๊ค โฆ hello friends ! i'm skye (they/any, GMT+1) , yes i did it, i brought another one. i'd love to present lee jisung, the jester, and i think that's putting it lightly, truly. 3rd year undergrad, comp science major, nuri hall resident, bowling vice president and anime club never-miss-a-dayer. if everyone in the room isn't looking at him with hearts in their eyes or laughing he'll burn to a crisp like a vampire in the sunlight. he's a playful boy on the surface who has a dark past and a few complexes you're gonna wanna be in the know about.
PROFILE . WANTED CONNECTIONS . ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS .
lee jisung, friend-shaped class clown extraordinaire. programming major, gaming minor. he'll mop the floor with you in bowling and always up to date on the latest anime circuits. he is the jester label which means he's canonically the funniest man to exist (joking, kidding, he doesn't think he's funny he thinks he's evil and he's overcompensating but don't tell him i told you that).
basically, on the surface, jisung is always trying VERY hard to seem loveable and funny and cool. he'll never make jokes at others expense, usually he makes himself the butt of the jokes if anything, that or he's quoting some nastee silly memes all up and down the group chat.
all of that said, he's quite closed off, somewhat sorta friend to everyone but close to very few, because he hides a lot about himself. he made a mistake in his past (CW bullying/hazing, not in his present but in his history), and that past got his friend hurt, got him expelled, and long story short, short circuited his life and personality. he's since reformed himself, and worries a lot about how he comes across, carries a lot of guilt, and thinks he's A Bad Person.
insecure? messy? sad? but white knuckling it in the bathroom, wiping the sweat from his brow and banishing his demons in order to post another funny and obscure social media post.
he has a sister who attends the same university, and it's probably the only thing he doesn't joke about. he is quite protective so be warned. he's very silly goofy guy until someone makes a sideways comment about his family and then he'll fight.
he's really just a sad sunshine tbh. love him, he'll soak up your love like it's photosynthesis, because he believes the worst of himself and really yearns for love and acceptance to patch the holes his guilt knocks out of him daily.
๊ค โฆ there's wanted connections for him on his page and i LOVE to plot and hc so hmu if you just want to rawdog something. my dms are alllllways open and i love to yap. i write for @goodbyejoon + @onlygaram as well, so feel free to look for him if you'd like too!
the greatest
past - september 2024
starter for lee jisung ( @typicaljisung )
it only took three days.
soojin was never the patient kind and her last conversation with jisung left a bitter taste in her mouth. something yucky that she'd tried and spat out so quickly. that's what that day had been and although she agreed to whatever it was that she agreed to, she isn't noble enough to keep her word. she is done looking at her phone and all the times he's left her on read. she's already on campus anyways so might as well do something about it.
she packs up her stuff from where she was sitting on the grass. she is supposed to be designing a set for her next project but her mind and heart are only plagued by the way jisung looked as he said needed space. she looked at him face to face and it was as if his eyes shifted with disconnect from the words he was spouting, a scene she couldn't get out of her head. with a sigh, she hauls her bag and moves towards nuri hall, sending a text to jisung in the process. doesn't matter if she announces her presence or not anyways, she'll pound at his door if she has to.
clearly, she didn't think this through. all her logic flies out the window once she's decided on something anyways. though she doesn't live in the dorm, she enters the building with ease and navigates the hall like she knew it from the back of her hand, might as well be, from the all the times she spent coming here anyways.
she finds jisung's room quickly, and stood by the door for a minute of two. she decides that she's going to knock her hardest just to see if he'll come to the door sooner. soojin raises her hand, throwing her whole body and energy towards the door when it suddenly swings open.
he was overwhelmed, often is really but it's worse when it comes to this. love, matters of the heart and all the ways he can royally fuck it up. if only they knew, if only they knew him. if only she knew him, soojin... he thinks she's as close to perfect as he can think of someone being, and a girl like that has no business being with him.
so was he ruining it? maybe. was he distancing himself? maybe... was he pulling on his jeans and a flannel to go to the store (looking tired with dark circles, chip polish because he hung out with seoyun recently) and ignoring her text messages buzzing on his dresser? yes. he saw her name in the notification. besides, he's overdue to message her, really. soojin shouldn't be used to it from him but he wonders if it's coming to that point...
he picks up his keys, smooths his hair, sighs and heads out. it's... well it's not every day he tries to open the door and someone plummets through so the sound of surprise that comes from his throat is expected (he's a bit surprised that he manages to hold his arms out and catch themโ her, before she makes it more than a few steps. right into his arms as he reaches out to catch her. it's not even her body, her hair, it's the way the smell of her wafts in. he'd know it anywhere, buried his nose in it too many fucking times...
"soojin?" he croaks, voice tired because he hadn't used it all weekend and when he did it was to yell at league games. "what are you doing here?" the weight of his phone is suddenly burning a hole through his pocket (he has an instant suspicion he should have checked those messages). against perhaps his better judgement or sense of survival, he pulls her in and closes his front door behind her. turns to inspect her as if it was a terrible fall and not a gentle stumble right into his waiting arms. "sorry... was just, going out." stilted as they were his words are quite an not a lie (even if they are lead, rasped, sad in a tiny way he doesn't want to show), and he gives her a little smile that doesn't quite tame the rest of him.
you can rest here
cast and plot: lee jisung ( @typicaljisung ) and heo yujin having a moment after that happened.
yujinโs used to seeing people fightโhe grew up listening to his parents scold him and his brother, even worse heard both of them argue when he would wake up in the middle of the night for a glass of water or to sneak off to the bathroom.
heโs also used to the uncomfortable silence that comes after those moments, when the adrenaline dies down and his father tells everyone to โlet it goโ in that stern, firm voice that wasnโt quite a yell, but wasnโt gentle in the slightest in how heโd raise his volume ever so slightly.
heโs used to it.
but that doesnโt make experiencing it any more comforting.
when micah got up from their seat with a quick mumble to him, he turned around in his seat to take a peek at what was going on. and then he almost immediately wish he didnโt, because it was hard to tear himself away from watching some of the people closest to him fight.
then there was the blunt thud of punches being thrown. he squeezed his eyes shut, pressed himself into his seat with his bag squishing against him, and tried to ignore itโall of it.
he doesnโt know when it happens, he doesnโt even realize exactly how long itโs been since he started blocking it out, but he feels the seat cushion underneath him sink down and it makes his eyes open again immediately to look at whoโs next to him.
jisung.
he looksโฆ honestly, he looks pissed. yujin doesnโt know what to sayโwhether saying something will make it worse or help him, and hell, even if he did know what to say, does he himself even want to speak right now?
(the answer, evident in the way he was still gripping his bag to stop himself from shaking from fear, was obviously no. if he tried to even talk, yujinโs pretty sure it would come out as just a spiral of stuttering incoherently.)
so he decides to stay quietโlet the uncomfortable silence speak for itself.
but with a slightly still trembling hand, he remembers how he was watching an episode of an animeโwell, half-watching, half-teasing micah about the very guy sitting next to him nowโand sits his phone closer to rest on both of their thighs.
he looks back over at him again, a hesitant look in his eye, worried if he was bothering him. but regardless, he holds out his own earbud to him to take, if he wanted.
it's all falling apart. he's not supposed to fall back into patterns, he's not supposed to be this person anymore and he's not supposed to trust people who make him fucking boil over like a complete asshole.
he thought he was past this. he had worked hard, taken years, to make himself a person people wanted to be around. somehow, something like this might be what undoes itโ at least, in jisung's mind.
he almost didn't know where to go, who to find. he barely saw people as he walked the isle, stomped away from the devestating scene behind him. but then... yujin. jisung's dark, hazy yet too sharp eyes caught on yujin and he stopped, scanned a few times looking for something, anything (judgement, hate, fear, acceptance). he spots nothing quite, nothing, blissful nothing really. at least, nothing he fears. and so he collapses into the seat, gazing at yujin with a hard little gaze, out of focus, intense like a too-heavy fog.
yujin's offer is wordless and yet it speaks quite loudly for jisung. his thoughts are like a livewire, lips twisted down, brows locked to a frown. but he reaches out and plucks the earbud with trembling fingers (and angry red knuckles), hooks it in and lets out a wheezing sort of sigh. gulps down an emotion that wants to crawl up but he has no space for it left in him. no time for it.
jisung moves his thigh closer to yujin's, aligns their warmth, and the connection feels odd after what he'd just experienced. odd... necessary. he inhales and this one is deeper, warmer. he pushes his shoulder into yujin, too, reaching out and laying his palm over his friends thigh in a soft squeeze of appreciation before crossing his aching fingers in his lap again.
We know it sounds repetitive at this point, but when we first opened we never imagined the community would grow into what it is today. Thank you for your continued support, creativity, and dedication to making this space thrive. Weโre so grateful to everyone who has been with us since the very beginning, and to all the new faces who have joined along the way.
For the three month anniversary, weโre introducing the Scrapbook Meme. Think of it as a keepsake for your muse: fragments, doodles, and little memories gathered from their time at Yeonhwa so far. By reblogging this post, youโre opening the door for others to send you emojis from the prompt list, and you can answer however youโd like: through writing, headcanons, edits, moodboards, whichever way youโd like. Itโs open-ended and meant to be as creative as you want!
This meme will run from September 20th to October 4th, which will give you about 3 weeks to reblog. If you choose to participate, please ensure that you send a question to everyone who has reblogged the post as well, whether this be on your characterโs account or on anon.ย Once again, thank you so much for the amazing three months and we hope you have fun with this meme!
๐ธ โ A candid photo or photos.
๐งธ โ A doodle or margin note theyโd make.
๐ โ A favorite food memory worth recording.
๐ โ A letter to your โday oneโ self.
๐๏ธ โ A receipt, object, or little thing youโd keep as a memento.
๐ โ A late-night moment youโd scribble down.
๐ โ A secret written and then crossed out.
๐ท โ A snapshot of your favorite campus spot.
๐ โ A wish written for the next three months.
โ โ A drink order that defines you right now.
๐ก โ A random idea or half-thought scribbled down.
โจ โ A memory that feels like a movie scene.
๐ โ A superstition, ritual, or lucky charm.
๐ค โ A dream or daydream youโd jot down.
๐ฎ โ A prediction for whatโs next.
๐๏ธ โ A page that feels blank. Describe why.
โ๏ธ โ Something that made you feel far from home.
๐ โ Something that made you feel at home.
๐ฅ โ A celebration.
๐ โ Something youโd want to hide between the pages.
๐งท โ A messy scrap, something torn or crumpled.
๐ญ โ A small indulgence or guilty pleasure.
๐ โ A map, doodle, or set of directions to somewhere important.
๐ฎ โ A letter youโd never send.
๐ โ A gift from someone.
๐ญ โ A freeform slot. Sender can come up with their own prompt!
itโs been surprisingly easy to fall into a routine with jisung after their walk together a few weeks ago. itโs almost as if, once micah had agreed once, assuring jisung that he wouldnโt mind spending more time together, the flood gates had opened. late nights had become something they shared together, at least a few times a week (and maybe it had affected micahโs sleeping schedule just a little bit, but truly โ he doesnโt mind. spending time with jisung is well worth it).ย
so when jisung asked him the night before if heโd like to grab dinner today, micah had readily agreed, without giving it much more thought. heโs excited, of course โ thereโs something comforting about the time spent with the younger. sometimes, itโs almost as if time stands still for a moment when they laugh at the same joke.ย
once he approaches the restaurant theyโve agreed to meet at though (certainly an upgrade from the convenience store meals theyโve been grabbing together), and he spots jisung waiting for him outside, micahโs breath nearly catches in his throat, and he canโt help but wonder if he should have thought more about this before showing up. becauseโฆ why does jisung look like heโs made an effort? like heโsโฆ dressed up for this.ย
micah pauses a distance away, mind racing as he studies his friend. he looksโฆ good. not thatโฆ well, not that he usually looks bad, butโฆ micahโs throat suddenly feels dry. thereโs something about the shirt jisung is wearing, the way the fabric clings a little too well at his shoulders, like it was chosen on purpose. the open collar draws micahโs gaze to the sharp line of his throat before he can help himself. he swallows, then quickly averts his gaze.
is thisโฆ a date? micah glances down at his own apparel โ jeans, a t-shirt and a cardigan โ and suddenly feels ill at ease. heat crawls up the back of his neck. should he have dressed up more? was jisung expecting him to?ย
he realizes heโs been standing in one spot for a little too long, just staring, and so he forces his legs to move, clearing his throat to announce his arrival. one hand tugs at the edge of his cardigan, as if that will somehow smarten it up, the other lifting in a small, slightly awkward wave. when he finally stops in front of jisung, he gives the younger a somewhat sheepish smile.
โhey,โ he starts, suddenly feeling nervous, something heโs never felt around jisung before. โuhโฆ i didnโt keep you waiting, did i?โ
jisung agonized over colognes. he has nice ones that were bought for him, he has some cheap shit, axe body spray and 'man' scented deodorants. he doesn't know what to do because what if he smells like some kind of try hard? (he goes with the expensive ones, even though maybe those make him smell like a jerk, he isn't sure). and he agonizes over whether to dress as he usually does or wear something better, nicer. because what if he seems like he doesn't want to be there, showing up in worn out sneakers and jeans and his minecraft t-shirt with the hoodie? like... it's not like he hasn't seen micah many times and the other way around but, never really like this. not alone.
now the brown leather jacket, he has to wear that. he has to. because miyeon got it for him and it's so nice and he never has a nice occasion to wear it. so of course, he wears it. the baby-pink button up as a result of the pink dyeing incident courtesy of sera... that's another matter. he almost doesn't wear it, but what else can he wear with a fucking leather jacket. he has nothing nice. he has nothing to wear. oh he's spiraling, he recognized his own thoughts and brought himself back together in time to make his way to micah.
he's right on time, looking nothing like what he ever looks like and that makes him feel silly and nervous, but his grin is fixed in place and natural (he's used to smiling, even when uncomfortable; especially then).
he waves when he spots micah. his expression lifted, easy, "what? oh. no don't worry about it. maybe i was early." he chuckles, rubs the back of his neck and ushers micah off towards the bbq restaurant with a hovering hand at the man's back. (he fucking agonizes over where to put his palm in a way that can't be normal; decides middle of the back because too low is weird and too high is like... well that's worse somehow).
"i'm completely starving." he admits as they hit the door and make their way in, (it must be a relatively popular place because it's packed when they enter), "i didn't eat since breakfast so i can eat as much as possible." he shouldn't say things like that, that is the kind of thing he should keep to himself, really. "thanks for coming to hang out." he tacks on, now that they're finding their way into being seated and he's feeling weirdly extra nervous.
oh. the long dark.
cw bullying things, drowning symbolism, blood mentions, guilt things, emetophobia warning. overall just dark? whoops.
mentions of: miyeon.
jisung remembers a story about the thing that lives in the well. it lies in wait in the dark for someone to draw up the bucket to retrieve the water. countlessly, people go to it and one by one, they're pulled in.
mulgwisin. and then their existence is one in the same; they are the thing in the well, and they call others to them. that's really all he is. that's all his longing is.
a monster at the very bottom of the dark.
๊ค
when he's young there's no name for what it is yet. but it puppets him, really.
there is something like a knife in the sound of laughter. it cuts so deep when he's 12 years old and all that matters is that people like him. he stands with his friends in the hall; he sticks his ankle out to tip a boy because it'd be funny they said. their laughs are intoxicating, really.
is it funny? not really. he doesn't think so even then. the grin that stretches thin is different. it's a hungry thing. it's calling from the bottom of the dark.
๊ค
the strangest of the longings comes when he wants to follow someone else into the dark, for once. he pushed her into those shadows, no doubt about thatโ and then he wanted to run in after, and get her out.
he hadn't really thought of the dangers when he asked her to go in past caution tapes, while he laughed with his friends (laughter is the sound the monster in the dark speaks through)โ he watched her go and chewed on his fingernails (they bled and the blood ran between his teeth and danced on his tongue), and he wondered if his friends would still find him funny if he went to find her. told her that in spite of what he'd said ("come on! what are you, afraid? that's kinda pathetic though.... thought you weren't afraid of anything."), it wasn't quite so simple. he knows this.
he's afraid of everything.
but he doesn't go and get her. not until it's been 40 minutes, and his friends are shaking their heads and sneering a bit and saying they want to go home.
jisung makes that trip alone. finds her there. the laugh that bubbles up in his throat that time is nervous, terror really. all that blood.
there's no amount of explanation in the world to paint a clear enough picture for how badly he longs to go back through time. to go back into that long dark.
to stop that blood from slipping.
๊ค
he longs for so many little things after that, and it's selfish to do so. how can he want to be a kid again? he's lost that right, his father says.
no door, he doesn't deserve privacy in his bedroom because his father doesn't trust the things he might do.
no concerts with miyeon, no malls with her, no friend outings with miyeon.
school assignments must be done, chores must be done. the room must be clean like the mind. therapy sessions must be attended even when he feels sick. he has to be sick into a plastic bag on the way to one when he's 17 because while he's ill, this is more important.
no hobbies. responsibilities can replace those.
his father fixes the holes in him. the long dark of his longing is so encompassing at some point that the voices in him go entirely silent. nothing left. he longs so desperately that it loops around to nothing.
we call that the void.
jisung lives in a perpetual state of falling in and out of it. toeing the line like limbo, with so much longing that it cancels itself out.
๊ค
it's true that jisung has learned to run from his longing. it only brings him pain. and truthfully, none of it can be good, right? his father taught him his instincts are poor. his judgement of character is poor. his decision making is poor. his heart is poor, his head.
somewhere a girl sits rather than stands and he longs for her never to have to think of him again.
that's the only one he can claim with confidence.
๊ค
he longs for connection. to be loved and feel whole, to feel right. mostly he longs to feel good. maybe that's why he's retooled himself. repurposed the long dark into a crowbar to pry into the surface; laughter, simple pleasures, quick fixes, "oh hi jisung, was wondering when i'd see you again!" and then in 10 minutes, he would disappear again.
lucas throws her under the bus like it's nothing and she feels her cheeks burn with embarrassment. she canโt exactly tell why itโs escalating like this. well, she can, lucas seems very set on his words or swapping her wrist bandages out, even though she insisted it was fine, she was fine, everything should have been fine.
jisung doesnโt sound like himself either and she doesnโt think practically begging micah with her eyes to join this was a good idea now. and then her brother is stood fully up and miyeon can no longer see lucas and can barely catch the top of micahโs hair over jisungโs shoulder, but heโs moving further into the ilse and she speaks up.
โi fell over when we played volleyball,โ she starts, a bit rushed, sparing details , not the full truth nor a full lie and her gut twists a bit because she never lies to jisung โlucas just wants to see if iโm fine-โ her head pokes over her brotherโs shoulder, a very pleading look aimed at lucas in the hopes he will get the memo.
โwhich i am by the way!โ her voice is pointed as she reaches to grab jisungโs wrist, tugging him back towards her, in yet another sad attempt to get him back in between the seats, further away from lucas, micah and the aisle.
this, whatever this is (honestly, micah still doesn't fully understand what's going on), seems worse than he had initially expected. his hand on lucas' shoulder is quickly shrugged off, echoing words spat out from both of them โ micah isn't sure if they're mostly directed at him, or each other.
for a moment, he just stands there, watching โ though he doesn't like the direction this is going. jisung is standing up now, and micah takes notice of how his hands are clenched into fistsโ this is looking more and more like a situation where words won't be enough to stop it.
then, miyeon speaks up, finally: an explanation. "okay, why don't we all just take a step back," micah interjects again, figuring it's worth another shot to solve all of this with words. it seems almost like a... misunderstanding? though, admittedly, he's still not completely sure, even after miyeon's words.
despite being shrugged off once, micah returns his hand to lucas' shoulder. somehow, it feels safer at the moment than jisung's โ who he still can't quite look at without his chest feeling heavy. "if miyeon says she's okay, then we should all trust her on that." his gaze flicks to miyeon, searching โ trying to gauge if she actually is okay, or was just saying that to get them to back off. "so now you know, lucas." another squeeze of his shoulder. "so maybe we can all find a seat now, then? so the bus can start moving." @grimbound
lucas this, lucas that, lucas don't do this here, lucas go find a seat so the bus can finally moveโjesus fucking christ. he doesn't just shrug micah's hand off this time; he knocks it off with such hostility that he clocks micah in the jaw. "so now i know?" lucas echoes, turning around to face the one innocent party of all of this. "the fuck is that supposed to mean? why are you always taking other people's side?" maybe if he were a little more self-reflective, he'd have the answer to this. but now's not the time for self-reflection.
"and youโ" lucas turns back to face jisung. there's glint in his eye, pupils blown wide and not from delight. "why can't you back off for once, yeah? you're always in miyeon's way. got people afraid to get close to her 'cause they don't want to deal with you." a little projection with a side of white lies doesn't hurt anyone ... right?
out of the corner of his eye, lucas catches a glimpse of miyeon giving him a pleading look. he almost falters. almost. if not for the adrenaline that's got him strung up tight like a rope that's about to snap. he scoffs. prods his cheek with his tongue 'cause now he's pissed off. "you wanna go?" lucas gives @typicaljisung a small shove. "c'mon, ji." another shove. "let's go."
โwhich i am by the way!โ โ she reaches for him but then ... bullet-time, in that way where everything goes so fast it slows down, and jisung grinds to a bit of a halt with it. his glance follows the collision with micah's jaw and his pupils dilate (he suddenly remembers what it means to forget to be kind; kindness, an action, not a state and not a trait..). (he yanks his wrist right out of miyeon's soft, desperate grip). his sights turn back to lucas and he can't even form a sentence at whatever exchanges come after that for a brief second (nothing is ok with that, and no matter what micah says, it won't be).
it turns back to him, that wild eyed look lucas has, and jisung's head tilts to the side at the call out. his jaw is locked so it buys lucas enough time, (time is still choking around him, along with the memories of who he used to be, unfortunate ghosts summoned by whatever the fuck this shit is). when he opens his mouth it's just a croaking laugh... like a tree cracked by lightning, split in 2. (lucas can't say things that jisung thinks, not here and now, in front of micah and his sister; that's not fair, how can he keep his stupid charade now?)
jisung thinks about his sister for a second, spurred by lucas's words. she had seen him at some very, very low lows in his life, and he had been doing well. higher than in a long time... sorry to disappoint. lucas shoves him, jisung exhales pure adrenaline (will miyeon hate him for a while?), let's goโ the sentence is choked off by jisung's fist, the rubber band of time snapping back to present alone with his knuckles right into lucas's jaw. (the first hit is so hard he immediately feels it recoil all the way up into his chest), immediately pushing lucas back hard enough for gravity to offer a hand and as his friend (friend, isn't that funny..), tilts from the motion his fist whips again ruthlessly right into lucas's browline. his jaw cracks under his anger, and unfortunately, he can already feel the shift in the others, anticipates the end.
this MT is proving to be quite busy for micah han. inviting all of the yeonhwa student body to a campground might have seemed like a good idea on paper, but in reality, it has turned out to be quite chaotic. micah has barely gotten the chance to properly relax since he got here, always needed for help somewhere โ whether it be for a band-aid, cooking duty, saving someone from a spider (that one in particular had left his ears ringing for a few minutes after), or finding someone lost along the hiking trails. itโs been keeping him busy, but heโs happy to do it.ย
itโs been keeping him from spending much time with friends, too. aside from chatting with miyeon on the way here, and his earlier hike with akari, he hasnโt really had time to spend with anyone else โ save for short run-ins, where heโd ended up being more help than friend. again, he doesnโt mind it, but honestly? heโs glad for the relief the bonfire is providing, finally providing him an opportunity to relax.ย
(though heโs sure that wonโt last, not with the way alcohol is getting involved.)
there is one friend in particular heโs been hoping to catch. several times this weekend, micah has found his gaze wandering across the campgrounds, trying to catch a glimpse of a certain tall, dark-haired man, with no luck.ย
heโs about to start searching around the bonfire too, his conversation partner having just left him on his own, when heโs interrupted by a warm touch on his shoulder. something about that warmth feels almost familiar. turning around, his eyes widen as they fall onโฆ jisung. he canโt help the grin that spreads โ it is exactly who he had wanted to see, after all. โhi,โ he breathes out, studying the younger. the first thing he notices is the hair โ no wonder searching for a dark head of hair hadnโt yielded any results. โyou changed your hair,โ he points out, somewhat stuck just staring for a moment, as his friendโs hand drags through it. โi like it.โ a nod. โit suits you.โ perhaps itโs just the gleam from the bonfire, the way it seems to catch on jisungโs glasses, but jisung seems to be positively glowing tonight. the sight alone makes micahโs throat feel dry.
โof course,โ he nods, smile still wide on his face. thereโs a chuckle at jisungโs expression. micah always finds himself laughing โ or smiling, at the very least โ at nearly everything the other says or does. they fall into step next to each other, a comfortable rhythm by now, nurtured by many nights of late night walks. though something โ maybe the change of scenery? โ makes this seem somewhat different.ย
โwe can see the stars out here,โ he notes once theyโve moved away from the noise of the bonfire (as suspected, the addition of alcohol had already brought out some peopleโs wild side. but micah canโt really bring himself to care anymore). head tilts up, an expression of awe as he takes in the sight. spending his entire life living in major cities, micah isnโt used to seeing a sky as clear as this.
โbeautiful, donโt you think?โ he asks, head turning back towards jisung.
micah. there is a miasma of feelings when micah looks at him and immediately that grin blooms. why are there always flowersโ who else celebrates his arrival quite so genuinely as that, in a way he can feel, see. jisung's smile comes instantly.
"oh, yeah." he hadn't even recalled about his hair, "did it on a whim this week." but micah likes it... oh. well that's good. he still wasn't quite sure how to feel looking in the mirror, feeling brand new, feeling so unlike himself. (if only he could always forget who he really is quite so easily). "thanks seriouslyโ good to know all my reckless decisions don't end in disaster." his heart speeds up a bit but he maintains his cool, for the most part.
they walk together, falling into step like it was breathing, all but perfectly in sync. they're not far enough for the crowd sounds to disappear, but there's a warm dullness to the noise now, in such a way that it's almost comforting. they walk quietly together and it's so easy.... is it okay for something to be easy with lee jisung? he doesn't know...
"mhm," micah looks up and jisung's gaze lingers for several seconds too longโ side profile, the brush of his hair, the wonder in the glimpse of that expression he saw. he looks up too, swallows and watches the twinkling stars. "oh." sighs the word and then draws his attention back to micah, smiles. "stars are cool. i can show you some, if you want. like... i dunno, constellations i guess." his grin is crooked (mostly under the weight of his nerves but it's probably not noticeable, right)? "stars." he repeats, softly, "because y'know. we see a lot of stars so, why not some constellations while we're at it?"
oh... well. it could be worse. he could have exploded like a roblox character and fell into the dirt or gotten mauled by a random leopard or maybe if micah realized he was a failure and a loser who people only liked because he knew how to make a clown of himself.
ok he's spiraling. he centers himself by reaching out and grabbing micah's hand. it's easy, right? just stop. focus. he squeezes softly, "do you even like the stars or am i putting you through some sort of exposure therapy?" he's joking, teasing really, trying desperately to get control of the situation as he pulls micah further along the trail to somewhere they could really be along, really see the stars unobscured by even a single canopy leaf.
miyeon would like to think that she has never been stuck between a rock and a hard place. but her current situation of watching lucas and jisung exchange words, is probably the closest she will ever get to experiencing that. it was all fine, it should be fine, right? she can hope, she really hopes, she even laughs because this is such a silly situation. it would be funny if jisung didn't decide to stand up and despite seeing only her brother's back, she knows by the tone of his voice things are not good.
"guys-" she pipes up, because she can see people turning to look at them, she catches micah's eyes, thank god it was micah otherwise she would have probably died from embarrassment right then and there. sheโs practically pleading in his direction, for some help, before her attention switches to the two idiots at hand "yeah, we're good." she speaks, on behalf of both of them to get the hint. she stands up as well, peaking over jisungs shoulder and practically begging lucas with her eyes, to drop it. she doesnโt get why lucas needs to be like this, so demanding despite all the time she has said it was fine. sure, it was nice that he cared, but this was getting out of hand.
โthe bus is gonna have to move soon, can we all sit down?โ miyeon asks, voice a bit strained as she reaches with her right hand, it's neatly bandaged, thumb support and all,, she does her best to pull jisung down, to get him to sit. there is a wince from her, a nose scrunch at how tender her wrist felt, but sheโs quick to ignore it, if anything pushing harder at her brother.
perhaps against his better judgement, micah remains loyal to yujin as his bus-seat partner on the way back to campus โ despite just having been on the receiving end of his friend's merciless teasing. he hopes that maybe he'll be able to switch yujin onto other topics, there's no reason why they need to be focused on the current state of failure in his love life (if you could even call it that).
he's barely settled into his seat when voices from a few rows behind catch his attention. the sight that greets him โ three close friends engaged in what looks dangerously close to a physical altercation โ befuddles him. lucas, he isn't surprised by, has come to expect even, but jisung? (micah does his best to ignore the pang in his chest upon laying eyes on him.) miyeon? something isn't right, made clear by the pleading expression in miyeon's eyes as his meet hers.
mumbling a quick 'be right back' to yujin, micah gets up from his seat, heading directly for the trio before the situation goes any further. he places a hand on lucas' shoulder, squeezing lightly โ fully prepared to physically holding back if needed, but hopeful that the grounding touch alone is enough so that he won't need to. "guys?" he questions, eyes darting between them. his gaze eventually lands on lucas, knowing how he gets, he figures it's best to remove him from whatever this is entirely, before it escalates. "lucas," he murmurs, voice low but steady. "you should go sit somewhere else. don't do this here." his words are stern, but there is a softness in his eyes โ making it clear his words come from a place of caring.
gaze flicks to the pair of siblings, lingering on jisung for a moment. "don't make this worse," he pleads, then averts his eyes, settling on miyeon โ the one he figures will be the most sensible out of the three. his expression softens as he looks at her. "miyeon. what's going on?"
jisung usually isn't this stubborn. then again, lucas usually isn't this much of a prick. but desperate times call for desperate measures, and seeing miyeon wince as she tries to pull jisung down is more than enough for lucas to double-down.
"dude," is how it actually starts. his tight smile, friendly, fake, or not, disappears as lucas moves in to size jisung up, his eyes narrowed into cat-like slits. "you're always with her. what's one bus ride back?" he distantly feels micah's presence long before micah's hand finds his shoulder in a warning squeeze. lucas shrugs it off without a single glimpse back. "we're just talking," he says, words heavy, jaw clenching as he hears an echo of it from across the way.
of course. they're like two peas in a pod. no one gets him more than jisung, which makes it even more frustrating that jisung isn't getting him now.
"we've already agreed on it. that i would sit with her." his eyes flick over. "right, miyeon?" there was no such agreement; lucas had only told her, while patching up her knee, that he'd change the bandages on the bus. he peers back over to @typicaljisung and relents just a little. just for micah. since micah already sounds exasperated as it is. "c'mon, man. don't be difficult."
jisung doesn't like whatever is that's happening here. he doesn't know what it is, but whatever it is, it's prompting numerous flags. confusion is present, certainly, but every second that ticks there is a certain, inexplicable foreboding. something not right, something he doesn't understand which is worse, maybe.
"since when do you care how often i'm with my sister, bro?" it isn't so bad, but miyeon insists they're good (her pitiful little tugs at his t-shirt), and now micah is here... micah. those eyes flicker to him and jisung makes momentary eye contact (a dark, nasty emotion flares up in his chest at micah seeing him in any sort of negative engagementโ resentment; he points it to lucas, lucas's fault). "i'm talking to him," emphasis sounds spat out, and lucas doesn't disappoint in the same thing and it's frustrating more than anything right now. "i'm not the one who started it." he mutters it, half whispered really, because he's teetering on the edge of something he hasn't felt in years.
jisung watches lucas glance at his sister and it sways him just as much as his sister's pleading (an opposite effect). "don't do that." he replies, "i'm not being difficult; it's my sister, and you're talking to me like an asshole." he pushes off the bus seat, that propped knee finally moves and his feet are on the ground, full height and really; it's a dangerous sign. "somebody tell me what's going on, right now." a rapid looks to micah again (maybe a mistake, because his expression is still hard as nails), then back to lucas, his blink is quick, his jaw is set, "starting to think it's the safe bet. and i don't fucking like that." his fingers are fists now, on instinct, he's almost standing out into the isle. closer to lucas, closer to micah... farther from the sister he knows he can't look at right now.
highway to hell w. @typicaljisung @0hw3llw0rld @steadycompass
to no one's surprise, lucas has, once again, found himself in deep shit. the damage this time? miyeon's scraped knees. and sprained wrist. among several other small wounds that are the direct result of him not calling out GOT IT! on the volleyball court. ( really, out of all the other instances where shutting the fuck up would've helped him, lucas chose to do so then. )
which brings him hereโto the seat where jisung and miyeon have already settled in. it only takes a glimpse at miyeon's wrist to twist him all up. god, he feels so bad.
"you heard me." lucas tries to be casual about it. that is, if propping up an arm over the seat in front of the pair while sporting a ( suspiciously ) tight smile can be classified as casual. "i wanna sit with miyeon. so move." there's definitely a better way to go about this, but jisung knows him so lucas isn't fussed about formalities.
( and if something happensโwell, at least micah's in the vicinity. )
he had his plans; talk to his sister, check in (he had much to talk about, and he loved to talk to her about things... normally)... jisung thought to mention micah to her, at some point. if it made sense. if it worked out that way, of course. and if there was no where to mention it? oh well!! he had flopped next to his sister and checked in, got as far as the hello what weird shit did you get up toโ
but then... his weekend was so insane, what's a little more. the look he sent up to lucas started with a grin (it's got to be some sort of joke, probably), but the woodenness of the smile (jisung knew that smile too well), the one, all of it. jisung's expression contracted into something a bit more serious, ever so slightly offended even.
"uh? no." he shrugged, shifted sideways in his seat, "actually, i don't want to." in fact it bothered him so much (that assumption, that demand), he pushed himself up, leaning one knee in the seat and propping himself to height (taller than lucas as it were). "i'm here already, in case you can't see. we good?" it comes out a bit tight too, a question in his eyes that's a lighthouse, a warning. his expression also a bit suspicious, controlled in an abnormal way.
( shaggy n scooby type shit )
; โธบ + @prodbyzinnia !
strange noises... jisung is typically not someone to venture boldly forth just for the sake of being a hero. once upon a time he was perhaps the opposite? more likely to be outside with the fog machine and scary sounds playing on his phoneโ all for the sake of making someone scared enough to embarrass themselves while some asshole friend of his recorded...
these days he's changed roles, huh? now he can be the hero, even when no one is watching.
that's why he crawls out of his bed (crawls over hwaseong), flips on his phone light, and tiptoes towards the door. he would wake up hwaseong except... he doesn't want to look silly in front of him (or coincidentally get him murdered).
he peels open the door and sticks his head out hesitantly. only spotting nothing he creeps around the corner and down a hall... jisung's muscles are tense, he's tired, he had the longest day.
he's rounding the corner stiffly, phone flasher pointed up in front of his face as he investigates (there are lamps, it is noticeably not dark but every scary nighttime investigation needs a flashlight?); and then he runs straight into someone. colliding right into a much smaller person and he lets out a quiet yelp. "what theโ" he shines his light right into the eyes of... "jiahn?" he mutters, "what the heck are you doing out here? trying to get yourself killed? there's a murderer out here or something." he grimaces.
( stars have nothing on you )
; @steadycompass โธบ + !
jisung hasn't quite figured out the balance yet. how to be what he needs in order for things to be as easy as possible with micah. friends. friendship. his eyes flicker like the big dancing flame between them to where he watched micah linger; with his barely touched alcohol in hand, with the stars overhead daring him to remember all the trivia he had learned earlier.
friends. friendship. miyeon didn't introduce the purpose that his stupid brain was frantic to think lately. he had already take two too many steps. their last walk... meeting him at the restaurant. (jisung spent too long getting ready, spent time staring at the wall wondering why he was doing this). stupidity? synonyms: crushing, hard. the recklessness that always took the helm before his avoidance kicked in.
it pushed him forwardโ his legs carried him to micah naturally. muted music, excitement and chatter, bonfire popping and whispering fire, crickets beneath the stars... it's becoming a habit.
he approaches from micah's side and places a palm on the man's shoulder to announce himself. his glasses catch the fire to his right (it hides whatever light there is that kindles on in the depth of his dark eyes when they make eye contact). "hi." unassuming beginnings and he feels silly about that. "i have to stop running into you like this," he's teasing (flirting? he's flirting and that's stupid of him), certainly when he keeps inviting micah everywhere, when he won't stop texting the man either. "glad i did though." he grins, and runs his free hand through his messy hair.
"maybe we could do the thing;" our thing? it was becoming their thing, really, "take a walk?" he wiggles his brows like it's funny, like it's a joke how he always ended up walking alone with micah beneath the stars. he motions off into the distance; anywhere would be good, maybe, as long as they were alone.
( crash landing into you (bad ending) )
; โธบ @commedezgarconz + !
jisung isn't... not athletic, necessarily. despite his habits, he does regularly enough attend the gym and when it came to sports, he wasn't exactly terrible. but neither could one call him particularly good and the reason why is the reason it always is with jisung. trying way too hard, or very much not enough.
it's a good thing he was growing more and more comfortable with imogen. after all, it's not like he hadn't been racing break neck speeds with her, texting her about high intensity activities that got his heartrate up for some time. it was the kind of bonding that brought people just a bit closer together (on the surface level, and that's the only level jisung typically prefers to operate at). if he wasn't at least this close to her, it would be awfully awkward.
the other side of the court sends the ball their way with a setup into a regular hit and it's not even moving fastโ it's not hurling it's gently plummeting over the net. but he's still panicking. he thinks imogen is moving (he vaguely knew she was next to him from the corner of his eye earlier), but what if she didn't go for it? what if she was expecting him to? what if... what if! what if he let her down after she agreed to be his partner (when he gave her puppy dog eyes and said you're the best ((and only)) volleyball partner i know!!)...
he moves a little too quickly for a 185cm tall man; and next thing he knows he's bumping hard into imogen. he can feel how heavy he collides into her because he also stumbles (and the ball sadly drops to the ground next to him). grunting softly, he looks to inspect the damage to his partner with an apologetic, cringe of a crooked frown, "oh no, sorry." he reaches out to pat at her like one does a fly away, gently patting the air more so than her shoulder. "nobody told me volleyball is a contact sport." he chuckles (awkwardly, lightly, softly).
hi! jisung's schedule for the event below. he's... still lowkey in his crash out era but he's doing slightly better. he is messy, he's awkward, he's loveable, we love to see it.
jisung's timeline + open plots & interactions !
friday -
8:30-10am: bus seat buddy. jisung has his switch with him and will be showing off games. want a tour of his animal crossing plot? sure. want to see his pokemon/shinys? sure. want to play actually he'll give it to you and look over your shoulder and giggle and have fun :). any chance for a muse to learn about games (or if they like them, to yap about their favorites).
10am: uh right off the bus jisung started recording the trip on his phone and pulled someone in to record him frolicking through the flowers..... :) he thought he saw a lil bunny so they're chasing rabbits now and he's stolen their time unless they want to accidentally steal his phone as he runs away without it.
11am-2pm: this should be lunch time... however.... jisung is late and forgot to eat bc he misplaced his backpack (while running for bunnies) and could use help searching for his bag. he'll give you a hug and a snack bar he packed?
3-5pm: he's playing volleyball (he's never played but how hard can it be), and he needs a teammate who he can accident trip with his big feet or bump into and keep almost headbutting because he keeps going for the ball when it's lowkey on their side of the shared court???
6-7pm: dinner time. feel free to yap at him or sit with him. he'll give the parts of his food that they like or make wraps or something for them idk.
9-10pm: he is not doing trivia night instead listening to ghost stories? an npc/fellow student is telling them? (or maybe your muse if you want) and now he's a little scared and clinging to them about it but trying to play it off...
1:11am: he woke up to weird sounds and he's sketched out, but also.... he thought he heard someone talking so he's pretty sure it isn't a ghost... but also, scary stories scared him and he's worried someone is gonna get murdered so he's bravely venturing out of his room about it? which is insane of him... running into each other investigating weird sounds thread?
saturday -
10am+: jisung is busy oversleeping, it is like way past breakfast time and all the good stuff is gone and he's no where to be seen. someone come wake him up and escort sleeping beauty to food, his eyes are barely open.... he's a baby lamb with unsteady legs and bed head...
12pm: he's like, way skewed/off schedule because of his morning so instead of eating lunch he's painting some anime art masterpiece and could use a model? he's gonna paint you like my hero academia's allmight...
2pm: he's stuffing his face :/ you're welcome to talk to him but he's not good company bc he's barely talking...
3-4pm: he's free? someone torment him. that or let him follow them around like a puppy doing something he doesn't even care what; he'll take pictures and video, he's scrapbooking it for you
5pm: he helps cook; comp science nerds get a load of just how effectively he can follow instructions (badly, poorly). he messed up everything?
9-10pm: needs a bonfire buddy to drink about. let him be wingman for a change? talk to him about love problems. he'll hit them with a that's rough buddy.
10pm+: post bonfire jisung is busy stargazing and is therefore busy until bedtime!
1am: jisung got back into their room late, so anyone in the same room as him, feel free to get woken up by his stomping around and tripping over something for all i know.
sunday -
10am: he's oversleeping again and this time he's likely to get left if someone doesn't find him and get him up? whoops... he'll eat his breakfast slumped against them like a sleepy baby... :)
1pm+: his bus seat buddy on the return trip is his sister!
it started with a suspiciously sweet drink and loud music at a club in itaewon that hwaseong (hayden--last night he only went by hayden) couldn't recall the name of, and ended in a 24 hour olive young with him swiping his (father's) black card for a total cost that shall not be repeated. a drunken adventure? maybe. but as hwaseong all but skipped his way to the first bus of the morning he couldn't help but think about the look on his brothers face when he sends photos later.
soon enough the still slightly drunk but almost on his way to hungover canadian was stumbling his way out of a subway station and towards the campus dorms. he needed to change into something that the hair bleach wouldn't ruin and also probably brush his teeth. not that jisung hasn't seen him after a night of poor decisions, but still he needs to seem sort of lucid.
a snack, a shower, and a change of clothes later (much much later as the sun was much higher by the time he exited his dorm building) hwaseong was headed to a familiar dorm.
[ MESSAGE SENT :
๐ฆ hyung : : heyyhey feel like skping classes 2day
๐ฆ hyung : : for smth super fun
๐ฆ hyung : : and not spur of the monent?
๐ฆ hyung : : pleasesayyes
๐ฆ hyung : : i may be already almsot to your dorm ]
jisung had been absolutely, positively (pathetically), struggling to get through a single data science assignment thus far today. he had been staring at his laptop on the couch for at least an hour of his morning (transferred from his desktop computer because he kept getting distracted). even his glasses were getting a headache at that point. he had to get up and get some caffeine (which was definitely likely to help with that headache... for about an hour to 3 before he crashed), and decided to do a few random chores while he was at it. anything but assignments.
he piled laundry into a basket so he could try to make it in time to beat sera to do laundry tomorrowโ he reorganized the counters, and swept the floors. he put on an episode of anime. it was a very, very eventful and exciting morning and lunch. he had been attempting his assignment once again when the text came through.
he couldn't pick up his phone fast enough...
the hwaseong : ooh... skipping?
the hwaseong : thats crazy
the hwaseong : ofc, what did u have in mind?
the hwaseong : im losing a cage match w statistics analysis...
and then the message comes through and jisung looks up to the door with wide eyes. if he were a dog he would have his ears perking up.
the hwaseong : srsly???
but he's already flying towards the door, laptop disregarded, afternoon saved. he peels open the door before there's even a knock. glances down the hallway to spot his friend, a focused pouty frown on his face as he looks and waits.
the second he senses the sound of life down by the stairwell and elevator, he's waving. "hey trouble." steps aside to leave the door wide open (and isn't that kind of the way of the two of them?) and he pulls hwaseong into his dorm with a big stupid grin.
yua cannot remember the last time she had been bowling.
it had sounded like a fun idea when it had been brought up, though now she can't recall whether it had been her or jisung to pitch the idea first. just that it had been picked up easily, a concept clung to until it had come to fruition. now she stands a bit awkwardly by the bowling ball rack in clunky rental shoes, trying to determine which ball she should choose. faraway sounds from the arcade section of the building act as encouraging background noise. finally, she settles on a pink and purple swirled ball. 3.6 kg, though the weight doesn't mean much to her - she'd chosen it for looks alone. it only helps that it's light.
she practices her grip on the ball, arm bent slightly upward as she imagines a bowler's stance. the practiced swing. easy in imagination, but when it's time for the real thing, she can't say for sure what it's supposed to look like.
"you go first," she encourages, smiling at her company. she's not really worried about looking like a fool (she knows jisung wouldn't hold it against her), but she does hold a slight competitiveness. it would be nice to have an example before she tries.
jisung stood across from yua, his custom bowling shoes, jeans, oversized t-shirt, glasses crooked on his nose as he watches her with the due diligence of a mentor watching his disciple. (well, if said mentor was ruthless, at least). (not to mention, had not planned to teach her, really). he took a drink of soda (for brain power), and stood up with a stretch.
if it's any tell, jisung had been here so often that he knew the playlist. he could tell her what song would be shuffling next. bruno mars that's what i like... bruno mark the strike guardian angel. he wanders over and plucks his 7.5kg ball sparkling neon green ball up (he bought it off a bowling surplus site), holding it in place watching her practice with an affectionate, easy smile.
"ooh," he coos a bit, as if it was a cute idea (playful, teasing and crooked smile), "are you sure about that, young padawan?"
bumping her shoulder along the way, he heads to the lane, not one to insist nor one prone to gentlemanly behavior, truth be told. he lines up, walks into the swing and releases with a sort of ease that only speaks to how truly habitually he was here, doing this. one of his few escapes.
he turns to walk back towards her as the ball rockets towards the pins. "want some pointers?" he asks with a raise of his brow (the ball smashes, the pins explode, the little television screen pinned between the lanes breaks out into cheesy dance animatics; strike). "or do you want to take a bet, instead? think you can get to at least 70 points tonight?" he stands close enough to watch, to help if she did ask, though he wasn't sure that she would (truthfully, he doesn't know yua well enough to even guess, despite being friends for quite a bit now).
