I saw one of ur post that said u also take request for the manhwa Castle so I was wondering if u write for ships. If u do, can I request a Kim Shin x Jihak or Jintae x Woosung pls 🫶? Thank you 💖
peak taste so why not both? making an au bc they deserve a calmer life ue ue.
Castle College AU
Jintae has one goal in mind.
Not a five-year plan, not a carefully curated LinkedIn trajectory, not some suffocating, soul-sucking climb up a corporate ladder he already resents from afar. No. His goal is far simpler, far more urgent.
To live.
To squeeze every last drop out of his college days before the inevitable, looming shadow of capitalism gets its hands on him and molds him into something he refuses to think about for too long.
A husk in business casual. A man who says “per my last email.”
Horrifying.
So yes, Jintae is determined. Determined to have fun, to make memories, to flirt recklessly, to dance badly, to laugh loudly in places where silence is expected [His sincerest apologies to the school librarian for his frequent offences]. He’s not rich, definitely not a nepo baby, but he is a nepo friend, which, in his humble opinion, is almost just as good.
Being Kim Shin’s best friend comes with its perks.
Connections. Access. The occasional free drink.
…And, unfortunately, a very persistent emotional responsibility.
Speaking of Kim Shin.
Jintae would like to make an addendum to his goal.
No. Scratch that. Not an addendum. A full revision.
NEW GOAL: Make Kim Shin enjoy college.
Preferably before he withers into a tragic, overworked academic ghost haunting the library’s third floor.
Because Shin, God, Shin is wasting it.
Jintae watches him now, seated across from him in the campus café, sunlight catching in his dark hair as he methodically stacks his books into neat, precise piles. Everything about him is composed. Controlled. Even the way he turns a page feels… purposeful. Like he isn't programmed to do anything that wastes time. A paragon of efficiency.
“You broke up with Lisa months ago,” Jintae says, slumping dramatically across the table, chin resting on his arms. “Why don’t you go to the club with me?”
Shin doesn’t even look up at first. Just finishes aligning the edges of his notes before finally glancing over, expression unreadable.
“It has nothing to do with Lisa,” he says calmly. “It’s just not my crowd.”
Jintae pouts. Actually pouts, lower lip out, brows furrowed, the full performance. When he was younger, Shin used to fall for it. He's sad to report it doesn’t work as effectively now.
Shin has dulled through the years. While he's never been a bright sunny day, it's so obvious that something in him just rotted and died.
Anyone would be, after losing a parent. Jintae knows that. He’s not heartless. But still...this quiet, distant version of Shin, buried in textbooks and silence, it doesn’t sit right with him.
Shin notices the look and exhales softly, the faintest hint of amusement breaking through.
Because what’s the point of having fun if your best friend isn’t there to witness how embarrassing you are?
Jintae crosses his arms, thinking. Then, lightbulb.
“Okay. Compromise,” he says, leaning forward. “How about you join a club, then?”
Shin raises an eyebrow, elegant, skeptical. “In college?”
“Yes, in college!” Jintae throws his hands up. “There is no shame in extracurriculars. This is literally the only time it’s socially acceptable to try random things and not be good at them.”
Shin considers him, silent.
Jintae presses on. “I just saw the fencing club open up again. They’re still small, so it’s easier to make friends. And I heard there’s this really talented guy there.”
Shin pauses.
Fencing.
It’s not unfamiliar. He’s held a blade before, felt the rhythm of it, the precision. He just… never needed it. Never saw the point.
But Jintae is looking at him all expectant. Shit, maybe the puppy eyes are still somewhat effective.
“…Alright,” Shin says finally. “I’ll stop by their club room later.”
Jintae’s entire face lights up.
“So don’t let me stop you from having fun,” Shin adds.
“Oh, I won’t,” Jintae grins. “But now I’ll have peace of mind while doing it.”
—
The fencing room is quieter than Shin expected.
No chatter. No crowd. Barely any facilities too.
Just the faint echo of footsteps against polished flooring and the soft, rhythmic shing of metal cutting through air.
Shin steps in, pausing near the entrance.
And then he sees him.
A man; tall, nearly Shin’s height, maybe a fraction taller. Light brown hair, slightly damp with sweat. Broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his shirt. Every movement controlled, deliberate, powerful without being wasteful.
He’s alone.
Practicing.
Shin watches.
The footwork. The stance. The transitions. There’s a fluidity there, a confidence born not from arrogance but from familiarity. Experience.
Before Shin even realizes it, he’s moving.
Reaching for a weapon lying haphazardly on the ground.
A sabre.
Not his usual preference, he’s always leaned toward foil, but the weight is familiar enough in his hand. Comforting, even.
The other man notices him then.
Stops.
Turns.
Their eyes meet.
No greeting.
No introduction.
Just an unspoken understanding.
The match begins.
Steel clashes with a sharp, ringing clang.
Fast.
Sharper than Shin anticipated.
The man moves aggressively, sabres favor that, after all, but there’s discipline in it. Control. Shin adjusts, matching his pace, testing his defenses, probing for openings.
They don’t speak.
They don’t need to.
The room fills with the sound of their blades colliding, sliding, breaking apart and reconnecting again. Footsteps pivoting, advancing, retreating.
Shin feels it, something he hasn’t felt in a long time.
Engagement.
Focus.
Camaraderie. Towards a man he has yet to speak to.
Finally, they break apart, weapons lowering almost in sync. The air between them hums with the remnants of motion.
A beat.
Then—
“Ryu Jihak.”
The man pulls off his mask, revealing sharp features, steady eyes.
“Kim Shin,” Shin replies.
Jihak nods once, gaze assessing. “You’re good.”
Shin shrugs slightly. “I’ve practiced before.”
There’s a pause.
Then, almost as an afterthought, Jihak adds, “You should come back.”
Simple.
Direct.
No pressure.
Shin glances down at the sabre in his hand.
Then back at Jihak.
“…Maybe I will.”
And distantly, in the back of his mind, he wonders,
What is Jintae up to right now?
—
Jintae, meanwhile, is thriving.
The club is loud, crowded, alive in all the ways he loves. Music pulses through the walls, laughter spills over itself, glasses clink in celebratory chaos.
He’s already made friends.
Of course he has.
He’s draped over someone’s shoulder one second, raising a toast the next, slipping effortlessly between conversations like he belongs everywhere at once.
“—and to bad decisions!” he declares, lifting his drink.
“To bad decisions!” the group echoes.
Jintae beams.
This.
This is what he lives for.
And then—
From the corner of his eye—
He sees him.
Tan skin.
A lazy, dangerous smirk.
Sharp eyes that seem to cut through the noise, locking onto him instantly.
Jintae’s smile falters.
“…Oh.”
Yoo Woosung.
That bastard.
And shit shit shit!
He’s moving.
Toward him.
Jintae straightens slowly, drink still in hand, heart doing something very inconvenient in his chest.
Comparing characters who I find similar in writing: Yoojin from Lookism and Kim Taehoon from Castle
(This post is just for me to ramble about my fav Kim Taehoon and convince ppl to read Castle😘🫶)
This post contains light spoilers for both manhwas
I. Similar aspects:
•Both characters fall into the trope of character who doesn't fight with their fist but rather their intelligence and influence:
-Yoojin with his position as one of Charles Choi 10 geniuses and head of Workers
-Kim Taehoon with his position as Chairman of Hasung group
•They're both antagonist turned allies with the main character in order to pursue a common goal
-Yoojin having an alliance with Daniel in order to take down Gun in the Hunt for Gun arc
-Taehoon allying with Kim Shin to take down Castle with Kim Shin wanting to destroy the organization while Taehoon wished to bring Hasung away from the underground world
•Despite being seemingly dangerous in the underground business, they both care deeply about the people around them
-Yoojin having Mandeok and Yuseong around him. The three of them all appreciate each other, shares the same trauma and stick together till the end in order to pursue their ideal. Yoojin holds a lot of trust for both of them. He was also see convincing Mandeok and Yuseong to pull away and stop fighting for him in case things gets too dangerous. However, they kept on fighting for him, putting their life on the line for Yoojin
Yuseong is his twin brother and despite his mental instability, Yoojin holds his brother dear regardless. Yuseong himself was also seen caring for Yoojin and constantly shielding him from danger
With Mandeok, Yoojin has a lot of trust in him and appointed him as vice president of Workers. In a small flashback of Yoojin's past, Mandeok was seen to be giving up everything, yet Yoojin not called out to him, urging him to not give up on their ideal world. This shook Mandeok's heart and from then on, he swore to devote himself solely for Yoojin
-Taehoon had Oh Ji In and Ryu Jihak by his side as his personal bodyguards, the two ppl who started out as somebody who served under his mother that quickly becoming his two most valuable sword. Taehoon also treats both of them as his equal rather than underlings, especially Ji In (this becomes much more obvious at the end of Castle ss1)
Ji In loyalty to both Taehoon and his mom was absolute and remains unchanged. Her feelings for Taehoon started out as admiration due to his position but it quickly turn into something more when witnessing his vulnerable side (according to her character profile). The two arent just colleagues, they're friends who will forever hold a lot of sentiment for one another
As for Jihak, he only served him as that was what Taehoon's mother wanted. However, after Taehoon kneel down and promised him that he would continue his mother's legacy, he become loyal to Taehoon and continuously assist him in many matters. Taehoon was also the one who taught Jihak what it's like to feel resentment and they both have an understanding of each other's capabilities
II. Different aspects:
•Upbringing and how it relates to their goals
-There isn't much known about Yoojin's past, but it's highly likely that him and his twin are neglected (or possibly orphaned) and in school, he's a victim of extremely cruel bullying.
This motivates him to build Workers, to create an ideal world for people like him to live in. By creating Workers, he voluntarily involves himself and the people he cares about in the underworld in order to achieve his goal
-Unlike Yoojin, Taehoon was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Everything he owns, his mother was the predecessor. But thanks to his mother's hard work, building Hasung group from scratch, he grew up lacking nothing
However, that means everything is handed to him, so Taehoon never learn what it's like to having to dirty his own hands to achieve something, somebody is always doing things for him. He is also constantly the subject of his father's jealousy
Taehoon also wishes to continue what his mother had wanted-bringing Hasung group out of the underground world. He hates gangsters by nature as his mom was killed by Castle. But his father being the honorary chairman, spat on her work and gets involve with countless gang activities.
•Their current fate and the aftermath of their people (MAJOR SPOILER)
-Yoojin after the HFG arc had managed to achieve what he wanted. However, it resulted in both of his most valuable people being gravely injured. The secret that is also the weakness of Workers have possibly been meddled with by James Lee.
But his status as Workers' president is unaffected and he still have the chance to grow it and even reach a higher peak. Until Mandeok and Yuseong recovers entirely, he still had many strong members from his affiliates to stand by his side and assist him.
-Taehoon however, lost absolutely everybody. Ji In was killed while protecting him. Jihak was also killed trying to reach him and Hyun Seok, a strong member of Hasung he had just managed to convinced to side with him is also dead.
Due to siding with Kim Shin to take down Castle, the organization is out for his blood, his comrades had fallen while being on his side and he now has nobody to protect him. And in order for the destruction of Castle to come about, he had to give up his position as Hasung chairman and is currently running to take down a dirty politician with death constantly hovering over him. He went from an somebody who has everything to a fugitive running away from people who wants his his head
Sure, by the end of the story, he might live and take back what was rightfully his, he might manage to rebuild what his mother had left behind and his beloved would continue to live on in his heart. But the guilt and loneliness will hold on to him forever. It's deserving but at the same time it's not
