THE BASICS.

FULL NAME. han sora 한소라
NICKNAMES. 
  hansol-ah  when her full name is called out, it sounds like she's being called "hansol-ah", and people have mistaken that for her real name enough times that it's become a significant joke amongst her friends. it's not much of a nickname, though, since it's technically just her full name being called, but it's the meaning that makes it. hansol is her contact name in some of her friend's phones.

DATE OF BIRTH. may 2, 1994 (26)
NATIONALITY. south korean
ETHNICITY. korean
BIRTHPLACE. seoul, south korea
HOMETOWN. seoul, south korea
LANGUAGES.
  korean, 100%  her first language.
  english, 80%  she studied throughout middle and high school, just like every other korean student, and continued to study more in college as she set her sights on a career in the media industry, believing it would be a good asset. she still has a slight accent and sometimes forgets filler words, but she can usually get her point across, and she's definitely not a bad choice for tourist help.

FACECLAIM. kim minji  dreamcatcher
BACKUP. seo jisoo  lovelyz
UALITY. heteroual
APPEARANCE. jiu with black/dark brown hair. she does minimal, natural-looking makeup for work, but that's it, since she feels like she has no time and no reason to really dress up anymore. 168 cm, 49 kg
STYLE. sora looks at fashion with the same mindset she has for makeup - no time and no reason to try and look all pretty, so she just wears what she has. she can't really remember the last time she went clothes shopping for herself and not jinu, but she's fine with what she's got! and what she's got are a lot of denim skinny jeans, cardigans, knit sweaters, straight-leg pants, and the occasional blouse for when she wants to try a little harder. she only has maybe 2 skirts and 2 dresses, but it feels like forever since she wore those. essentially, she has pretty clothes, but she puts little to no effort into her simple outfits, especially since her work has no dress code, which gives her one less reason to shop a new closet.
     

PERSONALITY.

pos  understanding, affable, compassionate, persevering, patient
                                naive, reticent, guarded, insecure, vulnerable  neg

sora is frequently described by her friends with phrases like "nice...but sometimes a little too nice >:(", "too sweet for her own good", "too pure for this world", etc...all to say that she's just a bit too compassionate for this modern society, and also a little naive. she always tries to see the best in people and is the type to always give the benefit of the doubt, which is nice if you're her friend and just a tad bit imperfect, but harmful if you're sora and continuously invalidating your own emotions and right to feel. most of the time, it's not that serious, but sora's problem is that she doesn't really know when it should be.

this is sort of why it's still kind of crazy to her that she was able to break things off with yunjae as soon as she did - she attributes most of that to her own parental dynamic, figuring that since she saw it in her own life, she was able to recognize quicker that this wasn't a second chance type of situation...but it was definitely a slap from reality.

after the divorce, sora's personality became significantly more guarded and insecure. before, she had been rather naive - quite happy-go-lucky, wanting to believe everyone is nice and well-intentioned...not that she wasn't aware of the many dangers of society, but it was just the sort of mindset that made it so easy for her to fall for yunjae and never question the weird feelings in the back of her mind she excused for lack of experience. now, she takes longer to open up, but still always feels fragile. like fine china, she's vulnerable at all times, but vigorously protected to prevent that breakage.

though there are all sorts of these fears, anxieties, and secrets deep down, sora pushes on. especially since becoming a single mom, she's gotten even tougher than before, and while she'd always been hard-working as a student, that's reached a new level as a mother. sora now versus sora in college is a lot more mature, a lot more patient, and a lot wiser - and it makes sense, considering she has another life to live for. so though it continues to be difficult to deal with this world on her own, sora pushes through for jinu.

on the surface, of course, sora lets none of these insecurities on. she's extremely friendly, and while not one of the most outspoken people in a new setting, she's definitely enjoyable to talk to if someone else initiates. she's good-humored, takes jokes well, laughs a lot, and is ultimately the ideal companion for an extrovert (which may explain her friendships with her sister and mimi) - silent enough to let them shine, observant enough to give them appropriate reactions, but also vibrant enough to mesh well with them. she makes puns, laughs at her own jokes, pokes good fun at her friends, and will even let the occasional chortle slip if jinu falls on his face - of course, she'll immediately tend to him after, assuring him he's fine as she dusts the dirt off.

BACKGROUND.

PHASE I,  CIRCA 1994

han sora is born into a loving family of three - parents han jungdae and song minyoung, along with older sister han sojin. she's welcomed warmly, and things are all fine and dandy...on the surface, that is. as sora grows older, she starts recognizing the muffled noises at night as arguments and she starts noticing the subtle glances shot across the dinner table. she's still rather young, though, and things don't really make sense until her and her sister are sat down by their mom. sojin seems undeterred, though her mind is racing internally, but sora can't help but be confused. what does her mom mean by 'taking a break'? how long is 'a while'? why can't she know what 'issues' they're having? none of her questions receive clear answers, though, and sora ends up just going on with life, albeit still baffled.

as months pass, the heaviness in her heart grows as she starts to get an idea of what that conversation really meant. sora had been 8 years old when the three of them had had that talk, and by the time she was 9, she figured dad probably wasn't coming back any time soon. her fears are confirmed one night when she wakes up from a bad dream and goes to her sister's room. sojin, now a high schooler, is already prone to a wonky sleep schedule, so she's still awake, and at a groggy sora's question of what really happened to dad, puberty-ridden sojin exposes the cold, hard truth (though slightly dramatized as a result of her own bitter feelings).

"dad's gone, okay sora? he's not coming back. he went off with some other woman because he doesn't care about us or mom but we're better off without him, so stop crying about it."

PHASE II,  CIRCA 2013

besides the typical traumas and side effects of growing up in a broken family, sora lives a rather uneventful life. she goes through high school with no hitches, not getting caught up in bad crowds or big drama, and gets into a good university that's not too far from home, but also not too close. she's excited for college life, in both the social aspects and the career aspects, having been pretty hyped up by what she's heard from her sister and discussed with her friends. but nothing could have prepared her for kang yunjae.

sora met yunjae a couple months into her first year - he was a senior in her major and had just returned from his military service, so though he was only a grade higher than her, he was 3 years older in age. they met at one of their major's gatherings, and seemed to instantly take an interest in each other. but while sora's feelings are genuine, yunjae is being fueled by the nags of his parents that he should find a serious girlfriend now that he's back from the army. it's not that he doesn't actually like sora, but he definitely doesn't have the same intentions as her. things keep progressing between the two of them, though, and yunjae honestly won't deny that he generally enjoys being with sora...but he also tends to be super vague about his feelings for her. he's never shown any huge red flags, but he's also just never really proclaimed his love for her outright. ultimately, he's just not that into it...but he's not extremely opposed to it, either. sora doesn't recognize this as unhealthy, though, since she has no knowledge or reference of what love should look like.

they had started dating a little after sora entered her second year, but things escalate in her senior year. she finds out she's pregnant at the beginning of the school year and is overwhelmed with emotions. while some might expect she wouldn't react so positively, considering she's still pretty young and has her own issues when it comes to family, but instead of being weary, it seems sora has taken the path of naivety. she's blinded by (what she thinks is) love and is burying all her past teen worries of maybe someday going through the same things as her mom under a blanket of 'no, that couldn't happen to me, not with yunjae'. of course she's nervous to tell yunjae, but it's only because everyone gets nervous when they have this news - she can't fathom the idea of her nerves coming from a place of insecurity in their relationship.

yunjae takes the news rather well, which she's ecstatic about, but to him, it's just another "oh, i guess this is happening" moment. his family had been telling him to settle down, and now he can deliver, right? he's still a little ambiguous in regards to whether he actually loves sora or not, but he thinks he's at least really excited to marry her - though it seems more like he's just trying to convince himself than anything. his smiles aren't fake, but he can't say they're extremely natural, either. but he can't deny the sense of pride and joy he feels when jinu is born. seeing the little baby, yunjae thinks maybe now he'll feel more serious about sora and the family they've made together - though, spoiler alert, the inspiration is short-lived.

kang jinu is born on november 11, 2016, a few months before sora graduates college. sora and yunjae tie the knot right after her graduation, in march of 2017, and move in together, happily ever after.

PHASE III,  CIRCA 2020

but just like the storybooks don't tell you what happens after happily ever after, sora never could've imagined what happened next. while she was jumping around jobs at broadcast stations and producing companies, yunjae had found steady work at a company right after he had graduated. he continued to get busier and busier as he stayed in the company, which was expected as he rose in status there, but it seemed that the busier he became, the more time he spent away from sora. and the more time he spent away from sora, the more bored he got. and how does an overworked businessman satiate his boredom? by having an affair.

by the time little jinu is three years old, yunjae has gone from hooking up with random girls at the club to having a full-on side chick who he'll spend weekends on end with. he's keeping his family a secret from this side chick, too, though, so it's no surprise that everything comes crashing down on him. sora starts getting suspicious around late 2019, when yunjae starts dropping his guard and acting worthy of suspicion. his phone is always face down, which used to never bother her before, simply because she's always felt like people were entitled to their own privacy, but now it nags at her conscience. he's gone more often for longer amounts of time, and it may be her imagination, but sometimes she thinks she smells a different perfume on him.

she buries these suspicions and fears for a while, along with her past traumas from her own family history that are all resurfacing, ultimately scared that she really is going to end up experiencing what her mom experienced. though now, there's another level to that fear - jinu. before, she had only worried that she would be hurt by heartbreak, but now she's realizing that jinu will be hurt, too - in the same exact way she was as a child. that's the last thing she wants for her own son, but her fears are confirmed when she sees an intimate message pop up on yunjae's phone while he's showering one night. after a lonely internal battle, she calls sojin, who first swears she'll fly over from america that second to snap this er's neck, but then smacks some sense into sora.

"sora, i know you, i know you don't want to believe it, and i know part of you just wants to pretend you never saw anything because ignorance is bliss, but you have to end things. nothing good is going to come out of staying with that , okay? you need to walk away from this for your and jinu's sake. get that kid away from that toxic example of what it means to be a man."

so she does it. she gives him a little bit of a second chance, but he blows it when he doesn't come home for christmas. she doesn't scream at him, she doesn't ask for an explanation, she just leaves the necessary paperwork on the dining table with a carefully handwritten letter - the last bit of effort she promises to put into this relationship. of course, he tries to patch things up with her, but she stands her ground. when he sees that she won't budge, he reluctantly signs the divorce papers, but continues trying to contact her, like that didn't finalize their separation. from his desperate text messages, sora learns that his mistress has left him too upon finding out that he was hiding a family from her, but nothing he says can make her feel sorry for him. she's extremely hurt, and is upset, of course, at him, but also at herself for not having known better, especially after all she went through as a child whose own mother had gone through the same exact thing.

her distress has a tinge of disappointment - she had always hoped she wouldn't experience what her mom had. not because she was ashamed of having a single mom, but because she felt like if it happened to her, too, her mom would be devastated and maybe even blame herself somehow. and of course she had always hoped that she wouldn't have to put her own child through the feelings of loneliness and abandonment that she had felt in her youth...but look at her now. she was in the exact place she had never wanted to be in, but had been too naive to protect herself from.

but just like how she kept living despite the confusion she felt after her own dad had left the scene, sora keeps on going. she tries her best to explain to little jinu why daddy's not here anymore, not wanting to lie to him, trying to remember her own experiences and figure out what he might want to hear or how he might understand better but also know that it's not his fault. he's still very young, so she knows he doesn't really get it, but things aren't too bad with just the two of them. sora tries to look on the bright side, figuring if she could do it, so can her son.

life isn't all that shabby - a bit before she had divorced yunjae, she had gotten a promising job at a media company that was currently rising in popularity, and she's proved her worth enough that she's now a creative producer, which is one of the higher positions. jinu's teachers say he's doing well at his daycare/preschool, making friends, playing well, etc. things are going well! it still hurts to think about yunjae, and she definitely hasn't forgiven him yet, nor does she feel ready to get back into the dating scene, but her and jinu have each other, and that's all she needs.

one of her coworkers tells sora about the single parents club, having heard about it from his kids' preschool teacher, whose contact info he then gives to sora. after a little while of deliberation (as well as another call to sojin, who "couldn't give a about starting my own family, but since you've already got one, might as well get some help since i'm not gonna be any"), she hesitantly decides to message the contact.

"hi, is this choi hyunwoo? one of your parents referred me to you in regards to a club for single parents and...if it's not too much trouble, i'd like to have some more information! my name is han sora, please text me back at this number if you can :')"


sora says:
➵ "jinu, should we be bougie today and get shine muscat grapes? or be smart and just get regular green grapes?"
➵ after eyeing it for the past ten minutes "hey, can i have a bite of that bread...?"
➵ "i mean, yeah, i guess being a single mom is pretty tough...but i can handle it." probably lying
➵ looking at jinu, who's giving her truly unintentionally adorable puppy eyes "...alright, ONE more candy, okay? just one! then no more! ok? you promise? we both eat one more, then we're done. ok? umma promises she won't eat more at night."

playlist of my life.

still fighting it,  ben folds.
all of my life,  park won.
summer,  jannabi.
love that is too painful wasn't love,  kim kwang seok.
one candle,  god.
look at me,  george.
twenty five, twenty one,  jaurim.
lonely,  jonghyun.

TRIVIA. 

➵ she works at 'mood travel', a media company that produces travel and food content focused in south korea, frequently partnering with small businesses and local eateries to advertise the hole-in-the-walls and other underrated places (similar to this and this!). she also does freelance graphic design work on the side.
➵ her major in college was media communications and she also minored in graphic design.
➵ she loves fruit and that passion has definitely passed on to jinu. they like enjoying fruit plates as a daily snack and will jump at the chance to try rare or just really popular ones, like shine muscat (their favorite splurge) or dragon fruit (it's a no for them).
➵ has also lowkey passed on her love for gummies... it just came naturally, as she would purchase them for herself and then share with him.
➵ black coffee always works to keep sora up, but otherwise, she doesn't like the bitter drink. so unless she needs to pull an all-nighter, sora orders lattes or fruit teas.
➵ her alcohol tolerance is somewhere between low and average - she'll start feeling the buzz after about half a bottle, then somewhere between 1 and 1.5 is her tipping point. she doesn't necessarily act different when she's drunk, like how some people get significantly cuter or quieter, but she tends to spout a bunch of random nonsense and say things that don't relate to the conversation at all. she actually doesn't like the taste of alcohol, though, so you won't see her drunk often, and also she can't even remember the last time she drank - but it was definitely before jinu.
➵ she had actually considered legally changing jinu's last name to han, but she worried that it would be too unfair to deprive him of all connection to his birth father without any of his input. and though she'd much rather prefer jinu doesn't grow up to want to meet his dad, she's not sure she wants to forcibly keep him from doing so, either. so she's kept him as a 'kang', but she just tends to not like saying his full name.
➵ she likes showing jinu a good balance of disney princesses and marvel superheroes, since she doesn't want him to grow up to be a victim of toxic masculinity.
➵ she definitely dresses jinu better than she dresses herself because one, she just cares more about him, but also two, kids' clothes are just so cute...so smol...
➵ december is weird for sora. only one christmas has passed since the divorce, and she tried to make it fun for jinu, and herself too. it wasn't too difficult, since it's hard not to get excited for the jolly holiday, what with all the pretty lights and music, but she can't help but think about that fateful day when yunjae's true colors were confirmed with his absence. honestly, if it had been just her, she's not sure she'd even celebrate the holiday anymore, but she does it for jinu.
➵ she has a whole album in her photo gallery of jinu's ootds, but hasn't posted them because one, she's pretty inactive on her social media, and two, she genuinely just feels like the world's not ready for jinu's cuteness.
➵ both her and jinu really want a pet, but jinu's too young to be begging incessantly yet, and sora can't decide what she would want. her youtube history is filled with videos of people grooming their cats, caring for their sick dogs, building mansions for their hamsters, and more, and it doesn't help her decide if she wants a husky or a guinea pig.

1. hello! please introduce yourself and say a few fun facts about yourself. oh, yes, hello! i'm han sora...uh, fun facts? she grimaces slightly, sulking down in her chair. not sure i have any of those... she chuckles good-humoredly. i guess...people sometimes mishear my name as hansol? because hansol-ah? she laughs, shrugging. but it's han. sora! after a pause, her shoulders droop again. i'm sorry, that wasn't fun. she shakes her head, smiling softly.

2. how many children do you have? what are their names? is there anything you want to say about them? ah, i have one 4 year old son, his name is jinu- uh, kang jinu. her expression has visibly brightened now that she's talking about jinu and not herself, even though the mention of his legal last name iffs her a little. he's a wonderful little boy - right now he's at that age where he's curious about everything, so he asks so many questions and he's always wondering 'why' for everything and... she trails off as she realizes she's getting too carried away.

3. how old were you when you became a single parent? um... she tries to look like she's just thinking, not sadly reminiscing, but who knows if the interviewer can tell. well i became a parent...in 2016...but it became just me and jinu about a year ago, so i was...25. she presses her lips together in something semblant of a smile as she gives her vague answers, not wanting to let on that she still remembers the exact date and time she walked out of that house.

4. at what point did you really realize you would have to take all the sole responsibilty of your child/children from now on? oh, uh... sora's eyes widen a little and she lets out a sigh. she had thought she could get away with ambiguous responses, but these questions are really hitting home. i mean...i guess it just...happened. i think the realization was simultaneous with the moment that i realized i...wanted to split with my husband. but i think deep down...i've always sort of expected - or, worried, i guess...that i'd end up a single parent. i was actually raised by a single parent, so growing up in that sort of family dynamic definitely impacted the way i viewed my own family...if that makes sense... her eyes get cloudy as all the emotions come rushing back - the bitterness and abandonment she felt as a child, the fear she felt for her own future, the anxiety and sorrow she feels now for jinu...

5. personally, what do you think is the hardest thing about being a single parent? ooh, i... she sort of chuckles, a little overwhelmed at all the answers that run through her mind. well, i feel like it's never easy just being...a parent, in general, you know? parenting is hard. but...i guess...a single parent doesn't have a partner to share that burden with...and i think...that can really sometimes. she nods, trying to speak about it matter-of-factly. it's odd, because she doesn't really struggle with this a lot as a single parent herself, since she actually feels more like she's better off without yunjae, but it's definitely one of the things she's just more aware of due to her circumstances.

6. what is one thing you want to tell people who have single parents or are a single parent themselves? mm...hmm...that's a good question. she chuckles softly, finding that she's actually thinking pretty hard, remembering all the things she wanted to hear when she was growing up and all the things she wants to say to jinu now. i think i would want to say...that...that it's okay. things will always turn out okay in the end. there's nothing to be ashamed of if you're a single parent or if you have one - i think it actually takes so much more to be able to grow up in that kind of family dynamic, but that just means you'll come out that much stronger! so...i hope they can look on the bright side. because there always is one. even if you can't see it right away.

FULL NAME. kwon haram
NICKNAMES.
  hun-nam coach  hun-nam is slang for a guy who's handsome, but in a more warm, nice way than a hot and cool way. this is accurate due to the fact that haram really is warm and nice! he's one of the more chill teachers at his college and has won many hearts for his kind personality. haram is called this name by many of the female students, and even some male students who can't deny his looks.
  basketball ahjussi  having shot a few hoops with jinu the first time they met, this is the memory the little boy associates with haram, thus dubbing him in this way.
   crybaby  otherwise known as oolbo (울보) in korean, haram is dubbed this by his close friends who have witnessed him shed tears quite frequently, sometimes even over the most insignificant thing, like a video of a dog reuniting with his owner.
DATE OF BIRTH. jan 19, 1992 (29)
NATIONALITY. south korean
BIRTHPLACE. seoul, south korea
HOMETOWN. seoul, south korea
LANGUAGES.
  korean, 100%  his first language. he really can't speak anything else - his english studies back in grade school have evidently proved fruitless and he figures that by now, it's too late for him to acquire a new language, so he hasn't really tried.

FACECLAIM. hwang inyeop  actor
BACKUP. lee dohyun  actor
UALITY. heteroual
APPEARANCE. haram is objectively good-looking, as decided by his peers. his fox-like features are strikingly handsome, enough that some people are glad he's often found smiling because his straight face is just too charismatic. that's not to say his smile doesn't attack some hearts either! a long nose bridge, healthy heart-shaped lips, and pierced lobes back from his impulsive teenage days (that are gradually closing up) are accentuated by the dark brown hair he typically leaves down or parts loosely in the middle. everything is extremely "swoon-worthy", as many of the girls at his college would say, and even upon closer inspection, the only "oddity" is in his almond-shaped eyes that become uneven in size when he's upset. 185 cm, 63 kg
STYLE. seeing as how athletics are still a big part of haram's life, he pays just as much attention to his outfits as he did back in high school - which is not a lot. he is often sighted in sweats, track suits, hoodies, and athletic jackets, since that's pretty much his work dress code as well as what he feels most comfortable in, but if he's going out, then he'll put on some cuffed denim jeans that flatter his long legs, tuck in a nice plain tee, then maybe throw on a crewneck if it's chilly. it's very plain fashion, but his face tends to make up for that.

PERSONALITY:

     (+) humorous, considerate, amiable
        impulsive, sensitive, verbose (-)

haram has been described in a variety of different ways - the "mom's friend's son", the "ultimate gentleman", the "perfect man", etc. the titles have come and gone, changing with his age and surroundings, but they were always based on how likeable he was. good-looking but humble, athletic and kind...people could never understand why he was never dating! he's definitely had his fair share of confessions and date requests, but haram has always just kindly rejected them all, never having been too interested.  -  "i don't know, none of them just...feel like the one."  -  but that sure doesn't stop girls from continuing to fall for him! and no one can blame them. not only is he nice, outgoing, and easy to talk to, he's thoughtful and funny, to boot. he's always remembering the little things about people and gifting them petty presents, and he builds great rapport with all his students for being so playful and chill with them, making jokes and poking fun at them, but still enforcing his status as a higher-up and keeping boundaries so as to earn respect.

essentially, he's just a really great guy, and anyone would agree that he has virtually no flaws. but truth is, he's still a human! haram's actually really emotional. though he knows when he needs to keep it professional, he tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, and definitely cries during movies.  -  "i just...is it not sad? i can't imagine how they're feeling right now..." "haram, it's just a movie."  -  in a word, you could say he's empathetic, but he's also just really obvious with his own emotions, too. it's also common for him to sometimes speak or do something before thinking since he's so emotion-driven. this has resulted in quite the handful of awkward social interactions, in which haram will try to make things better by talking more, though that usually fails. being verbose and overeager isn't always a negative quality, but for haram, it's put him in way more sticky situations than he'd prefer.

tldr; everyone loves haram and thinks he's perfect which he lowkey is but he's also lowkey a crybaby.

FIRST MEETING: haram and sora see each other for the first time at his university. their athletic department was having a joint event with jinu’s preschool that day and she’s late to pick him up, work having gone a little long that day. once she gets there, she’s relieved to see jinu safe and sound, just kicking around a ball with some of the remaining staff and athletes. haram is among them, but sora doesn’t notice him at first - but he definitely notices her. he’s never thought someone he saw for the first time could be this beautiful, but he doesn’t let himself go beyond that, figuring she’s a married woman. they are introduced to each other briefly by jinu’s teacher, and sora, too, is taken aback by how handsome he is, but also doesn’t think further since she’s not the type to do anything about it. neither of them think they’ll see each other again and thus feel comfortable simply filing each other away under eye candy.

their first actual meeting is at the convenience store - he’s out to stock up on snacks and she’s come for a little fresh air after putting jinu to sleep. at the register, though, sora realizes she forgot her wallet, but thankfully haram has recognized her and swoops in to pay for both of their items. they exit the convenience store, a little awkwardly, but start to make pleasant conversation - her mostly out of gratitude and him because he…can’t help himself. their small talk gives haram enough context that he starts to wonder if there even is someone else in the picture, but before he can confirm - “oh, shoot, i’m so sorry, i left my son- jinu's home by himself- i mean, he's sleeping, but- i'm sorry, i have to go. it was really nice talking to you!"

LOVE STORY: the two initially don’t have much reason to see each other, which haram realizes soon after their convenience store meeting - and against his seemingly better judgement that he shouldn’t pry too much, he can’t get over the fact that he’s never been this interested in someone before. so he lets his extroverted self get the best of him and tries to see if he can meet her again. whether it’s “coincidentally” setting up meetings with jinu’s preschool at the same time sora would be coming to pick him up or taking more midnight runs than usual to the convenience store, haram finds subtle ways to run into sora and make himself known to her.

he keeps his boundaries as much as he can, telling himself that while there is an undeniable physical attraction for him, she has expressed nothing of the sort (at least, that he knows of), so he’s okay with just being friendly for now, getting to know her and satiating the sort of curiosity that’s resulted from his inexplicable interest in her. he feels like it’s sort of a petty excuse, but part of him just wonders why he’s so attracted to her and sort of hopes that getting to know her better will answer that somehow.

he’s able to confirm her marital status after only a few run-ins, and then after a couple more, they’ve exchanged contact info! their relationship proceeds rather smoothly, mostly due to sora’s inability to turn people down or say no…but also because she herself is, admittedly, attracted to him, too. it’s definitely just a shallow attraction at first, so she doesn’t think about it much when they’re together, and since he’s also trying not to come on too strong, she figures he’s just a super friendly guy - and she’s fine with that! it’s been a while since she last made new friends, anyways, especially since the divorce, so she feels like haram could be the start of her getting back out there.

with these sorts of mindsets, the two of them find it quite easy to get along, along with thanks to their undeniable chemistry. haram doesn’t really figure out what it is about her that attracted him in the first place, but he just knows that the more he gets to know her, the more he likes her. this is the first time he’s felt this way about anyone, though, so it’s exciting and new and he honestly doesn’t really know how to go about it. for sora, though, it’s a bit more scary - she feels like it’s still too soon and honestly thought it would’ve taken longer for her to move on from yunjae, so she’s worried that what’s happening right now is just making way for future heartbreak. haram is just…so sweet, so handsome, such a gentleman…he cares for her in ways that yunjae never did, he shows her a love that she never knew before, that she feels is too good to be true. so she denies it.

just as their relationship is reaching a turning point for the better, sora cuts things off. she’s too scared of losing something, so she doesn’t let herself have it in the first place. turning her fear into the guise of concern for her and jinu’s wellbeing, she convinces herself that this is best - that she’s just getting carried away, that jinu might not appreciate her attention being taken away by another person, that like yunjae, haram might leave her, too. she starts distancing herself from haram, who’s confused, thinking he might have done something wrong, and at his questions and pleas, sora eventually finds herself spilling to him about her fears, as well as the lack of courage to even try and overcome them. oolbo haram doesn’t make things any easier for her when he starts crying and basically confessing his love for her. his tears and genuinity catch her off guard, but she can’t find the strength to make any more heavy decisions in that moment, so she leaves.

“i’m sorry, i just…i don’t think i’m
ready. maybe it’d be better if we
just…pretended none of this
ever happened.”
                    “i can’t…i can’t do that. i can’t
                       just…live my life pretending
                    you don’t exist, it’s too late for
                that. just let me be by your side,
            you don’t have to do anything, just
        let me love you on my own. you don’t
          even have to return the feelings, but
          i- i don’t think i can stop loving you.”

CURRENT STATUS: getting to know each other! probably somewhere shortly after the point of exchanging contact information (or if you think starting their love story when sora joins the club could work better, you can do that, too!)
ENDING: after a short while, in which both of them continue to yearn for each other and think about each other nonstop, things happen and they end up running into each other again (this is where you can insert the first scene suggestion!). both of them having subtly understood that they still feel the same way about each other, they decide to take things slow, but intentional - meaning they'll go on actual dates without making excuses to other people (or themselves) as to why they're hanging out, they'll get each other gifts without second guessing or over-thinking, and more. and then somewhere down the line, they'll make it official.

TRIVIA:
➵ he's pretty well off - his dad is a director at mbc and his mom is a branch manager for nonghyup financial group. they helped him buy the apartment he now lives at by himself. he works as the athletic director at a local university.
➵ haram's name is derived from the first and last syllable of the korean phrase 'precious person (saRAM) gifted from the heavens (HAneul)'.
➵ he actually first put her name in his phone as 'hansol-ssi', and only realizes his mistake once she texts him for the first time saying, "this is sora!"
➵ he likes gifting her little things that made him think of her or remind him of her. the most common is sora bbang (which translates to conch bread and commonly has a chocolate filling), which he thinks is perfect because her name is sora and she loves bread. the first time he gave it to her was as an apology when he confessed that he thought her name was hansol. she thought it was so clever and now she always thinks of him when she sees it.
➵ he feels like he embarrasses himself a lot around her because he'll say things without thinking and sound stupid or just expose himself.
➵ with jinu, or just kids in general, haram isn't the best in terms of understanding them or really knowing what's best for them, but he's good at playing with them! him and sora are kind of the power mom/ clueless dad trope, though he's not that clueless. he's aware he doesn't know how kids' minds work, but he's not a pushover. he tries to talk to kids and see where they're coming from, which doesn't always end up working so well with other 3-year-olds, but with jinu, that means the two can go on and on asking questions about life and trying to find the answers together. the two mostly spend their time playing basketball or any other sport or physical activity, or eating ice cream from the convenience store as jinu bombards haram with his usual "why" questions and haram wholesomely does his best to answer them. they're almost like friends... if you take away the 25 year age difference.
➵ generally, haram's pretty awkward and fumbly around sora, especially in the beginning, but the more they start to hang out the more comfortable he gets. so though he'll still be shy when he gifts her things or compliments her, he's less nervous and more excited to ask her to hang out and stuff. their relationship is very wholesome and he probably likes her more than she likes him (at least, at first) but he's okay with that. he's usually the more initiative one when it comes to asking her on dates or even just messaging, but she wants to be better at that. he's very respectful and just wants her to never be sad or hurt again so he respects her boundaries but also if she gets like (1) paper cut he will get all up in her face to make sure she's okay, then get embarrassed at how close they are.
➵ they're not very prone to pda (even after they start dating), since they're both pretty shy, so they get super nervous (esp in the beginning) when they touch in even the slightest way and outsiders are like "oh my god yall just brushed hands can you chill".

COMMENTS. i am so sorry if this was freakin long i just have a lot of Emotions about this plot and i always tend to write a lot ,,, but also it was actually just really fun to write sora!!! thank u for this fic hehe <3
SCENE SUGGESTIONS.
➵ jinu goes 'missing'! he's not really missing, though, he's just at haram's house, but sora doesn't know that?? maybe she had work till late and forgot to let his school know but haram came by to see if he could see her again so jinu just goes with him since he missed him. sora freaks out once she finishes work, but only goes to haram after she's checked a few places herself, so she's really panicking by the time she shows up to haram's place - but there he is, playing with some toy cars on the floor. of course she's overwhelmed with anger and concern and relief and all of that, but jinu's just like "i missed nonggu ahjussi" and she's like!! bc this dispels her fears that jinu might not like haram and also this could be after they had their falling-out so they're a lil awkward but it helps them get better :')
➵ yunjae comes crawling back yet again *eye roll* but this time in front of jinu!! sora's super upset and defensive bc up until now, he'd only shown his face in front of her, but now jinu's seeing him!! so she's a little nervous but haram runs into them and helps her out.
➵ jinu asks sora "is nonggu ahjussi your boyfriend" bc he learned at school that day what a boyfriend was and he thought to himself *hmm that sounds like nonggu ahjussi with mommy* and sora is like hU H
➵ sora and hyunwoo having that good conversation!! maybe they are put in a situation where they have no choice but to talk to each other lmao but it really helps their relationship!
➵ omg ahjummas talking crap about how sora raises jinu (mostly just referring to how she pulls him out of school sometimes) and chohee standing up for her!!
PASSWORD. bread!!