unbrokenfm

[unbrokenfm]

          the glint of spark in the other’s eyes annoyed him to the point where he just didn’t care what he had to say. who was this asshole? in tae-woo’s mind, he was no one important... irrelevant, as one would say. was this meant to be an insult, or was he meant to be insulted? tae-woo doesn’t know why the other was acting all high and mighty. he raised a brow, without a care in the world. “i can’t grasp why you’re so upset about a fucking cartoon character. you must have not had a childhood then.” a light-hearted chuckle escaped from between his gritted teeth, and in disbelief. “i don’t even know where the sex dolls came from, but you look like one of those weird motherfuckers that would die of pure excitement to fuck a whole collection. probably don’t know how to make a woman cum to save your life.”

there's a spark in his eyes, victorious over someone having taken the bait, as if he'd caught the other with a finger hooked into his cheek, slowly reeling him in. the worst word in the dictionary is 'sorry' -- how disappointing would it have been to hear that instead? " what are you, the patron saint of fucking care bears? " louis eyes him incredulously then decides to answer his question himself. " no, you can't be. because why the fuck do you, a grown ass adult, have a favourite fucking cartoon character. " these were the kind of guys that could jerk off to candyfloss. or maybe he just means virgins. " i bet you've got a rancid little collection of weird sex dolls. "

[unbrokenfm]

          thankfully, by the end of the day, their daughters were sleeping in their rooms in her apartment. after their divorce, and long before the papers came, athena and aiden no longer shared an apartment; however, they do reside in the same building because of the girls. co-parenting required a lot of planning with their family activities. visiting the BRONX ZOO was so random because of their daughters’ obsession with reptiles... she had no idea where they got that from, though ... — maybe their aunt frances? at this point, it was a mystery. not knowing where the girls’ fondness for these slimy creatures came from, she, too, was fascinated... but from a distance. throughout the day, it was evident the discomfort aiden was feeling. no matter how much she wanted to ease him up, athena kept her distance and focused entirely on their girls.

          “a road trip sounds appealing to me, but they’re teens, and i think it’d be a ten-hour drive. we could take turns taking the wheel if you’re up for it.” trying to play civil was more difficult to her than meets the eye. fuck... athena’s still in love with her ex-husband, but their marriage is all in the past. going to ohio? ohio. she kind of wonders what the girls would think. “i-i was going to suggest going to the hamptons next month, but you probably won’t be into that. i know i only work at the casino, and we’re not millionaires.” driving to ohio seemed like such a LONG drive; she wasn’t opposed to the idea, but it sounded all the SAME if they went to the south in louisiana. fun, nonetheless. “honestly, whatever works with your agenda’s fine by me, aiden. as long as you don’t feel beat going back to work after the drive.”

CLOSED FOR : @unbrokenfm LOCATION: athena's apartment

Their daughters had retreated to their bedroom and fallen fast asleep, their respective energies depleted from the proceedings of the day. This week, it had been his and Athena's shared obligation to indulge the whims of their younger daughter who had developed a strange fondness for reptiles and all their scaly glory. A trip to the Bronx Zoo, or what sorry excuse was left of it now, seemed the only logical recourse. With that promise met, however, they were both stuck with the challenge of preparing for next month's family activity. Preferably one where he and his daughters were separated from venomous snakes and deadly predators by more than a single sheet of a glass screen, far too transparent for comfort.

" Do you think the kids would find a road trip appealing? " And here, an attempt at civility. With Athena, he was always playing the illusion of a dutiful ex-husband. The moment he'd stepped through these doors, he'd abandoned his role as a detective, much like a snake had routinely shed its skin, his own survival mechanism for a life brimming with hypocrisies and inconsistencies. " I've heard good things about the Cincinnati Zoo, but do we really want to set up shop in Ohio, even just for a weekend? " He had not found the strength to look at her just yet, glance fixated instead on his journal whose margins laid some scribbles decipherable only by himself. " Or should we just go south, perhaps Louisiana? "

[unbrokenfm]

JESSICA CHASTAIN photographed for InStyle Magazine (July 2015)

[unbrokenfm]

“i don’t need any of that shit, and honestly, i wouldn’t mind a hello kitty band-aid, but WHO THE FUCK shot you in the ass? d’you think you’re so cool declaring your love to the general public?” what the fuck was wrong with this guy? of course, tae-woo would duplicate the way he was acting. still, he wasn't one to scream into the wind, looking for an ounce of sympathy... like a fucking lunatic. “but out of all the sanrio characters, my favorite is POCHACCO... if you’re still, you know, giving out band-aid donations to make up for the lack of respect you have.”

open: to all setting: in the city, where people are only concerned about where they have to be.

" oh, fuck you. " a coffee in one hand, bagel in the other. he has no time for either as he weaves through the crowd. it's that time of day where the pace of the city is akin to the drumming of a jungle, and you can't tell the hawks from those being lead to a slaughter. a tank of a shoulder barges against his own, and he flips around to yell a 'fuck you!' at them. back to the conversation: " and what's up your ass, huh? do you need some hookers, some molly? a hello kitty band aid like a fuckin' pervert? "

[unbrokenfm]

CLOSED STARTER + JULIET KOWALSKI WITH ELLARIA AL-AZWÁR , @primadvnnas !

there was something about miss juliet kawolski that she couldn’t quite put her finger on; though the young lady was an ice queen, ellaria wanted to somehow open her heart a little. was it possible? surely, the woman had her ways despite being a leader of a crime organization. is it possible for ellaria to meet kowalski? would it be too much of a nuisance to reach out? there was a probability that she was loyal to a different organization, so she had to keep that in mind. she’d sent juliet a text message out of the blue. perhaps she remembers they crossed paths once, twice or thrice.

* SMS : Hola Juliet. It’s Ellaria, and I was curious to see if you wanted to meet? Hang out, as the young people say. * SMS : Yes, no, maybe so? Just let me know, but I can also take no for an answer.

[unbrokenfm]

CLOSED STARTER + DAIYU CHEN WITH TAEWOO KYO , @paradiserots !

as a soldier for the DEAD HAND, tae-woo decided to work as a bartender at the olive branch martini bar. though it was a process, it was quick all around. “hello, boss número dos.” the young man greets miss daiyu chen, seeing his boss— the owner as well— right when he walked into the bar. always early, never late. tae-woo was a fine bartender and quick with his hands. was he a baddie? well, that’s somewhat debatable, considering how punctual he was. guess you could say he has a good work ethic. “do you want me to do anything— clean, maybe— before we open up? hate to say i can never remember our work hours.”

[unbrokenfm]

       if only he could have given her quick peck of a kiss on her cute, button nose. his lips brushed past her cheek, teasing juliet a tiny bit. “you know i would’ve but...” he pauses to take a LOOK at the crowd, taewoo looked forward for the rest of the night, and them being alone. together, doing god knows what. he winks back at her, with a smitten smile. the one she knows, the one she can interpret just by a sudden glance.        after making a swift exit, he sits on his bike and waits for his ice queen to arrive. he puts his jacket on and has one of juliet’s jackets on hand, as well as a helmet to protect both of their identities while on a crusade. tae-woo had a protective nature, but knew that she could very well manage on her own. though, if anything, he’d rush at any given chance to be by her side. tae-woo’s really infatuated with her, and to his surprise, their feelings were mutual. thank the heavens.

were  you  a  simp  ?  maybe  .  but  who  knew  this  would  happen  ?  nobody  expected  the  hardass  juliet  kowalski  ,  local  man  -  hater  and  destroyer  of  masculinity  to  end  up  giggling  at  the  mere  sight  of  another  man  ;  a  fellow  racer  at  that  .  but  life  had  a  way  of  throwing  you  for  a  loop  :  it  was  cruel  in  that  way  .  except  this  time  ?  you  actually  appreciated  it  .  maybe  this  was  what  you  needed  .  for  someone  to  finally  be  able  to  defrost  the  ice  queen  ,  and  remind  you  that  you  did  have  a  heart  ,  regardless  of  what  you  believed  .   a  jolt  of  energy  shoots  down  your  body  as  tae  -  woo  whispers  in  your  ear ,  and  your  body  almost  reacts ;  but  you  hold  back  at  the  last  minute  ,  in  fear  someone  would  see  you  .  lips  move  closer  to  take  -  woo's  ear  ,  softly  brushing  against  his  ear  .  if  you  weren't  surrounded  ?  you  likely  would  have  done  more  .  "  i'm  surprised  you  didn't  try  to  come  whisk  me  away  earlier  .  "  your  tone  is  a  teasing  one  ,  and  you  give  tae  -  woo  a  small  wink  to  seal  the  deal  .  "  that  sounds  like  a  great plan  .  and  of  course  i  remember  where  you  left  your  bike  .  it's  the  coolest  bike  out  there  .  .  so  ,  we've  got  a  deal  .  "  cheeks  blush  as  he  brushes  your  hair  ,  and  eyes  discreetly  scan  to  watch  him  exit  ,  sauntering  behind  him  after  a  few  minutes  pass  .

[unbrokenfm]

       “riggs, you know damn well that you don’t own a damn table here.” ellaria was about to get up all in the leader’s face despite being five feet and two inches. “but to answer your question, no. i like you and all, but no.” whether he was fucking around or not, she didn’t care about his idea of what mayhem he was up to. she didn’t have time for this shit. “pero, like, you can sit with me, querido.” her voice was almost LOUD enough for other patrons to hear, but she kept her herself calm. if she wasn’t as recognizable when out in the open, how did verlice not identify her?

OPEN STARTER. ( no cap ) location : the slow down cafe.

an avid people watcher, it wasn't unusual for riggs to be seen at the slow down cafe. more often than not he'd be pestering staff or teasing customers to see how far their patience would stretch before they grew irritated with him. he'd done it for years, jumping from cafe to cafe but always returning to the slow down every single time without fail. usually he would frequent it later at night when trouble was more likely to be hovering around the area, but instead he'd opted so spend what he hoped would be a quiet morning. of course riggs version of a quiet morning didn't mean missing out on a little mayhem.

he approached the person sitting in the corner of the cafe, clearly having been sat there for a while on their first or second cup. riggs rolled up his sleeves, his expression flat though inside he was smirking - he wouldn't give that away, not just yet. " this is my table, could you move? "

[unbrokenfm]

       “flattery does work wonders, so you’re welcome.” ellaria also looked at the group of teenagers who’d walked by with glistening eyes, nearly vividly taking her back to the life she once had in méxico. she remembered the days when she used to hang out with her girlfriends. there’d probably be about seven or eight of them, possibly more, but they were always smiling and giggling. now, all she could do was pretend she had no blood-related family. deep down inside, her heart was shattered by their greed for money and obsession with it. enough about that shit, that was the least of your concern. you could only imagine why she’s in the position that she’s in. i guess that’s what happens when you’re too nice.        nothing and no one in particular. sure, tell yourself that all you want, finn. it was hard to believe ... but she wasn’t gonna pester anyone about their love life, either. alaska? she was expecting to hear another country. at least now she knows. “interesting, i bet you don’t have any recollection of alaska. you move around a lot so i’m only saying.” doesn’t know jack shit, but she was curious to see how he’d react. she had memories of bumping into him in different parts of the world. does he work for the government perhaps? “that’s right, and home should always be a space that brings comfort.”

Youth was overrated.     He had learned too many lessons over time,     felt the scorched skin that enveloped him like a catacomb.      He knew the burning meant he was surviving.      He knew the burning meant he will see another winter,    and a winter will see another version of him.      Brows raise slightly,     cheeks aching with the wide-set grin at her words.      “Flattery gets you everywhere these days   [ … ]     thank you,   I appreciate it.”       Son-like,    almost a naive desperation in his bones to show that he could be leached from that ghost of a mother he had and replaced inside her lineage.    Somehow.    Without any memories of that empty face he had tried to imagine so vividly in his mind.    The corners never meet,    the white-noise never clears.     He is left alone and he is left unknowing.     Finn lets loose a breathless chuckle,   head shaking slightly as he looks to the side of them   —    a group of teenagers passing them by.         Generations will war in the future he supposes.     Best not to think of his own loved ones being isolated in the battlefields without his hand to guide them.       “Nothing and no one in particular.”     The white lie sits on the edge of his tongue,     he is the illusion of a man in control,    letting that stab of loneliness crawl through him like a cold snake.       A left shoulder lifts in a brief shrug,     “Alaska.”      It’s not quite a detailed answer,     but this gives her enough.     Food for food.     Information is always being dealt with,    receiving enough is far more important than giving enough.       “Well,    where we’re from doesn’t always mean where our home is.     That’s always changing.”

[unbrokenfm]

       the woman always had a tendency of mothering people, but she knew how to limit herself. heart, however, brings her back to her youth. ellaria’s a firm believer that the younger denizens, no matter their situation, need a little LOVE. she started to set the food on the kitchen island, placing it close to heart — before, she started grabbing a plate, a fork, a spoon and knife, as well as a napkin in front of her. ellaria leans against the kitchen island, tilting her head to the side. “no need to thank me,” the woman waves her hand dismissively. “no. i didn’t. what happened?” what on earth could have possibly happened? curious. she hopes nothing happened to the point that she has to send out her vigilantes.

SHE ISN'T SURE HOW SHE FEELS ABOUT THE MOTHERING. a sort of tender, gentle care that she is wholly unavailable to. she pictures her own mother, graying hair, fine lines around her lovely eyes and chokes a little on the sorrow of it. she tucks her bag into the soft, dark couch and plods towards the kitchen. the scent of butter warms into comfort, a hand on her forearm leading towards something better than this. she seats herself unceremoniously on one of the barstools across from ellaria twisting a silver ring stained with age. she's not one to keep mementos, the emotional attachment of a beast in the wild, but this one feels special at least in private. "thanks." wariness shakes her normally sure tone. "did you hear about what went down last night?" and there is the precipice, the edge of the cliff of asking for help that makes her heart crawl up into her stomach.

[unbrokenfm]

       when you think you’ve had enough of emiko’s whining, she just keeps going. particularly when she’s about to sit in the passenger seat. there was just something so exhilarating about illegal street racing, and that’s where they both connected. imagine coming home to see your car missing and being replaced with a toy car instead. the panic tae-woo must’ve felt until he read her messily written note. tae-woo looks over at emiko, cracking his tensed shoulders. “as long as you stop replacing my car with a toy, then yes, you can give it a spin. other than that, no.” you will keep being a passenger if you do, he thought while squinting his eyes at her... and gives in. without another word, tae-woo grabs her hand and places his keys on her palm. “go on, take it for a spin, and please, for the love of god, DO NOT CRASH.”

closed for tae-woo ⎯ @unbrokenfm

you can take the girl out of city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. she has an itch for adrenaline rushes, maybe that's why she chose the er rather than something slower paced but even then, it's not enough. it's only an itch that will be scratched with the smell of petrol, burning rubber and the purr of the engine. she knows she shouldn't, that it'll look bad if she gets caught participating in illegal street races but what she knows and what she wants are two different things and when emiko has set her mind to something, she'll get it one way or another. tae-woo learnt this the hard way the first time his car was replaced with a messily scrawled note pinned under a car about 100 times smaller than his actual one. "please, please, please," her hands are clasped together, eyelashes fluttering with her lips in a pout, "i won't wreck your car. just one spin, please. it's no fun being a passenger."

[unbrokenfm]

       don’t you dare like anyone. don’t you dare fall in love. feelings were numb to the point of no return ... or so he thought. time and time again, tae-woo found himself liking juliet. you idiot. the more the two hung out and got to know each other, the more they had in common. this was the last time he’ll convince himself to not do anything his heart desired. took them a while to get there, but they were still careful. maybe... this wasn’t so bad after all. in the end, they were too endeared with one another.        he flashes her an eye smile, the kind where you can tell that they enjoyed your company, comfortable with your presence, quiet or not. “it’s about time we left this joint.” tae-woo leans in closer to whisper in jules’ ear. he had a plan and hopefully a good one. the struggle of wanting to peacefully hold the person’s hand whom you love the most in this world. “i’m gonna head out first, then you can follow a little after. remember where i left the bike? that’s where i’ll be.” he says with a wink, softly moving her hair to the side before making a swift escape to the back entrance.

don't  catch  feelings  .  that  was  your  mantra  :  something  you  repeated  to  yourself  since  the  beginning  of  time  .  if  you  caught  feelings  that  meant  you  had  to  bare  your  soul  ;  a  soul  so  dark  ,  so  rotten  ,  so  damaged  that  no  one  should  be  cursed  enough  to  see  it  .  but  then  ,  you  fell  for  tae  -  woo  .  you  didn't  expect  it  ;  it  was  something  so  unpredicted  ,  so  sudden  .  no  matter  how  many  times  you  tried  to  get  him  out  of  your  mind  ,  you  just  couldn't  .  despite  all  of  your  denials  ,  you  knew  the  feelings  would  never  go  away  .  and  now  ?  you're  glad  they  didn't  . when  his  eyes  find  yours  ,  you  can't  help  but  to  flash  him  a  toothy  grin  .  it's  just  something  that  happens  automatically  ,  without  any  question  or  thought  .  "  i've  been  waiting  for  you  to  ask  !  "  playing  coy  was  something  you did in  the  past  ;  you  used  it in  the  earlier  stages  of  your  relationship  as  a  protective  guard  .  now  ?  you  were  an  open  book  .  "  i've  been  wanting  to  hold  your  hand  all  day  .  but  ,  you  know  -  "  head  turns  to  look  around,  "  it's  too  many  people  here  .  should  we  go  run to somewhere  more  private  ?  "

[unbrokenfm]

CLOSED STARTER + KAI HALL , @gravefed !

walking in the streets of new york was always — how do you say this kindly? — like living life on the edge. you could either get run over by a maniac or get yourself lost. there was no in-between. yet, this is his hometown after all, was it not? he should already be familiarized with the city of lights. road rage with idiot drivers behind the wheel? yeah, it’d be best to avoid them in daylight. tae-woo had become numb, feelings were there but never one hundred percent.

tattoos were a persons life story, art with meaning. he doesn’t understand why the general public were negative about them. fuck them ! they’d rather judge a person by their appearance than get to know them. tae-woo side-eyes a lot of people in that aspect for being so opinionated, couldn’t give two fucks about them either. he didn’t waste his energy with them, and it was so relieving to be petty.

kai was covered with tattoos. he was, too. don’t get tae-woo wrong, he finds them attractive... still. even while being in a relationship. though he respected his girlfriend, he kept his distance ... even if there was tension on his end. regardless, they’re a fellow dead hand. they should get along swell without the dramatics. though, maybe, they couldn’t care less about tae-woo. maybe. he had no idea; clueless as can be. “wanna go to the tattoo shop?” he asked him — levi, or whatever their name is — out of the blue and boredom.

[unbrokenfm]

CLOSED STARTER + JULIET KOWALSKI , @primadvnnas !

knowing tae-woo, he became quite avoidant of relationships in general, but then you meet someone while street racing in the dead of night. imagine meeting someone that captivated your attention, that you couldn’t help but want to know more. juliet could be an ice queen of sorts and with her alliance with the dead hand organization, of course he’d be even more curious about her. no doubt about it ! they both shared a liking to chaos.

“juliet,” he said, finding her amongst the crowd. “do you wanna do anything? i’m kinda dying here...” tae-woo was bored out of his mind; he considered going out for a ride on his motorcycle within the city, surrounded by neon lights. perhaps go on a weekend trip ? if juliet didn’t want to, the , he’d be happy to be stay put wherever she wanted to be. a bit of a rendezvous outing wouldn’t hurt. privacy away from prying eyes would be preferable... that way they didn’t have to be so secretive.

[unbrokenfm]

CLOSED STARTER + MAXINE KELLY , @yuungmenace !

kelly and kyo were affiliated with the dead hand organization for quite some time. years have passed, and despite their age difference, there was always a hundred percent chance that tae-woo would make things awkward ... or maybe not. he’d noticed that maxine was cool ... and that was the only word that would come to mind, unfortunately. it could be challenging for tae-woo to open up, surely. yet, it was important to have a meal with those closest to you. he spots maxine from afar, and a smile appears on his face at the sight of the woman. “hey kelly,” tae-woo refers to her by her surname. “wanna go out for a bite to eat?”

[unbrokenfm]

CLOSED STARTER + RIVER WHITEHALL , @jezebelrisen !

well, damn. he had no idea what to do. working at the olive branch was already stressful ... having to deal with drunks here and there. shit. taewoo was going to work a shift tonight, doing what he knows best: bartending. mixing people their cocktails ( no matter how snobby they were being ) , a pint of beer or two so that they could please their stomachs ... or whatever their choice of poison was. he wasn’t the type to gossip and repeat whatever people said as they were inebriated. he knew so much juicy gossip that he didn’t bother most of the time, but words are often not easy to forget. if only they knew what he does. forget the fact that his face is quite unforgettable! then, tae-woo spots someone that looks vaguely familiar, as if he’s seen them before ... but he can’t quite put a finger on it.

[unbrokenfm]

SONG KANG for Dazed Korea (May 2022)