2025-08-14: For Exposure
- Log: 2025-08-14
- Cast: So-young Park, Yusuke Kitagawa
- Where: Iwatodai Station
- OOC Date: August 13, 2025
- IC Date: June 25, 2012
- Summary: How does one go track down a bunch of traumatized art students? One goes to stalk art stores near the school.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
As far as So-Young Park is involved, the advantage of being an orchestral conductor is that you get some pretty sweet work hours at times, and the list of things that you can expense gets enjoyably nebulous. As the saying goes, if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life - and if you can comp train tickets to Sumaru in order to plan an Aoba Park outdoor concert or spend a 'working' day looking around Iwatodai in search of a hunch to augment the next arc of Shibuya's afternoon concerts, all the better.
There is a rather striking woman visiting the Iwatodai strip today - she looks like she's stepped right out of Harajuku given the dark gothic dress she's wearing, and her long hair is a block of white-grey with dark strips running vertically downwards within it. The overall effect is that she looks like she's trying to cosplay a grand piano, and absolutely soaking in the attention she's getting as she does so given that she's even gone so far as to have a folding fan in one hand, apparently just for show.
Despite the dour colours, her eyes are bright and her face is alive as she leans forwards over the countertop of the poor woman manning the counter at the art shop, who wasn't quite prepared for this tornado of energy to hit her today. At least So-Young is not actively trying to flirt with her - probably? Yet???
"Please, here's my card," the woman positively beams as she resolutely refuses to even listen, let alone take 'no' for an answer, sliding the laminated card across the wood. "I represent the Tokyo Philharmonic, and I'd be eager to get in contact with any of the students who got cut adrift. I can absolutely guarantee I'm not out to be a paparazzi at them. Quite the opposite, I'd like to push money towards them, you know?" she adds with a winning beam.
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
Since moving out of Madarame's shack and back into the Gekkoukan dorms, Yusuke Kitagawa has found it much simpler to purchase art supplies at the Iwatodai Strip rather than take the train into Shibuya. While he is well aware of the quality of the implements available at Art Off, the premium cost attached to most of the services in the high-class Iwatodai City has made it... difficult to maintain his supplies as he would like.
Still, he has budgeted for this particular trip today, and is in the middle of selecting some watercolours when he overhears the commotion at the counter, and glances over.
... That woman has an abundance of energy. He finds it somewhat intimidating.
Oh no, it's an extrovert. Run, Yusuke --
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"Non, non! It really has to be one of Madarame's students. I won't budge on this," is So-young's confident response to something the woman asks, her fan snapping open in front of her mouth as she looks from behind it. (She practiced that in the mirror a whole lot before she finally got it, and then practiced more until she could make it look effortless. It's an important skill, really.) "After all, they're the ones who got left out in the cold. Hopefully not literally," she adds with a quick grimace off to one side.
She rallies extremely quickly, because her own personal brand of charm usually involves running the other person over with momentum. "In any case, if I'm going to showcase rising talent, what better than those who have been overlooked so far? Surely you can at least keep some of my cards in stock so they can contact me for the commission." It's not even presented as a question. "I'm even offering to pay them in actual money rather than exposure. Up-front! And they'll retain control of the themes! I'm basically the dream client."
She glances in Yusuke's direction, but-- her eyes don't seem to register recognition. Whatever tidbits she might have learned from the accumulated news and gossip, his face doesn't seem to be one of them - but then she hones in on him with another bright smile, because 'in an art shop' and 'about the right age group' is still enough for her. "I don't suppose you would happen to know how to contact any of them, perhaps?" she picks up right where she left off.
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
-- it is too late to flee. She has found him.
Yusuke can only do his best to stand his ground, watercolours tragically forgotten, as the woman who seems to fill up the entire shop with her personality demands if he knows where she can contact other students of Ichiryusai Madarame. How ironic, he thinks.
"I do not think you are likely to find much interest," he says, cautiously. "Many of his former pupils had their names blacklisted in the art community; to offer them patronage would surely blacken your own name in turn."
She mentioned something, though... "If I might inquire - what commission are you proposing?"
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young blinks twice, and then huffs out a cheery breath as she holds out her card. True enough: it reads 'So-Young Park, Guest Conductor, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra' and certainly looks official. There is still the possibility she's a madwoman, of course, but this is the world of art and performance. It kind of comes with the territory.
"It's simple enough in concept, but the execution would be largely up to the artist. I run a series of weekday concerts in the Bunkamura, and as part of that I've managed to snap myself a bit of gallery space in the foyer. Since the whole series is about promoting young artists, the idea would be to pair some themes together - they do a few pieces of art around a theme of their choice, and I'll provide a suite to match." The pitch is rattled off quickly - this is clearly a plan that's been on her mind for a while.
She does at least slow down a little as she slowly folds her arms. "... I don't particularly believe in punishing a student for their teacher's actions. Nor do I care what 'the art community' thinks if all they're concerned about is saving face after a scandal. Art that moves you is art that moves you, no more and no less," she adds, almost solemn as she snorts. "Besides, half of them can't even remember where they put their glasses, let alone a list of names of art students they might have once met."
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
Yusuke takes the proffered business card in the proper way - both hands, with a slight bow. He considers the information on it carefully, before gingerly tucking it into his wallet. "I see. That is indeed a prestigious appointment. Weekly concerts at the Bunkamura..."
He considers it.
"So you are holding concerts in order to bring more eyes on the work of people who have had their future in the arts stolen from them?"
He snorts as So-young makes her feelings on the art establishment trying to save face rather than reach out to those Madarame's actions ruined plain. "Many of those students have had to find new paths after Madarame destroyed those futures. Is your intention to attempt to rebuild those burned bridges?"
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young watches as that card disappears into Yusuke's wallet, though she doesn't say anything out loud about the way he keeps it or the clue that possibly gives her in regards to this young man's identity. This isn't because she's being tactful or anything, it's just that her face is busy lighting up all over again with a smile.
"You may be thinking too much of me. I am holding concerts because I love holding concerts," she proclaims with a rather grandiose air to it. "And I am hosting young artists because I would much rather work with and showcase young artists. Besides, it's Shibuya!" she adds brightly. "Dour and staid isn't really going to cut it there."
She folds her fan up, tapping it against her arm as she pauses. There's a faint, sympathetic smile on her face. "... I can't be the one to rebuild any burned bridges. Frankly, I'm not really that sort of person. If someone else decides to burn their bridge, then let them burn. _My_ bridges are still intact, and itching to know how angrily I can make an orchestra belt out Liszt in righteous fury." She's already picturing an etude in her mind's eye, the way her eyes close slightly.
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
... So there is an anger there, Yusuke thinks to himself.
He thinks, carefully. This represents an opportunity, but... If he were to seize it, would he not be stealing opportunities himself?
"I may have a name you can look into," he says, hesitantly. "Someone who was studying in America but was offered Madarame's patronage prior to his recent confession. Masao Inaba is a potential victim who narrowly escaped, but his life was still upended, and I would like to see him get an opportunity that would otherwise have been denied him."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"Oh! How noble of you," the woman sniggers to herself, then beams as she claps her hand around her fan in lieu of, well, actually clapping. "I'd be delighted if you could pass on my card to him! And feel free to-- er. I suppose I shouldn't say 'make a copy for yourself', should I? One moment--" she fishes in the purse slung over one shoulder that's been tucked neatly under her arm, extracting another as she natters. "For Madarame to reach out across the Atlantic, he must be quite a talent."
"There!" she adds as she hands another card, identical to the first, over with a flourish. "In case you know of any others." It's said so casually. "I've recently been spending some significant amount of time out in Sumaru, so I may not always be available, but it's easy to find me around the concert hall most practice days. Ah, please don't ask me to paint anything in return," she adds out of nowhere. "I will thoroughly disappoint. Modern art at best over here."
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
As So-young chuckles to herself, Yusuke's hackles raise in that way. Is she laughing at me? he wonders, and it's an effort to force himself to relax and retain his stoic affect. "If I meet him first, I will pass on your details," he agrees - and then a second business card is proffered, and he has to accept it.
He nods, as she explains where she can be found. "Sumaru has a fascinating art scene," he agrees, "I myself occasionally take the train there."
He chuckles as So-young admits she herself has little talent with a brush. "Then I will, if you permit, avail myself to a rehearsal or a practice session in exchange. Conducting is an impressive skill indeed, and I would like to see your approach, Park-sama."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"... just to be completely clear, you are aware that we are not actually going to ritualistically burn down the concert hall after each performance?" So-young asks with a grin tugging from behind her suddenly-open-again fan. "As impressive a show as that would be, I have to content myself with a series of concerts instead. And a series of artists to go with them."
The humour in her eyes is good-natured, at least, especially when Yusuke suggests actually watching a show. "I'd be delighted! If I had any of the guest tickets, I'd hand you one, but they got rather upset at the amount I was giving away. If they lessen my allowance any more I'll have to start sneaking in a tape recorder. And thank you for doing this for me, of course. I am aware that there might be some bad feeling, but I'm not the sort of person to let that stop me."
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
"Alas, while that would be spectacular," Yusuke remarks drily, "the expense and public ill-will would make it... troublesome."
... This woman's passion for her art makes her a kindred spirit, he realises. "In that case, I suppose I had better make sure your security knows I have permission to be there - I am Yusuke Kitagawa."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"A pleasure! I shall do my best to let them know, but people are getting very good at ignoring me," she pouts, but there's clearly no seriousness to the gripe. It still isn't completely certain if she recognizes Yusuke's name or is just incredibly used to rolling with life as it goes and working off raw assumptions, and it doesn't look like an answer will be forthcoming as she glances at the watch on the back of her wrist. "And with that, I can call this trip a rousing success. I'll look forward to favorable results!"
And just like that, she's gone in a flurry of--
--no, wait, she's prowled over to hand another of her cards to the shop staff, this one presented with a delighted and confident wink--
--okay, now she's gone in a flurry of motion.