ᴠᴀʟᴜᴇ

She doesn’t really understand why it’s so addictive; perhaps it is the way gooseskin overcomes his every surface upon hearing even a word on the human anatomy, or the way he cannot stop himself from smiling and blushing profusely no matter how hard he tries upon her utterance of exaggerated come-ons (initially utilised in a flimsy attempt to get a drink on the house, now it’s purely for fun).

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Why did Heize choose this phrase exactly to send to a random person? Well, for one, the writing on the piece of paper seemed to be that of a females, and would have seemed to be initially for someone that worked here at this little shop. This did entitle that in this sense, if she was correct, the reciever would have boobs. Well, at least Dahye would hope, or else this whole thing wouldn't work.

Now, she had no idea what the personality of this other person was, but regardless, these were words any guy would be willing to ask, even if was just internally, if it would get them an answer. So Heize sent the text, just to see how intimate and close these two had gotten beforehand.

The last thought in her mind when she sent the text was definitely: this is going to be fun.

But the moment that she had seen just what the replies had gotten back, the thoughts she had was: damn.

“Yes.” Jisoo smiled, a defeated and yet curious tinge to the stretch of her lips. “No matches.” Jisoo picked up her now lukewarm shot with a grimace. “Much like the last story you’ve told me.” Taking a sip anyways, Jisoo fixed Heize with a piercing gaze. “I doubt that your name is even ‘Eunhye’ at this point.”

Heize could practically feel the stare and the judging of the older she knew for quite a while from previous meetings. The woman had seemed to have had quite the older fashion sense, as she was conservative with what she wore and seemed to fit keenly into the old korean statement of no shoulders and no knees. She probably had a stack of clothes ready to throw at Heize the moment she had come up to her.

And so it had came true, the first thing that the woman did when she came up to her was to give her a jacket. Her off-the-shoulder top was now being covered by the jacket the woman had provided, but out of the blue after Heize had completely ignored the offer. Jisoo should have known better than to provide the woman a jacket, because it wouldn't have been taken willingly regardless. But it did seem that she learned enough that she had to force the other -- and that within itself did say at least the other was trying to learn.

A feeling did come upon her where the weight on her shoulders had been relieved when the man had stopped staring due to Jisoo's quick gaze. A little jingle of the dog tags and a little evil sparkle of the eye was enough to have the guy glancing offward, making Dahye give a little chuckle under her breath.

"I hadn't forgotten." She started, pursing her lips as she had continued to swallow down as much liquor as she could with the time being, maing enough to tone out the motherly yabbering in her ear.

Dahye couldn't help herself but to inwardly grin at the others disappointment. Trying to find out her real story, but to no avail -- like she was some kind of detective or something trying to crack a case that was never open in the first place.

well, there was the company that brought him here. would it be corny to say that heize had kept his interest longer than his coworkers?

well, regardless, most of his coworkers were spineless nobodies whose ideals didn’t fit with bogum’s reality. none of them cared about the secret society of mutants below them. they only care about superficial matters. bogum is the one doing hard work; so he doesn’t bother to involve the plebeians that don’t give a shit.

however, dahye is a pleasant distraction.

he quickly brings over the bottle he has, expertly filling a shot glass for her. he refills his own and hands one to her, giving her a quick wink as he she takes the glass from his hands. it’s been a while since he’s been interested in anyone. in a long time, actually. 

“company caused me to be here. you’re causing me to stay.” he replies smoothly, as if it was natural of him to reply in such a way.

It was obvious that the woman had taken a liking to this newly acquainted man and would definitely be stringing him along for the ride until he got boring again. At least, that's what her plan was.

Yet another man who would never know the insides and outs of the way she craved affection and love, the way her fingers concave and convex in shape of her digits. Another man that will see her for her body and not for her untamed, broken heart, and another man that will be at risk to turning to a beautiful sculpture of gold. Yet another man who would never know he was ever at risk for it.

But he seemed a willing victim.

One leg now crossed over the other, exposing her pale skin and her dress riding up just a bit more than it had already, the woman leaned in a bit to take the glass from him and grin at his little wink. A graceful downing of the drink and a small clink of the glass against the bar, the woman ran her fingers through her smooth hair as she felt enticed by the man speaking.

Tonight could not get any worse but she managed to break her heel on her way to her friends place. She removed her heels quickly and decided to trek the rest of the way on her bare feet. At this point she didn’t care if her foot got cut up and she even contemplated shifting into her cat form to get there but decided against it. Seeing the place in her sight made her sigh in relief and made her pace quicken so she’s able to get there faster.

The person she was on her way to see was her best friend. The one that kept her in her place, and was there to give her a rude awakening if she needed it. Thankfully she was also there to let her cry on her shoulder and complain about her day. Something was on her way to do right now. It was about work, but she had a feeling she was about to get told she was in the wrong on this one. It was still worth getting it off of her chest.

She rushed up the steps and towards the door. She was so used to it by now and wanted nothing more to have a few drinks with her friend at that moment. She knocked her door and waited for an answer.

Heize usually spent nights where she didn't feel well at home, because it seemed to her that it was very needed.It also seemed to her that she and her best friend both needed it. The two had appearantly both had some pretty rough days and weeks lately and just needed to simmer off. Dahye was always so busy with her schedule and her best friend had a life of her own, too, so while they didn't meet up every second of the day, they always came together like they did.

Dahye was grateful for her. Hyojung was someone she definitely needed in her life, because while everyone sees her as a cold hearted, cocky performer, Hyojung saw her as a crybaby that she was. The laughing, sensible person that she was on the inside past all her trust issues and attatchent and abandonment problems.

( ... )

there she is. jang dahye.

a cocktail of emotions ambush him; anger, desolation, confusion. her voice emanates from speakers that dot various corners of the basement bar, quietening the prior din from the patrons and driving him further into a inner turmoil. sweaty appendages seek solace in the touch of a glass of something strong, and on cue, the bartender provides him with it. he downs the glass, immediately ordering another before taking in the sight that is his ex-girlfriend. under all the spotlights, appears a woman he vaguely recognises yet her voice makes him certain its her. how maturation has worked in her favour! pulchritude in human form.

he can tell already that he’s going to regret setting foot in this place.

a constant scene.

one that doesn't move, one that doesn't change -- it was always the same whenever she came, and that was what she loved so much about it. it was nostalgia. it was a great memory she tore away from herself, it was a beautiful shiver in her spine when she thought of it. a home, if she ever had one -- a place to go when she needed refuge. almost like the arms of her first love.

heize couldn't help her thoughts whenever she came to perform. the stage didn't judge her, and was very welcoming to her existence, unlike many people in her life at the moment. she had become a hot topic in this area and around town with her music style, deemed one of the better performers -- who not only sang, but rapped, and played instrumentals behind everything she did.

but there was always this ache in her body whenever she took the few steps onto the platform. a missing piece of her began to grow until there was a huge hole in her -- missing what seemed to be a whole human. her face was void of emotion and her eyes glistening with dull stars as the woman fumbled with her small ring heading up onto the stage.

the blonde was fitted well with some distressed dark blue jeans, black stilettos for crushing skulls, a simple black tank top, and her signature black leather jacket. a true antique, old as time itself, given to her by her first love. it was way too big for her when she recieved it many years ago, and now it seeed to fit like a glove on her slender body. she often only wore it when she was super nostalgic and needed a ltitle reminder that her day would be okay, which she would never admit to anyone. it kept her warm, internally and externally (for the most part, sometimes, like today, it sucked walking out in this shitty winter weather with just a black leather jacket).

dahye didn't know what to expect today. the girl had headed up to her stool on the stage and pulled over her keyboard, which was placed at her side prior, pursing her lips as she overlooked the keys. she never did intros to her gigs, nor did she feel the need to -- it was faster to get out this way.

her slim digits hovered the keys, her eyes shut as she placed her lips at the microphone. she hesitated for this moment, feeling something a bit off in the atmosphere, but paid no mind to it.

her voice began the song, followed suit by the piano. a song dedicated to a 'star' that began to fade away from her and still wouldn't be out-shined. a star in which she was always looking at and for in the sky, but questioned whether or not it was looking for her, too. one of the songs that she actually meant when she sang, and spent the most time composing. her finest work, if she was asked.

but there was a man, when she opened her eyes, by the bar, that she couldn't keep her eyes off of. a man in which she was vaguely intrigued by, but tried to keep her mind off of staring at him, because that was plain creepy. her eyes raked the crowd, but somehow it kept swiping back to the shadow like man.

this went on for the while she had been performing, the woman constantly fingering at the ring on her left ring finger, tring to avoid his gaze before finally giving in. it was toward the end of her alotted time, only enough time for a song or two more, but she chose to take a break just before she finished.

casually, the woman waddled up to the bar she regularred at, getting her regular drink and chugging it down, trying to glance at the  tall, dark figure from the corner of her eye.

( ... ) 

“either way, it’s good to meet you. may i get you something to drink? water? soju?” he offers and although it may seem a little rude, they are in a bar after all. and bogum doesn’t mind spending some of his money to buy some time with this cutie.

heizes finger began to twirl a single lock of her blonde hair, the woman pursing her lips as she looked at the other with interest. she took in every detail of the other, trying to find possible beings of flaw in his appearance, but to no avail. in the face and body, he seemed perfect. a an of beauty and grace if she had ever seen one.

the little joke that had filled the air had now been followed by the lighthearted air of her laugh, her fingers now moving from the single end of the lock to her bangs, which she pushed up and out of the way from her glistening eyes. "oh, man, i bet.." she hummed, her eyes not glancing down at her glass, where her had resided to trace the rin with her index fingertip.

"yeah, a stage name." dahye confirmed, nodding once and glancing up from her empty glass to the other figure. "it's a long story, but yeah. ultimately just because it's easier to remember than the regular old 'jang dahye'."

heize handed her empty glass to the man behind the bar and rose an eyebrow to the man. "soju, most definitely." she informed him, scooting slightly closer to the male before she rest her chin in her palm, glancing up at him.

( ... )

“sorry to waste your time, but– uh, would you have 50 cents that you could lend me?” what jiyeon didn’t know was that the female in front of her was heize– the performer that she was supposed to work for; the reason why she was here in the first place and you could say indirectly caused this situation.

heize was doing pretty well just sitting there and playing on her phone. she had a small piano app on her phone and would use it to figure out melodies and whatnot in public areas such as this one that she couldn't bring out her actual keyboard. she didn't really mind it, though, because it was easier to hide and keep attention of of her. a lot of ties when she had a keyboard or guitar out in public, people kept feeling entitled to a song.

there was this girl at the register that seemed to be ordered and heize paid no mind. she kept a conversation with her manager, who kept nagging her about not paying attention to what they were talking about, but even in that moment she didn't pay attention. she was too engrossed in the being of creating music like this.

the girl had approached her a few moments after she had just drifted her attention back to her music, where she was doodling down some notes on a staff in her notebook. heize pursed her lips and turned her attention to the girl that now towered over her sitting figure, raising an eyebrow as she awaited an explaination as to why she was shadowing her.

( ... )

he feels his curiosity overpowering him now, and he can’t help but ask a few questions in return.

“if you don’t mind me asking…well, how long have you been performing?”

with a brief pause, he adds,

“heize, right? is that your real…?”

(why was it that he always had a terrible time when it came to names?)

heize didn't expect the boy to go crazy over how she siled at him or would have had called him over, but she did also feel as if the boy would have had a slight moment in time where he freaked out, just by the way he talked and seemed to be shy.

though in restrospect, she understood it completely, considering that he was just a waiter that had to deal with probably the performer with one of the worst personality rumors. she could care less, though, being that she was shedding the light on the rumor with her kind smile to the boy.

it was obvious the boy was a bit flustered. it was cute, indeed.

the few hours that were between the interactions of the two consisted of the woman not really talking to anyone, other than the manager that was awaiting at a table not too far from the stage. her face was still and her expression blank throughout the set, the slight grin that overtook her face now becoming one of the only movements in her face since she had started.

mark seemed to be ore tense than a rock, a shock of a snicker had rummaged through her throat as she observed the boy. he looked around like he wasn't the one she was talking to, and then seeed to realize he was.

his voice chimed out after a silent moment, and he still seemed to take a moment to recall what his name was. heize's eyebrows raised in curiousity as the girl rest her chin on her palm and her elbow on the groove of her guitar.

""Minhyung-- Mark." heize repeated btoh names in case, to engrave these into her brain, attatching the face to the name as she examined the boys posture and whatnot.

"two years? i've been here for a while, i don't really know if i recall you being here." she hummed slowly, pursing her lips outward and to the side as she tried to recall a time in which she had seen him before.

her lips encased the drink for a moment and took a sip, placing the glass down and tilting her head slightly to the side. "i've been performing for a while now. ten plus years."

( ... )

“i really enjoyed your sets, you’re very talented,” he begins smoothly, his brown eyes scanning her face to see how she reacts. he’s curious about her, something is stirring in him that is rarely awakened. and at this moment bogum takes her hand in his, bringing her knuckles to his lips while bowing his head in an introduction.

“my name is bogum, what’s yours?”

A scene much too familiar to her. Same faces, same music, same scenario.

Except the an in the nice clothing and the mysterious grin on his face that would slightly uplift with each shot his seniors gave him. Her eyes were glued to him as she started and ended her set, ever so often glancing around to make it seem less obvious that she had found a new focal point. At some points, the two had made eye contact, and she made it esem like she was looking around instead.

A new prey, no doubt -- just not at the moment, because business came first.

She would take breaks between her sets in order to go get drinks of water and use the restroom, but every time, the man was still there. Thankfully. When he went back up with the last of her set, the girl sang the lasst of her songs dangerously close to the microphone and with more emotion and energy than before, mainly because she was really ready to get up and drink, as per tradition of each set.

The blonde had packed up her guitar and left the stage to head to the bar. She began to inch closer to the male she focused so hard on, but made sure it wasn't obvious, keeping her eyes off him when she had sit next to him at the bar. She was sat down when the other had opened his mouth to talk to her. That didn't take long at all. She had the impression she would have to make subtle movements to catch his attention beforehand, but she was somehow grateful that wasn't the case.

Being served her drink, Dahye turned her head slowly toward the other and gave him a small grin, raising an eyebrow as he spoke, her fingers caressing her glass in slow motions, "Thank you." She started, about to reach for her glass to drink, but intercepted by his hand. Her eyes widened slightly and she kept her eyes on him, a slight tint flooding her pale skin when he placed his lips on the back of her knuckles. The girl couldn't help but smile genuinely now. Her voice was now soft and sweet, like how it was when she performed, Her eyes glazed over his handsome face, and lingered slightly at his lips as he spoke,

( ... ) 

he wonders briefly if there’s something a little deeper, a little more profound, underneath the lyrics. something about the melody cries out to him, and although the words that came out of her lips were befitting of the mood, he ponders what she might have actually been thinking during the music’s production.

luckily for him, the water did in fact appear to be of some use, and considering that there were still sets left, he’d have a few more opportunities to approach her (and maybe even talk for once).

he keeps this thought in mind as the song begins to reach its end, heading back towards the bartender.

heize never really went out of her way to talk to someone unless she couldn't avoid it, like if someone of authority like the police were asking a question, or if there was something serious going on. a boy with a glass of water and a tray was definitely not one of those scenarios.

the boy was cute, no doubt. something about him just turned off the whole 'show your inner sociopath and show him that you dont give two shits about him and cuss him the fuck out the moment he does something wrong' switch. she definitely would take it easy on this boy, especially because it looked like he still had a bunch of life still in those life orbs of his. she chuckled to herself internally as the boy had waddled away, watching him with a raised eyebrow before she returned to her guitar.

she had begun her set again after the much needed water break, singing some of the songs that she had done. a few of these were dedicated to someone she had once knew, but were so empty and heartless when she sang them. it sounded good, and she made a faux emotion for it, but her eyes were dull and yet so filled with the galaxies.

her voice filled the room with her melody and the beautiful accompaniment of her guitar, as most of her sets at this restaurant were acoustic to fit the sort of formal atmosphere, and her eyes were almost always looking at that waiter, as she wasn't really interested with anything else in the room at the moment

after the other part of her set, during yet another break, the woman looked out for that young man that had brought her water, and once she had gotten his attention, she motioned her hand for him to come in a sweeping motion, a small grin on her face.