purpose.

. 

Lonnie stops, eyes moving over to Tommy as he stops him, eyebrows lifting in curiosity. He takes the phone for a second, chuckling, “Is your flashlight on? What are ya? A grandpa?” He presses the button on the home screen and shows Tommy how it’s happening, “Just stop hittin’ this button- plain and simple.” It’s not like Lonnie is some genius with technology by any means, but he knows that much, “Out here actin’ like my Great Aunt Ethel.” 

The date, if she could call it that - was horrible. The previous one worse. KK was beginning to think that both men AND women found it difficult to be with someone who had hopes, dreams, ambitions. So, as she sat in her twelve year old Prius feeling sorry for herself after ditching the man at the bar she’d allowed herself a cry. Oh, and it had been so satisfying. Maybe all of it wasn’t because of this one single moment, maybe it was because of the pressures on the hill, or to the community or - well whatever it was Kyle was crying, no sobbing, sitting in her car somewhere between two and six in the morning smoking a fucking fat joint. With each inhale and exhale the release settled in her abdomen and chest for a short while. The knocking on her window terrified her. Fiddling around with her purse she grabbed the pepper spray that always lived there ever so close to her. If it was someone looking for a pic…her poor campaign manager and shit scrubber would have her ass. But, weed was legal in NY…so…brushing her cheeks best she could, though remnants of mascara remained, “Uhm can I help you?” She asked window cracked and pepper spray at the ready.

Mira had been falling a hunch. A tip that was sent in about a certain location and she could have sent any of her officers to deal with it, but felt this was something she wanted to do herself. Her car was parked, taking one of the undercover cars. She knew better than to use her personal one. Her headlights were off, and she had her laptop open, the light dim on the screen, taking some notes. Her eyes caught the flicker of a shadow from the poor light coming from the street lamps. A hand reached for her gun and she rolled down her window with the rap on it, a curious smile etching into her features when she saw who was standing there. Perhaps her hunch was right. 

“Can I help you? Tommy Kang, right?” Mira made it her business to know everything, especially when it came to the gangs that held in the city. 

people only smiled at him like that for one of two reasons. he didn’t think she would help him in the process of elimination so quickly. the rest came down to common sense -- he didn’t think a member of another gang would use the knowledge of his birth name as a bragging right, nor would they find themselves in the wrong side of the docks in these early hours of the morning unless they were looking to start a war. this leaves him with either journalist or police. only one deserved to feel the weight of cement dragging them to the bottom of the ocean. 

-

Isabel peers at the male outside of her window and places her hand on the middle console where her weapon is neatly tucked away. Something subtle that could protect her should it be someone trying to take her car or whatever else she had tucked away. “Can I help you?” she asked as she rolled the window down and smiled at him. Perhaps it was the person she was meant to meet up with but she couldn’t see with the dimly lit surroundings.

The early bird catches the worm. He’s never been a fan of idioms and the like, but it doesn’t make them any less true. Michael has been sat in his vehicle, lid removed from his travel mug of hot coffee in the hopes it might cool to consumable temperatures. He’s still learning about the city, but there’s one thing he does know: “No, thank you.” The tapping doesn’t stop though, bringing him to look up from his phone and barely crack the window. “No, thank you.”

—

Rahi’s place is at the passenger’s seat, as it always is. It only supports the long ongoing Brotherhood joke — that he can drive something as grandiose as a rocket, but never understand the simplicity of a car. 

Still, he’s alone. Driver’s seat empty, as a friend had stepped out for whatever business they had at the corner store. Half incredulity and half humor, he stares at Tommy in wait.

“You’re joking, right?” 

.

rahi was the last person tommy expected to see -- a sentiment which carries an unusual amount of bitterness for someone who tries to remain detached to anything that keeps him in one place. the past isn’t somewhere he has ever been stuck in and yet ...

In her defense, she doesn't notice anybody around because she was too pre-occupied with trying to parallel-park the rental car between two rusty Hondas.

So when a sudden knock comes at the passenger's side of the window, Xuan nearly jumps in her seat, a scream half-formed in her throat. She can't see much beyond the misted-up windows -- whoever on the other side was reduced to a black vertical blob.

They just had to approach right after she turned off the ignition.

"Hi?" She yelps, then scrambles to twist the key and rolls the window down once she belatedly realized the person obviously won't hear her. It's still too dark to make out the person's figure. The trees spiderwebbing above the street obscured the streetlight and the waning moon. "Hi." She says again, baring her teeth in a wide smile.

tommy immediately looks past the face and scans her surroundings, looking for things that might shed more light into the type of person she is, specifically a cop. a hand is placed on the hood of the car as he lowers himself to get a better look. there’s no one in the back -- fine.

an annoyed grunt escapes him, suddenly coming to a halt. “ lon-- ” he holds out his hand, stopping lonnie along the way too, then shows his new iphone. the flash is turned on and tommy cannot for the life of him figure out why it keeps doing that. “ the fuck is up with this. you know how to fix it? ” for most of his life, he has used a 2g phone, not particularly seeing the need for a smart phone. eventually iphones were used for work purposes but it was only recently that he switched from an iphone 6 to the latest one. he hates it. 

.

     There wasn’t supposed to be anyone around – at the very least, not anyone who’d know her face or name or occupation. When the figure eventually knocked on the window, Ava reluctantly rolled it down and offered the man an oblivious grin. “Can I help you, officer?” She’d been quick to notice there was no badge and no recognizable uniform. “I promise I’ll be out of your hair in no time.” As soon as she got a good look at the woman living on that fourth floor.

.

— BASICS

Name: Taeho “Tommy” Kang Age / D.O.B.: 35 / 14th Jan 1987 Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: Cismale, he/him, bisexual Hometown: New York Affiliation: Gang, Brotherhood Job position: Region Manager (Upper Queens)  Education: NYU Relationship status: Single Children: None Positive traits: pragmatic, composed, well-spoken, rational, perceptive Negative traits: impersonal, strict, humourless, cold, surly

— BIOGRAPHY

Tommy was born to parents who wanted nothing more than to provide a better life for their children, the dreams they were promised.

Moving to America had been the result of wanting a fresh start. They followed their friends to New York, hoping they could turn things around, but quickly they were faced with a harsh reality.

Tommy’s pragmatic approach to life comes from his mother. His father had all these large and fantastical ideas, which always ended up with them ending up in a penthouse in Manhattan. But there was only so much his mother could do to ground him, when her love for him often clouded her judgement, and he would always do what he wanted anyway.

Their laundrette was under the protection of the Brotherhood, and his father’s ideas ended up falling into more and more debt with no way of getting out. Eventually, he had to pay them back in ways other than cash.

Tommy would often work as a child mule, his father would come back late at night with cuts and bruises, and sometime their laundrette would be trashed.

When Tommy was sixteen, he witnessed the ends of the Brotherhood’s patience. His father told him to run and hide with his younger sibling. What he didn’t see was his father being murdered and his mother dying after trying to protect him. Tommy kept quiet and still, hidden below the counter with his hand over his sibling’s mouth. The bell on the door rang and the footsteps leaving the laundrette sounded so light. He never quite understood that.

Several weeks later, he was walking down the street. Suddenly, he sees a face he could never forget. He walks up to them, tells them to turn themselves in or he’ll do it himself. The older man tells Tommy to call the police. After a while, Tommy walks to find the nearest phone booth. When he opens the door, it’s immediately slammed back shut by the older man standing behind him. Slowly, the man kneeled down in front of him, offering a chilling smile and said: ‘Never call the pigs.’

What happened after, Tommy used to look back on it fondly. Now it’s somewhat of a bitter memory. ‘What do you want to be, son?’ ‘A politician.’ ‘You wanna be a politician? Follow me.’

The man he’d work for as a mule during his younger years, the man who killed his parents, and the man who shooed off the police had been a region manager at the time. Somewhere, somehow, Tommy must have made an impression.

Pico was an eccentric man, full of life. Upon first glance, he seemed no different to a friendly shawarma shop owner who talked to much when you just wanted your food. He took Tommy in, for reasons Tommy would never find out about, but it felt like he had no other choice at the time: he was promised good money and a safe space for his younger sibling to stay in.

Whilst there was no real pressure to get involved in the gang, Tommy quite liked being around Pico and he liked the recognition and approval that came with it. The Brotherhood’s beliefs became his beliefs, their purpose his purpose. 

From working alongside Pico, he was able to learn a lot and he was able to climb the ranks swiftly. People could see Tommy was a switched-on guy, wise beyond his years, and had a lot of potential. When Tommy voiced his desires to go to college, there wasn’t a lot of pushback. They trusted that he could keep his priorities in order.

After graduating college, he dives back into the Brotherhood, working on more of the arms deals rather than getting his hands dirty. He still lives with Pico, washing up his mugs and putting his shoes away on the shoe rack.

One evening, Tommy overhead a conversation he wished he never walked in on. From there, he conducted his own investigation to find that Pico was an undercover cop. He had a different apartment on the other end of the city with information on him, his younger sibling, various other members of the gang, all organised in neat folders. His apartment was spotless, not a single shoe out of place.

When it came to confronting Pico, the only response he got was a solemn smile: ‘You know what you have to do,’ to which Tommy understood there was an unspoken ‘and you know what I have to do.’

The aftermath, all in all, left him feeling lonely. He’d lost the man who had taken care of him, who was also the man who killed his parents.

Not long after, he became a region manager. A calm and assured leader, reasonable to an extent but forgiveness doesn’t come cheap. On the more controlled side of the Brotherhood, if he can resolve things without violence then that’s his preferred way. Hates doing things in excess but won’t shy away from doing what is needed to get his message across.

There are a very few people he trusts and makes time for. He keeps his circle small but understands the importance of building goodwill amongst others for business. In a sense, he’s very traditional and has the personality of an old man. He understands that there are less people who are intelligent than people who can throw a good punch.

— WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

FOGGY TO HIS MATT: They go way back, maybe not all the way to the childhood years but it feels like it. This friend is somewhat oblivious to what Tommy does for a living. There are obvious lies and secrets but regardless the loyalty is still there. This character will have to be a civilian. Or maybe law enforcement? 

CHARLIE PUTH VC: *we don’t talk anymore* I’m a sucker for platonic heartbreak so childhood friends he grew up with and have either grown apart or had a big fall out and are no longer friends. Ideally someone who isn’t in the Brotherhood. 

MATILDA TO LEON: Or Vanellope to Ralph. Basically unlikely friends. I’m also a sucker for sunshine and grump dynamics. Or someone who is generally a little shit and is a pain in Tommy’s ass and for some reason Tommy just deals with them. Or, alternatively, he’s trying to get rid of them but they just won’t leave him alone. I think this might probably only work for Brotherhood members or civilians but down to discuss if you have any ideas! 

RIVALS: Upper Queens is split between the Brotherhood and the Cartel - his rival would be the Cartel member who also manages Upper Queens. This could go one of many ways. Maybe they share a past that makes the job hard, or adds a layer of competitiveness, or maybe they’re only rivals in name -- preferring to keep the peace between borders. 

BROTHERHOOD: Members he gets along with, members he doesn’t get along with. For whatever reason. Tommy is on the tamer side compared to most of the Brotherhood members but that doesn’t mean he’s any less angry. His rage comes cold, and maybe your character doesn’t quite understand it.  

WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME: Your character was caught in the middle of a dangerous situation. Luckily Tommy hates collateral damage and kept them safe throughout the ordeal. Maybe they’ve been meeting up since then, coincidence or not, or maybe they accidentally bump into each other for the first time. 

NOSY NEIGHBOUR: Someone who lives next to him or a few doors down that is always up in his business. 

(F)WB: Everyone has to let off some steam. They know the arrangement and they’re happy to keep it going as long as neither of them get too close. It’s easy, low maintenance and gets the job done. 

FIRST LOVE: Happy to plot most of the relationship like how they met, how long they dated etc. but they would’ve broken up amicably because things just weren’t working, either due to the nature of Tommy’s work or whatever else. It took a lot of time and effort to get to where they are now: just friends.