eternal.

Fan Bingbing . 35 . Psychological Intuition

[advbingbing-blog]

◣a gentle impulse◥

[advbingbing-blog]

advhyuna:

Her toes still haven’t started to wrinkle even after sitting in the bathtub so long. Hyuna’s almost used up the salts Yongsun had delivered for her; she knows it probably isn’t best that she’s been soaking her wounds in the stuff, but the prickling of the burns across her skin where fire had seared it only days before settles when the water rises up to her neck – she doesn’t want to think about how she got them nor her second trip to the medical wards in the last few weeks; she’s had a pretty successful time avoiding leaving her bathroom, much less her dorm room either.

Even less does she want to think about her absent roommate or the duller ache of the wound on her shoulder; she just runs water until it goes cold and the salts melt to nothing, just letting it take the warmth and ache from her limbs and chest bit by bit.

Having already fallen asleep in the water only to awake with a start, the only things that really drag Hyuna from the bathroom are the thought of food, felines asking to be attended to, and a nagging itch to move around. She doesn’t bother to redo her bandages when she walks to the kitchen in a ridiculously oversized shirt and boxer shorts that have seen better days. There’s not a whole lot left in the fridge but she knows by now something will appear in it eventually. She’s toweling her hair off, not doing anything more than to munch on the last of a piece of celery when she hears the knocking.

She doesn’t know why she’s both relieved and disappointed when it’s Bingbing outside the peephole. (Was she somehow expecting her roommate? Who would knock when they have a key, anyway? …She’s still somehow conflicted.)

One of the cats wiggles past her legs – Diddi, tail tip flicking – and she wonders if he had the same thought. She has him in her arms when she cracks the door open, her expression wary despite knowing the other, her chest strangely tight.

“Ah, Bingbing-unnie?” she mumbles, a weak attempt at greeting. Subconsciously she angles her good shoulder forward as she blinks at the elder woman. “Did… did you need something? …To… talk?”

An apologetic smile forms on Bingbing’s lips as the door is pulled open and she catches sight of Hyuna - it doesn’t take much for her to figure out that she came by at a not-so-favorable time, judging from the other’s attire and the still wet hair that fell down the shoulders of the other. Bingbing’s eyes momentarily fall on the cat which resided in Hyuna’s arms, eyeing her up with curiosity - she fights the impulse to reach out towards it and stroke its head, knowing that her focus should be elsewhere.

“Hyuna-yah, good day to you,” her greeting feels more enthusiastic in comparison, although it’s the usual manner and tone in which she addresses others. “I’m sorry for coming by so abruptly, especially without announcing it too,” the impulse is no longer fought, as the elder allows her arm to outstretch and her hand to rest atop the feline’s head to give it a small stroke, followed by a pat. 

“I’ve... been worried about you,” Bingbing admits, allowing her eyes to move from the feline to its owner - Hyuna was the owner, right? It was as good of an assumption as any, seeing that she and Gyuri had a relatively large number of cats residing in their dorm. Not that she took any issue with it, but she didn’t like making any misplaced assumptions. 

For a few seconds, silence falls in between the two women, ending only as Bingbing draws back her hand, “Would it be alright if I come in for a few? I’d love to talk to you for a little while, if you’re fine with it too.” The other option is not voiced out, though the elder hopes that Hyuna knows it’s alright to refuse too - she would understand if she did, anyway.

[advgyuri-blog]

☤ inside out.

[advbingbing-blog]

advgyuri:

Gyuri is a puzzle with pieces missing, a mess of a human impossible to construct from the outside; it isn’t as though she knows the slightest thing about her own self, either, so she’d hardly know how to even help piecing herself together. Her pieces are torn and muddied and incomprehensible, from her perspective – it seems the only thing she’s good at is making a mess of things, so it should come as no surprise that she’s done the same to her own self.

Did she mean it? It’s so easy to place Bingbing’s words to something without her even knowing it; she didn’t mean to worry her, she didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Bingbing knows she didn’t mean it – can Gyuri believe that, too? She’s hardly an innocent bystander to her own actions, and yet she’s quite certain that she has no real control over them. She knows she should have control. She just doesn’t. She doesn’t know why she does these things half the time; it makes more sense at the time than it does in hindsight.

She stares at the scrapes on her knuckles, the blood staining her skin – frightening and cathartic. Is it enough for Bingbing to accept her apologies, even if she doesn’t know what Gyuri’s apologizing for – if she’s apologizing for everything, does it even matter? She wants to – she feels a bit lighter, though her head is still buzzing with noise and emotions she doesn’t comprehend – she really does want to believe her.

Bingbing’s touch is a reassurance, and Gyuri flinches when she moves away – Gyuri’s eyes roll up to meet hers, wet and unsure. Everything feels fuzzy, a blur of over-strong emotions that she can’t possibly get a grip on – but at least it’s a little more dull now that she doesn’t have to focus just on herself.

She only nods when Bingbing asks her to come back with her, cautiously shifting in place; her eyes fall back to the ground, finding it impossible to keep looking at her for long. Gyuri feels guilty for her state – but for once, she wants to rely on her, too. Perhaps she just lacks any other choice.

Often times, it is silence that speaks more than words do. This isn’t the comforting kind, but the type that only seems to raise more worries in the elder, due to the nature of the situation. But Gyuri remains silent and Bingbing tries to make out something out of those moments when nothing is shared in between them aside from fugitive glances - instinctively, she knows that the other is trapped within her own mind, where a battle is being given, and so she doesn’t insist any further unless it’s needed. As it turns out, it isn’t.

A long awaited response comes through the form of a small nod of the head, accompanied by another look cast in Bingbing’s direction. Such a small reaction has her sighing in relief, tightening her grip onto the other woman’s arm as if to once more offer reassurance. A silent ‘thank you’ escapes her very own lips, gratitude being shown towards the trust which Gyuri puts into her - it isn’t easy and Bingbing knows this too.

Slowly, she pulls at the arm of the other, giving a gentle impulse to try and get Gyuri to follow along towards the dorms. Once the hint is taken and the two of them begin to walk, the trip there feels oddly long, in spite of the short distance that there is to the entrance of the building. Silence reigns between the two, though that is fine. Small steps need to be taken, since it would do Gyuri no good to be forced around into speaking before she feels ready. A time for that would come too, but before then, what mattered is that the small wounds and scrapes that were formed onto her skin would get disinfected and properly treated so that they wouldn’t turn into a hindrance.

It is when the two of them enter Bingbing’s room that the elder finally releases the arm of the other, turning halfway to look at Gyuri while offering a small smile, “Would you mind waiting a little bit in the living room? I’ll be with you in a moment, I only need to grab a few things beforehand.”

[advbingbing-blog]

◣lurking figures◥

[advbingbing-blog]

advsoohyuk:

tears do not suit a beautiful woman’s eyes.

perhaps soohyuk is making assumptions, here; after all, it is not impossible for dangerous things to be beautiful as well. but he is confident in his ability to defend himself if that is the case, and confident enough in his judgement beside that: this woman is beautiful not because of some combination of her physical traits, but because of something beneath her skin. this is how soohyuk thinks.

he lets her take her time taking his hand and is gentle when he pulls her to her feet. his body is not particularly strong, but it is strong enough to lift her delicate frame with ease. he doesn’t mind when her hand lingers on his for a moment, either, and thus merely shakes his head with a smirk on his lips when she apologizes. in his eyes, he has not been inconvenienced in any way.

“there’s nothing you need thank me for, ma’am,” he offers lightly, closing his eyes into a brief smile and nod. “i simply believe it to be an unforgivable sin to harm innocent things.” and for this, his soul will never be clean. he has committed souls more innocent than hers to fates far darker than what he has saved her from tonight. but she need not know that. there is no reason to frighten her, after all.

he merely laughs at the idea that they could have injured him, an airy chuckle that means no harm. “heavens, no. i am fine.” as if on cue, he makes a harsh sound as though clearing his throat and covers his mouth with a grey glove: when he pulls it away, a small few drops of blood remain, along with a slight sign of it from the corner of his lips. “pardon. that happens often – nothing to be concerned about.” deflecting bullets without any sense of precision requires a bit more effort than he’d like; he should be more careful, more exact, in the future.

soohyuk straightens up, crossing his hands atop his cane and tilting his head almost dramatically to the left. michiko sways in the folds of his scarf, but does not fall from her perch. “shall i walk you home, ma’am? it would seem these streets are too dangerous for a lady to walk without protection at such an hour.” an observation he has most certainly noted for his own purposes, as well.

(that he offers no information about himself is intentional. he will only ever reveal as much as is necessary, after all.)

The possibility of anything being wrong is dismissed and yet, it’s as if the hand of fate plays a role in revealing the truth – it’s marked by coughing, as well as splotches of red coloring over skin. Bingbing takes notice of this, even in the dim light that shone into from the entrance of the alleyway. Concern displays with ease on her features, yet she respectfully chooses to not insist on the matter any further.

When the offer is brought up, her attention shifts from the previous thoughts and her gaze does too – it didn’t occur to Bingbing that she ended up unintentionally staring at the other. “I… would appreciate it a whole lot if you would accompany me back,” the admittance is silent, followed up by a sigh. The trip back to Daybreak shouldn’t take longer than thirty minutes, but it’s something that she remains mindful of; not for herself, but for him. “The place that I live at is around thirty minutes away from here. Is that alright for you?”

One of the last things that she would want is to put any further strain onto him – his condition worries her, still, even though he is a stranger that she doesn’t even know the name of. Similarly, he has yet to learn hers. “I’m sorry, I’ve— yet to get a good grip of myself after the events that have just happened,” a small laugh accompanies the words, even if it’s hardly fitting for the time being – it’s fake, which Bingbing is certain that they both know. “I’m Fan Bingbing. And you are…?” the laugh might’ve been fake, but the smile which settles onto her lips is anything but.

She regards him with curiosity, being thoroughly intrigued by this man – this savior of hers, who felt oddly distinct from most people that she came across on a daily basis. There was something about him that stood out to her, starting from the way which he worded his sentences and ending with the small cloth poppet that made home in his scarf; a curious little thing, albeit somewhat spooky at a first glance. 

Assumptions aren’t yet made, similarly to how an opinion isn’t entirely formed. Bingbing thinks of him to be a good man, based off of the actions from earlier, as well as the beliefs which accompanied them – still, she awaits for that minimal amount of information to be exchanged between them before proceeding back to the Foundation.

[advbingbing-blog]

◣evening conversations◥

[advbingbing-blog]

advsana:

(...)

before she knows it, she’s opening the door to her dorm, doe eyes searching bingbing’s person eagerly for a hint of what the surprise gift might be before greeting properly. 

“unnie! hi! come in!”

Times when she walked back to Daybreak in the evening were a rarity, all due to a particular event which has been left unspoken about; it is something that only Bingbing herself and an acquaintance know of and that is the way she would prefer for it to remain. Nonetheless, she is found doing just that – walking back to the Foundation, softly humming a cheery tune to herself all the while. Were she to be asked, the woman could not deny the thoughts which lingered at the back of her mind or the fear which they instilled into her. Even so, she chose to ignore them while pressing forward towards the desired destination.

Half an hour later, she is back at her own dorm, changing out of the clothes which she wore for an entire day and swapping them with something more casual. After she’s done freshening herself up, the bags which represented the ‘gift’ that she told Sana about are picked up and she leaves her dorm, moving down towards the door that was closest to the building entrance. A few knocks are what keep her away from the door being drawn open and by the younger female greeting her cheerfully – it all happens exactly as she expected it to.

A smile adorns her features as she steps inside, returning the greeting as cheerfully as she was initially addressed, “Sana, good evening!” certain aspects of the language are willingly dropped while she is in Sana’s presence; they didn’t matter much as it was, the suffixes which were added to one’s name. “Have you been eagerly waiting for me?” the question is rhetoric, but it’s posed either way and it’s followed up by a short laugh. The bags are lifted a slight and shuffled so that attention is drawn to them, “Remember when I told you I had something for you? It’s here!”

It was not much, truth be told, but simplicity was never a bad thing. It surely wouldn’t stop the two of them from enjoying one another’s company while serving dinner together and besides, it would likely do Sana well to serve something that would remind her of home; Bingbing was fully aware that it didn’t compare, yet she hoped that the thought would count all the same. “I stumbled across this sushi mix at the market and I simply couldn’t pass up on picking some up. They came at a nice price too!” excitement fills up her voice as she reaches into one of the bags, retrieving one of the containers to show it to the other, “It looks good, doesn’t it?” a look is cast down towards it before it’s momentarily placed back into the bag, at least until the two of them move into the kitchen or the living room.

“I also got us something to drink. Sparkling water and some apple cider,” it occurs to her now that while she fancies apple cider and various other variations of it, there was no confirmation if Sana did so too. “Ah, do you even like this? I got carried away and forgot to ask if you did or not.“ It was maybe a little bit late to ask that, but later was always better than never.

[advbingbing-blog]

◣special care◥

[advbingbing-blog]

advxkangjoon:

(...)

“Thank you…for the food. But you didn’t need to do any of this. I’m… I’m fine,” he reassures her, wants to tell her that he’s happy, but even he cannot lie that well.

Kang Joon looks everywhere but at her, and it is here that he catches a glimpse of the cleaning utensils that’s dumped on the carpet. It is also here that he realises that he’ll have to clean once again when she leaves, and he mentally curses at the destruction of a clean, sterile home. Of course, Kang Joon isn’t rude enough to tell her that she’s ruined everything, so instead, he apologises hastily for the apparent mess.

There are details which don’t escape her, no matter how small they are. Bingbing takes notice of how Kangjoon’s gaze lingers onto her for a small while, as well as how he hesitates in granting her entrance; the smile persists onto her lips throughout all of this, patience not running thin even in times that she is made to wait.

Her biggest concern at the moment, if anything, it’s the food running cold but even then, a solution can easily be found to that. As far as she was concerned, all of Daybreak’s dorm rooms came with a microwave, so there would be no issue for them to be reheated. Preferably, it would still be best that at least some of what she made would be eaten fresh, not after running cold and being reheated. Oh well.

The respective train of thought is brought to a stop by the door being pulled open more while Kanjoon stepped to the side; this was the invitation that she waited for, one which she doesn’t hesitate to act up on. Bingbing steps inside of the younger male’s dorm and remains by the door, though allows enough space for it to be pushed shut. It wasn’t on her mind to stay around for long, since her initial intention was to drop the food by and then return to her own dorm – the glimpse which she catches of the vacuum and other cleaning utensils laying around in the living area caused slight guilt to raise. It remains hidden behind the smile, behind a kind gesture as she holds the containers out for the other, “It’s nothing that you have to thank me for,” she is honest with what she says, because this wasn’t something that was done out of obligation – no, she wanted to do it.

The apology takes her by surprise, showing in the way that the smile fades and her expression shifts to one of surprise. It takes her a moment to process things, only for laughter to rise up after, “That’s not something to apologize for, dear. I dropped by unexpectedly, so I should be the one to say sorry,” a shake of the head is given, though the smile resurfaces as the three containers are brought even closer to the boy. “I won’t stay around for long, so here—“ a pause comes as she casts a quick glance to the objects in her hand, “You have chicken and ginger soup in one of the containers, steamed vegetables and fried salmon in the other and lastly,” the smile on her lips blooms into a grin, “Some chocolate chip cookies that should help make you feel better.”

[advbingbing-blog]

◣company◥

[advbingbing-blog]

advxsanghyuk:

He grinned at Bingbing’s quick answer. “I’m glad I can always depend on you for such a fast answer. There’s so many books in the library, how do you do it?” There was something genuine to Sanghyuk’s question; his brows knitted together and he titled his head as he took another sip from his coffee, but another smile soon made its way back to his face. “Maybe it’s because you love me so much?” To emphasize his point, the young man fluttered his eyelashes and playfully puffed out his cheeks while his free hand pointed to his face in a quick, unusual show of aegyo. “Maybe it’s because I’m so darn cute?”

He cursed himself inside his thoughts as soon as the words left his lips. They weren’t too far-off from the usual personality he liked to use with others, but talking with Bingbing—as much as he grudgingly liked her—was too astute for his tastes. It wouldn’t be a far stretch to admit that lying to the woman was incredibly difficult—sometimes she said nothing, sometimes she gave him odd looks, and sometimes she outright called him out on it, and at this point it was wiser to mix in the truth, and performing aegyo was far from it, ironic or not.

Sanghyuk fell into silence in a vain attempt that casually brushing his mistake under the rug would persuade Bingbing to follow along. He nodded attentively at her as she gestured to the right. “Easy enough.” He shrugged, smiling and waving at her as he strolled toward the nearest empty chair and allowed himself a few moments to just sink into its plush goodness.

If there is one thing that Bingbing wishes to be, then that is being reliable; she wants nothing more than to have others feel as if they can rely on her in times of need, no matter what those would be. As a result, it doesn’t come as a surprise that she’s smiling, bubbling with laughter and radiating with joy when Sanghyuk points exactly that out. She was not quick enough to react to the question that followed the statement, so enough room was left for a second and even third one to be asked – the last two take her by surprise, replaces laughter with a surprised look and shifts the atmosphere to one of silence as she regards the other. If something felt off before, she now has more question rise up.

She was never met with such behavior, not by Sanghyuk, and so she finds it surprising for such a side to surface now; it’s difficult to make something out of it, so Bingbing opts to remain silent and put on a smile once more. It’s smaller than the one from before, though no less genuine. Luck has it that the male distances himself from her before any of those questions are answered, which only does good – it buys her enough time to put her thoughts in order regarding what happened just a few moments back.

The wave sent in her direction is met with a nod of the head, after which she makes way towards the front desk. A quick search in their database offers her the answers that she was looking for, so the names of the authors and the book titles are hastily jotted down onto a sticky note before she sets off to retrieve them. A good couple of minutes pass as she searches around for the volumes, due to the heavy number of books that they carried onto the massive shelves. Eventually, three books are taken out and the sticky note is attached on top of one of them while they are carried into the reading area.

Her expression holds nothing gentle as she takes a seat into the chair placed opposite of Sanghyuk’s, attention entirely placed onto the three volumes. “These are three that I’ve managed to find, which fit into the topic that you were interested in,” her eyes shift from the books towards the male, meeting him with a questioning look, “These are quite heavy topics, as far as I’m concerned. I doubt they are fit for a casual read,” a question would naturally follow after her statement, but it’s held back and left to hang at the tip of her tongue; she hopes to get the information that she desires without having to ask.

[advchangsub]

machete’s toolbox .:

[advbingbing-blog]

advchangsub:

He has no reason but to believe that her blush is from anything but a similar conclusion to the one he thought she might draw and his face flames brighter, almost putting the rusty shade of his hair to shame. Certainly nothing shady going on with one Lee Changsub. Definitely not. (It’s almost miraculous how he manages to resist the now pressing urge to hold the cold metal of the folding chair against his face to cool it and shield his face from view. It is such a terribly tempting urge.)

Changsub nods back, heartrate settling the slightest as she seems to accept his flimsy explanation. He wills his cheeks to stop burning so painfully, scratching at the bridge of his nose to have a reason to cover his face for just a moment. (It doesn’t help that he’s really now quite registered that there’s something rather elegant about the woman before him, quite stunning really, especially compared to him in his silly getup.) His gaze drifts away for a second when she refocuses on him – and could he really stop making himself more conspicuous? He tries to think about Sana instead, but ends up thinking about instead how she left him for the horror house (with that one pair from his hall, no less – he’s wondering if he should start questioning her choices more often) and he scrunches his nose for the briefest moment.

“Sana. Minatozaki Sana…?” he answers without a pause for thought, but there’s a note of a sigh that he almost winces at himself for. He’s fairly sure the hesitant ending note isn’t exactly confidence inspiring either, but it’s not why he gives up on keeping the chair from his face and fully presses the back of it against his burning face with a jingle of the cans against its metal frame, muffling a quietly hissed “porra.”

“…And she lives on this floor, doesn’t she?” And here he is, standing next to the elevator on the opposite side of the floor.

It would be really nice if the ground would open up and swallow him alive – better than roasting alive in his own skin here before she calls someone to remove him, but alas, he wouldn’t have such luck.

“I-I think?” he tacks on after a pause, lowering the chair down from his face hesitantly with a faint laugh. (Maybe he can still save himself. He is quite glad he hasn’t given her his own very-much-not-also-Japanese name yet.) “I get really turned around in all the halls – it’s kinda inconsiderate of them to make them all look the same, right?”

Embarrassment creeps up on her at the realization that the man who caused her to blush and have a fleeting but unnecessary thought just momenta back was the very same man who had hesitance seeps into his speech not once but twice; there was an attempt made at a save somewhere, too, though it fell short of it’s purpose. Oh, how foolish the human mind can be.

Her suspicions are confirmed up to a point, but still not entirely and Bingbing sighs deeply as a result – what was she supposed to even do at this point, aside from continue this charade until it would reach its conclusion? No other option aside from that would give her a lead on exactly what the other was up to prior to her arrival, even if the chance for her to truly figure things out was slim; she is consciously aware of that much.

“She does,” unlike his speech pattern, hers was devoid of stuttering or any trace of uncertainty – it’s an indirect manner in which she retaliates and aims to deliver a blow of sorts, all to show that she is not one to tolerate being messed around with. Vandalism was a whole other thing, but it was also an option that couldn’t yet be drawn a conclusion about; this is less about the concept itself, rather about revealing the potential’s real intentions.

“I’m afraid you’ve missed her door by… quite a few,” arms are brought to fold below her chest as her weight shifts onto her left leg, eyebrow arching a slight as Bingbing’s head tilted to the side, “Her room is the very first on the floor, the one that is closest to the main entrance.” Her posture straightens up and a look is cast over her shoulder, almost as if to further emphasize on how things felt off; she might not openly address it in a verbal manner, but she is certainly making sure that it stands out crystal clear nonetheless.

A contemplative hum leaves her lips as she thinks over the final question asked, gaze lingering at the door belonging to Sana’s room for a few moments more before turning to the other. While she understands how it can be confusing to have buildings designed similarly to one another, she is aware of two things: the first being that it’s meant to make it easier for people to navigate around, especially for times that they need to seek out others and the second is that, while things are supposedly intended as previously mentioned, there will be issues with a select few individuals that struggle with navigation in general. Yixing comes to mind due to that train of thought, which causes a small smile to form onto her lips; she is endeared by him, even with the ever-present lack of awareness which he has.

“You think so?” the smile is present on her lips as the question is asked, head lowered a bit as her gaze fixates onto some spot on the ground; she is slightly tuned out, distracted by the thoughts coming to mind. “I don’t see it as a problem. It’s meant to make it easier for people to get around, since they would be familiar with their own dorms already,” lured out of the train of thought, she fixates onto the male again and bites her tongue, pushing back the urge to say something snappy.

[advbingbing-blog]

◣haunted◥

@sungjongadv​

There will always be topics that, for various reasons, are more difficult to talk about. Bingbing knows this all too well, not only because of the domain in which she is supposed to activate but through the tales of others and, as of recent, from her very own experiences. The events of that night in December comes back to haunt her every so often, be it through various aspects in her day to day life that get her to think back on it or by nightmares; the latter decreased in frequency, but it was no less torturous for her to have the images set on replay.

Seeking counsel was an option that she took into consideration; it was more likely for her to turn to it, rather than head to the police department. The thought of doing that caused a shiver to run down her spine, made her hands feel clammy – for reasons unknown, Bingbing’s mind associated talking to the authorities about having been assaulted with putting herself at risk. Said involvement, she thought, would bring her more harm than good – the truth couldn’t be further than that, yet her mind refused to see it that way. It was rather ironic, seeing that confidentiality was highly valued and stressed on by psychologists; it was no different for policemen, who can be asked to not give out information about those who placed in a complaint or reported things.

Her nerves didn’t ease up the moment that she opened up to her own psychologist about the event, neither when recommendations were given as to what course of action she could take. Ultimately, the amount of comfort that she could be given was minimal and the decision over what course of action was best laid nowhere but in her very own hands. It took a while for everything to be thought through, but it was in that very period of time that another suggestion came up; it was still from her psychologist, who told Bingbing that if she fears approaching the authorities, then she could go to the second best and closest option to that. Where to? A private detective.

The option was given its own time to be mulled over, only to eventually turn out to be the one that Bingbing settles on. A few phonecalls offer her not only information on said private investigator that she’ll be taking the matter to, but an address and a time when she ought to show up. The nearer that the day to visit the man was, the more anxious she grew – nervousness wasn’t at a constant state due to other things which she needed to tend to, but it was no less difficult to manage when it spiked up.

By the time she was facing the door to the investigator’s office, the urge to turn around and walk off grew stronger and stronger – her entire body was overcome by a tremor, and she was certain that when she’d have to speak, it would also follow into her speech. With a trembling hand, she reaches out and forms it into a loose fist before knocking a few times at the door – the inevitable couldn’t be prolonged any longer.

[gothgirl91]

[advgyuri-blog]

☤ inside out.

[advbingbing-blog]

advkyungil:

It’s not a permanent fix – nothing ever is – but the pain does its job: it makes him stop thinking. That doesn’t stop the frenzy of nonsensical emotions that beat around in his head, no, but it’s something – he just wants it to stop, but he can’t seem to get a handle on himself, just as he hasn’t since that night in the haunted house. It’s hard to remember the last time he really had a grip on himself – on anything – the last time he felt like he was remotely in control.

But then something grabs onto his arm, and he finds himself stopped stark-still.

Keep reading

It can’t be put into words how much Bingbing’s heart comes to ache or how hard it pelts against her ribcage at the sight which she is witness to. The grip onto Kyungil’s upper-arm mirrors that, tightening considerably as thoughts from moments ago resurface; she can’t let go of him, not when she fears the outcome of doing it. It only becomes harder as tears begin to surface and roll down the male’s cheeks; she couldn’t bear to see him like this.

“No, please don’t apologize for anything,” in spite of the attempt given at offering comfort, her own gaze drops as the words leave her lips and her smaller frame draws closer to that of the other, heart feeling as heavy as ever. “It’s alright. I know you didn’t mean any of it,” the tone of her voice remains gentle or at least she aims to keep it like that – to maintain a distinct softness in her speech – while referring to more than the situation at hand.

The information which she has on her hands in scarce, lots of pieces of the puzzle are amiss, so there is very little that Bingbing can cling to; this is what makes it difficult to know where to go or what exactly to say. Her lower lip is drawn between teeth, bit and chewed onto while thoughts swirl in her mind. It is important for her to remain calm, to keep a clear mind and be rational – it’s not easy, neither are things going in a direction that could help her remain in control. Emotions run deep, far deeper than she’d ever be willing to admit and it’s moments like these when there is a clear display of that – when her mind is overrun by them and she becomes nothing more than a bundle of emotions, of nerves.

Metaphorically, she is already brought down to her knees and although she is meant to be the savior in this situation, she relies on Kyungil just as much as he does on her. Hesitantly, she distances herself but without removing her grip from around the male’s arm; one of her hands might remove itself, but the other remains there and fingers dig themselves deep into the sleeve of his shirt. “Kyungil-ah, would you— would you mind coming back to the dorms with me?” a look is cast to the side, from the direction that she came from and as her head turns back towards the other, she speaks up again, “You’re hurting and I… I don’t want you to. I want to help you, please--” again, she begins to plead. 

“Will you let me?” maybe there isn’t any need for such a permission to be granted, but she asks for it nontheless; never in her life would she want to be intrusive, not even if her intentions are good.

[advbingbing-blog]

◣progression◥

@advxyuto

A soft hum leaves her lips as a loud, bubbling noise announces the water from the electric kettle finally came to a boil. Two relatively large mugs had already been placed onto the cabinet, so Bingbing only moves to retrieve the item before pouring a healthy amount of liquid into each of the porcelain containers; she makes a note to fill them equally, but also to not add water until they are filled to the brim – teabags, lemon and perhaps even sugar needed to be added, and there was no need for a potential disaster to happen.

Once she deems the two filled evenly, both get placed on a silver tray, alongside a plate of cookies, a sugar dispenser and a box filled with various assortments of teabags. She stops for a moment as fingers curl around the handles, quietly snickering to herself as she recalls her father often mentioning about how industrial teabags are some make-shift item, which will never come up to par with the taste and health benefits that dried leaves and herbs offer. This is a view that she shares, but her excuse for not having such herbs on hand was that she’d forgotten to resupply on it; a mental note is made at this, for the next time she heads out to shop for groceries.

After picking up the tray and ensuring that she’s holding it secure and everything is well balanced out, Bingbing heads out of the kitchen and into the living area, where the guest was waiting for her at the table. “Sorry for having you wait a bit,” she offers as an apology as she steps over to the table, placing the tray onto the empty side of it, out of the way of books, papers and Yuto’s open notebook. “Did you finish translating the remaining few sentences?” is asked as a fugitive look is cast over to the notebook, even if there is little she can read when the writing’s upside-down.

“I’ll have a look over it all in just a moment but first, tea?” a smile rises to her lips as she asks that, hand coming to motion towards the colored carton box from the tray, “I have quite a few different kinds in there, so feel free to choose whatever suits your liking.”

[hansoladv-blog]

Reliance Alliance

[advbingbing-blog]

hansoladv:

@advbingbing

He feels pathetic. The fact that he can’t take care of himself- his own issues and problems and everything that comes with being human- it disgusts him. What kind of pitiful creature is he that he can’t even figure out how to deal with himself? He can deal with everything else, can’t he? When other people have problems Kim Hansol is an easy go to. He can talk for hours about a problem- offer solutions like he’s been through everything the world can throw at him. He seems so stable, so controlled and yet here he is. Feeling like his mind is being torn to pieces by his own emotional state.

And how he hates it.

So he goes- finds himself searching for a person he’s seen- someone he has enough notes on to understand completely, or so he’d like to think. He wouldn’t be able to trust her otherwise, would he? It’s not like he trusts her now. No, he never could. He can’t trust anyone. Everyone is out to hurt him- break him down and show him why it is that he has to rely on his abilities to feel like he might stand a chance of ever being able to smile for real. He has to tie people in the binds of words and force them to stay by his side. That’s how he’s always functioned… She’ll likely be no different.

Fan Bingbing a thirty-five year old human who possesses an ability that Hansol can’t help but envy. She has psychological intuition. It lets her see things in people that he has worked so hard to also see. She’s just far better at it than he will ever be and that makes him want to cringe. He’s worked so hard to be controlled- to hide, and it’s likely that she can see through him. Because of that, he’d been avoiding her. There’s no reason for her to get to see how sick the contractor is underneath his mask and lies. She shouldn’t get to know when no one else does…

But she also is one of so few who he feels can maybe be of some assistance when it comes to his problems. There’s a chance that she might know something- be able to tell him something that will ease the gnawing in the back of his mind. He wants to feel better- wants to feel like something is going well… If she can just listen, maybe that’s enough…

So he stops by her room- expression neutral and body language as unreadable as he can possibly make it. He wants her to learn about him on his terms, not her own. His knock is solid- confident. He doesn’t feel the way it sounds, but that’s half the point. The door opens and his expression change is immediate. His head tilts to the side and his smile appears as bubbly and kind. His hands move to hold each other.

He’s cute today.

“Ah! Hello!” He gives a small, polite wave. “You’re, ahh… Fan Bingbing? I was wondering if I could perhaps talk to you for a little while. I’ve been… having a few issues and I thought perhaps talking them out might make me feel a little bit better!” The smile is fake as his eyes narrow just a little. His posture feels loose enough to him- it shouldn’t seem fake… But she’s good. She might know. He hopes she doesn’t…

He doesn’t want anyone to see how pathetic he is.

The moment that knuckles rapt against the surface of the door, Bingbing lifts her gaze from the pages of the book that she was reading, directing it towards the entry into the hallway. An eyebrow arches curiously as her mind quickly runs over a couple of options, all in hopes of figuring out whether or not someone was expecting to come over; the answer comes to mind rather quickly, because she wasn’t expecting visitors.

She slips a bookmark in between the pages where she left off at before closing the book and setting it aside onto the coffee table – it’s within reach for later on, should she wants to pick up where she left off her lecture – then brings herself to stand up, crossing somewhat eagerly into the hallway to open the door. Surprise is concealed behind a smile when her gaze settles onto the young man which stood at her door and a nod serves as greeting, as well as confirmation to his initial question; the rest of what is said elicits a quiet hum from the woman, curiosity remaining present even if some of the queries that ran though her mind were answered.

Bingbing is caught up in the moment a little too intensely at first, because she fails to miss subtle details – small as they were, they would normally not evade her skilled eye, yet she’s feeding into her curiosity and that seems to affect her perception at first. The moment she begins to speak, however, that changes; she rapidly grows more ware of her surroundings and of exactly what she was being presented.

“Has word gone around so fast?” surprise is feigned, though it’s an act that purposely stands out as being fake – it was, after all. A laugh escapes past rosy lips as a dismissive wave of the hand is given in regards to her question, “I’m only messing around, please don’t mind me. I’d be glad for the two of us to hold a conversation,” on cue, she steps to the side and draws the door open to the fullest, leaving more than enough room for the other to enter. “There are two things that I’ll ask from you before we begin, though. First, I’d like to know what your name is. And second—“ a pause comes as she steps away from the door and turns on her heel in order to head back into the living area, “Please close the door once you are inside.”

It takes only a few seconds her to re-enter the living room and then a few seconds more for the pillows on the sofa to be arranged into place; the room was tidy as it was, but that didn’t stop her for making small adjustments where they were due. By the time her guest joins her in the living area, Bingbing turns towards him with a smile and gestures towards the couch in her vicinity, “Make yourself comfortable, don’t be shy.” Once the invitation is made, she picks up the glass of water from the coffee table and crossing towards the door that lead into the kitchen, “Before we begin, is there anything that I can get you? Tea, water or perhaps some coffee?”

[advbingbing-blog]

◣daytime scare◥

[advbingbing-blog]

taeminadv:

Taemin loves books. This is no secret nor any surprise for anyone who’s spent even a fraction of time with the siren – his dorm room’s walls are stacked with the things, all sorts of strange volumes he’s found somewhere or another. Going to bookstores in search of whatever’s new and fascinating is one of his favorite things to do when he bothers to get all bound up and dolled up so that he can go outside; the shopkeeps all seem to like that a terrible amount, even if they do initially seem a bit unsure of what to do with a beautiful man in a dress asking them about what sorts of things they’d recommend.

A few months ago, Taemin would have attributed that solely to the beautiful part – these days, he’s thinking it’s more because everything about him is just plain weird. (But as he’s sneered at more than one fellow potential when asked about the dresses, they’d surely rather see that than his wings, wouldn’t they?)

Regardless, the library staff at the Foundation have also all become accustomed to the avian boy dropping by – he’s been slowly reading his way through everything in Daybreak’s library without much discrimination, skipping around from section to section in a disorganized fashion and yet neither missing nor re-reading a single text. There’s no sense binding himself up when he’s on foundation grounds unless he specifically gets an alert to do so, and so he doesn’t; he simply comes by without shirt or shoes and flashes the poor (human) staff a grin as he makes his way to whatever section of books he’s going to comb through today.

(He doesn’t want to think about the fact that he probably scares them still.)

His motions are aimless as he strides into the room, starts lightly tapping a finger along the spines of books as he checks in his mind if he’s read them before – he does this reverently, making sure not to scratch the covers of the volumes with his talons. It’s merely a gesture to help him keep his place in his head as he contemplates what to pick up today.

The sound of clicking footsteps and the door creaking open catches his attention, and Taemin lifts a brow in thought – there’s a hint of nervousness there that he doesn’t know how to acknowledge, because he’s so damned different even for a mutant that he’s never sure what kind of reaction people will have to him. (He’s stopped deluding himself into thinking it’s all positive, at least.) Besides that, he could get in trouble if he somehow missed a notice to hide himself because there are visitors – though he rather thinks that’d be their own fault if that happened.

His wings shift slowly, thoughtfully, as he looks over his shoulder; indeed, he’s never met this woman before, and for as much as he can possibly tell, she could very well be a human. There’s not much in his expression other than base observation, though, as he blinks at the stranger a few times, curious.

By the time she is within the library, a wide smile resides on Bingbing’s lips. With childlike curiosity, she glances around the room, though she stops and makes a point to nod at the present staff member in greeting before stepping inside a little further; somehow, she misses on the presence of the other potential for the time being. From a first glance, there were plenty of long rows of shelves which she could explore. It didn’t look as if there was any particular repartition of the books, aside from the letter which the title began with, but that wasn’t too big of a setback.

A quick visit paid to the Daybreak staff member along with a short exchange of questions and answers has her figure out that, as expected, any necessary details about the books were registered into one of the computers found within the chamber. Their conversation ends with a smile and a ‘thank you’ from the woman’s end, before she moves to take a seat at one of the desks, planning on taking a quick look over the list of novels; seeing as there were a few titles that she was interested in finding, that felt like a good starting point. Blissfully unaware of the other’s presence, her fingers hover and press over the buttons of the keyboard, typing into the search field title after title – luck has it that three of the novels were found there.

With her curiosity now sated, Bingbing gets up from the chair and moves to the very first row of bookshelves, crosses through the opening in between and leans, eyes scanning over the core of each book in search of the desired one. A good couple of minutes are spent in complete silence – one would say that she is even holding her breath due to how heavily she’s concentrating – while passing down the aisle and then back around. Were she not to have good control over her reactions, then her cheerfulness at finding the novel would’ve manifested audibly, but she praises herself in managing to keep her excitement under lock and key; at least from an auditory point of view.

Eagerly, she goes in search of the next aisle in which she was supposed to find the following item and it’s during her search that Bingbing finally acknowledges that she was not alone with the staff member, oh no. The moment her eyes make contact with the other potential, so distinct in appearance, her expression shifts and the book which she previously picked up gets clutched to her chest. Fear settles into the very core of her being, causing her to remain frozen into place while looking at the other – a mutant, she can tell. How could she not, when his mutation is so, so different than anything or anyone she encountered until then.

Looking at the young man before her was unsettling; it was a sight that her mind could not wrap around: the wings, the feathers, the talons – those were all parts belonging to a bird, certainly not to a human. But then what was this boy exactly, if Bingbing’s mind didn’t associate him with anything definitory to a regular man? Was he a monster that parents often told their children of, that stories depicted in the most gruesome of ways? She is a heartbeat away from an answer, but the thought isn’t processed and instead turns itself into a lump that forms into her throat.

It’s beginning to get harder for her to breathe.

[advbingbing-blog]

◣what bright side?◥

[advbingbing-blog]

advseulgi:

(...)

When Bingbing finally noticed her, startling like the little cute mouse she was, Seulgi only blinked with amusement. That delicious disquieted expression is my favorite thing about this pretty, pretty toy, Seulgi mused, tuning in and out of Bingbing’s soft admonishments with long practice. But as delicious as it was, Seulgi unfortunately need a little bit more substance in her stomach, and so she turned her gaze to the vegetables still sizzling on the stove.

Unabashedly, Seulgi simply reached out and picked up a piece of still sizzling chicken with her forefinger and thumb, and ignoring the burn of her fingers, popped it into her mouth and chewed.

“Needs more salt.” She replied.

Had this been any other person, they would surely be upset with how their words went completely past Seulgi but this is Bingbing and she’s known to possess endless patience and nerves of steel; she takes the time to understand others, even in moments when their actions are completely illogical. A shake of the head in disapproval marks the end of that conversation, given that she knows when it was the case to further insist on a matter and when she should let go. The latter was a more favorable choice this time around, so her attention shifts back to the pan that was set onto the stove.

It crosses through her mind to scold the younger female for sticking her finger into the pan like that, given that she had yet to wash her hands but more importantly, because the fire was still on; it gets turned off then and as the flame dies down, so does her intention of scolding Seulgi for a second time. “You think so?” an eyebrow arches slightly, casting the girl a look before moving to grab a fork from a nearby drawer.

Opposed to how Seulgi dived right into the pan, Bingbing is far more careful with the bit of food that she picks up on the fork, taking the time to blow a bit of air onto it to make it cool down before taking a bite. She hums in thought and finds herself agreeing that the mix truly needed a bit more salt. “Looks like you were right about it,” a soft laugh escapes her lips, the fork is placed into the pan for the time being; once a little salt would be added, she would use it to mix everything together. “I’m surprised,” she admits while working the fork into the contents of the pan, tossing and turning them around, “I normally manage to get things right when it comes to what suits my guests’ taste, but -- I guess I needed to learn a bit more about yours.”

Said and done - she now picked up another bite of the food on the fork and brought a palm underneath to prevent it from falling to the ground if it would slide off the fork, all while turning and leaning closer to Seulgi. “Go on,” she urges the other, “It still a bit hot, so be careful. Just tell me if it suits your taste better now or if I need to add anything else to it.”

Hopefully, she managed to get everything right with the small addition of salt, otherwise it might take them a bit longer to settle down at the table and eat; a couple minutes more, which was not very long, but the rice would not stay warm forever and if it had to be reheated, then the waiting time would get even longer.

[advjr-blog]

Vulnerable

[advbingbing-blog]

advjr:

Porcelain trembles under his fingertips, groaning at his grip into the sides of the sink. The only light is the painting of muted silver that shimmers through a small frosted window located only an inch or two from the ceiling. Water circulates methodically around the expanse of an open space and slowly drains down a metallic epicenter. For a while it’s all he can focus on; beads of it slipping form his hair where it’s collected into tendrils on his forehead, down the slopes of his cheeks and off the precipice of his jaw and into the inevitable pull that recedes back into the drain. Lifting his head up and meeting eyes with someone entirely different as they come back into focus, and then out again enough to convince himself that he’s looking at his own reflection. The details are disfigured. Chartreuse behind his lashes and a mouth laden with teeth like needles. What was supple skin is now hardened scale, unforgiving as fingertips drag timidly across them, shaking in disbelief even though Jonghyun shouldn’t be surprised by now. This isn’t the first time he’s had to introduce himself to the unsightly reality of his new identity. Metastasized to every living cell. 

Keep reading

Due to the nature of recent events, Bingbing has been restlessly moving around Daybreak whenever time allowed her; work remained a priority, but she always made sure to pay others a visit as soon as she was off. On most days, it would be late in the evening when she would return back to her dorm room, completely fatigued from the run around within and outside of the building complex. Weekends were the busiest of all, since they gave her the necessary time to visit and check up on all of those that were either in the medical ward or cooped up in their bedrooms, still strongly feeling the aftermath of Halloween’s night.

At that particular time of the day, she was coming back from checking up on Hoseok and Jaehwan, both which have been facing struggles of their own – one finding himself in a situation similar to hers, whereas the other was one of the many victims of the haunted house. Knowing that it would be a while until she would get a moment’s rest, she decides to enter the Male Hall’s communal bathroom from the lower floor in order to see the state of her makeup and, if needed, to freshen it up a bit.

There were no expectations that she met when pushing the door open – why would there be, anyway? – in order to step inside of the room, yet she’s met with a surprise coming in the form of another person, who was desperately trying to hide themselves by pressing closer to one of the nearby stalls. A hand grips around the handle of her purse, drawing the item closer to her body as she stands at the entrance, worried gaze locked onto the other – a male, from what little she could tell. Could it be that she came in at a wrong time? If so, then what course of action would be best to take: leaving the person to have some alone time or approaching them? The options are thought over once, twice and then a couple of times over before a final decision is taken.

She has been standing in the same spot for a couple of good minutes as it was, which clearly didn’t help make the atmosphere any better, less heavy from the way that it felt. “Excuse me,” her voice maintains its usual gentleness when the words are spoken, the sound of heels clicking against tiles serving as a signal of her approach, “Are you alright? Is there anything you need help with…?”

[advbingbing-blog]

◣lurking figures◥

[advbingbing-blog]

advsoohyuk:

soohyuk has his reasons for wandering around at night.

he stalks through the shadows out of habit, eye open for shady activity out of interest. there are things one cannot learn within the safe walls of a hotel, and soohyuk is a man who refuses ignorance in all things. he must know just where everything of importance to him is, how to get there quickly. he must know all the hidden paths to walk in order to keep his lady safe.

he is well acquainted with the things that go on in the shadows, and he will not let them bring harm to her. if she is to live in this place, then he must know every inch of it in order to protect her – perhaps even to protect others like her, if he feels so inclined. (one could say this is how he chooses to atone for his sins. soohyuk, however, would only say that he is not a man of faith.)

and so he paces silently through the darkened streets of the city, keenly observing all that passes him by. only the faintest sounds come from his footfalls; he is a shadow, too, one of those monsters which lurk in the darkness. he is just as capable of tearing innocent things limb from limb as anything which could lurk here – more so, likely, than the common rabble. they have never felt the kind of cruelty that runs in his veins – ignorant.

Keep reading

By the time the man arrives, Bingbing was long ready to give up and give in, to take the final step and bury herself deep into this grave that others dug for her – he saves her.

The pair of arms which were wrapped around her loosen don’t yet let go, but they loosen their hold when the stranger approaches them. A challenge is presented, one which the trio doesn’t hesitate to take the other up on; they were predators, after all and they had something to prove. Something to claim – her. The inevitable is delayed by an exchange of lines, which only serves to infuriate the three men – she knows, hears it in the way that they speak and thus, she fears for the stranger’s well-being. Knowing that another person was risking their own life in order to protect, to save her own, that was something which she could never live down if they would get harmed.

The fight ensues, the sound of gunshots echoes into the night – one, two, three consecutive shots are fired. Her eyes squeeze shut; this wasn’t a sight she could watch. All she can do is pray, hope for a miraculous outcome where the stranger would come unharmed from the battle. She didn’t wish ill upon the other three men, in spite of what they did to her – all she wanted was for this to end, so that she could return home and forget that such an encounter took place.

If only it were that easy.

Her eyes might be closed, but she is not spared of hearing what happens in the close surroundings. Her imagination is left to put images to the sounds that echo around her, though she suppresses that and refrains from allowing herself to think of such crude, barbaric things. At the sound of a pained, piercing scream, her eyes fly open in horror but there’s barely anything that she manages to catch sight of, because she is pushed off to the side and left to fall to her knees as her captor flees alongside another one of the assailants.

Hands press to the cold, concrete ground and her hair falls over her face – she is no less of a mess, with her coat pushed down to her shoulders and her pure fallen somewhere by her side. She is free, she has been released from a miserable fate at the hands of people who were anything but human – monsters, shadow figures that lurk at night and seek to prey on the weak ones. A sob breaks from her lips and a hand is brought to cover over her mouth as tears begin to flow down her cheeks once more.

Bingbing was shaken up but she was safe – it was a miracle that she almost couldn’t process in its entirety. Had this all been a nightmare? If so, would she soon wake from it? The answer was positive, but the wake up she expected wasn’t entirely what she got – she is addressed by the same man who fought off the three assailants, offered a hand and a smile. He offers her comfort and yet, she’s incapable to do so much as forge a reply – to reassure him of her condition and thank him for all he’s done for her. For someone who was just another stranger, another person in an ocean of faces.

Hesitantly, her hand reaches for the male’s gloved one and she locks her fingers around it – she is not distrustful of him, that is not where hesitance stems from, rather she worries too. Even at a moment like this, Bingbing finds it in her to disregard what was about to happen in favor of another’s well-being; he was the one to fight the men off, after all, so it felt natural for her to worry. Her grip onto his hand tightens slightly and her expression shifts from scared to concerned – she is, of him, and so she allows her eyes to scan over his features and frame in search of anything that would seem out of place.

In the dimly lit alleyway, there is only so much that she can distinguish; that is why the poppet which the male carried on him didn’t grab her attention, as it otherwise would have. He is alright or so it seems, she cannot know for certain, but she can’t put off offering an answer for much longer either. “I’m alright,” she says softly, quietly – fearfully, one would say. Disbelief has a tight grip onto Bingbing, one which won’t be shaken off anytime soon. “I’m sorry—“ the apology is offered with a quick bow of the head, intended both for having got him involved in the anterior situation and for having held onto his hand for too long.

As such, she grabs her purse and pushes herself up to her feet, then releases the male’s gloved hand. She doesn’t cease to look at him, worry displaying clearly onto her features and moreso into her large, doe eyes, “I truly am sorry, for all of that. I— I don’t know where they came from, nor do I know what I would’ve done if you didn’t get involved…” her words trail off, gaze dropping a slight for a moment, only to rise again to meet the gaze of the stranger as she spoke up once more, “Thank you. I don’t know who you are but, thank you.” Her words are heartfelt and her eyes are glassy – she could cry then and there, yet she tells herself not to. There would come a time for that later on, when she is back at her dorm room, so she focuses her attention elsewhere for the time being and directs it entirely at the man in front of her.

“Are you alright? Have they hurt you?” one question would have sufficed for her to voice out concern, but the other leaves her lips before she’s capable to catch herself and hold back from asking too much; the last thing she wished for was to come off too strong, to overstep unknown boundaries. In her heart, she dearly hoped that she didn’t.

[advbingbing-blog]

◣company◥

[advbingbing-blog]

advxsanghyuk:

The library was a comforting place to visit, especially during moments of silent, pent-up anger that occurred more often than not; it certainly explained Sanghyuk’s frequent visits to not just one library, but the various ones located across the city. They were fundamentally the same, but the atmosphere and list of books were slightly different, and sometimes he preferred not to go out of his way to visit a specific library out of mere preference. That level of dedication was reserved only for the best of cafes or coffee shops, which consisted of a few elites.

But this library happened to be near his workplace, which made his life easier when he wanted to storm down the block so he could look up the history of the super computer and perhaps prove a point to his superior. His shift was over, but he was still boiling with the need to be smarter than the old coot across the hall in the software development department. Unlike his true mood, Sanghyuk managed to step through the library doors like a normal person having an average day. This in large part was due to the fresh brew of dark coffee still steaming in his left hand.

His eyes looked heavier than usual, almost to the point of drowsiness, but otherwise a neutral expression did little to betray his tempestuous rage. He brought the coffee to his lips when a familiar, light voice echoed his name and he turned toward Bingbing.  His face lit up slightly, eyebrows raised and eyes looking more awake as he threw her a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Noona, afternoon!” he answered back, “I was actually hoping to find a particular book about supercomputers, but I think anything that talks about the origins and mechanics of them would work just as fine.”

“Ah, and—“ Sanghyuk’s face lit up again as he raised his other hand to reveal a paper bag. “—I also bought some things at the patisserie down the block. You’re welcome to grab something if you haven’t eaten yet.”

At his words, Bingbing immediately tries to think up of what they had in stock that would belong to the request made. She was almost certain that there were several books belonging to the respective requirements, but that would have to be checked before a clear answer could be given. “I believe we might have something you can pick up, but I’ll have to check at the front desk beforehand,” she nods alongside the statement made, expression having grown serious due to the previous moment when she fell in thought.

Admittedly, her skilled eye doesn’t miss out on the fact that something’s off; it feels that way, at least. In spite of the smile that she’s presented with, things don’t seem to carry out as they otherwise would. The thought that Sanghyuk might be bothered by something crosses her mind and, along with it, comes the decision of trying to figure that out. One thing at a time, though.

She brightens up immediately at the offer made, the serious look from before shifting into the usual cheerful one, with a wide smile spreading across her lips. “You are such a darling for having thought about me. I might just take you up on that offer, but before that—“ she casts a glance over her shoulder at the front desk, then comes to motion with one of her hands towards the right. “How about you make yourself comfortable in the reading area? I’ll go ahead and see what I can get you and then we can try figure out if they’re corresponding to what you’ve been wanting to get.”

Of course, she doesn’t forget about the offer that was previously made, so she rapidly adds on something about it too, “That and we can also have a drink and grab a small bite.”