The Flame Returns

Targeted

“No, I wouldn’t result to something so juvenile.” Riya replied dryly, closing her laptop while staring at the now soaked brunette. Poor girl, she didn’t deserve that. Or maybe she did, Riya quickly clarified inwardly, reaching into her Gucci tote bag and pulling out a handkerchief with flourish. “Here, it won’t do much but at least it’s something.” The heiress stated, offering the expensive fabric for the other female to dry off with. She is curious, as to what the strange girl did to piss someone off to the extent they would harass her. “Your friends can give you a change of clothes later.”

With a sigh, Emily realized for sure that this wasn’t the culprit.  With a deep sigh, she come over, making sure not to drip water on the other woman, taking the handkerchief from her.  “Thank you.”  She was trying hard to not let this upset her, but it was very annoying, especially since whomever it was that actually did it was going to get away with it.

Take a Seat

olivia nodded her once as an okay. turning her attention back to the notebook she was writing in. this was a nice little thing to add. if she really wanted, she could get lost in her writing. she only looked up once again when she realized her table-mate had spoken again. “ah! yeah i’m a creative writing major.”

and it felt like they didn’t have too many, her class sized seem small. “don’t worry about it, i tend to have tunnel vision as well.” she only knew the names of two other people because she had to do a project with them. “getting lost in words can pull you out of the real world.” it was true for her at least. “nice to meet you emily, i’m olivia.” though, she didn’t reach out her hand for a shake. “working on anything interesting?” 

Emily felt bad for interrupting the other student, she knew firsthand how annoying it could be when people got in the middle of your writing flow.  She gave her a smile when she confirmed her suspicions, bowing her head to her slightly in apology.  “Sorry for interrupting you, don’t mind me, alright?”

Targeted

Meiqi stood at the side of a building with two water balloons in her hands, a few of her friends behind her to back her up. She was having what was essentially an unspoken prank war with one of her best friends, and it was her turn to strike back next. The last prank Meiqi had been subjected to was one where her best friend hacked into her social media accounts and posted some of the most idiotic and embarrassing things she’d ever heard. No, she doesn’t have a thing for feet, and people had been asking her ever since. It didn’t bother her much—after all, it was difficult to embarrass her—but it was a personal attack and deserved to be dealt with accordingly. This was where she would get her revenge, waiting along the same route that she took to class every morning for her friend to appear. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, Meiqi signaled for her friends to keep their guards up and to be ready at any moment. 

Then, when Meiqi thought that the culprit was right in front of her, she attacked and everyone else followed suit. The woman was pelted with multiple water balloons until she was almost soaked from head to toe. “Hah, I got you! That’s for posting that I have a foot fetish on my Instagram—” Meiqi’s voice cut off and she froze as her victim turned to face her. She could feel her face paling and her expression falling into regret. That wasn’t the face she was expecting to see, and oh, fuck, she was screwed. She had mistaken the woman walking by for someone else, meaning that she just soaked this random student with water while they were on their way to class.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Meiqi exclaimed, running forward from behind her cover while the other students behind her scrambled to run away. They obviously didn’t want to get involved in this situation, and she couldn’t blame them. Still, she wasn’t the type of person to run away from something like this. Her hand was clasped over her mouth to contain her shock, genuinely feeling horrible for what had happened to this poor girl because of her. “Those seriously weren’t meant for you! God, I’m such an idiot. Um,” she stumbled, “let me help you? I don’t know how far away your dorm is because I didn’t see you leave, but I can drive you to class once you get a change of clothes! I don’t want you to be late because of this.”

She was soaking wet and angry as anything, she knew her bag was waterproof, she had made sure to spend extra to ensure that, if she hadn’t, then there might have been multiple murders that day, as she had her writing journals and her laptop in there.   If those had been destroyed, she would have gone on a rampage like no one had ever seen before.  Or at least the way she was feeling in the moment, she thought she would.  More likely, she’d rage for a bit until she ended up sobbing by herself back in her dorm. 

When she heard a woman’s voice in apparent celebration of the act, she whipped her head in that direction, water flying from the hair that moved when she did.  She fumed for a moment, glaring at her, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles were turning white.  It was then that she noticed that other people who seemed to be involved behind the woman had run off and left her to face the consequences on her own.

Take a Seat

sometimes, it was just interesting to people watch. whenever she felt herself running into a rut on developing any of her characters. and on a college campus, there were more than enough personalities for her watch. it was a little busy but it worked for her, people weren’t aware of themselves when she was in a rush. ( two people had dropped something on the ground rushing so far and both had that look of irritation after. ) 

she wondered why people didn’t just slow down. all was well then, more for her to observe. olivia was in the middle of writing something down when she heard the other girl’s voice. “yeah, no problem.” she wasn’t taking up much space anyway. “here you go.” she started to shift her things a little closer too her, moving her untouched lunch out of the way. “if you need more space let me know.”

“Thanks, no, I’m alright, you’re fine,” she said, setting her tray down before placing her bag on one of the other empty chairs at the table.  Maybe she was trying to do better about being nice to people, but she figured one person at a time would be best, she didn’t need a third person joining their table and throwing a wrench in her attitude plan.

being  the  enigma  that  he  was ,  minseok  often  cycled  between  being  an  introvert  &  an  extrovert  ;  mostly  depending  on  his  caffeine  intake  that  day .  lucky  enough ,  he  had  already  had  his  two  cans  of  redbulls  for  breakfast ,  and  for  once ,  he  had  actually  slept  fairly  well .  while  he  did  not  mean  to  flinch  at  her  words ,  there  was  no  doubt  that  her  question  had  startled  him  somewhat  ;  and  thus ,  fragments  of  his  lunch  had  made  it  into  his  lap .    ❝        ah ,  shit  !    ❞   he  exclaimed ,  wiping  the  grains  of  rice  onto  the  floor .      ❝       warn  a  guy ,  will  ya  ?   scared  the  living  shit  out  of  me .    ❞    sighing ,  the  sophomore  put  down  his  phone  in  order  to  make  eye - contact ,  flashing  an  inviting  smile   (  as  well  as  showing  off  his  half - chewed  lunch  by  accident   )  in  hopes  that  she  would  understand  that  he  was  all  bark  no  bite .     ❝        be  my  guest ,  bro .  hey ,  what  are  you  having  ?  i  will  trade  ya .    ❞

She was surprised to see that she had actually surprised the guy who was eating his lunch.  Was he in his own little world or something?  His reaction also offered her a view of the food in his mouth along with a few expletives.  Maybe this was a mistake after all.  Despite her reservations, she decided to sit anyway, watching him wiping the food off of his lap.

Why were there so many people in the cafeteria today? Was it a family weekend or something and she missed it? It seemed like there was a lot more people than usual, enough so that Emily couldn’t seem to find a table to sit at by herself like she had hoped for.  She contemplated for a moment to go outside and sit, but she recalled how hot it was outside when she had made her way to the building, and she didn’t feel like becoming a puddle of sweat just to eat a chicken sandwich.

[@ Anyone who wants to!] There were times that Emily really truly wanted to believe in the best of people and her own personality would get in the way.  She had been trying more recently to be nicer(and actually mean it).  She was honestly getting tired of being alone all the time and really thought that she could use a friend or two to make her time at SNU a little less lonely.

This was not one of those times.

` ♠ ; public image.

galas like these are easy to ditch, their presence hardly mandatory once the cocktail hour is over, especially when they’re here on their own without the supervision of their parents. the most important part is that first hour, where intermingling is not only encouraged, but practically required. the rubbing of elbows, the exchanging of stories, the vaguely veiled competition among the upper echelon of the country, trying to outdo one another in whatever way possible. it disgusts him. but this is the life he was born into, and try as he might to ruin it at every possible chance, he just can’t seem to make his great escape.

he snorts, a sarcastic twitch of his lips forming into a semblance of a smile. yes, he knows quite well how she despises these things, and it’s one of the factors that makes her tolerable than most others he’s been forced to get to know through all of his father’s connections. even an hour seems like too much, but it’s the bare minimum they’ll have to endure if they don’t want to get an earful once they head back home once the event’s hours have passed. he notices the ease with which she puts on a facade with the woman that passes, and can’t help but let out a small chuckle, commenting, “your duality never fails to amaze me.”

he takes a cocktail from a waiter passing by with a tray, not exactly his choice of drink, but it’s better than not having anything. he’ll make his way to the bar eventually, but this will do for now. “what, you mean i’m not allowed to drink the night away?” he asks before taking a sip, the sweetness of the mix causing his face to sour. “oh, you want to make an actual escape?” he smiles to himself, the idea sounding more than enticing. “i’m afraid our hobbies don’t exactly overlap. i doubt you’d want to head to the shooting range, would you?”

She was still not used to these parties, her old lifestyle always made her feel uncomfortable and even if it was hypocritical of her, she found that the thing that rubbed her the wrong way was just how fake everyone was.  Sure, she was guilty of hiding what she considered the “weaker” version of herself behind her overcompensating charm she put on or her annoyed exterior she gave other people.  These people were worse. They bought into their own hype, thinking they were more important than everyone else, just because they had more money.  They weren’t.

That being said, she could put on the act better than anyone, playing up the part of the charming young lady that her stepdad wanted her to show these people.  His comment brings a smile to her face, the few times that someone knew the real her, they always seemed to be impressed with how she pulled it off. Maybe she should have gone into acting or something.  Did they have a club for that on campus?  Well, maybe that was too much socializing for her. “I do my best, can’t give a bad impression as your date, can I?”

Party Crasher 

          “ it’s all good, ” he grins, tempted to ruffle her hair. ah, when girls are so petite and cute— oh, maybe he has a thing for that. then again, that doesn’t explain all of the crushes or attraction he’s felt. whatever, he’ll likely forget thinking about it at all come morning and that’s exactly what he wants. adjusting the cup in his hand, holding it by the rim with a few fingers over the top, arm at his side, he leans against the nearby wall. “ i used to be babysitting the drinks more than drinkin’ em. realized my mistake. ” 

          it’s a joke yet he questions how much he believes it was a mistake. just what is the mistake he’s making? was it before or is it now? the mistake is him, really. “ i was implying it but i don’t mind saying it too. pretty girl like you? ought to be memorable. i’m ashamed of myself if we’ve already met and i can’t remember. forgive me, will ya? ” chuckling, he nods his head, lifting his hand and tipping his drink to her. “ emily. pretty name too, wow. now i won’t believe you if you say we met and i forgot. but you know my name so … ”

With some alcohol in her system, Emily was in a better mood than she normally would be, so for once she didn’t mind this little chit-chat and was actually enjoying herself quite a bit.  She joined him against the wall, sipping from her bottle as he explained himself a bit more.  “Oh yeah, that’s a big mistake.  Glad you came to your senses a bit,” she laughed softly, though in reality, she really couldn’t fault anyone for not drinking.  Be responsible for your own actions, you know?

So Sorry

     she really isn’t sure what’s going on, but emily seems to be slightly less hostile after sejeong finishes speaking, and she relaxes just a tiny bit. she’d have to be a fool to not notice that emily doesn’t like her, although sejeong can’t be sure for what exact reason. it could be that she’s just… incompetent at volleyball, and it annoys the other girl. she can understand that, if that’s the case. emily is considerably better than her, and she wonders if maybe something had happened that would cause the other girl to resent her. 

     she has no idea. but she waits patiently for emily to return, surprised when the other holds out money, presumably to pay her back for the drink. “oh, no,” she says immediately, holding up her hands in denial. “that’s alright. i hurt you, so it was the least i could do,” she says gently, guilt churning through her again. 

     listening intently, she tilts her head slightly at the other girl’s words. there’s more hidden under there than just the surface words, but she isn’t exactly sure where to go from here. she could ask emily what had changed, but she has a feeling that would just make the other girl shut down. she could also move on and direct the conversation elsewhere, but that could potentially be a lost opportunity. hesitantly, she queries, “what about now?” she blinks at emily. “why do you play now?”

“No. I insist. Really.” Since Sejeong had her hand up to deny the repayment, she reached out with her free hand to not forcefully, but carefully turn her palm up and she placed the money in her hand and closed it.  “It...,” she sighed, taking a deep breath.  “It was an accident, I know that, I’m not stupid.”  She now holds up her own hand to stop herself, even when she’s apologizing, it came off mean spirited.  “I mean, you don’t have to feel as bad as you do. I’m going to be fine.”

The question was a valid one.  Why did she play now?  She had kumdo if she wanted to get energy and aggression out.  She typically would rather be alone than with a group of people, but she voluntarily was still playing a team sport with a bunch of other girls that she was sure were just as sick of her, and she even admitted that her biggest reason for playing originally wasn’t even a part of it anymore.  

⤿ hold on– the world is spinning

— [ ♡ ] ❝ i do like the color green, but i don’t really think i look good in the color, so you won’t find me wearing the color often. and also, again, i don’t want to be painted on. ❞ her voice loses any heat it had before, falling into a soft, mellow tone. she’s just tired from tonight’s activities that she can’t really bring herself to show anymore emotions.  ❝ from our viewpoint, it looks like the outside is moving, but the car’s moving. so technically we’re moving.  ❞ she stiffens up when the younger reaches out to move hair off her shoulder, but she merely shoots the younger a small smile when she realizes what is happening.  ❝ thank you, i think your hair is pretty too. it’s very glossy. ❞ 

she remains silent when emily speaks, opting to let silence fill in the spaces as she continues to drive. she slows down her car when the younger points to the building in front of them, eventually coming to a full stop at an area she can park her car.  ❝ how are you feeling now? do you think you can get up to your room by yourself or do you need me help? ❞ truthfully, as tired as she is, she’s more inclined to get out of the car and bring the younger back to her room, just to make sure that emily doesn’t go running off. also to make sure that nothing happens to the younger on the way up. the school might be a relatively safe place, but one can never be too careful. 

“That’s no fun, Baby Yooa.  That’s a cute nickname for you either way.  You don’t have a boyfriend, but have someone that calls you baby?  That would be fun, right?” she asked, though it’s unsure if she actually expects an answer because she’s leaning her head against the window, trying to determine what’s happening.  “Oh okay good, you know what you’re doing, we are saved.”  She probably meant ‘safe’ but who knows.  “Oh thank you~  People don’t tell me things like that, it’s nice.”  Inside she knows she doesn’t really give people a reason to be nice to her usually, so there is a reason for the lack of compliments.

general

what kind of cell phone do you have? :  Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

how often do you use your cell phone? :  Not as much as I should for the price of the phone.

what is your phone’s lock screen photo? :  A team photo of the Volleyball Team

what is your phone’s home screen photo? :  A tree bloomed with cherry blossoms

how many contacts do you have in your phone? :  25

do you customize contact names or enter as given names? if customize,

what is their default ringtone? : I only customize ones that I don’t want people to know if they found my phone. 

do you have personalized ringtones for your contacts or does everyone use the default ringtone? :  A few select people have personalized ringtones if I care enough to set them, that way I know if I need to avoid the call or not without even looking. 

how many alarms do you have set and why? :  I have one alarm set for the morning, I normally get up just fine.  I will set additional ones if we have additional practices or something out of the ordinary, but I always delete them when they prove unnecessary.

what are your top 3 most used apps? :  Melon, Youtube, Instagram

what are your favorite apps? : The same three, I rarely use anything different, though I might try out Spotify soon, but I’m used to Melon and have a subscription.

what are your last 3 google searches or the last 3 things you’ve asked your built in AI? :  I looked up the address of a publisher that I might send a short story to.  I asked to find the number for a takeout place, and...  plush t-rexes...

do you delete your internet search history or use incognito mode? if so, how often, and why? :  Not typically, though I have from time to time.  If I was comfortable with saying why, wouldn’t I have left it on my phone?  Some people on this campus love to share every detail of their life, I’m not one of them.

do you download music or use a streaming app? if so, which one and why? :  I stream, I’m rarely without a connection, so if I want to hear a song, I’ll just stream it, it’s good enough for me.

what are the last 3 songs you’ve listen to on your phone? :   Zion T - Yanghwa Bridge, Irene & Seulgi - Monster, EXO - Monster

what does your photo album consist of? : Mostly pictures of scenery, images I might want to use to visualize something for my writing, other than that, selfies. I don’t exactly have a lot of people begging to take pictures with me.

what is your texting style? do you reply quickly or are you a slow texter? do you send several messages at a time or paragraphs? :  Depends on the person and the situation.  If I want to talk, then sure, I’ll reply quick and usually try to write out my whole reply.  If I don’t, then it’s usually usually one to three word replies, and slow.

what are the last 3 texts you’ve sent? :  Okay.  Yes.  I’ll be there.   Those are the last three, see the previous question. 

who do you text the most? :  Ugh, I can’t believe it, but my stepdad.  He’s always making me go to these events that I could care less about going to.  Is there really no one else I text that much? 

what are your top 6 used emojis? :  🙄, TT, (: , 😒, ⛔, 🥺

how often do you call others? :  Not too often, just every few days or so.

who where the last 3 calls made to and why? : My mom to just check in,  My stepfather to get the details on the most recent thing he wanted me to go to, and that takeout place I mentioned earlier... for food.

who do you call the most? :  ... takeout places. 

do you have someone blocked? if so, who and why? :  No, if you have something to say to me, say it, I don’t need my feelings spared.

are you apart of any group chats? with who? :  I’m not... though I bet there’s one for some of the teams I’m in.  They know how to find me if they need me.

` ♠ ; public image.

he’d known his father would pull something like this sooner or later; he’s actually quite surprised it had taken him this long. rumors had been swirling around their inner circle for months now, starting from his very first public appearance with lara at the seollal festival. it’s been so long that he doubts this bit of damage control will even do anything to quell the rumors, but honestly, he doesn’t blame the guy for trying. (he does blame him, actually, but to admit that would mean to admit he cares more than he should.)

the gala is as gaudy and over the top as he’d expect from the elites of seoul, pomp and circumstance enveloping as soon as they walk into the venue, making the suit he’s wearing feel even more suffocating. the scowl on his face is evident for everyone to see, but anyone who’s anyone at this function should already be used to this expression coming from him, especially the guest he’s been forced to bring along.

once upon a time, he and emily had been at opposite ends of the field, not quite rivals but not teammates either, and he supposes that analogy still stands, but if he were actually being honest with himself, he thinks emily is probably one of the closest things he has to a female friend—at the very least, someone whose hustle he could recognize and respect. “i don’t want to spend more than an hour here,” he tells her, tugging on his cuff links as they proceed further into the venue. “let’s just make our rounds and go.”

◊◊◊ ─ calling card for… @sgnemily !

This wasn’t the first time and it wasn’t likely to be the first time that he stepfather had pushed her into a situation to accompany an acquaintance’s son to one of their public events to play the part of some arm candy for the evening.  Even she had heard the rumors, which was kind of laughable since she rarely paid attention to the social circle her parents were part of, unless she was looking to cause some trouble, so she really wasn’t surprised when she was called on to fill this particular role.

The two of them had made this journey together before, it wasn’t like Sehun was a mystery to her either.  He wore his displeasure like a shield on his face while she kept up her appearance with a loaded smile and polite looks towards anyone that gazed their way.  Even if he wasn’t willing to play the part, she would for the two of their sake.

⤿ hold on-- the world is spinning

— [ ♡ ] yooa sighs, the weight of the past hour finally coming to crash down onto her now that she’s in her car. she leans back into her seat, letting her eyes rest for a few seconds. she’s tired, grumpy, and overall just not in a good mindset to deal with a drunken person. ❝ yeah no, we’re not going to paint me green. so get whatever thought that’s making you laugh out of your head. ❞ she puts her car into drive, pulling out from its parking space as she begins to drive to the arts building. she’s not the best at remember directions, but she’s been near the building when she has practices for her various clubs. 

she glances over at the younger through her rearview mirror, lips pursing together at the sudden turn of the mood. she’s not entirely sure where the younger would get the impression that she has a lot friends from– she is new to the school after all. and while she was friendly with a large population of her class during her undergraduate, she would say those were all acquaintances more than anything. ❝ i’ll let you in on a secret, i actually have very few friends. as for why… i’m being nice to you. i don’t need a grand reason to be nice. just trying to be a decent person. and whatever views you have about yourself, we all deserve to be treated with decency.   ❞

“You’d look so cute though~ Do you like green?  I think you’d look good even wearing something green.  Painting would be more fun, though...” she says, still laughing a little bit more despite the other telling her to lose that thought.  “Are we moving or is outside moving?” the sudden shift in momentum made her mind swim a bit, normally she wouldn’t ask such a dumb question. “Either way, I’m okay with it!” she reaches over and moves some hair away from the other’s shoulder, not enough that she’d interrupt her driving.  “You have pretty hair too.”

So Sorry

     she, of course, has no idea what thoughts are going through emily’s head, simply worried about any injuries that are her responsibility. she feels guilty, sitting there patiently with a concerned expression on her face. she’s relieved when emily opens it and takes a drink. the question surprises her, however, and she pauses, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. it’s an unusual question and she wonders if emily has asked other people this. why does she want to play volleyball? sejeong doesn’t really have an answer. 

     after she’d resorted to homeschooling, athletics were one of the only ways she could be active. she’d been learning gymnastics since she was a child, and she kept that up. but she also picked up taekwondo, pursuing the martial art with intensity and devotion. when she’d come to seongnam, there had been so many sports that had appealed to her, and she had chosen to join most of them purely out of sheer interest. 

     sejeong might not be a natural at volleyball, but she is a hard worker, and she guesses that had been one of the reasons she had been allowed on the team. her mistakes have been getting fewer and fewer since she started, but she’s still one of the weaker members of the team. there’s no shame in that, she thinks, not when she’s still doing her best. “i’ve always liked being active, and volleyball was the most interesting to me of all the ball sports,” she finally says, her voice contemplative. “i didn’t have much experience with any of them, but i wanted to learn. what about you? you’ve been playing for a long time, right? why do you play?” she asks with genuine curiosity.

She faked winced after asking the question, as if her head still hurt from the accident.  She didn’t want to play it up too much, but she wasn’t quite ready to give up the ruse just yet either.  When she sees the contemplative look on Sejeong’s face, however, that annoying pull of that thing called a conscience started tugging on her a bit. Sejeong had made a mistake, sure, but did she really deserve all this?

A part of Emily thought that of course she did.  Sejeong was far too nice and she was honestly doing her a favor by showing her that there were consequences for that.  At the same time, she began to wonder if she was just being mean to her because she reminded her of herself before her life got turned upside down. Either answer wasn’t settling well with her.

sgnchanyeol​:

red cup in his hand, he’s lost count of how many, lost the reason for why he’s even laughing in the moment, and it doesn’t matter much to him at all by this point. all he wants is to forget. forget his past, the present. hell, even his name he’s be satisfied with forgetting for a while. he can’t remember it ever being this bad, this constant need and ache to not be himself anymore. not park chanyeol, certainly not the golden boy. instead, he takes on that cliche of the party boy and he thought his cup had more left in it than this. 

oh shit, did he really spill or did he already drink it? was his tolerance lower or had he had that much already? barely that late in the night, limits and properly gauging anything doesn’t seem to exist either and he’s looking down when he hears someone, barely registering that they seemed to have bumped into him? grazed him? been blocked by him? why are they talking, huh. holding up the cup with a dazed chuckle, he regards her with a crooked grin. “hm, looks like i do. me? not know how to party? come on, i’m helio’s social chair. it’d be a damn shame if i didn’t, right? and you, have we met before? i think i’d remember if we have…” 

This was certainly an interesting development, she hadn’t expected to run into him like this and certainly not when he had had seemingly had multiple drinks already. So out of the window goes her theory that he didn’t drink.  She wasn’t sure how she had been so off about that, she was normally a pretty good judge of people, she thought, so why had she been so off about this particular guy? Not that just whether a person partied was enough to determine knowing a person, but still, she was usually proud of her talent.

Oh It’s You

maybe danbi’s grades don’t quite reflect it, but she does put effort into studying, and so she can understand how emily feels. some professors aren’t always the most forgiving, and the workload can be crushing. if anyone were to be able to commiserate with a drained university student, it would be danbi. she’s always drained. that one brain cell in her head just can’t take that much work.

nodding in response to emily’s question, danbi’s lips slowly stretch into a bright smile as she points at emily then points at herself again. “yes! you and me!” rubbing her hands together in glee, she hums thoughtfully before answering emily. “the fleur cafe or hi star cafe, that student run coffee shop at lim village? or we could even go to iseul shopping street! nothing says de-stress like two arms full of shopping bags, right? pick one, emily!”

Emily couldn’t believe that she hadn’t figured out a way out of this quickly enough.  She could have said emergency volleyball practice or that a family member was sick, but she knew that Danbi was nice enough that she’d likely join her on the trek to the gym or hospital as suport and then she’d be caught in that lie as well.