𝓝𝓔𝓞𝓝.

  as the train coasted to a screeching stop at dalseon park station, seonah couldn't help but scold herself for not replacing the old id sticker on the case that had worn off. it had been on her to-do list for about a month, but she'd been so busy... 'ugh, nice excuse,' she reflected to herself in a scornful tone. her boots clicked their way down to the platform and she took a slighted breath before beginning her trek through the crowd of people exiting the car alongside her. as she scanned the area, her passionate powerwalk turned into a run when she spotted something familiar in the distance. it was the distinct outline of her case. her case. someone had found it! and they hadn't scrapped it! she could tell the woman holding it was looking for its owner, and when she called out to seonah, the latter began sobbing. "oh my god! you f-found it — i...i'm so grateful! thank you so much," she speaks through waves of incoherence. "i'm sorry, you were probably so inconvenienced. because of my stupidity, ugh, i can't believe i left it," she adds, voicing her earlier inner self-criticisms.

oh. oh no. uh oh. she goes rigid when the other girl comes up to her, shoulders shooting up over her ears, arms as straight as a board at her sides. it's a miracle that the instrument doesn't go clattering to the ground, her digits curved into curls that would be better described as velociraptor's claws. chisato can't imagine what her face looks like now—wide-eyed, a frozen smile that feels like it's pulling her cheeks in the wrong and opposite directions. she had anticipated some kind of a reaction in response. while it wouldn't be incorrect to say that she's pleased with being fawned over, it's usually in a... drier variety.

chisato doesn't know how to deal with tears. it has something to do with her childhood, probably, a fairly happy family that never really shed tears before each other making being confronted with the sobs of strangers as unfamiliar and frightening as being held at gunpoint. the only thing she could ever recall were her own tears from when she fell and scraped her knees or her palms, big and fat and wet droplets that soon dried with the promise of ice cream and a spot on her brother's back, his hands tucked under her thighs as he dutifully carried her everywhere she went. then again, maybe it's more likely that no one in her family dared to cry in front of her. if she could hide it from them so easily, then the reverse must absolutely be true.

" ah, it was fine, no need to worry about it ! " a nervous giggle bubbles out of her as she holds up the case in between them like a shield, before she extends her arms to hold it out to the other. " i spent basically the whole time reading a webnovel, anyway. you're fine. you're fine. " the repetition is a little too forceful, cheeks flushed not just from the cold as chisato releases a staccato laugh ( bird squawk, her brain miserably supplies ) yet again. 

god, i really hope you didn't think that i just yelled at you. " hey, don't beat yourself up. anyone could've made that mistake! and now you know to remember for the future. " good grief, she sounds just like her mom. ew. chisato's hand finds its way to the woman's shoulder for a quick, hopefully reassuring pat-pat. " and, ah, i know to look out for it too! not that i think you'll forget it again, just that, y'know. i could keep an eye out in case you do. crossing my fingers and hoping that never happens, though ! " a kakao id would probably be more helpful here, but that feels just a bit like an overstep.

"ahhh, i think i'm okay now," she remarked, lips parting for a healthy breath of february air. as the other lifted up the case for her to take, seonah wore an untouchable smile that only grew as the familiar weight dragged her hand down to upper thigh level. she gave a few small tugs on the case, not because she thought anything had been taken from it, but because it felt so damn good. as the hero stood across from her assured her she'd found plenty to do while waiting, seonah offered a bow in return. "still, i feel so bad that you had to wait here until i came back..." she frowned, her expression one of remorse. "but i do appreciate it so much. more than i could ever express actually! especially you continuing to look out for it," she added, finally allowing herself a chuckle after the stress of the day she'd had.

when the woman inquired about the contents of the case, seonah smiled and placed it flat on the wooden bench nearby. she cast a few glances behind them as if she wasn't too crazy about random people passing by seeing what was inside it, but that was mostly her endeavoring sentimental attachment to the object - though, not that it wasn't valuable as well.

seonah took out her keys and placed the proper one in the case's mechanism, turning until it released. the lid opened to reveal a glittering keilwerth tenor saxophone in a striking warm gold color, its shine as refractory as the day she'd received it fifteen years ago. "this thing...mmph," she mumbles a laugh and says the word 'thing' with so much affection, it may as well have been the word 'love'. "i got it when i was ten as a gift from... um... my legal guardian," seonah continued, clearly wanting to condense that part of the story as much as she could. "i busk with it, i work at the bistro with it. it's literally my livelihood, and with a whole host of sentimental value to boot. that's why i'm so so grateful to you," comes the conclusion to her story, as she finally tears her eyes away from the instrument.

She had used the rooms many times before and always in private. She was shy about her voice even though many had told her that it sounded amazing. She imagines that’s why she clicked with Seonah so well. They were both scared to showcase their talents to the world. She gave a knock before entering Room 2. The atmosphere was already lively with flashing lights illuminating the dark room and the final notes of God is a Woman by Arian Grande lingering away. She placed the tray on the table that faced the screen before turning to Seonah. 

“I’m sorry for taking so long but it is the weekend and that’s when many love to unwind” Soo-Ah apologized as she grabbed the Daisy de Santiago and handed it over to her.”This is a new recipe that I perfected for you to try. I read that it's a sweeter version of a mojito and that it doesn’t overwhelm the palette” Soo-Ah took one of the shots before looking through the song category. She had a long week and she needed to unwind the pent-up stress. She rummaged through until she found the perfect song.

as she surveyed the tray soo-ah had brought in with her, she marveled at the new concoction. seonah's hand leapt to her heart, as she was genuinely touched by the gesture of her friend. she'd have felt that way anyway, but the sentimentality of the moment was certainly egged on by 3 drinks, going on 4. "whaaat? thank you so much, that looks amazing!" she exclaimed, leaning towards the beverage with great interest. she took a healthy sip without much hesitation, her eyes closing in bliss as nearly half the drink disappeared. "ohmygoodness!" she stammered, cheeks flushed and a smile plastered across her features as subtly sweet flavors partied on her tongue. "this is the best drink i've ever had, soo-ah! you weren't kidding when you said you perfected it," she effused, smacking her lips for dramatic effect.

Lee Seonah.

Yujin made a mental note to inquire about her soon. It seemed as though she had no idea what the situation truly meant; the last, albeit entertaining, nail in the coffin was her misconstruing a gang as a K-pop group, and he found himself holding back a chuckle. Oh, Seonah had no idea who she was dealing with; the way she seemed on guard, yet open enough to continue to accompany him, seemed like such a big contradiction. She didn’t seem like a deer caught in headlights anymore—if anything, Yujin was beginning to feel concerned for her distinct lack of self-preservation instincts.

Whatever the case was, she seemed relaxed enough to offer him a drink. As they approached the bar, Yujin sent off a quick text to Lee. Find out who Lee Seonah works for.

Settling on one of the barstools, Yujin was quick to order a whiskey on the rocks. “And a drink for the lady, please. On my tab.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for discussion.

As he turns to his companion, he is reminded of the gaping black hole that is his dating life. Frankly, Yujin preferred it that way; no woman—or man—would be able to woo him enough to bypass the hard exterior he had painstakingly developed over the years. As he gave Seonah another once-over, he couldn’t help but wonder what her story was; with the ideas of a threat long departing his head, all that was left was curiosity.

“So, Seonah,” Yujin offers another smile, “I’ve lived in Daegu for over a decade now, and I’ve never seen you here before. I suppose you’re a newcomer?”

He takes a sip of his drink, allowing some space for her to speak.

as the door opened behind seonah and she was escorted back inside the lounge, a physical warmth began to wash over her skin from head to toe. the harsh contrast against the frigid temperatures outside made her shiver, and she absentmindedly linked her arm with yujin's.

when he selected a barstool, she followed suit, sliding onto the one beside him. she watched as he spoke with authority to the bartender, and she couldn't help but wonder who exactly this man that commanded so much respect and intimidation was.

seonah meekly declared that she'd have a cucumber melon martini, and as she felt yujin's eyes on her once again, she turned to face him. she'd have normally flinched under similar gazes, but she maintained a curious eye contact with him until their drinks arrived.

his smile reaches her as she filters his question through her mind. it'd be a pretty long story to relay her entire history, but something was telling her he'd find out if she were lying. "well, i've lived in daegu for about two years now. i originally lived in new york... my parents were first-generation and originally immigrated from this area. i guess i'm trying to... y'know, reconnect with them, i guess?" she explained, forcing down a sip of her drink so that the sudden tinge of hoarseness to her voice could be explained away by a dry throat, even if it wasn't the true cause.

as he seemingly takes mercy on her and regains control of the conversation, seonah's eyes noticeably flicker with doubt at his story. would a solicitor really be engaging in acts like the one she'd witnessed in the alleyway? she supposed someone dealing with wealthy, powerful people could realistically find themselves caught up in an underbelly of crime. but it wasn't really her business, and yujin's almost immediate deflection back to her was proof enough of that.

Haeun had been worried for her friend ever since she hadn't answered to the door, her hearbeat running fast against her chest as if she had been running a marathon only for it to stop as she watched her friend surrounded by glass. Dark orbs traced her figure quickly trying to find any damage in her and only relaxing when she couldn't find any physical damage, on the inside well, that seemed to be another story. "It's okay." she replied right away, her soft voice trying to be comforting for the other. "as long as you are not hurt." haeun commented while offering her a soft smile that soon fell slightly at seonah's words, sadness clouding her own eyes at the new information. Knowing too well the pain that it brought. "Oh, Seonie..." She exclaimed before enveloping her friend in a side hug. "We will fix it." How? haeun had no idea but she was willing to do everything to fulfill that promise.

her hands found their way to seonah's hair, gently runing her fingers through it in hopes of soothing her and the emotions that must be running wild on her mind, in her heart, a silent way of reminding her that she wasn't alone anymore and how she was there to ease the pain, she knew she would never be able to erase it but she could at least make it more bearable for her to go through it, just like she was a source of comfort for her. Because no one should be left alone with their thoughts after all the two of them had gone through.

a soft chuckle left her lips as she felt seonah's arms close around her in a tight hug, her own arms doing the same right away, holding her friend close to her. "it's okay. it will be okay." she shushed her apologies, she never had to apologize for feeling what she felt, never with her at least, haeun would always understand. "you can get as many as you want." she offered with a soft giggle, hoping it would at least cheer her up a tiny bit. make her heart a little bit less heavy, less lonely. "do you think we can save something of it?" she asked, ready to help, ready to fix it even if her hands ended filled with bandaids.

as her friend mentioned fixing the terrarium, a few different scenarios ran through seonah's head. obviously the glass was shattered, so that piece of the puzzle was pretty much eliminated. "hmm," she mused aloud, sweeping the broken pieces up along with the soil scattered around the floor until it resembled a safely distanced pile. "maybe we could?" she answered haeun's question with uncertainty, but she was definitely considering all the options. "i mean, the glass and dirt would have to be replaced, but we could for sure save the plants! and -" she stopped short of finishing her thought. she risked a quick glance at haeun and then looked back at her current task. she didn't want to completely derail all their plans for that evening and make her friend rebuild a terrarium with her. she knew haeun would, and in a heartbeat, but she felt guilty for even entertaining the idea.

still, she knew her friend wouldn't want her keeping something like this to herself. "okay, well, if we just save the plants, we could definitely rebuild it, but i don't want you to feel like you have to help me do that! i know we were gonna watch movies and everything, so i hate to mess that up," seonah stated regretfully. she began to empty the dirty, broken glass into an old carboard box in hopes of preventing the garbage bag from being sliced open. "although, it would be a pretty nice memory to have tied to it...you and me rebuilding something that my dad and i made together. ohhh," she was clearly conflicted.

a starter for @silknoise

ilho had only known the girl a short while, but he could tell seonah was someone who was deeply in need of his help. maybe that was an overstatement, but he felt deeply that without him she would be struggling ten times harder to adjust and fit into life in daegu. this is why he had invited her over to his small, simple apartment, having bought fresh groceries just that morning for the occassion. they were all sitting neatly on his countertop, ready to be prepared. "alright, first thing's first!" he spins around, holding two pastel coloured aprons, one in purple and one in blue, each with little flowers embroidered on them. "aprons. it is essential to protect your clother from grease and other spattery things." he holds the two options out for her in either hand, trying to display them favorably for her. "you can pick which one you like." the purple one was eomma's...

the smell of fresh produce appeased her senses, as she stood at rapt attention for his instruction. she listened carefully, and thought with more care than she probably needed to on which apron to take when he'd presented them. her hand gravitated towards the blue one, as it was the closest to her most favored green, piping in an enthusiastic "this one!" before looping it over her head and tying it around her waist.

as his next direction came, seonah dug into her nearby bag for a thin tie before lifting her hair off the nape of her neck and pinning it to her crown. she swished her head excitedly a few times, and gave ilho the ok symbol to signify she'd completed that area of preparation. as gloves were handed her way, she immediately sets out to put them on, only for her fingers to want to go into the wrong recesses. after spending an embarrassing amount of time trying to correct things, she finally secured the gloves onto her hands precisely. as his next inquiry sank in a bit, she gave him a sheepish simper.