◦ seo hyosung ◦ 13 october, 1988 ◦
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As the first born, all attention was on her. At least that of her mother. Despite a doting father, it was obvious he was displeased. A boy, after all, was the ideal heir to a growing law firm. Still the two years spent mostly in the presence of her mother were nice. As sporadic as her father's presence was, he always managed to encourage new hobbies, however not with the same fevor her mother did. She was only two when she lost her, yet the memories always seemed so fresh, as if it'd only been a day ago that her mother had raised from her seat to give her a standing ovation upon the completion of Beethoven's Fur Elise, or Vivaldi's Spring. The day of her death left no room for anymore applause, Hyosung refusing to touch an instrument in the presence of most others. This of course didn't stop her from pursuing her hobby mostly in secret. As much as she'd pleaded with the caretakers to keep her father in the dark about it, he knew the hours absent from home were spent in the homes of her private piano and violin instructors. Despite his knowledge, he never asked her to play for him - a simple gesture she appreciated - the only audience she wanted was the one she'd never have again, not after the birth of the brother she never asked for. The trade didn't seem fair, but with time, when the period of mourning seemed to come to an end, her nurturing side developed. Ultimately, Kangjoon was all she had. At least until a new brother came along.

As she grew older, the caretakers were present less and less, her father dependent on her new mother - a word she always used bitterly toward the woman - to care for his children. A few more years would pass before both father and step-mother would engross themselves in work rather than their home life. She knew things were busy - that it was hectic to run something that was your own, still she never understood why responsibilities weren't spread among other employees in the firm. The understanding didn't come until the responsibility was passed on to her to care for her younger brothers. It was something she was never asked if she wanted to do, yet it was something she easily fell into. As she was needed home, her secret lessons became less frequent, but by that point, her skills had been refined enough for her to practice on her own comfortably. However, caring for two didn't exactly leave time for her to practice - free time spent ironing whatever clothing would be needed for the next day, packing lunches, making sure homework was done before bed.

It was all tiring, but something she fell into easily enough. Perhaps the need to be cared for, translated instead into a need to care for those she could in the way she'd only briefly known.

A life of her own didn't begin until after she'd managed to move out on her own. Planning for it had been something long and tedious. Despite getting a generous monthly allowance from her father, she still found work on her own to be able to save up enough. The evenings she was away when Kangjoon and Jaeho were old enough to care for themselves were spent at homes of students she'd managed to accumulate through connections with parents of friends. The job, at least was fulfilling, however the first few applauses from parents after their children had managed to play their first song without stumbles was something that always left her chest tightening, with tears that never came - rain substituting them instead, oddly enough.

The first things she bought when she moved out were a grand piano and a violin. It amused even her, that these were her priority over proper furniture. Still, the funds were enough to buy what else was needed as well, purchases made after affirming a safe enough delivery. Managing well on her own and able to continue school without having to worry about the performance of her siblings over her own, she settled to her new life just fine - even going as far as to find herself a roommate, or two. Two children of her own to come home to. Toffee and Pepper.

However, her life away from the responsibilities that came with a family of absent parents wasn't escaped for long. The news of the accident had been a shock, as had been the results. Her father, dead. Her brothers, nearly meeting the same fate. Those days at the hospital had been tense, only managing rid of the weight on her chest with the first sigh of relief that had come after the doctor had assured her both would pull through. The shock didn't end there. When news came of their step-mother disappearing, it was anger that had hit her first. How could it be that all those who were supposed to care for them, herself and her brothers, never managed to fulfill their responsibilities. Even so, the familiar role was one she slipped into easily. As hard as it all was, she tried her best to never complain or appear phased in front of the two boys. The only times her serene demeanor would falter were moments where chiding was needed. After everything she couldn't understand how the two could butt heads so often, so easily. Still, she did her best to keep the waters calm between them.

It wasn't until both were old enough and decided to leave on their own that Hyosung was able to actually get on with her life. With no one to care for, she wasn't entirely sure what to do. She continued her schooling - as well as giving attending appointments for private classes she had to give. By word of mouth she'd managed to gather more students, more than happy to spend her time after homework teaching those who still had parents to perform for.

Despite keeping up her interest in music and even studying it, her career path was an unrelated one. Performing in front of others was still something she wasn't quite ready for. Instead, she used the fund she managed to save and receive from the company her father had built to purchase and remodel a gallery. It took some time to make a name for herself - a place where artists would prefer to display their work above all others, yet with time, she managed to gain steady interest. Even if the work was unrelated to her love of music, being able to nurture and encourage talent in others always seemed to be something she gained fulfillment from, be it music or art. At least there was something she could do to help others be seen. Something which she felt she never was, at least not by those whose attentions mattered most.


Being the embodiment of the earth comes its perks as well as drawbacks. Unlike her two brothers, Hyosung hardly has moments of weakness, able to keep up her strength whether it be night or day. However, her abilities keep her cautious at all times. She does her best to avoid violent emotions. Days of uncontrolled emotions have given her a taste of the damage she's capable of dealing - storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions - all disasters mother nature gets the blame for, are things she can cause as well. Despite being able to willingly exert control over tectonic plates, the atmosphere and other such things, she still does her best to keep herself out of situations that might cause her to lose control. This fear is what keeps her from forming bonds with others who she doesn't consider family. Her control can be weakened or enhanced in the presence of her brothers if it's something that requires the energy of the sun or moon.

Apart from her abilities to wreck havoc, she's also able to nurture plant and animal life without difficulty. Having a "green thumb" makes it easy for her to restore plants that seem on the brink of death. Likewise, her nurturing nature naturally brings out her need to care for anything or anyone she comes in contact with - as long as they remain on her good side.

Unlike her two brothers, she's unable to manifest a weapon, at least not yet. Since her abilities are something she struggles with - a bad day for her could mean an extremely bad day for others - there's still a lot she's been unable to explore, or things she's only been able to do once or twice without being able to replicate the ability at will. Terraportation - being able to teleport via Earthen substances - and manipulation of certain minerals or substances (like magma) are such examples. However, her determination to figure out the extent of her abilities is endless, resulting in new discoveries quite often. Hyosung's ability to manipulate things such as magma/lava, lightning, etc, also deem her immune to their negative effects.

One such discovery that came as a surprise was the ability to summon a leviathan she's dubbed Zeme. The sheer size and appearance was frightening enough to have Hyosung questioning whether or not it was a dream - but building enough courage to prove its tangibility left no doubt that it was indeed real. Zeme is able to travel on land and in water. Due to her size, Hyosung has yet to summon the creature often enough to know abilities apart from the strength and amphibious nature which are both obvious. Even though the instances Hyosung has had to interact with Zeme have been few so far, she's still managed to bond with Zeme - though this wasn't a difficult task, their first meeting being sufficient to make the creature's obedience clear.

Some aspects of her powers are easier for her to embrace than others. While being able to care for living things is something that brings her joy, her capacity to be able to destroy them as well is something that frightens her. This fear has managed to keep her curiosity for the extent of what she can do at bay. For now, most of the new discoveries she makes about what she's capable of are accidental - her hope is that all these accidents remain "happy" ones.


► resides at samseong-ro 85-gil gangnam-gu.

► drives a 2016 m6 bmw.

► she can play piano, violin, and cello proficiently.

► she can speak conversational french and english.

► her gallery features at least one artist every two months.

► due to taking on the role as mother for her siblings, she's never had much of a dating life.

► it's easy for her to place the needs of others before her own.

► anger isn't something that comes easy, but she is a force to be reckoned when something or someone does manage to enrage her.

► she's had to learn to control her emotions to keep from wrecking unintentional havoc.

► owning a gallery has inspired her to explore art mediums. for now charcoal and watercolors have her attention.

► the beach is one of her favorite places to be, but one she doesn't get to visit too often.

► the struggles in her family life are not ones she shares openly.

► despite no longer living with them, she tries her best to keep in touch with her two brothers.

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