2025-11-09: A Bit More Clarity
- Log: A Bit More Clarity
- Cast: Myunghon Yeo, Shinjiro Aragaki, So-young Park
- Where: Cardboard Dragon, Hirasaka Ward
- OOC Date: November 09, 2025
- IC Date: August 08, 2012
- Summary: Myunghon has a personal revelation after not sleeping the entire night after the Phantom Thieves' meeting. Shinjiro shares his fateful secret with So-young.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
There was a tense meeting with the Phantom Thieves last night that elucidated many things and yet obscured others, for many in the Cardboard Dragon. While it was nice to meet with fellow possible co-conspirators within the Palace spaces, there were many unanswered questions, and the looming sword of Damocles of the Change of Heart was always hovering over their head. Was it just? Was it mind control? Could they accept it?
It's morning now. It's a peaceful Wednesday in Hirasaka Ward, and--
BAM
No, it's not So-young for once, it's coming from the third floor--
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH"
BAM BAM KABLAM SLAM CRASH
The noise of someone trying and failing to go down the stairs in ordinary fashion is heard, and Johnny-kun topples over (he's okay, the pot didn't break) as Myunghon bursts into the shopfloor, disheveled, wild-eyed, with bags underneath their eyes. They've still got their black and white suit on, which is looking remarkably upended after a full night of... of...
No, it's probably not Tsumugi. That usually leaves them a lot more depressed.
"IT WAS SO CLEAR THE WHOLE TIME," they shout, fingers trembling. Have... have they even slept a wink overnight?
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
After the tense meeting last night, which he knows he contributed to, it was midnight, and Myunghon did not want Shinjiro arriving in Iwatodai at 2AM. Therefore, he crashed on the couch!
Shinjiro has just gotten up and changed, preparing to figure out what to do next, when he hears the crashing. He's about to rush up there, see if it was an attack...
When Myunghon slams their way down the stairs and hasn't slept, Shinjiro lets himself breathe again, heartbeat racing.
"...Myunghon, have you *been up all night*?" he asks, clearly concerned. "Don't tell me you haven't slept... I almost just marched up there."
Then, he takes a seat on the couch he just made up, moving to beckon Myunghon over so at least they aren't standing and fall over while talking.
"What'd you figure out?"
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
It's not So-young this time, but that's only because So-young is in fact walking up the fire escape when she hears the sudden smash and clatter of Myunghon self-destructing. Between the meeting with the Phantom Thieves, the late hour, and the terrible weather, she gave up on trying to navigate her way home that night and simply found herself a late-night hotel room nearby instead.
She manages to mute her surprise enough to not even break her pace, not least because she's still catching up to the morning sunlight and sipping at a sweet-smelling coffee as she climbs the stairs. It's not as good as her favorite cafes back in Shibuya, but she's managed by now to scope out the immediate area and found herself a comfortable place to get a good coffee rather than settling for something out of a can, and an artsy little sandwich (read: no crust) to go with it.
The conductor is a bit owlish as she walks inside, squinting at the manic Myunghon as if it's much too early for this. (It is too early for this.) "Bam," she actually vocalizes for once as she walks inside and with the couch busy - gasp! - takes the seat behind the counter. "Oh, suddenly I feel all-powerful," she remarks. "This store is my domain, and so on."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"We've all been taken in for fools," Myunghon blurts out at the same time So-young enters, that Merry-like grin somewhat on their face. Their nose is bleeding, likely from the fall, and they've likely exacerbated the poor condition that their body is in, but it doesn't stop their manic energy, no. Shinjiro beckons them over, and they sit--
AND THEN they immediately stand back up. "So-young. Nuna. Shinjiro. What is a Phantom Thief. What is a Change of Heart?" they query in that kind of annoying way when they clearly already have the answers but is trying to make a point to make themself look smarter or perhaps their brain is trying desperately to not just jump to Point D immediately. "When did the phenomenon start, publicly? When did it actually start?"
They're pacing all over and then immediately stumble on the coffee table and then is forced to start hopping on one knee because WOW THAT HURTS
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As So-young enters, Shinjiro gives a nod, especially as she takes the seat behind the counter. "Don't let it go to your head," he says as Myunghon sits down... and stands back up, going manic.
Seeing that bloody nose and the fact they stumble and start hopping, he's sighing. Rising back to his feet, he walks over to the DETTOL CABINET, looking for wet wipes and a first aid kit. They don't look like they need the latter fully just yet... but THEY MIGHT SOON if they keep this up.
Even so, he's listening, and considering. "Well, if we go by just what we've been told, what we know is that a Phantom Thief is a person who steals someone's 'distorted desires', leading to a confession and remorse, right?" He's being even-handed on his feelings right here.
"And... a Change of Heart is the phenomenon that leads to this."
Though, then there's the next question. When did it start? "Well, they kept mentioning Madarame and Kaneshiro. Weird they'd go for Madarame first, admittedly. Wasn't he an art thief?"
He has a lot of gaps in this case. He was homeless at the time!
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young's eyebrows shoot up as Myunghon calls her by name and then immediately by title instead, immediately after falling over and bleeding from their nose, to ask them what a Phantom Thief is??? There are many answers that So-young could posit because that question has been on her mind since waking up, but with an absolutely straight face she immediately retorts: "I think you might find them in the first-aid box."
"... they're kids," she says first with a frown. "Kids who have chosen, for some reason, to risk leaping into the heads of people who are willing to lord power over others." Her wording is a bit off, but she doesn't mean that in a bad way. It's a legitimate data point to her that the Thieves were adamant that they weren't looking for thanks - but they aren't exactly enacting a societal change either, not if they need to unanimously agree on a specific target. That implies a personal stake, right?
"He was," she supplies to Shinjiro with a frown, because this is her speciality subject. "He was a celebrated artist who ran a very elite atelier for promising newcomers - and then it turned out that he was simply taking their work, with minor modifications, and presenting it as his own. I talked to one of his students following the change of heart, and he was essentially threatening to ruin their careers if they dared speak up. For artists of that calibre, being blackballed by someone so connected can be a very real concern."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon is positively wheezing for breath by the time Shinjiro gets to the wet wipes and they take the time to clean their face for a moment, though some blood has dribbled onto their bandages. It's a bit unsightly. They're still pacing as if they desperately need to burn off energy unless they stay still and become some kind of ultra-resonant singularity of vibration that will shake so hard they jump timelines.
"Yes, exactly! Exactly. We know for a fact what those 'distorted desires' are. Akabane-san and I both sensed it from Kaneshiro when he visited. But this phenomenon isn't exhibited by literally everyone," Myunghon explains like they're an agitated scientist right after a breakthrough. They're going to crash and burn like Icarus so hard. Perhaps they picked the wrong Persona.
"But we have been so taken by the public factor and presentation of 'Phantom Thieves', and 'Change of Heart' through the media picking it up by storm," Myunghon continues. "If you peel all of the media spin, what is left? ... a group of Persona Users, a supernatural space, and a target that has had their cognition altered to such a drastic degree that it registers upon supernatural senses... and a method, which is still not entirely clear to us, in which this alteration is undone."
They're so innocently excited as they say, "Now, have we not done something entirely like this only a few days ago?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As Myunghon wipes up, out of breath and still pacing, Shinjiro sighs again, and does not sit back down just yet.
"Myunghon, *breathe*. The conclusion isn't going to run away from you if you calm down."
As So-young speaks, Shinjiro shifts, nodding. "They definitely seem young in personality at least." He considers the Madarame thing. "So a big deal... hm."
But then, Myunghon has more questions. Shinjiro considers the point they make. "...you're right. It's basically PR gloss. If you distill it all down to brass tacks..."
He's still considering the ramifications, when Myunghon mentions a few days ago. "...the Homunculus, right?" He's not sure where they're going now, but he's curious.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young straightens up slightly in surprise when Myunghon mentions that two of their number 'sensed' the distortion. She got this feeling back during the meeting as well - she can tell when someone's sounding a bit distorted, but the way they referenced the phenomenon implied that they were dealing with something more. A capital-D Distortion. Her brow furrows as she spins her memory back to go over the meeting, but it's not as if she was resonant at the time, so the odd discordant moment didn't even register to her.
But remembering the event also makes something else occur to her, and the conductor sits back in her seat as she folds her arms. "Hold on, on top of that. At the time I was too busy drowning in adrenaline to really understand what was going on, but now that I think back - the people 'protecting' Kaneshiro's heart were not exactly upstanding members of the police community." She is still only dimly aware of the NWO, but it's enough to know that there are such groups on Myunghon's radar. "Did they have a hand in causing the original distortion?"
She's a bit too stuck on that thought to really keep up with Myunghon's racing mind, blinking as she tries to catch up on matters of the Homonculus.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon does have to stop themself as Shinjiro coaxes them to breathe, and they take a moment to hold onto the cabinet to do just that. That's right, the conclusion isn't going to get stolen away like a Phantom Thief is just waiting around the corner waiting to snatch their hypothesis.
"Very possible, nuna, and after all we know of the Dark Hour, I am very willing to entertain the hypothesis," Myunghon shakily points their finger at So-young. "However, unprovable at this time. Double however -- that man in the Black Mask had a reason to silence Shadow Kaneshiro. If his Shadow is killed within his Palace, we know the consequence -- a Mental Shutdown... this is all very likely to be related to why the NWO are all quite invested in this. To what end they benefit from someone being Distorted, I cannot yet find the path..."
They look towards Shinjiro again, as he correctly brings up the Homunculus. "Yes. That was the pattern I found. A Homunculus is created from an external factor that 'distorts' the individual. Similarly... I don't believe the Change of Heart phenomenon is that convenient. You cannot simply change *anyone's* heart -- this 'distortion' is key to it. The Phantoms also revealed that they only act upon unanimous decision on those that are causing harm in physical reality that cannot be stopped by physical means."
Myunghon waggles their shaky finger in turn. "Which does suggest the existence of other Palace Rulers out of the eye of media that aren't harming anyone. When I consider it this way, the phenomenon did not start with the Phantom Thieves... no, rather, we became publicly aware of it because of how the Phantom Thieves used it. Much like how Apathy Syndrome originated longer than the public knew."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Strega was helping too..." Shinjiro says as So-young mentions the police community. "And they're definitely not cops. Disposable mercs, for sure."
But as Myunghon turns to him, having breathed... and he himself has a realization.
"If it's possible to *not* have to change a heart, that means that the Distortion isn't something that needs to be treated like a Homunculus likely does. Which means..." He doesn't voice what he's thinking, just yet.
"So you think the Thieves found it, instead of inventing it?" He also knows a lot about Apathy Syndrome, and reacts with a frown to that... but he can't give Myunghon his information there.
"I have a thought. But I want to hear your conclusion first."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
Alright, so figuring out the Phantom Thieves and their deal is certainly interesting, but as So-young sips at her coffee she watches Myunghon out of the corner of her eye and decides this is just as good. She's so used to it either being deflated Myunghon or righteous confidence Myunghon that this transitional space is pretty amusing to watch.
The conductor unwraps her sandwich thoughtfully. It's a 'club sandwich', small and dainty, and she frowns as she recalls how much she paid for it. She feels like she could eat three of these. "So you can suggest that the Black Mask was silencing Kaneshiro to prevent the police or the public finding out something awkward in Kaneshiro's confession." She pauses with the sandwich halfway to her mouth. "... which suggests that the Black Mask also knew the consequences of a change of heart?"
She's not normally this good at picking up causes and effects. Maybe it helps that they really feel like they've gone into some dramatic science fiction opera, because at least then the actress side of her brain can keep up just by tracing the shape of the plot.
Half the sandwich has been annihilated in one go. She's definitely going to have to hit up a convenience store later, she thinks. With a tilt of her head, she looks towards Shinjiro. "Personally, the conclusion I draw is that a Distortion is not naturally made - but that someone is causing them, perhaps on a wide scale, and does not want people to find out."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"Yes, quite true. Strega was there, and whether they have an investment in Palaces themselves or were merely hired..." Myunghon doesn't quite know. But Shinjiro ruminates on the consequences of it. If there are other Palaces, and they don't have a change of heart... that means it isn't something that has be treated like a Homunculus.
"Possible, but all merely conjecture at this point. We have to take into account that the Phantom Thieves likely are not operating with a full set of information either. We only know of the consequences of what a Homunculus does because someone experienced was on hand to explain," Myunghon gestures. "The Phantom Thieves have only been active since earlier this year. I doubt that they understand the full ramifications any more than we do."
Shinjiro posits that the Thieves found it, instead of inventing it. Myunghon nods... and has a thought. They watch So-young eat for a moment and that makes them realise they haven't had anything in their stomach since... before the fireworks last night. Not the worst stretch of time to have had nothing they've had, but.
"Quite possible. I should re-review the footage... perhaps coax Suou-san into giving me more detail," Myunghon murmurs. "But my conclusion is--"
Then So-young makes their conclusion and you can just see the tremble as Myunghon looks like they've just been ruined for life. "'Unnatural' is still a wide field," Myunghon attempts to recover, "but I believe that the Phantom Thieves are taking advantage of their knowledge of how to address the Distortions in order to advance their goal of striking fear into tyrants, yes. They certainly have become quite the media darling... and on social media as well."
"Which..." Myunghon pauses.
"I did note my own discomfort last night, Shinjiro-ssi, even before you spoke. But I cannot find it in my heart to believe people like Skull or Panther are malicious, and I would dare say an outsider should also find me suspicious, if it were not for the more forthright company I keep."
They tap their lips. "... my conclusion is that I do still believe, much like how I have been suspicious of who makes the Meta-Nav app chase me, that the Phantom Thieves do not lie at the heart of it. But I believe they hold other pieces of information vital to solving the mystery."
And...
...
Hearing Panther talk passionately in rebuttal to Shinjiro did affect them. So-young is blunt when they say 'they're kids', but that same pang of concern that has them worried for SEES is there with the Thieves too. They have to put up the grandest of masks because society's all turned against them.
...
As they turn inwards, you can just see the way Myunghon's deflating, adrenaline and energy immediately leaving them and they have to balanace themself and sit down on the couch.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro listens to Myunghon and So-young for a long moment. He's quiet, ruminating on his thoughts.
"I said it last night. I don't think they're bad people," he finally speaks.
"But... I slept on it. I still don't think this is a good idea. I mean, I'm willing to help them out if we see them in the field, make sure they don't get hurt. But an arrangement... it's tacit approval, isn't it?"
A long sigh, as he sits next to Myunghon. "...I'll go with whatever you say, but I have a conflict of interest. It's not why I believe what I do, but..." He'll leave it there, because he's sure Myunghon can guess who the conflict of interest originates with. But they'd also be able to guess why he doesn't say anything more about it.
Then, he takes a breath. "I believe what I do because of what I've gone through. It's not something I'm sure I'll ever budge on, not that that means much with what's going on with me."
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young's eyebrows raise as she cruelly steals away Myunghon's conclusion for herself, and So-young actually looks genuinely annoyed at having done that. In some attempt at commiseration, and because she caught the look on Myunghon's face, she does offer the other half of the sandwich forwards. Of course, it's seasoned, but maybe Myunghon can deconstruct it so they have something in their stomach at least. "Sorry, sorry," she adds with a apologetic smile. "I was getting invested."
She nods along to the point about Skull and Panther, Panther especially. You don't fake how suddenly she got angry, which does again point to the personal aspect. Not that she can begin to guess at what that might be, especially not without knowledge of any other victims, but maybe there's something to the idea that the Phantom Thieves started out small and are just riding the wave of popularity.
"Beliefs and principles are all perfectly fine," she adds carefully, aware that this is not the first time she's potentially hurt Shinjiro by being a bit too blunt. "But the trouble is that for many people this sort of situation is not just a thought experiment, but often a very real and pressing concern. We've experienced it ourselves - what other options were there when Kaneshiro came knocking? And we had a lot more resources available to us than an art student living on their own in an atelier in a different country."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon is suddenly very quiet, not even reaching for the sandwich -- as they realise they really should front up about their issues at some point, but that feels like admitting that So-young is the sibling that Has It All, so it's still a bit of a hangup for them. Shinjiro repeats the points he made last night, but also that he slept on it... and still doesn't think it's a good idea.
But he does acknowledge helping them out so they don't get hurt.
They're very calm, though they look to Shinjiro again as he repeats he'll go with what you say. "Hmmm. I'd... first echo my sentiments with Joker about not allowing yourself to be passively convinced," Myunghon does first point out. But he has a conflict of interest... he doesn't say with who, but it's rather clear that it's SEES. Now that's very intriguing. Where's the link here... they stop themself from spiderwebbing out into a spider chrysanthemum, however.
But this isn't new -- and it means that Myunghon isn't upset at Shinjiro, in the same way they can't be upset at Yukari for how she reacts to when they point out they're jumping at shadows. A part of them is just hurting harder, quietly, at how much damage is already done from just Ten Years Ago. ... how many more?
They look a little more squarely at Shinjiro, still soft. "If it doesn't sit right with you, then it doesn't sit right with you." Their glance is on So-young for a moment, wondering if this would push Shinjiro to admit it to her...
"... but you know. I killed that homunculus, Nanghaithya," Myunghon does point out. "I can dress it up as much as I'd like about how Taro Nakata would die, but I still killed a living being, with its own desires and wants. I wouldn't want the Enma to not judge me for that."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"I won't," Shinjiro replies to Myunghon immediately. "I just don't want to be the anchor here, either..." It's clear he's feeling bad about *that*, at least. This isn't his show...
So-young makes some good points, and her carefulness helps Shinjiro be calm about it. "...I have... not personal experience with this, exactly, but with things similar enough that it stings. There's... never a good option, but even if I don't know what the answer is, I can't do something that I so staunchly disagree with."
He looks to Myunghon, as they mention killing that Homunculus. He fidgets with his fingers for a moment, before taking another breath. He doesn't respond directly, but he's thinking about it.
"I want to tell you why. The others have more or less heard most of it, when it's become relevant. We haven't really had a good moment, though I've been meaning to share it."
He waits a long minute. He's centering his thoughts.
"...years ago, SEES was three members. Me, my best friend Akihiko Sanada, and Mitsuru Kirijo."
A pause. "We never got far. We didn't have the power we have now, and had never cleared Tartarus's first floor. We mostly just did patrols for Shadows during the Dark Hour. Two years ago, we were patrolling a residential district. A dangerous Shadow was there, and we fought it. I... always had a temper, and got really pissed off. Charged in on my own."
He's taking another breath, clearing his throat. "Next thing I knew, I lost control of Castor. He went berserk and started rampaging. Killed the Shadow and then smashed straight into a house, pretty much pulverizing it."
"...a woman died, a mother to a small child."
He trails off there. He clearly has More To Share, but that's all he can manage for right this exact second, with the tension of last night still being felt.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young offers the sandwich a moment longer, before tilting her head in acceptance. It wasn't exactly a likely thing to be accepted, at least from what she has passively taken in about Myunghon's diet, but she had to at least make some kind of offer.
Shinjiro speaks up, and this time So-young does turn silent as he speaks, her audience sense back in full swing. Her frown deepens as he speaks, and it's not lost on her that she also very nearly killed someone herself when she went to swing a kick at Ichiba's coffin, a trickle of ice running through her veins at the thought of it. "... I see," is all she says afterwards. There's no judgment in her voice, not when she'd probably have done the same were it not for Umie's timely warning. Besides, she has no doubt that Shinjiro has done quite enough judgment for himself since. Similarly, it's not like she can offer any sympathy. It simply is what it is.
Leaning back in the chair again, she nods along with Myunghon. "... I am not making my points to try to suggest your outlook is 'wrong'," she adds onto Myunghon's statement, frowning as she glances over to Shinjiro to hedge her statements. "And I understand you being cautious about meddling in the Dark Hour or the Metaverse. All I am doing is trying to clarify where each person's lines are, and mine keeps swinging back to 'what other immediate options does someone stuck under someone else's thumb have?'"
Her immediate instinct is to furrow her brow and open her mouth to Myunghon's final point, but she stops dead as she realizes her sibling is two steps ahead of her - because of course the human reaction _is_ to dress it up in that way as a means of defence. Pausing, she takes stock, and tries again. "... all I can do is whatever seems best in the moment. Maybe I will end up with regrets later, but I'd rather have those than regrets now." Truly, one of So-young's core philosophies in a nutshell: Tomorrow's So-young can deal with it. "At least I feel I can hold my head up high that way."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
To her credit, Myunghon is actually kinda surprised that So-young is largely managing to thread this conversation. They're kind of expecting So-young to, in her own words, 'be the bull in a China shop'. Their respect might have gone up a notch... as Myunghon dwells in consideration for a moment longer.
"Good intentions, hmm..." Myunghon finds themself remarking, perhaps struck by something Yukari said that they don't know loops back to Shinjiro!
They've heard this story before, however, so they don't flinch or particularly look deeply bothered by it -- though it is still difficult to listen to every time; they quietly place a hand on Shinjiro's shoulder, even though it kinda hurts to have it up this high. (Shinjiro's still pretty tall.)
Besides, they know a bit more about what's More there. That child is now in SEES...
"The truly impossible, dark choices we are faced with all have deeper causes," they say, gently. "When I say I wish to become Hope, it's in the desire that we do not create the circumstances in which people like us have been produced in the first place. When I said last night that I aim to vanquish the Dark Hour, that will come with truth. That is why my investigation continues."
A part of them does wonder if Shinjiro will eventually object to the shape their Hope, seething through the garden and smothering, will hold. They've never been particularly idealistic about the idea of a bloodless Revolution. Then again, the crux of what Shinjiro feels is in the ownership of such darkness -- and then, also, taking it all onto himself so that others don't have to experience it.
There's a vivid, almost menacing smile as they look to So-young on her reflection on how 'all she can do is do whatever seems best at the moment'. It's all so very... human. 'Best' is an incredible sliding scale, Merry knows, and it's exceptionally hard for one to have a gauge on what 'their best' is in a given moment -- and humans are so, so very prone to reflecting how that was 'their best' in hindsight, dampening themselves down into a watered-down mess.
Then it passes. "... Shinjiro-ssi, you're leaving for Yakushima soon, right? For the summer vacation."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro still wants to share, but needs a second. Myunghon's comfort help, and he leans forward a bit to make it easier. So-young's two word response causes him to actually be visually surprised... he thought, perhaps wanted, her to get mad at him. But she didn't.
"...There's a black market drug out there that lets you suppress your Persona. I started taking it, but the side effects were... hardcore." he continues with that bolt of lightning, after they say they understand his caution and wannt to clarify his lines. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... the reason I don't want to make any more mistakes is..."
He falters for a moment, that two-word response being something he hopes he doesn't hear an echo of.
"I've got less than a year to live, and I've wasted enough of the last two. So if I can find the right way to go, instead of picking the bad option that might still help people, then I want to do that."
Shinjiro then tilts his head over to Myunghon. "SEES has figured out a way to stop the Dark Hour, if all's true. We're working on it." As much as he distrusts the adults in SEES, he doesn't think Ikutsuki is lying to them.
Then, the question comes forth about Yakushima. "Tomorrow. We'll be gone for a week. Too late to call out now, right?" He's half-joking there.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
This is, largely, the perfect storm in which So-young is able to take things more seriously: it's morning and she's still waking up from sleeping somewhere unusual, she's still getting through her first coffee, she still has the Hayashi incident on her mind, she's been turning over the matter of the Phantom Thieves in her mind ever since the plan went out to meet them. And, crucially: despite her comment that this isn't a thought experiment anymore, from where she's sitting right in this instant, it kind of is. If something were happening right in front of her, her calm would likely be a much different story.
She snorts pleasantly to Myunghon's glance her way. "Yes, yes, I know. It is a very wooly definition, certainly. But it's how I live my life. If I feel I have to tell a director to go fuck himself I absolutely shall, and whatever happens next happens. I realize I have a remarkable amount of freedom to do that." Alright, maybe So-young really will age into one of those deeply problematic angry conductors, but at least she'll be yelling upwards rather than down. That's a... start...??
She'll back to frowning as Shinjiro continues, and something filters through into her expression this time around. Her brow flickers and she almost shoots something immediately back to his comment about 'the right way to go', before she pauses to reel it back a little. You can tell she's trying to moderate herself because she almost sounds prim. "... you want to find the right way for yourself. That's fine. But in doing so, I think in the process you have started thinking of it as the right way for _everyone_."
Looking up, So-young lets out a sigh. "Consider this. If the 'right' way is to not meddle supernaturally but wait for remorse to naturally come to Madarame or Kaneshiro, how long will that take? How many people's lives will be affected in the meantime? How much longer it will take when they receive no pushback for their deeds and become even more entrenched in their ways?" This might be a dangerous line of thought, because it naturally bleeds into: if you remove the Dark Hour, what recourse will those people have _then_?
"For some of these students, Madarame took away everything from them; not just their art in the moment, but the chance to follow their dream and passion. When I offered that ex-student a commission, their first response was that I should not have approached them because they were now blacklisted and should not even be approached. All I can think about is how much worse it would have been if they'd festered in that situation even longer," she adds, her expression stony.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
It doesn't really get any easier to hear that Shinjiro is dying in, at most, a year.
They're taking this a lot better than when they first found out, on those swings in the Naganaki Shrine. Their mood is still sort of in freefall after all the adrenaline and energy of their hypothesis has left them.
So-young calls them out, though, and they tilt their head in turn as Myunghon carefully returns their face to neutral, and then just kind of widens that Merry-like smile. "I think that has... ... ... ... certainly worked out for you thus far." The pause is perhaps tactically applied.
But the topic of Shinjiro's incredibly short life has So-young pointing out that Shinjiro's inflicted that on everyone as part of how he views his time left in the world. They choose to rise slowly at this point to head towards the kitchenette, perhaps to let So-young takt the center stage at the moment and find their suspension of beansprouts in protein jelly in the fridge.
Madarame comes up again, and with it, they're thinking of Masao, who was forced to return to living with his parents. A cube is in their mouth as they chew and consider it for a moment longer. The only reason they can talk about Madarame is because it become a hot media sensation, thanks to the Phantom Thieves. So many other injustices happen behind closed doors, in domestic situations, though. Tsubasa is a case they only have the privy of being able to correct because of their close proximity.
There's the paradox of their Hope, now is it?
In choosing to replace their life and blood with hope, Merry can't save those closest to them. No, Merry must live on nebulously, like a legend that people will say in interviews they were inspired by. ... isn't that the same kind of escape Shinjiro's deploying?
(another protein jelly beansprout cube goes in here)
... there's still something else in there. As So-young pointed out, in seeing other people who don't appear to be as reflective or guilty of their actions, it reflects back on himself, torques his feelings, makes the time he's already spent feeling guilty feel less meaningful, which, in turn, makes him feel like he's wasting the very short amount of time left...
"I'm hoping it will be worthy of the bucket list, Yakushima," Myunghon points out.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
So-young pushes back, saying that he's thinking of the right way for everyone instead of just for himself. She makes a good point, and she can see Shinjiro chewing on it - how long will it take to help these people if they do it the 'right' way?
"...there's just things people shouldn't do. This magic shit doesn't exist to just be a tool. Who knows why it does? We use it to protect people because if we don't get involved, they'll die, sure. But to be judge, jury, executioner on the ones who are considered guilty, using forethought and premeditation? I don't like that."
There's a frown there. "...I know, I can't tell others how to think. But I can't let anyone else make mistakes like I have, either. These things live with you in a bad way, stain your soul. If I can stop someone from turning out like I did, I will."
He turns over to Myunghon as they get their mean sprouts. When they mention the bucket list... "I hope so. My birthday's on Saturday, but no one knows but Aki and Kirijo, so it should be fine." Wait, he's *hiding* his birthday?
Shinjiro is, perhaps, unaware that this is a revelation that will lead to his destruction. You're doomed, Shinjiro Aragaki.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young squints at the grin and the pause, looking owlish again. "... is this how younger siblings work? Do I just get another family member to poke at my poor battered ego?" she grouses, but there's an element of amusement and a sort of upbeat affection there. At the very least, she seems happy that Myunghon is sniping back at her. She's never really considered herself to 'have it all', or at least she's more aware of what Myunghon does have and what her childhood lacked. Perhaps it's just that the grass is always greener on the other side.
As So-young said earlier, she's not looking to change Shinjiro's mind so much as she's trying to figure out where his lines are. Would there be an answer that makes everyone happy? No, of course not, So-young is not that naive by any stretch - all she really wants to do is ensure that Shinjiro has considered those questions as valid concerns for his outlook, and she watches carefully as he considers them.
"... I wonder if you might be overstating what the Phantom Thieves are doing," she considers, and glances to Myunghon to check whether her sibling has had any revelations on that front. "From what they've said, what they are doing is essentially giving someone a moment of clarity and perspective. How exactly they are doing that remains up in the air - but if it is true, then I would say that is quite far from being 'judge and jury', let alone executioner."
"Either way. You aren't necessarily an artist, so I don't expect you to agree - but I would prefer to die than ever be pushed into a position where I have to give up music." This comes out whip-crack fast, her eyes absolutely clear as she simply shrugs. "You would be asking me to deny everything that makes me 'me', relegating me to a grey life of-- who knows, retail or something--" (sorry Umie) "And all to appease a thief. I would be more livid at you than him."
She lets that hang in the air, then settles back in her chair again to forcibly remind herself: you are dealing with someone younger than you, and someone who is dying soon. Don't be too mean. "I do not mean to sound harsh, but what is important to someone is up to them. I can be merciful, however," she straightens up, taking the opportunity to revel in a little silliness to break the tension as she lords over the shop floor from her perch at the counter, "And I will refrain from immediately texting Yukari what you just said." She has Yukari's number?!
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
There's a lot about So-young that Myunghon hasn't unpacked or had a serious, honest conversation with, and that they can't exist in her space without making constant comparisons is one of them, certainly. That in their worst moments, there certainly is something resembling resentment as the words their mother have said to them keep echoing in their head: Someone who can be acted upon without consequence...
If they were bullish, perhaps they wouldn't be mangled. Perhaps they wouldn't have broken up with Mei. Perhaps they would've pursued their dreams with her. Perhaps they'd have an answer to gender.
The grass is indeed seemingly greener on the other side.
"Is the remorse that Junya Kaneshiro feels now that his Shadow has returned to him truly what he would have felt inside his heart, only solely due to the Distortion? It is difficult to imagine, but we are not mind readers, and we cannot return to a point in time where we would have seen that for what it truly is," Myunghon does observe. "We do not hold all the answers. We can only dig at them a step at a time."
Myunghon does point out again, for Shinjiro: "And that includes not knowing what the consequences of letting a Palace be is."
There's an incredibly ugly wince on Myunghon's face next as So-young literally tells the teen who just told her he's dying that she'd rather die than give up her art, though. Wow. The way they look down on the 'grey life' that they can't even in conscious mind imagine does hit home. For a moment, they size up So-young for a moment and think: that's privilege right there.
"I'd like to move on," Myunghon does speak up in that referee-like tone, shutting their plastic container of meansprouts. "And..."
There's a delicate little look on their face. "When you come back, I'm going to hold a birthday party for you too. We'll make it a bucket list item. I'll let you destroy me with another Excellent Pet Adventure movie again."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro sighs once, though before he can answer what he thinks about overstating, Myunghon voices his thoughts. "They said what I would have." Though, at their point, he nods once, sighing.
And then, So-young says that she'd rather die than lose her art, forced to do something like retail. He has trouble holding back his words for a moment, no longer responding directly about the Thieves' context anymore. "...I'd rather have a grey life than none at all." Myunghon, at least, knows that he's pretty scared about all of it.
But when Myunghon asks to move on, he winces. "Sorry," he says.
And then he pales a bit at what they say next. The Yukari comment followed by the party... "Wait, what? No, I don't need a party, Myunghon, I- tch." He knows they're going to insist. "Is that really necessary...?"
He's rubbing the back of his head again, both embarrssed and anxious. Something about the idea bugs him, likely the fact that it's attention on someone who doesn't quite deserve it. That it's a celebration of a life wasted.
But his protests die down. He just stares down at the table for a moment.
<Pose Tracker> So-young Park has posed.
So-young frowns as she considers Myunghon's even-handed warning - that, yeah, chances are the remorse he feels is quite different from what he would have felt naturally. But then, what would he have felt naturally? Would he ever have looked at himself at three in the morning to reevaluate his life? And if not, how much of all of this is a moot question?
The conductor was trying, she really was. She was so close to making it through a nuanced discussion without metaphorically blasting through a wall, but she kind of trips up near the end and manages to punch a hole bigger than any she could have possibly made on purpose. She is still frowning deeply, and it's not directed towards Shinjiro so much as it's directed towards herself... but at the same time she can't just take it back. This is one of _her_ lines, part of the course of who So-young Park is and how she got to where she is now.
"... no, I apologize as well. That was much too far, and much too heated of me. I am sorry," she repeats as she dips her head towards Shinjiro solemnly - before lifting her head with a more bemused frown. "To be honest, it-- is hard to even imagine. You don't exactly look anything other than the picture of health," she admits with an uncertain look as she realizes she's not even sure what to look for. Shinjiro is a tall, fairly hale lad who is apparently as strong as an ox. Myunghon is wrapped in bandages every day and seemingly explodes at a moment's breeze! Her expectations might be slightly skewed here!
Is that really necessary? This, more than anything, is the question that lets So-young centre herself and move forwards from that awkward moment. "Yes???" she insists in return, folding her arms. "Whyever would you not? If you are making a bucket list we will damn well see it added to and completed as much as possible."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Is that really necessary...?
"... mm," Myunghon quietly nods, looking at Shinjiro gently. "It's... just as much for us, you know. ... I've never really celebrated a birthday party before in my life, myself. So I want to try, and if I am trying, then I don't want to do it in a half-measure."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro seems to accept So-young's apology enough, but then come the responses. They think it's a good idea to throw a party, for themselves, too.
"...okay, then," he decides, Myunghon's logic making sense. "...I'll try to accept it."
He is, admittedly, nervous about it. But if it's for everyone, for the bucket list... might as well. Besides... there'll probably be cake.