2025-07-27: What The Textbooks Didn't Tell You
- Log: What The Textbooks Didn't Tell You
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Myunghon Yeo
- Where: The Cardboard Dragon
- OOC Date: 2025-07-27
- IC Date: Saturday, June 16 2012
- Summary: Tsubasa skips school and hits up a bookstore. Unfortunately, they're stealing from Myunghon. Fortunately, Myunghon appreciates their moxie, and gives them a few lessons in life... as well as a reward for their crimes, and proof that other people really are 'X's like they are.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa was happy to find the Cardboard Dragon. They actually kinda like TCGs, you know? More to the point: other people like them, and are willing to pay bank for good cards.
And so, here they are. In a tank-top cut short to expose their belly -- one light enough to expose some of the bandaging around their chest -- and artfully-ripped jeans (torn with a craft knife), Tsubasa has ambled into the Cardboard Dragon to peruse the wares. Lance is waiting outside, of course, like the very good dog she is. In here...
It's hard to get away with shit when the cards are by the front counter, but Tsubasa's an expert. They pick up what looks to all the world like one booster pack -- it's really three -- of Faerie: The Beckoning cards, examining them thoughtfully. "Maybe..."
But then -- "Eh, better not," they shrug, as they slip a pinky in between the packs, separating them out. It lets them appear to place the pack back on the shelf -- because they do place one pack back on the shelf, their hand dropping behind the counter immediately after. Their fingers are covering the other packs, of course.
But they can't just hide them in their hand, so their next move is to 'realise', "... shit, my laces." They crouch down, as if to fix them up; as they do, they slide the packs up into the cuff of their jeans, to tuck them into their ankle-length sneakers, snug between sock and shoe. Of course, they made sure to fuck their laces up before they got in, so anyone looking over will certainly see them tying them back up.
With the cuffs of their jeans thoughtfully obscuring their crimes, they straighten back up. "Hype for the 2012 set, though," they say, as if they were continuing on a conversation like normal and they hadn't just done a crime. "Comin' out next month. Should be sick."
They're good at acting casual.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon would normally be leaving till business to Gumiho. Gumiho seems like such a natural expert at it, and she's always somewhat entranced by all these individual little yen coins even though Myunghon always keeps telling them to let people dump 'em in the coin-sucking machine that counts the right change right away. Gumiho is ALSO pointedly Not Here right now, though, because school's on... or something... or maybe it's Free Time.
And as such, the white-haired owner of the Cardboard Dragon is here instead, watching a rather artistically inclined teen ('hmm,' they muse, as they note the bandaging), not content with naturally fraying jeans nor pre-ripped jeans and taking matters into their own hands peruse some of the Faerie booster packs. There's a cozy little smile as they lean against the counter, perhaps hoping they could be out on the couch stacking Koalas or whatever it is has their hyperfixation this week.
Then Tsubasa kneels over to tie their laces! "Mmm, mmm. That's really important, you know. Look forward to the 2012 set! Also--"
There's a wide, lazy smile as they lean on the counter to say, "Hey kid. That was a pretty slick move, and with no wingmate either." They pull out one of the booster packs and holds it up with the end of two of their fingers' digits. "I think you're missing a few tricks you should know, though. Watch--"
Myunghon just seems to rotate their wrist and the booster pack moves along, momentarily glinted by the light coming in from outside the window -- and then it's gone!
"If you're interested, I'll call the packs a freebie on the house."
Myunghon why are you trying to recruit the shoplifting teen by giving away what they've already lifted from your shop????
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa looks about school-aged, though it's a bit hard to tell, with all that fake tan and makeup on them. They also happen to be skipping school today, having walked out furious with a teacher who kept insisting on calling them the name on the roll.
... they felt bad bringing that kind of negativity to Julian when they were such a dick to him the first time, so they didn't even bother, and just bounced.
But hey, this is the best time to hit up a store like this, right? Before everyone else gets out of class and it gets crowded. Well, crowds can be useful in some cases... but all those eyes are a double-edged sword.
The owner seems kind of weird, like, are they okay? Is Tsubasa stealing from someone who just had an eye operation? (Does that bother them? ... nah, it just makes it easier.) Myunghon leans forward on the counter to shatter their preconceptions, though, and they can pick up the exact moment they realise they weren't as blind as they thought. "Uh," they say, gruff as gravel, and it can't entirely cover the sheer level of OH SHIT.
... wait a sec, how did they know they team up with Shizuko all the time?!
They shift back, on a heel, when Myunghon shows them a magic trick. "What the fuck?" They ask, stunned, as they mentally calculate how many exit points are in the store. "You some kinda magician or some shit?"
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
In a way, Myunghon is always having an eye operation. They look like they've just been sent to the hospital by some rough criminal action, that's for certain, and it's not just for show too -- much like how Tsubasa's showing some bandages underneath their clothing, there's a bit of scarring peeking out from underneath the bandages too.
"Ha ha! No, if I were a magician, I'd probably be living it up in a Las Vegas hotel stage or something, wouldn't I?" Myunghon lets out a chuckle. Then they lean forward, eye narrowed a little. "I'm just Myunghon Yeo, owner of the Cardboard Dragon. You can let your dog in if you want, I'm not picky about pets in the store."
There's two exit points in the store, but right now, there's only one, because the 'regular' store entrance is closed once more, leaving only the fire escape entrance. Which is totally some kind of fire code violation. No wonder this store vibed weirdly in the first place!! They've turned it into a bottleneck!!
"I like the drip, by the way. What do you say you open your hard-earned spoils here, and I'll buy the cards off off you? That'll give you liquid hard cash, rather than some shiny packs you gotta fence off to someone else. You got a name?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
There are scars under Tsubasa's bandages, but they're incidental to why they're there. Their own scars have been papered over with concealer and fake tan, but look closely, and you can see where the skin is textured differently, subtle variations in colour...
"Uh, that's fine, thanks," Tsubasa says, that artifice covering up the way they pale a little more, hearing Myunghon identify their dog. Shit. Is this some, like, front or something? Is this dude yakuza? Fuck, that's SO above their pay grade?!
They can't help themself, though -- they're flattered by someone actually liking their schtick. Little did they know, they were being disarmed by compliments to hear more of Myunghon's scheming! Shock crosses their face again when they're so direct about it all, but they can't cover up the way their offer is sorely tempting, either.
Cash is something which is always in short supply...
"It's -- it's Seki, Yeo-san," they answer, a hand rubbing at the back of their neck as they avert their gaze away. They're trying to be polite, anyway. "Tsubasa Seki."
It feels totally insane to crouch back down and pull the cards out, but what are they going to do, tell this person they didn't do it? No way, they like their ears where they are. They try to play it cool, as they open up the packs...
... there's a Haruspex Nightspinner and an Earthborn Angel in here, but the biggest haul is the Grave Giant, the sort of rare card anyone could build an entire deck around. It makes thrall tokens whenever it attacks.
"Damn," they say, stunned on an entirely different angle. "Don't usually find shit that good in these."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon isn't peeking *that* intently, because... well, that'd be weird, still, even if they're a weirdo. There's lines. They're a little spooked, though, so they let up on tipping off things that they've picked out ahead of time -- it doesn't look like that's particularly necessary anymore, anyway.
They do think about the bandaging, though. How *they* used to bandage, too, even overnight, and how much pressure they were putting on their ribs.
"Tsubasa Seki..." Myunghon rubs their chin. "Do you like the name? Like wings to get you out of a rock and a hard place." They seem to like it, anyway -- and at the very least, they've offered it to Myunghon, when Myunghon would've been happy with a psuedonym.
Of course, the reading could be anything, but 'tsubasa' and 'seki' first just makes them want to pun with wings and stones. It feels... metaphorically apt, for this youth.
But then, it's card-opening time! "Ooh, nice, nice. Let's see..." Myunghon pulls open an album. "The Giant's worth 5,800 yen on its own, but I'll take it for a cool six Sosekis." 6 of the Natsume Sosekis! 6,000 yen. "The rest, hmm hmm... you know what, we'll call it an even Yukichi. It's in my tsumei, you know."
They gave Tsubasa a Korean name just like that, so they probably mean their Japanese name. Myorei Yukichi. Out comes the crisp Fukuzawa Yukichi, just like that. It's still stiff and clean.
The way Tsubasa says they don't usually find shit that good catches their attention, though. That suggests that they might enjoy the game for what it is, not just as a ways to make ends meet from which cards are valuable. "Do you like playing Faerie? We have competitions every other week here, and if you do not even a half-bad job, you'll end up walking away with more cards than you signed up for. I feel like you're the kind of person who's got a good head for winning these."
A pause, and then there's a tilt of their head with a smile. "And if not... I might have some other ways that can land you some nice cash on the side."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Eh," they shrug, "I like Tsubasa. Can't really get out of Seki." They're really not helping that whole hard place analogy, there.
Their 'tsumei', though... Tsubasa scratches at the back of their neck, again, because they can't very well scratch their head with that wig on. "Your, uh, what?" They ask, sounding honestly confused. They're not stupid, but that's not a word they've encountered in the textbooks they've read.
(Because the names which Koreans had to take to avoid discrimination aren't discussed in the textbooks. Indeed, little of the country is at all.)
They get to be confused again when Myunghon offers them a cool ten thousand yen, though that might make more sense. (Which is a little tragic, really, considering that's about the cost of a video game...) "Seriously?" They ask, as if Myunghon's playing some kind of trick. "Shit, could actually book another appointment at the salon with money like that... okay, sure!" Yoink.
Myunghon may note, as they open up their wallet to stuff the money in, that the cash already in there comes to a grand sum of two 1000-yen notes. Either they're really bad at managing their money, or...
They brighten up a bit more when Myunghon compliments their card-playing skills, too. "Yeah. It's cool. Not all these cards sell good, so I been buildin' shit from everything I'm left with... oughta check it out."
Though... Myunghon tilts their head, and Tsubasa's tilts away, fingers pressing at their cheek. "Oughta clear shit like that with the Boss," they say, betraying that they have one in the process. "Like, all respect to you, but it seems like you're, uh, legit legit... wouldn't be right for me to make that call on my own, y'know?"
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
It's not an unexpected response. Okay with their own name. Wants to get out of the family. Yeah... it's *rude* to call it the Hirasaka 'special', cause this neighbourhood feels sometimes like it's trying to attract that kind of situation, doesn't it? Kasu High calling itself a Reform school, pretty much just being a dumping ground for students other schools don't want -- and by circumstance, their families...
"A Japanese name," Myunghon just explains plainly, not seeming offended that Tsubasa doesn't know. Why would they? Even in Kasu High, discrimination close to home just isn't a topic a history teacher would be teaching. It's not even on the top 100 list of things to bury in a nice, clean Japanese History textbook. "Every time I get in trouble with the cops, it's the one they want on the koseki," they chuckle, being able to hear Officer Ishiba yell at them again.
Still, a cool ten-thou is a cool ten-thou, and it looks like they could use it. Tsubasa seems to get some excitement out of talking about card games, though, so they spend a bit of time on that: "You know... this Giant's the hot new card, as you know. Everyone wants it in their decks. But... it makes them predictable, doesn't it? You already know what the Giant does, and with what you're left with... I think you could still play a winning hand."
But on the topic of employment -- they've got to clear it with their Boss. "Ah. I see. The Death Boss, maybe?" Myunghon ventures a guess, but comes up wrong. They're not *quite* up to speed on all the different Bosses of Kasu High. "No, I understand, Tsubasa-kun." They pause, and then push a little into speculation theory:
"If this Boss' worth following in their first place, then you wouldn't want to disappoint them making deals behind their back, hmm?"
They can see it. It's not the home life that does anything for them. The image, the salon they mentioned, the tanning, following a Boss... in order to have some measure of peace and safety someplace as rough as Hirasaka, students do often find that they have to organise it themselves.
They've had their share of Kasu students that mistrust them -- because they've been conditioned to not trust adults.
Maybe it's moments like this today that keep them here.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Oh," Tsubasa says, when Myunghon explains. "Right, yeah, uh... guess it's like that, right? My father used to just talk about 'those people,' y'know, like burakumin and shit, and I guess Koreans too, now I think about it... eh, don't worry about it, he doesn't want me neither."
It's probably not the smartest thing to say about finally figuring out what the big deal about their name is, but at least Tsubasa immediately disclaims the stance. ... and it's not as if too many households in Japan wouldn't say frightful things, behind closed doors, anyway.
"It's kinda cool," they volunteer, on the subject of card games. "Since, like, people see trash cards and assume you don't know shit, or you just like the art... but if you figure out how the game works, you can make weird shit work out."
They shake their head, though, when Myunghon brings up Eikichi. "All power to the Death Boss, man, but I ain't his. I'm with the Thorn Boss," they thump their wrapped chest, in some manner of salute. "And I ain't about to speak for her." A sukeban! That suggests certain things about Tsubasa, right on the face of it.
Adults in general aren't generally trustworthy, but... Myunghon seems legit. They're even reasonably sure they're not going to drag them out back and stab them any more!
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon doesn't seem phased one bit by it -- but it feels good, in a way, for Tsubasa to put more of a face to what makes them want to escape 'Seki'. It's not hard to figure out, but the thing is... it doesn't make it any *better* that it's not hard to figure out.
"That makes two of us, Tsubasa-kun. My dad's a real scumbag too," Myunghon holds their hand out like they wanna fistbump about shitty dads. "I piss him off everyday wearing this name, not hiding it like it's something to be ashamed of."
That's so weird, Myunghon thinks, that that's the first time they've talked about Seiichirou for a long time, and with a teen, even. But where Myunghon Yeo is 'Myunghon Yeo' to stick it to their dad... they have an inkling some of what Tsubasa's presenting's also about sticking it to him. Not all of it, of course, but...
Making weird shit work... that's invigorating, now, isn't it? Not just in card games, too. Taking in the things that people don't want... and making it wholly yours. It's the delicious scent of counterculture. "I see. The Thorn Boss..." And a sukeban! It's starting to further come together, about the drip. But not all of it. But Myunghon's had their own experiences. "I'll have to remember that name!"
The Death Boss was involved in the battle at Tatsumi, in Tartarus. Just as Gekkoukan has a flood of kids awakening to their Personas, Myunghon has a feeling Kasu High isn't far behind... and if their experience is anything to go by, trauma seems to have a way of faciliating that. ... and in a way, it doesn't lessen it.
"I'm glad you dropped by, Tsubasa-kun. Feel free to drop by anytime, even if you want to just hang. Most of the Kasu delinquents don't think this place's cool at all, so it's pretty quiet during class."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa nods, firmly, when Myunghon tells them that their dad sucks just the same. But, their hand... they just kind of look at that for a second, like they're trying to figure out if it's a snake about to bite them.
Then again, like, that's basically like a friendly punch. Right? That's the justification Tsubasa goes with, as they bump their fist against Myunghon's after a suspicious timer delay.
"Cool," they affirm, as they do. "Your name's cool. Fuck having to hide that." They are a little worried they might trip over their face trying to pronounce their first name -- Tsubasa is one of those Japanese youth who definitely didn't know about any Korean classmates they had -- but luckily, it would be MEGA disrespectful to address a senior crimester by their first name. That means they have time to go home and look up videos about how to pronounce it, as God intended.
(They'll have a lot of feelings when they look into the rest of it. It's fine. That's a normal part of becoming a decent human being in a society doggedly insisting racism can't possibly apply here.)
But as for what Tsubasa's flaunting the old man with... "Mine just calls me by the name he gave me. Which, like, I get how that doesn't sound bad," because just like Tsubasa is uneducated in anti-racism, they also never received their mandatory briefing on trans rights, "but like, I ain't a girl, and he always says I am. Every damn time," they add, with a stab of bitterness.
They nod, when Myunghon declares they'll remember the Thorn Boss. "Good." They could say how she's their very best friend, one of the only people they can rely on, super important to them...
Nope, they just affirm it's good.
"Cool," Tsubasa nods, turning away. "Nice place you got. Reckon I'll come by again... thanks for sparin' the rod."
Okay, maybe they still kind of think Myunghon's a big crime guy who would absolutely cut pieces off a man to send a message.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
A fistbump is made! Even on a timer delay, that's okay. That's what all this is about, right? A youth like Tsubasa's so used to having to feel out what's going to suddenly get the conditional approval yanked out from under them...
There's a grin from Myunghon, though. "Right? I like it too, Myunghon," they spell it out. The grin fades a little as they're reminded of one of their formative moments, of telling dad they're betraying grandma, who got stripped of her land and her rights and her personage, even today, with how vehemently the crimes done to her are denied, by wanting so damn hard to become Japanese.
Wearing the surname's just a little way of paying it forward to meet someone they never can.
But, ah, they were curious if... so there is a deadname, one their dad insists on calling them, rather than Tsubasa. But Tsubasa's a gorgeous name, isn't it? And-- there's a look of off-guardedness for a moment as Tsubasa insists they aren't a girl... but his dad insists they are. Every... damn time.
There's a longer pause, as their fingers twitch and fiddle, like they want an animal cracker or that baseball card to play with. "Tsubasa-kun. I'll let you in on a secret. I'm not a girl either. I decided to stop pretending that was right for me, one day, just like you probably felt, right? And if your dad insists otherwise, using a name you don't like..."
Their grin is bigger. "Then fuck him!"
Their manner of speech is usually so polite it might almost be jarring. But also, heartfelt in rebellious cheer.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa spells it out in their head, too, though they're still not going to call Myunghon by their first name to their face. They might be a punk, but they're not about to be disrespectful to someone who's earned it.
... they have no clue why their grin would be fading, though. Well, certainly not yet. They'll figure it out.
They pause, though, hearing that declaration. "You ain't either, huh?" Tsubasa wonders. "I kinda wondered... so, you a guy, or? Uh, 'or,' like -- I ain't," they add, shaking their head. "I ain't neither of 'em. I'm an 'X'."
They scratch at their cheek. "Uh, not that I ever talked to anyone like that," they add. "It's just, y'know, on the internet..." Which means Myunghon might be the first person like them they've ever met.
"To be honest, kinda got pushed to the decision. Had a shitty boyfriend... told me women weren't good for much at all when I got sick of his shit, told him he wasn't respectin' me and I was outta there. Made me sick, and I realised... I fucking hated bein' looked at like that. Like -- a girl. Reckon most of the gang girls look at it and just think I'm really rejectin' the patriarchy... well, sure, but it ain't just that. Feel more like 'me' now, so..."
But they realise they've just said something way too personal, and the only reason their blush isn't visible is all those layers on their face. "Uh, anyway," they say, abruptly, turning back for the door. "I'll -- see ya later, Yeo-san."
Damn, that kid's quick. They really must run from the cops.