Entry tags:
(no subject)
Who: park "mother of three" heung soo
unathletic, park "cougar magnet" sooha
confind, go "*breathing against the window*" nam soon
unpresidential, kang "what do you mean not invited" mireu
breakin.
When: 11/26, during the day.
Where: Sooha's apartment.
What: Sooha has agreed to cook for Oona, doesn't trust himself not to make her throw up. Calls Heung Soo for backup, accidentally triggers Nam Soon into happening, and Mireu shows up to make everything better.
Rating/Warning: None.
[ Sooha doesn't trust his own tastebuds. You can only taste, adjust, taste, adjust, taste, adjust so many times before you can't taste anything anymore, and Sooha hit that roadblock far too long ago to know if this soup tastes like gym socks or if he's just been doing this for too long.
He's ashamed about the amount of effort he's putting into this pre-dinner dinner, but Oona asked him to cook for her, and he knows her tastes are picky and her stomach is sensitive. Which is why a "practice dinner" ahead of an actual dinner seemed like a great idea when he started cooking an hour or so ago.
For those above reasons he didn't choose an overly complicated recipe: a clear soup with white fish and a few vegetables thrown in to balance it out, but all the tiny adjustments of the recipe along the way has made it impossible to know if he's turned it awful or not. Is it really terrible, and he's just tasted it so many times he's used to it? Who knows, he sure doesn't.
Which is where the backup comes in.
"The backup" meaning Heung Soo, because he's Sooha's closest friend over the mental age of 5, and he trusts him to tell him if it's god awful and needs to be dumped straight down the nearest toilet.
For now it's still toilet water free and stays in the kitchen, which is where Sooha ushers in Heung Soo for a friendship crowding around of his stovetop. ]
There it is.
[ Ace Detective Park Sooha. ]
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When: 11/26, during the day.
Where: Sooha's apartment.
What: Sooha has agreed to cook for Oona, doesn't trust himself not to make her throw up. Calls Heung Soo for backup, accidentally triggers Nam Soon into happening, and Mireu shows up to make everything better.
Rating/Warning: None.
[ Sooha doesn't trust his own tastebuds. You can only taste, adjust, taste, adjust, taste, adjust so many times before you can't taste anything anymore, and Sooha hit that roadblock far too long ago to know if this soup tastes like gym socks or if he's just been doing this for too long.
He's ashamed about the amount of effort he's putting into this pre-dinner dinner, but Oona asked him to cook for her, and he knows her tastes are picky and her stomach is sensitive. Which is why a "practice dinner" ahead of an actual dinner seemed like a great idea when he started cooking an hour or so ago.
For those above reasons he didn't choose an overly complicated recipe: a clear soup with white fish and a few vegetables thrown in to balance it out, but all the tiny adjustments of the recipe along the way has made it impossible to know if he's turned it awful or not. Is it really terrible, and he's just tasted it so many times he's used to it? Who knows, he sure doesn't.
Which is where the backup comes in.
"The backup" meaning Heung Soo, because he's Sooha's closest friend over the mental age of 5, and he trusts him to tell him if it's god awful and needs to be dumped straight down the nearest toilet.
For now it's still toilet water free and stays in the kitchen, which is where Sooha ushers in Heung Soo for a friendship crowding around of his stovetop. ]
There it is.
[ Ace Detective Park Sooha. ]
no subject
But no, this is all still.. sort of new to Heung Soo. Not that he hasn't had friends before - even not counting Nam Soon, he was friendly enough with his teammates back in the day and all - but he hasn't really gotten many "hey, come over and help me out with this or that" requests lately. As in the last few years, in fact. Let alone when it's coming from someone with the same face as his bastard.
On the other hand, he doesn't exactly mind Sooha. The guy agreed to not cause trouble for Nam Soon, which is a lot more than he can say about certain facestealers around here. So he figures he can at least do something small like this in return, although he's eyeing the soup with some slight suspicion.. look, Sooha wouldn't have called him if he was a five star masterchef. ]
You didn't put anything weird in it?
[ just
making sure.... ]
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He isn't wrong about Sooha's cooking prowess though; he's by no means a master chef. He's been cooking for himself since he was 9 and he can cook basic meals and sidedishes to feed himself a balanced diet, but he's not got a lot of culinary skill, technical knowhow or... well, the desire to learn those things. He'd never had to cook for anyone else. ]
Rat poison.
[ no there's nothing weird in it you skyscraper child. If Sooha were plotting Heung Soo's untimely murder, there would be so many easier ways than death by soup. ]
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Or maybe he just had the luck (?) of running into the two that are. At least he realises it's a joke.. ]
Sounds delicious. [ So there's just a flat answer in return for Sooha's own wisecrack. Not really with the kind of stupid teasing grin he might've had if it were Nam Soon under different circumstances, but whatever, he'll take it.. ]
Just give me a small serving.
[ He's not going to take some directly out of the pot, okay. Do you think he was raised in a barn.. or more like his older sister would have absolutely kicked his ass for it. ]
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Taste the soup first, then let me adjust it.
[ He feels like it isn't salty enough, or it's too bland, but he also feels like it's fine and perfect? But he's been tasting spoonfuls out of it for the better part of an hour now, and he honestly has no idea anymore. It could taste like garbage and he's just too used to it to notice. He doesn't want to serve Heung Soo up with a hearty bowl of toilet water.
He takes a spoon from the counter, dipping it into the soup and holding it out to Heung Soo.
-- To take, not to be fed with. Don't make it weird. ]
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But sure, sure, he'll roll with it. He's probably an expert at taste testing anyway since he's grown up around girls.. he's only used to helping people with cooking in this way, so Heung Soo's already tasting it. And thankfully it doesn't taste terrible - or if it does, there's not a sign of it on Heung Soo's face as he tries to see how it is.
Not that he looks completely enthusiastic either, but.. you know. When does he ever. ]
A little bit more salt, probably. [ See, it's not even a terrible audience. Just to the point. ]
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Sooha is moderately pleased that Heung Soo didn't immediately throw up after tasting his soup, so at least he's got that going for him.
With an affirmative nod, he reaches up into the top shelves for the salt, taking a pinch and sprinkling it through the broth, stirring it with that same spoon before taking a sip himself (indirect kiss, now it's time for marriage). ]
Mm, you were right. This is better, thanks.
[ Where would he be without Heung Soo? Eating unsalted soup alone on the street after losing control of his entire life, definitely. ]
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Heung Soo just gives a sidelong glance in return at the other guy.. most people might say something like "you're welcome" or something, but he's still not too good at being very polite, especially not with people his own age. So a stare is all Sooha gets before Heung Soo looks away again.
It'd be weird to leave now, right. Probably. Definitely. So instead he awkwardly lingers before he speaks up again. ]
Did you have to cook a lot before? [ ... ] Back home.
[ Because he can't deny that he's at least a little interested in what kind of life a guy with his favourite bastard's face would have lived. Are there any similarities between it, for them to look almost exactly the same? ]
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It's for the best that Heung Soo isn't making a mad dash to the door though, because Sooha grabs a clean bowl, the same spoon, and ladles out an actual small serve into it. Be thankful he gets a bowl at least, and Sooha isn't hand feeding him. ]
Yeah, I cooked all my meals. I lived by myself for a really long time.
[ Until Hyesung manhandled him into her place, and he absolutely 100% did not utter a single complaint.
(Except for all that stuff about her waking up ugly in the morning, and her god awful cooking habits, and the fact that her apartment was disgusting--okay, he had a lot of complaints, but he'd give a lot to be back there now, eating the dog food she made them both for breakfast.) ]
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it's almost expected that nam soon takes an interest in whoever heung soo takes an interest in. this goes absolutely double, maybe even triple or quadruple when the other person is sooha. he can't really help it, not when they look so similar—when sooha looks like a much more put together version of him, when he's smarter and who knows? maybe he'd serve as the better friend.
so it's hard for the jealous boyfriend alarm to not go off when heung soo goes off without him to sooha's apartment. nam soon's not much of the stalker type, though—he's definitely much more like a pouty child, standing outside the door of the apartment and sulking while he tries to listen to what they're saying. which... well, honestly, isn't working aside from hearing the muffled voices.
he considers sending heung soo some kind of text, just to send a reminder of his presence. because what if heung soo forgets about him? nam soon is absolutely insecure enough to think that extreme. he refrains though, waiting outside instead. yes, this will totally get him super far.]
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What it means is that Mireu will be dropping by, completely by happenstance, with the intention of surprising his partner in crime, Sooha. He hasn't spent much time with the guy, but being from a similar area, and presumably a similar world, he feels some sort of kinship with him. Especially since the other two guys from Korea seem to want to have nothing to do with Mireu for some strange reason? So Mireu decided to pay his new friend a visit, and imagine his surprise when he saw his new friend lurking outside his own house!
Or, at least, a guy who looks enough like his new friend for Mireu to make an honest identity mistake.
Without warning, Mireu is sneaking up on Nam Soon, staying quiet until the very last minute before he throws an arm around Nam Soon's neck, locking him into headlock. One Nam Soon could probably get out of easily enough, considering his fighting prowess. However, he won't be able to do it before Mireu's gives away his presence here. ]
Ooooh, Sooha. What are you doing hanging around out here looking so suspicious?
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[yes, that's nam soon's immediate reaction to this situation. so much for being quiet and unassuming, but the surprise and annoyance at suddenly being grabbed like that is enough. he's already been on edge because of the current situation, and hearing that voice doesn't make it any better. because it's heung soo but also really distinctly not heung soo at all.
kang mireu. of course, it's this annoying bastard. because things just needed to get a little worse, right? it only takes a few seconds before nam soon is breaking free of that grasp, probably with a little more strength and force than is really necessary for him to pull that off. his annoyance is so real right now.]
We don't look that much alike. [yes... yes you do. shut up okay he's pissed off.]
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He's about to accept the bowl from Sooha though instead of saying that out loud, but then he's totally distracted by the sounds coming from outside of the apartment. He'd recognize that voice anywhere just because of how loud and theatrical it is, and even without the second - even more familiar - voice, it would be easy to tell who he's talking to. Sooha is right here in the kitchen, after all, and there's only one person people could mistake for him in this place.
Heung Soo holds up a hand towards Sooha, as if he's saying either hold on for a moment re: the bowl, or I'll take care of it re: the people outside the door. It's a little of both, apparently, since he's already moving to open the door, only to see..
.. well, this spectacle.
Why has his life turned into this. Why is that bastard with his face touching his bastard, even if Nam Soon is breaking away. This is a total mess, and Heung Soo's expression indicates he's already done with this three seconds in. ]
Nam Soon-ah.
[ Not even going to acknowledge Mireu's existence since.. Mireu... Just, Mireu. Mireu touching his bastard, don't do that?? That's not okay?? ]
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And hey, would you look at that! It's something he already knows; Nam Soon and Mireu skulking about outside his door. Totally not suspicious and totally not subtle at all. Mireu is someone he almost half expects to always be somewhere outside his door by now, but... ]
Kang Mireu.
[ why tho sameface too... ]
... Go Nam Soon, why are you here?
[ Notice the complete lack of interrogation towards Mireu. Mireu is always somewhere. It isn't even a surprise anymore. ]
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Right now he's taking this all in, trying to put the puzzle together for himself, despite not having all the pieces. He's got a big shit eating grin on his face though, as he does manage to work something out. ]
Yaaaah, were you not invited?
[ A big, exaggerated sigh as he shakes his head at Nam Soon. ]
Sneaking around someone else's house while wearing his face? What's wrong with you?
[ Speaking of uninvited, Mireu's taking a few steps towards the door, despite the fact that it's currently blocked. Looking over at Sooha, clearly still amused, and not remotely serious here. ]
And are you replacing me too? So cruel, and after I took some big problems off your hands too.
[ He's not being entirely subtle here, but at least he's not outright admitting Sooha is the one that paid him to run off with a giant inflatable penis that one time. ]
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he's now a combination of jealous over heung soo being in there alone with sooha (not that he'd admit it), annoyed with mireu for even existing, and embarrassed that this is becoming a major display in the hallway.
for the time being, he's completely electing to not reply to what mireu has to say—that guy is nothing but a hassle to nam soon anyway, and he doesn't even feel like it dignifies a response. his jaw is clenched as he shoots a glare in heung soo's direction, and it's one that says exactly what he's thinking. 'What the hell is this?'
there's no doubt that it's something sooha can pick up on. mireu's implication that nam soon was purposely left out of this is now on the forefront of his mind; even if he wouldn't have been interested in being there with those guys for any other reason than to hang out with heung soo and keep an eye on things. this... this? it's a little too much. when it's like this, nam soon can't really understand what heung soo is thinking, or why he's been left out so completely. there's no way to make himself look any better now, either. he's been caught snooping around because he didn't know what was going on—he was never invited to begin with.
so in typical nam soon fashion, rather than actually try to explain himself and maybe diffuse the situation a bit, he sighs and clicks his tongue as he shoves his hands into the pocket of his coat. his head shakes slightly before he turns and begins to walk away. he's some strange blend of furious, hurt and jealous now, and he'd much rather remain silent and leave heung soo to his fun with these new replacement bastards than try to justify his own actions. he knows he's a pretty worthless guy, but this sinks him pretty low on the charts.]
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With the most annoyed expression he can muster up Heung Soo moves away from the door opening and after the guy turning around. This is only a wristgrab away from being the worst of makjang being played out here, but instead of doing that (now that would be embarrassing as all hell) Heung Soo drapes his arm over Nam Soon's shoulders, pulling him back.
He squeezes a little, like he's trying to reassure him without words. It's not like he can use those in front of these two, but he figures it's ought to help something. It shows Nam Soon that it's not like Heung Soo was excluding him to begin with and that he shouldn't jump to these bastard conclusions. As if he'd really replace him with some guy with the same face..
Pointedly ignoring Mireu, he glances back towards Sooha. ]
There's an extra serving, right?
[ ONLY ONE. NOT TWO. Mireu isn't going to get some soup here. ]
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[ Please don't bring up giant inflatable penises into this conversation Mireu, Sooha is not above socking you in the jaw.
In Sooha's defence, it isn't that Nam Soon wasn't invited, it's that nobody was invited except for Heung Soo, and everyone went and showed up anyway for the hell of it.
Oh well. Heung Soo is wrong in thinking that Sooha wouldn't pick up on something like this (but he doesn't blame him for thinking that way. you don't just go automatically assuming that your best friend's facetwin can read your mind), and he's not about to go turning Nam Soon away to make an awkward situation even more awkward...er.
He steps out of the doorway and holds it open, wide enough for them--all three of them--to enter. ]
There's more than enough.
[ Sorry, Mireu is going to get some too. Partners in crime. ]
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He hadn't actually expected to make the situation this bad though, and he looks over at Sooha with a raised eyebrow. Aren't these two supposed to be best of friends, what's the deal with this? Shouldn't their friendship be strong enough they're not going to get upset with a little something like them having other friends.
He's aware of the face similarities, of course, he did just mistake Nam Soon for Sooha, but he doesn't see why that should be an issue. The similarities stop completely at the face.
He's at least got the tact not to say anything to Heung Soo or Nam Soon right now, and instead just claps Sooha on the shoulder as he walks into the house. Leaning in a little towards him to talk in an almost hushed voice. ]
Aren't we supposed to give them time to sort out their problems?
[ Whatever the hell those may be. ]
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they hit a place that's a little too dangerously close to home; it's almost like having the guy right in his head, and that makes nam soon highly uncomfortable. they can't look alike and think along the same lines, because whether or not it's sooha's intent, it hits a sore spot. he's got enough hangups over how long this reconciliation with heung soo will last, and if going back to korea will mean that they'll go their separate ways when that bastards gets into university. it weighs heavily on nam soon constantly, and things like this just exacerbate the issue.
all the same, he's really trying to make it not seem so obvious how upset he is about it. of course, that's kind of a fruitless effort when heung soo knows him so well and sooha can hear the things he's thinking, but he's doing his best to steel himself. he just can't really understand or fathom why heung soo would go hanging out with his doppelganger alone, especially when he knows heung soo wouldn't take it well if he went off hanging with mireu so casually.]
Yah... [he mutters quietly, definitely more for heung soo than the other two. granted, he's not paying attention to the fact that mireu is kind of helping him out here by giving them a second to sort this out. but he shakes his shoulder a bit, as if to indicate his annoyance further. sooha inviting them in after the fact is a really awkward band-aid on the situation, isn't it? the only thing worse than being embarrassed for being caught is everyone there catching wind of his actually feelings here. he's usually enough of a stone wall to let it go, and he knows that's what he has to do right now.
so nam soon sucks in a breath, speaking up.] I'm not hungry. Thanks anyway.
[okay, so maybe he doesn't really expect heung soo to accept this, but he's gotta deflect this somehow. trying to do his own damage control is hard work.]
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But it doesn't mean it isn't just as difficult to deal with right now. It's not like he can really convey what he wants to say with Sooha and Mireu there.. even though they're walking inside already, it's not like they're completely out of earshot, and it's just going to look weird if he starts whispering a lot of stuff at the other guy. But on the other hand, the last thing he wants is for Nam Soon to have some sort of fit of his own over all this.. Leave it up to the world to have Mom Soo deal with all this at once, huh. ]
Just come. [ He says that on a normal tone, probably audible enough for the other two to still pick up on too even as they're going ahead. It's not until after that his tone drops a little bit, his voice becoming softer as he doesn't let go of Nam Soon even a single moment, not even when he can feel those shoulders getting so rigid under his touch (it stings a little, honestly, but that's just about the last thing he can afford to concern himself with right now.) ]
What crazy thoughts are you having? [ Definitely making sure this isn't audible enough for the other two to pick up on. It'd be the one surefire way to make this all worse. ] As if he could ever be you.
[ Sooha might be a long way more put together than Nam Soon is, sure, but should that matter? It's just this guy taking things way too far as usually in his head. ]
Just don't walk away now, you bastard. [ Because seeing the other's retreating back is the one thing he can't bear after that night at the hospital--
But he doesn't add that. Instead he just tries to tug Nam Soon along to follow him, hoping that it's enough so Sooha and Mireu won't have to wait some suspicious amount of time for them to follow. ]
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Not that he can help it, and he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to unless he suddenly shoved sunglasses onto everyone's faces.
Oh well, he guesses he'll find out the full story later, unwilling or not.
For once, he actually agrees with Mireu, nodding vaguely and glancing over to make sure Heung Soo has things covered, then stepping in beside Mireu. He also keeps his voice down, out of awkwardness more than anything else. ]
What was that all about?
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Sooha isn't either as far as Mireu's aware, and he shrugs, far too nonchalant about a problem he helped make worse.
He does actually keep his voice in a real hushed tone this time. ]
Who knows? A lovers' spat?
[ He snorts at his own joke, which is less of a joke than he probably realizes. ]
They're friends though, right? They'll work it out.
[ Meaning it's not their business, and it's not particularly interesting so let's leave them be. ]
Or not.
[ A shrug, but he figures if they can't fix whatever their problem is here their friendship must have been pretty weak to begin with. ]
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this situation has already spiraled way out of control, even if half of the people involved don't really know what the story is, or why anything like it would even happen. even nam soon himself can't understand it in full, and he knows it's pretty stupid. but his hangups and insecurities are something that lord over him a lot when it comes to heung soo, and it wouldn't be the first time he's thrown stuff away over that, either.
but as much as he wants to just walk away and try to escape his own embarrassment over this, nam soon can't really do that. he doesn't actually pull away when heung soo tries to keep him there, even if he remains tense. it's easy for him to get ideas in his head, but hearing what heung soo has to say? somehow, it changes things a little. "as if he could ever be you."
...okay, so maybe those words make nam soon want to shudder just a little, because it out-and-out sounds like it's ripped straight from some monday night makjang that's rife with all the cliches. but there's also a sincerity to it that nam soon can't deny, and while it's embarrassing, it's also reassuring in some way. maybe not enough to let heung soo off the hook without explaining this properly later, but enough to at least make him feel like he's not going to be abandoned. the tension in his shoulders eases a bit, and he feels a little defeated. it takes a lot of energy to get this worked up, and there is also that knowing that walking away is probably just going to raise more eyebrows and draw attention to their situation that they don't want.
since that's the last thing they need, even if there's absolutely not way that this is ending without sooha getting at least a small glimpse of the truth. so with his shoulders slumping a little and defeat obvious, he follows heung soo's lead and plays along, trying to push back all of the other feelings and letting his stoic neutrality take the reins again.]
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But he'll take it. What else is he supposed to do, linger back here so it's even going to seem more to Sooha and Mireu that something is up with the two of them? He'll talk about this more properly with Nam Soon later. But "later" is the keyword here, and after giving the other what he hopes to be a subtle squeeze he lets go with a light click of his tongue, these final words still hushed. ]
This bastard, making me say embarrassing things..
[ After that he lets out a breath though, turning to glance at the other two whispering over there and slowly taking a few steps in their direction. ]
.. The soup's getting cold.
[ CASUALLY DOWNPLAYING THE PROBLEM.
If by "casual" you mean about as casual as showing up at a pool party in a full suit. ]
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It's all weird now, thanks face twin.
Oh well. He guesses three mouths is better than one, and he claps Mireu on the back, directing him towards the table. ]
Yeah, it won't stay warm forever. Take a seat, you can all be my test dummies. I'm cooking for a girl with a picky stomach. If you all drop dead, tell me how the taste was first.
[ He's obviously kidding... if he was going to kill any of them, he wouldn't be using poison. Keep that in mind, you horrible bastards. ]
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Sort of his fault, but he doesn't really blame himself for another guy getting worked up over a teasing compliment. If his skin is so thin that's his own problem.
He'll mostly ignore the bastards for now, just giving them a skeptical look before turning his attention to Sooha, very very slowly moving towards the table as he gives him a toothy grin. ]
A girl?
[ Sooha's gotta know what he's falsely assuming, right? ]