[ It's said.. well, not defensively quickly after what she's saying, but it still comes out as a pretty natural reaction to that, his tone as flat as ever and his gaze turned down at the scrubbing they're doing rather than looking back at Minji. Because it's true, he isn't gay. And he knows Minji will probably try to spread that as a rumor anyway because of what she is, but Sinjoon has already figured at this point that the only thing you even can try to do when it comes to Minji is deny it in a way that doesn't make it seem like you'd be overly embarrassed if it were spread all over.
Not to say that it wouldn't be annoying all the same if the whole school thought he was gay.. but well, he'd brush it off. It's not like he has a whole lot of friends here anyway, so what does he have to lose?
Once the stain has been mostly removed, he lifts his hand again, although he doesn't fully stand up back to beanpole heights just yet. Pretending he's studying the slight remains of the stain is probably enough of an excuse to keep squatting here on her level, because there's something he finds much more interesting to talk with her about than hearing about his fairytale princess equivalent.
Not that he expects to hear much from Minji, but if he tries wriggling things out of her enough, maybe one day he actually will. ]
Is it that weird to you to have someone help you for once?
[ Not that Minji has no one who helps her.. he's noticed her trying to make some boys into her lackeys. Him being one of them, technically, but at least he's aware of the stuff she does. He's seen that one particularly airheaded boy who asked him about French painters before trot after Minji like some sort of puppy, chatting with her or carrying her books.
But people voluntarily helping out Minji that aren't.. well, less than averagely intelligent? He hasn't seen that happen much. Everyone in the school knows her reputation, after all, and Sinjoon is pretty sure most people (with common sense, he'd say, if it wouldn't mean that he'd be insulting himself) would steer far away from being anywhere near someone who spreads semi- and just plain malicious gossip at the speed of light. ]
[ The best way of getting Minji to stop is to let her think that what she's saying doesn't bother you. Most of the fun of rumors is to get a rise out of the person the rumors are about. She doesn't spread them because she's got some burning need to ruin the lives of her classmates, but she does like watching people get worked up over silly things. She's not as attention needy as her brother is, but she still likes having some focus on her. Even if that focus is negative.
Some is a little more negative than others, and while Sinjoon probably didn't mean anything hurtful with his question it digs at Minji in a way that insults hurled her way never do. She doesn't mind people directly calling her awful. She's been called a bitch, a brat, a horrible two-faced shrew, and all sorts of other things. She's even had people tell her directly that everyone in school hates her. But they said it in such a shrill, screeching voice, and it came from such a place of anger all it did was make Minji laugh at them.
... At the time. She let it hurt her later when she was home and safe in her room. She'd pressed her face into her pillow to muffle any sniffling sounds that came from her.
This one sort of stings immediately, but Minji does her best to ward it off. Literally holding her head up as high as she can as she snatches her hand back to her side, and stands up abruptly. ]
No, because people help me all the time. Just because you don't know how to help people out doesn't mean everyone is like that.
[ Her tone is more clipped and agitated than she wanted it to be. It's obvious that she's annoyed with him for his question, and now she's even more annoyed. How dare Lee Sinjoon make her show a sign of weakness! Who the hell does he think he is?!
She spins on her heel so she doesn't have to look at him anymore, and stomps over to the trashcan to throw the paper towel away. ]
[ Honestly, he should be used to getting these kind of reactions from Minji at times - she can be prickly when it comes to certain things, after all. But he didn't expect a reaction this stinged to what he was saying, and he surpresses a sigh before it would have slipped out.
Are all girls this prickly or is Minji just a special case? Even though Sinjoon sure asks himself that a lot, it's more likely that the answer is in the middle - his less-than-subtle way of talking about things is a little too good at bringing it out, after all, but there's no doubt that Minji isn't exactly like most girls in the school here. If she was, then he wouldn't have invited her over multiple times to this art room already to hang out with her, after all. ]
Right.
[ After dropping a small pauze with that internal sigh, he just answers plainly - almost as if Minji's agitation doesn't bother him. Because it doesn't.. or, well, it doesn't bother him as much as it might with other people. Sinjoon's a little better at taking these sort of things and even letting insults fly over his head like they can't even reach him. It sure makes all of this a lot easier.
He finally gets onto his feet again, rising back to full height. ]
I'm just that kind of particularly unhelpful person. [ He says, as he still would let her regularly boss him around.. but everything Sinjoon says is dry anyway, this included. He doesn't know if this will soothe or make it worse, but he's not sure what being upfront would do either out of those two, so it's easier to fall back on what he's usually like. ]
Are you going to say I have to make it up to you now?
[ The funny thing is that Minji likes to think of herself as less prickly than most people. It's true sometimes, but only because Minji presses down a lot of her bad feelings and opts to act like an obnoxious asshole instead of showing that things bother her most of the time. Never let them see you sweat! Because if you show how much something hurts you then people can use that against you...
It's bad enough she let Sinjoon's comment get under her skin enough that she made a snippy remark like that without smiling. If she'd just grinned and acted like she was making fun of him then he wouldn't even know that she'd been upset at all about the comment.
Too late for that regret now, though Minji does try to recover by pursing her lips, and turning back around slowly, trying her best to look completely disinterested in him and this conversation. ]
You just admitted how unhelpful you are.
[ She walks over and reaches up to roughly (read: aggressively) pat him on the shoulder. ]
You admitted it yourself. Is there any reason to expect anything from an unhelpful person in the first place?
[ She shakes her head, exaggerating the movement. ]
I won't ever get my tasks done that way. I need reliable lackeys.
[ Sinjoon can't help but think of how some people might have blown up at the situation already - or at Minji in general and the way she's so easily obnoxious, especially when it comes to easily insulting people. Then again, to say Sinjoon's patience is a blessing per se might be going a little too far, considering just about anyone who would see him interacting with the girl on a regular basis might just determine he's a doormat.
He can't really fully deny that claim anyway, even if he might try.
After all, he's still standing there even as she's patting (read: slapping, basically) him on the shoulder in a way that, if she were a guy, might have just knocked him over. Rather than, you know, backing away or something. Stuff a sane person might do in a situation like this one, instead of standing there and enduring it for no good reason. ]
Am I being discarded this easily?
[ He's being dry as usually, yes, but it's also since the idea doesn't bother him as much yet as it might later on.. not that he'd be perfectly happy about it either. As much as Sinjoon might dryly poke fun at Minji for not having a whole lot of friends, it's not as if he doesn't know the same doesn't count for him.. and for better or worse, he does like spending time with Minji.
(Maybe he's just a masochist. It would explain a whole lot of things, he can't help but think.) ]
[ In Minji's very important (in fact the most important!) opinion she's the one that's been insulted here! Sinjoon just said that no one wants to help her, he implied lots of things with that comment too! Or maybe that's just Minji's own insecurities reading between the lines, even though there's no text there to read in the first place.
But when you're a vicious little terror you've got to be on the defensive all the time, because most of the time when people make sharp remarks like that they mean to actually wound her. Considering the number of remarks she tosses out at other people though she probably deserves the taste of her own medicine.
But it tastes bitter, and she kind of hates it.
She sniffs lightly, and gives Sinjoon one last pat before sharply spinning away from him and pacing a few feet to the side, looking for something to study in the art room for awhile so she can pretend she's nonchalantly fascinated with that and continues to be bored with Sinjoon. ]
I'll forgive you this one time, but you'd better watch yourself, Sinjoon-ah. Even my generous patience has an end!
[ She glances over her shoulder at him, and tries to look haughty, but mostly she just looks like she's pouting. ]
[ No matter the fact that Minji might really deserve that with the kind of stuff she says, Sinjoon can't help but feel a little bad all the same as he watches her walking around the art room and pouting now. It feels a little like kicking a puppy - a particularly rude puppy, but a puppy all the same. It's not like he ever really means or meant to hurt Minji, it's just that being deadpan is a way of living for him and usually people he comes in contact with (... okay, just his best friend) kind of gloss over it. So seeing someone he actually is decently okay with having this reaction to it feels bad.
.. but directly saying anything about it feels weird too. He can't just.. stop deadpanning like that, you know? It's not how it works. So while Minji is trying to walk off the awkward and slight hurt, Sinjoon decides to do the same by staring at his canvas. Not that it makes him look like he isn't an idiot, considering he's staring at something that's entirely blank, but he figures he could probably pass it off as some artistic thing. Only real artists would understand it. Yeah. Obviously.
Except it only works for so long, and after a moment or two he lets out a breath, glancing in the direction Minji is wandering off in into the big room. ]
Minji... I'm sorry, alright? [ He figures that maybe she might have caught something like that already through what he said before, since she is saying she'll forgive him - even if it's in an exaggerated half-haughty, half-pouty sort of way. But he figures it's better to say it directly since not everyone can read between his deadpan lines so easily. ] I mean it.
[ When a puppy purposely pisses all over your things in revenge it's a little hard for most people to feel that bad about kicking it. The fact that Sinjoon can still feel bad about hurting her feelings really goes to show the kind of person he is. For as deadpan as he can be he's not a bad guy.
It doesn't mean that Minji is ready to fully forgive him for the slight. She's a prideful little creature, and easily offended. Part of that includes having her hurt pride pointed out. She's not being subtle about it, and she knows she's not being subtle either, but this feels weirdly uncomfortable for her.
She's used to people who will steamroll over her feelings when she is genuinely upset. As much as she loves her brother he's an emotional brick, and he never takes her pouting seriously. The same goes for his best friend. ... Actually, most of the people in Minji's life don't seem to care much about when they hurt her feelings. The exception is Areum who backs off it immediately.
She turns away from Sinjoon now as she picks up someone's half finished lump of clay that it looks like they gave up on. It's ugly, and she wants to break it a little bit, but instead Minji places in gently back down on the table. ]
You're going to hit the end of it soon if you keep talking like that.
[ She forces a singsong quality into the tone of her voice, and it only works because her face is hidden, so Sinjoon can't see her brows knitted together, and the small frown on her face. ]
[ Seriously... If he doesn't apologize he's a jerk, but even if he does apologize, she's still going to act like this? Often it feels like there's no winning when it comes to Minji - she likes pushing for what she wants way too much, huh? And it's not exactly like Sinjoon likes giving into it, but in some situations there's just no other choice. Even if he'd push something here, he doubts she would give in, and it'd just end up wasting more of his energy for nothing.
... Not to mention there are just way too many things in this room that she could throw at his head. And Sinjoon really doesn't feel like sitting at home with a concussion for two weeks just over this. And even if he'd dodge he would have to explain to some poor first year student as to why their sculpture was the victim of a horrific incident overnight.
So he just shuts up like an obedient puppy (not a very content one, though) and sits down near his canvas, letting out a small sigh as he stares at it. All he wanted today was to just get a little bit of painting done, but apparently the world won't even let him have that.
He glances back over to Minji - only slightly and cautiously - trying to figure out what she's thinking. Is it just that she doesn't want to talk about this? Or will she get mad if he starts about something else? Or will she get mad if he just keeps quiet and ignores her altogether?!
What is it about girls that makes them so completely not understandable? Even his best friend makes more sense than girls' emotions, and that's saying a lot considering he's a professional burglar in the making.
He has to decide on something though, and after a moment or two he speaks up again. ]
Let's just get to painting then.
[ At least it's the option where he doesn't feel like this whole afternoon was a waste of his time. And where he feels like she won't be mad at him in a way that's justified, at least. He's doing what she asked, right? ]
[ There's no winning in this case, not when the damage is already done. People can apologize, but apologies don't make the hurt go away in the first place! Then again, what Minji is upset about right now is small enough that she should be able to put it past her easily. She's a surprisingly sensitive girl despite how she acts and carries herself.
She's not all that hard to figure out, really. Minji probably likes to think of herself as a more mysterious creature than she actually is, and some small part of her would be pleased that Sinjoon is struggling to figure her thoughts out right now. Most of Minji would still be angry that Sinjoon managed to make her feel bad though.
She'll get over her grudge eventually, but she doesn't let go of things super easily, so he better settle into the idea of her being a little bitter for the rest of this painting session. Though Minji does manage a skip as she goes to drag a stool into a more central position in the room. ]
Fine!
[ But she does still try to sound terse when she replies to him, holding her chin up high for a brief moment, before she has to crawl onto the stool, and ruins the haughty image in seconds.
No one looks graceful and above it all when they're trying to get up on a stool that's just a little too tall for them. ]
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mysteries2015-12-19 11:47 pm
no subject
[ It's said.. well, not defensively quickly after what she's saying, but it still comes out as a pretty natural reaction to that, his tone as flat as ever and his gaze turned down at the scrubbing they're doing rather than looking back at Minji. Because it's true, he isn't gay. And he knows Minji will probably try to spread that as a rumor anyway because of what she is, but Sinjoon has already figured at this point that the only thing you even can try to do when it comes to Minji is deny it in a way that doesn't make it seem like you'd be overly embarrassed if it were spread all over.
Not to say that it wouldn't be annoying all the same if the whole school thought he was gay.. but well, he'd brush it off. It's not like he has a whole lot of friends here anyway, so what does he have to lose?
Once the stain has been mostly removed, he lifts his hand again, although he doesn't fully stand up back to beanpole heights just yet. Pretending he's studying the slight remains of the stain is probably enough of an excuse to keep squatting here on her level, because there's something he finds much more interesting to talk with her about than hearing about his fairytale princess equivalent.
Not that he expects to hear much from Minji, but if he tries wriggling things out of her enough, maybe one day he actually will. ]
Is it that weird to you to have someone help you for once?
[ Not that Minji has no one who helps her.. he's noticed her trying to make some boys into her lackeys. Him being one of them, technically, but at least he's aware of the stuff she does. He's seen that one particularly airheaded boy who asked him about French painters before trot after Minji like some sort of puppy, chatting with her or carrying her books.
But people voluntarily helping out Minji that aren't.. well, less than averagely intelligent? He hasn't seen that happen much. Everyone in the school knows her reputation, after all, and Sinjoon is pretty sure most people (with common sense, he'd say, if it wouldn't mean that he'd be insulting himself) would steer far away from being anywhere near someone who spreads semi- and just plain malicious gossip at the speed of light. ]
no subject
Some is a little more negative than others, and while Sinjoon probably didn't mean anything hurtful with his question it digs at Minji in a way that insults hurled her way never do. She doesn't mind people directly calling her awful. She's been called a bitch, a brat, a horrible two-faced shrew, and all sorts of other things. She's even had people tell her directly that everyone in school hates her. But they said it in such a shrill, screeching voice, and it came from such a place of anger all it did was make Minji laugh at them.
... At the time. She let it hurt her later when she was home and safe in her room. She'd pressed her face into her pillow to muffle any sniffling sounds that came from her.
This one sort of stings immediately, but Minji does her best to ward it off. Literally holding her head up as high as she can as she snatches her hand back to her side, and stands up abruptly. ]
No, because people help me all the time. Just because you don't know how to help people out doesn't mean everyone is like that.
[ Her tone is more clipped and agitated than she wanted it to be. It's obvious that she's annoyed with him for his question, and now she's even more annoyed. How dare Lee Sinjoon make her show a sign of weakness! Who the hell does he think he is?!
She spins on her heel so she doesn't have to look at him anymore, and stomps over to the trashcan to throw the paper towel away. ]
no subject
Are all girls this prickly or is Minji just a special case? Even though Sinjoon sure asks himself that a lot, it's more likely that the answer is in the middle - his less-than-subtle way of talking about things is a little too good at bringing it out, after all, but there's no doubt that Minji isn't exactly like most girls in the school here. If she was, then he wouldn't have invited her over multiple times to this art room already to hang out with her, after all. ]
Right.
[ After dropping a small pauze with that internal sigh, he just answers plainly - almost as if Minji's agitation doesn't bother him. Because it doesn't.. or, well, it doesn't bother him as much as it might with other people. Sinjoon's a little better at taking these sort of things and even letting insults fly over his head like they can't even reach him. It sure makes all of this a lot easier.
He finally gets onto his feet again, rising back to full height. ]
I'm just that kind of particularly unhelpful person. [ He says, as he still would let her regularly boss him around.. but everything Sinjoon says is dry anyway, this included. He doesn't know if this will soothe or make it worse, but he's not sure what being upfront would do either out of those two, so it's easier to fall back on what he's usually like. ]
Are you going to say I have to make it up to you now?
no subject
It's bad enough she let Sinjoon's comment get under her skin enough that she made a snippy remark like that without smiling. If she'd just grinned and acted like she was making fun of him then he wouldn't even know that she'd been upset at all about the comment.
Too late for that regret now, though Minji does try to recover by pursing her lips, and turning back around slowly, trying her best to look completely disinterested in him and this conversation. ]
You just admitted how unhelpful you are.
[ She walks over and reaches up to roughly (read: aggressively) pat him on the shoulder. ]
You admitted it yourself. Is there any reason to expect anything from an unhelpful person in the first place?
[ She shakes her head, exaggerating the movement. ]
I won't ever get my tasks done that way. I need reliable lackeys.
no subject
He can't really fully deny that claim anyway, even if he might try.
After all, he's still standing there even as she's patting (read: slapping, basically) him on the shoulder in a way that, if she were a guy, might have just knocked him over. Rather than, you know, backing away or something. Stuff a sane person might do in a situation like this one, instead of standing there and enduring it for no good reason. ]
Am I being discarded this easily?
[ He's being dry as usually, yes, but it's also since the idea doesn't bother him as much yet as it might later on.. not that he'd be perfectly happy about it either. As much as Sinjoon might dryly poke fun at Minji for not having a whole lot of friends, it's not as if he doesn't know the same doesn't count for him.. and for better or worse, he does like spending time with Minji.
(Maybe he's just a masochist. It would explain a whole lot of things, he can't help but think.) ]
no subject
But when you're a vicious little terror you've got to be on the defensive all the time, because most of the time when people make sharp remarks like that they mean to actually wound her. Considering the number of remarks she tosses out at other people though she probably deserves the taste of her own medicine.
But it tastes bitter, and she kind of hates it.
She sniffs lightly, and gives Sinjoon one last pat before sharply spinning away from him and pacing a few feet to the side, looking for something to study in the art room for awhile so she can pretend she's nonchalantly fascinated with that and continues to be bored with Sinjoon. ]
I'll forgive you this one time, but you'd better watch yourself, Sinjoon-ah. Even my generous patience has an end!
[ She glances over her shoulder at him, and tries to look haughty, but mostly she just looks like she's pouting. ]
no subject
.. but directly saying anything about it feels weird too. He can't just.. stop deadpanning like that, you know? It's not how it works. So while Minji is trying to walk off the awkward and slight hurt, Sinjoon decides to do the same by staring at his canvas. Not that it makes him look like he isn't an idiot, considering he's staring at something that's entirely blank, but he figures he could probably pass it off as some artistic thing. Only real artists would understand it. Yeah. Obviously.
Except it only works for so long, and after a moment or two he lets out a breath, glancing in the direction Minji is wandering off in into the big room. ]
Minji... I'm sorry, alright? [ He figures that maybe she might have caught something like that already through what he said before, since she is saying she'll forgive him - even if it's in an exaggerated half-haughty, half-pouty sort of way. But he figures it's better to say it directly since not everyone can read between his deadpan lines so easily. ] I mean it.
no subject
It doesn't mean that Minji is ready to fully forgive him for the slight. She's a prideful little creature, and easily offended. Part of that includes having her hurt pride pointed out. She's not being subtle about it, and she knows she's not being subtle either, but this feels weirdly uncomfortable for her.
She's used to people who will steamroll over her feelings when she is genuinely upset. As much as she loves her brother he's an emotional brick, and he never takes her pouting seriously. The same goes for his best friend. ... Actually, most of the people in Minji's life don't seem to care much about when they hurt her feelings. The exception is Areum who backs off it immediately.
She turns away from Sinjoon now as she picks up someone's half finished lump of clay that it looks like they gave up on. It's ugly, and she wants to break it a little bit, but instead Minji places in gently back down on the table. ]
You're going to hit the end of it soon if you keep talking like that.
[ She forces a singsong quality into the tone of her voice, and it only works because her face is hidden, so Sinjoon can't see her brows knitted together, and the small frown on her face. ]
no subject
... Not to mention there are just way too many things in this room that she could throw at his head. And Sinjoon really doesn't feel like sitting at home with a concussion for two weeks just over this. And even if he'd dodge he would have to explain to some poor first year student as to why their sculpture was the victim of a horrific incident overnight.
So he just shuts up like an obedient puppy (not a very content one, though) and sits down near his canvas, letting out a small sigh as he stares at it. All he wanted today was to just get a little bit of painting done, but apparently the world won't even let him have that.
He glances back over to Minji - only slightly and cautiously - trying to figure out what she's thinking. Is it just that she doesn't want to talk about this? Or will she get mad if he starts about something else? Or will she get mad if he just keeps quiet and ignores her altogether?!
What is it about girls that makes them so completely not understandable? Even his best friend makes more sense than girls' emotions, and that's saying a lot considering he's a professional burglar in the making.
He has to decide on something though, and after a moment or two he speaks up again. ]
Let's just get to painting then.
[ At least it's the option where he doesn't feel like this whole afternoon was a waste of his time. And where he feels like she won't be mad at him in a way that's justified, at least. He's doing what she asked, right? ]
no subject
She's not all that hard to figure out, really. Minji probably likes to think of herself as a more mysterious creature than she actually is, and some small part of her would be pleased that Sinjoon is struggling to figure her thoughts out right now. Most of Minji would still be angry that Sinjoon managed to make her feel bad though.
She'll get over her grudge eventually, but she doesn't let go of things super easily, so he better settle into the idea of her being a little bitter for the rest of this painting session. Though Minji does manage a skip as she goes to drag a stool into a more central position in the room. ]
Fine!
[ But she does still try to sound terse when she replies to him, holding her chin up high for a brief moment, before she has to crawl onto the stool, and ruins the haughty image in seconds.
No one looks graceful and above it all when they're trying to get up on a stool that's just a little too tall for them. ]