YOUNG & BEAUTIFUL

YOO RACHEL 🌸 🌸 🌸 "You silly little girl, you think you've survived so long. Survival shouldn't hurt anymore"

[88a18-blog]

Can You Keep A Secret?

[88a18-blog]

“No, not really. There weren’t any suitable candidates. However, I think I just found one.” Baring his teeth into some sort of grin, he shifted so that he could kick the chair next to him, pushing it out of its idle position. “You can have this seat and we should catch up on things, shouldn’t we?” He raised up his hand, beckoning the waitress over instead even though it was a self service counter. He spoke confidently, not intending any threat. “I believed I interrupted her order earlier, do you mind taking it again?” He handed over his card to the waitress, glancing over at his friend who was staring back at him. “It’s my treat. You’re welcome.” Because he is Choi Seunghyun, the waitress possessed no reasons to reject. She obediently turned to the female waiting for her to finish ordering before excusing herself; his card in her hand for payment. She wondered with high concerns of their relationship but it was something she could only discuss with her colleagues and nowhere while the two successors are still in the cafe. Less trouble for her would be the best way to survive in this world.

[thxrachel]

Her lips pressed in a thin line as she watched him savor every waking moment of his advantage over her. She was about to explode, there was but a thin line that keeps her at bay, and she was holding her breath to stay behind that line. If she snaps, that would mean whatever it was Seunghyun was playing at was working, and that means she loses again. She had placed her order properly this time, trying as hard as she can to stay calm. Rachel could feel she wasn’t doing very well, but she could at least show that she was trying her best than fill the spaces with rage. It had always been difficult to deal with people with a demeanor like him. It was a different kind of composure and certainty that intimidates, no, frightens even the bold ones.

Rachel carefully canted her head, waiting for yet another smart comment. There was no one there at the cafe. And by no one, she meant those who would wonder why Choi Seunghyun and Yoo Rachel were sitting at one table, together. They were not friends, they were not even acquaintances, they bumped into each other a couple of times in soirees perhaps, did small talk and walked away. Letting that fact play in her head, she figured that regardless of who’s around, he was going to taunt her with what he knows. “What do you want?” She said monotonously it almost resonates lackluster. “What should I do to make you stop?” They were raised by business-minded people, it was only natural for them to bargain as their parents did to get what they want. 

[thxrachel]

*

[88a18-blog]

Can You Keep A Secret?

thxrachel:

Out the long bare windows of Cafe Como, Jeguk University stood tall and proud on a gentle slope, boasting her perfect and beautiful exterior competing with her neighbours. He was certain that she was built for the convenience of the wealthy students. After all, the school funds mostly come from the riches’ monthly contribution.

Seunghyun leaned back against his seat idly, a favourite corner in the balcony hung above the traffic, as he watched the main road leading up to the university comes alive. Group of students, clad in colourful palettes, passed through the main gate of the campus. Some in dismay, entering while others were clearly in joy, exiting. He recognize few of unimportant faces from where he was but turned away instead to the counter where he heard a very familiar voice. It was such a surprise to see the young heiress in the cafe. It was as if he has forgotten of her existence even. His return wouldn’t be a surprise to her, however. He wondered how did they not even bump into each other in school. Unless she was basically avoiding him with an effort. Which, makes everything else that come next, fun. Picking up his glass of soda, Seunghyun called out in a very joyful tone. He was certain his friend would be delighted to see him.   “It’s been awhile, Yoo Rachel. I bet you missed me for the past years I’ve not been around.”

[thxrachel]

News spread like wildfire in Jeguk - his return was not an exception. For years, Yoo Rachel had lived peacefully without having to think about who was walking behind her in the hallways. Or if anyone had anything to say about her. She made sure people had nothing on her. But a few years back, one person had a piece of information that could destroy everything she had been working on. One person at the wrong place at the right time to witness the deepest secret Yoo Rachel kept. And upon hearing from the girls sitting behind her in Economics, she had been constantly on her toes, avoiding crowded areas as much as she could to prevent bumping into him.

She had been doing a great job so far, no sign of Choi Seunghyun in the vicinity. Whenever her days ends and she leaves the university unscathed, she feels a great sense of accomplishment. If her stars were still lucky, he might have already forgotten about what he saw back then. Oh, what she would give for that to happen! Of course, she did not mind living carefully for a couple of more years. When she graduates she didn't have to care about what the people in campus said. She wouldn't have to see them every single moment of day anymore.

Organizer in one hand and her phone in another, she approached the counter to order something to drink while she waited for her last class. "One raspberry--" She didn't get a chance to finish her words when his loud voice reached her ear. A dry lump rose from her throat as she turned to where he sat, "It's been a while, Choi Seunghyun." Her luck ran out, obviously. There was nowhere else to go; she had to face him. It took every fiber in her body to keep her cool, picking up her cup as she walked over. She set her books down, slid her phone atop the pile before taking a seat, "Are you back to terrorize the people?" And by people, she just really meant her.

[thxrachel]

like yesterday { dw + yr }

[thxdraco-blog]

 He took a step closer at the sound of her voice, large hand gently taking a hold of her slender fingers, bringing them closer to his lips as he pressed a small kiss to the back of her hand out a teasingly dramatic greeting. “Hello, beautiful. You’ve got a way more charming through the years, I have to admit that the pleasure is all mine.” A small smirk was displayed through his lips as he placed his free hand in her shoulders, in order to transfer her beg to his hold. “I was sent here to escort you home; apparently, I have a fitting schedule with your mother tonight.” He shrugged, gently resting his hand against the small of her back, long fingers curling faintly around the curve of her hip in a small sign of longing as a sigh left his lips. “Considering how early your practice was over, perhaps, you could spare me sometime before we have to head back to your home?” Draconis nodded his head towards his car, reassuring his invitation with a small smile.

[thxrachel]

A great war wages from within Yoo Rachel as Draco's hand took upon hers. Her eyes, lifeless as they may appear, watched every single move that Draconis Wei made. She observed for any evidence of insincerity, while at the same time, her heart almost caved. She hated the fact that she longed to see him for years, she missed him enough to almost board a plane and end the misery. But she can't rely on emotions when she knew for a fact that they can be controlled, and manipulated. Emotions are such gullible forms of intangible necessities that she, as much as she can, avoid to lean onto them. She missed him, that stands to be true, but she managed without having to do anything about it, that is true as well. If she could live with such ironies for the last few years, a couple more wouldn't hurt. Eventually it will all go away. Feelings always do. Certainly, Draco knows this, he plays with others' often.

Rachel continued to observe, her eyes shifting from his hands to his damp hair, to his features. He grew up wonderfully. No. Words were not enough to describe how beautiful he is standing before her this way. But she couldn't let her expression betray her being, she couldn't show that she was in awe, that he too had that same effect on her as he did with other girls. She didn't want to be like the other girls, she wasn't one unique reaction he could add to his collection. She deserved better than that, so she won't cave. She wouldn't give him the reaction he desires, the smiles and the flustered cheeks. Yoo Rachel won't blush; Yoo Rachel won't get flustered. Not anymore. She might have that summer, but that's all over now. Oh, now you want some of my time? How hard was it to send a text message, Draco? She thought to herself, but instead the cold words poured out as she gave them a bit of a distance, "I wonder how many times you had to use that line today."

There were too many things to say, too many questions to ask, but she had no heart to do it. She was terrified of the answers she might get. Instead, she chooses to do what she does best, be the Yoo Rachel that keeps Jeguk on its toes. "But I'm more curious on how many times it worked..." She turned her gaze to the car that waited outside, one of his creations obviously. Beautiful, charming and talented, what else must you add to the long list of things that make it difficult to resent you, Draco? Rachel held her tongue. And she will try to do just that for as long as she can. She took one step after another, keeping her gaze forward, plagued by questions and what-ifs raking her head. Everything was making her head ache. She wasn't sure if she could spend another minute with him keeping all these questions locked up. She might explode and go on a rampage in a few hours or so.

Her steps came into a halt, she tried to rehearse for a few seconds how she was going to deliver her words, how she wouldn't sound so desperate for answers she had to beg for them. "You didn't call me." She began, plain and simple as that. Four words that summarizes the storm that she tried to calm. She turned to him again, looking into his eyes as her face rearrange itself into a frown. "You. Didn't. Call. Me." She continued, so much frustration with every word. A heavy feeling pressed against her chest as she approached him, kicking him on the shin. "You didn't call me, Draco." Of all the many things she could toss his way. Only those four words seemed powerful enough to convey her feelings for the past few years.

[jendevkie]

❝ unfortunate circumstances » boah & rachel.

This day in particular, this Tuesday was really trying it for Boah. She received a phone this morning only to be told there was another shift being added to her job tonight, there was n assignment due for tomorrow and now the professor she had for one her literature courses had the audacity to her to send a message to Rachel. They didn’t know how unfriendly their relationship was, but it didn’t make it any less exasperating. It was for some kind of art thing, something about re-imagining the university logo, everything else felt choppy after hearing the tedious task.

For the most part, the twenty year old was civil. She never sought out negative confrontation unless the person truly deserved it, most of the fight in her came from defending her loved ones or when people would try to cave in on her pride. Rachel did the latter, and Boah had yet to discover why the majority of the rich students could not stand anyone who were less fortunate than they were, you’d think it be the other way around. And sure, she tried being playing nice with the female, but there was an significant amount of pushing to the point where being playing nice was not an option anymore. 

Quietly and slowly, her palm pushed the door to find a single figure just a few feet away. It was so strange. Boah definitely knew that was Rachel, but it was just odd to see her so peaceful especially knowing it would be the complete opposite in just a few moments and she wasted no time in getting comfortable in that silence.  In the most relaxed way possible, she strolled over to her and lightly tossed the letter to the small table that was just to her right. “That’s for you. The professor wanted me to send it to you. Something about wanting you to re-imagine the university logo, I don’t know.” Her voice remained rather mechanical, obviously wanting to get this over with.

[thxrachel]

To say that the week had been stressful was an understatement; she couldn't even believe it had only been a week. Yoo Rachel had just returned that weekend from a business trip to Milan. A prospect client wanted an in-depth presentation about the new line and Yoo Rachel did the presentation herself. RS International is making a bold move to seal deals outside Paris, and where better to start than Milan. With important meetings like this, Esther Lee usually takes the first plane out but she must be having a grand time with her engagement that she decided to send her daughter instead. Rachel didn't mind, it only meant having work experience first hand. But heiress or not, she had schoolwork to do and other extra curricular activities to keep up with. While everything went smoothly for the Milan meeting, she had to work double time on her papers and deliverables for the coming week - meaning she had to squeeze two day's work into less than twenty four hours.

Needless to say, her brain crashed, she couldn't type a single word for her proposal due at the end of the week, nor could she come up with a strat plan for the presentation in two days. Setting her schoolwork aside, she resorted to going to the studio, clear her head with a few routines. However, as soon as the music starts, she could feel her body give in, muscles weak and strained from the travel. At that point, gymnastic was not an option either, if she can't do the basics, how could she possibly do a flip? The last otpion was to visit the art room. She loved to paint, she loved the way she gets absorbed in the pieces she creates. But that's exactly why she tries to avoid picking up a brush. She had no time to get lost in the colors and the strokes. The times are hard and everyone has motives of their own, turn your back and they will stab you without question.

Still, just for that day, she held her brush and conversed with the canvass. Her woes and her anxieties were leaving slowly, the silence and solitude soothing her back to her old self. But before she could completely succumb into her subject, someone interrupted. A paper was tossed over the table, Rachel set down her brush and reached out for the note, "No manners, no surprise there..." She scoffed almost quietly, but loud enough to be heard by anyone near. She did not need to look up to see who it was that entered, only those in Social Care, like Oh Boah, had the tenacity to enter rooms without knocking. "Easy enough, I can do it..." She sighed, putting the paper atop the small table. "You can go now." Rachel added dismissively as she picked up her brush, turning her eyes back to the canvass. If she ignored the fact that they had to work together on this, Oh Boah might just let it go and let her do all the work.

[thxrachel]

operation destruction { yjh + yr }

[jihoxth]

Jiho glared from his seat, mouth-mocking her sarcasm. He was quite surprised that her mother even knew about his little side ladies who tend to feed off his money and wealth. Though his father was a cheating man, a nasty one at that, but he did find ways to keep his women in secret. Even the heir knew nothing of it if he didn’t take the chance to hide in the closet for god knows what reason, possibly for a fun game of hide and go seek with a fellow childhood friend of his. He could faintly remember the look of hers, dark hair and short with a big diamond shining from the ring finger on her left hand. A married women cheating with another married man and vise versa. Oh how fun it is being the son of Yoon Dong Wook.

Jiho let out a sigh from their lack of ideas. Knowing the fact that Rachel is not the nicest girl in Jeguk and he wasn’t the kindest of all seniors, their evil minds were bound to come up with some plan. “So what do you have then, Miss Overachiever,” he craned his neck up at the sight of an unsatisfied 20 year old heiress. “Does Esther Lee really not mind being with a man who’s with another woman every few days? Want her to walk in on him rattling some desk drawers with another rich lady who’s probably married?” he suggested, partially serious. He would assume a lady like Rachel’s mother would at least worry about her image of being married to a man like his father, someone so ruthless even his reckless child was sick of him. 

[thxrachel]

The question caught her off-guard. She had been thinking about taking matters into her (-or their) hands, but now that she thought about it, she had not exactly thought of anything specific to address the problem. She figured he had something up his sleeves. After all, Yoo Rachel acknowledges the fact Yoon Jiho has better - if not more cruel but, keyword, effective, ideas than her. Clearly, she was shooting him down, with her attitude. They were supposed to come up with something together, not attack each other. But that's the thing, the tone he uses when he insults people gets them fired up to retaliate. Rachel included. Working with Yoon Jiho was harder than she thought, it needed far greater energy than any activity she had to engage in. "Do you think I'd ask for your help if I knew what to do?" Her brows knit for a second, lips pressed in a thin line as he gave a detailed account of his own father's affairs. It was information that she was not thrilled to hear about, not this early, heck, ever. Disclosure of such matters was her fault, he was bound to do just that to make sure she knew who exactly it was they were dealing with.

To be completely honest, Rachel wasn't even certain if her mother knew of the affairs. Or the fact that they actually do take place since Jiho confirmed it himself. She wasn't sure of anything at all anymore. It just seemed easier to assume that Esther Lee knew what she was getting herself into. Her knowing about Yoon Dongwook's affairs made the most sense because if she didn't... then what does that make of her? Esther Lee should have known better than to marry a cheater. Heaving a deep sigh, she clenched her first to try and release the tension, before crossing her arms in front of her chest, "Do we really need the woman to show up? Can't you get your hands on pictures or videos of them being together?" She kept her eyes fixed on him, waiting for resolve, anything. "Does it happen often?" The last few words came out more quiet than the first few, like she had heard a disappointing news.

[thxrachel]

hope for the hopeless { lb + yr }

[sincxwoobin-deactivated20160408]

His parents had yet again thought they could interfere with his life. Lynx scowled at the older Blacks as they informed him about his fix betrothal, he lashed out on them that night. Deliberately going out, creating mayhem in the streets of Seoul, only for his mother to bribe the local authorities not to give her son’s name in the media. For a lawyer, one would think she would be more honest and inclined to the law, yet due to the fact that she is a Black, just like everyone else within his family, she thought she was above everyone else. Including the very system she earns from. 

The younger male shook his head as he made his way to the cafe. Lynx knew he had made his fiancé wait for him, he did so on purpose in fact. To him, she was just like any other stuck up girl in their social circle, a true chaebol princess that his parents would have deliberately picked for strategic reasons, amongst other things. Yoo Rachel, is his fiancé’s name, and she is as beautiful and graceful as he expected her to be. Lynx immediately scowled at her greeting, “Well this has all been nice and great, I’ll see you next time.” He simply smirked at her, and turned around. If either Rachel or their parents think, he would change just because of the circumstances, they were dead wrong. 

[thxrachel]

Her expression had quickly changed upon the sight of his haste. He didn't even bother to sit down. If she was an ordinary girl, she'd sit there slack-jawed not knowing what to say. If she was an ordinary girl, she'd be watching him walk away. If she was an ordinary girl, she'd wait storm out of the restaurant, embarrassed to death of what just happened. But she was not just some ordinary girl, she is Yoo Rachel and she refuses to let this end here just like that. What was the point of emulating her mother's abilities in business if she was not going to utilize it even in her daily life? She rearranged her expression, painting the most sincere smile she can muster and composed herself, "A cup of coffee and a slice of cake. Three things you like and the place you want to visit this year." Clearly, it was not going to be a date. There would be no dates from the looks of it, but that doesn't mean she couldn't get what she needed to make it seem like they did and will.

She picked up the menu and began to browse through, waiting for him to make a decision. "Give that to me today and I'll tell your parents you came on time." The initial reaction would be to chase him, beg him to stay. But Lynx seemed like the type who'd take greater pleasure if she caved in. She wasn't going to give him that power, she feels that this could work but she was not going to stoop at a first date. "That will save you all the trouble. Get your father off your hair for a while. The adults don't understand. I hate having to explain myself to them, don't you?" She looks up, waiting for a reaction. It seemed like a fair trade, she just hopes that Lynx thinks as far ahead as she does. She wanted to make this easier for both of them. Honestly, she wants it to work. She wanted to let him know that she's open to compromise if that's what he really wanted.

[rosalynn-cam]

Flawless | Taeyeon & Rachel

[rosalynn-cam]

Taeyeon took the only empty seat, across from another girl whose face seemed mildly familiar. This was upper end Cheongdamdong though and, considering how wealthy one had to be to afford coming to these clinics, she wouldn’t be surprised if half of these people were also chaebol families or, at least, new money. That was one of the benefits though - no one would ever out another patient if it meant outing themselves as well.

She’d zoned out for a moment, but was abruptly snapped back into her thoughts as the counsellor called her. Taeyeon’s hands were clenched together, her back stiff and eyes downcast in anxiousness. “Oh sorry,” she spoke, her voice ever fainter than usual, “My name is Taeyeon. I-I’m not sick or anything. I’m just not very good with stress and so on.” Her face mask was still fixed on, her eyes not meeting the others - she wondered whether they could have thought her a coward, or even if they might have taken offence, to how she denied her clinically documented problems.

The counsellor cleared her throat, “Very well, Miss Kim. How about your mask? Why don’t you take it off so we can all talk to each other openly?”

Taeyeon didn’t want to; she’d much rather leave the meeting and come back on another night, or just return to her dorm so that she could cry in peace, but her driver was forbidden to drive her away for another two hours and she didn’t want to get him in trouble. Reluctantly, she slipped off the mask, revealing her delicate features, rounded eyes and red lips - she’d been biting them anxiously, after all.

[thxrachel]

It was her first visit, Rachel thought for sure. She thought the girl's reaction to be normal, anyone who hadn't been exposed to group sessions like this wouldn't know what to do and how to respond. Some of them wore their diagnosis like a battle scar - they made a choice to still function like a normal being, trying or avoiding to use their illness as an excuse to not be better, some wore them like an accessory - they use their illness to get away with their actions, they tie around their wrists and dangle it in front of the masses to renounce any responsibility for whatever they do, and some, a few handfuls, just didn't care enough to weigh what their diagnosis meant and the bearing it had on their lives. For Rachel, the latter were the worst kind. You always, always have a choice. It is your life after all. No one gets to take responsibility but you.

She lent her ears to the soft yet audible response. Apparently, both of them were not like the other participants. They didn't have any condition that needed further medical evaluation by DSM standard. Life just got a little too hard to bear and their state of minds decided to cope in unhealthy ways. For her, it was the sleeping pills she took without a prescription or a consultation, and the doctor deemed the behavior to be a predictor of possible abuse. Yoo Rachel was what the doctor called to be at risk - maybe she was, or maybe the doctor just wanted to make sure they get their money's worth from that session so she said something generic. But everyone who is actually sick says the same thing, they don't think there's anything to fix. Maybe Taeyeon's doctor thought her to be at risk too and prescribed immediate attention to prevent future problems.

The session began after a few more A-listers introduced themselves, tonight was a big group with a lot of new faces. There were a couple of alcoholics, some who make candy out of anti-depressants and a few whose illness she rather not think about. As the talks continued, she kept her eyes on the girl named Taeyeon and started to remember the places she's seen her at. They must have one or two minor classes together, or dance maybe, but she had seen her a Jeguk for sure. A princess climbing up after a short fall from grace, how lovely people made it sound, but they have no idea how difficult it was to do just that. Girls like her and Taeyeon struggle enough with unhealthy habits, people knowing about it was another story to go through. She didn't mind keeping this a secret from the people at Jeguk. She knew it was still a managed information considering people don't gossip about her yet. But the real dilemma now is if Taeyeon was going to keep hers.

When the fifteen minute break was announced, she waited for the crowds to disperse a bit before approaching the other girl. She didn't think it a problem to attend on these support groups before, but now that someone from school comes in the same session, it feels different. The anxiety started to build from the pits of her stomach. "Why are you here?" She began, softly just like Taeyeon did when she introduced herself. It was peculiar to sound so gentle when she's usually aggressive, but from the looks of the situation, with a couple of words, Kim Taeyeon could make her Jeguk peace come crashing down. "I-I mean, that was the first thing someone asked me when I came here... It seemed like a pressing question," She continued, trying to smile, "But turns out, it's how they say hello to firsttimers at sessions like these."

[thxrachel]

operation destruction { yjh + yr }

[jihoxth]

A marriage, a damn marriage. His father thought he could get married again and not ruin it like the others? Like his relationship with his biological mother? And now he was going to be forced to call another woman his mother, like hell he would! The boy had woken up with a bad case of migraine for the past few weeks and of course the news had to break out just on time. He came to the conclusion that his father was delusional and all he ever wanted was women, many of them so why stick with one now? And for all he knows, his stepsister might even end up being Yoo Rachel. And of all people, that was one he couldn’t allow to be his stepsister.

He paced through the halls with a determined glare painted across his face, of course people whispered in curiosity though the look wasn’t anything new. He planned to meet with the one and only Yoo Rachel that very morning in an empty classroom and god forbid that someone started rumors about them just by peaking in the glass door windows. With a sharp turn, he entered the classroom with a look as if he just entered the realms of hell. He seated himself and finally took the liberty of looking at his maybe-future-stepsister in the eye. “Well, we all know my father likes his women. He has them over all the time. Why not just get one to show up?” he nonchalantly brought up his fathers affairs. The only difficult part about this was that if it was only for business matters, will her mother even give him the time of day even if he puts a ring on it.

[thxrachel]

It is unnerving to see him so passive about the situation. For all she knows, the way he acted towards the engagement could have been feigned just to irk his father. But then again, there’s that fact that you can never really tell with Jiho. He rarely shows what’s going on in his head, that you wonder if everything he does is part of a well-thought of mindgame or just a young man rebelling. “Surprise, surprise. Of course, he likes his women, why didn’t I think of that?” Sarcasm was something that came naturally with her, a natural response to, if not all, the majority, Jiho included. “Do you think my mother would have agreed to the engagement if your father’s… sideshows will get to her easily?” Honestly, she didn’t know if it would bother her mother; Esther Lee always seemed sure about herself to be insecure of other women. But at this point, Rachel couldn’t even tell what and who her mother really is, she just had to consider that option.

Rachel never got the chance to get to know Jiho. There wasn’t an opportunity that made her have to do so. But they had more similarities that they’ll ever admit, and if what she heard proved to be true, together, they were going to be a force to be reckoned with. A force strong enough to destroy this delusional and utterly crazy idea that their parents could get married. It is not fate, like her mother pointed out, nor it is meant to be, like his father said. There is no such thing as fate. People are as meant for each other as the people around them make them to be. Shocking as it may sound, she didn’t want another chaebol family to fall down once her mother gets tired of the affair. She’d seen it happen before. This was not revenge or retaliation, or saving herself, it was more of saving Yoon Jiho and his father from Esther Lee.

[seokjinai]

Normally, when he was at ‘work’, Daesung expected not to meet someone from school. However, that was always hard as his school was full of very important successors and the like. Kang Daesung didn’t mind meeting people as long as he liked them. Forcing himself to interact with someone he couldn’t stand while in public infuriated him. But business was business and his father always said that business comes before everything else.

It was surprising that Daesung spied the girl through the crowd that had grew around him. Sometimes he wondered if he should just wear a mask. Or perhaps his pilot outfit so he could blend in more. Rachel was someone whom he often saw traveling and the two had struck up a certain type of friendship. Thinking it would only be polite, the heir made his way over to his schoolmate and bowed, smiling brightly (for the cameras).

“Rachel-ssi. It’s good to see you. Have a nice trip?”

[thxrachel]

Yoo Rachel knew it was a force of habit for everyone in their caliber of life to smile for the lenses. But it still feels uncomfortable when a friend does it. She wondered how many times Daesung has done this, before they met here. How many times did he have to smile this way? How many times did he have to feign delight after a hard day's work? Why bother asking, she already knows. Too many to count. She puts on a smile herself, answering him with a polite. "It's a pleasure seeing you here too, Daesung-ssi. The trip, as always, was good and the service satisfactory." None of it sounded rehearsed, but saying it for the sake of the crowd, it felt like it was.

"If you don't mind, I'll go on ahead, Daesung-ssi. You have a great day." That was the queue, she bows with a smile and starts to make her way. As she walked to the waiting area, where metallic benches were lined for those awaiting their flights, she felt like she was unloading a heavy burden she had acquired for this week's trip. She pulls on her luggage, letting it stand just next to her in front of the empty seat before she occupies the one next to it. She sits there quietly, patiently, waiting for her company to let go of his burdens and talk to her again.

[hyesunws]

get wild ❃ eunmi & rachel

[thxrachel]

eunmixth:

( // eunmi rolled onto her back and grinned at the sound of rachel’s voice, absentmindedly looking for split ends in her hair in the sunlight as the other spoke into her ear. she loved how reliable rachel was, nagging her and actually caring about what she did. eunmi could count the amount of people who worried about her on one hand, and she appreciated rachel for being one of them, although she’d never admit it ; ) i’ve done my homework. and you’d be surprised how much bearing those characters can have on your life. they’re consuming. ( // at rachel’s reply, she laughed and raised both arms in the air, taking the phone away from her ear for a moment. she brought the phone back to her ear ; ) thank you, unni! i can always count on you!

{ / she smiles at the sound of the younger one's voice, she always does. whenever eunmi sounded so delighted, rachel can't help but smile too. there was something about the youthful and innocent tone from the other line that reminded her of the good things of the past. a smile inevitably graced her lips, before she spoke again } If I get in trouble with your parents again, I'm not going to answer your calls anymore. They think I'm spoiling you too much! { / she gets on her feet and began to gather the essentials, and her wallet, she walks over to her bedside table and grabs it before making her way to the door. } Anything else you want to eat? I am not buying you alcohol, young lady.

[thxrachel]

hope for the hopeless { lb + yr }

thxlynx

She waited. Then, waited. And waited some more. She took pride in how much control she had of herself today. Perhaps it was utter the need to do something right for her mother, or she truly looked forward to see him, she was not quite sure. But one thing is for certain, she had been waiting there for hours, unfazed. She had been sitting there for quite some time now that she had been approached for orders about four times already, but she politely declined until her date arrives. Whoever said you can't write your own happy ending, clearly does not have the power to do so - but she does. And that is why she was not going to let such trivial things, like waiting for her very, very tardy fiance, to ruin her night. Lynx Black had a reputation, should other girls be in her place, they'd have think it to be a punishment. But Yoo Rachel was not like other girls.

At first, she'd have to admit she was utterly disappointed with her mother's poor decision making. Then, it dawned upon her that Esther Lee would never make bad decision in anything. Especially not for her precious daughter. She took it a compliment, his family believed in her abilities. What greater demonstration of trust can any girl receive from their future in-laws than that? Putting a halt in her train of thought, Rachel caught sight of a tall, slender figure approaching the table. She kept her eyes on him, a smile hanging on her lips as she let go of all her worries and fears. He's here now, she thought to herself. If he didn't show up, she wouldn't know how to get up from that table and leave. "I'm delighted that you could spare me some time from your busy schedule, Lynx." Had this been any other person, she'd have resorted to sarcasm, but she truly was grateful he made it. She tried to convince herself he had some errands to run, than to just be late on purpose.

[thxrachel]

operation destruction { yjh + yr }

jihoxth

Rachel had arrived early that day for this meeting. They had to set the record straight; they both know well this was not going to end pretty. She liked to think her mother had become extremely bored and decided to let the rumors fall to deaf ears. Esther Lee is smart, and anyone who knew her would think this is a stupid move. However, thinking it wouldn't make a difference unless someone spoke out loud. But who would dare? A better solution was to actually do something, and she for a fact that she couldn't do this alone. There were other people in this equation too, and from the looks of last night's dinner, one of them didn't like the way things were panning out either.  

So that's bring her back full circle to why she was patiently waiting in that empty classroom, too early for her classes. She was not one to wait, nor did she ever, she was Yoo Rachel after all. But she makes exceptions for life changing matters - the engagement pretty much takes the cookie. As she turned on her heel, she caught sight of the person she was waiting for. He didn't look anymore pleased than she did, that was enough for her to ask him to meet her today to make sure they don't end up miserable for the rest of their lives - or until Esther Lee decides she just wants new assets. "So... what now? Any brilliant plans in that evil head of yours?"

[thxrachel]

like yesterday { dw + yr }p

thxdraco

Her day did not start out well. First, the ribbon of her favorite pointe shoes came off, she had to resort to using an old pair she hadn’t particularly broken into yet; then, her mother accused her of slacking off due to the linear consistency of her grades - what’s the point of consistency if you’re going to stay in just that one level, Rachel; then, there’s the usual city traffic. She reached the dance studio completely off her game, her mind was a mixture of frustration, resentment and plain negativity. Imagine having to put your entire body weight on the few inches surface of the platform, with the world pressed over your shoulder. Rachel found herself shaken, hands tight around the beam as she tried to stay upright. She mumbled a string of curses, teeth sinking at the bottom of her lip as she gathered her belongings and ditched the day’s rehearsal. She didn’t want to add embarrassing herself in front of the other girls at ballet practice to her growing list disappointments.

Gym bag slung over her shoulder, she pulled her hair into a messy bun as she walked down the corrigdor. Rachel was absorbed in her chaotic little world that she didn’t realize that a reasonable crowd of girls were flocking by the windows, oogling yet again. They may be the future of the country’s economy, but they were still girls nevertheless, the same things excite and make them feel exhilirating. Last week, there was a korean pop group that shot their music video just outside the department, maybe there was another one today. She scoffed, rolling her eyes as she continued with her firm steps, one hand wrapped around the strap of her bag and the other sliding over the metal bar as she descended from the stairs.

As she reached the bottom, a couple of girls bumped her shoulder making her bag fall off. They kept running their pace, having forgotten who exaclty it was they bumped into. If this were any other day, Rachel would have grabbed one of them to teach a valuable lesson. But today was not a good day. She tried to remember their faces, they will be dealt with later, that’s for sure. She heaved a sigh, lips pursing as she picked up her bag before getting back on her feet. And as she turned towards the exit, she notices a familiar looking figure standing not very far. That summer, the memories and the things came like a flash flood, all of it washing away whatever was left of her composure, leaving her standing there like a confused idiot. The dry lump in her throat made it difficult to swallow, the feeling in her stomach was foreign and she wasn’t quite sure if this was good or bad. She had felt this before she was sure, but it had been a long time she didn’t know how to handle it.

Then, she remembered. It had been a while. She wrote dozens of messages but kept them in her drafts, typed a handful of e-mails and always hesitated to hit send. In the end, she kept them all to herself. She didn’t want to come off as clingy. If he wanted to stay in touch, he’d have sent a message like he said he would. But no message came, not even a ’how are you?’. By then, she remembered why she didn’t let herself indulge in such feelings, she had it buried at the back of her head. They were different people then, and she was a different person here. That summer ended, and along with it, she assumed, so did her place in his perfect little life. She rearranged the expression she had on her face, holding her stance, a smirk gracing her lips before she spoke, “It’s been a while, Draco. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

[seokjinai]

The airport chaebol was for once at the airport with his father. It was getting close to the time where Daesung would take over his father’s position at Incheon Airport. He enjoyed his times at the airport. He got to experience different people and different events. Daesung had seen things others only wished to have seen. He also got to ride planes for free but that didn’t matter.

The blonde had just finished his flying lesson and was now entering the main airport. He hummed as he walked, his hands in his pockets. He was wearing casual clothing. He tried to ignore the stares and looks he would get thanks to his name. He would smiled and wave at people that greeted him. Once he was alone he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Today was gonna be a long day.

[thxrachel]

It was one of those weekends when she had to be someplace where her mother couldn’t, a casual dinner with a client’s wife or a run through for an overseas show. Her mother trusted her with matters about the business, that much is clear, and trusting people about the family business - even her own daughter - was not something Esther Lee did easily. All the hard work and hectic schedule had paid off. This is where Yoo Rachel intended to be when she began to subject herself to all the activities deemed fit for someone of her standing. And yet, she wondered sometimes if it was normal for girls her age to desire this much. She heaved a sigh, keeping her gaze straight, strutting her way down the halls back to the world she had taken a break from during the weekend.

Upon reaching the main floor, her attention was caught by the moving crowd as a figure passed by. She stopped abruptly and took a quick look at the commotion. A familiar face emerged from the gathering, someone she had bumped into one too many times, if not always, whenever she travelled. He always seemed at home here, which was quite interesting because the airport was a place where people leave or arrive at but never stay for too long. To look so comfortable at such a setting did not seem appealing at first… but after a, surprisingly, animated discussion in the guises of two strangers, she started to connect a deeper sense of attachment to the place of the fleeting.

[rosalynn-cam]

Flawless | Taeyeon & Rachel

thxrachel The family driver picked her up from the dorm that night and drove her straight to the clinic - no coffee runs, no detours and no distractions from the task at hand. Of course, it wasn’t Taeyeon’s idea to start seeing the counsellor and she had to admit that it shamed her every time she came to a meeting. She prided herself on control, maintenance and exactitude but a battle with clinical depression, even a mild one at that, was proof of her inadequacy. Adding on an eating disorder made her, in her own eyes at the very least, the definition of a failure. It was with a heavy sigh that she finally stepped out of the car, hiding her face behind a black face mask and heading in through the back door, least someone discover that the perfect Kim Taeyeon was, well, flawed. She didn’t have to tell the receptionist before being led into one of the bigger conference rooms, the circle of chairs already half filled. Shoot. It was group meeting day.

[thxrachel]

Unlike the teenagers who sat in that room, she did not have any notes at the bottom of her medical record. She did not need medication to address any neurochemical imbalance or therapeutic sessions to see if ‘talking about her feelings’ would aid whatever distress was hindering her daily activities. What she had though was worse than all those things combined, she had Esther Lee for a mother. If anything, Yoo Rachel was obedient, everything that she was told to do, she does and everything she was instructed to say, she does - all to a certain extent of course. She would not have sat in that room if her mother had not threatened to remove her from the registry again. So that night, her studio time at the Ballet Academy had been crossed out with a red pen and a note that read ‘Support Group’, written  in thick, black, Esther Lee-font filled out the rest of the spaces.  

Her mother didn’t trust her enough to get to the said venue that she had be personally driven and walked to the door of the meeting. She didn’t a say word and followed her mother’s quiet and somewhat restrained footsteps down the hall. As soon as she entered the room, she realized that whatever this teenagers had was something the eyes couldn’t really see. None of them had ‘sick’ written on their faces, they all look pretty normal to her. But having attended only one session prior to tonight’s, in Rachel’s eyes, there was a name tag hanging above their heads and whatever their suffering from written in a smaller font underneath. Except for that girl who just came in. She leaned back, loosening her upright posture a bit, canting her head as she tried to match a name with the familiar face. But before she could, everyone started to settle down, the facilitator making her way to the front and calling people to introduce themselves. She didn’t have to bother anymore, the girl will be introducing herself on her own in no time.

[hyesunws]

get wild ❃ eunmi & rachel

thxrachel

( // eunmi lay on her bed, phone hovering above her face as she scrolled through her contacts. everyone was busy on a sunday evening - either getting around to finishing the homework they had been putting off all week, or out for dinner with their family and/or business partners, or already out on the town without her. she screwed her eyes shut and scratched her head as she thought hard about who to bombard with texts. suddenly, her eyes flew open and she rolled over onto her stomach, scrolling towards a particular contact and tapping the small phone icon next to the name rachel green unni. she waited until she heard the click on the other end that indicated that someone had picked up the call ; ) hey, unni? you’re not busy, right? come over, we can go to karaoke or we can watch a drama or something. ( // eunmi grinned into the phone receiver, waiting for the girl on the other line to reply ; ) oh! bring chickmek, i’m starving, pleaase.

[thxrachel]

{ she closes her journal, feeling a strain on her wrist as she sets her phone down. she didn’t like having to attend to her other activities with one still unfinished. she leans back on her chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs, trying to recall if there was anything she had forgotten. certain there was nothing more, she was about to get on her feet, tell her mother that she might be able to join her dinner with some clients when her phone began to vibrate atop the vanity. her eyes flick over to the device, right arm extending to get a better glimpse of her quiet night’s intruder. her heart was delighted and uneasy at the same time, but she managed her expression well, a force of habit she supposed, as the screen read - the wild child. she hesitates for a while before letting her finger tap the green button, pressing the phone against her ear, line falling silent before she heard the other’s voice } Karaoke? Don’t you have homework to do? Watch a drama? Do you want to fall behind because of some fictional characters who have no actual bearing on your life, Eunmi? { she liked the idea actually, of being carefree, but her responses always come faster than even she can even handle that she just had to stick by them. heaving a quiet sigh, she attempted to retract her taunting words. } But I... I- I could come over now and bring you food. If you're really hungry...