⌈ kkt → 애는엄마 ⌋
▪ don’t ask how i got here
▪ anyway
▪ gonna get the fresh-faced to go on a run naked
▪ a lil’ exhibit of strong will & all that nonsense
▪ perfect for the temp dip coming up at the end of summer too
▪ nice lil’ trek through the trees
▪ or around the campus
▪ i’m flexible
born on the first day of spring, he is a flower child—of some sorts—whose stem was cut off at the roots, whose petals broke off before they even bloomed.
happiness is a thing of the past, a forgotten memory amidst a family filled with secrets and shame. only child to two seemingly perfect parents, how funny it is to be tossed aside just as fast to be embraced.
it is not to say that he asked for this, that he—at such a young age—fully understood the clear difference between life and death, that previous actions would lead to such future consequences—a curse upon their daughters, extended family would murmur under hushed breath, would mumble with scorn and sneer. what’s the point of them if they keep dying?
mother dearest, though, is a cracked piece of china, a beautiful work of artistry—only capable of being crafted by the gods—whose chips and chinks originate from the core, whose fractures may be well-hidden but, as gunwoo knows, are not fully healed. it is not as if he thought he could fill the missing gaps in their hearts, could replace the emptiness in their souls. no, it is a companionship reliant on trust, silence, and shared misery—for it is only children who completely understand what it truly means to be alone.
she died with a smile on her face—and for that, he should be grateful … right?
it is then that a transition occurs, of home-life and lifestyle. hide father’s secret could he not anymore, not when it threatened his ability to sleep soundly at night, to walk through a crowd without mother’s ghost looming over his right shoulder.
they say college is supposed to be the best four years of your life; gumi university, priding itself for being the safe haven for mutants and all alike. pfft. didn’t they know that lying was a sin?
for a sanctuary it could be not, when its asylum teased him with the nostalgia of being cared for. of being appreciated. of being normal. they greeted him with opens arms, and for that he is appreciative, but never will he allow himself to be thankful.
as gumi university is a personal prison of his own, perfectly orchestrated and fine-tuned by father himself, as its walls remind him of such nightmares, of his plague of guilt.
he figured out her name—the woman father spent questionable amounts of time with, the woman father preferred over dying-wife in hospital bed; and so gunwoo confronts him, though, high expectations and determined expression were only met with laughter, with threats. you tell your mother, and i won’t pay her hospital bills anymore. how would that make you feel, hm? to know that you killed her?
it is then that gunwoo’s wrapped around father’s finger, seemingly until forever as the blame—for keeping her protected, for preventing her heart from breaking—runs deeper in veins than hatred, than contempt. obedient son he remains to be—follows in alpha alum’s footsteps to become vice-captain of said legacy, ranks near-top of class, excels in monster games—for father expects nothing less.
and yet, he’s the only one who remembers to visit her grave every year, to light candles on her birthday, for mother is simply dead, not forgotten.
WHAT CAN THEY DO?
DEFINITION
gunwoo has the power of ferrokinesis, or metal manipulation, which causes him able to create, shape and manipulate metal, typically in its solid shape. metals are generally malleable—they can be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without breaking or cracking—as well as fusible and ductile, so the possibilities are endless with his ability. his mutation isn’t strong enough to manipulate metal on that of a pure elemental-level, so he generally only deals with the substance in its alloy-form; though, he has had trouble controlling that of which is ores, rather than already smelted or constructed materials. that aside, however, the type of metal at hand does not hinder any of his applications, so there is no difference between brass, copper, gold, etc. in his book. though, just for safe measures, he keeps an iron chain worn at all times just so he has some source of metal to bend at his will.
WEAKNESSES
unfortunately, gunwoo is unable to create metal himself, being strictly limited to manipulating only that from already-existing sources. moreover, he cannot alter any of the innate properties of metal, and, as such, the substance is affected by everything that normal metals would be e.g. melting under extreme heat, turning brittle and shatter from intense cold, rusting from overexposure to water. likewise, that also leaves his ability extremely vulnerable to any other powers that can affect metal with this taken into account.
physical flaw gunwoo’s capability to manipulate metal can, for some reason, be directed correlated to the iron levels in his blood—whenever he uses his mutation, he inadvertently “consumes” the iron in his blood which, when overexerting himself, can lead to iron deficiencies in his system and can, as a result, lower his overall physical performance, forcing him to eat more foods that can easily replenish his iron levels.
time limit similarly, such iron deficiencies cause fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, etc. thus, he’s confined to applying his ability for no more than twenty minutes, or else he faces serious (and possibly permanent) health issues.
range he can only access metal that is within sight. correspondingly, he can also only move it as far as the eye can clearly see.
DID YOU KNOW?
even though he’s already six-feet tall, he’s still growing.
