ꜱᴇᴏ ʀᴀᴇᴡᴏɴ

˛ ⠀⠀ ― ❝   BONJOUR, this is blue with  SEO RAEWON, joining the community with good intentions and high expectations! she is a new muse ( a newly graduated computer engineer and an app developer ) that needs to be elaborated ( whose persona is heavily based on startup characters ) and I am more than excited to see how she’ll be developed here. do not hesitate to message me if you're interested in writing a thread with me or give this good enough for jazz introduction alike and I'll come to you. I hope to meet you all soon, thank you!

unfortunately, I’m yet to make raewon’s pages but below you can find little facts about her. those are quite messy but I promise to come up with full bio and plot ideas soon!

( ... )

some habits were hard to break, and for jaewoo—who was, by definition, a creature of habit—this was especially the case. even though he’d found his calling in the culinary world where his craft was hands-on and his focus was on what laid before him, years of work at koonja publishing had instilled work habits that were hard to break. habits like: happily working overtime, completing projects when he was home, and replying to messages and phone calls on days off. he might have drastically reduced his work hours at the company to make time for culinary school, but that hadn’t meant that his workload had decreased by any significant margin, and this fact was quickly proven by the dozen emails that sat unread beneath the one he’d only just responded to. seo raewon’s might have been the only one he actually wanted to read, but jaewoo was helpless to ignore the call of the “unread” symbols beside all the emails beneath hers. 

as he tapped on the first of those work emails, it struck him ( just a slight, nagging feeling, and one that strangely sounded like his grandma’s voice echoing in his mind ) that he really needed a healthier work-life balance. as it stood, his days consisted of translating work, significantly more enjoyable culinary work, and thoughts of what additional work he needed to get through before he achieved his goals. it wasn’t much of a “life” outside of work, as his grandma would argue, but jaewoo wasn’t sure he minded it all that much. ( “may the lord above send you help,” he imagined his grandma muttering, hands clasped together in prayer. ) “tch,” was the only sound he exhaled as he immediately batted that thought aside. 

and, really, if he weren’t checking his emails, he was certain his translating division at koonja would fall apart. “this isn’t ready to go to the copywriter,” he groused at his phone, fingers nimbly swiping across the screen. the message he began composing in response to his assistant wasn’t the kindest in tone, but they’d worked together for so long that jaewoo was certain doyun understood what he was trying to communicate with his straightforward answer. still— ‘don’t you know your time is valuable? spend it more productively and read the first draft again’ seemed callous even to him, so he backtracked on the reply, only glancing up when, oddly enough, he felt a pair of eyes on him again. 

but the dark-haired woman was staring down at a phone in her hands and not at him, so he brushed the thought away and returned to the email. ( why was he beginning to feel unsettled? honestly, it was beyond him. ) ‘you know what i’m going to say,’ he wrote instead, and began typing a second line as his phone chimed another notification. seo raewon again, he read, but before he had the chance to check the contents of her email, he felt it again, that feeling of being watched— 

with muscle memory leading the way, he finished typing out his reply, only to surreptitiously glance up ( was this woman watching him? )—and then slam his gaze back down as he realized he’d pressed the quick reply option on his alerts and sent the last sentence in a reply to seo raewon. 

the words stared back at him as he pressed the palm of a hand to his forehead in rising horror. 

sent: [email protected] at 03:51 pm

call me.

❝ ⠀⠀⠀ cooking was not supposed to be that hard of a challenge. nothing if not, every individual meant to have a decent skill to prepare a meal to fill her empty stomach. it was in a way the unofficial law of nature, something that had begun to sound like nothing more than a deception ― the more raewon made an attempt to cook. her hands rather clumsy while holding the spoon, eyes locked on the screen of her phone to not miss an upcoming email, she was simply chaos standing at the side of the kitchen. then, there was a fellow tenant. perhaps, it was her instincts that nudged her to look at him occasionally…more than that…alright, more than she was supposed to.

whatever one said or did, they had to remember there was always someone watching them. for the current situation, the one that watched every move of the other was raewon and that was not even something she could control. the idea of him being the person she had been looking for ensconced somewhere in her mind and refused to leave. what if he was lee jaewoo? what would she even say? “how wonderful to meet you here. how have you been? actually, now that you’re here, do you mind helping me to not ruin this kitchen?” … no, it was impossible for raewon to master the art of casual conversation.

that being her reason, she decided to push such interruptive possibilities aside and focus on the logical side of her discovery. at least now, she had a proper data in her hand: the couple she met in the company was not the ones who helped her, there was a high possibility of their son to do so without informing them. he did not seem to have an interest rate in his mind for raewon to pay back what she accepted throughout her education, so she had to make proper research for it and that was all. maybe better than nothing but still a factoid. she was still a step away from the beginning point.

a new mail: call me.

the sound of notification brought raewon’s attention back to her surroundings. her gaze wandered over the lines before she paused, elevated her eyebrows and questioned her mind to whatever she interpreted the email right.

“ call? ” she uttered because once someone mentioned how reading something aloud helped to understand the line better. she had to think twice to remember she had lee jaewoo’s number, got it during one of those days she had to fill the form for the scholarship. since she did not know his address, she could only write his number and email. however, until that very moment, she never called him, they always exchanged mails.

( ... )

as something like a traditionalist, jaewoo had always agreed with the oft-cited quote that there were two kinds of people in the world. for him, it was simple. the first kind were the busybodies: with loud voices, bright smiles, and enough goodwill to run a non-profit on personality alone, those were the kinds of people he typically gave a wide berth. they were exhausting to be around in the same way that it was hard to manage a litter of puppies; and for jaewoo, it was far simpler to set them on their way than it was to try and turn into a bleeding heart along with them. ( nevermind his grandma’s assessment that his heart bled the most of them all. unlike what she thought, almost shedding a tear during a pixar film did not make him an especially sensitive soul. rather, it spoke to an industry that had been built around tormenting viewers into tears over topics like separation and loss. )

it pretty much was a given that jaewoo would prefer the second kind. quiet and unobtrusive, those were the ones who kept to themselves, either contentedly lonesome or irritably anti-social. he didn’t very much care where people fell along that spectrum because it was a simple truth that they were always the easiest to get along with ( which might’ve mostly been because they rarely had cause to interact …but that was beside the point ). as the familiar-but-nameless tenant stepped into the kitchen and offered a somewhat tentative smile, jaewoo returned the greeting with a polite dip of his chin. definitely the second kind, he decided, shifting to lean against the counter edge as she walked past with her phone in her hands. 

“it’s fine.” he might’ve just been celebrating having the space to himself, but he had enough patience to share the kitchen with one other person and someone who so obviously kept to themselves at that. if he spent his time on his phone and she on hers, then he could almost imagine that they were simply ships passing one another by. but then she spoke again, a soft mutter, and in the silence of the kitchen, it was easy enough to catch the whisper of a word. and, really, having just written about it to raewon, there was no mistaking the word custard or the eggs that he glimpsed in this woman’s hands. 

well.

not that it was odd or anything. plenty of people made custards, and he didn’t particularly believe in odd coincidences. tamping down on his curiosity with a blink, he forced his gaze back down to his phone. what did it matter what this stranger did, so long as it didn’t interfere with his own cooking? as accustomed as he was to dutifully ignoring other people, it wasn’t even awkward for him to stand there, trying not to appear like he was listening in on her cooking activities. but just in case, though— he grabbed the container of cornstarch behind him and wordlessly moved to set it by her phone on the counter. gaze back on his screen, he returned to his side of the kitchen and refreshed his mailbox. if she was making a custard, she’d need it anyway.

❝ ⠀⠀⠀ reputation was a frivolous exaggeration. it was the weapon of society, an oppressive status put over the shoulders of individuals to make them suffer ― as if not everyone suffered for the various reason of their own. for raewon's case, it was the reputation of being an engineer that often left her under the pressure awkward situations. people simply liked to believe since she could write a code and run an application, she had enough knowledge to do everything. unfortunately, she did not. sometimes, the basic and simple activity of someone else became a huge challenge to her. wasn't there a day when she spent fifteen minutes in front of fruit section of the store, just because she could not distinguish plantains and bananas? or that one day she bought roquette instead of spinach? for someone who loved food, grocery shopping was like an impossible mission from variety shows.

fortunately, when her grocery shopping adventures often ended as fiasco, not many around raewon expected her to be a decent cook. they gave up on her long time ago, especially after than one unfortunate day when she almost burnt the kitchen. the only person, who seemed to still have a tiny bit of hope was lee jaewoo or maybe, he was just too kind to be able to voice his disappointment. raewon respected his patience whenever he sent her a new recipe.

placing the eggs on the counter, raewon carefully and quietly began to search for everything she would need. double cream, whole milk, caster sugar, vanilla, a proper bowl and lastly, cornstarch. raewon was just about to reach for the cupboard, where she found the cornstarch last time when she noticed it was already nearby her phone. it was not there minutes ago, she was sure about it. thus, she tilted her head to look at the other tenant, wondering if it was him, who placed it there. yet, he seemed busy with his phone and she really did not like bothering others with indefinite questions ― which led her to not thank him, not yet. she could thank him later on in same manner. as a matter of fact, if he was indeed the person she had been looking for, raewon had a lot to thank for. at the present moment, she had to focus on custard.

step one. put the cream and milk into a large pan and gently bring to just below boiling point.

wouldn't it be easier instead of "just below", a numeric data was mentioned? it would. thus, even before raewon started her attempt to cook, she decided to reply lee jaewoo's email and hopefully get some help.

mr lee,

thank you so much for replying my mail so soon. as much as i appreciate your and your partner's help throughout my education period, i would like to keep my promise. i will make proper research about interest rates, get advice from a lawyer and will email you everything hopefully within a week.

ps. unfortunately, my first attempt looked nothing like a custard. i'm trying to make it again now. can you give me a numeric data for what "just below boiling point", please?

seo raewon.

( ... )

        the whole situation was more than just bizarre. the way the two of them just stood there staring at each other without saying a single world must have looked so unbelievably stupid from the outside looking in. the fact that it was so late at night and the both of them were probably deliriously tired didn’t really make anything better either. seoyul was visibly relieved when the other seemed to remember her– so she wasn’t crazy after all. but the next words spoken did still throw her off a little bit. how do you find a friend that shares the same name with you? and more importantly,  how do you end up becoming their maid of honour? wait– was she even the bride’s maid of honour? it had been way too long to remember those details .. and it wasn’t like it mattered now anyway.

        and so she just laughed in order to try and make everything feel a little less awkward, though her nervous laugh probably just added to it instead. “ that’s such a funny coincidence then. how’s your friend doing then? are they still happily married? ” she couldn’t help being nosy and from what she remembered, the pair had been pretty young at the ceremony. “ i mean, if you ever want to tie the knot with someone, you know who to call. or whose dorm you should go to, considering we live together now. or are you here to visit a friend instead? man, sorry for all the invase questions. ” seoyul apologised when she realised how nosy she sounded once again, another giggle erupting from her throat.

❝ ⠀⠀⠀ if someone wanted the answer—they could simply ask the question. that was better for an individual and precisely, better than making assumptions. therefore, raewon rarely felt bothered by questions, she was patient enough to listen to them all and even find amusement in the fellow's interest. it seemed like, the wedding planner was indeed in love with her occupation, which was a gracious characteristic to have. engrossing, as well it was that she did not only remember the couples she helped but also the guests that attended the wedding. then again, raewon could not stay long enough back then, she congratulated her friends and left early to attend employment interviewing. if it was not too late and she was not exhausted, raewon would not mind listening to the other more, then again...

( ... )

&  —  the extent of jakyung and raewon’s intertwined paths was a relatively short one, crossing only at small instances far and few between throughout the year or so they seemed to know each other. acquaintances, jakyung considered the two of them: raewon was a mere acquaintance she saw at brief affairs lasting for no longer than the length of an absent conversation. and yet, absent might be a false term to describe their friendship according to outsiders — these outsiders argue that the pair have more in common than they like to believe, that the two of them appear as two peas in a pod despite the constant bickering that falls from their lips during their occasional meetings.

if anything, raewon is a tolerable annoyance to the streamer, a person that seems to grind her gears for merely existing in the same space as her, yet not enough so for her to throw an absolute fit.

could she say this feeling is hatred ?  no. she doesn’t feel hatred. to say she hated raewon would be an absolute lie. no… so then what is it ?  what is this feeling ?  jakyung cannot figure out whatever the mixture of emotions she had towards the other inherently is, yet in the same breath feels it unnecessary to define and examine the dynamics of their civil-ship to a greater extent ( is that the best replacement for whatever semblance of a warped friendship they had ?  ). more so, jakyung feels less inclined to determine what it is she has with raewon granted now that raewon is her neighbor in a shared complex thanks to jakyung’s distracted suggestion ( an admission jakyung prefers to make in private — but the other needed somewhere to stay, and jakyung isn’t that much of an asshole to let someone she knows live on the streets ). they manage to coexist in a space well enough anyways, even if their interactions brought about an argument that lasted for minutes and garnered stares from neighbors who so dared cross their path while it was occurring. 

today is no different as jakyung barely has time to stand up from her desk and let raewon in, the other holding up a shoe with an accusatory stare once she passes the threshold into the room.  “ are you serious. ”  the streamer frowns as she shuts the door behind her, hand coming to rest on her hip as she turns in full to raewon.  “ tch. that is not my shoe. i mean, sure i own the same pair, but please. me ?  leaving it around the house ?  you must be mistaken. andante doesn’t like it when you do that kind of stuff. and i’d rather not be in hot water with them. are you sure it’s not yours and you’re wearing my pair ?  it’s not like one of mine is missing — ”

she tries her best to hide her gaze darting to the empty space on her shoe rack next to her dresser.  

“ anyways. ”

 ❝ ⠀⠀⠀ the two hardest tests on the spiritual road, which raewon rarely followed, was the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what one encountered. however, it seemed like one look or one word from jakyung was more than enough to destroy the road and the spirit of one as that was exactly how raewon felt staying in front of her. she was more than sure that the shoe she held did not belong to her and she was wearing her own pair. the small scratches at the corner, the sign of her habit of hitting the side of the table with her shoes was more than enough for her to know the pair belonged to her. therefore, instead of arguing about the house rules, which raewon memories on the first day of her arrival to there or how that was not the first time, raewon chose to stare at the other with a gaze that reflected her annoyance.

“ you sure talk a lot to hide your crime, ” she uttered at the end, even if the crime was not the first word to describe the situation. maybe, she was acting too dramatic or even petty, which was not a trait of her persona. however, jakyung always found a way to make her behave in a way that even surprised raewon. “ since you know the house rules now, i do hope you’ll be more careful next time. ”

raewon slightly bent to place the shoe in front of her door and end the argument there. after all, she did not hate jakyung, she did not have a reason to build such unnecessary emotion towards her. they just always had a row with each other when their point of views conflicted.

tilting her head up to look at the other, raewon only then noticed the set up in her room. cameras, a personal computer – in which state she did not even wish to imagine and many other things that meant one thing. jakyung was working on a content, another video. raewon knew she was a streamer, their mutual friend once mentioned that fact. she even checked a few videos and followed the other for nice restaurant recommendations – since raewon could not cook, it only made sense if she was aware of nice restaurants.

( ... )

if there was one thing jaewoo thought he’d never grow used to when it came to shared living, it was the process of actually sharing communal spaces. even when he’d completed his military service, he’d vowed to never spend another day—much less two months and counting—living somewhere that required him to share a bathroom with another person. he liked his space, and years growing up under his grandma’s care had instilled a particular appreciation for orderliness and organization. when objects had their own home, things rarely got lost; just as when he lived on his own, no one was able to move his things around and add ten extra minutes to his cook time. it was frustrating but unavoidable; whenever jaewoo entered the kitchen, he never knew exactly what to expect. misplaced ingredients? unwashed pans? a fire hazard in the making? that was what made the share house’s main kitchen its own special kind of warzone.  

so when he turned into the space and found it unoccupied, clean, and quiet—well, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. it was an odd hour in the day, caught somewhere between lunch and dinner, so maybe that had something to do with why no one else was around. “good,” he uttered beneath his breath, moving to set up the sous vide equipment he’d previously left in the pantry alongside a neatly scrawled DO NOT TOUCH. with how often he had to field questions about the odd cookware or two that he brought home, it was rare that he ever felt the mood to try more complicated techniques. but with no one else around? jaewoo was positively thrilled.

with the recipe pulled up on his phone and his phone carefully propped up against the rice cooker, jaewoo systematically worked through the steps, setting the container’s temperature, seasoning the cut of meat with care, and later slipping it into a specialized bag. his phone chimed an alert at one point—nearly displacing it in the process—but he elbowed it back into place with a grunt, noting the flash of a familiar email address. so she’d survived the custard after all, he thought with a slip of humor. sending seo raewon recipes always felt like a gamble, ever since the one time she’d nearly set her kitchen on fire. with her analytical mind, jaewoo didn’t exactly understand how things often went wrong—but, then again, maybe that was why she was a computer engineer and not the world’s next gordon ramsay. he shook his head ruefully and submerged the vacuum-sealed steak in the pot of water. “you’d be in good hands with the other pyromaniacs here,” he told his samsung galaxy ( the de facto seo raewon ) and stepped over to the sink to wash his hands.  

still he was curious. had she succeeded with the recipe? were additional eggs harmed in the process? did she even enjoy egg custards or was she emailing to express her disgust over the treat? with an hour to wait out, he turned to his phone and tapped on the alert, quickly scanning through the contents and skipping over to the final line in her reply. with a softly huffed sound of amusement, he typed: 

Ms. Seo Raewon,

We haven’t spoken about interest rates yet, and my partner and I both believe it’d be in your best interest to decide on that before settling on payments. Because this was meant to be a scholarship fund, she’ll likely deny any interest payments. I personally recommend looking up fixed and variable rates.  

p.s. It was a custard. You called it “food” … did it not turn out like a custard? 

Lee Jaewoo

it wasn’t until he sent the reply that he registered the sight of two feet planted by the entryway. wiping the grin from his face, jaewoo glanced at the other tenant. long, dark hair. a sharp, intelligent gaze. he’d seen her in passing a few times, but had never caught her name ( or, for that matter, even attempted to ). “ah.” his arm swung out to motion to the sous vide machine. “i need to run that for another hour, but the rest of the counter’s open.”

❝ ⠀⠀⠀ something was fascinating about watching someone cook or maybe, raewon was the only one who thought so. nothing if not, her lack of professionalism to distinguish cutlery and other ingredients to prepare decent nourishment led her to find anyone, who could do it intriguing. due to this reason, during the short time she stood by the door to observe the other, she found herself monitoring the way he so effortlessly wander around the shared kitchen, knowing exactly what to do and when to do. it was no wonder that the staff members admired him, such that they did not hesitate to mention his name here and there, whenever they talked about food and recipe. that was also how she first heard his name as well. raewon just happened to be around when a fellow housemate and a staff member talked about lee jaewoo and his occupation, and she only knew his face because he happened to pass by them right then and there.

raewon was not quite sure what occupied her mind back then because she neither thought of the familiar name nor his occupation that could become an assumption for her. fortunately, she was not a pupil of sherlock holmes or by then, raewon would be unemployed. frowning at the memory and the sight in front of her, she once again began to think if he could be the one she had been looking for. it would be easier if in the past when she left a gift for her donors, she tried to catch a glimpse of them. however, that was not the case, both parties promised to respect each other's privacy, which led her to the present time.

“ should i just go and ask him if he had ever provided scholarship to someone? ” raewon uttered to herself when the chef with magical cooking skills checked his phone. she was not sure what he checked but during the time he did idle around ― or so she thought, raewon reached for her phone to check the recipes lee jaewoo sent to her. as just then she noticed, if she could not ask him directly his identity, she could just try to cook one of the recipes he sent her and watch for her housemate's reaction.

busy with going through the notes, where she kept each recipe and the consequences she received after trying them, raewon managed to find the latest one she got. however, just when she was about to click on it, suddenly her phone rang the sound of notification that informed her about an email arrival. raewon elevated her eyebrows in surprise and almost checked what lee jaewoo wrote but she was interrupted by the one she had been observing all this time. “ sorry? ”

her question was followed by silence as raewon looked at the fellow tenant and then, the unused counter. part of her wanted to tell him it was better if she did not make another attempt to cook but the other part, which was dominant at the moment, reminded her of her plan. “ oh... thanks. ” she said with a thankful ― and still awkward smile as she walked into the kitchen. from what she conjectured he did not notice she had been by the door for a long time. bless him for that or it would be will-o-the-wisp for her to explain her reason properly.

( ... )

jaewon truthfully had never expected to be casted as a model, ever. from a young age, he had always been praised for his features and looks, but he didn’t expect for his looks to actually land him a job in any sort of way. it was surprising, and he remembers the moment all too clearly getting chased down the road and the casting agent even waiting for his university class to finish. he remembers clearly the shock and slight fear he felt while being chased, but at least.. it all worked out well, right? deep down, part of him knew that he definitely didn’t want to model full time, he really didn’t feel like waking up every day and having to model for people. he didn’t hate it, but it certainly wasn’t something that he had grown a massive fond interest in. it paid well, he was good at it, and he was pretty content with balancing his career as a model as well as his career as a bartender.

if he’s honest, at first, jaewon truly did quite enjoy modelling. it was a whole new experience for him, something new and fresh and he found it exiting. seeing the end result was amazing and he enjoyed the whole thing. but after a while, it had started to feel less inviting, less fulfilling and the way people had began to view him just didn’t sit right with him anymore. it felt like they were looking at him differently, solely for his looks and he started to grow a slow building distaste for it. while he still continues modelling to this day, there’s some people that he would really rather not work with again, ever. some of the comments he’d received from photographers and each and every stylists felt more and more uncomfortable.

he’s yet to check his emails for the day, and the moment he’s sat on the chair at the desk in his shared room, he’s actually dreading checking his emails because he already knows that he most likely had another one from somebody just dying to have him on the front cover of whatever they were promoting or begging him for. the flicker of the light from the computer screen causes jaewon to squint slightly, a few a few moments later finally adjusting. it doesn’t take him long to log into his business email and he sighs heavily at the very clear five emails that have came through overnight. dreading reading them, he naturally picks the assumed lease draining one. brown eyes scanning the email, his mood is perked up when he realises that it’s not for anything clothing related, and is actually for an app. how refreshing! his mouth even drops open as he reads along, and he wastes no time in letting his fingers slide across the keyboard.

re: modelling for an app replying to: seo raewon

dear seo raewon-ssi,

thank you very much for your email. this is the first time i’ve ever been contacted regarding modelling for an app, so i’m very intrigued to hear more.

(..)

i would be more than happy to work with you on this project. if you would like, i will leave my business number below so we can discuss more in depth.

regards, oh jaewon

❝ ⠀⠀⠀ working as an application developer, especially for a company that was about to release its first big project had consequences. one small mistake could ruin not only the brand but the reputation that was planted slowly but carefully, therefore, it only made sense for the development team to work on fixing any possible bugs and think about ways to upgrade the system. thus, while waiting for an email, raewon returned her focus on her main occupation. her glass resting comfortable on her nose, fingers moving on a decent speed over the keyboard, she once again went through the code, not aware that doing so already took a couple of hours of hers. she probably would continue to not notice it if it was not for the notification sound and the message that appeared at the side of the screen. she got a reply from oh jaewon.

raewon paused, suddenly feeling nervous over what expected her. if oh jaewon agreed to work with them, it meant she could go to work the next day with less pressure over her shoulders. if he did not, it meant either she had to think of possible ways to persuade him or find someone else. of course, she hoped him to agree or at least, show a sign of interest, which cause her to get nervous and her palms to sweat. thus, raewon first reached for a glass of water that rested at the side of her desk to take a sip, then took a deep breath to calm down. ― and later, she clicked on the email to view it.

her gaze wandered over every line and word as slowly a smile climbed on her lips before she raised her fist on air to display her happiness. finally, someone, who was interested. finally, she found someone. “ thank you, mr oh, you are such an angel.” she said to herself as she got ready to reply, only then to notice he already left his number. smiling at the kind gesture, raewon still wrote a thank you letter and a piece of information that she would be calling in ten minutes if he was available. after she sent the email, her gaze moved on the clock and raewon waited for exactly ten minutes before she called the other.

( ... )

        for a few seconds, seoyul just stood there in the middle of the hallway like a deer in headlights. she knew she was tired, but was she really that tired? “ i’m sorry? ” the brunette said in a questioning tone of voice, though not really asking a question. if anything, she was trying to buy herself some time to properly think about the circumstances of them meeting and comb through her mind to see if the woman in front of her really was the woman she thought her to be. well, given the other’s startled reaction, it seemed like seoyul had the wrong person. or did she not?

        “ i’m sorry but if i recall correctly i planned a wedding for a seo raewon before? or am i dreaming this whole thng right now? i’m sorry, i haven’t really slept the last couple days. ” she rubbed her eyes, chuckling lightly. maybe if she laughed it off, all of this would be less awkward. maybe. “ it seems that i got the wrong person then. but then again you look so much like that woman .. what a strange coincidence. ” there was no doubt that the two of them had seen each other before somewhere .. but she just couldn’t put her finger on it. and what were the chances of her guessing her name correctly if they had never met before?

❝ ⠀⠀⠀ the deathly silence that accompanied the awkward atmosphere around the pair was unfortunately uncomfortable and raewon wonder if she was the reason behind. the more she looked at the other, the more familiar she looked. such that, raewon felt frustrated for not recalling where they met until her housemate mentioned a wedding plan and her name. right. how did she forget about it when that memory happened to be something that haunted her occasionally. after all, the process of wedding preparation was what made her build huge respect for wedding planners and grew cold against the idea of marriage. she still could not understand why people went through such huge stress only to sign a piece of papers and celebrate the day with their beloved ones.

“ oh, right! ” raewon uttered, her eyes widening a bit to reflect the glint of knowledge. she was rather pleased to remember where they met or the small question would be bothering her for days ― or more accurately until she remembered. “ that's right, we did meet for a wedding planning. ” raewon confirmed with a nod before she continued, “ but it wasn't my wedding. i mean, yes, the bride's name was seo raewon as well, however, i was there to help a friend, not to get married. ” her explanation probably did not make sense, because really, exhaustion caused her to forget how to form a proper sentence, yet she hoped what she said was enough to ease the confusion.

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ᝰ html. doctype ﹔   ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ fff: family,friends and fools  .   ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ featuring﹔@adjaewoo  ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀  and seo raewon.

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 ❝ ⠀⠀⠀ people like seo raewon have learned on their younger ages that it has been almost always quicker and easier to get cash from someone one knew, rather than angel investors or professional venture capitalists. it was almost impossible to not be aware of such universal rule when it appeared everywhere in one’s life, from the stage of opening a business to the education – for raewon, that was the second option as to open a business, she had to have a proper educational background. fortunately, by the time she left the orphanage, she had enough income from an award – and she still could not remember the name of it as she lost the document somewhere. her young and inexperienced mind thought that fund would be enough for her to survive through university yet she was fast to face the harsh reality. she might choose a major with a bright future but to walk towards that future, she had to sacrifice a lot, even the things she did not have. “ dear, are you aware how hard it is to get a full scholarship? İ’d suggest fff but you don’t have either… ” was what one of her acquaintances stated. she did not mean bad but was not wrong either. what she missed was that raewon did not look for family, friends or fools. she looked for real investors that would support her education, who she would pay back once she graduated. and that happened to be how she met lee family.

Re: Thank you

Dear Mr Lee,

Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to respond to my mail, I greatly appreciate it. Fortunately, I managed to find a job and can finally pay back for your investment with an interest. Would you like me to use the same bank account?

Yours Sincerely, Seo Raewon

ps. I did manage to cook the food you recommended after I put the recipe into a diagram. Although, I’m not quite sure if 3:1 egg and sugar ratio was correct. Thank you for the recipe.

raewon stared at the latest email she sent to lee jaewoo as she tried to collect the pieces in her mind. earlier that day, she managed to find traces of lee family, much thanks to her friend, who insisted that the family owned a company and there could be no one else that helped her. yet, when raewon went to the company, she faced another truth, that those who helped her were not the founders of the company but possibly their son, who they have not met recently. 

“ i can’t believe he didn’t use the money for himself. ”

raewon did not bother to stay there to witness a family argument, instead, she began to notice maybe she looked for her savior at the far, when he had been so close. after all, she did have a housemate, whose name was lee jaewoo. they haven’t talked much but she knew he was a chef… and there were many other similarities that she did not dare to call coincidence. is he the lee jaewoo who wrote to me all these years?

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ᝰ html. doctype ﹔   ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀behind the screen .   ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀featuring﹔@ohjaewon​ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀  and seo raewon.

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❝ ⠀⠀⠀ when seo raewon started to work for that one small company, a start-up, she believed her labour would be limited with coding and development of the mobile applications. quite a good deal for someone with little experience, she did not think there would come a day when they would ask her to do something else – such as, helping the advertisement team to look for a model. then again, considering there were only two people composed the said team, she understood why they needed the help of another person. finding a model could be easy for someone else, but for them, it was important to find a person that either reflected the image of their application or the image of their journey as a team. “ we need someone with a decent number of followers, a rising star of the modelling industry. bonus if their features… ”    

sitting in front of her computer, raewon’s gaze wandered over the notes she took during the meeting, in which they talked about the kind of model they had been looking for. it had been a week since the meeting and she checked more than fifty agencies’ website to get information about their models. however, thus that fit into the image they had been looking for either declined the offer for being busy or did not even respond. by then, it was crystal clear that some agencies hesitated to work with a company that did not have a solid background, which raewon did not blame for – or she tried to. fortunately, after various tries of hers, one agency led her to the email of one of their part-time models.

. “ we are not sure if he is interested but you can email him, ” was all they said and so, raewon tried to approach the other through email first.

Re: Modelling for an App

Dear Mr Oh,

This is Seo Raewon from …

she kept the information short to introduce herself and company and even the application before finally adding the most important part to her email.

We are looking forward to working with you for six months period of time and hope you would accept to be the model of our application. The contract can be changed according to your wishes and schedules. We hope to hear from you soon.

Yours Sincerely, Seo Raewon

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ᝰ html. doctype ﹔ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ debates & agreements  . ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ featuring﹔@jakyungs​​  ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ and seo raewon.

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 ❝ ⠀⠀⠀ the world had often found entertaintment in pushing stereotype belief over people, especially those that stood slightly different than the others. people like raewon were branded with certain traits that overshadowed their persona, simply because they were one of those, who grew up without an adult around. more accurately, an adult that shared blood with them. raewon witnessed those stereotypes more frequently when she started the school. she noticed how some people hesitated to approach her or offer help, thinking she would find it offending, whereas raewon would not even bother to think so. she accepted any kind of help with a determination to payback, in present time or future. she had not really came across in a situation that made her notice not every debt was meant to be paid back. therefore, she accepted help from friends and even from people that she always found a reason to clash.

raewon met lee jakyung through a mutual acquaintance during one of those gatherings she rarely attended. it would be a lie to say they managed to get along ever since then, because they did not. it seemed like both of them always had a topic to not agree with, despite their acquaintances claiming otherwise. fashion sense? they had similar interests. food? both enjoyed finding new places and different types of foods. yet, neither of those were enough for them grow closer. thus, when jakyung indirectly helped raewon to find andante, raewon saw that gesture helpful enough to believe, she had to pay back. however, the more they lived closeby, the harder it became for them to be civil. it seemed like in every given chance, they found something to argue about, or simply state their disagreement ― and current day was not different.

holding the shoe, identical to the one she was wearing, raewon knocked the door of jakyung's room, an unamused expression on her face. she did not even bother to greet the other as the door opened and instead, showed her the shoe she was holding.

( ... )

      to claim that seoyul was tired was a complete and total understatement. she hadn’t slept in so long, she was sure she could hear colours if she really tried and it was time for her to throw herself onto her bed and pray to every god there was that her roommates would let her sleep peacefully. even if it was just a few hours, it was desperately needed. her soft sheets were the only thing on her mind when she raced through the sharehouse’s hallways, barely being able to pay attention to her surroundings and then– bam. two bodies collided with a dull thump. 

         it took her a few seconds to register what had happened before she started apologising profusely. “ oh, i’m sorry, i didn’t look where i was going! ” a nervous laugh escaped her lips as the brunette rubbed her dry eyes when she realised who she was standing in front of. rubbing her eyes once again, she had to do a double take. “ wait, seo raewon? isn’t it you? ” seoyul wondered whether she was just really, really sleepy or whether this was the craziest coincidence she had ever experienced in her twenty-two years of living. “ what are you doing here? and where’s your husband? ” the wedding was only a year ago, could it be that they had already split up? what a tragedy.

 ❝ ⠀⠀⠀ it was quite a strange feeling to hear someone recognise her in an unexpected place. not that raewon was not social enough to know others. within a month she had begun to live in andante, she had her fair share of interactions with her neighbours, most of them decent and not stressing. however, there were still many others to meet and raewon believed the lady that stood in front of her was one of them. after all, she had not recognised the other and believed the situation to be same for the fellow as well. yet, her housemate managed to catch her off guard not only by knowing her full name but also by asking about raewon's nonexisting husband. did she mistake raewon with someone else?

“ uh ― i live here? ” raewon was not even sure why she stated the fact in a questioning manner, it was probably her exhausted mind that refused to form a proper sentence. “ it's interesting for me that you got the correct name but are you sure i'm the raewon you're talking about? ” she paused, a small frown of confusion climbing on her features. “ i mean, i don't have a husband, that's why... ”

if she was in a decent condition, raewon would probably remember that there existed a seo raewon somewhere else and she, unlike her, did have a husband. or ex-husband, they have not talked for a while, thus, raewon was not updated about their marriage. yet, in present time, raewon had not remembered any of those, instead, she looked at the other, slowly noticing how she looked familiar.

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ᝰ html. doctype ﹔ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀food adventures . ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀featuring﹔@daisukeis​ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀and seo raewon.

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❝ ⠀⠀⠀ home was such a strange word for someone, who never really thought of the deeper meaning behind the four letters. raewon heard many times people mention how home was not a place but a person, yet, she could not agree or even argue with those who claimed so. as for her, home was a place with four walls, a place where she could find food, avoid cold winters and warm summers. in other words, she lived in her own little world and that was okay, at least, they knew her there. she did not search for another home and never really had the feeling to name herself homesick. yet, the term was familiar, she met enough amount of people to know how big of a struggle it was to miss the place they felt the comfort. for some, home was part of their identity and she respected that. hence, whenever she found one of her friends missing their homes, she tried to come up with alternative activities to distract their emotional range. and she soon discovered, most of the time, the answer was food.

pull up a chair. take a taste. life is so endlessly delicious.

that was why, she happened to eavesdrop on a housemate and found him crying in a dark corner of the house, she could not ignore him. the scene was familiar and she had to admit, painful. it was never easy to be away from dear ones. thus, instead of returning her room once she came back from work, raewon decided to go into a hunt; a food hunt with a companion.

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ᝰ html. doctype ﹔ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀forgotten wedding . ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀featuring﹔@seoyvl​ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀and seo raewon.

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❝ ⠀⠀⠀ it was always a miracle of the universe for an engineer to get married, simply because human equivalence was never easy for them to solve. people were not different than arithmetical equation, yet when one could find the variable of the math with hard work, the variable of an individual was a long mystery to read and understand. however, rare exception happened and raewon's friend was one of them. it was a rather funny incident for her to discover she shared the exact same name with a classmate in university and it was even funnier for them to get along well as the years passed. since, two of them shared nothing in common other than their interest in coding, many predicted their friendship to last short, yet the girls proved them wrong. they were so close that, when her friend announced her wedding and asked for help, raewon did not hesitate to help her despite her zero knowledge about wedding preparations. all of those happened around a year ago and for some reason, raewon found herself forgetting some details, such as the face of their saviour: the wedding planner.

at least, that was the case until she met the wedding planner again in an unexpected place.

only days before the infamous demo day, raewon found herself sleep-deprived and exhausted, wandering around the corridors of andante in search of energy source. for some, it was late afternoon but for her, it was the third day she spent isolated. mostly locked in her room to fix small bugs of the application program she was working on, raewon was in a state to not even who she was or what she was meant to do. thus, it was only natural for her to miss the person that walked in front of her and accidentally bumped into her.