My heart reaches out
to unravel, to breathe in
far away destinations;
to explore, to bask in
the light of nature;
my eyes dream
to be kissed by
foreign phenomena.
There was an obvious hesitance to him and his shoulders quickly lost their stiff position as he sighed and rested back on his heels. “Sorry.” he softly spoke with a bit of shame biting the tip of his tongue in response. Honestly, he just– he didn’t know how to properly explain himself in situations like this… So he yelled at her. Not because he was mad– but because he cared. Xzavier couldn’t say he cared about much– but definitely the other seemed to have somehow made it into the category of someone he cared about. He could see the way her shoulders were shivering and he wondered if he had made her cry– that feeling of regret was kicking him in the gut now. “Please do.” He returned before letting out a soft sigh and hesitating for only a moment before turning away and going back to searching the perimeter for anything they could scavenge. Truth be told, he wanted to apologize properly to her– but he just didn’t know how and he couldn’t find the words to say it.
No one could blame him for how he reacted when Yeseul separated from him after hearing a noise nearby. At the moment, her common sense was completely taken over by her desire to find out if it was possible that the noise came from a fellow survivor that needed their help, which eventually led her to take a few slow steps towards the source of the noise. Because of the dangers around them, she was supposed to consider the worst case scenario in order to know the best way to survive, but whenever someone else needed her help, instinct kicks in and she doesn’t consider how she could be putting her own life at risk. It was a good thing that she was stopped before getting any farther. Only after the other yelled at her did she realize how badly things could’ve gone if she continued by herself.
It was only one word, but the gentle apology he gave was enough to help her relax a little. Yeseul cleared her throat, nodded and looked at him with the slightest hint of a smile on her lips, her way of telling him that it was okay; that she understood how tense he must’ve been, and that she wouldn’t hold it against him. She felt bad about troubling him, but also thankful that he seemed to worry about her. Yeseul decided to look around as well, while making sure she wasn’t going anywhere too far from him. As she searched, her flashlight started to flicker and despite her trying to fix it by removing the batteries and returning them, it didn’t work and it was evident that the light wasn’t going to last long. “ Umm… by the way, how much longer are we going to be here? ”
He nodded in response, only to realize that Yeseul couldn’t see him, so he blurted out an okay - enough for her to hear, but not too loud that his voice would resound through the entire place. He was busying himself placing his items inside his backpack when he heard her exclamation. Jaehyun’s mind went into overdrive, already conjuring up the worst scenarios that could happen before the rational part of his brain won out. He had scanned the whole area for any zombies that could be lurking, so the chances of there being one inside the building were slim to none. Even if he had somehow missed a walking corpse walking around and there actually was a zombie, Yeseul would call for him. Right? The next few moments were torture for him, but he finally managed a sigh of relief when Yeseul arrived safe and sound.
❝ Tell me, then, what’s anyone gonna do with thirty thousand won? Eat it? ❞ Money didn’t have the same value as it did back then, as food, shelter and weapons became the new currencies. It was saddening, how most of what were once considered basic commodities were turned into luxuries. Jaehyun shot Yeseul a look of disapproval. ❝ Anyway, what was that, earlier? I heard you, you know. ❞
Jaehyun’s response served as a reminder for her about how dire the situation was. It was out of habit that she grew concerned about the cash he left behind, thinking about how they could still make use of it. But he was right. At the moment, it was absolutely useless to them. “ But... once this is all over... ” She began to reason. Her voice was weak, and on her face was a look that could only be described as defeated. Yeseul wanted to stay optimistic and hope for the best, but it was incredibly hard to do when reality kept slapping her in the face. “ ...we could use that money when everything goes back to normal, instead of leaving it here. ” It sounded ridiculous, to talk as if she was sure everything would go back to normal. She wasn’t even sure if she’d survive to see the end of the outbreak.
“ Oh, that. I just... saw a poster for a horror movie. There was a picture and I thought it was one of them. ” If the circumstances were different. Yeseul would be embarrassed to admit that she was scared by something like that. But no one could blame her for being paranoid now. “ Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go, before the real ones show up. ”
❝ I think I’ve got all I need now. ❞ Raiding a grocery store was not something that Jaehyun thought he would ever have to do, yet there he was, holding a bottle of shampoo and a box of instant soup packets. The shampoo he had found on the floor of the produce section, while the soup he found at the very top of a shelf that he had to climb while scouring the stock closet. Not his ideal grocery trip, but he had to make do, somehow. With a wad of bills left on top of the cash register, (just taking them was… still wrong, right?) he turned toward the other with a shrug of his shoulders.
❝ Are you ready to go? Sol’s waiting at home. ❞
she took one last look at the shelf to check if there had been anything else she missed. drinking water. check. bandages. check. flashlight. check. batteries for the flashlight... “ give me a second. ” yeseul hurried to the next lane to look for what she needed, and while she ran, her eyes landed on a horror movie poster on the wall. at first glance, she thought it was one of the people affected by the virus ( she still couldn’t bring herself to call them ‘zombies’ ) and caused to her to take a step back as a loud yelp escaped her lips. she stopped herself by covering her mouth with her hand, and took a deep breath.
once she was calm enough, she continued her search and eventually found what she was looking for. quick footsteps led her to where jaehyun was waiting for her, when she noticed the cash he left behind. “ i know you mean well but, really, how would we know who’s gonna end up with that money? ”
“ i wasn’t planning to. ” she bit her lip and shook her head. every time she thought about their situation her eyes would start to tear up, and the other’s words only reminded her of it’s severity (although she assumed he only meant to help). but yeseul didn’t want to be vulnerable, or at least she wanted to look like she was holding herself together ( it was silly, who could possibly do that in the midst of it all ). her hands went up to wipe the tears forming in her eyes, before facing him and nodding. “ i’ll be more careful, promise. ”
just a heads up to people i have threads with, i’ll be posting my replies (and the starters i owe) once the au month is finished. listed below are the ones i owe replies and starters!!
henlo this is late but !!! for the event yeseul’s background will stay the same
feel free to message me for plots !
task questions under the cut !
1. Think about your character’s area they live in– how would this impact your survival and response–how fast it spreads– so on and so forth!
The fact that Yeseul is constantly outside, going from Yeongdeok College then straight to the chocolate shop on weekdays and out taking pictures around town during free time on weekends, meant that she could very easily catch the virus. It doesn’t help that her lifestyle isn’t exactly what is considered ‘healthy’.
2. How does your character react to the rumors of zombies?
She wouldn’t believe it at all until she’s seen it for herself. Yeseul has heard her fair share of hoaxes and rumors about the supernatural, and while she likes to imagine how it would play out in real life, she never actually believes it would happen.
3. Is your character prepared?
3.1 Mentally, physically, as well as their food, home, transportation–etc situation. Have they been saving food in case of a crisis?
One thing she did well was stocking up on food, making sure there was enough at home for both her and Jaehyun (she felt that was one way she could help out in the house). But despite that, she never expected anything as serious as a zombie outbreak to be of concern. She would definitely not be mentally prepared for the situation, as she never even considered that it would happen to her, or anyone. Panic would come over her the moment she realizes the severity of the situation.
4. Does your character know basic survival skills?
Nope. Her one chance at learning those basic skills was at a bootcamp-like event in middle school, which her parents did not let her attend.
5. How long do you think your character would survive?
Not too long. Her immune system isn’t very strong and once she has caught the virus, it won’t take long before it completely takes over her.
6. Are they afraid/frightened of the outbreak?
Yes, once she sees that the rumors were true, then she would definitely be afraid. Yeseul has never been in a life threatening situation before and never thought she would ever be in one.
7. Are they afraid/frightened of the possibility of dying and/or being turned?
Yes. Since she has a very close relationship with her family (especially Jeseul), she couldn’t even imagine leaving them behind (although she would sacrifice herself for them without hesitation). But she is even more afraid of the possibility that she would be turned and become a threat to her loved ones.
8. Are they the type to turn to the chaos of the world and start vandalizing and hurting others–stealing? Or do they help as much as they can?
She would probably be tempted to steal supplies for the sake of survival, but she’d try her best not to do that. Instead, she’d try to put her energy into making sure to stay with those close to her and any other survivors, believing that they would all be much safer together.
9. Do their personalities change in the panic?
It would, in some areas. Yeseul would become more aggressive and easily angered due to the pressure of the situation in contrast to her usual laid back demeanor. She would also be very paranoid, thinking that nowhere is safe and that she can’t let her guard down, or else she would risk her own safety and of those around her.
10. How do they react when it actually happens before their eyes?
She would freeze. It would take a while to sink in and she would be in denial at first. But after snapping out of it, she would call her brother immediately, and Jaehyun.
11. Is your character physically inclined? Or mentally?
More mentally, as Yeseul has always had a creative and imaginative mind.
12. Will they go full force fighting the zombies or will they outsmart them?
Without any training in fighting, she would have to rely on her brain in order to stay alive. But without any proper knowledge on the ‘zombies’ around them, she would have no choice but to base everything on whatever she has learned on tv shows about the creatures, and as she goes she will take note of any behavior she will notice and use that information against them.
13. Is your character part of an important position– Like the police? Doctors?
13.1 How do they respond? What extra things do they know that the public does not?
No. Yeseul is a friendly girl, but not to the point where she would have connections to people in high positions. She would be as clueless as the rest of the town about the outbreak.
14. How far do you think your character will last?
Not far, if she was alone. Despite the desire to live, being unprepared will badly affect how she handles situations and she won’t be able to protect herself well. But maybe, if she is with someone more reliable than herself, she could definitely improve and last a little longer.
15. What kind of zombie would they probably be? Smarter? Stronger? faster? Slower?
She would be smarter and faster. She wouldn’t be one to attack people in broad daylight, instead she would find ways to catch people off guard and go after them then.
starbucks was never lack of customers. it was one of the reasons miyeon liked working here, as odd as it might sound. most people would rather have a slow work, but she would prefer to work non stop and only rest when she finally got home. what was the real purpose of coming to work if you only came to relax and not do work anyways? call her a nerd ( workaholic would have been more accurate to be honest. ) but that’s just how miyeon was. she could be playful the whole time she was around people but when it came to work, miyeon took it seriously.
“thank you, please come again!” the smile on her face never faded, as if it was permanent and not meant to be taken off while she was working here. “welcome to starbucks! good afternoon to you too, miss. can i take your order?” miyeon greeted the next customer, a girl she believed who seemed to be around her age. fairly enough the girl didn’t look familiar, so she supposed they had never met before or maybe this was her first time here. not that she could remember every customer that came to starbucks though. it was definitely just a wild guess.
once she had voiced out what she wanted, she nodded once before asking, “would you like a small, regular or tall size for the drink?” she looked back at the girl for a response, only to add another question right after that. “oh, and i would need your name to write on the cup too.”
Despite having been in Wonyang for a long time, she still hasn’t gotten used to giving out her birth name whenever people asked. “Oh, it’s Ysabel.” She replied, saying her name slowly and clearly as people normally got it’s spelling wrong. Her smile stayed, until she realized she’d given out the wrong name again. Usually when this would happen, she’d immediately correct her mistake and introduce herself as Yeseul. And that was what she was about to do when she opened her mouth to speak, but seeing as the place was busy and she didn’t want to cause any delay (plus she didn't really mind the name), she cut herself off.
“...and tall, please.” She added without hesitation. She thought that if she wasn’t focused enough to say the right name then she would need as much caffeine as possible to stay awake and focused for the rest of her shift (not to mention the endless pile of classwork waiting for her at home).
It was Yeseul’s turn to buy the groceries, and what was supposed to be done the next morning had to be advanced to that night after she used up the last box of tissues available at home. If it wasn’t for the fact that her nose itched a lot and she felt she might’ve caught a cold, Yeseul would’ve just stayed in and rested. She grabbed her wallet and went on her way.
She never liked walking in the dark. Her parents always warned her about the dangers present during nighttime. And if her brother had found out she went out that late, alone, he’d probably list down everything bad that could’ve happened to her. Yeseul was reminded of all their warnings once she walked out of the grocery store, both her hands busy carrying heavy bags, and felt as if someone was following her. She tried to shrug it off at first, but when she heard a noise from behind her, she turned and noticed a man wearing a grey hoodie rapidly walking away from her.
Terrified, Yeseul picked up her pace and tried to calm down, repeatedly telling herself that the suspicious person was already gone. And then she heard footsteps approaching, and froze. She remembered what her family always told her, that if ever she was being followed by a sketchy person, she had to act brave, make a scene and scare them off. It was now or never. Her hands quickly placed the bags on the ground, grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialed Jeseul’s number, ready to click ‘call’ in case the situation gets bad. She immediately turned to look at the person behind her and yelled, “Why are you following—”
At that moment, she realized how different the person in front of her looked from the one she saw earlier.
A hectic day in class was to blame for Yeseul arriving at the store with all energy already drained from her body. Yet even with how tired she was, she still had responsibilities as co-owner of the shop and didn’t want to go on with her day without helping him out with what strength she had left. So she sucked it up, took out her camera and started taking pictures of the customers. But eventually, exhausted eyes failed her as they went out of focus while she was trying to take photos. She decided to go on a quick break at the nearby cafe and buy a cold drink to wake up and pull herself together. She lined up, ordered a cup of iced coffee, and sat down. While waiting, she wore her earphones and listened to some relaxing music.
Yeseul stood up and approached the counter when she heard the barista call out and saw a cup placed on the counter. She wasn’t able to hear exactly whose name was called out, but in her dazed and sleepy state, she assumed it was hers. Quickly, she grabbed it and took a sip, before turning around and seeing someone looking at the drink in her hand.
It took her a while to realize what was going on, but when she looked down and saw the name written on it, her cheeks flushed red.
She tried to distract herself by shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth, trying to avert her eyes from the big screen as she expected that a jump scare would come up soon. The music started to get louder, building up the suspense. Yeseul slowly raised the bucket of popcorn to cover her face. The scene transitioned to the next before anything scary could happen, and she let out a sigh of relief, but not loud enough that Jaehyun would notice. He seemed too focused in the movie to hear her, anyway.
Yeseul passed the bucket to him, since they split the bill for it and so far she had eaten more than he did. Out of habit, she started to bite her lower lip and rested her chin on her hand. She kept her eyes glued to the screen as it seemed that nothing scary was going to happen, but what happened next proved her wrong. The monster showed up out of nowhere after one of the main characters turned to look behind them, and the entire cinema was filled with screams of the audience, including Yeseul. Immediately, she placed her hand in front of her mouth and coughed loudly to disguise her scream. As the cinema fell into silence again, she cleared her throat and turned to look at Jaehyun.
Yeseul bit her lip as she walked, trying to look calm despite the worry that came over her. Honestly, she wasn’t too anxious about the situation she got herself into, but more so she was worried about how he would react to it. It was embarrassing. She thought that could only happen to little kids messing around. But nevertheless, there she was. She repositioned the beret that held her hair, as she felt it was about to slip off.
The moment she arrived at Millenial’s Cut, she bowed to the employees around before spotting that specific someone she was looking for. “...Bo-Yeon oppa!”
“Okay so—don’t laugh, or get mad at me—but I have gum stuck in my hair and I don’t know what to do about it.” Yeseul took off the beret and showed him the part of her hair the gum was stuck in, before pulling out a jar of peanut butter from her backpack and handing it to him. “I googled what to do and it said to put either oil or peanut butter on it and I had no oil at home so... Anyway, I didn’t want to do it without asking you first, I might just make it worse.”
Kim Jeseul was currently on his break. His shop was being cared for by his staff and plus, he was the boss so he could leave whenever. He had been trying to find his sister since it had been a full five minutes and she hadn’t replied to his message yet. He clicked his tongue as he began searching in Yeseul’s usual spots. He couldn’t find her so he thought he should check the university. James opened a classroom door immediately called out, worry masked his manners.❝ Yeye, get your but out here. Where are you? ❞
While packing her things after the class was dismissed, Yeseul realized that her drawing tablet’s pen wasn’t in its case. Already panicking, she asked the remaining students in the room if they happened to see it. Of course, none of them have. She searched under the chairs and tables around her but to no avail. Her phone resting on top of her desk vibrated, but since she was too distracted (and the fact that the phone was on silent), she failed to notice even after it buzzed a couple more times.
Eventually, she found the pen under the lecturer’s desk after remembering that she had lent it to them during class. As she crouched down to reach for it, she heard someone enter abruptly. Bang. The voice of her brother made Yeseul jump and hit her head on the wooden desk. Annoyed, she quickly grabbed the pen and stood up to show herself to him.
“Dude?!” She exclaimed while walking towards him. “First of all, why didn’t you tell me you were coming here? Second... Yeye? You’re really gonna call me that out loud on campus?”
After hours of helping out at the chocolate store, Yeseul felt a small grumble coming from her empty stomach. Sure, snacking on bits of their own chocolate never gets old, but it’s not enough to satisfy one’s hunger. Besides, she was worried her brother would start to notice how much chocolate she had already consumed. Yeseul decided to go to the Starbucks not too far from the shop to grab a quick bite and some caffeine to wake herself up.
Upon arriving, she scanned the display of cakes and sandwiches, trying to figure out which of those she should get as she waited in line behind a few people. As soon as it was her turn to order, she started with a cheerful “Good afternoon” to the lady behind the counter.
“One iced white chocolate mocha, and a sugar donut, please.” A sweet smile came after.
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origamiaround
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