Origami Around
trying on a metaphor
Sade Olutola
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
Cosmic Funnies
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❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
sheepfilms
Cosimo Galluzzi
Show & Tell
DEAR READER
Claire Keane
Love Begins
pixel skylines
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Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
No title available
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
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todays bird
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from France
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Italy
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Belgium
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from Türkiye
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
@winterlost
hello! i’m rini ( s/h, 22, gmt+8 ) here to introduce my february baby, seo danbi! riffing off of vday, she’s the flipside of love: all those things that go unsaid, confessions you chickened out of, love letters that didn’t make it ... but the hope that goes into doing all those things too! here’s her pages ( stats, file, plots ) & some quick facts + plots under the cut, so drop a ♡ if you’d want me to slide in ur ims, but if u prefer, i have discord too~
BEOM:
the calm of an uneventful saturday afternoon droops heavily on his eyelids, and haebeom rubs his eyes with somnolent fingers, battling an internal battle, in spite of already having had his daily intake of caffeine. the epitome of laziness, especially when it comes to house chores, doing his laundries had to be the worst among the worst with its level of being tedious. it took so much effort: sorting through them, putting in the detergent, then the fabric softener, then having to dry and organize them back into his wardrobe. not to mention, it was time consuming. after lounging in the apartment’s utility room for a cycle and a half of the washing machine, his butt had begun to feel numb. he was getting so - fucking - bored of waiting.
as the machine continues to swoosh and spin, he rests his back against the dryer next to it, scrolling through his phone. his eyes flicker towards another presence entering the room with disinterest, barely lingering a few before returning back to his screen. it was expected that the other tenants would be in and out - weekend days are the chore days after all. wait. his gaze trails back over to the female not a second later, dark russet hues assessing her.
she strikes him to be someone of familiarity, and he is certain that he sees recognition in her eyes too when their gazes connect. he has definitely seen those doe-eyes before. albeit, his forgetfulness continues to prod through his memories, failing to deliver any specifics. “hey there. you know me, right?” unashamed of being caught staring, he smiles, folding his eyes into crescent moons. a thoughtful hum follows. nope. nothing yet. “ever been told you look like a minji? or no - yeseul?”
doing laundry on a saturday means half of the complex’s inhabitants are going to be wanting to use the limited number of units in the utility room, and some people are more than willing to throw out the previous person’s laundry to get theirs done. as is, she tends to do her laundry at the odder times on the weekend, avoiding the crowd and impatient looks from people still waiting. so danbi’s not surprised when she finds only one other person in the laundry room, smiling in greeting when their eyes meet. a sort of familiarity dusts the stranger’s features but a name doesn’t come to mind; they live in the sample complex, after all, so she supposes she must have run into him somewhere before.
danbi takes the unit next to the other’s and starts piling her dirty clothes into it, catching his eye a couple of times. the other looks... strangely familiar. he seems like someone older than her, she guesses, though she’s got no reason to think that. something about school, a glimpse of neat ties and pressed school uniforms—but the memory escapes her. her searching gaze gets caught by his own, danbi laughing at his direct approach when the other starts speaking. somehow, that seems familiar, too.
still, she raises an eyebrow at him, “ does that line usually work for you? ” she asks instead, amused. “ but no, try again, ” danbi suggests, with a teasing shake of her head, then, “ oh! ” she snaps her head back to the other, memories suddenly coming together. “ student pres— ” wait, she’s not calling a guy she doesn’t really remember oppa, even though that’s what her memory comes up with first. but what was his name again? does she even remember which school council he’d been president of? “ bu...san? wait, no, incheon... or cheonan? ” danbi grimaces, head tilting jerkily as she tries to recall the specifics. “ ...sorry, ” she ends on, laughter in her voice, turning to face him after pouring her detergent and getting the washing machine started.
hiatus notice! unfortunately, i’m going to have to dip for a lil bit to focus on irl stuff, but i’ll be back in two weeks! i might still be online occasionally, but if you do see me around, kick me back to my thesis, i really gotta be getting it done T.T see you soon~ ♡
LIXIE:
The blonde donned a black turtleneck and black jeans with a pair of Doc Martens to match and, couldn’t help wondering if he was overdressed or underdressed. That would probably depend on his date right? He could only hope that she would be someone easy-going and even if she weren’t, it wasn’t as though Lixie would bail out of the date. He was the type to sit through it all and bear with it but he could at least hope for the best right?
And there she was, the girl that had just entered the vicinity. The one who could possibly be his date for today. Lixie’s eyes grew wide as he glanced around, trying to make sense of the situation. “Hi!” He greeted her back in a chirpy tone with a dip of his head. “Seulyi, yeah. I’m Seulyi’s friend, Lixie. And you are… Danbi right?” Lixie shyly laughed as he can’t help but chant in his head over and over again. Don’t be awkward, don’t be awkward, don’t be―
“Uh… So… “ The blonde gestured towards the counter with a bright smile. “Are you ready to play?”
her blind date looks a little younger than she’d expected. well-dressed and cute, but not quite her type. though danbi supposes she’ll give it a try; she’s not gonna pull the latte-is-horse card on the poor dude. it’s a blind date—she’ll keep an open mind. plus, noona has a cute ring to it, doesn’t it? “ lixie? ” she tests out on her tongue, nodding, “ yeah, that’s me! ” her laugh is open and friendly, eyes crinkling up in an apologetic smile. “ i hope you didn’t have to wait long? ”
the other—lixie—looks a little nervous. maybe it’s his first time doing something like a blind date. well, it’s a good thing she’s a veteran at this! danbi glances at the entrance of the mini golf course, then back at the younger male. “ i’m not gonna be very good at this, ” danbi prefaces, holding up her hands. “ but it should be entertaining! ” their tickets have been booked courtesy of said matchmaker, and she only needs to pull up the receipt to get the two of them, though the renting of clubs is a different matter. damn it, capitalism. they get their tickets and a quick rundown of the rules before they’re ushered off, and then she actually has the space to make conversation with the younger. “ so, why’d you agree to this? ”
DAEL:
the fridge hums a low tone as a thoughtful stare settles on the aluminum cylinders, tucked to the side of the top shelf in neat rows. had it been a few years ago, dael would have been entertained by the thought of craving for alcohol at such a late hour. perhaps, he would have even laughed at the idea of it being another footstep into adulthood. congratulations shin dael, you have become an absolute ahjussi. then again, that was when it was nothing more than a prickling, bitter taste in his mouth. now, at the age of twenty-five, he learned that there is no better cure, when he needs to mute his own mind. fingers curl around a can of beer, an immediate cool sensation seeping into the palm of his hand. with a pause, another is taken out and tucked into the pockets of his coat. then, his yearning for a short escape guides him towards the rooftop.
“hey there.” a sheepish smile draws a small curve on his lips, acknowledging that her name too was lost from his memories somewhere in the depth of their conversations. the door creaks to a close behind him. “mind if i join you?”
the winter air is crisp, warmth escaping with each exhale. the traces of redness rimming her eyes is difficult not to notice - and his steps waver for a moment, but soon finds its pace. he takes a seat next to her, and speaks again in a delicate tone. “aren’t you cold? if i’d known you were gonna be here, i would have brought coffee or something warm.” his hands slip into his pockets, revealing the two cans of beer he’d brought with him instead. he offers one to her, and a weak excuse follows, “i was only going to drink one, but i didn’t want to leave the cans at an odd number in the fridge. you don’t have to drink it now. just take it - for my sake.”
she laughs a little, drawn out of the gloom she’d let herself wallow in with the other’s appearance. “ it isn’t my rooftop, so suit yourself, ” danbi replies, warmth in her tone despite her words. she scoots a little to the left, then rests her cheek against her knee to look at her neighbour. “ i haven’t seen you for a while, ” she notes, thinking back to their last meeting; that must mean, ironically, that things have been good for the both of them. until now, at least. but isn’t that just life?
danbi doesn’t know why or how, but the man in front of her somehow manages to turn up at her worst moments always with a warm word and a smile, and she tries to pay him in kind when she comes across him in the nooks and crannies of their apartment complex needing a listening ear, too. something connects her to the other, these late nights and quiet confidences, even though she can’t say she’s ever spent time with the man outside of these run-ins. and no topic ever feels off-limits or out of place with him, not all of the insecurities she keeps hidden away in shoeboxes under her bed, or the most unrealistic, wishful dreams she’s secretly afraid she’ll never actually attain. it’s an inexplicably comfortable relationship, grounded in the parts of themselves only seen at the twilight hours.
“ don’t worry, i’m pretty resistant to the cold, ” danbi assures him, jokingly adding, “ i’m a winter baby, after all. ” she’s pretty sure he doesn’t know that, but, well—he knows a few more personal details than when her birthday is, anyway. “ thanks, ” she says, smiling when she takes the offered drink. danbi pops the can open, bubbly bitterness strangely refreshing on her tongue. she doesn’t feel like she ought to pepper in small talk, the how have you beens and i’m good, you?s, but it doesn’t feel right to not ask after the other. at any rate, she’s not really expecting a trite answer from him. “ did you just come up here for a beer, then? ”
HWAN:
“ nah, i understand. i make enough with my actual job now but i can sleep peacefully now because this here helped to pay off what i owned. “ the debts mostly had been caused by the year he spent abroad. due to losing his scholarship to the story he doesn’t speak of, he had to pay back what they gave him prior. coming together with the loans from studying in seoul … it had been a bit. for now, he gets ready and brushes through his hair ( and he is glad he can mess it up without worries ) to return to their set.
whilst he’s once more shoved around and positioned in a way they wish, he considers his answer. “ that’s fine, like i said, it’s a small place to get some quick food. we should make it in time and i’m here with my car. i can give you a drive to the post office, if you want. “ ah yes, his car. he won’t forget his surprise when he was told that they would rent cars to the current probation officers. most likely one of the campaigns of the guy currently running fo mayor.
hwan is close enough to have this quiet conversation, after all, you do not see his face. there’s a playful smile on his lips followed by a small laugh: “ people are fools for not hiring you. look at you, the dream face for any product. “
“ lucky you, ” danbi replies, her tone free of any jealousy. her success will come, sooner or later, she’s sure of it; she’s just got to figure out where it’s hiding. the makeup artist quickly does a fresh coat of lipgloss for the model before they’re herded back to the set, repositioning themselves again. “ that sounds great, ” she says to hwan, gives him a smile when he offers her a ride, “ thanks! ”
and she’s draped against a prop, hwan to her back as the photographer directs their poses, her expression, and a million other fine details danbi has to focus on while hwan chats with her casually, the pressure off his shoulders since his face isn’t exactly at the forefront. unlike him, she doesn’t get the luxury of chatting through the shoot, only able to hum responsively in a small acknowledgement of his words. amusement filters through her expression when he throws an unexpected compliment her way, the quirk of her lips frozen in a snapshot that’ll end up being one of the better photos taken today.
“ you’re trying to make me mess up, aren’t you? ” she teases when the shoot is finally over, relinquishing all of the jewelry and satin chic clothes, back in simple cotton and denim. “ wish all those hiring managers had your opinion, though. ” she sighs, scrunching her lips up to the side, then tilts her head towards the entrance. “ that went by fast, don’t you think? let’s go get some food! ”
HOON:
she’s the least he expected to well, come to this part of the party. hyunhoon has a particular overall impression of danbi but it’s nothing he ever speaks of. however, he’s more than happy to have her joining him “ are you enjoying the party so far? it was kinda surprised when they organized it. i guess, now the legend of the mysterious rooftops is over. gives me hope they leave the tables and all that stuff up here. i’d love to make this a hangout for summer … ah sorry, i changed the topic. how can i help you? do you want to play something or are you escaping from the fangirl crowd over there that’s likely here thanks to jaehwa’s instagram post? “
danbi’s on the arcade side of things mostly to escape the unholy horror that awaits her on the other side. somehow, everyone she doesn’t want to meet’s decided to open up their own little corner, and she’s avoiding the entire row of tables from dumpling making to origami to calligraphy. she winces when hyunhoon hits the nail on the head—well, one of three. “ yeah, something like that, ” she admits, laughing a little, self-pitying. what a new year it’s turning out to be. wrinkling her nose, danbi gives the younger man a smile and tilts her head towards his corner, surveying what he’s got to offer. “ well... what’ve you got for me? i think i need a little distraction, and this looks like the right place to be! ”
dirty valentine, richard siken
KYUNGMI:
her nose automatically scrunched from the pinch before her head darts back to escape the girl’s hold. a glare is shown while rubbing her nose with the back of her hand—the younger’s audacity. how is it that all her younger friends gave her little-to-no seniority respect, yet her older friends did. she shook her head, a hand waving to dismiss the claim. “ i didn’t hit them in the face. i threw the snowball, and they happened to put their face in its directional path. technically, they’re at fault. ” she reasoned with a nod.
“ hey— ” kyungmi raised her index finger, preparing her defence, but silence followed. her navigating skills are certainly… subpar at best. she gets lost in the city consistently, but most of those times are influenced by intoxication. her finger lowers, and a nod of acceptance is undeniable. “ you say that, but i think you’d enjoy every second of it. we’d be like tarzan and jane; you’re useless, and i have animal friends. ” a grin tugging at her lips while chuckling, her hands slipping into her jacket pockets. at danbi’s request, her steps purposely slow down. “ i didn’t hear a please in that sentence, so you just earned yourself an extra hour. plus, when was the last time we had alone time? you’re too popular nowadays. remember how you’d always come over because you were basically in love with me? the city changed you, ” she jokes.
she nods in fake understanding, though danbi’s happy to say she’s definitely never hit anyone in the face with a snowball. ( though that might be attributed less to her maturity and more to her bad aim, actually. ) “ oh, really, ” she asks, poking holes in kyungmi’s claims, rolling her eyes. the older continues running her mouth and she can only laugh, pretty features scrunching up at the possible insult. “ tarzan and jane? if only you had the muscles to match, ” she teases, shrugging her shoulders, “ unless you wanted to be my animal friend? ”
danbi blows a raspberry at her in exasperation over kyungmi’s exaggeratedly slow steps, yanking the older over to match her pace. “ who wants alone time with you? ” she grumbles, but she hooks her arm around kyungmi’s to keep her in place, a little petulant stomp to her steps. when she’d first arrived in seoul, the other had been a surprising safe harbour for her, unashamed of any countryside habits and lack of city know-how, and danbi finds herself comfortable around the other woman, even now. she shudders at the suggestion that she might have been even a little interested in the other, though. “ i would never, ” she protests, making a face and threatening none-too-seriously, “ i could just ditch you here, so you better watch out, you hear? ”
BONA:
(...)
getting back up from the edge of the tub, she let her eyes land on the taller, trying not to seem too nervous. if she wouldn’t want this, she would have left already, was the thought in her head. and it should be enough for her. “you know i like to sit in it while the bubbles form, like that i don’t disturb them so much…”, it seemed like a stupid thought, but… just a preference. with her jaw agape, she wanted to ask if she wanted to join, however the words just never came out. there was nothing noteworthy when bona took off her clothes. one article of clothing came after the other, her head tilted away as to not make eye contact with danbi. her clothes had quickly landed in the laundry basket – out of sight out of mind.
in a few hurried steps, bona was back in front of the tub, somewhere in the back of her mind she was wondering what the other might be thinking, however her thoughts were quickly replaced with the feeling of warm water surrounding her, bubbles floating on top of the surface. “ah, this is so nice…stings a little, though.”, she said with a soft laugh, bringing her dripping wet hand out of the water to wrap it around danbi’s wrist – an action she couldn’t quite explain, maybe just with the excuse of getting some water onto the other. with her head leaning against the back of the tub, she didn’t divert her gaze again, she kept it on the other. “did i mention that it is nice in here?”
with bona seated on the edge of the tub, danbi kneels instead with a damp washcloth, letting water run over the worst of the scrapes and gently cleaning away what she can. she gets some of the dirt and gravel off the older girl before bona stands again, making a choice she’d been half-expecting, from old habits she still knows. “ it’s gonna sting, ” she warns, letting go of the other’s arm when she stands, closing the first aid kit back for now. bona avoids her gaze and she averts her eyes too; a once-familiar scene is strangely clinical and detached now, efficient and gratefully over in a few seconds when bona sinks into the tub, bubbles hiding her from view.
does she want to look? she wants to know, in some form of self-sabotaging curiosity, what’s new about bona, even though she feels as if she’s got no right to it and will only be hurt by whatever she finds. so she doesn’t, turns to put the first aid kit on the cover of the toilet seat, about to stand and leave it to bona when a hand reaches out to hold onto her wrist. she has no excuses for choosing to perch herself on the edge of the tub, even though part of the rim is wet and slowly soaking through thin cotton sleepwear.
“ i told you, ” danbi sighs, lips quirking up in a smile too familiar and fond. “ it’s nice, huh? ” she repeats, teasing, and pushes the wet hair out of the other’s face. leaning down, she cups a handful of water to bona’s neck and lets it pour over, her thumb gentle as she rubs the streaks of grime off her clavicle. she lapses into silence, unsure of what to say, focusing on washing away the dirt smudged on bona until she doesn’t have excuses to touch her skin anymore. her fingers are starting to wrinkle up. danbi inhales, a shaky thing, hands curling away from the other’s shoulder. “ scoot up, ” she says, finally, tapping the base of bona’s neck, “ i’ll help you with your back too. ”
AREE:
being an artist was something that came so naturally to areum. they found inspiration in the small things around them, mostly, using themselves as a muse. it was how she always came up with her most iconic make-up looks. the ones with millions of likes on her instagram dedicated to her art only. working on herself was easy, aree knew their own face better than anyone else’s, she knew what would work and what wouldn’t. which colors fit her skin tone, the different techniques she’d need to use whenever she wanted to out her special effects skills, but meeting danbi was like a match made in heaven. aree finally had a muse, that wasn’t just herself.
danibi encouraged her to explore parts of her passion that made her uncomfortable or nervous, allowing aree to step out of her comfort zone. it’s become somewhat of a routine of. aree would pop up randomly, late at night and over time she found herself baring her soul to danbi, revealing her most intimate secrets during the hours people were most vulnerable. then she would disappear, never to be heard from for days a time until her next unexpected visit.
it had been a week now since aree had seen danbi and she was long overdue for a visit, so once they’d finished packing up their bag with everything they’d need for the night, she headed out of her apartment and over to danbi’s, knocking twice against her door once arriving, her heart thumping in her chest while she impatiently waited for her to open up.
even the stars have shut their eyes at this hour, but the lights are still bright on the third floor of dallyeog’s first complex building, home to one of its many night owls. it’s not a surprise when someone knocks at danbi’s door, the woman padding out from her bedroom where she’d been watching a late night drama, cute enough to entertain and turn her brain off for the night. she’s not expecting anyone in her comfy pajamas and drama binging plans, but something spontaneous? she’s always up for it!
it’s areum at the door, all too familiar bag in her hand and the buzz of a promise shivers down her spine for something beautiful, something inspired. the older girl’s always held some spark in her, the bright colours she paints on danbi’s skin easily enticing. there’s an allure to being alluring, inspiration for art she knows little about beyond the cut of eyeshadows and painted lips that areum decorates her features with—she fancies herself a muse, goddess of the arts, on a pedestal covered by gold and roses. danbi almost wishes she was in something more fitting and delicate for this, negligees instead of fuzzy pajama pants and a well-loved shirt, but she supposes there’s still an enigmatic softness in bare feet and thin cotton shirts.
“ it’s late, ” she says, her voice low, drawing aree in to be heard. danbi smiles, lovely and thrilling. she opens the door wide to let the other in, one hand resting on the doorknob, the other skimming across the fingers that’ll brush art into her skin. “ got something you wanna try? ”
HAJOON:
Whiplash. That’s the only description for the way his emotions rush through him the second he feels her warmth against his back. Like everything else this is nothing new, they’ve done it a hundred times but he just can’t. The mug was his tipping point no matter how much he tries to ignore it and now everything feels to intimate, to permanent. Everything he knows for a fact he doesn’t want and to top it off she’s against him bare thighs exposed wanting more. He just can’t settle, she’s riling him up.
For a moment he doesn’t say anything pretending to be far more interested in his monstera than the beautiful woman against him. Hoping to gather his fight or flight before he does something stupid. Checking the clock on the wall at her suggestion he clicks his tongue in disapproval “If I get you on that couch, might as well call in sick” he says slightly annoyed with himself for his undying interest while also offended at the mere suggestion of having 11 minutes like some horny teenagers.
Setting the watering can down a little rougher than intended he sighs, turning himself in her hold in order to face her, noticing her eyes glimmering with the blues of the morning sky. Gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear he’s captivated like the first time all over again. Considers taking those 11 minutes after all and just letting it go so he forget why they’re here in the first place, why he’s irritated.
Trying for a gentle smile, he pauses when he catches sight of the familiar shirt she decided to wear. His shirt. Enough.
“Are you fucking kidding me bibi?” he says pulling away from her exasperated, gesturing to the shirt as if the other would understand right away.
danbi huffs out a laugh at his quip, fingertips trailing along his jaw, waiting. it’s always more fun when he comes to her himself, gratified when he finally turns away from the plant he’d been watering. the ease with which they find themselves together is what interested her at the start, after all, no words needed between them for what they want from the other. “ call in sick, then, ” she jokes, though she knows she’ll be running off to clock in to the post office soon, as enjoyable as those alternatives might be. it’s just a pretense, one they don’t need to call the bluff on—usually.
but the look in his eyes is too tender, wanting, and it feels like cold water down her back when he tucks a lock of hair back in a too-intimate gesture. it feels like a red flag, boundaries they hadn’t properly defined that’ve been crossed anyway. she’s never been good at knowing what hajoon’s thinking, but she’s never had reason to want to be, and still, she’s not sure she wants to know what’s in his head right now. she draws back, on instinct, and suddenly the mood turns sour and harsh, actions unexplainable.
“ wait, what’s your issue? ” danbi asks, straightening up and untangling herself from him. pretty features are twisted in displeasure, interest waning from this conversation. is he upset about his shirt—something he’s never minded before, because bringing clothes over would been an even bigger warning sign, she’s always thought—or about her moving away from him? perhaps they’ve just reached an expiry date for whatever this is ( or was ), but something new isn’t in the cards for danbi. not with him, at least. she raises her hands, palms open, universal gesture for i think you’re being really fucking weird right now, please stop. “ i’ll wash it, jeez. unless you want me to give it back to you now, which, ” she raises an eyebrow at him, “ is that what you prefer? ”
♡ letter for @kkeums!
her head’s a mess, too many loose ends tangled together into one angry migraine. as it turns out, the downside of fleeing relationships before they get too real means nothing ever gets resolved, and the strings of fate have wrapped them all around a single apartment complex in an intimate microcosm of her selfish failures. each encounter with someone she once knew leaves her raw and dazed, always waiting for the other shoe to drop, for them to see through her and eviscerate her for it.
it’s not something she’s equipped to pick apart at 2am before work when she should be sleeping, but there’s something incessant hammering away at her mind. the quiet in her home feels suffocating; playing something in the background is jarring like nails on a chalkboard. danbi ends up wandering out just to have something to do, to distract herself for an hour somewhere away from the no exit of the apartment complex. winter wind whips past her on the rooftop she’s settled on, a reprieve from stale worries as faint sounds of seoul’s nightlife rise up to accompany her. danbi sits on the bench, kicks off her slides and brings her legs up to hug, looking out at city lights twinkling. it’s chilly, quiet; tears dry quickly up here. there’s space to mull over her thoughts, now.
the door to the rooftop opens again, after a while. it creaks, the sanctuary she’d found fracturing at the noise. danbi turns around and finds a familiar face. her lips quirk up into a wry smile, having run into the other a few too many times at these twilight hours. “ hey, ” she says, comes up short for a name, “ it’s you. ”
HWAN:
he got used to it but he never quite grew to like it. of course, he prefers whenever the occassion offers to work with somebody he knows. the majority of times, he deals with models who complain, after all, he’s just that part of his body model you don’t even get to see properly and just adjust better to them. “ mh, i am happy we get to work together even admittingly, we don’t get paid half of the time we spend here, i feel. “ it’s still more than he gets for his actual job. “ but it was a great way to pay back those college debts. mostly using it now to save for possible moving plans in the future. “ this isn’t something he desires to do more than another year or two at max.
but this isn’t important now and he opens his own bottle to have a long sip. he does want to speak about them living so closely together now but if he’s being honest ~ hwan wouldn’t mind some simple company. there aren’t many he can think of who are fine with a quick and casual meal together.
“ ah, there’s a small place not too far from here, selling regional food. it’s run by somebody i supervised a while ago. he opened it up with his wife, asked forever if i couldn’t come over. turnes out, it’s quite popular on social media but around this time of the day, it shouldn’t be too full. we can have a bite and i can drop you off if you have to go somewhere after. i actually bothered to come here with my car. “
danbi sighs, head tilting in acquiescence. she might not have student loans the way most people do, but between her ill-advised financial choices and the cost of living in seoul, her credit score isn’t all too good either. the road to stardom costs a lot more than she’d thought it would. “ oh, i feel you, ” she says, huffing out a self-deprecating laugh. “ i could probably make three times the amount i do at the post office in a shoot like this, but, ” the brunette sighs, “ bookings are too irregular, y’know? ” add to that her lack of an agency and the more stable job she’s committed herself to ( somewhat ), danbi doesn’t often get the sort of work she wants to be doing. still, she’s lucky, she supposes.
the mention of the restaurant perks her up, curious. “ what’s it called? ” she asks, nodding, “ i’m down! i took half of the day off, so i gotta get back to the post office by four. ” danbi looks over at hwan, tapping the time on her screen. “ if it’s not too far, we could probably make it, the shoot’s almost done anyway! ” she doesn’t think hwan was that stressed out about just wanting to go to a restaurant, though; her lips purse, considering asking him. but she misses her chance, the shoot’s director calling them back. “ c’mon, that’s our cue! ”
JAEHWA:
it feels like an eternity between jaehwa’s answer, and danbi’s next question, and the air between the two of them simply felt tense. which, is a difficult feat considering the rain and wind swirling, the very reason for them sharing an umbrella in the first place. he can imagine this being a similar feeling to dating your sibling’s friend, and then you break up but they’re still always in your house because they’re close to your sibling. not that he ever dated any of his sister’s friends in secret… of course not.
“ fine. ” the singular word slips from his lips a little too hastily for his liking. in reality, he’d been better than fine. he’s been getting regular modelling work to pay the bills, and every single day his stream is drawing in more and more viewers. things are steadily on the incline, and if this were any regular circumstance, jaehwa would be bragging about how fantastic hislife is until he’s hoarse in the throat. only, this isn’t any regular circumstance. after clenching his jaw so much that it actually hurts a little, he decides to throw danbi a done. out of the kindness of his heart. “ i’m working a lot. my sister’s filming, so i’ve been going to set a lot. meeting new people. ”
even if the bone is selfish, it’s still something.
it’s just a ten minute walk. there’s a tree right before the entrance to the complex with a little crooked branch that hangs heavy over the path, and she’s passed it so many times without a thought. now it feels like there’s an eternity between them and that easily overlooked landmark, steps delicate in the rain, trying to match jaehwa’s pace. danbi doesn’t startle to hear his voice again, faster than she’d expected and shorter than she’d hoped—but it’s still an answer. is it still hope for them?
her head turns towards him, wondering, looking at the taller man. his eyes are set forward instead, tension visible in the tendon of his jaw. she looks away. the wind whistles, sharp and unpleasant. “ that’s wonderful, ” she says, fiddling with the strap of her tote bag, “ you sound... really good. ” it’s an exhale, punctuation to the sentence she’d left trailing on all those months ago, those blanks filled in with his sparse words. it probably isn’t fair to him that knowing that assuages some of the guilt she feels, but it does. her smile is a little relieved. they’re six paces away from the tree by the complex. “ we’re almost home, ” she says, before she can think the familiarity of those words through, biting the last one off when it catches up to her. an inhale; the beginning of something new. something better.
EUNGI:
(...)
“ for the love of god !! ” a peal of metal clangs on metal, the utensils that were previously in his grip tumbling into the sink. he takes a step back, shaking water off silicone gloves. screaming profanities. shit. a tap on the phone screen. a trace of seconds ticking by. she’s still there. “ sorry, m’sorry. it’s… i fucking jinxed it. guess who’s back again with her trashy pop music. ” irritation rides on the tip of his tongue, the insides of his palm burning from tightly clenched fists. “ at this point requesting anything would just defeat the purpose, i couldn’t even hear your music from how loud the bitch is. ”
peeling the gloves from his hands, eungi makes his way to his desk and begins to scribe on a piece of A3 paper – the only way he’s managed to communicate with the girl ( who clearly hasn’t moved on from 2006 ) over at complex one. desperate times call for desperate measures, and while he doesn’t know for sure if it’s legible enough for her to read, he’s at the very least satisfied by the fact that he’s made a sound effort to stop her. “ just give me a moment, ” he yells across the room, though he doubts that it reaches #0214, considering how shitty american drama music is blasting ( yet again ) out of his control. shut the fuck up, he writes, my ears are burning. please acquire some taste. it’s absurd to realise that he’s lost count of how many times he’s taped a sign on his wall, turning down his blinds before stomping back to the kitchen island. “ jesus, i start my new job tomorrow !! out of all days, can’t she shut that goddamn speaker for once ?? what does she have against me ?? the one day i can’t afford to be late, ” he sighs, plopping his chin in his hand.
danbi soaps up her dishes, a simple washing while she listens to #0423′s surprisingly soothing voice, a reprieve from the assault on her poor ears. his cadence rises and dips as he speaks, words half-registering with her focus on getting the dishes clean. it’s only when she’s rinsing them off that she notices the quieter tone from the other end of the call, mind taking a bit to catch up to their conversation. “ wait, for real? ” she hurries to respond, “ if you’re offering, i’d never turn it down! ” danbi assures him. “ don’t be so mysterious, i’m terribly curious about this face chiseled by angels, ” she teases, hoping he hasn’t dropped off from the call with how quiet he’s become.
then she jumps a little when her song is interrupted by cursing, coarse and harsh, the frustration her neighbour’s feeling bleeding in through the call. “ ugh, that sounds awful, ” she sympathises, frowning. maybe her speakers are of a better quality than she’d thought, given that she can’t actually hear the music he’s complaining about, but it could also be all the good karma she’s accumulated from having to listen to something that definitely rates on the richter scale. either way, she’s not fighting it, though she does commiserate with the way #0423 must be feeling. “ i’d offer to drown her out, but i don’t want to be a nuisance to the complex! ”
french pop punk blends into bubblegum pop of the sweeter variety, danbi hoping the good vibes on her side of the complex will be sent to her unlucky neighbour who’s got a horror on his hands right now. she bops along to her music, focusing on listening to #0423 vent now. “ wait, you got a new job? congratulations! ” she exclaims, hoping he’ll be able to hear her well-wishes over the noise. “ don’t let that asshole ruin your big day, dude, tell her to shut it! send a message or something—over the intercom, even, make sure she hears it, ” danbi emphasises, something she’d love to do herself, if only she knew what her nemesis’ apartment number was.
then she spots the grumpy, aggressive, rude, stupid message that the dumbass must have taped to his window almost immediately after her music started playing. danbi rolls her eyes, even though he won’t see it; he can dish it out, but he can’t take it, huh. she might not know his apartment number, but he’s doing a fine job of annoying her through the strangest form of communication still. “ oh, this self-righteous prick, ” she complains, doesn’t bother to read it out to the #0423, with the nonsense he’s got to deal with himself. “ can you believe this guy’s started haunting me without making a racket? ” sighing over the phone, danbi scrounges up some spare paper to write a message back. can you really say that after making all that noise? she pastes on her window, finding the recipient of her words missing. she’s not turning her music off until this song is over at least—she’s petty, sue her. danbi picks the phone back up, “ sorry ‘bout disappearing! i think that guy’s dealt with for now. on your end... got some earmuffs, maybe? ” she jokes, a little wry and a little weary, knowing exactly how he must feel.
Oasis - Don’t Look Back In Anger
