atsuko-citizen

[atsuko-citizen]

ooc; Hello ouo This is Atsuko’s typist, now adding another character in the form of Mariko ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ She’s completely open for plotting, so feel free to leave an ask and we can start something up. 

Note: I’ll be leaving for vacation on the 5th of August for 10 days, so I’ll try to post when I’m away, but there’s no guarantees ^^

[atsuko-citizen]

Atsuko stared at nothing in particular, ignoring the large throng of excited people moving around her. There was a festival going on at her university today, for what, she didn't know or care. Well, she didn't care until she was involuntarily signed up by some classmates to be a guide for the day. It was supposed to be a prank of sorts, but the humor was lost among her irritation at having to work instead of study at home.

"Welcome," She repeated the phrase every time she held out a guidebook, the motion coming naturally now. People would either take the booklet quietly - some saying a polite thank you - or would ignore her completely in favor of staring at the vibrant booths on either side of her. Sighing slightly, she readjusted the large pile in her hands, deciding she had been at this part of the activities for too long. And people were too caught up in their surroundings too even acknowledge her.

Walking behind the booths, careful not to knock anything important over on her way. Coming out from behind the last booths at the end, she hesitantly pushed through the crowd, muttering apologies and being careful not to drop the guidebooks. Atsuko came out where the crowd died down, allowing her for more breathing room.

Being the clutz she was, she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking, too focused on keeping the large pile of guidebooks in her arms from falling. So Atsuko yelped slightly in surprise when she ran face-first into someone's back. Her books went flying and she fell to the ground in surprise. "I-itai.." She murmured the word in Japanese, rubbing her back painfully. Looking up at the person she bumped into through her bangs, she grimaced embarrassedly, quickly moving her legs around to bow slightly at her waist.

"I-I'm so sorry sir.. I wasn't looking where I was g-going." She held her hands up in apology, bowing a few more times. 

— Papier-mâché [ Sehun & Atsuko ]

Sehun was never one to thrive for an eventful life, which was something that he believed not often found in the world where he sought his living from. Careless freefalls into the chasm of unknowingness and pernicious compulsions that charmed those weighed down by reality were something that could be expected of the society that he was in. There was an imaginary barcode burned on a patch his neck, a brand to affiliate him with—a name that could send him straight into the bottom of a safety net or an utmost danger, no matter how apathetic he was toward the battle spread before his eyes. He wasn’t a warrior—he clearly wasn’t one of those people donning weapons like a row of must-have accessories coming from designer brands. He was more of those mechanics, contributing to the performance from behind the curtains, emblazoning the overall appearance with the needed touch. He was still a utensil, a tool made to craft legends out of their army, but he was never one of the men put on the front line. And he didn’t wish to be, for the predicaments that entailed were far too much to handle, and it could incite the venomous impulse that had been lying inert within him.

He was never one to expect too much from life, since if he was to turn around and look back, the gravel road that he’d travelled up to this point had already had too many sharp cobbles, enough to make him bleed to death by rupturing the flesh of his feet. All that he craved at that moment was none other than peaceful days, where there was no wound to bandage, just his drying scars as a reminder of how far he’d come. Therefore, he didn’t mind whenever he had slower days, when his well of inspirations was as desiccated as his refrigerator, believing that even slower days had their own positives. Considering that he didn’t have any shift allocated that night, he had more than enough time to kill by wandering in the outside world, tasting the simplest form of normality that he often forgot still existed out there outside his window.

After days of not having his creative juice flowing, crumpled papers were scattered across his bed and the carpeted floor around it. He promised himself that he would clean them off later, when he returned from his small-scaled journey. He put on his worn out chucks, black but now resembled faded muddy half-brown-half-grey, the laces shabby. Maybe when he stopped being lazy he’d purchase a new pair of shoes. But for now, he still loved these ones.

He finally crawled out of his nest after three consecutive days of not taking even a single step out of it, confining himself within the same walls with the hopes of concocting a new weapon but he’d ended up spending the majority of his waking moment in front of the plasma TV, hands loyally cradling the controller as eyes idly fixed on the screen flashing in highly defined colors. He had to terminate his hermit lifestyle anyway because he needed food to nurture his necessity—it was just about time.

The sunlight that flooded the pavement made him squint, the light too bright for his liking and he might’ve adopted some kind of vampire physiology after switching his day and night around in order to accommodate his job. He ambled aimlessly on the sidewalk, following his (non-existent) instinct, until he found something that attracted his attention. It was a crowd, gathered in a place that seemed like a university, but if there was any kind of board to indicate the identity of the institution, it was covered by the colorful stalls that lined down almost every single nook and cranny of the place that wasn’t packed with people.

Sehun wouldn’t say that he was fond of people, which was kind of tragic seeing his choice of livelihood, but he felt rather adventurous that day so he sauntered towards the festivity anyway. He joined the throng, following the flow of people as he attempted to find a booth that offered something to pique his interests. Farther into the place, he found that the mass dispersed, and he could breathe more easily with less people brushing and jostling him.

[atsuko-citizen]

"Well, you've helped me out a l-lot today.." Atsuko paused, rubbing the back of her neck nervously, "If you don't mind- or, no, if you'd like, ah.. Acchan is fine." She sent him a hesitant smile, hoping she wasn't coming off as unfriendly. Watching as Himchan swiftly picked up the dog toys lying around, she hid her laugh behind her hand at his frustrated muttering as he cleaned up.

Atsuko didn't want to bother him any further, so she simply shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine, thank you." She laughed slightly at his offering of alcohol, waving her hand in front of her face. "I'm 19, so no, I-I'm fine." Himchan seemed sort of awkward, which was a lot to say coming from her. From what she'd seen so far, he seemed quite social, easily talking to her and trying to make her feel more comfortable. But having someone else in his house was foreign, apparently.

"Cookies?" Atsuko felt her stomach rumble in hunger, and looked away embarrassedly. "I-I guess a cookie wouldn't do any harm." She half-smiled at him, bowing her head slightly in thanks. Gabanna, if she remembered correctly, suddenly appeared in front of Himchan, patting his leg for attention. The small dog was soon directed towards her, sitting in front of her happily, staring at her in adorable questioning.

"A-ah, here." She scooted over a little, allowing the little pup to jump up beside her, placing it's paws on her lap and leaning up towards her excitedly. Atsuko smiled, patting his head gently. He leaned into her touch and she giggled at the adorable sight. 

safe keep [atsuko and himchan]

Smiling, he nodded his head. “Pretty, what would you prefer me calling you?" Himchan was known for his nicknames that tested patience and drove the other’s insane but that was reserved for the people he didn’t like. Atsuko was kind, he barely knew her but she was kind. The blonde saw no reason to torture her with a horrid nickname, just yet anyways. 

Noticing a few dog toys lying around, he quickly bent over and started picking them up, muttering about messy dogs. “Is there anything you’d like to drink? I have tea, coffee, homemade juice, water…" He trailed off a little, thinking of the other drinks he could offer. “I don’t know if you’re legal or not but we have wine and a few bottles of beer." Sheepishly, he smiled, shrugging his shoulders a little.

Himchan never had guests, the closest he got to ever really having guests were clients but they paid him to come over. In his books that didn’t count. The blonde was at loss, he knew he had a few drinks and he had homemade treats still fresh and saved up from his stress relieving baking spree the other day. “I also have cookies, oatmeal raisin, dark chocolate chip, white chocolate chunk…." Even if she didn’t have any now, he would be sending some home with her. He seriously needed to get rid of all these desserts before his thighs grew. 

A paw hitting his leg brought his attention away from the girl and to the floor. The prostitute loved his dogs and he made sure to watch them grow up, picking them out when they were only newborns. Excessive training on his part but he enjoyed every frustration that came with the two puppies and was already trying to convince himself not to get another one. They still weren’t fully grown but he already knew they were going to be amazingly smart and loving. He raised his eyebrow as he watched his smallest dog, look to Himchan then over to the girl before looking back at the blonde. He rolled his eyes, “You want to sit beside our guest? Well don’t ask me you fool, go ask her." He raised a hand and pointed over to where the couch was, laughing when his dog followed his arm and bounded over to the couch. Gabanna sat in front of Atsuko’s feet and looked up at her, cocking his head to the side and silently asking for permission. 

[atsuko-citizen]

[atsuko-citizen]

Atsuko tapped her pen on the notepad irritatedly as the man in front of her continued to complain loudly about the 'limited choice' of food on the menu. "S-sir, I assure you, all our dishes are quite-" The man told her to shut up abruptly, then said he would just have today's special. "C-coming right up.. sir." Atsuko sent him a strained smile, then turned on her heel to serve the next customer.

Angered at the man's rude behavior, she murmured a few choice words in Japanese under her breath as she made her way towards the woman sitting by herself in a booth near the door. She seemed sort of nervous, glancing around the cafe. They made eye contact and Atsuko smiled slightly as she reached her table.

The woman had straight black hair and wide eyes, and she didn't look Korean. Atsuko rejoiced to herself silently at the thought of another Japanese person to talk to. "H-hello, and welcome to our cafe. What can I get for you, miss?" She flipped a page on her notepad and looked expectantly at the other girl.

Café Au Lait || [Atsuko and Rena]

Rena believed coffee was her savior. No, she wasn’t addicted, but it was the only thing that helped her stay alert and ready throughout the day. The strong taste, the powerful aroma. Its power to put people out in a second or to send nerves flying fascinated her. Fortunately, she didn’t drink it every day considering her body was already in bad shape already. Plus, she didn’t want to further her delirious qualities. Even without the coffee, a couple of trips to the local café were something of a daily routine now. Her stomach didn’t have to be eager for nutrients nor did her mouth have to experience a drought. The atmosphere put her at peace and relaxation. Every now and then she was able to catch up on latest book, Les Fleurs du Mal.

Unfortunately, her usual hang out was scheduled for renovations today; however she didn’t let that stop her from attaining her daily dose. Pulling up directions for the nearest café location on her phone, she was surprised to discover that there was one just around the corner. Her shoulders retreated as she released her built up tension in just a single exhale. Tucking the device into her purse, Rena spun on the heels of her boots and started towards her new bistro.

The scenery surrounding her new environment didn’t differ much from the previous one; after all, they were (acceptably) 50 steps in distance from each other. The pavement was crisp with excess water thanks to last night’s downpour and the weather wasn’t too unpleasant either. Not too cold, but not too warm, however it forced Rena to throw on her blue striped parka. She wasn’t much of a fashion enthusiast so the looks given to her were mysteries. Attention was the last thing she wanted.

 Reaching her destination, Rena is welcomed by a familiar aroma of roasting coffee beans. Letting a hushed “Ah~h” escape her mouth, she advances through the automatic doors with ease.

Unsure whether she should wait to be seated or not, she plants herself at the nearest booth. The different atmosphere unsettled Rena’s nerves. “Being in such a place…Is it okay for me to be here?” She thought. It’s not like the place had a threatening demeanor. It was rather cute, actually.  The settle colors, the presentation of food. Everything about it reminded her of home. “This may just become my new getaway spot.”

Accepting defeat, she flipped through the plastic becoming very indecisive of her order. After about five minutes of mouthwatering agony, a decision was made. She wanted everything, but that would only leave moths flying out of her wallet, so she settled for espresso and biscotti

Examining the room for a waiter, only one came into view.  “That’s funny,” she thought, “Shouldn’t there be at least 3?” Rena was no business expert either, so she simply supposed. “E-excuse me…”  

[atsuko-citizen]

Bonjour lady.

[atsuko-citizen]

59-64/100 of あっちゃん

[atsuko-citizen]

Beauty is knowing nobody real as you, Truly condolences for that bad shoes, Killing the scene, this type of loving made me complete.

[atsuko-citizen]

Atsuko scrambled after the younger boy clumsily, heart pounding radically due to both her nervousness of them being caught and not being used to running so much. The teenager narrowly avoided running straight into the wall next to the elevator and smoothly pulled her in after him. He bashed the 'Close Door' button quickly and soon they were off to another floor, the only sound in the tiny elevator their loud panting.

He cracked a joke about thanking him later, making Atsuko glare at him quietly. This was no time to be making jokes, frankly. She had absolutely no clue what was going on and it angered her to no end. Being clueless was something she despised. She preferred to step back and look at a situation before dealing with it, not rushing into it head-on like a wild dog. Which seemed to be this boy's plan.

They slowly exited the elevator once the door opened, both of them checking for the men chasing them. The halls were empty, luckily, and they quietly made their way to the other end of the hall, Atsuko's hand still entwined in his. She wanted to shake his hand off because her palms were getting sweaty, but that really didn't matter right now. 

The two stopped in front of the empty classroom at the end of the hallway, and Atsuko barely had any time to think before the pounding of footsteps were heard at the opposite end of the hall and she was being pushed into the room frantically. The men had saw them, for sure. And there was no way to get out of this. They would have to fight or somehow block them out until somebody else helped - Atsuko definitely wasn't a fighter and everyone was in class so she wasn't looking forward to what was going to happen next.

The boy seemed to have grabbed a pair of red scissors, but.. was now opening the window and pushing her towards it? They weren't going to jump, no way, they were a good 10 feet off the ground, probably more. Atsuko yelped in surprise when the boy then proceeded to do what she had feared, and she rushed forward to watch as he landed seemingly safely.

Her heart was pounding so loud in her ears she didn't hear what he shouted at her. But his open arms and waiting expression confirmed her worries. She had to jump. Of course, she had to. There were two men that were most likely just reaching the door now and were intent on catching them and doing something horrible to both of them. Or there was jumping out of a window, into the arms of a stranger, and possibly injuring one or both of them.

The classroom door behind her slammed open and Atsuko placed her right foot on the ledge of the window. She wanted to just sit down there and cry, this was all too much. But she put her hands on either side of the window ignoring the slight tug on the back of her shirt, and leaped out of the building into, hopefully, the arms of a strange teenage boy with multiple personalities and men intent on hurting him.

Not My Problem ✖ Atsuko and Jeongguk

[atsuko-citizen]

himchan-vipers: Himchan chuckled softly before opening the door more, “It’s the least I could do for someone who came all this way to give back a license." The blonde quickly whistled for the dogs to leave, opening the door all the way to let the girl in. It was rare for the man to have guests, mainly because he chose not to invite people over but he didn’t mind some company from time to time. He grabbed a pair of slippers from his hallway closet before setting them down near the entryway where the cafe worker was taking off her shoes. "Those seem to be about your size, it’d be more comfortable than walking around bare foot." Smiling softly, he shut the door once she was fully in his apartment. The blonde couldn’t help but find it amusing how nervous and shy the young woman was. She stuttered, blushed, hid her face, it was endearing for the most part but he also felt a little annoyed. He hated seeing people so scared and timid, especially when some of them had such potential to become something wonderful. Himchan saw potential in the girl and he could only hope she would slowly warm up to him.  Remembering her question from earlier, he swiftly pointed at his Husky before answering, “Dolce," He then pointed at his Pomeranian, “Gabbana." He frowned when he noticed the bigger dog on the couch. There would be no room for the girl to sit if his dogs took up all the space. With a frustrated sigh, he walked over and patted Dolce on the butt firmly. “Get off the couch you big baby, we have a guest." Muttering under his breath as he watched the dog lazily jumping off the couch, he picked up the blanket from a chair and spread it over the cushions.  Gesturing for the girl to sit, he voiced his own question, “I don’t think I ever got your name….?" Usually when Himchan was stuck not knowing someone’s name, he would give them embarrassingly gross pet names but with how timid and uncomfortable she always seemed to be, that wasn’t even an option. He gave her a quick smile before gesturing to the couch again. Being comfortable was key and that’s all the blonde wanted the girl to feel.  Atsuko glanced at her surroundings as she entered Himchan’s house. It was pretty clean, for a man living on his own. She bowed her head slightly in thanks as she took her shoes off and put on the light blue slippers. The older blonde headed into the living room, making sure to shut the door behind her. The ecstatic dogs followed after him, and Atsuko trailed after them slowly. When she heard the name of his dogs, Atsuko almost laughed out loud. Such luxurious, yet silly names. She nodded slightly, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. Sitting down on the couch when the larger Husky - Dolce - was shooed out of her spot, she laid her hands on her lap politely and looked around the place. It was simple enough, with mainly white walls. Various paintings and decorations were placed here and there, giving it a higher-class look. Himchan didn’t exactly look like it, but he must have a decent job to afford all this stuff. Realizing he had asked her for her name, Atsuko snapped her gaze back to him. "A-ah, my name is Maeda Atsuko," Bowing politely, she wrung her hands together in thought for a brief moment. “But my friends call me A-Acchan.."

safe keep [atsuko and himchan]

[atsuko-citizen]

[atsuko-citizen]

She wished she was strong enough to just go home, have a nap, and forget about the events of the day. Having to beg for her job after being 5 minutes late was enough, but her boss continued to beat her down all day. She was lazy, worthless - a waste of space. Atsuko fought through his nagging all day, as a crying waitress would only upset a potential customer.

Deciding to walk home and go past the Han River was also turning out to be a bad idea. It had started raining shortly after she left the cafe, and she was too out of it to bother hailing a cab or taking the subway home. Her thin grey sweater barely provided any protection against the cold rain drops. While it wasn't completely hailing down, it was enough to make her cold and thoroughly drenched.

Coming up to the Han River, Atsuko continued to slowly make her way across the long bridge spanning the famous landmark. Two laughing girls under a bright pink umbrella passed her, and she heard murmured whispers of "Freak." She contemplated going after them just to let her anger out, but decided she was too tired to do anything really physical. The rain was making it hard to see, and her hair was starting to stick to her face, obstructing her vision even more.

Atsuko was just so fed up with everything. She was never good enough for her parents, or her old high-class friends, she even disappointed her boss on a regular basis. Covering her face with her hands, she let her warm breath heat up her hands slightly. 

The rushing of the river down below suddenly caught her attention and she stopped to peek out of her hands. Despite the risks, Atsuko leaned over the rail, staring at the rushing water down below. It.. could be that easy. She didn't allow herself to have second thoughts. Grasping onto the rail tightly, she pulled herself up to sit on top of it.

The rain continued to pour down, but she ignored it in favor of staring at her possible salvation below. Nobody would miss her. Her parents would get through it. They always managed to. Taking a deep breath, Atsuko felt tears start trailing down her face. She wasn't afraid, she wouldn't allow herself to be afraid. This would just.. be the end.

The sound of footsteps and a short yell made her still with confusion. Just what she needed. Someone trying to stop her. This was what she had been waiting for, a way to stop.. being a nuisance to everyone. The person, who she identified as a man from their voice, told her she could get hurt in a worried voice. A laugh made it's way out, uncontrollably, and Atsuko turned her head slightly to acknowledge his presence.

He had an umbrella over his head, which was a curious bright pink. She had never seen pink hair before. What an interesting thing to see before you die. Atsuko gave him a pained smile, speaking in Japanese. "I came all the way here.. So where can I go now?"

Safe and Sound - Atsuko & Dongwoo

Dongwoo wasn’t a fan of rainy days. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the rain. Not at all, in fact, he loved playing outside in the rain; the contentment of sitting inside and watching the rain fall. He just didn’t like how it affected those around him. Generally, people became moody and so the young man would prefer a happy sunny day, for the sanity of everyone else. Always putting people before himself, the definition of people pleaser.

And so it was that Jang Dongwoo had just footed the bill for both a lonely-seeming elderly man as well as a stressed college student. The surprised expressions being all the thanks he needed. A cafe was the perfect place to be on a day such as this. Windy and grey; rain clouds pouring down. A warm drink and a giant window provided the perfect ambiance. This particular cafe, however, had the benefit of location. Atop the middle of the bridge over the Han river, it was the perfect view. To Dongwoo, the rain only proved to make the landscape more awe-inspiring.

It was around noon when the rain began to pick up. Bright eyes became glued to the scenery outside the window, finding beauty in the passing cars shooting past in the dropping rain. At first, he thought he was seeing things when a figure appeared on the walkway. It was fairly far away from the cafe… didn’t they want to come inside? His attention was drawn to the figure frozen in the rain. Even if they were lost, they’d want to come inside, right?

A sigh seemed to rise right out of the spine of the pink haired boy; his shivers briefly overtook him as he wholeheartedly stared at whoever was out there. It felt like he was in one of those paranormal shows he’d come across on television. Was that thing a ghost? For a moment, Dongwoo pondered about it. Even if it was a ghost, he figured he had to be seeing it for a reason.

Not even bothering to grab his jacket, he grabbed his umbrella and rushed outside. Through the thick rainfall, he could barely see, continuing toward the figure, nonetheless. He slowed, not quite sure how exactly to approach it. Now that he was closer, he could see they were situated on the bridge’s rail. Were they planning to jump? Ghost or not, Dongwoo didn’t want them to jump. Approaching the figure slowly, as he didnt want to startle them, he called out to them, “Hey!” He paused, unsure of how to continue.

He quickly regained his composure. “What are you doing up there? You might get hurt.” Pink hair whipping about, he tried to distinguish the features of the mystery person. All he could tell was that they had long black hair; most likely a girl. He could only hope they could hear the concern from his voice. That his worry wasn’t washed away with the downpour. Albeit being a complete stranger, Jang Dongwoo still valued this person and their life. He could only hope his compassion was strong enough to pull this person from the edge. To be a strong enough light to save them from the darkness. For all he knew, he was too late; they were too far gone. All he could do was hope.

[atsuko-citizen]

Atsuko hesitantly handed the other girl a few pieces of paper towel, bowing and thanking her quietly. They cleaned in silence, the young waitress too scared to speak and the customer simply satisfied with not talking. When they finished, she took all the paper towel and nodded at the girls request. "I-I'll be right out with it, miss." She quickly rushed back into the kitchen, throwing the wet paper towels in the garbage along the way.

The tea was simple enough to make again, and Atsuko quickly placed it on another porcelain plate. More wary of her surroundings this time, she swiftly but carefully headed towards the woman's table. "H-here you go, miss." She bowed deeply once more, and waited for the woman to nod her head slightly before she headed back to the kitchen.

Despite her nervousness, she tried her best to clean the counters and take orders, but she soon heard pounding footsteps coming from the kitchen. Most likely her manager, coming to yell at her for spilling hot tea on a paying customer. Another waitress had probably witnessed the incident and scurried off to their boss, hoping to get in his good books.

"Maeda!" The booming yell surprised most of the cafe, people turning their heads to see what was happening. The kitchen doors swung open and her manager walked out, glancing around furiously until he spotted her. He stormed up to her, wagging one of his large fingers in her face and started one of his long speeches he always gave to employees when they made a mistake.

Not My Cup of Tea ~ Atsuko & Krystal

There was no fun in playing the bitch that yelled at a poor waitress who was trying to make money. The poor waitress who had accidentally bumped into a chair, panicked, and nearly spilt piping hot tea all over her lap. The mere expression of sheer horror was enough to satisfy her sadistic sense of pleasure. If she chose to push it, she would have easily angered all the other patrons. All the young waitress was trying to do was serve her, and mistakes are only natural. Why would Soojung have to play the bitch? Only in a television scenario would she lash out at the poor girl, but today, she was in a good mood.

The only horrible thing that would come from this is that her book was absolutely ruined, and her tea was now non-existent. This was the worst of her problems. Which admittedly, was not that bad at all. Her drafts were all in her head, so she could redraw them anyway, considering she now had a better idea of what she had wanted in the first place… and tea was easily remade. Now all that was needed to be done was that the table needed to be cleaned, and the notebook had to be thrown out.

As the girl returned, she stood up and held out her hand, smiling softly. “Let me help you with that.” She said as sweetly as she could. After taking some of the paper towels, she started to help the waitress dry the table. It wasn’t a hard job considering that the tea was easy to clean, wiped up really quickly. When it was all done, she returned to her seat and looked up. “So… about my tea…?” She asked tilting her head to the side. “I’d really love something to go with this sandwich please.” She smiled and batted her eyelashes in an expecting manner.

[atsuko-citizen]

Atsuko smiled at the older woman happily. They hadn't spoken since she had moved to Korea, and Keiko had such a stressful job that she hadn't wanted to bother her. "Yep, I'm studying musical theater." She watched as the other woman sipped her tea. Keiko was always so graceful and sophisticated, the opposite of Atsuko's usually clumsy actions.

"Yes, of course. I know you have an.. unique job, so it's always wonderful to here stories." Atsuko nodded enthusiastically. She could never handle working with the law - she would be too soft to deal with issues properly. When Keiko told her why she had come here, she tilted her head curiously. She remembered there were problems with the yakuza in Japan, obviously, but she never imagined the gangs here to be just as bad.

"Ah, I see.. Well, I hope you find what you're looking for." Atsuko smiled encouragingly at Keiko. Considering the questions she was asked, Atsuko rubbed her arm for a moment in thought. "Well, my parents make sure I call them every week. Just to check up on my studies. They're doing well enough, I suppose." She thought about the last question more thoroughly.

"Well.. I'm as comfortable as I can be. I have some trouble with the language but other than that, I'm generally fine. How are you adjusting?" Atsuko waited for Keiko to answer and looked at the front counter nervously. None of her co-workers were there, luckily, so she could continue talking to the older woman for a while longer.

role model [atsuko and keiko]

Keiko absolutely adored Atsuko, despite their reasons for crossing paths. She felt warm inside, the headache and irritation melting into the back of her mind for the time being. She smiled as she rubbed the younger girl’s arms when Atsuko leaned back. It was weird taking in how much she had grown. Keiko could remember her cheeks chubbier, her hair longer, and her eyes younger. Seeing her grown made Keiko raise a brow, it was still evident she was younger, but she seemed to have a newfound air of maturity that Keiko admired.

"You’re a student?" She smiled lovingly. She could only count the number of times she had taken, or ‘requested’, her father’s credit card and splurged on the younger girl. She was the baby sister Keiko had always hoped and dreamed of. Taking a seat she took a sip of what Atsuko had brought her. “What are you studying for?" She asked curiously placing a hand under her chin.

"You want to here about my boring reason?" She heaved a sigh and lowered her voice. “Normally, I don’t tell just anyone, but you’ve never been ‘just anyone’ so I suppose it doesn’t matter," She added lovingly. “I’m working on a case, there may be a connection between a gang in Seoul to one in Japan. So, my job brought me here." She nodded and waved it off a moment later, wanting to keep everything stressful from resurfacing. “But tell me more about you! Like, how are your parents? Have you spoken to them recently? Are you comfortable here?" She asked, with every intention being to help her become more situated, comfortable, whatever, if need be.

[atsuko-citizen]

You are me We are similar in our weirdness But the truth is, even when you’re troubled Or when you lose out because you’re not shrewd You’ll keep a smile on your face And I love that unchanging part of you

[atsuko-citizen]

Atsuko stumbled a little, trying to run yet keep a hold of the younger boy at the same time. She had no idea who they where running from, but the boy seemed frantic to escape, so they weren't any sort of friends. They entered the main hall, where class was just starting, making the halls filled with other students rushing to their destination.

The boy pushed through people unapologetically, but Astuko always made sure to murmur an apology when somebody was knocked down. She could still hear the loud pounding of footsteps from the men chasing them, but they seemed to stop for a moment, possibly caught up in the mess of students that had been pushed to the ground. The boy twisted suddenly, heading towards a closet, and quickly pushed her inside.

He leaned against the door, and they both stood there panting, trying to catch their breath. Atsuko stared at him quietly, honestly confused as to what was happening. In the dim light of the closet, she saw him smile suddenly, and raised an eyebrow in confusion. This wasn't just one huge plan to get them alone in a closet, was it? No, he seemed pretty serious when they were running away. And it seemed  like too elaborate of a plan for a teenager to think of and pull off.

Once he spoke, she understood what he was thinking. Atsuko could be the one to either help them escape or cause their capture. She calmed herself down, feeling her heartbeat return to normal. A picture of the hallway appeared in her mind, and a few feet away from the closet.. An elevator. That would work. But they had to get there, press the button, and wait for it, all while in the open.

"T-There's an elevator... A few feet to the left o-of us." Atsuko said, chewing her lip nervously. The boy seemed to think this over for a few seconds before turning towards the door. He opened it silently, looking out into the hall. She still heard the  sound of students rushing around, so they wouldn't be completely out in the open. The boy, still looking out the door, held his hand out for Atsuko to take. She hesitated briefly before grabbing onto it.

Not My Problem ✖ Atsuko and Jeongguk

[atsuko-citizen]

27-37/100 of あっちゃん