Β Β Β Β despite the crowd of people around him, juwon had caught sight of the unfamiliar face a few times since the stranger first walked into the bar. it wasnβt often that he saw new customers here without them being accompanied by at least one patron that he recognized, so his interest was definitely sparkedβonce when the man walked in, and once again when juwon spotted him walking towards the corner he was currently holed up in, with an unopened beer in one hand and a smile on his face.
Β Β Β Β juwon returned the smile with a bright one of his own, waving off the beer that was extended towards him and shaking his head politely.Β βguilty as charged! and thanks, but i donβt drink,β he explained lightly. βto answer your question, yeah. itβs usually this busy during the live events and the weekends, but it quiets down a lot during the week.β he tilted his head to the side curiously, studying the stranger.
Β Β Β Β βam i right to assume this is your first time here?β
Β Β Β Β insuβs eyebrow raised for half a second before he pulled the drink back and offered an apologetic smile, giving a quick nod.Β βwas i making it obvious? iβm trying not to look like a fish out of water,β he said, chasing the sentiment with a sip of his drink, albeit almost awkwardly.Β βmaybe iβll visit again during the week, then! do you work in the bar every day? if youβre not sick of the food here, iβll come around and buy you something. iβd love to hear some of the crazy stuff youβve seen!β he flashed a wider, excited grin and took another look around the bar.
Β Β Β Β it was strange, not knowing anything about the establishment, but building elaborate stories in his head about things that may have been. he loved the idea of learning about new places through the eyes of people who actually worked there.Β βhave you ever seen people get sick on stage?β maybe a bit too muchΒ for strangers, but on occasion, insuβs impulse control was nearly nonexistent.Β βhow long have you even owned the place?β
Β Β Β Β insu. please take a breath and let himΒ talk.Β
Β Β Β Β thereβs only one thing left to do after insuβs got all of his boxes up the stairs (asideΒ from dab the sweat building at his temples) and thatβs introduce himself to all of his neighbors. he felt good, accomplished, and heβd already greeted several people on his way in and out of the buildings, hopefully leaving a positive impression though often times, those things couldnβt be helped. he stepped out of his room and crossed the hall, knocking a few times at the cracked door and daring to peek his head in. if it hadnβt been for the small noise inside, he wouldβve assumed no one was there, but upon seeing a resident, he offered an apologetic smile.
Β Β Β Β Β βsorry, i wasnβt sure if anyone was in! i just moved into the room next door--β he paused, wiggling into the door frame and nudging it open with his foot,Β βiβm insu!β his expression shifted, leaving behind apologies in favor of warmth,Β βi didnβt mean to barge in if you were busy!β he paused, eyes idly scanning the room and glazing over an image, a painting that looked eerily familiar but he decided to stay quiet about it... at leastΒ for now, and turn his attention back to the otherβs delicate features,Β βiβm so sorry, i didnβt even ask your name-- i donβt normally get star struck.β
Β Β Β Β settling into yongsa is easy. settling anywhereΒ is easy, but something about the quiet, constant bustle of people on the street is comforting. insu had been wandering for about an hour before settling into a worn stool at the local bar, eyes roaming the shelves for something to suit his melancholic mood. a big name beer, nearly tasteless, but bitter enough to keep his head out of the clouds. it took a moment of scanning the crowd, surveying each bubble of patrons before stopping on a face he knew-- well, he thought, anyway. he grabbed another beer and started toward the man, a placid smile crossing his lips,Β βyou own this place, right?β
Β Β Β Β there was only a split second of hesitation, maybe heβd gotten the wrong person, but it passed as he extended the beer toward him and his expression grew jovial.Β βis it usually this busy, or is this packed?β while it wasnβt slammed full of bodies, walking was relatively impeded, but that must be expected on a weekend, especially as the younger nightlife trickled in to see live shows. it was hardly his focus, but heβd heard nothing less than good things and was glad heβd decided to check out the rumors. heβd still had yet to try and of the food, but it was definitely on his growing list of things to do around the city and the owner mightβve been his best way in.
Β Β Β Β Β one day in and yujaen had proved itself a breath of fresh air, cleaner than any couch heβd stayed on the past month, and more comforting than even his childhood home. something about the energy made him feel... more refreshed, than usual which was a hard thing for insu to achieve. heβd received several warm hellos and it was more than enough to satisfy his sense of community though, sitting out on the patio as the sun hung low, he felt he could be doing more. it was like the feeling wasnβt always hanging in his head, not quite the desire to be a social butterfly, but wanting to connect with someone in the most basic way, was always on his mind. thankfully, being somewhere new oftenΒ made him a spectacle, made people curious, and thatβs exactly what he wanted.
Β Β Β Β heβd nearly given up on enjoy the evening tucking his phone into his pocket and rolling his weight to his heels as he spotted someone joining him.Β βoh-- hello,β he started, voice softer than usual, almost coming off as sheepish.Β βitβs really nice out tonight, right?β small talk? he needed to start somewhere. after all, remembering all the faces in a single day was slightly overwhelming, even for someone who made an effort to keep everyone in mind.Β βi think weβre in for a great sunset,β he said, barely over a sigh, leaning back into his seat and looking out over the horizon.Β βiβm insu, by the way-- i probably shouldβve introduced myself first, my mindβs a little scattered, sorry.β his laugh was airy, slightly awkward in the way that he genuinely felt bad, but he didnβt miss a beat,Β βyou are?β
π»Β :Β Β Β Β HELLO HELLO, ITβS bijou with another character for your interacting pleasures. my baby insu is an enigmatic new kid with a holier-than-thou air but anΒ βi love you and iβll support anything you doβ attitude!! heβs truly a very good boy and went thru a lot of shit to make him who he is today!Β
Β Β Β Β below the cut is a too much info about him that you can also find on his profiles (which are: here & here ) plus a couple wanted connections while i work on his plots page! anyway, if you wanna plot, you can either like this or hmu on d*scord ( yyxy lovebot β‘#2588 ) !!
infodump / history π»
noh insu was born an only child in jeju-do to working class parents who instilled a sense of hard work into him, though it crumbled during high school and until now, heβd been fairly directionless
he was pulled from public school in 3rd grade while his grandmother pursued homeschooling while his parents worked, but returned to the public school system in 7th grade
insu faced a great deal of bullying during his 7th and 8th grade years before deciding to take matters into his own hands and become one of the people who treated him so badly, and toward the end of 8th grade, he began to act out
only after a suspension for physical violence in the middle of 9th grade did he snap out of his rebellion, taking a step back and assessing his own behavior with the help of a therapist
it took almost the entire school year to get himself to a better place, going to weekly sessions at therapy, and introduced a personality change that heβs worked on maintaining and improving to this day
after graduating high school with better grades and more friends, his memories of being bullied and bullying others were nothing but a dark memory, something he longed to forget, and he made a pact to keep anyone he came in contact with from feeling that low or unwanted
he had a bad habit of sleeping on couches and sailing through life based on making good or powerful friends, but finally longed for a place of his own and decided that settling down in yujaen might be the perfect place for him
his street art is rather well-known though he likes to keep his authorship anonymous, typically taking to beautifying areas with nature or slightly spiritually influenced murals or installations
heβs recently settled down and begun making charms to hang in the wishing forest, selling them to people who wanted a bit more personalization in the wish, things to make their slips of paper stand out
heβs got no formal art training but he prides himself in his artistic ability, though not outwardly. he remains humble in the face of recognition, but likes to draw or paint for people when he gets the time
despite his cool and calm demeanor, heβs a messy person in his own domicile, letting his own negative emotions out in the flow of his space, lacking true organizational skills
lil connectionsΒ π»
someone please show this boy around the sharehouse and help him navigate, maybe even try and color his opinions with who and what you do/donβt like because heβs really anti-judgment and wonβt know what to do
fwbs/flirtationships because the boy LOVES to flirt, not even overtly, just in a way that heβs never sure when heβs doing it and never thinks anyone is ugly and wants to make everyone feel wanted and loved even for just a night/short period of time
alternatively, someone who catches feelings and reads too much into their relationship and it ends up being kind of awkward but wait what the FUCK how did he make you feel so good about beingΒ βbroken upβ with??
someone who knows his street art or someone who takes and interest in his charm sculpting/painting, maybe even someone he bumps into in the wishing forest when heβs going around to hang charms (did he hang one on yours? why??? why didnβt he? are you not good enough?)
someone who pushes to get to know him despite the odds, as he keeps his personal life completely locked down fairly successfully, not because heβs got some intense trauma, but he just doesnβt care much to talk about himself
maybe heβs someoneβs stand-in therapist or something and heβs finally getting close to his breaking point but heβs never been that close to telling people to stop confiding their problems in him
someone who knew him in school!!! who knew how shitty he had been or seen had much heβd grown! or how tiny and sad he was! someone who knows the person he USED to be!
