a little bit of love!

          “ apparently, his aunt is ill ! ” they are so rarely disposed to receiving new, young people - it’s always fun ! it’s always interesting, the quick rush of excitement that practically vibrates through her at the prospect of getting to meet new people. especially now, with her dear tutor due to be married and officially moving out of her estate. it will be terribly quiet --- unbearably quiet ; it’s partially why she has her eye on a new girl that’s set to begin etiquette classes soon. “ and need i remind you, he will soon be the step son of a most beloved family friend. ” an exasperated, though extremely ladylike !, sigh moves her shoulders, gentle fingers plucking at a loose thread and fluff on his back and shoulders. “ we are doomed to be prejudiced, gaeul. i for and you against. ” though emma cannot, for the life of her, understand why he seems so against bradley. to be clear - she holds gaeul’s opinions to high esteem ( otherwise she wouldn’t deal with how often he deems it necessary to lecture her ), but she must admit when he’s being stuffy ! “ who said i was ? ” emma entertains with a playful scoff, clicking her tongue. he should know better, “ i believe we’ve already established i shall always be the bridesmaid. that isn’t the point. ” her tone is insistent as she falls into step with him, “ what if you were being told someone was a perfect match for you, and it turned out that person was truly awful ? i believe that counts as a scathing insult ! ” 

          she hasn’t had wine since the break up. not expensive wine, not even her so cherished, so defended corner store eight dollar wine. it was just so closely related to him --- wine is so intricately, intimately sungjun ; neela couldn’t fathom being able to drink it without feeling the weight of their relationship sitting, unyielding on her chest. there was never any need for it, anyways. after all, whatever wine could do, tequila could certainly do faster. now, though, not wine or tequila could lessen the burden that drapes over her, the panic that strikes through her veins at the rumbling and crashing outside their- his apartment. shaky fingers manage to touch the glass to her lips ( might as well, right ? she’s already here, she’s already a nervous wreck. what’s one more stressor ? ), tipping for a sip and very nearly dropping it on the spot. he remembered, neela thinks with a staggering twist of her heart. her favorite -- after days and days of unending bickering and grimace-worthy wine tastings. neela feels like she’s going to be sick. “ n - no, it’s fine. honest, i really don’t think i could eat right now any - please ! ” before she knows it, her trembling body is snug against his own, her free hand holding tight onto sungjun’s shirt. a short pause, actively trying to stop the way her lower lip wants to quiver out of sheer embarrassment alone. “ i’m sorry. ” her voice meek and cracking, shaking breaths as she forces herself to stabilize. “ this wouldn’t’ve -- i know y - you -- ... m’so sorry. ”

          she should’ve called in sick. texted jaehwa that she wouldn’t be able to make it - and how gross and snotty and icky she was ( lest he decide to check up on her himself ) ! - and rainchecked the whole thing for a few days while she caught up on sleep. or at least had enough where her makeup could actually cover it. “ ... thanks. ” seon manages through gritted teeth, taking the coffee as she sits down while pretending she isn’t eternally grateful that he always remembers. “ you can have the rest, then. m’not too hungry. ”

         yes ! kennedy wants to say, i am definitely only here to pick up lena. in fact, i was perfectly aware that lena was here in the first place ! “ oh ! ah, half n’ half. ” is what she ends up saying, because while one could use a great many words to describe kennedy ; coward is certainly not one of them. she’s been gearing herself up to do this for quite some time now, spent endless hours tinkering away in her own form of emotional self-assessment. this is fine. this is fine ! she’s never been one to shy away from confrontation ( or potential rejection, for that matter ). “ i - ... i wanted to talk to you, actually. ”

          now, on the subject matter of trust and honesty in a relationship -- lena has never doubted her boyfriend hold true to those virtues. she’s never had reason for suspicion, despite the hoards of online comments insisting she scour his direct messages for definitive signs of infidelity ( that must be happening, of course, because men are animals that cannot control themselves. ugh. ). she’s never felt the need to, because she’s trusting, secure in their relationship, and, well ... “ oh , my. has your nose gotten longer since the last time i saw you ? ” lena asks with a playful lilt, eyes narrowing in tandem with the way her smile widens. “ how is your engagement ? ”

TE KIERO MI REINA

          “ ... i remember , yes. ” yeseul has what she likes to call her own personal form of spidey senses. it’s uncanny, honestly -- she just knows. she knows that something upsetting is coming, can clock a bearer of bad news from miles away, and especially when it concerns the very man she swore to accompany for the rest of his life. her eyes are narrowed by the moment he starts speaking, suspicion growing with every word that comes out of seungjae’s mouth. there’s a pause. “ what ? ”

          “ - oh ! ” well, areum has to give it to her boy ; he has no issue with getting to the point. every time it makes her proud, though, joyous to know that she must’ve done something right if her kid is comfortable being so open with her. there’s always that lingering concern - deep-rooted fear that she’s messing up her kids’ childhood. not that areum would ever say as much, of course, especially not to her children, but she cherishes the peace they unknowingly give her. “ well, honey, that’s a bit complicated. a person by person kind of situation, though saying it is generally a pretty good start. ”

          she supposes its common enough to desire a nickname, and - though her own too short to demand one - which smoother on the tongue and easiest to recall than a shortened instance of one’s own name ? it’s ... practical ! blame can hardly be put on the man for the name he was given and, thus, what became of it when he clipped it. ( still ... brad ? gaeul’s prejudice is a bit understandable, unfortunately. ) emma follows gaeul closely, silk skirt elegant in its glide despite the quick shuffling of heels. perhaps she should’ve been a touch more aware of her surroundings, of her companion’s stride, but found herself too busy already itching to defend the newcomer. hardly because she had any personal connections to the man, but rather she wasn’t quite keen on having her interest squashed so early in its life. " oh - ! ” comes her soft gasp, caught thoroughly off guard as she nearly slams into the fool in front of her. a perfectly manicured hand comes forward, ignorant of the hesitation on his own, and clutches onto his arm as she ensures her dress hadn’t been scuffed accidentally. both pleased with the state of herself and eager to return to the topic at hand, emma uncharacteristically chooses to not berate gaeul for the near collision. “ cowardice ? that’s - ” a bit strong, weighted, coming from him. “ you don’t know what his reasons are. besides ! he may very well surprise us in showing up. i would like to meet him, at least. it isn’t too often i get told i could have a pleasant match, and i would hope i was held to a hire esteem than to be evenly sided with a coward. ”

          it is undoubtedly safe to say that neela has already intruded - and continued to intrude - by seungjun’s metric. she’s knowingly overstayed past his tolerance, but that was always in the name of ensuring his safety and general wellbeing ; she had to take the chance of a proper excuse and do days worth of fussing about so he’d be set until the next time she had an obligation to swing by. but this -- ... well, to be frank, this is pathetic. neela would give just about anything to stand, hands on her hips, and proudly proclaim that she had beaten her fear of thunderstorms post-break up. to feel strong, to come across as a changed, better woman than the one he remembered ... instead, she shrinks in on herself at another round of booming above her, wasting no time in seating herself on the couch. by the time he returns, her knuckles have gone white from the exertion of her fingers digging into the cushion. “ y’know, you’re like the sommelier version of those people that get a master’s degree in quantum physics but don’t know how to do third grade multiplication. ” it’s wobbly, laced with poorly veiled panic, but her attempt to humor is honest. “ but ... thank you. and thank you for drinking water. ”

          “ but you were thinking it ! ” emma huffs, allowing herself the impropriety of rolling her eyes. he’s always making that assumption --- unfairly so, if one would ask her ; regardless of what he may think, she isn’t always meddling. emma is not impervious to simple, run of the mill gossip ! her inclination to remain indignant and upset would reign stronger if it wouldn’t be for said piece of gossip to begin with - the subject of new people is always such fun ! not to mention, emma has been hearing whispers of this mysterious man for so long ... isn’t it about time they finally meet ? “ mm ... ” a soft hum, slow nods to serve as proof that she’s listening as she follows his lead. her mind is running, dutifully working a mile a minute as it creates a new file for this so-named bradley. “ oh ! oh, someone is getting married in that family, right ? his father, maybe ? ” oh, now emma wishes she’d paid more attention to the company her own father had over a couple of nights ago. it seems as if she could’ve gotten her answers if she hadn’t filtered out the droning voices so soon into the dinner. “ well, because he’s new of course ! ” emma offers with a gentle scoff, excited steps keeping her at his heels. “ when do we ever get new young faces ? never ! not to mention, i’ve been hearing of him nonstop lately ... all praise, too ! apparently he’s very handsome and, as mrs. hwang so eloquently put it, impossibly charming. ”

          had it not been for years of being in this precise situation, emma would’ve undoubtedly made some kind of noise at begin manhandled so suddenly. she huffs, however, so he understands she is certainly still indignant. “ i wasn’t meddling ! ” she most certainly was. rather, that was her original plan - double check on her current project, but they’d quickly delved into a subject emma was most keen towards ; new people. it will far from appease him, but she supposes it’s a bit less morally skewed by his standards. “ do you remember that boy i kept trying to ask you about ? i just could not for the life of me remember his name, but everyone was kicking up such a fuss -  ” her hands wave, gesturing despite one being securely wrapped in his wrist still. emma’s excitement is palpable, expectant. “ bradley ! do you know of him ? apparently he’s due for reappearance soon.”

          fussing, as it turns out, snatches up quite a bit of time. it feels like she’s been consistently moving around, trying to help him in the small ways - discreet, lest he feel emasculated. or something. her eyebrows knit together, moving towards the nearest window. “ oh, no, i - i couldn’t. i appreciate it but i wouldn’t want t’- y’know, intrude an’ stuff. ” neela swiftly pretends to ignore the thunder, swallowing down the nerves that want to frazzle at the sound. she’s braved plenty of thunderstorms since they broke up - secured with expensive noise cancelling headphones and buried under the heaviest blanket she could find - but braved nonetheless. everything’s fine ! “ m’sure it’s not so bad! i could probably call an uber before it gets - “ another crack of thunder causes her to flinch, and neela defeatedly runs her tongue against her teeth. her hands wring themselves, shuffling her weight before conceding, “ ... fine. for safety. ”

if he doesnt do so rn shes gonna rocketboot blast him in the chest fr