2025-10-02: Tomorrow is Always Another Day
- Log: Tomorrow is Always Another Day
- Cast: So-young Park, Myunghon Yeo
- Where: Cardboard Dragon, Hirasaka Ward
- OOC Date: October 02, 2025
- IC Date: July 20, 2012
- Summary: Myunghon sneaks back after their dinner and drink and movie with Remi, and runs into So-young.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
It hasn't been strictly necessary, but So-young's been turning up to the Cardboard Dragon to help look after--
record scratch
--actually she's mostly turning up to try to catch Myunghon. It's not really 'by surprise', but more like a dogged 'you have to show up here and look after the place sometime and I will be there when you do', and she doesn't mean to sound quite so foreboding in putting it that way, but that's just kind of how it's worked out in the end.
Dogged stubbornness is the name of the game here all round, which is why she still manages to bam! her way inside even when she's intending to deliver an apology, acting with that ironclad self-confidence as if she weren't about to try to make up for an unpleasant little fight and some tactless posturing on top.
She hasn't been dwelling on this that hard, honestly, not once she made the decision to apologize. It's just that with finals in full swing she's down enough musicians that it's hard to do practice during the weekdays, so she's got a little more time than she expected to have and has had to fill her days in different ways. At least she's feeling upbeat, having just introduced herself to a certain peacock. She's still humming the same snatch of classical music under her breath as she crosses to the living space without a word.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
No one's present when So-young enters, but it isn't very long until she hears the sound of the small kei truck pulling up. Moments later, Myunghon Yeo enters through the front door, a little red-faced and with their hand on their mouth. They're in their white coat as So-young's seen a few times, with a light chocolate-coloured ruffle blouse with a black ribbon tie, a white A-line skirt, black leggings.
"Oh..." Myunghon doesn't look like they're quite ready to have just run straight into So-young. They're fidgeting a little, then glances uncomfortably towards the couch, before moving to place their messenger bag down there. "Good evening," they remark, a little glum. Are they... drunk? They look like they've had a drink or two, which is kind of shocking.
"I somewhat expected you to have a show on tonight..." They're moving towards the kitchenette, where they put a serving container of what looks like more cookies aside, before taking out a bottle of water from the minifridge unevenly. "Would you like something to drink?"
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young doesn't really look all that ready to see Myunghon either. She's pulled her violin under her chin in the intervening time, playing something slow and gentle as she whiles away her thoughts - for once not having a small mountain of staff paper or something else music related sat in front of her. She glances up in surprise at the way Myunghon looks, her eyebrows raised in mild surprise at the slight colour in their cheeks and the slight colour in their clothes, but shrugs one shoulder as she easily accepts both.
"Exam week is hell on afternoon performance audiences," she laughs lightly to herself. "And on the orchestra, as well. We've lost half our flutes and a number of strings. It's nothing unexpected," she adds quickly. "Happens every time exam season rolls around."
"That would be welcome, thank you. I went to Peacock Silk, by the way. They are looking into making me a special baton. That was a _very_ good recommendation," she adds as she lowers her violin, enough satisfied relish in her voice to be able to guess at what might have transpired between her and Percelle. ... ... ... ... no apology happens yet, because this is an area in which So-young has very little experience.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon does come to a dead stop as So-young turns to play the violin in the meantime, which they take as something like a dance from Yua. They turn around to let her have her piece -- literally, since they have to escape up to the third floor for a moment and comes back with some medicine that they take with the bottle of water, sighing as they murmur, "I don't have the energy to go to the baths tonight, but I should."
So-young explains how exam season is playing havoc with her schedules, and Myunghon looks quizzical for a moment. "I did not expect so much of your number to be students. Do they receive credit for playing for you, or somesuch?" Their hand is once more on their neckline as they reach for their phone and start to check for missed messages. "... I am certain that while I admire ethanol, your excess consumption of it is detrimental to my mind."
That's a very fancy way of saying 'I had a few too many to drink'.
Myunghon does place a bottle of tea at So-young's side of the table, and sighs-- but then their eye widens as she reveals she went to the Peacock Silk. There's almost a shift to mildly child-like as they ask, "Really? Who did you meet? A special baton? Hmm, I'd say perhaps Yanagi has the capability to fashion metal into such a device? Was it her you met -- ah, she has gray-coloured eyes much like yours and mine, and pale ashen hair... or did you meet Tsumugi?"
... poor Pernelle, even though they created a true bond, it isn't their first guess. Betrayal?!
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
With a faint smirk, So-young tilts her head in recognition. She hasn't stopped playing by the time Myunghon comes back down, but she has shifted her play to be less of a recognizable piece and something softer, more background. "If it weren't for the fact I've not got any of my toiletries on me, I'd join you. I was just thinking today it's been far too long since I melted away in an onsen."
"That depends. For some of them, it is just a part-time job. For others, it is a part-time job that will happily become a full-time job in the future, together with a hefty scholarship, because if the Philharmonic is sufficiently impressed by their ability it means they're worth snatching up as soon as possible. ... either way, audience attendance needs to be taken into account as well. A little break never hurt anyone."
Her eyebrows slowly go up. "... oh. You tried some?" she notes with some surprise. "I would have thought that the flavour would--" There's a significant pause, and then a mild suspicion. "Please tell me you didn't drink ethanol neat. I can safely say that the reason I drink is more about the taste than putting ethanol in my throat."
So-young gets a long moment of staring at Myunghon, and then supplies: "... I met a talking bird and promised to play a duet with it."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"... well, if you're insistent, I do have spare towels and clothes, and we can share the toiletries," Myunghon does quietly offer something like an olive branch for the two of them. "Though I would warn that the baths I go to are a far cry from the expensive onsen experiences down in Hakone. It is still warm, however. I will not have time in the morning, since I am off on the morning train again..."
Do they really ever, ever stop? So-young explains the orchestral pipeline, however. "Mm... I imagine this is a make or break point in their lives, young as it is. Unless they're only seeing Japan as a stepping stone, I imagine a Tokyo Philharmonic seat would see them made already." The pressure must be quite intense. But So-young is suspicious about their consumption of ethanol--
"It was red wine, but truly! It is ethanol, I do not understand why Remi is upset about that. Is it not a matter of yeasts transforming sugars into ethanol and a by-product of carbon dioxide? It is ethanol that is going down each of our throats and I do not see why one should pretend it is more than that, especially when it is a known psychoactive depressant that also causes acetaldehyde poisoning in us," Myunghon quietly pouts, looking particularly flustered like it happened again, they forgot the masking and it became a problem. (It didn't really become a problem.)
But then So-young points out that it's a bird. "Oh! Oh, Pernelle! Yes, I'm quite close to him as well, and not only because I plied him with tater tots. You should bring tater tots next time, he adores them."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young pauses, but then puffs up her cheeks a little bit. She is still a creature of impulse, and the easy impulse here is to nod her head. "... yeah. Why not?" she decides lightly - before smirking lightly to herself as she adds: "Though, take it from me, finish your water first, and have another afterwards. If the alcohol hit you hard enough for you to feel it, the last thing you want to do is dehydrate yourself into a hangover. I am not prepared to teach you about those yet," she adds with a grin.
Leaning back on the seat, So-young's face is carefully blank as she thinks about her troupe. "That's broadly correct, though a lot of musicians do travel around. Usually the older ones, I suppose, but a child prodigy is always welcome anywhere for the look of it. Either way, I am quite determined to give them some time for their exams. I'm not in charge of hiring decisions by any means, but the last thing I want any of my orchestra to do is screw up their chances for something else they might want to do later."
So-young is about to argue that it's not the ethanol content but the romanticism of it all - though rather than do that she mostly just holds back and allows Myunghon to pontificate on the subject, mildly amused but also quietly interested in the way it's made them so much more talkative.
"I promised him I'd bring an instrument he would be able to play," So-young notes primly, which does narrow the list down quite a lot, and possibly just leaves the dreaded theremin and the possibility of complaints in the future. "He practically climbed up the wall in excitement. Still, I will make a mental note."
... ... alright, So-young's too unused to dealing with bandaids that she forgets to be patient, and simply decides to rip it off. "Look, um. I am sorry. I pushed a bit too hard, was a bit too flippant," she says, almost comically stiff.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon looks at their bottle of water, and takes two more imperious swigs from it. "I do often dehydrate and feel a bit ill after baths," they murmur. "Not enough that I've ever passed out or anything, but having no control over the water is difficult." Since that's decided for them, they disappear up into the third floor again and return with a waterproof foldable bucket with a number of toiletries, towels and also some clothing, struggling a little to carry it all. "Mmn. Help me."
After the load is set apart, there is a faint frown on Myunghon's face. "People are always eager to pick out child prodigies..." There's a faint shake of their head, since that's not what they meant to dwell on. But Myunghon leaves the topic of So-young giving them time for exams well enough alone -- it's a good decision, and not something they have any more particular input on.
So-young promised to... bring an instrument Pernelle likes? "Oh, take this as well, then," Myunghon pulls towards one of the cabinets and pulls out... a toy car. They place it by So-young's bag. "He enjoys these as well, much like how I do."
Still, that's enough beating around the bush, and even Myunghon's become more agitated by now -- and So-young is first to rip off the band-aid, which leaves them looking a little uncomfortable and hesitant on how next to answer. "I... well, you did witness firsthand how disastrous it was for me. I am heading to Tatsumi tomorrow first light, in part so I can apologise."
There's something like a conflicted look and a tightening of their one good arm around the other, though. "... I could positively read the 'that's it?' on your face. It hurts, to be pressured to explain, and yet be laughed for it. It's school, all over again..." Their brow is furrowed further and they look like they're going to sink further into it, but then they realise they really must pull back. "But I also realise I am taking everything you say in the worst possible light... and-- well, I suppose what I said is uncalled for as well." They deflate and murmur, "I, too, am sorry."
... ... ...
Still--
"... so if you are able to snicker like that-- do you have much experience, then?" Myunghon's red face is kind of priceless at present.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young has gotten up already, and tactically grabs a bundle from out of under one of Myunghon's arms, figuring it's the biggest barrier to actually holding onto everything. Stepping back, she squints to watch Myunghon rearrange themselves, a hand out for anything else that needs carrying.
She doesn't focus on it as much as Myunghon does, or for the same reasons, but she does have a very similar look on her face as she considers the issue. "... I think music might be particularly prone to that, honestly. It's something that most people see as fun, so it's easy to get into it when you're young, and then suddenly you have everyone's expectations on you." Ah, that's why she's frowning. She can trace a line from that to acting. "Still, I do try to take people aside if they're too nervous and reassure them. It doesn't help there's conductors out there who'll bite your head off."
So-young doesn't ask about the little red car. She's learnt by now to trust Myunghon when it comes to these matters, and-- she can kind of see it? It's bright and colourful, it's small and playful. It seems like the sort of thing you'd give a bird, sure. Why not?
She lets Myunghon finish before she says anything, because she's not _rude_, she's just dumb at times. "... it wasn't exactly meant to be a 'that's it', more like an 'it's okay, it happens'," she points out, but it's with a lost kind of smile, scratching at her cheek awkwardly. "Still, I can understand how that must have sounded, especially with a little more context behind it and the last few weeks behind us."
Turning towards the door, she pauses and blinks as she turns back. There is not a trace of red on her face as she nods. "Well, it has mostly been casual flings as of late. I was in a couple of relationships in university, but the first one didn't work out, and the second we both understood we'd be going our own ways after we graduated, so you could say it had a time limit attached."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
The most Myunghon's ever carried in the time So-young's here is their messenger bag, which isn't that large, perhaps by design. They have to delegate most everything to Remi and Shinobu when they're here, and lifting things above their head appears to just be straight out, given how they've asked her to take a book out of the top shelf once. The kitchenette top shelves are also just always conspicuously empty.
"Hmm... well, I can see how you'd have an eye for it, given your own experiences," Myunghon does ruminate upon it. "It feels as if it may be easy to have a collective mindset for it. The orchestra lends itself naturally enough, after all. So it is a cutthroat business after all... but it is easy to have the audience forget in the grandeur of the music, like when you took me once."
So-young is going to find out that the car is for chomping on, which might or might not be a surprise. At this point, it's likely to be a complete non-surprise.
But their older sister clarifies what they were trying to say, and there's a nervous frown as they pointedly stare towards a certain tile on the floor. "... I didn't explain very well. I'm still full of uncertainty of it all... from how exhausted I was, and how heavy and intimate the conversation was, I felt a compulsion... but even as..." They can't believe they're going to discuss this with their older sister! Their ears are steaming off at this point.
"... that was my first time. And the entire time I was filled with terror and a gnawing emptiness in my heart, since I knew..." Myunghon feels the tears coming again, as their hand goes to their face. "I knew what I wanted wasn't what they wanted. But I didn't want to push away, but I was filled with more and more doubt, and it was too late, and then by the time morning came, I was wracked with regret..."
They're ugly crying by the time they finish all that, gripping onto So-young's dress gently, with just the corners of their digits. "Did it feel that awful for you...? Everything about intimacy's only been barbs on my heart..."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
If you asked So-young she would have honestly assumed that Myunghon had some kind of wiry strength and agility, just because it really looks like that should be the case - especially given how fast and crowlike they can move and act even outside of Mementos, let alone in. She at least seems able to handle a lot of load, but then her entire job is a form of upper body cardio. ... well, that and she does have a gym membership, even if she spends quite a few days rolling around yowling like an upset cat at the thought of it.
She puffs out a breath, shrugging one shoulder. "Ugh, you haven't seen the half of it. The worst ones rule like an infantilizing school teacher. Tap-tap-tapping their baton against the lectern, pausing everything to single one person out and telling them to repeat the first few bars until they get it-- it's frankly awful. If I ever become that person, please put my name back up on the Phan-site."
--OH NO--
So-young is used to being a listener. She's very ood at that. This turns out to be much harder when it's your little sibling you've only known a couple of months explaining their hangups while beginning to tear up and cling to you when you've gotten used to thinking of them as someone who places very little stock in touch. So-young actually hoverhands awkwardly for a while, before swallowing and offering a very hesitant hug in return, stepping closer to offer her shoulder as if the brief lack of outside world might help.
"I'm-- not really the person to ask about intimacy," she admits slowly after giving Myunghon a moment to decompress. "Not in the way it clearly means to you. There's a world between my casual, happy-go-lucky relationships I was having and something deeper involving everything you've been through. The way we process it is different too. You take it inwards, I push it outwards. I'm not making a judgment on which is 'better', because there's no such thing."
She pauses with a frown, marshalling her words for once rather than just opening her mouth to let them flow. "... I won't say 'I understand' because we're still learning about each other, but I'll say that I'm not spotless either by any means. I, uh, I actually burst out laughing my first time. That was why I got dumped," she admits wryly. Explaining why might be a terrible idea right now, so she doesn't. "At the very least, you need to give yourself time to work through it all, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
That's part of the smoke and mirrors. In the cognitive world, Rumourmonger Merry moves with a fluidity and grace, and it's easy to forget that they've never even once extensively used their arms there in favour of the Cognitive Coat, which has dominant presence, being black and flashy and attention-grabbing. And they do have dexterity... they've shown skill with card tricks and making things disappear. But strength and range of motion is an entirely different beast.
So-young drapes her arms very gently around them -- mind the dislocated shoulder, still -- and they whimper and let out a sick little noise. Fortunately, it becomes clear a moment later they're not about to throw up all over their sister, but then murmurs, after they've settled just slightly, "That's what everyone appears to desire... a casual relationship... Shinobu-ssi said as much, didn't she? Everyone wishes for it to be casual, ephemeral, fleeting, temporary..." Their face is ugly for a moment as they let out a particularly wet, loud sob.
But their sister mentions that it's ultimately time that'll get them to sort themself out. While true, they're a bit fixated on how So-young shares the story of how she got dumped because she was... laughing? Oh no, they could imagine how horrible that all went. "... there was only ever one person in my life who wanted something lasting, and I pushed her away horrendously, and now she's no longer with us. Then Tsumugi reminded me that perhaps I could still want for intimacy, and yet..."
There's a long, lighter sniffle, as they pull their side of the bathing supplies. "... let's clean up. I'm actually a bit glad to have company for once, I'm not recommended to take these baths on my own, the doctors always lectured. Nothing terrible has happened, though, so I think they are wrong, just like always. But..."
A pause, as they suddenly realise.
"... you may not be okay with how my scars look under the bandages. I can slip in first and hide in the tub, however."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
"... your 'everyone' is doing a lot of work there," So-young says carefully. It's kind of blunt, but to her credit she is trying to soften it as much as she can while still trying to be somewhat stern. It's a delicate balancing act, and she's really not the person for it. "It might seem that way right now, but of course it will, you've just been burned. It won't feel better overnight, either, but try to keep it in mind that it's lke a wound. It'll hurt a lot at first, then less, then it heals over, then you get a cool scar."
She manages to say that with a straight face, but she's clearly being ridiculous to try to soften the blow. It's either this or admit why she laughed, and she's still not mentally composed enough to just tell Myunghon like that. Maybe with a drink of her own in her first.
For now, she swallows the rest back. There's an extended conversation that could be had here where they go into what Myunghon wants, and what Shinobu wants, and how the two are in conflict, and trying to force their way through that conflict would have probably ended up being worse in the long run. But even she can recognize when it's not the time for that. "Everyone is _allowed_ to want for intimacy if they'd like," she does pause to firmly add. "That's your choice to make, not that of your past. Tomorrow is always another day."
Her eyebrows raise as Myunghon seems to recover a little, and then again at the warning. "... I'm not going to make you do something like that," she adds, just as firm, her eyes suddenly alight with a sudden fierce streak. "And if anyone even tries a scandalized whisper or a grimace at you I'll hit them with a bucket."