le bien qui fait mal

[ . . .]  At first, she didn’t plan on being obvious. She had to become close to him before confessing any feelings to him. Although, the past couple of weeks had been confusing, Mei had finally gotten him to agree to go out to eat with her again. He had before, but had then stopped talking to her for a few days. It was confusing and yet, she found herself wondering what the next development in their ‘relationship’ would be. Saturday afternoon, she finally texted, having gotten ready. Mei never looked casual but she tried her best for once. They didn’t agree to meet there, Mei would have them driven to the restaurant-she was showing off a bit, but this is how she did things before. Verbal flirting would always have to be in the form of witty banter and good conversational skills, both of which she possessed. With that, she waited by the black car in the agreed meeting place.

        what pisses him off is that this is all too familiar.  sure, his family is not as rich as mei ling’s, nor will it ever be, but being the son of a company executive and a politician did expose him to the occasional chauffeur.  although, it’s been several years since he was invited into one of these high-end cars  ( likely due to his parents’ shame in being associated with someone who didn’t meet their educational, societal, and familial obligations ).  he scoffs at the thought.  it’s not like he wanted to be cooped up in a backseat with old bastards talking politics or prissy executives with inflated egos anyway.  mei ling is feisty in her own regard, but at least she’s entertaining.

        “impressive.”

        that’s the first thing he says as he approaches her, though he doesn’t make a distinction on whether he’s talking about her appearance or the presence of the slick black car.  and when he draws close enough, he reaches up and brushes her hair to the side to reveal one of her earrings.  “pretty.”  it’s now evident what he’s talking about.  “daddy’s gift to ya?”  

        he doesn’t give her much time to answer, and instead bends over and peers into the tinted windows.  “where are you taking me?”  his eyes wander back over to mei ling.  “michelin?”  a small knowing smile tugs at the corner of his mouth as he re-directs his focus to the window.  he gives it a few taps, and ever so slowly, the window rolls down to reveal the chauffeur:  middle-aged, with a strange mustache that ezra has only seen styled in old movies.

        yeah, they’re definitely going somewhere fancy, despite her dressing a bit more casually than usual.

the female raises a brow in doubt at his statement. she of course had grown up reading all the harry potter books and while she was certain that ezra was no hufflepuff but could still very much fit into any other house, the green table was most likely the best one for him. “you’re self preserving and highly loyal and protective of those you cherish though. you’re also very ambitious.”

managing to pin point the qualities that would certify him as a snake on the spot she only smiles when he eyes her plate before pushing himself up to get his own food after all. he could have gone and cleaned up her remnants before sending her out for more but like she had just said: he was loyal and protective. just that the two of them had a unique way of showing they cared.

“I already ate a bunch before you came but I never say no to extra food,” jieun replies, taking the offered piece immediately and snatching a bite before ezra would change his mind.

        ambitious.  he scoffs at the use of that specific term.  ambitious was often used to describe his two elder sisters, one of whom is a doctor and the other delightfully married  ( and expecting her first child early next year ).  “you tryin’ to flatter me?”  it’s not that he has low self-esteem -- quite the opposite, actually.  but he’s never taken ambitious for himself.  sure, he’s flown to every corner of canada and even across the pacific, but that’s not ambitious.  that’s just gutsy.

        ( for a moment, he entertains the thought of being in gryffindor, but he’s not at all chivalrous unless it’s with his inner-group which, at the moment, only comprises of his canadian buddies and alice herself. )

        he doesn’t speak much after jieun takes the chicken offering.  he’s not the super talkative sort, and neither is jieun.  the silence is not uncomfortable, though.  this is just what they’re used to.  after scarfing down his plate, he takes his exit, leaving her nothing but an offhanded “see ya.”

@LGCENT just posted a photo!

reminds me of seattle

LGC SPORTS MEME.

our second meme game is a special one, as it is linked to an ongoing side event! you can read all about the LGC SPORTS FESTIVAL by clicking here. every discipline available during the festival has been listed below, with a corresponding question that you will have to respond to in the form of a small prompt.

ARCHERY: What are your long-term goals in life? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 20 years?

BOWLING: What are your apprehensions regarding the career path you’ve chosen?

BASKETBALL: What do you find hardest when it comes to working in a team? 

ESPORTS: How do you go about solving a problem? 

HURDLES: What has been the hardest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in life so far?

WRESTLING: Tell us about your worst heartbreak, romantic or not.

SHOOTOUT: What would you say is the biggest mistake you’ve made so far? What did you learn from it?

PITCHING:How much (or how little) of yourself are you willing to share with your future fans? 

RELAY: What qualities do you need to see in someone else to feel like you can trust them? 

GYMNASTICS: What is the image you’d like others to have of you? 

SPACING-OUT: How and why did you become a trainee? Was being in the entertainment industry your dream since the beginning?

reblog this post to take part in the event and let others know they may send you a sports name. in order to have a successful and fun meme game (and help others gain points as they’ll help you), make sure to also send sports to as many people as possible! THERE ARE POINTS TO BE CLAIMED FOR THIS MEME. REFER TO THE SIDE EVENT POST TO KNOW HOW TO COLLECT THEM.

He was in the middle of cooking up a nice, nourishing pot of tofu soup for his dorm mates. It was almost ready to be served and Yonghwa grabbed his phone with the intention of snapping a quick picture of his fine work. The text came in while he was adjusting for the perfect angle and he, unfortunately, made the mistake of swiping the message open. 

What. The. Actual. Fu-

Due to his shock, Yonghwa’s poor six-years-old cell phone nearly joined the tofu soup pot. Luckily, his underlying instinct to protect his limited possessions as a poor bloke saved him and he managed to tighten his grip in time. 

      TO: 「 Gluttonous Infant Ezra (๑ↀᆺↀ๑)✧

what on the earth is this?

ezra, we are legacy trainees. it is not appropriate to take pictures like this and send them to people.  

        he knows something is wrong the moment he receives a text back in korean.  now, it’s very possible that the girl he messaged had learned korean over these last couple of months, but last he checked, she’s not all that bright and he doubts she’d go to that extent to impress him.  his eyes flicker to the name---food alert---oh, fuck he sexted kang yonghwa.

        the first worry is would yonghwa snitch?  the second worry is what excuse can i give?  ‘cause there’s not much to interpret here . . it is what it is.  thank god, he didn’t send a dick pic though.  not only would that be distasteful -- teasing is important -- but he’s nearly certain that yonghwa would never cook for him again had he been the recipient of something  ( yonghwa’s voice )  indecent.

        he takes a few seconds to read the text  ( see:  copying and pasting it into google translate ).  and after comprehending the message and deciding that yonghwa has a stick up his ass, he responds,

      📧  ———  𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧 !

my bad

and then, a few moments later because he’s a cheeky brat,

did u like it

he may or may not have regretted sending that, so he quickly follows with,

The following events play out in a dramatic fashion.

Firstly, she clutches either side of her head with both hands. Second, she falls to her knees in front of the disheveled object. Then finally, she manages to release a cry of horror which descends in volume the closer she gets to the floor. ( Had the moment taken place on the screen, she’s sure she would have received accolades for her heart-wrenching performance. )

“Oh no…” Alas, poor Kirby. “Oh no… Oh no!” Hana’s fingers desperately grasp for the charm. Its plush pink body was now squished, scuffs from the bottom of someone’s shoe staining the fabric. The seems were already faded from age and wear from outdoor conditions. 

Her mind raced. He’s dead… He’s dead, Jim.

She lifted the charm to her chest to cradle it. How foolish she had been to allow it to fall from her bag. And to look for it in such a panic throughout the building, as if it were a priceless pearl necklace. However, she still cherished the charm which held a relatively fond memory of friendship.

        ezra kwon is a man of few words and---as some would say---fewer braincells.  he knows how to get himself in trouble, more-so than he can get himself out, and all of that comes to light when a girl, dearly innocent, breaks down in front of him for what he thinks is absolutely no reason.  he lifts his foot, and she snags what’s underneath, cradling it against her chest.  had he not seen the pink plush in that split second, he would’ve assumed he’d stepped on her pet rat or pet snake, or whatever.

        for a moment, he wonders if he’s now the victim of what would you do? south korea special.  if he were the choice target, it’s bold of them to assume he’d do anything interesting.  he’s not the best at providing comforting words, nor is he all that reflective.  in fact, the highlight of his response is a simple quirk of the eyebrow and a rather terse,  “hey, you good?”

“she went to get food. unlike you, who prefers to snatch food from other people,” the youngest among the modern day marauders fires back at her friend, side eyeing him in the process. despite their bickering nature she would very much klll for ezra just like she would for jihyun or domi but sometimes, or rather most times, she couldn’t help but judge the eldest of the squad.

“it looks super dry though….,” she complains with a sigh, studying the dull strands with pursed lips. “I need to drown it in conditioner but… thank you.” Knowing that all his jesting holds truth somehow she decides to ignore the dracy malfoy comment and instead prepares some bites for him before he even has the chance to request some, knowing he would demand some either way.

so by the time he opens his mouth there is already a piece extended towards him, expression neutral like this was the most normal thing in the world. which for them? it probably really was.

“and you? sitting of course here because you’re a true snake, hm?” her gaze drifts towards the entrance, definitely trying to spot domi and jihyun should they enter the hall and see them there.

        in all honesty, he doesn’t think he’s all that cunning or ambitious to warrant a spot at the slytherin table -- but at the same time, he doesn’t fit perfectly into the other houses either.  “nah, sitting here only ‘cause it’s the closest table that has someone that can feed me.”  he says this while chewing through the piece of meat she had delightfully fed him.  now, it’s definitely not the best meat he’s had, wouldn’t even make the top half actually, but again, food is food.

        after swallowing, he peeks at her plate once more.  she doesn’t have much food left for him to snag, so he pushes himself upward in defeat, muttering to her that he’s going to go for more.

[ . . . ]  “I don’t want to know what you guys talked about,” he responded simply. “I came to tell you to not pull Yujin into your trouble.” Yonghwa’s voice was soft as ever, but it held a chilly firmness tonight. Yujin, he trusted. Ezra, not at all. “Last company event, you broke a glass with your bare hand and introduced blood to what was supposed to be a night of relaxation. I am just looking out for my friend, that’s all.”  

“As for this…” He lowered his gaze to the half-eaten strawberry the other trainee had so generously offered. “Go ahead and enjoy the rest of it.” Yonghwa placed his palm flat against Ezra’s wrist and gave it a gentle push back towards the other trainee. “Don’t want it to stain my mask,” he said. “Besides, it’s good manners, you know, to finish what you started.”

        . . . to tell you.

        his forehead crinkles, his eyebrows furrow.

        . . . into your trouble.

        “you think i’m gonna hurt her?”  he can’t help but scoff.  “is that what you’re concerned about?”  fuckin’ hilarious, really.  sure, he’s got a temper, and sure, that temper can pack a punch -- but he hasn’t gotten violent in the few months he’s been here.  or at least, not to the degree that this guy’s implying.  ‘sides, for what reason would he hurt her?  unless the guy’s implying that he’d hurt her for absolutely no reason other than cheap thrill and masochistic gratification?

        ( sure, he likes a good fight.  he likes the adrenaline coursing through him, the metallic taste dampening busted lips -- but never when the opponent is innocent, or unwilling.  of course, he can’t trust this guy to believe him if he says that. )

        he takes a step closer, sizes him up.  the guy’s taller, but he’s bigger.  stronger.  it won’t be a fair fight.

        “you only have to worry if she pisses me off.  if she stays in her lane, i’ll stay in mine.”  his gaze remains stoic, never once leaving the other’s own.  “same goes for you.”

[ . . . ]  the nails on her gloves tabled gently on the table, eyes following his figure until he was seated in front of her. “being the help really suits you.” finally speaking up, ignoring his remarks like she always did in order to not go off in public. nobody needed to hear or see the way she acted with him. “by the way, can’t you sit somewhere else? i don’t need your mouth today.”

        and just like that, all traces of amusement disappear from his face.

        “fuck you.”

        part of him wants to jeer but i already did that, didn’t i?  but he bites his tongue -- not for her sake but for his own.  of course, he was the one who got in trouble.  he doesn’t know if joshua knew what had happened in that restroom before he waltzed in to take a piss;  and if he had any idea, then he’s a biased dick for only reporting him to the manager.  is it because mr. stick-up-his-ass cares so much about yujin’s reputation?  what, because she’s been here longer?  because she’s the company’s cute, little, innocent angel?

        bullshit.

        “count your blessings, baby girl.”  he leans across the table, drops his voice---low.  “it could’ve been you.”

there’s adrenaline coursing through her veins, her body trying to tell her she’s in danger, but her mind knows better. she’s a worthy opponent for ezra. as she’s thrown off it takes her a second to roll back over onto her feet, trying to get back to facing ezra, hands lifting at the ready to defend or attack. each punch she dodges, or bats away with her forearm, trying to catch him in between punches to break his attack, but each is blocked. 

then, he catches her - she blames herself for getting slopping in predicting his movements, expecting him to go for another punch. but she can’t help but laugh at his comment about her shampoo. she takes the lapse in defence to elbow him in the ribs and twist out of his hold, turning back to face him.

“you like it? i think i’m in a lavender phase.” 

jumping close she ducks to jab at his side with a tight fist, then swoops over to the other side and flicks her foot out as she moves to try and catch his leg again, trying to catch his balance out from under him and topple him over again. 

        “didn’t peg you for the flowery ty---”

        a single harsh jab to the side leaves him choked for air for the briefest moment.  and when his head clears not even a second later, he feels gravity pulling his weight.  his reaction is instinctive:  he reaches up, reaches over, and yanks her down with him.  they fall for what seems like the hundredth time this evening -- but this time around, he flings her off upon impact and lunges to push her back against the wooden floor.

“I think… the fish should make his own place, then.”

Now that it’s mentioned, there’s a brazen wind within Seojin. It urges him to take the plunge ㅡ as if he has something to prove or gain in doing so. The sensation manifests in an itch behind his ear, and he scratches at it as quickly as he can. But his impulsive mouth mamages to betray amy restraint his body has. “Fuck it, right? You should dive into the water then climb back on the bridge and do it all over again without fear. I would.”

Something about Ezra, his presence, his personality, brings forth a side of Seojin not seen since adolescence. Perhaps he sees a certain similarity, in spite of their obvious differences. ( He feels guilty enabling that part, and possibly enabling something in Ezra, but it’s been too long since letting loose. ) “But,” he precariously leans forward, then back again. “To me, you sound kind of afraid, yeah? Unless you’re expressing your sense of adventure with the flying part. I feel like you have it in you.”

        he feels like a spectacle for all to see.  frustration, envy, regret---he wears his vulnerabilities as a coat that he cannot shed.  it draws attention, judgment.  makes him incredibly predictable.  seojin -- someone he doesn’t know all that well, considering they’ve met only a few weeks back -- already understands him to an extent.  and that, admittedly, makes him a bit afraid.  they know him, they know how he’ll react.  they can use his reactions against him, and it’ll work every single goddamn time.

        the corner of his mouth twitches.

        “---y’know what?  fuck it.”

        he pushes himself away from the bridge and walks off, stopping only briefly to cast a look in seojin’s direction.  “come on.”

life is full of surprises,  they say,  and this day sure is filled with them ever since she awoke.  started from the fact that she woke up prior her alarm going off,  to finding out two classes were cancelled.

to being run into on the hallway of the company,  bumping into a person she’s heard of before,  yet never quite got to interact with.

she’s about to say something,  yet hears him speak first.  putting one and one together,  not needing a genius to realize just what is going on.  a troublemaker in the midst of trouble,  requiring help from the oh,  so kind heroine.  except hime was not kind,  nor a heroine.

granted,  his excuse must be the poorest she’s heard in a while,  and the lady doesn’t look convinced at all – she’s known hime for a whole four years after all.

“actually,  it was me helping him with directions,  choi-ssi.”  she gives him a look in return,  one that says shut up and let me handle this,  idiot.  “you see,  he’s not really the brightest bulb out here and gets lost a lot.  needs a bit of guidance and all.”  a pat is given to his back,  perhaps a little too hard.  the lady waves the two of them off,  warns him it shouldn’t happen again. 

he owes her big time now.

“so,  you’re kind of dumb,  aren’t you?”

        it’s now his turn to stare at her as if she’s the dumb one.  “you couldn’t have played along.”  though inquisitive, it’s not much of a question.  not only does this make him look stupid, but it also makes him a liar -- and that is what he has to work with, now that cafeteria lady choi has certainly lost her trust in him.  

        he purses his lips, ransacks his vault of stolen ideas for ways to gain that trust back.  in the end, he emerges empty-handed, spitting out a curse in the girl’s direction.  at the very least, it doesn’t seem like cafeteria lady choi is going to report him.  so it’s fine.  he got off scot free;  his image is a little dented, but he’s basically hyuncheol’s servant for a whole month, so what’s a dent more.

        without a word of thanks to the girl, he turns away and slips into the kitchen.  he’s already ten minutes late, and cafeteria lady choi isn’t the most patient person.

        come lunch time, he’s a bit irked.  just a bit.  the rumor of him not knowing where the cafeteria is and being too prideful to admit it had spread among the staff, and if he weren’t ticked at that, he’d pity them for finding something like this worth gossiping about.  to make matters worse, at their lunch break, one of the younger cafeteria ladies drags him to the table that the girl from earlier is currently seated at.

        ‘my dearest, hime-chan!’

        hime?  ah, right.  jieun’s friend.  so that’s who she is.

        ‘nayoung-ssi was just telling me how you gave this guy---’  she gives ezra’s back a firm smack.  ‘---directions.  now, call it intuition, but i suspect there’s a little something more to that story.’  she leans in, her lips curling into a knowing smirk.  he stares in disbelief.  really?  right in front of his kimchi?  ‘hime-chan is growing up so quickly.’

        wait.

that morning’s incident left a rather huge gash on kiyoung’s pride.

to be fair, he couldn’t exactly control his own reflexes when it comes to the things he fear. how is he supposed to remember that the agency had put a couple of cameras everywhere for the competition when he’s too busy trying to hold back his bladder? as much as he’d like to get over that embarrassing fear of his, it’s simply rooted deeply in his being.

well, at least he managed to reach the training room safely… he shouldn’t have to worry about meeting another of those ghosts, right? 

wrong. 

in a hindsight, it was definitely his own fault for drinking too much before practice started. drinking water is said to calm people down after a distressing or traumatic event but kiyoung might have overdid it a little by two bottles. not to mention how cold the air conditioning in the training room can be… now he’s just suffering by his own two hands.

kiyoung gazes around the room. is there anyone he can ask to accompany him to the bathroom? maybe a familiar face–at least someone he’s comfortable with enough with this secret, in case something happens again on the way there and he comes up with another poor reaction–

ah, ezra. perfect.

he makes a beeline towards the spot where ezra is standing at, grip too forceful and too invasive on the other boy’s sleeves. “hey, ezra. let’s go to the bathroom.” 

        here’s the thing:  him and kiyoung?  they’re just friends  ( fascinating concept, really ).  sure, he has checked out kiyoung’s ass a couple of times, but let’s be honest, he checks out everyone’s ass, so it’s not a big deal.  but say, for instance, it is a big deal.  say, kiyoung noticed his wandering eyes, and now he wants to do something about it---that is where ezra’s mind goes when the other grabs him and practically demands for them to go to the restroom together.

        it catches him off-guard.  of course, it does.  kiyoung is the last person he’d expect this sort of bold behavior from, but he’s not complaining.  a lay is a lay -- who is he to refuse?

        as they make their way down the hallway, brushing past the cobwebs and streamers hanging from up above, he notices a subtle shift.  kiyoung seems smaller, closer than usual.  the boldness from moments prior appears to have dissipated.  naturally, he makes an assumption:  “are you having second thoughts?”  he peers over.  “---this isn’t your first time, right?”

this week has been adventurous if nothing else and despite her struggle to get used to her blonde hair when looking at her own reflection in the morning, jieun hasn’t really been fazed much by the attempts to unsettle or scare her. at this point, hitting almost three years into her training, the vocalist highly doubts she’ll ever be great variety material. people like her extroverted, loud friends are way more fitting for that.

like ezra for instance.

the girl doesn’t even bother to respond to his rude actions with so much of a reaction aside from a tiny, tired sigh. instead she reaches for the second serving she got herself, not wanting to queue up again but aware that people like ezra would show up at the table and steal her food. 

only when asked why she was sitting with the snakes did she respond, fork and knife raised diligently to cut her meat. “hime is sitting here, so I’m sitting here. I don’t want to sit alone at the gryffindor table. I never really cared much about houses anyway.” if asked she would still pick gryffindor over slytherin any day. if only because of the colour scheme.

with her blonde hair right now especially gold and red suited her so much better than green and silver.

        he lifts his head, eyeing the rest of the table.  “not seeing her.  you sure she didn’t ditch you for ravenclaw?”  as if hime would be a ravenclaw.  after their rambunctious run-in where she made him look like a liar and fool instead of playing along like most people would  ( yes, he’s still pissed about that ),  he has his doubts.  but he keeps his mouth shut on that matter.  she saved his ass, and jieun’s her friend.  it’s just common courtesy.

        ( look ma, he knows common courtesy! )

        lips pursed, he reaches over and tugs a lock of her new blonde hair.  “it fits.”  he tilts his head at the slytherin banner.  “draco malfoy has competition.”