Employee at Chinese Bakery.
Bisexual.
Single.
07/15/2004.
20.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Xander Pace on Aug 10, 2024 11:12:33 GMT -8
Heather nodded, still eying Xander, but then smiling after a moment's pause. "That's awesome... I'll leave you two alone, then," and she motioned to leave.
Xander stopped her, "Wait. Um, do you... Uh... Would you or dad happen to have my original adoption paperwork? From my old family?"
Heather thought a moment, "Mm... Possibly. I'll go check our files, okay?" She waited for a nod from Xander before leaving the two alone again.
Xander was still for a moment before running his hands partially through his hair, stopping as he covered his face. "I'm sorry, that was embarrassing. I hadn't heard her come in or I would have... I dunno... warned you?" He told Yeowoo. "I swear she's usually not home this early." He supposed she possibly brought work home with her, or that second grade report cards probably didn't take as long as maybe a high school report card might. He uncovered his face despite feeling like he might still be blushing, and dropped his hands to his side. "I can um... take you home, if you'd like." He offered. Though he didn't want to leave Yeowoo's presence, he wanted to give the other boy an out for the sudden awkwardness.
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UW Student (Class of 2028).
Gay.
Dating Xander.
09/01/2006.
18.
Dog (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yeowoo Eum on Aug 12, 2024 18:13:56 GMT -8
It hadn't taken Yeowoo that long to recalibrate, so he'd calmed down by the time Xander and his mom had finished the exchange. Xander's mom seemed nice and genuinely supportive, and she hadn't decided she needed to stay in the space or supervise them.
He said, "It's ok, I was mostly just startled. She seems really happy for you to know about the birth certificate. I'm glad she's supportive of you."
He hesitated for a second and then added, "Do you want to have me head home, because I can go if that would be easier, but I'm enjoying spending time with you, and I don't need to go home yet. I texted my mom that I was hanging out with you."
He gave Xander another quick hug and said, "I want to make sure that we aren't picking an option that stresses you out though. I know that this has been overwhelming."
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Employee at Chinese Bakery.
Bisexual.
Single.
07/15/2004.
20.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Xander Pace on Aug 13, 2024 8:24:50 GMT -8
Xander looked away as he replied, "I'd rather you stayed longer..." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't overwhelmed or stressed, but he did want Yeowoo to stay. He picked at a loose thread on his sweats, still not looking at Yeowoo. "Um... I know I'd learn it if I take Korean 1, but can you teach me hangeul?" He asked softly, only glancing up at Yeowoo to see his response.
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UW Student (Class of 2028).
Gay.
Dating Xander.
09/01/2006.
18.
Dog (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yeowoo Eum on Aug 14, 2024 9:02:43 GMT -8
Yeowoo couldn't help but smile brightly when Xander said he wanted Yeowoo to stay. He leaned back into Xander's space, not going in for another hug just then, but just leaning up against his side a little. He said softly, "Then I'll definitely stick around longer. I like spending time with you."
He smiled a little bit more when Xander asked about learning hangeul. He said, "Sure I'll teach you. Do you have a notebook? We can start now if you want and it's easier to explain the system of how it works if I can make charts."
He figured that them working on Xander learning hangeul was probably less awkward of a thing for Xander's mom to walk back in on than them cuddling anyhow. Even if he did want to cuddle more.
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Employee at Chinese Bakery.
Bisexual.
Single.
07/15/2004.
20.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Xander Pace on Aug 15, 2024 12:54:54 GMT -8
Xander smiled at the comment that Yeowoo liked spending time with him. He gave a quick "sure" as a reply and went to his bookshelf, pulling out a notebook. It had been used for a class a few years ago, but it hadn't been used since. There was just enough pages that had been used that it didn't feel worth it to use it for another class. But a quick Korean lesson seemed like a good use of the extra pages. He flipped to the first fully blank page and grabbed a pen from his desk, handing both to Yeowoo. "Here we go." He said. "I also have flashcards somewhere from when I tried to teach myself for like, the thousandth time, but it never wants to stick." He was pretty sure he could find them if Yeowoo thought they'd be useful.
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UW Student (Class of 2028).
Gay.
Dating Xander.
09/01/2006.
18.
Dog (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yeowoo Eum on Aug 15, 2024 13:43:16 GMT -8
In the provided notebook, Yeowoo started to make a chart of the different radicals and how to build sounds with them, explaining it as he went along. He would say a sound, wait for Xander to repeat it, then show how it connected to other sounds.
Once the chart was made, he asked, "Does this make some sense? It's not just a bunch of unrelated symbols the way letters are in English, there's a system to it."
He'd made sure that there were pronunciation notes around the chart, all in his very tidy handwriting. He wrote his own name at the bottom of the page and asked, "Using the chart can you sound that out?"
He hoped the way he'd laid it out made sense to Xander. He'd never tried to teach hangul to someone who wasn't already a Korean speaker, and showing it to Xander was very different than helping his eldest niece learn to write when she was little. All through his teaching attempt, he sort of leaned against Xander, doing his best to cuddle a little bit while also being a useful teacher.
[[OOC: I am keeping it vague because, but also feel free to expand on the chart details and stuff in Xander's reply.]]
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Employee at Chinese Bakery.
Bisexual.
Single.
07/15/2004.
20.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Xander Pace on Aug 16, 2024 18:23:18 GMT -8
Xander enjoyed the cuddling and followed along, finding it much easier to do so with someone talking him through it. The chart was well laid out and it let him see how all the letter meshed with each other. He saw some of the places he got confused in previous learning attempts, like when the g/k letter looked different based on the vowel. "Yeah, it does actually." He looked between the chart and the word Yeowoo had written, smiling as he realized it was his name. "It's your name, Yeowoo. Right?" He glanced to Yeowoo as he sought confirmation.
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UW Student (Class of 2028).
Gay.
Dating Xander.
09/01/2006.
18.
Dog (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yeowoo Eum on Aug 16, 2024 22:41:46 GMT -8
Yeowoo smiled at Xander, pleased, and said, "You got the last two hangeul, yes, it's my name. The first one is 'Eum' so my family name."
He paused for a second and said, "I don't think that we need flashcards for when I'm helping you, but now that you have the chart that makes sense, maybe they'll be more useful for you to self practice."
He contemplated turning the page and doing a little list of important phrases, but he wasn't sure if that was too much at once. He asked, "Is there anything you especially want to learn to say?"
He mostly just wanted to extend the time he had to spend with Xander, though he figured he'd probably need to head home for dinner before too much longer.
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Employee at Chinese Bakery.
Bisexual.
Single.
07/15/2004.
20.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Xander Pace on Aug 17, 2024 17:09:21 GMT -8
"Oh, right... The... that letter," Xander pointed to the "ㅇ" at the beginning of "Eum," "I couldn't remember if it was pronounced or not." He looked back at the chart, "But now I remember, it's not pronounced at the beginning of a syllable, right?" He ran a hand through his hair, "I think I'm starting to get hangeul now, so yeah, when I'm on my own, I can do some self-study..." He thought over what else he maybe wanted to learn today, and grabbed behind him to get his birth certificate. "So with that reminder, I know you already told me but my Korean name is..." He pointed as each syllable as he said them, "Ee... Yeo... Hyeon... Right?" He looked to Yeowoo for confirmation. He didn't really know what else to ask to learn, he didn't want to overload his brain right when he was starting to understand it.
Heather appeared at the door again, knocking on the frame softly. She smiled at the boys once she got their attention. "Yeowoo, are you staying for dinner? I'm happy to make an extra serving of whatever I end up making for dinner."
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UW Student (Class of 2028).
Gay.
Dating Xander.
09/01/2006.
18.
Dog (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yeowoo Eum on Aug 17, 2024 20:40:23 GMT -8
Yeowoo smiled and said, "Exactly like that," at Xander's writing of his own Korean name. Before he had the chance to say more, Xander's mom had reappeared and he scooted very slightly away from how closely he'd been sitting to Xander.
He hesitated at the offer for dinner both because he wasn't sure if it was something Xander would want him to do and because food was fraught for him. He said softly, glancing at Xander, "I wouldn't want to be an imposition. I have a lot of food allergies, and I don't know if what you are making would be safe, and I don't want to make food more difficult for you."
He glanced at Xander, trying to tell if Xander actually wanted him to stay.
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Employee at Chinese Bakery.
Bisexual.
Single.
07/15/2004.
20.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Xander Pace on Aug 18, 2024 10:17:04 GMT -8
Heather smiled to Yeowoo, "please give me a chance. I'm sure food must be very stressful for you, but I've had experience with someone with a lot of allergies. My niece was allergic all foods for a while after a sickness, she was recently diagnosed with MCAS, and with treatment, I believe she's now up to... 20 foods? That she can eat? But I successfully managed to cook for her before." She saw Xander's confusion at never having met an aunt or cousin, and added, "They moved to Britain before we even adopted Alyssa, and we never really have the opportunity to talk these days. We mostly send each other emails or keep updated through Facebook."
Xander looked to Yeowoo, saying softly, "I'd like if you stayed longer, but if food is too much to handle, I can take you home while my mom's preparing dinner."
"And I haven't even started preparing food yet, so if there's something I can make that you can eat, then we'll have that for dinner." Heather said, giving both boys a big smile.
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UW Student (Class of 2028).
Gay.
Dating Xander.
09/01/2006.
18.
Dog (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yeowoo Eum on Aug 22, 2024 9:11:54 GMT -8
Yeowoo hesitated for a moment longer, glancing at Xander a few more times, and then said softly, "I'd like that if it's not too much trouble. Um, there's a lot that I'm allergic to, so if you're using anything prepackaged, I should probably check ingredients myself. For proteins, I can have poultry and fish and seafood in general actually. I can have tofu as long as there's nothing added that gives me problems. Almost all leafy green vegetables, including things like broccoli, as well as root vegetables, are safe for me, but almost all fruits and like fruit-like vegetables aren't. I can have citrus though. In the grains area, I can pretty much only have rice. There's a few other things, but rice is definitely safe. I can't do dairy or any nuts, but despite what allergy warnings in the US like to claim, coconut isn't a nut, and is safe."
He hesitated, feeling a little bit less like he was totally imposing by having a restrictive list because at least he was able to say what he could have. He added, "Most spices are safe for me, and I like spicy things, but I'd need to check like premade sauces and the like carefully."
He hesitated for another second and then added, "And like, none of my food allergies are super super severe, so you don't need to worry about cross contamination as long as it's not literally touching."
He said, "And if that doesn't work with what you have, I really really understand."
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Employee at Chinese Bakery.
Bisexual.
Single.
07/15/2004.
20.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Xander Pace on Aug 25, 2024 10:14:49 GMT -8
Heather thought a moment, going through her available ingredients. "Oh! I can make fried rice! We have some leftover rice - just plain white rice made here at home in a rice cooker, I can make it with chicken. Hmm... for veggies, are peas and carrots okay? And are there certain soy sauces that work better for you?" She chuckled, "My younger kids both have good memories of meals from their bio families, so I try my best to make it as authentic as possible for them to keep that connection. I've done it a little with Xander, too, when he asks. So I have fairly high quality ingredients, or at least I like to think I do. And a cookbook full of international dishes to make for the kids."
Xander scratched at a piece of dirt on his desk. "Fried rice works for me if it works for you, Yeowoo." He muttered simply. It somehow felt different having Yeowoo stay for dinner than it did his other friends, and Yuuki came over a lot. Maybe it was because of how comfortable he felt cuddling the other boy, or that his mom caught them cuddling twice already.
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UW Student (Class of 2028).
Gay.
Dating Xander.
09/01/2006.
18.
Dog (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yeowoo Eum on Aug 27, 2024 14:46:39 GMT -8
Yeowoo was surprised at how quickly Xander's mom adapted to something that would work for him. He said, "I can have fried rice, and peas and carrots are both fine. I should probably come look at the sauces you have though. I don't remember the names of any brands that are safe in English. All of the ones that we have at home are Korean or in a few cases Chinese."
He was a little bit fascinated by Xander's family with all its different origins. He stood, giving Xander's hand a quick squeeze and said, "If you would like, I can come check now. Do you need any help with preparing food?"
It was almost an autopilot to ask. He helped his mom with food pretty often, or just made it for himself and the whole family because sometimes his mom lost track of time in the studio. He quickly pulled out his phone and said, "I should text my mom that I'm staying for dinner so that she's not confused about where I am."
He sent her a quick message and glanced between Xander and Xander's mom, seeing if he was handling the situation right for Xander and what Xander's mom wanted him to do with regards to the food.
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Employee at Chinese Bakery.
Bisexual.
Single.
07/15/2004.
20.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Xander Pace on Aug 28, 2024 17:57:00 GMT -8
Heather smiled, "Oh, I'd love help with preparing the food. Xander, did you want to help, too?"
"As long as I don't have to touch the chicken." Xander replied, stepping away from his desk.
"Of course not, we can put you on vegetable duty. Oh! Yeowoo, do you like garlic and onions?" She seemed thrilled to have someone offer to help with dinner, heading into the kitchen.
Xander put his arm gently onto Yeowoo's back, giving him a smile, "She's so excited to have someone here to help. Let's go." He paused before explaining, "a lot of times, my younger brother will help with cooking when he's home, and my dad will often start dinner if he's home first." He checked his phone, "Actually, the rest of the family should be getting home any time now. But yeah, if one of the kids finds a dish they want to try, my parents will often cook it with them, which is cool."
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