#sunmiv

                                      ❛ You're looking as lovely as ever. ❜

“I don’t mean why are you late,” and that’s more of a fault on him than it is on her. he’s a master of facial expressions but never quite a master of his face. haneul probably came at her too fierce, too bold. it’s the effect of his excitement bleeding off in the wrong direction, the wrong frequency. everyone around them is diligent, forward and put-together. of course they are. those are the kind of people that attend plays. haneul attends plays too, he’s just not always that kind of person.

his outfit suggests otherwise. black slacks and a blue shirt, spectacles fit for a spectator of the right caliber. he could fit the image if he wanted to but he’s only come here to watch the play, not play the judgement. certainly not to fit it. he’s been looking forward to it yes, just how a kid looks forward to a new movie. but it’s the digital age, everything eventually gets released online, on DVD and other platforms. so he’s not disappointed really. concerned but not disappointed. is he showing it right?

“I believe you.” he thinks that should come first, just how his face softens, hands fitting in his pocket. he’s trying to get this right. face first, words later right? or words first, face later?  “I really only meant why are you coming here looking so down I’m not gonna scold you, not my place." he looks off first, tries to place his words by pushing his teeth in his lip.

Day after day Sunmi witnessed both of her parents work extremely hard for the numerous passions they possessed since she was an adolescent. You wouldn’t have known there was an ounce of knowledge within the dark brown haired girl, accurately enough there wasn’t many who knew the intelligence that lurked behind closed doors. There were a few idols who she knew personally due to the various managers who called the company for apparel reasons. You could say it could’ve been a primary reason from her parents- considering being the daughter of the business was something essential; to them anyway. Sunmi mostly chatted over instagram posts or even kakaotalk messages but never in person considering how busy their schedules were, all in all there was complete understanding.

Her tone became genuine and sincere yet attentive, shifting directions to look at the younger- smiling delicately while laying a hand on their shoulder. “Of course. It’s always worth it. I know you work so hard and you can only go up from here so don’t feel down okay? There’s so much more ahead of you. Is there something you want to talk about considering you asked me that?”

The hand that rested upon her shoulder provided a sense of calmness, soothing away her worries into oblivion in that moment. For such a successful group with only just over a year of experience, it would seem intangible for the member to express doubt, however, behind the positive exterior and wealth was a blanket of concerns that swayed silently in the breeze. Jennie rarely uttered them (if ever) yet somehow her tongue slipped and thoughts spilled out without volunteering.

It was not the public’s reception that terrified her though, instead her bosses critique and absence of praise that pressed her to feel they weren’t quite hitting the mark -- she may look like one to easily take harsh judgment, but deep down her CEO’s words struck like a knife. Of course, there was always room for improvement and Jennie understood this, however, she wasn’t sure of how far that line of improvement strayed from her teams current standing. Were they good enough?

A simple joke turned into an amusing conversation that brought a sweet laughter from the younger’s lips. The older female never fails to amuse her; it’s as if Sunmi knows how to ride with her jokes, which made their friendship even more enjoyable. ❝Well, it can’t be help unnie. Rocky was being a meanie to the other rocks. I have to punish it gravely.❞ A soft whine follows with an audible giggle  that flows freely from her cherry stained lips. Her eyes grew wide, playing her part perfectly like the actress she is, Jinri pretends to feign a gasp, shaking her head in disappointment. ❝You’re much worse than me, unnie! You left your pet rock without food for centuries! How mean of you. ❞

“i teach you a new card game and this is how you repay me,” disappointed, but not surprised that sunmi is submitting him to such mischief. 

a short moment of pause. 

a second card inspection is required, squinted eyes leafing through the thick lenses of his glasses. swearing that his hand was comprised of two of hearts, three of spades, a queen, a king and a black joker would stupidly give away the great advantage he had on her. an absent, long-gone advantage. so be it. “these hungarians know how to make easy card games, and i thought i mastered it, but look at you... ruining everything in a matter of seconds. and i read so much about it on the internet. you’re really ruinin’ my moment of glory.” he would never point an accusing finger at her, not in a serious manner, but she’ll have the fun out of all this. it’s obvious and he has noticed it; the way her lips quiver, holding back that resounding laughter.

“formaggio? prosciutto? are we speaking italian now?”

his lack of courage and interest in messing with the forbidden world of the paranormal has considerably gaped the distance between them, up to the point that her voice transmitted through his second-hand walkie-talkie sounded distorted, jumbling her words and pretty much leaving him confused. only on the outside. trying to decipher whatever he was hearing wouldn’t have been that much of a hard task; he just didn’t feel bothered enough to try.

“i looked over that list of patients you showed me. just briefly. only briefly enough not to memorize any name on there. but if there was any italian person inked down, i would have noticed it. maybe we gonna meet him. should we thank his ancestors for inventing pizza? i’ll even let him know what crazy varieties we have in today’s age.”

he knew however that, if had been given the chance, he wouldn’t have been able to enjoy any last meal before going in there. looming in the distance, the grotesque shape of the building melted into the darkened horizon, as if it was slowly being transmuted into a whole new bizarre and unnatural creature. a grim sight to look upon. as if pulled by an unstoppable force beyond his reach, his legs started to move one step at a time, jae barely paying attention to the fact that his heavy breathing was probably being thoroughly recorded and sent over to her own talking device.

“okay. i’m movin’. i am movin’... and damn you, if this is my last night on earth, i’ll fucking haunt you on the other side. you know, i’m gonna put in my earphones and listen to a song or two while gettin’ there. courage boost. if you see me, just imagine bee gees’ stayin’ alive is playing in the background, cuz that’s gonna be my general mood once i step into your freaky asylum.”

the crunch of dead leaves crackled under his boots as he kept walking towards where sunmi was waiting for him, an autumn chill turning his cheeks red and stiff with coldness. and he still didn’t know why he was doing that. why, for sunmi, of course.

                    sunmiv                     sentence starters inspired by & taken from horror stories !

/ @sunmiv

“Ah really?”

The statement isn’t that gentle kind of surprise but it’s more something he doesn’t think too much about. So it hits him with renewed realization. When he does start thinking about them, about the reason behind them, he gets a little too caught up. in ideas like beauty in destruction and scratched out sadness. So he smiles as he looks around, the plastic bag sloshing against his arm. Reminding him that he’s gotta eat but also knowing he’s two thoughts away from getting caught up.

it’s always a place he comes to, it’s not hidden as much as it’s only revealed at night. Streetlights start to illuminate the darkest corners around convenience stores and some minds pull towards alleyways, some don’t. It just so happened one night he was curious about the large stain of neon white along the wall and that’s how he found it.

A collection of souls in paint, a private gallery of underground Seoul.

He smiles as he looks through the newest additions, scribbles of paint and bigger murals, all overlapping and falling apart on the alleyway walls. He has no real reason for bringing people here, like tonight when his feet move and he finds himself there and with a companion.