#jsj

the many meanings of 'hey' [ FAKE ]: alternatively, the sender (who has just been crying in private) hastily wipes away their tears and tries to greet the receiver casually (to varying degrees of success).

"hey."

soojung's voice is soft despite the audible clench of her jaw, single word spoken through gritted teeth. this wasn't exactly part of her meticulously scheduled plan today - two souls in the aftermath of an incredibly piss-poor cornering, exactly thirty-nine minutes from now - but she'd be remiss to not have halted in her tracks at the sound of what she could only describe as a child sobbing through a young woman's body. just gutteral tears and near-frantic sniffles echoing down the café building's narrow stairwell. god, humans were so emotional.

the girl - soojung assumes she's somewhere in her twenties; the face is cherubic, but both the metaphorical weight and the actual handbag on her shoulders suggest it's on the higher end of the spectrum - jolts her head up at the sound of soojung's voice. it's a little pitiful, her stance: crouched in the cramped corner of the stairwell, head heavy held up with trembling hands, body so folded over it looks like she just wants to disappear into the ether.

she's frantic: quivering fingers desperately trying to smear the tears off her face with multiple passes, shiny streaks left in its wake. the next motions are quick in succession but calculated in order, and if soojung hadn't been soojung, she might have missed them: the quick intake of air, the tiniest lift of her chest off her knees, the upwards twitch of her lips that are miles away from reaching her bleary eyes. quite professional, really. late-twenties indeed.

the crackly warble in the girl's voice shows her hand through her impromptu poker face though.

which symbolic fruit are you?

the apple is most commonly known for being associated with the forbidden fruit that eve eats in catholicism which casts her and adam out of heaven: original sin. however, apples are also symbolic to pagan fertility goddesses, the seeds of which are five and showcase a pentagram when cut horizontally. the apple in any case, represents wisdom and knowledge, independent desire and curiosity. you are someone who seeks to understand the world better. you believe in independent thought and asking questions which to some may be hard to answer. there's been times where you may have persecuted for being different from how others expect you to act, but have never let that stop you from speaking your mind and taking what you want. however, be wary of leaping into things you don't understand. knowledge is a wonderful, illuminating thing, but knowing too much can be a burden to some.

once you're stripped clean, what's at your core?

acerbic wit you're a mentor — an old scarred wolf, an injured soldier, a disgraced paladin. your teachings read as shamelessly pretentious, speaking in rhymes and biting down hard into anyone stupid enough to make the wrong move. this isn't your first life, nor your second, nor your sixth — you'll make the most of your time shackled to this world, no matter how many loops it takes to get it right. with every defeat, you reincarnate; a little smarter, a little quicker, crueler and nastier. will you choose to be brutal, equalizing, that final strike in the face of your enemies? will you go soft, become tender and domesticated? the choice is yours. it's not like i can stop you.

what color is your aura?

lace, marble, china dishes, doves, paper, bones, vanilla shakes. your essence is ivory: you are a piece of history, sturdy and eternal. others believe you to be gentle; they don't see the pressure that is threatening to crack you. you seek control and organize your life into rows. you are the overseer. you are the porcelain. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of grey, noir, pearl, and ashen, who share the pressure you put on yourself. you are also drawn to the expressive rose and lilac, who will help you grow and learn that things will be okay even if they don't go right. however, you may struggle to get along with the indulgent personalities of sky and apricot who need too much stimulation and decadence.

❛ no tengo nada que hablar contigo. ❜ el timbrar de los vocablos se muestra hostil, la tintura que aparece entre la lengua más bien es un movimiento amargo, un eco que continúa hasta que la barbilla se alza lo suficiente como para mirarle por encima del hombro, vez primera que genuinamente hay una sensación de que se encuentra por encima dentro de la dinámica que manejan desde hace un rato ya. ❛ hasta me pareces un poco patética, ¿sabes? ❜

lia was sneaky. she always loved to leave notes all around the apartment for you to find when she was gone. sometimes she bought your favorite snacks and would strategically place them where she knew you would find them. she would never tell you face to face the things she wrote on the notes though, as simple as they were.

you were both used to decorating for the holidays very early into the season, no matter the event. so, it takes you by surprise how much the mistletoes multiplied around the place as the month went. literally everywhere. yes, in the beginning you’d bring it with you until you reached her and you’d kiss her. sometimes deeper than others, some more innocent, but you always did.

it was strange though, and you were almost completely sure she had something to do with it, because no matter what, they always appeared in different places and bigger numbers. now, you weren’t upset about it, you would never complain as long as you got to kiss her.

but, you kept an eye out. it was only the day of the roadtrip the two of you had planned to your hometown that you finally caught her. you had to wake up a lot earlier than usual, so you accidentally walked into the bathroom as she was taping one of her last mistletoes of the day, right on the mirror.

“what the fuck!” her hand glues to her chest as she takes a deep breath. the gasp was loud before her cursing, it was more than obvious she still thought you asleep.

“jisu” you chuckle, walking towards her and wrapping your arms around her waist. “you really thought I wouldn't see you spreading the mistletoes around the house? I'll kiss you if you just ask.”