2025-10-16: Food for Thought
- Log: Food for Thought
- Cast: Myunghon Yeo, Shinjiro Aragaki
- Where: The Cardboard Dragon
- OOC Date: October 16, 2025
- IC Date: July 27, 2012
- Summary: Shinjiro and Myunghon have a nice chat over the latter's lunch about relationships, intimacy, books, the past, and the future, with the former deciding to make a bucket list.
(|=========================== The Cardboard Dragon ===========================|) -=============================================== Sumaru City/Hirasaka Ward ====- Go down a ways down the Sakanoue Building in Hirasaka Ward and you'll find a nondescript alleyway, the kind you might imagine yakuza fighting down in fiction. Behind this alleyway is an unassuming fire escape, at the top of which you'll find the equally unassuming Cardboard Dragon, a not terribly successful bookstore and a somewhat more successful trading card game store. The Cardboard Dragon shopfloor is a dismal reminder of the popped bubble of the 80s -- a mixture of forty-year old gray tiles and cigarette smoke-stained concrete walls chipped and cracked at places. The rusting, unglazed windows are mostly covered by the business' logo facing the street and have seen the rise and fall of an entire economic empire. One half of the shopfloor is dominated by bookshelves, which contain riveting titles from the fin de siecle -- sorry, last century -- rare, foreign books such as those by Paul Verlaine, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Gerhart Hauptmann, and even more local ones -- Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Yukito Ayatsuji ... oh, you were looking for something written in the last ten years? I'm sorry, you might be out of luck. The other half is why people are actually here -- it's a thriving collectible card storefront, replete with wall to wall glass cabinets of various rare and attractive cards from the latest and most played card games. A row of long tables, even now, has students playing their choice of collectible vice, watched by a can of deodorant in the corner. Of course, if you're *truly* in the know, you might be here for backroom deals of a more supernatural persuasion -- and that's where you can find Rumourmonger Merry and their collection of Skill Cards... <Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
The door to the Cardboard Dragon is marked as 'CLOSED FOR HALF AN HOUR -- BACK AT 11' on this Friday morning -- though by the time Shinjiro arrives, it doesn't take long before Myunghon turns the corner to the alley and looks up, a little surprised. There's a soft rustle of bags as they approach -- it looks like they've got groceries with them from a shopping trip. It's a little burdensome, but they have a good idea of how much they can carry on their arms before it's too much. There's mostly a whole bunch of vegetables sticking out of the reusable bags.
"Oh, Shinjiro-ssi? Good afternoon. Let me unlock the door..." Myunghon slowly steps up the fire escape to do just that. "I'm about to make a meal for myself. I also purchased a few more baking goods, but I'm rapidly running out of space and containers to place them in..."
A furrowed brow, as they place their finger to their lips. "I like the ants, but now I can't have them digging into my sugar now that I'm serving other people... perhaps I'll have an ant-bowl somewhere else." Myunghon please don't treat the ants like your own pets
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro has decided to pay Myunghon a visit! The last they met, he left the Cardboard Dragon to take a patrol, ruminated, came back, and then said goodbye. At the least, he didn't ditch that night, when his Persona could have gone berserk in his eyes. He's learning.
"Afternoon, Myunghon," he says as he approaches, eying the groceries. His mood seems neutral, perhaps even thoughtful. "Need any help?" he offers, but won't push.
He moves to start following up once Myunghon is ready, considering what they have to say. "Ants are pretty unsanitary, so I'd be careful having them around things you're going to eat." A pause. "What are you making?"
It's curiosity! He likes cooking, after all.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"... true. Well, it's not difficult for me to be sanitary," Myunghon answers, and as far as the second floor is concerned, it's true. The third floor is another matter entirely. Shinjiro's gloom on the day Jose awoke new powers in them has been on their mind, but right now, there's physical concerns to be had. They do hand the heaviest of the bags for Shinjiro, since it's easier for them to unlock the door with less load.
"Mmm... I'll just dice some vegetables and sprinkle protein on top," Myunghon considers. "I don't have the energy for anything more complicated." They got a little vegetable box dicer, possibly on Shinjiro's suggestion, so that they can cut vegetables without having to do knifework, because Myunghon and knifework is an incredibly dangerous thing. The bell rings as they enter, and they walk to the kitchenette.
"I'd offer, but... it isn't going to be delicious in the slightest for you."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro indeed would have recommended a box dicer! He takes the larger bag without complaint, carrying it inside and setting it in what appears to be the best place.
"That sounds nice," he says, genuinely. "I'm still working on some things... I met Ooshiro recently. She recommended introducing seaweed, other forms of fiber. They can be rather tasty. How do you feel about that?"
He seems more thoughtful after saying her name, though.
"It's fine," Shinjiro waves off the offer. "I appreciate the sentiment. I actually wanted to talk to you about something, get your thoughts."
It doesn't sound like he's sad, at least, but... hopeful?
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon's eyes widen for a moment as they considered that. "Mmm. I'll try it. Maybe raw seaweed would work. I ruled them out before because roasted seaweed and dashi was too much. But when you haven't had time to really boil out the flavour..." They look rather considerate of that, especially it's coming from Yua. She's trying so hard for them as well... from the first time they prepared that beef salad up until now. They're probably in the air by now, aren't they? They feel guilty not being able to go with them.
Shinjiro has something on the mind, though. "Oh? Do tell," they say, even as they take out the magic cutting device and starts at it. The vast majority is one bag of beansprouts, which seems to be their staple. In it goes into a base on the bowl...
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Alright, I'll add it to my list," Shinjiro nods. Having an experiment chef sure is handy... "We'll try some different varieties."
Though, Myunghon asks him to tell, and it's suddenly a little heavy. Not necessarily the content, but the idea of sharing what he's been ruminating on... it's clearly still difficult to *voice*, even as it is going to be a positive thing to say. Does he deserve this? Does he deserve a chance to live again, when he's taken another life?
"...I've been thinking about things," he starts, unhelpfully. It gives him filler words. "I... I'm considering what I want to do with the rest of my life." That, alone, is monumental; the boy who thought he shouldn't do anything. "...I've been thinking about school. ...I don't know, it sounds stupid when I put it like that."
There's nothing school will do for him, but... he's still *considering* it. It doesn't sound like he's remotely committed, though.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon does stop, midway through processing a carrot (they don't like carrots but they'll force it down because they probably need the vitamin A because they're already down an eye). It looks like they can't multitask this one, as Shinjiro speaks of the rest of his life. It is important. It is monumental. They're still leaning with their whole arm over the box, which they need to do to cut, instead of just their palm.
"I think that's..." a pause. "I don't think that's foolish at all, and that's coming from someone who doesn't look back on school all too fondly. There's still... quite a lot to having a routine, isn't there? To go with friends, have something to share and struggle in... to make your days feel like they have some more meaning."
A longer pause. "They call it a bucket list, you know. I started on one a year back when my circumstances were even worse than this. Do you want to make one with us?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As Myunghon has to stop cooking, Shinjiro winces. "Sorry, I should have waited." He's looking down briefly, only looking back up when he's ready to respond.
"...yeah. But... it's gonna cut into investigation time, time spent here. I dunno. It... sounds..." He trails off, shaking his head.
The mention of a bucket list gets his head tilting, thinking about it. "...that might be nice? Like, stuff I want to do before I go? What would I even put on that...?" His face gives the impression he's already considering what the scale has to be and micromanaging it in his head, ruminating a little.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon shakes their head. "I'm not starving, Shinjiro-ssi, it's fine." It's technically a lie, but it's also true that they don't really feel massive hunger pangs for whatever reason anymore. It's easy for them to forget to feed themself for far too long, still, even now. "You're a friend, not an employee that I demand that you work a nine to five." A pause, as they even find it in them to lighten the mood:
"Actually, you can take that one with pride with you -- you never had to discover the horrors of being a salaryman."
There's a pause as Shinjiro wonders what he's going to put on it. It's a good question, but Myunghon at least avoids uselessly saying 'whatever you want'. "Why don't you ask the others and have them involved too? Perhaps you want to at least experience the thrill of seeing how close to blowing her engine Mio can get, for instance. I did that once."
They cromch a cucumber, just, right there, and then chews as they cut the rest up into the box.
"As to what we'd do... what if I got you interested in old stuffy books?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Okay," Shinjiro nods once to Myunghon about food. But about the nine to five... "Yeah, but I *like* being around here," he admits, though he pauses at the joke.
"You know what, I'll take it. I think I'd die if I had to work in an office." A pause. "So damned if I do, huh?" He *laughs*, meaning it as a joke.
The bucket list, though... "...yeah. I still need to broach it with So-young and Ryuuja." He doesn't mention her as Ariel, subconsciously, since he knows Myunghon knows. "Not sure how... it'll go. But they might have ideas. Maybe that'll be fun, hanging out with Mio..."
Though, as they offer stuffy books... "How stuffy are we talking? Maupassant or Dazai?" He's been reading No Longer Human, at least! Thanks, Tsumugi...
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon can't help but find the laugh infectious, as they say, "You know how you find the mild air conditioning here cold? Imagine that in an office with sixty people and if you say you want it raised a bit you have death stares needling you from all directions." Crunch. They've got a nice pile of vegetables now... and then they've dumped it into the bowl to mix. Someone could make a really nice salad by mixing olive oil and soy sauce or somesuch here...
Instead, the pea protein gets mixed with just a bit of water to make it goopy, and the white, bland flavourless sauce goes over, so there's more protein on it.
"I haven't talked about it much, but... even one year ago, doctors were a lot more pessimistic about my chances. I had end of life counselors and such as a 'just in case', and I didn't like them very much," Myunghon reflects quietly. "But thinking of what I wished to do when my prospects were more grim did at least assist me. I spoke with Mei, even when she's no longer with us..."
A pause. "Bungee jumping was one of the ones I wrote on a whim, but perhaps jumping out of the hospital and being bounced by my coat counts...?"
It's nice, perhaps, to see Myunghon a bit more lucid and with thought, than the way they can shrink into sadness. But how stuffy are they talking? Dazai--
Oh, their eye is shining. "I do like Osamu Dazai's works quite a lot. ... they aren't for everyone, though. I was also reading Voltaire and his history thanks to Tsumugi..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Oh, that sounds like hell." Shinjiro just shakes his head twice. "The nerve of them, to have normal temperature regulation." Before, he may have never joked about this. But...
Myunghon is infectious, too, when they're in a good mood.
There's a thoughtful glance towards how they reflect. "...Bungee jumping, huh? It counts if you think it does, right? It's about your satisfaction, not checking off a list in the right way."
Dazai, though! "I've been enjoying the book. It's... it really resonates with me. To feel like you simply exist despite yourself, that you've never really know how to live because you're not sure you ever knew real happiness. The anxiety of being loved, the fear of joy..." He's musing, but it doesn't seem like he's ruminating too badly. "Voltaire, huh? Kujaku really knows books... anything you'd recommend in general?"
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon eats their vegetable slop. Crunch crunch crunch. After taking a full spoonful of feed, they go to wash everything else down in the sink with unnatural deftness, doing it all with one hand, very used to just bracing their body over against the counter to get around only having one hand that functions. "People are overdramatic about high school being your last moment of freedom, but that may be true with some people that are swept in the currents of capital..."
Does it really count, though? There's a fond little smile. "I suppose it is much more dramatic than a regular bungee jumping outing, is it not? I am not a thrill seeker, I'm scared of amusement park rides, so having actually done that feels like a triumph."
They look surprised when Shinjiro says he's been reading No Longer Human. "... it came at a time when I was at my lowest too, and I felt... seen, I suppose. I always felt that way, the way his character felt like there was no recourse but to clown to mask himself from society, only to miserable ends." The anxiety of being loved... the fear of joy. These are very sensitive topics to them at present.
Especially because...
"They're very fond of Candide. We were talking about it the last time they visited two nights ago..." Oh, they came around again, hmm? Their face is flushed again as they think about it. "... Shinjiro-ssi, not to distract too much, but if you were offered a relationship where they were not particularly interested in emotional attachment, what would you do?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro wouldn't consider it slop. It's food. Sure, for most, he wants them to appreciate the food itself, but for Myunghon? Their well-being comes first.
"Then mark it off. Hmm... going to the amusement park might be something for the list," he muses. "Astro Universe... maybe going on a trip, too."
Shinjiro nods once. "Yeah. I appreciated so far that despite suffering, Yozo wasn't some perfect insert or anything. He... had his flaws, his only troubled way of viewing the world. But in an odd way, he's still human, right? That's the most human thing."
Candide gets a mental add to the list. They visited, huh? Are they in a- oh. Myunghon cuts off his thought.
"No, it's okay. What would I do..." He's contemplating. "I... haven't even considered intimacy. I don't think I deserve something like that, with my circumstances. But getting past that initial hurdle for the sake of the question? It'd have to depend. Perhaps if that was *what I wanted*, I'd be okay with it. If I wanted some fling before I went. But..."
Shinjiro smiles, compassion in his voice. He has a feeling this isn't purely hypothetical. "I think it'd be very lonely, for people like us, who feel so deeply. It's... not what would fulfill me. I want to attach and be attached to. To love and be loved. At that point, it's pretty much purely physical, and... I want my heart to be fulfilled, too."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon's sleeve is a bit wet, but it's okay. They bring the bowl and spoon over to the couch, and takes another bite. They're so used to this that Shinjiro gets the feeling they're always multitasking, as they tap a few things at their laptop, seemingly in the middle of something before they probably realised they were going to faint if they didn't deal with things in the next two hours.
"... mm. I won't express how it ends if you haven't read through to the end, but the way everyone around him views him was also... important," Myunghon reflects.
They're pulling their legs up to a hug again as they listen to Shinjiro's thoughts about relationships. "I thought the exact same way until last month. I thought myself a corpse that wasn't deserving of it. I buried it well and deep after Mei passed away. Who'd want to be with someone as butchered as me, I often thought, but..."
It definitely isn't just a theoretical. Myunghon's not even really pretending, to be fair. But Shinjiro does answer that if it's what he wanted -- he'd have a go at it, but... it's also very lonely--
And that gets them to reflect a little, the way they tuck their head down slightly.
People like them, who feel really deeply. It's not what'd fulfill him. He wants to attach and be attached to...
"... I've been seeing them again," Myunghon admits. "I was... crying the whole time. They told me to stop denying myself, to simply take if it's what I desire. That's what they've always been saying -- to not worry, in essence. And that is healthy advice, is it not? There is a nugget of truth there... I've been convincing myself what I want cannot be what they want."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro moves to take a seat next to Myunghon, if they'll let him. "I've read through Notebook 2. I'm taking my time with it... I don't think it'd be healthy to read in a bad headspace."
But, then, they're talking about romance. "...I think there's someone out there for you. I don't know about myself, but... you're kind, and charming, hell, you just made me laugh. And don't try to say it's fake, either. Our actions are our reality."
As Myunghon talks about Tsumugi, though, he clasps his hands together on his lap. Seeing them again... but crying?
"Do you want my thoughts?" he asks, before finally speaking if they don't refuse.
"I think... they're both right and wrong. Sure, you shouldn't worry too much. You should gun for the things you want. Maybe I could learn from that too. But... we can't make ourselves compatible with things we are not. We can't give up our truth simply for desire."
Another light smile. "I... from meeting them, and everything you've said, I don't think it'd work out. You're just... not compatible that way. You want different things, and that's okay. That doesn't mean it's hopeless. It just means you keep looking."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon doesn't mind. They shift a little bit to give him a bit more space, since they like to shrink in, so it's more room for others. They're still working on some dense-looking spreadsheets on the laptop. "... mm. Yes, it took me a few times as well. The first time I dismissed it, too, saying I didn't want to read someone who was an enemy to womenkind." It's probably a small miracle that they kept reading, but studying the author also helped. Which in a way is also one way in which one's words end up missing each other... and that was an important distinction for Myunghon, that they were put off.
There must be someone out there for themself. They do flush a bit as Shinjiro compliments them, since they're not immune. "... hmm."
A tender little smile grows on Myunghon's face. It's one of those warm, genuine ones. "I'm so used to thinking only my masks can produce something positive. That there's still a rotten core inside. But we have to work on that, don't we...?"
They nod as Shinjiro asks if they want his thoughts. They do.
Shinjiro thinks it's not going to work out. Myunghon does look like they've been considering that for a while. "... I've often wondered what would happen if I simply pushed them away. 'If you don't want it, discard it,' they said. I hastened to imagine myself in the dynamic where I needed them more than they needed me."
A deeper frown. "And that scares me a lot. The idea that I could reach out for what I wanted... until what I want isn't something they want. And then it'd be like Yozo and the lion mask all over again."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"I admit, I don't think I'd like Yozo very much if I met him, but... when you look in his head, it feels different, like I understand his pain." Shinjiro muses a little bit.
"Yeah. I wear my masks too... but we gotta understand there's a reason people surround us. If we were really so fake... more people would notice."
He merges into the couch a bit, as Myunghon responds. "...I don't think that's good advice, admittedly. To simply discard something... that's for property. That's for broken objects, or old clothes, or a sandwich half-eaten. That's not how we should relate to people. They still feel."
He takes a breath, sighing. "Perhaps it's just two ships passing in the night. You shouldn't change yourself to be with them, and they shouldn't change to be with you. And that sucks, but... do you really think you'd be okay being discarded yourself? I don't think you would, deep inside."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"The i-novel was very popular at that time. At a time when readers were demanding absolute sincerity from authors, and yet, would judge them in turn for it. It made a lot of authors at the time wonder just who it is they're writing for... and I think that's something that we still struggle with in a lot of fields. To do something for yourself, or only for others..." Myunghon is threading the topics without even meaning to, here.
The smile weakens gently, as Shinjiro says that if they were fake, people would notice. "... what if they were being polite. What if it really was just one threshold that, once crossed, would reveal how people think, is what I often worry about."
To discard something is for broken objects, or old clothes...
"... I still have the old beanie," Myunghon admits. "But I know what you mean. ... I just... mm. I keep thinking back to what Yanagi feels. It's... eye-opening, in a way, for me. To be relieved to not have to worry when she passes." There's a soft smile. "I quite like spending time with her. I really love watching her craft."
Would they... be okay with being discarded?
"... no. I'm already crying right now thinking about it," Myunghon admits, cuddling deeper into themself. "I'm already scared of being proven so right that a lot of my friendships and relationships end in tragedy and ruin, you know, like I'm cursed."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro takes in the information on Dazai, but he's more interested about something else Myunghon says. "...people don't think just like us. They're not going to be polite when it comes to their wants and desires. People don't like to surround themselves with the truly fake, the false, the uncanny. They want genuine, real. After all... I don't think you and I would be talking right now had we not shown our true selves early on."
He smiles a bit about the beanie. He doesn't see it as weird at all, he understands entirely. "...I've thought about that recently. I think... I want people to miss me. So that I can live on within them. It's a little bit of selfishness, though, so it feels... wrong."
Myunghon answers the question. "You're not cursed," he says, reaching out a hand to offer contact if they at all want it, willing to offer that to them. "Things aren't ideal right now, but that just means you have to push forth to make them such, don't you? Dreams don't come true passively, I don't think. We gotta work for them."
A pause, and a sheepish laugh. "Look at me, getting all philosophical. I sound like a nerd, huh?"
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon does consider Shinjiro's words. "I always thought of society as a polite arrangement, and we were all prickly little -- viruses, I thought at the time, that could only coexist because of the bubbles around us, that prevent us from clamping and biting into each other. 'I want the genuine, real you...' It's such a scary thing, isn't it? You could so easily be scorned for doing so. ... it took us a bit to get to where we are too."
Right now, they do believe they're being honest, though, as they don't even bother trying to look more modest as they just curl up and eat veg. "I do remember now... and I don't think that's wrong either. I'll miss you. I think if I make it to 30, I'll still miss you." A pause. "It's not wrong. Everyone's always scared of being forgotten... sometimes, perhaps the escape from that is 'I won't feel scared of being forgotten', then, but it doesn't mean the root isn't still there..."
Myunghon does start a bit, but they don't shy away from the contact. "That's..."
There's a cozy little grin as they say, "That's so cheesy, Shinjiro-ssi. But I love it. I'm not too proud that I can't enjoy a 'you have to have courage make your dreams come true' speech now and again."
The Rumourmonger bobs from side to side. "... I do somehow tend to attract the commandeering types, I suppose, between Mei and Tsumugi. And if there was zero attraction I'd have just rebuffed them and yet..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"It is scary... but hey, we did it, didn't we? We had to fight, and might fight again, and even then, I can't see this bond, this esprit de corps, breaking so easily as to truly worry me it's gonna happen."
Shinjiro inhales and exhales lightly. "I know Aki and Kirijo will miss me, too, likely for the rest of their lives. Others will miss me for at least a while. I don't know why that brings me a sense of... comfort. But it does. If there's a better place that waits beyond the grave... I'll watch from there. If I'm just memory, that's fine too. As long as I'm something."
Yet, despite the bleak words, he's smiling a bit more, only breaking contact once Myunghon seems ready. He kinda wanted it, too.
"Oh, I guess I *am* a nerd, then." The smile remains on, before he considers the final statement.
"*Is* that your type?"
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"... that's true. I did hinge on the longest time that the first time friends fight, that's it... it's over. ... I'm not sure I've fully trained myself out of it, even," Myunghon reflects, thinking back to even the same moment they were all fighting here, throwing barbs at So-young, saying things they at the moment were terrified even slip from their lips.
Myunghon looks down and seems to dwell on something for a moment. "... I told you how Mei fell to Apathy Syndrome, I think... I worked the courage up to see her in the hospital last year. I didn't take it very well. It was even harder to know her body is still breathing, her eyes are still open, and yet she's just not there. I was convinced at the time there was nothing beyond... that there's just no more her."
They're managing to sustain themself despite the heavy hit. "I didn't have a chance to have anything but regret there. Being missed fondly... most everyone wants some form of legacy, don't they? Some mark they left on the world."
Myunghon tucks their head to the hand Shinjiro has. But are nerds their type?
"Hmmmm....."
They place their finger to their lip and looks away. "Smart *is* appealing."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"If that was the case, I'd hate Aki's guts," Shinjiro grins. "We fight over everything."
But about Mei... "Yeah. That legacy... you visited her, didn't you? So she still lives on with you. As long as you miss her, she's not gone."
Though, Shinjiro laughs as Myunghon tucks in, saying smart is appealing. "I meant commandeering types, but you know what, that's fine. Same for me. Smart, a little bit goofy and weird. Good energy. That's what really appeals in a person." Wait, does he just like gremlins???
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon's smile is a little wistful as they say, "I wonder what I would have been like if I actually grew up with So-young? Would I have grown up more confident at having had to bicker and fight for attention? Mine was a very cold, empty household..."
There's something that they frown about there, however, on the topic of missing Mei. "... I suppose so. But it's still difficult that my last memory was... I mean, I said nasty things about her and then-- I also impulsively broke her vase." They sigh and say, "I know that's not anything in the grand scheme of things, and yet..."
They look to Shinjiro. "... goofy and weird? Good energy..." Myunghon considers that for a moment longer. "Hmm. Now we're going to have to work hard to find someone suitable for you."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Well, you'd have either a lot less or a lot more tolerance of classical music, for sure," Shinjiro smiles widely at that.
About Mei, he realizes the frown, and... it's a tough one! He's being smart today, but... "I think that's just the kinda thing we have to live with. But living on and doing better... is in a way an apology, isn't it?"
Then, he looks faux-injured as Myunghon responds to his type. "Et tu, Myunghon? I don't think you should waste your time on that." He's smiling, but the words aren't false. He really sees it as a waste of time. What could he even provide in the field of love?
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon can't help but laugh at that, before mumbling, "I rather am glad she didn't grow up around my repugnant, soulless cretin of a father." They don't look like they're terribly upset, however. "... was it nice, growing up with -- siblings, essentially? I suppose that's the kind of thing you can only ask for someone's experiences of, not any other way."
They take the time to finish their meal, however, and think about the way in which they've missed their first flame. Shinjiro's tease in turn, however, they end up responding all at once: "It might still happen. If I'm doing my best to live better, realising that intimacy and closeness is still something I desire... maybe it can still happen for you too. Like you said. We feel very deeply. And we can't help the way we feel when it happens, right? Tsumugi wasn't a conscious decision for me."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro doesn't respond about the father... they're in a good mood, he doesn't want to dig that up. Instead, he cocks a grin. "...yeah. Aki and I have known each other since we were real little. We did everything together... the first time we fought, I stole a toy for Miki." The one who died in the fire. "He threw a punch straight at me, and I punched back, and before I knew it, we were brawling. We've been doing that ever since, when our emotions flare. Other people don't tend to get it... but it makes me feel close to him. Like, even in the worst of times, that we can punch and then eventually get over it, and be alive together."
But, as Myunghon finishes their meal and responds about intimacy... he wants to reject this thought. That he'll never be able to. But...
"You're right. Guess we'll just have to see. Who knows? Maybe I'll be the one asking you for advice someday."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
There's a perplexed look as Shinjiro describes how he and Aki fought, after stealing a toy for Miki. "... I've never thrown hands before in my life," Myunghon admits. "Not even now. I'm pretty sure I'd just break my wrist if I tried," they laugh gently. "It's a little funny... I've seen it as a -- like a stereotype in fiction, but it just feels like it fits the two of you, what little I know of Sanada-kun."
That you can punch and eventually get over it...
"Hmm... there is something venting about the exercise, perhaps?"
There's a gentle nod, however. "Hopefully I'll be a little wiser when the time comes," as if they're rooting for him.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Oh, yeah. He can be a bit of a crybaby," Shinjiro teases his friend from afar. "But he's a good guy. ...when I go, make sure nothing bad happens to him within your power, okay?" It means a lot for him to ask that.
"Oh, yeah. But it's also just... boy stuff. I guess. Sweating, exerting, getting mad. I don't know."
But then, a little wiser... when the time comes. "I'll do my best too. We're in this together, Myunghon." A softer smile from Shinjiro, and a single nod.