" ....and before we start our recap of the top tracks that dominated the charts this year on kbs radio 2, here’s your official reminder to take an umbrella with you before going out this morning – it’s looking up to be another gloomy day here in seoul.... "
early mornings always felt like a special kind of reward. there’s no crowd – no n o i s e. no people lounging on the sofas, loudly chatting over each other and the music while sipping on their lattes. the café’s empty, filled only with the quiet hum of the radio and the whirring of the machines as they warm up. and there, in front of the counter, soft vermillion scarf still slung over her shoulders and a mop in one hand – is the woman of the hour, right in the middle of a spectacular rendition of ailee’s i will show you. the crowd’s going absolutely WILD – they’re cheering as loudly as possible, they’re screaming her name, they’re –
the silver bell hung over the door chimes. the door opens. someone walks in.
it all happens in rapid succession – in her attempt to act normal, the femme trips over her mop, nearly knocks down her cup of hazelnut latte, and SOMEHOW manages to get part of the scarf tangled up in her hair. when she finally straightens herself up, her cheeks match the scarf ( that now lies forgotten on the closest armchair ) and the look on her face is nothing short of comical.
“ uh – hi, sorry, we’re not quite – we’re not open yet. we will be soon – in a bit – in a couple of minutes, really, ten at most. you’re welcome to sit – well, anywhere you’d like. OH! – and the pastries are warm, if you’d like something to nibble on while waiting. yeah. ”
she rambles when she’s embarrassed – in case you couldn’t already tell.
kgnrdngd hello !! i’ve been rly mia these days BUT i have a super important exam later today so i will def be around more after that !! i’ll also ( FINALLY ) get to plotting and im’s bc i’m rly behind on that rip -- i swear im usually a lot more consistent (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ thank u all for bearing w me ily ♡♡♡
*taps mic* hello friends !! pls excuse the fact that this is about ,,,,, a million years too late, i’ve been all over the place these days – and that doesn’t rly happen that often so ur girl didn’t know how to deal with it. ANYWAYS ! i’m iskra – or IS for short ( 21 / she & her ) hailing from the gmt+1 timezone, here to introduce you all to my smol child hyejin !! if you’d like to plot, you can find me over on discord @ that queso 🧀 #2155 OR just press the lil heart on this post and i’ll come and annoy you about possible connecs n plots !
INTRODUCING miss a shin hyejin, 22 years old, born and raised in seoul, part of the ju jaks ! her stats can be found here and a connections page is coming …….. some day in the near ( or far ) future
before i say anything else ……….. i gotta set the mood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdofmoYcJNE
she’s born in the middle of a humid june night, to a woman so drained, she can barely muster up the strength to hold the newborn to her chest. ( it’s a miracle she survived, the nurses whisper amongst themselves ). there’s no one accompanying the young mother, and no one comes to visit her during her stay – but if she’s surprised because of it, she hides it well
so yeah, for as long as hyejin can remember, the only constant in her life has been her mom and their tiny apartment, with its grey, dingy wallpaper and thin walls. they don’t have much – her mom manages to get some money by selling kimbap in the local market – but she grows up loved and happy. her life’s pretty normal – honestly, her biggest worry at that point would probably be whether or not she had enough money to buy a box of pepero
and then – her seventh birthday
*record scratch*
hyejin comes back from school one afternoon only to find the entire apartment building surrounded by thick, heavy smoke. she tries to get to the front of the mass of people – really, she tries as hard as she can to push her way through because her mother should be here, where’s her mother, why isn’t she coming to get her – when she’s stopped by an old lady with a kind face ( one of her neighbors, she remembers ) who looks at her with such incredible sadness evident on her features – which is then mirrored in every single pair of eyes that recognize the little girl. a strange mixture of sadness and pity, which she learns to recognize with time
they tell her that her mother’s dead – perished in the flames that had, apparently, started from a couple of faulty wires just meters away from their home. and just like that – in just one afternoon – the girl’s left with nothing but the clothes on her back, alone and lost and terrified
they seek her out themselves a couple of days after, a small family of ju jak supporters, and take her in. only days later, they fill her head with an insane amount of lies. they tell her the entire incident was an act – a fabrication made to cover up the actions of the magical folk. they tell her all about the vicious magi whose only purpose is to assert their dominance over the non-magical humans, even if it meant causing harm. they tell her that she should hate them – that she should despise them for what they did to her mother. this is what they raise her on, what they repeat to her constantly throughout the years. at first, hyejin believes them. she really does. but as she grows up, her faith begins to waver – and she finds herself doubting whether any of it is actually true. in her family’s eyes, she’s expected to commit fully to capturing, and killing, if necessary, any and all magi. the problem is – hyejin’s not sure if she can actually find it in herself to do it
tldr; shin hyejin was born and raised by a single mother who died in a tragic fire accident when hyejin was seven years old. after that, hyejin is taken in by a foster family ( part of the ju jaks ) who, knowing about the circumstances, ask specifically for her. knowing how vulnerable – and, by extension, impressionable – the child is, start teaching her all sorts of lies about the magic community and basically recruit her in the ju jaks. she grows up imagining the magi as these super evil villains coming for the normal humans and probs even hates them w a passion at some point. as she grows up and starts forming her own opinions n thoughts, she realizes that maybe there’s something wrong about the idea of killing people who you’ve never actually seen do anything wrong. her family wants her to commit fully and even become a hunter in the future, she prays that the day will never come
ALRIGHT NOW THAT ALL THAT BG BIT IS OUT OF THE WAY
owns a small café named shim hae ( tr: deep sea ) which she tried to make as cozy as possible – there’s sofas covered with pillows and soft blankets, paperbacks and hardcovers of different genres, and the constant smell of freshly brewed coffee and hot chocolate – it’s close to her idea of a safe haven, not just for her – but for anyone who may need it
a social butterfly !! she honestly just loves meeting and being around people, as well as going out with them for food or to visit an aquarium or an amusement park ….. or all three soz i don’t make the rules
BIG on food …… but cant rly cook to save her life :/ survives off takeout, cereal, and coffee – no wonder she’s so close to burning out all the time
loves horror movies even tho she gets scared to death at the smallest jumpscare :/ she loves movies in general – especially musicals !! she probs knows like …. 90% of the broadway musicals by heart no joke
hopeless romantic and falls for people very easily – but will def be there for you regardless !!
the type of person to make you wait like 10 minutes before you eat your food bc she has to take the perfect picture of it with the best possible lighting and angles
loves jewelry – especially bracelets and earrings n probs has about a hundred of each
she’s very competitive and always willing to prove you wrong. you say she can’t do smth ?? just watch her as she does EVERY SINGLE THING in her power to try and succeed. ESPECIALLY if its smth small and insignificant
she wants to believe the magi are innocent and not actually planning world domination, but she doesn’t know anything about them other than what her family has told her so far -- she wants to find out more but doesn’t know where to start from
She tastes like nectar and salt. Nectar and salt and apples. Pollen and stars and hinges. She tastes like fairy tales. Swan maiden at midnight. Cream on the tip of a fox’s tongue. She tastes like hope.
