Finished Second Chances PV Jack Burnett

Jack had just finished his studies for the day and had come to the library for a little relaxation doing one of his favorite hobbies: comparing history books. By now he had already read and compared quite a few of the texts in the history section with several of his own from his personal collection and was almost as familiar with the contents of the former as he was with the latter. Even so, that didn't mean there wasn't always something new to discover, even upon re-reading the same books, and the thought delighted him just thinking about it. Besides, he needed it to distract him from other thoughts...like that of the upcoming ball.

Thinking of the ball reminded him of how the last one he had attended had gone and how, prior to that, his attempt to ask Flash had been a disaster in and of itself. He didn't even want to think about trying to ask him again and there wasn't really anyone else Jack could think of going with. He didn't truly have any friends, especially since Kazuo and Ruka had stopped attending Hogwarts, and though he continuously told himself it was better that way, that didn't keep the loneliness at bay. Sure, he might have said that making enemies of people could allow him interaction with them without attachment and all the trouble that came with it, but even having enemies created its own kind of loneliness.

Maybe it would have been better if he didn't attend the upcoming ball at all, he thought, but then he worried about something going wrong. Flash would likely be in attendance again, as he always was, so Jack couldn't help wanting to go also. Even if they said they weren't friends, he couldn't just stop caring, unfortunately. Feelings just didn't work that way.

As if fate had decided to throw the past memories of the ball back in his face, the Welsh boy was browsing the familiar shelves of his favorite section of books when a Korean youth with dark brown hair and a lean body came into view. Jack thought he had seen said youth once before and it didn't take long for him to place where and when. This had been one of the students who had come to Flash's rescue after Jack had punched him.

Ugh...what an awful first impression. Jack hadn't felt like having to explain himself to those strangers at the time, but now he felt ashamed imagining what they must have thought of him. Him, a boy who had always prized brains over brawn and who had constantly made fools out of bullies at his old muggle school to prove that he could outsmart brute strength any day. Him, who hated physical violence when words could be just as effective in any situation if not more so. But he had let his emotions get the best of him that night at the Midspring Festival and it had resulted in his taking actions that he normally wouldn't have taken. Suddenly, it mattered to him that this young man knew that wasn't the sort of person he truly was.

Jack cleared his throat as he approached, not wanting to startle the foreign student who had apparently been caught up in reading a book. "Um...hello," he greeted somewhat tentatively, feeling foolish even as the sounds left his lips. Who knew if this boy would even remember him? "Looks like you've found a good title, there. Is it interesting?"

Ye-jun Lee (@Eun-ji Lee Hunt)

Violet in English, Red in Korean and Blue in French

Ye-jun was still amusing himself with the particularly hideous outfit when an unfamiliar voice pulled him out of his reverie. It didn't take long for him to recognize the owner. Ye-jun had a good memory when it came to faces but hardly ever bothered to remember who the person actually was. This one though...he might have not known his name but the nature of their first meeting guaranteed the Hogwarts student an immediate recognition. Ye-jun had a pretty dark history when it came to bullies so any act of violence promptly drew his attention. Not in a good way of course. He may have grown up to be strong and confident young man yet he still couldn't forget the pain he had to endure in order to get where he was today.

“Ah...if it isn't one punch man.” He said finally. There was no animosity his voice but it wasn't necessarily a warm greeting either. The wizard was cautious. He wasn't about to condemn the redhead based on one experience but he wasn't willing to overlook it either. If he was being honest, Ye-jun didn't care much about the boy he protected last ball but his cousin obviously did. Mostly he was there to protect her and Lucia but even then, he wasn't planning on fighting the attacker unless absolutely necessary. With his strength and love for exercise many people assumed he was a fighter but they couldn't have been more wrong. Sure, Ye-jun could fight...he could probably take this one down too if he wanted. Probably being the key word here because he made sure to never underestimate his potential opponents. Those were the kind of things that got you in real trouble. However, none of that meant he liked to fight. Exercise simply helped him clear his head and if anything, he always thought himself to be a shield rather than a sword. He'd much rather avoid any physical confrontation thank you very much. What was it they said? Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

“It's pretty good.” Raising his book to show what he was reading, the Beauxbatons student wondered what kind of person the other boy was. Did he enjoy the violence or was it simply a momentary lapse of judgement caused by intense emotions? He didn't sound like a bully but then again...these people tended to be deceiving individuals. Some liked to show off their malice and wear it like a badge of honour, others prided themselves in being sneaky and attacking when you least expected it. Personally, Ye-jun found the second group much more dangerous and horrid however he was willing to give the boy a second chance to prove he belonged to neither. After all he didn't really know Flash. In fact, he only learned his name recently when Eun-ji told him they would be attending the ball together and she’d like to introduce him to the Slytherin. It meant Ye-jun would be attending the ball without a date but he didn’t mind too much. Surely, it wouldn’t be that bad. “You got an actual name though, don’t you?” Usually, Ye-jun would be the first one to introduce himself since he was raised to always mind his manners but today, he was giving himself time to assess the unexpected companion. He needed to know whether he was even worth the effort.

“Ah...if it isn't one punch man.”

So he did remember him. Jack wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad thing. Probably a little of both. His blush crept over his cheeks and swept across his ears until most of his face was nearly as red as his hair. He looked down with a weak, half-hearted chuckle. "Yeah...that's me. Good thing I'm a weakling in that department." Still, the fact that the other boy's tone carried no hostility or aggression seemed like a positive thing. Jack took it as a good sign. He had half expected to simply be walked away from.

When his peer lifted the book so Jack could get a better look at the title, he found himself even more surprised. Hopeful, even. At least this kid showed some interest in wanting to hold a conversation with him, it seemed. The book looked intriguing, too. Jack was genuinely curious as to its contents and what interest it held for the other teen. "Do you like fashion?" he ventured to ask. "Or is it history, since that's the section we're in?"

What was this, small talk? He would have liked to explain himself and his actions during their first sort-of meeting, but he felt it would have been awkward just bringing it up. Maybe he would get a chance later, but for now, the handsome Korean boy was prompting him to start with an introduction of his name.

Jack happened to be the opposite of Ye-jun in that he usually waited for the other person to state their name first before giving his own. In this situation, though, he was practically being asked his name and Jack thought he at least owed his fellow student that much. He was the one who had approached him after all, and had interrupted his reading.

"Right...yes," he said slowly, swallowing as he tried to recompose himself. "I'm Jack Burnett. I'm sorry you had to witness my fight with my dormmate during the Midspring Festival," he spouted before he could think about it.

"I don't usually punch people. Or use physical violence at all, actually, if you can believe it. In fact, I'm against the use of it in general, but..." His shoulders heaved as he sighed deeply. "...It's a long story. One I won't bore you with." The redhead rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before looking up again to meet his new conversation partner's dark, intense eyes.

"Anyway, the point is I think we got off on the wrong foot and I'd like to start over. If you'll let me, of course."

Ye-jun Lee (@Eun-ji Lee Hunt)

Violet in English, Red in Korean and Blue in French

Ye-jun felt some sense of relief watching the shame slowly creep up into the boy's face. One might think he was being cruel but the Beauxbatons student saw it as a good sign. The words could be tampered with, they could be empty or filled with lies. In his world, actions spoke louder than a thousand words. He still kept his guard up but he was no longer considering simply turning on his heel and leaving at least. Trust always came last with Ye-jun even if the first impression was good. It was a flaw he was very well aware of but it was there for a reason. “Both I suppose but primarily fashion.” He liked learning about history but he didn't go over and beyond for it. Animals, sports and fashion were his go to although he wouldn't share that information aloud. Not yet…he was not quite done observing the boy and his actions.

Jack, the wizard took a note of the name as he listened to the rest of his ramblings. So they were roommates. That made sense. He didn’t have time to observe the situation into greater detail but it did seem like those two knew each other well. The Slytherin soon promised he didn’t like violence, which sounded pretty sincere to Ye-jun. It wasn’t enough to convince him one hundred percent but he was definitely more open to getting to know the other boy. “And I don’t believe I have a right to ask anyway.” He added when Jack mentioned the whole story was too long to explain. “I’m not here to play judge either. I’m just figuring out if you are one of those people that enjoy torturing others because I want nothing to do with you if that’s the case.” It was Ye-jun’s turn to explain. He was never shy when it came to honesty and it felt like he should do the same now, considering how he made Jack squirm under his careful gaze up until now. “I don’t know Flash yet and it’s not my place to get involved in whatever issues you have together but Eun-ji seems to care about him a lot and I don’t want her to be trapped in the middle of some violent drama. God knows she already has plenty of that in her life.” There, that should be enough for now.

Finally, the Beauxbatons student closed the book in order to free his right hand. “Well…you seem like a decent guy to me. I guess we all make mistakes and most people deserve a second chance.” Yes, most not all. This he firmly believed. There were individuals Ye-jun would never forgive and try to understand no matter how some people liked to preach otherwise. “My name’s Ye-jun. Lee Ye-jun.” He offered his hand for a handshake, making sure to sound much friendlier this time round. “You recon this ball will be less traumatic than the previous two or should I abandon all hopes at this point?”

Nodding in response to the answer he got about what the other teen was interested in, Jack regarded the foreign student's looks, noticing for the first time how exceptionally well-groomed he was. Jack himself wasn't one to be all that preoccupied with appearances, but even he could see this guy stood out among most. It made sense he would be interested in fashion. He wondered where that interest in fashion and perhaps appearances in general came from, but he supposed he could find out in time. For now, his mind was focused on other things like making sure the Korean boy didn't have the wrong idea about him.

Jack was astonished to hear that said boy didn't believe he had a right to ask about his and Flash's situation anyway. Jack figured most people would have made it their business whether or not they had a right to, but here this guy was, explaining he wasn't here to play judge. Appreciating his peer's way of thinking, he shook his head vehemently when the fellow said he was trying to figure out if Jack was the sort of person who enjoyed torturing others.

"I don't enjoy any of that. And I'm not proud of what I did to Flash. I just let my emotions get the better of me in the moment. We worked it out later that night, though, more or less. I'll try not to involve Eun-ji in our issues again if I can help it."

He hesitated. "Do you...do you mind me asking what your relation to Eun-ji is? I'm ashamed to say I don't know much about her except that she's a friend of Flash's and they obviously care about each other. But you seem to care about her deeply, too."

Watching the Beauxbatons student close his book, he listened to the very fair and what Jack considered to be kind reasoning that he had in regards to determining what kind of person Jack was. He was grateful the guy seemed opened to giving Jack a second chance, even if he didn't think all people deserved it. That just made it all the more meaningful to Jack that he seemed to be getting one. And then the other teen introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Lee Ye-jun." Jack paused, trying to think. "Um...is your culture one of those that puts your last name before your first? I normally call people by their last names so as to avoid sounding too intimate calling them by their first. But if you and Eun-ji have the same last name, I guess that could get confusing." So did that mean they were related? It seemed likely, but Lee also could have just been a common last name, so Jack decided not to make any assumptions until he knew better. Besides, Eun-ji also had 'Hunt' as an additional last name, so even if they were related, Jack doubted it was as if Ye-jun was her brother or something.

Taking up the hand offered in a handshake, Jack beamed. "Heh...I doubt it'll be any less traumatic than the previous two, to be honest. Something always ends up going wrong one way or another." He sighed, thinking about past occasions. "How come? Were you looking forward to it?"

Ye-jun Lee (@Eun-ji Lee Hunt)

Violet in English, Red in Korean and Blue in French

Ye-jun didn't ask for further explanation but Jack gave him a bit more details anyway. The Beauxbatons student appreciated the gesture and was glad to hear that the two roommates talked it out afterwards. “Good.” He nodded when his new acquaintance promised to leave Eun-ji out of the drama if possible. Nobody could guarantee anything one hundred percent so making an effort sounded like a reasonable promise to him. It also felt fair that he was asked about his relationship with Eun-ji. Ye-jun tended to be a bit overprotective of her and they didn't necessarily look similar so it was no wonder people wanted to know what's up. “She's my cousin. We used to live in the same town too before my parents decided to move to Paris.” A simple explanation. He felt no need to share any gruesome details about his childhood. It was definitely not appropriate topic for a first conversation. In fact, it generally took Ye-jun a long time before he even hinted at it.

Shaking Jack's hand, the wizard realized he made the same mistake he always did. Of course it didn't take long before he was called out on it. “Ah yes...that's right. Sorry, it's a habit that's somewhat hard to shake.” At least this one had an idea why he flipped the order. Not many people did. “I see...well it's a bit awkward to use my last name only. Lee and Kim are probably one of the most common names in Korea but I see where you are coming from. We actually only use first names between extremely close friends too and use place holders like hyung or dongsaeng for the others. I think any acquaintance or family member has some alternative in our language. I suppose it's something akin to buddy or mate if you want to translate but...less informal I guess?” Ugh...did he talk too much? Not everybody was interested in random cultural trivia. “Sorry…got a bit carried away there. So you prefer Burnett then, correct?”

The atmosphere further lightened up once the boys started talking about the ball. It was a topic everybody could get behind these days he supposed. “You are right, better to be prepared for chaos.” He huffed amusedly. Thankfully Ye-jun believed he could handle himself pretty well in dangerous situations and the previous balls were evidence to this so he wasn’t too worried. He would stay vigilant for sure but other than that he could handle whatever came his way when it did. No need to stress in advance. “No not really. I’m on my own for this one so I’ll just be snooping around. I suppose I could check some of the activities. Hopefully there will be something interesting.” He did enjoy dancing too but he could probably find someone who would spare him one. That or he’d just have to live with the fact that he won’t be able to dance this time round. The world wouldn't end if that happened.

"Oh, you're cousins? That's cool," Jack commented, wondering if having a close cousin was anything like having a close sibling. Not that he'd known much of either, having grown up an only child, but after getting Ruka as an adopted brother following his first year at Hogwarts, he thought he had learned a little about what it meant to be protective of and care for family like that. Especially because Ruka had seemed to attract a lot of trouble himself.

Just like he no longer went to school with Ruka, though, Jack wondered if Ye-jun missed and thus became all the more protective of Eun-ji since they no longer lived together or went to the same school. It would have made sense. "You're a good cousin," he stated, smiling. "Almost like a brother. It's nice she has you to look out for her."

Once they shook hands, Ye-jun apologized for a habit that Jack could only assume was using his last name before his first. But Jack shook his head. "No need to apologize. It's part of your culture, after all. Naturally you would tend to stick to it. I just wanted to make sure I understood."

He grinned as he listened to Ye-jun's explanation of why it would have been awkward to use his last name only. "I definitely understand the difficulty going by common names. I know there are at least two other Jack's running around Hogwarts; one in my house and one in my year." He was glad to hear that Ye-jun understood his reasoning for wanting to use last names, though. At least he didn't feel like he was the only one who thought the use of first names was reserved for people with more intimate or close relationships. It was fascinating to hear how Koreans seemed to use place-holder names for others.

"No, no, I appreciate you telling me all this," Jack answered when Ye-jun tried to apologize again. "That's really interesting. Do you prefer I call you something specific, then, aside from your first name? A place-holder?" He chuckled softly. "Yeah, I think Burnett is probably best and what most people I know use."

It was a good thing Ye-jun already seemed to have an idea of what balls at Hogwarts entailed because otherwise Jack wasn't sure he would have known where to begin in trying to warn him. Still, the other fourth year seemed to take it well and it sounded like he still planned to attend anyway. Perhaps at least part of the reason was to watch over Eun-ji to make sure she was okay in whatever chaos ensured...just like Jack wanted to attend to make sure Flash would be okay.

To hear Ye-jun would be on his own for the ball, though, surprised Jack yet again. "'For this one'? What, couldn't find a date?" he couldn't help teasing. "I'd imagine there'd be girls from any number of schools swarming you for a chance to go with you to a ball. How come you're going alone? Just feel like it?"

Oops. Had that been a little too bold of him to ask? It was just he had a hard time picturing this good-looking boy not having someone to go with if he wanted to. The only plausible explanation seemed that he didn't want a date.

Ye-jun Lee (@Eun-ji Lee Hunt)

Violet in English, Red in Korean and Blue in French

“Hmm…I don't know...” The boy said thoughtfully. Did he love his cousin? Yes. Did he want her to be happy? Sure. Was he actually successful in helping her achieve that? Doubtful. If anything, he seemed to be adding to the long list of her worries. “Feels like I can’t do anything for her to be honest.” He shrugged. Apparently caring didn't mean all that much in certain situations. One might suggest he could at least be there for emotional support but it was awfully hard to be an emotional support to someone that so masterfully bottled up their emotions. Although he couldn't really blame her for that one. He tended to do that too. Despite the weight of his words, Ye-jun almost sounded nonchalant however that was mostly because he didn’t want the atmosphere to shift into something more serious. There was no way he would deep dive into the topic with somebody he just met.

Actually, it's been some time since Ye-jun bothered talking to someone new. He had to admit he was worried at first but the conversation seemed to flow pretty naturally between the two boys thus far. Jack was awfully forgiving when it came to his little cultural TEDex talk too. “Yeah it is a good name but it is also quite common so I'm not surprised you know a few others. I'll stick to Burnett then.” The Beauxbatons student had to take a moment to think about his own... “If you are not opposed to Korean placeholders that would be nice. It depends whether you are younger than me or not. I was born January 2nd, 2008. If you are younger, then you would call me hyung and if you are older, then it's namdongsaeng.” He thought telling him his own birthday first was more appropriate than asking for his. Korean people tended to inquire about age almost immediately but Europe was different. Some people weren't eager to disclose said information...even the young ones. “Don't worry though...if it's too difficult just call me Ye-jun. Everybody does it anyway unless they already made up some weird nickname for me.” Yeah, that happened sometimes. Girls especially enjoyed doing so and he didn't think they would stop even if he asked them. He didn’t have anything against nicknames in theory but some of them were extremely cringeworthy.

In all honesty, that was one of the reasons he didn't have a date for this ball. There were plenty lovely girls out there but one couldn't really tell what they were like beyond the first impression. He already had an experience with a girl that initially pretended not to know him until she got so weird and clingy that he realised she did in fact know him pretty damn well. Ye-jun would rather avoid that happening again. “Yes and no.” He smiled although he felt a bit awkward just thinking about the explanation. Jack no…Burnett… was clearly teasing him but he was not far off. “I don't mind going alone but it was not my intention either. As douchy as it sounds, you are not entirely wrong. I could have easily found a girl for the evening but I don't really enjoy spending long periods of time with a stranger. I'd have to talk to them first and so far I didn't really have time for that.” And now it's too late was definitely implied since the ball was tomorrow. Burnett was actually the only student he had properly talked to ever since his arrival. He already promised to hang out with Eun-ji before the event since they weren't going together this time so he wouldn’t have time to look for anybody tomorrow either. “Besides if I was going to look for a date, I probably wouldn't be looking for a girl.” The boy added casually.

Ye-jun was aware that some people wouldn't want to admit as much but he was not one of those people. He wasn't someone to go around proclaiming his sexuality at every corner but he wasn't afraid to speak about it either if the situation called for it. Nobody dared to bully him now and plenty people chose to believe it was just a rumour anyway. By people he meant girls of course. Sometimes even when he told them himself, they just went ahead and assumed he said so just to get rid of them. He honestly didn't have the energy to persuade them otherwise. The last two balls were easy since he went with Eun-ji and Lucia, who was Eun-ji’s friend and obviously not interested in romance. This year, he was not so lucky. But like he said, if he was going to look for somebody due to not having a date this time, he wouldn’t be asking a girl. Not to mention how awfully awkward it would be to ask them while simultaneously explaining that he wasn’t really interested in girls. There was no way they would say yes to that. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to keep it a secret. They were all still young and many wanted to live out their romance fantasies. Ye-jun didn’t want to lead anybody on, which is why he’d rather go alone.

Jack's brows shot up when he heard Ye-jun say he felt like he couldn't do anything for Eun-ji. "Ha! I know the feeling," he answered, surprised the other boy felt the same way he had the past few months. "You want to take care of them or do something for them so badly but in the end you feel like you're just getting in the way or something. Making things worse." He shook his head sympathetically. "I'm sure, though, that she'd rather have you around than not. I'll bet your actions mean more to her than you know."

Not that Ye-jun wanted or needed to hear that from him, likely. All of a sudden, Jack got self-conscious and latched on to the change of subject - mainly, that of names. "Thanks," he said when his peer said he would stick to the name Burnett. "And I was born in April, so then...you would be hyung?" He smiled a little awkwardly, hoping he was saying that right. Secretly, he was glad he wasn't older. The placeholder for someone younger sounded a lot more complicated to pronounce and he couldn't have been sure he wouldn't have butchered it in an attempt. He laughed then. "No, no, hyung should be fine. People make up weird nicknames for you? Like what? If you don't mind me asking," Jack was quick to add. "I know I've been called 'chatter-fox' before since I've been told I talk a lot. And I guess I remind some people of a fox, but I'm guessing it's mostly because of the red hair."

As the topic shifted to dates for the ball, Jack inclined his head, curious when Ye-jun answered both yes and no. "Hey, I was only half-joking. I could believe girls would really be swarming you. It's not really douchy if it's true, in my opinion. And I figure most people don't really enjoy spending long periods of time with strangers, so it's not like you could be blamed for that. Especially if said stranger is after you mostly because of your looks." He wondered for a moment what it was like to be that attractive and decided immediately that he wouldn't have cared for it. It would have been too difficult trying to sort out the people who only superficially liked you from those who liked you for who you actually were. Poor Ye-jun must have had it rough.

He glanced up at the other teen's final comment; that if he was going to look for a date, he probably wouldn't have been looking for a girl. "Oh," was all Jack could say for a moment, not having expected that in the least. He appreciated Ye-jun's honesty and openness about who he was, though, as Jack was sure not everyone would have found that so easy to admit for various reasons. Thinking for a minute or two, he then cleared his throat.

"Well, hyung," he began with another grin, "I know you said you don't like spending long periods of time with strangers, but we've kind of been acquainted now, haven't we? And, if you like, we could spend the ball getting to know each other better so we're even more well-acquainted." He shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant about it but unable to keep a nervous smile off his face. The last time he had asked someone to a ball hadn't gone so well, after all. "Why don't we go together? I mean, if you'd rather go alone, I definitely understand. But as it so happens, I don't have anyone to go with, either."

Ye-jun Lee (@Eun-ji Lee Hunt)