ready to start

“People pleaser? Do you give tarot readings?” She blurts out thoughtlessly, immediately regretting her unfortunate joke. Maybe she should just shove one of those melting ice cubes down her throat next time her tongue got ahead of her brain. 

After the absurd day she had, Heize finds herself struggling to make sense of what he was saying. To start with, she’d lost her filter about half an hour ago, so she was definitely not in a good position to answer anything other than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, for her chances of saying something completely ridiculous were grand. He tossed bits of information and metaphors left and right and her brain was fuzzy, unable to easily catch up with his train of thought.

“Help me deconstruct that idea right there. Because, right now, I’ll tell you straight up that the ones at the top are the most heavily judged. The ones who achieved something that can be seen and displayed. Also,” the petite woman turns further on her side to face the stranger, resting an elbow on the countertop and consequently her cheek on her fist. A pensive pout to go with her (almost) permanent frown. “do you fear the judgement of others when you tell them what you do for a living, is that it? I’m struggling to connect the dots here.”

A pause. Now she was getting into it.

“I can’t imagine what it is you do, or how you do it. And if you’re always pleasing others, who or what pleases you? How are you not drained at the end of the day? Walking around like a prune that gave its essence up for a couple o’bills.” She really hoped he wouldn’t be offended by the onslaught of questions — they came out of curiosity. Genuine, cat-like curiosity. 

It was a really bad joke, even Jaehwa could recognize that. He smiled regardless. “No, not like a card reader. You shouldn’t hedge your bets on that in the first place.” It was a strange thing to come to anyone’s mind even for a joke, but perhaps she was too far gone to really focus.

And maybe that’s exactly why it was easier to talk to her about this. She wouldn’t really know him in the first place. If he didn’t like where it was headed, he could always just walk away.

Jaehwa took another drink.

“See, that’s the thing. They get judged the most, but who has the money to back up how well judgements are doled out and squash opposition?” It sounded like a dictatorship, but that was how businesses ran for the most part. She must not have worked in the business sector, or at least not for a corporation if she couldn’t see the value in that. “So, who cares at that point? The ones at the top are the ones with power and the ability to do. You can’t just move up so easily.” That’s why it was important to worm your way up as far as Jaehwa was concerned. He swiveled in his seat a bit so he could face her properly, one of his arms propped up against the counter and holding up his head a bit as he looked at her when something seemed to click with her.

[ re: x ]

Following an empty lead for half a day, tracking a suspect with a checked alibi, two hours with her ass shaped into some posh bar-stool to keep eye on some rich idiot that had popped up in a case and she was ready to gargle every last ounce of whiskey they stocked behind the counter. God, what a stupid day to have.

She doesn’t know, honestly, if she had been making small talk with the stranger next-seat for the past half hour or if he had just suddenly dropped a brain buster on her. Pow. Oh to hell with lead, it was getting her absolute-fucking-nowhere.

The woman crinkles her nose slightly while sipping on her drink, glancing at her ‘neighbour’. Personally, she found his neatness offensive. From the bridge of his nose to his cuff links, there was just something extremely offensive about this man — or the fact that she hadn’t noticed (actually noticed) his presence until now. Blessed liquor and its tongue-lubing properties.

“Heavily depends on the person. I get some sort of sick pleasure out of knowing someone dislikes me and judges me for whatever. Like, here you go, buddy, a handful of reasons for you to nurture that saltiness over me.” Heize swings her hand idly, as if she were spreading seeds across the varnished countertop. “But, for some people, the fear of being judged is often a fatal obstacle in accomplishing even the simplest things in life. It’s conditioning, and it starts at such a tender age, as well. But — all in all, I don’t really care.” Head tips to the left, a small shrug, gaze that draws up to the ceiling. “I really don’t. It’s almost sad how much I don’t— why are you asking me this?”

She’s got a mouth on her was the first thing that came to Jaehwa’s mind, but he’d be damned if he said it out loud. It wasn’t that the woman’s words were nonsensical or crude, but she was certainly open about everything. There was nothing that seemed carefully considered about what she was saying and to Jaehwa that felt incredibly ill-conceived in itself…

Or perhaps, it was incredibly honest and courageous.

There was a fine line between all of that as far as he was concerned.

He had finished meeting with a client earlier in the evening and so he was left with some extra time to think. This only led him to asking the woman next to him something that he’d been mulling over for a while now.

“I’m just curious on your take.” And he was. “My job is to be a people pleaser… to a degree.” That was more or less the gist of it, anyway. His own drink had neared its end by now and Jaehwa currently had no desire for anything more. It was just something to wind down after… people pleasing. “A lot of compliments, a lot of making deals… work is always about making sure that someone is happy in the end.” His eyes moved from the stranger’s to the shelves of liquor in front of them, taking in the different tiers. “Everybody wants to be on the top shelf. That’s where the money is.” With a small smile he turned his attention back to her. Her features were certainly sharp—she was probably hard to miss in a crowd. “I’m glad you don’t care though. That’s important.”

hyejung was a girl who wasn’t raised to live by the right morals. she was never taught things directly, only picking up some lessons from the people she clung to as a child. for her, that was her mother and father, and then her father when her mother passed away. for whatever reason, her father had disowned hyejung and stopped caring for her, so, that’s how she viewed the world.

she only nods her head, knowing that yes indeed that was his name. a sigh slips out of her lips. oh how goddamn difficult this situation was for her. stepping out of her own boundaries just to talk to others– wait. is that how people felt towards her? she clears her throat, rubbing the back of her neck. “what was i saying..” she mumbles at one point before finishing her sentence. right, right. she wanted help because it looked like– well he offered to help her in the first place. and hopefully the offer would still be up for takes.

“yeah.” she answers, not like she would lie about it. whatever. just help, please. her eyes basically begged for it. she was strong, yes, but she wasn’t strong enough to carry the weight herself. for some reason, she had gotten it there in the first place, though. she overestimated her strength, maybe she was only strong to a certain extent.

her eyes watched how his left hand gripped around his wrist on his right hand, copying the actions. “ah..” she listens to him intently, jotting down mental notes for a later use. gloves. got it. buy a pair. she looks at the bandages she had used several times, woops. not reusable but it was possibly the only thing she could wrap her hands in for them not to be scraped up. second.. she walks behind him, walking over to the weights. hyejung realized (when she should have a long time ago) that the weights she chose were way too heavy for her. “mm. okay.” can you help me on that, too? she asks in her head, unable to form the words.

She was young but Jaehwa was becoming certain that she would ruin her body if she continued with how she was treating it. Even with only a small glimpse he could see her straining herself, starting off too strong rather than easing herself in. Perhaps over-eager was the right word.

“When you get the gloves, be sure that you wash them too.” He didn’t look back at her, instead picking out a few smaller weights for now. She could probably lift them with ease, but that wasn’t the point. “Otherwise they will grow funguses.” It was something he felt necessary to share, because if she was willing to wear bandages and get them raggedy surely she would need a head’s up on taking care of the gloves. He walked back to where she was, setting the smaller weights on the floor and then carefully removing the ones she had on the bar. Jaehwa was already taking the initiative, fearing that she’d hurt herself beyond repair.

He placed the smaller weights onto the bar, making sure they were secure before turning to her. “This shouldn’t be too difficult for you, but the repetitions and holding it might be a bit harder as time goes on.” If anything, it’d give her an easier time if she had poor form… at least for today, anyway. “Be sure to rely not on your neck and shoulders, otherwise you might strain them. You want to work out your arms for this one.” It was a basic strength training exercise, so she should be able to manage the equipment on her own next time. “Sit down and I’ll spot you. Then we’ll see how you can do on your own.” Looking at her expression, he paused just a bit. This was just some strange kid that he was helping—where were her parents?

replies i need to do:

@lostambition  don’t think i owe?? anything else?? right now. whew.

waiting on:

@addvaluer​ one day, @wristaches if it’ll let me tag you (answer is still no apparently), i don’t think there is anyone else?  @hyejvng​   @heyheize

plotting with:

@nefariousen @voulhan @someoneelseitotallyforgot

“Of course there are people your age here. You just aren’t looking.”

Jaehwa’s younger brother looked at him with half-lidded eyes. The admiration he had for Jaewha was unmatched, but he did find he lacked in being friendly without ulterior motives. He wasn’t always that way, but Jaekyung had noticed it more and more as they grew up.

Jaehwa was still very, very cool regardless.

So cool, in fact, that his younger brother was sure he’d be the best possible wingman for him. His friends were alright, but Jaehwa had a much better time communicating with women. He’d offhandedly talked about some girl before, saying she worked at NYLON or something that several drinks in, Jaekyung was totally forgetting at the moment.

“You could talk to anyone in the room!”

Jaehwa was a bit shocked at how much of a lightweight his younger brother was, but at the same time he wasn’t; Jaekyung was never too good at being restrained. Jaewha continued to take a drink as his brother went on and on about needing a girlfriend, somewhat tuning him out just so he could think for a bit. It was then as he had completely disassociated himself mentally from the conversation that his brother was standing up and grabbing his arm. “Show me how it’s done!” Jaekyung slurred, trying to pull his older brother off the small stool. “I don’t know how to talk to women, at least try and I’ll try too!” At least then he’d have an excuse rather than just leaving his older brother waiting as he attempted to get a number. Spotting an older woman (she at least looked older compared to some of the girl around, Jaekyung dragged Jaehwa who had now given up on trying to fight back. Once Jaekyung felt he had closed enough distance between his brother and the woman, he let go of arm and gave him a small shove ahead after giving him some parting words.

Jaehwa could see who his younger brother was pulling him towards—she at least did seem older. It’d be nice to talk to someone closer to his own age than hear Jaekyung ramble on about wanting companionship for another hour. With a sigh, he turned his head back to see his brother had disappeared into the crowd, probably snooping nearby.

He was a character.

tagged by: no one, i wanted to do it. tagging: anyone who wishes to do it.

Your godly parent is Apollo,  sun charioteer, god of music, arts, poetry, archery, prophecy, truth, medicine, plagues and order.

Wow. That sounded like a diner menu didn't it? Apollo is considered to be the most powerful god on the Olympian council after the Big Three and Hera and Demeter, mainly due to all his spheres of influence. As a child of Apollo, you may exhibit one or more talents associated with the sun god. Children of Apollo are extremely talented and many know it, which can vary from charismatic confidence to narcissistic arrogance. You are open-minded, easygoing, empathetic yet logical. You have a skill in music, art, drama or language and being the child of the god of prophecies, you are sometimes very intuitive about the future. Yet, you focus more on the journey rather than the destination. You're kind, helpful and show extreme protection towards 1-2 people in your life you can't live without. When you're angered, you tend to make reckless but powerful decisions, and can make a complete U-turn in personality. You have no patience for betrayal or bullying, and can become very righteous in exacting revenge, resulting in devastation that was more than you planned for in hindsight. Despite your playful and shallow exterior, you probably spend a lot of time being very observant and perceptive about the world around you, and you show that in your daily activities.

Qualities

His response?

“It's easy to say we all like things we find beautiful. Beauty can have a lot of different forms.”

Safe.

Art was beautiful, truly, but everyone finds some luxury in it. Those with the luxury to make it, those with the luxury to see it and learn from it, and those with the luxury to have a spot in their homes dedicated to a piece worth thousands to show off to their friends. Name dropping foreign names they’ve never heard of with imports in their glasses, imported shoes, and artificial smiles. Luxurious lifestyles to embrace art.

Events like these were always the same for Jaehwa. Work had this way of invading even his downtime; there was no way past the formalities of asking where someone worked, finding out any information that could be of use. Did they know anyone worth knowing? Did they run in a different circle than he did?

Either Jaehwa was very good at his job, or incredibly nosey. Or even a mix of both.

He held onto his wine glass carefully (Pinot nior, he was a sucker for red wines), scanning the gallery floor for any face that seemed familiar. There are number of people here he could tick off on a list as acquaintances, but that only proved to be so useful to him. Right now, he wanted a little bit of both business and pleasure and this crowd was not helping him from what a brief once, or even twice over old him. No one seemed quite interesting yet…

A face he had seen before briefly walked past toward a piece.

He slowly rotated his wrist, causing the wine in his glass to swirl gently. Jaehwa had heard a few young women speaking earlier, maybe about ten minutes earlier, about ‘ADDVALUER’ and he had used this newly acquired knowledge to scrub his sources and the Internet for information. Kwon Kyungwon, around Jaewha’s age, artist. While he appreciated Kim Yongik’s remaining pieces from his Closer…Come Closer show in this showcase (he hadn’t been able to make that earlier show, unfortunately), Jaehwa suddenly grew an appreciation for another artist in the room.

He took a sip before walking forward moving away from the wall he had melded himself to towards Kyungwon. Regardless if he needed SeoulBan’s services this kind of contact would prove to be helpful if not for himself personally. It could be another name to drop, if anything else. 

Taking one final step, he became parallel to Kyungwon, the reflective floor slanting their mirror images just slightly. Long, lanky figures. That was at least one similarity.

@addvaluer (starter, clean up what i have already because it’s messy) & @lostambition (reply)

will be dropping ‘cause it’s been so long i’m so sorry, but if you want to keep it up please let me know! i need to get back into the flow of jaehwa. we can keep the rs, however!

@siyoshn @hyejvng @libervsis