#chr str

she knows what people say.  they don’t even have to say it, with the way their brows go up every time that hyun comes in to take, and take, and take because that’s all that he knows how to do.  that’s all he ever does to her.

really, jei knows what it looks like.  she’s not well known for being super charitable and she really has a prickly attitude.  she even makes her brother pay for his ice cream whenever he stops by which he actually compliments her for.  so the idea that hyun is someone “ special” to miss manager kim jinhee has somehow spread among the few employees she keeps around, and of course, this little rumour has gotten to the new boy as well.

honestly, she hates gossip.

“ you can do some work or you can go home.” she says dully, her chin resting in her palm as she looks blankly at the door.  and she wasn’t waiting for hyun to come in, and she definitely wasn’t looking wistful.  “ what are you staring at me for?” her tone tells jaewon to watch his words carefully, but really, she already knows what it is he’s thinking because it’s the only thing that seems to keep her employees entertained on the slower nights.  apparently the ten thousand times she’s told all of them that she’s not dating hyun isn’t enough.  maybe, just maybe, this one she’ll be able to convince.

jihyun grows in a garden and everyone in korea knows it.

and if they don’t, they’re probably way behind the times.  royal survival took the country by storm and jei along with it - why? because jei considered jihyun a friend, or at least a close acquaintance.  but that’s still not something she’d say aloud, considering her personality and she thinks that maybe, jihyun knows it too.  

for now, she sits and taps her fingernail on the tabletop.  she’s waiting for jihyun, but her roots have her caught back in the place she blooms.  jei doesn’t blame her, but she hates waiting when there’s nothing to do except eyeball people who do nothing but stare or frustrate by crowding her space.  but when jihyun finally arrives, the annoyance finally melts away though a fake form of it is left drawn in her expression.  

she’s still known as an ice queen.

“ really, lee jihyun? i would have suckerpunched an army to get here, and you’re leaving me waiting?” she clicks her tongue, not getting up from her seat - but there’s still something warm about the cold words and the cold posture.  finally, there’s a ghost of a smile hanging on her lips as she tries to continue -  “ i thought tempting you with your cheap fast food would have sufficed, but ....” 

if there’s something that jei thinks is the most ridiculous way to waste money, it’s a claw machine.  people spend so much money on a machine that is rigged to make you fail, if only for a prize that’s worth pennies considering they’re poor quality and mass produced.  it’s a fad that she’s never really understood, and one that never seems to die out.  perhaps the bright lights and the teddy bears within call to children so she could understand their interest.  after all, they’re simply naive.

what she doesn’t understand are the boys who claim they can win a cute little bear for their girlfriend if only to give up and face failure after about twenty tries.

jei has also never touched a claw machine in her life.

she’s standing before one now, arms crossed and eyes squinting into prize selection.  all the stuffed animals within clearly look cheap and still, at twenty three, she doesn’t understand the novelty.  it leads her to speak aloud, though she doesn’t think anyone is listening. “ sure, let’s go win some stupid shit.” 

but there is someone listening.  jei’s just too fixated on the dumb machine to notice.

sometimes, life is just about making up your own fun.  little challenges that can’t possibly be achieved that are only destined for failure just to have a good laugh about it in the end - these are things that jei somehow enjoys.  her expression may say otherwise, but she likes the competitive feel of it, even if everyone is doomed for failure from the start.

like, shopping with elly and putting a limit on their spending.  especially when they’re both in serious need of some retail therapy.  jei has a lot on her mind, though she doubts it’s half as much as elly does - the girl looks horrible.  

but after just a few stores, with her hands full of shopping bags she lets out a sigh.  “ well, we came close.” she says, in reference to their little challenge made and lost.  “ should we keep going now that we’ve failed anyway, or do you want to go grab some dinner?”

something doesn’t quite sit right under her skin.

she’s been staring at the music box every day since it showed up on her desk at work.  it’s not hard to figure out who exactly left it, because the employees all know hyun by now and they all have their suspicions about what their relationship really is.  no matter how many times jei can deny it, hyun always manages to do something that catches their eye or their interest and practically destroys her credibility.

the music box itself isn’t anything remarkable.  she can tell that the craftsmanship is lacklustre at best, but it makes sense, being handmade.  hyun is a performer, not a woodworker.  but she can tell he’s worked on it and worked on it hard, even going as far to trip the music box melody of somewhere over the rainbow every time she flips the lid.  and she wonders exactly why he made such an effort - when all they share is free ice cream, and sharing it is questionable.

she’s sitting on her bed with her knees pulled to her chest with the music box settled in front of her on the bedding, almost swallowed by her blankets.  it’s been days, going on a week and a half now since she’s received it with no word of what it means or even why he gave it to her in the first place.  hyun has a tendency to come and go like the tides, but it’s strange because she’s never thought of him as silent.  hong jonghyun has never been a tranquil lake to her.

the awkward feeling in her makes her more uncomfortable with each passing minute.

eventually, careful fingers find her phone, and then they find his number.  her chin rests on her knees when she starts the call.   “ hey ... sorry for calling so late ....”