nwkrp-blog

[nwkrp-blog]

Hello, everybody. I come with some grim news. Unfortunately, I have decided to close Neverwhere. I thank you all for being here, albeit for the short time that it lasted, but the lack of activity and the fact I have to operate it alone have made me come to this decision. I hope one day we can meet again, under better circumstances. Until then, goodbye

[nwkrp-blog]

RECEIVED APPLICATIONS

IM JINAH / after school / paradise sh. 201 ( reviewing )

[nwkrp-blog]

THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS HAVE 72 HOURS TO SHOW ( LITERATE ) ACTIVITY

@nwmino @nwjongin @nwseokwoo @nwnayeon @nwjongdae @nwosh @nwsoojung @nwjisoo @nwsooyoung @nwmingyu @nwyoongi @nwtae @nwbaekhyun @nwluhan @nwjimin

[nwkrp-blog]

UNTIL 07/29 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

JEON JEONGGUK / bts / 4141

UNTIL 07/30 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

KIM TAEHYUNG / bts / 1024 ( ext.* )

UNTIL 07/31 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

IM JINAH / after school / 0522 ( ext.* )

[nwkrp-blog]

                                  ⋆ — WELCOME HOME, TRAVELER.

THE SHORES HAVE GIFTED US A NEW RESIDENT. born on AUGUST 26TH, 1993. AHN HEEYEON has been on the island for 4 MONTHS and is currently a BARISTA AT SUNNYSIDE’S CAFE.you can always find them at PARADISE SHARE HOUSE, 201.

                                          ONWARD !

                                           ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS A REASON

One night after studying for hours on another one of those sciences classes she hated, a brightly colored flyer that was attached to the library bulletin board caught her attention which read Mido Youth Program. She grabbed the flyer and when she returned to her dorm room, she quickly did research on the program. One thing caught her attention: low interest loans for startup business.

“This is my chance.”

Months later, she received an acceptance letter at the eve of her fourth year in college.

Telling her parents that she was dropping out of college to take part in the program was the worst day of her life. The yelling and screaming coming from both of her parents was something she expected, but being called a disappointment and a waste of money caused her to break.

For the first time in her life, she spoke up and stood up and told her parents about the stresses they have caused her. As she was honestly expressing her feelings, her father’s hand came in contact with her face.

Shocked at her dad’s reaction, Heeyeon ran to her room and packed up everything she could in the two suitcases in her closet. As she left the house, she heard her mom scream for her to never return.

                                          ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS ITS ROOTS

Looking around Heeyeon’s room, you would’ve thought she was running a stationary store. Pens and Highlighters lined up desk in different colors with boxes of whiteout and sticky notes aligned next to it. The top of her bookshelf were packed with textbooks from every subject you can think of. The bottom shelves were packed with new notebooks ready for her to use in various sizes and colors. At a young age, Heeyeon was taught that knowledge was a human’s greatest aspect by her parents. She was taught to eat, sleep, breath studying. The only time she wasn’t studying was their trips to Jeju Island to see her parent’s families.

Whenever she visited, her parents would have a hard time finding where she ran off to. She spent her days and nights at the beach watching the waves crash onto the shore. One day, her cousin offered to teach her how to surf and she immediately gained love for the sport. Visit after visit, Heeyeon began surfing more often and was gifted her own surfboard that she leaves behind in Jeju, worried her parents would throw it out back in Seoul. The family visits stopped when once school started.

During elementary and middle school, she spent her days going to school, studying during breaks, going to an academy of some sort to give her, what her parents believe was, an upper hand, and returned home for rest to repeat it all again the next day. Year after year, she ranked top of her classes, exactly like her parents wanted. Heeyeon became a robot and knew nothing else besides studying and wishfully hoping that one day she can see the oceans in Jeju again.

In high school, her parents believed that Heeyeon should get a part time job since a close family friend said recruiters look for actual experience during college application reviews. She began working at a coffee shop near the school that was popular amongst her classmates. Little did her parents know that Heeyeon grew to love her part time job as much as surfing. Heeyeon grew to love learning and learning about the different types of coffees, pastries, and combinations that people enjoyed filled here with joy that no one could explain. The money she was making at the coffee shop and her monthly allowance were saved for her bimonthly trips to Jeju. She was able to lie to her parents saying that she was part of a volunteer medical program where she was required to visit Jeju and work of the local clinics. Luckily, her parents didn’t into it since they saw it as advantage for her to be accepted at their alma mater. Her trips to Jeju were spent practicing surfing and temporarily forgetting her studies.

She began wanting to pursue a business career to hopefully own her own café one day, however her parents quickly broke her dreams. Being the daughter of doctors at two of the top hospitals in Seoul, medicine had to be in her blood according to her parents. Sure, she’s read countless number of books on the human body and could probably give you a temporary diagnosis until you visited a real doctor, but she wasn’t in love with the subject.

Before she knew it, graduation was around the corner and she was planning on going to Korea University, just like to her parents. To her parents, it was one more step to having the perfect daughter. To Heeyeon, it was a way out of the clutches of her parents or so she thought. She originally applied for the business program, however her parents had connections at the University causing her to be a biology major during enrollment. For two years, she tried changing her major to business, however every time she changed it, she was denied. At first, they told her it was because it was only her first year and she needed to stick it out. Then they told her it was because of the influx of students wanting to be a business major and she would have to wait. By the third time, she knew something was up and after when she was able to meet with her assigned business advisor, she noticed a picture of her parents with the counselor. In that moment, she felt as if her world was meaningless.

It’s been 4 months, since she’s left that place. She works at the Sunnyside Café, one of mido’s oldest coffee shops by the beach. The lady who’s family has owned it for generations saw Heeyeon’s passion for coffee and the business decided to teach her what it’s like to manage a cafe. She was able to grab her surfboard before leaving for Mido and during her days off, she spends her days at the ocean, surfing to her heart’s content. For once, Heeyeon was truly happy with her life and she couldn’t imagine life back home.

[nwkrp-blog]

                                  ⋆ — WELCOME HOME, TRAVELER.

THE SHORES HAVE GIFTED US A NEW RESIDENT. born on APRIL 10TH, 1995, YOON JEONGHAN has been on the island for 2 MONTHS and is currently a CONVENIENCE STORE CASHIER. you can always find them at PARADISE SHARE HOUSE, 101.

                                          ONWARD !

                                           ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS A REASON

it’s unplanned, as most of the things in jeonghan’s life go, and unexpected, at best.

four years around the globe is a high that’s difficult to settle down from, and it’s a crashing reality that wraps around his ankles and jerks him down. it’s not as if he expects to live a life of constant visa applications and a blur of languages forever ( is that even a thing? ), but the sudden stability comes as a shock as compared to the carefreeness that’s almost embodied into his being.

it’s no surprise when he screams sceptisicm! from head to toe the minute he steps onto mido, all sunshine and trees that come off to him as unbelievably cheery—fake, to an extent. he sees plastered smiles along the sidewalk, amongst the crowd, and even in the sunset glow, in almost every crevice he peers into.

it’s simply hard to believe that in a world that’s so cold, there is such warmth.

it doesn’t take long, though, before he’s dragged into the charismatic lull of the island and the sea—especially the sea—and life, at least temporarily, diminishes to a quiet hum, something it hasn’t been in a long time.

it’s as unsettling as it is unfamiliar, and it’s probably only a matter of time before he gets bored and leaves again ( just as he does with everything else ). after all, jeonghan doesn’t like staticity—never has, and never will. but there’s something about mido that’s almost irresistable, funny as it is, and jeonghan can’t help but think—

this isn’t home, not quite. but it’s shelter, for now, and he’s only twenty-two! astounding. it gives him about another sixty years to figure his shit out. not bad, really.

( who is he kidding? )

oh well. he’ll just have worry about it later.

                                          ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS ITS ROOTS

DESTINATION #0: HOMETOWN newark liberty international airport, usa

here lies a story of a boy, and an atlas.

yes, really, that is all.

it tells of how he clutches it tight in his hands at age seven. it tells of expectations and wonder, tucked away for later.

“boy, are you okay?”

“boy? boy. do you know where you are?”

“are you lost?”

smile.

“i don’t get lost. i don’t think that’s possible.”

DESTINATION #1: HOME AGAIN (EXCEPT NOT REALLY) seoul incheon airport, south korea.

rosewood and the coastline. that’s the general idea—theme, really, of the coffin jeonghan’s dad makes for his mom. it's what bad luck, people say, to have your husband who ultimately creates the vault in which your body lies in, with instructions to bury me near the sea please, near the shrub of ixoras and the cacophony of the waves, thank you. it’s a wish that, needless to say, is complied with.

and so this is how mrs. yoon ends up right by the coast, six feet under.

year twenty-eleven sees mr. yoon following right after, lying amongst his own crate of bamboo and the woodlands.

this tells of how jeonghan is stranded alone at sixteen.

soon adulthood—or something of the like, anyway—is bestowed upon him, and he suddenly finds himself ( young boy in a big city, fresh out of foster care and high school with no sense of direction whatsoever ) with a hefty trust fund and a sudden freedom that smacks him head-on with startling realisation.

the first plane ticket he holds is one he pins his hopes of something at least akin to happiness on, something that seems frighteningly close to a promise of a new beginning and many more tales to be told—and so is such.

DESTINATION #28: VOYAGE taoyuan international airport, taiwan.

where does he go, after all this?

his journey is still in its early stages. there’s so much more to discover.

but he detests the fact that someday, someday, he has to settle back down into a house and marry and have five children and a dog and earn big bucks, and he can’t just continue to live this fantasy of his own to travel around the globe and back again for the rest of his life ( and frankly, that scares him. ) normalcy is something that he’s never craved. impractical? yes. but what’s to stop him from chasing his dreams?

( in which, he has none. )

it’s not like he has a plan, anyway, but he’ll see how it goes. what’s there to lose?

where’s your sense of responsibility, jeonghan?

and if there’s one thing he’s learnt—really, you don’t have to have one to live your life the way you want to.

DESTINATION #56: REDEMPTION galeão international airport, brazil.

it’s amongst the colourful vibrancy of rio de janeiro’s favelas where jeonghan wonders if people simply see each country—each place, as just a name. it’s a pity if they do, he thinks, for each destination holds so much potential and he wishes everyone could see it.

it’s the sights and the people and the rough edges of each country’s native tongue that’s rubbed raw by familiarity that counts, and it’s almost hard to think of a life that lacks of such thing. it makes him wonder what he’d be doing now, if not for all his travelling. an office job? out in the streets?

guess he’ll never find out.

after all, he’s learnt a lot more while journeying across the world than if he were to be stuck in an office chair for ten hours straight—more than the languages and the culture. more importantly, he’s seen the beauty, and the ugly.

beauty is world heritage sites and tourist attractions. it’s the loud hubbub of people making their way through crowds and the overly commercialised goods sold in pricey stores. it’s theme parks and childlike excitement and dollar signs everywhere you look. it’s moneymoneymoney because only money can buy you happiness.

or at least that’s what everyone thinks.

ugly, however, is the darkened alleyways and shivering people crouched in a corner. it is the pickpocket that hungrily steals from your wallet and the sorrow in the eyes of the children that sit by the roads and cry for food. the ugliest of it all, though, is the way people walk away from them with nothing more than mere disgust or ignorance.

( but then you look again and there’s a man wrapping a blanket around the family and a woman that sits down and opens a feast in front of the child and a teenager who says please don’t steal i’ll buy you food and you see the hope hope hope and maybe there is beauty in the ugly after all. )

because first and foremost, we’re all human. some are just luckier than the rest.

DESTINATION #74: PITSTOP melbourne airport, australia.

it’s funny, jeonghan thinks, how even a mess of a hotel halfway across the globe feels like home away from home.

( but then again, home has never really held much meaning to him, has it? )

australia is mostly crisp leaves and cold air, but even as he walks through the bustle of the victoria street market, coffee warming in his grip, he stands out like a smear of charcoal against a white canvas. a mere wisp in the crowd, perhaps, but it’s never been clearer that he doesn’t belong here. or anywhere, for that matter.

it’s exhausting, to be frank. thirty-two languages and twenty-four countries later and he still hasn’t found a single place to ease himself into. it’s almost strange how he passes by an average of four hundred and sixty-two people a day, traipsing through a good twenty kilometers on worn out sneakers and yet, yet, all he’ll be remembered as is a blur of blonde without a name that sticks out like a sore thumb. or maybe he won’t be remembered at all.

who are you, jeonghan?

it’s a question he doesn’t think he’ll ever find the answer to.

DESTINATION #131: TAKEOFF stockholm arlanda airport, sweden.

sweden finds him as a barista in a quaint coffeehouse two hundred meters away from his lodging. he’s four months in—an amazing feat, to be honest—it’s practically unheard of for him to last this long.

it’s mostly only because he’s fucking tired.

he’s walked the streets of forty different countries and seen a thousand different sights ( but who’s counting, anyway? ), and the taste of korean is foreign on his tongue at this point. time’s a paradox and money isn’t pooling from his fingertips anymore. he’s exhausted—even the simplest act of booking tickets for a trip is one he doesn’t look forward to.

so when he hears of mido, it seems like a godsend. a ticket for an escape of this neverending cycle of pack travel leave, to a sunny island with promises of security and solidarity.

everything he hates.

you’re walking right into your own deathtrap, jeonghan.

( but what’s he escaping from at this point? the last time he checked, it was reality. )

and so he looks back, the residue of each country marked on his passport, and boards the last plane he thinks he’ll be on for a long time. he’s seen enough of the world for a twenty-one—almost twenty-two—year old, anyway.

maybe this is his ticket to happiness.

DESTINATION #0: SQUARE ONE seoul incheon airport, south korea.

mido island. a new beginning.

( a lie. )

that’s what he said the last time, isn’t it?

[nwkrp-blog]

                                  ⋆ — WELCOME HOME, TRAVELER.

THE SHORES HAVE GIFTED US A NEW RESIDENT. born on DECEMBER 22ND, 1993, MOON BYULYI has been on the island for 2 YEARS and is currently a PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER AND OWNER OF THE SURF SHACK.you can always find them at PARADISE SHARE HOUSE, 203.

                                          ONWARD !

                                           ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS A REASON

it was a place byulyi had came across that one time when her friends invited her for a vacation. being a famous soccer player, byulyi was used to travelling all around the world. visiting an unknown island wasn’t something new to her – she had been to many islands across the globe. but mido wasn’t something she had experienced before – it being a small island was something that got her hook, not to mention that her name doesn’t ring a bell to much people. not much people knew her being the famous soccer player moon byulyi, and it was definitely something she liked about it. she could be just byulyi – she could be herself. being a famous person, byulyi got tired of the spotlight eventually. mido was a perfect opportunity for her to have her own escape – and it was so sad that it was short lived, going back to her hometown was depressing.

she didn’t want to leave mido for good.

after a year of convincing her parents to settle in mido, byulyi went back to the paradise. the only thing that her parents let her do it is because she wanted to put up a business and with a promise that she wasn’t going to neglect her career as a soccer player, they said yes eventually.

little did they know.

                                          ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS ITS ROOTS

the cheers of the crowd were roaring as byulyi walked inside the field. she could hear her name – overly loud in her ears, mostly were females although she could hear a faint male voice shouting ‘byulyi’. she fixed her ponytail, wiping the sweat on her forehead, bangs hanging on the side of her face. byulyi stood there a few meters away from the net. hear heart was beating loudly as she waited. and one whistle was all it takes for her to finally throw the ball in the air, kicking it into the middle of the field for her team mates to catch.

this was her life – kicking balls, running vigorously across the field. mostly kicking balls, really. it was tiring but byulyi did not have a choice, her parents never left her a choice.

ever since she was little, she had a talent with kicking balls. she was a varsity player ever since she was in middle school. she grew up in america- moonbyul was her name when she’s outside korea. it was easier to pronounce and it doesn’t sound as weird as byulyi. byulyi could only thank all the gods in the world that she was born to be on the field, at such an early age she already knew she was different from most girls of her age. at the age of 9, girls like to play dolls. but byulyi wasn’t fond of them, doesn’t enjoy playing with them – she liked being outside, playing with a ball with guys of her age. it’s such a relief that her parents were supportive of her, though they weren’t entirely supportive of her masculine side but as time passes by, they were okay with it as long as byulyi takes home the trophy.

byulyi kept it all inside, she never disclosed to her parents that she doesn’t like boys. she doesn’t understand why either but maybe spending more time with them was a huge influence. the most she could do was to wear some boy clothes and she always reason out the comfort if provides whenever her parents judges her taste in fashion.

she doesn’t think she will ever come out, not when even her own parents cannot accept her for who she is. being a public figure made it hard for her, the spotlight will follow her and surely, a lot of people will judge her. byulyi wasn’t ready yet – and the problem is she doesn’t even know if she will ever be.

aside from kicking balls, she also had an interest with making coffee. being an avid coffee enthusiast, byulyi made sure to try all the coffees around the world whenever she travels, even bringing home some coffee beans from various places. she had a dream of putting up her own café.

[nwkrp-blog]

                                  ⋆ — WELCOME HOME, TRAVELER.

THE SHORES HAVE GIFTED US A NEW RESIDENT. born on MARCH 24TH, 1994, MYOUI MINA has been on the island for 7 MONTHS and is currently a CONVENIENCE STORE MANAGER AND LIFEGUARD.you can always find them at PARADISE SHARE HOUSE, 301.

                                          ONWARD !

                                           ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS A REASON

she pretends it’s meant to be, having an affair with urban life. thinks settling down in a room on the roof, making small talk with people you’ll never see again are all conscious decisions. reality reminds her they’re mostly a blur, however. an excuse. a hell of a duo called denial & dissociation. this translates raw to homesickness, desperation to undo such. the opportunity to making impulse your bitch comes, then, when you learn you can take back what was rightfully yours:

the sand,

the water,

and the sun. god, especially the sun - kissing you like you are hers, too. offering you the horizon until she must exchange with the moon. it’s the love story you’ve come to known your whole life before seoul had asked for a mere chance. some stupid, adulterous chance that you’re not quite sure would ever be tucked away if you’d done such a simple thing as going back to what you’d left.

they illustrate this in saturated hues, a quick name, and a font that’s more obnoxious than anything else. familiarity comes again and urges her to treat it as a welcome.

come back home,

come back home,

come back home.

a mantra, each word representing the three things she’d missed all along.

(re: not really. she just needs the goddamn excuse.)

the final utmost thing to consider: seoul can’t miss you if you’re aching to be anywhere but. they’re used to feeling unrequited & “like home” all at once. as all accounts of cheating go, after all: your trash is someone else’s treasure.

theoretical pollution aside, she’d be wrong to stay miserable in a life she was never really meant for.

so seoul says go. but seoul doesn’t also really say shit.

go home.

if not, build it.

                                          ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS ITS ROOTS

fish don’t know they’re in the water.

a clarification: fish is to water as she is to texas. or was it california? maryland? washington? bahrain? the philippines? australia? case in point. it has never been her place to tell nor complain.

what they’ve all had in common, if anything: a coastline. a childhood aficionado, following her into her adolescent years. always present, never absent when she’d dip and sink her small feet along the shore and find reason to bring fifteen new quiet sea friends on the way back home. (whatever that is.)

what they don’t want (nor necessarily care for): a change in scenery. something completely different from grains of sand and salt in your hair and beyond. not the sea. not the excess of sun. stop dreaming, start pursuing.

(“what, though?”

the myouis, collectively: “anything.”)

briefly put, a break.

mina attempts one when she sets foot independently on soil called seoul. military pop can’t scold, housewife mother can’t dote, twin brothers can’t annoy - none of that. her feet can, however, find solace in concrete as opposed to sand and water for once. or so she’d like to believe (the calluses from walking and relying on public transport in flats and loafers beg to differ in the long run). day by day, month by month, following a routine schedule consisting of catching breakfast, learning semantics and syntax, knowing people for five minutes at a time — it’s not so daunting as it is… well.

boring, really, after some while.

what seoul becomes soon enough is an intruder in a scheme called affinity, mina having none of the latter for the city when one year becomes two. a year too long away from what she’s been so accustomed to, only to become two more instead. mother only shows up in the picture every now and then to tell her to just finish off the rest of her lingual studies, offer her an absent-minded bear with it. mina says tell me something i don’t know through a smile and an “okay”, hanging up quicker than the conversation’s ever been allowed to last.

three more then becomes a burden she’s not sure she can bear. lights are more glaring, gossip’s too distracting, people are too stagnant no matter where you go. it’s not particularly a copy and paste environment, but what’s the fun in lingering in such a setting when there’s no real vibrancy to prove her wrong?

the change in scenery isn’t always for the best: a conclusion she wishes she’d reached long ago when the pamphlet’s offered to her by a colleague who… well, gets it. take it as a vacation before grad school, he’d said, voice as monotone as the streets they’ve been stuck in for some time (of course a year is too long as it is; she can’t blame him). you need this.

(“where are you from again?” she asks.

“the sea,” he jokes. “jeju. never a dull moment back there.”

there’s a knowing smile.

“mido won’t disappoint.”)

the change in scenery isn’t always for the best: a damn lie, she thinks when she finally finds herself in the air after some thought. how much, you wonder? doesn’t really matter.

what does matter is that she doesn’t look back. won’t.

not for a hell of a while.

[nwkrp-blog]

UNTIL 07/29 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

AHN HEEYEON / exid / 1995 IM JINAH / after school / 0522 JEON JEONGGUK / bts / 4141

UNTIL 07/30 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

KIM TAEHYUNG / bts / 1024 ( ext.* )

RECEIVED APPLICATIONS

MOON BYULYI / mamamoo / paradise sh. 203 ( accepted ) MYOUI MINA / twice / paradise sh. 301 ( reviewing ) YOON JEONGHAN / seventeen / paradise sh. 101 ( accepted )

[nwkrp-blog]

are some of the members on hiatus? just wondering bc some of them haven't posted in a week

There’s only one member who has officially requested a hiatus to the main, anon. We are aware of the activity issue, and will be conducting our first activity check this Sunday to start clearing out inactive accounts!

[nwkrp-blog]

UNTIL 07/28 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

MYOUI MINA / twice / 0307

UNTIL 07/29 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

AHN HEEYEON / exid / 1995 IM JINAH / after school / 0522 JEON JEONGGUK / bts / 4141

UNTIL 07/30 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

KIM TAEHYUNG / bts / 1024 ( ext.* )

RECEIVED APPLICATIONS

MOON BYULYI / mamamoo / paradise sh. 203 ( reviewing ) YOON JEONGHAN / seventeen / paradise sh. 101 ( reviewing )

[nwkrp-blog]

how's the dash like?

Honestly, a bit slow, anon, but I’m not concerned. 

[nwkrp-blog]

was Kwon Jiyong reserved anonymously?

There was a misunderstanding in the app of a Jiyong applicant, and the main opted to put him on reserved, instead of a recieved app, because of the complications.

[nwkrp-blog]

UNTIL 07/26 ( 11:59 PM GMT ) 

CHITTAPHON LEECHAIYAPORNKUL / nct / 1010 IM JINAH / after school SON SEUNGWAN / red velvet / 9009

UNTIL 07/27 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

YOON JEONGHAN / seventeen / 9117 ( ext.* )

UNTIL 07/28 ( 11:59 PM GMT )

KIM TAEHYUNG / bts MOON BYULYI / mamamoo /  1119 MYOUI MINA / twice / 0307

[nwkrp-blog]

                                 ⋆ — WELCOME HOME, TRAVELER.

THE SHORES HAVE GIFTED US A NEW RESIDENT. born on APRIL 17TH, 1995, JUNG WHEEIN has been on the island for 2 YEARS and is currently a WAITRESS AND BLOGGER. you can always find them at BITNA STUDIOS, 403.

                                         ONWARD !

                                          ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS A REASON

Always the scholar, Jung Whee-in dreamed of one day attending a huge university to study journalism and writing, particularly one in New York in the United States. She worked hard to achieve honors in all of her classes so that she could achieve this dream, but at the close of her last year of high school, the news was broken that her parents had both lost their jobs. All of a sudden, all of the support she had to go to school in the US was gone. While her grades were flawless, the scholarships she received did not make up enough of the tuition for her parents to be able to pay the rest.

Heartbroken and lost, Whee-in was not sure what to do next. She could just attend a university here in Korea, but deep down, she knew that would never make her happy. Her heart was set on leaving the country and seeing what else was out there, what journeys could be taken and what subjects to be written about. It wasn’t until one day she received a letter in the mail about the Mido Youth Program that she saw another option. While this definitely was not the route she imagined herself taking, she saw it as an opportunity to learn and grow, and also make money, before heading off to get an education. When she got past the idea of moving away from home and not being in school like she’d planned, it was an amazing opportunity. The island seemed beautiful (after researching it intensely to be sure it wasn’t some scam) and maybe she could still learn, even without being in a classroom.

                                         ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS ITS ROOTS

Whee-in was born the only child to her parents in Busan. Her parents both being Chemistry professors, they were very ambitious in raising their daughter. Luckily for them, she was naturally bright and they didn’t need to work very hard to get her to learn. She was always enthusiastic about school and reading; it was to the point where her parents had to take books awayfrom her so that she would go to bed on time. The only disappointment with Whee-in was that she was not as interested in science as they had hoped she would be, but that was not nearly enough for her to be a failure in their eyes. She was Type A and driven, like they were, and was going to get what she wanted. She was seemingly the perfect child and had a bright future ahead of her.

While Whee-in loved her parents dearly, she’d had enough of the university her parents taught at. The labs, the lectures, everything. Her passion lied in books and reading, and that is what she saw herself doing for the rest of her life: writing, editing, teaching, reading, anything regarding literature. Whee-in realized that, although she loved her home country, she longed to study literature in America, where many of her most cherished books came from. She researched and researched, planning her life out by the year to be sure that her dream would be a reality. Whee-in became practically fluent in English in order to make her future transition go smoothly. She would even brag to her friends about moving to the US one day rather than staying and being a boring old ajumma like the rest of them. But when the day Whee-in realized those dreams were no longer coming true, she saw everything she ever knew fade away. What would she do now?

[nwkrp-blog]

                                  ⋆ — WELCOME HOME, TRAVELER.

THE SHORES HAVE GIFTED US A NEW RESIDENT. born on OCTOBER 7TH, 1991, ZHANG YIXING has been on the island for 1 YEAR AND 3 MONTHS and is currently a DANCE TEACHER AT MILLION STUDIOS AND PIANIST. you can always find them at SIJUNG APARTMENT COMPLEX, 303.

                                          ONWARD !

                                           ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS A REASON

One horrible, horrible night, high up on a rooftop with rain pouring down and the world at his feet, Yixing took a last desperate look at his phone to find something, anything, that could convince him to go on. He was greeted with the brightly, summer coloured advertisement for the Mido Youth Program. Feeling bitter at first because of the elusive happiness that seemed to shine out of every picture provided of the island, eventually it was the hope for a better future that convinced him to take a leap of faith. With no house to his name, Yixing claimed his entire inheritance, gathered what little belongings he had and moved to Mido, hoping to be able to start anew on the beautiful, sun-kissed island. He had nothing left to lose and could only either win something from going there or just remain stuck with the same nothingness that he already had before. So Yixing set for the island of Mido, one suitcase holding all of his personal belongings and the only thing he brought along from his old life into the new. His heart didn’t swell with hope, nor did he look up against an entirely new life to build up, he simply went, because the only other option he had was giving up and something inside him refused to just go down without a fight. Whether he will manage to hold out on the island or will decide to move elsewhere after all, is yet to be seen.

                                          ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS ITS ROOTS

Born into a wealthy, loving family, Yixing had all the classifications to grow up happy and spoiled. But as with everything, no great thing is allowed to last. At only seven years of age their beautiful house in one of the nicer parts of Guangzhou burned down, taking the lives of his family members with it. Having been on the ground floor when it happened, Yixing was the only one that was able to be rescued from the fire in time. A friend of the family eventually stepped up to take him in, but the man had moved to South Korea several years ago, and so Yixing was forced to move as well. Leaving behind everything he knew, he was thrust into a new country with its own language and culture, both of which he had to get used to. His adoptive father managed to get him a Korean passport after a couple of years, securing Yixing’s place in society, but it also came with a new, extra name, easier to pronounce for Koreans he was told: Lay. But of course a loss of that magnitude was bound to change him. Yixing tried to find solace anywhere he could, eventually finding a way to channel the pain and sadness inside of him into music and dance. Focusing all of his skill and time on those two things, Yixing turned himself completely away from reality and found his escape within the music. And he would’ve been content to keep living that way, but his adoptive father refused to let him slip into depression or quit school. And so, Yixing struggled through several heavy layers of the Korean school system as well as many a session with a therapist, until he eventually graduated with a somewhat meaningful business degree, a certain peace of mind and a very proud adoptive father. Only for the beginnings of his happiness to be taken away harshly once again when his adoptive father died but months later from a brain haemorrhage. Alone with no one left for him to go to or find solace with, Yixing quite literally was at the edge of giving up, having lost everything dear to him yet again, when an advertisement told him of the government program going on at Mido. With nothing left to lose, he decided to take his chances and go check out the place. If he was going to find a new, decent start to life anywhere, it would be at a place close to paradise, right? And so, at twenty-four years of age, Yixing gathered both his inheritances together, packed up a bag with his clothes and utmost necessities, and moved to Mido, in hopes of finding a new start there. Although his wealth is already more than what most have at his age because of the two inheritances, he still decided to get himself a job, in order to be among people. Going back to his original love for music, Yixing found a high end restaurant where they allowed him to play the piano. A few months later, he also joined a dance studio called Million Studios, where he was soon offered the position of dance teacher. And so Yixing spends his time between the two, teaching dance to whoever wants to learn during the day hours, and playing piano for people who are dining in the evenings and sometimes well into the night. Meanwhile he’s saving up his current wealth to perhaps be able to open up a business of his own - if he ever decides on what exactly he will open.

[nwkrp-blog]

                                  ⋆ — WELCOME HOME, TRAVELER.

THE SHORES HAVE GIFTED US A NEW RESIDENT. born on JANUARY 3RD, 1995, KIM SEOLHYUN has been on the island for 3 MONTHS and is currently a PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT AT A HOTEL. you can always find them at NEVERLAND VILLAS, 302.

                                          ONWARD !

                                           ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS A REASON

if she encountered the program by will, seolhyun would have not given it a second glance. because the island belonged in a remote part of her memory, labeled as beautiful and nostalgic. it was a time where neither her parents nor her cared about their images. the only care on the world came from feeling the silky sand beneath her bare feet as laughter showered her in gold.

yet, it seems life had another plan for her as her father offers her a job there.

her job consisted of maintaining her father’s hotel in prosperity. the hotel was recently named as one of the greatest places in the world as their service was deemed uncomparable to the rest. with a staff always at service, they kept lifting expectations with new accommodations and events. to most, it depicted as a dream job. after all, the potential to serve for greater figures was no far-fetched dream. yet, she knew this job was far from that image and it was rather a burdensome job. because not only did she had to maintain the pace of the hotel’s image, but she had to raise the bar. all for the sake of going beyond her father and staff’s expectations.

after all, everyone on the hotel must have certain image ingrained about her. a spoiled child who gets mounts on her father’s success for her own benefit. hence, it fueled her need to accept it as challenge was seolhyun’s middle name.

there may be also contributions how she should take advantage of having the access to beach to get all the fun she was deprived from on her adolescent and college years.

                                          ⋆ EVERY STORY HAS ITS ROOTS

noun: luxurious life— knowing your place in society and let it dictate your life.

since her birth, everything she knows is praise.

they are constant comments about her beauty and her grace.

examples of shallow— what a beauty!, she is breathtaking!, she is like a doll!

she merely nods and slips a smile to speak her thoughts. her actions mimicking the ones her mother showed her. her father already pleased by how his greatest pride, at the tender age of four, was being complimented. yet, those comments are all made of shallows constructs. after all, they were merely scraping what seolhyun purposely displayed for attention. hence, the forced elation she displays once hearing them.

noun: forced happiness— coiled fingers, pursued lips, eyes whose shine resembled the hollow moon.

because, unlike her, her younger brother was showered in another praise. his praise consisted of endless potential— those words created the symbol of a crown, the idea of new, upcoming emperor. because a woman, a female being, could never take such position. because women like her, women of her standard are meant to bear the symbol of a flower.

hence, her chance to be honed came in the form of piano, violin, flower arrangement, etiquette lessons— she learnt how wealthy men tended to enjoy classical music, a keen eye for design and unsaid hierarchy.

noun: flowers— pretty living things made to be stared and admired at for their beauty and grace.

seolhyun detested such thought. after all, it scared her to encounter such world. the world where everyone’s insatiable need to stare at them. after all, you never know when an vulnerable encounter could turn into an opportunity. hence, she took the opportunity to shy away. yet, she never yielded completely as she hid on the shadows to venture to her safe place. the haven who gave her solace on the form of chimeral books and sempiternal artifacts.

noun: inevitable— the imprinted future, the longing future of having to shove down expectations.

examples for impending: marrying a stranger, marrying a life with stranger factors— dubbed as sacrifices.

her shoulders brushing past her brother’s, expectancy carved within her expression. yet, rising above the reality seolhyun envisioned, he merely cracks a grin who voices more than enough.

noun: arrogance— his fleeting chortle, his lithe fingers tapping against the wood, his own expectancy.

noun: pride— woven eyebrows, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, a short sigh expressing disbelief.

her incessant need for overpass her brother rose because she knew she held more potential him. if he held the mind of an emperor, she bore the mind of a goddess married to wit and ambition. hence, their competition started.

noun: secret. her parents’ whispers, their lingering stares, their displeasure to the situation.

they knew their daughter was a smart kid. oh boy, they knew since she leaped with eloquence and grace.  opportunities always knocking on her door with men lined up for her hand while schools lined up for her mind. all knowing about what she had, the endless potential they once believed her brother had. her parents knew that shying away from the situation would not solve it and prolong the issue between the siblings. hence, with a dwelling thought, they permitted seolhyun to expand her wings who carved for freedom. but, everything came with a price that she would have to pay once the future cuts down her illusions.

noun: success— the neatly folded acceptance universities acceptance letters, the defeat of society’s expectations and the luxurious life.

she was sent to seoul university with a major in business and a minor in public relations. once she arrives back home with deserved honors and a glimmering diploma, her father was waiting for her with a closed smile. his chest rising up and down, fingers tapping against wood. it was the moment she knew that he wanted, demanded for something. he offered her a pamphlet talking about youths traveling to mido to gain experience and scale to her own business.

noun: unexpected— her furrowed eyebrows, her lips slightly gaping, skepticism coloring her words.

yet, she knew how his kind words were not meant to be sound as endearing as they did. she knew what father meant perfectly, it was the same tone he used on her brother. it was a challenge to prove herself that she was no pretty flower. with that, she cracks a grin. the same grin her brother once stirred her inside.

because this was it, the opportunity to grab the crown of the emperor and make it worthy to be worn by a goddess.