bittersweet devil

Chuuves in #479 💖

"Are you enjoying this place so far?" Yinhae studied Aeri's face and noticed that her eyes were the same; she still had the kind of determination and ferocity that packed so much for her smaller stature. "You look great." Yinhae's smile reached her eyes as she pushed a strand of hair behind her own ear, feeling a soft breeze blow it out again. Yinhae pursed her lips together in contemplation for a few seconds. "Have you eaten? I'm about to grab lunch. It'd be nice if you could join me."

˚₊‧꒰ა . — ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ — ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ —— “something like this,” aeri echoed, her lips pulling into a smirk that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “i never thought you were a coward, but you know what they say – what’s on the internet is forever. but you're right, you could use some time outside of the studio... even if you are still attractive covered in that gross clay dust.” she shrugged, trying to play it off cool, but there was an undeniable tension in the air between them. “seoulmates is probably the worst decision i ever made. but my life would be pretty boring otherwise... i'm out of work while i try to manage pain, so have nothing better to do. but i've bitten off more than i can chew, clearly.” when yinhae complimented her, aeri’s smirk softened into something a little more genuine, though her eyes still held a guarded gleam. “i don’t even try. you look great too,” she admitted, letting her eyes sweep over yinhae for a second before quickly turning her gaze elsewhere, not wanting to linger too long – not wanting to give her the wrong idea. the idea that they could really go back to how they were before all of this. still, if yinhae were to ever make an advance, she wasn’t so sure she could resist. yinhae is good. for now. the last time they saw each other, yinhae was bad. very bad. her thought processes were often very black and white. at the mention of lunch, the pink-haired girl realised that she hadn’t actually eaten at all that morning. she hummed, acting as though it were something she’d really have to mull over. “lunch, huh?” she said, tilting her head slightly, trying to gauge if this was just casual or something more. she reached for yinhae’s hand and intertwined their fingers, pressing up against her in a familiar manner. “i suppose i could join you. are you treating me?”

She carried two cups of tea with her, one for herself and one for her companion. Since her arrival, Morgan had noticed that she and Yeji seemed to share a similar kind of energy—something subtle yet familiar. Over time, this affinity with the Korean woman had grown, becoming a comforting connection. As she approached, she extended her left hand, offering the cup to Yeji with a gentle but subtle smile. "The stars are so bright tonight," she remarked, settling down next to the dark-haired woman and looking up at the starlit sky that seemed to wrap around them. After a quiet moment, taking in the glow of the stars, Morgan voiced a question that had been lingering in her mind. "What were you thinking about?" she asked, genuinely curious, eager to know what thoughts might be drifting through Yeji’s mind under the calm of the night.

˚₊‧꒰ა . — ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ — ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ —— yeji accepted the cup of tea with a small, appreciative nod, her cold fingers brushing against morgan’s for a brief second. she was always a little cold, especially her hands. she took a slow sip, savouring the warmth as it travelled down her throat, warming her from the inside. the stars really were brilliant tonight, almost too perfect, like something out of a dream. “mm, i’m surprised they’re so visible from here. there’s so much light pollution. i can only imagine how brilliant it looks from out in the countryside.” for a moment, she stayed quiet, letting the peaceful silence stretch between them. it was nice, the kind of silence that didn’t need to be filled with words. yeji liked that about mo, she was the kind of person that yeji could just be quiet with without it feeling awkward or boring. “i was just appreciating the stillness, really,” she admitted softly. “even with the sounds of the city, it’s somehow still peaceful. kind of like a white noise, or something. everything is just so fast all the time, everyone has to be always on the move just to survive. i think it's good to just take time to take it in,” she took another sip of tea, her grip tightening slightly around the mug to keep her hands warm. “what about you? what do you think about on a night like this?”

@seoulmatestart

˚₊‧꒰ა . — ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ — ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ —— love shook her head immediately, letting out a soft laugh as she waved her hands in front of her. “oh no, no, i’m definitely not trying to be center stage,” she insisted – even with a few drinks in her she still wasn’t quite there yet. “that’s not really my thing. i’d much rather be the girl cheering from the sidelines. i’m a big people watcher.” she glanced at jihyo’s pout, feeling a little guilty for shutting down her idea so quickly. love never liked disappointing people, and jihyo was clearly looking for someone to bounce ideas off of. “but,” she added, her tone softening as she leaned in a little, “i do want to be helpful. so… what exactly did you have in mind?”

the music was low enough that garam could catch some of the conversations around them and flinched when she heard the word girlfriend come from aeri's lips. she knew the other deliberately danced close to where she was. aeri played her game very obviously with her, and yet she couldn't do the sane thing and that was to not be affected. " should we dance too? " she asked soojin, interrupting her talk about her job. " it seems that others have started and you look like you'll be a good dancer. " shyly, soojin nodded and wrapped her arms around garam's neck as she was taller. garam's hands naturally rested on her hips which started to sway with the music. it felt wrong. so wrong. but what can she do but play her own game against aeri's? cry? not again. never again.

˚₊‧꒰ა . — ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ — ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ —— the sight of garam’s hands resting on another woman’s hips sent a bitter pang through her chest. she couldn't help but remember the way she used to dance with garam - the way garam’s hands felt against her skin, the way their bodies had moved in perfect sync… it usually led elsewhere, pulling each other off the dance floor, hands tangled in hair, gripping at hips, at thighs - ending up in a tangle of limbs, breathless and close. she had to bite the inside of her cheek to shake the thought. aeri felt stupid for being frustrated. for being jealous. ( so jealous that her cheeks were growing hot. ) all garam was doing was playing her own game right back at her - it was only fair. aeri found herself growing frustrated with the way the drunk girl danced. she couldn’t exactly blame her – she didn’t give her much of an opportunity to say no, after all. still, she let out a low laugh, leaning closer to the other woman, her eyes never straying far from garam. she moved fluidly to the music, her body swaying in perfect rhythm, their hips flush. no amount of attention from love could distract her mind from the tension. she could feel it - garam’s discomfort, and the way she tried to hide it behind her smile and new dance partner. but aeri knew better. she knew garam better. definitely better than that dumb girl that she'd decided to dance with. the jealousy gnawed at her, her movements growing sharper, more erratic as she stole glances at garam. finally, she played her last move. with a deliberate twirl, aeri moved toward them, her path seemingly innocent until she 'accidentally' bumped into the other couple. the collision was harder than she intended, and she felt a sharp pain shoot through her knee as she stumbled slightly. aeri winced but quickly masked it, forcing a disapproving look as she looked up at garam. “eonni, really?” she said, her tone laced with bitterness. “you’re so clumsy.” she insulted. but someone like garam who had spent a decent amount of time around her would be able to tell that she didn't mean it with as much malice as she tried to portray. love, sensing the tension, disappeared into the crowd. aeri straightened up, refusing to show any obvious sign of pain ( to those who didn’t know her well, anyway ) even though her leg protested with every move. “always in the way. guess some things never change, huh?” her voice was smooth, but her eyes betrayed the jealousy simmering just beneath the surface.

"hm, love?" elkie called softly, looking up from her laptop where she had been trying her best to read a recent study, which was entirely in korean. she managed just fine, but she's much slower and there's many words she has to look up. she needed a break– especially with the heavy topic of the study. curiosity had gotten the best of her, shifting her attention to the other woman in the space. elkie had been too entranced before to say much more, so it had been nothing but pleasantries so far. it was a comfortable silence, each of them focused on their own thing... until now. "what are you reading?" she asks even if the cover gives her a good idea about the contents. if love doesn't want to talk –which would be understandable– she'll stop bothering her, but they all were here to get to know each other better, right? elkie tells herself that, hoping she wasn't inconveniencing her too much.

˚₊‧꒰ა . — ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ — ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ —— love had totally been in her own world before elkie called for her attention. she looked up from her book, a mischievous smile already tugging at her lips as she marked the page with her finger. “oh, this?” she asked, holding up the cover for elkie to see a little better. the illustration of two women staring at each other longingly, hands on each others waists - it definitely was easy to put two and two together. “it’s this gl novel i’ve been hooked on lately. you know, the kind of taboo workplace romance between a doctor and a receptionist,” her cheeks tinged with a bit of colour. “it’s a little controversial, but that’s what makes it so fun. they’re sneaking around, trying to keep things professional while totally failing at it. it’s messy, but i can’t help but love this kind of drama. where it’s not quite realistic, but there are a lot of highs and lows that keep you on the edge of your seat. i won’t even get into the spicy scenes…” love closed the book, her eyes twinkling with excitement as she got to speak about one of her favourite things in the whole world. “do you ever read these kinds of things? i have like a million of them at home – i could lend you some if you wanted. most of them are in thai, but i have a few korean manhwa's too - i bought them to try help me learn the language better. uh... comprehensible input, or whatever it's called.”

it's been at least three hours since junhwi started playing and no, she was not winning. while the question would have annoyed any struggling gamer, yeji had been smart to open the way she did. how could she be remotely upset, when her roommate had been so thoughtful? junhwi stares at her as she turns her chair to the side so she's not facing the computer anymore, game paused. it was an ancient fps and the tank controllers were driving her crazy. "that obvious?" she giggled, her expression finally relaxing as she takes the can clicks it open. "thank you! god. it's just– i am frustrated." she sighs, "i'm trying to get improve my time on this one map and– doesn't matter." she waves her hand a little, taking a long sip of the energy drink, "you're the best, really. what are you up to? is it a nice day outside?"

˚₊‧꒰ა . — ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ — ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ —— “i could hear your frustration from the living room – i thought i’d better step in before things got too serious,” she jested. luckily, junhwi didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would start breaking things out of frustration. at least, not to a dangerous degree. “whether it’s a nice day outside or not is very subjective. it was raining and a little windy, but i like it that way. it kinda wakes me up a little bit,” she told her. yeji had thought the stress of being on a web-show would be enough to make her feel something. but even though the stress sat uncomfortably in her chest, she was still just as drained as ever. it was a little embarrassing to admit that she romanticized the rainy weather – it felt like the world understood how she was feeling, somehow. it was stupid, so she didn’t say it out loud. “i’m sure you’ll improve your time soon enough,” she gestured to the game with her cup, “but why don’t you play something else for a little bit, just to give yourself a break?”

xinyue chose to remain hopeful about her prospects, there were so many different interesting people to get to know living in the building. she was certain that she would make some connections with them and if she was lucky maybe she'd get to make a deeper one, that's what this show was about right ? the blonde was ever an optimist, always thinking the glass was half-full rather than half-empty and she didn't think anything would change that. " you are, we've never met but now we're acquaintaces. " she gives the other a small smile and a nod in agreement. the sight of two girls dancing to the music was a welcome sight and she hoped it spurred others into dancing, maybe she'd get to later herself. in her honest opinion they weren't half bad at it and more importantly they seemed to be having fun. ah, she understood now without sunhee saying it outloud, " i get it. it can be an adjustment once you learn about yourself, but we're all in the same boat here. we all like women, this is like the safest space to express that part of yourself. " her gaze softens as she turns to look at sunhee, " i believe you. you want to make a connections, i do too. "

˚₊‧꒰ა . — ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ — ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ —— “yeah, i guess you’re right,” sunhee said quietly, glancing away for a moment. “it’s supposed to be a safe space, so i should let myself breathe a little… but sometimes it feels like i’m still figuring out how to… exist. i don’t know. i’m probably overthinking it.” sunhee felt like this was an entirely different world than the one she’d been living in before – though truthfully, the only reason she felt out of place was because she was insecure. she looked back at xinyue, offering a small, tentative smile. “i know my experience isn’t unique, i shouldn’t let myself think that it is. it’s hard to shake off old habits…” sunhee let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and chuckled lightly. “thank you. i’m glad you’re my acquaintance now.”

"aren't   we   all   here   partially   for   that   reason?"   as   much   as   madee   herself   didn't   want   to   admit   that,   she   was   there   to   potentially   meet   someone   that   she   could   date   in   seoul.   "i'm   sure   that   we   all   have   our   reasons   for   being   here,   but   is   it   also   not   the   point   for   us   to   mingle   and   potentially   date?   would   that   not   require   coming   here   with   the   purpose   of   wanting   someone   to   be   attracted   to   you   in   some   sort   of   way?"   the   artist   can't   blame   the   other   for   being   defensive   to   her   previous   comment.   "i   don't   think   that   a   lot   of   us   truly   know   what   to   expect   of   this,   however   try   to   keep   a   positive   outlook."

˚₊‧꒰ა . — ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ — ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ —— sunhee crossed her arms, biting back her frustration. “i mean, yeah,” she said, her voice a little sharper than intended, “but just because we’re here for that doesn’t make it any easier…” she sighed, her gaze softening slightly as she leaned back, trying to keep herself in check. “it’s not like i don’t know that. that we’re supposed to mingle, to… make ourselves available. but, for some of us, it’s not as easy as just showing up and expecting it all to fall into place.” her fingers fiddled with the edge of her sleeve, her tone a little quieter now. “i get it though, keeping a positive outlook is probably the right move. i’m just... trying to figure out how to navigate all of this.” she glanced up at madee, a small, reluctant smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “sorry, i’m a little on edge. i don’t mean to be rude. or whiny.”