/ / * G C D.

-&& She stops immediately, putting the spoon down as she looks at the other, her eyebrow raising “I thought you said that It’s safe, I’m not gonna die, am i?” She chuckles and shakes her head “You need to make up your mind, now I’m too scared to give it a try. I love my life too much to die. Oh, right. The story.” She nods her head, her hand playing with the spoon. yep, she isn’t going to eat again until the other tries it first. “So I was saying that there was this dude that was hella drunk last night at the club, and man he was crazy. I hate drunkards, they are insane.”

❝ it is safe! ❞ or, at least, she thought it was. just that the other’s words were starting to fill her with a bit of paranoia. because, really, you never know. maybe dohee has a secret little ghost that follows her around. one that she’s completely oblivious to and putting a fatal ingredient in her meal was the way to get her attention. or maybe, maybe, when she wasn’t looking, a bug fell right into the pot! the possibilities are endless and by now, of course, a million and one unlikely scenarios are flowing through her head. she sure has a big imagination for a 25 year old adult. ❝ you won’t die, promise! here, i’ll even take a bite with you. at least, that way, if you go down.. you’ll be taking me with you. ❞ will nod to confirm her promise and further persuade. surely, they wouldn’t die from a bug, would they? unless it was poisonous... and, naturally, she decides to assume the worst. now plays nervously with her fingers, too apprehensive to even grab the spoon. ❝ oh my god. ❞ a random, surprising outburst. but this is a topic she can relate to. ❝ i know what you mean. ❞ a tiny frown will take refuge on her lips. flashes a look to show she really does understand. ❝ you should see some of them when i’m performing. they literally crawl onto the stage to get to me. and half the time, the bouncers are too slow to get to me right away -- there are random customers that i have to put my trust in on this. ❞ honestly.. why was she even still working there? oh, right. for a cover. that’s all it really was, unfortunately. she could always find something else to do though, couldn’t she? probably. she just.. has the habit of giving too many chances. 

Although his face was sore and his lip was still bleeding, his smile was impossible to contain. Three types of beer? It was just too charming. ❝It’s really thoughtful of you, though any kind would’ve been fine.❞ Picking the third one, he quickly opened the bottle and took an immediate sip, almost reveling in the way the alcohol felt on his wound. It wasn’t like him to get into trouble, and it definitely wasn’t like him to drink alcohol considering he was barely eighteen, but he seemed to have lost all kinds of morals for the night and in all honesty, it wasn’t bothering him. ❝You don’t need to thank me. I just wish more people would step forward when situations like this happen.❞   And he genuinely did. For a boy with such a big heart like his, he absolutely despised witnessing any kind of unfairness. In this case, mistreating a woman like this right in front of his eyes was just beyond upsetting. ❝Just make sure you take care of yourself and don’t let them abuse their freedom. Either way, I’m leaving soon. I’m tired of being here. Is your shift over soon? I can accompany you home.❞ And he took yet another sip, aware that maybe he was being too forward, but why not ask? After all, despite not really having the time to discuss any further topic, the two had had quite the night together. Why not stay together for a bit longer? ❝Sorry if it was a stupid request. Either way, I’ll go pay for this. The invitation is up.❞

❝ there are a few good people left in this world, clearly. ❞ she looks him in the eye when she says it. wants him to know she’s referring to him in particular. except, there were multiple occasions just like this one, as well. it happens almost every single night. to the point where it makes her wonder if this really is the right place for her. perhaps she could find a better, safer job somewhere else. or just focus on her music. but then what? she’d have no cover. no excuse. can’t blame her exhaustion on work if she has no job that’s actually known to the public. ❝ i’d kick them in the face if i could. ❞ a discontented huff. it’s a shame, the measures people go to nowadays. and the fact that dohee is just.. too nice. doesn’t want to be rude to paying customers and end up getting fired because of it. even if it could easily be considered self defense. because people should know the rules by now. and aside from that, she’s a bit too weak, as well. it’s hard for someone her size to push a fully grown man off and away. perhaps she should pick up more weights, pick up some sort class that’ll help her develop more strength than she has currently. some sort of technique to make it easier for her to protect herself. ❝ it doesn’t matter. i’m not staying here right now after that just happened. ❞ it really is a lot to take in. the thought that if he wouldn’t have jumped in -- it could’ve gone so much further. she could’ve gotten caught in a heartbreaking, devastating situation. but just because it happens frequently doesn’t mean she’s necessarily used to it by now. it still puts a lot of stress on her. inflicts a lot of damage and worries. ❝ i’d like that, though. ❞ because anywhere would be better than the club. and he seemed somewhat trustworthy. he did just save her, after all. is quick to shake her head at his sudden statement. ❝ it’s on the house. ❞ her treat. would even tell the boss to take it out of her check, if need be. 

okay, maybe, just maybe -- did it sound fun. especially because she’s never done anything like this before. hasn’t done anything that’s .. questionable. she never had the time, never had the need. but as she grows older, she starts to feel almost deprived ; sad that she never experienced such child-like thrills. things that only teenagers really resort to anymore. like sneaking in places, breaking in and spending the night for no reason other than to simply .. have fun. an emotion, a feeling dohee never chose to dabble in. she was happy in her little bubble. content with having yejun at her side. living life at ease, at her own, comfortable place. with a lack of drama and the depressing absence of excitement. but how could she really miss something she’s never known, anyway? ❝ if we get caught.. ❞ will chew nervously at her bottom lip. she needs to live a little, really. doesn’t want to die as an old hag that not once actually saw the world. reaches out towards the fence now, makes sure to get a good grip before she pulls herself up and then chooses to elaborate further. ❝ i’m running like hell and leaving you in the dust. ❞ it’s one final, quick lift of her leg before she practically falls over into the sand on the other side. a relief. that was probably going to be the hardest, most stressful part of this night. the rest, she’d make the most of. would promise herself that much. the beach really was beautiful at night. maybe she doesn’t regret it. will look towards the ocean for a few brief seconds and then back over to her friend. ❝ are we at least gonna go in the water? ❞ even if it probably is freezing cold and dohee hasn’t gotten a suit. 

« Boohoo, poor Dodo who’s mistreated so much by his almost boyfriend-best friend, poor child –I don’t believe you one bit, you know. » Especially since he knew the duo, and more importantly he knew how much those two were codependent to the point they probably were even borderline sicker than the relationshim Haneul himself shared with that one sweet sister of his temporarily treated in Ravka for her insubordination and that he somehow missed, despite knowing the reasons for why he had to bring her back in there. Yejun was always so damn protective and doting and supporting over Dohee no lie about it being false could be created for it was shunned and dragged away immediately.

there was that nickname again. dodo. where did that start? where did it come from? how does it correlate in any way? okay, she sees the similarities between dohee and dodo -- but she’d rather not point them out. meanwhile a probably considered petite pair of lips will twitch and curl until they’ve perfectly replicated a frown. ❝ you should believe me. i’m the elder here. ❞ even though age has nothing to do with this conversation. she just thinks that because she’s older -- he should see her as wiser. as someone that has no reason to lie about such things that could probably be considered childish. because, really, it’s not like it was a big deal. not like she was struggling to afford food to the point where she absolutely needed to mooch off of yejun. to the point where she’d literally die of starvation if he didn’t share. which he really didn’t, by the way. ❝ or... wait. am i? ❞ head will tilt in honest question. she knew his age, she’s sure of it. it’s just that dohee has somewhat of a bad memory. which is the reason why she’ll often end up forgetting her moves in the midst of performing at the club. resulting in a random freestyle, that more times than not, luckily, turns out well. if not better than the original routine, because really, who comes up with these things? 

❝ it better have been or else i would have been pretty bummed out! where are we going and what are we doing anyways? ❞

❝ we’re going shopping, of course! ❞ excited laughter. she’d be bouncing on her heels right now if it weren’t for the fact that she was literally trying her hardest to refrain from looking like an absolute child. and then she realizes she hasn’t exactly asked the other if this is somethin she enjoys doing. because she knows there are plenty of girls who hate shopping. even though dohee thinks that’s false. how could they not? so she’ll quickly jump in, to either persuade her to come along or maybe just convince her further. ❝ i’ll even buy you something! ❞ since, of course, she had the proper means to be able to do just that. 

       The two had been bickering about the same topic for at least fifteen minutes now. The fact that they could not come to a conclusion was starting to bother Holden. Of course, he had always been very stubborn and hard to convince when it came to helping others, but it seemed as though the female really did want his assistance. Even if she had said he did not have to. What an obvious lie that was.

it was a simple request. was it not? she had just wanted him to be there at the club while she performed. because, as of late, people had gotten extremely handsy with her. and while the bouncers and other workers at the club are protective of the dancers like her -- they weren’t always the fastest people in the world. seriously, last time someone else had to come to her rescue. and.. ended up with a black eye, too. but she wasn’t asking him to do that. was just asking him to keep a better eye on her than anyone else working there could possibly do. ❝ um.. you get the pleasure of knowing you’ve done something good? if.. things.. go wrong. ❞ which, she doesn’t necessarily want to jinx it, but she has a strong feeling it will. ❝ and you get the title of being an extremely good friend? ❞ honestly. people who stepped in to save her like that were literal heros, in her eyes. it restores her faith in people. makes her stay working there because it honestly is something she enjoys doing. dohee loves singing, she loves dancing. and both of her jobs revolve mostly around that. or at least ... the one that people actually know about does.

❝ likely, but unlikely. ❞ that probably wasn’t a necessary sentence. really, dohee shouldn’t be like this. because she can’t always be lucky. one day, something horribly wrong is going to happen. she can’t keep living within this clouded view forever. should not always assume she’s safely placed within some sort of invincible, indestructible bubble. or whatever it was that kept her out of harms way. should start preparing and gearing up. but she doesn’t. so when things end badly, she’ll only have herself to blame for it. ❝ surely, whoever or whatever it was will give up if we’re in here long enough. ❞ and right after speaking it, she already knows it’s gonna be done. just takes one single glance at sumin. she wasn’t at all ready to fight whatever was out there. was more scared than dohee. just hopes that at one point, she will calm enough for them to leave. or else they might end up getting kicked out. unless they keep buying food. that could prolong their time. but now she’s thinking about it, and already wishes she could stop, because dohee feels a lot better when she doesn’t worry about such situations. is so much happier living in that pretend bubble of hers. even if she’ll be paying for it later. will instantly be hit with the aroma of delicious food the minute they step in the door. a good choice on her end. marches right up to the front of building with the younger in tow. eyes immediately scanning and going over all of the choices. ❝ i’m not sure.. but i definitely want to try something new. ❞ something different than the classic hamburger. she needs change. needs to be brave with food, just like she was when they were outside in the dark. and this isn’t as hard as that should have been. ❝ should we share one? that way we might not necessarily be full and we’ll have an excuse to stay longer and get more food? ❞

❝ oh my god! ❞ dohee’s bursting out in english with that. her arms moving in weird motions as if trying to visually display her exasperation right now. ❝ i’m really not going to! ❞ will frown. she really didn’t even look like anyone capable of such a thing. which would be perfect -- but that’s not an activity that would ever cross her mind. ❝ exactly, see! really, i’m gonna be honest with you.. ❞ and then she’s stepping in closer. voice lowered to whisper, because this is an embarrassing fact. ❝ whenever i see a bug and have to kill it -- i tear up a little. only because i feel so bad, i just-- i can’t live peacefully if i know there’s an insect only a few feet away from me! ❞

« Sharing is caring is supposed to work when I spontaneously offer you the food –and those pieces were the biggest! I saw you! What happened, your partner has left you starving yet again? »

❝ ..it works like this, too! even if i have to grab it so fast you hardly see it happen and then run away to eat it somewhere you can’t find me! ❞ this is a dissatisfied dohee. why won’t anyone share with her? it’s not like she ate that much. ❝ yejun never feeds me. ❞ a situation that’s known to make her frustrated, even pout a little, but she’s also become accustomed to how everything goes down. it was nothing new for her anymore. so she’d get over it not long after. ❝ say, do you think this is all a plan of his? ❞ and despite just arguing over the whole sharing thing -- she’s happily munching right now. chewing and swallowing before she speaks. before she lets her mouth fall open in shock and feigned curiosity. ❝ do you think it could be possible that he secretly hates me and that’s why he lets me starve? ❞ but it was all said in good fun. she knew her best friend better than that. 

“Alright, let me try to explain. It was actually a joke, you know? But I suppose you’d have to understand inside jokes to get it… like, I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the Lord of the Rings?”

❝ ...oh. ❞ that’d explain everything. she’s never seen those movies. heard of them, yes. knows a lot of people that are into them -- just hasn’t had the time to sit down and watch. to see and understand all of the apparent hype. will let her arms cross and an almost pitiful expression rest on her face. ❝ i’ve never seen it. or, well.. them. there’s more than one, right? ❞ she thinks she’s got the right set of movies in mind. 

He shook his head– it wasn’t her fault. He shouldn’t have stepped in, but at the same time he would hate himself if he just stood there watching the girl get practically assaulted. ❝ I asked for it. I knew they were drunk.❞  With a sigh, he tried to touch his bleeding lip but the sting made him regret it in a second. His cheek was bruising up as well, but he tried to avoid looking at himself until the next morning. The other did look concerned and apologetic and it made him feel guilty as well, it was never his intention to destroy her night– but what could he possibly do? He grew more and more disgusted every time a man tried to stroke her leg or pull her closer when it clearly wasn’t her job to do so. Maybe it was some kind of hormonal instinct that drove him to try and protect the other, despite not even knowing her. He knew, however, how to treat a woman, and drunk old dudes trying to harass her sure was no treatment. ❝ In all honesty … do you have some ice? And a beer. I need a beer. The bruising is making me dizzy.❞ He spoke lowly, voice rough, as he moved slowly on his seat. 

❝ yes -- yes, hold on. ❞ and then dohee’s gone. over at the bar and making her way behind the counter since she already knows where everything is. doesn’t need to wait to ask the person in charge for a bag of ice and a bottle of beer. because she’s worked there long enough to the point where she gets along with all of the other employees, so it’s really not a big deal anymore -- because she’s started to try out bartending, as well, -- and because almost everyone in the building witnessed what happened just moments before. obviously she’d try to come to the stranger’s rescue as he came to hers. it was important that a deed such as that didn’t go unacknowledged. will pull out 3 different bottles. knows he just asked for beer and probably doesn’t care which brand -- but she figured hopefully he’ll be satisfied with at least one of the three. that maybe he actually has a favorite one and there’s a chance she picked that one. to make the situation a little bit better.. right? and then it’s the ice, just a little plastic big filled because it’s the best she can do right now. she’s rushing. doesn’t want to make him wait on this. picks everything up in her arms and holds it close to her chest as she practically runs over to the booth in the corner that he was resting uncomfortably at. sets everything down on the table and stands beside it, ready to run over again if anything else was required. ❝ i wasn’t sure what you preferred. ❞ will inhale harshly. hand lifting to wipe at her forehead. she was nervous, she was scared, she just wanted to rewind time so he didn’t have to go through the pain for her. ❝ if it helps, at all, it means a lot to me that you’d do that. thank you. ❞

❝ are you sure? ❞ feels the need to double check. to worry about putting on the revealing dress that was handed to her. it wasn’t a big deal -- it shouldn’t be, at all. because she wears stuff like this all the time. but that’s when she’s performing at the club. not for any other time. not for some other random occasion. so it just feels.. weird. ❝ if i look stupid, i’m not wearing it. and you’ve gotta be honest with me! i don’t want to buy something i actually secretly look terrible in. ❞ even though she doubts it’d come to that. has a feeling the other female would be honest with her on such a thing.