#and yeah sorry this is run on sentence town but tbf this is the run on sentence site

[muninnhuginn]

for all that Stranger is a very plotty series I really appreciate how it always makes the time for little character moments. things like han yeo-jin’s drawings, hwang si-mok vs food, kang won-chul’s silly office habits. and then it builds on these to give actual character insight?

han yeo-jin likes her drawings, a load of her doodles are actively anime-style which is fitting considering how much she’s into animanga, she likes to gift them and they mean a lot to her. they’re literally part of how she shows her appreciation for others, from her coworkers to si-mok. so in s2 when she’s suddenly *not* drawing? that shows something is severely wrong even before si-mok points it out. her returning to doodling later on after starting to mend the rift with si-mok therefore pulls some weight in showing that she’s healing, but at the same time, when her co-workers look over she still hides what’s she’s doing. this contrasts with her old work where she literally left post-its of her art as gifts on full display. she may be improved from her lowest state but she’s still not comfortable in her current environment.

si-mok vs food, better people than me have explained, but he’s constantly interrupted from having meals because of cases. it starts mostly as a running gag but it does get built upon. when he’s at odds with another character and they try to have a meal with him it’s inevitably cut short (kang won-chul’s s1 manager intervention, lee yeon-jae meeting the team) or he actively dislikes the food (and this part gets more blatant as he starts to express more emotions in general. initially it’s other characters who have to directly comment on or ask him about not approving of the food whereas by the time he has the meal with woo tae-ha the disgust is visible on his face). the only times he’s able to have a proper meal is when he’s started to let people in, so si-mok accepting the invite to the team meal in s1 (just before everything all falls to pieces) is a big step. it catches everyone off-guard for a reason. beyond that, there are the meetings with han yeo-jin which are some of the few times he’s actually able to have a proper meal with someone.

si-mok vs alcohol is another indicator. much of s1 is spent refusing alcohol and saying he doesn’t drink. in situations where someone else is drinking and it would be socially acceptable for him to mirror them (see eun-soo drinking alone in the pop-up bar) he is notable for how he refuses to do so. it takes most of the season for him to ‘give in’ enough to drink and when he does it shows that he may not be showing it in other ways but he has hit a low point. and that he chooses to share his history with yeo-jin when he’s in that state speaks volumes as to how much more he trusts her now. (I could speculate here about how him avoiding alcohol seems to be rooted in a not wanting to lose control kind of thing which is at odds with his whole emotionless deal in the same way his repeated lying about his pain is but that’s a tangent so I’ll leave it be) and at the end of s1 he drinks socially with yeo-jin and later on in that episode shows a full smile, showing him choosing to ease up re: alcohol is actually a *positive* development for him in some way. so him then reverting back in s2 to not drinking alcohol? it’s either his development being stunted/reverted or he’s not in the position where he’s with someone he trusts enough to drink with.

as for kang won-chul? I don’t think there’s any real *development* as such with his office habits (spinny chair, trying to get the paper into the bin), but it does demonstrate he doesn’t conform as much as he seems to at first glance. he’s a character who at first glance knows the ways this all works and blends in with it, but he doesn’t quite fit.

my point is just, the show didn’t have to bother with any of this. they could have still hit all the plot points and it would have made sense. the characters would have still stood up to scrutiny. but they chose to include all these little indicators that build up a picture of all the characters and where they are in their respective arcs. and I appreciate it so much that the show trusts the audience to complete the puzzle.

#sorry im still spamming this tag #especially considering this post was meant to be like three lines #and that did Not pan out #tvn stranger #secret forest #secret forest 2 #and yeah sorry this is run on sentence town but tbf this is the run on sentence site

[lemonietrinket]

Life ||| Busker!Jae x Reader

Summary: Jae, after a night busking in the streets of a town not too far from the city, takes the train home, only to run into someone unusual... Genres: Fantasy? Mystery? A lil bit of flirting I... it’s a oneshot Word Count: 1684 Songs: It’s not a song, but this was the ambience that inspired the fic; I’m So Hot - Momoland

AN: I wrote this really really fast so I apologise for any poor quality; also the beginning of the spoopy fics! (though tbf this isn’t very spooky)

Jae was tired.

Not the cutesy, sleepy, dozy tired, where he rubbed his eyes and yawned adorably before resting on folded arms, and had a tiny nap. Not even the exhausted after a long day, but satisfied with all the things he’d done and seen and bought.

No, this was the mind-shattering tired. The tired that made knocking into things inevitable, the tired that left his brain stumbling, the tired that made it questionable whether he was dreaming even whilst he walked. 

So, it’s easy to imagine his confusion when he searched for a seat, barely the energy to wince as his guitar bashed against some chairs, and came across you.

He spotted the two empty spots opposite you, drowsily shifting his head to ask you if you could sit there, and met the pallid irises of a void. In a wicker basket. Wearing a tartan bow-tie.

“Those seats are free, if you’re not allergic to him,” you mentioned, looking up from your book as he blinked.

The void meowed.

“Uh. Yeah, it, should be...” he cleared his throat, “fine.”

He sunk heavily into the seat furthest from you, slinging his guitar in its case into the space next to him. He then drew his head to look at you. Wearing a long navy coat with a wide-brim black hat even inside, he wasn’t sure you were even real.

You anticipated he wasn’t going to stop staring, so you felt for your leather bookmark and slotted it neatly inside your book, before leaning over the table that separated the two of you.

“Hi.”

“Hello.” He glanced back to the ball of darkness.

“Don’t mind him,” you smiled, “he’s my emotional support babie.”

He nodded slowly, frowning slightly at your word choice. “Yeah, that’s cool.”

“What’s your name?”

“Jae?” He had to think there.

“Y/N. I would extend a hand but you’re a bit too far away,” you said with a laugh. “So.” You cocked your head, hand on your chin, and watched him squirm slightly under your unended proposition. “Where are you heading to?”

He rubbed his temple briefly. “Oh, uh, the city.”

You nodded. “So only a few stops then.”

“Yeah.”

“Interesting. I’ve got quite a few more stops than that, myself.” You tapped your nails on the tabletop, to a rhythm that had been stuck in your head for weeks.

Jae shifted in his seat. “Fair. Where are you headed?”

You chuckled gently, before announcing, “Wherever Life tells me to go.”

“Oh.” He focused his expression, nodding. “Spiritual journey.”

You hummed, contemplating the validity of mentioning spirituality in this case. “Sure?”

Silence settled over the table, as you found your eyes analysing the marks of his face. He had some interesting characteristics, cute eyes behind his glasses even if they appeared to be closing at any second, and beautiful lips that looked so soft to the touch...

Taking one look at his guitar case, you began, “So, you a rockstar Mr Jay?”

He quivered his head as if you’d awoken him from a sleep. “Huh? Oh,” he laughed, “rockstar? No, far, far from it. I just busk.”

You pulled a shocked expression. “No! Look at you, you must be for sure. You’re too cute to just be sat on the streets.”

You leant back and acknowledged his reaction in his reflection on the pitch dark window. He laughed nervously, hand reaching for the back of his neck as he looked down, slowly settling into his seat a bit further.

“Thanks, but yeah, I’m... I’m not in a band yet.” He hastily added, “But, you don’t look too bad yourself either.”

Amused you thanked him, coming back to look at him properly. “You must be in demand to join one though.”

“Well, I did have an interview coming up for one. But it fell through.”

“Ah, that’s a shame, I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s alright. For the meantime, I work solo, self-produced.” He perked up slightly. “I actually have a single out right now. It was played over the radio, like, once, but I’m happy with that at the very least.”

You reached over to the basket, giving your cat a scratch by the ear. “Oh, what’s it called? I may know it - maybe. I’ll admit to you, my music is very eclectic, so I’m sorry if I don’t.”

“Love of Us.”

You whipped your head to him. “Wait? Wait, is it...?”

You rummaged through the basket, apologising hurriedly to your cat as you brushed past him, before pulling out a phone in a lilac phone case. As you opened it, Jae spotted a symbol painted upon its back, carved through the marbled purple. It resembled a wide ‘n’, adorned with two dots beneath the curve.

All of a sudden, the phone was whipped around, and he was confronted with a dark phone screen, opened on a golden-hued album cover.

His album. 

“This song?” you enquired, eyes widened as your heartbeat picked up a notch.

He met your stare and grinned. “Yeah! That’s my song!”

You cried out excitedly, ignoring the turned heads it afforded, as you swiftly moved the basket and swapped seats so you were opposite him. “You’re that Jae?! Jae with an ‘e’ - oh!”

“Oh, do you like it?” 

“Like it? Boi,” you pointed at him, “your song has been in my head for weeks.”

Jae couldn’t help but feel his cheeks heat up, as pride fluttered in his heart. “Really?”

“Yes!” you insisted. “And I can assure you it’s been on the radio way more than once! Which radio were you listening to?”

He didn’t get a chance to answer your somewhat exasperated question, as you continued.

“Jae, your song was exactly what I needed at the right time. It’s also a masterpiece, but I’ll save all that.” You looked him dead in the eye, a serious glint taking to your own. “Thank you so much.”

He exhaled deeply, trying to hide his glee. “I’m glad that it helped you so much.”

You were, for a moment, at a loss for words, before you found your sentence again. “I... look. I didn’t want to mention it earlier, because, well, it would have been weird, but I actually know a guy.” You discarded your phone on the table and inclined towards him, leaning on your elbows. “He’s looking for another vocalist for his band, with the ability to play an instrument required. There’s already a guitarist or two if I remember correctly, but with your voice, I think they’d leap at the chance to have you.”

Jae laughed breathily. He hadn’t expected this night to ever be a success. Now here he was, confronted with a beautiful woman offering him the chance he’d been looking for.

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope. I’ll call them for you tomorrow? They’re based at a surprisingly big label, I always forget the name. I’ll let you know the details once I’ve rung.”

“That’s amazing, honestly. Thank you!” he gushed, ears reddening as the realisation struck. “Oh, but you’ll need my number.”

“Oh yeah.” You opened up your contacts and handed your phone directly to him, startling him somewhat. You thought his barely audible sharp intake of breath was because of your sudden movement, and you offered him an apologetic, pressed smile.

Little did you know was that it happened as soon as his fingers brushed yours.

Once he’d typed it in, you snapped the case shut and tucked it back in your basket, as carefully as you could, to avoid disturbing your cat who had curled up in there to have a snooze.

“Great! If you get a call from an unknown number ending in 378, it’s me.” You rested your chin in your palm as you sighed. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear you sing with them! I’ve met the others, their drummer is to die for, he’s such a cutie! And their voices are heavenly,” you giggled mischievously, “though maybe not as good as yours.” 

Mildly flustered, he reciprocated with a bright smile. “I hope I’ll be a good fit.”

“Oh trust me you will, they’re so lovely. You’re just what they need.”

Did you just wink at him? He could have sworn you winked at him.

“Oh by the way,” he said, avidly trying to change the subject to cover his stutter, “what’s your cat’s name?”

“Oh, this lil’ boy?” you cooed at the fluffy void, who lifted his head with a trill as you stroked his head. “He’s called Life.”

“That’s a cool name...” he hesitated, remembering what you said earlier. “Oh, that’s why it’s not a spiritual journey. I get it now.” He chuckled. 

Until he realised the depth of her statement. 

“Wait, no I don’t, what?”

The train came to a stop, as harsh lamplight shone through the windows.

You sent him a coy smirk. “This is the city stop, I’m afraid.”

He leapt to his feet, as he noticed very few people were getting off and he didn’t have much time. He lifted his case strap over his shoulder, shifting out from behind the table. “Um...”

“See you around, Mr Jae.” You waved politely.

“Yes. Bye, Y/N,” he stuttered, cursing his awkwardness as he headed down the empty aisle. 

“Oh, and Jae?!” you called after him, as he reached the door, standing out of your seat so you could see him properly. He immediately peered back round to you, waiting expectantly.  “I’ll call you in general, about other things, if you’d like,” you finished.

The grin slipped onto his lips before he could stop it. “Yes, I’d... I’d like that a lot.”

“Good. I’ll see you around!”

And that time you definitely did send him a wink, before you disappeared from view behind the chairs.

As he ushered himself off the train, he tried to inconspicuously run to be opposite the window you were near.

However, he couldn’t seem to find it. Your hat was nowhere to be seen in the windows, even the ones he was certain you’d be visible through.

The tiredness was no longer seeping through his veins, and you were nowhere to be found.

~~~

Masterlist

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