ꕥ — it is kiro once again, back with another muse! this time i'm happy to introduce hyunjae, a very easygoing (almost irreverently so), poker playing train mechanic from a fairly local area! like the first time, i do have a profile for him as well as a few plot ideas, but i've yet to write a full bio as i've had so much else on my plate~ but i will provide some key information about him below the cut in bullet points! i forgot to say this the first time, but if you'd like to plot with any of my muses, please just leave a like on their intro and i will come and say hello! from there we can plot through ims or exchange dcs, whichever works for you!
is a lifelong resident of seoul and is perfectly content with that. he really likes the idea of a simple life in a simple city and really doesn't have many ambitions outside of that.
while he does have a massive passion for trains, he mostly fell into working on them for seoul metro because his dad had and still has a lengthy tenure there.
his parents wanted more for him; to pursue something outside of the bubble he'd always resided in. in his mind, he always wondered: why did he need more? he made good money. had an apartment with plenty of room for himself (most of the time).
he was happy, even despite the constant push and pull from the people around him to aspire for more. everyone was so sure he'd end up unfulfilled when really, they were the ones who'd burned themselves out chasing a break that was never coming.
despite his claims of happiness, hyunjae can very much be a glutton for punishment. his arm full of colorful artwork is enough of a sign of that. there's something about putting his hand to the fire again and again knowing he will only get burned once more that satiates something in him.
personality-wise: he's a kind soul, very warm and open with people but also quite honest though he tries to be nice about it. he's laidback to a fault; never believes the sky is falling or the wolves are coming, though he might humor you if you think that. a comforting but offbeat presence that tends to fill a room and draw eyes, even though he pretends not to notice.
important things to note: he holds a poker night in his apt every sunday and all are welcome (might even utilize lipoker for it if ppl want to play as their muses 4 real sjdjfhg), he is in a very messssssy toxic fling with min nabi that he is lowkey probably addicted to + 3rd and most importantly: he's good w/ his hands :| |: :| :oooo
a dust mop was rarely ever at the end of hyunjae's tattooed arm prior to his weekly poker games, but this week was strikingly different than normal. aside from the usuals who always showed up, his ex was going to be in attendance as well, causing the not-so-typical dust mop to be accompanied by a not-so-typical unease in his stomach. his almost fiancé. no... he couldn't call her that when she'd turned him down. they weren't almost anything. they were never.
hyunjae was fairly unfazed by most things, normally preferring to maintain a calm disposition and a cool head. his honesty came with a pretty big caveat when it came to turbulent emotions; these he didn't wear on his sleeve so readily. he tended to shut down and pretend like everything was fine, just like he was doing tonight.
when he'd causally extended the invitation to sooji, he hadn't really expected her to agree to come by. the unforeseen acceptance had his head spinning, surfacing a lot of things he thought he'd stowed away for good.
he huffed, cleaning around people who'd already started to trickle in. on sundays, he simply propped his door open with a barbell and whoever was interested in playing some poker could file in and grab a seat, waiting to be dealt in. his coffee brown eyes kept averting towards the doorway, making sure he wasn't putting on such an embarrassing display in front of sooji. when one of his friends scolded him to stop cleaning and stop the game, he sent them a glare, teeth fidgeting with his lip piercing. "no, not everyone's here yet," he stated, putting a hand up to quell the further argument that things didn't usually work this way.
another guest inquires what had him so worked up as he nervously put snacks and beers on the table. "it's nothing, i'm fine!" his voice thundered more than he wanted it to, and it was at the worst possible moment if he wanted to appear cool, calm and collected in front of sooji.
i. poker table. / ii. weight rack. / iii. sitting room. / iv. small desk space. / v. son hyunjae. / vi. kitchenette. / vii. bed with earth tone color scheme. / viii. record player. / ix. model trains.
𝜗𝜚. 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐘𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐍𝐉𝐀𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍, only faltering with the reminder that he was older than her. then, the hardened mask of irritation cracked a little more when he leaned down, eliminating the space between them and ( in the process ) some of her confidence. she suddenly felt hyperaware of all the ways he loomed over her— both in age and stature.
she watched as he extinguished the cigarette, and the last bit of anger driving her audacity along with it. hyunjae had seen right through her outburst, accurately pinpointing why he was the victim to her ire. with the temptation momentarily out of sight, clarity began to set in. “n-no, it’s fine. well- it’s not fine and i’m still upset, but not . . . not necessarily with you anymore.” she sighed and turned to lean her back against the wall.
“so you tried to quit, too?” she murmured, looking him over with soft curiosity. realizing that they shared this vice made her feel much more sympathetic towards him, and a bit silly for her prior behavior. “i just don’t understand why it has to be this fuck-” she paused, and quickly chose cleaner language as not to appear like a misbehaving junior again. “i mean, i’m just frustrated because i manage to be disciplined with practically everything else except these nasty little sticks.” her face scrunched in disgust, as if putting one of those ‘nasty little sticks’ in her mouth wouldn’t make her feel infinitely better.
as the younger woman, whom he'd now come to know as chiyo, stood down from her bristled position and joined hyunjae against the wall, his feet slid out a bit. it was yet another attempt to make her feel bigger than she was, a habit he often exhibited around people shorter than him which was damn near everyone. maybe it was because he'd had a history of having his size used as an intimidation tactic by others, but he was dead-set on minding his manners. when that all too burning question hit his ears, the tobacco taste seemed to drench his tongue all over again. "yeah, i tried...failed miserably. got real honest, just like you," he answered through pursed lips.
honest was an understatement. he'd nearly made an enemy of everyone in his path on his journey to doing away with cigarettes. it was part of the reason he'd given in; he didn't like the person he was when he was trying to quit. chiyo seemed a lot more reasonable in her fit of withdrawal fueled rage, and for that, he was actually rather thankful. he chuckled heartily when she attempted to censor the word fuck after it had already slipped out, amused eyes settling on the top of her head.
"you're right, they are nasty little fucking sticks," he agreed, not bothering to get into his diatribe of how little he cared about age or gender related honorifics or how his earlier comment about elders was facetious. she'd likely pick up on that the longer they talked, after all. "how long has it been for you?" he asked, his face angling upward towards the steel building extensions he often spent hours of the night hanging out on.
𝜗𝜚. 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝒀𝑷𝑰𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑳𝒀 𝑫𝑶𝑪𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑩𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑨 𝑾𝑨𝑺 𝑫𝑶𝑾𝑵𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑰𝑹𝑺 𝑰𝑵 𝑨 𝑭𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑯 to confront what disrupted the elaborate routine that sat between her delicate willpower and caving to desire. her eyes narrowed as she took in the man standing in front of her, recognizing him as one of her many neighbors. with half of her hair wound tightly in curlers and the rest damp with styling gel, chiyo must have looked like a walking red flag.
she had been in the middle of her nighttime routine — a meticulous two hour ritual of expensive, rose-scented creams and lathers. it was something she had adopted to not reach for the pack of cigarettes that used to conclude her nights. keeping her hands busy in this way had given her two whole cigarette-free months. except, this routine didn’t quite work when temptation was wafting up through her window.
she folded her arms over her chest, dimpling her silk pajama top that clashed with the oversized rain boots she had slipped on in a hurry. “do you have any idea how rude it is to just smoke out in the open like this?” she asked pointedly, although it was clearly not a genuine question, nor did she give him enough time to respond. “you can’t just- you have to-” she huffed and pointed to the cigarette wedged between his lips. “put that out!” if she wasn't blinded by her own frustrations, she would’ve been mortified by her lack of manners.
the speed with which hyunjae transitioned from cool and collected to absolutely terrified was one for the record books, as a flurry of stomping boots and floral scents overwhelmed two of his senses before he properly knew what was going on. his back was fully pressed against the building now, mostly out of apprehension, and had the cool and dewy soak to prove it. he was unaware of whence the girl came, and exactly how she'd known what he was doing.
as dark eyes gave another thorough glance around the alley, he noticed an open window one level up near the fire escape. "oh," he grunted simply, his lip ring jostling as he plucked the cigarette from his mouth, rubbing the burnt end against the asphalt so he could preserve it to enjoy later. "jeez, sorry," he huffed, his tone sounding annoyed though the calm smile he wore gave away that it was simply an act. "do you always attack your elders this way?" he asked, a playfully affronted hand flattened dramatically against his chest.
he knew her now to be one of his fellow tenants within gyeogang street lofts; he felt like he'd heard her called 'chiyo' in passing conversation. "you're chiyo right?" he asked, bending at the waist a bit so that he was more on her level. he assessed her mannerisms, the untamed look in her eyes. it only took him a moment to make an educated guess about her reaction. "i'm guessing you're experiencing nicotine withdrawal, am i right? yeah, i've been there. you can see how that turned out. i hope you do better than i did," he sighed, tucking his lighter back into his pocket. "my apologies for putting the temptation out there. if there's eggs thrown at my door in the morning, i understand," he concluded, behind a cat-like grin.
it was a sure sign of nicotine addiction when, even after a long day of work in a busy railyard, hyunjae still had to stop off for a cigarette before he went inside to unwind. they were pretty strict about smoking inside the apartments themselves, and while he'd normally just head out onto the fire escape, he didn't really feel like waiting that long to drag a breath of smoke into his lungs. his coat was draped haphazardly over the arm that wasn't covered in tattoos, and his large thermos of water dangled from his free thumb, creating a gentle scrape when he sat it down to paw for his cigarette pack.
peering down the alleyway, hyunjae certainly didn't see anyone at eye level that might protest to his actions. placing the white tip in his mouth and lighting up the other end, he inhaled strongly as his slightly sore back rested against the coffee shop. he was so close to home, but the nighttime winter air felt so good to his pores that had been sweating inside a jumpsuit all day that he simply wanted to cherish the feeling while he could. he took several more indulgent drags from his cigarette, releasing cloud after cloud that wafted up into the air; out of sight, out of mind.
