hey team, somewhat mortifying on my end for being so late to the party. carmen (s/h) here with jang hosu, filling in for the roommate skeleton. more info under the cut, give this a like and i'll reach out to plot ♡
background
jang hosu, 28, aquarius + metal dog
incheon born, raised in the kind of neighbourhood where families settle with the assumption they'll never have to leave. hosu grew up [nick young vc] comfortable, secure enough that money never felt urgent until it slowly did
did everything "right" on paper. studied engineering, entered the corporate tech world of the 90s after twenty rounds of interviews, believed stability was something you earned if you kept your head down
which is where he met haneul! same company, similar roles. the kind of coworker you make watercooler chats with while staying late, complaining about overtime and burnt coffee, both pretending the long hours were temporary
moved in together while they were still coworkers. practical decision. cheaper rent, shorter commute. nothing symbolic about it — at least that's what hosu told himself.
father ran a business that did well for a while. won't dwell too much on the realism here but enter god's year of 1997 and terrible investment decisions, bad timing, and a slow, drawn-out decline that taught hosu how to live smaller without complaining
then came the layoffs. hosu lasted longer than some, which almost made it worse. when his turn came, he told himself it was temporary. decides to stay in seoul because leaving would make it feel real. told himself opportunity lived in the big city, not at home
living with haneul helped preserve the image. to his family, friends, and most importantly to himself, that things were still moving forward. lied about it longer than he should have. said work was busy, projects were pending. eventually ran out of ways to phrase it
after haneul's death, there wasn't time to stop. interviews were already scheduled, rent was still due. the world had moved on, and hosu followed because he didn't know how not to. took what he could get — short-term contracts, freelance work, roles he was painfully overqualified for but couldn't afford to be picky about
downplays what haneul means to him. claims distance when there wasn’t much, because admitting how jealous he’d become near the end feels worse than the loss itself
moving back home came soon after. tells himself it's temporary. still is, technically
at seolhwa because routine is easier than asking what comes next. and maybe, because part of him regrets how easily he learned to keep going.
personality
outwardly steady. the kind of person who looks like he has things handled because he's very good at following instructions and not asking for more than what's given
not especially expressive, but observant. notices small habits, remembers details people don't realise they've shared. doesn't always know what to do with that information, so it just sits with him
keeps himself busy in social ways that don't ask too much of him. drinking games, group outings, physical activity. if there's a plan, he'll show up. if he's the one planning, don't ask. (intentions count for more than outcomes)
has a complicated relationship with pride. hates feeling like he's fallen behind, hates even more that he notices it at all. will take the long way around asking for help if it means he can say he managed on his own
he's less interested in external validation than he used to be, but not immune to it. still wants to believe that if he shows up on time and does things properly, things will eventually stabilise
practical to a fault. tends to move forward before he's processed anything. if something needs to be done, he'll do it first and think about how he feels later
no solid plot ideas for now because i much prefer brainstorming, and due to the smaller nature of this group i'd love to figure something out that suits us! let's get to writing wahoo
