DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?

[heracules]

            and the oscar goes to . . .

song hera, the living statue. second year. film theory major, literature minor. nation's little sister. muse for dragonshq. written by mel (gmt -5, s/h, 25).

intro : dossier : connections : pinterest

[memoriesblur]

treat yourself summary: song hera ( @heracules ) and song olivia decide to go to a spa while olivia's staying over for the weekend. … except olivia's never gone to a spa before.

to nobody's surprise, there’s very few environments that olivia finds herself feeling comfortable and at home in: at her favorite study room at sejong library, snuggled up in her bed in her dorm with her headphones and a new book, and at the capella lounge, surrounded by the many trees and plants in the arboretum.

going to one of seoul’s best and fanciest spas was, shockingly, not one of those places.

she had been invited to spend time with her cousin—one fairly popular k-drama actress, song hera. she still remembers the look on sera’s face when she mentioned their relation after catching her watching a show she was on—and their grandparents one weekend during the summer. she was still getting used to seoul a bit, and aside from going to yeonhwa, she did come here in hopes of reconnecting with her family, so of course she’d take them up on their offer to spend time with them.

despite their differences in demeanor and interests, olivia founds herself taking more of a liking to hera the more they spend time with each other. even if she scolded her sometimes for having a tendency to put her work over all else. maybe she’s right, but olivia doesn’t quite want to admit it.

on the last day of their hangout, hera had the great idea to bring her to one of her favorite spas… once olivia had mentioned offhandedly that she’d never gone to one before.

and here they were, in the onju district, just having arrived at the place. ‘rejuvenate your spirit, mind, and body!’ a sign on the door read. olivia knew it was fine; it’s not like anything bad would happen, the day would go just fine.

… but she was still a little shy about the whole thing. maybe it's because she never truly got used to getting comfortable in all-new environments she'd be in for a short period of time, maybe it's because she's gonna be covered in only a robe for a few hours. jury's still out on that.

“okay… looks like we’re here.” she couldn’t even try to sound less wary about it if she tried. she places her tote bag on her shoulder after she gets out of hera’s car, giving her an awkward thumbs up and a weak smile. “girls wellness weekend—" she pauses and glances away, her eyebrows furrowed. “well, sunday.”

that unconvincing smile comes back to her lips afterwards. "wooooo.”

[heracules]

hera loves going home to her grandparent's house. it is a traditional hanok in the middle of the bustling city and if one looks closely, they'll realize that it's been used as a set for historical dramas one too many times. and hera loves it even more for that. not only does it keep her grounded, but it also further solidifies her connection to her culture. it's also a plus because she's observed countless actors and actresses hone their craft right before her yes. it definitely added inspiration for her to pursue acting.

that's what she wanted to share with olivia the moment they met and upon learning that she grew up somewhere far. reconnecting with a family member you didn't know you had is a kind of rush that hera didn't expect to experience. she didn't grow up with a lot of relatives, their family being spread far and wide throughout other countries. it has always been her, and her grandparents that roam the halls of their house. having olivia over certainly brings more liveliness in their otherwise peaceful home.

it was an offhanded comment during dinner that shaped the rest of their short visit. hera's jaw was literally on the floor when olivia mentioned she hasn't been in a spa. meanwhile, hera goes to get a full body and facial every two weeks.

so when they finally reached their destination, hera thanks her driver and asks them to come back in a couple of hours. "it's going to be fun, liv! i promise," she says, taking the girls hand and urging them both inside the spa.

the staff greeted them kindly as they enter, perks of having a somewhat recognizable name. the spa smelled faintly of incense and a bunch of soaps that hera couldn't discern. the staff led them to an office where the owner, herself, greeted them with a smile.

"miss hera, always a pleasure for you to chose us and who...?" the owner turns to olivia and hera introduces her.

"this is my cousin, olivia. i trust that you guys have the best set for us?" hera says, getting comfortable in her seat. the excitement in her eyes evident and she pats olivia's arm to offer a sense of comfort.

the owner went on about what kind of treatment they'll be getting today. from full body-massages to facial treatments. they first determine the kinds of things each individual's skin needs and then base the experience off of that.

hera turns to her cousin, kind smiles always painted on her face. "how does that sound, olivia? i guarantee that they're the best of the best!"

[legallysera]

emergency ft. song hera @heracules

“eeeeeeeeeek!” 

sera’s scream is loud, voice possibly carrying across half the camp (briefly, for half a second, she wonders if she could’ve made it big as a vocalist if she tried— though the thought doesn’t get to linger), arms flailing frantically around herself as she tries to shake off whatever is currently crawling up her arm. she thinks it’s a spider, but honestly? no way in hell is she brave enough to check, she just wants this thing to leave her personal space, now. 

really, she should have expected this to happen during a weekend spent in the woods, a place she can only imagine will positively be crawling with bugs (seriously, why couldn’t yeonhwa have planned for the MT to take place at a spa, or something!?). though, call her an optimist, but she hadn’t expected it to happen this soon, practically immediately after getting off the bus. 

though, perhaps — a blessing in disguise, in some way. the bus just having dropped them off means the parking lot is crawling (hah! pun not intended, except it kind of totally is) with fellow students, meaning someone is bound to be able to save her from this pesky creature. not that she really has the luxury of choice, however, as she can feel the spider’s tiny, hairy legs still crawling up her arm, causing her to let out another scream, before very nearly jumping into the arms of the person unlucky enough to stand closest to her. 

it’s not so much jumping into their arms as it is sera dramatically clinging onto them for dear life, eyes tightly shut in fear. 

“please!” she pleads, arms tightly squeezing around whoever is destined to be her savior. the crawling seems to maybe — knock on wood — have subsided, for now, and so she dares to open one eye to peek up at whoever she’s holding onto for dear life. 

“is it—” she starts, then freezes.

oh.

my.

god!

her grip immediately loosens, stumbling a couple steps backwards, spider momentarily forgotten. because, well, her savior? song fucking hera. this is so embarrassing, sera barely knows what to do with herself — is it too late to just make a run for it? probably not, but that could potentially make this even more humiliating for her — it’s not as if she can just choose to avoid hera the rest of her life. 

“oh, uh… unnie! i’m sorry, there was…” a pause, as she glances down at her arm. no spider visible at the moment, but she can’t be sure it’s truly gone. “uh, spider. so sorry for the, uh… hug?” she looks back up at hera, grimacing.

[heracules]

so the horror movie might've been a bad idea.

she didn't think so at the time but the thought of a serial killer running rampant on a campground might've been too on the nose for where they're heading. hera takes a sharp breath as she exits the bus, looking at her surroundings. from the main campsite and to the lake, it's all very reminiscent of the horror movie that she and yujin put on during the ride. why did her hands feel so clammy?

she grips her suitcase, and yes- she did bring a suitcase for a three-day trip, while waiting for everyone else to disembark. and then she hears it. a bloodcurdling scream that makes her jump, the hairs in her arms and neck stands even though there was no breeze. hera didn't even have the time to fully register what was happening when a frightened sera scrambles in her arms. hera tries her best to hold the girl up but her hands have become slippery from the sweat, almost dropping sera in the process. ugh, how embarrassing. she tries not to think about her clammy hands and instead focused on sera who is still freaking out.

"you're okay, you're okay," she tries to pacify her but she could still see the bug crawling on her arm. not so much a spider, but equally nauseating to look at. hera will her face into neutrality as to not freak out sera more. but when sera jumps a couple steps back, hera furrows her brows.

"it wasn't a spider but," hera takes her phone out from her pocket to use it to flick off the bug from her arm. the bug sticks to her phone for a moment and hera frantically waves her phone around until the bug splats on the floor. she laughs then, hera's irrational fear from the horror movie she watched earlier forgotten but not for long. "you scared me though, i thought a serial killer was on the loose."

she shakes her head, trying shake her thoughts. "but it's alright, i'm glad i caught you though, i was worried you were going to fall."

[harpstring]

✧ ⏤ lady of the lake

jiyul spots @heracules by herself by the lake and decides to keep her company

jiyul has never particularly considered himself an outdoor person. he's not athletic in the slightest. outdoor sports are usually more embarrassing than enjoyable for him, and while he can camp in a tent, it's usually more anxiety-inducing than peaceful.

he is, however, a nature person, or yeonhwa's mt is making him realize he is. he likes spending time outside in nature if he's just sitting there. he likes taking in the plants around him, and watching the birds and whatever various creatures scurry about around him. the fresh air is nice, too. it's definitely different out here than in seoul.

one of his favorite parts about the mt has been the lake. not swimming in the lake, mind you – but watching it. it's pretty, and watching how the other students enjoy it is a little funny.

when he approaches the lake this afternoon, someone else is in his favorite sitting spot. he recognizes hera as he gets closer. he wouldn't say they're close friends, but they're friendly enough for jiyul to not feel too anxious about walking over to her.

she looks a little sad, he realizes. it makes him frown to himself. well, he was already planning to sit and watch the lake himself, so if she doesn't mind the company, what harm would sitting with her do? if she's sad, maybe it'll make her feel better?

he offers her a soft smile as he gets closer. "hi hera," he greets her quietly. "are you...okay? you just look kind of sad. you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want, i was just wondering." he stands there a little awkwardly for a few moments, then asks, "can i sit with you?"

[heracules]

hera's never had the chance to just sit and listen.

her days always seems to be on-the-go, from the constant location changes to wearing a different set of clothes for different scene. for a time, her home has been her van, her manager and driver her family. attending yeonhwa is supposed to be a change of pace that lets her enjoy being normal but with missing some classes to now missing the rest of the mt, a grey cloud seem to loom atop her head.

she only has a few hours left until her manager reaches the campgrounds and hera has no choice but to sulk for the rest of it. she sits, overlooking the lake where some have already taken it upon themselves to test the waters. there were some already starting a bonfire, expecting the sun to set in a few. she doesn't even stay for dinner and that's what she hates the most. this activity was supposed to be her enjoying being a normal student but duty calls. a sigh slips pas her lips and she doesn't even realize that someone's joined her.

she doesn't jump but surprise is evident in her eyes, "oh- sunbae, i didn't even hear you coming." she offers a smile that doesn't reach her eyes and a lackluster wave, different from the hera that is usually full of energy whenever she joins jiyul in her tutoring sessions. she pats the space beside her, scooting a bit to make some more room. "please, take a seat."

hera just looks back to the waters, her shoulders slumps. "i just," she hesitates. "i have to leave in a couple hours so...and i can't come back because of my schedule. i'll be missing the whole thing." hera gestures to nothing in particular but all around them at the same time. "i just thought it would be nice to, y'know, get to know more people?"

[funfactory]

jiheon + stay this way era ↳ for anon ♡

[heracules]

hi everyone! joining the wave of changes to say that hera's fc has also changed from rv's kim yeri to fromis_9's baek jiheon! her birth year has been adjusted from 00 to 03 and her academic year from 4th to 2nd! she's now minoring in literature as well. she's still an actress and deemed nation's little sis, but she will be in campus more now and thus lots of opportunity for more connections! the main thing that's changed is her personality and making her more approachable, she's more energetic and optimistic, less serious and reserved. i've updated her intro, adding a bit more to her background and personality. you can also find a short list of plots in there that might fit your muses! i've reached out to those that have threads with her thus far to take note of the changes and adjust accordingly! will be doing replies on my current threads this weekend for sure! but if you'd like to plot with hera pls like this post and i'll reach out < 333333 i would loooove to start writing her out!

[lxckystrike]

it’s been more than a dozen long trips around the sun since he first met song hera, and almost everything in his life has changed. more accurately, he feels as if he’s changed. maybe it was just an inevitable part of ‘growing up’ — losing shine, illusions, and people; even parts of yourself. but when he watches her, he’s not so sure it hits everyone the same way. she has her same brown eyes, still smiles the same way, still radiates warmth to anyone she meets. he’s happy for her, secretly a teeny bit jealous that she’s managed to keep her glow. but really just relieved that the world decided to make the right person famous.

despite irresponsible claims that he’d never leave her side (while using every ounce of willpower to hold back tears on their last day of shooting together…), they had drifted apart. busy schedules and focusing on their respective careers or whatever. guess celebrity breakup news wasn’t total bullshit. but growing apart didn’t change the fact that for a good amount of time, they grew side by side — him, her, her brother. there’s a tie there that can’t be severed by time apart, and a dormant part of him still tosses and turns whenever he’s around her.

it’s familiar and comforting, like coming back home after a long time away. but at the same time, it’s unnerving and frightening. not unlike how he’s feeling now, just minutes before today’s shoot.

“i don’t know… i think you’re vastly underestimating my ability to—” fuck up. be a dick. say bullshit. he catches himself, biting his tongue given her warning literally seconds ago about language. “be… bad.” he laughs a little, not a lighthearted one but an uneasy like a kid who knows he’s about to get into trouble.

his brows furrow when he hears the voice summoning them, eyes darting to find hers in the first of many sos signals. is he ‘ready’? no, of course not. but it’s not like he was going to get any more ready any time soon… not in this lifetime. so he pops up to his feet with a forced gusto. however, his steps are laggard and hesitant as he follows her out of the trailer.

the door swings open, and they are met by the crisp morning air. he takes a deep breath of it, which helps cool some of the heat off his head, but there’s still some way to go. he bows his head to greet the staff who come to hook them up with mics before ushering them towards the actual filming site. with a few longer strides, he catches up to hera’s side, lightly nudging her. “okay… i trust you. it’ll be fine.” he’s not lying about trusting her; but he’s trying to coerce himself into believing the latter part of the statement.

[heracules]

hera has this habit of knowing exactly what a person is feeling the moment their eyes meet. and looking at jinyoung's panic-stricken eyes made hers soften. she's offer her hand to comfort him but she doesn't know what kind of narratives will be spun around here. it's not like everyone in the studio is on her side, much less jinyoung's. so she treads carefully, her smile soft, open, welcoming. as she joins him in stride.

she knows jinyoung will do well. he might have a personality that may be a bit rash but she knows he's a good kid and even vouched for him when talking to one of the pds of the show. and once he gets comfortable and manage to ignore the camera for more than a few minutes, then hera's sure that he'll eventually loosen up and will be able to converse easily. although, she does have her fingers crossed behind her back.

they walk side by side towards where the crew has set up their cameras, the lights minimal as they are relying on the natural sunlight that for their concept of the day. she approaches the pd, tapping him by the shoulder.

"ah, hera! our favourite has arrived, everyone say hello," the pd says, beaming as he sees hera. the pd eyes jinyoung and reaches a hand for him to shake. "i look forward to working with you today, hera here as told us much about you! good things, of course!" the pd laughs a hearty laugh before telling the rest of the crew to also say hi to jinyoung as well.

they quickly run through the agenda for the morning and expect to be done this half of the filming by the time lunch rolls around. the pd continues to explain that if it does get too hot during the day that they can always go for a walk or find some shade and the crew will just follow.

hera's standing just a half-step behind jinyoung, nodding her head as she's heard these instructions already, watching his reactions instead just to gauge his comfort level. the host arrives then, someone they both knew as she is one of the panelist from when they were in the show as kids. already the atmosphere around the set is lightening up.

hera takes the lead to go and sit on the picnic blankets they've prepared, crossing her leg like a kid ready to hear a story. there was also some finger food prepared in front of them. she waits for jinyoung to get settled and looked at the host then the pd and nods her head. "action!"

[miye0ns]

（⁰∽⁰）　⁾⁾　 if reposted please give me credit ± tysm for the req

[heracules]

there was a time in her life that wook's name was attached to everything that she did. whenever she would go out shopping to buy a gift for her grandmother, wook would tag along and carry her bags for her. whenever she was tired from another round of table readings, wook was the one she calls and he talks her to sleep. whenever she craves for some good street food, wook was the one who shows up with a bag steaming on hand, all smiles and ready to eat.

and then there was a time that it didn't. and those four years did pass by awfully slow.

so when she and wook finally did meet, in the same university that they dreamed of getting in together once upon a time, she never wanted to let him go. though they did date for just a year, hera put her friendship with him in high regard. he was the one who was with her during the years in high school that when her self-esteem was at an all time low and he was the one she looked up to whenever she felt tired after a long day of work. wook has and always will be special to her.

and of course, his sisters also has a special place in her heart given that she was an only child.

she smiles endearingly as she watches the notifications from wook pop up, even coo-ing at the photo he sent of seol. the last time hera saw little seol, she was indeed still very little at nine years old. hera wonders if seol even remembers her when she used to stop by for a visit and play with her and bom.

[ msg to : uri wook ] oh please, take your time i can't wait to see seollie again!! she's more than welcome to join us.

hera sits with her legs crossed over the other, her shoulders relaxed as she scrolls through photos that she took of seol some years ago. the tteok shop was busy for customers coming and going, but the dining area was isolated and hera was facing away from the entrance.

she is so engrossed down memory lane that she didn't even hear them come in, not until wook's hands appear before her eyes and if she wasn't a good actress, she would've jumped.

"you made it!" she exclaims, automatically standing up to give him a hug like the usual. she sees seol then, hiding behind her older brother and hera waves. "hi, seollie, do you remember unnie? you're 13 now, right?"

at twenty-five, hera compares their heights and her eyes softens looking at the younger girl who was almost, almooost the same height as she is.

"you're so tall now exactly like your brother," she says, grinning and her eyes lands on wook again. "there's always a seat reserved for you, of course." she gestures to the seat in front of her as she takes her own.

[heracules]

[ DROPPED ]

[legallysera]

starstruck ft. song hera @heracules march 2024

cue the dramatic soundtrack, because today is the day kim sera — freshman, future lawyer, and full-time disaster — conquers the yeonhwa campus. or, at the very least, figures out where the heck she’s supposed to be for all her classes. she’s not used to this — being alone, trying to figure things out all by herself. well, technically, she supposes she’s not all alone. her brother had moved to seoul a few months ago, and she knows he’s just a phone call away. that, and her new roommate seems like someone who’s probably responsible enough to get her out of any potential trouble if needed. but! she can do this on her own. because today is the day she starts her life as a strong, independent teenager woman!

sera is deeply engrossed in her phone, holding it up like it’s a magical compass, face scrunched in concentration as she zooms in on the campus map provided on the university’s home page. she’s unsure if she’s walking in the right direction or not — she’s trying to figure out where to be for her first introduction to law class the following day, which she assumes will be held in the law building, but hell if she knows where that is. sure, she’d attended orientation, but did they honestly expect her to remember all the info thrown in her face that day? no, she’s better off exploring and figuring things out on her own. 

though, unfortunately, she’s turning out to be just a touch directionally challenged. sera looks up from her phone, eyes narrowing against the sunlight streaming towards her, and looks up at a building that should be either the law building or the library — but judging by the fact that there’s no visible sign, she suspects it’s neither. she lets out a defeated sigh, and is about to pull out the map again, in order to re-orient herself, when something else catches her attention.

or rather, someone. 

not far from the suspiciously unnamed building, she spots someone familiar, bathed in an almost cinematic halo of sunlight, as if the universe had just dropped a spotlight on her. 

song hera.

no way?! 

for a moment, sera is mentally floating, as if on a fluffy pink cloud, and forgets to breathe, standing there completely in awe. she’d heard something about hera attending university, but hadn’t looked too much into it. no. freaking. way — she’s actually attending yeonhwa?! and standing just a short distance away from sera at this very moment?!

as if on cue, sera remembers to breathe again, and practically sprints towards hera (at least her track training is useful for something, right?). “oh my god!” she exclaims, in lieu of an introduction. “you’re song hera, right?!” her eyes are wide, but the grin on her face might be even wider — she’s practically buzzing from excitement.

“i just loved you in that legal drama you did not too long ago. i know it’s not one of your biggest roles or whatever, but it was so good! like, the way your testimony helped decide the case? the way you delivered that was just sooo incredible. and how it helped turn the whole case around? seriously so cool! like, i don’t even know how many times i’ve watched that episode by now.” then, because her parents have taught her some manners, she takes a deep breath, and offers up an introduction: 

“sorry, i got excited. hi! i’m kim sera. i’m a freshman about to start studying law! i’m still kind of freaking out about everything, but seeing you here is like… wow, it’s almost like a sign from the universe that i can do this!”

[heracules]

it is always an adjustment whenever hera finishes up a project and then have to start going to class the next day. she's gotten so used to just doing her homework in her trailer or on the go in her van that roaming yeonhwa's campus seem to be a little bit of a challenge.

added on the fact that a lot of people seem to stare wherever she walks. she insists that not wearing a mask or anything to hide her face will make her more approachable, less intimidating, more friendly, less snobby. but maybe she is wrong on that part because now people are looking, now people are whispering.

that has always been the case during the start of a new academic year, where people find out that the rumours are true, she indeed goes to class despite her tight schedules.

well, tries her best to go to class at least. she'll have the time this week to attend her classes in person then will be back on the road to busan for a different schedule next week. it's a miracle that the university even allows her such exceptions but it she is diligent when getting her work done on time.

she's eyeing her new schedule for the semester with a bit of confusing. not spending much time on campus do have its drawbacks and one of them being that she doesn't usually know where to go whenever she's heading to a new classroom. the only places she can actually locate are her dorm and the film club room. the rest are just a hazy mix of letters, and numbers, and obscure architecture.

hera pivots, turning around and looks up just in time to see someone making a beeline towards her and before she could even back away, the girl was right on her face that it made hera laugh softly at her optimism.

"y-yes, i am," is all she could manage to answer before the girl was of to exclaim about the show that aired early this year.

hera remembered filming for it early november when it was getting really cold. she remembered how she was holding two hand warmers while she was sitting in the witness stand. she remembered the heater placed by her feet so that she wouldn't be distracted by the cold studio that they've built the "court" in.

it was definitely a small role, but an impactful one where she had to deliver pivotal information. she made sure to add tension to the right words when saying her lines, making her cadence dip, her voice crack as she delivers a difficult word. but her eyes were to remain defiant, strong. her character was supposed to be strong.

she smiles brighter now, hearing the girl talk about her work with much enthusiasm. noting that the girl was a freshman, which hera already figured. there aren't anyone more wide-eyed with a sparkly gaze than freshmen coming into yeonhwa.

she bows to the younger girl, then extended her hand afterwards. "it's very nice to meet you, sera. no need to freak out and all, you can call me hera."

her ears perk up at the mention that sera is studying law, which explains why she turned into the legal drama so intensely. "you're studying law, that's so cool! my part in that drama was small yes, but i did learn a few terms here and there."

she resisted the urge to give the girl a hug, thinking that it might be weird but her energy was rubbing off on her that hera forgot that she was even confused just a moment ago. "but i'm so happy that you liked it, i know law is tough to study. whew, i don't even think i did justice to it!"

[veritastrap]

yerim pushes open the doors of the business building, squinting a little against the august sun. her meeting with one of her professors had been brief, finishing ahead of schedule. it hadn’t been anything major — just a short update on her summer internship before the semester starts, and a reminder to submit her final report — but it had been enough to justify the trip across campus. 

she pauses briefly once outside, grabbing her sunglasses from her bag in order to shield herself from the sun. she’s about to grab her phone, too — just to double check her calendar, to ensure she really did have nothing else on her agenda before going home — when a voice catches her attention. 

she looks up, eyes automatically widening at the familiar face suddenly making a beeline towards her — though “familiar” is more from movie posters and the occasional drama than any personal acquaintance. she’s seen hera around campus before, sure, but the two of them have never spoken to each other before. it takes a second for hera’s quiet, urgent request to register in yerim’s mind, but when it does, she’s immediately on high alert, taking a moment to scan the surrounding area. sure enough, there’s someone that seems to be hovering in the distance, pretending not to look. but yerim has spent enough of her life under watch — for appearances, for image — to see right through the act. 

“of course.” her voice is soft, careful. for a moment, she hesitates, considers keeping her hands to herself. but then the man looks in their direction, and she briefly catches his gaze before he looks away. the thought to keep to herself immediately disappears — and she threads her arm through hera’s, in a quiet display of solidarity. 

“i’ve got you,” she whispers, then, loud enough for the man to hear: “i’m so excited to finally catch up with you! should we go back to my place for a drink?” hopefully it’s enough to keep him from following further.

[heracules]

hera is a good actress. that's a fact.

but the genuine fear that rushes through her veins and the relief that spread across her chest stumbling upon yerim at that moment is no act. hera didn't even realize how scared she was until the yerim's soft tone registers in her mind, her arm already secured. she didn't notice her trembling hands either, and she interlaces both of them as if holding onto the latter was the only way she could keep calm.

deep breaths, that's what her therapist would say. deep breaths, and every thing would be okay. it wasn't like this is the first time. but no, it should be something that's normalized either. it's happened before and she got through it unscathed and it would be okay. nobody got hurt. she didn't get hurt. yerim is safe too.

it wasn't usual for hera to spiral so much but the fact that she may have put yerim in an uncomfortable situation also made her panic a spike a bit higher.

but then yerim was speaking aloud and hera turns to her, eyes glossed over and panic stricken but in a moment it was gone and she is acting.

she squeezes her shoulder and and leans close, willing her voice to come out, levelled and excited, "oh, i'm so glad you could make it today!" she doesn't turn around to see if the man was still close behind so she keeps going, "and your place is perfect, maybe i'll call my manager for him to buy us something to eat!"

her pitch goes a bit higher when mentioning her manager but hopefully it wasn't so noticeable to the untrained ear. she doesn't even wait for her reply and started walking further and further from the business building, not even knowing where yerim lives and just walks until they're in a different part of the campus.

that's when she whispers, tugging on yerim's arm to get her attention. "is he still following?"

[heracules]

spooky friday present, day 1 - friday am event starter for heo yujin (@cmyujink)

it might’ve been too early for some but hera is wide awake as she watches the rest of the students board the bus from her window seat. she picks a seat somewhere in the middle, where it hopefully doesn’t get too rowdy nor too quiet.

by the time she’s settles in her seat, pulling out a pack of banana chips to share with her seat mate, yujin already has his phone out with a list of movies to choose from. she is relieved as soon as yujin sat beside her. not that she wouldn’t be happy with a stranger really, but at least she would be fully comfortable for however long the ride is to the campgrounds.

hera made a promise to herself this semester and that is to show up, no matter what, to be just one of the students in the university’s roster and not the actress, song hera.

“please tell me we’re watching a romcom,” she says, scrolling through their selection. and while there were a few romance movies on the list, comedy too— none caught hera’s eyes until she gets to the horror genre. she contemplates it a bit, looking at the choices she has. slasher films, paranormal ones— ones about being stuck in a campground with a killer on the loose?

she turns to yujin, her smile slow and knowing. hera gestures to the screen. “…should we?”

[impulsetheories]

dabin nods in some kind of unconvinced agreement. at least he’d gotten here safely. sure. he doesn’t think his safety really matters to either of them, but it’s a nice thought anyway—nicer still when she follows it up with a suggestion to speak casually. she isn’t treating him like he had halfway expected her to. she isn’t making him feel othered.

“yeah, that would be nice.” lately, his therapist has been urging him to approach new people. to break his routine. something about how it seemed like he was too comfortable, and relying too much on the world to stay the same. she had called it a dangerous habit. he hadn’t been able to confidently agree that he would try, but the inclination had struck him when he’d seen hera this morning. it had been scary. but she’s already made him feel comfortable. more telling of her own character than his.

he listens to her talk about school. there is a part of him—snarky, selfish, prideful—that wants to ask her what about her major is predictable. to ruin a perfectly fine thing by placing her in an uncomfortable spotlight. but she seems to mean well, genuinely. he fights through the instinct, works to something more palatable.

“i’m studying computer science. same thing i studied in undergrad,” he tells her, accompanied by a lazy shrug of his shoulders—a sign of dead passion. he’d cared about it once upon a time, maybe he can learn to care about it still. “it’s different, though. being a grad student. i felt like undergrad was easier, in a way. there’s a lot that you have to do, but the stakes feel relatively low.” on second thought, maybe he’d just been a bad student. “… they felt low for me, anyway. everything’s more personal in grad school.”

there’s more that he could say, but he doesn’t feel quite comfortable enough to ramble yet. so he redirects back to her, curious and well-intentioned as he can be.

“do you have any interest in working behind the scenes in film?… are you planning on going to grad school?”

[heracules]

hera remembers it well.

a time when she was standing in front of a crowd at an early screening of one of the films she did when she was in her late teens. it’s been a few years now but she remembers the little girl who asked her a question that night.

how do you act so well?

hera smiles, bending down so that she and the girl were seeing eye-to-eye. “by listening and observing well,” she said then, winking at the girl as if they share a little secret.

and it was true. still is, to this point where she listens to the cadence of dabin's voice, noting his movements from the corner of her eye. she doesn't make it known of course, a trade secret, if one could call it that. she uses it a lot when working with other actors, checking if one is fully knocked out from the long day's work, gauging if she should match their energy or do a little more to compensate. though they may have a camera shoved to their faces most of the time, the tiredness still gets to them, even more so with the staff and the crew.

growing up in the limelight has taught hera to value other people's time. so she's making use of this conversation to make a new friend, or at least be somewhat familiar to dabin.

"ah, personal... that sounds tough," she says, staring down at her shoes now, nodding to herself mostly as she fully relates to what he is saying in a completely different context. "but at least it's something familiar, no?"

each script she touches and reads, and each show she's filmed throughout the years are all close to her heart. getting criticism for something that she's poured her heart and soul on, it's definitely not for the faint-hearted.

she looks back up to him as he poses her a question, she shakes her head slowly before replying, "never...or i guess it'd be too early to judge. i've always seen myself in front of the camera and never the other way around." she's never had any thoughts on doing anything other than acting. while her grandparents made a name for themselves through directing and screenwriting respectively, she definitely thrives where she is now.

"i don't know what else i would be doing if i'm not acting," it's a privilege, of course, do be doing something you love and earning recognition from it. it isn't a universal experience and hera is more than aware of that. "after undergrad though, i'll probably focus on writing full time. studying film theory just helps me keep sharp on the industry standards."

there was still a bit of time left before her appointment so she asks him another question. "what did you like about computer science?" did he notice that her question was in past tense? her eyes doesn't reveal the thought that passes through her mind. she offers the question kindly, as a peer into why he continued studying despite it all.

"you can tell me to shut up anytime, by the way."

[retronaughts]

dining pleasantries and a bit of (plenty of) warmth with @heracules present, tteok shop

wook and hera weren’t the type to follow after patterns. one lunch could occur halfway across town—to a new restaurant that one of them might’ve come across and wanted to try out but never really got to, or a dinner could be across the street from their old high school—where the old owner knows their exact order to the dot on the i’s and once in a while asks when they plan to marry (the both of them having gotten too tired to deny the claim), or brunch on some random dining place they’d seen the day of the actual meetup.

busy as she is (and has always been), hera is the one unpredictable variable in his life that he allows to drive him around as she pleases.

the one they’re going to this time is a place his younger sister had recommended after hearing that hera wanted to go to a good tteok shop in the city. (thirteen year olds know everything.)

seol, thirteen years old and half his height, impatiently pulls wook forward as he laughs—”we’re already so late, oppa. you can’t keep unnie waiting!”

“and whose fault is that?” he asks in turn, smile tilted teasingly, knowing full well that the only reason hera had gotten there ahead of them was solely because he’d gotten stuck waiting for seol herself—prettying herself up for the prettiest girl she’s ever seen. her words, not his—though he wouldn’t necessarily disagree.

wook. running a little late. sorry. be there in 10. sent 9:10 am.

seol wanted to come with. hope you don’t mind. sent 9:11 am.

[wook sent a picture] seollie. sent 9:15 am.

give me an additional 5 minutes. sent 9:15 am.

the shameless impatience he’d seen from seol vanishes the moment they’re in front of the shop—her stance transitioning from pulling forward to pulling backward. her eyes flicker uncertainly as she gazes up at wook with an—”wait, are you sure she wouldn’t mind that i tagged along? i don’t mind walking back and just going home. oh my god, does she even remember me?”

“she’d probably rather see you than me.” he says, grinning as he instinctively raises his hand to ruffle her hair before deciding not to—she’d spent so long styling it, before pulling her into the store where he immediately spots her.

spring has come to pass and summer has arrived. this is the first time wook is seeing hera in person in months. she’s always come and gone like this—with wook patiently waiting for her to simply appear and say hello again.

seol trails behind him, timid as she was, and wook gently knocks on the table with a cheeky smile. “hey there, stranger, is this seat taken?”

[heracules]

there was a time in her life that wook's name was attached to everything that she did. whenever she would go out shopping to buy a gift for her grandmother, wook would tag along and carry her bags for her. whenever she was tired from another round of table readings, wook was the one she calls and he talks her to sleep. whenever she craves for some good street food, wook was the one who shows up with a bag steaming on hand, all smiles and ready to eat.

and then there was a time that it didn't. and those four years did pass by awfully slow.

so when she and wook finally did meet, in the same university that they dreamed of getting in together once upon a time, she never wanted to let him go. though they did date for just a year, hera put her friendship with him in high regard. he was the one who was with her during the years in high school that when her self-esteem was at an all time low and he was the one she looked up to whenever she felt tired after a long day of work. wook has and always will be special to her.

and of course, his sisters also has a special place in her heart given that she was an only child.

she smiles endearingly as she watches the notifications from wook pop up, even coo-ing at the photo he sent of seol. the last time hera saw little seol, she was indeed still very little at nine years old. hera wonders if seol even remembers her when she used to stop by for a visit and play with her and bom.

[ msg to : uri wook ] oh please, take your time i can't wait to see seollie again!! she's more than welcome to join us.

hera sits with her legs crossed over the other, her shoulders relaxed as she scrolls through photos that she took of seol some years ago. the tteok shop was busy for customers coming and going, but the dining area was isolated and hera was facing away from the entrance.

she is so engrossed down memory lane that she didn't even hear them come in, not until wook's hands appear before her eyes and if she wasn't a good actress, she would've jumped.

"you made it!" she exclaims, automatically standing up to give him a hug like the usual. she sees seol then, hiding behind her older brother and hera waves. "hi, seollie, do you remember unnie? you're 13 now, right?"

at twenty-five, hera compares their heights and her eyes softens looking at the younger girl who was almost, almooost the same height as she is.

"you're so tall now exactly like your brother," she says, grinning and her eyes lands on wook again. "there's always a seat reserved for you, of course." she gestures to the seat in front of her as she takes her own.

[typicaljisung]

it's in the refracting light, the sun beyond the shadow, speaking from over her shoulder as jisung squints up at her with an automatic smile. hard not to smile; he assumed someone he had just spoken to had followed him, at first. these are the dangers of talking to absolutely everyone.

but then she's speaking, her voice gentle and whatever memories she's recounting, it jars something in him. a sort of light coming back to his gaze (the performance is tucked away and the smile softens and lightens to an airy something). he pushes himself up to stand. her hand lingers like a northern star near his head but he's peering down at her now (quite down), and his expression flickers through a myriad of emotions. "oh." and his smile twists into a bit of shock. "oh— it's you," the disbelief adds a levity to his tone (his eyes, too, float, flickering across all of her face and pinpointing each part of it to the memory of when they met). "what are you doing here?" here he says, less the university, more in front of him.

she apologized for invading but he didn't reply in his slight surprise and so he backtracks, one of his hands waving a bit to dismiss the notion of it. "you're not invading anything. wow. i didn't think i'd run into you again."

the sentence is stupid, foolish, transparent in that he had wondered at all whether he'd see her again. rather than accepting it as it was, a once meeting, accidental and strange, unexpected. he did wonder, though. he thought about what would happen if she came back. (he is lee jisung. he often wonders about these things; come back, always come back).

"uh, yeah oh." he's going all out of order, the entire conversation; because she asked his name too, but he almost missed it because he was in a hurry to go back and now the tips of his ears are red. "i'm jisung. yes. hi." he presses his lips together; wonders if it's silly to pretend he doesn't know her name, face, more than he should know about her as a complete stranger. "nice to meet you." he decides instead.

"what's up?" he licks his lips and glances to the paper bag and also to her hovering palm (thoughtful of her, he grins again, somewhat fondly, appreciatively).

[heracules]

hera has been trying to find the right timing for months. he is a year below her so there aren't many points of connection that lets them meet. she doesn't have any of his contact information and she doesn't want to cause a scene whenever she spots him since he's always surrounded by so many people. all she remembers was his name and the kind smile he gave her that night. that and the jacket in the bag she now holds so tightly.

she still had her hand out as he straightens up, her fingertips brushing against his hair. she looks up, realizing just how much taller he is up close. there is a nervous smile on her lips thinking that she's just making a fool of herself but it turns into some kind of relief as he seems to remember her.

although hera is used to people being shocked upon seeing her (comes with years and years of being thrust into the spotlight), there was a tinge of an embarrassed blush on her cheeks as watches him scrambles for words. the day of their meeting fresh in her mind.

the rain, the smell of the food wafting from the restaurant as he shuffled her in the back, her sitting on a chair huddles as he gives her his jacket, hiding her face from the constant flashes from outside. it was around a year ago that that happened and yet there was something in her that held on to the memory. perhaps it was the warmth that exude from her chest when he offered to help, no questions asked, and didn't make her feel like some other.

"i also attend this university. i'm in my second year actually," she clarifies hand now retracting to place in between them. "it's nice to finally meet you, i'm hera."

she figures that she should introduce herself too, out of formality. she doesn't remember if she introduced herself to him then but this would be the first time that they're face-to-face amidst all circumstance. and she's the one approaching him this time.

"i was really surprised when i first saw you here too, i've been meaning to return these," she looks down with him at the bag she's holding and brings it towards him, the jacket neatly pressed and folded. "i know it's long overdue, but i wanted to express my thanks." she doesn't say anything about the extra things she put underneath, thinking that it might be weird to do so. but that's just how hera is, to give and to give and to give.

"you really saved me then," she looks up again, doe eyes peering into him. "...and i wanted to buy you a meal in return. do you have some time to spare?"

[heracules]

food for the soul present, summer break, gaeum building written for han seoyun ( @moncoeurseo )

hera is moving back to her dorm.

not that she ever moved out really, she just hasn't been sleeping there in the last few months (eight, actually) even though she'd already paid for it. it was definitely helpful to be living on campus during year one and two but soon her schedule was packed with late-night filming that it only made sense for her to step out of the campus for a bit.

now with her final semester approaching, she made sure to clear her schedule enough that she can focus on wrapping up her degree. she doesn't want to have done all this work (staying up even later just to finish her classes online) just to not graduate in the end. she's sure that the media would go on a frenzy just to smear her name and she'd been so good at keeping any negative news at bay.

one thing does bother hera and that is inconveniencing her next door neighbour who sometimes gives her homecooked meals. she never refused of course, not when homecooked meals are her favourite type of food having grown up with her grandmother's skilled hands (not only in writing hit romance shows, but also hit five star dishes in hera's tastebuds).

the last time she saw han seoyun, the snow was still on the ground and it is now the tail end of summer. embarrassed as she was, she peeks her head out of her own dorm to check the latter's, straining her ears to see if anyone was home.

hera realizes that she was being ridiculous and instead steps out to gather her courage to knock on her door. she knocks, once, twice before clearing her throat and raising her voice, "seoyun? are you home? um, it's hera."

[lxckystrike]

it’s not in character for jinyoung to have agreed to something like this. however, his agent convinced him that showing well on this show could earn him enough good grace with the public to last the rest of the year at least (barring any unforeseen fuck-up’s of course, which was never a non-possibility with him). plus, it’s an ask from hera who is not only a close friend, but also the only person who has a public approval rating high enough to carry his contentious ass across the finish line.

although his body of work pales in comparison to hers, he's not a complete rookie to public appearances. much to his chagrin, he was somewhat of a child star himself... and has seen a steady stream of promotional shoots and endorsements through the years. but of key distinction, he was more of a 'public figure’ by necessity (the burden of the modern day star athlete) and accident (the burden of being yoon jinyoung), not by choice; and this sort of high-value production was far beyond his comfort zone.

despite being well conditioned to early mornings, today he cannot stop yawning every five seconds. counterintuively, yawning has always been one way his body gives away that he's anxious. and worse yet, he can’t stop flinching and blinking every time the makeup artists try to do anything remotely near his eyes. there's a slightly apologetic smile on his face because of it, and he can’t even snap back freely at their backhanded compliments: of how he has surprisingly nice skin for running arond in the sun so much, or how it's a relief he didn't glow down too much from being such a cute kid.

furthermore, the hair stylist already showed him a montage of his and hera's most iconic (aka embarrassing) moments as kids; like when he promised he’d marry her if they were both single when they were 35, which seemed like an eternity away when he was eleven, but at the rate things are going now? he’s starting to get antsy about his odds and hoping she fares better (he knows she will). all to say, his usually fiery pride has been dampened, and he feels like a dog sitting with its tail between its legs as the stylists make their final touches.

as if on cue, hera pops into the doorway, immediately bringing an electric jolt of energy to everyone in the room — himself included. after all these years, it’s still crazy to him how she manages to do it. of all her many talents, he thinks it might be her greatest and rarest.

well, he at least has enough of an ego left still to check himself out in the mirror before making indirect eye contact with her through the reflection. “yeah… maybe if i just sit still, shut my mouth, and look pretty.” he smiles in jest, but there’s real threat and intent in the statement. “are you still sure this will go well? i’m sort of thinking this is actually a bad idea. like really bad.”

[heracules]

hera wasn't always a morning person.

in fact, it was even a joke back when they were filming as kids that hera's always the one to wake up last, needing to have her grandmother coax her into a slow morning routine to fully be conscious. but with more schedules filling up her time, and the endless need to wake up early to have her prep done for the day turned her into an early bird, her body clock always starting up at five in the morning.

already looking refreshed and ready for the day, hera was all smiles entering jinyoung's trailer. she bows to the staff first, greeting each of them with different expressions based on what she remembered last from each of them. she asks how the hairstylist's two-year-old is doing and the stylist's wrist that they said were hurting last week.

she extends her hand to shake to the other staff that she didn't know much, exchanging a bunch of 'how are you's' and 'oh, that's great' (hera's always been good at small talk) before she finally turns her attention to a very sleepy-eyed yoon jinyoung.

she leans on his chair as she checks her own reflection too, surprised that she still had pins in her hair and starts taking them out as she meets jinyoung's eyes. "what are you saying?" she says, putting the pins on the vanity in front of them and shifts to lean on it to face jinyoung directly. "i'm positive it'll go well. they aren't going to be asking questions that we didn't go over during the first meeting."

she turns back around to check her reflection on the mirror, tucking a loose strand behind her ear and checking for any blemishes but as always, her team works wonders. "just pretend you're talking to me like usual, y'know without any crass words in between." a smirk, she's teasing him. perhaps in an attempt to calm his nerves or subside any of his worries.

outside a voice calls for the both of them to meet the pd soon, hera turns her head toward the voice and calls out, "yes, we'll be right there!" she eyes jinyoung with a smile, her eyes soft, her shoulders relax, fitting for someone who's spent their entire life in front of the cameras. "you ready? no cold feet or anything?"

she waits for him before walking ahead and out of the trailer. the show today will be held in a picnic setting, where the hosts will ask them to sit down, do a casual interview and if time allows it, play some games too. it was designed to be less stuffy and being outside on a nice summer day like today might just be what the both of them needed.