* DIORAMA.

don't wanna look back when i'm older on what didn't happen. let go of my thoughts, let 'em fly away.

[wickedhours]

*   ⸻    𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒   .

               welcome  to  wickedhours,  a  blog  dedicated  to  rejects-hq  ;  written  &  loved  by  kina.  this  blog  features  han sarang, daughter of the beloved magician & mirage, a former aeternal training academy trainee forced to place her ( her's, or her parents'? ) dreams aside after unexpectedly developing the inability to properly control her power.

#   𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐄   .

(   ♡   )  HAN SARANG ⸻ INTRODUCTION  /  HERSTORY / PROFILE  /  PLOTS  /  MUSINGS TAG  .

©   est.  2024,   WICKEDHOURS   .

TRACKER UNDER THE CUT ⤵

starters owed :

none

replies owed :

constellieos, go minji

jisoo-ism, kang jisoo

thegentlesmile, ye song li

recollectionblue, moon seonjae

lucksdraw, kim minhyun

999kintsugi, moon eunjae

[parkhaein]

haein is far from afraid of the dark, but he'd sooner pretend to be than to admit he's afraid of being on his own. it's nothing deep, he convinces himself, just that boredom would soon overtake him, and he'll find himself jumping off buildings for fun if left alone with his thoughts for too long.

what? it's basically skydiving for him.

"there's light from the stars," he jokes. "worst case scenario, i can use my phone flashlight." not that he needs to make more of a case as she seems willing to come with him. "we don't have to swim. i was just going to dip my legs in the water," he explains as they make their way up the stairs.

"but i don't mind swimming if you're down. the deep end's kind of scary in the dark, though."

[wickedhours]

light from the stars? she knows he's joking, but she couldn't help but think he was crazy. then again, she wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting from him considering his first idea was to go to the pool during a blackout. she doesn't remember seeing him earlier when she was giving out candles or flashlights, and she didn't want him to waste his phone's battery when she saved candles just in case.

in case it was a cloudy outside, she was not going anywhere near the pool without the tiniest bit of light.

she goes back around the desk, grabbing a spare lighter and one of the last candles for them to use. falling into step with him, she thinks over his words before shrugging. "save your battery, haein. who knows how long this power outage will last..."

'hopefully not too long!' but she wonders if that's just wishful thinking.

"from a safety standpoint, it's probably safer to not swim at all... but the cameras aren't working anyway, so it's not like we'd get into trouble for swimming." as right as she is, it's not as fun. normally she would never, ever prioritise fun over safety, though maybe the overtime she was forced into tonight had really done a number on her. she just wanted to relax, and didn't want to worry about anything at all for the rest of the night. "well... we could just stay out of the deep end, but if we swim we shouldn't go back inside until we're mostly dry so we don't get the floors or stairs wet."

[wickedhours]

( continued ... ) there's a gloom that settles with the silence, undeniably afflicting yunseo. he wonders if sarang can feel it too, or is this just how it usually is in the fallout of noise and panic? ( maybe just a normal day for reception? )

sarang likes to think that she's a good person. she likes to take care of people, more than she cares for herself really, and it didn't matter at all to her if she knew them well or not. when the power outage occurs, and the majority of the building's tenants congregating in the lobby in addition to leaving and coming in, normally it would be difficult to notice when certain people don't show up.

when supplies begin running low, she makes a mental note of some residents who haven't passed by the front desk yet. some people are already coming for extra candles and flashlights, and at that point she feels that she has no choice but to start hiding some for others who have yet to pass by.

one of those people included yunseo, immediately recognisable by the puddle that never seemed to disappear from under his feet.

well, she doesn't see him until the second day, and out of pity she begins giving out the other supplies she saved when more people came by. truthfully, there's a higher chance that he passed by when it wasn't her shift, most likely collecting supplies then. but hey! just in case, she saved just one candle and one flashlight, and surely that is enough right?

"oh, why thank you! i could definitely use some company right now." she returns his smile easily, pretending to not see the water on the ground despite how it's always the first thing she notices about him. she gestures for him to come behind the desk, pulling out the computer chair for him to sit. there's never two receptionists at work at the same time, so she didn't know what the purpose of the secondary chair was, but no one has ever told her no one couldn't use it while she worked.

in the two months she's worked here no one has ever had a problem with her bringing anyone behind the desk, at least.

tilting her head in confusion, she eyes the lobby with a frown. was he trying to scare her right now? if so, it's kind of working. "well... if we're being real here, it's a little bit creepy at night." her first night shift was probably the worst, but it's gotten significantly better since then. "usually all of the lights are on, so it's not so bad. there's always a security guard nearby too... not sure where they are now, though. are you scared right now?"

[rrachnid]

"what were you thinking?!"

" what were you thinking ? " starring⠀⎯⎯⠀@wickedhours && @rrachnid !! 🍁 tw: mentions of blood and getting hurt but in a lighthearted way !

" it's not my fault! that one actually isn't my fault! " is what an evidently agitated ji hansol exclaims upon making his way behind the counter of the reception. the way he does it is casual at best - suffocating at worst. perhaps under different circumstances, hansol would have wondered for a second if invading the work space of his good friend sarang is a social etiquette no-no.

now, though, his nose is bleeding hard enough for him not to care about anything else. the way he scans over the desk for a tissue is distracted and a little alarmed, his slightly trembling hand holding onto his face with as much caution as he can muster.

" look , i don't know okay !! i was just kinda like . walking through the building trying to figure out what happened - because believe it or not - i had plans tonight !! and . like . i was kind of like - "

he pauses to take in a sniffle, nearly gagging from the taste of blood. " and then, i was trying to turn the flashlight of my phone on but it wasn't working, because my phone has actually been acting pretty weird for a while - i think i lowkey broke it the other day while i was swinging around and - "

he pauses again, this time to blink and let out a little sigh of impatience towards his own rambling. " and i walked straight into a door. alright. it was half opened and the edge of it fucked me up."

[wickedhours]

content warning : mentions of blood

there was no one like hansol who could make the alarms in her head go off the same way they do when he walks through the front doors. definitely not in the way the alarms would ring when she thinks someone is suspicious, in her eyes, hansol was far from it. she thinks he's a good person, and probably one of the nicest tenants she's met thus far.

she knows he's reckless, though, and that was probably the only thing she really disliked about him.

fast forward to this very moment: as soon as sarang sees him, blood still dripping from his nose, her body moves on autopilot. she immediately stands up from her seat, gesturing for him to sit down as she listens to him talk over himself to explain the events that led up to his moment.

"even when you're not trying to be, somehow you're still so careless..." she really tries her best to not laugh. it is a bit of a dumb situation, surely only a situation he would get himself into, but it seems a little mean to laugh in his face about it. she'll wait a couple days, at least. thankfully the cause of the injury wasn't as serious as it could've been, and she felt her tense shoulders relax.

gently tilting his head back so the blood would stop flowing down his nose, she observes his face for a little before her bombardment of questions start. "it's not broken, right? it doesn't look like it, but i actually have never seen a broken nose... should i get the first aid kit just in case? should i take you to the hospital?" okay, maybe the last question was not serious, but she hopes he wouldn't say yes. "where did this happen? i should write a note to the building's janitors..."

[thankyou-taeyeon]

KARINA × a-eye contact lens

[wickedhours]

@bloodfaux : "forget this, i'm going out. you want to come?" current location : silver line's front entrance, 13:34

sarang feels like she's dying of boredom. she has been stuck at the front desk for the past couple hours, watching as everyone else freely entered and exited the building as they pleased. why does the building need a receptionist at the desk for all twenty-four hours of the day? or better yet, why don't they hire more people? unfortunately, she's only been working in this position for two months, so complaining about her work hours is not prerogative... at least she doesn't think so.

on normal days, the hours spent working is nothing.

at least the computer would be working, so she could play games if it was a super, super slow day. she's only been caught once, and it was only by another tenant and not the management. she could also charge her phone, so she could play more games or text whoever, but at the moment it was close to dying, forcing her to keep it in the desk so she doesn't waste more of its battery. sometimes the phone would ring, and despite that being less exciting, at least answering the phone gave her someone to talk to!

she feels her drained energy slowly re-enter her body when the next receptionist came in, immediately jumping to her feet and stretching, knowing she's stayed in that seat for far too long. any longer, and she really believes that she would never move again. leaving the office with her phone in hand, gaze lands on the elevators, and suddenly her heart breaks.

she may have regained energy, but she certainly didn't have enough energy to walk all the up to her apartment. and almost as if god heard her prayers, they send an angel her way to save her.

( "forget this, i'm going out. you want to come?" )

"oh, please lead the way."

her expression brightens immediately, and she falls into step with him easily. what's the difference between walking outside and walking upstairs? she doesn't know, but somehow the idea of dragging herself up nine flights of stairs is less appealing to her than walking miles upon miles if that's what they decided to do. she doesn't know him that well, so maybe she shouldn't easily accept the offer, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy from their few interactions, so...

"did you have a particular place you were planning on going to?"

[wickedhours]

@lucksdraw : "it can't get worse than this… right?" current location : hi-dine, 16:23

the power has been gone for nearly a full forty-eight hours, and sarang was tired. she swore up and down that electricity didn't run her life, yet this blackout has caused a lot of unexpected inconveniences for her.

on top of the list is the fact that the elevators aren't in service, and she really hates that she has to walk nine flights of stairs if she needs to go to her apartment. she wants to think that the sudden workout is worth it, but it's so embarrassing that she's tired before her shift and all she's done is walk up and down some stairs. luckily she doesn't work far from home — truly, she's never been more grateful — but after her shift the last thing she wants to do is walk all the way up again.

she also hates that she has to charge her phone elsewhere instead of the front desk or her apartment. it's the reason she has found herself settled in at hi-dine, claiming the seat in front of minhyun because he was the only person she recognized within the few-second scan of the room. thankfully they had power here for her to enjoy not only their wifi and food, but also their numerous outlets scattered around the seating area.

( "it can't get worse than this… right?" )

hearing the other's words, she bites the inside of her cheek as she contemplates their circumstances. she wishes she could be optimistic for the both of them, but there's a lot they actually don't know about the explosion that caused the power outage. could it have been a villain at work, or was it as simple as an accident? his words don't exactly make her feel better about the situation either. she hopes it doesn't get worse.

"um... i don't know if i believe in the power of manifestation, but just in case, i'm not going to tell you all of the ways it could get worse. if it makes you feel better, at least it's giving everyone a chance to be outside? some people could use the fresh air..."

[wickedhours]

@thegentlesmile : "i didn't mean to startle you …" current location : the entrance of the sublevel's communal kitchen , 11:35

she didn't think anyone would be down here.

yes, she's aware that there were residents on this floor, but most people were staying away since the announcements specifically told everyone to stay away from the sublevel. typically sarang is one to follow the rules, but after manning the front desk for the past couple hours without so much of a break, perhaps baek myeongbin could find it in his heart to not punish her for feeling too exhausted to climb nine flights of stairs just to relax in her apartment.

the sublevel was a little bit eerie in her opinion, and the fact that it was nearly pitch black didn't help either. all she had was her phone and one of the flashlights that she's saved for herself, in addition to a candle that she hastily snuck into the pocket of her cardigan when she noticed supplies were running too low. if anyone noticed, they simply chose to not say anything, though maybe the chaos of the blackout had everyone else's focus to be elsewhere. she knew the communal kitchen's appliances weren't going to be working, but there still must be snacks there, right? hopefully none of the tenants would mind her stealing some of their supplies.

the feint sound of footsteps in the distance takes her out of her thoughts, pausing in place just feet away from the kitchen. she didn't recall the sublevel having a reputation of being haunted.

'it's probably one of the maintenance workers, better steer clear of them.' the footsteps still followed, and now she was very spooked. she must've been too in-her-head to realise the other was behind her, so when she finally turned around to flash her light, she let out a little scream at the sight of him before she slapped her hand onto her lips.

( "i didn't mean to startle you …" )

with a sigh of relief, sarang lowers her hand and tilts the flashlight lower so it's not shining in his face, breathing heavily as if she had just ran a marathon. okay, maybe she was definitely more frightened in that moment than she'd like to admit. "ignore the fact i just had a mini heart attack, please." she is still trying helplessly to catch her breath, "i just wanted a snack, and there was no way in this lifetime that i was going to walk all the way up to the ninth floor!"

[wickedhours]

@humblefigs : "i think we're stuck here." current location : one of silver line's elevators, stuck between the second & third floor, 19:05

those words are not words most people would like to hear during a blackout. even worse, those are words sarang wouldn't like to hear during a blackout on an elevator.

on the bright side, there's no obvious panicking between them.

internally sarang is screaming, and thankfully she knows better than to potentially destroy someone's eardrums in an attempt to call for help while in an enclosed space with someone else. the two of them were not far from the ground floor, stuck in that awkward placement just halfway above the second floor's doors and halfway below the top of it. if they did choose to make some sort of noise to alert nearby tenants that they were inside, perhaps someone strong would come along and just pry open the doors for them.

"that's ... unfortunate." it's an obvious understatement. she knows it's a dumb reply, a comment that didn't really need to be voiced, yet the initial shock had not left her system yet. the sudden halt in the elevator's movement, in addition to the lights going out and thus blanketing them in darkness, had caused her heart to start racing.

sighing, she decides to take a seat on the floor, calming down slowly but surely as their circumstances don't change. she thought the building would have its own emergency generator, but alas... the power remains disabled. "it really sucks that there isn't much of anything to do in here," she starts, the dim lighting of her phone screen only barely illuminating the dark space at the press of a button. this should be enough as to not waste her thirteen battery percentage. "but, at least we'll be missing the chaos that will surely be happening on the ground floor soon."

[wickedhours]

@invsibl : "why did it have to be you?" current location : the front door of apartment 202, 12:35

as one of the receptionists at silver line, she's made it her goal to become somewhat familiar with everyone who leaves and enters the building. she's had a rather short residency thus far, just two months and then some under her belt, but she would claim that she's made great progress. there are some that she knows better than others, those who have become close friends to her, or others she has sadly had to deliver bad news — other resident complaints — to.

pitifully, yoon jaeyeol falls into the latter.

sarang isn't going to his apartment for that today ( thank goodness! ) but she can't help but wonder if any or all of their previous interactions made him paint her in a bad light. she can't help but to be curious of if he considers her a bearer of bad news, as usually that's what is happening whenever she is forced to knock on his door anc confront him or, preferably, slide a note underneath his door. maybe, and again preferably, he doesn't remember her at all, and she's worried for nothing.

she knocks three times, and it's not a long wait until the door is opened.

( "why did it have to be you?" )

oh, how she wished the ground would swallow her whole. "i hope i'm just being mistaken for someone else, but either way, i'm not here to deliver another complaint, okay?" she sighs, awkwardly tapping her pen on the clipboard in her arms. "management has asked me to go door-to-door on the lower floors just to ensure that everyone is okay, and to make notes if they need anything. it's the second day of the blackout, and they're still unsure as to when everything will be fixed..."

[wickedhours]

what are three things you like about yourself?

ASK MEME N°14 ⸻ what are three things you like about yourself?

"they also asked me this when i applied for a job here, which was really unexpected since i didn't think management cared about these things." prior to being hired as a receptionist, she never had a job ( that she would consider real ) before. being a nepotism baby sure had its perks in that regard, though you'd think that doing interviews for news channels or magazines would've prepared her enough for a simple first job interview. well, they weren't exactly the same. in fact, the job interview was somehow more anxiety inducing. "i gave half-hearted truths during my interview, though. like how i really enjoy the fact i can keep myself busy with work when i'm bored out of my mind. trust me, i studied the typical things hiring managers want to hear." she releases a somewhat self-pitying chuckle, hoping the fact that she was worried for her interview wasn't obvious. "i should've been more honest, but on the bright side, i got hired it wasn't extreme lies, right?" she tries to think of things she really does like about herself. would jisoo thinks she's vain if she says something specific? that's not the impression she'd like to give, but there are some things that can't be avoided. "i like... how i try to be friendly with everyone? sometimes it's hard, especially when the other person is in a bad mood, but if being gentle makes them feel a little bit better, why not?" she pauses, tilting her head as she thinks again. 'just two more!' "hm... i guess in relation to my first choice, i like that i'm caring? some people aren't used to unconditional kindness, and it's always a nice surprise for them. i also just like taking care of those around me, and whether they appreciate it or not, it's not a big deal. it's just something i like to do." pausing yet again, she tilts her head to the other side. why is this so hard? "this is harder than i thought. i know myself the best, and thinking about something that doesn't involve other people is really difficult. i guess i like that i don't stick to one clothing style? i like trying anything, so if anyone wanted to dress me up like a doll, that's fine? i think it'd be fun, at least..."

[wickedhours]

( continued ... ) “did you do something to the door?” his tone is slightly accusatory with his patience wearing down.

sarang is a smart girl, maybe not in this exact moment, but she would argue that she most certainly made wise decisions more often than not.

she can’t help but to cringe internally as she mulls over the sequence of events that let her to this moment in her head. no, irrationally and immediately following someone she had been quietly observing from afar was not a great idea. following him out to the terrace, knowing the card reader wouldn’t be able to scan their cards properly to let them back in, was even worse. telling him that she knew something was was wrong with the door at all was probably at the top of her list right now.

seeing his expression, she tries not to look so scared — he wasn’t a scary entity to her, and if anything she would consider him the opposite — yet it’s somewhat hard when the only other person she’s stuck on an open roof with is someone who’s displeased with her. “i promise i didn’t,” she starts, raising her empty hands in surrender to further prove her point, “i can admit that i was wrong for letting the door close behind me, but i do not have ill intentions!”

truly, she just wants some answers, answers that only he would be able to give her. granted, she never intended to question him like this. she wanted to do it when they were on friendlier terms, when she knew her curiosities had lower chances of offending him in case her suspicions were completely and utterly unfounded. ( something tells her they wouldn’t be, though. )

“i just need to ask you something, i swear.” maybe this is the best chance she had. what better way could she fish the truth from him, if not in a space where he had little to no choice but to acknowledge her? “i don’t know how else to word this — believe me, i’ve rehearsed this in my head a thousand times already — but i need to know… what are you doing to me?!”

[wickedhours]

( continued ... ) she grabbed a packet of candy and waltzed over. "hey!" she cut in cheerfully, falling in beside the outnumbered one and slinging an arm across their shoulder. "i can't believe you ditched lunch today, i waited two hours for you to show up. do you still want to hang out?" she cast a curious look at the others, like she'd just noticed them there. "oh, sorry, are you busy?"

this was an odd turn of events. she didn't really know how she wound up in this situation, cornered by three strangers while on a quick snack run that wasn't supposed to last as long as long as it was. it happened so quickly and unexpectedly, and she had a hard time getting them to leave her alone after a few minutes of listening to them. she didn't want to act rude or make a scene, lest the slim chance that news of this interaction would reach the ears of her parents. maybe she should learn to grow a bit of a backbone.

she gave up on signaling for help to the cashier, completely unbothered by the confrontation happening just a couple feet away from them despite how hard it should be to ignore the only other people in the store making a commotion. she really wished that she wasn't so out of touch with her powers so she could make a stealthy escape, desperately flicking her wrist hoping something — anything! — would appear out if thin air to distract them! or even better, she wished she could just blend into her surroundings and walk out like she normally could have.

no, now she's stuck running in circles with these men who seemingly won't give up without her number saved on their phones.

and she almost gives in. almost.

sarang feels her heart momentarily plummet to her stomach when another voice chimes in, making themselves comfortable in her personal space before she realises who it is. she's seen her around silver line, who she only ever seems to run into when she's experiencing an episode, and she finally releases the breath she's been holding in since the three of them first approached her.

she glances between her neighbour and the three men, leaning into her slight embrace easily to make them — or rather, herself — appear more comfortable with each other. more familiar and convincing, at the very least. "i thought i texted you...? i wasn't feeling well earlier," she lies, puppy dog eyes in full effect. "i only stepped out to get some medicine — and snacks — but i haven't been able to get back to rest..."

[lovestereo]

Visit Original Link

[wickedhours]

12. / what's something you used to love but now hate?

ASK MEME N°12 ⸻ what's something you used to love but now hate?

"hm... the idea of becoming an aeternal? i used to have dreams of being one, but it just makes me feel disgusted. " had she become so resentful because of the strong influence her parents once had on her? yes. was this the only answer she could think of? also yes. it used to be all she ever wanted. she would dream of what it'd be like to be a hero that inspires those around her, what it would be like to use her powers to potentially save people from villains who had nothing better to do. at the time, sarang had no idea these fantasies were nothing close to real life. no, the idea of becoming one stresses her out immensely. her parents spent so much time pressuring her to do well in training only for her to end up feeling like she can't use her powers at all. if she told them, would the feel remorse? would they realise they were too intense for her at a young age? would they even consider her perspective? she can't help but sigh. "besides, i think you can still be heroic and do good for others without becoming one of them."

[wickedhours]

19. in another life, where do you think you would be? what would you be doing? / "forget this, i'm going out. you want to come?"

ASK MEME N°19 ⸻ in another life, where do you think you would be? what would you be doing?

she has contemplating this same question a lot during her years in the academy, wondering what she would want to do if they lived in an alternate reality where their abilities were nonexistent. would she have the freedom to be able to choose what she wanted to do, instead of have it all laid out of her? sarang wonders if she'd been deprived of a real childhood. deprived of dreams, forced to shelve the quests that started with 'what if' or 'why not'. if given the freedom of choice, would she have still pursued the life of an aeternal? "hopefully i wouldn't have powers in this life, and could experience a regular life." it probably sounds pathetic, wanting to live the life of a human without the metahuman gene despite being blessed with a gift humans would be wishing for instead. she wondered if they wished they could become aeternals like she did — she'd let them know it's not all it's cracked up to be... "i don't really know where i'd be, but it'd be nice if i could leave the city and live in a small town, living on a small farm just living a peaceful life," she muses, a small smile on her lips, "or i'd like to travel around to different places until i found a place to call home. i think that would be fun too."

[wickedhours]

# 18 : how do you ask others for help ?

ASK MEME N°18 ⸻ how do you ask others for help?

"i... don't?" oh, did she say that out loud? nervous laughter bubbles from her system, knowing this was quite possibly the worst answer to give to him. she just knows she'll never hear the end of it now. "i — i do ask for help, but only if i really can't do something by myself!" is she being prideful? is it her stubbornness? is she too ashamed? it's all three, actually. "if i really must ask for help, then there's no point in being discreet about it..." she can't help but shrug. "unfortunately i'll do everything i can to make sure i don't have to get to that point, though."