wild & chic

█ ▌His thumb was stuck against the tip of a straw much too tiny to drink from - and against his hand, it looked like a toothpick. He used it to stir the warm coffee, tracking lazy swirls of foam and latte until the beverage gave a small upheaval from the weight of another cup being placed on the table. He glanced up, abandoning his cooling stick and slumping back against his chair with a set of pursed lips. 

    “Please don’t tell me he’s showing up like last time. I’d be heart broken if our date was pushed to a third party.” His hand covered his heart as if the teasing was an endearing notion, his expression falling into an unnatural pout. Usually, Haera managed to trick him into a social gathering with his rival: this time it looked safe, but he could never be sure. His gaze flitted to the windows just in case.

They’ve known each other since their first year, and as much as Haera appreciate Yong’s impeccable taste and attractive height, it was decided from day one that the extent of their friendship would only extend to her demanding a custom-made dress (or shoes) for a party or her bitching about the latest smart-mouth junior who got in her way. She swiped her hair to one shoulder as she sipped on her cappuccino, her eyes rolling automatically at the mention of their other best friend. 

( ‘ / the beach was quiet in the early hours, silence washed with the sound of waves. ah-in only knew that from experience, legs hung over the edge of the raised pathway as he fiddled with his phone. his notebook was open, perched on his knee as he stared dully at the song that he was editing. half distracted by the lit electronic screen as he studied the time, using the tips of his fingers to spin the phone around. hwang haera – the thought of her name came with the memory of he turning, biting her lip as she gave it. and the ‘.’ that was her contact in his phone, because he didn’t change it. a man of his word. he told her that. which was why he was unlocking his phone, his body leaned forward into the metal railing, pen and paper falling from his lap. forgotten for his new distraction, his own lips curved into a languid boy-like grin. )

the well-meant advice only confirmed his raging suspicions: he looked borderline foolish. enjoying the only constant exercise that made him feel mildly relaxed, at that point in his life, made him look stupid and slightly out of place. he consciously turned his forced grimace into a smile, bashful and apologetic, before thinking of addressing his own personal awkward catch22 situation. three options: embrace doing yoga badly and look silly; pretend to not be doing yoga, whilst actually engaging in a yoga session, and look even more silly (and quite possibly uncomfortable in his own skin); and, finally, stop attending yoga sessions and fall into a downwards spiral of instability in his pathetic student life. quickly, the probing question of ‘what next?’ got tossed into a to-do pile, saved for later. hyunki swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to do better, swapping his feet around while carefully studying the elegant woman gracing his presence. something swelled in his chest, something he hadn’t felt for a long time. envy. 

as the instructor called for everyone to grab a partner, for a new and exciting addition to the routine, hyunki stared at the green spot where his bro-ga buddy would have been. alas, life moves on. gotta be present for the present.

However, as the instructor called for everyone to get a partner, Haera had to roll her eyes at her possible choices. There are a couple of girls up front who she knew from previous yoga classes, but they’re all bitches and could barely hold a single leg up without stumbling like an idiot, her acting junior is diagonally in front of her -- a cute girl, she’ll come over if Haera so much as rise an eyebrow -- but she’s with her boyfriend, so they’ll definitely pair up. And for god’s sake, all these other girls seem to scared to be in one breathing space as her, let alone hold her hand and have skin-on-skin contact. It wasn’t until a voice spoke up from behind her did Haera jump up a little in shock and turned back.

It was the boy that kept making a ruckus, and Haera’s features almost stretched into an amused little smile before she nodded once. Ushering him forward, she tilted her head to look at him, thinking of a possible recognition that would come. But it never did, she probably never crossed paths with him in one of her classes. Or maybe it was because he was less than memorable. One of the two.

ah-in studied her fingers as the flitted over the screen, brown orbs meeting hers when she spoke about random girls names and her own. he wouldn’t deny that there were at least a handful of girls names and numbers in there that he couldn’t remember the faces to; it came with his territory. a loll of his head as he read what she entered upside-down, the recognition of what she’d done; right on top. number one on his contact list. tongue grazed over the curve of his smile, teeth bitten into it as he nodded his head, her voice drawing his concentrated gaze back up to hers. 

breath in his lungs filtered out with a chuckle as she closed the space between them more; almost as if for a fraction, he’d held onto one. the proximity of her to him left a trail of heated thoughts through his subconscious. “i’d feel more special if you stayed up waiting for me,” ah-in replied in immature manner, a feigned disappointment that was coated more in sensual. even his hand sought out the curve of her waist, as if in anticipation of more. brown orbs completely fixated on her that the movement of her handing him back he phone caused his heart to jump uselessly. a boyish laughter tumbled from his lips as he accepted it back; slightly more enraptured by her than he was seconds before.

confusion was knitted in his brows when she brushed from looking at her phone to using a tone of voice, which resembled shards of ice piercing through his chest. he might have expected a giggle, he did like when girls giggled at his efforts – which made him question how he could get one out of the girl in front of him. “yeah, that’s it,” ah-in agreed in a casual manner despite his thoughts. his hand curled around his phone as he shifted his weight, head falling to the side as she turned away; leaving a linger scent of her perfume behind and remnants of amusement at her antics. she was hinted with cuteness, at least, ah-in thought so. proof in how she walked off haughty, only to turn back, and his expression brightened in expectation.

“hwang haera?” ah-in repeated her name, entertained as he bowed forward, one hand behind his back as he played the role of prince charming in his head; a dip that came with him straightening up with a cocky tug of a smile. his chocolate orbs met her, glinted mischievousness only to drift over the few people who had eyed his actions in question and return to her with his head cocked. “i’m park ah-in,” he smoothly gave his own name, his arms swung at his sides as he rocked a step back and a smile filling his features, flashing whites. his gaze fell and rose with a thought. “don’t make any plans tonight. it’s rude to cancel,” ah-in informed her, playful confidence seeping through as he shifted his weight. 

Her heartbeat was now beating out of control, and the tall girl decided to walk away calmly before she completely melted into something that she was sure a girl like her wouldn’t do until at least the second date. Thinking of a second date already? Haera laughed sardonically in her head. His touch caused goosebumps to appear under her clothes, spreading across her stomach. She always had the strangest physical reaction to things, blush spreading across her neck, goosebumps always firstly appearing in her stomach, the way the tips of her fingers become clammy as she steadily becomes more nervous because of one thing or another. 

“Park Ahin.” She mumbled under her breath as she turned to walk away. She oddly expected some untoward English name -- she could not understand how there are so many of them running around campus, was everyone born overseas? -- but was pleasantly surprised when his name floated to her ears. 

Haera had to smile at his little declaration. He had guts -- like her -- and she liked it, albeit guts used in completely different instances, if she had to assume. There was no mistaking it, she is definitely going to hear from this one sooner or later. 

What position does your character sleep in? ( i.e; stomach, side, back, etc. ) Describe why they do this – optional.

Does your character have any noteworthy features? Freckles? Dimples? A scar somewhere unusual? etc.

Does your character have an accent? What does it sound like?

Do they have any verbal tics? Do they have trouble pronouncing certain words or getting their thoughts across clearly?

What are their chief tension areas? 

If you were to pick one song – and only one song – to describe your character, what would it be and why?

How does your character perceive themselves? Positive? Negative? Neutral?

Are they a quick thinker or do they need time to sort through their thoughts?

Does your character dream or are their nights filled with an empty blackness? Describe a dream they’ve had or a night they couldn’t sleep and what they did to preoccupy their time.

If they had a choice, would they prefer a subway or a bus for public transportation?

What do they think of creation? Do they believe in evolution or do they believe in God? What is their religion like?

Describe 5 unusual characteristics your muse has.

Have they ever been so overwhelmed they had to stop and take a break from something? 

Are they a team player or do they prefer to be solo?

Can they multi-task or must they focus on one subject at a time?

What are their best school subjects? What are their worst? List five of each.

Is your character an introvert or an extrovert? How do they handle big crowds of people?

Are they a leader, do they prefer to follow, or would they rather just stay on the sidelines altogether?

If your character was suddenly challenged, would they rather run away or stay and fight?

If your character was allowed to murder one person without any consequences, who would that person be and why?

Your character has been granted 3 wishes; what would they wish for and why?

Does your character trust people right off the bat or does it take them some time to warm up to someone?

Do they prefer romance or affection? What is the quickest way to your character’s heart?

Does your character have any enemies? If so, who and why?

Do they have any weird bedroom habits? Any unusual kinks?

How does your character prepare for bed? Do they sleep at all or can they stay awake for days on end without trouble?

If your character had one thing to say to their parents before they died, what would it be?

Are they afraid of death? Do they have any regrets?

Does your character get restless when things are too quiet or do they favour solitude and silence? Why?

ah-in couldn’t overlook the disappointment – maybe he should have said something extravagant or wild. a laugh rolled over his lips as he shook his head, hand messing through his hair as he was amused at her words. “i’ll do my best to remain attractive then,” he joked back, unconcerned over whether he did or didn’t. but he never quite had the issue with how he looked. most girls were focused on the fact that he toed the line of the rules, that he swore too much when he was excited, or that he handled everything with a nonchalant recklessness. as if nothing really mattered that much. if something bad happened, he wasn’t bothered by it.

anticipation in his fingers as he nodded his head at her words; her number – that was it. at least, that’s what he could put into words in the moment. everything else was implication, tucked in words and glances. his gaze tried to read her, align a map of her reactions. but his compass must have been off, as he found himself shocked by her extended hand; eyes widened and a flickered glance to her in question. “write it on my arm? are you try to mark me as yours already?” ah-in teased as he dug his phone out of his back pocket and he unlocked it with one hand; opening up a new contact before he handed it over to her.

“here–” came a little later, teeth over his bottom tier.

It seems like being in trouble with him wouldn’t be bad at all.

“I don’t need to mark people for them to feel like they’re mine.” She said lowly, a small smile playing on her lips as she tilted her head to the side. Hwang Haera knows that she’s it, long legs and flowing dark hair, with a smart mouth and a pretty impressive ass. She was coveted, not only talent-wise, but also as a woman. Now she wasn’t going to let some boy (no matter how damn attractive) make her forget that.

A little coy smile flitted across her lips as she accepted the phone, and with one hand entered the digits of her phone number (no deliberately made mistakes this time) and hovered over the contact name. “Not my name, you wouldn’t know how to find me then-” She said, flickering her eyes up to his as she entered a simple ‘.’ in it’s place. “You’ll forget a random girl’s name on your phone.” That way it’ll be on the top of the contacts list. It felt like he needed an explanation for that overly ‘mysterious’ name, she’s not the type to play games or go out of her way to appear a certain way, not quite becoming for an actress. Haera would definitely not inflict anymore confusion when it is not needed. 

“You keep saying 3am, I feel like I should set up an alarm.” A little laugh slithered out of her lips, twirling the phone on two fingers but still not handing it back to him. Dark eyes rounding on his own with a little of her well-pronounced confidence, fingers finding themselves playing with the ends of her long tresses. Taking half a step towards him, Haera leaned forwards and toyed with the idea of putting the phone in her hand to the back pocket from which it was retrieved, before laughing under her breath and settled with simply handing it back to him. Stepping back, she finally tore her eyes away from his and glanced around, now strangely wondering if anyone around them had seen their little exchange. 

Flashing him a smile, Haera took out her own phone to check the time -- and slightly scowled at the number of unread messages blinking up at her -- and breathed a sigh of relief as she had plenty of time to laze around at home. “Well then- if that’s it--” Her tone sometimes had the distant tone of needing to be somewhere, brisk and crisp when it really shouldn’t be, it was an unwanted talent that sometimes came in handy. Placing her sunglasses back on the bridge of her nose, Haera turned on her heel and continued towards the direction of the apartments. It only took her two steps away from his direction before she turned back just as sharply to call out to him, an unreadable expression on her face as she bit her lip in thought. It wouldn’t hurt...

“i’m not a liar. i’m a man of my word,” ah-in responded without a mark of hesitation or doubt. because he felt mildly offended that she would walk away thinking that she had him on a lie. he was too blunt for that, too loyal. still, he felt success when she laughed. even if it was at him. brown orbs held on her as she spoke, as he absorbed the sharpness of her gaze; he might have liked her eyes more than her legs. they were piercing, like she could see right through him. 

hands shoved in his pockets as he inhaled in shock at her words. “not fun?” the disbelief in a breath of the words, exaggerated to effect. even the faint coy curve on her tiers came with a satisfaction for ah-in. “i could teach you how to be fun,” he informed her, a casual bobbing of his head, agreement in the languid way he spoke. he was certain of himself. like he could convince her by that evening to come do something wildly inappropriate and dangerous. “you’ll be surprised how much you can enjoy being fun.”

his bottom lip was tugged under his teeth, bitten over and released as she had him – but he hadn’t hidden that he had come over for a reason. ulterior motives were not something ah-in was good at covering up and he often didn’t try to. “i know you’re a beautiful girl. smart. i know you probably get asked out a hundred times a day. and i know you probably don’t want anything to do with me,” ah-in spoke with ease, a loose shrug of his shoulders. “but i came over to ask you for your number anyway. we’ll say… because i couldn’t help myself.”

She raised an eyebrow, lips parting as she blew out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. Haera didn’t even know  his name, and he was doing all sorts of things to her. “Maybe I choose to be boring, ever thought of that?” She ran her fingers through her cinnamon locks, the ends of which flicked her elbow, a mental note was placed in her head absentmindedly that she needed to come downtown for her monthly trim. It took a little effort to look the way she does. 

But then, albeit slightly, the veil lifted. “Oh-- well...” Haera said, disappointment slightly etched in between syllables. “Don’t start feeling sorry for yourself though, it’s not very attractive.” A cool edge in her words, eyes not once wavering from his own. Thoughts ran in her head, how these occurrences never end well with her. Whether it be boys introduced by her friends or the boys that tracked her down after her name and face was plastered all throughout the university during her big roles in university productions, they all sort of tried to make small talk through text and even succeeded in having coffee or a beer with her, they all fell unbelievably dull. They came up to her because of her looks and couldn’t find a way to stay when confronted with her icy personality. Conversely, she had to cringe and groan through every interaction, perhaps finding them physically attractive but nothing other than that appealing. 

Honestly, she thought that she has been quite magnanimous so far. 

Get on with our lives? Was it really that easy for her? Maybe the fact that he was acting so goddamn stupid was because the whole actually meant something to him. But who was he to say that when she seemed to be dealing with the whole situation without any strings attached.

“Nothing?” She asked, helplessly. Eyes falling to her entangled fingers on her lap, disappointment evident on her face, voice, and slumped shoulders. “It’s just I miss you. And I don’t know what’s going on apart from these assumptions that I’m making in my head.” It was the truth, it took two to make the previous decision and it take the same two to close that particular chapter. 

Realising that he wont have anything to say sometime soon, Haera slid off the surface of the desk and on to her feet, grabbing her purse and hat slung over the chair, all without a word. She figured that he might stop her -- a very low chance if ever she saw one -- if he would have something to say to her. He didn’t, of course, and she took her usual long steps across the studio, out the door, and into the blistering summer sun.