#THE PIE HOLE « YAKUSHO KOSUKE
WELCOME TO COEUR D'COEURS
NARCOLEPSY - TANNER - THREE
APPEARANCE : Sharp jawline and towering stature, coarse fingers trace masculine features and plush lips over broad shoulders. The thin, chestnut strands of hair resting against his brows possess an almost ethereal luster to them, and his legs fold inwards, barely fitting under the table. There are veins trailing down his biceps to his hands, and with his Adam's apple bobbing visibly as he swallows, Kosuke is a sight for sore eyes. His unblemished bronze skin remains smooth to the touch save for a small spot of discoloration on his left earlobe; the result of a naturally sealed piercing from middle school. Unlike the conventional young adult, Kosuke's physical measurements are disclosed on his athletic profile online — announced at 188 cm and a whopping 81 kg. His physique does not advocate for the latter statistic, with rippling muscles and toned calves concealed behind a lithe exterior. Unfortunately, a substantial source of appeal lies in the pleasant eye crinkle and youthful dimple that forms in his right cheek after a toothy grin, something seldom exposed under normal circumstances.
STYLE : Yakusho Kosuke finances a professional swimming career amidst a myriad of sponsorships and endorsements, including sports & street wear promotion. He is a walking advertisement for brand names — COMME des GARÇONS knit beanies, Good Enough shirt spread snugly against his chest, fitted Adidas sweats and seamed Onitsuka runners; the market value of apparel lining his closet could adequately sustain a family of three for twelve months alone. Despite the stretchy fabrics or rugged denims, Kosuke exudes an air of finesse with a slight tilt to his chin, and his attire presents a crisp, pressed poise. Simply put, he dons whatever is given to him by investing companies (leaning towards neutral or navy tones), as long as they grant him space to move in and are inconspicuous. Pertaining to swim equipment, Kosuke steadily relies on the foreign Aqua Sphere for goggles, jammers, caps, etc. Ironically enough, he refuses to show excessive amounts of skin (regardless of season) outside of swimwear and thus has a deficit of shorts or sleeveless tops.
RESIDENT OR TOURIST : Tourist.
PERSONALITY TRAITS :
— POSITIVE : ambitious, assiduous, cultivated, filial, quick-witted
— NEGATIVE : arrogant, impertinent, insensitive, irritable, unimaginative
— NEUTRAL : phlegmatic, prudish, headstrong
PERSONALITY :
Contrary to popular belief, Yakusho Kosuke does not possess a smile encompassing a million suns, nor does he bear a mystifying twinkle in his irises. These are generous depictions bequeathed by female admirers dwelling on the interwebs, unaware of the fact that his allure is entirely fabricated — a facade constructed for the sole purpose of publicity. Instead of the charmingly compassionate athlete the world has fallen for, Kosuke is the human personification of a cactus; sharp-tongued and thorny to the touch. Speaking only when spoken to, his redeeming qualities are reduced to visual aesthetics alone, and the handsome visage achieves nothing when every response escaping his mouth are candidly clipped comments. By many definitions, he radiates the impression of an aloof man perpetually swept by his own thoughts, hardened by solitude and is therefore unapproachable. This perception can be traced back to his rather austere youth, and is also the reason why Kosuke is relatively ignorant apropos of showing sympathy. Keeping in mind heated outbursts seldom occur, it is unwise to provoke him. He is easily annoyed and it frequently results in a taciturn attitude.
Kosuke is not a supporter of pipe dreams; he disagrees with hatching false truths to provide baseless emotional support, and accordingly comes off as brazenly blunt. Uniquely blessed with an ability to formulate harsh one-liners, the concise remarks preserve his imperturbable appearance. Composure is a key element to his character. However, ironic to the swimmer, the one anomaly to this cool disposition is female , and his bashfulness to indiscretion is tough to disguise. By virtue of his ineptitude with ual themes, as well as media trends and pop culture, he is ofttimes described as old-school; an attribute of his due to an overloaded schedule. Outside of political events and seasonal athletic rankings, the lad is oblivious to current star couples or trending flicks. This implies his disagreeable personality can be justified through his lack of common interests, as most of Kosuke's passions are polar opposites from the ones shared among his generation. He also finds difficulty admitting any positive opinions he may carry about anyone, as a result of his generally impertinent behavior, instead opting to keep the sentiment to himself.
Without any outstandingly favorable traits, one may question how a petulant individual such as himself has managed to fool an entire nation. The explanation is elementary; devising answers for interviews is child's play. All questions are customarily carbon-copies of the other, and Kosuke has always been naturally adept at forming rational judgments without prior notice. When pertaining to his aspirations, on the other hand, his ears perk visibly, and he becomes enamored with an almost child-like enthrallment. Dedicated to say the least, his commitment is commendable; borderline obsessive even. Kosuke's ambition is deeply rooted to his supercilious temperament, and he is strongly affected by the belief that he must be the best of his class to be truly satisfied with himself. There is pride in every step he takes, clutching onto his dignity with adamant resolve as he vehemently denies any benevolent actions or feelings leaving him exposed. This quality could almost be viewed as endearing, and although undeterred by his relentless efforts to camouflage said compassion, it is evident the man holds a soft spot for his mother. He mentions her with a genuine fondness unable of being fictitious, even without his interview persona. Unknowing to himself, Kosuke's tenderness towards his mother is proof he's capable of affection, and it is this glimmer of gentleness that persuades Japan their beloved swimming champion is truly who he appears to be. It may take him a while to realize that though he may enjoy being alone, he doesn't favor loneliness.
BACKGROUND :
As the single child of a kindergarten teacher and a practiced business advisor, Kosuke's family conditions are fairly odd. Albeit blessed with two happily married parents, only he and his mother reside in a high rise apartment. His father lodges alone in London, England due to an unexpected job promotion, and with a career assigning the man half way across the globe, time is a treasured commodity. As a result, Kosuke lacked the vital father figure he needed during adolescence, compelling him to mature ahead of his generation. To compensate for this fact, his mother enrolled him in a juvenile swimming class as he had yearned for since his fifth birthday, and discovered his natural affinity to the water. By his tenth, he was prepped to enter regional competitions. It was unforeseen — the notion that a businessman's and a local preschool worker's son could emerge as a victorious athlete was preposterous. Inconceivable, even. Yet by the age of fifteen, Kosuke placed first in a national high school tournament, earning himself a spot on the list of Olympic hopefuls.
In the game of life, everything is a tradeoff; committing oneself to the sport casts a shadow down a winding path of seclusion, and where his talent lies, his list of friends falls short. The only fixed aspect amid the thick of his career was his mother, the pivotal point that shaped his heavy devotion to the woman. Little to no friends under his belt, his free time was spent aiding his aging mother with household chores, containing tasks such as stopping by the grocery store for bags of milk, scrubbing the dishes after dinner, and even cooking meals for her. Kosuke's father visits the home in Tokyo once a year on Christmas day.
TRIVIA :
— HISTORY IN THE MAKING : For three consecutive years, his chest was decorated with gold in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley at the national championships. Specializing in the butterfly , he is a confirmed addition to Japan's Olympic team roster this approaching autumn.
— csi japan : Mystery is his favourite genre, so his pastimes outside of sport comprise of reading novels and watching movies of this classification. Kosuke is not an avid follower of sitcoms, but he may watch television crime shows online after a fully completed season.
— absurdly comical : Following a ludicrous chase through the park at the age of six, Kosuke concedes his fear for dogs but bears no intention to publicize the fact.
— common talents : Kosuke is capable of cooking meals for himself due to his continual assistance in the kitchen to his mother from an early age, but finds he does not possess the time to do so nowadays. He has also earned his drivers license.
— every day is a repetition of ctrl+c, ctrl+v : Kosuke's agenda is explicit. He rises promptly at 0500, partakes on a forty minute run, and abides the guidelines of his strict diet. By 0730, it is essential he completes all warm-up drills prior to training and at 1200, he departs for lunch followed by physiotherapy. Strength training is scheduled for 1500 before returning to the pool at 1700. Only when the clock ticks 1900 is he given clearance to return home — where he nibbles on a few vegetables, showers, perhaps peruses through a book and falls into a slumber at 2030. Propelling him onto a modest island away from home, however, expunges every regulation his systematized routine maintains.
LIFESTYLE :
Temporarily lodging at a boarding house perched just over Sunset Avenue, Kosuke is granted a taste of freedom in a quiet town known as Coeur d'Coeurs. The modest populace accords him the privilege of dropping his cordial pretense, and as a result, he takes no initiative to engage in conversation with the islanders. Having arrived on the vacation spot with his coach, he inhabits the charmingly quaint room adjacent to Marsh, while the chamber across belongs to the son of the house. The owner of the establishment, a jolly middle-aged mother comparable to Auntie Juju, treats them as her own, to the extent that his first impression of her is too friendly. Days are uncharacteristically long, spent mostly on solo-respiratory & cardio practices — at least until his personal coach reminds him the goal of this holiday was to give his body a break, and chides him to "go easy on the gains". Otherwise, he strolls through the parks, searches the shoreline for a suitable spot to flip through his novels, or sleeps. Typical human behavior.
Why his coach insists he procure the most unpopular item on the menu every afternoon remains an enigma, but what he is aware of is its tedious oven time, generally running for an hour give or take a few minutes. Unable to eat pastries himself, Kosuke fits pie-runs for Ryan Marsh into his workout program, visiting the Pie Hole at 1500 sharp in a windbreaker (despite the heat) with a clear sheen of sweat on his neck. While the order bakes, he takes the initiative to run suicides around the block, sparing a parting glance at the Freshly Baked: To Go counter each time he passes. In a sense, Kosuke has a mild case of the jitters — he is physically incapable of relaxing when he could be improving his health, so in lieu of a rigorous training regimen at a gym among fellow top athletes, he creates his own drills. On his buffer days, Kosuke lounges about the shop and orders chamomile tea with honey and lemon, reading another light novella by the window as he awaits the confection slice be served; at least until he strikes a deal with Yoon Bora, one of the cashiers.
He just hopes Coeur d'Coeurs has an public indoor swimming pool so he won't have to hold practice in a trash laden beach.
RELATIONSHIPS :
— colleague : Ryan Marsh / 48 / personal swim coach / courteous, gluttonous, mellow, sincere, urbane / Although their relationship is purely professional, the early morning wake-up calls, spontaneous meal outings, and the occasional text messages are adequate enough to convince Kosuke of their companionship. He has been around since the junior years of high school, once the latter qualified to compete as an Olympian, and although the teen had not yet formally joined the national line-up, it was deemed appropriate the head coach assign him under Marsh. Moderately domesticated, it is Marsh's duty to ensure he stays in top condition and intakes the proper portions recommended to nourish his development. Marsh is, essentially, the one who handles all the administrative paperwork — the supervisor that monitors his activities and is prepared to gather the fallen pieces should he make a blunder (or less favorably, involve himself in illegal acts). Nevertheless, their demeanor towards the other strike as casual and his coach's tidy, chiseled appearance emanates a vernal aura. Marsh is the second person Kosuke genuinely appreciates, though he will not admit it. Instead, his concern is camouflaged under run-of-the-mill comments, such as "you worry too much" or "it's unhealthy to stay up late." As of late, he finds himself peeved with Marsh because of his nonstop badgering to socialize with locals; a burden which he shares no interest in.
— acquaintance : Lee Kwangsoo / 30 / part-time island tour guide / boisterous, brazen, clumsy, frivolous, melodramatic, silly / The spitting image of a neighborhood goon, Lee Kwangsoo sits on the opposite side of the intelligence spectrum and can be frequently spotted yelling his typical "andwae" into the sky. With a face maturing exponentially quicker than his psyche, his affable character and attachment for theatricals is just about enough to send him on the wrong end of a love-hate relationship. Of all places to settle in, Marsh happened upon the one boarding house Kwangsoo's mother maintained and Kosuke unexpectedly discovered himself living under the same roof. What strikes him as odd is the taller man's eagerness to assist residents—staggering about the hostel with more blankets resting in his arms than he can manage, tumbling down the stairs with a tray of drinks in hand, and even unintentionally flicking soap suds into his eyes while scrubbing the floors—yet this rowdy individual persists with his chipper personality. It baffles him, but the former insists he lug the athlete around town to introduce all the prominent tourist attraction sites. Sometime along the way (two weeks, three weeks, maybe even four) Kosuke hears himself dubbing Kwangsoo an idiot without any hint of malice in his voice, which puzzles him. Perhaps one day, his antics will even cause him to crack an amused smile.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO VISIT COEUR D'COEURS? :
Selecting the location was a effortless matter of closing one's eyes and spinning the globe; his coach completed that task in two minutes. It was an ideal place — few residents, a secluded area, and crystalline beaches from horizon to horizon. What he did not expect, was the iconic humming of recording devices and the periodical blinking of the red light following him. "It's one tiny interview, endure it for maybe sixty minutes and you'll be free to train for the rest of the summer," Marsh had told him. "Just, do that little charming thing you do in front of the camera and be done with it." Kosuke is not amused. In the deep timbre of his voice, he answers smoothly, "My coach elected it the perfect time for a retreat. He simply adores the baked pies sold here and I profess myself curious." A pause. "Besides, we needed a change of scenery from our usual camp in Venice, and where better than a lovely island? The tides wait for no one." He allows himself to laugh with the interviewer, masking his disinterest under lifted cheekbones and curved eyes.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF THE TOWN? :
Kosuke knits his eyebrows with clear bewilderment, lowering his gaze to the ceramic floors. He parts his lips to speak but his voice fails him. Admittedly, it comes as a surprise given his customarily astute disposition, so he sips on a glass of water that only manages to further parch him instead, running a frustrated hand through messy locks. "You haven't done many interviews before, have you?" The question elicits a soft chuckle and an arched brow out of him. Indeed, interviews were a foreign affair, but the condescending tone behind the query irks him. He flashes a soft smile, the rare stretch of lips uncomfortable on his face before grasping the microphone box close. "Of course, Coeur d'Coeurs was a wonderful vacation spot to visit. I regret not having experienced Papen Island earlier." What a joke, he thinks. "The cuisine is wonderful; my coach can stand as an advocate. I heartily suggest others mark this as their next go-to site on their travel journals." I can't even eat most of the things here.
Later that night, Kosuke heavies the pillow with weary sighs, muffled groans, and a severe case of homesickness.
COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/CONCERNS : tldr; kosuke's entire personality can be summed up by this picture. it's my first character application so if i misinterpreted some of the questions, please let me know. i'm open to any changes you may want me to make, thank you for reading!
SCENE REQUESTS :
— it's a dog's life : bora recognizes a familiar figure being chased around the beach by a chihuahua and she badgers kosuke about it later because who the heck is afraid of a tiny dog? and as prideful as he is, he has to turn away because his face has gone so red that he's afraid if he says anything, his voice'll crack.
— SOCIALLY INEPT : a look into the daily life at the pie hole (doesn't necessarily need to happen to kosuke, i'd be content just with seeing this or this in the story)
— prodigious : of course, a scene where bora finds out kosuke is actually . . yakusho kosuke, the soon-to-be olympic swimmer
+ more to come as i think of them.
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