#we love seonhee

[hauseofhauhaudidyougethere]

Of Us in the Mirror (Zhao x Reader x Joongi Han)

CW: Discussion of alcoholism, probing into Yeonsu Kim gradually recovering from rigidity around his frankly unhealthy exercise and diet + childhood. Hyphenated JGH help differ from current JG applies. The second JGH was a double barrel, the third JGH is a true single barrel - our JGH. Apologies.

Yeonsu’s room within Geomijul was among the most spacious ones. Seonhee had a master suite as her ranking denoted but being her right hand and trusted bodyguard  meant that his own personal quarters could include his own bathroom and the bedroom was large enough to include his own training area. Her second-in-command living in what were essentially barracks with regular rank and file members would not do at all. If he were younger, maybe the dumbbells tucked neatly stacked into the places they were meant to be would be named as one would do for stuffed animals. What a foolish boy that was. A growing boy, no friends, no family beyond a poor excuse of a father. He was a father in the biological sense but beyond that - the second Joon-gi Han even as an idolized form did more for him in terms of support than his biological one ever did. He did hold some gratitude for the fact that such a father unintentionally gave him the best shot at life he could have ever provided on his own. His early childhood since his mother either died due to illness or fled without her son - in what he quietly wished to believe was either one of her deeply regretted mistakes or an accident in becoming involved with someone who turned into a monster - unrecognizable. Any unnecessary items and memorabilia were discarded or pawned away for money that fueled the man’s quest to fill a gaping void with hard liquor. A monster would have done this to his son out of pure malice. A misguided man would have had good intentions from the beginning and if anything at the very least seem to show signs of an internal struggle between needing to decide who gets their needs to come first. Yeonsu's thoughts about the man changed as the moon's pull changed the tides. What separated Yeonsu from being as monstrous was that while he was no longer the boy he once was, at least his new face had a respected legacy. His post-pubescent face once deemed most likely solidified; saved for the curse of likely continual acne bringing scarring risk - unbeknownst to him at that time would be operated on and completely reconfigured the next time he woke up. That worthless and scrawny boy became the spitting image of Joon-gi Han by face alone overnight. His body needed some work due to years of malnutrition as no muscle can form when the essential organs can barely draw enough energy to keep the person they belong to alive. It wasn’t like father, dearest ever kept the fridge stocked when there was electricity in the house.  The pantry remained similarly barren. Being evicted from a textbook example of a slump lord’s apartment unit was what led the pair into group living with other disgraced Jingweon mafia members and their families: there was food to ration out then. Of course, not that the other children liked him and their mothers only seen him as an extra mouth to feed. However, if he could keep his plate or bowl safe from the other kids then there would be at least two meals of questionable adequacy a day. Bigger and stronger kids took to harassing the other ones for larger portions if favoritism alone wasn’t adequate. Lucky ones could get free food from kindly old ladies or scavenge trash for bentos that were in most cases “fine” to eat even if said bento was already half-consumed and beyond safe food handling recommendations. Young Yeonsu was rarely lucky and he was by no means bigger or stronger. Pushing himself to guard what he would be given and search for scraps when forced outside for the day regardless of how fruitless the endeavor would be in both the literal and metaphorical sense of the word. His “training” to grow big and strong like the man he idolized was an unnecessary expenditure of energy.

As fate would have it, his height did not seem to have suffered. Another miracle in the sense that Joon-gi Han also happened to be around about the same height. A perfect candidate to be a stunt double if the prideful man were to ever make a biopic ; of course, Yeonsu Kim was instead given a larger role in the continual play of life. All that suffering would turn on a dime the year he became 20 and was taken under his wing and tutelage. Having idolized him his whole childhood and striving to be like him in his own ways just made him an even more perfect candidate. A more self-absorbed and defined individual would not be likely to engage in complex ego death by their own will. Ironically, someone of the same arrogance and cockiness of the second Joon-gi Han wouldn’t last a minute in his presence regardless of it they happened to have his face or not. Reflecting the worser parts of oneself back at them is a quick way to volunteering as a punching bag or worse in this life as it stood. There was never a lucky one whose gumption was given a pass, either they would bend over backwards when required to show obedience and loyalty or they would be left wishing they tried harder the first time.

Waking up to the frigid air and the near overwhelming smell of bleach the morning his face became no longer his own, Yeonsu couldn’t even find the reason to cry or the energy to do so. The drugs that remained in his system were still sedating him making it difficult to do much but stare at the ceiling and gradually turn his head to take in one side of the dingy room he was left in. It seemed like an abandoned massage parlor, probably raided and taken out of business long ago. Turning too much in the other direction only had him staring face to face with the cool blue-green assortment of stoney tiles that lined the wall. If he could have lifted his arms up he probably would have tried to rub his hand against the wall just to see if it felt as smooth as it looked. He was alone and he wasn’t sure why he was in this room. Heaven surely would be cleaner or so he thought. Maybe his mother just couldn’t come and greet him just yet. Did she have to pay for the cracking red leather circle stools that lined the other abandoned massage tables as they were? Someone like him didn’t have the right to complain about Heaven. It would be whatever God decided was enough for him and he would just have to accept it. Hell wasn’t meant to be filled with aquarium blues and greens. The walls weren’t completely barren. Peeling posters with characters still visible seemed to be fighting to survive the test of time. The posters with Japanese and Korean characters were too faded and his eyes couldn’t focus enough without him being able to sit-up to even attempt to theorize what they actually said. Maybe advertising trips or beauty treatments? He figured whatever posters he had no chance of understanding were in Vietnamese, probably. It wasn’t too unusual for there to be a couple of speakers to come and go among the others in the shared living space. Picking up a few words of Chinese early on without stricter formal schooling was thanks to that set-up. There was a mother with kind eyes and a soft face who must’ve just given birth to a newborn infant not very long ago who sung nursery rhymes and pointed out whatever she could see to the baby repeating the words she uttered multiple times like it was a game of “I, Spy”. He had never seen her before; her paleness made him wonder if she was a ghost or a goddess that came to visit. No man ever looked in her direction or spoke to her.

He was still a younger child back when that happened, the older women whose children were already grown enough to run around and wreak havoc on their own two feet did not force him to go outside for some reason. He could lay on the dusty living room floor and flip through the free magazines and newspapers that were probably taken off other people’s porches or their mailboxes. She remained on that couch for three days only holding the baby who would occasionally make a faint enough noise that resembled a cry only for it to end just as soon as it started. Her voice was melodic and nothing at all what like he was exposed to all of the other times. Yeonsu’s mother only existed faintly in his memories, there was a woman who pet his head and pulled up the covers to his neck surely? He was no older than 5 or so as the memory threatened to vanish entirely if he wasn’t committed to recollecting that such a thing happened before and not just fairy-tale. If someone liked that mother cared so deeply for their baby, he couldn’t imagine crying. The mother disappeared without a trace after the third day. No one mentioned such a thing ever happened, no whispers of a new baby, no mutterings of another couple of mouths to feed. The woman must have found a better place to stay. Innocent Yeonsu didn’t comprehend that the mother was sick and wasn’t eating as her baby refused to nurse. He was allowed to lay in the living room and entertain himself flipping through all those newspapers and magazines because at least if the woman died while the sun was up, she wouldn’t have been alone. Placing a child on death-watch without even explaining the concept or even the idea to run and get help for once went against the point of the duty but it was just an excuse to say enough was done for her. He knew the language when he heard it, every so often one of the few of the grandmothers that lived in the home would be called to answer the front door. She would always speak in a hushed voice to an angry sounding man but nothing bad ever seemed to come of it. The man wasn’t always the same but the tones were. No nosy child could ever figure out what it was about. None of them ever knew that if things went badly enough the consequences would likely have spelled disaster as the grown men or “grown” enough late teens were always out of the house once the sun rose. His father wasn’t an exception surprisingly but he just had the courtesy of sun-baking in his drunken sleep elsewhere. If there was an intruder or anything to that effect it was the women and the children for themselves.

How many unrecognized miracles kept Yeonsu Kim alive up to this point? The surgeries he underwent were against all conventional standards of care and an unluckier patient would have died of infection turned into sepsis or from the heavy sedatives alone. Plastic surgery carried the extra risk of deforming or completely damaging nerves and robbing the senses as well. Being forced into a deep slumber never to awake – it wouldn’t be the first time something like that had happened. Deaths were always very hush-hush but if something particularly terrible happened it wouldn’t require a lot of detective work, someone would be caught whispering to another in hushed voices louder than usual  The whispers were usually the loudest if it was someone well-liked though, that much is to be expected when you’re forced to rely on other people to survive but to that point, if Yeonsu were to have died – how many people would whisper about his death or mourn it? Maybe one or two were doing so right now if he were lucky, even a milquetoast prayer for him would do.

*rattle rattle* The white wooden door with cracked paint and an opaque textured glass pane opened up. Two intimidating burly men in black shirts and black cargo pants came into the room and stood on the left and right of the door. Yeonsu surely must’ve died to be in the same room as Joon-Gi Han. He can’t even get the energy to pull himself off the massage table into a heavy bow, how pitiful. Han’s flashy suit and imported blue leather shoes set him apart from his underlings. Yeonsu Kim must’ve died again for Han to have walked up to the very table he couldn’t pull himself off from. Han even smiled looking down upon him. Heaven was a favorable place for him, indeed. His consciousness was starting to go again but he thought he heard his father’s voice approaching from the hallway and getting closer to the parlor room and a few unrecognizable ones. That was the last time he ever heard his father’s voice.

He wasn’t quite in real Heaven but being under Joon-gi Han’s wing and having the utmost privilege and duty to uphold his name and honor was about as close as he could have gotten to Heaven on Earth. Becoming Joongi Han was all he wanted to study. Yeonsu Kim was nothing, Han was everything. Being a quick study and his obedience earned him a lot of affection from the older Han. The older Han didn’t care for the boy in the way Seonhee did so unspoken when she swooped in to collect the pieces the older Han’s death left behind but the older Han still started him on the path of becoming someone who was strong. Taking his place on shifts at Stardust in Kamurocho and attending fancy dinner meetings had him engaging in many fake social conversations that were all people pursuing something shallow or of their own self-interest and more. He couldn’t let these interactions go to his head, lest he ruin the older Han’s honor and dignity but he did have to learn how to handle himself at fancy dinner meetings which required practice. Going from hardly having enough to eat and handling one’s self well at fancy dinner parties were not conducive to one another. No one would take your plate away unless you signaled you were done eating but you also weren’t expected to eat more than what was deemed socially acceptable and you weren’t expected to overindulge in champagne. Real quality “hosts” pretended to drink expensive alcohol on the customer’s dime. The bartenders had a short-list of non-alcoholic beverages that looked like the true alcoholic beverage a customer ordered. Water and sugar-free drinks were a favorite but using sparkling ciders still wasn’t as much a wash or as “diet” damaging as real alcohol was.

Splashing water on his face, Yeonsu, no Joongi wondered if the face of Yeonsu would have still made for a popular host back when he did work at Stardust. He didn’t miss it at all and he doubted he would ever find himself working at another one unless it was explicitly required for a mission. The old Stardust owner had took back over leadership the last he heard, not that he kept tabs on the place but he did have a conscience that got the better of him one sleepless night and he went into research mode. Taking advantage of lonely customers’ wallets didn’t set right with him even if the nature of his job wasn’t enjoyable to him in truth. He was just happy to play his part well and be praised by the older Han from time to time. Gifts from the customer would sometimes be given to him or pawned off with some portion of the money being given to him in a bokjumeoni or lucky pouch. Higher dollar values were often denoted by how intricate the patterns outside the pouch were. Someone clearly put their heart into the construction of every one he ever got. This usually occurred once a month but a fancy pouch would be a guaranteed if he went two or three months without. It wasn’t like he knew what to do with the money or had much to spend it on but he did eventually use it to buy old used video game consoles under the watchful eye of the older Han on an excursion out on the town. The older Han would take him for gelato sometimes. Eating sweets wasn’t explicitly discouraged nor was it like the real Han didn’t eat them when the occasion called for it. Stardust served chocolate dipped fruits and sundaes for hosts and patrons alike among other comfort foods like French fries and spaghetti bolognese of all things alongside fancy steak and sushi plates. Finger foods were usually preferred but hosts could still feed patrons if the patron had enough money to burn or came by often enough that was just part of job progression. The older Han always let him pick a flavor first and never chastised him on it being the wrong kind, even if he swapped between ordering red raspberry or spumoni. Yeonsu personally loved all flavors but had the fondness for chocolates and caramels having not had the simple luxury of candy growing up. History was circular when it turned out Seonhee had a fondness for raspberry sorbet the times she used to drag him to a mom-and-pop ice cream shop back when he was coming out of the chin-deep end of his depression.

Han seemed to study him more intently, like a tourist tossing a coin to a street performer and expecting a shot. Han’s kindness in shared meals and money were done to ease what little bad feelings he held within his conscience. The older Han had a live-in pet project for all intents and purposes. He could throw resources he wouldn’t miss at the younger male and be reaping in benefits that yielded tenfold returns regularly. There wasn’t any need for him to be worried about insubordination either, that much was clear. Having similar backgrounds – having someone like Yeonsu Kim become and play Joongi Han was almost a way to try and reach back into mending the holes and cracks of the past for more selfish reasons than selfless. Han’s cruel attitude towards his other subordinates and the kindness he showed to the body-double was a more extreme form of “balancing” like people who would buy wardrobes and wardrobes of clothes only to donate just to make the hole in their pocket burn less. The older Han wasn’t the most evil man in the world but he was far from an angel or a benevolent god.

Seonhee on the other hand had a more casual air about their outings while still holding the aura that demanded respect from everyone surrounding her. The first time they went out, the old man behind the counter gave her the table order for free. If it wasn’t Joongi, no one else in Geomijul would have managed to get away with just pointing out what they wanted off a table menu. He wasn’t berated by anyone for picking a chocolate brownie sundae. Seonhee’s order was simpler only getting a two scoop dish of raspberry sorbet but her face showed no complaints and one could almost think she was flattered when the man said it was nice to see two siblings still looking out for each other. If he was telling the truth or trying to simply pry in a way that led to probing their actual relationship, it seemed sincere. Joongi’s internal monologue sometimes lapsed into distress in the later days of his time under the older former Han’s wing and it definitely had its peaks while adjusting to life under Seonhee’s leadership. She never said anything, it was all self-imposed. His obsession with becoming stronger as a younger adolescent fueled him chasing fads and quick fixes of varying levels of danger once he had more freedom. The older Han’s recommended exercise regimen wasn’t meant to be expanded upon and doubled over. Other hosts at Stardust would talk of their methods and while the real Han would never be caught conversing deeply with them, the younger one made a point of listening in on their conversations when he could just to have a better feel of what was “in”. Yeonsu wasn’t exposed to pop culture as heavily as those with more regular childhood developments so he wanted to make up for lost time. Seeming refined and unapproachable was its own allure but the best host should have been someone who was completely well-rounded in knowledge and experiences.  Talking about his own exercise routine and regimen really wasn’t something other ladies wanted to hear, the occasional male customer might ask but they weren’t the largest spenders so it was important to be able to meet the biggest demographic. He had to be the best host and live up to the older Han so anything he could do – he would do it. His own pain and suffering were secondary.

He ate slowly across from her at their booth. She having finished long before him did not click her tongue. One hand folded in her lap she pulled out her phone and seemed to be scrolling social media. The sundae started to seem like a mistake to order if he knew she would have been done that quickly but something about it seemed appealing. He had never had a brownie in his life, that was partially why. How long had it been since he had something sweet in general? Outside of social contexts, the younger Joongi lived off unseasoned chicken breast and steamed vegetables. Kimchi was acceptable since it provided electrolytes he wasn’t getting otherwise. His over-training and poor eating habits were factors that could also be attributed to dangerous training failures of which landed him in the later situation where Seonhee had to roll a 45kg barbell off of him and nurse his bruises. He never repeated that again but the fact it happened was its own source of embarrassment. He could push his plastic red spoon around the glass dish as much as he wanted. She was looking out of the corner of her eye, but he didn’t notice. She kept her attention seemingly glued to her phone and they sat in the continued silence as the shop’s pop radio station played in the background. The toes of her foot were tapping the melody but she was mindful to not tap with the back end of her boot lest there be audible signs she was doing what she was.

Joongi finally finished what seemed like an insurmountable task despite its actual realistic severity and challenge, he overcome the roadblock. Seonhee scrolled on her phone for a few moments longer so as to not rush him out the door even if she had plans on making him carry her bags later at the mall. They would “have” to buy dinner from the food court while they were there and someone would have to be sure her clothes purchases were to remain safe. Turning her phone off and sliding it in her jacket pocket, she grabbed her purse and began to get up from the booth. If Joongi didn’t have his gaze fixed on the floor maybe he would have seen a faint smile in her eyes when she simply asked “Good?” – he found the words to utter a “Yes.”  with a firm nod, they were on their way. That was all their conversation entailed that day, repeating the ice cream shop scenario at a table in front of at a mall Pizza-la. Joongi took less time with his oversized slice of tropical pizza, Seonhee made the order again but just made it large enough that what she wanted was for the both of them. Joongi liked the flavor of the pineapples. Ham and pineapple seemed vaguely like what was in some holiday image of a magazine he was flipping through as a child. It wasn’t like he could read the words though and that memory was so far back,  it wasn’t like he could be sure. Was that what they ate at family dinners in America? He had to make a mental note to try and see if maybe that would be anything worth looking up out of curiosity later. Looking at old holiday ads with photos of families was somewhat heartwarming if he let himself be soft, his birthday being in December – embracing imagination the light displays that popped up around that time were partially for him in a way. He had fell asleep with his phone on his chest with images of snowy towns and light festivals open more than enough times it could no longer be counted on both hands.

That day did a lot for his well-being, sparking a deeper interest and respect for food in more than his “gym-bro” approach was doing, he did unconsciously begin the path of opening himself up to the strict self-constraints he imposed on himself. He still was extremely attentive to his physique and held onto certain rules but the newer freedom and flexibility with food was a sure sign that he was stepping in the right direction of coming out of his former depressive state. At the very least, fixing that would mean he was at less of a risk of injury. He still was going to be operating as Joongi Han and required to do what Seonhee needed of him for the Geomijul. They couldn’t do without him, whether he fully understood it or not.

Occasionally the urge to punch the mirror would come across his mind. A passing impulse he knew he would never answer the call of. The younger Yeonsu may have still grown to have a handsome face of his own, but the younger one would likely want to punch the mirror out of a sense of powerlessness. Try as he might, his looks would have done him nothing back home. He was permanently always the black sheep of them all, not that he could blame them with the kind of father he had. If he could not be perceived, he would have had an easier life. In a way he did get such a wish even if the eventual sleepless nights consumed thinking about it and his failure to be the one who died came to mind. Onset grief always loved to take its time in paying a visit. Shaking his head and brushing his teeth, he had a day off from work and was free to go wherever. His thoughts drifted to you and Zhao.

Zhao was like a foil to most of Joongi’s most negative traits, or an antidote. Zhao never seemed to be fixed on the particulars of exercise and nutrition. Zhao was still raised in an iron-fisted household where his mother had dinners ready if there wasn’t someone else ordered to cook it or a more occasional night out. Working as a chef resulted in being more focused on the particulars of what made food taste good and achieving the perfect balance of salt, fat, and acidity in order to bring the flavors of the ingredients used to a perfect harmony. How he managed to be so flexible was a mystery beyond him but he knew Zhao still did his own training.

Zhao had been enrolled into so many extracurriculars by his parents on top of being expected to have perfect grades and tutors to fill in the gaps of whatever his public education lacked  – splitting his academic career up he would likely have enough credits to earn all three of you a high school degree with ease. His home-life was a gilded cage which resulted in him developing the bravery and desire for rebellion where he could. It manifested in how he dressed which followed him into adulthood, the loud music he listened to, the games he loved and could barely play, the mangas he read and had to hide in a hole under the mattress lest they be burnt to a crisp. He got to keep a used GameBoy Color until the screen snapped that way, disposing of the evidence was hard but for the joy it provided – it was worth it. His lackadaisical attitude and carefree nature was the exact opposite of what his father wanted but Zhao won in outliving him so the victory was in his corner. He cared a bit for the old man of course but his home was the most strongest in looking after those in the Liumang.

His mom showed him how to cook some against it being waved off as a waste of time so he would always hold a fondness for that but it still didn’t make growing up easy. She passed of natural causes before his father did. He was still a person with his own deeply kept worries and fears. His insecurities in being a leader or becoming the way his father was what encouraged the decision to hand over lead to Seonhee and merge the Liumang with the Geomijul. He still had a head role in the Liumang’s operations but he likened himself to a figurehead kind of guy. He would still have to get his hands dirty from time to time but not enough time required he wouldn’t be able to come back to You Tian and wash up for a kitchen prep session. Life started to fall into place for him the older he got. It wasn’t the easiest ride and there was still bumps in the road to deal with but overall meeting Ichiban and later you opened up doors he wouldn’t have thought of. Using the time spent together helped him realize his feelings and it only worked out more in his favor that forming a romantic triad in which all of you were still equals on each other’s terms went off without a hitch. It still wasn’t something openly known but when the time was right it would be cool to shout it out to the world, regardless of it was embarrassing for Joongi and you, he would at least have some permission first. There wasn’t many rules and norms he could care about but all of his favorite people came first. Zhao could march to the beat of his own drum regardless of if there was a band behind him or not – living the way he wanted still earned him that band so clearly he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

You had your own share of past troubles and insecurities – putting on a brave face was part of making everything okay in the end. Bottling up emotions would only lead to an overflow in the worst possible times and sometimes those outbursts would be explosive enough in the wrong argument that it became impossible enough to walk it back. Was that what landed you in previous predicaments and booted on a plane to Japan to stay with some host family that later also kicked you out and couch surfing in Tokyo? A little bit of yes and a little bit of no, leaving a minor to fend for themselves even with the most verified and attentive host family in a country where they didn’t speak the language was highly ill advised as a parenting choice. There hadn’t been any attempt to establish contact since really, if it wasn’t for making use of technicalities and loopholes thanks to the fact that all your papers were kept secure in your trusty bag finishing school online would have been difficult.

Tracking someone down online if they didn’t want to talk to you would be a waste of energy. Aging out of most orphanages within a few years – it was fortunate that developing your physical skills and putting up with hasslers on the streets kept you moving. Certain gyms had better bathrooms to wash up in over others and finding laundromats to handle clothes wasn’t a difficult task within major cities. Especially if the norm was that apartment complexes didn’t always come with in-unit set-ups. Simple fixes of clothes that could be done with a needle kept what you had from becoming tattered beyond repair and it was easy pocket change or a free lunch in return. Bartering was another form of currency. Sometimes, a sandwich from someone else becomes a first-aid kit from a busy office worker who suffered a terrible delivery mix-up during the lunch rush – other times it’s having pocket tissues for a poor soul in a restroom who ran out of toilet paper and letting karma guide kindness back in return. This did result in finding a 10,000 yen note on the ground with no clear person who could have lost it once. Finding that much money would be devastating to lose but even after surveying high and low, arguing with the forces that be was only self-sabotaging. It was your cash now.

Other crafts like painting and sculpting seemed interesting but it was hard to have the ability to do those kinds of things without having a stable place. Coloring with a cheapo booklet of kid’s pages and crayons could kill time without needing online access and not be the largest usage of bag space though. Things were different now that you had the room above the Survive Bar. The goal for the day was to head out and look for some paints. Somewhere in the Commercial District, you had spied a crafting goods store and made a mental note to walk back and check it out when the chance was available.

An older lady you brought aloe vera for and spared some gauze dressing to on a street in Kamurocho was once working on a project of her own. On a wide blue tarp, she was taking old glass jars and wrapping them in an old towel. Sitting in the clear zone off of the tarp, the shattering of the glass was muffled. She revealed herself to be an artist by trade. Introducing herself as Kamiko, she had grew up in a fishing village, Higashiizu where she made sun-catchers and sold them to great success. She had burnt her fingers the previous night pulling glass she was baking out of her oven. Finding herself in Kamurocho, she was working on coming up with a new design by just creating in the natural environment. Kamurocho wasn’t the most nature-filled city of them all, it could be pretty at night in the right spots if you wanted to admire the street lights but that seemed like all there could be to offer for someone of her particular calling. She waved off the idea that the city itself was bereft of inspiration and in continuing conversation you had come to find out she was travelling across cities to meet with a company that was willing to invest in her own line of DIY paint-at-home glass sun-catchers. If everything went well with the company, they would include making easily removed stick-on sun catchers where anyone who wanted could paint one and not have to worry about fiddling with finding a spot to hang them. Little things like kid’s painting craft sets sent you back to the time where such things were easy finds in dollar stores, although usually the better ones were at least $5 or $10. You had spent a lot of time fiddling with those and cut-out stencils that came with packs of colored foam squares on adhesive paper. Once a square was removed you could stick it on the stencil and gradually have your own 3D textured stencil. It was pretty much a time-sink but it was cheap fun even if the result would later wind up in the trash. You held onto what you could for as long as possible but if things disappeared then so they did.

Kamiko was grateful for your help and had sent you on your way with 5,000 yen and one of her finished pieces, a mini bullfinch sun-catcher on a string. The pale red, rosy stomach of the bird was easily it’s charm point. It wasn’t a commonly seen bird but the black stripe with the gray and red on it’s head almost made it seem like a raccoon. Coming across a child who had scraped their knee by the children’s park near the old Pocket Circuit stadium you knelt down to see what you could do for the little buddy. The stadium had closed down due to the owner needing to attend to personal family matters but the community hoped he would return one day. Bandaging up the boy’s scraped knee and not knowing what else could be done to soothe him, you decided to give him the bullfinch sun-catcher. His face immediately lit up and the tears that threatened to trickle down his face had eased off. Telling him to be more careful when playing and to tie his shoes a little bit better, showing off your trick for keeping yours tied – the boy’s mother had came to pick him up and you were thanked for being kind enough to look out for him.

What you didn’t know was that the world was frighteningly small at times, that boy and his mother were family of one of the company CEOs, Kamiko was meeting with. His love for the little bullfinch secured her product deal and that spawned in a fairly popular line of sun-catchers and sun-catcher stickers. Popular products included one of the Kamurocho red gate off Tenkaichi Street, a Onomicho head, birds like the bullfinch, and more basic pieces like flowers and planets. For awhile in Sotenbouri, a Kani-Douraku suncatcher kit was selling like hotcakes.

Making your way to the crafting goods store in the Commercial District, you ran into Joon-gi and Zhao who were both heading in your direction. The rest of the crew was occupied with their own lives today – Ichiban had said something about being a tester for new senbei to help Eri out since it was technically his company. Boss was out on a weekend long mahjong tourney, so it was just you managing the bar as you saw fit. If you didn’t want to open then it was pretty much an off-weekend. The bar’s sporadic schedule didn’t quite endear it to other customers but the nature of it did make it a cult phenomenon when the business was actually open at regular timings. The curry he made was always a hit with critics! He said you could probably get the same result serving yours but that sounded like a lie and one you wouldn’t want to test with such a reputation on the line.

“Oiiii! [Reader]chi, baby – we were just coming by to see you! What’s popping?” Zhao was dragging Joon-gi along behind him with the classic stealthy hand hold when you crossed paths with them. Joon-gi looked happy though so the three of you were able to form a small huddle in the corner of an intersection. It was pretty easy to stand-out even without the other resident loudmouths of the bunch, although it wasn’t like anyone random ever approached people like Zhao and Joongi. They were instead left staring and too intimidated to speak.

“The whole town can hear you Tianyou. Did you forget your volume control at home?” Joongi was more open in poking fun at Zhao even if he clearly didn’t seem to mind too much. A glare would have been all he needed. It was amazing how much he could communicate without needing to open his mouth but Joongi being more expressive was another victory. Maintaining his cool composure made him harder to read. Zhao knew he had tried and failed multiple times at psyching Joongi out by silently challenging him to an impromptu staring competition, behind his usual tinted sunglasses it was hard to tell such a challenge was being imposed without actually focusing on the energy of Zhao’s gaze. It would have killed the boring nature of the old Ijin Three meetings if Joongi actually had more of a gold mine of reactions that he pulled from. In a way the fact that Joongi didn’t stifle at all under his usual guard position by the door was entertaining in its own right.

“Popping? Where did you pull that line from? I was on my way to go look for some paints at a new craft store I discovered earlier. You two are more than welcome to tag along, old man is busy being an old man competitively all weekend.”

“Most competitive old man? Do they have conventions for that?” Joongi muses

“Yeah, I’m sure they get to count gray hairs and complain of joint pains until the last one is left standing. It’s in between the mancala and the mahjong tourney” Zhao snarks

“Rude, mancala is a good game! The half marbles were always really pretty, the few times I got to play growing up.” you spent more time examining the colorful half marbles from the board than actually playing with another person. The half marbles came in an array of colors and were smooth to the touch. Some of the marbles almost seemed like they had real flower petals trapped within, almost transparently so. You were dejected when none of them were reflective enough though to try and angle the sun’s rays into making a light beam from the window to the opposing empty school desk. Too much time had been spent watching early children’s programming that shown off experiments like making a mini rainbow with a piece of paper, a flashlight, and a prism. It was unfair that getting your hands on such a prism was an impossible task. Maybe a magnifying glass was involved too or that was being enjambed into the original memory you had from some other experiment entirely. The idea of trying to burn a hole through paper with a magnifying glass had its own allure.

“If you say so babe, the winner is almost predetermined by whoever goes first. It’s not the most entertaining game in the world.” “I’ve never heard of it before.” “See! Joon-gi isn’t on your side here.” “He’s not picking a side.” “You’re still outnumbered here-“ – playfully bickering back and forth the three of you eventually make way to your intended destination.

Your eyes widened as the store clerk called out “Welcome!” when the three of you stepped in. There was shelves of old discounted glassware and pottery. Wind chimes adorned the entryway in all kinds of colors and forms. Some seemed to be made of marble while others were made of metal or wood. In the back you could see there being a towering wire rack that created a rainbow of spools of yarn. Patterned fabrics made up three separate aisles with easy needle and hook kits for a crafter’s intended art lining the end caps. Some of the fabrics were intended to be sold for gift and lunchbox wrappings so they had their home in the respective gift-wrapping aisle which was accompanied by more washi tape and ribbons than you had ever seen in one place before.

Crafting kits for all ages were on the left area of the store and heading in that direction would lead the three of you to what seemed like the most you could have ever asked for. Coloring books for adults and kids with crayons that ranged from basic shades to every child’s dream of a 96 or 120 count box set of colors were there. The most enthusiastic customer could take home a 300 count caddy. More specifically smaller boxes of pearlescent and skin-tone compliant colors were available too. Color pastels for those that didn’t mind the mess were in stock as well. Was Heaven on earth this store? It sounded like a good candidate.

“Look look! They have these! Come on, come on!” – capturing your eye was a display shelf of those extremely distinctive sun-catchers you recalled the artist Kamiko had been working on getting onto shelves, however long ago you had came across her at work in Kamurocho of all places. The Onomichio head one was an absolute need. Of course, the iconic Kamurocho Tenkaichi Street gate was a must do gift for the Boss. The windows at the Survive Bar had plenty of space for them and they were small enough that it would take a moment to really intake the scene around and observe the atmosphere of the Bar for those who stepped inside. Multipacks of the set with the Sun, stars, and Moon were calling your name. Your fixation on little things like that intensified ever since you three became an item. Being sentimental was easy but you wouldn’t have it any other way. The moon in itself was a connector, if you were apart from someone and feeling lonely you could always take solace in the fact that the sky above was always the exact same one. Those feelings were just intensified late at night.

Your arms were quickly filling up but luckily Joongi had already taken it upon himself to pick up one of the deep green baskets by the doorway, he trailed slightly in front of Zhao. Zhao’s mastered art of the cool-guy walk with a slightly outstretched jacket to cover that Joongi’s opposing hand had been filled with his. If you weren’t bounding around the store, it could have been you but the walk back would be a perfect make-up opportunity. Walking in a line with bags of items could make for good cover or a game of sorts. Not that there was any knowing of if familiar faces would show up or not but the idea was innocuous enough. How often do you see a triple threat like you three holding hands? The concept was funny enough to him and he could watch you flounder in the middle of it if it came down to it. Neighborhood gossip culture was different in the Bar District. At least, there was a general sense in that any gossip was generally kept pretty locked down and word could only spill out to a small circle before the identity of the source would wrap its way up around to the target. There would be a few exceptions in the interest of social justice and safety as self-regulating any issues before relying on the police was the norm. The usual bit of news would be co-worker drama where someone tells so-and-so that Coworker A should quit and a “concerned” barkeep might either offer an attempt to give advice or be a listening ear. Those that enjoyed continued patronage might straddle a fine-line between the sides just to keep things interesting and hold more than one loyalty. It was a complex ecosystem that surprisingly never resulted in major disaster, a disaster worthy of local newspapers at the very least. As penance for the Harbor Light incident in the attempt to keep the peace the Geomijul and Liumang were free emergency security for the area. A few members had their own favorite bars outside of the regular territory within the area so it was equally important that Seonhee and Zhao had some tabs on how things were going. They didn’t rule the whole town completely but staying on the good side of regular people as much as could be done in a public-facing way was its own form of soft power.

You excitedly explained how you helped the older woman who was responsible for the line of mini-sun catcher stickers and the hanging ones that were carefully placed in the basket Joongi held up for you. Your smile beamed from ear to ear and it was infectious. Both of them had to resist the urge to pull their phone out in the moment. Picking up some extras for the intention of getting them to do some with you, you might’ve bounced through the roof if they let you. A few little painting kits and some coloring books + extra materials later (you couldn’t resist). The emergency sewing kit you kept wasn’t in need of a refill anytime soon thanks to not making the most out of a more “wilder” camp life. You knew where you could go the moment you wanted some though. Emblem patches and iron-on ones were good personalization options and throwing together little gifts for other people was one way of spreading love and joy. Some of it could be reduced down to unnecessary knick-knacks when living light but usually you had done your best to find anything that wasn’t purposeful and had to be gone a better home regardless of what that looked like. The barter system wasn’t bound by the rigid confines of capitalism. Talking about the things you made or worked on the past like sock-puppets from new free packages you knew weren’t going to work regardless of how hard you tried, Zhao noticed you definitely had nothing that resembled them in your room or anywhere upstairs. Decorating with string lights was one new development. In that moment, he knew he would have a way to hold on whatever your art was to you when he could. Pictures on the fridge from one of his babies? He was signing up, the whole fridge would be covered until magnets could no longer fit. Handsewn stuffed animals? Fuck yeah they can find a place with him. He would want Joongi to have some too if that was how things were to pan out but it was extremely clear this was something you really enjoyed and he wanted in on it.

Joongi was never let in on what the other kids were doing so he missed out on most opportunities like coloring or handicrafts. Not that the women in the grouped housing made it a point of showing boys how to work with a needle. That was knowledge to be passed onto the girls as they aged if they showed promise. Not enough to waste on those that could care less. They were a minority already so the ones who seemed to be the most “traditional” of the ones were clear favorites and would be watching over the younger kids more than the women did. He could never say it was any of their fault though. It was just how things went, most of the times, sewing was how they got their money if the men weren’t providing enough or providing at all. He was in the latter camp so he was dead weight when the men were taking their sons to work like it was a special event. His father was likely in a godforsaken alley hiding from the sun. No son of his would be caught “demeaning” himself if he heard about it – it was going to be a new reason for a beating. His hands were tied with a double bow-knot. No one could stop him from taking an interest now, if he could learn a thing or two it would probably serve some good. He did find himself an unofficial laundry boy for the Geomijul even while being second-in-command since the restructuring and restoration efforts. Even as things were improving and extra income pulled in from Seonhee being involved with Ichiban Confectionary as an aid and earning from stock dividends, it was still a long road in making sure everyone had what they needed. Making sure no one went without and keeping from replacing things when repairs could be made would help out a lot. He just hoped if you offered lessons, he would find some skill. Small starts would be enough.

Zhao had disappeared momentarily when Joongi was asking you further about how you started sewing and if you would be able to show him some basic stiches when there was time. He reappeared with a basket full of furoshiki, traditional wrapping cloths and said to think nothing about what he was doing. He seemed to have a grin that was clear he likely would put some of it to use cooking for the both of you but the polite thing was to give him the benefit of the doubt. Paying for what you picked up at the register, Joongi had dropped some coins that cling-ed off the laminate floors as you were going through your wallet. “You dropped these, allow me.” and went down to the ground – returning up with a faint flourish and pressing them into your palm. Zhao took notes about the trick he just witnessed him pull; he was smooth. Must’ve been in Ikèmen 111 and shit everyone knew he passed. It wouldn’t be the same if he tried but maybe Zhao would just have to flip the tables on him.

The three of you did walk back to Survive Bar in a line. Your hands while still carrying some of the bags that contained what you bought had been distributed to Joongi. The free spaces in your hands were swinging in the filled spaces of theirs. If anyone was nosy enough to care it was a game of train. Life was too short to be a boring adult. Making usage of the off-day, the three of you spent hours at the booth painting the suncatcher kits you picked up and Joongi would just have to go with you on another trip to the crafting store another day to pick up some beginner sewing kits to aid along in his learning process. Speaking of the catchers you three were all working on, you mentioned having took similar ones and sticking them on cracks of old busted up mirrors in public bathrooms. They were for the public and it was debatable when any replacements if ever were to be made. No residue was to be left behind if they were peeled off or if someone wanted to pop it off, regardless of the setting so they were something people might use to brighten up bathrooms in their own homes. The idea came off the back of the box from a butterfly one. Butterflies were maybe overdone but no one ever had been heard complaining about them. A little extra color in the day could be the extra push someone needed to get through it. It was a little bit embarrassing but you had purposefully picked up three sets of the ones that were of the sun, moon, and stars. As a matching set between all three of you, it really wasn’t a subtle callback to the night of the confession. If you were connecting stars, Joongi – a moon-boy, and Tiantian, the sun – it was a fitting keepsake. All exist within the same sky.

Of the matching sets – each person painted what was their personal symbol. Everyone had one of each but Joongi wound up with a Kani Douraku crab and a bullfinch. Zhao had an Onomichio Head and a bulldog. He laughed as he did the slogan and phrase in a mockingly deep baritone with you. It took some goading but you two managed to get Joongi to do it too. It wasn’t like anyone was recording or taking photos. Although making a group photo out of it sounded like a splendid idea to your ears so Zhao was the +1 canceling out Joongi’s hesitancy. If all three of you had a photo on their phone it would balance out right? There was a tripod folded up to the side in the employee closet so you all lucked out. It made setting a timer and getting the right angle easier. Once the image was in you three’s group-chat it was only a couple of minutes before Zhao had cat ear stickers on everyone and really went hard on putting twinkly stars around Joongi with music notes to really rub one in on him. You giggled as Joongi was the flustered one and was in the middle of balling himself between the seat of the booth and the table. You just rubbed his shoulder and leaned down to whisper reassurances that the two of you could do the same with Zhao as payback. Zhao wasn’t the one who was with his face closest to his knees but flipping a spotlight back on him when you three were apart from one another would do the job just fine. The three of you found yourselves laughing and sitting down to delivery from Pizza-la. Joongi was sent home with leftover slices in a take-out container. Seonhee liked leftover pizza possibly slightly better than freshly made pizza, so he could share with her and if asked just claim the mood struck him when he was out earlier and he thought she would have liked some. How long had it been since they shared food together? The bag holding his suncatchers were held tightly in the other hand as he made his way back to the Geomijul compound.

His monochromatic and dull bathroom would have some color added to it. If he had to look in the mirror and take note of both of you and Zhao’s handiwork, he wouldn’t be as concerned with what the mirror was reflecting. The mirror was just another surface, he could change what it meant to him and redirect his thoughts. Caring for himself and loving himself on a deeper level only allowed for him to deepen how much he could love and care for others. If he was sick or injured, he couldn’t do so in the same capacity.

“A piece of all of us on the mirror” he thought. He hadn't had anything evocative of a family photo before. Maybe he could have an excuse to take a group photo with the gang.  No one ever said he couldn't decorate his room.

[one-vivid-judgment]

I love running the Ichi-Nanba-Joongi-Zhao party combo, not because they are strong (which they are, they literally have the best possible weapons for their jobs atp), but because it's literally just awkward-double-date-core.

[zeldamomoe]

My partner and I debuted Seonhee and Kiryu from Yakuza this weekend! I didn't think I'd ever cosplay from Yakuza, but when I played 0 - 7 a couple years ago and fell in love with Seonhee in 7, I closet cosplayed her during my 7 streams. When 8/Infinite Wealth came out in February, I decided to just watch it because I didn't enjoy the gameplay too much in 7, and just don't have time for them anymore since they're so much longer. But I love the characters so much and wanted to know what happens! Thank goodness they're fully English voiced now, so it was easy to just watch it all over a few weeks!! And omg!! Seonhee being a huge Kiryu fangirl got me thinking…. What if I got my closet Seonhee cosplay a bit more accurate and have Raph be Kiryu 😂 HE IS UNCANNY. And now I'm really tempted to do Kaoru Sayama and have Raph do normal outfit Kiryu because 2 is my favorite ❤️ I'm so glad people recognized us too. We even got to take some pics at our favorite Japanese restaurant like for their Drink Link hehe 🍻 I love them so much 🥺

[melsvt]

— ep2 who are you to apologize? (wc: 329)

Seonhee slowly stepped up from her living room couch to the entrance door while staring at her groupchat with the phone in one hand.

After looking through the hole in the door and confirming that it was her mother who was waiting outside the door, she slowly opened the door.

Almost 8 years had passed, she was only 13 years old when her mother left her.

She had grown up with servants living in their house, her father did not take care of her, not a little bit.

It came as a shock to her to see her mother after a long time, because she had completely cut off her connections with her mother. In Seonhee's eyes, the person standing in front of her was not her own mother, but someone she used to know.

"Honey? Look how well you grown up."

When Park Heran tried to hug her, Seonhee pulled herself to the side. "You can go in," she said, and then looked at her face expressionlessly.

Heran nodded and headed in. Seonhee had closed the door, stepped in front of her, and walked into the living room.

After they both sat down at random places, Seonhee left her phone next to her. Heran had carefully examined the place where her daughter lived. "What a beautiful house you live in. But it's yellow everywhere, you wouldn't like the color yellow back then."

"The things we love change as time goes on," she said as she leaned back. "I'm sorry" Heran's apology had made the silence around them even quieter.

"I don't think I deserve an apology. Who are you to apologize to me now" Seonhee's words hit Heran's heart like an arrow.

"Because I left you with a useless dad at such a young age, but I had to do it Seonhee"

Seonhee looked up with a drop of tears falling from her eyes. "You could have taken me when you left, but you just chose to run away."

previous | masterlist | next

★ s :: family abuse, exam stress and more. sunhee wobbled like she'd never faltered in her life and heeseung falling into her heart while dealing with all this. heeseung, who had known about sunhee's feelings towards him for a long time, had directed him to be with her out of friendship instinct.

★ taglist ::

[championofravens]

LAD: Infinite Wealth pros

•Gameplay is incredibly smooth, well polished, no bugginess, great upgrades from the first game

•Graphically beautiful with minimal load times between areas or fast travelling, model variety is incredible compared to other games, random weather was fun

•New mini games, bond and social systems are excellent and really fun, completely fleshed out and in depth

•English voice acting FANTASTIC for main roles and also the background chatter and npcs

•Overwhelmingly filled with love for fans of the franchise in Kiryu's route, lots of tender and charming touches, good quality nostalgia

•Seonhee not only bisexual in canon but her character in the party was fantastic and hilarious

•This game has THREE FULL MAPS including Kamurocho which has been fleshed out so well from LAD it's a marvel

•The post-credits finale is setting up *exactly* what I wanted for Kiryu in his final game

LAD: Infinite wealth cons

•Story pacing got very confused in the latter half, would have greatly preffered the game to do more of a 50/50 split between Ichiban and Kiryus chapters instead of alternating back and forth

•Horrible handling of Ichiban's romantic plotlines (major and minor), Saeko and Chitose were grossly mishandled, all romantic substories were b a a a a d

•The Palekana being used as a means of shock value for the game and little else, Bryce especially a let down, was so sad for our first American villain

•Ebina being Ichiban's half brother and calling himself his mirror image yet the two barely interact is HELL, I think they really fucked up not having Ichiban and Kiryu swap final bosses

•Both finale fights felt like exposition drops from the baddies we barely got to spend any quality time with

•They had NO idea what to do with Saeko and Zhao as characters beyond their primary story roles

[yakuzacanons]

not sure if you allow male reader stuff, but could we get some seon hui x younger m!reader hcs?

Of course it's allowed! Always welcome here, no Judgement (pun intended, sorry I'll never stop doing that) hcs below da cut sweet anon, mwah.

Seonhee has always had that older sister kind of vibe so it's not exactly shocking to her if she ends up dating a younger partner. She's also more of a dom/top so it kind of just suits her naturally anyways.

With a younger partner, she's definitely a lot more doting. Very much a "Did you remember to take the laundry in?" type of girlfriend. If she's living with her partner, she is particularly domestic like that.

She can't be with someone who is too clingy regardless of their age. Also, it's important that she has a partner who isn't easily jealous given her closeness with Joon-Gi.

Loves asking her partner what's trendy these days, especially since she's usually so busy with work that she can't get out often. Will go to any restaurant that's suggested to her.

She's pretty blunt and speaks with little fluff. A younger partner might actually make her a little fluffier though. Not sure why.

As the older partner in the relationship, things like memes and emojis just leave her dumbfounded. It's actually super fun to send her weird internet trends and have her be like "Interesting... people actually just say that? I should try that sometime."

Always down to help with problems. If she has a younger partner who is still in college for example, she'd love to help with things like study prep or making a little care package of snacks for them. Secretly a cheerleader on the inside, just in a very quiet way. She's always rooting for you!

Yes, she will step on you if you ask very nicely. And if she's in a good mood. If that's your thing.

[lemonxdaisybby]

BTW!!! Do you have any hcs for the music tastes of Ichigang or just anyone from RGG in general? Maybe even a bunch of music artists/tracks they would likely love?

Hello! 💕 I actually love this ask so much - some of the Ichigang were quite easy to match to music tastes, and then the others have had me pure stumped and going through my entire playlist for ideas!

Ichiban:

Ichi likely listens to a bit of everything. Like he is so open and accepting of shit, it would probably extend to music too. However, I can mainly see him listening to bands/artists such as Blink-182, Bowling for Soup, The Offspring and Foo Fighters. Also, Babymetal? It would confuse him at first because they look so adorable, but he’d vibe so hard to Babymetal.

Nanba:

Isn’t a huge fan of music, and he doesn’t actually listen to it often, if at all. He probably could appreciate some classical music though that he can chill out to. Maybe listens to blues too?

Adachi:

I mentioned it in a post a few days ago, but classic rock and classic pop rock would be his vibe. Like Aerosmith, Queen, Toto, Def Leppard and Kiss. Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ brings out everyone’s inner stripper, and drunk Adachi is no different.

Saeko:

We got ourselves a pop girly here. With her working in a bar/club, she’d be pretty up to date on music. Probably listens to artists like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and also Skott. Probably has music on in her apartment constantly, but it’s pretty quiet, like background noise.

Seonhee:

I can see her listening to more alternative or indie pop music, like Grimes, Melanie Martinez and Mitski. Probably another one who doesn’t actually listen to music that often though. She just never seems to have the time.

Joon-Gi:

Possibly a bit of an emo? Likes powerful, angsty rock music that he can also work out to. Probably into bands like Skillet, Three Days Grace, and Of Mice & Men.

Zhao:

Feel like this one is obvious, but cool guy Zhao would be into rap/hip hop, sometimes mixed with pop. He’d listen to artists such as Post Malone, Drake and Dave.

[dangeroustigerbasement]

This is Seonhee. She is my GF and we love each other so much.

ANTIS DNI

[todayisafridaynight]

Persona 3 x Yakuza Collab Outfit ideas, here we are again

Makoto Yuki, honestly Kiryu's Yakuza 8 look with the black shirt and gray pants suit's him more than Ichiban's attire

Though on the other hand, if Kotone/Femc was in Reload, she would be in Ichiban's suit

Aigis works out in Saeko's attire honestly

Yukari honestly kind of works in Chitose's Hawaii outfit

Junpei I guess in Zhao's outfit, it kind of works out I guess

Akihiko goes in Joon Gi's, no questions asked

Mitsuru is cosplaying as SeonHee, another no brainer

Fuuka is a bit of a tough one, maybe Nanba's fit?

Ken could look good in Tomizawa's outfit, maybe.

Shnjiro's works too well in Adachi's outfit

I don't know who some of these works so feel free to come up with your own interpretations

coulda put shinjiro in zhao's outfit since brothers love to cook but sure everything else is fine

[imustbenuts]

kzmj anon again hi. the weird relationships with the cabaret girls in k2 sucks so bad it really feels like the devs went uh sorry for making the majima everywhere system so homoerotically charged here take some dubiously ethical heterosexuality with 0 chemistry

hi kzmj anon senpai

yeah it is. soooo forced. this feels a lot like the game saying "kiryu is straight we swear" when. majima. exists in the game and did all of that MES in k1, had kiryu outright admit that he feels more relaxed in front of goromi than the cabaret girls. when in y0 kiryu was presented with oda's feelings towards tachibana point blank with oda saying he liked tachibana in the non-platonic sense here

and then having rina swinging a sledgehammer to kiryu's sense of heterosexuality to the point that he had to sort it out on some level...

basically the concept of same-sex attraction has already been shoved into his mind, but the game pretends like it never happened or that kiryu was incapable of considering it. which is. a big contradiction if im supposed to believe that the guy has compassion and empathy to the point of accepting all the misfits he comes across...

it feels like backtracking and being insincere and unwilling to commit to a possibility of kiryu self-reflecting before k2 starts. this brute forcing is not working. i see some minor sparks with kaoru sayama and kiryu 10 hours into k2 but im pretty sure they are gonna fumble the bag so hard given the vibes im picking up overall.

kiryu in yk2 needs like. a female platonic bestie. someone he talks to on the same level with seonhee in y8 (their interactions are fucking amazing, more of THAT please)

ofc there can be a possibility that he isnt the type of person/character to reflect or apply that empathy and compassion to himself. bc he sure is doing some weird things in the name of chivalry and short term goals

after playing y1k my pet peeve is just how insincere parts of the story overall feels. how embarrassment seems baked into the series and even kiryu himself so far because they didn't want to fucking commit (just like kiryu's reflecting bucket list thing going on in y8).

ironically because majima is actually sincere and utterly shameless about his nonsense, majima ends up being best character by default imo so far. >_>;;

im just. genuinely baffled about some of the writing choices here even for the female interests. like u say theres little to no chemistry. i dont know what normal everyday things kiryu and this lady friend would enjoy together and talk about.

(and also part where yumi essentially gets killed for daring to try to move on with jingu while her love is in jail: what the actual fuck, man. still pisses me off thinking about it. this is straight up evil on the ethical heterosexuality scale.)

sorry it got too long, i wanted to justify how im open to straight kiryu if the writing wasnt so garbage. im resonating with some of the ace vibes im picking up from this character but. im just. ggggrh... the girls are written like utter shit outside of y7 and y8 it feels like too.

[toadmancer]

anyway love seonhee matching kiryu's energy perfectly. saeko go stand under the window and hold your eyelids open so i can try and drip eye drops into them from the second story window. and we have to do it better than kiryu and nanba

[silverselfshippingchaos]

A full list of f/o tags!

Maxi: the dandy of the south seas 🌊 🤍

Kyohei: kissing in the van 💍

Aqua: a heaven full of stars 💙❤️

Demyx: kiss water kiss!

Felix: heart-to-heart combat ⚔️

Balthus: king of grappling deez nuts 👊

Shura: skunk time 🦨

Atlas: just call me firewood 🪵🪓

Tibarn: let's eat worms together 🦅

Muarim: i wouldn't dare raise a claw 💚

Haar: i showed you my wyvern please respond 💤

Eizen: earth and fire ☠️

Seifer: your knight until the end 🤍

Basch: my desert flower 🥀

Yaag: let's believe in eternity 💧

Gladio: send (cup) noods tonight 🍜

Vivian: our own hideaway 🔮

Dunban: blossom dance! 🌸

Akhos: the poet and the muse 🖍

Matthew: i'm feeling full of beans 🫘!

Chai: masala te chai ☕️

Vik: you make night city brighter 🌃

Adam: as human as it gets 🦾

Date: my partner in (not) crime 🔍

Adriana: an oath of love 🌟🛡

Fumiya: mask off 🎭

Hikari: it's always been you 🍁

Percy: your bullet bullet bullet 🩶🖤

Mr. H: a cup of coffee for the road ☕️?

Rune: steal me away 🐉

Akiteru: your #1 fan 🏐

Garrus: can't calibrate this one 🌌

Shepard: i'm with you until the end 🌌

Kyojiro: a baker and a criminal walk into a bar...

Platonic F/Os

Dante: let's hunt demons together 🍒

Ignis/Noctis/Prompto: chocobros 🐣

Raines: and we dared to dream 🤍

Yagami: tabo time ⚖️!

Eraqus: my dad (boogie woogie woogie)

Riku: star-fruit 💫

All other KH characters: our hearts as one!

Clive: find the flame 🔥

Berseria Party: why do birds fly 🕊?

Turks: black suits ♠️

Zack: puppy eyes 🐶

Van Gang: vroom vroom 🛞

Sylvain: you get it ❤️

Rodrigue: the shield 🛡

Xianghua and Kilik: does your soul still burn 🔥?

general platonic f/o tag: my beloved pals

Crushes

Kiryu (and Ryoma): shark attack 🦈!

Mine (and Hijikata): you were beautiful 💸

Kido: balls out ⚽️⚽️

Nanba: patch me up 🩹

Seonhee: caught in your web 🕸

Ryusho: heat action 🐲

Tenma: one to ten 🩺

Marisa: a crimson flash 🍒

Gerik: to be decided 😅

Tsutsumi: sweet as sugar 🍬

Kabru: eyes the color of the sky 💙

Fjord: my dear captain 🌊

Mikoto: love like fire 🔥❤️

Haurchefant: hot chocolate tonight 🍫?

Boromir: one does not simply fall in love 🤏

Kili: Kili tag tbd

Alistair: Alistair tag tbd

Will: forged in love 🔩

[one-vivid-judgment]

A beach date with Ichiban, Joongi, Tomi and Chitose pls! 🌞🍹

A CHI-CHAN REQUEST GUYS, THIS IS NOT A DRILL, MY BABY GIRL IS HERE 😭😭

Ichiban Kasuga

He’s down for just about anything, but one thing about him is that he can’t ever just stay still. So long as it doesn’t end up with him butt naked and arrested for public indecency again, he’ll love to spend a good day at the beach with you.

Chances are, he’s diving face first into the sea as soon as you get there. You’ll never get how he can strip out of his clothes so quickly. And you bet he’s asking you to join him, big smirk on his face and enjoying himself like a little kid swimming in the sea for the first time (considering he spent such a long time in jail, Hawaii probably was his first experience with this, and you bet he’s taking full advantage of it).

Will try to pull the puppy eyes so you stay a little longer. Whether it’s because you’re tired of swimming and want a break and Ichi doesn’t want to have fun all by himself, or because it’s getting late and you really should be leaving, but Ichi wants to watch the sunset with you (hey, it’s romantic! Don’t blame him!)

Joongi Han

Vibrating internally because yes, he did book a flight to Hawaii out of spite, but he really didn’t get that much time to just relax. When he did get to go to the beach after the whole ‘Akane and Lani are in danger and we have to go to Nele Island ASAP’ was settled, Seonhee asked him to fan her while she was sunbathing. The beach has honestly been kind of a frustrated dream for him so far, and he is excited.

He likes swimming more for training purposes, not so much to just have fun. If you want to go swimming, then sure, he’ll go along, but he probably will get out after a while. Making sandcastles on the other hand... Now that is something he can spend hours doing. It may sound childish to some people, but as Joongi himself puts it, “it is an art,” and he has mastered it. It’s not like he ever got to have a normal childhood and play in the sand like other normal children—think of it as ‘healing his inner child’.

The type who prefers the beach at night. It looks prettier and there aren’t a lot of people around. Full-beach-days are nice every once in a while, but if it were up to him, he’d rather go in the evening, watch the sunset, drink something at the bar nearby, maybe get a fruit salad or something else that’s sweet and nice to have in the hot weather, then just take a walk near the shore.

Eric Tomizawa

Honestly, he is a little tired of the beach. Between driving clients to and from there, Ichiban taking them all there, and just the fact that he’s been living in Hawaii his whole life, it’s getting a bit tiring. However, if you want to have a beach day, he won’t say no. A date is a date.

Likes playing volleyball or a nice game of cards more than swimming itself. The sea is nice and he will take a dive once or twice, but really, his favorite part about the beach is just chilling under the parasol. Cold beer, nice cool shade, tasty food. What else could he possibly ask for?

Poor man gets sunburn so easily. He’ll spend the whole day at the beach, putting on sunscreen basically every hour or two, and he’ll still get burnt. At this point, you’ve accepted it as just... something that will happen regardless. You keep aloe vera cream at home for this reason alone—not that Tomi is complaining about getting a massage, he just wishes it didn’t have to involve this; sunburn fucking sucks and he can’t move properly for at least a week until they heal.

Chitose Fujinomiya

Oh, she loves the beach! Pretty much like Ichiban, she’ll jump into the sea as soon as you get there, except she’ll straight up drag you along instead of trying the puppy eyes strategy. If she has to push you into the water to get you to swim with her, she will. You don’t want to test her.

Always carries a purse full of products with her to the beach. Sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm, aloe vera cream, wipes, a hairbrush, flip flops, bobby pins, lotion, you name it. She likes sunbathing as much as the next girl, but she also hates getting sunburn, so it’s better safe than sorry. If it’s too heavy, she can just ask you to carry her bag!

She will ask to stay until the sun sets because she’s a romantic like that, and there is nothing more romantic than watching a Hawaiian sunset with your partner, is there? Besides, there is a bar right next to the beach, so it’s the perfect setting: get a drink (blue Hawaii, anyone?), sit down, watch as the sun goes away. It doesn’t matter how many times she sees it, it will always take her breath away.

[ask-the-attorneys]

//This generator has no chill part I think we have too many parts

//Some of these characters aren't mine and belong to @askjonathancrane

*The Squad is at Oliver’s house*

Ferris: Ohhhh we each get our own oven?

Oliver: …N-No…

Oliver, laughing: How many ovens do you think I have???

Ferris, motioning to the kitchen: Three, I thought!

Coda: I see a-

Oliver, motioning to one device: This is a microwave.

Ferris: Oh, well I-

Oliver: Hey, wait wait, actually- hang on- *fiddles with the buttons on the microwave*

Oliver, amazed: Its got a bake setting!

Duke: Ohoho, you learn something new every day!

Seonhee : Do we- Do we roshambo for who gets to pick first?

Oliver: Now I’ve discovered more ovens than I thought, we don’t have to roshambo nothin’!

Oliver: I am someone who owns four ovens…

Oliver, louder and way too happy: I am someone… who owns FOUR OVENS…

Harvey, pointing to another appliance: Also, the toaster oven!

Ferris: Ohhh, toasty boy!

Oliver: Four- Five ovens!

Oliver, ecstatic: I AM SOMEONE WHO OWNS FIVE OVENS.

Harvey: But seriously, what is the real plan here that has to do with not fucking around?

Coda: There is no plan that does not involve fucking around. But we will make sure all of our fucking around will be applied in a constructive direction.

Seonhee : You think that’s cringe? Moms around the world wait 9 months just to end up naming their kid Duke.

Duke: Hey, fuck you.

Oliver: What is love?

Elizabeth : An emotional minefield.

Duke: A neurochemical reaction.

.Eleanor : Baby don't hurt me.

Ferris: Justin, keep an eye on Eleanor today. They're going to say something to the wrong person and get punched.

Justin: Sure, I'd love to see Eleanor getting punched.

Harvey: Try again.

Justin, sighing: I will try to stop Eleanor from getting punched.

Coda: Can I ask a dumb question?

Eleanor : Better than anyone I know.

[eiko82]

My thoughts on Infinite Wealth

So a couple of weeks ago, I finished the main story of Infinite Wealth and wow, I'm blown away with how amazing this game was.

It was just SO DARN AWESOME. There was just so much love poured into these characters. When Tomizawa and Chitose were first announced, I never thought that I'd love them as much as Saeko, Nanba, Adachi, Zhao and Joongi. I was wrong. So wrong. I fell in love with them so much. I really hope that they'll return in Yakuza 9.

Throughout the game, I LOVED interacting with everyone. I loved listening to their chats whether it's Seonhee wanting to cook for Kiryu (you hardcore fangirl), Nanba comparing painting your finger nails to priming a model kit, Zhao confessing to being addicted to gacha games, Ichiban and Adachi sharing one braincell on how to get dust out of your eye, etc. It made me love them even more.

The Bingo cards were so much fun that I would make detours just to fill them out. The Walk & Talk finales were fun to watch and I liked how each one suited a specific character.

I think that overall the story was really good. Had its flaws here and there but it definitely had some great surprises. I was unfortunately spoiled on the VTuber's identity on Twitter. But the betrayal scene blew me away. I did NOT see that coming. Haven't felt this betrayed by a video game character since Persona 5.

Kiryu's story was really touching. I still would've liked to have seen an actual reunion with Haruka and Haruto. We all know that they mean the most to Kiryu. I feel like both Gaiden and this game heavily hinted that it might be a possibility. Heck, we almost got it if Kiryu had only OPENED the door but nope, it was done off-screen which was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the ride.

The game itself is amazing to look at. I looooooooooooooooooved exploring Hawaii. There are lots of fun sidequests. Dondoki Island was really addictive. Really enjoyed doing karaoke with everyone. Tbh I'm still playing the game in Premium Adventure where I'm just wondering around, doing some remaining sidequests just because I'm not ready to really say goodbye to it.

This game is definitely GOTY for me. Can't wait to replay. Normally, I play Yakuzea games with Japanese voice acting and English subs but I would like to replay it with English voice acting, simply so I can hear what they say during battle.

I could probably ramble on some more but I'll spare you all XD

[chainreh]

society if we had a seonhee and kiryu pure love in kamurocho duet instead of like a butterfly >>