopes the color won’t switch right back again — she really does not have any red cards. “not much. quidditch keeps me busy.” especially with levi’s new training regimen, following their recent loss against toseong. he really had not taken that very well.
“yeah, i’ve seen levi.” less than usual, though, but they still manage to make time for each other daily. she looks up from her cards as she takes a sip of wine. “he’s been busy lately. you know, with quidditch and all.” she leaves out anything she knows about her best friend’s personal relationships that’s been keeping him busy, too — if he wanted his sister to know, she’s sure he would have told her himself. besides, she would never break their best friend contract.
“anyway, what’s up with you? any new, and exciting drama? any gossip to share? i’m all ears.”
SUPER QUICK POST to let everyone know jieun’s url has been changed from jieunmsu to msujieun! i know she’s been super dead lately (rip) but i am planning on returning to her and my other two muses next week once i’m off my hiatus so please anticipate my return <3
honestly, when she stops and actually responds to him, it catches junseong so off guard that he isn’t even sure what he’s supposed to say next. especially because her reply is so… ordinary. like nothing had gone wrong. like she hadn’t vanished off the face of the earth for a few years. like she hadn’t been ignoring his attempts to reach out the past few weeks. somehow he’d expected something different — whether it was anger, annoyance, apologies, or even apathy… but he hadn’t expected her to act like absolutely nothing had happened.
“nuna,” he repeats, dumbfounded, his expression a mixture of hurt and confusion. he has so many questions for her, it’s hard to sort through them and figure out exactly which one he wants to ask her first. where were you? is probably the most pressing question he’d like to ask. but he also wants to know why she’d been ignoring him, why she hadn’t said anything, what she’s been doing — there are so many questions junseong has for his ex-girlfriend who he’d loved dearly that he can barely get ahold of himself.
“nuna, i— i missed you.” this is not what junseong had meant to say but somehow it’s what comes out. his face crumples slightly, wide puppy-like smile and sparkling eyes nowhere to be seen. it’s almost unsettling to see this kind of despondence on junseong’s face, but it’s there. “where have you been?”
yeah, okay, there’s no denying it — this is awkward. maybe, just maybe, she should have responded differently, with something akin to an apology, instead of... whatever it was that was. ‘what’s up’? is she serious? surely there’s something, anything, better than that she could have said instead.
the expression on junseong’s face, one she recognizes as hurt (god, she hates how she knows what that looks like on him), confirms jieun’s suspicions that, yeah, her reaction had definitely not been the best. then again, neither was her way of dealing with the situation in general, not with the way she’d disappeared from his life so suddenly (granted, she’d done that to everyone, but still), then ignored every attempt he’d made at getting in touch with her. even after being reunited at mokseong, her act had kept up, and now, her avoidance had been more obvious.
junseong doesn’t deserve being treated like this, he really doesn’t — after all, it’s not like he’s ever wronged her in any way. in a way, she’s glad to have finally responded to him, to not have to run away from him anymore every time she sees him, but— their actual, proper reunion is turning out to be a lot more heartbreaking than she ever imagined. his words, his confession to missing her, makes jieun feel like her heart is being ripped out, almost as if the guilt hits her all at once.
“junseong...” she starts, still not quite sure what to say, but she’ll try. “i’m sorry, i— i can explain.” can she, though? is she willing to share the absolute hell she feels as if she’s been through over the past few years with him? well, she at least owes it to him to try. “just—” a quick glance around at the people passing by them — too crowded, “not here.”
thank destiny jieun exists! it’s all miyoung can think in this very moment, how very lost she’d be without her roommate, how she’d most likely hit up the entirety of mokseong village to find a hair stylist to get her hair fixed. there are not many people miyoung would entrust her precious, full and never once dyed hair to, but jieun has proved herself to be trustworthy and capable ever since they attended wizarding school together. and while jieun’s skills were initially the only thing miyoung was interested in keeping the girl around for, she’s grown quite fond of her as a person in general.
“whatever god is up there conspired against me and let the wildest wind pass by the moment i decided to step a foot outside. can you believe it? the audicity!” hands flail around along with her flair for dramatics and the exaggerated sigh passing cherry red lips. she’s obediently following along inside their dorm and she sits down on the stool in front of the shared vanity.
a single look into the mirror is enough for her features to twist into something akin to wanting to cry. she looks horrendeous. “i have twenty minutes until cheer practice starts.” she informs her roommate after glancing at the newest chanel wristwatch donning her wrist. “imagine me showing up there like this … i’d be the laughing stock of the school! of the nation! of the entire world!”
her shoulders slump and one leg crosses over the other, hands coming to rest atop her lap. “if you could, please make me two tight space buns. i need to prevent my hair from getting into yet another wind incident.”
had this been anyone else, jieun would be rolling her eyes at the spectacle of it all. because, honestly, while she does have an interest (and talent for) hair styling — had even been considering doing it professionally, and would have had it not been for the whole ‘being a witch’ thing — does she think having a bad hair day is that much of a big deal? no, not really, but this is miyoung she’s dealing with here, and she knows what miyoung is like. had she found the younger slightly annoying at first? perhaps, but she’s come to like her, appreciate her, during their year of rooming together.
“hmm, yeah, the wind must really have it out for you,” she hums dryly, as she begins brushing the younger’s long locks, attempting to untangle them. which turns out to be slightly harder than expected. yikes. her words had been in jest, but maybe miyoung had a point, and the wind really was out to get her, because some of these tangles are proving to be near impossible to get out. just how strong had that wind been?
after a minute or so, though, she does manage to get the worst of the tangles out, while hopefully still being gentle enough for it not to hurt her roommate. “jesus, this is really bad. is the wind really that strong today?” her gaze moves to take a quick glance out the window, though she can’t really tell whether the wind is raging or not — she wonders if it’ll be okay in the time for quidditch practice later that day.
“okay, i think that’s all of it,” she says a minute later, brush now moving through miyoung’s hair without resistance. satisfied with the results, she puts the brush away, instead grabbing two of the many hair ties that are usually strewn across their shared dorm — most of which are jieun’s, probably.
dividing the younger’s hair into two sections, she grabs the left one and starts gathering the strands of hair with her hands. “how high up do you want the buns?”
so far, so good — that’s how nick would describe how his night’s going. his outfit had gotten a few compliments, that’d been nice. the music’s decent, he’d been dancing for a bit. the drinks are good too. so yeah, if he ignores the fact he’d caught himself searching for his ex-girlfriend at least five times by now… so far, so good! it’s difficult, attending these kind of things alone after having shared them with someone else for a decade—especially when all your friends are her friends, too. but he’s trying, and it’s going fine. so nick would call that a success.
but his mask is about to suffocate him, so nick takes it off for a breather. perfect timing, too, because there’s the basket with the ‘trick or treat’ potions. should he? yeah, why not, it’s not like there’ll be anything too bad in there, right? shrugging to himself, nick picks a vial at random and chugs it down in one go — just in time for someone to tape his shoulder.
It’s jieun. jieun?!
“yeah, i’m nicholas choi.” huh, that came out a lot quicker than he’d wanted it to. first time he hasn’t stuttered like an absolute moron around her, too. he can still remember the first time he’d ever seen her, in that restaurant she works at. worked at? he doesn’t know. he should know, this is his sister. but he’s lacked the balls to tell her, hasn’t had the guts now for so damn long. he’d rambled back then, told her that her restaurant’s food sucked and had made a hasty escape. of course he should’ve known that would come back to bite him in the ass eventually.
the inside of his mouth tastes kind of funny. “she’s not lying. cora rarely lies, if ever, but she’s definitely at me because i slept with someone she hates during the summer, so she’s taking out her anger.” uh, what the fuck? why can’t he stop talking? “i wish she hadn’t, but i can’t say i blame her, because it’s been three years at this point. four, maybe? i’ve been too chicken shit to tell you, that’s what she’d say.” stop talking. stop talking.
what the fuck was in that potion? some kind of truth serum? shit. jieun knows now. she knows. “well, i think i’m going to be sick. not like, literally— nope, i do think i’m about to throw up. i have to go. goodbye.” and he’s turned on his heels, taking quick strides to make his exit as quick as possible.
what. the. actual. fuck. when jieun had approached the grad student, she had expected a confirmation that yes, what this cora had told her was indeed a lie, nothing for her to worry about. and, perhaps, a word of thanks for being kind enough to let him know there are rumors being spread about him in the first place.
but this? this nicholas choi has basically given her a confirmation that the whole thing was true. while he didn’t admit to it in words, the implication is still there — because cora rarely lies. but— no. this cannot, should not be real — she’s already been over this in her head, multiple times over the past few days. there is simply just no way she’d have a brother, or any sibling at all, for that matter, that her mother wouldn’t have told her about. right? it just doesn’t make sense. and it especially doesn’t make sense for it to be this guy, who’s from— okay, she doesn’t actually know, but she does know the name nicholas isn’t korean, and so she thinks it’s safe to assume he’s not from around here.
the only logical conclusion here is... this has to be some kind of prank. right? she’s already toyed with that idea a few times after being approached by cora, and by now she’s convinced that has to be the case. she’s about to confront nicholas with this, let him know she’s onto him, them, whoever is playing this prank on her, but before she has the chance to utter a single word, he’s already bolting from the scene. what the fuck? coward.
jieun isn’t about to let him off so easy, though. because by now she’s getting annoyed, and frankly a touch curious, as to why this couple is involving her in their weird fight. ugh. straight people and their nonsense. she’s quick to dash after him, and — wow, she never thought she’d say this — thank god for the crowd making it harder for nicholas to escape. with his long frame, she doesn’t doubt he’d normally outrun her fairly easily.
“WAIT!” she calls out, and it’s not long before she’s close enough to place a hand on his shoulder, mustering all her strength to drag him around to face her again. “where the fuck do you think you’re going?” her voice is raised, both to be heard over the bustling noises of the party, and due to her own annoyance at the whole situation.
“i’d like an explanation as to why you and your girlfriend are trying to pull this insanely sick prank on me. don’t have enough spice in your relationship, is that it? decided you had to go bother some poor, unsuspecting undergrad for some fun? is that it?”
running into @msunicky at the mokseong halloween party.
jieun’s plan for the halloween party had been to, well, relax. get drunk, forget about all of life’s worries and responsibilities. but, that plan is all but forgotten when she spots him. nicholas choi, she thinks his name is. she doesn’t know him as much as she knows of him, and that only because they’re on rival quidditch teams. she’d say the closest they’ve ever come to actually interacting was that one time he had hit her with a particularly nasty bludger sometime last year.
normally, she wouldn’t have looked twice upon spotting him at a party. she doesn’t know him, doesn’t care about him in the slightest, and she would have assumed he shares mutual feelings. that was, until a rather... eye-opening? mind-blowing? conversation she’d had a few days ago. jieun had been at work, when she had been approached by someone: cora han (who, again, she neither knows nor cares for).
cora had told her... things. honestly, jieun doesn’t quite know how else to put it. nor does she believe in, quite honestly, anything that the grad student had told her. because why, and how on earth would she somehow have a half-brother? it just... makes no sense. it’s always been her and her mother. just the two of them, against the world. and while she might be alone now, that doesn’t mean she needs or wants a new family. she has the kangs — they’re more than enough for her.
but... now that she’s here, and her supposedly half-brother is right there, and alone, would asking really hurt? jieun suspects the entire thing is a prank, some crazy ex-girlfriend who decided to spread lies about the guy who broke up with her, just to get back at him. some real sick and twisted shit.
but, if that’s the case, he would probably appreciate knowing about it. and so, she makes the decision of actually approaching him, ready to find out the actual truth (because, again, her having a half-brother? impossible).
“hey, you’re nicholas, right? nicholas choi?” she asks to make sure she’s even got the right person, and soon gets a confirming nod in response. “okay, good. hi. you don’t know me, but... this girl cora, she said she was your girlfriend? — sorry, ex-girlfriend — talked to me the other day, and i just thought i’d let you know she’s spreading lies about you. i don’t know if i’m the only one she’s been lying to. god, that would suck, imagine having half the school thinking they’re related to you or something? anyway, i just thought you should know.”
At her response, his smile remained stuck in place on his face. He was a bit caught off guard, he’ll admit it. But she was pretty straight to the point and Kevin could dig that.
Giving himself a moment to catch himself up to the situation, the boy simply nodded his head in false thought. This wasn’t the first time in his life he’d been rejected. In fact, this wasn’t even the first time in that very same day that he’d been rejected. Furthermore, he was a pretty firm believer in the saying: fall down seven times, stand up eight. He often used it as motivation in volleyball and talking to girls wasn’t too different, right?
“Yo, insult me, that’s fine, but not Maria.” He replied, petting the broom handle in an act of comfort. “She’s still a baby and quite sensitive. But she’s super fast! I’m hoping to play in at least one quidditch match this season so I can show her off sometime!”
why is this guy still sticking around, even after she told him a clear, and precise no? some guys really don’t know when to quit, which she supposes she should be used to by now. still doesn’t make it any less annoying. though this guy seems... different? and that’s definitely not in a good way. sure, he doesn’t seem as sleazy as most men, but something about him just throws her off.
hearing that he’d named his broom, is the last straw. something must be seriously wrong with this guy, she’s sure of it. “maria?” she repeats, tone clearly heavily judgmental. “you named your broom? and call her... it... baby?” her eyebrows are raised in disbelief, mixed with an expression of disgust on her face.
“are you even on the team?” she’s sure she hasn’t seen him before, which surely she would have, if he was on a rival team. “i doubt anyone’s gonna let you play any match, ever, if all you use your broom for is hitting on girls. you’re disgusting.”
even though she had never claimed to be the best drinker , jamie had built up some tolerance over the years with the amount of parties hwaseong had and now the part-time job of a bartender , not that she ever relied on them… in fact she hardly ever drank anymore. SO even with those three… maybe four? glasses of firewhiskey , she felt the buzz of it but still was in her senses for the most part.
or so she thought because the keeper could’ve sworn how the younger’s eyes were wavering from her gaze to shift just a touch lower… and stayed there a little longer for it to be classified as a coincidence. but that was just her mind , right? her mind making her think that THAT was what was happening because that’s what she wanted to happen , perhaps.
the energy around them felt different tonight and no one was pulling away from it , instead it felt like as the moment progressed , the tension grew. it truly felt like the pair was in their own bubble at that moment and just as jamie thought it would’ve been better to move away before she did something couldn’t be taken back , the chaser moved close…. close enough to have that whisper send a shiver down her spine and having her own breath hitch in her throat as the other’s felt hot on her skin.
once their gaze met again , it was probably her last chance to move further away because maybe she was reading these signals wrong and jamie wouldn’t usually say that but the both had had a few drinks and the last thing the grad student wanted to do was something that would affect their friendship. —— so what did she do next? of course , the ONLY viable option was to kiss her. it was delicate and jamie took her time with it , starting off by gently placing a hand on her cheek and leaning in to whisper , “ it’ll be our secret. ” before their lips connected ever so softly.
had she been expecting this when she had so daringly leaned in close, whispering silly promises to the hwaseong co-captain? maybe. hoping for it, at least. a tiny, microscopic part of her wanted to scream that this might ruin their friendship, might even make tensions awkward on the team. but either she’s so sure that won’t happen, or she’s just too far in the moment to care, because all she really wants in this very moment, is for jamie to close the gap between them, and kiss her.
and she does. jieun knows it will happen the moment the older delicately touches the side of her face, her breath hitching in anticipation as she feels the ghost of jamie’s whisper across her lips. then, soft lips are pressed against hers, and if jieun wasn’t already lost in the moment, this would definitely do it.
the kiss starts out soft, at first, but with the way the younger had been practically longing for it ever since the co-captain sat down next to her, it’s not long until she gets lost in the kiss. it’s not aggressive, she wouldn’t go as far as calling it that, but it’s passionate, if not even a bit messy. she’ll blame the alcohol for that one.
as their lips move together, jieun’s hand finds its way to the back of jamie’s neck, her fingers tangling in her hair as she pulls her closer, wanting to deepen the kiss as much as possible. the angle could be better though, she thinks, and in a moment of perhaps more bravery she would usually show around pretty girls (seriously, is there something in the alcohol tonight?), she climbs into the older’s lap. she positions herself on the keeper’s thighs, their repositioning breaking their kiss briefly, but jieun is quick to once again press their lips together.
After obtaining a new Firebolt Supreme broom, Kevin figured there was no better way to flex it than to take it on a quick trip down to the village. He thought to himself, why not stop by Madame Menagerie’s for some bubble tea (and if he managed to pick up a pretty lady on the way there, it wouldn’t hurt either). And so, that’s just what he did.
Boarding his broom, the boy decided to do a few laps around the castle grounds to do a bit of sightseeing. There was so much of the campus one could see just a few meters into the air. And not only were the scenic views pretty sweet, but some of the people looked just as nice.
With a confident grin, Kevin headed back towards ground level to approach a new face. Just as he would any other day, the boy decided to take a chance and shoot his shot. Sure, they said you couldn’t ever get shot down if you don’t try— and when considering the amount of rejections he’d faced in a lifetime, one would think that he would have stopped trying by now. But with new people meant new opportunities.
“Hey, beautiful. Why don’t we go to Madame Menagerie’s for some boba? Aha. I can take you on my brand new Firebolt Supreme.”
if there’s anything jieun hates, it’s being bothered by strangers. because yes, she does consider it a nuisance when some random person she’s never seen before approaches her. it’s like this: she’s doing her own things, minding her own business, while they should ideally be minding theirs, and leave her the fuck alone, but— life doesn’t always work out like that.
and it doesn’t seem like the gods (if any even exist) have pity on her today, either. because while she’s on her way back from archery practice, minding her own business, as usual, she’s approached by— oh, god, that that has to be the most, well, fuckboy looking guy she’s ever seen, for the lack of a better word. and he’s riding towards her on a broom? unbelievable.
things get immediately worse when he opens his mouth. ‘hey beautiful’? ‘aha’? ‘i can take you on my brand new firebolt supreme’? who the fuck does this guy think he is?
“no,” she replies sternly, making sure to give the guy a look of utter disgust. “i don’t know you, i have things to do, and i wouldn’t get on your stupid broom with you even if you paid me. no way in hell.”
