I appear to be giving Jaehee her happy ending but.....but at what cost? Jumin being forced to take over the RFA because V has to disappear? For Jumin to live with the knowledge that his best friend tried to lie to him and saying he has to join Rika? Fuck Jumin nooooo-
meowmeowmeow I LOVE UR WORK SM!! could i request hcs of what itd be like to live with jihyun ^_^
In the past, he never bothered to make his home feel... lived-in... for the lack of a better word. He does opt for minimalism, that's not what he'll change about himself as he grows into a healthier person, but he does make a point of letting "clutter" build up. You know, keys off the hook, pens left in a cup instead of a drawer, dishes left drying on the rack overnight.
What once felt cold and abandoned is now a place he can enjoy proof that he is not only alive... but that he's happy to be.
It may not seem like a big change, but to the people who know him best, it is. After the first time Jumin comes over for a visit, he leaves with a smile on his face. He knows that Jihyun has never been fond of maximizing his space with trinkets he doesn't need, but a part of that choice came from how much time he spent at home. He spent most of his time traveling across the country, and even after he got into a relationship with Rika, he didn't slow down.
Sure, he spent his time looking for clues to protect the twins, but he never settled down. When you travel from place to place with no real intention of settling down, you don't think to build a home. You build a place where you can rest and take care of yourself, but your home isn't a space that reflects you. It reflects how little time you spend in your home. The fact that Jihyun's house has nothing hanging around it but his photographs and the bare minimum says a lot. You changed that in him.
He collects little trinkets, decorates his cacti, and lets his space feel like it belongs to the two of you instead of the dust bunnies. You have inspired him to live a life that lets him indulge in the little things that the younger him would've seen as tacky or gaudy. There's nothing wrong with whimsy, and now that he's embraced his dream to be a painter again, he can let color come back into his life. No more grey tones to taper down his dreams! I need to stress the cacti, though.
A lot of people don't know he cares for them. He's always had a vested interest in nature, but he was drawn to cacti rather than flowers. It explains a lot, but one of my favorite spaceship bubbles is him talking about buying accessories to put on them. So, if you're his MC, I hope you love having a season cactus! Every holiday, prepare for a new cheesy outfit because it makes Jihyun happy, and don't we all want that?
His poor work ethic doesn't go away overnight, unfortunately. He does spend a lot of time painting, and while it's nice to see him at large doing what he loves, you have to remind him he needs to come to bed some nights. He'll tell himself that he'll finish in a few minutes, and then it's two hours after the fact when he pulls himself out of the feedback loop. There's a reason he has a couch in his studio. It's not just there for his muse; it's so he can doze off whenever he's too tired to make it up the stairs to your bedroom.
Convince him to get a pull-out bed. You can both take a nap in there for a change!
Jihyun isn't much of a cook, but he can handle the basics. He prefers to make meals WITH you if he can help it because it helps him learn more about you. He didn't have to worry about taking care of himself until his father began to neglect him in private, and even though he's spent a long time trying to learn how to be independent, there are a lot of things he hasn't learned. He never knows where to start with all of that, though. The option of choice makes narrowing things down a lot harder.
He's open to new meals, new ideas, and new traditions! But his problem is knowing that there are so many wonderful things to choose from. Where do you start? That was the one thing he enjoyed about traveling across the world. People would extend new ideas to him, and he'd get the chance to experience those flavors firsthand without overthinking it. That's his problem; he overthinks things to the point he's forgotten it can be as simple as asking a question! It's charming to see him get flustered, but you can tell he wants to work on that. No more scattered thoughts!
Living together gets him that edge he's long desired. You help him streamline his thoughts so he doesn't get caught up in a loop. What would've taken him an hour to decide doesn't take him long at all these days.
He loves to enjoy quiet time together in the evening. Whether that means you're reading, watching a show, or working on your hobbies at the same time, that hour is important to him. It's how he's able to wind down before bed. He wants to end each day doing something he loves with you by his side, but it never has to be the same thing. It's about being alone together and relishing that time, the only way you know how. He ALWAYS makes tea, hot chocolate, etc, for these sessions of parallel play. You have matching mugs.
He's always been a morning person. He loves to watch the sunrise and sip coffee. You don't have to join him, but it would be nice if you gave it a chance now and again. The peace and quiet bring him a lot of joy.
You have a chore chart on the fridge, but in all honesty, it's more so a place you pass love notes to one another.
He prefers to dry laundry out on the clothes line now that he has time to simply... be at home. He always insists on doing that, so if you don't want to fold and dry the clothes, you can count on him. All you have to do is let him know when the washer's done.
And last but not least, after he's had time to work on his feelings about his mother, he introduces you to some recordings that were made of her performances. He plays them on special occasions, and generally whenever he wants to feel better. Classical music is one of his favorite things, mind you, but appreciating his mother's hard work is how he's unlearning the self-hatred he felt in the past. She wanted him to love life and to enjoy himself. He's allowed to look at her joy in life and know he's done the right thing by choosing his art.
＃MYSTIC MESSENGER !! ♡ — TALK ME DOWN (JIHYUN (V) X READER).
#. synopsis! — when things feel like they might come undone, jihyun doesn't have to deal with it alone anymore .
#. characters! — jihyun (v).
#. warnings! — vague references to past traumatic events (canon compliant) , non-graphic depictions of trauma responses .
#. word count! — 1.2k .
#. alt accounts! — @ddollipop (nsfw) @hhoneypop (moodboards) .
#. others! — navigation & masterlist .
Jihyun craves control in what feels like a necessary manner. He doesn’t like to have things thrust upon him without warning, doesn’t like to be out of the loop. It’s a matter of security, and that's why he scrambles to understand things at their very core. Even when he asks questions more than once, try to give him some leeway. He doesn’t mean to be overbearing or distrustful, —he simply craves details down to the marrow. It’s a tool he’s found that soothes his worries, and it’s a small price to pay for his peace.
“I’m sorry, it doesn’t seem like we have a reservation for that name,” the young woman at the front of the restaurant apologizes.
“Are you certain?” Jihyun asks, —and you can feel his grip tighten on your hand a bit, even as his tone remains incessantly polite. “I booked a table over a month in advance for our anniversary. . .”
She flips through the little booklet on the desk again, pursing her lips before shaking her head.
“I’m not sure what happened, but there’s unfortunately no tables available for this evening,” she replies. “You’re welcome to stay for a bit and see if anyone misses their reservation time, but that’s the best I can do. I’m very sorry.”
“That’s okay,” you assure her.
It’s not like she has anything to do with it. She’s just doing her job, and whatever happened, it likely wasn’t even her mistake to remedy. Moreover, it’s not like this was the end of the world. A block over there was a nice little steakhouse serving roughly similar menu items, and you’d been there on dates with Jihyun before. It might even be nice to go back and spend your second anniversary with him in a more familiar and welcoming place. . . But he felt like his head was swimming by the time he made it back outside.
His grip on your hand was unusually firm, —not painful, but more desperate than it had been a few minutes prior, and you could feel his palm getting clammy. Jihyun had always been a calm and reserved man, the type that took a while to warm up to people. At least, that’s how you’d always known him to be. Jumin told you he was a bit less reticent once upon a time, that he trusted more freely and cared more forwardly. But that was before, and things have clearly changed, and much of that change came at him in a sort of insurmountable way. It wasn’t the kind of thing anyone could prepare for, and bizarreness aside, Jihyun had by no means been afforded all the opportunities to feel safe and secure.
“Hey,” you say softly, looking up at him, “are you alright?”
The breath he utters is shaky at best, and he finds it difficult to meet your eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” he says quickly.
You barely catch the words as they spill past his lips in rapid succession.
He said them like he was sputtering out his final phrase, scared he might not have another chance to express it if he didn’t let it burst forth.
“Sorry? —For what?” You ask, reaching up to cup his cheek in your free hand. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
When he looks at you, it’s like he’s seen a ghost. There’s a distant sense of fear and a few tears welling up, clumping together above his lashes.
“The table, it. . . I. . .” he tries, but the articulation doesn’t come to him.
He’s not sure what to say or how to say it, and he’s terrified of the fact that you’re being so calm, even when he knows he should be thankful for it. A part of him even thinks it might be easier if you just yelled and let him swallow your frustrations like the words he’s choking down. This gentleness is still foreign, even after all this time.
You walk with him a little ways, keeping your fingers laced with his. There’s a small community garden spot where everyone is free to come and admire the flowers, and it serves as an easy way to put some space between yourself and others strolling along the sidewalk.
“Jihyun,” you say, “it’s really okay. I’m sorry the reservation didn’t work out, but we can still have dinner down the block.”
But at this point, it’s less about any steak he’s missing out on and more about the fact that something has gone wrong in the first place. It’s out of his hands now, and he can’t stop thinking long enough to let himself drown in yours.
“I just wanted everything to be perfect,” he replies.
You kiss his frigid knuckles and look at him like he’s the only person in the world.
“I know,” you tell him. “And it might not help to say this, but I think you should know that it’s perfect to me anyway, no matter where we go. As long as I’m with you tonight, we can do anything, go anywhere, —I just love you, and as long as you’re here, I’m happy.”
Jihyun stills, and you can see the cogs turning behind his gaze, processing what you’ve said as if he finds it hard to believe. Sometimes, he forgets that this isn’t conditional. You know certain things linger longer than either of you would like, but it’s not really something he can help. Not right now. Two years doesn’t erase all the time he spent pining for forgiveness from all the wrong people in all the wrong places. Time hasn’t healed his wounds as well as he would have liked. They still pry themselves open and leave bloodtrails in his wake every now and again, and sometimes it gets on you.
He takes a breath and tries again.
“I booked the table,” he says firmly. “I remembered that you said you wanted to give the restaurant a try, but we could never find a good time, and I thought this would be the right occasion.”
You smile, because it’s sweet that he remembered such a small thing. It was a comment made in passing more than anything else, but he still cared enough not only to listen, but to keep it in mind.
“Thank you for trying,” you tell him in earnest. “But we can always book another reservation for another time.”
“It won’t be our anniversary for another year,” he explains.
“No, it won’t,” you agree, “but that’s okay, isn’t it? You brought me roses last month, and there was no special occasion for it.”
Jihyun purses his lips for a moment, then nods. He sees what you’re getting at, even though his disappointment is still palpable.
“You’re right,” he acknowledges.
“And you’re amazing,” you reply, pressing a hand against his warm chest.
He lets out a breath and pulls you closer, resting his chin on your shoulder. A wave of relief washes over you upon feeling some of the tension leave his body.
“I’m really sorry,” he says. “Things weren’t supposed to go this way.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” you insist.
“Yeah. . . Maybe. I just feel like it’s my fault,” he answers.
“It’s nobody’s fault,” you mumble, pulling away just enough to cup his cheeks again, hoping he won’t mind the mild shock of your free hand’s chill. “Sometimes things just happen.”
A part of him wants to argue, but he loses that urge the moment you brush your lips against his so tenderly. It’s the kind of softness he craves when he gets a little too wound up, and you can almost feel him melt into your embrace where he stands.
