#byan scamming people out of money on dating apps and sol having to do customer service for their online store

[byanyan]

college verse updates, developments, & additional headcanons

ㅤhigh school is finally done and over with and, to the surprise of many, byan has successfully graduated rather than failing and dropping out. not only that but, with the help of both lena, who has effectively become their big sister, and their boyfriend sol, they've been accepted into the fashion design program at the local community college. the program is only for an associate degree, so they'll only be studying for two years, but it gives them both time to decide if they want to continue their studies at another school afterward, as well as opportunities to get a job in the fashion industry by the end of those first two years regardless of whether they choose to pursue a bachelor's.

ㅤwith both of them starting college and officially becoming adults, and byan trying to work out housing now that they're out of the foster care system and the group home wants them out, sol suggests that they get their own place together. he has some money saved away from working throughout high school and still has a steady job, so he can afford it. although byan doesn't like the idea of him having to pay all the rent and bills on his own with everything he spent so long saving up, moving in with their boyfriend and finally having a place to call their own is a lot more appealing than sharing a dorm room with someone. so... they find an apartment together to call home.

ㅤdespite not wanting sol to be the only one supporting the both of them, byan refuses to get a typical job. they do, however, contribute whatever cash they can — usually money they've pickpocketed or otherwise stolen in some way, but occasionally what they've earned through various odd (usually criminal in some way) jobs, through selling things they've stolen, and through scamming people on dating apps. a few months into them both starting their classes, however, byan opens a shop on etsy to sell clothes and accessories they make in order to earn a bit more money. although quite niche, all the pieces they make being suited to their own fashion tastes, the shop ends up becoming fairly successful with those seeking alternative fashion and they start making decent money out of it, even taking on the odd commission for people willing to pay a little more. ㅤㅤ»ㅤsol helps them manage the shop, taking on most of the customer service for them after a few incidents where byan's communication with "ungrateful assholes" resulted in their page being reported several times. he also lends a hand in some of the packaging and mailing process.

ㅤnow that they're more interested in the content of their classes, they skip a lot less than they ever did in high school. they still blow classes off here and there, but they actually enjoy most of what they're learning so they're more encouraged to not miss any of it, especially now that they can actually implement a lot of what they learn into the things they're already making outside of assignments. while they were already pretty good at making and altering clothes, their skills only improve through their time in school and their work starts to look more and more professional.

ㅤalthough they enjoy more aspects of college than they did high school, byan still finds themself discouraged at times. they don't get along well with most of their classmates and don't like a lot of their professors. they struggle in classes that require more reading and hate the assignments that take them out of their comfort zone or require them to make something that doesn't suit their personal style. they don't handle critique of their art or work well, especially if it's particularly harsh, and this in particular results in them being tempted to quit college entirely on more than one occasion. seeing it as a reminder of why they're not suited for this type of environment, how they don't belong here, as proof that they're wasting their time, it often leads to them lashing out and falling back on the numerous bad habits they continue to maintain in order to cope.

ㅤthey also find themself struggling with a lot of aspects of adulthood. while they've been very independent through most of their life, supporting themself when no one else would, it's become a lot more difficult and a lot more stressful now that they have more responsibilities and now that there are more consequences for failing in those responsibilities. ...and a lot more consequences when they get caught breaking the law. fortunately, they have sol to help support them and keep them from spiralling as badly as they surely would were they alone. they're learning and adjusting together, and byan takes a great amount of comfort in knowing they don't have to figure things out on their own anymore.

ㅤat some point, byan ends up finding an injured stray (verging on feral) black cat and brings her home to fix her up and give her a safe place to stay while she heals. giving her the name 찌개 / jjigae (찌찌 / jjijji for short) due to her spicy personality, they soon end up simply adopting her with sol's agreement. it takes some time for her to get comfortable in the apartment and around both of them, but eventually she becomes quite affectionate. ...mostly with sol. although byan was the one to bring her home and treat her injuries, she remains much more feisty with them, resulting in them often calling her ungrateful (affectionately. mostly.) and getting in many little disputes with her.

ㅤsome time after that, sol ends up bringing home a stray he finds in the alley behind the coffee shop he works in and they adopt her as well. giving her the name 모모 / momo, she's a much more agreeable and quiet cat than jjijji and settles in much faster. fittingly, she chooses byan as her favourite, which results in them feeling less left out when jjijji practically mocks them (according to them, anyway) by stealing all of sol's attention for herself.