My house is burning down, and you want to make me a suspect? Now, hold on. No one’s saying anything like that.

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@passingthrovgh
My house is burning down, and you want to make me a suspect? Now, hold on. No one’s saying anything like that.
ADRIAN
location: donut hole status: closed | @passingthrovgh
After his shift at the library, Adrian had headed to Donut Hole for something to eat. He’d meant to grab a pastry, maybe grab a few for Zakary and then go home. Of course while he had been waiting in line, he had ended up taking out the book he’d been reading and going through that. Not wanting to put the book away, he had ended up grabbing a table to continue reading while he slowly got through the muffin he had ordered. Of course even after he had consumed the blueberry muffin, Adrian continued to sit and read, not noticing the time passing by. It wasn’t until he heard a cough that he glanced up and realized there wasn’t really anyone else in the bakery with him. “Huh. How long have I been sitting here?” he said aloud to himself.
SOOMIN
After finally finishing up the kitchen, Soomin walked through the kitchen entrance to the front of the store, finally putting the final touches on her closing shift. Bringing out a shallow bin to put the leftover pastries in, she sighed as she noticed Adrian’s focused posture. It didn’t really matter to her that he stayed a bit late, since it wasn’t intentional and he didn’t resist getting kicked out, the polite guy he is. But it was exhausting seeing someone so dedicated to sitting for hours. She was certainly never meant to be a scholar.
The fourth donut topped off her collection, and as she wrapped it up, she saw him jerk up slightly. At his muttering, she answered his rhetorical question with a shallow smirk.
“Long enough.” Soomin started removing the little pedestals in the case. “Hurry and pack up so I can wipe down your table. I won’t take long before I get there.”
ALEYNA
Yes. So unfair! Andy stated, which caused Aleyna to laugh before she brushed her fingers against Andy’s hair to fix their hair after playing with the other kids. Mom, can we head to the Cat Cafe?
“Oh, yes. There’s this really cute cafe nearby, maybe they have some dessert with ice cream? You can join us if you’d like to.” Aleyna had promised Andy that they could have dessert that afternoon and that she’d pay for it willingly, so if the ice cream truck wouldn’t be their choice, then they could go for something else.
SOOMIN
Soomin nodded emphatically at the kid’s response, their frustration resounding in her bones. She felt herself becoming more and more sluggish, and the more time passed, the faster her patience wore thin... not that she had much stamina in that area in the first place.
The brunette’s question brought Soomin out of her lull. Instead of responding right away, she gave the idea a quick thought. She wasn’t sure why she was so willing to have a stranger tag along, but she appreciated it, at least for the suggestion for an indoor experience. After a grunt, she nodded. “Lead the way. At this point, I could probably use a cold coffee anyway. I lost my appetite for ice cream.”
BENJI
“Isn’t that it right around the corner?” He points in the direction of what looks like the telltale truck. Benji had also decided to get an ice cream today, but he hadn’t expected another person his age to be there too. But, he wasn’t complaining, it was nice to see someone else with a childlike spirit. “Have we met before?”
SOOMIN
At the stranger’s initial response, Soomin’s eyes widened under her sunglasses and her head immediately swiveled around, face adopting a gleeful, dimpled smile as her eardrums gradually welcomed the truck’s jingle. Her attention was so single-minded that she almost missed his inquiry.
“No,” Soomin responded immediately, mainly because her memory is top-notch. She stared hard at his face, then concluded that this wasn’t a line. “Why, do I look familiar? I’m here every Saturday.”
TOPHER
“There is an ice cream truck coming?” Topher asked, eyes suddenly big. They hadn’t really noticed the kids or the dollar bills, they were mostly standing on the edge of the street overthinking things. They wanted to do something for their birthday, the whole thing with the Harvest Moon had thrown them off course, so they had almost forgotten they had turned twenty-three. They stared at the other and raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know those had a schedule.”
SOOMIN
Soomin glanced around at the sidewalk she stepped on, speckled with anticipating children. “Kids aren’t that intuitive.”
“They’re all instinct... at least until they’re like eight... maybe.” At least from what she could remember from childhood, although her memories filled with joyfully received scraped knees and dirty, mud-slicked hands, which possibly gives her some bias. “The ice cream truck at least gives that instinct a schedule. And I think it’s transactional.”
BASH
―
“It should be here soon I believe. There is a certain, how do you say ― screams of joy fill the air when it does and often like clockwork,” he replied as he glanced over at the one that asked before giving them a small smile. There was rarely a day when his attention wasn’t stirred by the about of people, mostly children, that enjoyed the song that played to signal the coming as he glanced down at his watch. “Minutes if I am to believe that it runs on time today.”
SOOMIN
“Hm,” Soomin hummed in response, glancing down at her sidewalk companion’s watch as he did.
“Sounds like you’re bracing yourself. Are you a regular customer or does the ambiance just make you anxious?” She needs to keep talking, or the hunger’s going to consume her from inside out.
So she had passed her childhood, like a half-wild cat.
Philip Pullman, Northern Lights (via starkjon)
I am both worse and better than you thought.
Sylvia Plath, from The Unabridged Journals Of Sylvia Plath (via yesdarlingido)
ALEYNA
“It’s usually here by now, but I guess it’s just a couple of minutes late. My child is already growing frustrated about waiting, so I get it,” Andy was playing with a few other kids close to them and from time to time they’d head back to their mom to ask about the truck.
Well, at least she knows that she’s not just waiting for a heatstroke. Wiping some sweat off her brow, Soomin nodded curtly in response, smiled once, and looked down at the kid between them in light sympathy. “Thanks.”
After a few minutes, the ice cream truck still hadn’t arrived and Soomin closed her eyes, feeling her skin get stickier and stickier from the humidity.
Looking down at the kid, Soomin offered some disgruntled empathy, words impulsively tumbling out. “Just know that neither me or you deserve this.” Okay, maybe the heatstroke is slightly setting in. She could only imagine what the child’s feeling in their smaller, compact body.
location: donut hole
when: friday, night
status: closed | @passingthrovgh
— Ever since having met Soomin, Leon found himself stopping by Donut Hole either before heading to work to buy his co-workers something to eat, or after his classes on easier days, mostly to check in if the younger woman was settling in alright. He definitely couldn’t relate to moving to a new country and having to start over–I mean, in a way, he could. But he was very young when that happened to him, so it was easier to adapt.
“Hey.” He smiled upon seeing Soomin. “You ready to go?” Leon figured he could either walk her home or grab a bite or a drink if she wanted.
Like clockwork, the bell above the entrance rang and Leon walked in just when Soomin was just about done wiping down the bar counter in front of the bakery’s display case. Looking up, she provided a casual smile and nodded in response. “Yeah.”
At first, she was confused and even resistant at Leon’s consistent efforts to stop by. But it didn’t seem like much of an effort on his part. He really is just a naturally nice guy, with a rare, purely gentle soul. Something about him seemed troubled too, but for now that’s where the curiosity ended. Soomin’s not used to having a regular cast of people in her life while she lived her vagabond life, but considering how her privacy is uniquely thwarted in this city, she decided to adapt. Just like she’s learned to do for the past few years. Besides, she’s really warmed up to his regular company, which in itself is a rare feat.
Soomin removed her apron, rolled it into a ball, and then tossed it into the basket by the kitchen entrance. While washing her hands, she turned to Leon once again.
“We have some leftover blackberry lemon cupcakes. You want one? Or four?”
@minxsara
LOCATION: in front of java cafe
With both hands, Soomin repeatedly pushed up at the back of her neck, attempting to massage the tension out of her neck. Unfortunately, the effort only slightly alleviated her migraine.
Three glasses of water later, seems like her hangover’s here to stay, and despite her alarmingly cold shower, seems like her body still insists on staying asleep. Slightly groaning when a slight ray of sun pierced through her sunglasses, she sought shelter under the shade provided by the tented overhang provided by Java Cafe’s storefront, feeling lucky that the long line concluded in shade and craving an ice-blended latte. She didn’t have the energy to be pessimistic.
Soomin stared off into space, thinking virtually nothing as she waited for the line to budge. She was roused out of her stupor when it finally did, and somehow found herself able to ground herself in reality once again. Once she did, she caught bits of the conversation before her, excitement slowly raising as she heard keywords such as “Hidden Killer” and “filming” and “schedule”. Her quick, snoopy mind roughly gathered that this was not a run-of-the-mill webtoon fangirl conversation, given the tone of the conversation and the topic matter. Seems invasive, but how could she mind her business in a situation like this? Knowing very well that the webtoon’s film adaptation was being filmed in Astoria (lucky coincidence for her), Soomin only had the option of excitement.
Well, now she was awake.
The woman before her finally finished her phone call, and when she finally stowed away her phone, Soomin’s head swooped around to the woman’s periphery.
“You said ‘Hidden Killer’. Did I hear right?” Of course she did. But no need to scare her too much.
@astoriastarter
“Hey, you know when the ice cream truck’s coming?” The only other people bothering to actually wait around with dollar bills in hand were children and children accompanied by parents, so she looked a bit odd. Not that she displayed even a tinge of shame.
MEET LEE SOOMIN “JENNY”
AGE: Twenty-four years old
BIRTHDAY: April 3rd, 1996
PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/her
OCCUPATION: Baking assistant @ Donut Hole
PLACE OF BIRTH: Ulsan, South Korea
NEIGHBORHOOD: North Valley
HAS LIVED IN ASTORIA FOR: Two weeks
CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Why did you decide to move to Astoria? Can you tell us a little about the last place you lived in?
“I haven’t lived anywhere for awhile. I just travel. So this year I went to Jeju-do, Budapest, and then Montreal…” She nodded, quietly mouthing other locations as she thought of them, numerous micro-destinations disappearing into a buzzing murmur, “… then I was in Florida right before. For a month. It was fucking humid, but I like humid weather. Their clubs were-” Soomin chuckled as she recalled her misadventures, “-top notch.” Should there be a particular, grand reason why she’s designated Astoria as her next pit stop? She scratched her ear, briefly contemplating her answer. “I dunno. I came from Florida, and I guess I just stuck around long enough with the same view. But I’m still in a beachy mood, and I heard that Astoria has some of the beaches around. “I wanna get some vitamin D, eat at every restaurant here, get out, have fun. Like I have for a few years now. You know, for my mental health.” Suddenly, Soomin leaned forward to her interrogator, displaying a rare, full-dimpled smile. “Hey! You’re a local, right? If I get in, you gotta give me your recommendations. I’ve been craving dan dan noodles.”
Are you coming to the city by yourself, with friends or family? Is it work related?
Soomin’s expression brightened again, relishing the liberty of wandering solo. It’s been years since she’s been tethered to her uncle, but she’s humble enough to count her blessings. “Just me. I also don’t plan on leaving to visit anyone because there’s no one to visit, and I don’t expect any visitors. Although…” She looked around, “… looks like that’d be difficult anyway.” Not like she’s sticking around for long. “I might take up a part-time job here, just for fun, but that’s optional.”
What’s something about your past you could share with others?
How vague. Given the nature of this interview, however, Soomin figured she should impart something a bit personal. “I was a company heir before my uncle kidnapped me when I was eight, forced me to do his bidding as a disgruntled foot soldier, and then came back eleven years later to run that whole thing into the ground and execute my parents. Something I despise him for, and don’t accept, by the way. I’ll explain all that later.” With a nonchalant wave of her hand, she continued on. An answer like that would inevitably require explanation, but the interview’s just gotten started. “Anyway, what’s relevant right now is that I never wanted to be in the business. Ever since I was little, I never wanted the benefits of having the status of an heir, since it meant that I would have to do so much paperwork, meet people I don’t want to meet, wake up at 4am everyday… and treating people like shit seems like a requirement too, and I don’t really have the discipline to do that either.” “It’s also why I’m so comfortable now. When I came back to the estate with my uncle when I was nineteen, I took my mother’s jewelry box before I left. Then I liquidated nearly all of the assets. Not as much as my inheritance, but I don’t feel like making the trip back.”
Please elaborate on any violent circumstances you may have been involved with in the past.
Without concerning herself with tact, Soomin responded coolly, “I’ve been ‘involved’ in a lot of them. My uncle was a hunter before he decided he wanted to get rich and powerful. He kidnapped me when I was about eight years old, then immediately taught me how to defend myself. Then put me in situations where I had to defend myself. He had this weird philosophical idea of how to ‘train’ me.” She smirked, stretching slightly in her seat, physically feeling her freedom. “We weren’t compatible with each other, but he really, really tried. Not that I’m ungrateful for the education.” Soomin elaborated after realizing her implication, “By education, I don’t mean the killing part. I mean things like learning how to take apart and put together entire cars, software engineering, etc etc. You can’t get that with a typical private education.” “Anyway, because of all that, I’ve killed. I’ve hurt people. But that’s because there are some crazy bastards out there, and he set my life up where I would run into them. I wasn’t invested in the violence. Kinda really hated it. I was a minor, though. I tried leaving him many times, but as good as I am at running away, he was way more experienced in catching people. If it was up to me, I’d have been doing what I’m doing now for much longer. I mean traveling, finding good food to eat, you know. So yeah, I was a minor. There’s a reason why courts take that into consideration, right? Lack of autonomy, coercion, all that.”
What are your weaknesses and strengths?
“I’m impulsive, prone to risky behavior, slightly socially awkward, act before I think. I’m pretty bad about ghosting people. I also mentioned before that I’m not really disciplined, so there’s that.” She paused. “I’m not evil, but I don’t know how to define my morals. I’d say I’m not particularly bad or particularly good.” Strongly due to the fact that for so long, she’s been forcefully inundated with a moral code she was never going to employ. Strengths? “I mind my own business. I’m pretty bold, but some people call that a flaw. I have a lotta stamina and I’m practical. I don’t stress about things too much. I’m also good at mechanical sort of things. Fried rice. Cat’s cradle. Languages. Combat. That kinda stuff. I’m also pretty good at drawing, if I say so myself, but I don’t think I’m artistic. I understand math really well, so I learned calculus when I was eleven. I also have a really good memory.”
Your thoughts about supernatural beings.
“Specifically?” Soomin blinked. “I’m not prejudiced. Humans can be just as rotten and dangerous as the supernatural, just in different ways. Fangs, talons, potions, curses… none of that is necessary to be a piece of shit, or to be good at being a piece of shit.” Memories of sitting on her mother’s lap as her mother nonchalantly strategized how to strike down union leaders, and brutally so, flashed in her head. Too vague, Soomin realized. Given what she’s explained so far, she probably has to be much more specific and personal, or they’d never let her in. Maybe even keep tabs on her or something. She didn’t know. Anyway, it was strange to explain so much, but although she wasn’t used to it, she didn’t really mind. “My uncle was equally despicable as a human and as a vampire. That made him a hypocrite, but that’s because he was just terrible. But that doesn’t sway my opinions on either as a species.” Making such a sweeping, emotional opinion has always seemed so exhausting. Look at the graves it led her family to. “I haven’t met a single person that I’ve felt more danger from than from him.” Her last words tumbled out without thinking, and her expression froze for just a second, her stomach slightly churning at her own confession. It was the first sign of insecurity or unease she’s expressed during this whole interview, and it surprised even herself. “But he’s gone. Dead. At my parent’s estate. Wasn’t me that did it though, it was all a big shock to me too. Even if I was invested in settling scores-” Could she really call that a score? “-that one’s gone.”
FACECLAIM: Park Sooyoung PLAYED BY: Mochi
I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result.
Death, The Book Thief (via iriithyll)
im your joy