Name: Terrance Nan (Ran Youngjae)
Age: 24
Nationality: North Korean
Appearance: 5'6" lean and strappy sort of muscle. Pale. His black hair is usually well kept and he wears glasses while at work. A calm look and gentle smile.
With glasses, Without
Occupation: In an old book store.

Name: Aiden Sullivan
Age: 24
Nationality: English
Appearance: He has messy brown hair, light brown eyes, about 5'7.
Occupation: Check out clerk, grocery store
Looks:

Terrance looked in the mirror and saw an American watching him. A slight, Asian figure and dark hair and eyes, but everything undeniably American. He was and never had been anything else. I am Ran Youngjae no longer. In reality, that person had not existed in a long time, but the name still sat in his mind in a way that Terrance could almost call it his own. Now, standing in the middle of a house in Washington DC, the last of the North Korean youth faded away. The child who grew up in Hyesan and later found family in Pyongyang amongst those who would give an orphan education rivaling (or should he say exactly equivalent) to an American’s had been replaced by one more suited to this world.

“This is a nice place isn't it? Americans really know how to live big!” a voice said from behind him. Terrance turned to see his other two countryman dragging in their belongings and looking around the refurnished house much as he was. Johnathan and Michael (once Kibum and Sungho) smiled at him. Or Michael did. The tallest of them, Johnathan, had longer hair and a face that never smiled.

Officially, the three were cousins. In reality, the other two were from the southern provinces of the country where he was from the north. But in America, they were family as they had been raised since he was eight and they ten and twelve. Together they made up one cell of sleeper agents with their leader on the outside. They settled down in the enemy country’s capitol and took on American jobs and American names while always having an eye to the sniper’s scope. With the fake pasts created for them, no one would pick them out from the herd.

Michael looked one arm around both of his cousin’s shoulders. “Tonight, we drink to our first day in America!”

Aiden had the day off, thankfully. He could have gone into work for some extra money, but at the last minute, his boss had found someone else to take over his shift instead, leaving Aiden with basically nothing to do. It was preferable actually, since he could actually enjoy some free time before having to go back to the hell he called work.

Currently, Aiden found himself walking around outside out of sheer boredom, contemplating the pros and cons of heading toward the local mall. Going by himself wasn't always fun, but there was also the mall arcade. which Aiden admittedly loved visiting. Either way, he wanted to find something to do.

His meanderings had him walking through a neighborhood. Aiden had been through this area a few times, as it was along one of the routes he took to get to work. Today it looked as if someone was moving in, and curiosity had him pause. He scoured the house to see who it was that was now occupying it, but there was nothing he could take note of. With a sigh, Aiden decided to just keep walking. He would probably figure out who it was later, if he remembered.

For now, he decided to turn back and head to the mall. Aimlessly wandering was no longer fun, and going to browse through the arcade sounded more fun than being outside anyway. After giving one last glance at the house, Aiden turned the corner, picking up his pace enough to get to where he wanted to go faster.

They had few things to move in with. Since the house came pre-furnished and their belongings were a set of standard American and South Korean things, they had no connection with them. Terrance carried only two things with him from his life before--a photograph and a simple ring which he wore on a chain around his neck. It wasn't even pure silver, but cheap. So very cheap. And yet...the ring still remained precious to him.

Michael finished pulling out the stack of books tucked into his bag and set them on the table in front of the tv. "Well now, shall we go look around the neighborhood?" he asked.

Johnathan lounged on the merlot colored couch. "Father showed it to us twice before. We already know the name of all the residents and the blueprints. What's the point?" The oldest of them never once opened his eyes.

From where Terrance sat on the floor, he watched Michael's face twitch down into a hand. Really, Terrance didn't care. He was inspecting the books. Trashy romance books with outrageously muscular men on the front and woman with water drops dripping down their backs. He let his eyes linger on one man, huffing a little in amusement. Certainly not because he found the American's taste in men odd and that this model should have shaved, but because Michael ended with these in his bag at all. He did not care for books like Terrance did. Then again, Terrance did not care for these sorts of books at all.

"We should go," he said abruptly a minute after the other two fell into silence. "Besides, we are new. It would be suspicious if we did not meet our neighbors properly. It's still too early to drink our celebratory drink, so let's waste a little time."

"Eh? It speaks!" Michael laughed at his normally quiet cousin. "Well, he said it, so let's indulge him shall we?"

Johnathan grunted, but stood up and toed on his new Converse. The three headed out into the sunshine if not just to walk the circle inside the neighborhood's gates.

Really, Aiden had every intention of going to the mall. He had every intention of going to kill time at the arcade, but his curious nature about his new neighbors had him backtracking yet again, feeling the need to introduce himself. He knew what it was like to be new, having moved to the country a few years ago. Aiden just hoped that the newcomers wouldn't be put off by an Englishman in an American country.

This time, when Aiden walked by the house, he saw them come outside. The occupants were definitely not from around her, and he quirked an eyebrow, only mildly surprised. Still, it was refreshing in a way; more diversity was fun, especiallyor him. Watching them for a moment, Aiden approached the house, giving off a small wave.

"Hello," he called out, adopting a rather friendly grin on his face, "I'd like to properly welcome you to the neighborhood. I walked by earlier and saw someone moving in, and I'd figured the occupants would love for an official and friendly introduction."

When he was close enough to the three, he offered his hand out for a shake. "My name is Aiden, and it's lovely to meet you. What might your names be?" The grin never left his face. He hoped they didn't mind his eager and friendly personality.

The three Korean men looked up when they heard another approach. While they kept their relaxed looks, there was a certain tenseness that came with training, scanning the area and the newcomer in search of enemies. They were all enemies of course, but this neighbor was not a threat now. A half-second glance could tell that.

Michael held out his hand first. "Hello there. It's very nice to meet you. I'm Michael. That's my brother Johnathan and my cousin Terrance," he introduced them all with a cheerful shake of Aiden's hand. Michael loved to talk. It was his extravert personality that landed him the key job the hotel's front desk. So many important people under one roof to keep tabs of. Terrance did not have that luck, though he did love his books.

And that's what Terrance thought about while Michael continued to talk about them. Books. He offered his hand in turn, but no words came to mind for saying. He could think about books. Although certainly they'd all been taught the art of American socialization, Terrance still preferred books to people. So he hung back and pushed up his glasses and let Michael do all the talking.

"...Since Terrance finished his schooling at The University of Virginia, he invited me and my brother to come to America and live with him!" Michael finished off.

Aiden didn't seem to notice their apprehension as his approach, he was too busy being excited over having met potential new friends. His grin seemed to grow bigger when Miachel introduced himself first, and Aiden found himself nodding. When all three names were given, Aiden looked at the face to try and match that to the name. It was only polite, after all, and the names were fairly easy to remember, too.

"Lovely to meet all of you," Aiden said, keeping his voice perky. The fact they spoke English was good enough, and they did so well enough for Aiden to be able to carry on a conversation with them, at least. He found himself wanting to know their backgrounds, and it seemed as if Miachel was the only one willing to share.

Terrance did catch Aiden's eye, and he shot the other man a friendly glance. Terrance was cute, too, though it was unlikely that the man would want to pursue a relationship with Aiden. Aiden was openly gay, all his friends knew about it, but finding someone else of the same orientation was rare.

"Oh?" He asked, the last sentence bringing him back to the conversation. "You went there? What did you study?" He was focused on Terrance now, hoping to get the seemingly shy man to open up.

Terrance startled at being spoken to directly. Well, startled may not have been the right word. Someone like him may have appeared to have a well-natured personality and a cute face with eyes that crinkled at the edges and nearly closed all the way when he smiled, but he would never jump. Michael gave him a meaningful look, so Terrance answered.

"I got my degree in English Studies," he said in a voice perfectly American. No one would guess he grew up in either of the Korean countries. Certainly, no one would guess he had never lived in America at all, let alone gone to college here. The cover story would hold up to the highest scrutiny though. "I gained work in a book store near here. You?" A soft smile. Again Terrance pushed his glasses up. Damn, why did the first friendly person have to be his time? Terrance always knew he preferred the same gender, but such a thing was forbidden in his culture. He was loyal. If his cellmates knew he'd be kicked out, so he would never show it.

Terrance stepped back once again and let the others talk. He preferred it that way.

Aiden didn't seem to notice the discomfort. He was still grinning at Terrance, waiting patiently for a response. He was fairly impressed with the backstory, since the English seemed near flawless. "Wonderful!" He said, nodding. "I should have to find this bookstore of yours, and pay it a visit." Aiden was admittedly not much of a reader, being more into video games, but he did enjoy books in his spare time, and he did like collecting them too.

"What's the name of the bookstore you work at?" He asked. He was so focused on Terrance, that Aiden almost missed the question directed at him. "Oh," he said, eyes widening. "Forgive me. I work at the local grocery store. I'm a check-out clerk. Rather dull, if you ask me." He shrugged. "Having money is a bonus though." He leaned back, relaxing his shoulders.

It was obvious to him that Terrance wasn't a huge talker, so Aiden figured he could re-focus his attention on the other two. "So what brings you men to the area?" He asked. "Job transfer, checking out new locations?"

"It's called Corner Nook," Terrance responded in the same mild voice as before. Was it bad that an American showed such interest in them? A part of him couldn't help but be thrilled though. He wanted to get to know Aiden despite him being American. He already decided the other man wasn't a threat and they had all been trained to fit in and live as Americans. It included having relationships with them. Terrance half smiled again.

Johnathan stood with his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. He could be any American punk kid just as easily as Michael could be the sweet boy every girl fell in love with. "Oh, a grocery store? That's not bad!" Michael exclaimed. "Me and my brother only just arrived from Korea. He's got a job lined up at a hotel already and he's gotten me a low level job there as well. It's across the street from Terrance's book store. Family's got to stick together right?"

"We wanted to live together since we had been split from our cousin for so long," Johnathan spoke for the first time.

Michael continued on. "Hey, we're not up to anything. Could we go somewhere to eat together or play? We're still unfamiliar with the area." Terrance glanced sharply at his cousin. Why offer to continue conversing together? Did he somehow suspect that Terrance wanted that very much? He didn't think he showed it on his face at all.

"Corner Nook?" Aiden repeated. It sounded familiar. "I think I passed by that place a few times. I sort of know where it is. I'll have to make a point of stopping by more often," he teased. He took a step back though, not wanting to crowd them. They'd only just moved in, after all. It was one thing for him to show interest and act friendly, it was another thing entirely for him to smother them; they didn't know him, and he didn't know them, even if Aiden did like them.

"I agree, family is important." Aiden nodded. "My family is still back home in the UK, so I don't get to see them, but I still talk to them as often as I can." It was great to see other people so close to their families, though it made Aiden miss his own. But he could survive; he had friends to rely on so he wasn't so lonely, and there was the possibility of getting to know Terrance some more.

"Did you want to go check out the mall?" Aiden offered. "It's not too far from here, and there's lots to do, and if we walk, you can get to know the town a little more. Plus, it's a nice day out, why not walk?" He chuckled a little at that. "I'd love to get to know you more. I like you three enough already."

"That sounds great!" Michael exclaimed, clapping a hand on Aiden's shoulder. A perfect show of American camaraderie. Terrance and Johnathan both nodded their heads, wanting to hang out longer for their own reasons. "We shall see what American malls are like. Terrance, you've been to them right?"

"Yes...a few times. They're quite crowded," Terrance said with a half grin. He did not care for the mall in any country. Even the bookstores there were not quiet enough for a person like him. Even things such as shopping at malls were included in their training. How to speak like an American, walk like one, think like one. How to shop with an American's wallet size. That more than anything did not come naturally to him. "I spent more time in the school library."

Michael chuckled. "He always was the smart one. That's why he got to go to a good American school and make a good name for the family, though he's younger than us. You must miss your family, Aiden, being a country away. But America is a good place to live compared to elsewhere."

"There's usually only clothing stores," Aiden said, leading the way. "You've got shoe stores, there's a food court, and there's usually one or two bookstores and video game stores. The mall is really not that bad, depending on what your interests are. I prefer going to the arcade. It's like a video game store, only you don't get to buy video games there, you just play them, really." He shrugged, wondering if he'd explained that properly. He could try again if he didn't.

He turned his gaze to Terrance again with a nod. "Yeah they are," he agreed. "I usually keep my head down and walk around people if I don't want to talk to anyone. It feels more crowded when you're alone though. When I'm with my friends I don't care so much." He exhaled lightly at that, realizing he was getting chatty. But hey, at least they seemed to like him. Aiden felt better with that thought; it meant that his friendliness was paying off.

Aiden nodded at Michael. "I do miss my family, but it's not so bad." He offered a larger grin. "America is a pretty nice place. This area at least, is pretty. Living in an apartment is expensive, but as long as I'm able to make the money, I think I'm good." He turned back to pay attention to where he was walking, and pointed. "The mall is down the street, we're not too far off now. Maybe another five minutes, at least."

Clothes shopping was not a hobby Terrance cared for. Clothes were a necessity. Food too. Although he often found himself wishing for more of both as a child, he considered America's consumption rate a bit excessive. Michael's eyes lit up though. "Clothes! Wonderful! Johny, don't you want to go clothes shopping with me?" he asked the oldest of their group, slinging an arm over his shoulder. Johnathan just stared at Michael for a second, but didn't protest. Michael took it as a yes.

"Very good," the cheery Korean continued on. "Then us two will do that after we grab a bite to eat. Terrance can go to the arcade with Aiden and we'll meet up later!" Michael grinned. "Terrance likes those kinds of things."

"...W-what?" Terrance stared at the other in shock. "I've never played before..." Before he could protest more, Michael pulled him close to ruffle his very neat hair into a mess. In the process, he leaned close to whisper Korean into Terrance's ear.

"You get close to him. The one here he likes is you." He does? Wasn't Aiden just friendly and didn't he act to same to all three of them? Terrance tried not to read anything into it. Finally, he straightened and gave a terse nod, his face falling into a placid lake once again.

"Arasso." Terrance turned to Aiden and smiled in the sort of dazzling, winning way he'd been taught and switched back to English. "I'd love to accompany you to the arcade."