gmtsoyjinho

[gmtsoyjinho]

3rdmixtape​:

good to know he was proven right about the other’s unpleasant personality within ten seconds of meeting. michael said nothing at the unsolicited advice, simply brushing it off it to focus on whatever request was going to be made— one that was surely going to be quick with minimal interaction.

or the opposite, of course.

“tailored, or made custom?” too often, clients said one thing and meant another; there were so many options that michael couldn’t fault them for not knowing the right verbiage. he watched as the unwanted nuisance adjusted the display and raised a brow.

“we’re hiring,” he offered with the same lack of enthusiasm before as he made the joke. “i’d be delighted to get you an application, Mister…?”

xxx

For what seemed like the first timee Jin’s eyes met Michael’s. He offered a look of slight annoyance.

“I do know what the difference between tailored and made to measure are.” Almost as if to say: ‘Look at me. Did you really think I wouldn’t?’ “Tailored.”

He approached the counter and leaned forward, “Right. Let me make one thing very clear: I did not come in here for your tight five. I came in her for a suit. You aren’t required to enjoy my company; you aren’t required to like me; you are required to do your job. Is that feasible for you, Mr. Young? If not I’d be delighted to point you in the direction of the closest comedy club. Understood?” 

That out of the way, Jin straightened his back.

“Tsoy. General Manager.”

[gmtsoyjinho]

Jin wasn’t used to caring so much about another person which sounded harsh, but it was thee truth. He built his career on removing emotion from the equation. But this wasn’t work. And Bambi wasn’t a client. Bambi was his. And he felt an unusual wave of sadness shroud him seeing them now. When he could he would spend his lunch breaks with them and he’d come to look forward to them.

“I brought you a Slushie. Mixed blue and red chemical flavor.” He sat the drink down then exhaled settling down himself next to her on the bench. “Do you want to talk?” he folded his hands between his knees, “We don’t have to. We can just sit.”

♡   @shrikestart​​ (open) ♡   location: food court

          there’s an evident change in bambi’s demeanor following the attack. they’re quiet, barely there. perhaps it’s the exhaustion from recovery that’s put her head in the clouds, but she knows it’s definitely more than that. it’s a fleeting feeling; she’ll be back to normal soon, or at least that’s what she’d like to believe. it’s difficult to gauge when they have yet to really process everything that happened. they’re hardly paying attention, mind drifting elsewhere (if anywhere at all), as the other speaks. ”mhm. yeah, that’s cool,” they mumble in reply, eyes glazing over as they stare at the floor.

[gmtsoyjinho]

indeed.

[gmtsoyjinho]

Lee Soo Hyuk aka AD HOC’s Muse

[gmtsoyjinho]

We’re all villains / What makes you think otherwise? / Look at us, the devils we failed to notice…

Song : Villain

Artist : Stella Jang

Album : Stella I

[gmtsoyjinho]

LEE SOO HYUK | Marie Claire Pop Quiz | 09.2021

[gmtsoyjinho]

[gmtsoyjinho]

Jin knew everything. Even before he took on a client or consulting job he most likely knew more about what happened between the walls of the business than the HR department. It was his job to know things.

Rather, it was his job to know the important people and things.

So while Michael had noticed him, Jin Ho had not really noticed Michael at all until today. His knowledge of the man begun and ended at his name and, now, his customer service skills.

Jin’s eyes narrowed slightly at the greeting.

“You have very poor control over your facial expressions. I’d work on that.”

He continued as he moved around the store as if this were an inspection, stopping only to eye one of the shelves: “I’m in need of a suit tailored.” He straightened something on the display, “I’m sure you’d be happy to help me with this, Mr. Young?”

@gmtsoyjinho

michael had seen him around before— it was hard not to notice the way he dressed compared to security and the sea of tacky, copy-paste uniforms most of the stores required. that, or the branded vest with a nametag pinned onto it. but aside from that, he noticed something else… the guy had stuck up written all over him. michael hadn’t said a word to him and he already disliked the man, making it his mission to stay away in case he got caught giving the stranger a disdainful look for nothing that would need an explanation.

so of course, because the why the hell not, the very person he wasn’t keen on talking to walked in. he simply stared at the other for a few moments from behind the counter in hopes he would realize he was in the wrong place and walk out, but sadly it wasn’t the case. “hello,” michael greeted in a practiced neutral tone. “did you need something?” that seemed potentially too blunt, so he tried again. “i’m happy to help.” clearly.

[gmtsoyjinho]

vcntages​:

“ honestly don’t think it’d take a lot of convincing on your part , ” ken muttered following the rhetorical — though a witch was too mild to compare with jin-ho . at least stereotypical witches had a reputation for being fun and causing mischief . he couldn’t imagine one getting on his ass about parking .

“ if that was supposed to be an insult , you’ve got a lot to work on . logrollin’ with a bear sounds great . very masculine and cool . ” ken looked up with a deadpan expression and equally flat tone . “ makes my big , dumb simple woodsman brain really happy to think about . ”

he assumed that caricature was jin-ho’s suggestion .

“ my weekend was nice . spent some time at the … ” cabin . in the woods . shit ; he couldn’t let his co-worker know he assumed right . ken suddenly picked up the mug jin-ho made the mistake of taking his hand off and brought it towards himself out of reach . “ liquid souls of the damned ? interesting choice . since we’re sharing , ya mind if i — ? ”

xxx

“You’d know if I were trying to insult you, Kenneth.” He slapped his hand down towards the desk in attempt to snatch the mug before Kenneth could -- just a moment too late. If it weren’t for the timid knock at the door this situation would have only escalated: bless the secretary who alerted Jin to his first meeting of the day. Jin straightened his tie then narrowed his eyes at the man across from him, “You’re about to have the best damn coffee of your life, Roe.” retrieving his briefcase, “You’re welcome.” Then turning to take his leave, “Don’t choke.”

The week came and went. And the weekend? Such a luxury meant wine and reading silly novellas (a guilty pleasure of Jin’s) and offering his cats some much needed attention. That was all he usually planned for. But that was before Bambi. Despite ‘no’ being one of Jin’s favorite words he could never seem to use it on his cousin — an unfortunate realization he came to after agreeing to go with them to the fall festival. So there Jin was, standing uncomfortably off to the side having been cornered by a clown.

“Oh god, please no…” Jin murmured under his breath. He shrank towards to the gate around the perimeter as the man in the makeup got too close for comfort. “No. No. No. No. No...”

The mere thought of interacting with a balloon animal forced Jin backwards in agony— directly into who in his haste he assumed was his cousin. He spoke immediately in pained Korean, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he hadn’t been followed. “Min-seok. This has all been very fun but I think I’m going to…” Jin paused. This wasn’t his cousin at all. “Kenneth.”  Suddenly his sweater and glasses felt inappropriate to be seen in. His secret identity was exposed to Kenneth of all people and that was worse than the clown. Jin straightened, and in an attempt to recover stated plainly: “I wasn’t aware cotton candy was masculine and cool enough for your tastes.”

[gmtsoyjinho]

vcntages​:

whatever reaction he anticipated wasn’t this . his goal was clearly for jin-ho to fuck off respectfully leave him alone the rest of the day . instead he’d settled two feet away and ken had a feeling this was a stand-off as opposed to a quick point being made . “ really ? we’re doin’ this now ? ” he should’ve been the bigger person and apologized for his unprofessional words — or at least kept quiet so a lack of reaction would cause jin to leave .

should’ve , could’ve , would’ve . wasn’t going to .

“ your suggestion has been noted . and dismissed . ” ken made as much ruckus as possible getting another pen from his desk drawer including slamming it shut to make the whole desk momentarily jar .

“ sorry , neighbor . ” he turned most attention back to his work and continued to skim and occasionally cross out sections as he spoke. “ so how was your weekend ? ” ken asked in a tone of exaggerated casualness . “ make any kids cry ? maybe ya left town and sucked the fun out of that place before comin’ back here to finish the job ? i ask ‘cause you’re obviously in such a good mood , jinny . ”

xxx

“Doing what now, Kenneth?” Jin murmured without looking up.

Yes, of course this was a stand off. Since the first day Jin began work at the mall he and Ken butted heads; it got increasingly more petty and ridiculous and stupid with each passing day. But they were both too stubborn to give the winner bragging rights.

Jin looked up when the desk jostled, using his free hand to steady his coffee mug. He stared Ken down, sizing him up for a moment before setting down his notebook and folding his hands on the desk.

“What is it you think I do on the weekends, neighbor? -- Wander around and convince small children I’m a witch?”  tch. Jin actually seemed fairly annoyed by this, “No, I haven’t made anyone one cry yet. I’ll report back by the end of the week.” He quirked a brow,  “How was your weekend? Logrolling with bears or whatever it is you do?” Honestly? Jin would pay good money to see that. He’d bet on the bear.

[gmtsoyjinho]

radiostcr​:

          nose scrunches with lighthearted embarrassment. while the incident had not been exclusive to jin (in fact, he might have been the first of many; bambi grew to be a notoriously messy painter), she remembers the memory as clear as day. they had just turned three that summer, and after hearing about their developing love for the arts—courtesy of their mother’s influence—was gifted a set of paints by her aunt. of course it was going to be a mess. she vividly remembers her father’s profuse apologies and her mother’s contagious laughter as they attempted to scrape up paint from every surface.

          their eyes widen at the revelation. “no fucking way. seriously? since when?” she’s hasn’t been working at the mall for long herself, but she starts to wonder if they’ve crossed paths anywhere in it at least once without even realizing. “uhhh,” they mumble to themself incoherently, striding back to their table for a moment to take a look at their calendar amidst a sea of scratch paper. when she returns, she’s grinning. “i don’t have another client scheduled until 2:30, which means i’m pretty much free until then…and i still haven’t had lunch, so i might as well take that break now.”

xxx

Jin had always marveled at the creativity of his younger cousin. Even at such a young age Bambi was so... vivid. 

Jin on the other hand had always been shy -- stoic even. He did not have fond memories of paint and laughter; Jin would have been concerned if he’d come home to such happiness. Somethings never changed. Summers here were one of the very few times he could be... something more of a child. And less of a prodigy.

He slipped his hands into his pocket to keep from shyly running his hand against the back of his neck -- a habit he’d kicked long before law school. It was weak. “It’s been less than a year.” He said plainly, “With everything going on... This was the first time I was able to stop and explore the mall.” in fact, this was the first real lunch break Jin took without working through it.

“Then we’ll get lunch.” Jin nodded, waiting for Bambi by the store front as they gathered their things. “So you’ve kept up with your artwork.” he held the door open for her, “That’s good.” When he continued it surprised himself; it wasn’t often he got to talk about... family, “I don’t know how well you remember about my parents; my mother would have had nothing short of a heart attack if I had ever gotten a tattoo. (Or did anything remotely fun for that matter.)

Tragic. I know.”

[gmtsoyjinho]

@vcntages

[gmtsoyjinho]

LEE SOO HYUK for Marie Claire | behind the scenes | 09.2021

[gmtsoyjinho]

radiostcr​:

          the pen in bambi’s hand nearly slips from their grasp at the sudden call of their name. it was rare that anyone addressed them by their birth name, not since they insisted on going by bambi to everyone they met after their mother told her the name fit her like a glove. these days, min-seok is synonymous to professional matters (and less commonly, being reprimanded for stirring up trouble). eyes tear away from the pages of their sketchbook and flit up at skin deep’s entrance, to the source of the call and a face that bambi can only describe as vaguely familiar. their eyebrows crease as they try to recall how exactly, and it isn’t until she stands up to approach him that she comes to the realization.

          their father had mentioned him once in passing over a phone call, “…and i heard your cousin is in town again,”  or something along those lines. bambi hadn’t paid much attention to the rest of it but she at least caught onto that. and with the rest of their relatives still in south korea, there’s only one that comes to mind. “jin-ho, right?” his name is only remembered because it’s one her mother has mentioned before, and had it not been for their hazy toddler memories then they might not have been able to put two and two together. “really? i haven’t noticed,” she jests, adjusting her posture in an attempt to emphasize all 176 centimeters of her height. “how’d you know i work here?”

xxx

Jin’s opportunity to know Min-Seok as Bambi had been ripped away from him. As an only child, he had always looked forward to visiting his cousin; but when you’re a child, if your parent didn’t want to go somewhere, you didn’t go either. Years passed and summers in Colorado drifted further away. 

There was a guilt that stung Jin seeing Bambi now. When was the last time he’d sent them a birthday card?

A faint smile flickered across Jin’s face when Bambi straightened, a rare occurrence for him. He still had some height on his cousin but not much anymore. “That’s right. I used to visit in the summertime. You were always very good at getting paint in my hair.” His smile faded almost as quickly as it arrived though. He cleared his throat at her question, “I’m... actually one of the general manager’s here. I didn’t think I’d stay for quite this long but. It seems there’s more work to be done than I originally anticipated. -- I’m sorry. Are you on the clock? Maybe on your break we could catch up properly?”

[gmtsoyjinho]

vcntages​:

few people bothered ken . he was aware of the long list of nerves — practically a path — he tread but it was rare the script was flipped . jin-ho however managed to be a person he genuinely couldn’t stand . ken bristled hearing his full name . how many times had he told that snobby son of a bitch not to use it ? he let his pen drop then looked up with a smile that was too stiff to be genuine ; though how he felt was no secret .

“ good morning . good to see to you too , jinny-boy . ” if jin-ho was going to over-formalize his name then ken was going to do the opposite and butcher it with every stupidly casual nickname he could . “ instead of complaining so much or havin’ to teach me … ” ken pretended to contemplate . he went as far as to look around the room and mumble some made-up thoughts before returning his gaze to jin and grinning . “ get a smaller car ? i’ve got suggestions on where to put that pencil you’re not gonna need anymore , too , if you’d like . ”

xxx

Jin allowed his reaction to Kenneth’s new nickname for him to begin and end at the twitch of his left eye. The rest of his face remained composed.

“Fine.” 

He straightened his back, then his tie, “Don’t move your car. Excuse me.” Then he left. 

But Ken wouldn’t have much time to miss him.

When Jin returned it was with his briefcase in one hand and his coffee in the other, both of which he promptly walked over to Kenneth’s desk. He dropped the briefcase down onto the tabletop then pulled up a chair across from Kenneth and settled down, one leg crossed over the other.

“I’m sure you don’t mind me taking up some of your space then?” He reached over the desk and picked up the pen Kenneth had been using with his left hand, “Do you?” If Kenneth wanted to share space. OH. They could share space. “And, since we’re throwing around suggestions...” he took a sip of his coffee before opening a sales report, “Buy a razor. Your upper lip is suffocating.”

[gmtsoyjinho]

@vcntages

Jin-Ho cared very little about most people. Only occasionally was there a special someone who could manage to ruffle his feathers enough to force the real bitch out of him. It was an art — a SKILL even — to get under Jin’s skin. And it just so happened Jin had the absolute pleasure of working with such a person every. single. day.

“Kenneth.”

He closed the office door behind him leaning forward over the hr manager’s desk. Ah, Monday morning. Typical of Kenneth to choose violence.

“Your car is taking up two spots. One of which is mine.” This was a loathing like no other. Jin needed coffee and a nap and the day had just begun. “Do you need me to pencil teaching you how to park into my very busy schedule or are you going to remedy this issue?”

[gmtsoyjinho]

@radiostcr

It was merely by chance Jin-Ho had stumbled across the employee list for Skin Deep. He had been looking for something entirely different, but everything was so unorganized in this office.

Bambi Hyun.

Hyun.

He knew that name.

Jin had been in London when the news of his aunt’s funeral reached him. At the time he was irritated with his mother who only mentioned it to him as an afterthought, allowing him no time to even try to attend. Not that he was very close with that part of his family; He used to visit them every summer as a child but his mother and his aunt had had a falling out. He only remembered now that they had been located in Colorado. Still… Who Bambi was, Jin had no idea. So for the first time since he began working at Shrike he entered Skin Deep.

“Min-Seok?” A pause, now unsure how to approach this conversation, “It’s… been a long time.” Jin cleared his throat, regaining his composure and realizing he couldn’t be sure his cousin even spoke Korean fluently. He continued in english. “You most likely don’t remember me.” The last time Jin-Ho had seen them he was 12 and Min-Seok barely stood above his elbow. “You’re much taller now.”