남성호 IS READY TO RETURN

남성호

there is nothing i would not do for those who are really my friends. i have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.

name nam sungho.

nicknames

bakery boy he's the son of a local bakery and a pastry chef in the making — not to mention the scent of freshly baked sweets that seems to follow sungho absolutely everywhere.

used by tongyeong residents.

seoul's junghee following his arrival in seoul in february 2017, there was a resurgence of activity within the tongyeong friend group. by planning nights at bars and inviting drifting friends, sungho began to fill in the shoes junghee no longer could. they don't meet anymore, but the occasional, teasing use of name reignites a sense of shame for letting the group fall apart.

used by seoul friends sans boyoung, hyeongmin.

date of birth9 january + 22.

place of birthtongyeong, south korea.

ethnicitykorean.

ualitybiual.

languages

korean native. speaks in satoori even after his move to seoul, never finding reason to adopt to the central dialect.

english advanced. after studying english as his elective language through grade school, being taught in english in culinary school, and taking english tuition classes, his proficiency has improved to a level nearly fluent.

faceclaimlee seokmin.

height & weight179cm & 81kg.

appearancefloppy brown hair, in desperate need of a trim, brushes the lids of his bright eyes. his sharp bone structure would seem intimidating if only it weren't undercut by a jovial grin and crow's feet. he's very fit — years of working down by tongyeong's docks would do that to anyone — and the definition of his arms is particularly noticeable, what with his career choice.

stylesungho chooses function over fashion and it shows. while he wears the given apron and jacket at work, he'd much prefer to wear a pair of joggers (he selects a pair from the grand array of light grey to dark grey) instead of slightly less comfortable, slack-resembling bottoms. outside of work, sungho doesn't do much other than work out. as such, he's usually in an old t-shirt (these come in a wide array of neutrals and — surprisingly — a few shades of blue), a hoodie, or a t-shirt hoodie he'd gotten fabulously excited over while thrifting.

personalitydogged, cheerful, tactless

figuring out the inner workings of nam sungho is an easy task. he's just as simple as he appears. sungho wears his heart on his sleeve and pairs it with his trademark wide, anime-sparkly eyes. he's the designated mood maker in social groups — quick to jump on each topic with his childlike energy and steer it completely out of control (most people have noted that he gets off topic very often).

of the thoughts that run amok in sungho's ever-inquisitive mind, all are hyperlinked to his mouth — impulse control completely thrown aside. this often leads to perceptions of him being airheaded and inconsiderate, but his big heart and optimism incentivize letting him off scot-free.

sungho's tenacity often leaves his loved ones in the dust. he's always working, persistent in improving to make up for his shortcomings. resultantly, he has little time to hang out. even texts go unanswered for weeks at a time. but he picks up where he left off every time, walking in all smiles and goofy gait, and suddenly it's easy to remember how much and how simply nam sungho loves.

tl;dr living embodiment of (((o(✧▽✧)o)))

esfp. 7w8 sp/so.

backgroundnam sungho is born into a happy, nuclear family and raised in a small pastry shop in tongyeong. inherently playful and curious, he's found treading on the heels of his parents as they bustle around.

following an encounter with one kim muyeol in grade 6, sungho meets the rest of the friend group. he's the moodmaker when he arrives: energetic, loud, and usually bearing freshly-baked pastries. while he isn't close to everyone, sungho has a way of making all feel included. (some credit his natural tactlessness — it really does wonders in breaking the ice.)

and for a while, life, for sungho, exists only in the moment. but days hanging out with his friends and working at the shop don't quite feel enough; he wants to get out of here, he wants more. nights of research yield a seoul-based culinary school he can barely afford — much less make his parents pay for. at the age of 16, sungho makes his slow, quiet departure from the friend group.

he's not gone, but he's just not... there anymore. he picks up part-time shifts down by the docks to save up for seoul and between that, school, working at the bakery, and learning new recipes in his free time, sungho's friends aren't his first priority. he says hi and carves out time to hang out maybe every other week, but sungho becomes a fleeting presence.

following graduation, his rejection from le cordon bleu - sookmyung academy should have been a punch to the gut, but sungho has never stopped in the face of adversity. the year that follows finds him relentlessly enhancing his skills. he's accepted to the diplôme de pâtisserie program starting march.

sungho moves to seoul that february. he shares his 2-bedroom apartment with 3 strangers found in an online posting. with all the time sungho spends outside the apartment, the living situation doesn't make any impact. life was at culinary school, at his new kitchen porter position at the publique bakery, and at english hagwon. he dedicates his free time to keeping in shape and, once he relaxes and adjusts to his schedule a little better, reconnecting with high school friends.

following his graduation from le cordon bleu in january of 2018, sungho begins working at publique full-time. within 2 years, he climbs his way up to pastry chef and gains the favor of owner jang eun-chul: a french-trained pastry chef. under his tutelage, sungho's skills and network burgeon. eventually, all his hard work and sacrifices culminate in an offer to work at london restaurant yauatcha. he'll officially start on june first, but he should come by to get accustomed at least a week earlier.

and life has been good, so damn good, that junghee's death hits with the force of a hurricane.

trivia

•contrary to popular belief, sungho isn't naturally gifted at culinary arts. while he was teaching himself in high school, most of recipes took days of trial and error to become edible, weeks to reach a level of perfection. even now, when he's testing new recipes for publique's seasonal menu, it takes him longer than the average. this setback — to sungho — is just that: a setback. if he has to work ten times harder to achieve the same outcome, he's more than willing to put in the effort.

•all that being said, sungho really can't cook. his skills don't translate too well when it comes to a less exact iteration. he mostly eats toast and the free sandwiches he gets at work. his cabinets are full of protein powder.

•one of the few in seoul who make the effort to connect, at times even trying to get them back together. but once his curriculum picks up, once he starts working full-time, his hours are so packed that these events happen at most once a month, if at all. nowadays, he doesn't try to contact the seoul residents as a group anymore. interactions with most of them are cordial happy birthday! and happy holidays! texts.

•has dated a few people in seoul, most of which he met through culinary friends. none of his relationships have lasted for more than a month. they're put off by not being his first priority.

•has a sister 2 years to his junior. they're pretty close. she's staying in tongyeong with the intention of taking over the bakery, so they don't see each other much. she's usually one of the first people sungho thinks of calling when he's bored, alongside his parents.

•did okay in high school. mostly got b's and c's (with the exception of home ec and phys ed).

•quotes:

•tries baking miso cookies but adds too much salt: [bonks head and star comes out] xP "whoops!"

•*at a bar* "this is my bud-hole! it's just like a hole where me and my buds can hang out."

•"drink apple juice! it'll quench ya! nothing's quenchier, it's the quenchiest!"

•"oh, right, the cake! the cake for junghee. the cake chosen specially for the surprise birthday party to celebrate junghee's birthday. junghee's cake... that cake?" / "yes! that cake!" / "gotcha covered!"

•an ongoing series of sungho pronouncing pastries: "cwassont" / "pat a shoe" / "makkarong"

scroll right for lifestyle!

occupation pastry chef at publique /

incoming pastry commis chef at yauatcha.

daily schedule

wakes up. makes breakfast before heading to work.

arrives at work, takes inventory, and begins preparing for the day.

cafe opens.

lunch break!

leaves work after restocking inventory and planning the next day's menu. (this time may vary.)

eats dinner (sometimes a sandwich from work, sometimes with a friend).

goes to hagwon.

goes to the gym if it's a gym day (m/w/f/sat). otherwise goes on a run. usually video calls someone on these days!

gets drinks with friends if out and up to it, otherwise showers and goes to bed.

note: while publique is open every day from 9:00-21:30, sungho leaves after he finishes baking for the day.

struggles detailed in junghee's section.

(please let me know if you need further clarification!)

이정희

❯

in their high school years, junghee and sungho aren't close. they're the token placating extroverts until he begins drifting away, so their friendship only finds time to blossom after graduation. junghee's one of few left in the area and he's freer without academic commitments. they set aside time for meals whenever she's back. (junghee: these education classes are so hard. / sungho: you're learning about learning? does that mean you get automatic a's?)

even after he moves away, they keep in touch. she gives him tips on how to get the group back together. it's something she thinks will be good for him too, in light of his recent breakup, and he succeeds — at first. but he's never had the same knack for groups as she did. the subgroup falls apart within a few months.

he feels like he disappointed her. the new nickname his friends have granted him doesn't mollify the wound. (use only reopens it, but the junghee-like image he's projecting won't ask them to stop.) keeping his friends together was done without ulterior motive, yet it all backfired. he can't fill her shoes no matter how hard he tries. he's sorry, embarrassed even, but sentiments like these are lost in the cracks of his hectic lifestyle.

sungho and junghee keep in contact nonetheless. they video call when he's running and text whenever possible. he's never been quick to reply, but he does his best when it comes to her.

news of her passing feels like a erpunch to the gut. all these feelings — emotions he's bottled up for years, emotions that manage to overtake the joy his recent job offer gave — come to a head and take the shape of anger. after everything her existence has put him through, she just has to chip away more.

it may as well be the first time he's actually angry: he's practically vibrating with its intensity. now that she's gone, he's the next best option to keep them all together. but if he tries again, and fails again, they'll call him that hateful name again and give him those grievous eyes. and the final nail in the coffin, perhaps what sets him off to begin with: he's leaving in a week — he can't keep them together — but now, with his job's starting date just on the heels of the funeral, there's a chance the offer will be revoked if he's late; he might not leave korea at all.

김

무

열

muyeol's the most handsome boy in their sixth grade class. sungho wants to know his secrets. what begins as unrequited admiration is soon mutual as sungho annoys muyeol with overzealous friendship. before long, he's a part of the friend group.

the control muyeol so often exercises with their friends loses on the unaffected sungho. muyeol gives up. their friendship comes easy, but it's tinged with a masculinity that refuses to cross emotional boundaries.

by the time sungho leaves the friend group, muyeol lets him go. there's an unspoken understanding between them; they become estranged. the two of them don't reconnect until sungho moves to seoul years later. then, they drink with friends, even grab lunch 1-1 at times, but the ease of their friendship doesn't return even in wake of sungho's exuberance.

introduced once the friend group began, sungho approached raon with friendship from the get-go. sungho thinks she's cool, but her aloof attitude doesn't provide much room for friendship. as the group grows, the two find their niches apart.

sungho moves to seoul and they get closer. it's nothing spectacular, group settings and elbow nudges adorned with the moniker seoul's junghee. then the group drifts, and they lose contact once more.

허

라

온

문

민

서

"minseo's the daughter of a business partner" are words that translate, in sungho's mind, to potential friend. adventures of scouring tongyeong for hidden treasures and rooftop star gazing abound — all in sync with sungho's feelings.

if he's being honest, he's not sure when or where it started. (and if he's being himself, he doesn't really care.) but the threat of distance and their looming futures impede his usual spontaneity. he holds off until a few months before graduation.

he says it without expectation. he makes sure she's aware of that. "i just thought it'd be fine if i told you now," because he's going off to seoul and she's going off to college and there's no way it would work out between everything. but life is funny, everything manages to crash and burn, and they rise from the ashes.

minseo makes it clear that there's a deadline, but until then, she reasons, they'd be happier — together. her words prove true and, for a while, sungho is nothing but grateful. their moments aid in his denial of the guillotine about to drop.

in the eleventh hour, he wants to go the distance; she gently reminds of why they'd agreed otherwise. always his voice of reason, minseo waves with promises to talk soon. sungho says goodbye with love on his lips.

contact for the next few years comes from third parties and group chats. with work and surrounded by new faces, the thought of minseo wanes. it takes over three years, but when he sees her again — well. he can only grin and say the first words that come to mind: "ahoy matey!"

by wishesque.

hyeongmin's always been one of sungho's closest friends. they formed a trio with boyoung in the friend group's earlier days and managed to last even through sungho's departure. hyeongmin would visit the bakery with rolls of kimbap ("how many grams of protein is this?" is sungho's perennial question) and the intent of studying, boyoung in tow.

in the year before sungho moves to seoul, they keep in touch. and it's with excitable affection that sungho bear hugs hyeongmin and nearly breaks his spine when he lays eyes upon him again. the trio falls into the routine of nightly runs — hyeongmin behind sungho and boyoung — and dragging hyeongmin's nearly dead body to the bar where muyeol and raon wait.

but sungho's attempts to get the group back together crumble as he gets busier. at the same time, hyeongmin falls with no one to catch him.

unconsciously, he blames himself for hyeongmin's psychosomatic decline. he wasn't there to stop him, and he wishes he could just rewind time. do just that. but even then, sungho is beyond swamped with work. he hopes that the rare visits he and boyoung pay are enough. that the occasional texts hyeongmin sends back are proof it is.

at the end of hyeongmin's junior year, the messages stop coming.

by kanqwu.

김

형

민

권

보

영

when junghee drags boyoung into the friend group sungho, almost by ritual now, welcomes her with open arms. they're quick to hit it off: sungho finds her honesty funny and he's completely unflappable in the face of her caustic nature.

they've only grown closer over the years. he's made aware of boyoung's home situation and emotional barriers. once he learns to drive, he's quick to let her know: he'll drop everything to pick her up. at 90kmph, he engages in car karaoke, pretending not to notice her furious screams out the window and into surburban skies.

labelled twin flames, they have incredible drive and equally difficult times responding promptly:

sh: hi!!! how are you

by[2w later]: good hru

sh[2w later]: good! wyd

but then again, they've dropped all pretenses. things like this have never been issues.

at the end of the road, she's always there. when he first moved to seoul, boyoung was the one who helped him pick himself back up in wake of his breakup. nowadays, she's one of few that sungho hears from. neither are prone to emotional dialogue, but it's there. slipped between glasses of beer and minutes of improper pastry pronunciation are promises of love and understanding. in a world where sungho's left and been left behind, boyoung's a sure thing.

by calcifers.

within the friend group, jaemin and sungho aren't too close. it isn't until they're left behind that sungho begins approaching him. some time after graduation, he takes his pastries over to jaemin's in order to get his opinion and — in the awkward moments in between — rambles about life and a rejection from culinary school.

sungho's resolve sets off sparks in jaemin. jaemin, who's been looking at sungho like an organism with no brains for years. their friendship grows tentatively over the course of one year, and sungho's hopeful. but it ends the moment he comes over to say bye. all messages sungho sends are met with radio silence.

the sungho who's adjusting to urban life doesn't think much of it, jaemin's a busy guy, but seeing him upon return reminds sungho of being abandoned; sungho's anger abounds.

by moonbok.

나

재

민

정

영

휘

when younghwi joins the friend group, the first thing sungho sees are his biceps. excited to have a friend that'll work out with him, sungho attaches himself to younghwi like a leech. the pair head to the gym and feast on an assortment of protein powder pastries on a near daily basis.

these habits break once sungho starts working and younghwi quits boxing, but the affection remains — slowly dwindling. it isn't until boyoung suggests it that sungho randomly video calls him circa march 2017. learning of younghwi's whereabouts and relationship flood sungho with glee. meeting and befriending chai a few weeks later has similar effect.

they soon fall into an easy pattern: sungho calls when he's bored or on a nightly run (notably out of breath and very sweaty) and, in mere minutes, younghwi is just as breathless from laughter.

by czernys.

tba!

by kishibe.

홍

인

정

are you ready to return?

"yeah," he answers easily. a small smile dances on his face. "it's been a few years. i'm ready, i just..." i don't want to.

did you keep in contact with your friends?

"i did my best to! i have a pretty busy schedule so it's hard, but i try to see some seoul kids often. oh, i video call a few others whenever i go running." he laughs, eyes crinkling. "i'm not the best friend, but i do love them a lot."

what were you doing when you received the news?

"i was at work." he answers. "got the call during my lunch break."

is there anything you wish you would have told junghee before she died?

he stares at an empty spot in front of him. "is there anything i'd tell her?" he echoes quietly. after a minute of deliberance, he answers with a simple "no," and there's no malice. he can't think of anything he'd want to tell her. of all his thoughts, he'd told junghee everything he wanted her to know. "i just, it would've been nice to see her again. in person, you know?"

what is your favorite memory with junghee?

"with junghee?" he asks. his mouth feels a little dry. "we didn't spend that much time together. when we did, it was usually the same. she'd be back from college and drop by for a meal, so those times," he rests his chin on his hand, lips tilting up at the memory. "each time. she'd sit and tell me all these stories about our friends. i wasn't around by the end, but hearing her talk about it made me feel like i was."

what would you say is your way of coping?

with rejection? the answer for sungho was always to persevere. work harder until he could feel his goal at his fingertips. but to counter sadness? anger? some foreign amalgamation of the two intermixed with guilt and the ceaseless desire to escape his town, his friends, their expectations, and seize the goal that was finally in his reach? god, "i don't know."

(similar to dealing with rejection, he's the type to go into overdrive. manic baking, indulging, & reconnecting like crazy without being fully present.)

is there anything you'd like to tell your friends?

"i..." he trails off. "i'm not that good at most things." he chuckles softly. "you know, before i started baking for real, i at it? i still do, actually. and, well, what i guess i'm trying to say here is that... i'm sorry."

if you were asked to stay a few more days, maybe even a week, would you?

"no." his answer lingers in the air, heavy and a far cry from his usual air-headed, kind demeanor. the word carries the same finality as junghee's death; a gavel smashing down in willful resolution. "i have to go."

shibutani. leah. 40%.

notesi have no words.... he's basically just a shonen protag.. whoops ~______~ here's a himbo i hope u like him! & the song on the music player is boat by george.

pwremember when we all decided to go swimming in january? and everyone got sick but me :^) ha, idiots don't catch colds!!!