greenfated

[greenfated]

/ guys i think zurie's blog got deleted by tumblr ????????? idk what to do 💀💀

[greenfated]

jinam's eyebrows raised in surprise at the other's words. while he was rather scared at the prospect of sitting down next to someone who seemed so angry, he was possibly more scared of what would happen if he didn't. he plopped himself down awkwardly, a good quarter meter of space between them as he listened to her type into her phone without a glance. he couldn't see her messages, but he could tell by her pace and aggressive pressure on the screen that the tone of them was likely just as annoyed as she was.

he busied himself with people watching, having completely abandoned any previous worries about his imprinted grass, as he waited for her to finish. there was a man buying a newspaper in front of the hotel, two teenagers seated in the gazebo sharing what looked like pretty important gossip and a woman photographing some rabbits near the roses, but no scenario seemed quite as fascinating as the one he found himself in.

risking a glance over at mari as her intense typing seemed to be dying down, he forced a hard gulp and folded his hands defensively in across his abdomen. he could only hope his next question did break her rules of annoyance: "um, are ... you okay ?"

to day that mari was having a disastrous day would be an absolute understatement. she wasn't really the one to let anything work related get the best of her, but it was as if the universe was truly testing her patience today. almost anything that could go wrong went wrong and mari just felt so overwhelmed as now she had to be the one to fix things. mari always has to be the one to fix things because anyone else who touches it, it will just get worse. one of her employees was almost a whole hour late to their shift and was completely lacking off on the floor. her stockroom was an absolute mess and mari had no idea how it became a mess when she was only away from the store for a day. emails were piling up on the computer to the point where mari almost completely forgot that she had booked in job interviews for potential sales associates. the only thing mari needed was for someone to rob the store, or at least attempt to. thankfully that didn't happen, but it was barely one in the afternoon. her store doesn't close for a good few hours. mari slumped on the bench and silently but frantically began typing out on her phone, ranting to one of her friends about her insane work day. it was a miracle in itself that mari managed to find time to go on her break, though she was slightly anxious leaving the store in its current state, but her staff practically forced her out the doors. as mari was typing furiously, she barely even acknowledged the person who seemed to stand nearby. "you can sit as long as you don't annoy me." she said, not aware of her annoyed tone, though it was completely evident with the furrowed brow painted on her face.

[greenfated]

absentee ft. @starlightfades

jinam had to incessantly fidget to keep his sleeves rolled up as he dragged yet another piece of large driftwood across the sand toward the bonfire pits. it was still daylight, and there was several hours until the fire would be lit at nightfall, but he preferred to have everything ready to go beforehand. after dropping the driftwood with a thud into his desired place, jinam took reprieve from the physicality and hazarded a look around. a lot of people were up and about, enjoying their surroundings, but he began to realize there was one person he hadn't seen for much of the day. mustering up some courage, he headed in the direction of minyoung's yurt. he laid a sturdy knock into the heart of the wooden siding, not wanting to enter without permission. "uh m-minyoung ? are you feeling okay ?" he calls out shakily.

[greenfated]

common ground ft. @whnheartsbrks

he'd be lying if he said it was the first thing he wanted to happen upon after clocking in at the hotel and heading outside. the main issue with how lush jinam made the grass around midlight was just how well footprints showed up on it. lo and behold, fresh markings lay beside the designated pathway heading through a flower bed and around to a bench area, though the benches were currently blocked by shrubbery.

could it have been minyoung ? no, he'd become quite familiar with her tracks given how often she disregarded his garden rules and left them. he was fairly certain these footprints were different. he began following the tracks without really thinking about it, though his own feet remained on the garden stone path as if by muscle memory. it's not as though he'd have the spine to confront this person, but he couldn't help but be curious. as he wound around the path to the rest area, he spotted someone, likely the rulebreaker. jinam was pretty sure she worked at the mall, but they hadn't really talked before. "um ... " is all he can muster as he comes to a stop beside the bench.

[greenfated]

climbing the walls ft. ?????

the sound of wave crests hitting rocks fill jinam's ears as he jabs his climbing hook into yet another tight wedge of the rock wall he was on. the ocean rolled on forever just a few yards to his right, but he had a couple more meters to go before he could enjoy the sight. to be fair, he had more experience than most in rock-climbing considering he'd come from the mountains. the seven meter wall was beginner level stuff, so he'd barely broken a sweat by the time his dust covered fingers folded over the top level. back muscles flexing visibly, jinam pulls all of his weight to the top and stands to his feet with a brief burst of confidence. he steals a glance at the sea, before offering one to the person who still stood where he'd started. "are you sure i can't convince you to take the fun way up ?" he asks, considering there was a far easier path to where he was than the one he'd taken.

[greenfated]

he really needed to stop rushing through social interactions thinking it would help him feel more comfortable. jinam bows apologetically, trying to form his words a little less awkwardly. "sorry about that. and i'm sorry for bothering you on your very first day," he says, lips slanting slightly into an embarrassed pout. he hones in on her nametag momentarily, seeing 'yirang' printed in hangul.

he pulls the small, wooden instrument off his back and displays it to show her the damage. "yirang, uh, if i may call you that," another bow forces him downward, "the bottom string broke while i was trying to tune it. i was hoping wangto would have some replacement ones," he explains, still methodically slow in his delivery, trying not to step over anymore vocalizations.

it occurred to him that, being as new as she was, yirang might not have known where in the store things like that would be located either. still, he didn't want to say that outright and risk offending her. he had to find another way around it. "but, um, if you're busy with something, i can stop wasting your time and look around for them myself," he offers politely, yet nervously. the main reason he'd stopped at the counter was to hopefully save time, as he'd chosen to do this on his dwindling lunch break. but it was his own fault, really.

As she leans on the counter, Yirang's calculating just how much money she's spent in the last 48 hours and how many shifts she'd have to pick up to make up for it. Lunch at the airport, the train to Daegu and the taxi to her grandparents' place-- she's 90% sure she was ripped off-- and the 30-cm long receipt for necessities she'd picked up at the grocery store.

Yeah, she's seriously gotta start recouping her losses.

Her 1 hour old job at Wangto doesn't seem half-bad, either. She's been spacing out for the past 15 minutes, her coworker having stepped out for a smoke break. An easy $12 earned so far- nevermind that the only thing she just barely knows to do is how to work the register.

A customer bustles into the store, and Yirang straightens up, smiling at them as she tries to remember if the store had a greeting of any kind. He beats her to the punch, though, with a garbled sentence. Greeting? Question? "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." Brows come together in confusion. "It's my first day, soz." Gestures to her DIY tag, and then herself. "What do you need, again?" Back to the million-watt customer service smile.

[greenfated]

a voice ringing out over his flowers so suddenly made jinam's weight shift dramatically, going from a crouching position to flat on his back. "shit," was the utterance from his pursed lips, and they rarely formed such vulgarities, but the surprise was invocation enough. he cut his eyes towards minyoung, before using his gloved hands to climb to his feet again, avoiding her gaze more for his own dignity than anything else. "i'll have you know the morning glories often like to play contrarian, so they probably don't even really think that," he says once to his feet, finally turning to face her.

she didn't look at all remorseful for stepping on his grass — if anything, she appeared amused or even apathetic about his emotional distress. some people told him he was a bit too intense about his love of nature sometimes, but he didn't see it that way. if he didn't protect the ecosystem of this garden, who would ? "and considering the roses are still intact, they might have something nice to say," he continues, the veil of shyness that usually blanketed him replaced with a feisty urge to protect his garden.

jinam brushed off the back of his overalls, staring down at the grass he'd fallen onto in the exchange. his expression read as if he'd just seen some horrible crime unfold. "look what you made me do !!" he exclaims with an accusatory tone, falling to his knees on the pathway and desperately trying to fluff the drooping grass in the shape of his outline. "why do you hate me, minyoung ?? why ?? did i buy the last croissant at lapis roasters or something ?" he inquires pleadingly, having no real self awareness of just how overdramatic he was being about this.

it had never occurred to her how long the commute from the train station to the mall could be until she'd started working. minyoung's recent shift in spendings had forcibly ended her days of catching taxis to drop her off directly at the entrance, causing her to get creative with shortening her walking route. through several attempts of trial and error, she'd eventually discovered that cutting through the midlight hotel grounds was the fastest and most efficient. the only thing now getting in her way were the dozens of signs indicating which path she should take throughout the garden. while she understood it's purpose, the pathway was paved in a roundabout manner, causing and inconvenience to her travel time. to be frank, she found it unnecessary⏤ more decorative than anything else. furthermore, it was merely a suggestion to take the path rather than a mandate, no? and so, minyoung decided that saving her own time by walking through the lawn was worth more than having to sit through another lecture from management regarding the importance of clocking in on time. today, however, minyoung made an exception to that thought, deciding that being lectured about her attendance record again was worth listening to the hotel's gardener talk to the shrubbery he cared for. she stood back silently, allowing the other to vent out frustrations regarding herself, curious about what more he had to say before clearing her throat with a cough to make her presence known. "i, for one, think that the morning glories made a fine point and should be asked about their opinions more. or why don't we ask the roses for their thoughts on me? they are my favorites, after all, so i hope they share nothing but good things."

[greenfated]

letting his arms fold into a relaxed position atop the bar, jinam shares the faint, inobtrusive smile eileen gives. "you could say that. everyone thinks it's preferable to work outside in the summer time, but i disagree," he sighs, fingers pushing the sweat matted blonde hair in his eyes back over the crown of his head. he'd take a frigid december any day.

eyeing the bottle of peach soju she cradled as well as the slight wince she'd worn after a taste of it, he stifled a chuckle. he almost politely declined the offer, but he didn't feel like she should have to suffer alone. "um, sure. i'll do a shot," he agrees. he takes a plastic shot flute from a nearby pyramid of them, sliding it towards her so she can fill it. alcohol was alcohol, right ?

he couldn't help but ponder why eileen was here on her own, as he felt like she was typically golfing with friends when he'd stopped by in the past. if he recalled correctly, she'd oftentimes mop the floor with anyone in the vicinity willing to risk their win streak on it. still, he didn't feel like it was his place to bring it up, so he let the topic settle into the part of his brain housing a whole host of other unasked questions. "you like peaches ?" he blurts out into the air around him, seemingly a much less invasive question, but still awkward in its delivery.

glogolf fell victim to eileen and her competitive spirit almost weekly. she had mostly started hanging out here because they served drinks and it was easy for a large group to gather. but somehow she got lost in the side quest of trying to master all the mini putt courses. and now it was a place almost as familiar as the inside of barracuda.

tonight she was being stood up by her friends, after the rare occasion of her sending the invite rather than receiving one. there's no point in sulking, though, she's good on her own. eileen's halfway through a bottle of peach soju when she sees someone take a seat at the bar.

"hey," eileen glances over at jinam and recognizes him as someone who works at the hotel. "long day?" she gives a small knowing smile before lifting the shot glass and downing the alcohol. there's a small grimace at the aftertaste because peach starts to taste gross after a while. "you wanna do a shot?" eileen lifts the soju bottle like some kid boasting about their trophy.

[greenfated]

jinam gives a gentle wave of his hand, hoping to quell her worries with the gesture. "really, all is forgiven. but the discount would certainly be appreciated," his smile has grown in size and warmth as the conversation continues, figuring he probably shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. there was something pleasant and comfortable about this girl who'd introduced herself as nabi; maybe even something somewhat familiar ? either way, he didn't feel as discouraged about talking to her as he typically would with most people.

his head dips forward a couple of inches, their differences in height making it seem like they're in different worlds, so he felt compelled to close the gap at least a bit so it wouldn't feel so much like he was talking down to her. "nice to properly meet you, i'm jinam. the groundskeeper if that wasn't obvious," he declares bashfully, a chuckle washing over the front of his garden overalls. "yeah, you'll probably see more of me then you'd like. i tend to have lots of little obstacles like this throughout the year. it's also summer bird season, and i'll be needing to purchase some seed soon," he rambles, clearly not in his element making this much conversation, but still wanting to make the attempt.

jinam's gaze falls upon the products she sets up on the counter for him, and nods along to her explanation. "yeah, this would be perfect ! i'll try these out and see what i come up with," he agrees, reading a few of the directions and ingredients on the bottle for curiosity's sake. he's just about to open up his wallet to pay for the items when a nearby tank catches his eye. "um hey, are those geckos ?" he inquires, his tone carrying a twinge of innocent fascination.

his smile's like the sun appearing despite a weather forecast of thunderstorming rain, nabi mirroring it when he doesn't seem too upset by the whole thing. not at all, in fact—it doesn't even sound like the other's mad at her! her huff of laughter turns into a little giggle when he touts the amenities of jail at the sunset galleria, tickled by his optimism about it. "i'm still sorry about it," nabi says, scrunching up her nose in expression, "i'll give you my employee discount to make up for it, okay?"

and amends have been made, then! "i'm nabi, by the way. i'm working here too, i mean..." a sweep of her hand down to the logo of johwa's apron, fingers wiggling to show off her employee badge pinned right above. "so i'll see you around, too!" the johwa employee beams at him, all teeth and cheer over the new acquaintance and clearly, fellow critter fan.

"that makes sense," she says, nodding, picking up his chatter from where he left off. maybe trying a little too hard to assure him she's not going to report him for fox murders this time. "i'm guessing you don't wanna fence 'em all up, right?" so that's a no to the chicken wire, she supposes, but johwa pet supplies always has a couple other tricks up their sleeves. nabi sidesteps past the gardener to pick out a set of repellents that'll work for foxes, lining them up on the counter. "these are the ones the boss usually puts out, they won't hurt the foxes or anything, just gross 'em out with smells that they hate." she throws him two thumbs up, hoping that's the solution that he's looking for.

[greenfated]

“there is a poem scratched onto the walls of my throat no one has heard it but it is there”

— Kai Cheng Thom, from a place called NO HOMELAND (via lifeinpoetry)

[greenfated]

the flowers are alive ft. @starlightfades

maybe jinam shouldn't have been making assumptions, but he felt he was well within his rights to do so considering the situation. he'd been cooling off inside the hotel on his lunch break and had now strolled back into the garden, energy renewed to power through the rest of his shift. he'd happened upon a disturbing sight in his return, however; the distinct outline of footprints in his beautiful, lush grass. maybe some would consider it a bit overbearing, but jinam had placed signs all around the garden informing visitors that the ample garden stepping stones were the preferred path, as opposed to the lawn he spent the entire spring nurturing and perfecting.

still, some people seemed to ignore the signs entirely — one of them being the owner of the footprints, or at least the person jinam assumed owned them. as he leaned down to attempt to fluff up the grass where she had stepped, his head tipped towards the flowerbed. "what's wrong with that minyoung, huh ? disrespecting you guys like this, as if you're not just as alive as she is," he expels a sigh, grumbling toward the direction of the white asiatic lilies as if they were keenly listening.

his head pops back, as though arguments were being made in the woman's favor. "what do you mean 'be understanding' ?? i'm defending you guys, here. besides, i'm pretty sure i never asked you, morning glories. you're not even supposed to be awake in the afternoon," he retorts, as if he'd just made some amazing comeback against a worthy opponent. it was a bit of a habit for him to vent to the vegetation he raised, as it was far easier to him than trying to converse with people. he winced inwardly, the thought of someone catching him in the act of something so embarrassing making his skin crawl.

[greenfated]

fourth string ft. @lovehypnoses w/ yirang

if jinam wanted to crawl under a rock while walking through the mall on a normal day, what long lasting trauma would this experience have on him ? he had an old ukulele slung haphazardly over his back, varnish coating chipped and the wood worn down, clearly showing signs of heavy use over an extended period.

it was a dumb little hobby he'd picked up over the years, learned from his father who'd learned it from his father; the original person the ukulele jinam now carried belonged to. he was rather skilled, but it was never really something he told people about. it just seemed like such am embarrassing conversation piece. who the hell likes the guy who whips out a ukulele everywhere ?

still, when the bottom string of the instrument had snapped while he was tuning it, he knew it would bother him if he didn't get it restrung. he hadn't had to perform such maintenance in years, so he was a bit ignorant to what he needed exactly. as he awkwardly bounds into wangto records, he sees a girl at the sales counter. ever reluctant about human interaction, he approaches cautiously while retrieving the ukulele from behind his back. "doyouknowherethestringsare ??" he mumbles, his request mostly unintelligible from the speed at which it flew at the other.

[greenfated]

how much money would it take to get you in front of a camera?

"ha, that amount of money doesn't exist. er — well, i guess that would depend on where the money went. if it's for me to get rich off of, you can forget it. i'd have a harder time saying no if it were for some kinda good cause or something."

[greenfated]

what’s a line you’ll never cross?

"there's a lot of lines i'd never cross. i guess the first one that comes to mind is putting pressure on someone to do something they aren't comfortable with. some people think comfort zones are a limitation or that people should be forced out of them, but i couldn't disagree more."

[greenfated]

where do you see yourself in five years?

"i guess i don't really know. i suppose i'd like to dig my heels in at sunset for awhile, but will i still be here then ? i can't really answer that. there's also the idea of opening up an animal sanctuary cityside, but who knows if i'll even be close to making that a reality by then."

[greenfated]

how has your childhood shaped who you are now?

"...i guess that question has many answers. for one, it taught me to respect nature, the earth and every creature that swims, flies, walks or crawls on it. i feel like it has made me an empathetic person, but i also feel it has made it almost impossible for me to open up to people properly or to even hold a conversation without feeling a ton of undue anxiety and pressure. even the sight of a camera makes me wanna run in the other direction. so i'd have to say it's been a mixed bag."

[greenfated]

do you ever want to start a family?

"i do, yeah. i feel like getting married and becoming a dad would be pretty rewarding. i kinda envision a big family ? but that'll be further down the road. i feel like i have a lot of work to do on myself before i'm ready for all that."