#hdhyerin

FRIDAY AFTERNOON ARRIVES WITH IT, A MIRACLE.

gu yeonseok reaches down, down into the pick-up box of a vending machine and finds that there is an extra can of milkis waiting for him there. really, it’s remarkable in the way that it’s utterly unremarkable; no one stops what they’re doing to watch or point or congratulate him on his little stroke of luck. and yet yeonseok, who’s come to seoul only two days prior, quietly takes the accident as a nod from the universe— that, among this city’s strangers and its overcast skies, there may be something here looking out for him, folding him into his destiny with warmth and glorious laughter.

he straightens out. carelessly throws one of the cans up towards the ceiling and into a magnificent arc, until— oh! — he's immediately made to lunge forward with the realization that one of the arc’s endpoints is a brown-eyed girl with a bag. he nearly stumbles into her as the can falls unceremoniously back into his hand. hastily, his attention skips around the stranger to assess the damage. brown eyes. bag. brown eyes. bag. the apology dies in his throat.

“uh,” he starts, somewhat breathless. “that’s cool. your bag.”

the  moment  they  stepped  into  the  threshold  of  the  establishment,  haru's  senses  were  immediately  assaulted  by  the  vibrant  cacophony  of  sizzling  grills,  boisterous  laughter,  and  the  thick  haze  of  smoky  air.  in  an  instant,  dread  washed  over  him  and  the  immense  annoyance  of  knowing  that  he  could  have  been  anywhere  else  but  there  was  palpable  in  his  veins.  loud  crowds  made  for  distractions  aplenty  and  a  slight  debilitation  for  clear  thought,  which  haru  had  an  inkling  he  would  need  as  much  of  as  he  possibly  could  muster  that  night.

he  spared  a  glance  over  to  where  hyerin  was,  so  that  he  could  keep  track  of  her  location  in  spite  of  the  two  pillars  affixed  to  either  side  of  him  that  seemed  hell  bent  on  keeping  him  sandwiched  between  them.  he  hadn't  a  clue  why  these  two  young  ladies  had  been  consistently  hounding  on  him  and  made  it  their  mission  to  keep  his  focus  away  from  everyone  else,  but  he  still  tried  to  be  as  cordial  as  he  could  while  thinking  of  a  strategy  he  could  employ.

haru  could  probably  count  within  one  hand  the  number  of  times  he'd  unknowingly  gone  out  together  with  hyerin—two  separate  friend  circles  of  his  apparently  had  an  overlap  with  hers,  and  once  again  haru  was  in  disbelief  at  how  there  were  people  who  genuinely  believed  more  company  made  for  more  fun.  yet  in  spite  of  the  few  instances  that  they'd  been  within  relative  proximity  to  one  another,  his  perceptive  gaze  had  caught  on  to  small  things,  little  details  that  most  would  either  dismiss  or  overlook  entirely,  which  gave  him  the  strongest  inkling  of  hyerin's...  he  wasn't  even  sure  what  to  call  it,  at  least  not  yet.

tonight  would  be  the  night  he'd  get  his  answers,  he  thought.

when  their  group  was  led  to  a  long  table  against  one  of  the  walls,  more  chaos  erupted  in  the  already  lively  premises  and  the  politics  of  deciding  the  seating  arrangement  began.  while  haru  typically  had  little  preference  for  where  to  sit  and  he  was  usually  more  than  happy  to  take  whichever  seat  remained,  this  was  the  one  night  he  had  a  particular  position  in  mind,  and  he  had  every  intention  of  claiming  it  for  his  own.

in  a  gesture  he  rarely  partook  in,  haru  shoved  his  hands  deep  into  the  pockets  of  his  pants  and  rolled  in  his  shoulders,  so  that  he  could  create  as  much  distance  as  possible  between  him  and  the  two  unwanted  columns  on  either  side  of  him.  before  they  could  catch  on  to  his  escape  attempt,  he  then  swiftly  sidestepped  away  and  casually  slid  into  the  seat  right  beside  hyerin's,  wordlessly  and  without  sparing  her  another  glance.

written for yoon hyerin (@hdhyerin) ♡

chaeyeon tears down the park path, bell chiming like she's announcing royalty, her long hair flying, laugh too loud for the Sunday quiet. she pedals standing up, legs burning, but she sells it as if she's auditioning for a commercial. "oh my god, look at me~ look at us! i totally needed this." she swerves dangerously close to the grass, then wobbles back onto the path, shrieking, "i meant to do that! totally part of the routine!" before ringing the bell again. a family of joggers stares, but she waves like a pageant queen, coasting until she nearly tips.