INFRARED

You—all, all real. I—all delusion.

[yhjihyun]

yhkangdae​:

he probably should have been tired of her antics. probably should have stopped allowing her to get piggyback rides and playing house everytime he saw her. he probably should have thought it was less cute when she would say something snarky to whatever girl he brought home from seoul. but, his younger sister wasn’t as expressive as jihyun was, always too serious, and never affectionate. so maybe, kangdae allowed it because he wished his younger sister would rely on him more.

yes. it was nice to have someone would he could spoil. even if she was a giant brat. he snorts, pulling at jihyun’s cheek. “ yeah, i know you work hard i don’t mind helpin.”

“ack,” the older man feints pain, clutching at his side with a yelp, “jihyun, you’re so boney it’s not fair, that really hurts!” as the farmer begins to busy himself with clearing some of the discarded pots and pans away. 

“hmm, yeah please. i’m starving, i’m way too lazy to cook,” he nods his head, before opening his mouth. “ahhhh”

she’s used to having her way with shin kangdae. used to having him pliant, accommodating, six ways from sunday no matter what she demanded. but that’s more on him than it is on her, more on the soft of his underbelly than it is on her honey tongue. either way, she’s not exactly complaining. it wasn’t like she’d ever have the fortune of having an older sibling. so why not indulge in this sibling like dynamic between the two of them?

she yelps at the pull, pout dropping quick in favor of a scowl, eyes cutting up at him. “ah, stop it—it hurts!” jihyun swats at his hand, rubbing her cheek gingerly. not that he did it hard. but she rather liked playing up dramatics these days. (hah, these days?)

“ooh,” her nose crinkles, eyes rolling playfully. “get over it! you’re like all muscle, it couldn’t have hurt that bad.” jihyun reaches over for a clean pair of chopsticks, picking up a piece of ddeok to feed him, “eyyy don’t you at least know the basics, oppa? like—kimchi fried rice or something.”

[yhjihyun]

yhkangdae​:

no matter how old jihyun got, kangdae could only remember the little girl who used to drag him to her room and make him play house. sure being 11 years old there was a part of him that found himself annoyed to play such childish games but now as an adult, he treasured those memories.

it was a bit of an ego booster to have jihyun thinking he should have played the husband all the time. 

he’s unsure though, if jihyun would want to be reminded, or thought of that six year old girl so he keeps those memories to himself when they meet again. it was easy to get stuck in the past in yunhwa, so very easy. 

kangdae mimics her pout, nodding his head in sympathy “ oh our poor jihyun, how about you sit down, oppa will take care of it” he suggested, standing up from his stool and moving over to the side of the stand where jihyun was. 

he pats her shoulder ( oops maybe a bit too hard ), and smiles, “ do you want me to start putting some of the stuff away? or start prepping food for tomorrow?” 

she’s forever playing the role of brat around him. only because they both know she plays it well. cute and bratty and all of that. it’s been that way since she was a kid—and likely so, would never change. but, that’s the thing with only children with eager to spoil parents, the only outcome is a menace of a child. though, luckily for her, kangdae usually plays along.

“oh, will you?” her lower lip juts out further for dramatic flair, puppy eyes widening a margin further. as if she needs to. they both know kangdae would.

it’s evident in the way he approaches now—and jihyun tries her best to hide her grin at her victory—and slaps one meaty hand on her shoulder. “ow—” she huffs, nudging his side lightly with the pointy bit of her elbow. “if you could help me put stuff away! it’d be great—” she continues her earlier task of scooping up his food.

“i can feed you while you work?” 

[yhsieon-deactivated20210806]

before his escape to seoul @yhkangdae & @yhjihyun

how did sieon end up in such a predicament? one minute he’s at home, studying for his csat exam, and the next he’s on… a double date? well, it wasn’t a double date, but he went along with it considering the real goal was to see what kangdae had been up to. 

the elder always updated sieon and jihyun on his life in seoul, which included frequent updates on his love life. although sieon was the type to not be interested in the details of another’s private life, he was just happy to hear from his fellow friend. thus, when kangdae asked him to come out of his room to meet his new girlfriend, sieon quickly hopped on the opportunity. besides, a quick meal with some friends never hurt anybody, right? now here the four of them were, having a chat over a meal together in yunhwa. sieon kept to himself, per usual, as he let the happy couple share their story. he tried his best not to get distracted from the unsettling energy coming from his right side. 

and no, he wasn’t going to acknowledge the loud whispers that also were being forced into his ear ( coincidentally coming from the same side ). he was just simply going to pretend he was in an island far, far away. perhaps the galápagos? it didn’t matter to sieon, as long as he could pretend he wasn’t in such an awkward situation.  

yet his imagination could only wander so far! when the rest of the group grew silent, sieon realized that his imaginary trip to the galápagos had to come to an end. “so,” sieon cleared his throat, “how long have you guys been together?” he couldn’t remember if the couple had already mentioned that part, but surely they wouldn’t mind explaining it again.

[yhjihyun]

let’s be clear here—she’s not into shin kangdae. no, she’s long left that back in 5th? 6th? grade. however old she was then to think that the cool older boy who came over with fresh fruits and kkakdugi would be ideal hubby material. and with the way she is now, sweet sixteen going on seventeen, she has no time for the likes of some old college dude. 

still. STILL... still. he’s hers. 

that’s right. you heard it folks!  with the prowess of a spoilt child, even the dolls she no longer holds to her chest day and night has no rights in being picked up by another. and if you don’t get the analogy here, dear readers, then, that’s on you.

so when the inevitable came—dinner with kangdae and his newest beau (and it’s unclear here, what they’re feeding the girls in seoul for them to all look the exact same like that, but she has a theory, of course; she always does), jihyun jumped at the chance. the addition of sieon only sweetening the ordeal. she loved an audience, even if sieon was unresponsive as they came.

not that it matters, jihyun didn’t speak to get a response from him as much as she was just speaking for the sake of sharing her gospel. her doctrine of how nice hot country boys like shin kangdae can never differentiate plastic from the real deal. which leaves her with what, exactly? beyond the noble act of showing him the light.

starting with that quadruple padded bra under that knitted top.

“oooh yes! how long has it been? i bet it hasn’t been long huh! you two still look plenty...” jihyun hums around the word, leaning forward with faux amiability and genuine interest. “fresh.” she giggles, the sound itself pitchy even to her own ears. “like oppa hasn’t even told you his favorite mcu rankings yet.” 

[yoogeonyh]

remembering @yhjihyun​

although the stall space at bimikil market isn’t exactly owned by yoogeon considering they’re all rented spaces - or so he thinks, he honestly doesn’t know and hasn’t invested much time into that aspect yet - he’s still holding himself accountable to seeing through that it’s cleaned out and anything left behind is sorted properly. he’s hoping that there won’t be many things to pack up or left behind and is trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. granted, wearing a black jacket and hat will probably make him stand out but at least it’ll give off the feeling that he wants to be left alone. right?

either way, yoogeon figures that as long as he doesn’t make eye contact with anyone and walks as briskly as he can he’ll be in the area for a total of ten minutes. fifteen max if there are more than five boxes to carry out. along with pretending to be on his phone, he’s definitely minimizing the opportunities for anyone to call out to him to ‘look at this’ or 'try this food’ and whatever other dingy things the stall owners are trying to sell.

it’s a perfect plan if yoogeon is honest with himself. that is until he’s walking towards a stall and makes the mistake of looking at who’s behind it and suddenly he’s little thirteen year old yoogeon.

'come on, just tell me who you think is cutest of the girls here!’

despite the scene playing so clearly in his mind in that exact same spot, yoogeon can’t remember who in the world was asking him because one, he wasn’t exactly ecstatic about being in yunhwa. two, he wasn’t too excited at the thought of revealing who he thought was cute at the sensitive age of thirteen. and three, kim jihyun was definitely cute and someone yoogeon had noticed on more than one occasion whenever she was at bimikil but he had never actually really talked to or interacted with her.

and before yoogeon has realized it, he’s found himself standing at the front of the stall with his phone no longer near his ear like he had planned. simply wide-eyed and surprised at himself for having moved subconsciously, all he can manage is a single awkward greeting.

“hi, there…”

[yhjihyun]

it’s same old same old. nothing really changes in yunhwa. for the last 24 years, it’s been the same ahjumma greeting her at the corner mart and the same kids (different faces, same difference) pouring their coins into the worn out gachapon out front. jihyun supposes that’s the charm of yunhwa, life preserved in time—whimsical and all that for those who aren’t from here (or those who are over 25), but for her? 

                                                                                                                                     god. god. 

if a meteor one day struck and wiped this booger of a town off the map—no one would even know.

she might even be glad.

i mean—just think about it! hark! here lies kim jihyun, young and beautiful and dead before she amounted to anything but free at least. wouldn’t that be nice?

maybe. probably. most likely.

jihyun can’t help but think it’s a waste (of her face, her charm, her skills(?))—but then again so is staying holed up in yunhwa, facing the same people (tourists don’t count, they’re all blurred faces anyway) day to day.

but speaking of never meeting anyone new...

                                                                                                                                    “hi, there...”

“hi!” the chirp is standard, business professional (so, you know, lots of pep) as she’s pushing a stray lock of hair away with the back of her hand, in the process of frying up a fresh batch for the upcoming rush. jihyun glances up belatedly at the lack of answer, brow raising at the glaring familiarity in his face. but for the time being, she doesn’t pick up on it. simply gestures vaguely to the empty stools with a bright smile.

“oh—go ahead and sit!” her cheeks rise to the occasion, forgoing the pressing question on her tongue (the you look familiar, do i know you’s that may or may not sound like a standard pickup line) in favor of keeping things—y’know, business casual. “what can i get you?”

[jensoo]

random jisoo gifs (3/∞) ♡

[yhjihyun]

yhkangdae​:

mid-day snack ↪︎— @yhjihyun

“jihyun-ah,” kangdae croons, his eyes fond for the younger woman as he plops down at a stool of  the pojangmacha, something he did without fail every time he passed by. when he was younger it was a treat from his mother when he would go to the market with her, when he was a high schooler it was a place to hide before his mother scolded him for missing dinner. now it was a place where he could eat fried dumplings and drink without feeling stuffy in the new bars of yunhwa. 

plus he enjoyed seeing a friend when he had free time. but as always, when it came to food, especially from this stand, kangdae could not help but turn up the charm, a bargain could always be found. “jihyun-ah, i’m soo hungry, i worked on the field sooo long, come on, can i have extra serving of kimbap with my order, i think i might die from hunger,” he sighs, looking at his childhood friend (?), “ i really might die, how would you feel if i die of starvation.” 

whatever, he always ended up offering to help run the stall anyways. without fail.

let’s talk dream boys. hot boys. boys you’ve met since young and at the fresh age of 6 always envisioned yourself marrying. the list itself is long, now with plenty of names crossed out (some moved, some got ugly post puberty (physically and mentally), some even got married), but at the top (somewhere between numbers 1-8), only a handful of names remain. if anything, all purely for the sake of nostalgia or well—on the less touching sentiment side—plain ol’ eye candy. 

though, with shin kangdae, the term ideal husband had inadvertently shifted into ideal brother figure over the years. granted, how that happened was beyond her—seeing as he’s only gotten hotter with age. 

“hey oppa,” like clockwork, he announces himself around this time of the night and as per usual, is armed to the teeth with some type of charm that should’ve worn out over the years. but lucky for him, he’s racked up brownie points over the years helping out with closing whenever he found the time. 

“ohHhhHHhHhh, is that so?” her voice is equally whiny, lips puckered into a faux pout. “i’m tired too oppa, i’ve been standing all day—i even got a blister today.” aaaand suddenly it’s a competition without meaning to. although jihyun has never denied him an extra serving here and there. mom and dad would’ve done the same anyway. still, she wasn’t going to let him off easy. 

”are you going to help me close if i give you an extra serving? dad went home early so it’s just me tonight...”

[yhyunho]

     𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫  /  jihyun.

finally. finally, it was time for a break - perhaps one that could be considered longer than the average but when your family owns the place you work at, you could get away with it. his mom had told yunho as much anyways, that he could take a bit more time to eat or do whatever he wanted before having to return and take over the stall again. ‘you’ve earned it,’ she said with a soft–and tired–smile, for working quite literally, all day, while she was looking after his dad. he had fallen asleep for the moment which freed up a bit of her time which meant she offered (or demanded, more like) to watch over the stall and sent yunho away.

he appreciated it, really he did, but he still somehow felt bad. yunho wanted to help his parents out as much as he can after all they’ve done for him but it’s hard for him to deny that without food in his stomach, he wouldn’t have the energy to last and his mom didn’t need another sick person to take care of when she was already doing so much, so he grinned back, nodded, and set off to find something to eat.

his feet led him throughout the market, hungry eyes roaming the stalls he passed for something that he wanted to eat when yunho hears someone call his name. pausing, he turns to see who it is and finds it’s someone he knows well - or used to, he guesses? he hasn’t talked to or visited them much if he’s being honest, even since returning to yunhwa a year ago, but that was intentional on his part, considering certain circumstances. in fact, he almost wants to pretend he didn’t hear anything at all and turn right around and walk away but unfortunately, his presence had already been noticed and so he has no choice but to walk over to the stall where he was called from, a hesitant and slightly strained smile on his face as he approaches.

“hi, sir,” yunho greets once he arrives, nodding his head slightly in a bow towards the older man. there’s a nervous tone to his voice, like he’s treading on thin ice and needs to behave with trepidation, and he’s peering around as if looking for someone - not because he wants to see them but more so he can avoid them. thankfully, he doesn’t seem to spot the person in question so he affords himself a small, but relieved sigh, and the tension in his shoulders relax a little.

still, he can’t help but be cautious and ask what’s on his mind just to be sure. “jihyun, uh, isn’t here?” before the other male can answer him though, he suddenly sees a flash of a very familiar face behind the older and yunho freezes in place because of course she would show up now. shit. was it too late to run before she notices him?

[yhjihyun]

theoretically, how many mandus can one eat till you physically revolt at the taste? if your answer is anywhere from the low thousands to the high millions, kim jihyun can tell you with confidence (bet it on the kim name) that it really isn’t enough. but when it’s all your family’s known for, growing up—inhaling a couple hundred in a span of a week isn’t really that out of the ordinary. of course, the art (and preference) of mandus frequently boils down to filling and preparation. 500 kimchi mandus and 500 sogogi mandus are two entirely different things. pan fried or steamed are also completely different things. point is (and stay with me here): you can’t grow sick of the “same old thing” when the same old thing in question comes in 432432 kinds of combinations. 

and jihyun, especially—who has grown from sunday afternoons wrapping misshapen mandus with mom to doing majority of which (perfect and pristine, a skill honed over time) by her lonesome—will never grow tire of them. 

                                                                                    at least, that’s what she’ll tell herself.

what else can she say? 

                          this isn’t my passion. this isn’t what i want. this isn’t my legacy.

                                                                                                                                      as if.

no, our dutiful daughter plays her role beautifully. wakes up at the crack of dawn and preps breakfast while mom and dad sleeps. eats and drives out to the market (sometimes with dad) to set up shop. by lunch, she’s heading home to tend to mom. by night, she’s back for the night crowd. it works like this, without fail, since she’s been old enough to work—since she’s had to return early from college to ailing parents who are unable to handle the work and prep on their own. and it’ll continue to work like this—with a dull minacious ticking looming in the very back of her mind; that she realizes, when she stills enough to hear it, resembles the sound of life passing her by—till what? the end of time?

yeah. the end of time.

because otherwise? her only way out otherwise? the possible price of freedom from yunhwa and all the responsibilities that come with it? she doesn’t want to think about it. 

but—perhaps that’s a step too far into a future no one can predict. so, let’s take it back to modern day. as in today. as in, another world shattering realization when she returns from home, thin arms hoisting a basin filled to the brim with ddeok: an enemy has breached her stall.

more specifically (and one cannot possibly explain how she knows from just the back of  his head but she knows. and she knows he knows she knows so—what the fuck is he doing here??), noh yunho.

“dad!” but he’s lucky, he’s lucky. lucky that she catches sight of dad’s grey hairs quick enough to wipe the glower from her face and replace it with one of an unassuming sunspot. no need to pull her parents into drama between the two of them. but is it really still drama after all this time? well. did he or did he not leave her to flop in seoul? “can you help me put this in the back? i’ll—uh—man the shop, you can go to lunch.” she hopes she isn’t too obvious, that the slightest grit of her molars is left unnoticed. 

but for the most part, dad merely smiles—presumably unassuming of the underlying tension as he takes the basin, nods to the boy standing beside his daughter, and disappears to the back; leaving the two standing in absolute silence.

and then, almost hilarious the way her picture perfect smile slides off her face, jihyun redirects her attention to the shameless bastard standing next to her; expression uncharacteristically stiff for someone like her.  “sit." she gestures wordlessly with a kick to the leg of the chair, momentarily pleased with the way it knocks against his shoe. 

petty. you’re being so petty right now kim jihyun, the voice in her head chirps disapprovingly. 

                                                      oh fuck you! so what?

needlessly, she makes her way around to slip behind the stall, grabbing a pair of tongs with ease and knocking it against the edge of a metal container twice clang clang! to catch his attention (without really referring to him. because why? saying the words noh yunho still makes your face screw up in disdain? yeah? so what? so fucking what?), manner purposely short. “what do you want? i don’t have all day.”

[yhjihyun]

hey hey hey! guess who’s posting this up late late—it’s meeeeee! so, i’m yuv and this is jihyun, a yunhwa native and also 1/2 of the staff behind family run pojangmacha jihyun’s in the bimikil market square (boasting the best homemade mandu you’ll ever eat!). i have her all-in-one page up (though it’s really not much) HERE and i’ll be detailing more about her below the cut so!! and i know i have no plot pages (i’m not good at those rip) but please please give it (me) a chance and smash that like for plots!!!! i have lots of ideas i swear! thank u :D

tldr;

so! having been born and raised here and pretty much stuck here except for the three years in busan for college (final year was complete through online classes given her family situation) we can go ahead and assume that jihyun wants to leave yunhwa a.s.a.p.

unfortunately, given all of that (ailing mom and sole bread maker dad), it’s unlikely she’ll be able to leave anytime soon. which, lmao, she hates that.

alas, as the dutiful daughter it’s her job to stick around and care for her parents. which jihyun does with no complaints (because she loves them! obviously). but inwardly, it festers, y’know? she’s resentful, not of them but of her own situation. and she wants nothing more than to be able to leave with her parents.

personality;

semi-or otherwise mostly good natured, jihyun’s known around town by the older generation (late 20s to 30s+) as a bundle of joy. always eager to help and if pressed for a flaw, could only be seen as too hyperactive. 

beneath that, is a sort of monster with one obsession only: getting rich. marrying rich? same thing. she’s not ungrateful for her parents, but she hates being here. hates that her youth is devoted to manning the stall (lunch and late-night shifts without fail, everyday). hates even more that she’s ‘talentless’ save her looks.

a grudge holder through and through, do not expect her to forget any moment she was ever wronged. from schoolyard fights to bad breakups, it doesn’t matter if you two built a bridge over it or if you’re older now or if she’s “matured”, she will “remember year 2003 sunday may 25th when you...” you into the next oblivion if it fits the situation.

daydreams and romanticizes things often, if only to pass the time and ease the ache and frustration building. when life moves as slow as it does in yunhwa, she’s willing to do all that she can to move time just a bit faster. 

trivia;

has an extensive perfume collection (she’s convinced she has a particular “smell” to her, like garlic or tteokbokki or soju) she likes to rotate. currently smells like estee lauder’s pleasures eau de parfum 

can be seen riding around town in either a) a lavender beat up vespa or b) a used truck

often works lunch shifts (alone) and late night shifts (mostly with dad)

thinks she’s “talentless” because she tried out for like five kpop auditions and did not make it in (and cooking is NOT a talent do not @ her)

i will post more (maybe) i just realized its 3am

connections; (roughly put together)

best friend we laughed, we fought, we conquered. jihyun’s bestie since forever! preferably a yunhwa native. and if you ever left yunhwa (her) after high school etc, she probably hasn’t talked to you since.

exes it’s a big small town 

fwbs ??? maybe.... maybe not

hubby material (childhood friends) highkey lowkey she’s thought of marrying you at least once growing up 

last year’s bestie this year’s enemy you two fought when you were in high school over something and somehow never got over it

brainstorm brainstorm brainstorm! hmu for some in depth plotties!! please!