♔ reine ;;

       “You better have brought me something back. To appease the loneliness I felt without you.” Miyoung half joked with a soft chuckle of her own. She did miss, Nami’s presence in her life even if she was gone for a short while. She was jealous that her schedule didn’t allow her to go to New York as well. Everyone knew that she liked presents. Especially if the present happened to be something she could wear. She shook the box a couple of times gently trying to identify the contents before finally opening it. Her eyes lit up at the sight of something sparkly.

       Her favorite thing was to say, it wasn’t the thought that counts but the gift. Nami never disappointed her. As soon as she saw the necklace it out a soft smile on her lips. Without paying much attention to anything else she took the necklace out of the box and examined it.  “Exactly my style.”

“I don’t know how you survive when I leave, but I am so proud of you for carrying on,” Nami replied as she pretended to wipe away a single tear.  No matter how many times she left for a shoot, she was always sure to bring home a gift for one of her dearest friends.  The two found themselves bonding over the finer things in life more often than not, and there was no one that appreciated her taste in presents more than Miyoung.

Her grin widened at the other’s reaction, “It’s perfect for any occasion, especially when you’re looking to show off.  I guarantee that it will catch anyone’s eye if that beautiful face of yours doesn’t first.”

“Thanks, babe.” Miyeon replied, grinning back at her older friend. She wasn’t even going to mention how she’d been contemplating moving again before her final year of school– she’d already dampened their shopping date with her attitude, and she didn’t want to do it even more with hypothetical bad news. “Yeah, that’s true. I still want a beer though, just to solidify the fact that I’ve hit rock-bottom in my life. That’s easier on my soul that dressing tastelessly or dating a boy.”

“Anything for you,” Nami started up her car after flashing the other a bright smile.  As she pulled out of the parking lot, she kept her eyes on the road, nodding without looking at her friend.  “I don’t hang out with sad-sacks,” the Ruler replied with a very matter-of-fact tone, “so you better stop with the pathetic lifestyle.  You could do so much better.”

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        “Okay.” There was a pause while she thought of a nice way of asking them what she was holding exactly. It didn’t look like much to the engineer but curious eyes remained on the box while she questioned them. “So what is it? What does it do?” 

Miyoung’s reaction elicited a genuine laugh from the other Ruler, reaching over to unfold the lid of the box, “It’s a present, dummy.  Is it really so surprising that I would leave for New York and bring you back something special?”

“It’s not like I’m doing this because I want to. If I had a choice in my life, I’d be modeling as much as you.” Miyeon countered with a childish pout. If there was anything that made her jealous of those not born into an intense chaebol family, it was a fact that they actually had a choice in their future career. “Oh my god, can you? That would be really great. Just like, clothes stuff for magazines? I’m not big on the makeup shoots. But I wouldn’t mind moving back to America for that, honestly. As long as I got to keep what I wear.” She shrugged her shoulders at the idea before opening the passenger door. At this point, she had  a better chance of being a model in Korea than moving back to America for anything. “Yeah, but wine doesn’t go good with spicy. I’d rather have no wine than wine paired with the wrong thing.”

The elder just nodded her head, knowing exactly how Miyeon felt about her job.  She felt sorry for the fact that her friend was pressured into working, but she had confidence in the other’s skills.  “Of course!  I can find something local for you, so you won’t have to move away from me,” Nami promised with a grin.  “You make an excellent point, but I don’t mind spice with lighter red wines.”

“Tch, right.” Dohyun lets out a soft chuckle before looking back over at the fellow royal.  “Mhm, of course it’s the charming personality. But you forgot to add the charming face, the charming dimples and–” he lets himself stop halfway, eyes glistening with mischief, knowing the reaction he’d receive from the other in no time. So instead he decides to drive the attention all onto Nami itself. “Though for you, I can’t quite say the same… What are your redeeming qualities, exactly?”

Nami showed no change in emotion with his remark, a small laugh escaping passed her lips.  “Well, for one thing, I could squash you and your reputation like a bug without lifting a finger,” she reached up to run her hand through her hair, not at all bothered by his attitude.  She had dealt with worse, much more important people, and he was like a cockroach in her eyes.  “Would you like me to show you?”

Haneul flinched away from the other’s fingers as they reached out to touch her hair. Sure, it looked better than usual - weeks of professionals styling and using expensive products on it near daily so it could stand under studio lights did that - but people she hardly knew, touching her? No, thank you. Still, she recognised the girl and figured that it would be better to be civil than to slap her hand away and ruin her reputation in both the school and any intersecting connections between the acting and fashion worlds. Straightening her back, she pasted on a grin and raised her voice a few octaves. “Yeah, thanks! I’ve been using better products lately. Yours looks great too!”

“How sweet,” Nami chimed in, her usual grin plastered effortlessly across her features.  She had no real interest in the other’s hair, or anything about her, but knew that Haneul had been rising to popularity with her current drama.  It was always important to establish relationships in the industry, and she knew how to take advantage of that.  “I just wanted to congratulate you on your drama.  I’ve heard nothing but great things.”

“I’m finishing up my last bit of work before I go on break until the holidays.” Miyeon mentioned with a shrug. “But who knows, that time might just be filled with student government or sports or something. I want to book some more shoots, but who knows how well that’ll go. It would just be nice to do something besides underwear modeling for once.” While she did take pride in her body, and had no problems with showing it off, a bit of variety wouldn’t hurt– and it would probably save her father from another heart attack. “Yeah I get that. Some beers are good, you just have to find the right one. I can’t really touch soju anymore so my options are limited.”

“You’re so busy.  You’re going to work yourself dry, and you’ll be out of a modeling career before you’re thirty,” she replied without much thought, knowing that she was just as busy as her friend. Miyeon’s work was much more difficult, of course.  She couldn’t imagine helping run a hotel, but their hours were similar.  “I could see if there’s anything available for you, if you’d like.  At this point, you might as well be a Victoria’s Secret Angel.”  As they reached her car, Nami slid her bags into the backseat before climbing in.  “You know me.  I’ll be a wine person until death.  If I’m going to consume empty calories, I might as well enjoy the taste.”

Even though the words were supposed to be comforting, they really didn’t do much but make Miyeon feel worse for even making the comment in the first place. Still, she uttered a quiet ‘sorry’ and nodded her head, attempting to put a smile on her face. “Mmm, good question–” She hummed, rubbing her hands together as she acted deep in thought. “Nakji bokkeum. And beer, I want beer too.”

The easiest thing to do was to just shrug off the conversation and move onto a different topic. Something less dark would be good, for example.  “Our workloads needs to lighten up soon.  We need a weekend together without anything to worry about.”  Nami let out a content hum at the suggestion, “Ah, that sounds delicious!  Well, not the beer, but I can find something else to drink.”

Miyeon wasted no time in getting up, quickly making her way towards the exit while Nami got in line to pay for the dress. “Yeah, thanks, I’d miss you too.” She mentioned, shooting the girl a cold look when her back was turned. Was that all she was, a drinking and shopping partner? Following alongside once they exited the store, she nudged the model with her elbow. “After dragging me out for so long, the least you could do is get me something to eat, you know.”

“Of course I would miss you,” Nami turned her head to look at the other, tone hinting at how offended she was by the remark.  “You’re one of my best friends,” she defended herself with a frown.  As they wandered toward her car, she swatted at Miyeon’s elbow, “I’m not a savage, Miyo.  What are you craving?”

“Yes. The art gallery that recently opened.” It was one of the biggest events of the month- with both of their social statuses, Joo Won realised they were, indeed, to attend the same one. Starting to piece the information together, he finally smiled at her. “I guess we can get to know each other a little more there, then.” Not wanting to play coy, Joo Won looked at her, amused. “Do you happen to have a date for the gala yet?” Not that having one was necessary- at least for his case- but that would certainly eliminate (or reduce the number of) one of the most tedious questions of all time- do you have a girlfriend?  Her presence by his side would bring him more good than bad. 

Everything worked out perfectly in Nami’s favor, just as things usually did.  There had been no convincing on her part, and yet she still received her ideal outcome.  The model returned the grin, “That sounds great.”  The more she spoke to him, the more she believed that she had made the proper choice in picking him.  There were a few others on campus that she had considered as a possible date, but Joo Won was the most likely to actually behave at a gala.  It was a smart decision on her part, she noted.  “I suppose I do now.”

“I don’t think this is one of those moods retail therapy can fix, sorry. I told you I wasn’t feeling great when you called, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She wore an apologetic smile on her face for a moment before pointing a finger at the Ruler. At the beginning of the day, she was more tempted to buy a few items for herself, but as time passed, she grew more annoyed with the occasional photo snaps from fans. Could it have been any other day, like one where she actually wanted to be out and about and wasn’t dealing with a dye job that didn’t match what she wanted? “Well, either I do the work or my dad slits my throat while I’m sleeping and makes it look like I did it myself. I think it’s an easy choice to make.”

“I was hopeful,” Nami shrugged off the other’s words, making her way toward the checkout.  She went through the motions of purchasing the item without much thought, so used to sliding her credit card without even checking the price that it was basically second nature.  Once they had finished, she gathered up her purchase and lead the way out of the store.  “Fair enough.  I can’t drag you along on a shopping spree if you’re dead,” the Ruler remarked with a smirk.  “And you’d be a horrible drinking partner with a slit in your throat.”

“That’s more your problem than mine, doll.” Miyeon responded, resting her chin in her hands as she attempted to wait patiently. Even though she knew the importance of a good outfit, especially for such events, she just couldn’t bring herself to get into the spirit. She simply shrugged, not wanting to use any more of her time to wallow in self-pity than she already had. “I can already tell that you want to get the first one more. Neither of them are hideous and it’s not like I’m wearing it, so I really don’t care. Just get that one if that’s what you want.”

“You’re the worst shopping partner today,” the words left her in a huff as she turned to change back into her original outfit.  The woman could understand the other’s frustration, but it would have been nice if they could have hung out without any stress.  Stepping outside of the dressing room with the first dress in her arms, she motioned for her friend to follow, “I can’t believe you’re going to ditch me for paperwork.  Well, I can believe it, but I’m still offended.”

“It doesn’t take two people to find a dress for one person, and it shouldn’t take four hours to do it either. Well, I can just tell you what that’s like so you don’t have to experience it yourself.” Under any other circumstance, Miyeon would be more interested in their afternoon activities, right now all she could think of was the pile of paperwork collecting on her desk, and how her father would have her head on a stick with a grin on his face if she didn’t have it completed by the next morning. “If you’re not done after one more, I’m leaving you anyway and catching a cab.”

“It does when one of those people happens to be very indecisive,” she replied, disappearing behind the dressing room door once more.  There was a decent chance that they would be leaving with the dress she was currently wearing, but it couldn’t hurt to try the last one on.  “Poor choice of words, sorry,” the Ruler muttered as she slipped out of the dress, moving to put on the next one.  After a moment of zipping, she stepped out of the room to check in the mirror, “This is the last one, don’t get your panties in a bunch.  What do you think?  This one, or the one I just had on?”  No matter what Miyeon’s opinion was, she had already made up her mind.

“Yeah, it looks great, you should totally get it.” If the lack of interest wasn’t apparent in Miyeon’s voice, then the fact that she hadn’t even bothered to look up at her friend’s outfit definitely gave it away. Sighing quietly, she poked out her glossed lips and whined, “Can we go now? We’ve been to like, every store in this mall and I’m tired.”

Nami didn’t mind that her friend paid no actual attention to her clothing, too busying staring down her reflection in the dressing room mirror.  Her gaze remained glued to her own image as the younger whined at her.  “I can’t wear the same dress to an event twice, Miyeon.  Our mission has a purpose. Do you want my career to die when it’s only just started?”  The question, of course, was rhetorical, but she still paused for a dramatic effect.  “One more and we can leave.”