( 37°C )

Empathy was something you would be hard pressed to get from Junko. She was quite honestly the worst person to go to for any sort of comfort. If she did manage to offer reassurance, it was usually unintended. “You can’t have it all. If you insist on needing to touch people but can’t, then you should make the compromise. Weigh up the options: do you want sweaty hands or to touch? You can’t have both apparently.”

   i. she sure does know how to get straight to the point. it’s refreshing to meet someone ( seemingly ) similar to koji; owning a distant demeanor with emotions tucked inside instead of being worn on the sleeves. “i’ll go with touch and risk the consequences.” he promptly raises his left hand towards the tall woman — koji only notices now that they’re about the same height. his left eye momentarily flashes a hue of teal before fading to its original gray. “shoto koji. here’s to hoping i won’t inflict any harm to you. but you seem strong, so i doubt that’ll be the case.”

   i. so she’s like koji, gifted( ? ) with an ability that separates them from the regular. interesting. even the source of the power is the same as his: the hands. he stares in slight awe and habitually looks down at his own hands, flexing them into fists and relaxing soon after. “no, it’s not a bother.” he can sympathize, his heat absorption can go into a flux if he’s not calm. “oddly enough, i know exactly how you feel.”

They were already taking a few slow, cautious steps down the stairs, eying the boy. It was unusual to see a man so young on campus—most were older, professors or other staff members, so they were still unsure of how to speak with him. It was ridiculous, both the girls knew, because they were both fully aware of how to talk with men.

Jungah, however, turned it around fairly quickly past the initial surprise.

“Mhm,” she hummed, giving the stuff that was in her way a quick once-over along with the boy himself. Not my type. A shame. If only they had more staff that leaned more toward her interests. Holding a book to her chest, she walked past him without giving him another look. Her friend, on the other hand, gave him a thank you on both of their behalf and walked in step with Jungah down the stairs and toward the hall.

“He’s cute, right?”

“I guess…”

“I think he was looking in classrooms earlier. I swear I saw him.”

Jungah looked over her shoulder where they had walked from, knowing full well that she couldn’t see him regardless. “So that’s who that was. Glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed.”

A few days later, Jungah continued to notice him hanging around.

On one hand, she knew that seeing him around the campus shouldn’t be odd—he was part of the janitorial staff, but his gaze lingered as well. It wasn’t just her. But for some reason, it seemed like he was searching for someone… or maybe he was using this job to find a girlfriend. Surely the school would hire someone with better intentions, right?

She took another turn down the hallway, this time later in evening after she had decided to stay and work with some of the theatre department, and lo and behold, there he was, moping. Seeing were the damp spots were, she tried to walk around it, just so she wouldn’t be stepping where he had cleaned or drag dirt around clean spots. It proved difficult, however, and even Jungah wasn’t that cruel to staff.

“Where’s a pathway? I don’t want to step on anything… or slip.”

   i. unexpectedly so, she’s become his target of interest. the campus spans multiple buildings and is giant as a whole, yet he always seems to find his way to her ( quite literally, sometimes, they’ve almost bumped into each other once or twice ). she doesn’t strike him as someone who may have any relevance to his case, but looks can be deceiving. he’s exhibit a. 

   ii. so he spends the next several days doing the same routine. as expected, he meets her every day but is sure to be much more discrete and hidden. but with the help of some wet spots, they do have a conversation. somewhat. “you can walk around towards the right. i apologize.” on one day, koji decides to progress his “investigation” on the female, by asking a fellow student a question. 

   “excuse me, do you perhaps know who that woman is?” 

   “her? her name’s yoon jungah. why do you ask?”

   “i was just curious. thank you.” 

   ii. yoon jungah. koji heads home to look up her name online. nothing came up — not even a single picture. very odd, considering how social media has integrated itself in lots of lives, especially for students. there are some exceptions like himself; he has no social media presence, at all, and has made a concentrated effort to stay away from any forms of press. the only which that exists are the few reports of an unknown “hero” that has shown up on multiple crime scenes. digress. he’s going to have to introduce himself, it’s the only way. 

   i. crime rates have slowly ( but surely ) grown each year, not only in his homeland of japan but also south korea –– and more than likely the entire world. koji’s noticed the incline up close and personal, for almost three years by now. with the rise of doers of good ( the heroes ) also comes an equal or excess amount of those who are the antithesis ( the villains ). with or without quirks, people will always succumb to evil. it’s the flaw of mankind, no one is perfect. that’s why he chose his path; koji has the power not to change the world but to at least help reform it into what it should be. which leads him to this night, alongside this woman who he’s met too many times for it to be mere coincidence. 

   ii. he’s here on own business, taking on a recent case of sudden disappearances of a number of people. all were reported to be near or within this district –– none have been seen since. “shou.” a friend of hers, koji assumes. maybe they’re one of the missing victims, so she has reason for being here of all places. but the fact the area is dangerous doesn’t change. there are two kinds of people in these situations: those who exhibit bravery and those who exhibit stupidity. the brave take action, knowing that they could fail. the stupid step forth with a blind sense of optimism. the former sees all outcomes, while the latter only sees what they want to see. “so you’re looking for someone, as well.” 

   iii. it’s yet to be deiced which category she fits in, he’ll just have to wait and see. her eyes show little to no fear ( even after seeing some lifeless bodies ) he’ll commend her on that. she isn’t going to leave so there’s no use in arguing with a made up mind. “i’m coming along with you, miss. i have my reasons to go.” koji frostbite rubs his heated hands together, his left eye momentarily flashing a tint of teal before it reverts to the natural gray color. “in case of the worst, i will back you up. lead the way.”

   i. he’s never been good with social cues. it’s the fatal flaw of an introvert like koji. add the fact that she’s a woman ( the much more complex sex, in his humble opinion ) as the figurative cherry on top and he’s dealt with a helping of a confusing sundae. he’s never had a sweet tooth, either. “right, i’ll take note of that.” 

   ii. he may or may not be at fault, but it doesn’t change the fact that she did look in need of some assistance. granted, he was the one that accidentally bumped into her to cause her to drop her belongings. nevermind, he’s definitely in the wrong. koji picks up what looks to be a school textbook and looks at the hardcover for any semblance to the ones he’s read, before handing it back to the rightful owner. it looks a couple grade levels below him. “excuse me for the person question, but are you a teacher?” 

TAGGING :  @ofsakuras @kcguya @saltyprotector @anyone else

There was some hubbub back home.

Jungah wasn’t sure of the specifics, but apparently her father had been forced to go through with an undesirable action regarding a deal he had made. “It’s shame,” he said over dinner, “but you can’t change the groundwork you’ve laid. If someone can’t keep their end of the bargain, then the repercussions have to be brought to light.” Junho didn’t mention anything more about it when she was over at her parents’ home, and instead asked her about her studies and reminded her she’d be finishing school soon. She would have rather continued talking about the fallout of this deal he was alluding to, just because the idea of having nothing more to do in pursuit of fashion was something she was dreading the most about school finishing.

Which was why every moment she spent at Ewha she treasured.

She didn’t try the hardest in her other classes, but when it came to her design classes she put her best effort into it. The Arts & Design Building C had practically been a third home for her over the last few years, with many nights spent working away in fluorescent lighting. She had a number of good memories, some forgettable ones, and some she wished she could forget.

But, all in all, Jungah enjoyed it.

She was caught after class by a classmate, asking her for some information of a certain professor and if she had favorite sweet she could give her to make her go a little easier on her. Jungah laughed, sharing what she knew and walking with her down the hall.

“Who’s that?”

Her classmate pointed to a boy who was wandering the halls (not entirely a rare sight, but certainly uncommon at an all-women university) with cleaning supplies. He seemed pretty young to be a janitor, but maybe they wanted someone who could do more without getting tired or grouchy like some of the older women who scolded girls on occasion. “Dunno.” And truthfully, she didn’t care.

Unfortunately for her, she caught his gaze.

   i. koji didn’t expect it to be so unsettling, being in a setting like this. it’s the first university he’s ever set foot in, in this country. and to have it be a prestigious school such as ehwa, he can’t help but be amazed by the ambiance. he pushes the cart with his cleaning supplies down the hall, maneuvering through some students, again meeting eyes with them and trading nods.

   ii. a few hours spent mopping the hallways and he’s already growing tired of it. this form of manual labor isn’t for him, not in the slightest. he has to keep reminding himself that he’s here for the sake of others: those people who are about to get driven out of their jobs. “think of them, think of them.”

  ii. out of curiosity, he peeks into a class through a small window on the door. what he sees is completely foreign. students are scattered all over the room; some are putting clothes on what looks to be mannequin models, others are sorting through numerous pieces of fabrics of every color, and the rest are drawing on sketchpads. “what is this ..” it must be some kind of design class, he assumes. it fascinates him and he keeps watching until he sees one female staring and he quickly shuffles out of sight. odd, she looks a little familiar.

WEALTH  — $  financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty ✚  medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non - applicable ✪  class or caste: upper / middle / working / street trash / slave  / unsure /  ✔  education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other ✖  criminal record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but has not been caught yet

FAMILY  — ◒  children: has a child or children / has no children / wants children / verse dependent ◑  relationship with family:  close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / siblings are deceased / verse dependent. ◔  affiliation: orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable / verse dependent.

TRAITS  +  TENDENCIES  — ♦  extroverted / introverted / in between ♦ disorganized / organized / in between ♦  close-minded / open-minded / in between ♦  calm / anxious / in between ♦  disagreeable / agreeable / in between ♦  cautious / reckless / in between ♦ patient / impatient / in between ♦  outspoken / reserved / in between ♦  leader / follower / in between ♦  empathetic / unempathetic / in between ♦  optimistic / pessimistic / in between ♦  traditional / modern / in between ♦  hard-working / lazy / in between ♦  cultured / uncultured / in between ♦ loyal / disloyal / in between ♦ faithful / unfaithful / in between

BELIEFS  — ★  faith : monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic / it’s complicated ☆  belief in ghosts or spirits :  yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✮  belief in an afterlife : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✯  belief in reincarnation : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ❃  belief in aliens :  yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✧  religious : orthodox / liberal / in between / don’t care ❀  philosophical : yes / no / sometimes

SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION  — ❤  sexuality : heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / demisexual / ??? ❥  sex : sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable ♥  romance : romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable ❣  sexually : adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / inhibited ⚧  potential sexual partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all ⚧  potential romantic partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all

ABILITIES  — ☠  combat skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none   ≡  literacy skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍  artistic skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✂  technical skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

HABITS  — ☕  drinking alcohol : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ☁  smoking : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ✿  other narcotics : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ✌  medicinal drugs :  never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ☻  indulgent food : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess $  splurge spending : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ♣  gambling : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

Tagged by: @ofsakuras (thanks!)

   i. searching for some empathy, koji's served a question to his question with a small side of a smart-ass suggestion. granted, she has a point. but still. “.. that’s a bit difficult. you see, i’m a hands-on kind of person, by nature. and besides, gloves get my hands quite sweaty.”