2025-09-07: Kiss and Don't Tell
- Log: 2025-09-07
- Cast: Remi Ryuuja, So-young Park
- Where: Cardboard Dragon, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: September 07, 2025
- IC Date: July 07, 2012
- Summary: On girls, and kissing.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
It's the end of a shift, and Remi is busying hreself with closing up the store. She's ushered the last customers out, closed the door, and she's doing all the small little things like counting out the till and recording the day's sales.
It was actually an okay day, all things considered.
Remi is a half-French woman, taller than the average Japanese woman at 5'6". She's got wavy honey-blonde hair and brown eyes with green flecks. She's dressed in a black beret, turtleneck, and skirts, and a dark sea green cardigan and matching boots.
Yes, she's layered up despite the summer heat. She seems fine despite that, though.
Today in particular she's made a few trips up to the third floor to avail herself of the freezer, taking out some ice packs to occasionally ice up her arms, though her arm isn't iced at the moment.
She's humming some French tune to herself as she works, and on the counter next to her as an English copy of Carmilla, with a bookmark in it.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young takes the steps up to the Cardboard Dragon-- well, not two at a time, because it's a fire escape and she's wearing heels and that's a recipe for a broken neck and all put together it would be a pretty damn humiliating way to go out after everything she's done recently. But she's clearly excited, humming something under her breath, several bars repeated as if she's trying to commit them to memory.
She's been showing up some evenings to help look after the shop, which is also an excuse for her to have a large space to herself to practice her violin and work on some composition. She's remarkably amenable to just house-sitting the place - it doesn't seem to bother her at all, and she's making some real in-roads on getting to know the local restaurants and one izakaya in particular.
Without even breaking her stride she's entered, crossed over to the living area, slung her violin case onto the couch, and is bent over it to extract some staff paper. In no time at all she's spread it out on the table, scribbling something for a moment and marking down two rows of notes in a quick and efficient hand. That done, she raises her head with a sigh of satisfaction - and finally seems to notice that someone else is there.
"--hello!" she beams brightly. She's surprisingly tall, but then so is Myunghon, so maybe there's a bit of genetics at play there. So-young carries her personality around her like a floodlight, instantly trying to take up as much space and attention as she can, and the black evening dress seems like it's part of that. "Terribly sorry. I had to get something out of my head and onto paper as soon as possible, but it never comes out right when I'm trying to write on the train."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Those fire ecape stairs are tricky--Remi navigates those by wearing boots with flatter heels.
She looks up, frowning for just a moment as So-young enters--but only just long enough to recognize her and recognize she's not a threat.
She might keep looking, for just a moment, to check out that black evening dress and heels... but she quickly looks back to her work, her cheeks maybe just a bit lightly flushed. She's been reading too much Carmilla today, it's gotten her imagination going.
She looks up and smiles when So-young takes notice of her. She doesn't go quite as big these days--though there was a time that she did. Hers is still polished and sociable, however. "It is quite alright, dear. I am not a musician but I do understand how it is when the muse strikes. How has your evening been, Park-san?"
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young looks terrifically pleased with herself as she more or less throws herself onto the couch, the whole motion almost ridiculous given how elegantly she strode in as she lazes against the armrest. It's a strange combination - she's clearly vain and clearly loves looking good, but then just as suddenly will act in a flurry of unrestrained motion. At least you can call her true to herself.
There's a grin on her face, but it's not really clear if she spotted that attention or if she's just soaking in the end of a good day. "I cannot complain at all! The performance went very well, so much so that even the director had to compliment me on it. The look on his face remains priceless every time," she hm-hm-hms to herself before continuing brightly: "And I got an adrenaline-filled kiss of thanks from one of the debuting violinists, too. Very cute," she nods solemnly as she folds her arms.
She does at least manage to ease off her enthusiasm a little, because when it comes down to it Sumaru's been a pretty dangerous place as of late and it's important to make sure of a few things. Still, she's smiling brightly as she unpacks her violin and tends to the strings. "How have things been here? No sign of unpleasant guests, I hope? ... honestly, I am holding my breath waiting for the next thing to happen, but no news certainly feels like good news at the moment."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi, by contrast, most often seems very measured and in control of herself. She doesn't cut loose a lot, and makes an effort to be refined and graceful. 'Proper' might be a vitting adjective.
She'll certainly hope that So-young didn't notice that attention. "I'm glad it went so well. I'm sure everyone put forth a lot of effort to contribute to its success. And oh? What sort of expression did the director make?" She blinks. "Ça alors! How... exuberant."
She's still working on paperwork as So-young inquires how things have been. "Not terrible. Business did well today, and I did not have any difficulty." She shakes her head. "No unpleasant guests. One hopes there will be no further unpleasantness for a while, but... such things remain out of our control."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young lifts the violin to her chin, closing her eyes as she bows a single low note, pairing it with a hum as she tunes her violin. Dissatisfaction flickers across her face as she lowers the instrument again, minutely adjusting one of the pegs at the top before repeating the process. Throughout it, she's still talking along, her expression bright.
"Oh, he has yet to believe that video games can have actual music worth listening to," So-young rather blithely says. "And here I am, pulling in the crowds with a concert focused exactly around that. Honestly, working with the arrangements was half the fun of the thing already, but the crowd we managed to pull in off the back of word-of-mouth rather proved my point. He's the sort who thinks you have to venerate anything older than he is."
She's clearly had a very good day, as she's not even grimacing or sounding particularly upset despite her gripes. A rousing success, then, especially when she brightens even further at the exclamation afterwards. "She'd been terrified ahead of the performance, but still managed to step out onto the stage regardless," she notes with genuine pride. "She was practically shaking afterwards, poor thing. We do get the occasional faint, but she held up."
To be honest, So-young doesn't know the first thing about Myunghon's actual business. She kind of just assumes it's a front for whatever Dark Hour-related things Myunghon is up to on any given day, but it's still nice to hear it's doing well, and especially pleasant to hear that no-one's showed up. The only thing that sours her mood is knowing that everything is out of their control. "Hopefully that asshole has fallen into a ditch somewhere and exploded," she mutters, just a little incoherently in that way that says she's speaking from the heart.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi listens, just a little, as So-young tunes the violin, but mostly tunes it out.
"Ahh, I see," says Remi as So-young explains. "I must admit, video games are not exactly something I am well-acquainted with." Her eyes flick over to the Baestation 3. Her attempts to play it have so far been... lackluster.
"... that being said, however, it sounds as if you are doing something rather... unconventional. And I suppose I have had my fair share of being unconventional on a stage. So I am happy to hear of your success."
'She'd' been terrified. Remi can't help but catch that detail. "The poor dear... but I am certainly glad to hear she made it through the performance. Stage fright is a dreadful thing, isn't it?"
Remi, at the very least, is determined to make sure at least the mundane part of the store performs decently well. Well, it's up to Myunghon, still, but Remi is more pleased to see more black ink on the register. "If only we should be so lucky."
IT'd certainly be neater for her, at least. One less NWO problem to worry about.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
Ultimately, So-young tuning her violin just means a lot of single notes paired with a hum as she matches the tones up. It's not a process that involves screeching or pain, but it's not exactly scintillating either. It's not that long before she finishes with a little flourish of music, as if testing all the strings in ensemble to ensure they sound good together, and then lowers it to her lap.
"I dabble a little," she hums in the innocent tone of someone who absolutely doesn't have an internal drive to get as many high scores on the rhythm games at her local arcade. "But more than the games it's the music I'm interested in, of course. Some of them have the most amazing soundtracks, quite suited to a bombastic sort of performance. There's one with a whole bank of trumpets blasting. It's the perfect pick-me-up."
She sags theatrically. "That is the only problem with trying to showcase new talent whenever I can. I really have had the occasional guest performer just not show up due to nerves." So-young sounds oddly unbothered by that as she shrugs, as if that's just how it is. She can't drag someone to the stage if they don't want to play, because that's only going to make the show worse for everyone, musicians and audience. "But that just makes it all the better when someone pushes through it."
So-young snickers to herself suddenly. "Rest assured I am not about to abuse my position of power, though. Not even if I get the most starry-eyed look and a kiss along with it." Yeah, she says that, but there's that vain pride on full display. She's super puffed-up.
Riding that high, she beams. "Well! As a newly minted meddler in Sumaru, what should I expect next? Do we get a whole police raid at some point? Sudden earthquakes? Horrors from the sky?"
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"I hope it goes better for you than it does for me," Remi says of dabbling. But it's less the games and more... "I see," Remi says, thoughtfully. "I never knew video games could have such a quality to them. Perhaps I shall continue trying them..."
"Well, that must be quite dreadful for those so afflicted they cannot even show on stage. I've certainly talked my fair share of actors out of a case of stage fright. It is no mean feat."
So-young gives assurances, and Remi looks up from her work to regard her for a moment. "Mmm. If you say so, dear."
"I should certainly hope not," Remi says of police raids. "I daresay having one unsavory cop is quite enough to deal with. Still, you know how those rumors are. Some days it feels like anything might be possible."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"Well, if I decide to get all lofty about it, I suppose you could say I see that as my role when it comes to planning and organizing these events. My goal is to broaden the appeal of classical music-- well, no. I just like experimenting and trying new things," she admits with a carefree smile and another shrug. "But, since one leads to the other, that is all well and good."
"It's been a long time since I've thought of my acting classes," she adds, a little wistful as she props her chin up on her hand. "For the longest time, everyone - myself included - thought I was going to follow my mother into showbusiness. Like it was just the natural outcome. I can't say I ever had stage fright myself, but at the same time it just turned out it wasn't for me." It's pretty easy to understand, looking at her now. So-young is relentlessly 'herself', with no real desire to paper over that.
A frown flickers across her face again as she folds her arms under Remi's scrutiny. "Somehow, no-one ever believes me. Even the other conductors were needling me with 'don't eat her up, So-young'. I do have some morals in here somewhere, you know!" she grumbles, but there's an amusement in her eyes as well.
"To be honest, I'm still getting the hang of it all. I mean, of course I know how fast word-of-mouth can spread, and it would be a lie to say I haven't weaponized it myself in the past when it comes to promoting myself. But it really feels a world apart from here in Sumaru."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"A little bit of loftiness never hurt anyone, I feel. But it is good to feel passion for your art." She does smile back, just a little.
"I was in Drama Club in high school..." Remi stops working for a moment, reminiscing. She has her own wistful sigh. "Mmm... I was never going to pursue it as a career, but I shall always cherish my time on stage..." She remembers, about Myunghon's (and by extension So-young's) mother.
"'Eat her up'? How evocative." She's not sure how she feels about that, or the mental image it creates. "I have no reason to doubt you, of course." Except the fact that So-young bragged about it so openly. But she doesn't take her for that sort, not really.
"Yes, well..." Remi is thinking. It won't break her 'cover' too much to share a little bit of how Sumaru works. "Rumors carry real weight in Sumaru, Park-san. Many of the ones you might hear on the street do, in fact, turn out to be true, at least here."
She looks thoughtful for a moment, as she regards So-young. There's something of a glint in her eye as she leans forward, elbows resting on the counter. "Say... would you like to hear about my Drama Club's production of Romeo and Juliet? It caused quite a stir."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"Yes, well," even So-young seems a little embarrassed at how seriously Remi is taking her story, like she was expecting more of a rise that she could respond to. "I was simply enjoying someone else's bubbly joy, that's all. I'm certainly not about to do anything stupid that risks my performances or my position." There is at least a deeply serious note in her voice when it comes down to that simple truth - because she's had quite enough of people throwing their power around the last couple of weeks.
She turns glum as she sags, thinking of the rumour about Myunghon and their very blunt, matter-of-fact response to it. "No, I am starting to understand that, little by little." It's another in the list of things about Sumaru that she's just going to have to catch up on piece by piece.
"... acting simply wasn't for me," So-young adds after a wistful moment. Her smile is quieter, a little lost in nostalgia. "I enjoyed my time with it, I suppose, but when I imagined it stretching out into the future, that was when I started to have that horrible creeping feeling that it wasn't for me. Fortunately, I managed to figure out what that was before I went into university and not afterwards. Mother gave me hell for it, in her way," she snorts.
She brightens considerably when Remi dangles a story in front of her, because So-young might not be an actress anymore but she is still an avid lover of drama, a collector of stories, and an impeccable audience member with an appreciation for flair. "Oooh. How big of a stir are we talking? I have quite high expectations with a lead-in like that," she beams.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi is a bit more serious for a moment, herself, when she hears that serious tone from So-young. "... I do believe you, Park-san. I am glad the violinist was so effusive in sharing her excitement."
Sumaru rumors might be easier for Remi to accept. She's lived in Sumaru her whole life, after all. "I imagine it is quite a culture shock, to someone not from the area."
"It is certainly a wonderful thing to discover that so early, yes. I do hope your mother ws not too rough on you. I enjoyed it for many reasons, not the least of which was being able to perform some dazzling stage combat every now and again."
Remi chuckles. "Oh, it was the talk of the school, I assure you." She's feeling... oddly excited. She hasn't dished liked in quite some time, but she's judged So-young to be the perfect audience for it. "For my last year at Sevens--and you can confirm everything I am about to tell you with Myunghon--I decided tht since I was due to start college and prepare to go into business, that I wanted to end my acting career with a splash. I petitioned quite hard to make Romeo and Juliet be the play." She leans in further, mischief fully in her eyes. "Guess what part I auditioned for."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young tilts her head a little in a nod. Her feathers don't seem ruffled so much as she's just actually sticking to the convictions she's got somewhere under her skin, her arms folded as she looks momentarily imperious. That deflates pretty quickly at the thought of 'culture shock', the conductor letting out a sigh. "... the rumours aren't the half of it. I've only been in Japan two years, and I've had to very quickly become aware of how good I've had it here," she admits awkwardly. "I am still... adjusting."
That's a really prim and proper way to say it, but it's all she's got right now. She lets the thought go as she looks up. "Oh, mother dearest is always rough. It's how she shows love, allegedly," So-young snorts brightly. "If anything it wasn't her so much as the gaggle of Kind Old Aunties. 'Oh, but So-young, just think, you and your mother on the same stage...!'"
The thought of getting not just a good story but also a little piece of Myunghon's past as well is like catnip to her, and she leans back in her chair as she considers. You can just see her picturing a frame around Remi, a stage backdrop, checking her build and height, she just mentioned fencing-- "Romeo. Or Tybalt. But probably Romeo," she decides, trusting her gut instincts over everything else.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"I imagine it must be an adjustment," Remi says sympathetically. She hesitates for a moment. "It is... perhaps not the same, but of late I have been making my own adjustments. I hope you can navigate yours well."
She nods, "I see. It is an incredible freedom, to choose the path you wish. I'm glad yours seems to be working out so well for you."
Sadly the story is less about Myunghon than So-young might want--but Myunghon was certainly aware of what happened back then, at the very least. She grins broadly, laughing softly as So-young guesses it. "Got it in one. I was magnificent... but we very nearly did not find a Juliet with the right chemistry. I might have resigned myself to the part of Tybalt or Mercutio. But we did, and that is when all the gossip started."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young isn't really quite sure what to do with sympathy in this situation, either. From her point of view she doesn't really need the sympathy - she's got the cool job! she's got the nice Shibuya apartment! she doesn't have a truncheon falling towards her face nearly as often-- okay, even she knows that's not helpful lines of thinking, so she lets out a slight sigh and nods in acceptance. "... thank you. I'll get there somehow," she adds, because that much she's certain about.
She nods readily along. She's not phased when Remi calls herself 'magnificent', because as far as she's concerned a little ego can go a long way towards enhancing a performance, and also because she'd be the biggest hypocrite imaginable.
"The best twist would be if you were playing both parts," So-young normally doesn't chip in but does this time, because the idea is too good not to share. "Turning back and forth as you move between them. But then?" she adds, lapsing back into the role of audience all too quickly and easily.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi will let her sympathies lay there. She doesn't know So-young that well, and... well, their situations are different. But she does nod as So-young says she'll manage.
But she does laugh at that joke. "If only t'were possible, but sadly, I am not such a talented performer that I can appear to be in two places at once. But... I did find my Juliet... and people started to talk, gossiping about the two of us. It certainly didn't help that our on-stage chemistry was undeniable. But someone even started a rumor that the two of us were dating."
"But all the gossip died out eventually, and sadly, I had to move on after I graduated." She resumes her work, starting to pack up the paperwork she'd been working on.
... Of course, she never denied that they were dating, did she? At least, not in this telling of events.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
With a puff of her cheeks, So-young folds her arms again. "Gossip is terribly cheap. It's a useful tool, but other than that I prefer to ignore it as much as possible," is what she says first, with a certainty and a self-assuredness that suggests she's no stranger to it.
The rest, she hums thoughtfully about, digesting it for a little bit. So-young is not terribly good at reading people in the end - she's much better at picking out the emotions and feelings that a work of art is supposed to invoke, more coming at it from the point of view of a producer or reviewer rather than someone being directly affected themselves.
So perhaps what she says next is a bit strange or a bit off, but she rolls with it regardless, again trusting her gut as she always does. "Well! I hope you at least kept in contact with them," she decides with another bright smile. "I mean, it would be a shame not to, wouldn't it? Whether it's acting or as friends or as partners, you only get so many chances at the sort of chemistry that you can look back on fondly years later."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
"It is a bit tawdry," Remi agrees. "But all the same, there is. a certain delight in goading them on. It certainly did not hurt the attendance numbers, at least."
Remi stops again, as So-young hopes they've kept in touch. Her face becomes unreadable for a moment. "... sadly, I haven't." There is a distinct note of melancholy to her voice. She sighs heavily. "I left town for a fe years, so I was out of touch... I am certain she must have moved on from those times."
But she does manage a smile as she finishes packing up. "But I am at least back in touch with Myunghon and some other close friends, so I shall be glad for that."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young smirks. "Well, I'd just class that under it being a useful tool," she sniggers to herself with some relish. "Amusing yourself is still a suitable enough endeavour if you ask me, and a little infamy never hurt anyone too badly either." This is the same person that talked about their upstanding morals earlier...
She's silent for a little longer, but then shakes her head. "Nonsense. Or at least, I'm sure that other person has just the same thoughts as you from time to time. Have some faith in your own magnificence," she declares, and maybe she hasn't lost all of her acting ability the way she injects a note of imperiousness into her voice and the way she waves her hand.
Immediately, she breaks off into a grin. "In any case, thank you for the story! I hope to see your acting in person someday," So-young adds with a nod of absolute certainty.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi chuckles. "Yes, well... I certainly earned my fair share of that."
They did, in fact, date, and they also, very amicably, broke up, expecting to go different ways after graduation. And yet...
Remi's thoughts still linger on that other girl.
"... Well, I'd like to think I haven't lost all of my magnificence. So perhaps one day you all." She finishes packing up. "It was quite a delight chatting with you, Park-san. Do have a good night."