#mxsicdrabble

“so what boytoy are you onto this week?” 

and cue the flustered reaction, the flushed cheeks, the bashful laughter, and a complaint of “how can you say that?” 

but tiffany had to admit that the more she met up with jieun, the less she recognized who jieun was when they first met. 

“tell me it’s a lie.” 

maybe it’s too cruel. maybe tiffany is a little cruel.

sometimes honesty begets cruelty. 

where is the truth? i still can’t see it, you know it’s a cheap trick that i can’t escape from

“you know i’m not like that, mimi!” 

“do i?” she hums softly, fingers twirling a dainty spoon in her mug, the design of her latte slipping away, disappearing just as any semblance of pretense does between the two. “or do i know what you want people to know?” 

ironic, coming from her, she knows. but she admits it. step one. 

“why do you act innocent when you’re not? what do you get out of it?” 

and it’s not just towards jieun that she feels this way, this somewhat misplaced irritation because she knows now that life is too short for such stupid lies. 

daehyun is the only one who understands. he’s the only one who actually knows that, for once, this song about heaven is not for her mother. 

it’s for him. it’s for moon jongup. 

it’s for a love like no other because, according to daehyun, “love is like fingerprints, never two the same.” 

i smile for you every day,i pray for youwith thoughts of you, i fall asleep,i open my eyes as i call for youyou protect me by my sideand you embrace meyou are my heaven 

if anyone understands what loss feels like, it’s now the two of them and it’s different. love is different, he taught her that and she’s never forgotten it even from a late night phone call. 

he handles grief better than she does, she knew he could but it isn’t any less a tragedy. it isn’t any less devastating to know that the person who showed daehyun in this harsh world is gone and even if she didn’t know jongup well, daehyun’s judgment hasn’t failed her before.  

if we’re togetherwe will never cry never never cry 

there’s a fleeting second when their eyes meet and someone asks her, “how do you think your mother would feel knowing she continues to be your inspiration?” and it’s such an odd question. such an odd notion because, to her, her mother was someone who carried happiness on her pocket and sunshine on her shoulder so isn’t the answer naturally that her mother — and jongup — would be happy? so her gaze doesn’t falter or stray as she answers. “it’s in the song. ‘i smile for you every day’ of course she’s my inspiration, she’s with me everyday.“ 

and when she looks at daehyun, she knows jongup is with him too.

“do you remember this place?” 

“if you brought me here to go to the pool again like that one night, it’s not happening.” 

and it’s just like her to joke in a moment like this — at any semblance or hint of anything involving depth. it wouldn’t be hwang miyoung if she didn’t. but he’s not bothered. 

it’s been years and he knows her better by now. it’s been years and they’ve gone through ups and downs, highs and lows. it’s been years and she finally knows the truth. 

he’s a doctor and here’s the kicker, she doesn’t hate him for it. 

she doesn’t even hate him for technically lying,      even if he’ll say ‘withholding the truth’. 

because she didn’t ask ( ofc, which earns a “who asked for your sass, sen? your name sounds like zen, why don’t you act like it?” ) and because it would change things in a relationship that was meant to be so overall insignificant. 

car rides and a place to crash. the night breeze and a hand to hold. flashes of photography at the break of dawn and the crack of a smile. 

convenience that turned into a necessity.  

we had known each other for some yearsyou had nothing to do with mewhy do you appear in my dream again and again?i now want you so much 

“why are we here anyway?” 

and he holds out his hand to her the same way she normally does, as if she’s perfectly open to the world, to him, when she’s always known better. his words echo what she’s told him before too. 

“come find out for yourself. i promise, it won’t bite and maybe i won’t either” that alone earns a smile and her hand slipping effortlessly into his.  

it’s my concept to tell you only what I want to say chicly 

he leads her to that same pool but there’s rose petals, floating candles, a standard cliche missing everything but a cheesy confession — the last thing she expects from him. what he does say suits him far better. 

“she’s the prettiest girl — “ 

“i know.” because he says so every time they meet up. 

“i hate that she fucking knows it.” 

“maybe if you guys stopped fucking so much, she’d feel less confident.” 

“nah.” 

and tiffany finds it funny each time. still, she doesn’t truly question it. they both let it go with a comment of “i like her ass too much to let go.” 

for a while, tiffany lets mino pretend he actually means nana’s ass and not her. when she looks at him, she knows better. 

he’s so far gone.

there’s days she teases him because it’s so damn easy and he gets so damn mad. 

“call me meg one more time, taffy girl.” 

“you’re so intimidating. i’m shaking in my boots.” 

“we could be shaking the bed but you don’t do that.” 

“how is your dick not broken by now?” he scoffs and they move on but the last sentiment on her mind remains the same. 

blasted.

you wanna get blasted, yeahcause you know that this love is gonna lastand now we getting blastedcause i couldn’t let you do it by yourselfmy feelings go deeper than the inkit goes deeper, deep into your soul

and there’s times she wants to ask him if he plans on having a relationship last longer than the ink on his skin but minho doesn’t know how to do relationships and she knows im jinah is the last person to be happy with friends with benefits or anything as casual as that. 

part of her is so pessimistic, so certain that it’ll end. but she doesn’t change a thing. 

“do you know where minho is?” 

tiffany honestly has no clue but she can guess. “no. you know how he is. wait for him to come around.” 

it looks like he always does come back for nana anyway. that alone impresses her for someone like minho. 

that doesn’t make it good enough. even permanent ink becomes dull.  

okay, well you gotta do mine in colorcause all of your exes are in black and white 

“isn’t this watercolor tattoo really nice?” 

sen, as always, is more stoic than expressive and she waits for the telltale arch of his brow when he does pay attention to what she shows him on her phone. 

“for you?” 

“no, for you.” 

“why me?” 

she ignores his question for one of her own and she knows he’s quite used to it. “would you ever get a tattoo for a girl?” 

“are you going to ask me to get one for you?” 

“if i was, i wouldn’t ask you. i’d tell you.” 

he chuckles because he’s more than used to tiffany being like this too. there’s no way he would expect any different. “wouldn’t watercolor fade?”