ย ย ย had you asked two years ago, what makes a home? sheโd smile and laugh and sayย โhome is where mom and dad are. its where i feel the safest.โ dismantle the foundation, break down the walls and learn the secrets behind them. what is she to do when the two people she were meant to trust with her life were the very ones she should be afraid of? the weight of losing everything hunched her shoulders, foreign cots and makeshift sheets could not stave off nightmares of evil people and their misguided intentions.ย
ย ย ย she distinctly remembers the first morning sheโd awoken, fully rested without the plague of restless anxiety. it had been months since then, fight or flight on constant high, worried that at any moment sheโd be dragged back to the cage she was brainwashed into thinking was her safe haven. that morning sheโd opened her eyes, feeling the warmth of the three strips of sunlight that peeked from her blinds, the peace that blanketed over her knowing she got to sleep in on a sunday morning. then, came the smell of freshly brewed tea from the morning, and yerin thought, right. this is home.ย
ย ย ย there was a certain gratitude held for kwon inna, to take a chance on a stranger and extend a home to someone sheโd only known briefly. memories of domesticity with family was marred with distrust and betrayal, but now yerin thinks, perhaps those memories could be replaced.ย
ย ย ย she doesnโt know when she slipped into routine so seamlessly, the highlight of her day being able to share a meal the other after a long day of work. some nights the teahouse owner was busy, which she understood, but nothing beat coming home to the aroma of a home cooked meal. yerin sat, deflated in her seat after stuffing herself to the brim with innaโs cooking.ย
ย ย ย โiโm not so much of a great cook just yet, but i swear iโm a different person when baking, you know. its strawberry season, isnโt it? i can make us homemade mochi tomorrow. if youโre not busy, that is. its really good, i swear! you have to try it.โย
a song that loosely describes the separation and her emotions in regards to leaving her parents behind to live anew. sheโs confused, hurt, unable to turn to the singular comfort that had been by her side because it was sullied by their hands. she forces herself to accept this big change, saying it was for the best, though it has left a scar.ย
on one hand, she wishes to be the type of normal who never lived such a contorted life. she wished she were simply: han yerin, not a former cult member, not from a corrupted family. just a girl with a normal life, to which then she wouldnโt have all this baggage to bear. on the other, she wish she were normal in the sense that her relationship with her parents were something she wasnโt residually guilty of, that sheโd be the type of person theyโd be proud of. the thought of her living her life freely disappointing them as itโd be viewed asย โsinningโ looms over her mind
though it was not accepted within her church (cult) sheโs a firm believer in resurrection. in her next life she wishes to be within nature, to not be subjected to the same echoes of pain sheโs treading through, to not be shackled by guilt or the burden of love. in her next life, she wants to be a butterfly.ย
sheโs had schoolyard crushes in her youth, nothing more than folded notes and shy glances. there was someone back then, someone who she could tell bided their time until they were older and wiser before asking her to a date, to which she politely declined. at the time the idea of perfect clouded her judgement, and they simply were not it. surprised by his presence and itโs impeccable timing, she now has a new face and name to tack onto her idea of a first love, as childish as it is. she poured all her ideas and projections onto him, only to be left feeling empty and unworthy. as if she had to lose herself in order to gain him. it feels wrong, and it leaves her feeling empty.ย
her past life was one navigated deliberately, always taking the path that would be most righteous in the eyes of not only her idea of god, but to her family and friends. now that she abandoned her faith and their false teachings, she wants nothing more than to live life the way she was meant to. the process of making peace with the idea that she were being unjust in their eyes is like trudging through neck deep water, but she is one step closer than she had been.
temptation in this context is her idea of whatย โsinโ is, what sheโs spent her entire life abstaining from. now sheโs at a stage where sheโs slowly accepting itโs call and succumbing to her fears.
the journey of navigating life alone and without guidance has her feeling lost: what is the purpose of existence without a goal in mind? then she realizes that all the values held before: to be perfect in godโs eye, to be the daughter her parents always wanted her to be does not exist anymore. that side of her died along with her ties to them. now she realizes that her life is free, and she is free.
sheโs on the cusp of realization, but sheโs stumbled forward and is diving headfirst into something sheโs not ready for at all. she thought sheโd have to break down all her bones to be stronger, but the pain is too much. sheโs playing herself up to the idea of what others want her to be again, trying to appeal to strangerโs views rather than her own. healing comes from within, love comes from within, but her vision is blinded from her too bright ambition.ย
i just had waaaay too much caffeine but am super thankful because now i have so much energy to put into writing, so!!! if you reply to this post with a song iโll write a thread inspired by it for the event, but if you reply with the ๐ถ emoji i can shuffle my favorite summer playlist and write one off of the song it lands on ๐ค
ย ย ย so, thereโs this boy. sheโs been gushing about him for the past month or so, the margins of her workload were riddled with his name doodled with hearts beside them. thereโs this awful habit sheโs got of romanticizing things, thinking of life like a movie with a plot, exposition and climax and denouement. this is her story where sheโs met the boy of her dreams: he is polite, sweet, and has the most tender gaze sheโs ever seen. this is all projections of course, but the poor thing is far too submerged in her own delusions to see rhyme or reason. she thinks, oh, my parents would love him,ย but is quick to wave it off.
ย ย ย heโs on her mind tonight, as heโs been for the past week after she stopped by his booth to ask what the best route to busan was. her assignment of the day was this popular bar amongst the youth, something sheโs heard in passing by a few friends. she reckons its still a bit too soon to be fully comfortable in places like this, though the sight of others her age at ease makes her even more frustrated with her lack of adaptability.
ย ย ย little did she think sheโd run into him at a place like this, pierced and punctured and as handsome as ever. can't be him, she reasons, no way in hell. then he turned his head and she was lost in his eyes the same way she'd been the first time they met and knew, without a doubt, that was yongguk.
ย ย ย curse words had been forbidden since she could comprehend simple sentences. they were never uttered within her range from anyone. still, a phrase echoed in the recesses of her mind once she was free from his glare: well, shit.
ย ย ย it took a while to muddle through her emotions, so many flaring at once it was hard to discern what from where. she couldn't even enjoy the soda she'd beenย nursing since she sat down at the far end of the bar, as overpriced as it was. she continued shuffling through them, trying to rationalize why she felt so strongly at the sudden change of appearance of the boy she'd only talk to occasionally, even when he asked her to follow him. she doesn't know why she complied, weaving through bodies before slipping through an exit after him.
ย ย ย the sudden change in atmosphere was dizzying, the overpowering music blasting through the small space now reduced to a muffled, thrumming bass. the silence between them was ten times louder, and for a moment she picks at her nails before taking a deep inhalation.
howdy howdy, gamers ๐ค !! its jules back at it again at krispy kreme, and super excited to introduce miss han yerin, former cult victim, now trying to lay low in the sea side down of yunhwa as a staff member at yunhwa ilbo. sheโs currently at a stage in her life where her identity was ripped apart and sheโs trying to figure out who she is alone, if that makes sense?? so expect lots of character development from this one!! iโm always down for plots so if you hit that โก iโll message u asap (stan stayc)ย
โ ย โ (park chaeyoung โroseโ, cisfemale, she/her) hey thank you for coming to town hall to update your information han yerin! youโre a citizen, correct? good to know! are you enjoying yourself around yunhwa? youโve been staying here for five months, right? iโm glad! remind me, are you born on 13/10/1997? weโre so lucky to have someone so forthright around as a staff at yunhwa ilbo even if sometimes you can be antagonistic. hope to see you around house #4013, hwesakgu!ย
* disclaimer : while iโm well aware that cults, especially those entangled with religion are a touchy subject, i have done my research and, for the most part, gloss over many details rather than extensively explain the corruption or the cultโs inner mechanics. regardless of this, please proceed to read at your own risk. the only tw contained in the intro is the mention of embezzlement.ย
๏ฝก ย : ย ยฐ ย เฎ โ ๐๐๐๐
born and raised in daegu, south korea, she was immediately baptized into her church in her hospital room at only three days old.ย
she grew up in a neighborhood consisting of fellow members of the church, it was all sheโs ever known. she grew up with the communities kids, calling people auntie and uncle despite not being blood related to them.
she grew up and mirrored her environment, placing her entire identity in the verses they read during sermon and even going so far as to joining their choir.ย
when her father was promoted to pastor when she was 20, they sent him and the family to seoul in order to recruit more people into joining.
now less sheltered and able to be exposed to different lifestyles in a bigger city, she slowly began to realize how strange things were and how suspicious her parents were when it came to the church.
seeing her reluctance in being as involved as she once was, her family forced her to join the youth group who would walk around schools to try and convince people their age to join. for a while she was content in her parents approval and saw everything as harmless.
it wasnโt until her father left his office door open and she happened upon banking documents, thousands upon thousands of dollars beingย โdonatedโ to not only the church but directly to her fatherโs name. she continued to snoop through his things, reading his emails and finding correspondence about numerous horrible things that goes on within her churchโs walls.
she confronted her father about this, to which he admitted to everything and knew what he was doing, but emphasized that itโs godโs will and he was only a messenger. she turned her back on him and her family, and decided to pack up her things and leave. her father let her, not saying anything to his wife until the day after.
the first place she thought to go to was busan, where her paternal grandparents lived. they werenโt involved in the church and were the only family she knew she could trust. they helped her by giving her a small sum of money to take care of herself but knew that her parents would be looking for her and it wasnโt safe to stay with them. they told her of a little town an hour away, one where they knew a friend of a friend that could get her a job right away.ย
she stayed at the inn for a few weeks before meeting kwon inna, the teahouse owner, and was more than grateful when she offered a spare room in her home.ย
her initial job was at the fish farm but after an accidental interview with the chief reporter, was given the job of staff at the ilbo on the spot (probably due to the fact that they are severely understaffed but, she appreciates it nonetheless kajdkajsd). she promptly quit her job as a fisherfolk and, after apologizing profusely, said her goodbyes to the smell of tuna.
currently, she's in charge of lifestyle articles: what do single twenty three year old women seek fulfilment from? she often explores busan to find inspiration for her mini articles, and after sitting on the idea for a few months now, made the decision to one day write an article about her personal experience in her "church"ย
surprisingly not as demure as people may initially think!! sheโs definitely an extrovert, used to talking up people back in her recruiting days, and was often surrounded in groups of other kids her age, often being the "mom friend" amongst them all.
often thrives in group settings, finds one on ones to be too intimate for her comfort. you would have to be a close friend of hers for her to consistently hang out often with just you two alone. she'd prefer masking her personality to be amicable / likable to other people than struggle to keep the spotlight off her on one on one sessions
so yes she is relatively guarded, understandably so considering everything she's ever known was a lie and the two people she thought she could trust the most are actually horrible people. but you know!
is the overbearingly motherly type. carries band aids and extra water bottles in her tote bags in case of an emergency.
can be kind of gullible?? and curious. but only because she doesn't really know any better. most of her morals are based off an ancient book that she's come to hate so really its as malleable as wet clay right now.
she is very much a libra, air headed, living in her own world, but very set in her ways of justice. she always wants to see both sides of a situation and believes in giving the benefit of the doubt. her old friends would always go to her for advice whenever something went wrong.
despite her good intentions, she can often be judgmental, often comparing people to this idea of a good samaritan and sometimes shames people for their mistakes. its a hard habit she's trying to shake but its a work in progress.
cares too much about what people think of her and will go out of her way to ensure that you think she is a nice person and hates the idea of someone disliking her.
basically a mess and the vine where he goes: I WANT A CHURCH GIRL WHO GOES 2 CHURCH........aND READS THE BIBLEEEE but is now trying to find her identity outside of her faith which she's decided to abandon.
sry this got longer than intended but lmfAO pls plot with me :3cย
Growing up feels like your skin no longer fits. Like you just want to crawl out of that thinly stretched space and lay down in the grass and sob for hours. Instead, I am in a cafe eating lunch and trying not to scream. Looking around wondering if anyone else in this building is doing the same thing, wondering if they ever have and, if so, how they got through it. Maybe I would calm down if I just had the assurance that other people have looked in the mirror and no longer recognized themselves.
โ Kalyn RoseAnne Livernois, from Ten True Things
dededos
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vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
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jacobvanloon
