searching for him is like trying to spy a specific leaf among a tree canopy. the simile is sadly, more accurate than not; the stiffness in her neck from looking up for extended periods of time will attest to it, too. if she ever really got the chance to pause and think about how ridiculous she looked, yunseo might pause and be a little more conscientious about perception, but as it was--there were more pressing things at hand. like freaking finding kou. they had business to attend to.
she needed to get away from all this.
yunseo offers peace of mind to almost everyone at gumi, it feels at times, but there were only a handful of people that could give those pieces back to her. it’s one of those days where her love tank is running a little low, and all she needs is some time away from this place. out far enough to recharge a little, to snap her pieces back into place-- “oh thank goodness,” she murmurs under her breath. at first she only spots the bottom of a shoe, but after she noisily makes her way to the base of the tree, she sees a face peer out from between leaves.
“can you come down here please?” granted, yunseo has gotten better at getting herself off the ground, but she’s still much less confident in her abilities to scale this tree, even if it has quite a few low-lying branches. “kou!” and then, softer. “can we go on a walk?”
winner’s glory is short lived, as is her elation at being reunited with her cabin-mates. it’s a long story, and it’s probably better not to talk about it.
hours later, and there’s a fire on the beach, there’s a crash on the shore--long days make nights that wreck havoc on the inhibitions. the sand underneath her is as bumpy as the choppy water out some 7 or 8 meters from the bonfire. she misses him. these are all things that she knows to be true. the initiates are fun to look at to pass the time, but even though they’re a spectacle of eagerness and flashy abilities, she still manages to meet his eye. he’s further out from the center than she is, but she picks up her towel and wraps it around her shoulders, making her way toward him, weaving between people.
in the dying heat of the summer, the ocean wind chills the back of her neck, her shoulders. shoulda, coulda, woulda put another layer on, but she’s full of bad decisions today. it’d started with forgetting jugeum at the cabin, and it might end in some way with yejun in the picture. towel loose now as her hands drop to her sides, she stays standing in front of him. “not very often i get to look down on you...” and then, small shuffles closer towards him as the smallest smile tips the sides of her mouth up. “miss me?” he’s got her stuck in his orbit.
habit has yunseo walking in front of jugeum in most cases, on most days. in hindsight, today of all days is probably one of the most important days for yunseo to be maintaining this particular habit just as a favor to the general gumi student body--or, more specifically the freshmen that are filtering through the campus for the rest of this week. by now most of the upperclassmen have gotten used to the sight of jugeum and yunseo walking around together enough to not be too alarmed, but it’s still...a sight. sometimes, yunseo forgets this.
there’s a rhyme to this reason, though.
she’s distracted--there’s an annoyingly minor error on her registration that if not corrected now, may be a headache later. with her head down and pointedly focusing on mentally rearranging some course around-- she’s using jugeum as a shield to those who might run into her otherwise.
so imagine her surprise when she feels her hand wrenched over to one side almost violently.
[ sms : yeji (captain my captain ]
→ are you going to do anything to the new jaeger initiates?
→ i mean this camping trip is pretty tough initiation already but are /we/ going to do anything else to break them in or welcome them?
→ or should we prank them :’-)
[ sms : text this # for guaranteed soreness ]
→ i know this is kind of late but is it possible for us to change our session time for today?? i’m running a little behind in general...
→ if there’s like a rescheduling fee or something i’ll definitely pay since you’re doing me a favor already...but if it isn’t possible could i add on another day or something for this week?
→ feels like there’s actual progress being made but then here i go messing with things!
aka yunseo & jugeum @ the sandy beach w/ the hurdles
self para cause no one but god needs to witness this
this is nothing but clinical. there is no sort of inspiring rally or commendable perseverance; there is only yunseo, exhausted and incredulous, and jugeum, looking like there’s nothing wrong at all. and to him, there isn’t. he’s just standing there, slightly swaying in the stronger breeze that comes with being next to the water. there’s salt in the air, and the warm glow of the tiki torches actually doesn’t make her feel comforted or relieved. instead, she’s frustrated by the flames that tempt her with freedom and rest. by some miracle she’s made it thus far, though the credit is not solely hers for the claiming. “man, i really hope they make it here--” even better if they’re already across the finish line and just waiting for her to haul her ass on over.
at this point in the race it’s less about how fast she makes it over to the finish line and more about just getting herself there at all.
yunseo counts the hurdles, trying to figure out the best way to get them both across the long line of them. she’s already detached her threads once, which leave two more reattachments should she need them. but it shouldn’t be too hard--just awkward and time consuming
years of practice in maneuvering jugeum through various obstacles really has come in handy. as she raises her wrists, she watches as jugeum’s limbs tense with the slack being taken out of the threads attached to his joints.
left hand, index finger: first knuckle curl, flip of palm towards the sky, and then the release
right hand, both strings on her thumb: movement up, then shift clockwise
right hand, one string on her index finger: complete curl in until the the pad of her finger touches her palm
figuring out the proper movements on the first hurdle is the hardest part. once she’s gotten it down and learned to replicate them over and over again, it’ll be tremendously easier to handle. usually, she’s got more momentum, so all jugeum needs to do is leap, but with the unnatural height and spacing of the hurdles, things are a little more difficult. yunseo manages to get jugeum about five hurdles in before stopping him in the space between lest he get too far ahead.
with yejun carrying one of her two bags already, she’s only got her duffel bag, so yunseo tightens the strap until it’s pressing flush against her skin. she really doesn’t need anything extra hanging off her body and getting caught. vertically challenged was something her younger sister had called her, and that combined with the fact that she’s not the most athletic has yunseo hesitating before her first hurdle. it’s with a resigned sigh that she decides to just take the leap and probably look silly while she’s at it. she’s not one for straying from the path, especially since she still has a nasty (but fading) scar from trying to take a shortcut during an event similar to this one two years ago.
she’s learned.
on the first hurdle, the toe of her foot almost gets caught, but she manages to get her hands on the second one to stabilize herself before she actually hurts herself. up ahead, jugeum stands solitary, only twitching slightly as the threads give a little more slack as she gets closer to where he’s standing. the torches? still flickering, still teasing.
slow and steady, and yunseo gets over the second one better. her form is probably still terrible, and she had to shimmy over the top bit at one point, but no one can say that she didn’t follow the rules of getting over it without knocking it over. it counts--she has to pretend it does (or, nothing’s come flying out at her so yunseo assumes this is at the very least acceptable).
rinse and repeat, yunseo continues to advance over the hurdles, getting close and close to jugeum until she’s finally standing side by side with him. they’ve probably only made it about a quarter of the way through, but the movements are familiar to her by now, so yunseo continues with this method: sending jugeum through a section of the hurdles first, before pausing him and taking her own sweet time to catch up. by the time they get to the halfway point, she’s starting to feel a soreness in her limbs that were only a ghost with the previous obstacles, but are now demanding to be acknowledged with this one. it’s truly a test of endurance and stamina, but most people probably don’t also have to also get another thing over the hurdles along with themselves.
three-fourths of the way through and she makes the executive decision for a break. it feels like they’ve been doing this for the past hour, but in reality it’s only been about fourteen minutes. damn her short-ass-legs, this is why she could never do track in school.
but the end is near, and yunseo starts to feel a surge of energy; it must be pure adrenaline at this point because she’s exhausted, still sleepy, and starting to feel a little queasy (from what’s left of last night still in her body, or just nausea from all the factors of today combined, she’s not sure). by now, the only thing driving her forward is stubborn will and that competitiveness that she had started the race off with.
just a few more--and she’d be done. just a few more and she could lie down and wait for this god-forsaken “vacation” to be over.
( / he bristles. they’re back to square one. fucking fantastic. ) i didn’t even do anything! ( / maybe that’s exactly what the root of the problem is. ) ( / but with gravity and the downwards slope of the hill, there’s really nothing else he can do but follow down to the cabin grounds ) ( / yejun slows by the tree at the mouth of the walk they’d re-entered as yunseo hurries over for jugeum. )
( / the sight of it starting to move suddenly prompts a wave of disconnect for the situation that is so intense he has to actually physically stop to fathom it. barely dawn and he’s running a marathon in beach flip flops, and they’d actually gone back to retrieve him. a screw must be loose somewhere. their own heads maybe. obviously osprey’s. possibly god’s. ) … ( / he opens his mouth in an attempt to speak, but nothing comes out. closes it, then again. still—nothing. zilch. nada. )
( / a defeated sigh. white flag of surrender. ) ( / he grabs the strap of one of her bags and slides it off her arm, hangs it over his own instead. ) there. i’m supporting you. ( / he turns on his heels and begins to walk. ) let’s get outta here, and for real this time.
( / * she’s braced herself for a few different responses, none of which are the one that yejun picks to unleash. \ ) i--oh... ( / * in fact, there isn’t much of a response at all and yunseo watches as he walks away from her with her duffel bag over his shoulder. she trails off because she’s not quite sure what to say but focuses instead on getting jugeum’s footing right for the steep trek up the hill. it’s a little difficult to navigate herself along with jugeum, but she follows after yejun’s steady steps and before she knows it they’re halfway up. \ )
( / * walking just a little faster, she has jugeum step in tandem with them instead of slightly ahead. she allows for a little bit of distance between them, but stops just short of him being completely out of reach. \ ) ( / * there’s a brief stretch where the dirt is quite firm, so she uses this moment to reach out for yejun, hand settling at his elbow. \ ) thank you. ( / * little words like that are so easy to get out in normal day to day conversation but when it’s time to mean it, it’s always more difficult. \ ) sorry for making you run back down with me...i just impulse grabbed you. ( / * yunseo squeezes yejun’s elbow gently and doesn’t let go immediately. \ )
( / * this second round feels both easier and harder than the first, but at least this time when they get to the top they can actually stay there instead of going back down. \ ) ( / * when she spots yujin in the distance, yunseo makes the decision to give him some room to breathe. she reaches for her duffle bag from his should. \ ) i guess this is where we break up! be safe in the following obstacles, won’t you?
( ‘ / he wonders whether the 50/50 blend of horror and exasperation on his face is VISIBLE, or whether she just chooses to ignore it like the petty 4th year she is and they’re not best friends but xiaoli just knows the latter is more likely than not. ) ( ‘ / he covers his mouth with his palm, gaze skirting over to the thing that sits on her hand and he stifles a disbelieving laugh. his first thought is holy shit. the second is wow, they went back for that thing. the last is, unsurprisingly, because he can’t seem to blame yunseo for anything, kim yejun, you dumbass. ) oh. the puppet. you did go back for the fuckin’ puppet. ( ‘ / PAUSE. ) noona, i – i know senior year is hard, but there’s no reason to self destruct like this. ( ‘ / at least, not before they’ve won the race. )
( ‘ / lest he does something stupid – like actually offer to carry the damn thing – he nudges a rock with his foot and watches the ones in its proximity shatter immediately. ) oh, yeah, don’t worry about the rocks, worry about yourself. and that thing stays at least two metres away from me. ( ‘ / he nods, satisfied. ) and you know – worse comes to worse, we need to distract opponents or something – you can just hurl jugeum at them, right? ri–i–i–ight?
( / * if there was any point in time that she wished she had an eidetic memory, this would be it. xiaoli’s whole body language shifts almost immediately when jugeum comes into full view. \ ) listen, i don’t have lots of natural resources around for me to use with my power. i’m a bit limited so i gotta--make use of what i do have. ( / * yunseo walks as close to the edge of the rocky shore as she can before pausing to wait for xiaoli. jugeum trails behind her, passing by her teammate, and she smiles at xiaoli, winningly. \ ) i’m here for a good time, not a long time. at this rate though i might be doing neither.
( / * both hands raise, elbows stabilizing near her side as she switches over jugeum’s leg and foot motions to one hand. no need for both hands right now--his upper body isn’t a priority in this situation. \ ) and yes, yes, i’ll keep him far away from you! i’m just counting on you to help clear my path--consider this our version of a trust fall. ( / * someone in her first monster game had told her to ‘pick a god and pray,’ and it had made such an impression that she still thinks back on it to this day. \ ) ( / * currently, yunseo is praying to any one that will listen--she really doesn’t want to run the rest of this race with a sprained ankle. \ ) let’s go, xiaoli!
( * someone please remind her why they were asked to bring camping gear when they’re staying in cabins, because despite the hellhound strength, lugging around all this gear is just leaving her annoyed. which makes it even more tempting to just shift and get this all over with. but it’s way too early to shift and she’s technically doing just fine at the moment, save for her mood. but when is her mood ever doing fine anyways? )
( * the sight of a giant metal puppet ahead of her brings her some relief knowing that she’s finally located one of her cabin mates. ) yunseo! ( * she jogs ahead and drops her gear onto the floor, rolling her shoulders. ) god, i fucking HATE those old assholes — yeah, definitely! ( * she glances up at jugeum with a confused look. ) uh… is he alright?
( / * everyone always asks if jugeum is alright, but never if SHE’S alright... \ ) ( / * to be fair, he does look like he’s struggling a bit, as she’s got him on all fours, on the floor near the entrance to this thick grove of trees. \ ) if he were alive i would think he’d be feeling a little abandoned because i nearly left him at the cabin. ( / * honesty is the best policy. and yunseo is nothing but honest. \ ) ( / * but seeing yujin throw her backpack on the ground gives her some kind of bright idea-- maybe they could put his hulking size and metal body to good use. \ )
actually--if you want jugeum can carry our bags. you’d just have to help him get the backpack on and secured-- ( / * this was not the conversation she thought she’d be having but it’s happening, nonetheless. \ ) --and we can use him as a kind of makeshift...bulldozer. ( / * rest in pieces, random branches and shrubbery. \ ) i might need your help to be my eyes and ears though, cause i’ll need to focus.
( / he grins, the whole pull of his mouth entirely impish ) take a guess. ( / honest to god, it’s neither one or the other. first thing that comes to mind is cute for both, but that’s between you and me. ) ( / his migraine is beginning to recede, though the hand he swiped over his forehead might’ve helped with that ) was there something about last night that was life-changing? ( / hardly. but even he’d sensed the current that slipped within their space. fingers, the gap between their knees. more careful than unadulterated hesitation. subtly electric. ) ( / the peak of the hill nears, and yejun is actually beginning to consider that just maybe this could be fun until—)
what? ( / he blinks. does a double take at his bags then hers. and to make matters worse: ) you forgot chucky? ( / beyond incredulous .) ( / but he’s already being pulled back, absolutely hopeless against the force of nature that is yunseo’s dedication to gumi’s resident botched plastic demon ) he’s the biggest piece of luggage you got, and you forgot him? ( / unbelievable. )
don’t call him chucky! ( / * she’s not sure if the words are even making it back to yejun with how fast she’s running back down the hill. at some point the hem of his shirt slips out of her reach, but yunseo is trying her best not to twist her ankle on a loose rock or get her foot caught on a branch. \ ) ( / * not exactly applicable but you know how people use that phrase--what was it, honeymoon phase?-- \ ) ( / * over. before it had even really begun. \ ) ( / * a quick look over her shoulder confirms that he’s actually running after her, though, and for a second she thinks that’s sweet. \ ) i don’t know! i got distracted--we were, you know, in a rush and-- ( / * obviously to keep up appearances i had to dip after kissing you on the cheek! \ )
i’m already stressed enough! ( / * i’m goddamn running at full speed! \ ) i don’t need this from you! ( / * they’re not too too far up the hill that it takes forever to get back down, but when she sees jugeum still propped against the side of their cabin, she exhales big, relieved. \ ) ( / * attaching strings to him is easy, he’s not too too far, and she starts manipulating his limbs (knees, feet, standing. stride, stride, walking.). yunseo’s panting, wispy hairs falling around her face when yejun meets her . \ ) can’t you just...be more supportive? of me?
[ sms : min(nie mouse) ] my body still aches from that hellish race.
[ sms : min(nie mouse) ] don’t get old if you can help it!
[ sms : min(nie mouse) ] if you’re not busy, do you want to meet me halfway?
[ sms : min(nie mouse) ] i could use some peace after all that chaos.
( ‘ / at this point, there’s no doubt in his mind that gumi wants nothing more than its students back on stretchers, horribly traumatized or both. he momentarily considers cursing out at the sky, but decides that he’d probably get hunted by some other poor cabin and he, for one, wants to graduate with two feet. in times like these there’s a difference, mild but still existent, between fun and death, but when he manages to stumble across the too familiar fourth year, he knows for sure it’s the latter that’s most likely to occur. ) ( ‘ / if anyone asks, he didn’t flinch when yunseo, in her 161cm of terror, takes a step towards him. ) i– you can’t possibly blame me for that! i don’t know how you’d stay in a room with that all night long and it’s not my fault yejun lost all his brain cells during first year so he didn’t remember to pick him up either.
( ‘ / another glance over the area they’re supposed to pass and half of him feels lucky that he’s not as useless as a marionette, but the other half wonders whether a broken leg, even with his abilities, is the least of their worries. ) i guess i am now, partner. ( ‘ / a brief moment passes, and he squints into the distance as he tilts his head thoughtfully, like he’s wondering how he’ll get them safely across and then fuck the terrain up more. he suddenly turns to her. ) hey – noona, isn’t it better that you didn’t bring jugeum? you would have died here.
it’s not like he’s possessed by anything. jugeum is just a figure–like a mannequin! don’t tell me you go to department stores and jump at those, too? also–don’t insult yejun, he’s older than you. ( / * tsking quietly, yunseo uses her wrist to swipe at the loose hairs by her temple. seems like she’s playing mediator for both legacies tonight. \ ) ( / * but the fact that xiaoli reallyhasn’tseen the figure that’s on all fours, crawling behind her instead of walking behind her like usual, makes her scowl slowly melt into grin. \ ) so remember when i said we forgot jugeum? we went back for him–because of course we did. ( / * middle fingers on both hands curl all the way to the palm, and yunseo raises her ring finger higher. jugeum raises to its full height slowly (for effect, of course). the robes on him hid him well. \ ) guess i’m dying here tonight–tell them to cremate me, then turn my ashes into a tree or something.
( / * the banter eases her jitteryness, as it does, and she throws her priorities in order, musing out loud. \ ) do you wanna go about…4 meters at a time, just us? and from there i can attach and pull juguem from wherever he is…from a one to a ten, how good do you think you’d be at clearing loose rocks?
(. literally what the FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUUUCK is wrong with this school is the only thought running through harim’s mind as he tries, exceedingly desperately, to get through this race in one piece. ) (. he doesn’t mean to be dramatic, really, but it’s his first year doing this sort of shit, and the idea of it being a reoccurring theme is simultaneously daunting and really mentally exhausting. ) (. he makes it to the shack in one piece though, to his utmost surprise, and while he’s lost his partner and any grasp on where his cabin-mates might be, at least he’s alive. )
(. and god must really be pitying him, taking mercy on his poor initiate soul, because it’s just as the eeriness of the shack starts to settle in harim’s bones that he hears the rustle of leaves from behind him—only to be met with company he’s relieved to see. ) nuna! (. his eyes widen almost instinctively, a wide grin splitting across his face. he has to double-take, lifts a meek hand in greeting to jugeum, who he’s still a little afraid of. ) i… well, i should be here with someone, but it’s been a mess. holy shit. the number of times my dumbass almost wiped out, i swear— (. he lets out a shaky sigh, something mixed with a laugh. ) it’s good to see you, though. and it doesn’t look like you’re hurt… you’re not hurt, right? jugeum protected you, right? (. probably not the time, but he offers a fist for a fist bump to the puppet. solidarity, or something. brotherhood, or something. ) man, i’m really glad to see you though… the wind kept whistling and i swear, i was ready to get possessed by an evil witch or something. (. he shudders this time, hugging himself tightly before loosening his arms again. the grin on his lips fades into something gentler and it’s strange how quickly he forgets his fatigue. ) you didn’t have a partner? i mean—aside from jugeum?
it’s…been a mess on my end too. i got halfway up the hill and realized that i forgot jugeum back at the cabin. not my best moment. ( / * he knows that jugeum isn’t actually…like, possessive of a soul. they’ve gone over this already–but she doesn’t have the heart to not follow through with the fist bump so… \ ) ( / * a double curl of both thumb and index finger on her left hand followed by a one knuckle on her right middle finger has jugeum lifting his arm, fist closed. it’s a ridiculous thing to witness, but it’ll probably make harim happy, so who is she to deny him that? \ ) i–yes. jugeum protected me. but we didn’t get here by ourselves! ( / * turning around to look at their surroundings, it’s oddly devoid of other students at the current moment. the motion is more of an instinct than anything else; yunseo knows that her cabinmates are probably scattered all over the island, hopefully making their way to the finish line. she’s…maybe a little too competitive for her good but mostly–she hopes they’re all safe \ ) i met different people from my cabin at different points of the race…i’m not going to lie, without them i really don’t think i’d be here. i was lucky enough to know most of them! what about your own teammates?
( / * nodding her head towards the shack, yunseo wants to see if there’s anything interesting or of use inside. it looks quite unassuming–it’s probably some kind of checkpoint. \ ) ( / * and maybe she’s delirious, maybe she can feel the end near, or maybe harim is just the kind of positive, eagerly charming person she needed at this point in the race, but she feels…marginally better. he’s like the sun, just sending out rays of good energy and yunseo grins at him as they approach the front of the shack. \ ) aren’t you just so excited to do more stuff like this for the next four years of your life?
two. out of the six. ( / he puts up a peace sign for emphasis. then drops the hand. ) majority rules. ( / it’s fleeting in form, touch then go, but even those split seconds are enough to leave him in soft, pressed shock ) …hey. ( / but yunseo slips out from grasp, then from sight. ) hey! ( / quickly, yejun saunters after her until their steps are in tandem, crunching over twigs and residue from a campfire ) i only brought the tequila, never told anyone to get hammered from it. ( / the lantern swings from his grip, creaking faintly as they begin the trek up elevated ground ) ( / with no hangover remedy within reach, the outdoors allows for temporary relief. a cold island breeze brushes by carrying the scent of fresh pine, balmy and sweet, enough to temper the ache at his temples. ) ( / yejun glances down to read her expression, can’t help the boyish urge to tease. ) am i gonna need to slow down for ya?
( / * yejun’s steps are sturdier than she expected, so she makes sure to mimic where he’s stepping, trying to keep in stride with him. \ ) i can’t tell if that’s a dig at how in shape i am, or of my height. ( / * her sneakers are tackling the angle well enough, but she can feel areas where the soil is looser. \ ) i don’t remember you ever being this considerate before--did last night change you as a person? ( / * she’s never claimed to be the most athletic, but this actually isn’t the worst thing. sure, she’s breathing a little harder than she would like at this time of day/night, but the unexpectedly temperate weather combined with good company makes it bearable-- \ )
oh my god. ( / * two’s company, three’s a crowd. \ ) we forgot jugeum! ( / * yunseo makes a grab at the sleeve of yejun’s shirt and tugs. as she’s pivoting around immediately. \ ) you are coming with me--ican’tbelieveweforgotjugeumatthecabin! ( \ * going down is always easier than going up, at least. \ )
walking jugeum around now is almost as second nature as breathing. progress made within the first semester is the stuff dreams are made of. yunseo’s fingers move barely at all, the slightest curls of fingertips and 1st, 2nd, 3rd joints repeated over and over in a pattern of movement, an illusion of muscle. she’d been told by one of her professors to keep jugeum with her at all times not only because her powers manifest strongest through jugeum, but also because it would help with her stamina. the old man had a point, and although she was trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible at this late hour, leaving jugeum behind just wasn’t an option.
it’s also because--more and more recently, there’s been an air of uneasiness. with nothing to really as evidence, and no fingers to point, she’s wondering if she’s mistaking looks and glances of curiosity from passing student as something more. yunseo isn’t really used to attention; it’s unfortunate that jugeum just seems to attract a lot of it.
“where exactly was it again--” gumi offers a wealth of resources. earlier today she’d seen someone leaning a large sheet of metal against a department building, the scrap intended for trash. naturally--yunseo had thought it treasure. all the better to outfit jugeum with, after all.
but the paths look different when there aren’t tens of other students walking them, and she finds herself at a three way road of sorts, looking from one to each other others for an answer that’s just not there. a step back, maybe it’s time to retreat, to retrace your steps--
something decidedly hollow and metal gets kicked from a while away. the sound is the most unnerving thing, metallic ringing digging into your ears even after the initial jostle gets snuffed out by contact with the ground.
“i don’t know if you think you’re being funny but--i don’t appreciate stalkers...?” it’s a long shot, but maybe it'll hook, line, and sink someone. “frankly, it’s quite creepy.”
( / * one. more. year. every step was another word repeated with this makeshift mantra. one more year of this specifically-gumi typa dramatic-ass event, and she’d be done. one more year and then she could potentially be one of the osprey members shoveling various methods of torture upon the unsuspecting undergrads. the thought keeps her going, until she can see a ratty old shack in the distance--ish. her night vision was never that good. \ ) ( / * various members of her cabin were scattered about the map, probably, but as of right now she was solo. she needs a little bit of solitary, right now--lest she go a little crazy otherwise. \ ) ( / * it’s either she get a little alone time (jugeum doesn’t count, of course), or she shares company with someone so bright and energetic that it raises her terrible mood, if just a little. \ )
( / * there’s someone already at the checkpoint, though. yunseo inhales through her teeth until she really gets a good look at who it is-- \ ) “oh. harim. you’ve made it so far! and by yourself?!” ( / * it’s one of those events where inter-legacy interaction isn’t side-eyed, so she feels her shoulders relax, the muscles in her forearms ease. \ ) “it feels kind of weird just being able to talk like this doesn’t it--”
( / * so if she’s already seen yejun and yujin on the road, at some point the world’s gotta bring cody or jaein or xiaoli crashing into her life, right? yunseo’s pretty certain that they might have headed off before her and gotten a head start, what with the debacle of forgetting jugeum at the cabin and everything. \ ) ( / * it’s as she’s brooding about the setback that she sees the back of his head. she tries hard not to smack him right across it. \ ) “i blame you, xiaoli! if you weren’t so squeamish i would have kept jugeum in the cabin and yejun and i wouldn’t have forgotten to bring him in the craziness of this race!” ( / * but to have gone what she’s gone through--maybe this is one situation in which leaving jugeum behind might have been the better idea. a chunk of her time is spent trying to get him from place to place, leaving only 3 fingers between both hands for practical use. but you’d never catch her say that out loud. that’s xiaoli might have had a point, that is. \ )
“but i suppose you’re useful--at least with this part.” ( / * the look cast over the rocky shore is analytical. any of these rocks could be loose, leading to a sprained ankle or a gashing leg wound. neither sound appealing. \ ) ( / * rocky terrain is a challenge in general. balancing her own safety with the safe passage of jugeum? that’s going to be a doozy. yunseo chews on her bottom lip, thinking out loud. \ ) “you running this section with a partner yet, partner?”
