Ā Ā Ā Ā He rolls his eyes at the word, waving his hand.Ā āA true friend brings you your favorite drink, even though it tastes like ass, and brings you to your favorite genre of movie, fully paid for, all while playing hooky. Youāre looking at it all wrong, man. Iām a great influence.āĀ In Daeās defense, he truly believed he was a great influence. Sure, leaving work early (in a sense) wasnātĀ āgreatā, butā¦ itās the library. Besides, Dae would never put Prince in harmās way. He just wants him to live a little, as much as Prince teaches him his own ways of living.Ā āI donāt have to like it,ā he shrugs, resting his elbows on the counter.Ā āI just havenāt seen you in ages,ā he grins, knowing fully well itās only been three days.Ā āSo, whaddya say?ā he wiggles his brows.Ā
Ā Ā prince has a theory -- and a pretty sound one, if he says so himself -- that dae and mortimer are conspiring together against him. after all, this isnāt the first time heās been distracted from his work by his friend and yet, there have never been any consequences. itās almost as though his boss wantsĀ him to act out -- he practically has permission.Ā āyou donāt like my drinks -- you donāt like my movies... what am i bringing to this friendship again? why do you put up with me?ā he tuts his tongue, shaking his head before leaning over the counter to tousle daeās hair.Ā āsince you miss me so much, i suppose iāll indulge you. but only if you let me properly ramble about the film for at least thirty minutes afterwards before you roll your eyes.ā prince does allow a genuine smile to show that he appreciates this gesture. dae is notoriously too nice to him.Ā
Ā Ā Something about Reinās always rubbed Jay the wrong way. Maybe it was the people or how extremely outdated the placed seemed to beā either way, he just couldnāt shake how this shit hole hasnāt changed in the last ten years. He could never forget that the last time Reinās ever left a good taste in his mouth, was when his father was actually acting like a father. He took him here every weekā not to buy but as some sort of teaching lesson from good to bad music. Beatles, good. Blues Traveler, very good. 2009 Ke$ha, embarrassing. Still, he found himself gravitating towards the store every couple of months. He wondered once if it was his yearning for something that was long forgotten, but Jay brushed it off quickly before he could ever consider going to a fucking record store to be anything more than that. WithĀ āYoshimi Battles the Pink Robotsā tucked in his arm, his doe eyes scan the cover of Doris Dayās greatest hits, flipping it back and forth in his hand. He rubs his lips together, a burning sensation boiling within him. He looks up at the voice, surprised. Jay considers rolling his eyes, brushing the dude off as he normally would. But after looking at him for a moment, he decides against the instinct. Heāll never see him again anyway, and besidesā¦ any tips on this fucking record would help more than not.Ā āYeah?ā he attempts to sound enthused, not looking at him directly.Ā āI keep wondering if itās actually good. Iāve been here three times this month and itās still collecting dust. You sure itās that good?ā he lifts a brow, almost challenging him.Ā
Ā Ā heās pleasantly surprised that he isnāt met with a brusque dismissal. thereās an edge to the interest that makes it seem slightly forced but isnāt that the case for all small talk? heād forced himself to extend the social olive branch in the first place so itās a returned kindness at the very least. he wills his shy smile to warm, shoulders lifting in a much more on brand shrug.Ā āi mean, sheās no psychedelic dream pop,ā prince offers with a gesture to the other record being kept safe under the otherās arm,Ā ābut thereās something about the classics that hits different. well, forĀ me anyways -- i think iām an 80 year old man trapped in a young body.ā he half laughs at his awkward explanation, deciding it safer to keep his gaze down on the vinyl with an affectionate tilt of his head. āyāknow with her recent passing, that might even be worth something sooner rather than later. you donāt have to take my word on it though. whatās good to someone might be terrible to someone else.ā his mind flashes to his beverage of choice and how vehemently dae hates black coffee. agree to disagree.Ā āhave you listened to that before?ā prince nods again at the record the other has already selected. for all his over-interest, he probably seems like he worksĀ there and the thought is enough to make him flush.
With two cups in both hands, Dae carefully makes his way over to Princeās station, as cautiously as possible. With his back turned away from him, he stops in front of his desk, placing the cups on the counter, smiling as Prince turned to face him. āSurprise!ā he greets in a half-whisper, dimples on full display. āYouāre off soon right?ā he checks his watch. āIn like, thirty?ā He knows Prince isnāt the type to ditch his shift, especially with only thirty minutes left. But thereās some old film calling Princeās name, and with his favorite drink to bribe him, he knows he can get his best friend to cave in. āSome old French film is showing at the cinema,ā he sings, shoulders bouncing with enthusiasm. āLetās go~ā @princexlingā
Ā Ā even though itās not particularly loud, prince still startles at the whispered surprise. heās immediately happy to see his friend, though and heās secretly very pleased dae is keeping his voice down -- thatās something theyād had many discussions about in the early stages of their interactions.Ā ātwenty seven and counting,ā prince corrects playfully, glancing down to the coffee cup with a pleased smile. itāll just be his standard order -- a flavored roast, black with one no-cal sweetener -- but thatās what makes it all the more thoughtful.Ā āare you trying to get me to play hooky, dae? i thought we were friends -- you shouldnāt be such a bad influence!ā as heās saying so, heās starting to tidy up his work station with a heavy sigh. mortās been trying to get him to live a bit more -- heās only an assisstantĀ library; thereās plenty of time for a young personās social life still! "are you going to like this one too? or is it another that you're just suggesting for my benefit?"
Ā Ā as he steps into the record shop, prince starts to wonder if his passion isnāt for all things vintage but, rather, just the smell of old things. after all, thereās a distinctive aromatic atmosphere to a shop like reinās and he finds that itās one shared by the library he loves so deary. itās a little musty and stale, dust particles hanging in the sunlight streaming in high set rectangular windows. however, prince finds it all very charming. places full of dated relics like records and old books housed a whole history within their walls -- itās beautiful, really. the same could also be said for the person stood in the aisle directly within princeās sight. he was beautiful and prince didnāt need his glasses to see as much. what really caught his eyes, though, was the record being considered in the strangerās hands. in a moment of boldness uncharacteristic of his naturally shy demeanor, prince slowly sidles up beside the person -- but not too close. he does still believe in personal space.Ā āthatās a very good one,ā he indicates the record with a nod and a little point of a finger.Ā āi actually have it -- itās one of my favorites.ā
( kim taehyung + he/him ) hey have you ever met ( princeton 'prince' jung )? they are a ( twenty one year old assistant librarian ). everyone knows around town from their ( gentle, reticent ) personality. if you had to describe them it would be ( round frame glasses, vintage clothes, cat fur on everything ). next time you see them be sure to mention their favorite song ( holocene by bon iver ) and iām sure you will find out more !! ( ooc ; cece, 21+, cst, she/her )
tw;; past abusive relationship, body image / eating disorder mention
cancel the meme!! we have found baby. or, rather, iām bringing you baby and his name is prince. this intro is actually going to be aā¦ mess? because iām currently at the airport and a lil distracted. also... his hair is current pink so pls picture that when youāre reading this intro. thank u
born to two first generation korean immigrants, princeton was named after the school where his parents met. they thought it was clandestine and cute and although itās a little cheesy, prince never minded much
maybe thatās because heās actually a tiny royal and suits his nickname prince so well (spoiler alert: heās not actually royalty; he just deserves to be)
proper and sweet, prince was charming people all through his relatively good childhood. he was a bit more on the quiet side but only because he was an introverted little soul who felt more comfortable speaking korean at home than english everywhere else.
because of his desperation to overcome that language barrier, prince started reading v young and developed a strong passion for it. he was always found nose in a book, curled up in some little nook of his familyās home.
he also took to watching lots of outdated VHSās on hand and listening to all the records & old cds he could find around his parentsā eclectic home. this would eventually translate into a love of all things vintage but mostly i just wanted the visual of teeny prince with a too-big paperboy cap bopping to the beach boys and watching casablanca.
is this already getting longer than i intended for a quick summary? yes, yes it is.
basically, prince is an old soul and a quiet angel with lots of love in his heart and a desperation to fit in which all kinda got him in trouble as he grew older
in high school is where he really blossomed. intellectually, he was leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else and he had his little niche groups of friends (there was a history club and probably a film club and he helped out his schoolās librarian okay ā he found where he belonged)
TW ABUSE & ED MENTIONS START HERE ;; SCROLL DOWN TO PRESENT DAY TO AVOID
all his flourishing finally grabbed the attention of an older boy who started to pursue him.
flattered and never really having ācome outā officially (despite definitely being somewhere on the queer spectrum) it was all a little overwhelming but prince was easily swayed.
iām not gonna get in depth but it was notā¦ a healthy relationship at all. and unfortunately for prince, he was too charmed by the idea of dating and all the attention he was suddenly getting to recognize it as unhealthy & abusive. in fact, his popularity skyrocketed (but for all that, his friends started to distance themselves which only added to the Bad Times ahead)
he became a little too dependent and a little too isolated. every word his boyfriend spoke was given unfair weight and gravity and it really took a toll on his mental stability. a sweet and soft boy morphed into someone gullible and insecure. practically unrecognizable over the years. his relationship with his body image bore a brunt of the abuse and that ended up being the thing that alerted people on the outside that something wasnāt right.
his senior year of high school, his parents got him help and they up and moved across the country, unable to watch their pride and joy waste away. they found him a program and he was able to complete his school year too. heās still struggling of course but he slowly returned to the passions heād put on pause.
PRESENT DAY !!
prince is studying lingustics and literature at university. heās still a little vintage buff and in love with all things historical and culturally relevant. he dresses in oversized vintage clothes and has embraced the glasses he felt made him look dorky in hs.
so so passionate about books. probably to the point of overwhelming others when he talks about them. theyāre the one subject that will get him animated and lively pls
heās working as an assistant librarian in the city and the main librarian is headcanoned as his best friend. he even gave him a kitten at the start of his sophomore year in college ā a little white persian named lady
heās got a little friendship group at school but his high school tribulations has left him more subdued than sunny overall. break him out of his shell over the course of this group pls and thank!!
heās moved out into his own place for his junior year of college! maybe a roommate connection possibly???
at his heart though prince is a very sweet boy. affectionate to those he keeps close, loyal to anyone friendly to him in return, heās basically a peach. give him a book and youāll have his whole heart. he doesnāt think he deserves the world but he absolutely does.
