yours, lee #slayri

“i mean yeah, she’s not like a lot of women you’d meet here.” he nodded again. “i noticed that people in the company are vastly different from each other, and that kind of diversity can bring out different sides of us that we weren’t aware of before. one trainee can be a role model to another, someone who’s shy might stick to someone else who is, but they might also gain confidence in another trait and so on.” now he felt like he was rambling. was he making any sense? “i’m sure that you have your own quirks too. although you want to be her in the sense that, she looks like she has everything balanced in her life?”

          having been mentally prepared for a simple “i get it,” hyeri is taken aback to receive so much more than that. it’s a given she doesn’t know much about jongdae, but still she’s surprised by the surplus of information that flows effortlessly out of his mouth. her eyes widen and she absorbs, with interest, the observations he spouts off knowledgeably. logically, what he says makes sense-- in the psychology of diversity, stronger traits would balance weaker ones out in a friendship eventually. “how fascinating,” she breathes in awe. did he study these kinds of things? most people didn’t care to observe it. “you’re right about that.”

the panic is about to come back.

“i— it’s fine! i don’t even really have any more flyers to hand out. i gave all of them to you” jennie knows that it’s no use, that hyeri already decided that this is going to happen but that doesn’t mean she can’t try. jennie doesn’t give up easily. “i, uh, don’t want to be a bother, though. are you sure about it?” she’s overwhelmed as they start walking, the least person she wants to go somewhere with, right next to her. her steps are slow, almost hesitating. “don’t you have practice classes at this time?”

          jennie’s protest falls on deaf ears; or so the saying would go if hyeri wasn’t actually paying attention to every word spilled from the other’s lips. jennie’s pretty, too pretty, and hyeri becomes as fixated on her as the dancer would be about anything new and attractive ( like ice cream or bubble tea. ) "yep, you were very generous!” she teases, laughing. “i think other people outside might find them more useful though.”

          the younger girl’s hesitation doesn’t go unnoticed but hyeri gently excuses jennie’s reticence as the normal nervousness one feels when confronted by an ( aggressive ) sunbae. as they’d never met before, it wouldn’t be like she’d offended jennie at some point, right? hyeri couldn’t recall a previous meeting between them; she’d definitely remember crossing paths with jennie if that’d been the case. “nope. finished early today,” she answers cheerfully. “isn’t that good luck?” 

“busy keeping your bed warm for you, right?” she snickers, quite proud of herself for that particular purchase. as embarrassing a charge it is to see on her debut card  —  mystic messenger boyfriend pillow, naughty han jumin  —  it was worth it for the reactions it elicits from the younger at a mere mention. “isn’t it amazing?” she loved that she was able to see it years ago, though she would be more than happy to see it again. “mm, most people prefer the musical to the book. isn’t that true for pretty much every disney movie that was adapted from a book or fairy tale?” as intriguing as the grimm brothers’ version of those said fairy tales are, they’re certainly not commercial enough to be a children’s film. “even the live adaptations these days. did you see beauty and the beast? i love emma watson, i really do, but i’m still a little sad about belle’s gown,” she sighs, but despair is but a fleeting emotion, especially around hyeri and she grins as the younger practically beams. “that’s okay! i’m not great honestly. you probably know a bit more than i do, but i just want to dance together. that’s the main idea, okay. you and me, that’s what matters,” especially after the last few months. fingers laced with hyeri’s, she smiles, eyes curling into crescents as she says with the utmost affection. “i knew i could count on you.” 

          hyeri decides to let the pillow thing go -- even admitting to the unfortunate truth ( that tiffany is spot on ) would be too much for her fragile pride to allow. it wasn’t as if hyeri loved the pillow so much that she couldn’t part with it, it was just... really snuggly. yeah, that’d work. “not that i don’t love reading, but even i gotta admit it’s so much more immersive to see things with your own eyes and absorb the music and characters with your own ears, too!” that, combined with the real-life excitement of seeing musical actors in the flesh and onstage performing was an experience not easily replicated by mere words on a page. “couldn’t agree more with you there, unnie,” she adds at the mention of belle’s unfortunate gold dress. “i get what they were going for-- i mean, practical,” hyeri spits out the adjective with no hiding of her disgust, “but a ball gown is supposed to be uncomfortable on purpose! like, yeah, she’s supposed to run after her father in it later but you don’t see cinderella having issues with her big blue gown! poor cinderella had to flee the palace in that massive dress and glass shoes. emma’s belle was just being spoiled.” she delivers the last with a playful grin.

kris’s eyes crinkle in amusement. he was a good cook, since he lived alone and refused to be dependent on his mother and father. “i’d love to cook something for everyone at kt one day.,..maybe in the new year, i’ll throw a dinner party or something.” he says, laughing. talking with hyeri is easy and enjoyable and it’s easy to tease her as well. he reaches for another cupcake, and unwrapping it partially, he savors the taste. as she answers as to why she wasn’t baking, he nods in all seriousness. “oh no….i hope you didn’t get into a lot of trouble..” he says. as she keeps explaining, kris chuckles. “isn’t that typical? eveyrone’s stepped out and burnt food by accident.” he says. He bites into his cupcake with  a grin. “Well, at least you know your limits. Some people don’t even know that.” he adds. “These kids are pretty talented though.”

“thanks,” he fumbles with the bottle when she returns, his voice still low and mumbley but minding his manners nonetheless. he turns away a bit when he removes the lenses, dripping the fluid over them to clean whatever was irritating his eyes off and poking them back in. some people don’t like to see people touch their eyes. he’s trying to be courteous.

he hands the bottle back, a little awkward now that their forced conversation is without topic any longer. “uh,” sungho breaks the silence before it can get awkward. “i owe you one.”

          “not a problem.” she waits patiently for the male to apply the solution, looking away when it’s appropriate to give him privacy to do so, and then holding her hand out afterwards to retrieve the bottle when he’s finished. awkward though their circumstances might be, it’s hardly the first time hyeri’s found herself in a situation like this. “sure, can i get your name and contact info for cashing in?” her tone is playful as she teases him, an impish smile following up. “i’m kidding-- just a name will do for now, actually. i don’t think we’ve met.”

but it all melts away with only a few words, jennie finding herself growing flustered at the playful tone in the girls voice, because of that dizzying smile. and the look she’s giving her is making her cheeks grow a little hotter. hyeri is her name, huh? she never wanted a name to that beautiful face. “i’m sorry, sunbaenim,” she blurts, clasping her hands together in front of her body on purpose so she doesn’t have to touch her. the way she dips her body is polite but distant. “i’m… i’m jennie. i’m new so meeting my seniors gets me kinda nervous.”

          the reaction she receives is startling-- one, because hyeri still doesn’t think of herself as a ‘sunbaenim’ even after all these years; and two, because she’s never been so subtly rejected before. her hand hovers in the air for the several moments it takes for hyeri to register her own surprise before it’s slowly lowered back down to her lap. “is... that so?” the dancer finds herself a bit flustered, momentarily not knowing how to proceed with this. what jennie had done wasn’t wrong; in fact, it was probably the more polite way to behave between two strangers. hyeri swallows and chooses her next words carefully.