truthfully, gunwoo wasn’t as worried as he seemed or perhaps as much as he would unintentionally show. having dubu running around wasn’t something that happened once or twice, but something he’d constantly go through every time he decided it was a safe environment for his companion to wander freely – if she so wished. the whole startling situation was unexpected, but nothing that couldn’t be controlled. the ferret took a couple of minutes to realize that was her owner and eventually, run upward gunwoo’s arm in order to nestle around his broad shoulders. “there you go,” he was finally able to put himself back onto his feet and properly turn his attention to the female, noticing that she was adorably looking under the tables for the furry creature that was already found and rescued. “trust me, it’s not your fault to consider the fact that this prankster over here loves to jump off whenever she sniffs food.”

offering his help, gunwoo extended a hand towards the beauty kneeling down in the middle of the cafeteria. “dubu? she’s my pet ferret. I’ve got her back with me so please don’t worry about us anymore, hm? here, lemme help you. I’m sorry for causing you the trouble to crouch on the floor like that for us.” the male apologized somewhat sheepishly, hoping that she would at least dismiss what just happened and hopefully not blame the pet for possibly wasting her time searching for it. dubu remained alert the entire time however, her little nose sniffing the diverse aromas the cafeteria offered, but luckily having her tiny paws clenched around her human’s jacket, its grip firm and definitely not ready to let go.

he couldn’t help but notice bits of food on the female’s hair, which earned an involuntary laughter that unintentionally escaped and was quick to be covered with the back of his heavy hand. “you’ve got food all over yourself, are you alright?”

seeing that the situation was nowhere near as dramatic or dire as she was making it out to be, hyeri calmed down a bit. she saw that the man had rather quickly reunited with his pet, and she felt a huge sense of relief wash over her. she smiled bashfully at his assurances that everything was okay, but she still felt like a complete fool. she didn’t know whether the loss of confidence was due to her unfamiliarity with him, or simply due to the enigmatic vibes he gave off, but her voice was small when she spoke next. “she’s so cute! i’ve never seen a ferret up close,” she commented, eyes sparkling towards the tiny creature. upon hearing that she was a stickler for food smells, the blonde laughed. “who can blame her, especially in a place like this? i probably would have jumped out of your hood too.”

with her embarrassment levels lowering slightly, she felt more inclined to explain herself. “seriously though, sorry i wasn’t more careful! i was in such a hurry to catch up with the owner, i guess i didn’t really see anything else,” hyeri’s nose crinkled at the mention of her faux pa, but she was also now more easily able to laugh about it. she was just thankful that he hadn’t been angry with her; in fact, she was a bit awestruck by how easygoing he seemed. it wasn’t how she'd expected him to be at all, for some reason, but it was a pleasant surprise.

being reminded of the buffet among her locks, the rosy red returned to hyeri’s cheeks, and she began fervently speeding up the removal process. “aha, yeah...these floors get a bit messy, apparently,” she replied meekly, noting that the only true remedy would likely be a deep shampoo. in her fury, she caught sight of his thankfully untouched dinner, again. “oh! and, consider your meal on me. since i, you know, came along and almost dumped it on you,” she remarked, smiling warmly, despite the disconcertment.

         ⋆  ｡ﾟ  EVER since hyeri had discovered what fuyuko did for a living, she was pretty much obsessed with the concept. she’d done everything from asking to shadow her for a day to pitching a reality show idea to her. perhaps it seemed more scandalous and sexy to hyeri than it really was in fuyuko’s every day practice of the work, but her curiosity could not be quelled. she’d nearly squealed in delight when the other had informed her that the spouse of someone who worked in hyeri’s dad’s own company was seeking answers. not only was the girl close to the situation, it would give her the opportunity to flex her vindictive streak on one of her fathers goons.

the two had agreed to meet outside of the film lot, under the guise of hyeri giving her friend a ‘tour’ of the facility. as long as she had promised to keep out of some of the...darker business dealings, she had free reign of the place, and this was quite possibly the only scenario in which she actually wanted to have such a thing. given hyeri’s nosy nature, she wasn’t entirely sure she could keep the promise she’d made to her dad, but she knew they were on a direct mission, so she tried to keep her focus on that.

       ⋆  ｡ﾟ RUNNING? why had she taken up running of all things? “because your gym went out of business and you’re too picky to just choose another one?” hyeri mocked herself outwardly, fighting for breath with every word she muttered. the december air rattled her lungs with every inhale, and her black sweatshirt wasn’t keeping her as insulated as she’d hoped. the scant sweat that had gathered around her hairline was making her even colder, as the wind was blowing. it was dusk, and the horizon was burning with vibrant pinks and oranges, while the emergence of stars overtook the higher blue depths. at least she had a nice setting in which to completely freeze to death.

she realized the glow of seongsu bridge was coming into view, and braced herself for the colder temperatures near the water. she distracted herself with the view, appreciating the hues of the bridge’s lights reflecting off the water. it almost made it worth the pain in her core as she pushed her body against its limits. as she bypassed the bridge, she heard her fitness tracker beep, signaling that her run was now at its end. hyeri gave herself a few moments, letting her relentless panting dissolve into a more steady rhythm, before hoofing it to the nearest cafe.

        ⋆  ｡ﾟ  TEARS hadn’t stopped flowing since daybreak - hyeri’s face bore the effects of its salty trails from her pink nose to her swollen, red eyes. she’d received the news of her former mentor’s untimely death. though she and the woman went through a lot of turmoil during their tenure at the same news station, it had resulted in a mutual understanding when hyeri left. they’d even kept in touch, calling and texting to see how each other were doing every once in awhile. the latest communication had been over a month ago, and that very fact had wracked hyeri with guilt. the woman’s death was a result of natural causes, but maybe if she had checked up on her more often...maybe something could have been different?

she’d found out the news station was covering it, and for once, she was actually thankful that jungsik was given the reigns on the story instead of her. she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it together in the air - in fact, she’d asked for a couple of days off, which she’d been granted. it was strange, but the admiration she had held for the woman - it was how she imagined having a mom would be. maybe that was why she’d taken it so hard?

she had tried an array of various things to keep her mind off the situation, but there was one method she was now counting on. she’d made plans with yunah to go out for a night on the town, as the girl was always up for a crazy adventure. hyeri finally calmed down enough to hold her make-up sponges steady, applying a quick layer of foundation in an attempt to cover the tear tracks. she sighed at her appearance; she looked so tired and so broken down, she barely recognized herself. she smudged on a bit of pink lipstick to add a pop of color, before her energy to focus on such unimportant matters simply ran out. it wasn’t that she looked bad, just so...simple. the massive effort she typically put in just wasn’t there, and it would have been overt to anyone who knew her well enough.

hyeri retrieved a simple, black overcoat from her closet and threw it on, tucking her apartment key into its front pocket. she was meant to meet yunah in front of the complex so they could walk to their destination in a safe pair, a precaution the two normally wouldn’t have taken. however, it was already getting dark, and nothing good was known to happen after dark, was it?

𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐀𝐑𝐓  𝐎𝐅  𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 “ let  me  braid  your  hair . ” ft. @jvlyunah

𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐀𝐑𝐓  𝐎𝐅  𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 “ can i rest my head in your lap ? ”  ft. @soojinschoi

          it was only when hyeri actually agreed on spending a little bit of time together, that sarang noticed just how nervous she had been waiting for the answer. part of her had expected the other girl to reject the offer with a thank you and a goodbye – and sarang wouldn’t even have been mad if that had been hyeri’s reaction. she had no right to be. whatever they had years ago was in the past and the both of them had grown and moved on since then – yet it probably would have stung just a little bit if she was met with a stern no. “ how about we sit down there then? it looks like it’s free. ” the brunette smiled as she tugged on the other’s sleeve, pulling her towards the vacant spot like she was a child herself. some things would probably never change – and sarang getting excited over the most insignificant things ( like an empty table ) was surely one of those things.

             once the both of them were actually sitting across from each other, however, she couldn’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable all over again. something about the current scenario brought back unwanted memories … yet something about it felt so awfully familiar, it almost gave her a home-y feeling. it surely was a conflicting situation. “ feels weird, huh? ” she suddenly broke the awkward silence, not being able to endure it much longer. one of her many weaknesses. “ well, how are you? what do you work as? did you get married? ” the last question was supposed to come off nonchalantly, yet her voice sounded more tense than she had intended it to. after all, people could read her like an open book.

was that...relief on sarang’s face? hyeri couldn’t be sure, yet. she was almost certain the woman asking her to have coffee was only doing so to be polite, but sarang’s reaction to her agreeability really made the wheels in her head start spinning, quite possibly in a direction that would be beneficial to neither of them. hyeri simply could not fight off the small grin that appeared, as sarang led her to a nearby empty table. she remembered the latter’s excitable nature well - it was one of the most appealing things about her, in hyeri’s eyes. of course, her sparkling chestnut brown eyes, soft skin and hips that fit her hands perfectly didn’t really hurt, either. ‘noooo! stop thinking about that.’ she forced a smile that was directly at odds with the lecture her inner monologue was currently giving her. 

📂🎄 ––

“everyone i have met was quite interesting, we surely must live in the most special building of all of korea.”, fuyuko mentioned with a smile on her lips – it was true, it didn’t seem like she had met anyone who hadn’t rendered her almost speechless, always impressed by her fellow neighbors. 

her eyes widened a little at the mention of her home country, smile growing even wider. “oh, you have been to japan?!”, she exclaimed, not helping the situation that both of them were getting louder and more excited with seemingly every second. fuyuko chuckled, shaking her head a little. “oops, no worries. did you like it there? what did you like the most?!”, she continued asking before placing a hand onto her own chest. “i’m from nagoya!”, fuyuko stated. 

she stalled a little at the question about her occupation, letting out a sheepish, soft laugh. “ah, i’m like a private detective.”, she said in a more quiet tone. “mostly for like failing marriages.”, she explained, not wanting to come off as some sort of sherlock holmes-esque mastermind – which she wasn’t. “how about you?! you sound so familiar, but i can’t quite place it!”, fuyuko finally noted, hoping that she would finally figure out the mystery of why she seemed to have already ‘met’ the other. 

"we’re definitely a colorful bunch, aren’t we?” hyeri chuckled, nodding warmly in agreement. “it sort of feels like a chosen family situation...i’m not that close with my dad or my brother, so it’s nice to always have beating hearts close by,” she added, pausing to bow politely to the server who’d come back with her food order. she took a quick slurp before continuing. “i won’t lie, there are some people around the complex i don’t exactly...always get along with if you catch my drift, but i don’t know that i’d wanna live without any of them,” she remarked, a sentimental sparkle in her eye.

as fuyuko queried her about her visits to japan, hyeri could nearly feel the memories flooding back as she took her first bite of ramen. “i absolutely love it there. the history; the palaces and temples and ooh! the beaches at okinawa,” she sighed dreamily, thinking back to the sparkling sands and bright, cerulean blue waters. it was right out of a fantasy novel. “really? i’ve been to nagoya too! my favorite thing there would have to be the view of the city at night from the sky boat at sunshine sakae. i love a good cityscape,” she hummed, thinking about how on brand it was for her to include a shopping mall in her considerations.

    ⋆  ｡ﾟ GOING shopping in the same week as christmas? it was official; hyeri had to have finally lost it. she needed to get out though. she’d felt trapped in her apartment all week, and she wanted to be out among the living. what better way to cure the holiday blues than with a little shopping trip? well, that’s what she’d been telling herself before she was caught up in the hustle and bustle of her favorite retail plaza. there were luxury boutiques on every corner; pleasing color palettes and shoe displays as far as the eye could see. most of her favorite sights were now blocked by throngs of humanity, and her trip was quickly turning into a less than stellar experience. there was one particular person she kept seeing extremely frequently...it seemed like nearly everywhere she’d went that day.

📂🎄 ––

fuyuko let out a sigh of contentment as the other reacted positively to her greeting; in the worst case scenario she had expected the other to roll her eyes and just ignore fuyuko. thankfully, this wasn’t the case and she could offer the other a polite smile and nod. “right, right! i keep seeing you around at home. and…”, she said once more, pursing her lips in thought. 

as her eyes wandered over the other’s face, it was obvious that she was thinking further. but that couldn’t just be it. even the voice. but she had never talked to the ‘stranger’ before, so how could all of this feel so familiar? “it’s a pleasure hyeri! i am always glad to get to know new people. i am fuyuko.”, she offered back, with a slight bow of her head. 

there were questions burning at the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t want to overwhelm the other, trying to keep her curiosity at bay. “ah, this ramen is really good, right?”, she finally asked, gently placing her chopsticks across the bowl, politely waiting for hyeri’s order to arrive as well instead of eating in front of her. “it tastes pretty authentic, don’t you think?”, fuyuko asked further, with a smile on her lips. 

hyeri noticed the woman who had introduced herself as fuyuko seemed to have something more on her mind and possibly even the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t want to press her on anything she might have decided against voicing. instead, her polite smile remained, listening patiently as the other woman finished speaking. “the pleasure is all mine, fuyuko. i’ve been enjoying meeting everyone from the complex thus far! slowly but surely, as we’re all on different schedules, but i’m getting there,” she giggled.

she nodded in vehement agreement with her statement about the ramen, once again allowing the steamy broth fragrance that filled the place to wash over her. “it is, isn’t it?! every single time i’ve been to japan, ramen is always a must. here at home, this is the closest i’ve tasted to the real thing,” she almost sang, just as the waitress came by, causing her to pipe back down a bit. she gave her order in a much smaller voice, smiling in embarrassment as the woman walked off.

          his eyebrows raised in question when she announced that she would be changing her hair colour soon. maybe he had just forgotten about her other hair colours, but as far as he remembered, she had always had the purple look going on. or at least some form of light hair. or maybe he was being crazy and she was actually changing her hair colour weekly without him noticing — all three were very likely scenarios for sure. “ oh, is that so? you should tell me what colour you are going for next, so we can match each other. you know, best friends forever style. ” he put extra emphasis on ‘ best friends forever ’, obviously trying to be as obnoxious as he possibly could. that was a skill he possessed. and he was probably better at it than most other people were, much to hyeri’s discomfort.

          faking a gasp, niran clutched his heart in a dramatic way —  she certainly wasn’t the only drama queen who was roaming these halls. “ was that a lowkey compliment from the queen hyeri herself? i will treasure it forever. i will savour this memory. thank you so much for blessing me with your kind words, my royal highness. ” taking a quick bow, he couldn’t surpress the massive grin that was forming on his face once again, ultimately giving away the sarcasm of it all. truth be told, she could say something along the lines of ‘ you are not the worst person in the world ’ and he would think of it as a massive sign of affection from the other girl. no one was sure what the hell they had going on with their weird fighting-ship and neither did they, but it was too fun to give it up. if they tried to be friends, it would probably go wrong one way or another and if they decided to avoid each other fully, their lives would probably be lacking something. or maybe it was just him.

hyeri nodded defiantly; it wasn’t really a lie that she was planning a little honey blonde transition over the holidays if possible, but it certainly was a convenient truth. this confidence soon turned to exaggerated disgust at his most definitely sarcastic suggestion that they wear matching hair colors, or even worse, implying them as best friends. she let out an audible gag before responding, “full offense, but hanging out with you would be an insult to my actual bestie, haneul. i’m not quite ready for a downgrade of that magnitude.” she formed her words like there was acid on her tongue that she desperately needed to discard, and niran was the unlucky recipient. there was an air of playfulness to her anger, though. there always was. she wondered if he ever caught on, although she suspected he might, considering even her snidest remarks were always met with his most equally smug grin.

          considering the other’s words, sarang nodded to give at least a little bit of a reaction to the statement. truth being told, she didn’t care about hyeri’s christmas decorations or the colour she painted her nails that day. but it would be a lie if she said she didn’t care about the other’s life in the slightest bit  — there were so many questions she wanted to ask. how she was doing, what her carer choice was, how her family was … all those things were of importance to her, yet asking about them was completely off the table. it just wasn’t the appropriate timing. “ oh, yeah, i can relate. i haven’t decorated anything this year. i just didn’t have the time … you know, with the kids and all. ” the last sentence she spoke was meant to come off that way — even though she could have sworn she was over their drama that happened years ago, something deep inside of her wantd to take a jab at hyeri one last time before they would inevitably part ways forever. it wasn’t like she was lying, she was just … trying to make her think the wrong thing. that couldn’t be that bad, right?

             a bright smile appeared on her face immediately once her bags were mentioned and she nodded yet again, probably looking incredibly stupid. “ yeah, i truly hope so. these cost me a fortune! ” the atmosphere seemed a little bit less tense now that she was able to remember the kids and it felt like a burden had been lifted off her — a little bit, at least. she wasn’t the type of person to openly attack someone, no matter who said person was and no matter how much they had hurt her in the past. the past was the past and there was nothing they could do to change it, so why choose to be mean? she tried to have a positive outlook on the situation — maybe they could have a nice conversation without feeling awkward and it would feel like closure? sarang hadn’t felt like she needed it, but maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to talk a little. “ … would you maybe like to grab a coffee together? or are you too busy today? ”

it was all hyeri could do to maintain the cautious smile she wore, as she felt as if it cracked even a fraction of a millimeter, the entire situation would come undone. and yet, all she wanted to do was drop the façade, because after hearing sarang’s statement about how busy she was with ‘the kids’, all she wanted to do was hide in a ceiling corner somewhere, like some sort of fashionable vampire. so that cemented it then; sarang really had moved in the most complete way possible. hyeri knew she had no right to feel any sadness or regret, just because she was the one who had been forgotten first. but there was a very strange feeling of jealousy coming over her. even now, sarang seemed so together - so stable. hyeri couldn’t remember a time she had achieved such a state, and now all she had come to the table with were some slightly off decorations? it was pathetic.