#ghqevent01

tense fingers grazed against her silk pockets to check for the thousandth time that the small outline of the lighter still remained there, lest yuri find out that she was completely undependable. it was quite literally the only thing he ever expected her to contribute to these little sessions, given her lack of certain connections, and she wouldn’t let herself forget again. she’d already located the exit point she needed to head through in order to find the small balcony that hung seamlessly from the tower. it was more of an observation point than a proper balcony, so there wasn’t much room, but two people would fit without issue.

slipping her way through the door, she covertly closed it behind her, as though she were on some sort of reconnaissance mission. night had long since fallen over busan, and the distant sound of waves could be heard gently walloping the shoreline. happy eyes met the one who waited for her with the exceedingly green, odorous key to heaven. “hey yuri!,” she greeted him properly, immediately tugging the lighter from her pocket to show him that she’d remembered. “oh, also...” her hands produced a small, but no doubt brand name bluetooth speaker with her phone already attached. “so they can’t hear the lighter flicking,” she declared confidently, setting her things safely in the corner on the floor of the balcony. soon enough, music began to fill the space with a comfortingly chill beat.

☾ . ⋆ NOEUL GARDENS GLAMPING SLEEP - IN                                                                            tonight in the lounge !

as a fun treat for the residents of the gardens, the 50th floor lounge has been completely decked out in luxurious camping equipment for a massive sleep - in! there’s no need to go outside when glamping in style is an option, and our large, comfortable tents line every wall with soft beds and chaise sofas galore! all tenants are invited to gather around our calming, smokeless indoor firepit, enjoy a backdrop of nostalgic music, partake in delicious refreshments from popular local eateries, our sinful dessert table, and a fully stocked lounge bar that’s open all night! when you’re tuckered out for the night, enclose yourself into your private tent and continue the party as late as you’d like! the best part is, every tent leaves an opening for beautiful window views, so that you never forget how much higher you rank over everybody else!

                                  —  this definitely isn’t your average slumber party, kids!

     jiyeon could only throw her hands up defeat as she stared at the chocolate fondue fountain she had been trying to get to work. somehow she had broken it and now no chocolate would flow but it also seemed to be dripping something out of the back? maybe it was chocolate, she couldn't be sure. a look of terror slowly crept onto her delicate features as realization settled in. she had broken something at the fancy event noeul gardens had put on in front of everyone. sure she had the money to replace it thousands of times over but that was hardly the point. it was the embarrassment of being known as a klutz or someone who broke everything they touched that loomed over her like a dark cloud.

     her face had already turned a brilliant shade of red and she was blinking away tears as she tried to get the blasted thing to just work!! she could feel someone come up behind her and quickly wiped her face, offering a nervous chuckle that sounded more like a whimper than a laugh. “i didn’t do it, i swear. it just stopped working all of a sudden.” she turned and was greeted with a familiar face. “oh hwiyeon-ah, you always seem to find me in situations like this, don’t you?’ she had enough sense to look embarrassed and offered a bow of contrition. 

    perhaps jiyeon needed to get out more because she was sure she hadn't seen lilith around the building before. were they someone's guest? were they allowed to bring guests? jiyeon didn’t remember seeing anything about a plus one on the invite but she was also a total space case and couldn’t remember breakfast. either way, a smile tugged at her lips and she held a pointer finger up, politely excusing herself from the conversation so she could go greet her old friend. anything of her former life, before she lost her mother, brought her comfort and she clung to it dearly. seeing a familiar face that brought her back to happier days was always welcomed.

     “i believe we’ve met before, no?” she teased, offering a flourish of her hand paired with a comedic bow. “you must be a magician because you’ve cast a spell on me.” she was laying it on thick with the bad pickup line but hopefully it would jog lil’s memory on who the stranger that approached her so boldly was. 

jiyeon had been making her way through the crowd of people, her eyes on the prize of a bright green fruity alcoholic beverage when she felt like the wind had knocked out of her. she felt dizzy and her ears began to ring, her heart beating so loudly she was sure everyone was aware of its quickening pace. surely that couldn't be him, could it? no, it had to be him. she knew that laugh, that smile. it was still able to take her breath away despite the fact that she had been more than insistent that that part of her life was in the rearview.

she bit at the corner of her lower lip, certain she looked as lost as she felt. she was dressed in teddy bear pajamas, had barely any makeup on, and all she could manage was an internal dialogue filled with curses and what ifs. how could she possibly meet him after all this time? they hadn't left things sour, perse but it could've been navigated by two people who had more maturity and insight. "love is all about timing. sometimes being in love is never quite enough, no matter that lines Hollywood wants to sell you " her mom would explain, after another night of jiyeon refusing to leave her room.

and she had been right. after the intial shock, the two seemed to fall into something more.... friendly. kakao messages could be sent and the friendship seemed to allow both a freedom neither knew they were missing. still, he had been so busy lately that she wasn't sure the last time she had seen him in person. as handsome as always, she couldn't help but notice how he had filled out for his last role and was looking so chic. as much as she wanted to say hello, she saw all the bodies that flit between him, vying for his attention. she was never one to engage in something like that so she stood a safe distance away but still within his eyeline. after moment their eyes connected and she offered him a reluctant and embarrassed wave, hoping he'd recognize her and not write her off as an intrusive fan or stalker.

a plate of dessert balanced angrily in one hand, hwiyeon leaves the latest tent she’d been inspecting and moves on to the next one. in the spirit of glamping, she’d claimed one of the tents when she arrived and left a foolproof mark of claim -- her bag and her blanket -- but clearly someone wasn’t respecting the sanctity of claims here, because she returned to the tent only to find it filled with someone else’s things instead and hers nowhere in sight.

“have you seen my stuff?” she’d asked the new couple.

“the tent was empty when we got here,” they said, innocently.

hwiyeon didn’t buy it, but she wasn’t going to be That Person causing a scene in the middle of some luxurious camping night. it was already a scene by itself. so she’d taken her dessert, and she’d set off on the arduous and increasingly irritating quest of finding her things.

“knock knock,” she said by way of announcing herself, louder than the actual knocks she gave against the next tent pole. “are either of you the assholes who took my--” she takes a step forward too quickly and almost walks right into someone passing by. “hey, fu-- jaemin?”

the halls of noeul gardens’ 50th floor were as decadently lit as ever, and rocky almost felt as though she were doing something she wasn’t supposed to. she figured she was still just adjusting to life in such a luxurious apartment complex, but she definitely felt out of place sometimes. that was probably why she’d made such a suggestion to sieon from within the lounge, and why they were now slinking through the hallways away from the party and towards another destination entirely. perhaps they simply needed to scratch a certain itch. still, it was relatively innocent. 

with a cautious slip of her keycard through the slot on the door in front of her, the path was opened to the arcade. the room was somewhat dark, lit only by the game machines themselves, all of which offered a comforting glow. rocky’s smile was unintentional, and more of a reflex than anything. she fumbled around against the wall to find the appropriate light switch, and soon enough, they were able to take in the room fully. “oooh, cool!” rocky declared, in awe that something so enjoyable was a mere 43 floors away from her at all times. “it’s so weird, but this is the first time i’ve been in here since i moved in,” came additional words from parted lips. “have you played in here much?” she asked of sieon, while she took her phone from her small bag and began looking for a place to set it up for the perfect angle, since they had every intention of streaming their arcade shenanigans.