ZHU QI'S JOB APPLICATION
-catalyst   javalyn   8.5/10

  

“ hello, i am the key that will unlock your heart – or pants! shut up! ”

being almost the female equivalent of the wonderful boss kim junwoo, zhu qi is the small 155cm quirky full blooded chinese individual who either scares off customers with her open touchiness or brings them in for an eternity. she has never been deterred by the odd, cold-ice cream-like man seunghoon or thrown off balance by the beautiful ahyeong and believes herself to be an important member of this crazy crew. except, she still doesn't know what her official position is in hello tokyo! she really just joined so she could wear all the cute costumes they have day by day.

PERSONAL PROFILE

full name: zhu, qi ( 朱氣 )
nickname(s): 
   ( key ) really, she has no idea how 'qi,' mostly pronounced as 'chi,' sounds like 'key,' but she's pretty sure it all started one night when lu han got drunk and messed up his accents and languages to come up with that nickname.
   ( chi-chi ) for those customers who hear her pronounce her name and immediately think of chi chi from dbz, whoever that is. she doesn't exactly have the same traits as her, but the name itself is good enough, right?
   ( ms. no-taku ) pretty much a combination of 'no' and 'otaku' by some of the coworkers, aka. junwoo, has come up with simply because she doesn't really know much about anime or manga compared to every one else. qi doesn't mind the nickname, and it seems to create some giggles amongst the café.
birthdate: february 04, 1991 & 23 years old
birthplace & hometown: beijing, china
ethnicity: chinese
languages: 
  ( mandarin ) fluent ; it's her first and native language.
  ( korean ) moderate ; she still has some trouble reading a few words, but she mostly has ual innuendos, every day conversations, and curse words down perfectly (thanks to lu han).
  ( english ) basic ; she only knows what lu han (and the rest of the staff) knows. basically 'yo yo yo man' and 'call me if you want to see me.'
height & weight: 155 cm & 46 kg
ual orientation: panual

faceclaim: yoon sun young
back-up faceclaim: hong yoo kyung
appearance: qi has dark brown hair, almost black, that she dyes chocolate brown on an irregular basis. however, she prefers her natural hair color than anything, thinking it looks better on her than any other hair color. she has the typical ear piercings, one on each ear, and a tattoo she tries and keep hidden most of the time that runs along her left side from the middle of her ribs down. she doesn't have any noticeable birthmarks, just old scars on her knees from a fall in the middle of a street in beijing as a child. she doesn't really wear any makeup, only eyeliner if she feels up to it for the day ( which isn't very often ), and she has a petite structure and even looks like she can break if manhandled the wrong way.
style: qi's closet mainly consists of lacy dresses and shirts, comfy shirts and sweaters, and shorts or skinny jeans. she prefers a cute but comfortable and laidback style, something she can easily move in and not feel like she's dying in the process of moving around. at home, she likes baring her legs because she feels free and just really likes how they look and always wears some type of shorts around the apartment ( which is killer for lu han because he loves looking at women's legs ).

PERSONALITY AND BACKGROUND CHECK

personality traits: friendly, quirky, down-to-earth, charismatic, flirty, touchy-feely, oblivious, inappropriate, self-unappreciative
personality: 

for someone who doesn't know how she got the nickname 'key,' it actually makes a lot of sense when others get to know her. she's unassuming and kind, very open to any and all types of people, as well as friendly to all those she meets. she'll be one of the first people in a group to greet awkward newcomers and introduce herself since she was once one herself but could quickly become increasingly awkward or funny, depending on the other person's view on her flow of conversation. she tends to be a bit quirky, asking about the most random things she sees ( "why is the cat on your sweater pink?" ) or just say whatever is on her mind at the moment ( "so, old man junwoo is a pretty handsome fellow, but i'm just not feeling his special coffee of the day. you know what i mean?" "junwoo-oppa is old?" "he's ancient." ). she's not very talkative at all, but when she does talk, she doesn't exactly have a brain-to-mouth filter and it can cause her to seem very sassy when she doesn't mean to or even be rude. it's just how her brain works.

with her act of initiative, she will also usually be one of the first of many to volunteer herself to try something new ( even if it takes a few minutes or hours of talking her into it ). she thinks whatever that 'something' is would give her great experience, but no one ever really knows what she means by that. she's also pretty down-to-earth despite her quirky and possible 4d traits, going along with whatever flow the day gives her. she has this charismatic aura that no one can understand with her short height but no one can deny when others are just naturally drawn to her, especially noticeable when she works at hello tokyo! she's just quirky enough to keep others around her entertained. she doesn't understand it either, being quite oblivious to that ( and others feelings towards her ), only noticing when others bring it up.

she's also flirty, naturally being touchy with others, and her coworkers and lu han think it's because of her flirty and touchy nature that others seem to just open up to her easily. it's like she unlocks some part of their brain and heart and they would willingly tell her anything about their day or life and she would readily listen to them all day if she could ( and she really would too ). along with her flirty self, she can also be inappropriate and y at the most inopportune times. it's like she lives to randomly call something out when it's eerily quiet or boring, and she still doesn't understand why others like calling her their friend. more or less, she doesn't really see in the value in herself, just thinking of herself as a regular, albeit quirky, individual with nothing spectacular in her life.

background and current lifestyle: 

qi was born to zhu jin and zhu fang in the chaoyang district in beijing, china on february 4, 1991. they didn't really have an exciting life, to be quite honest. the only spectacular thing was that her father has a phd and is teaching at a university in beijing ( beijing international studies university ) while her mother eventually became the manager of a fashion store near where they live, in the haidian district where she first met lu han's mother shopping in that same fashion store. jin has a degree in economics but teaches as one of the professors in the school of international communication. he never focused on languages while he was in university himself, but it was one of the only open job positions at the time and he ended up having to brush up on his english more than he can remember.

other than that, qi grew up as an only child to two hardworking parents, only ever really having lu han to hang around since she had no cousins that she knew of and was pretty average in school despite her dad's profession and knowledge as a professor. each of her parents were the only child in their families so she figured she would've been increasingly lonely if she hadn't met "the cute boy around her age," according to her mother, which she is thankful for whenever she takes the time to actually think about her past. she went to beijing biss international school ( it's a wonder why she doesn't know more english than she does now ) her whole educational life and was a pretty high average student until her last year where she suddenly became more studious than normal ( which by her 'normal' means getting by with low A's and a lot of B's ; explained below in 'lu han' trivia ) and attempted to apply to some notable universities in south korea as well as in china.

she became wait-listed at yonsei university ( one of the universities she was hoping to get into because her best friend was there ) but was somehow accepted into korea university. she wasn't expected to get accepted there if she was basically declined from yonsei, but she immediately took the offer and got ready to pack her things, learn more korean, and move there the summer before her first year there. at first, she had troubles figuring out her living situation, but ( with the suggestions of their parents ) she ended up moving in with lu han in his small apartment. she had no idea what anime was at the time, she only knew of the animations of classics like sailor moon and dragonball z but never really took any interest in it. she never simply sat down and tried to watch an episode in china. but when she moved in with lu han, that's when she found out about his hidden love for anime ( currently, he loves attack on titan and tokyo ghoul ) and random costumes she's found in his closet when he was out shopping with friends or doing something else unimportant ( apparently, those are what one uses to 'cosplay,' but she didn't figure that out until he brought her to hello tokyo! one day ).

since then, she's been living with lu han in his small apartment that has one bathroom, two bedrooms, a small kitchenette, and a small living area that doubles as their dining room. their parents really had no problems with either of them living with each other, since they've known each other since qi was born, the only thing they really requested is that they get married before having babies. ( "yeah. there aren't going to be babies any time soon. sorry, mom." ) they have also already graduated from their respective universities and lu han works as a tourist guide while trying to become a businessman ( he doesn't know how he's going to do it yet, but he has wishes and fantasies he wants to play out as a true businessman. qi doesn't know how she puts up with him. ).

IMPORTANT FRIENDS

• ( lu han is dumb ; trio pt.1 ) qi and lu han have known each other since they were babies. they grew up together and were the end jokes of "what if our children got married?" "they should start making babies soon!" "but your son kind of looks like a daughter." "but i'm sure he makes up his feminine looks elsewhere, if you know what i mean." "mom!" the only time they were ever really apart was when lu han got accepted into yonsei university and moved to south korea to attend the college there ( while she was a year behind because of dumb ages ). qi was never quite as ambitious with school as lu han was but they obviously hated being apart when lu han would randomly call in the middle of the night complaining that he has nobody to pinch ( or punch ) over there and she got tired of hearing his voice but kept bringing up random topics just to keep speaking to the man until early in the morning. she ended up studying a lot more than she intended during the separated year but she ended up being accepted into korea university instead. since then, they've considered themselves "rivals" and always throw insults to each other even though qi indulges in lu han's weird fantasies while he will do the same for her. ( nobody really knows what kind of relationship they have. their mothers are just hoping they'll fall in love and get married by the age of 26/27 so they can start making babies for them, preferably one girl and one boy. )

• ( dancer mama yixuan ; trio pt.2 ) qi first met yixuan through lu han when she moved to south korea in 2009. yixuan and lu han met through another mutual friend but stayed in touch and became closer because they both came from china to live in the new world of south korea and danced in their free time. yixuan became a mother-like figure for qi and she can always go to him whenever she needs actual true advice from someone other than her idiot best friend lu han ( and her real parents ).

• ( dancing girlfriend qian ; trio pt. 3 or... quartet? ) qi first met qian in south korea when she was going to meet up with yixuan at the dance studio he practiced in around her second year of college. she was surprised at seeing a woman teaching the dance class until she realized yixuan was taking ballet to help with his basics in dancing but didn't even know the woman was also chinese, always going by 'victoria' in south korea since it was easier to pronounce. she only just figured out qian was chinese when she mentioned she was going back home to qingdao for the holidays, and qi was pretty much mindblown at that fact. qian can be just as quirky as qi, and they always love to hang out together to have girl time if they are both available.

TRIVIA

• ( parents’ overbearing love. ) thinking back on it though, qi would like to say she got some of her personality traits from her parents, living with them for so long through primary and high school before moving out to live with lu han in south korea. both of her parents are accepting, her father being a bit more goofy and laidback while her mother was more quirky and inappropriate when it came to topic conversations. her mother would be the one bringing up every other day and asking her if she and lu han have finally done something to grant her the ultimate present of a grandchild ( the answer is always, in a bored tone, "no, mom. we have not done the do and got you a kid yet." "but you said 'yet,' lovely daughter of mine!" "fang, stop telling our child to get pregnant!" )
• ( it must be fate. ) qi had no idea about anything relating to manga or anime until she "allowed" lu han to drag her to one of his favorite cafes during his lunch break. she knew he liked "those cartoons," but she simply didn't understand why until she saw all the cute costumes and pastries and pure love in the place. he's also the reason why she got the job at the cafe, after hours and hours of pestering her to try on one of these random maid costumes he received as a present from 'someone' aka apparently junwoo ( for being such a loyal regular ) and she fell in love.
• ( key to my heart. ) the main reason behind her nickname given by lu han is because she was basically one of the very few ( the other is lao gao ) people to get lu han to open up and showcase what talents and weird es he has loyalty towards others. he also noticed that whomever she becomes friends with, they tend to open up and become closer friends with her than anybody would expect.
• ( one extra order of seunghoon, please. ) she thinks of seunghoon like a little extra treat each day. she has no idea why, but there's just something about him ( it's probably because of the way he carries himself and seems rude to others ) that makes her want to be his friend. he's one of the only people not to open him/herself up to her so she tries to become his friend by giving him a random bar of chocolate each day. she doesn't know if it's working in her favor, but she always see this little spark of happiness in his eyes and she's determined to make him glow one day.
• ( what anime is this again? ) qi admittedly still doesn't know every manga or anime out there. she only really wanted this job to wear the cute costumes. the only anime she knows aren't really well-known at all, mostly. aka. cowboy bebop, time of eve, 5 centimeters per second are the few she knows.
• ( my eyeballs don't sweat. ) on another note, qi doesn't really cry. she seriously thinks something is wrong with her tear ducts and the only time she can ever remember crying was watching 5 centimeters per second ( and big hero 6 ) because everything was just heart-wrenching for her and she really doesn't understand it. ( lu han freaks out every time she cries as well, which has only been twice, and he really doesn't know what to do in such a situation and just awkwardly stands there before bringing her in for an awkward hug. )
• ( pixar and marvel movies, plus big hero 6 are beautiful. ) she loves every pixar and marvel movie that has come out to date. they are simply entertaining and beautiful, showcasing humor and some life lessons, and she wouldn't mind just staying a night in and watching every single movie until she passes out from lack of sleep. her favorites are the thor movies, avengers, big hero 6, the incredibles, finding nemo, and inside out ( whenever that one finally gets released ). ( although, her favorite marvel hero thor clashes with lu han's favorite marvel hero iron man, and they always bicker about it because clearly thor is bae. ) her least favorites are hulk and the cars movies.
• ( korea university's art and design program ) qi graduated from korea university in 2013 with a degree in art and design. she had no idea what she wanted to do with a focus in that, but she thoroughly enjoyed every day of it. since then, she's had fleeting jobs as a translator for chinese tourists in south korea and a substitute teacher in the art and design program back at ku.
• ( old married couple ) qi and lu han have an interesting relationship, considered 'unknown' to every single person in the world who knows them, even themselves. they either cling onto each other wherever they are or they always bicker and fight over the most dumb things. yixuan was the one to come up with this nickname when both of them are together, and they've never really rejected the title of it.
• ( please let me touch you. ) qi basically lives for some sort of skinship. she always thought constantly hugging and touching people's hair/hands was normal growing up ( since she always held hands with her mom or lu han, and her old classmates never complained about ). only when she moved to south korea did she realize that it wasn't exactly normal, but she still couldn't stop herself from initiating skinship with others. it's hardwired into her brain and if someone like lu han or yixuan stops her from clinging onto their arm or something, she complains briefly before shrugging and leaving them alone.
• ( no spicy foods, horror movies, or excessive alcohol ) she can't handle extremely spicy foods, horror movies, and she just plain doesn't like drinking a lot of alcohol. she freaks out with horror movies and becomes paranoid and scared for at least three days in a row, and she'll only drink wine and champagne for alcohols ( she likes feeling classy ).
• ( no nagging either ) she hates it when people constantly nag at her to do things. she knows when things need to be done, how it should be done, and where, so she doesn't need constant reminders every five minutes telling her things that she already knows and understands.
• ( mandarin is my first language, yo. ) qi slips back in mandarin when she becomes increasingly flustered, frustrated, or excited... and then the 'yo' is a habit taken from lu han because that's one of the basic words he knows in english.
• ( neck ties are love. ) she secretly wishes lu han becomes a businessman because holy cow, he's going to wear a neck tie and she can always tug at it to pull him down closer to her and possibly do some things, but really. any man or woman wearing a neck tie is love because she can always pull them down for a kiss or for some other purpose ( like when she's angry and wants to injure the other person ).
• ( forever at 46 kg ) no matter how hard she tries, she can never gain enough weight to make her bmi an average number. she doesn't understand it, but it doesn't help that she doesn't like to work out but tries and eat healthy at the same time.
• ( favorite foods that don't include anything healthy like salads ) berries, pastries, and mocha cake or bread are some of her favorite foods, along with burgers, fries, and shakes. it's a wonder why she tries to eat healthy with her weight and favorite foods.
• ( french fries + ice cream = ♡ ) if there's anything that can make qi instantly happy, it's hot french fries and cold ice cream ( bonus points if combined together with any marvel movie ). the combination simply melts together in harmony and it's like a foodgasm in ( 'i bet after we get married, i can make you or–' 'shut up, xiao lu.' ).
• ( she can cook? ) qi can only make small traditional chinese meals, but it's enough to keep her and lu han living. she has a hard time baking though. she always confuses tablespoon and teaspoon so the ending product always tastes or looks nasty because of her mix-ups.
• ( social media hurts my head. ) despite her best friend having an active weibo and instagram, she has an inactive weibo and instagram. the only reason she has those in the first place is so lu han ( and the rest of their friends back home ) can tag her in random posts or whenever they post something embarrassing of her. it is @qi_key ( which sounds like 'cheeky' ) for instagram and zhuqi ( 朱氣 ) for weibo.
• ( she has a tattoo?! ) qi only got her tattoo when she moved to south korea and only lu han has seen where it is and how long it is. her parents don't even know about her ink, and she plans to keep it that way. she doesn't even know why she got it in the first place. she simply thought it was pretty and each line of the triangle could signify her family of three or of her relationships with lu han and yixuan/qian later on. ( yeah, she can't really decide so the long line running down her side is herself with lu han, yixuan, and qian taking up the three sides of the triangle. she also hasn't been in a math class in a long time so... her counting is definitely off somewhere. )
• ( best features are her smile and legs ) if asked what she likes most about her body, qi would say she likes her smile and legs the most. she just thinks they look amazing on her, and it doesn't help that lu han has a known fascination with her legs, always touching her shins or thighs or something whenever the opportunity presents itself. ( she also has a habit of just throwing her legs onto his lap while they're sitting because it's more comfortable that way to her. )
• ( hi, love. ) she has a habit of calling others 'love' or 'dear' ... or 'deer' in the case of her best friend. she just thinks it's endearing to call others this and hopes it gives each person a little sense of warmth on the inside, even though there are those few who cringe when she calls him or her that.
• ( shut up! ) probably her second most used phrase in every day life, right behind her similar greetings of 'hi, love' and 'hello, i am the key that will unlock your heart.' she has a moderate temperament, easily becoming riled up if provoked the right way ( constantly making fun of her height or making unnecessary lewd comments when she's not in the mood for it, or overworking her like that can happen when she loves the outfits ), but just as easily, she can be calmed down immediately with the right amount of skinship and her favorite foods.

RELATIONSHIPS

love interest: kim, sungjoo
back-up love interest: lu, han
personality traits: dorky, childish, easy-going, cute, yet reliable, stubborn, loyal, obvious ( or zero discretion ), curious

how you met or meet: honestly, sungjoo has no idea how he first ended up in hello tokyo! in the first place. he wants to say it's because he was dragged by one of his friends ( 'stupid yixuan' ) because he didn't want to be alone in meeting up with lu han there ( even though he's pretty sure he's gone there without either of them plenty of times before ), but he can't lie and say he didn't want to know why it was so popular in the beginning. he didn't even understand why he was dragged along until he was told ( outside hello tokyo! ) that the reason was because lu han's cutie roommate started working there as well. to say the least, sungjoo became instantly curious who this 'cutie' roommate was because 'would a guy really wear... a maid uniform? and be cute? what?' but when he met up with the two chinese men, he was surprised to see lu han hanging all over a smaller girl instead who greeted him awkwardly while trying to slap lu han's face away causing both sungjoo and yixuan to laugh at their actions.

interaction: in a nutshell, sungjoo is the ( strange ) boy next door that qi would love to have over and hang out with. they've never really interacted directly at first, qi always talking to lu han and yixuan since sungjoo never seemed to want and talk much at all whenever he was dragged to hello tokyo! however, qi's coworkers always kept a keen eye on the man since he was unusually quiet in the café and never seemed to look at the other workers except for qi whenever he came in. eventually they all started to question and tease qi about this new cutie regular because he starts to come in without the other two maniacs and politely order whatever was the specialty of the day and just sit and watch qi work around the place.

qi would have no idea what they're all talking about though. she would just greet sungjoo warmly like any other patron and create small talk before moving on to other customers or tasks. sometimes though, she would initiate skinship with the man like with lu han and yixuan because 'he's hella handsome – how are you still single?'

the first time she does it though, it completely catches sungjoo off-guard, causing him to blush and become flustered because now he suddenly has a small attractive girl clinging onto his bare arm that's making lu han annoyed because 'she's my best friend and roommate! back off!' he has no idea why or how that happened when he first step foot into the shop with their friend, but he becomes increasingly curious and confused when the girl just starts to his arm while talking to lu han like she's not even doing it in the first place. honestly, qi just couldn't resist herself when the attractive newbie walks in with a sleeveless shirt and snapback, especially with arms and cheekbones like kim sungjoo's.

after that somewhat awkward encounter, it slowly becomes a regular thing between the two whenever sungjoo walks into hello tokyo! he would actively go into the café seeking out the smaller girl and just stare at her until he gets caught by some random person ( or she finally goes over to greet him again ) and loosens up, talking more animatedly and acting more like himself while he takes in the theme of the day.

they become more friendly with each other through the course of each visit, and sungjoo soon comes to expect qi to suddenly cling onto his arm at random times or touch his cheekbones ( that was another awkward encounter that involved a random argument in mandarin with yixuan and lu han about face proportions and a partially understanding sungjoo because qi suddenly grabs his face and his cheekbones and then yells more saying 'his face is perfection!' ... she doesn't let go of his face until lu han complains about it ), and when she doesn't, he starts to whine and follow her around everywhere in the place until he can get her undivided attention.

he becomes childish and obvious with his affection for her and everybody sees it ( except lu han for some reason ) but she can't really see it because she's completely oblivious to it, thinking sungjoo's just being friendly and cute to hang out with. he becomes persistent in his chances to see her at work and just talk to her about the most random things that either he or she will bring up. she doesn't realize it, but she becomes attached to sungjoo as well. he starts to wait for her shift to end and would randomly show up to see when her lunch break is so he could take her out if he had no classes that day. even lu han becomes amazed when he comes home and sees sungjoo walking qi to their front door and the two just talking outside like it was a normal every day thing.

so far, qi has learned that sungjoo always have scripts and minimal school work like mathematics and sciences because he goes to seoul institute of the arts and focuses in theatre arts.

PERSONAL INTERVIEW

are you looking for a full time or part time job?
"if i get to wear all these cute costumes all the time, i'd work 24/7 just to wear them. ... meaning, i would love a full time job. i also need to help pay bills."

do you have any experience working of some sort?
"i've only ever worked at korea university as a part-time translator and a substitute teacher in the art and design program. but i also have experience babysitting twenty-four year old men, i'm pretty sure you know him. he's a regular here with an unusual pretty face and probably secretly s on some of the workers or patrons here. his name is lu han."

why do you think you should get this job?
"because i really want that sticker junwoo offered. and who else will voluntarily try all these weird and cute outfits at the most random of times?"

what do you think of cosplaying and interacting with customers?
"i think it'll be fun. honestly, i don't know many characters at all but the costumes are cute and fun and i can always research up on the theme of the day. i also think it'd just be fun meeting new people and discovering a whole new world of anime and manga."

do you have any suggestions for events and themes for the cafe?
"well, since hello tokyo! is a café, why not try to model the café after the one in time of eve? where patrons and workers won't judge each other on appearances or backgrounds, just kind of living in the moment kind of thing. or how about a space cowboy type of theme like in cowboy bebop? we can even have small puppies come in for a day like ein in the anime! or is that a health code violation?"

select which job position you are applying for
[  ] barista
[x] waiter, waitress
[  ] pâtissier (pastry chef)
[x] cashier
[  ] janitor
[x] entertainment/promotions
 

YOU HAVE REACHED THE END

questions, comments, concerns: this took me forever, omg. i'm so sorry ;; i've just been so busy the past week and /cries. anyways, my brain is fried atm but i feel like i've left a lot of things out ughhh. i also couldn't figure out if i actually wanted lu han and qi to be a thing or just have her with sungjoo because uniq is love. but if you find one relationship cuter than the other, go ahead and choose your pick! i love surprises so ;u;
suggestions & requests: 
• ( mama yixuan is awkward. ) maybe a scene where yixuan is just stuck in the middle between an annoyed lu han, a happy qi, and a childish/cute sungjoo in hello tokyo! one day. he eventually gets qi to go get him something else before he turns and smacks both men in the head to get them to calm down because 'she's like my daughter, you idiots. what are you doing?!'
• ( junwoo and qi are... alike? ) a scene where workers are just watching junwoo and qi on opposite sides of the room almost acting eerily similar and it's just a whole thirty minutes of everybody observing them because 'wow, that's really weird.'
• ( smoking is surprisingly attractive. ) qi watches one day as seunghoon lights up a cigarette outside the café one day and just becomes mesmerized by the mundane action. but internally, she's wincing at each inhale because that's not healthy at all... but still so attractive.
• ( why are you here?! ) qi's parents suddenly come and visit her and lu han sometime within the story just to check up on 'things.' it could be after she's been talking more to sungjoo ( or her and lu han take a notch up and start cuddling with each other to sleep, if you prefer their relationship ) and she has to dodge a bunch of questions because 'there are only three more years left, sweetie. when are you going to start making babies for us?'
• ( um... ) i'll probably add more later when i'm not so tired, pls forgive me ;;

TURN-IN BLOGPOST   BACK TO STORY