Finally Posted It After Months

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I lost a number of my family members in the bombing of our house, and I will not bear to lose any more. I endured seeing my brother bleeding for 6 straight hours and seeing my father arrested and tortured. Survival was exhausting. Please don't leave us alone

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i love finding poetry in the mundane, and yesterday i stumbled upon something that just hits that spot

So, my partner has an old phone- It served them for many years now, but it has one issue: Charging it is hard. Their current charger is hanging on by a thread (literally), and can barely do its job. The phone and the charger came together: They've never used another charger for said phone.

Now, they've tried to replace the charging cord several times. But it doesn't matter how much they've searched what damned specific charger the phone uses, none of them work. They finally decided to bring it to a phone shop and ask what should they use.

The guy at the shop looked at the phone for a bit, and explained: "The port itself is broken. The charger you have works with this phone because they've mutually broken each other into the same shape, in a way that no other charger is shaped. The port itself has corroded in a way that only accepts the charger that shaped it like that in the first place."

And while this is of course a frustrating situation for my partner, I feel like there's a metaphor here. I could write a goddamn story about this. These two half-broken old things have been together for so long they've destroyed each other in a way that keeps them from working with anything else. They've hurt each other in a way that barely keeps them functioning together, and have been rendered useless with literally anything else.

This too is toxic yuri to me-

Did they just have their first couple fight?

Don't be so cold Donald go after him☹☹

My dad and I once had a disagreement over him using the adage "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I said, "That's just not true. Sometimes what doesn't kill you leaves you brittle and injured or traumatized."

He stopped and thought about that for a while. He came back later, and said, "It's like wood glue."

He pointed to my bookshelf, which he helped me salvage a while ago. He said, "Do you remember how I explained that, once we used the wood glue on them, the shelves would actually be stronger than they were before they broke?"

I did.

"But before we used the wood glue, those shelves were broken. They couldn't hold up shit. If you had put books on them, they would have collapsed. And that wood glue had to set awhile. If we put anything on them too early, they would have collapsed just the same as if we'd never fixed them at all. You've got to give these things time to set."

It sounded like a pretty good metaphor to me, but one thing I did pick up on was that whatever broke those shelves, that's not the thing that made them stronger. That just broke them. It was being fixed that made them stronger. It was the glue.

So my dad and I agreed, what doesn't kill you doesn't actually make you stronger, but healing does. And if you feel like healing hasn't made you stronger than you were before, you're probably not done healing. You've got to give these things time to set.

Name: Little Beepo

Skill: Fucking Miserable

Quote: Please let me have some grease from the stovetop. I’ll cry if you don’t let me have some grease. I need it.

When you ignore that it’s horrible that things like this can even happen, Elon Musk is honestly a fascinating and funny case study. Here’s a man who has built his entire reputation on:

Supposedly being highly intelligent

Never making mistakes due to point 1

If something goes wrong, it’s not his fault due to point 2

He’s coasted along on this reputation because capitalism has created an endless supply of doofuses who think anyone who has money probably did something to deserve it (he just inherited it) so all he has to do is throw money at projects that seem smart and futury and as long as they make a minor profit or produce something cool, his reputation is reinforced.

It’s not truly reinforced, obviously, because anyone with reasonable critical thinking skills can see that he’s not actually a scientist, he’s at best an investor who got lucky a couple times, and regularly takes the credit for stuff his employees make, but he’s got enough of the aforementioned doofuses that he’s gotten by so far.

He could’ve honestly kept out of the spotlight and just made infinite money if he wasn’t also an egomaniac who needs constant approval and attention. But then, for clout, he made a statement that he was going to buy Twitter. And Twitter held him to his word. And due to point 2, he can’t walk that back, because he never makes mistakes.

So now he’s lost 44 billion dollars because he couldn’t watch his mouth and cared too much about his reputation to just pay the 1 billion dollar fine to go back on his offer. So, due to point 1, he has to make it look as if he totally was going to really buy Twitter all along, and he totally has real plans for it. But Twitter is losing money, hard. So he starts looking for ways to make his money back. And somehow lands on… monetizing the system which verifies user identities…..?

No, totally a good idea, see point 2. Implementing it right away. People are misusing the new system? Not his fault, see point 3. But Twitter is largely funded by advertising, and advertisers can see what’s going on. So they start pulling out, which means Twitter just loses MORE money. Musk just dug himself a deeper hole. And now he’s just panicking while trying to convince everyone he’s got it under control. Digging deeper and deeper.

He’s fucked. He’s just totally fucked himself. And he’s taking one of the planet’s biggest social media platforms down with him. All because he can never admit making a mistake. Fucking hilarious. A cautionary tale of magnificent proportions. Tens of thousands of lives are going to be affected by this, as the platform they use to spread their work goes up in flames, and it’s horrible, but as we are suspended in the ennui, we can at least watch this moron blow up into fireworks. Amazing.

i've been rereading weak hero season 2 since the latest chapter dropped and i have some things to say about donald

spoilers under the cut

okay first of all i am so fucking pissed at seopass😭😭i can't really say much about the storytelling aspect of choosing to allow donald to die but honestly it does feel very sudden and just unfair to his character. perhaps the suddenness is my reaction because all this time it seemed like he just couldn't die, then he had had the whole arc in the final battle where we finally see a vulnerable side of him and get his full backstory, then all of a sudden he dies?? it just feels so incomplete, like the build up was for nothing🙁🙁🙁.

second of all, i'm only realising just how sad his backstory is now that i'm rereading it.

it's not just about his mother being ill, his father being abusive, and being bullied in school but also the loss of innocence in young donald. at first he was so sweet and cute, but by the time he's thirteen, he's also got a whole baby gang going, beating people up and even doing breaking and entering in one instance, taking his step father's money. then he exposes the dirt on his ex teacher and had myles joo and his boys beat him up, and smash his car outside of the school.

it also reminds me of how much donald has grown- now he would never b&e or smash an adult's car so recklessly (though ofc he did it originally knowing he couldn't get the police called on him). though still heavily involved with delinquents, violence and crime, his methods have refined as he grew, and you can see him become more calculated and less uncouth. despite the maturity of his actions at 13, in a way they're still childish, and it's a reminder that even if he's acting tough he's still a baby🙁🙁

while i was glad to watch those people get their comeuppance, i honestly felt so heartbroken watching their callous and flippant nature to crime. like, he literally has a baby face!!! he's like 5'0!!! and he's here stomping people in alleyways and committing burglary?!!! it reminded me of kaz brekker from SOC for some reason, who was innocent and naive till he had to grow up at 12 or 13 and started hustling people in gambling dens and getting in trouble with the law.

it hurts to watch how cruelly he was treated by his teachers and his schoolmates because of his poverty, and how no one did anything about it because it was just normal to them that in a school full of rich kids, it was just a given that donald was considered less than trash. then at night he was kicked out by his step father so he could cheat and drink and he had to wander around yeongdeungpo all on his own in the cold, hungry, and huddle under an apartment block?? ARE YOU JOKING😭😭

he changed so much due to the circumstances of his situation and he grew into something no one should ever have to. he isn't just strong and smart and always five steps ahead becaude of his natural talent (though that definitely helped), but because he had to be. doing badly has never been a choice for him. he needs it to survive. i've always liked donald, and i've always suspected this about his character, but hearing it be confirmed just makes me like him more.

it's so sad realising how everything about him was manufactured to fit his image- his piercings, his hair, his clothes, his tattoos, his image, the way he talks- he didn't even LIKE any of them, but they just became a part of who he was nevertheless. thinking about the way he found his tattoos repulsive when they were all over his body, and were the first things he saw whenever he looked in the mirror must've been so painful to him. but he probably thought being affected by it made him weak so🙁.

and finally, the end where it shows his attachment and love for his inner child who was never loved or taken care by anybody and had to fend for his own. the image of the older donald, covered in tattoos taking care of his small, crying younger self is so powerful😭😭like look at this i wanna kms

i wonder in another life how donald na would turn out if none of these things happened to him🙁🙁he wanted to be a NASA engineer you know🙁🙁🙁😭😭😭he had his own dreams

other things that i noted were that donald actually changes in public a lot. like seriously a lot....first on the rooftop then in the library, like this guy was just stripping at every opportunity.

and also that him not inviting gilshin and jimmy bae into the union was done on purpose as a technique to make them more willing to join? what?? that's so smart😭😭

i also found out this way that myles was a member of the union before it was even called the union?? like they rode together for three years and donald still beat his ass like damn! he is unsentimental.

i'm going to write something about the funeral chapter but that deserves its own post

i literally cannot wrap my head around the notion that there’s been a “decline” in “real art.” that music is shitty now, that books aren’t what they used to be, etc etc etc.

art is more broadly accessible than ever. it’s unbelievable. it’s divine. there’s so much art on this planet right now that i could pile it all up on a plate and devour it for the rest of my life without making a dent. denigrating the “quality” of “today’s art” is like ordering a three course meal at your favorite restaurant and complaining about a food truck on the other side of town

Hi! Could you maybe write a love triangle between Jake and Samuel when they were together in Big Deal. Like the s/o is really kind and catches Sam off guard but also has a fiery side which really intrigues Jake? (And maybe Sinu in the background cheering for Jake bc he's biased??) Thank you, sorry if it's too much❤💜

“Hey, are you going to sleep all day?!”

The calf of your foot became a blur of (s/c) when you kicked the kid before you’s chair, placing your hands on your hips. A screeching noise resounded as the legs of his chair jerked to the side a little, and you saw him stir.

At this school, you saw yourself as at the top of the hierarchy. Wether or not everyone else saw you as the same was… questionable, but your gait expressed your feeling of superiority.

So when you saw the new kid, you veiled your curiosity of himself behind a tough exterior, and approached him when you first saw him - which was sleeping at his desk in a classroom - alone. He grunted out a sigh before lifting his head from his folded elbows, and blinked at you from a lowered angle of his head.

Your face went blank. Shoulders rolling back and stiffening pensively, he could see the gears in your head turning while you just stared.

“... What?” He asked after an eternity of silence, watching your expression gradually grow more surprised the longer you ogled at him. He cocked a brow at you. “Well? Did you just wake me up for the fun of it?” He wasn’t offensive, just curious.

You turned on your heel, and shook your hand dismissively, shoulders still rigid. You waved him off as if saying he was off the hook. “Whatever, I’m not leaving you alone because I think you’re cute, or anything, I’m just feeling especially nice today. Consider yourself lucky.” You said, a dead giveaway of your real intentions.

He blinked slowly at your retreating self, lingering on you for an extended amount of time amusedly before he put his head back in his hands, and resumed his sleep. From the other side of the classroom, he could feel your stare fixate on him up until he drifted asleep again; and from behind black eyelashes, (e/c) optics observed the rise and fall of his shoulders before your eyes fluttered to a close as well, and you lost consciousness.

That was technically the first time you met Jake Kim. But the time he finally noticed you, was only moments after.

When you woke up again, rather than seeing a classroom devoid of people aside from the two of you, your eyes flitted open to see a sea of knocked out students surrounding your seat. Your mouth fell agape, and the shock of it all cleared away the sleepiness in your system.

‘What happened while I was asleep…?!’

You lifted yourself up on your elbows with wide eyes scanning the room around you, when the kid you’d disturbed from sleep earlier turned the corner to enter the classroom. He seemed taken aback at the fact that you were finally awake, and leaned against the doorway, observing the room.

“Did you do all this?” He asked. He knew you didn’t - in fact, he had done it, and he wasn’t sure what had become of him when he asked that. He just felt inclined too. Upon seeing him, you seemed flustered, and defensively leaned back, striking a pose with your arm.

“Y-yeah… yeah! This was all me.” You jabbed a finger to your chest in pride, “I’m a pretty tough person, you see. The guys in this school kind of suck, but don’t worry, ‘cus I can take ‘em if they try and mess with you! They basically cower when they see me.”

Why you answered that way - why you lied, neither of you could really say exactly. As soon as the words had left your mouth, you saw him narrow his eyes, before he smiled almost exasperatedly - like you were a hassle in and of yourself.

None could tell why you’d fibbed, but the way you’d ended the sentence was undeniably your bashful declaration of friendship, and “protection” - as though you were an important part of this school, and he took it.

“Okay, I’ll take you up on that. You’ll need to know my name if you’re gonna be helping me out, right?”

You nodded vigorously, and he pulled himself off the frame of the door. “I’m Jake Kim. You?”

“Uhh…” for whatever reason you seemed starstruck, and had to collect your thoughts before finally responding, “(y/n).”

That was how you had officially met Jake Kim, and how he officially met you.

From then on, you were glued to his side. You swore it was the other way around, but it was clear to see you were the follower here. But regardless of who played what role, it was clear as day that you and him were attached by the hip.

It was only natural that, when he joined Big Deal, you followed suit. You followed him everywhere he went - and it was expected you’d go there, too.

And that was the first time you met Samuel Seo.

Technically, the very first time you and him met was when you and your friendship group as well as him and Alexander Hwang had lied about being Big Deal to an opposing gang. You’d furiously insisted that you guys weren’t a part of Big Deal, in an attempt to save your asses, and had a huge ‘X’ over your chest as the other gang approached you all - and when you all had ran from the scene, you were the first to bolt - the others following. It wasn’t much of cowardice, more like knowing how you could take on. You talked big, and seemed airheaded - but truth was you weren’t too dull in your senses. But neither of you noticed each other.

You and Samuel knew of each other, but the first time you really met was after you’d all become a real part of Big Deal, and you were pulled your weight by joining the ladies who worked in the shops lining the street. He was always complaining about how you and the ladies were slackers, and skeptic on whether or not you all actually did anything.

You tended to a clothes shop, and he entered with the air of a boss or CEO coming to inspect how well you were working. He had clearly came in ready to accuse you of doing nothing, and with somewhat good reason, as when he entered the clothes were unkempt and you were idly hanging around.

A dress had fallen from a hanger on a rack, and he eyed it, before turning to you. “Do you do anything in here?”

You crossed your arms across your chest with a ‘hmph’. “Uhm, yes!” You said matter-of-factly.

Clearly not satisfied with your answer, he gestured to the dress on the floor.

“Then why is this here?”

“What is this, an interrogation?!” You guffawed, “you know, this job is harder than you think! It isn’t that easy.”

He raised a brow as if saying, ‘oh, really?’, before he bent down and picked up the dress in one motion, saying, “you’re right - it isn’t that easy.” Hanging it on the rack, he then turned to you. “It’s this easy.”

He seemed arrogant, knowing he’d proved you wrong. You felt like a shriveled up sponge underneath his stare, and froze. A squeak of embarrassment left you, and the two of you engaged in eye contact for a prolonged amount of time. It had lasted for so long, he began to view his reflection in the black of your pupils, and the silence was only interrupted by your sudden and stifled, “pfft!”

You covered your mouth with your hand, but that couldn’t hide your chuckles, or the way your shoulders hopped up and down humorously. He blanched.

“What in the world is so funny?”

“I don’t know,” you smiled, “something about you is just funny.” His demeanor was still cold, but you had began to warm up, like melted butter. The edges of your lips turned upwards naturally, taut into a smile by strings of glee, and your smile ran all the way to your eyes. Samuel’s shoulders slumped, and he seemed somehow offended.

Taking a step closer to you, he glared at you. “I’m not funny - I’m the new leader of Big Deal, and your superior.”

You kept your giddy expression. “No - you’re funny, and inviting, aaaaaaand my friend?”

Samuel Seo was always conviniently good at separating beauty from the person. When he saw a pretty girl, or a handsome guy, and liked them - they were beautiful, but he separated their looks from the person. But the source of your beauty came from your person - and you weren’t beautiful, but beauty became you. His eyes widened a fraction at what seemed to be a proposal of friendship, and he blew air out of his nose frustratedly, not sparing you another glance as he left your little shop. You watched his leaving form with a delighted countenance. And that was how you and Samuel Seo truly met each other.

When it came to the receiver of love, it could be hard to tell if someone was expressing camaraderie or wanting of something more. However, from an outsiders’ perspective, it was rather easy to pick up on - and in this case, that outsider was Sinu Han.

There was a look of adoration like no other in your eyes when you’re in love, and that twinkle of endearment was in Jake’s eyes every time he turned to you. The smile on his lips formed itself when you were near, chatting away at him endlessly, and he would merely nod and listen - absorbing your words with a contented look. Like being with you was living a long, fulfilling life in every conversation.

You were crouched on the floor and spooning at the Chinese food from one of the shops in the neighborhood when Sinu’s line of vision spied Jake approaching you, and he grinned, recalling what he was like young and in love - and deciding to give Jake a push, quite literally.

Sinu’s hand pressed against his back, his foot shifting in front of Jake’s to force him to fall. His expression grew panicked as he fell, and a shocked cry left him - causing you to turn around just in time to readjust yourself further back - albeit not back enough. He tumbled down atop of you, one hand breaking his fall and keeping him levitating over you by your head, the other by your lower body.

“Ah - sorry,” he apologized flatly, like his voice and the need to talk was forgotten, the two of you staring at eachother intently. You nodded, mumbling an “it’s okay” plainly, eyes darting back and forth to match his. His face blanched, and then grew red, and the stammer of words lost as soon as they met your lips was your tell of flustered ness. You’d get up - had his hands not caged you on the floor, and you just engaged in eye contact until Sinu slapped him on the back encouragingly.

“Atta boy, Jake!” He said teasingly, simpering. “I didn’t know you were so interested in (y/n). But get a room!”

This seemed to break your shared trance, and he pulled himself up off of you cleanly. “Sorry, (y/n),” he apologized, sending a glare to Sinu behind him, who gave him a non-discreet thumbs up. He could say Sinu tripped him and let you know he didn’t fall on top of you, but that could risk revealing his feelings if you inquired why he’d tripped him over you, so he resorted to a little white lie.

“I didn’t mean to fall on top of you. My bad.”

You shook your hand dismissively, “it’s fine, it’s fine. No harm done.” You said, immediately moving onto another topic - inviting him to eat with you, though it was more like you telling him he would, and he nodded an ‘okay’.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll be right back, (y/n).” He excused himself briefly, unaware of the two narrowed eyes following the two of you, who’d seen the whole thing.

Samuel didn’t like the way your name rolled off Jake’s tongue.

He didn’t want to hear it coming from him again.

Samuel had come into your shop indignantly after noticing you and Jake, and sat on the couch by the window without saying a thing to you. When you’d noticed him, you’d greeted him casually, and sat besides him on the couch - noticing two golden knuckle-bracelets caching the light of the sun filtering through.

Absentmindedly, you grabbed his hand and played with the golden accessories, namely the one on his left hand. He hadn’t noticed you pull out a marker with a head full of air when he opened his mouth and began to talk, enjoying the way you fiddled with his fingers.

“Your relationship with Jake. What is it?”

You didn’t pause whatever you were doing with his hand, “we’re best friends. Why?”

He soaked in that information, brooding, pensive. “...” He was hesitant to say what he was going to say next, and whilst the first half of the sentence fell out of his mouth his eyes drifted to your hands and his, “and what are w- are you coloring my ring with marker?”

You snapped up at the furious tone in his voice which he kept controlled, filtering it through hard and impactful words forced out through gritted teeth. Immediately your hands stopped, and you recoiled a bit. “Is that- bad…? I thought it was just a little accessory…”

His brows furrowed downwards angrily, “of course it’s bad, this is a knuckle ring! It’s for fighting! What opponent is gonna be intimidated by someone with a knuckle ring which says-“ he paused to read whatever you’d wrote on his knuckle ring with squinted eyes, “-which says (y/n)!”

You shrunk back into yourself. “Does it wash o-“

You didn’t get to finish your sentence as he began to rub against the marker, the ink not budging. “No! It doesn’t!”

You seemed to be consumed by guilt, “I’m so-“

“Being sorry doesn’t do you a thing.” He cut you off coldly, slumping back against the couch in furious thought. You could see he was absorbing the situation, and he was breathing heavily in anger - so you just sat silently, lips forming an uncertain line.

After a few breaths, he seemed to cool down - and spying the expression on your face which was ridden with regret, he sighed. “... it’s fine.”

Your eyes widened. “Really? But you were so mad.” You frowned.

“I can always buy new ones if need be. Plus, if I have someone’s name on my ring… it makes my opponent think I have a significant other, or something and it-“ he coughed awkwardly, “well, it makes it seem like I have someone to fight for. And that makes me seem all the more dangerous, right?”

You chuckled, the sun pouring in highlighting the side of your face and bedecking your smile, your hands clenched into fists at your knees, still shaken from his small outburst. “... You know how you’re always going don’t interrupt me to people, and hate being talked over?” You asked, standing up to look over his sitting person, “well, you interrupted me, you know. Twice. While you were yelling.” You had a cheeky, playful grin, “what a hypocrite.” You were clearly joking, the sun setting you alight.

He blinked slowly at you, before chuckling. “... You’re right. I did.”

Specks of dust became stagnant under the sun’s glare, making the scene between the two of you dreamy, and time felt like it had come to a standstill. The clock stopping for you two.

He grabbed your hand which rested at your side, and lifted it to the side of his face. “You get two free hits, then,” his eyes never left yours despite his movement, “you can hit me twice.”

You leaned in closer to him, crouching slightly. “No, I don’t want to do that,” you said, trance-like.

“I don’t hit people when I’m mad.”

That was a direct critique to his ways and habits, and he seemed hypnotized, both of you luring the other closer. “Oh? Then what do you do when you’re angry?” He asked, leaning in. You mirrored the action.

“You wouldn’t get to know right now, because I’m not angry at you.” You said.

“Then what are you at me?”

Your noses nearly brushed against each other, and your eyes nearly blinked close in unison before you pulled away abruptly, tapping his nose. “You’ll never know.” Like the teetering push and pull of waves on an ocean against a boat, you and him got closer and farther with each interaction, and it felt like the next time, the boat would rock forwards, and be submerged by the waters entirely.

—

“We’re both in love, so I should be the leader of Big Deal. I’ll follow more closely in your footsteps.” Samuel’s words were unconvincing, and Sinu Han blinked languidly, amused.

“You’re in love?” He said, as if hadnt been able to tell already. Samuel felt superior to Jake in this, it felt like him and Sinu had something Jake didn’t - but unbeknownst to him, this feeling was just as close to Jake as it was to him.

“Well, watch out - because you’re not the only one.” He chirped, and Samuel paused.

“... What?”

The incentive to hate Jake had never burnt so passionately, and Sameul let his words process in his mind before he formed a response. “Jake may be in love with whoever, but as for me, I’m in love with someone who’s in love with me as well.” He felt there was a sense of kinship between him and Sinu thanks to this, but the man wasn’t moved.

“Being in love has nothing to do with being a leader. If anything, it makes it harder, wouldn’t you think?”

Samuel’s hands balled into fists at his sides. “I have something Jake doesn't - isn’t that enough?! I’ve bested him in this. I’m one step closer to you!”

Sinu shook his head with a dry laugh. “Don’t get too cocky about that - what you’re prideful about is gonna end up being your downfall.” Sinu has no idea how right he was.

Samuel’s lips formed a frown as Sinu began to walk away, cutting off the conversation abruptly, but he still felt a sense of superiority to Jake.

Jake had everything. Sinu’s favoritism, Samuel’s rightful dad, but what Jake actually wanted Sameul was sure was his - and he wanted it, too.

Jake Kim had everything Samuel Seo wanted - besides you. (At least, that’s what HE thought).

Upon the arrival of Goo and Gun, and the rush to gain money fast, time with you wasn’t as often as before. The rest of Big Deal, unaware of the relationship growing between you and Samuel, weren’t giving you any leniency when it came to the need for money - and pressed for you to do whatever it took to gain come cash, ethical or not.

This pressure for you to pull your own weight was carried on behind your back, too. Since it was unbeknownst to them of your budding relationship with Sameul, there was the illusion of free speech when it came to anyone not immediately present. Two nameless faces talked of you whilst you were absent, facing eachother.

“Does (y/n) do anytning? I get the ladies don’t do much, but they’re barely pulling a few cents in weekly. They’re either a horrible salesman, or just slacking off twenty four-seven.”

“They really need to start earning their keep…”

One of the two gossiping of you chortled, “the only way they could finally catch up to how much they need to make is if they whor-“

A face suddenly planted itself between the two, obstructing their view of eachother. Both swallowed dryly at the familiar intervener. “Samuel-“

He smiled uncharacteristically sweetly, a saccharine tug on his lips that was sickeningly artificial. “Who are you two talking about?”

“Uhh,” they struggled to find the words, but one of the two gossipers gulped down and grew the courage. Surely he felt the same - they saw the way he talked about the ladies behind their back, and what they should start doing to earn money, and surely you were no exception. “(Y/n). They run the clothes shop that barely makes anything.”

The lines on the edges of his lips twitched. “What were you saying just no-“

“Oh, we were just talking about how they need to start earning more. Maybe selling into pro-“

THUD

With a pained cry, one of the two bad-mouthers hit the floor; looking up with a wince to see Samuel’s fist clenched where his face one was. A brass knuckle coated his fingers, another one on his resting hand displaying a name engraved.

Your name.

“One. Don’t interrupt me.” Samuel sent them a glower. “Two. Never say (y/n)’s name again.”

It was that day he realized he truly hated your name falling off anyone’s lips but his. His smile was long gone, an indifferent look now across his facial features.

From that day on, Samuel Seo gained two quirks - of sorts; he hated people interrupting him.

And he hated people saying your name.

In his frustration, the next time he was offered a break, he chose to utilize it to the fullest - and visit you.

The small walk to your shop wasn’t time consuming in the slightest, and he was there in an instant. But he wasn’t greeted by the sight of you, alone, tending slowly to the clothes and hanging an assortment of shirts and tops on hangers. Instead, he came across you. And Jake.

Laughing.

He should’ve known - for whatever reason, he’s thought differently. Maybe it was the sunrise always entering through your large glass display which made his thoughts blurry and incoherent, or the way he didn’t dwell on unpleasant things when around you that he wasn’t able to realize you didn’t only ever smile like that to him. He’d convinced himself it was reserved for him, but you playfully judged Jake’s shoulder and batted your eyes, and he drew a conclusion which was far from correct. He thought the two of you were in love. But now, it was glaring at him in the face.

You were in love with Jake.

How he came to this decision for you, who knows - but the first thing that came into his mind when he saw how you and him looked at eachother in this sunset was love, and he told himself that was the case - the truth. Like a drug, love drives you crazy; and when divided into three, it’s a natural-born killer.

He felt betrayed, for whatever reason. You hadn’t promised Samuel Seo a thing, and yet it’d felt like that day in the pretty sunlight you and him had given eachother your lives. It felt like it was staring him in the face the whole time - of course you loved Jake; you guys were friends for longer. Sinu Han cheered him on in his pursuits of you, and it seemed blatant now that Samuel reflected on it. He wondered if Sinu cheered Jake on because he knew you liked him, or if he just liked Jake better.

Whatever it was, he realized one thing.

Jake Kim had everything Samuel Seo wanted.

In a fit of anger, and confusion, Samuel scouted the nearest girl in the vicinity - the one wearing a leopard print over a pair of overalls, with a short hair cut. His hands gripped her shoulders, and only one thought ran through his mind as he did what he did next - he wanted to make you feel as bad as you’d made him.

He wanted you to feel just as betrayed.

And then, his lips met hers; with a struggling gasp from her. The action was dramatic enough to draw the attention of you and Jake, and you froze in place, shoulders rising in shock. A million emotions swirled in your eyes at once, and your brows arched upwards sadly, like you’d come to a horrible yet uncertain realization. Your mouth still formed a small frown as it fell open.

“Samuel-“ your hands reached out to him despite being afar, like you wanted to wrap him into your palm and close your fist on him. “-what are you doing…?”

From the tone of shock and utter confusion in your tone, it was clear that you both had believed you had something going on between the two of you - to Jake’s chagrin. He narrowed his eyes at Samuel and angry lines formed between his eyes.

Your voice was like a hand which pulled him off from her, and Samuel stood to full height - the girl he’d kissed stumbling aback in surprise, and huffing angrily; turning tail the other way. You were too focused on Samuel to notice how the kiss wasn’t even consensual, and when he locked eyes with you, he leaned back tauntingly.

“What?” He asked, tone as cold as ice.

“I thought we were…?” Your expression was indecipherable. He laughed humorlessly.

“What are you talking about?” His eyes squinted at you, jeeringly. “You think I’m just tied down to you-? It’s just like my dad said. A real man loves his ladies.”

By your side, you could feel Jake go rigid; and his lips formed a scowl briefly. The words he hated, which were directed to his mom, someone he loved - were now directed towards you; and he swallowed a sense of dread, which dropped in his stomach like a weight. He wouldn’t let it happen again. Especially not to you - never to you. He wouldn’t let you be told those words ever again.

You wouldn’t be told the words he told her.

Wasting no time, Jake leapt onto Samuel, tackling him to the ground. He grabbed him by the cuff of his collar.

“What the fuck is your problem?!”

A loud smack resounded, and Jake fell to the side when Samuel’s fist collided with his face - his right hand lifted in the after motion. A sick grin crawled onto his face, “you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that, Jake!” He exclaimed.

“You’re no man,” Jake wiped the specks of dust which collected at the side of his mouth from impact with the floor with his wrist. Without any hast, Samuel climbed on top of him and a series of thuds revertabrated from below him as he sent punch after punch rolling to his face.

Jake’s arms crept up along the sides of Samuel until they landed on his torso, and he flipped the two so that he was on top of him. From behind, you could see drops of blood fall from Jake’s face, and felt a fear instilled in you.

“What?! You’re fighting me to defend that whore?” Samuel asked with a laugh. “Well, whatever! Enjoy my sloppy seconds!”

You were flabbergasted. “But we never-“

“Shut up!” Jake’s fist raised high and came descdending down to Samuel’s face, and you decided you couldn’t stand to watch any longer - wishing you’d had the resolve to do this the moment the two began to brawl.

“I hope the two of you live a happy li-,” Samuel said condescendingly, as if he were looking down on the two of you, and you ripped Jake off of him, him stumbling aback while you bent over Samuel, turning furious eyes to him.

“What’s going on?! What is going on with you?”

Samuel stood to his feet, lifting himself up with a propped elbow, and his hand raised above his head. “Don’t-“

You knew what was coming next, reciting the phrase in your head. Don’t interrupt me. Was he really going to hit you-?

Jake watched with horrified eyes as his hand was brought down to you, and moved to intervene as you braced for impact; yelling a “don’t touch them,” but rather than a punch, he just landed his hand on the side of your face gently. You blinked your eyes open confusedly, seeing the sunset paint his sorrowful smile a despairing orange.

“- interrupt me.” His left hand stayed on the side of your head, and you stammered.

“Wha... what even- what’s with that look?! You just-!”

“I…” he started, a sad glimmer in his eyes, “don’t hit people I like when I’m angry.”

“Wha-“ you were getting whiplash from the sudden change in temper, when a hand wrapped around your shoulder from behind - and you looked back at Jake. He nodded at you, gesturing for the two of you to go - and you spared one last look at Samuel before following Jake, who spared him one last glare before leaving with you.

It was an odd thing to notice, but Samuel’s left fist was unscathed - as was the brass knuckle around it.

You didn’t see much of Samuel Seo after that - and until the end, Jake Kim got everything Samuel Seo ever wanted.

Not soon afterwards, things began to get confusing for you, and in a sudden turn of events, Jake was appointed to be the leader of Big Deal. And despite being up in the hierarchy now and meant to keep his lips shut under lock and key, that didn’t stop him from confiding in you.

“Sinu Han lied about selling Big Deal… and sold himself?” You recited what he’d just told you as a question, and he nodded, watching your eyes straiten in disbelief.

“That freaking bastard! Why not just tell us what happened?” You voiced your frustration, blowing out a steam of air through your mouth. He simply nodded again.

“...Yeah.”

You looked down at your feet, thoughts clearly racing; and he took a chance. The pads of his fingertips lifted to yours, as if testing the waters, and you looked back at him from beneath lidded eyelids. He pushed his hand further, until your fingers intertwined.

You blinked as if asking what he wants to say, and he leaned in a little bit. “... You know, I’d never sell Big Deal.”

You puffed air into your cheeks, ignorant to his serious air. “You better not.”

He leaned in closer, fiddling with his and your fingers. “And you know, I’d never sell myself.”

You were somewhat taken aback by how much closer he was getting, and just hummed in response this time. Taking a leap of faith, he leant in one last inch closer to you.

“And you know… I’d never leave you.”

Then, he closed the only distance between the two of you.

That was how you and Jake Kim finally got together.

—

Years later, rumors floated around that you began to attend J High. Your boyfriend was apparently in Juvie for the time being, and you seemed to be carrying on alright without him.

These rumors weren’t exempt from reaching even Samuel Seo - who was now a part of the workers.

Before him, a student sat. Daniel Park. The interview he was conducting with him was certainly interesting to say the least, and after asking if he’d somehow insulted the bespectacled boy before him, he noticed Daniel’s eyes linger on his name tag.

“Your name is… Samuel Seo?” He asked, and Samuel nodded as a response, hands folded together professionally.

“Yes. Wh-“

He shook his head, as if trying to brush off a memory arising. “Oh, nothing, there’s just this student at my school who’s mentioned you before… (y/n). I thought you were their boyfriend in Juvie from how much they mentioned you.” He smiled bashfully, but Samuel’s eyes went bloodshot. A dark shadow swept across his expression, and Daniel leaned back when Samuel rocked forward intimidatingly.

“Don’t interrupt me. And don’t say (y/n)‘s name.”

The rest of that day, after that mention of your name, Samuel was unusually distressed.

And it felt almost nostalgic to his Big Deal days when a handful of days and nights later, Daniel was before him - the large, taller Daniel, and the two were both in ready positions to fight.

Samuel slid his brass knuckle onto his right hand, his hair falling back into place like how it was styled during his Big Deal days. “Why do you think I’m not getting their approval?” He asked Daniel, “what’s the reason they won’t approve of me? That they both chose Jake?”

Immediately, a punch was sent to Daniel’s face with the hand wrapped in gold, but Daniel got back up. “So, it was a brass knuckle… that thing I saw in that place was a knuckle. I wondered why it had (y/n)’s name on it, but that also let me know it was undeniably yours. I knew it… I’m smart… it’s a good thing… that I…” Samuel watched as Daniel lifted his left brass knuckle, and slid it onto his fingers, your name displayed across the indents in the brass with permanent marker from al” those years ago. “...kept it.”

Daniel continued, “So then, let’s-“

Samuel cut him off. “What the heck. I was wondering where the other one went! Hey, my only other rule around here-“ he grinned maniacally. It seemed like Samuel Seo only had two rules, but it was actually three - three things which you don’t do around or to him.

You don’t interrupt him.

You don’t say (y/n)‘s name.

And-

“-you don’t touch my left knuckle!”

(Unedited)

This ended up so long, I rlly hope it was what you wanted LMAO if it wasn’t go ahead and shoot me another rq saying how u actually wanted it. Thank u sm for requesting!!!! 💘 also sorry of the format is weird, I copy and pasted to tumblr and that oddly enough made the indents in paragraphs wonky...

Weak Hero is really good but there’s like no responsible adults in that webtoon lmao

Excuse the inconsistent art style, these were drawn at different points in time