2025-08-26: Love and Hope
- Log: Love and Hope
- Cast: Myunghon Yeo, Shinjiro Aragaki
- Where: The Cardboard Dragon, Hirasaka Ward, Sumaru
- OOC Date: August 26, 2025
- IC Date: July 01, 2012
- Summary: After the defeat of Kaneshiro, Shinjiro checks on Myunghon. They discuss throwing a party for the Hirasaka crew, Myunghon's (and Shinjiro's) dating aspirations, Rumormongering, and their medical situations. Shinjiro also gets a cool new beanie!
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon Yeo is at home today. Which is to say, they're at the Cardboard Dragon, at the later end of Sunday, when most of the customers have filtered out for the day because it's kind of sad to still be playing card games come dinner time, isn't it?! Maybe. Maybe you're just not dedicated enough to Vampire Baking. There is mercifully not a strong smell of disinfectant this time, and Myunghon's seated at the couch in that huddled-up pose of theirs. It's a true act of contortionism that they're still able to reach forward with their arms despite their knees being in their face, clattering away with their long slender fingers on their laptop.
There's... a kind of different energy tonight. Maybe they just have to relish the fact that they saved Hirasaka, that they PROVED they can do it.
"Oh! Shinjiro-ssi," Myunghon looks up. Is their face a bit flush? They're looking back down at the laptop, then back at him again. "Welcome, please, make yourself comfortable. Can I fetch you a drink?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro hasn't been in the best of moods today. His talk with Yua turned... very depressing, as she shared their mutual secret (as far as he understands it, anyways). That's why, when he enters the Cardboard Dragon, having decided to check on Myunghon, he has a larger truant-frown on his face than usual... the Expression (ver. Shinjiro) writ large on his face.
But the energy is infectious. Myunghon's in a good mood, so he's going to be in a good mood, he decides, or at least fake it until he makes it. He smiles a little seeing them like this, though as their face is flushed... "Am I interrupting something? Are you alright? I can step out, just came to check on you."
He's not here to BUY of course, but to see his fearless leader and friend. Shinjiro looks over, tilting his head. "If you want, but you seem pretty... comfortable. I can get it otherwise, I think I know where they are."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"Um--" Myunghon does have the ability to sense bad moods, because what are they if not, ultimately, a hypersensitive people-pleaser, but the bigger panic right now is on Shinjiro being able to pick out that their face is FLUSH? What does that even mean?? They're not certain blood still flows to their face! If their brain was actually being actively fed with blood, would they even be half the hot mess that they are?
"No, I'd like you to stay. I could actually use your advice," Myunghon admits. What the hell are they doing? This is mortifying. Stop. There's nothing but disappointment and I-told-you-sos in sepia tones ahead. "And I was thinking about arranging a celebration party for the Cardboard Dragon, to thank the people who helped with Kaneshiro..."
Oh, they're already bouncing from one topic to the other. Buuut, Shinjiro's a perceptive guy, and the laptop's been carelessly left on some ticket booking service for some high-visual heavy metal band, LUCKY MORPHEUS. ... wow, a heavy metal concert?
Shinjiro does know where the drinks are. It's the minifridge with the glass door just behind the counter. He's in good enough that he can have the free drink now and again.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro thinks Myunghon needs to stop starving themself! That includes blood to the brain!!!
As Myunghon asks him to stay, he starts moving behind the couch. Turning briefly to make sure it's okay, he spots the laptop screen... Lucky Morpheus, huh. He didn't see Myunghon as the type for a metal concert... they probably still aren't. Curious.
He pops behind the counter, looking through. He grabs Myunghon a drink if they ask. While he personally grabs a canned tea, something catches his eye. Immolation-brand Strawberry Candy Jalapeno energy drink, supposedly popular with the teenagers, and supposedly Immolation's safest flavor next to Chocolate Sundae With Cherry On Top, with still too much caffeine for a sane person. "The hell is this? Isn't this Immolation-stuff being challenged legally in the States or something?" The states are not Japan, though, where it is currently unregulated.
He takes his tea and moves as if he wants to sit next to Myunghon, if they'll let him.
"A party... that sounds nice. You might need to do part of it in the Dark Hour, or not everyone will be able to come... but it's worth it."
A pause. He looks over to the laptop again. "...didn't know you were a concert person."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon has a cup of tea at the table, with a little teapot with the filter ball currently fished out and sitting on a paper towel. That's been their usual beverage of choice, mild green teas that they don't let soak for very long. That way you can reuse the leaves over and over again, you see... and also it makes it a bit blander and less acrid on the throat.
"Oh. Yes, Ariel said our supplier started stocking it and asked me if we should order some, and..." Myunghon gently and helplessly shrugs. "I think the appeal is the shock factor? Teenagers love to draw a small crowd saying they're going to scull down the whole super-hot energy drink in one gulp. Personally I think it is far too much sugar and caffeine, but..." They bob their head. No, they weren't a Monster fiend back when they were a teen either.
"A Dark Hour party... perhaps if we have a light to counteract the green shade?" Myunghon ponders. Oh no, Dark Disco... who says green can't be in? "Mostly I'd just like to offer my thanks. What would you make for such a party, Shinjiro-ssi? Okonomiyaki sounds like good party food... we could do a half and half with some catering, and some hot food..."
Shinjiro brings up the laptop, though, and he can positively see the nonexistent animal ears on their head spike up. "O-oh! I was... yes, I wanted your advice. I wanted to purchase concert tickets for someone as a thank-you..." Tickets, plural! "It seems they love... heavy rock." A pause. "Rock and heavy... metal? Or was it heavy wood? I forget which material it is."
oh no
oh no this BABY
Myunghon looks a bit more timid. "I heard they're very loud, congested affairs. Have you been to one, Shinjiro-ssi?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Ah, the stupidity of youth." Shinjiro you're seventeen. "...I'd have probably done it back in the day, too." YOU'RE SEVENTEEN
As Myunghon asks about the party... and asks Shinjiro about the food he'd make, he tchs mildly. "Do you need help? If you need me to cook, I'll need expenses for the ingredients. ...but I'm willing if you give me enough notice. Okonomiyaki would work if I had help or could make it there... but maybe gyoza and yakitori. Easier to get together ahead of time, easier to make in a big batch." He sounds so confident when he says that... he must have experience.
Though, as Myunghon wants his advice, he listens to them carefully. Concert ticket(s) as a gift... rock and metal, or...
"No, it's definitely heavy metal. Heavy wood is... something else." He does not blush, though he's smiling a bit. "You planning on going with them?"
About being loud and congested, though... "Yeah, they are. Lots of people in a small area, music that blasts straight into your ears. Occasionally there's a mosh pit, where everyone's dancing and pushing. I've been to a bunch, though I don't mosh much."
A thank-you gift, though... heh. He's trying to do the same thing for them... they really are similar in some positive ways.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon does give Shinjiro a bit of side-eye. How fast they grow... that they can reflect on the stupidity of youth... aren't they both engaging in this right now?
"I don't wish to make it a party you suddenly have to work hard on," Myunghon does frown gently. "Yakitori... we do have the back alley outside. It would not be difficult to rent a grill and have some tables and seating outside..." Now the wheels really sound like they're turning. "Yes, I rather like the sound of that. And we can have some prepared food on the side as well."
Shinjiro asks if they're planning to go with them like it wasn't GLARINGLY OBVIOUS. "Oh-- oh, well, I thought I might ask if they wouldn't mind." Myunghon swallows, then says, "I've never been to a concert before in my life." All the descriptors sound like something they'd have a bad time at... does it have to be that loud?? And-- and--
"Mosh... pit?" Myunghon sounds flabbergasted. "Pushing?! It becomes a contact sport??"
There is a quiet moment where they're trying to calculate if their HP and Vit scores are actually high enough that they can survive this encounter. Perhaps if you had more Guts... but racist cop debuff is still active right now.
"Speaking of which... I did buy something for you too."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro sees that side-eye. He just smirks. You can't defeat him that easily!
Though, about working... "I owe you a lot. You've given me a place to stay... and belong, I guess." THIS IS HOW HE'S DEFEATED THOUGH, as his face flushes very, very slightly in a platonic way. It's sappy, but he wants them to know that he cares. "So if you want me to make something, I will. That sounds like a good plan." Yua said they'll help him... so he'll help them in return.
But about the concert, Shinjiro wonders. Why go if you don't trust concerts? A friend can find someone el- oh. Oh... that explains why they were flush. "I see. Who's the lucky person you're asking out?" He's a nosy brat sometimes.
About the mosh pit, though... "You can avoid it. Especially if you have a date. I can get you some earplugs for the noise, I know a good brand."
But then DANGER DANGER ABORT ABORT, he's been offered a gift! "Tch, you didn't need to do that..."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Though it might not be as easy to see, there's a part of Myunghon that lights up with a genuine, gentle smile when Shinjiro admits that he has a place to belong. It's not easy for him to admit that -- and Myunghon understands a lot of where that's coming from. More than they've shared, even; there's a lot of self-loathing that comes from their time at hospital that, while not necessarily the same, is something they can both sympathise with.
"Very well. I'll start planning, and don't be concerned about any of the expenses," Myunghon promises. But then-- Shinjiro's Counterattack! Who's the lucky person?! "L-lucky?" Myunghon isn't certain what he's implying with that, but their heartrate's certainly increasing again, isn't it? "Well--"
Myunghon looks more alarmed, as Shinjiro presses. "It is not a date! ... it isn't a date. Right?" Myunghon sounds confused themself, halfway through blurting that. Just like how the arcade wasn't a date? Well, that really didn't end up anything date-like. "I'd just like to thank her for everything she's done for me."
Oho, a her? And... heavy metal. Shinobu wears a lot of heavy metal band shirts as part of her getup...
But, the gift! Myunghon walks towards the counter again and fetches something they've been keeping underneath. It's a small box, about the size of one's palm if they stretched their fingers from thumb to pinky on both dimensions. "It isn't much, but... here, if you'd have it, Shinjiro-ssi."
And if Shinjiro opens it in the end... ... ...
It's a New Beanie!! It's the same colour and general shape, but given how much treachery the poor beanie's been through, machinegun fire and Joker fire and everything...
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro is still embarrassed, because he doesn't WANT to belong anywhere... but for as long as he and Myunghon understand each other, he's gotta accept it. Until the day he's gone... he can at least have someone to talk to. He nods about the planning and expenses. But the counter attack...
"...hm." He says first, thinking it over. It seems he might think he's mistaken about the date part, until it turns out he's just thinking over who it could be, now that he knows their gender. Ariel isn't the type. Myunghon wouldn't probably want to date a civilian, most likely - they couldn't really relate. It's deeeefinitely not Umie, that concert was her first like it. So...
"I think Shimizu would be up for it," he wagers a guess confidently. "Don't know if they're into you that way, but they seem like good people. And..." There's a small smile on his face, that may seem Wicked if read in the right tone.
"You'd be cute together."
THOUGH, SPEAKING OF CUTE: Shinjiro gets a little box! He's grimacing a bit, until he opens it. He stares at the contents for a long time.
And then, he starts laughing.
It's not mean-spirted, at least, but genuine shock. In the end... he smiles gently. "...this is really thoughtful. Thank you. ...I've been trying to find something to get you, too... I encountered Ooshiro again." He's not going to say what they talked about, or let it override his smile, though. "She gave me some ideas..."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
oh no
The way their jaw drops and they cover their mouth with their laptop as Shinjiro ace detectives it is entirely too perfect a charm point!! "H-how did you know?" Myunghon is flabbergasted. It's simple, Myunghon. Start from the end of all your queries, to find the facts within. Their face looks a little burnt up as they start thinking about her again, and then sighs as they coil their fingers around the edge of their laptop, which they've since closed up.
"... it's true. She's really strong, and helpful, and cheerful, and always there when I need anything, without complaint." Myunghon's lips squiggle for a moment as they stare at some point in the room, but they've gone tacyhonic for a moment. "Far more than someone like I deserve."
Ah, now why does that sound so familiar?
But at the very least, they can share a laugh over the box. Myunghon does have some trepidation in their face, but it's just the innocent kind that one has when wanting to make sure their gift lands. "It's the least I can do. I noticed yours received quite the scratch the last fight we entered."
But then, counter-counterattack! Shinjiro's been looking for something to find them... and they also met-- "Yuarin?" Myunghon lets out a fond little sigh. "She's so kind... I went to her place for a few nights when I was feeling really unsafe," Oh, Shinjiro hasn't been updated on racist cop, now has he? "We spoke of the, ah, the ash-thing. She shared with me how she, too, is a picky eater... and that she understands and helps."
Myunghon's lips are all squiggly again. "It is strange, how much energy you waste in worrying how shameful something will be, when it's easier to share..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Because you just confirmed it for me," Shinjroo says as he smiles a little wider. Oh my god, they're adorable... yeah, okay, he makes up his mind about something.
"Sounds like you like them to me..." Shinjiro nods once, though Myunghon's tachyonic words get him to frown. He knows exactly what that's like... "...don't be that way..."
A pause, as he tries to figure out an argument. "...even if you don't deserve happiness... wouldn't it make Shimizu happy, too? Assuming she reciprocates... it'd be her choice too. Is it worth flagellating yourself? To punish one person over the past? Try and find *some* amount of joy in life..."
He's a hypocrite... but he's being serious. If he can admit that he's found a place to belong, they can admit they can't be joyless...
The present gets another soft smile, though. "Yeah... I've been considering patching it again but it's falling apart. I should be able to keep this one going for a while."
And Yua... "...yeah. We... have a lot in common," he says with a small tinge of sadness, but doesn't stop smiling. "Sorry you felt unsafe, but she seems like a good person for that. She gave me some advice on food, too. Some things we can maybe help you with..."
Oh no. A conspiracy's afoot. AND IT'S NOT THE OBVIOUS ONE
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
PLAYED!! Myunghon covers their entire face with the laptop for a moment longer (there's a Koala sticker on it. Won't the cute points stop stacking up?), before peeking out like they're not convinced the bogeyman isn't still there under their bed. "You tricked me," they pout. ... did he really? No, you were just really easy to read like a book, Myunghon. You were presenting at Learn the ABC's tier, not Berlin Alexanderplatz.
"I have not thought about... romance very often," Myunghon rolls that word around a little, like it's a bit strange and foreign to them. Is it even romance that they're after? Companionship. Closeness. Something. It's something Tsumugi and Yanagi both indirectly made them remember they still have, that contact isn't all bad. "I thought that with how... destroyed, dessicated," again, the words come out a little more forcefully, with some self-loathing, "my body is..."
Who wants a dried orange for companionship, after all.
Would it make Shimizu happy? Isn't it worth finding some joy in life, and not keep flagellating oneself?
"... haa. I know we both struggle mightily with that," Myunghon murmurs. "Should I? I should at least express my feelings. ... I'm not even certain what they are. If I had to put it into words, I think I'd fail at present."
Myunghon does press their hands together at the beanie talk, though, pleased. "I asked if they had something with tough, but warm material. Given how much we have to endure, hopefully it will last."
Shinjiro has a lot in common with Yua. Myunghon can draw lines there, but it's not their place to talk about what situation Yua's in. They don't know how much Shinjiro knows, and even if they did, they wouldn't just out Yua like that. "Mm. I'm very proud of her, though. She's going to all kind of high schools, teaching dance..." Even if Yua herself knows the gap in qualification... it's that passion, that desire to do something for others, that matters most for them.
There are so many other shittier teachers with qualification. Papers aren't the only thing, when it comes to teaching children.
"Y-yes. I've been harrassed by this cop who has it out for me. He pulled me into the station twice now already... Shinobu's sister Reiko, and Officer Suou..." their line trails off gently. They're frowning. Something heavy is coming, threatening to drag them down, making their mind swoon. It's not good. "Then he whispered that he knows where I live."
Food is a good topic switch, because food can be a source of positive talk now. "Thank you. The both of you, really. I know... I know it was making me sicker and sicker. Look-- I already drank a supplement this morning, and at least for the time being, I think that's sufficient."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro played you like a FIDDLE Myunghon, another point for the Dragon Detective... he laughs as they said he tricked them and pout. "And I'd do it again."
Regarding romance... "...I understand," he says first, before turning over their 'body' in his mind, the image of the damage done. "...I think that's less important than what's on the inside, though..."
They both struggle, huh? "Yeah, but when I do it, it's gap moe," he jokes, even though it's entirely true even if he doesn't think it necessarily is. "...I think you said it pretty plainly. You want to be there for her, and have her there for you."
The beanie talk is good. "Yeah, I think I can keep it together. I'll try it on later, need to figure out what I want to do with this one first..." He doesn't want to just trash it...
"...she tried to get me to come back to school on her day off. It didn't work out that way... but you're right about that."
The cop harassing them gets a sharp frown. Shinjiro almost says something, before biting his tongue. "...if you ever need me, call," is what he says, before topic switching, because Myunghon clearly doesn't want to talk about it.
"That's fine. I'm not going to push you... we can reintroduce it at your own pace, you know? Three hearty meals a day is like, a myth, anyways." A pause...
"...Myunghon. I've been meaning to ask this for a bit, but..."
Another pause. "Can you teach me how to be a rumormonger? Not necessarily right now, but... I've seen how it can help people. It was that Rumormonger Chikarin who got me back into... being active, able to help people like you and Yamagishi." He admits it.
Shinjiro Aragaki admits what he's feared to say.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"Oh, you devil!" Myunghon gasps.
Shinjiro points out that it's not what's on the outside that matters, and while that's true... "It isn't simply about looks. It is also... well," Myunghon hesitates. Their thoughts are swimming through once more, but they don't feel awful enough that they have to bottle it up. Just like with Yua, right?
"Right now, I don't feel awful asking them for help with various shop and household tasks, because we treat it as one of her gigs. But I know I possess high needs at times, and a relationship may complicate that..." A pause. This next part is difficult too. "That, and... well, to be quite honest -- though I am not actively dying, the various comorbidities from my brush with death do put my expectancy on the younger side than old too. ... the doctors have warned me as much."
They're not proud at how angry they are at their doctors. But being part of a doctor is having to convey bad news, and they have no end of bad news for them.
Myunghon decides to focus on beanie for a bit. "Perhaps we can frame it..." A pause. "Hmm. It is like a part of you... it would be a shame to just throw it away."
Yua talk is also uplifting. "That's Yuarin. She cares a lot about making sure no one falls through the cracks," they express gently. "Because we weren't students who fit in with the mold back then either."
Shinjiro affirms that if they need, call -- and there's a gentle nod from Myunghon... though there's clearly worry as to what they'd do if it came down to it too -- someone like Shinjiro, who already is viewed as a bad delinquent by society... they don't really want to embroil them in cop problems either. Oh, how little they know their hand will be forced.
But... then Shinjiro asks if they can teach them to be a rumourmonger.
There's a mild look of surprise, but -- then Myunghon smiles gently. "Hmm. I don't mind teaching you, but I think that the work you're doing is already more than halfway to how I do it. When I ask you to do the rounds... when I make sure Taeyun-san took her medicine and got home safe, that Yukabe-jiisan doesn't need help with any of his goods... when I make sure Gumiho and other kids have a place to play here."
A pause, and a bob of their head as they close their eye. "I suppose that isn't all of it. I do dig into dangerous business too. But being interested in the people you care for is at the heart of being a Rumourmonger to me."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro's very patient while Myunghon talks about their experiences. He considers what to say... and decides on an answer. He can't tell them how much they share about that, it'd crush them, but...
"...I get it. I'm the same way," he starts with, and he means on both counts. "I wrote off ever having a relationship myself. But I don't think you need to... you and her are old enough that she can make her own decisions on what she wants to care for, if she wants to go through that experience, hell, if she even likes you that way. It'd probably change your work relationship, though." Weird to have your partner as your gig worker...
"That'd be..." He laughs a bit about the beanie. "Okay, sure. We can frame it..." The question is: where would they put it up?
Falling through the cracks, huh... didn't they both? Him *and* Yua... he just smiles and nods, though. "Yeah, she mentioned that... teachers weren't always understanding."
Shinjiro still doesn't press on Myunghon's worry about the police. It's not the time.
"...that makes sense," he responds about Rumormongering for the community. "Half the work... I don't know if I want to do exactly your thing, but my thought is..."
"Being a rumormonger who can meet you half-way. One who can come to you, help you get information in exchange for whatever you can or want to provide. Cash can be nice, but I don't want to be unavailable to people like myself, you know? Just... give back what's been given to me. If that involves dangerous business, that's fine."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
That IS weird. It's one of the biggest blockers. It's easy enough as it is, being able to provide a portion of Shinobu's living expenses, since they haven't even probed into what issues she has with her home life in relation to the parents, since Ayame's made it kinda clear it's not *all* rosy there.
It hurts, though, to hear Shinjiro saying the same things they are. He's seventeen. They're twenty three. They're allowed to give up on life at twenty three, but not seventeen, okay, anime has taught us that you're so over the hill once you pass twenty one.
"... I understand. I think both this, and the talk with Yuarin, has both convinced me that it is better to admit something than leave it buried forever just because of what cold comfort you may gain from never having to let it spill," Myunghon ruminates. ... they're still far from confident, though.
"... but more pressingly, how do I survive a heavy metal concert? Earplugs feel... rude, if it is a..." Oooh, are they gonna say it? Are they gonna say it? "A... date-like outing. Isn't it strange if I go somewhere with someone only to block them out?" Still Microsoft Excel about it, huh?
But Shinjiro shares his view of what he wants to be as a rumourmonger. There's a gentle nod, and an admission: "Ariel is routinely a little upset with me for how *rarely* I take yen as payment. But oftentimes, the people who come to me are in need... I've been lucky, in that oftentimes I can strike a deal -- something as simple as asking other Persona-Users to help with dangerous situations. It is always in both our favour to work together against the dangers we face, after all."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
The bright side... Shinjiro may have given up on life, but someone like Myunghon can wrest it back into his grasp... the realization that he can't be alone, even while he dies.
"You're right," he says, not internalizing what Myunghon has to say whatsoever! ...no, he internalizes it a little. "Holding the kinds of secrets we do... is a big burden. Even if you're keeping yourself or others safe, it wears on you."
CONCERT TIME. "You won't be able to hear her without whispering anyways, the earplugs won't deafen her out. Besides, I bet she'll be wearing them too, if she has any sense of eardrum safety." A pause, before reassuring, "It's hearing strain, not like, exploding eardrums." They might have thought that.
"You can pop them out when there's no music, too. Maybe get a bite to eat afterwards. That way you can sit and talk." How else to survive... "Don't separate from each other, and tell her it's your first concert and that you'll need help. Wear good shoes, boots even. Tell her if you need to step outside to wherever the breathing area is." That's what immediately comes to mind, at least.
And regarding rumormongering... "You do need money to live... but I think your method's the right one. This is life or death, not pure strain capitalism. And besides, had you just asked me for cash and gone your merry way?"
"We wouldn't be talking right now."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"This is a lot to consider. ... but it isn't bad to consider, either," Myunghon admits. "It's so scary, Shinjiro-ssi. That doubt that you might ruin what you have right now is always nagging at the edge of my mind... they do often talk about how office romances are a bad idea, right?"
A longer pause. Their knees are up against their face again at this time. "Mm... have you had that kind of romantic interest with anyone?" What are they doing? They're gossiping like they're in... school again, or something. ... they never gossiped like this. Oh, sure, the Perfect Student would engage in the gossip others speak of, with a well-timed, 'No, surely not?' and other social cues they've spent entirely far too much time studying on how to deploy in encounters.
But Shinjiro says that earplugs are *expected*, if you aren't going to be losing your hearing. "H-how deadly... so the unprepared risks taking damage at these concerts. No wonder they call it 'metal'." That might not be why they call it metal, Myunghon. "I will look into a pair before we go--" A frown. "If. If we go. It may not go that far, after all."
A bite to eat... and to sit and talk. Myunghon furrows their brow at that, thinking of the venue as they look back at their closed laptop. "I didn't even consider that! I thought I'd be demanding enough of their time..." Wow, how much you're exposing yourself as a date virgin, Myunghon??
Boots... boots!! "I didn't even consider apparel yet," Myunghon pinches the bridge of their nose. "Thank you for this... there clearly is so much more planning than I expected."
They're going to end up turning up like a safety inspector, with a hard hat, aren't they?
"I do... obtain my money from other sources," Myunghon is a little mum about that, but Crime and Punishment is doing a lot of savoir-faire with rich people with extremely unrich brains. They're a little bit like Robin Hood like that, one supposes. Robin Hood and their Merry Men...
There's a soft smile. "Hm. I'm glad it didn't happen that way."
On the Other Side, though....
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"...that's life," Shinjiro settles on, which probably sounds very weird coming out of a teenager. "Sometimes we have to make bad decisions to figure out what will work..." He grimaces again. He made the worst one possible...
AND THEN HE GETS REVERSAL'D!!! Shinjiro freezes as he's asked that gossiping question, unsure what to say. He's pink again. "...There was a girl in my class, two years ago. She seemed to like me, and I considered asking her out. But..." He trails off. "We haven't spoken since I left school."
...so whatever happened two years ago to make him a killer... ruined his last chance at love, too.
"It's not deadly. But yeah, don't listen to anyone who says the concert is better without them. They're idiots."
A bite to eat and talk. Shinjiro sighs at Myunghon for this one. "It's a date! Food is important, just listening to music and not chatting about it afterwards? Boring."
Shinjiro, as perceptive as he is, pauses. "I'd wear something cool, in whatever style you want. Don't overdress."
Money from other sources... "Good, good. I'd be upset if you were letting everyone drain you dry in your kindness." He'd probably be the same way, though...
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
It's very, very strange, right now. They feel so unguarded that it's hard to remember Shinjiro is a teenager, sometimes, with how wise and worldly they are -- and they *are*, and they wouldn't discount that, but there's something in being precocious and experienced that can wear down on the soul too. It makes them realise how much they've ignored their entire teen years and the kinds of emotions and intimacy that many teens typically experience.
Are really you alive? Tsumugi's question reverberates in their mind.
"But I would rather not, with important people in my life..." Myunghon sighs quietly. "Mm." But Shinjiro did have a crush... there's something of a smile, as he works his thoughts through it. But... two years ago happened. Two years ago... that's their fated moment, isn't it? Two years ago.
And... it made him a killer, but he confirms, at least, that it wasn't *her* that died. Otherwise, he couldn't say 'we haven't spoken since I left school'.
"True. Just because I dislike most restaurants does not preclude my date from wanting food..." Myunghon pauses. "Do you think I could order a kids' meal with a toy--" OH NO. Abort, abort, abort!
KOALA MARCH -- We, the children borne of glucose, do not find this suggestion 'sweet' in the slightest.
"'Cool'..." Myunghon gently nods. "I do have a tendency to cover up..." Doesn't that make both of them? "I imagine you would still wear that coat and the beanie to a concert, hmm?"
They're not really teasing, though -- just observing.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
On Shinjiro's end, it feels... odd, to have someone he can be so candid with. He hasn't had this since Aki, and Aki doesn't work anymore, being so connected in their pain. But it also feels... nice. To not be alone.
"I get it," he says about rather not. On the subject of the crush, he's melancholy now... but not grimacing, at least.
Food, though... he grimaces at that, but not because of Myunghon, but because he suggested food. "Shit, sorry. We were just talking about it and it slipped my mind... even just grabbing something to go for her and sitting at a park might work." A pause, though, at the toy. "Absolutely do not."
The coat and beanie is observed, and... "I have bad temperature regulation, due to my condition," he admits, since they know he's not healthy. "I don't... get hot, like most people. Instead I'm basically always cold. This is the only way to be comfortable at all."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
In the end, age is just a signifier -- it's not a bad metric to gauge how much of life one's experienced, but it's only a metric; Shinjiro has experienced far too much of life than other average seventeen year olds. But it is too easy to get wrapped up in the 'should haves' and 'should have nots' of seventeen. Or twenty three, for that matter. Where's a twenty three year old expected to be at? Expecting marriage, probably, by a lot of conservative Japanese standards.
"No, it's... valid, yes? Even if I do not find myself excited by restaurants... it is more comfortable to be having a meal there, rather than stepping off to the park..." Myunghon tilts their head. No toy, huh. Darn... it's true. They might just stick another toy racecar in their mouth and boom, date's over.
Shinjiro speaks of bad temperature regulation. That much has been evident -- ever since their first meeting, when Myunghon gave him the remote control for the AC. The customer is correct, they remember saying, as far as what temperature it should be set to.
"... there was a time," Myunghon reflects, "When I was hospitalised... when I was always uncontrollably shivering, when when I was sweating -- or at least, my body was trying to sweat, but a lot of my sweat glands and nerve endings were destroyed, the signals are all mixed up. I wanted control over the AC remote. The nurses relented, but I still could not get the temperature comfortable. I only had the surgical gown on... I could not have anything warmer. The bedsheets felt colder, clammier... the days felt like it turned into months, the months into years."
A soft sigh. "... in the summer, right now, it isn't too bad. But last winter was a disaster for me. So... I do sympathise."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro nods as Myunghon says it should be fine. "If you think so, then that's what I'd recommend, yeah." He just feels bad for being insensitive towards them...
And then, they share a story about their hospitalization. Shinjiro's features soften, but it's empathy, not pity. "...Yeah. I haven't... actually been to a hospital in two years." Wait, two years again? Then...
"I use the internet to check my symptoms. It doesn't always work, but it's better than having to burden Kirijo for help paying."
Last winter was a disaster, huh... "I haven't figured out many solutions for it. I don't have the money for new clothes, so I just shiver more. Can't imagine going to the beach or something, even in this weather."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Shinjiro uses the internet to check on his symptoms. Unfortunately, this isn't the age where Google, MD has been sensationalised into a common bad thing, and Myunghon themself also distrusts and greatly mislikes their doctors and clinics and nurses. But still...
"... I've never even thought to do that. I suppose you would know your symptoms well," Myunghon doesn't sound like they're certain how to feel about this. Kirijo, huh... they're reminded of their deal with Yukari. It's rather clear that this goes beyond Mitsuru, that she might not be as privy to everything that's happened that's cast a shadow on Tatsumi Port Island.
"I do have some medical contacts I use instead..." Myunghon pauses. "But... the reasons why we don't go aren't quite the same, are they?"
Somewhere, Pochi's eyes glint. Yes, come get healed by Pochi (and the actual vet), one mlrm and you'll be feeling ship shape!
"Let's figure it out, when the weather gets worse," Myunghon affirms. "It'll be bad for me too, so we might as well try to stay warm and as healthy as we can manage together."
... how tragic, then, that his life expectancy is so short.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro exhales, as they mention he knows his symptoms well. "...intimately," he settles on.
Medical contacts... "No, they aren't. I've... got my reasons."
Though, as Myunghon affirms, his soft expression leads into a shaky breath. "I'll try."
...how bad off is he?