⚘ ㅤchinatown。

@♡ taekwoon j。 The way the younger 'boy' had looked at him, had been clear as day to him. HE had no idea who the man before him was at all, and he found it offensive for a moment. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew that mortals suffered memory loss over time, he would have not have let it go so easily. "Alright, if that is what you prefer," Sanghyuk had simply said before trailing behind the boy towards a more 'comfortable' place to talk. The lounge was much less populated, and definitely better suited for their conversation. However, not completely isolated, nor as private as he expected. "Do I scare you?" He asked the boy as he proceeded to sit himself down across from the boy. He was curious about it honestly. Even he could pick up on the sense this was not particularly normal of the boy before him, than again even back then the boy had stuck out to him like a sore thumb. When he had heard the boy speak up once more it had Sanghyuk shifting one of his legs over the other. "My name is Han Sanghyuk, you may not remember but we've met before," He said with a grin. "You promised me something, and now I'm here to collect it."

@♥ sanghyuk h。 He tried very hard to remember who is this dashing gentleman in front of him but he failed. There's no recollection of memories of any sort of remembrance about him, yet the mentioned talked and looked at him in a such a familiar way it started to creep him. As if he had known him for years. He retreated his hand to his side, clearing his throat. "I am not really sure what do you mean, sir, but I suggest we could have our conversation in somewhere private perhaps?" turning on his sole, he gesture his anonymous guest to a lounge much smaller than the lobby area, where their customer used as the waiting room while the final preparation for the wake is done. He actually can bring him to his office but that mean they would be completely alone, and just for precaution in case anything could happen, he rather be around somewhere he can have an easy access to people.

The waiting lounge is not as full at the moment and he had found one perfect quite isolated spot at the corner of the room. The clerk send him a questioning gaze as it is bizarre for him to be there. He had never been the one to spend his time there. Most of the time he is either in his working space, pantry or his office. To find him popped out there, suddenly without reason succeeded in making few staff turning their head toward them as they entered the space. Gesturing his guest to his seat, Taekwoon take the opposite seat to him before they could actually talk. " Pardon me but, I still don't know your name, sir. And why do you come here and above all, send for me?" thinking of him as a possible client, Taekwoon tried to remain as calm and polite as possible, though he didn't like where this is heading with this stranger.

@♡ taekwoon j。 (sorry it's short)

He did his best not to make eye contact with anyone else in the room, its bee far too bothersome for him to have to endure in a conversation he didn’t want to start. Instead he had gone towards the bulletin board that had staff members. There was a lot of staff members on her, and even the women he’d spoken too was on here. But his eyes weren’t interested in lingering on that for long, instead they had followed down the endless line of employees until they landed on the boy’s portrait picture.

It had been nearly 20 years since he had last seen the boy, but from the looks of it he’d retained a lot of his youthful attributes despite aging. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was other changes that had not been visible in the portrait.

When he felt the tap on his shoulder he wondered if the boy remembered him, much less the promise he made to him. Although, that didn’t entirely matter at the moment. The promise was made, and he was here to collect. “On the contrary, I’m the one that’s late.” He said simply with a grin.

@♥ sanghyuk h。 He carefully applied the lipstick over her lips, ever so gently like he would do to the living. It is almost the last step, he only need to apply the lipstick before he can let the body being moved into her casket, so that she can look as beautiful and radiant as she was once, though not the type of radiance the living had carried, she will look beautiful for her loved one to remember for the last time. He yawned behind his mask, the body that he's preparing at the moment is the third one for the day. He had not have any rest as he work back to back from one body to another. There's a big accident nearby and since they have a direct contract with the hospital, they were entrusted with the final procedure with the body. Few deceased will have their wake today, for a few day all the funeral hall available is fully booked, which mean they need to work faster as they're short in staff as well. He unconsciously muttering an apologize to the deceased out of habit. He had always set in his head that they are watching despite of being well.... deceased. He had always feel the need to be more polite around them, more courtesy than he had shown around living people. Well, the living is an arse so they deserved that from him, right? He chuckles at his own thought as he put down the brush, now reaching for loose powder and patting the cushion pad gently all over her face.

His working place is strictly prohibited area for the unauthorized people because of all the chemical stored inside the room and he personally does not really welcome anyone to loiter around while he is working with the body no matter which step. They are sore to his eyes and he would be more than happy to lash them out at once. So when the door were slightly open and a bobbed of black hair timidly peeking into the room, he does not bat his eyes on her, not that she had come at the wrong time, the body is done and ready to be moved, and he himself is about to leave the room. "If you remember correctly last week during the briefing, you're strictly not allowed to be near or in the room unless you're authorized. What do you need that had brought you here?" he said as he throw away the vinyl gloves and face mask before washing his hand thoroughly. "Err.. I don't mean to disturb you. But someone is here for you?" The information finally gained his attention. He doesn't remember making any personal appointment with anyone today. If it is about the funeral, they had supposed to meet his father, the director. Why do they send for him?

"Who is this person? Do you know his name?" He dries his hand quickly before ushering them both out of the room. What he earned is only a shake of head from her at which he sighed. "You supposed to get his name and his purpose first before coming to me." the girl he called Lynn earlier apologized timidly before guiding him to the lobby, showing him to the one that had asked for him earlier. He nodded at her, telling her he will take it from here before making his way toward him, tapping the said man shoulder to gain his attention. "Excuse me for being late but I was told that you are asking for me? By the way, I am Jung Taekwoon."

@♡ taekwoon j。 It had been a decade or two since he’d last been in this place, and he being here was no mistake. He’d come back for the sole reason of retrieving what was his. Long ago—well for him it’d been only but a very small period—He had come across a boy who he had no intentions of meeting at all. He despised children, but this one had been a little different than the others and he’d indulged him for a bit. It wasn’t entirely beneficial to him at first, which had him almost regretting it. But when the boy had foolishly made a deal with him, he’d been quick to grasp down and promise he’d return eventually for what they’d agreed for. So now that time had passed, he was back to collect his bank.

Sanghyuk had looked around the place, not much had changed in the short time he’d been away. Some businesses had changed, and others had remained the same, less trees and more concrete. It was a pity, but not something he truly cared for. The world only kept evolving and he’d seen it all before.

He had made his way towards the funeral home he’d remembered from that time. It was still the same, so ever unchanging and still very well filled with the stench of death and chemicals. He had walked in, ignoring the people looking through pamphlets and started looking around the lobby. He hadn’t been inside before, but he wasn’t entirely knew to this. After all he had worked in a funeral home once upon a time.

When a woman approached him asking him if he needed help, he had only turned to her and said, “Yes, I’m here for Taekwoon.”

@♡ ten。 At last her eyes drew to him, a faint level of surprise slipping into her expression; it was something easily missed as it disappeared as quick as it came, she was only surprised due to the fact not many younger males came through this place.

“Not very often, only when the owner wants more returning customers” she replied nonchalantly, she was quite relaxed when it came to her job seeing as she had been here so long, for quite some time it had been her main source of income up until recently.

“Please lay down on the table, my name is Yeri I’ll be in charge of your massage today, I just have to lay down ground rules even if I don’t think you will do anything,” she paused with a deep sigh it clear she had said this over a hundred times already today “this isn’t a sensual massage at no time are you allowed to touch me, you can ask me to massage softer and or harder and can also tell me to stop at anytime, this is a full body massage so if you have any concerns now would be the time to raise them.” She had finished her little speech and then waited for any questions and for him to lay down, it only after her talk had she realised the males beauty which always had her creative brain ticking, butterflies fluttered in her chest with excitement as she may have found a potential muse she just now needed to see if he would work with what she needed.

@♡ ten。 [ smacks your profile with a date stamp for rping here! thank you so much ]

@♡ yerim k。 A promise of a free massage was all too appealing to Ten as he stumbled out of his early morning classes. It was a curse to have early morning classes only. But, with his money situation, he had to spend the afternoons working anyway. With his job not starting for a few more hours, the free offer was not one Ten would readily give up on. So he found himself walking in and he tugs his shirt off over his head as instructed. Once removed, he rolled his shoulders and drooped them to remind himself to relax.

His soft brown eyes trace over the young woman whom was in charge of his massage and the corners of his lips twitch. She was pretty cute. Bet she was good at massages too despite her small stature, he thought. Ten turned away as he folded his shirt up to rest on the backrest of the chair.

"Do you give out free massages often?" He inquires as he folded his arms together, leaning back onto his heels as he watched the woman ready herself. He quirked up his eyebrow with a faint smile threatening to spread across his lips.

@♡ jake b。 if she was being honest, her outburst was directed at him but was because of her disappointment in herself: anger almost. since when did she stoop to the level of preying on misguided teenagers? when did she find wrong in those leaning on unjust substances for help when it was out of their control? when did she begin to prey on the weak? but under it all, joohyun already made up her excuse: because she herself was becoming one of the helpless and the weak. her mind was made from the beginning and the sliver of guilt she felt sparked a greater feeling of morbid curiosity. what got this boy to hit rock bottom already?

crying, nervous, and well frightened, she watched the boy fall to pieces before her and she slowed her approach, peeling her hands from the brick and straightening her stance. "you're from sweet tooth, aren't you?" she asks, lips pursed in a tight line and brows furrowing as she scrutinizes him from a step back. "they provide apartments, and from the sounds of it... you're a baby there, and have a place there," she pointedly adds. "do you know what happens at sweet tooth, darling?" joohyun continues, edges softening as she reigns back darker self. the lack of sapor truly had her on edge, and just leaning over it.

"they protect you there, we have an obligation to," she utters, now sounding almost tired, but willing to help. part of her was thankful she hadn't beaten him up more, or otherwise that would have warranted a lengthy chiding from lucifer and a refresher on what or what not to do when these urges arose. her head throbbed just a little more at the idea of him giving her a piece of his own mind or worse, thinking about the future implications of an attempt on a baby's life. "i'll explain on our way back. i... owe you an apology. and a bandage, or something for the cheek," she mumbles, swallowing her bruised pride and leaning in to inspect it.

[ sli GhTLy soft joohyun but just wait it gets better i p ro m ise ]

@♥ joohyun b。 { bLESS }

Having taken enough to make around three people high as a kite, Jake couldn't keep still and even his teeth were gritting and chattering uncontrollably. The cigarettes calmed him down, made him not freak out, but he didn't have one. He was starting to hyperventilate, mind so clogged with every thought imaginable that it started to translate to his first language; Danish. Even that prayer he was searing into his own head was in Danish now, because he couldn't calm down enough to focus.

Amidst all this, he never even noticed that his cheek was starting to bleed. A lot. It stung, burned, you name it, it was doing him no good, but it didn't even cross that cluttered mind of his. The laughter only served to make him mentally snap in two, genuinely thinking it was the end for him. Under his breath, he wasn't praying anymore, rather asking himself in the Scandinavian language how on earth he'd managed this. Jake didn't know what to do other than to ask God himself to just to help him this one time. Only then did he pay attention to what she was even saying, by no means did it calm him down but it still provided a bit of insight. "P-Please don't- don't hurt me." Was all he could manage to sputter out in between hysterical breaths which was shifting into terrified crying, tears starting to fall down his reddened cheeks.

The teen had one hand in his own hair, clutching it so tightly that it was a wonder how it wasn't being ripped out in chunks, the other clenched against his chest. At the sound and feeling of either side of him being isolated by her arms, he drew back somewhat with his head hung, now cowering directly under her. "I-I- I can't r-remember how to get to my- my a-apartment." Jake replied, honestly, eyes closed tightly as to avoid even looking at this psychotic woman that had quite literally managed to trap him in public. She could read his thoughts, how? He had absolutely no idea, but they had all been translated into a different tongue by then. Hopefully she couldn't speak it.

@♡ jake b。 [ S AM E + HERES SOME MUSE MUSIC EUE ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4OMRxwMxAk

the god awful stench of drugs and filth was evident on this one, joohyun noted as she held him in place. her head was abuzz with thoughts, but time slowed as she noticed something weird: there was a hum of noise bubbling up from somewhere. she held the trembling boy's body in place as she slowly scanned the shadows of the alleyway from one side and the narrow opening of the alley as it spilled into the street. swallowed by the darkness between the buildings it didn't seem like anyone had caught them.

her heart pounded against her chest, excitement bubbling up in her but also dread as the sound got louder - the hum now was a soft mantra: a familiar lilt caught her attention. joohyun couldn't help herself when she began to laugh, it started off dryly, then she peeled away, laughing into the back of her hand softly, morbidly, sadistically. "you pray to god in the face of danger, m'love," she begins, laughter gradually cleared as she clears and leans back against the opposing wall she had originally pressed him up against. "the good lord you pray to has forsaken me, but perhaps not the likes of you. i suppose you owe him a thank you, because if not for your prayers, i would have turned you into dinner, dessert, and tomorrow's left overs." it's so matter of fact, you'd almost miss the bloodlust that originally plagued her.

"god, church boys," she spits, laughter evaporating and instead she slams her hands to the wall, on either side of his head and cornering him, "you're lucky i have a soft spot for punks like you... you're lost, aren't you? you're not from this part of town and you're wandering." as joohyun stands nearly nose to nose with the younger, she can hear his thoughts loud and clear, and she could see that a recent thought of his especially was which way home was, then others mentioned 'sweet tooth.' he seemed to be a baby-- but his thoughts were distracting, painted all different colors, and overwhelmingly pungent, smelling of tar and decay.

@♥ joohyun b。 { H E IS IN FOR QUITE A RIDE BUT HE SHAN'T DIE! i am s o exci t ed c': }

Jake honestly wanted to throw something at the trashy bastard, who was he to talk to him like that? The very thought of that brutish man just made him angry, and the fact his high was starting to drop was making it twice as upsetting in more ways than one. In the back of his head, he was thinking about what he had to eat, mostly about the fact he h a d to eat eventually.

Pausing, he pulled the cigarette back to his lips and dragging in a long line of smoke. While it rested between them, he took out his blue pocketknife and a small bag of white powder. The teen never made his obvious dependency and addiction to the substance a secret, it didn't matter enough to keep it as such. Getting a fair bit on the blade, he drew it up to his nose and cleaned it of the drug entirely. Letting out a shaky sigh and shoving it back into his coat pocket, he hopped up briefly before going along his way with a bit more pep.

Coke was always a good quick fix when one feels down!

Down the pavement he walked, looking up at the lanterns still until they seemed to gradually dissipate the further he went. His apartment was nearly two miles away from Chinatown, and he wasn't walking the right way at all. The boy couldn't remember for the life of him how to get back despite living there for almost a year. The ambulance was distracting him, as the lanterns had done previously. When the lights flashed all over the area, he had to cover his ears to block the sound, but looked at the lights even so.

That was when a woman got him, but he didn't see the person. He couldn't scream even though he wanted to, and now his shoulder was hurting him like nothing had before. Jake's face was practically ground into the rugged brick, cutting up his cheek and bruising it. Trembling wasn't enough to explain how he was shaking, he was like a thin leaf blowing in gale force winds. In his head, he was praying, repeating the lines to one of the only prayers he knew from church as a young boy. Over, and over again.

@♡ yerim k。 [ smacks your profile with a date stamp for rping here! thank you so much ]

@♡ jake b。 [ smacks your profile with a date stamp for rping here! thank you so much ]

@♡ ten。 Yeri hadn’t be had a busy day like this one in a long time, her boss; the owner of the store decided that free massages to those who decide to come through them. Yeri was okay with this it was perfect to scope out for a new muse seeing as her other one decided it best to just disappear, a soft sigh escaped her lips most of the people who came through weren’t the right fit to what she was looking for especially when it came to her next project. She wanted it to be dark a little edgy and she was in need of the perfect fit.

Her thoughts always drifted to the first night she had met a fallen angel, her creativity flooded excitedly her fingers itched to paint to just draw and circle around a canvas that was skin. She drew on standard canvas but her expertise was always on expression and giving live performance on how she’d paint on a person. It was coming to the end of the day and she was washing her hands, the door bell rang as she heard someone push through, another exhale left her lips as she prepared herself for her last client.

“Please come through and make sure to take your shirt off,” she called out and rubbed her hands with massage oil warming up her hands. Not yet looking at the person who had come through the door.

@♡ jake b。 [ this is s o amazing im s o ready o h my g o d -- PS. JOOHYUN CANT KILL HIM BC HE'S A SUGAR BABY, BC ONCE HE'S SIGNED INTO THE PROGRAM, HE'S GOT HOUSING AND PROTECTION THRU LUCIFER and we can confirm he'll live HAHAHAHA ]

joohyun perked up, watching the two men -- a burly ape and a small teen, as it would seem -- face off. 'slim pickings,' she thinks at first, the coffee she sips at warming her softly and soothing the headache, but something within stirs. it's something that's recently developed, since she had signed up for sweet tooth, a keen sense for especially sweet sapor: if only ambrosia was /this/ sweet.

and on a usual day, thwarting the small voice -- "kill him, kill him, /kill him!/" -- would have been childsplay. but on a day like this, with sapor calling to her, she finishes the coffee in the dainty cup and stuffs a few bills under the plate. her body was drained of the willpower and she stands, before she loses that sharp cinnamon flavor. there's a phantom-like bitter smokiness that follows the cinnamon scent, defining it from all others and joohyun finds herself following the teen.

that wasn't her usual demographic, but beggars can't be choosers.

joohyun leaves the tea shop with an air of disinterest, and keeps her distance behind the vibrant blue jacket, dusk falling across the cityscape. the more she takes in that sweet sapor's scent, the most she thinks she's smelled it before, and her pace quickens as the crowd thins out. if she would get a chance, it would have to be now, where she could disarm him before he noticed her. she waits till most gazes are averted, and luckily, an ambulance sounds in the distance. as it closes in, the blaring siren masks her quickening pace and joohyun lurches forward.

a hand wraps around his mouth and nose, taking hold as her other hand takes his wrist captive; a sharp yank has his arm locked and joohyun uses the sudden momentum of leaping forward to swing him around into a narrow alleyway, holding his front against the brick. the buildings on either side shroud them in a thick dark blanket of darkness and joohyun hisses into his ear, "quiet! don't want to bring more trouble onto yourself, right, boy?"

@♥ joohyun b。 The flame of the man's lighter illuminates Jake's face for a moment, lighting the cigarette that rested between the boy's lips. He pulls away with a long drag, sighing out smoke before looking up at the man. "Thank you." The teen gives his thanks to the tall man, of whom nods his head and goes on his merry way; as does Jake. Having taken what was likely a mountain of , he had a little jump in his step as he walks down the lengthy street. The lanterns have a certain way of distracting him, finding himself staring up at them.

That's when he finds himself fallen on the floor, staring up at those very lanterns that likely put him into that situation in the first place. His cigarette had fallen on the ground and the guy he'd knocked into was looming over him with a scowl. "Watch where yer in' goin', kid." He speaks in a dark, almost menacing tone as he takes a step back. Jake took a few moments to get up, when he finally did he turned to the man and got extremely angry. It was the , it was making him go a bit mad. "I didn't bloody do anything, you prick! You knocked into me!" For once, his voice was raised, and the man turned around with an even more angry expression. "Yeah? What're ya goin' to do about it, then?" The man asks with his chest all puffed up like some angry penguin.

" off back to whatever e part of Liverpool you came from, mate." He retorts harshly, the rise and sharpness in his tone increasing quickly as he shoved the man away from him. The man growled lowly and hit him upside the back of the head hard enough to disorient the the teen for a bit before storming off, mumbling about the situation with an upset tone to go with it. Jake held where he'd been hit, finding it to be extremely painful ( the man was quite large, after all ) but the drugs had still been dulling his senses; so it hadn't phased him much at all. Grabbing another cigarette from the pocket of his dark blue parka, he pulled a loose match and struck it on the brick, lighting it up before flicking the match God knows where. Back to prowling, back to trying to find his way back to his apartment that he'd forgotten the directions to like he always did.

{} not the best but i hope you like it dear c':

[post deleted by owner]

@♡ jake b。 [ OKOK I PUT THIS OFF FOR LONG ENOUGH E U E TIME TO WORK SOME MAGIC. i left this kind of vague and i apologize for the shortness, hit me with that detail bebs <3 ]

joohyun's bike pulls into the parking lot behind the store fronts, accessible by a slim road that she doubted could actually fit two cars side to side, despite the yellow line demarcating two lines. her helmet's clasp is undone and she peels it from her head with a shake to undo the damage done to her once-neat waves. the engine dies when her keys turn and are pulled from the vehicle, stuffed deep into her pocket. she surveys the quiet parking lot, enveloped by buildings on all sides, and alleyways that lead into the crevices between buildings.

she hadn't planned for a kill tonight, but this incessant throbbing in her head said otherwise, especially her recent mood swings. rin had been at the receiving end of it all, and it wasn't until last night, joohyun realized she was weak from nearly a month without sapor as she lay in bed, sleep evading her. joohyun was looking for trouble at this point, and the throbbing made her brows furrow as she emerged from between the buildings onto the busy main street, where the commotion from traffic, store fronts, and pedestrians hit her right, left, and center. the throbbing in her head almost had her world spinning in the most unpleasant ways. joohyun's gaze falls to the pavement for a brief minute to refocus herself, and she braces herself against the street lamp beside her to keep herself steady.

"okay, i'm okay," she utters encouragements softly, just to push herself through. the willpower carried her--chin up and wobbling less than when she first entered the crowd--towards her favorite look out. a small tea shop sat in the corner of the busiest block, graced with an outdoor seating area that gave her a view of the massive intersection between roads and the sidewalks that met to form this corner. she rarely ever interacted with the staff long enough for them to get to know her, (every time, she curtly orders a coffee without sparing the server a glance - perhaps she's only known for that). taking her seat by the low hedge that separated the outdoor seating from the sidewalk, she prepared to lay in wait, listening as people passed by and probing with her telepathy when she could.

It was just before dusk, a voice pierces through the crowd, drawing more than only joohyun's attention.

[ this got longer that i meant for it to be W o W bU T HERE i T IS!!!! ]

♡ yukhei w。 6 minutes ago Reply
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