𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑

she gives the other a smile at the compliment, though the credit goes all to their stylist. she's not dressed much differently from how she's always dressed at events like this. honestly, she's probably been styled like this one too many times.

"with how fancy this whole place looks, i'd be disappointed if the food wasn't good. i'm expecting a grand course meal starting with a bite-sized appetizer to a sweet dessert," she whispers before scrunching her nose in anticipation. this wasn't hyorin's first rodeo, and she knows there are other figures here that are probably a lot more important than some idols, so there's bound to be lots of good food.

walking over to the main event, she lets out a hum before nodding. "i did. there were some stuff just lounging around my apartment that i thought would be more useful in someone else's house," she comments. hyorin didn't offer up anything grandiose, but she had a few silverware that she wasn't going to use anytime soon. surely someone else could put it to better use.

with that, she squeezes onto her group-mate's arm a little tighter, playful, as her sights scan around the terrace; bowing her head and smiling wide to the industry executives, artists, and other attendees she makes eye contact with. bitna is nothing if not respectful and kind, even if all byeol wants to do is go back home and pester her cat into snuggling with her for hours on end. though, realistically, she knows that wouldn't happen. odette would lift her nose up at her and wander away, queenly as always.

these  days,  it  seems  to  be  the  opposite.  blank  white  walls  are  not  nearly  as  decent  company  as  byeol,  and  he'd  best  not  get  too  used  to  whiling  the  day  away  by  staring  at  screens  both  big  and  small.  there's  character  here  in  byeol's  home  —  in  its  appearance,  the  furnishings,  evidence  of  odette's  presence,  even  the  reasons  she  had  chosen  this  place.

❝  well,  a  lovely  lady  —  ladies,  ❞  kiha  corrects  himself,  chuckling,  ❝  deserve  only  the  finest  of  houseguests.  i  can  only  hope  that  i  meet  odette's  standards.  may  i?  ❞  his  fingers  stretch  tentatively  toward  the  feline,  a  twitch  he'd  forced  himself  not  to  indulge  until  given  permission.  kiha  never  had  pets,  had  thought  it  cruel  to  subject  them  to  a  life  of  struggle  when  he  and  his  mother  could  barely  feed  themselves.  and  when  remedy  had  been  at  their  busiest,  it  seemed  just  as  cruel  to  neglect  them  but  equally  frivolous  of  an  expense  to  shell  out  for  a  sitter. 

now,  though,  perhaps  he's  found  a  way  to  deal  with  that  loneliness  problem.  or  maybe  he  should  just  focus  on  the  woman  in  front  of  him.

❝  oh,  god,  ❞  groans  kiha  at  the  turnabout,  head  in  his  hands  as  he  laughs.  he  forms  an  x  with  his  arms  as  if  to  ward  off  the  lyrics  before  waving  his  surrender  and  miming  a  full  kowtow.  ❝  please,  spare  me.  a  man  can  only  take  so  much  of  that  song  during  his  lifetime,  and  i  think  i've  far  surpassed  my  limit!  ❞  he  warms  and  wets  his  throat  with  the  tea,  humming  appreciatively  at  the  full  flavor.  he's  used  to  chrysanthemum  iced;  it's  a  nice  change  of  pace  to  have  it  fresh  and  steamy,  like  most  things  are  (will  be?  he  feels  like  he's  getting  ahead  of  himself)  tonight.  ❝  although,  i  guess  you're  right.  you  even  grabbed  my  wrist  and  everything.  i  did  make  you  wait  longer  than  ten  minutes,  though.  hope  it  wasn't  too  agonizing.  ❞

half-truth,  half-tease.  the  sight  of  her  amusement,  a  glint  in  byeol's  eye,  is  intoxicating  —  almost  as  much  as  her  scent,  the  warmth  of  her  palms  against  him.  kiha  finds  himself  chasing  almost  deliriously  after  it,  like  a  bloodhound  on  the  hunt.  anything  for  a  few  gentle  scratches  under  the  chin  and  words  of  praise,  anything  to  be  wanted  and  needed  and  held  (no,  not  by  arms,  he  thinks,  but  held  in  place).  his  knee  bumping  against  hers,  too  quick  to  be  deliberate,  too  pointed  to  be  an  accident,  is  another  thing  done  by  halves.  a  provocation  and  a  plea.

"what a little minx..." she teases, voice barely audible with a flutter of delicate laughter following-suit. "i have a sneaking suspicion that she's going to start whining because she misses you now, and it'll add to the long list of things she does to purposely drive me crazy."

adopting odette wasn't an easy decision. her schedule is so busy that it felt hard to justify owning an animal, but after doing some research and hiring a pet-and-house-sitter, she decided to give it a go. byeol settled on a cat because, to her knowledge, they're much, much more independent than dogs. it's still important to be present for them, of course, but they're also perfectly capable of being on their own, which she honestly respects and relates to.

however, much to her playful dismay, odette is quite the sovereign, and a hellishly strict one at times. once she grew into the lady that she is now, she started asserting almost too much independence—treating her owner as a second-thought. byeol always jokes that her villa actually belongs to odette and she's her loyal attendant, and well, there's a reason for that. if kiha starts making himself at home here more often, he'll come to discover her ways, too. though, odette softening around him makes byeol wonder if he'll unlock a hidden, more affectionate disposition that she only showcases to him.

guess she'll just have to wait and see.

when the not-so-sweet creature decides to stop stealing the show, she nonchalantly scampers off, stowing herself away in one of her many favorite hiding places, allowing them more space to focus on one another, even if kiha is now grimacing at byeol's sudden cover of 'my house', all performed in her signature doll voice, no less. "don't you just love whenever life imitates art? you have to admit that, even though you hate the song, it's kind of what led you here." when their knees collide, it makes her yearn for more contact, and instinctively, she reaches up to rest a palm on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze; admiring its breadth and strength all at once.

he's so broad... she notices, all the more intrigued; enticed.

"believe me, love, you're not the only one," byeol assures him, cupping his jawline with her hand. "what's embarrassing is, i don't know if my craziness has been done in secret, but you know what? i'm fine with that." if her suspicions from earlier still hold meaning, she wonders if he needs a little bit of leading, a shining green light telling him to proceed. kiha seems respectful, like the type of gentleman that allows a woman to set the rules, and while she's appreciative of that, she hopes, in time, he learns that he can be bold if he so chooses to. either way, she's eager to get to know every side of him—... perhaps in more ways than one.

hi, idols! as an apology for the pause in operations on the main and the lack of monthly schedules, we come bearing gifts... an ask meme! this isn't the honesty hour that was mentioned a while back (as that will be used as part of our next event), but we think it'll still be lots of fun. check under the cut for all the details!

it only seemed right for hyorin to attend allure's charity event with her image and all. she's donated a handbag herself, something that she received as a gift a couple of years ago but don't really carry around, but she wasn't thinking about bidding on anything. she was mostly here because it was expected of her. plus, it was a free brunch, and she would rather have that over any nighttime event. this way, she could just head on home afterward and spend the rest of the day on her own.

she's gotten off the red carpet only to run right into the arms of byeol who's attended the event with her. she hadn't planned on sticking to her teammates throughout the whole event, but hyorin couldn't help but feel much more comfortable around them. while they weren't seated together, she still wanted to spend as much time with byeol as she could.

it's bittersweet, really, feeling like the personification of an ornate cupcake as opposed to a real human-being donning a pretty dress, but she digresses. there's a part of her that can't deny that this type of attire suits her, her delicate frame not at all overwhelmed by the frou-frou accoutrements and high-femme silhouettes, she just wishes it was all more comfortable. why not a blush-colored slip dress instead?

regardless, she walks the carpet, offers the photographers saccharine sweet grins and waves, but is quick to escape their hollers, and glad to be greeted by a familiar face mere moments afterward. though, the compliment she's given makes her grimace again, and it only grows when her head is patted, but this time, her expression is playful. "oh, you know me... i'm just the cutest." she teases, not daring to roll her eyes, but dialing up the smile to unveil that she's being facetious.

"you look stunning though. i always love what they put you in. maybe one of these days we can trade places." she adds, taking a step back to admire her group-mate, laughing at her honesty. "you and me both. i'm sure there'll be some sweet stuff, but you know. it all depends on how it flows with everything else. i just hope the food here is good. i skipped breakfast in hopes of having a feast."