April 3, 1887 — Samgaksan mountain, Joseon (18 yrs)

Graduation and the subsequent days since had been a blur Jin wasn’t even sure he could recall. He didn’t know how he managed to pass his classes, or get home, or pack his things, or anything else for that matter. His mind had been wholly and entirely consumed by one thing and one thing only: finding Ahn-Bo-ah.

His last few nights at Maho had been spent in the library making endless notes on things he might need, copying down the rough sketches of any map he could find, and memorizing localization spells like his life depended on it (which, in a way, it did.) Jin was prepared for a lot of things; his defensive magic always having been a bit stronger than his offensive, and now - finally - he was on his way to find his friend and bring him back home. Or at least, to the Jeong compound. Even if he had to drug and drag him all the way there.

Ahn-Bo-ah had never answered any of Jin’s letters. He was in the dark for the most part, using his tracking skills and the generic information the letters themselves could give him with whatever dust and tracing might be managed magically. Jin was equipped with only an expandable pack with some crucial supplies, food, and a portkey back that was set to expire in four days time. Otherwise, rather unexpectedly, Abeoji had left him to his own devices with an offhanded comment that if he wasn’t back on the eve of the fourth day, with or without the werewolf, there would be consequences. Jin didn’t need to be told twice. He had prepared for everything.

Or so he thought, until he was knee deep in mud trying to cross a stream in the middle of spirits knew what part of Samgaksan mountain! He was cold, wet, and incredibly frustrated. It felt like he’d been walking in circles for hours now, and the stupid spell he was supposed to be following kept flickering in and out as Jin’s magic faded from exhaustion. Evening would darken this side of the forest soon, and if he didn’t manage to find Ahn-Bo, Jin would be on his own to make camp— his first day wasted utterly.

Cranky and shivering, Jin heaved himself out of the stream on the other side and flopped back into the bank to stare up at the sky. Spring had come but it was too early yet for any warmth to seep through the thick foliage and take away the chill that seemed to have settled eternally in his bones. The half-vampire let out a frustrated noise and slammed his hand into the dirt before peeling himself up. He had to keep going. If he didn’t find Ahn-Bo soon, he wouldn’t have adequate time to convince his friend this was the right choice. Jin knew it wasn’t going to be an easy feat and he was mentally prepared (or trying to be) for the change he knew to expect. But even just the thought of seeing Bo-ah again made his heart leap. It was silly and childish but he couldn’t help it. It had been three of the longest months of his life.

The sound of something rustling in the bushes nearby made Jin pause and scared off the unconscious smile that had settled on his face. There was something lurking in the bushes nearby. Jin reached for his wand from the inner sleeve of his hanbok and held it out tentatively, listening. Whatever it was, it sounded some distance away yet and he glanced around for a quick means of evasion. But the rustling grew louder and louder, and whatever was making the noise was moving faster than Jin had anticipated. “Ssi-bal,” he cursed under his breath. Scrambling up the rest of the bank, Jin slid in his haste and caught himself in another mud puddle. (Great.) He wasn’t sure if he had enough energy to fight off whatever was coming towards him so be bolted for the nearest tree. Hopefully whatever it was couldn’t climb!

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Ahn-Bo Jeong & thier theme song

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“I know that you're holdin' on
You say that you're okay when you're not
But when you're stuck inside the dark
Just know that I'm right here waiting”

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   Ahn-Bo Jeong

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* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

The days and nights had all blended together. Sometimes he woke and it was light out, and sometimes he didn’t see the sun for days. Or what felt like days. He didn’t know, really. He could have woken multiple times in one night and thought more time had passed. There was no reason to track time anymore.

For the first while, he’d stayed inside the cave. At some point, his grief induced haze had made him wandering around the forest numbly. As much as he tried to get lost, he couldn’t. The cave had become a recognizable scent on the wind, and anytime an owl had arrived, the smell of food would draw him back. The letters went unopened, lying wherever the owl had dropped them upon delivery.

He’d crossed paths with tigers and wild boars. They must have smelled his disease (it wasn’t as if animals cared when the last time you’d bathed was), because they left him alone and after a few days, he never saw them again. Giving him a wide berth, most likely.

And then, during his endless wandering, he’d caught the scent of charred pine and honey. Jin. His mind was too numb to fully register that he had followed his nose to the source. Not another letter or parcel. Jin-a himself, in the forest with him. Ahn-Bo assumed his mind had finally gone, that the vampire was a hallucination. So he’d watched quietly and carefully from a distance, hidden inside a thick cluster of brush and trees.

The hallucination was rather convincing, it even sounded like Jin, cursing as he fought through the wilderness. But it was not. It couldn’t be. No matter which direction the Jin went, his path was just making a wide circle around the area where Ahn-Bo stood. The young wolf wasn’t able to tear himself away. He knew it wasn’t real. Knew he had intentionally ignored the letters from guilt, and anger, and dread. What would he have even said? How would he have even explained?

As night began to fall and the other predators started their hunts for their next meal, he still stood and watched his vision of his friend tromp around the mud and streams. It wasn’t until he noticed a large male tiger begin stalking through the brush in Jin’s wake that his mind sharpened - just enough to pay closer attention.

Without realizing it, he’d shoved his way through the brush to get closer to the imaginary Jin. The tiger had as well, the tip of its tail twitched slightly as it prepared to pounce. Jin took off running (the opposite of what he should have done, clearly he hadn’t grown up in the mountains) and the tiger gave chase. It was the tangy scent of Jin’s fear that snapped his attention tight as a drawn bowstring. This was real. Jin was real. He was here and he was frightened and a tiger was after him.

He’d stopped carrying his wand with him, so his only option was to get to Jin before the tiger did. In the end, he managed it, even in his weakened state - simply because the tiger had recognized Ahn-Bo’s scent and ran off.

His eyes numbly met Jin’s for the first time in months. ”Annyeong.” His voice was raspy after having gone unused for so long.

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Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

Jin could hear whatever it was switch from stalking him to outright chasing and for half a second, he was sure this might be the end. Well— at least if he had to die young, he was perfectly happy for it to be out in the wild searching for Ahn-Bo-ah than at the hands of his Abeoji. He never made it to the tree, but whatever was chasing him never made it to him either. (A tiger, he realized belatedly as it turned in the other direction at the same moment Jin ground to a frozen halt.)

There, standing in front of him, not even a full ten paces distance, was Moon Ahn-Bo. Or, what resembled him anyway. Jin had been preparing himself for change, but nothing could have fully prepared him for the mess that had clawed its way out of the trees and then just stood there, with the audacity to simply say ‘hi.’ An irrational, terrified anger overruled any sympathy or concern Jin might have had, and he crossed the small distance between them with a frown. Before Ahn-Bo-ah could react, he gave his friend a good cluck with his fist, right on the head.

A thousand and one accusations jumped to Jin’s lips, everything from ‘you jumped in front of a tiger bare handed!’ to ‘don’t you say hi to me like this after ignoring me for months!’ but none of the words formulated quickly enough. Not before the frown pinched harder and Jin launched himself onto his friend and squeezed him within an inch of his - exhausted looking - life.

“Michin-nom!” he heard himself exclaim, still angry. “What is wrong with you?!” Jin peeled back just enough so that he could scold properly, but his hands never once stopped fussing, now that they had a hold of Ahn-Bo-ah, almost as if scared he would vanish again. “Why are you wandering around like a gwishin without a soul? Where’s your wand! Don’t you know there are tigers out here!” Amongst other things— “Bo-ah!” Jin’s voice faded into an impatient, though less angry, sound (not quite a whine) and he clung to whatever was left of his friend’s clothes, tugging them in place. “I couldn’t breathe for worry over you! And you just… pop out of the bushes like nothing and say 'annyeong'!” It was unfair is what it was! There should have been something more monumental to mark this occasion; somehow it felt... too flat. Like a foreboding cloud, waiting to rain down.

Anger fizzling, Jin’s face pinched in concern and he let out an exasperated sigh before pressing his forehead against Ahn-Bo-ah’s shoulder. He forced himself to breath and settle. There would be time for more chiding later. Right now there was only the flood of emotion that he couldn’t quite come to terms with that was drowning Jin’s senses like a waterfall. His eyes became glossy but he bit back the urge to let himself cry. How ridiculous! He’d found Ahn-Bo after all! And he was still angry. (And wet, and cold.) But looking up into his friend’s familiar, honey-brown gaze— Jin could see how different it was. Bo-ah looked almost like a stranger and it bid, unprompted, a small hiccup of words he immediately wished he could take back because of how selfish they sounded. “Bogo sipeo.”

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Ahn-Bo Jeong & thier theme song
* crazy bastard / ghost / I missed you.

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   Ahn-Bo Jeong

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* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

If there was any doubt left that this Jin wasn’t real, it had cleared right up with the thunk on the head. Not hard enough to damage, of course. Jin had only tried to break his nose once; it wasn’t usual for him to be an aggressive person, and even now Ahn-Bo knew he held himself back from what he’d truly wanted to do.

The firm knock to his head had given him a short moment of clarity—the fog of grief clearing just enough for him to confirm that yes, his friend was actually here. Struggling through the (massive) forest, alone, and clearly outside of his element. For Ahn-Bo.

He simply stood there in stunned silence as he was scolded and then squeezed so tightly he could barely breathe. It felt soothing. The pressure and the human contact he hadn’t had since they’d last seen each other. (If he’d known the date, he’d have realized it had been five months that they’d been without each other.) Ha-Eun had kept him company here and there, but she had always been more reserved when it came to physical affection. It was Ahn-Bo that was the cultural anomaly. And now she was gone, all because of him.

A blink brought him back to the present, just in time to clock the vampire’s accusations of him looking like a ghost, scoldings of tigers (he sounded like the nanny Ahn-Bo had as a child), and his dramatic and angry exclamations—all whilst his hands were fluttering all over his body as if checking for broken bones or missing limbs, tidying his clothing as if it mattered. It was automatic to have his arms wrap around Jin’s waist. But there was no grinning or flirty banter, or any emotions at all.

"You can’t be here," was all he managed to say.

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Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

The fact that Ahn-Bo-ah barely reacted to the clunk in the head was already a warning. Jin knew this, and yet he plowed on as if his fabricated anger might in any way regulate things to a sense of normal between them. Ahn-Bo-ah was here, alive and in person, and he was listening— but the look on his face remained blank and impassive. The only indication that there was any soul inside that shell of a body at all was the almost instinctive wrap of his arms around Jin’s waist. The little vampire relaxed into it slightly, letting himself lean against the still taller but much less full-bodied looking— wolf... now. (The thought pinched against every fibre of Jin’s being in denial; he couldn’t be a wolf. Not a real one. And yet the reality remained.)

Four little words fluttered from his friend’s mouth and Jin laughed softly in dismissal. He’d expected as much, and honestly the protest was a lot less volatile than he’d been prepared for. This was good news. They could deal with that part later. Waving his hand slightly, Jin tried for a smile amidst the chaos still waging war on his emotions. “Araso,” he responded. “But I am anyway.” Jin tugged gently on the fabric of Ann-Bo’s thin attire and frowned. “Can I at least help you clean up and then we can talk about it?”

His voice was earnest and hopeful, even though deep down he was still prepared for resistance. There was so much he had to say and explain, but he didn’t want to do it right here, right now, like this. Ahn-Bo-ah looked (and smelled, frankly) like he hadn’t bathed in days, and his clothes were much too thin for the still frosty weather of the evenings. Jin had brought soap for that and a few extra layers that he hoped would fit alright. He hadn’t exactly been able to run into town so he’d made do with whatever he could find. The cook was about Ahn-Bo-ah’s size, maybe a little bigger even, so it should work. He hoped.

Golden-green eyes flickered back up to brown and Jin felt his stomach pinch. He couldn’t help it as he reached up to brush the mess of hair out of Ahn-Bo’s face and his thumb lingered, just lightly, over his friend’s perfectly porcelain cheek. It was dirty and he looked hollowed out, but it was still Ahn-Bo. And from close range, Jin could still see the ghosting of freckles that existed there even if they were lighter and faded from not being in the sun as much.

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Ahn-Bo Jeong & thier theme song
* meaning: "I understand," "okay," "got it," or "I know"

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   Ahn-Bo Jeong

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* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

As expected, Jin waved his response away as if it were nothing. Ahn-Bo ought to have known his friend would make good on his threat promise to come find him. He’d been too preoccupied with his grief to even consider that Jin would just show up—especially since he hadn’t heard from him.

Ahn-Bo glanced down at his clothing (or what he could see of it, with Jin still pressed against him.) He hadn’t been bothering with hygiene or caring for himself. It was pointless. This was his life now, living in the forest, alone. And he didn't want or deserve to take care of himself after what he'd done. He didn't have the strength or energy to protest the vampire's request. Instead, he grunted his agreement. Jin would leave as soon as he had what he wanted. And then he’d be safe from Ahn-Bo.

The brush of Jin’s cold fingers against his cheek was met with a blink. It should have made his heart flutter. The persistent ache in his chest was like a thick blanket over his heart. There were no emotions flowing in or out. He shifted his head slightly away from Jin's touch. He didn't deserve this kind of care or attention. Not anymore.

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   Seojin Jeong

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Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

For the first time in many years, Jin wasn’t sure what was running through Ahn-Bo’s mind. He could usually guess, or determine from context, the trajectory of his friend’s thoughts: food, quidditch, Jin, or some combination thereof. But this was different. This was like looking at a whole new puzzle and having the wrong clues to decipher it. If Jin felt his heart tug like it had been physically squeezed when Ahn-Bo shifted slightly away from him, he only pursed his lips and withdrew his hand in response.

Taking the grunt as agreement and barreling through, Jin took a step back. “Geurae,” he hummed. “Then let’s get started.” He dropped the bag he was carrying to the ground and looked around, wondering if this muddy, nasty river was as good as it was going to get. Somehow, asking Ahn-Bo about an alternative seemed like a pointless idea, so Jin rummaged around until he could wrap his hands around the bar of soap he’d borrowed. He straightened, and pressed it gently into Ahn-Bo’s hand, holding it between both of his own. “We begin with a bath.” Something of a tease about how badly Ahn-Bo smelled lingered in Jin’s periphery, but he didn’t let it slip. Nothing about their interactions was going to be normal anymore and he was struggling to wrap his mind around it. While this looked and felt every bit like his best friend, it wasn’t really. Not anymore. At least, not for now.

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Ahn-Bo Jeong & thier theme song
* "yeah," "okay," and "right" in casual conversation

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   Ahn-Bo Jeong

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

And so it begun. Whatever supplies Jin had brought with him would emerge one by one. Ahn-Bo would accept whatever they were if it helped his friend feel like he was doing something about the situation. There was nothing to be done; the events of the last full moon had proven it. There was no fixing this or returning to normal

This would be the last time they would see each other. He should have been kinder, more affectionate, and more like his old self so that Jin’s final memory of him was one of fondness. But he just… couldn’t.

The bar of soap was pressed into his hand. He held on to it, if only to appease Jin. Forcing himself to trudge through the steps of bathing was daunting—and frankly, Ahn-Bo was uninterested. It didn’t take long for Jin to tug him toward the stream himself. Dutifully, the wolf clutched the bar of soap in his hand, careful not to drop it in the muddy bank of the stream.

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   Seojin Jeong

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Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

The fact that Ahn-Bo-ah even managed to hold his grip around the bar of soap seemed to be a feat and it didn’t escape Jin’s notice that he didn’t quite seem to be… all there. Mentally or physically. It really was like staring at a shell, a gwishin of what had once been. Jin didn’t know if he preferred this to the angry, volatile temper he’d been expecting, but he’d take it for now. At least until they got through the mundane of bathing, eating, and settling in.

He tugged Ahn-Bo back down toward the river, careful of the muddy bank, and set his things on a rock. Jin didn’t even bother slipping off his shoes and pulling/rolling up whatever part of his still wet, cold attire he could manage; he was already drenched from his first crossing. He did turn towards his friend and press Bo-ah gently back against the same boulder to a seat. Then, hiking up his proverbial sleeves, he settled in to be the lucid one.

First, he gently pulled back all of Ahn-Bo’s hair into a loose knot so he could see properly. It was matted and tangled and totally unruly. Jin wondered, as he ran his fingers through it and massaged Bo-ah's scalp softly, if he preferred cutting it short or struggling with an actual brush. It wouldn't really matter; it's not like Jin could imagine him being out much in the time it would take for it to grow back. That done, Jin began to tug loose the remnants of his clothes. The top layer of his hanbok was easy; it practically fell off his frame from how little Ahn-Bo was fighting it. The rest… was less so. Jin hesitated awkwardly. This was not how he’d ever imagined undressing his— Bo-ah. Not that he did, often. Imagine it. But sometimes—

“Do you… need help with the rest?” Jin asked quickly, interrupting his own train of thought. His face heated to a ruddy red but his brow was still pinched in concern, softening the whole effect of his embarrassment. This evidently wasn’t the time to care about such things, but he’d leave Ahn-Bo his dignity if he wanted it. Else, Jin was not above stripping him completely and shoving him into the stream.

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Ahn-Bo Jeong & thier theme song

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   Ahn-Bo Jeong

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

Though he remained silent and expressionless as Jin set about his pointless task, Ahn-Bo’s gaze never left his friend’s face. The care and concern were evident, even in the dim light. His touch was gentle, and it was all the wolf could do not to close his eyes and fall asleep. It had been so long—what felt like a lifetime and a half ago—since he’d last received pampering from Jin.

As his friend moved to sorting out Ahn-Bo’s layers, a small, sorrowful pang in his belly reminded him of what could have been between them. It was fleeting, there one moment and gone the next. He couldn’t see the blush on Jin’s cheeks as he stared up at him, but he could imagine that it was there. The slight awkwardness in his behavior was telling. Jin was uncomfortable doing the rest, and Ahn-Bo was almost relieved for it.

”Ani.” He stood from the boulder and began to remove the remaining layers of his clothes, tossing them into a careless pile where he'd been sitting. They were well and truly ruined, but he did have to put them back on. Vaguely, he wondered if Jin was watching him. He hoped not. This was the first time he’d thought about how his new scars might look to someone else. They were deep; the bite mark just above his knee was the worst of them.

The cold mountain air gave him goosebumps before he even stepped foot into the river. He sucked in a breath involuntarily as the frigid water stung his bare feet. Then, he made quick work of washing, using the bar of soap twice so that Jin would be satisfied.

And maybe Jin had been right in this—a fragment of his soul’s heaviness had been scrubbed away along with the layers of grime. Maybe it was just the stinging against his skin from the cold water. Whatever it was, it was enough to rouse him from his daze for a moment as he quickly returned to shore.

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Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

Jin was happy to let Ahn-Bo finish undressing himself. He turned his back, still warm in the face, and made a show of digging around in his endless bag for something. By the time he found it, Ahn-Bo was wading into the stream with the bar of soap in his hand. Jin gave him his privacy to do as he pleased, collecting the old dirty clothes and replacing them with the fresh, new ones he’d brought. He briefly considered washing them in the stream, but then wadded the old up into a ball and stuffed them back in his bag. Ahn-Bo wouldn’t need them because they were going home together. Tomorrow. If he needed them beyond that, Jin could always wash them later.

When Ahn-Bo was finished, he trotted back up the bank looking cold but slightly better. Jin hadn’t noticed the scars on his friend’s body from a distance and he tried not to stare now, but his stomach clenched at the sight. It was another reminder of the reality they were in. How stark indeed it was from just a few short months ago the future he’d always imagined for Moon Ahn-Bo-ah. Jin quickly handed him the new clothes.

It took a moment, but soon enough, Ahn-Bo-ah was dressed and Jin tugged at his over layers a bit, securing them fussily. They were just this side of too big for him, but they fit and that was all that mattered. Now dressed and bathed, Ann-Bo looked a lot better than before. Not just physically, but hopefully a little bit mentally too. (Though Jin wasn’t hoping for much. He was still awfully quiet.) Tugging him back onto the rock, Jin ran a hand through Ahn-Bo’s wet hair and tried to untangle some of the knots there. The scent of amber mixed with ginseng from the soap Jin had brought with him wafted up to his sensitive nose. He hummed a few notes from the piece he’d written a few years ago about his friend, one that he’d played a thousand times for Ahn-Bo by now, at the very least. It wasn’t a conscious thing, more just gave him something to do to fill the awkward silence.

Eventually, Jin came to the conclusion that this was a lost cause. He let out a slightly frustrated sigh and grumbled, “I think we need to cut your hair.” He was loathe to do it; Ahn-Bo was so handsome (always but) especially when he was all tidied up. A short cut would be another difference to mark the before and after too, a poignant reminder of what was lost.

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Ahn-Bo Jeong & thier theme song

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   Ahn-Bo Jeong

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

The new clothes felt strange against his freshly scrubbed skin. The ones he’d been wearing had become so melded to his form that it almostt felt like they had been a part of him. Ahn-Bo didn’t ask where the clean clothes came from, nor did he comment as Jin made sure he was properly bundled in them. Then, it was back to the tangles mess of his hair.

He sat there, the process of the untangling of knots pulling painfully at his scalp, despite Jin’s gentleness. As the familiar melody kept them company, his eyelids fluttered closed. Not asleep, just… allowing himself to settle in the moment. The muscle tension he had been carrying around for weeks slowly eased, leaving even more knots behind.

The humming stopped abruptly, replaced by a frustrated sound from Jin. Ahn-Bo’s eyes opened as he turned toward him. “There’s no point.” It would get this way again, whether Jin cut it or not.

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   Seojin Jeong

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Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

The silence seemed to ease somewhat between them as Jin saw Ahn-Bo-ah visibly relax his shoulders. He was still a little tense and gave off the air of one who was ready to break at any second, but at least he was settling somewhat. At his response, a soft frown replaced the dismayed look on Jin’s face and he shook his head. “Ani,” he offered, but gave no further explanation. “Do you trust me to do it?”

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Ahn-Bo Jeong & thier theme song
*no

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* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

Ahn-Bo blinked at the question. What did trust have to do with anything? Did Jin think he cared how well it would turn out if he did allow it to be cut? The old Ahn-Bo he’d known would have-especially because cutting your hair in Joseon just wasn’t done-and he’d taken pride in his good looks. Now, the thought had never even crossed his mind.

“Ne?” he said instead of asking any specific questions. If his friend wanted to chop off his hair, then so be it. Whatever it took to convince Jin to leave as soon as possible.

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⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

If he’d expected more, Jin didn’t let his disappointment show. He was glad Ahn-Bo hadn’t stirred up a fuss. They needed to tidy him up so that he would look presentable when he, inevitably, was inspected by Abeoji, but also— Jin just couldn’t cope with the fact that his best friend had been reduced to such carelessness. He who had once been so diligent in taking care of himself and his looks. Still, the fact that he was getting his hair cut and had nothing more to say than ‘ne’ made Jin’s stomach churn.

He’d never done this before so he paused and studied Ahn-Bo’s head for a moment and from different angles. What would look the best? He couldn’t just cut it straight around the skull, that would be ridiculous. In the end, Jin just did his best— cutting off the mats first (with his wand) and then… tidying up what he could. It didn’t look awful when he finally stepped back and walked a little circle around his friend. But that was likely more to do with the human under it than the haircut. Jin sighed. At least it was done now.

He made quick work of tidying up what he could and gave a violent shiver, mid-packing, as a gust of wind caught him in the back. It was still cold and he was still wet, but other things had taken priority. Jin paused now just long enough to dry his clothes off with a quick spell, and maybe heat them too, before he turned back to Ahn-Bo and offered his friend his hand. “Gaja,” he chirped, with a small smile. “I want to see now where you’ve been hiding all this time so I can feed you. Properly.”

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Ahn-Bo Jeong & thier theme song
*lets go

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* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

As the matted hair fell around them in tangles, Ahn-Bo sat as still as possible. Jin was clearly nervous about it, circling and overthinking and taking far too long. But finally, he seemed to settle on his work. Ahn-Bo watched as he set about tidying everything and packing up.

The outstretched hand and casual mention of the cave kept him rooted to his spot on the boulder. It was his turn to shake his head, the movement so small it would be easy to miss. “Ani. Go home now, Jin-a.” His voice was monotone, but he at least managed to increase the volume above a mutter to show that he meant it. This was it. They would go no further together.

  

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Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me