a n g e l i c

"if i do, it probably won't be right now. not when jia just started school." she didn't want to just pull her daughter out of school right as she had just started. that wouldn't be fair for her daughter. not when jia was looking forward to the new school year. more so than hana when she was her age. and that was what she loved about her daughter. she loved school more than hana did in a way. she was excited to learn things. "have you ever thought about moving out of town?"

“are you serious?” it's the immediate reaction that manages to slip out of jieun. it's been months since the music festival and hana was still upset about it? between then and now, there's been countless amounts of deaths and injuries. her ex-friend being exposed as a killer, her brother figure being arrested and , but hana was still upset over a disagreement of clothes? “ you know.. when you act like that, it's no wonder your own brother doesn't want to talk to you,” she let out, both anger and annoyance fueling her words. “it was one fight—well, let’s be honest, it wasn’t even that. i said one thing about your clothes and you shun me forever? all because your feelings got hurt? it’s been two months. after everything that has happened, everyone we lost, you’re going to keep ignoring me because i said i hated your feather necklace? god, get a fucking grip, hana,” arms folding over her chest, eyes shooting daggers in her cousins direction. masking that feeling of hurt with anger— refusing to give her cousin the satisfaction of seeing it. “but whatever. come find me when you get your insecurities all settled.”

should she have called her cousin soon instead of not talking to her? probably. but what would have happened if she had? would her cousin go right back to doing what she did. even after hana had told her to stop it? those questions raced through her mind as she listened to her. at the same time, jieun could have called her as well if she wanted to hang out or even talk for that matter. yet jieun never called or sent her a text. if she truly wanted to spend time with her, she would have done that, yet her cousin didn't do that at all. "you know, you could have easily called me if you truly wanted too. but you never did. communication is a two way street, jieun. one person can't be the only person calling the other." she pointed out. hana could recall that it had been herself who had been the one to always call or text jieun. even when she was out of the country for a few weeks, she would always call to check in with her cousin. but not once did jieun care to call her. and it made her wonder if she truly cared. "if you still want to be mad at me then that's your call. but i'm over what happened. i'm moving on from that." and with that, hana made her way back towards the dressing room.

Dae let out a small laugh, waving a hand in response. "Please. I practically turned off my phone last weekend, Hana. You don't need to explain yourself to me. As long as you're okay. Sort of." At her question, he nodded. "Not much better," he murmured, shaking his head. For a minute he blinked, staring at the air in front of them before he spoke again. "...do you think it's ever going to end?"

"i'm glad that you're okay though. and i get that. turning your phone off for a few days." it was something she had done years ago after her divorce. she had turned her own phone off for a little bit. with not wanting to talk to anyone back then after having to deal with that. "honestly? i don't know. it seems just as we've all started to move on, this crap starts up again. it's making me question if i should leave town for good."

"i did! it's just - still um - in the pot. i made it with cashews, and i've never really made vegan tomato soup before - but i tried!" they gestured vaguely to a pot still on the stove - turned off, of course - eyes trained on hana as she tried their grilled cheese. "right? i honestly can't tell the difference anymore - but i haven't had cheese since i was like, a kid, honestly."

"cashews in tomato soup? i've never had that before in it." it would be a new thing for her to try. "always a first for some things. " she pointed out before taking another bite of the grilled cheese. "i usually try to stick to healthy foods. during the fall and winter though, it's hard. especially around the holidays." she pointed out. with all the baked goods around that time of year, it was hard to eat healthy.

it was nice to see familiar faces of the town she once called home. it was also nice to see that nothing really changed. with a soft smile on her face, she shrugged her shoulders, ❝ neither did i, ❞ when she left this town, barbara thought it would be for good. she wanted it to be, once upon a time. now, she was ready for a new start, with a new job. ❝ but it’s so nice to see you. ❞ she would never forget how lucky she was to have a sister-in-law like hana; listening to her every word. after giving the woman a tight hug, she pulled away with a grin on her lips. ❝ how you been? ❞

"i'm glad you're back." truth be told, she missed her. she missed being able to hang out with her as well. "if you're not busy right now, then maybe we could go get something to eat, and catch up on things." she suggested. if barbara was busy then there was always next time. or whenever she was free to hang out. a smile forming on her lips, she hugged her back before pulling away. "i've been okay. how've you been?"

wandering inside of the boutique, jieun was hardly paying much attention to her surrounding until the sight of a familiar face caught the corner of her eye. it'd been weeks since jieun had last seen—or even heard—from hana. the only time she really seems to know how she's doing, or what she's been up to, is through the mouth of someone else and never from her. a fact that only seemed to leave a bitter taste in her mouth. one that grew worse because even when standing in the same building, barely a couple feet apart, there was still nothing more than silence. a hole being practically burned into the side of jieun's head with the way hana stared at her. ".. what?" that bitterness leaking into her words. the usual friendly exterior she once held for her cousin seemingly gone.

a part of her would always care about her cousin even if jieun hated her. should she have tried to talk to her after their argument? probably. but at the same time, she didn't want things to go back to normal. with jieun insulting how she dressed all the time. she was tired of that. and it was something she hated. she didn't need that in her life either. nor did she want jia around it either. hearing her speak, she shrugged her shoulders. "nothing. just wanted to see who came in." she spoke before going back to look at the dresses. truthfully, she didn't know what to really say to her. how could she even talk to her without hearing her cousin complain or insult what she wore? that was almost all she did most of the time.

"hey," he replied, glancing down at the back of her laptop. "haven't seen you in a while." dae paused, taking a sip from the coffee cup in his hand. it was a combination of things—his own absence from the town after the shock of the engagement party certainly hadn't helped. "how's everything going?" it was a loaded question, but he wasn't sure how else to start.

truthfully, she had thought that dae wouldn't have wanted to speak to her again. she would have understood. "i'm sorry for not texting or calling you." she replied. she knew she should have. just to check in with him. "honestly? pretty shitty. but i'm doing my best to go on." she replied. there was no point in sulking over things. all one could do was move forward. "how've you been?"

( @hanaxrhee )

"please tell me you made tomato soup to go with it." that would have made it even better. she loved having a grilled cheese with tomato soup. a perfect combination if anything. regardless though, a grilled cheese even alone was just as good. picking it up, she bit into it. chewing on the piece she bit off, she swallowed before speaking. "not bad." she replied, it was different. but a good different.

Unsurprisingly, Charlotte was convinced to come here. She didn't particularly feel in a festive mood in light of everything, hence why she mostly kept to herself, a drink in her hand giving him some semblance of entertainment. She looks over at Hana. "I wouldn't play any country song," she points out with a quirk in her eyebrow, shaking her head with a slight smile on her face. "This might be a western theme, but I don't think anyone listens to country anymore." People just love the chance to dress up, no one really cares about the wild west or whatever.

"you'd be surprised at how many people listen to country music." she replied. hana herself loved country music. from garth brooks, to carrie underwood. she loved the music. were there people in town who didn't like it? probably. but she was sure there were at least a few people who did. "country music is still popular. in clubs? maybe not. but outside of clubs, people do listen to it. if they didn't then artists like garth brooks, dolly parton, and carrie underwood for example wouldn't be popular still."

hanaxrhee​:

"her music is amazing." there really wasn't a bad song by carrie underwood. all of her music was pretty good. "before he cheats is a good one." the song had been one of her top favorites."cowboy casanova is another good one. same with church bells and cry pretty." if she was being honest, she had a lot of favorite songs by the artist.

"wait, hold up," gabbie raised a hand, her head shaking in disapproval. "you don't seriously consider old town road country, right? lil x nas added billy ray cyrus last minute just to top that chart." she took a long sip of her drink, trying to rock her brain for a song, but she barely knew any. "i mean achy breaky heart? jolene? i know like five country songs at best."

"i mean it sort of is. some people would consider it to be country rap." at least, that was what she had read up on. but everyone had their different opinions on it. she wasn't one to argue over that. in the end, to each their own on which genra people thought it was. "those are good ones. maybe throw in before he cheats too. that's another good song."

"yeah, but imagine all that you can use those rooms for. one could be a music room, one could be a... like a playroom or something!" aleyna said with a grin. "i have to go home to change into my cowgirl outfit too, and i'm really excited about it. i'm wearing all white, because i found the white cowboy hat first and wanted everything else to match it. what about you?"

"true. guest rooms, playrooms for kids, and if the closet isn't big enough for you, just turn one of the bedrooms into a closet." she could see the upside of having a house this big. but still though, in the end, she would go with a house that was smaller. like the house she lived in at the moment. it was the perfect size for her. "i picked out a dress, paired it with a hat and boots. just hoping no one decides to ruin it tonight."