as above / 𝕤𝕠 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕨

 ✿   —  Hey there!!  Yeonhee perished so Sihyun could live. This is a bit of a revamp on my last muse. Her personality is practically identical, her backstory has just gone over a major overhaul. Meet LEE SIHYUN, formerly Moon Sihyun, 31 YRS OLD & eldest daughter of Moon Boram and granddaugher of Mayor Moon. She is an ACTRESS who has been in Seoul for the past 11 years but has recently returned after a scandal drove her into hiding and she’s been here ever since. Learn more about her under the cut as well as her profile page and there will be plot ideas as well!! Just drop a ♡ if you’re down.    〉

“we both know he’s not sleeping. and if he is, i’ll wait for him to wake up at his bedside.” a fleeting thought — catching wind of his treasonous intentions, perhaps the ruling family had ousted him from their inner circle. no notice, no warning, just punishment, doled out swiftly and quietly. but the notion of opposing the incumbent had barely crystallized in his own mind, let alone that of another. no, this was a deliberate attempt to hide the mayor from everyone ( including close confidantes ). “i know he’s sick.” the entire town received that news before the blackout. “that’s why i’m here to wish him a speedy recovery.” basket of home remedies in hand was a mere gesture. these concoctions his mother packed would likely never see the light of day in the moon household. “listen,” and so began the cajoling. “when you were told no one is to see him, that surely didn’t include me. just call and ask someone.”  

The color red engulfed the soothing days of late autumn Sihyun looked forward to. Not in the beauty of the changing leave but with the crimson moon and the new scent of blood. Instead of perusing her trunk and closet for opportune moments to flaunt about her foppish nature during the most fashionable time of year, she bundled herself in plain clothes to not draw any attention to herself. Mitigating circumstances lead her into paranoia.

She glanced over her shoulder, hiked her hood and scarf up higher to shield her face from wind and eyes. Did someone know who was not meant to? There was bound to be. Nothing on this island could remain under wraps for too long. The power outage comes as a fortunate surprise. The woman dependant on her phone no longer mourned for lack of connection or signal. Good, she thought, no cameras or instant messaging. There will be more time.

Sihyun trudged through the cold in her thick layers, thankful for the goose down lining the interior of her jacket. Snow finally dusted the ground and covered the fall leaves in a thin layer of blinding white. Behind her trailed her small footprints, unsteady pattern telling of her state of mind. But among the freshly laid blanket was an additional pair of footprints. She placed her foot inside one — much later than hers. A man's. The windows of her grandfather's residence were too clouded over with frost and fog to ascertain who it might be. Her brother, perhaps. Or even—

"Ha Juhwan!" The eldest Moon daughter called out the moment she recognized him, trudging over the slipper ground carefully to quickly sidle up next to him. Her brows furrowed together beneath her knit beanie.

The guard turned to Sihyun and nodded. "There are no visitors right now. Ms. Lee, please inform him of this protocol. We cannot allow just anyone to come inside while the mayor is recovering."

( ... )

Her assumption had been that her mother was trying one of her manipulation tactics and seeing if it worked on her, but her older brother had assured her that the gravity of the situation was much, much worse than she could possibly imagined. She enters the residence, not knowing what to expect. A part of her is relieved when she spots Sihyun first and not her mother.

“W-What happened, Sihyun?” The grim atmosphere dictates that she should be whispering, or turning around and heading back into the comfort of her mattress on the floor. Perhaps, that would have been the smartest decision. Her emotional and mental state were still too fragile to consider that she might have to comfort her mother. “Has he… died?”

The eldest daughter was summoned to the mayor's official home with haste. Any response short of yes would be met with a tongue lashing and she knew how the mayor's oldest child lost her grip with temper in the blink of an eye. Unpredictable, unhinged — the Moon Boram the public did not see; would not see. And yet, she sounded every bit of frightened.

Sihyun arrived to her grandfather's residence with caution in each step and every word. The area surrounding the home had been cleared of any prying eyes, offering a private radius to conceal an incident that would easily fly under the radar. Her mother's expertise in doing so did nothing to offer reassurance.

What happened this time?

The words echo, all too familiar emerging from her in the direction of her mother. Moon Boram appeared solemn and concerned, one arm folded across her middle, the other holding a thumbnail to idle down between her veneers. In all their years together, Sihyun had never witnessed such an expression of worry on the overbearing woman's face. The wrinkles settling in the apples of her cheeks and the corner of her eyes were visible from across the room. No makeup, short hair visibly disheveled; even when hidden beneath one of her father's old hats.

Carnage laid in the upstairs office. Her mother could not bear to look but insisted Sihyun do so. Her head swam, placing her in a walking dream as she trudged up the stairs. Individuals wearing masks and gloves scurried around the office to rid the room of evidence. Blood, tossed about papers, a woman's body, the shivering form of her grandfather huddled in the corner. She was going to be sick.

Her trip back down the stairs was a blur — until she laid eyes on a comforting familiar face.

"Sieun!" A gasp coupled with her sister's name. Sihyun stepped forward to grab the younger's elbow, tugging her into the darkened tea room. She lowered her voice to a hasty whisper. "What are you doing? Why are you here?! I explicitly urged...—"

Flustered heat poured into her cheeks and settled behind her ears, turning them red. Rarely, if ever, was Sihyun the sibling to succumb to rage. If anything, their mother prided herself on raising such a jovial and courteous child ( and an obedient one at that ). But it should be known that even a worm will turn.

He didn’t meant to come off as rude or noisy, but as someone working in the medical field, he could barely watch someone that youn ruin their health at this age. At least he believed the person he was rushing after a young girl. “Excuse me, miss!” Jun called after her, before catching up to her on the busy shopping street. It was his off-duty day and he probably risked being frown at for meddling into someone else’s business. But he felt like not being able to leave her alone, not when there was a chance to help her prevent a life full of health issues and pain. He alone wouldn’t be able to heal humankind, but at least he could try and help as many people around him as possible. Even the slightest chance to make someone else’s life a little better was a win.

So he pushed aside all hesitation, ignored his own warnings to not nag some random stranger and said it upright: “I know it’s easier to speak, than to actually do it, but I think you should stop using that.” The doctor pointed at the cigarette in her hand. She was a young and pretty woman, so she definitely wouldn’t want any of the health risks that came with the nicotine consumption. “I’m sorry, if I come off as rude or noisy. It’s just a advice. I mean no harm.” He bowed his head lightly, trying to reassure him he was indeed harmless. When looking up again, he stopped for a moment and wondered, where he had seen her face before. But that couldn’t really be, right?

Lee Sihyun picked up smoking only within the last year. It began with an offer from her colleague at an after party, a gesture that lead to them venturing out for tiramisu the following night. You look stressed, he said, urging the pack towards her. She thought nothing of it at the time, not beyond the sharp cough and sour taste — but her nerves were set at ease when the nicotine ran its course. It did nothing the yoga instructors and shamans promised they could do for her high levels of tension. Perhaps gullibility led her down this route as usual. Perhaps the compulsion to please others, no matter how destructive to her the action.

The addiction followed her to the island. She only imbibed, so to speak, when on her lonesome; as far away from her young son and other people as possible. When a person passed by with several feet between her and them, she drew in the puff. Being caught with smoke billowing from her nostrils would do nothing for her reputation and, in her mother's eyes, lead the family's down a path of ruin. ( Particularly during one of the moods that drove her to pry open the small white box. )

her company arrived before her beverage with apologies and promises and all at once, hands swept away from their mindless drumming. she returned a shake of her head that she’d been waiting long. it was her fault for arriving well before their agreed upon time. “seriously, people need to pick up ubering around here. if i had better driving skills, maybe i’d do it myself.” a complaint she had frequently on her walks home when sleep would not come. “or maybe electric scooters. those would be great.” though perhaps that would be considered radical change for a place like this. how was she to know? “i ordered us tea to cleanse our bodies of toxins.” a feeble attempt at occasionally embodying her brand. “and because they said it was the special and i’m a sucker for marketing.” she liked the first explanation better (  the latter was more accurate ). 

Comparisons could not help but flood to Sihyun's mind when in the presence of the younger woman. Personality wise, she was nothing like the little sister she knew the former was well-acquainted with by now; a possible good influence on Sieun's social life that was always strived for by Sihyun and their mother, alike. But the actress was just that: an actress, something created and molded by the expectations of an overbearing parent. She found her escape in films and television shows, hoping there had to be something more to this, that she might as well keep up her habit of acting. ( And her mind waders to an old Hollywood movie, Mommy Dearest. A shudder washes down her spine. ) There were thoughts that, perhaps, Myunghwa felt the same, that what if Lee Taeho was equally persistent and controlling. She certainly hoped not.

With a sigh, Sihyun leaned back against the cushioned bench ( and away from her thoughts ). "You are so right. Standing and waiting around for one to see you or pick up their phone is so nerve-wracking, too. I honestly can't imagine it's any easier for foreign tourists when they get here. What a pain in the rear." Another exhale of exasperation escaped the foppish woman. A dark pair of sunglasses still covered her eyes. Either she forgot they were still fixed to her face or she was intentionally concealing her eyes, and with the way they shifted behind them, it was more than clear the latter.

She opened her mouth to speak again when the server slides their cups of tea onto the table, a warm grin on his face. Sihyun offered her own platitudes of thanks in return, muttering several saccharine courtesies for his service. She leaned over the cup. "Smells like a lovely green tea," An inhale. The steam rolled into the air, catching the incoming beams of light from the window. "Anyway, let's cut to the chase, Miss Myunghwa." The actress lowered her voice. "Why did you really want to meet like this so suddenly? Do you need help with something? Advice? Maybe you're finally taking up my offer to get you that beverage brand deal?"

( ... )

Yiming stopped by the entrance of the village as he did last time. There were some flowers offered, some bundles fresher than the others. His mandarin oranges offering from last time was gone - either cleared away by humans or eaten by the ghosts. “Okay, I am going to do eight oranges.” It was a lucky number. He laid them in a circle and placed a few persimmons neatly inside. 

A smile chock full of nerves and skepticism crossed Sihyun's face — but it was a smile, nonetheless. She glanced over her shoulder, wringing her hands around the strap of her purse. ( It was the rugged sort of style, perfect for adventuring and primed for potentially getting dirty or lost. There would be no way she would ever bring along her limited Chanel shoulder bag to a place like this. )

"When I was little, they would tell us terrifying stories about all the things that happened here in urban legend. I would always ask why it was that these things go on, and so recently. Like, normally, those stories go back to, like, the 10th century and all. They told me that there are certain events that just can't be explained but... isn't that just the nature of the spiritual?"

Her hand delicately reached inside and procured what appeared to be a small wooden effigy of an owl further within the circle of persimmons and oranges. She gave the figure a ginger pat with the tip of her finger. "But, luckily, there are protectors that look after us."

She glanced up.

The appearance of the entrance alone is enough to send a shockwave of goosebumps along her skin. A thin film of fog overlaid the few buildings. It dimmed their appearance like a fading old photograph. She clasped her hands in a praying gesture and rubbed her palms together alongside a mumbled shaman hymn, hoping it would cease their incessant trembling. If the superstitions surrounding this village were to be assumed correct, their offerings and precautions would see to them being protected from whatever malicious entities might lurk.

The young woman known as Lee Myunghwa quickly became someone Sihyun could see tiny slivers of herself within. Granted, she silently thought of her as slightly more impulsive and off-the-rails — closer to the girl she left behind when she flew to Seoul as a naive twenty year old. Those presuppositions faded the more the youngest Lee daughter revealed about herself. Something more than a mini socialite and lifestyle blogger. Hidden just beneath the surface was a girl desperate for sincere friends and companionship, and Sihyun was more than willing to offer the chance to be one.

The whispers from other townsfolk echo like sirens in their ears. Did you hear about Mayor Moon? No one has seen him in person in ages, apparently! Did you hear about Lee Taeho? He's going to dig his claws in Seomyeon next, I just know it.

Years of experience allowed Sihyun in particular to block them out, dismiss the passing utterances as town gossip to keep their mundane lives full of intrigue. An actress that was making a name of herself all the way in the sparkling city of Seoul had no time for rumors, even the ones that followed her to and from both locations.

She strides into the cafe like she would in the big city. A designer bag and jacket wrapped around her form. Looks are shot in her direction as usual but she can only offer a sugary sweet twinkle of her fingers and a cheeky smile in return. Her eyes do not roll behind her sunglasses — she still knows them, after all, and it was up to the children of Moon Boram to maintain a sterling behavioral reputation.

A certain proclivity to impulsiveness was a trait long since quenched in the woman's tidy, succinct life in Seoul. She stuck to a tight schedule, accustomed to working around others and a production manager's directions. A creature of habit was made of her. No longer existed the spur of the moment driven young woman that Sihyun left behind with the rest of the Moon family, insistent that she not be the same. That she not be driven merely by a hunch or emotions... — and here she still stands, twiddling her fingers in the company of a strange man newly acquainted with.

( In fairness, he certainly was charming in his own way, if stilted expressions resembling that of an every day human could be considered so. Perhaps it is this touch of eccentricity that taps into her own and pulls her to listen. Or perhaps, her propensity to put more value into pretty looking things. )

The man named Yiming ( Mr. Guan, as she refers to him ) rambles on about his own preventative measures and intentions to leave offerings to whatever entity lingered about in the abandoned Northern Village. It was long abandoned for reasons not entirely unclear to her. Her own grandfather, the mayor of Dangam, in particular warned her of poking around up there even as a child. But back then, he still had color in his cheeks and a fullness to his crooked smile.

"Mr. Guan, I'm not too sure if it is vampires we're dealing with here. Maybe something else entirely... like malevolent ghosts or goblins." She scoffs and waves her hand, covering her own answers that are perhaps closer to Yiming's answer than she cares to admit. Blood-sucking creatures, he clamors on about. Her eyes dart away.