T R O U B L E

Ngl, Ren’s muse is very ???? at the moment sfjhdskljf

rkbaekho​:

( /the smile on his face widens into a bright grin at the acceptance and he’s sure to be gentle when he places a small pile down on the counter, making sure they’re nice and tidily lined up - and then again when one is removed from the top and the only real reaction to the show of interest is an even wider grin (if that’s at all possible) because even if he gets just one expression of interest from this venture, that’s still something. )

( /and he doesn’t mean to laugh - he truly doesn’t - but it bubbles up before he can stop it and it’s warm and it’s bright and it’s by no means meant to be laughing at the poor store clerk and his perfectly valid question but Baekho’s just on such a high today that he can’t help himself. ) Sorry. Sorry ( /he’s quick to apologise and tries to swallow another giggle down - and he’s meant to have grown out of this, meant to have gotten this under control. ) It’s not a stupid question, I promise. ( /and he does eventually manage to get himself under control and settle back onto his smile and not look like he’s about to burst into laughter again. )

Everyone’s welcome. Any age, any experience. ( /his head cocks to one side, eyes closing as the smile widens. ) It’s better, really, with no experience. Easier to not have to get used to a different way of training. ( /like he had to; like he sometimes still does, with the ways of his masters back in Jeju so ingrained into him after so many years. )

( /for someone who’s as fierce looking at first glance, the other man has a sweet smile. It’s a thought that crosses Ren’s mind suddenly and he feels himself giving a sunny [if little embarrassed] in return. He can’t help it, the stranger’s smile is contagious. And even when the other laughs in response, Ren can tell that it’s not directed at him. Still, he scrunches his face into a mock pout in response, pretending to look forlorn.)

Since you apologized so quickly, I’ll forgive you this time. ( /he replies impishly, unable to stop himself from grinning once as the the stranger fights down another laugh. At least the laughter isn’t mocking, which is what Ren is most worried about. Even though he’d rather surrender himself to his parents’ wrath that admit it out loud.)

Is that so....? I mean, I used to do judo when I was younger, but that was years ago. I’ve probably forgotten everything at this stage. Plus, it’s nothing like Kundo, is it? So.... ( /he trails off and without meaning to, a snort of amusement blurts out of him at the other man’s expression. And then Ren is the one laughing. Face red for a myriad of reasons, he quickly waves his hands as he tries to explain himself.)

レン (@kirakira._.ren) -

Should I let my hair grow any longer, or just cut it....? 🤔

@rkbaekho

( /there’s a part of him that says this should be below him, given not even just the fact that he’s a sixth dan but that he’s got renshi in his title now, as well, and he’s basically qualified enough to run a dojo himself, but the rest of him doesn’t care because he loves to do this part; loves to be out and about with a stack of flyers for the dojo to advertise an open day that’s coming up to try and get more people interested in their martial art. ) - ( /there’s no criteria for the stores he picks because there’s no criteria for the sort of people who should join kumdo - and he would love if all of them joined, really - so a clothing store doesn’t phase him as he adjusts his juk-to case on his shoulder and tugs his jacket a little straighter so the name of his dojo his visible and steps inside in search of a clerk. ) excuse me? ( /he asks with an apologetic bow of his head, even if there’s nothing to really interrupt. ) would i be able to leave some of these flyers here? they’re for our dojo’s next display.

(/slouched against the counter, with his chin being propped up by his hands, Ren isn’t exactly a stellar advertisement for the shop. But it’s not like there’s any one here to scold him for it, it’s early morning during the midweek, all their usual customers are either at work or at school. Even his boss doesn’t arrive into work until well after lunch on days like this. So as long as the shop looks tidy and he doesn’t actually fall asleep or something like that, Ren is happy to while away his time simply zoning out until someone arrives.)

(/no sooner than thought passes through his head, however, the tinny chime they have door sounds as someone enters the store. Hurriedly, Ren pulls himself upright and quickly straightens his clothes and pulls a little at his hair to make it look a bit more presentable as the stranger approaches the counter. Sure, it’s not as though he’s here to garner attention for himself, but he is a model, after all. He has pride on how he looks. Tilting his head back a little to meet these eyes of this stranger [he’s so tall. It’s not fair.], Ren blinks a little at his question before offering him a smile.)

Yeah, of course! Should be fine. (/so saying, Ren hurriedly moves aside a stack of magazines [they’re out of date anyways, he’s not sure why they’re still in such a prominent spot.] As the other man sets down his fliers, Ren takes up without actually asking for permission and scans it. The word ‘dojo’ had piqued his interest. When he’d lived in Japan, he’d attended judo classes for a few years and though he’d never really had much interest in it, he’d learned enough to save his life that day he’d been jumped. A thoughtful look appears on his face.)

“Excuse me!” The dancer comes running up to the person with a warm smile. “Hi there! Are you a fan of K-pop? Check out all the latest info from Royal Entertainment here! If you’re a fan of LUXE or DE:CODE, there’s lots of information here, including any shows they might have coming up.” She hands them the flyer as she explains. If you’re not, feel free to pass the flyer on to a friend who might be curious in learning about Royal! Have a good day!” She beams happily, bowing before excusing herself and letting them go on ahead.

If he accepts anymore fliers, Ren is pretty sure he’s gonna be able to wall paper his bedroom with them at this stage. But he can’t just turn down these earnest kids, looking as though they’ve been given a month’s supply of paper to hand out. Especially not when people around them are being so needlessly rude about it.

Ren returns the younger girl’s smile and accepts the paper, quickly scanning it more for her benefit than for his. He’s heard of LUXE (and he’s pretty sure he’s sold some of their stuff in his old store back in Tokyo), but never of DE: CODE, so he can’t say he’s falling over himself in excitement with the information on the paper. Still he nods and pockets the flyer regardless.

rkxars​:

{ tw: violence }

Hearing the words call out to him amidst the commotion behind him Youngjae thought to himself that there was no fucking way that he’d actually wait and that this guy had to be an absolute lunatic to think he would. Clutching his sketchbook tighter all the artist could think about right now was to get away, escape, get out of this guy’s sights forever.

But then he actually had the audacity to call out the name Youngjae meant to use to distance himself from his past and everyone in it. The name that should grant him a safe zone. Not that him running around and yelling his Japanese name was any better. No matter what this bastard did it was just plain wrong. 

Still not deciding to grace him with an answer, Youngjae had to collect himself and continue his retreat, but that was when he felt a hand on his elbow, forcing him to turn around and face the one pursuing him. “Get your filthy hands off me,” he spoke, his mother tongue slipping out and voice cold like ice. Twisting his body he got the other’s hand off him and in an instant he had jumped back to get some space between them and landed a kick right in the other’s solar plexus.

However, he already knew that his escape was futile and in the next manner of seconds Youngjae had to devise a new plan. If he could get back home he could have the upper hand for sure if the worst case scenario came through and he had to defend himself, but it was simply too far to get there. And he had already drawn enough attention to himself by kicking someone in public. He needed a place with no witnesses.

Immediately he pulled up a mental map of the area whilst running. A left here followed by a right. Then three streets down another right and… voila. A small alleyway ending in a dead end. No one would ever think of passing down here and as long as he could silence the other quick enough he wouldn’t have to think about any screams attracting people. Hearing the stomping footsteps just behind him, Youngjae rounded the corner and tossed his sketchbook on the ground quickly whilst hiding up against the wall. As expected the one pursuing him came around full force unsuspecting of the situation and colliding with Youngjae’s leg that was stuck out. Not wasting a single moment he jumped upon the other to pin him down and sent a fist flying straight towards his jaw.

tw: violence, tw: homophobia, tw: panic attack

In hindsight, confronting his brother on the street probably wasn’t one of Ren’s better ideas. Then again, it wasn’t as though he’d ever had much impulse control. He’d already managed to attract a crowd with his yelling, and the subsequent kick to the gut had garnered them even more unwelcome attention.

Shrugging off the hands that tried to aid him and ignoring the concerned questions and judgmental looks (well, he was technically brawling in the street), Ren took off in the direction his brother had gone his, one arm wrapped about his midsection and limping somewhat. 

Now the urge to explain himself was warring with the urge to throttle his brother. Face set in a scowl, he limped uneasily around the secluded streets. This whole encounter was bringing back memories Ren would have gladly erased from his mind and he was about to call the whole chase off after all when a flash of movement up ahead caught his eye. At once, his expression became even more determined and he force himself into a run despite the pain in his torso from Takashi’s kick.

Only to almost fall flat on his face as he tripped upon something just out his eyeline. With a squawk of shock and pain, Ren crashed to his knee, but before he could regain his bearings and collect himself, he was shoved mercilessly onto his back and a fist slammed against his jaw.

━ ♡┊kt flyer for: @rkxren​​

this was a hurdle for her to get over, one of the official duties as a trainee and she even remembered how some time ago she had received her own fliers from newly selected trainees . now here she was as well on the streets, holding a stack of papers that she had to hand out. to strangers no less– ’ you can do it naeun, ’ she told herself before putting on a brave face as she walked into the crowd.

“excuse me,” she raised her voice slightly, “would you like one of these flyers? they have dates regarding kt on them, if you are interested of course,” she smiles warmly at the stranger– he looks beautiful and she thought he could easily be an idol himself with that face. naeun waited until he took the piece of paper from her hand, smiling at the male, “thank you, have a good day.”

Being handed random fliers while walking down the street was just a normal part for life for Ren now. Even when he’d lived in Tokyo, it would be rare that a day would pass without him being asked to accept flier from someone trying to advertise something, and it hadn’t changed when he’d moved to Seoul.

Not that he minded terribly, so long as whoever is handing them out isn’t pushy, he’s happy to take them. It could be their only source of income, after all.

So when he’s stopped by younger girl handing out fliers, he returns her smile and bows as he takes it from her. Whether or not he’ll actually make use of it is another thing, but she’s polite and needs to get rid of them. And it’s not like it’ll take up too much space anyways.

rkmakeover starter for @beomgyurk!

‘My roommate is an absolute disaster when it comes to fashion and all that. ㅋ ㅋ ㅋ He’s going for an audition thing later this week, will you help him out?’

When Ren had put up a post on Instagram offering fashion tips and advice, the most he’d expected was a few comments and maybe a DM or two. His popularity had waned a lot since he’d been thrown into prison all those years ago, even moreso when he’d deleted his old posts and changed his username upon arriving in Korea. So when he’d gotten a message actually asking him to meet up with someone and help them out with looking good for an audition, he’d happily accepted it without putting too much thought into it.

Granted, he’d been expecting that said person would have a) known about the meetup and b) agreed to it in the first place. Which unfortunately for the both of them, wasn’t really the case.

“Look, I know this is a surprise for you, but work with me here!” he wasn’t quite pleading, but Ren’s tone was that of a person trying to get some leverage in the situation. “Your friend just wants you to do well, at the audition, that’s all. It’s not like they were implying anything about your looks!”

At the expression on the younger boy’s face, Ren mentally kicks himself. Maybe that wasn’t something he should have blurted out, regardless of the truth. (It certainly isn’t like is ‘client’ is bad-looking. If anything, all he needs is a bit of sprucing up.)

rkxars:

Nowadays Youngjae never thought much about his past. Even the paranoia that had haunted him for years was starting to lessen thanks to the medicine and the help his therapist provided him. The artist would even dare say that he was starting to be able to live a normal life and had completely shed himself of who he used to be. He could fool even himself by now.

But the funny thing was that in the end it was only tomfoolery, a stupid belief in what could have been. The past however always had a way of catching up with you, and for Youngjae it did so with a gust of wind whilst he was waiting for the bus home to pull up. He had just been visiting a potential job opportunity and had to bring some of his portfolio along for reference when the wind mercilessly ripped a loose page out and sent it flying. The only fortune was that it fell into some strangers hands before it could hit the ground.

“Ah, thanks,” he muttered, not paying much attention as he went to retrieve the paper until a name was called out. Then he froze in his tracks before his glance was shot upwards, staring intensely at the stranger’s face. The voice seemed familiar, but it couldn’t be. But if he really looked closely, despite the short hair, despite the more grown built, it certainly could.

And then Youngjae’s face went into a smile. But not a friendly one. It was a cold and hardened smile that carried absolutely no friendly emotions. “Whoever might you be?” he continued in Korean pretending he hadn’t understood anything. “Do you want anything from me? If not I’m busy.” Forgetting that he was waiting for the bus, Youngjae turned around on his heels and proceeded to walk away. Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.

tw violence

All things considered, the younger man’s reaction was a lot better than Ren could have actually hoped for. At the very least he’d expected to be insulted, if not outright attacked. He knew his brother hated him, their father had said as much to him as he was being thrown out of the house.

That said, it still threw him for a loop, with Takashi speaking to him in Korean and then simply walking off. It took Ren a moment or two to regain his bearings, and by the time he’d regained his senses, Takashi was almost out of sight. Gritting his teeth, Ren sped after his younger brother, unashamedly shoving others out of his path, heedless to their complaints.

「Hey! Hey, you! Wait!」Unsurprisingly, but frustratingly, the other simply ignored his calls in their mother tongue. Cursing under his breath, Ren increased his pace, almost running after the younger. If Takashi got into the maze of residential blocks before Ren caught up with him, he had no doubt that he’d lose sight of his brother for good this time. 

And he couldn’t let him go without finally explaining his side of the story their parents and the gang had poisoned Takashi’s mind with.

“Yah! Choi Youngjae, fucking wait for me!” To use his brother’s Korean name felt so strange. As far as Ren could remember, neither he nor his brother had been called anything but their Japanese names for their entire lives until now. (In fact, he probably wouldn’t have even known what their Korean names had he not started snooping around during his rebellion and found them on some papers their father had hidden away). It had the desired effect, however. At the sound of his Korean name, his brother stumbled to a halt in shock, which allowed Ren to sprint the last few meters separating them and grab his elbow.

(How long had it been since he’d last touched his brother in any way...?)

「You... You’re quicker than you look!, Listen, Takashi-kun-- ARGH!」His comments were cut off as his brother suddenly snapped out of his shock and nailed him with deadly accuracy, sending Ren to his knees in pain.

@rkyoojimin

One of the reasons Ren enjoys working at the weekends the most (apart for the fact it meant he has an excuse to avoid his roommate and the newest girl he’d brought home from Hongdae) was the even bigger variety of customers that would come to the store. Tourists, high schoolers, families and couples (with one poor unfortunate usually being dragged around by their over-eager partner), would all descend on his store, keeping him busy and occasionally striking up a conversation.

Today’s quieter than usual, however. Not that Ren minds too much, it gives him a chance to scroll though Instagram. Brushing aside his bangs, he hums as he takes a selfie, putting on his best model expression (as though he isn’t just a store clerk). As he hits the upload button, the sound of things being put onto the counter reaches his ears. Whoops.

Hurriedly, he sets down the phone and offers the younger girl standing on the other side of the counter a sunny smile. “Sorry about that, don’t rat me out, ok~?” Looking at her expression, Ren quickly scans the items the girl has put on the counter and quickly pulls a set of hair clips off the self behind him. They match the general theme of the girl’s stuff. Cutesty but classy too.

This is a lot later than I had intended, but I got distracted last night, whoops!

But yep, it’s rk resident disaster, Claudia, back at it again~ Thank you cuties for your welcome messages, y’all are the mvps <3

If you think you’ve seen Ren here before, you’re half-right! I brought Ren to rk around a year ago but ended up dropping him after various MESSES (y’all know what I’m talking about sakjhfs) happened. But I missed my repentant yakuza boy, so I’ve brought him back with one major change. In his first run in rk, Ren was married with a daughter. And while I HATED to get rid of this aspect of his character, it made it insanely hard to plot with. However, that is the only change to his character, beside him being a store clerk in Dongdaemun as well as him now constantly introducing himself as Ren as opposed to Minki. Everything else has remained the same uwu

@rkohsehun

There’s something vaguely familiar about the customer that’s just entered the shop. They’re definitely someone important, that’s for sure, Ren can see it in the way the staff suddenly huddle together to exchange whispers and sneaked glances over at the new arrival and his... buddy? Minder?

Granted, he can’t  sayreally he cares too much. A customer is a customer, and so long as they’re polite to him and pay up when they get to the counter, then they’re just another person, as far as Ren is concerned. Probably not the attitude he should have, given the pointed stares his co-workers are giving him as this customer approaches the till, but Ren simply ignores them and sets aside the magazine he’d been flicking through, offering them that perfect customer-service smile.

“Hello, thanks for shopping with us today!” he chips automatically, watching the customer set his items onto the counter. It’s only when he reaches forward to pull everything towards him does he actually get a look at the other male and then Ren realizes why he recognizes him, if only a little. Even with half his face covered by a mask, Minki can recognize his eyes from the various albums and merchandise he sold when he lived in Shin-Okubo.

“Oh my God!” he hisses in a strangled whisper, just about keeping his voice down. He figures this guy and his bodyguard or whatever don’t need any more attention centered on them. “You... you’re in that group, right? Can...? No, that’s not it... Con-something!”

He’s mortified, he should know this. Then again, it wasn’t as though he’d ever paid much attention to modern K-pop. Hastily, he shakes his head and starts to bag the other’s items, only to blurt out the group’s name as a particular album cover suddenly barrels its way back into his memories.

@rkxars​

Ren almost couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d last seen his little brother. Not since before he’d been sent to jail, at least. That was an incredibly depressing thought. And once he’d been released, he hadn’t been allowed to so much as call out for Takashi, with their father spitefully telling him that his younger brother wanted nothing to do with ‘worthless garbage’ before throwing Ren into the streets. It gave the model almost perverse sense of pleasure to have heard through the grapevine that Takashi had run away off himself not too long after that. But it was always tinged with regret; when his brother had taken off, Ren’s attempts to track him down had fallen to pieces within weeks as all the leads he’d had simply dried up. His little brother had simply disappeared, faded away like a dream.

And yet, Fate intervenes in the strangest and cruelest of ways.

Ren was walking down the street after his shift at work when it happened. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a sheet of paper fall from the sketchbook of a person waiting at the bus stop. Automatically, Ren reached out to grab it before it hit the ground.

“Ah, here! You dropped this.” Even though he knew it was rude to look at someone’s private artwork without specifically asking, Ren’s eyes were instinctively drawn to the piece. It looked somewhat familiar. He was no artist, not when it came to the fine arts at least, but he could have sworn he’d seen this style somewhere before.

Hurriedly, he ripped his eyes from the paper to look at it’s owner, holding it out of them to take properly. “Sorry, sorry! I shouldn’t have just started looking....” he trailed away as he finally looked at the person before, words failing him as realization struck. This person was a lot older looking than Ren remembered; his face and body more matured. But this ‘stranger’ in front of him.... There was no mistaking it.

RK Hit Maker open event! Location: Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul Date: June 27th 2020 Reference: x (different ‘choreo’) Gif credit: x

In hindsight, maybe it would have been better to go straight home from work that day, rather than hanging around Dongdaemun once his shift was over. But when your choice of evening activities is either going back to your (small as hell) apartment to be subjected to your roommate’s PDA with whatever girl he’d brought home this weekend or an evening window shopping, Ren knows what scenario he infinitely prefers.

Which is how he finds himself in this particular situation.