itβs goji, back at it with another muse! this deceptive lil cutie is lee dalrae! once upon a time (literally like 2 yrs ago) she was pulling some pretty big scores back in seoul. she was part of a crew that would frequently take small, unsuspecting banks and corporations for all they had. whoops! anyway, now sheβs kicking back on mulmalu island, enjoying the fruits of her labor while her lovelorn former crewmate serves the prison sentence she should have gotten. what she doesnβt know is that the crewmate sang like a bird, and justice may be a hell of a lot closer than she realizes ~ but yes, just like before, her pages are linked below and a summary of everything is behind the cut! i donβt have many plots for her just yet, but if youβd like to brainstorm something, pls like this and iβll come to you!
profile. / wanted plots.
trigger & content warnings: child ab*se, mentions of child abandonment
from the very beginning, dalrae (known originally as min yuyeon) treasured the escape above all else; running free from whatever ails you was always her motto.
growing up in a group home with her two sisters after the abandonment of their mother did little but harden the girlβs exterior and make it increasingly hard to trust at all. though she wasnβt the oldest sibling, she was considered the toughest and least emotional. she was far more willing to do what had to be done.
whenever the home didnβt feed her sisters to her standards, rae would swipe food from the pantry when the attendants werenβt looking, risking a hefty beating. and even when she got caught, sheβd stand against them defiantly, tearless and silent.
she learned to take what she needed when she needed it, the consequences be damned. eventually, the punishments became too harsh for even her to handle, and she escaped the facility when she was fifteen.
her sisters had always been so well behaved, so she knew theyβd be okay in the group homeβs care, but dalrae herself didnβt really know what to do next. sheβd never really had anyone to depend on, and now she truly was alone.
she wound up falling in with a group of small-time criminals who, strangely enough, treated her far better than the group home ever had. they ran underground fight rings, laundered money through local businesses; nothing they had was gained through legitimate means, and yet they were her family. they gave her a new name and a new identity. they were the only ones whoβd ever been there to take care of her, and at the same time, they filled her head with dreams of something bigger.
banks, corporations, luxury car dealers...they all had so much wealth for the taking, and no intention of sharing. rae and her crew spent their time developing their skills, learning the police response times and computer security systems like the backs of their own hands.
by the time sheβd entered her early twenties, she was damn near a pro at stealing from the rich and prosperous of seoul - it had been keeping her and the crew going for years, and theyβd all improved upon the petty crimes theyβd started out committing.
they had become the shadowy organization, known simply as OZ, or at least thatβs what the news and the public had begun to call them. they were something of local superstars, even if no one knew their names or faces. while some in the crew found that notoriety intoxicating, rae knew it could only spell the end of their little adventure.
she knew that people were going to eventually connect them to the thefts being committed, and her intuition proved to be correct.
they were taking one of the biggest corporations in the city one night, and despite their years of experience doing just that, they were unable to correctly predict the police response time. squad cars descended upon the crew in less than a minute, and in spite of their attempt at a quick getaway, the police were determined to steer them off the road.
after making a tearful plea to a crew member she knew was romantically interested in her to take all the blame and let her escape, dalrae slipped silently out of the car while it was still in full movement. she went tumbling down the bank and landed with a painful splash in the shallow banks of the han river.
she gritted her teeth and made the freezing cold swim across the river to put distance between her and the cops. she dried off and warmed up at a small, independently owned internet cafe, after observing that the place didnβt have a security camera set up. she transferred all the money OZΒ still had in its various accounts to her own offshore, despite guilt gnawing at her the entire time; but she simply had to survive, and her freedom was imperative to that.
after sitting on the money for a while, dalrae left the mainland behind, making the move to mulmalu island to get away from the events of that night. she used the money sheβd stored away to buy a small cottage on the beach, where she could be left alone.
after nearly getting caught, the desire to amass a fortune through improper means had left her; she just wanted to hide away until her time would eventually come. she didnβt find meaning in much of anything anymore...she was finally starting to realize just what her life was.
...that was until she met him; bae hyuk - the charming, handsome photographer who would sweep her off her feet. from the very first time they met, she felt an overwhelming happiness whenever she would talk to him. it seemed his sole goal was to earn her trust, and after a lifetime of not being able to trust, perhaps she was a bit too eager.
but she never really questions him...she doesnβt want to. for once in her life, she just wants to have faith in another person, no matter how foolish of a choice that may be π
βi love these moments,β he says, resting his chin on her shoulder and smiling sweetly as his eyes remain focused on the device in his hands. βyou look the prettiest when youβre distracted, did you know that? Iβm gonna print this one and add it to our memory board, itβll look so beautiful with the other onesβ¦β
the smell of savory pancakes had already filled the cottageβs small kitchen, as dalrae set about slicing some scallions for the steamed egg dish she was preparing to have on the side. the kitchen windows were sitting ajar, allowing the oceanβs breeze to fill the room and blowing the lacy white curtains adorning it in a pretty flutter under the sunlight. the typical paranoia that filled her some mornings was nowhere in sight, and she simply wore a content smile as she worked in the kitchen.
she resisted leaping out of her skin as she felt a pair of arms ensnare her waist, while putting her utensils down as hyuk showed her the photo heβd just taken. her smile reached her eyes with an accompanying sparkle at his compliment, and she fixated on the photo for a moment before speaking.Β βi think it speaks to your talent more than anything,β she confessed, nuzzling her cheek against his as he rested against her. he was able to frame her in such a pure light through the magic of photography - something so far from the actual truth. it both amazed her that he could take such photos and devastated her when she really thought about how sheβd never actually be the woman framed in them.
finishing up her vegetable slicing so that the two could have their breakfast, she continued smiling even as unpleasant thoughts hit her. how long could this union really last? it was just something fun at first...she enjoyed the high she got from speaking with him; from when he smiled only for her. rae had to admit it, love had hit her hard and fast. and now, they were in this comfortable little honeymoon phase that made it even harder to face the reality of her situation. she allowed none of it to show on her face, however. she kept the same gentle smile that was always stitched to her features when he was around.
βooooh, i love the memory board! although i must admit - far too much of me, and not enough of the moneymaker,β she teased, referring to the handsome face sheβd grown accustomed to waking up to in the mornings. she pressed a soft kiss to his sleepy grin, before handing him his breakfast plate.Β βlet me know what you think! i was never much of a cook, but i think iβm getting better,β she remarked, a sheepish tone to her voice.
dalrae couldnβt believe sheβd actually grown weary of the sight of mulmalu islandβs shoreline β but there was something about the wide-open state of the waters that had made her feel uneasy that day, as though a cavalry of police boats were bound to amass on the horizon, coming straight for her and her very fragile freedom. sheβd decided a quick walk in the forest was the best medicine, packing up a few snacks and wearing her best sturdy boots for the occasion. it was a warm day, even as the tree canopies filtered the sunlight heavily through their patchy greenery. sheβd been on the island going on two years, and this was the first time sheβd ever even attempted to explore it.
she was mulling over whether she wanted to hike to the falls, or possibly even stray from the path a bit to discover what was out there. sheβd brought a spool of thread to tie to a tree near the path so that she could easily find her way back, but she also suspected it may have been warm enough to take a quick dip at the swimming hole. while she was weighing her decision, she felt like she heard a stirring in the forest behind her. as paranoid as she was these days, rae turned with a fright, only to find the source of the noise very much mild in nature.Β βoh my god...you scared the hell out of me,β she huffed out, clutching her sternum in a tense stance.
How could you NOT fall in love with the glow of the moon and stars, the warmth of the sun, the ancient life within the trees, and the sweet melodies of the winds?
