࣪࣪࣪࣪ “ let me guess. you guys fought again and now you're here so you can talk about him. ” a heavy sigh parts with his lips. “ and you expect me to sit and listen to you cry about the same old shit. ” he shakes his head. “ i'm getting tired of this, ” his jaw tenses. “ i'm getting tired of you. ” a statement meant to be an attempt for a ( late ) self - preservation.

sitting at the bar, aecha ordered a large glass of white wine and waited patiently for the bartender to pour. she refrained from asking for the bottle, though she knew she might end up depleting it as the night wore on. she looked to the side as someone moved to sit beside her, giving a small smile of greeting before taking a large gulp of her wine.

       walking  to  the  staff  area,  a  heavier  sigh  emitting  from  the  clear  exhaustion  of  the  busy  day  at  the  restaurant.  jiho,  having  thought  to  find  marie  resting  up  in  the  room,  perhaps  scrolling  through  social  medias,  or  even  working  on  new  recipes  —-  male  having  found  himself  admiring  the  curiosity  of  the  other,  asking  what  tastes  would  go,  surprisingly,  well  together   ;   to  form  an  euphoric  experience  for  the  customers,  dining  at  his  restaurant.  the  very  reason  why  they'd  constantly  keep  coming  back,  requiring  the  same  old  recipe.  however,  to  his  surprise  there  wasn't  anyone,  except  the  door  to  his  office  being  open  and  scattering  noises  coming  from  in  there.   “ marie,  is  that  you  ? ”   calling  out,  digits  loosening  the  apron  he  wore,  pulling  it  off  and  away  from  his  frame,  slinging  it  over  the  back  of  a  chair  he  was  passing.  sounds  stop  and  male  looks  inside,  only  to  find  her  silhouette  bending  over  his  drawer,  notebooks  laid  out  across  his  desk.  the  sight  making  his  eyebrows  furrow,  one  palm  pressing  against  opposite  side  of  the  doorframe  his  stance  leaned  against,  denying  her  a  potential  exit  route.   “ so,  what's...  going  on  ? ”   querying  with  brow  quirking,  a  glint  of  disappointment  in  both  hues, slight disbelief that she'd deceive him but a worry surfaced anyway.

         “ i can't give you what you want. in case you forgot, we've already tried this. and failed. an' i'm still the same person i was back then. ”

         “ how many times are we gonna have this same conversation? i don't need your excuses, and i sure as hell don't want them. ” 

upon the royal's dismissal of his services , he bows — taking a quickened glance at the princess before everyone begins dispersing from the main hall where he only showed he lived to serve . little birdy in chester's ear allows his suspicions to up hold , awaiting the princess out in the hallway — everyone else leaving one by one until he's alone with jiu . ' your highness ? ' smirk adorns tanned features as he steps forward into the light . ' may i have your audience ? just a moment of your time . ' / @amourneds

                 " you can't look at me like that, and then expect me to think straight. "

the  mirrorglass  house  was  quieter  after  midnight  ,  but  never  truly  silent  .  music  bled  softly  through  the  vents  from  some  unfinished  studio  session  upstairs  ,  bass  muffled  beneath  walls  worth  more  than  most  people’s  futures  .  LED  lights  glowing  beneath  bedroom  doors  in  hazy  streaks  of  violet  and  electric  blue  ,  staining  the  hallway  like  watercolor  left  out  in  the  rain  .  even  at these hours the  mansion  itself  felt  performative  .  .  .  too  polished  ,  too  hollow  ,  like  a  stage  long  after  the  audience  had  gone  home  .  outside  ,  rain  dragged  itself  down  the  enormous  kitchen  windows  in  silver  ribbons  .  minjae  stood  alone  by  the  marble  island  with  a  cigarette  balanced  between  slender  fingers  ,  the  back  door  cracked  just  enough  for  smoke  to  disappear  into  the  cold  night  air  .  an  oversized  black  hoodie  swallowed  her  whole  ,  sleeves  hanging  past  her  hands  .  bare  legs  ,  bare  feet  against  chilled  tile  with  dark  hair  tousled  from  sleep  she  clearly  hadn’t  gotten  .  from  far  away  ,  she  looked  soft  .   up  close  ,  there  was  always  something  unraveling  at  the  seams  .  her  phone  buzzed  endlessly  beside  her  .  management  emails  ,  refund  disputes  .  three  separate  articles  with  VELVET  printed  in  cruel  white  font  .  another  fan  asking  where  their  charity  donation  had  gone  .  minjae  turned  the  phone  face  down  without  reading  any  of  them  .  the  silence  afterward  felt  heavy  enough  to  bruise  .  then  .  .  .   a  cabinet  door  opened  somewhere  behind  her  .  the  sound  sliced  neatly  through  the  kitchen  .  minjae  glanced  over  her  shoulder  ,  smoke  curling  slowly  past  her  lips  as  another  member  of  the  house  wandered  downstairs  ,  dragged  awake  by  insomnia  or  hunger  or  the  simple  inability  to  survive  their  own  thoughts  in  solitude  .  that  happened  often  here  .  everyone  inside  mirrorglass  orbited  each  other  like  satellites  circling  the  same  inevitable  wreckage  .  for  a  moment  ,  she  simply  watched  .  her  expression  remained  unreadable  ,  dark  eyes  dulled  by  exhaustion  and  sharpened  by  something  far  more  dangerous  beneath  it  .  the  kind  of  look  cameras  adored  because  it  resembled  honesty  .  “  careful  .  .  . the  fifth  stair  complains  if  you  step  on  the  edge  ”  thunder  rolled  somewhere  outside  .  minjae  took  another  slow  drag  from  the  cigarette  before  nudging  a  carton  of  untouched  takeout  toward  the other  across  the  marble  counter  .  her  rings  clicked  softly  against  the  surface  .  “  couldn’t  sleep  either  ?  ”  her  voice  always  sounded  unfair  in  quiet  rooms  .  velvet  smooth  .  intimate  enough  to  make  strangers  think  she  belonged  to  them  .