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Varying lengths of chicken scratches littered the sketchbook’s surface, coming together to create a haphazard image of an unidentifiable woman sitting on a bench. It was the most recent edition in the artist’s sketchbook, drawn just minutes before from his vantage point across the public courtyard. This was a habit of Yejun’s that he indulged in far too often, sitting in busy places with his sketchbook open ( and additionally ignoring the stares of people who pass by and give him a look ). It was calming to sit there in public and people watch, but more so to create potential references for what may be his next big piece. One could only go to so many live modelling classes, after all. And plus, purposely posed live models weren’t the same as strangers minding their own business; the poses strangers produced were far more intricate and captivating.

But, even with these hours spent at the busy crossroads of people, the young artist has still yet to find complete satisfaction with the drawings that span several pages of sketchbooks in his home. There was something... missing from his recent sketches, a lack of something Yejun could never quite place his finger on. It was not like he wasn’t doing anything different than usual, nor that his public efforts hadn’t managed to create masterpieces displayed within the walls of student galleries.What was it that was holding him back?

PREMISE: The personality traits in contemporary psychology. CONFIDANTS: @thusvitaest​ ( thank you! ) NEW BONDS: no new tags. if you see this and want to do it, feel free to!

                     ( original post ) 

OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE

★★★★★★★★★☆ : likes new things ★★★★★★★★★☆ : likes novel settings ★★★★★★★★★★ : intellectual/ideas/imaginative ★★★★★★★★★★ : enjoys art/culture/adventure

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ : self-disciplined ★★★★★★★★★☆ : hard-working ★★★★★★★★★☆ : prepared/dutiful ★★★★★★★★☆☆ : aims to over-achieve

EXTRAVERSION

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ : outgoing ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ : risk-taking ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ : excitement-seeking ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ : physically adventurous

AGREEABLENESS

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ : trusting ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ : compassionate ★★★★★★★★★☆ : empathetic ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ : enjoys company

NEUROTICISM

Me, a beautiful person? Oh, you’re too kind.. really. I’d never have thought of myself as a beautiful person.. but I suppose the title “beautiful person” is quite fit for someone who dares seek out beauty in the world. Thank you. You’re beautiful too.. aesthetic, even. Your essence and beauty is.. out of this world! I think I’ll swoon if I have to be in your presence any longer. Aaaaaah..!

When Detective Ko told him that going into the Military will stop those guys from coming after him years ago he held on those words. He believed in them. It was true, the first year after he finished his mandatory service no one bothered him. He was back to being a nobody. It also allowed him to finally settle into a life that Min Gun wanted to build for himself.

Then came the second, then third. Still no one. By then he finally broke out from his habit of sleeping with one eye open. He was getting back to his feet, his life was reverted back into a clean slate. Everything was going well, it wasn’t too smooth nor too hard. Life was just… well normal. He had a good paying job and he’s back at school. He felt safe–free. But he knew that something was bound to happen. It’s been too long since his rotten luck had reared it’s ugly head.

He didn’t think that it would happen so soon though.

He should have walked away when he his gut had warned him at first glance. Black car and black suited men. They were back. Min Gun cursed his rotten luck. Of all the days–! It just had to be the day where he just had a double shift at the hospital. He was exhausted and he didn’t think he could handle them himself alone. But he had no other choice. He thanked whatever deity up there since there was no civilian around. It was in the wee hours of the night in a dimly lit street after all.

‘Note myself, talk to the neighborhood administration and persuade them to change the freaking lights.’ 

It happened all too quickly that Min Gun couldn’t figure out how it all ended. All he knew is that someone jumped into brawl that he found himself it then followed by the loud wailing of the police siren. Again, he thanked whoever deity there is who was gracefully looking out for him.

It’s been years since he found himself in a police station. It didn’t change much in his opinion. It was still messy–full of unfinished paperworks and the scent of stale coffee lingered on his nostrils. The tensed atmosphere didn’t seemed to change as well. He was of course aware of his companion at the moment. Though he didn’t dare look at them–him. It was partially his fault that someone else got involved in his trouble. Though he couldn’t help but feel a vague sense of familiarity from the brief look on the man’s face. ( ‘Have they met each other from somewhere?’ ) his gut tells him yes, while his mind argued that it was impossible the possibility of it happening was low. He watched the other shift on their sit from the corner of his eye then back to the officer. ‘Well he’s taking his time.’ he thought to himself.

Kang Yejun. Now that’s a name that he couldn’t possibly forget.

Dark brown eyes snapped to Kang Yejun, he gave the other a quick once over before settling on the bruised and bloodied fist. He didn’t say anything and just pulled a band-aid from the inner pocket of his coat. Why does he have band aids inside his pockets? Well he’s a practicing doctor and you can never tell when he would need it.

He gestured for Yejun to show him his injured limb while he showed him the band-aid. “Let me take a look.” he started. “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor.” he the looked at Kang Yejun with a small smile on his face. “I’m Lee Min Gun and it nice to meet you again.”

Waiting patiently for the stranger to acknowledge him, Yejun began to examine his hand once more. Still oozing, but also not enough to warrant extreme medical care. Seriously, a band-aid would do for him. Nodding, Yejun raised his head again, as in that moment, as if almost perfectly, the other had decided to speak up. Offering a smile, the artist leaned in closer to signify his interest in an answer.

Thankfully, that answer appeared to come quickly. The man had band-aids.. bravo! Exactly what Yejun needed. Oh, he couldn’t be anything but grateful now. The solution to his small problem regarding his instruments of creativity... healed! Grinning a tad wider, Yejun nodded his head once before using his free hand to reach out for the sterile patch. He didn’t get far, however, as the words that left the stranger’s mouth caused the poor artist to nearly freeze up in his spot.

“Lee.. Mingun”..?

That name, while not inherently familiar, still run a bell in Yejun’s mind. Where had he heard it before? It was recently, he swore, on the street also. Was it an actor? A famous person’s name in a passing conversation he was eavesdropping on? No.. that name didn’t sound like anyone of that sort. Whoever could it be?

Looking up from his hand, Yejun finally brought his gaze to the claimed “Lee Mingun” sitting next to him. And that was when it hit. Like a sack of bricks.

Lee Mingun.. was that man he had got in to a spat with on the street previously. Oh god. What where the odds there they were again, together there in the police station, as a result of yet another spat both had been participants of? But given this situation, at least it wasn’t against each other once more.. still. Yejun could not help but stare for a few seconds at the realization, nearly missing what Mingun said. “O-Oh--” the male murmured when he was able to snap himself out of it ( only briefly, he’d guess ). Consider Yejun shaken to his core. He still remembers the argument like it was yesterday. The result of his own meddling, if he was recalling the details correctly. Perhaps it was also Mingun’s fault too, but. Either way, Yejun couldn’t erase the memory from his head now.

He remained silent for another handful of seconds as his mind continued to wander. It took him a second to regain himself; he probably looked odd to Mingun in the way that he was acting. Nonetheless, albeit with some hesitance, Yejun raised his injured hand towards the other male, palm upward to display the small, bleeding gash that he was requesting assistance with. “Mingunssi, I didn’t know you were a doctor,” Yejun said as he drew his gaze down to his hand once more. His lips pursed as he continued. “Handy. Anyways, I suppose this is where I say.. what a peculiar way to happen upon you again.. and if I’m allowed to ask of you -- I’m still unaware of your opinions of me, considering everything -- but how have you been?” With that, Yejun looked up to Mingun’s face, a casual expression on his own. There was less than a beat’s pause passing between them before the next string of words left the artist’s mouth, however, and perhaps they’d come off in the wrong sort of way to Mingun’s ears. Oh well if they did. 

[ TAGGED BY ]  @resilientlyclever​ [ TAGGING ]  @hyeshire​ @thusvitaest & anyone else!

[ MUSE ]

NAME:  Yejun. NICKNAME:  Uh.. Yejunnie? Jun? No one really nicknames me.. ZODIAC SIGN:  Aquarius, I believe. GENDER:  Male. FAVORITE COLOR:  Perhaps.. green? I never thought about this. AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP:  Hah. It varies. A few to.. a lot. Especially if I, uhm. Sleep in my studio. LAST THING YOU GOOGLED:  I believe it was.. what a “Drakaina” looked like. The term popped up in my reading, and I realized I didn’t know what it was. Perhaps it’ll be the subject of a new piece later. HEIGHT:  One-hundred eighty centimeters. To the dot.

[ MUN ]

As soon as the shoot was done, yeseul bowed to the staff on set and earnestly thanked them for their hard work before disappearing into the makeshift closet to change out of the sponsored clothes. When done, she helped them to pile their equipment on to the SUV and watched them drove off.  When she learnt that she had no more shoots for that day, yeseul had decided to roam around Hangang. “I’ll see you, unnie. Thanks for today!” With a bright smile, she waved towards her manager and made her way.

She was already in high spirits but the nice weather and lifted her spirits even more. Humming leisurely, she ran her fingers on the murals of the wall she passed until something caught her attention through the window. Halting her footsteps, she peeped inside the window of the gallery. “Wait…is that..” Hurriedly, she made her way in and moved right to the painting that caught her attention. “Hi, I’m sorry.. may i know who is the painter for this work?” Yeseul approached the staff and when she got her directions, she thanked the staff and headed for the male.

Even though it was her face, yeseul wanted a confirmation from the artist himself. “Hi, are you the one who did this?” Just like his work, he was really —- good looking. So good looking he could be a celebrity. Stop staring, seul!

Another handful of minutes passed as Yejun stared admiringly at his artwork. It really was satisfying to see his sketches up there on the wall in all their glory. He’ll probably remember this feeling for a while ( or at least until the next exhibit pops up ). Nodding, the male decided to stand there even longer--encompassed so deeply in his self-admiration, he almost didn’t notice the approaching female.

The question took him by surprise, and he allowed himself a moment to blink as he registered what was being asked. Was he the painter? Oh, yes, yes he was! Was this someone coming to admire his work as well? Small smile on his lips at the second wave of satisfaction, Yejun reached up to run his fingers through his hair as he stole one last glance at the piece on the wall before turning away from. His gaze landed on the stranger--a female, oh my--curiously looking her over before he opened his mouth to speak. Casually though, he made note, don’t come off too strong or proud of your own art! 

How he had ended up in this mess of a situation would be something that Yejun would fail to figure out for days to come. There he was, sitting on the bench inside a local police station, his face cut up and bleeding ( thankfully, not too much ) and a deep, throbbing pain in his left temple. He had been clocked just a half-hour before--a good ol’ one-two to his head--by some unknown man... no. He had been punched in the head by a member of a gang, because Yejun decided to be the nice guy and help someone in need out.

He really should have walked away when he thought to.

But Yejun could not help himself; he would not necessarily consider himself a white knight, a stranger’s savior, or a man who frequently involved himself in acts like this. Yet, a part of him would not let him continue walking along the sidewalk while what looked like several men beat up a helpless stranger ( but now, Yejun wants to know, were they truly helpless? ) unfolded across the street. He didn’t understand why acts like that happened. Shouldn’t everyone be at least civil with each other? Apparently not, he made note of now, as the hostility that stranger was receiving immediately unleashed itself upon Yejun instead the fateful moment the poor guy yelled out “Hey--!”. 

God, he really should have turned away and acted like nothing was happening.

Whatever, it’s all right, he told himself as his body fell upon the hard, wooden bench. Things were meant to occur. Maybe he’ll find beauty in the situation; there was inspiration for art somewhere, wasn’t there? Even in dire circumstances like this should pose a spark of creativity. Yejun glanced over to the stranger sitting next to him and examined his face for a brief moment as this thought circled itself in his head. Perhaps, yes. Maybe a piece on the brutality of man could arise from these circumstances. Inspiration for art doesn’t necessarily need to be predominantly positive. Satisfied ( ah, Yejun, Yejun! How silly of you ), the artist turned his head back to examine his own hands. Torn up, slightly, but still workable. Yes, once he was out of this place, he’d head straight to his studio. Hole himself up for a few hours and put something out. An excellent plan. 

Yesterday’s conversations would not remove themselves from Yejun’s head as he walked along the pathways that led him through Yonsei University’s campus. He had been correct in hearing what he had yesterday evening, right? Whoever that man was talking about--no, whoever that couple was talking about, actually--Yejun could not deny the name that left the male stranger’s lips. Perhaps the name was common ( Yejun wanted to give himself the benefit of the doubt ), but the small fact that the word “professor” and “Choi Sukwon” happened to be in the same sentence as they spoke? There was no way it could all be a coincidence. And the smaller fact, too, that Yejun heard the mentions of Yonsei.. it was all definitely not a coincidence. What other professor named Choi Sukwon taught at Yonsei?

And so, that was why Yejun was walking along Yonsei’s campus in search of the couple ( they were a couple, right? ). He had a strong desire now, to talk with the strangers about this professor after eavesdropping on their conversation. Yejun only knew who the professor was because of a close friend--a close friend who had been missing for several days. Yejun couldn’t erase what his friend had said before disappearing either; the professor was weird, they claimed. Spent a little too much time in the lab.. looking at dead bodies. Touching and cutting them a little too much. Were there actual meaning to these statements now that those two strangers had been talking about similar topics? Had Yejun failed to see the warning signs his friend was trying to drop?

It was satisfying to see his own artwork up there, up on display in one of the front windows of the small Hangang gallery. He didn’t particularly enjoy admitting to his own talents ( unless prompted, let’s be real ), but damn was he good. And the piece Yejun had selected for the window display was nothing short of amazing. His best piece submitted to the gallery, he had to say. A small but detailed sketch in its entirety, his selected work was one from many derived during rounds of observations of random people while on his usual walks through the city. He found inspiration easily when he sat with a sketchbook on a park bench or a table in the middle of a shopping center’s food court; these areas were teeming with people just waiting to be drawn, and brimming with potential for an outstanding finished piece.

PREMISE: Take this test for your muse and post the results. CONFIDANTS: @thusvitaest​ ( thank you! ) NEW BONDS: no new tags. if you see this and want to do it, feel free to!

This quiz shall reveal the major arcana hidden within your personality. Based from the famous PlayStation Portable game: Persona 3 Portable a.k.a. P3P, the major arcanas represent a certain stage in the life of a man. This may as well be related unto your own “persona” or how you establish a relationship with other people.

“The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. What we see is who we are and what we believe in is how we are raised. It is an illusion to put your shoes on another's foot...”

-- ARCANA RESULTS : THE MOON

The Moon is associated with creativity, inspiration, dreams, madness, illusions, fear, fantasy, the subconscious and trickery. You are sometimes being attuned subconsciously to the world around, gaining the ability to sense things without being told about them or without anyone else knowing. You are often psychically-attuned, and your projection of your own fears and faults onto others is becoming a habit. You often tend to have trouble accepting yourself for who you are and, because of that fear, you try to correspond to an ideal person.