THIRTY-THREE YEARS OLD; CIS WOMAN; ARTIST & ART CURATOR @ RETRONOUVEAU
native to Wilmington; has lived in Masonboro since April 2022
"You know, you're bright as the morning, as soft as the rain, pretty as a vine, as sweet as a grape;"
Born in South Korea, Sara was abandoned by her mother when she was still a baby. She was sent to the USA to be adopted and ended up as the foster child of Minhyuk Yoon-Castillo, and, after a few coming and goings Minhyuk and his husband Carlos adopted her. Younger sister to Mahira, the petite woman grew up with a sense of not belonging anywhere, which only increased after Mahi's birth family came looking for her. Sara moved to South Korea when she was 19 to look for her birth mother, and although the woman didn't want to meet her, she ended up finding love instead in the sweet embrace of Hyun Woo Seong, the second son of a chaebol family. Although they really fought for their love and did get married, their marriage was short-lived as Hyun Woo filed for divorce two years into their marriage and a few weeks after being told Sara was pregnant. Sara returned to Wilmington where she had her son, Hanbin, struggled with a really bad post-partum and with her sisters comings and goings, too. Eventually Sara left her fathers' house, started working on her art again, and, she now works as an art curator at the Retronouveau gallery.
HER NAME MEANT LOVE IN KOREAN. Sarang. But love was not something familiar to her, even as a baby. Sarang had been born out of wedlock to a young woman who, after having to suffer through the amount of judgement that was placed upon her shoulders for being a single mother, couldnโt afford to keep her anymore. She was left at a train station at the age of two and taken to an orphanage. Sarang was then offered to a couple in the United States, which was when she first came into the life of Minhyuk Yoon, a social worker who lived in WIlmington, NC and, who fostered her until her US family was ready to take her home. Minhyuk and his partner Carlos doted on the baby girl as if sheโd always been hers, and saying goodbye to her when she left for her new family was truly hard to them. Even though Sarang was too young to remember, it was definitely not something they or the little girl they had adopted together, let her forget.
Her so-called new family changed her name to Sara to make it more suitable to her new reality. They tried to create bonds with her, however, due to having a weak immune system as a child, in a few months Sara had paid more visits to the hospital than the couple could afford, which resulted in them sending her back to the care of Minhyuk until a new family was found suitable for her. Soon, came in the Dumas. The couple fell in love with her as soon as they laid eyes on her; a couple who had been trying to get pregnant on their own, but to no end, and so, to their house she wentโฆ and in their house she stayed until Mrs. Dumas discovered she was pregnant a few months later. The couple decided not to go further with the adoption process.
Minhyuk, being the man of faith that he was, saw it as a sign. Having already being used to the little girl, as well as Carlos and their adoptive daughter Mahira (who, was the one to actually ask her fathers to let Sara join their family), they decided to adopt Sara. All the process and adoption paperwork were finalized around Saraโs 4th birthday. And, as a way for life to redeem itself for having put her through hell and back at such a young age, as a bonus, Sara also won another father and an adoptive sister. Growing up in a house with different languages, cultures and religions, both Sara and her older sister were taught respect from the get go. Not only how to respect others, but also, to demand to be respected by others.
Her curiosity about her biological family started rising inside of her when she was in elementary school, when Mahiraโs biological family came looking for her, thus making Sara feel like she didnโt belong there anymore. Like she didnโt fit that picture of the perfect familyโฆ but Sara only made it known to her fathers a few years later, when she asked Minhyuk to help her track her biological mother down. This caused some tension to arise between father and daughter, and it took a toll on both of them. Minhyuk couldnโt understand why, after all of this time, Sara wanted to meet the person who had forced her to have gone through everything had gone through as a small child.
Despite not agreeing with it, Minhyuk still got in contact with his friends in adoption agencies across the city and after a lot of effort being put into it, lots of heated arguments and tears in the Yoon-Castillo household, there was finally word that they had managed to track down Saraโs birth mother. Aiming to find that woman and looking to improve her fluency in Korean, Sara put her college classes on hold and moved to South Korea a little after her 19th birthday.
She got a temporary job as a secretary in a company, then on another, and another, until she ended up as a secretary for one of the members of the Seong family, a chaebol family who owned one of Seoulโs most dependable and richest companies in the technology field. Not that she cared about any of that. Her plans were to stay in Seoul just until her next birthday and then go back to the United States, anyways. The reason why it took some time between her arrival and the meeting with her birth mother, was because the older woman remained hesitant about it until the very last minuteโฆ and she decided not to meet Sara.
Heartbroken and devastated, the sudden change in her demeanor was noticed even by her bossโs brother, who one day found her crying during her lunch break and took an interest in her life. She didnโt think much of Seong Hyun Woo at first, and, being one of the heirs to this empire, Sara kept her distance. His charming ways and the way he seemed to genuinely care for her, however, ended up easing her heart. Before she could fight her own feelings, Sara was looking forward to seeing him every day.
Their daily conversations turned into dates, which turned into being in a relationship with someone who treated her like no one outside her family had before. Sara was thrown into the mess that was his family, and it was just like things sheโd only seen in movies: people stabbing others in the back, plotting schemes to ruin other peopleโs reputations, not to mention, the poisonous words and glares Hyun Wooโs mother would profess to the ones she did not likeโฆ and if there was someone that woman didnโt like, that person was Sara. The woman deemed their relationship to be improper due to Saraโs background and made sure to tell her thatโmeaning being adopted. It only worsened after they went against everyoneโs wishes and announced their engagement at the eldest Seong sonโs wedding. No matter how hard both she and Hyun Woo tried, there seemed not to be a way to change his motherโs mind about it. She shaped herself to be the perfect wife to Hyun Woo. She started dressing like they wanted to, speaking when they wanted her to, acting like they wanted her toโฆ and it wasnโt enough. She lost her spark to be the apathetic daughter in law. And it wasnโt enough. She became someone else entirely to earn their affection, but she would never be enough to them.
Still, the couple who were madly in love for each other got married.
Hyun Woo encouraged Saraโs art, he vouched for her to go back to University by helping her get a spot at Sungkyunkwan University to study art, he would come home and make her feel so loved that it left no room for her abandonment issues to make her second-guess anything. It was them against the world. It was what Sara and Hyun Woo would tell each other as a testament to their love. No matter how hard the world would be outside their bubble, as long as they had each other, they would be okay. Such words carried them on for happy and sad times. Through thick and thinโฆ It didnโt matter what his family thought of her. And when Sara didnโt know what else to do to save her marriage in the eyes of her husbandโs family, life gifted the couple with a little baby. While the couple seemed thrilled with the idea of becoming parents, it seemed like love hadnโt been enough to keep their marriage safe from harm.
When Hyun Woo filed for the divorce not too long after their second anniversary, it completely blindsided Sara, thus increasing even more her constant, childhood-induced abandonment issues. Things werenโt perfect between them, she knew that much, especially with his mother, but she didnโt think her husband would ever comply with Youngjaโs wishes to see them apart, either. As much as she didnโt want to give up on them, when Sara found out that she was expecting a child a few weeks later, she realized that this divorce needed to happen. Knowing how powerful her husbandโs family was and fearing the type of hold theyโd have on their child, Sara agreed on signing the divorce papers if it meant that Hyun Woo would leave his family out of her and their sonโs life. He agreed.
Sara returned to Wilmington to be with her family and there was where her son Hanbin was born, in the end of a colorful October, surrounded by the kind of love that only the Yoon and Castillo men knew how to give.
That same love was what Sara needed to push through a really difficult post-partum depression that kept her struggling for her life and her sanity for the first two years of her sonโs life. With her sister and best friend also going through hardships of her own, it was very difficult for the young mother not to, once again, feel like a burden to this family. Eventually, the days became lighter, but there is still so much heaviness weighing in her heart, that some days is a constant battle to leave the bed.
Earlier this year, Sara started working on her art again, and it developed her artistic skills even more as she landed a job in RetroNouveau, one of her favorite art galleries in town to this day as their current Art Curator. Although Sara is still struggling to understand where she fits in this world, whether as a mother to a hard of hearing yet feisty child, as a professional or as a woman, she hopes that has found enough strength to keep going through her own self-discovery journey by having her family by her side, and not even her ex-husband showing up in town and asking to be part of their sonโs life will be able to change that.
He smiled as Sara placed the plate of freshly grilled bulgogi near him. "It smells amazing," he said, inhaling the savory aroma of the marinated beef. He was grateful that theyโd invited him over. He'd never get used to people being kind without an agenda. Most always wanted something. Picking up a piece of the hot juicy meat with his fork, he blew on it gently before taking a bite. "Wow, this is delicious!" He said, savoring the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors. "You're quite the grill master.โThank you for inviting me over, by the way. It's always a pleasure to spend time with you and your wonderful family."
His words caused Sara to chuckle as she cocked her head to the side. "You don't have to act all mayoral around us you know?" She offered her friend a sweet little eye-roll before placing another piece of bulgogi in his plate. "This is a safe space and all." Sara winked, before turning around to wave Hanbin to the table they had set outside. She then told him to go wash his hands and to call harabeoji and abuelo over, too. As the little boy raced inside, Sara returned the smile and her attention to Irza. "How's everything going in your life, hm? None of the political stuff. I mean the personal life." / @irzaozer
Gently pinching Hanbin's cheeks, Kimberly couldn't help but coo out praises of how adorable he is while they waited for their bobba orders. "As I was saying, bobba is the key to a lot of cute people's hearts. If they don't like bobba..." She paused the heiress chose her words carefully, "Then that's bad and sad at the same time...They could still be cute, but I wouldn't trust them if I were yoโ" Before she could even finish her sentence, their order number was called and Kimberly immediately walked over to get them before returning to Sara and Hanbin's side.
Stabbing the straw into his drink, she slid the cup over to Hanbin, before handing over Sara's drink. "Enjoy!" Kimberly then turned to her best friend and grinned, "That's a good lesson right? I was going to say ugly, but that seemed to harsh. Besides, what was that saying? 'I don't chase, I attract'...Yeah, there's no way this little bundle of joy is going to attract ugly people." Taking a sip of her drink, she then gently bumped shoulders with Sara and asked, "Thank you for hanging out with me today. How's everything with you?"
Leave for Hanbin to be the charismatic child Sara could never have been, and maybe that was yet another trait he had inherited from his father, and the way he acted and reacted around people like Kim and Peyton was more than enough to have it plastered in front of her face as her best friend went on and on about people who didn't like bobba. "What do we say to Kimmy?" Sara gently rubbed the little boy's back as Kim handed him the bobba tea, which he replied with a smile, a thank-you and a little bow, too cute for a five-year-old to be doing. "You know you're far too nice to him. We can all attract ugly people, so we should also teach him how to handle those." She chuckled, motioning her head towards one of the empty tables outside. It was such a nice day out that it would be a shame to be cooped in. "Nonsense... thank you for treating us to some bobba tea. How's everything at work? Irza's been treating you nicely, I hope?" / @kmadrigalsoto
high school seemed like an eternity ago and she didn't talk to anyone she went to school with. sloane knew that was partially her fault for moving away with her ex husband as soon as she graduated but that didn't mean she didn't regret it. running into sara though had been the highlight of her day and she'd invited the other to meet up with her later that day, her boys tagging along too. "long time, no see. i'd say we have a lot to catch up on."
At first, Sara was startled to see Sloane back in Wilmington... but then again, she also wouldn't have thought she'd be back to her hometown when she married Hyun Woo... oh how the might have fallen. So, when she bumped into her high school best friend and learned that she too, had become a mother, it was easier to set up plans for later. "I kind of think we do!" She chuckled rubbing her son's back and prompting him to step forward and introduce himself. "Hanbin-ah, this is Sloane. Eomma has known her since she was your age, can you believe?" Sara signed to her son, adopting a surprised face as she spoke, and then let Hanbin introduce himself using both his words and sign language. "Hello! I'm Hanbin Yoon-Castillo!" He said, although he still struggled with the double L in the Castillo. "Can I play with them, eomma?" He asked Sara, meaning Sloane's children, and once the gang was all up and running, Sara and her friend stood back, watching them. "How long have you been back?" / @sloanexlawson
"-alright, i can't handle anymore drunken shania twain covers," ember started and pushed herself out of her chair that she was seated in at the back of mic drop karaoke. while it was amusing at first, she had just about enough of it for now. "let's go grab a pizza or something. i'm starving and this loud music business is totally giving me a headache. i got my alicia keys cover off my chest and that's all i really wanted to come in for anyways."
"Oh, come on! These covers are the best!" Sara chuckled, practically pulling Ember to sit back down, but at the end of the day, she wouldn't mind leaving either. Especially if it meant pizza. "Okay, you had me at pizza." The petite brunette smiled as she reached for her bag and started walking out of the bar after her friend. "And then I'll fill you in on what's been going on in my life without having to scream at the top of my lungs. Pizza's on me and beer's on you?" / @emberleon
Alright, I know this is the third time I've been by this week, swear I'm not trying to be weird, but I've got those prints for you. From the event last week? I just wanted you to see 'em as soon as possible โ some of them came out cool as hell, the place looks awesome!
You swear? Sounds like a liar, liar, pants on fire kind of deal to me, Hayes!
You're lucky that cute little dimple of yours is my weak spot! And that I love both your pictures and your company, so I'll never say no to it! Oh? Cool as hell did you say? Please! Show me! / @harrisonhayes
While the kids have their faces painted like the rainbow, why don't you and I get ourselves something to drink? Daph should be here soon, and you and Maya are more than welcome to join us! One should always have fun during Wilmington's Pride!
daphne was convinced that the world was working against them when it came to going on another date with sara, which was more than frustrating since the first date the two of them had gone on was something she'd really enjoyed. she sat relatively close to the other woman, a smile returned as she looked over at her. "i just, i love anything about weddings. surprising, right? but it's like, i don't know. you think that the main character is still in love with her ex but she falls in love with her wedding date and it's just the perfect about of longing, you know?"
Being in love with her ex was definitely something Sara was scared of. Not that... you know, she feared being still in love with Hyun Woo, but it was probably going to be awful to feel that way. "You? In love with weddings? Shocking!" The petite brunette chucked as she feigned surprise, leaning in to steal a peck from Daph's lips. "I've done a lot of longing... I'd rather not do that anymore if I can, thank you very much." It was nothing new that Sara had been married and that the marriage had ended badly. She'd told Daphne that much. "But okay, I'll take it." She said, cuddling up against Daphne. "Let's watch your favorite movie, then. Because I'm super happy we finally got to see each other again." / @daphnestclaire
SETTING: sara's place ; sunday (father's day) morning
AVALABILITY: closed starter for seong hyun woo | ( @hyunwooxseong )
It was funny to think about how things had changed between them and how civil they were towards one another. Or, maybe Sara was the civil one, softening up to Hyun Woo's presence in her life once more. Today, however, she was a ball of nerves. Not only were they going to finally tell Hanbin the truth about the ahjussi who was around all the time, but also, Hyun Woo was going to join the Yoon-Castillos for father's day lunch.
Hanbin was still asleep when her ex-husband arrived, so, Sara invited him in for breakfast, since he had come straight from the airport seeing as he was wheeling his baggage.
"I'm glad you were able to fly in just in time for father's day." The petite woman told him as she poured him some coffee. Weirdly enough, she still remembered how he took it. "Um... so... how would you like to approach this, since he'll be up soon...?"
46. what my last text message says, 58. description of my best friend, 9. who did you last see in person?
46. what my last text message says
์์์ด, from @hyunwooxseong after I gave him instructions on how to talk to Hanbin's ASL teacher. It means yes. He's not the biggest texter.
58. description of my best friend
She's really energetic and fun, pretty much anything I am not, lol. She also has a great sense of fashion and has an undying love for boba tea, which, no one's judging here, of course. She's hard-working and pretty badass, please and thank you. @kmadrigalsoto
She's the yin to my yang. She was the first one to choose me, back when I was too young to remember. She has the most infectious laughter and I miss hearing it daily. She's fierce, protective and growing up, she always made me feel safe and wanted. I know she went through a lot these last few years, but she would always come to my rescue everytime I needed her. @mahirayc
9. who did you last see in person?
Harry stopped by the gallery and kidnapped me for a photography exhibit in Raleigh! @harrisonhayes
1. selfie
2. what would you name your future kids?
3. do you miss anyone?
4. what are you looking forward to?
5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?
6. is it hard for you to get over someone?
7. what was your life like last year?
8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed?
9. who did you last see in person?
10. are you good at hiding your feelings?
11. are you listening to music right now?
12. what is something you want right now?
13. how do you feel right now?
14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you?
15. personality description
16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didnโt?
17. opinion on insecurities.
18. do you miss how things were a year ago?
19. have you ever been to New York?
20. what is your favourite song at the moment?
21. age and birthday?
22. description of crush.
23. fear(s)
24. height
25. role model
26. idol(s)
27. things i hate
28. iโll love you ifโฆ
29. favourite film(s)
30. favourite tv show(s)
31. 3 random facts
32. are your friends mainly girls or guys?
33. something you want to learn
34. most embarrassing moment
35. favourite subject
36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill?
37. favourite actor/actress
38. favourite comedian(s)
39. favourite sport(s)
40. favourite memory
41. relationship status
42. favourite book(s)
43. favourite song ever
44. age you get mistaken for
45. how you found out about your idol
46. what my last text message says
47. turn ons
48. turn offs
49. where i want to be right now
50. favourite picture of your idol
51. starsign
52. something iโm talented at
53. 5 things that make me happy
54. something thats worrying me at the moment
55. tumblr friends
56. favourite food(s)
57. favourite animal(s)
58. description of my best friend
59. why i joined tumblr
60. ask me anything you want
SETTING: retronouveau ; mid-morning
AVALABILITY: closed starter for harrison hayes | ( @harrisonhayes )
Since the gallery was at often times completely empty this time of the day, Sara would take advantage of the lack of visitors and clients to end the suffocating silence by putting on her favorite Kpop playlist to listen to while she browsed through possible buyers, collectors searching for pieces to buy, actual artists to display at the gallery, etc.
She only realized that she had company when, right in the middle of swaying her body to her favorite line of Le Sseraphin's "Smart", she lifted up her head to meet Harrison's gaze, watching her and immediately having Sara reaching for her phone to switch the song into something more proper to be playing in an art gallery... like Mozart. She was more of a Chopin type of woman, but Mozart had been right there to help Hanbin with his piano lessons, so, Mozart it was.
"I didn't even hear you come in!" The petite mother chuckled, brushing her hair behind her ears, trying not to look as embarrassed as she felt. "Gosh, next time, honk or something." Again, her nerves and embarrassment evident in her voice. "But it's nice to see you, Harry. What can I do for you today?"
Mahira smiled softly as she accepted the cup of tea from Sara, grateful that she had some downtime to catch up with her sister. It had been a long and grueling month, what with her going to therapy and opening Soundwave. She barely had time to breathe, let alone be around her family. This time thought, it wasnโt that she was running aroundโshe actually was busy with trying to run a business.
She took a sip of the warm, comforting liquid before responding, "It's been a wild ride, but seeing Soundwave come to life has been incredibly rewarding." Her eyes sparkled with pride as she thought about how she somehow managed to get everything together. "It's surreal, you know? To have a vision in your head for so long and then watch it materialize before your eyes. But what about you? How are things with Hyunwoo?โ She managed to ask without wincing.
The only thing that came anywhere close to what Mahira was describing, was probably her close relationship to the pieces โ both unfinished and the ones that were a work in progress โ in the room she had made out to be her painting room by the backyard, or maybe the display ideas she had for exhibitions in RetroNouveau, but other than that? No, not really. Alas, she was happy for Mahira, especially since her sister seemed to be happy with how things were happening in her life. "It feels good to see you this happy, unnie. You deserve it." Sara replied with a smile, before taking a small sip from her apple and cinnamon tea. "As for Hyun Woo, well..." There wasn't much to report. Her ex had been in New York for the last month, something he had notified Sara that it would happen, so her worries about him walking out on their son were actually really low at the moment. "Things have been... civil to say the least." Which, was true. "We're going to have the talk with Hanbin when he comes back from his business trip, which... hah... has me going up the walls with anxiety, but I hope this does Binnie some good. You know... knowing that he actually has a father." Besides, their son was too smart to keep on being fooled that Hyun Woo was just some random guy who was often at the same place that he and his mother was. "But it beats having to answer for the third time if Hyun Woo and I are dating." / @mahirayc
Her eyes were on her friend as she watched Sara attempt to balance on the surfboard, despite wobbling precariously. "You're doing great, Sara. Remember to keep your knees bent and your arms out for balance," she called out encouragingly. The day was nice as sand shifted beneath Ariya's feet as she waded deeper into the water, keeping a watchful eye on her friend. "Don't worry if you fall off, it's all part of the learning process. Just keep trying and you'll get the hang of it in no time!" Surfing was not for the faint of heart. Ironic considering her failing heart years back, but still, it her words were earnest.
Trying out new things had been her 2024 motto, but with her depression wanting to make and appearance at the end of January and a certain ex-husband showing up in her life in late March kept postponing Sara's plans to try and be more of a young woman at the ripe time of her thirty-three years and less of a mother-slash-divorcee she felt to be. "Like this?" She called to Ariya who watched as her nth attempt to remain balanced on a surf board suddenly met a horrible end with her petite frame hitting the salty water. "You make it seem so easy!" Sara chuckled as she wiped the water off her face after emerging from the sea. "Ugh! Is it too soon to give up?" / @ariyacl
jesse didn't have a lot of people that were close to him and so he hoped that the woman knew that he was always going to be there for her. he wasn't willing to offer his company to just anyone but he was definitely willing to hang out with her. "i know. i appreciate that." he replied and leaned into her touch. it felt nice to be like this again with someone, even if the moment were fleeting.
"i suppose so. i mean, i don't know that always includes love for everyone. some people prefer to be alone and to skip out on the family but i don't think it's something i want to miss out on." he paused at her question and slowly lifted his shoulders up in a shrug, "i haven't found the right person. it's not for lack of trying." in fact, he'd gone on a couple of dates but they hadn't worked out.
Had things happened differently between them, Sara could honestly see herself allowing herself to open her heart to Jesse. From the way he would lean into her touch, to the way he relied on her to comfort him fed into her need to be that type of person to someone, however, he was dating someone when they met, so, friends was all they had always been and friends, Sara realized, was everything they needed to be to one another.
"Putting ourselves out there is hard, isn't it?" She asked before returning her hand to the steering wheel. Sara had only now gone back into dipping her toes into the dating pool and she didn't know how people with kids did it with so much ease. Or at all. It kind of made her wonder if her therapy was really working or if she should try a different approach, because she still wasn't over her abandonment issues... or the fear that she would be letting someone in again only to end up heartbroken. "And... how is the right person like to you?" / @jessexgraves
Today was a slow day. Jemma hated slow days because then the time would pass slower than usual but she'd recently found use of such days. She loved the spring time because there was a variety of textures and taste to choose from. She was just finishing brewing a new blend, the air filled with lavender scent, when she heard the small bell ring. She turned to see a familiar face, making her grin. "Come in!" She gestured for Sara to step in and get closer. "Would you like to try this new blend I'm working on? I'm thinking it may be a perfect fit for Mahi's opening night at Soundwave."
Sara had been running low on her tea stock for a while now, and, before she ended up tea-less and upset for her lack of proper organization, the petite brunette found some time between leaving work and picking up Hanbin at his speech therapy to stop by Jemma's shop. As she was urged further inside, Sara smiled at the calm and cozy scent it emanated from the shop. "Oh... don't mind if I do." She chuckled. "Huh... tea for an opening night? That sounds interesting. But please... count me in." Especially if it involved her sister.
Sometimes, it felt like most of her old acquaintances had anything to do with her family members... but then again, that's what happened when you left home at nineteen, only to return five years ago and spend a good chunk of the following two years dealing with a severe post-partum depression. People left. People lost interest. And in Sara's case, that seemed to be the norm, not the exception.
