#ft. junho

"¿Eso significa que no quieres regresar a casa?" Pregunta con un tono divertido, sonriendo apenas de lado. No pierde la oportunidad para picar suavemente su costado, usando el índice de la diestra; una, dos, ¡tres veces! "Yo estoy encantada con este lugar como el sitio vacacional que elegí. Pero ah, mis queridos hermanos, apuesto a que ambos harán que vuelva sola a Seúl. ¡Traidores!" * ♡ ( @mojunho )

Jun was supposed to arrive any moment now and she's already finished baking him his favorite cake, for his birthday. She's put her entire focus and attention on today, hitting pause on everything else that's been going on, desperate to not care and instead focus on spending his birthday together. It's his day, after all. And that's all that mattered now. When she hears the door open, she rushes out of the kitchen to meet him, a bright smile on her face as she wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him. "Hi," she greets him, resting her head against his chest for a moment to breathe in his familiar scent before she looks up at him and takes his hand. "How was your day? I have a surprise. Come with me." With that, she tugs him to the kitchen, where his birthday cake is on the table, looking back at him again, her eyes bright. "I hope you didn't have a heavy meal at the hospital..." Though knowing Jun, he's probably been running on coffee and granola bars. She wraps her arms around his waist again, leaning up to pepper gentle kisses on his jaw and then his cheek. "Happy birthday."

Two new victims. Efe. Efe. Oh, she was going to feel sick. The room starts to spin around her and her vision blurs momentarily, she can barely see Catherine Graves's cursed face on the screen anymore. She can hear words, here and there. She can't take it anymore. This death hits too close to home, a death of someone she cared about despite how her recent actions might've showed. She reaches for the remote controller and turns off the TV, silent tears streaming down her cheeks before they become pained, and choked. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Her last conversation with Efe had been so awkward, after she had avoided him. All because she couldn't deal with the war in her head. And now he's gone. Gone. Shit. She gets up, rushing to put on the first thing she finds in her closet, knowing where to go. Jun. His best friend was gone. She's known how close the two were, she's seen how close they are. She can't imagine what Jun's feeling now, and she knows she has to be there for him. She wants to be there for him, make sure he knows that she's here, that despite the break up and the unspoken words, he can find solace with her. She doesn't know if he'll accept that from her, but she can't imagine being anywhere else right now. She has to try. She doesn't even text Jun, she just rushes over to his place. She hasn't been to his place in two years, so it feels a little odd coming here. She wishes it was under better, happier circumstances. "Jun..." she says softly, her eyes welling up a little when the door opens and she looks up at him. "I'm sorry I came here unannounced. I just... I saw the news and I quickly came here." She pauses, taking a few steps towards him and taking his hands to give them a gentle squeeze. "—I'm so sorry."

Ever since the festival, being at work has been an uphill battle for Charlotte. She had been overwhelmed and all over the place, her own mess stressing her out a little bit, and the news of the two new victims scaring her. The dance with Jun at the festival has been replaying in her head in between patient appointments, and when she’s home alone. If she’s not throwing herself into work and errands, it’s hard to get it out of her head. She had woken up the next day after the festival embarrassed, at how she almost kissed Jun right there in the middle of a crowd after doing everything but dance with him, at how she was easily intoxicated by his presence and by his touch and eyes. And because of this, Charlotte had been doing her utmost best to avoid Jun at the hospital. It’s been difficult, concerning they tend to run into each other. If she spotted him from afar, she tended to change directions. If they ran into each other, she kept it short and polite, a quick hello, before she came up with some work excuse and ran off. She didn’t know what to do about it, and she didn’t know how Jun felt about it. So far, she’s been able to escape a conversation. Until now. It’s her break, so she’s waiting for the elevator to head down to the cafeteria for some bad hospital food. When the elevator doors open to reveal Jun being inside, she contemplates fleeing, except their eyes meet and there’s no believable excuse she can make to escape this. So she nods at him. “Hello, Dr. Rhee,” she says, walking inside, clearing her throat and keeping her head down a little. She can’t even say Dr. Rhee anymore without remembering how he had told her that he likes it when she calls him that, and how she shouldn’t stop.

Charlotte wouldn’t be doing this if she was fully sober. She’d be overthinking it at least three times before she decides and convinces herself it’s not what she should be doing. However, thanks to Kyle, she’s got enough alcohol running through her system to make her tipsy and much braver. She had caught sight of Junho not too long ago in the festival, and, like a teenager, Charlotte had stared a little longer than she should. It had been a conscious effort to stop. “Hi, Jun,” she says, eyes bright as she walks up to him. “I hope you’ve been having fun.” Though they both know this isn’t either of their scenes. “Did you want to dance, by any chance?” Doe-eyes are focused up at him. If he rejects, she’ll just bury herself underground, it’s no big deal.