Realistic or Modern 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚢. — front stage

[Uxie]

dramaturgy.

존재감

uxie & triples

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

People-watching wasn't as much of a hobby as it was a last resort on slow days like this. As he wipes down the same glass for the third time in an hour, Yoonseo's eyes wandered from the girl staring forlornly into her cocktail in the corner to the one finishing her latest shot at the far end of the bar. With her put-together look and not-quite-heartbroken posture, she seemed a little out of place drinking the night away all alone. But, well, he was the last to judge. Her doe-eyed look was slowly fading into a half-lidded blur, but she was holding up. Not drunk enough, he decided, for him to cut her off just yet.

If there was anyone he was cutting off, though — the sound of a throat being cleared sliced through his thoughts — it was the man slumping over in front of him. An aging office worker, whose last strands of hair barely keeping it together and whose shirt buttons weren't doing much better, keeping himself awake with the force of his own coughs.

"Hey, you,"

the man rasped, and Yoonseo thought he could smell a hint of trouble mixed in with the breath of alcohol. Their glances both fell, almost in sync, onto the glass of water sat untouched on the counter.

"This isn't what I ordered."

A frown further wrinkled the older man's face, half in confusion and half in irritation. Irritation that — Yoonseo sighed in his heart — might soon escalate.

"Sir, I'm sorry,"

he reminded, as gently as he could manage,

"I can't give you another drink."

A sharp What? brought his lips tighter together. He knew it. His conflict sensors were rarely wrong.

"Could I call you a cab?"

He attempted regardless

"If you could-"

He saw the tirade coming before he heard it. Kids these days, respect your elders, tattoos don't make you shit, et cetera. Yoonseo held back a wince. The good thing about being a bartender at a nice, hole-in-the-wall sort of place was that you handled quiet crowds and got to feel pretty cool doing it. The bad thing was that there was no bouncer.

"Sir, calm down,"

he made the mistake of saying. Before Yoonseo could even shed a metaphorical tear for himself, a chubby hand grabbed at his collar.

[

outfit.

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[

nine lives bar.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

There was nothing quite like drinking. No, actually, there was nothing quite like drinking without abandon.

Yerim had gone to great lengths to create such an opportunity— hopped on a train to the other side of the city to a small, dimly-lit bar nestled within an unassuming alley. She'd found it by chance, some time ago, and it was far from campus, far from where any of her circles usually hung out, far, well, in general.

But it was worth it. That would be her mantra when she struggled to find a taxi home.

And the bartender being hot was a plus. Yerim guessed, because truthfully, it was hard to tell in this lighting. She could see threads of ink snaking up his neck, the rest of the artwork hidden beneath a dark shirt, but she'd noticed the ones on his hands first, from when he'd served her her last shot. She'd thought about pointing it out, but he didn't seem the type to like conversation, and neither did she.

Yerim lifted her glass to her lips and enjoyed, just for a moment, the lovely ambience of the bar. Good music was an extra, extra plus, if only it weren't interrupted by the chattering of some idiot on the other end of the bar. Her gaze shifted to the scene, eyebrows knitting in annoyance. Keen eyes flicked to the bartender's tired-than-scared expression, to the piercings scattered across his face, back to the tattoos inked across hands surely big enough to knock a guy out.

And she stayed put, taking another sip. He'd be fine, surely.

Moments later, a tirade of nagging insults, and then the clatter of a chair rocking backwards on itself. Do something, she urged in her head, only for him to stand helplessly as the middle-aged man tugged hard on his collar.

She downed the rest of her drink, and slammed it against the table as she stood. It made a resounding thunk— though the clear flush that had spread across her cheeks more than indicated it wasn't the least of her concerns— a sound so loud it seemed to send the old man into a confused state.

She stumbled over, free hand steadying herself against the bar stools, until she finally reached the old man's side with vexation written across her features. He seemed to prepare another attack, only for her to strike first.

"What are you hogging the bar for, you fucking loser? You think you own this place?"

One hand slid her glass across the table towards the bartender, the other batted the arm clutching his collar away with surprising ease. Now that she was up close, she could tell the geezer was a bit bigger than she'd thought, but liquid courage, in its infinite wisdom, deemed it a non-issue.

"Making it so I can't get a refill without walking all the way over. Fuckin' geezer starting a ruckus when people are just here to relax. Huh?"

She poked a slender finger into his chest, stabbing at fat through the silk of his tie.

"Find another place to be a jackass at, yeah? Fucking asshole."

He stared at her, stumbling backwards in a slight daze. It was in a swift motion that she grabbed his suit jacket, draped forlornly across the stool as it had been, and tossed it at him.

[

outfit.

]

[

nine lives bar.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

The unlikely hero appeared from the corner of his vision, abruptly & unexpectedly like Batman zipping down from the ceiling, her mini-dress a suit of armor. What are you hogging the bar for, you fucking loser? Her words sliced through the tension like a sharpened blade, pulling both men's gazes onto her slender figure.

True to his villain status, the older man stumbled as she approached, too taken aback to defend himself against her verbal barrage. Yoonseo watched in muted awe, his concerns for safety now switching to the poor drunk, as his hands moved quickly with a purpose to wrap this up.

"Find another place to be a jackass at, yeah? Fucking asshole."

He heard her conclude just as he glanced down for the briefest second, before his attention snapped back just in time to catch her in the midst of a heartbeat-skip-inducing swing of the arm. Yoonseo had no time to be relieved that it was only a jacket she had thrown; he couldn't allow the guy any time to recover.

"Uhm, sir,"

he called, stretching his hand out to catch the man's attention, cutting the geezer's line of sight to his mysterious saviour. Like a hypnotist's final snap of the fingers, his voice seemed to bring sobriety back to the stupefied drunk — or, at least, enough for him to recall what embarrassment was. As the situation began to register, colors flashed across the man's face like a Christmas light show, from red to green to white, before settling once more in a scarlet flush.

"I- I..."

the man stuttered pitifully, dredging out some sympathy in Yoonseo's heart, before snapping indignantly:

"I'm fucking leaving, I've had enough! This place is- is so fucking-"

And Yoonseo had no doubt that he had enough of many things, as he staggered past a stool, gathering the thrown jacket in a messy bunch, but he wasn't about to let him so easily.

"Yes, but,"

he interrupted the man's loud exit, sporting a strategically vexed tone and a strained smile,

"you have to pay your bill, sir."

An awkward pause. The man shut his mouth, somehow redder than before as he rushed back and threw a stack of notes onto the counter in clumsy hurry before disappearing out the door and into the night.

"Whoa,"

Yoonseo breathed as he watched the stumbling silhouette fade, laughter finally overcoming the surprise,

"that's the fastest I've ever seen someone handle one of those."

Picking up the disheveled pile of cash, he took in the girl's sweet-looking face with renewed appreciation — she'd already seemed vaguely familiar before, but now he was certain this was a face he'd remember.

"Hey, thanks!"

He smiled, eyes curving into crescents in an unexpected lilt to the sombre tone of his features.

"You still have a mind to drink? You deserve your tab on the house for that."

[

outfit.

]

[

nine lives bar.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

The bartender had dispatched of him rather smoothly— almost too smooth. He'd been thoroughly unfazed, cool enough to step in without missing a beat as if he hadn't just been about to be punched. Although, Yerim was more fixated on the fact that she hadn't gotten to tell the man off more. She was, admittedly, a bit— just a bit— miffed, and it showed in the small frown etched onto her features when she turned her attention to the bartender. What must have been a friendly smile still looked a bit threatening on his features (perhaps the lighting?) but the cheeriness in his tone drew an unmistakably stark contrast.

Even to her alcohol-addled mind, he didn't add up.

"I didn't do it for a free drink,"

she huffed, even as she slid onto the stool and nudged her drink forward,

"You just looked really fuckin' pathetic there."

Yerim continued without giving any space to interject, her gaze fixed on his hands as he worked.

"Like you're working here without a bouncer-n'-all,"

Her words bounced in an odd cadence, and a hand gestured loosely to the sleeve of ink that lined his forearms.

"All this is just for show? Didn't peg you for the type that just takes shit lying down."

[

outfit.

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[

nine lives bar.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

"You just looked really fuckin' pathetic there."

Heavy insults were carried like a breeze by her sweet-toned voice and landed on Yoonseo like a tonne of styrofoam. He was never the type to take these things to heart, especially not from tipsy customers. Especially not from pretty ones who he owed a favour.

"All this is just for show? Didn't peg you for the type that just takes shit lying down."

The girl seemed far too used to shooting off harsh words for this not to be a personality trait. He thought it was cute the way she almost sang them — such was the folly of men. He placed her new drink down in front of her, made a little weaker than the ones before so she didn't end up like the drunk they'd just kicked out.

"Oh, these?"

He glanced down as his own tattoos as if they were weird little pets people often asked about, and shrugged.

"They're there to ward off evil,"

he claimed, too nonchalantly to decipher if he meant it as a joke,

"they're usually fairly effective, today's an exception."

After 2 years surrounded by nothing but men, his game had long since died, or so his friends had laughed. But Yoonseo was still in the first stage of grief. Lifted mood seemingly undisturbed, he leaned against the counter, taking a moment to study her before asking,

"You're a student, right? You don't have class tomorrow?"

[

outfit.

]

[

nine lives bar.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

She would've felt bad if he'd had any sort of reaction; it had been rather harsh, and she'd half-regretted the moment the words had left her mouth. But he is, irksomely, similarly unfazed, returning her jabs with a mocking innocence that melted any remorse within her.

"Oh, these? They're to ward off evil." She stared him down, a frown slipping onto her features once more. He was kidding, right? Her gaze flitted down to his forearm, studying the serpentine visage of a painted medusa with disbelief. There were people like that out there, she supposed, but again, he didn't strike her as—

"They're usually fairly effective, today's an exception."

Her eyebrows knitted in irritation, and she lifted the glass to her lips hurriedly— her cheeks growing near-imperceptibly pinker. He was so annoying, and that was excluding the fact that her drink was far weaker now; giving her the same treatment as the very man she'd so helpfully assisted in dispatching of. Asshole.

"You're a student, right? You don't have class tomorrow?" Her gaze snapped to his face, staring him down suspiciously. As much as her distaste for him was growing, he was, still, begrudgingly handsome with a too-friendly expression for what was surely a too-innocuous motive.

Yerim held his gaze for a beat, then two, before she answered slowly,

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

Wariness wrapped around every word, and her eyes narrowed,

"Are you about to chase me out?"

She leaned forward, resting an elbow against the counter as a finger wagged at him.

"Because Iiii've thought this through,"

she declared smugly, through some inebriated confidence that it was something to gloat over,

"And I'll definitely make it back in time to be all ready for it tomorrow."

If she left in the next hour, maybe. What time was it again?

"Either way, I'd bet you're not that much older than me to be preaching to me about it."

[

outfit.

]

[

nine lives bar.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

She looked over him, a hint of mistrust in her gaze. Are you about to chase me out? Yoonseo considered it, as she continued to speak.

"Because Iiiii've thought this through,"

the girl drawled with confidence that, as he glanced at his watch, seemed unfounded,

"And I'll definitely make it back in time to be all ready for it tomorrow."

You haveee? He was tempted to reply, but wisely held back, just as she came to her conclusion:

"Either way, I'd bet you're not that much older than me to be preaching to me about it."

"Probably not,"

he agreed,

"I'm still in college too."

Yoonseo leaned against the counter, trying to concoct a next course of action that would both get her out before she became the very thing she sought to get rid of and leave him in her good graces.

"Not nearby though. You? Not a lot of students live in this area."

He let a short beat pass, before tagging on a casual,

"If it's a while away, I could call a cab for you."

It was almost the end of his shift, too. He looked away to pour a drink, this time for himself.

"We have taxis that give us discounts for late-night customers, you know? Just give me your number & I can send the tracking, too."

An even shorter pause, cut off by the incoming sense of an incoming rejection. Yoonseo looked up, with a slight smile that — unbeknownst to him — would only get more on her nerves, and reminded,

"It's almost 2am, now."

[

outfit.

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[

nine lives bar.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

"I'm still in college too. Not nearby though." She squinted at him. Was he lying about this too? "You? Not a lot of students live in this area."

"Mhm?"

She knew. He probably couldn't imagine how hard she'd looked for this spot.

"If it's a while away, I could call a cab for you."

A brow quirked up, and she considered her answer as she watched the golden liquid fill his glass.

"More than a while away,"

she said slowly, finger toying with the rim of her own glass,

"On the other side of Seoul, even."

She wondered briefly if he'd be able to figure it out; even if he did, so what? He was probably lying about being a student, anyways.

An absurd thought crossed her mind then, fleetingly. Imagine if he went to the same college. It was dismissed in an instant, so beyond belief that she let out the quietest snort. Imagine.

He made a tempting offer of a discounted taxi as he tagged on; one she'd have accepted graciously up until the words "give me your number" left his mouth, and she rolled her eyes discreetly as a grimace crept onto her lips. She hadn't expected it, but she couldn't say she was particularly surprised; it wasn't quite out of character for what she'd pieced together of his personality thus far.

"It's almost 2am, now." It was accompanied by a smile, no doubt to charmingly persuade her into accepting.

Wait, it was almost 2? She did need to leave soon.

She flashed a honey-sweet smile of her own, a sharp contrast to the sarcastic words that spilt from her lips,

"My number? In your dreams,"

Her gaze flicked away from his face as she pulled her purse into her lip, searching for her wallet.

"I'll bet the discount's as real as the evil your tattoos ward off."

"You're cute, though. Maybe if you were a little less... weird~?"

Yerim pressed a bill onto the bar table, pushing herself off the stool with a quick move. Her step was still unsteady, but only slightly — annoyance had done wonders to sober her up.

"Keep the change. I'm off!"

[

outfit.

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[

nine lives bar.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

chapter two.

존재감

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

"Hey, Minseo,"

his calm drawl was met with her bored, questioning glance,

"is your brother weird?"

She blinked. He blinked.

"Yeah,"

she answered. Yoonseo mulled on that as he took another slow sip of coffee.

"Maybe you should try not referring to yourself in third person, oppa."

Minseo remarked, in that dry tone of theirs when they were only half-joking, giving him a smile that could only feel scathing — the family resemblance, truly, was uncanny. Yoonseo considered putting on an offended face, but decided it was too early in the morning to do anything.

"Hmm,"

he glossed over her words with a nonchalant hum, though his tone was purposeful when he then continued,

"hey, Minseo, do you need your brother to drop you off today?"

A silent glare, in the middle of rearranging her bangs. before she rose from her seat.

"Nope,"

she graced him with a reply nonetheless, brushing off her uniform, emphasizing each syllable as she picked up her bag,

"I'm off."

Another hum, as he watched her buzz about the apartment, from the dining room to the kitchen to the living room, before finally disappearing from his vision.

As the apartment descended into the kind of quiet that only comes from being alone, Yoonseo leaned back against the back of his chair. He considered going back to sleep. Morning class cancelled and all, it was a lazy day today. Nothing planned, nothing promised... That's not quite right. He turned his phone over on the table to check the date.

Don't forget, someone's voice floated through his brain, in sync with his inner monologue as he read the screen, Thursday.

✧⋆⭒˚｡⋆​

The bike swung into a neat stop in the parking lot, just in time for his phone to stop buzzing. Yoonseo pushed the visor up, taking off his helmet with one hand while pulling up his messages with the other. My junior's waiting there first, the texts read, bringing to mind a platinum blonde head of hair and a stern face, be nice to her.

He glanced across the street at the quaint corner cafe, slipping the device back into his back pocket. Han Yerim; it was the first he'd heard the name. He imagined it would be the first time he saw her face, too — he wasn't exactly the type to know people around campus. As he fixed his jacket and checked the road for passing cars, Yoonseo cringed a little at the thought of asking lone women in a cute little cafe if they were waiting for him.

Just a little, though. What's the worst that could happen, after all, when he'd just recently been rejected for being "too weird" already?

Of course, he should've known, thoughts like those were just inviting a tragedy.

He saw her the moment he opened the door. The only girl sitting alone. composed and pretty. Vaguely familiar at first and, then, almost like a switch turned on, undeniably so. The difference in the lighting only delayed his recognition for a moment.

"Oh?"

The exclamation left his lips far too loudly, drawing everyone's eyes towards him. A silent pause. He looked around the room again, taking in all the faces now conveniently presented to him.

Belatedly, his first observation turned into a realization. The only girl sitting alone. Yoonseo ran a hand through his hair in an unconscious show of surprise, taking a slow step towards her table.

"Han Yerim?"

[

outfit.

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[

home → cafe

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

Cafe Cerulean. You know it, right?

She read over the messages again, tapping lightly against the 2pm flickering on her screen. She was on time — early, actually — and everything was in order; she'd found a nice seat by the door, facing it so she'd be able to hazard guesses as to who her prospective partner would be; her latte and croffle had arrived just in time. A hand reached for her cup as she scrolled onwards.

I'll be coming a little later, Tap. Swipe. But my friend's a bit weird. Just be warned. Yerim smiled to herself. If she was Hyejin-approved, how bad could she be?

"Oh?" The voice is vaguely familiar, and she lifted her head just as she pressed the cup to her lips for a sip — she nearly spit out her drink.

What the fuck was he doing here?

He took a step forward. Towards her. She wondered if it was too late to look away and pretend she hadn't seen him. And in that smooth, low timbre again, "Han Yerim?"

She wanted to scream.

Had she given him his name? No way. What if? She wanted to smack last-week-Yerim for drinking so much. Had she really? She should've been nicer to him — no, fuck, she should've just let him get hit and never spoken to him. She'd been so fucking nosy she'd earned herself a mega-stalker. What the fuck?

She gaze darted around the cafe nervously, turning back to find his hand poised against the seat opposite her. His tattoos were hidden beneath a jacket today and he looked less polish with his hair down, but there was no mistaking it: it was that same annoying, handsome bartender from that dingy-ass place across the city. He cracked a smile at her, and it was every bit of self-control not to yell at him.

Maybe if she— maybe if she pretended not to know him, he'd give up and fuck off.

"Sorry, uh, that seat's taken,"

she gave him a small, awkward smile, the slightest bit of panic trickling into her syllables,

"You should find a seat elsewhere."

[

outfit.

]

[

cafe cerulean.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

"Sorry, uh-"

Her voice was higher that it'd been in his memory.

"that seat's taken."

Her eyes shook almost as much as her tone, and Yoonseo guessed it was thanks to that flash of recognition he'd seen. So, she did remember him!

"You should find a seat elsewhere."

"What?"

He paused in his approach, one hand on the back of the empty chair, smile slightly stiffening,

"Are you not Han Yerim?

His gaze ran over her features, gears in his brain shifting. Pretty — of course — but also tinted a shade of guilty. Somewhere between forgetting that he'd forgotten to introduce himself and assuming she'd put it together too, the second hand moved by one. Yoonseo took the seat.

"It's you, isn't it? We met last week, too,"

he said, as if she needed a reminder. All too naturally, he hung his bag on the chair and settled in, like she'd never protested.

"You remember me?"

He propped an elbow on the table, leaning in.

"From back when you fought the old man off?"

Yoonseo laughed, a teasing lilt slipping in. A grin, back to beaming. It was hard to tell where in the conversation he'd dropped all formalities.

"I was so impressed."

[

outfit.

]

[

cafe cerulean

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

"You remember me? From back when you fought the old man off?" She gaped at him; a fish out of water struggling to catch her breath. "I was so impressed."

"No!"

she interjected, perhaps a bit too loudly. Heads turned briefly in her direction, and her eyes widened in alarm.

Fuck this guy. Fuck this guy.

Again, she smiled.

"You're... totally mistaken,"

she said slowly, as if speaking to a child,

"I have no idea who you are! And I'm not Han Yerim—"

A platinum blonde head popped into the cafe. "Rimi-ah!"

Yerim's eyes widened in a split-second of terror, before her expression morphed instantly into cheeriness.

"Ah, unnie! You're here!"

No, it didn't matter. She could get rid of him now.

Hyejin, in all her lanky, edgy glory, made her way over in a smooth strut — Yerim watched as she greeted the hooligan in front of her with a smack to the head. "Yoonseo, you asshole." Her senior shot her an apologetic grin. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you too much."

"Eh?"

she muttered, a hand lifting to hover in a half-point Yoonseo?

"This is..?"

She wondered if Hyejin could see the colour drain from her face, because oh my god, she was fucked.

[

outfit.

]

[

cafe cerulean.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

The smack to his head cut short any argument he might've had, a lazy 'Ouch' leaving his lips instead.

"I hope he hasn't been bothering you too much."

Hyejin said as she took her seat, in a tone that implied their companion was a delicate flower.

Yoonseo glanced up at her, and then at her — whose sour expression had turned distinctly sweet — his initial incredulity slowly fading as he digested the situation.

"Eh? This is..."

Yerim muttered, understanding seemingly setting in for her, too.

"Ohh,"

A gasp of realization.

"You don't know my name yet, right?"

He smiled,

"I'm Seo Yoonseo, pretty easy to remember."

He leaned back into his chair, turning towards Hyejin as he continued,

"We've met before, me & her. We met at-"

[

outfit.

]

[

cafe cerulean

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

"At a party!"

she interjected quickly, with a panicked half-smile,

"It seems our circles are way closer than we thought!"

She turned her gaze upon him, her eyes reflecting a killing intent mismatched to the rest of her face.

"Thanks so much for helping me with this, by the way."

A flash of a warning smile, before she returned her attention to Hyejin without missing a beat.

"Unnie, how did you two, um, meet?"

[

outfit.

]

[

cafe cerulean.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

"Thanks so much,"

she said, though he could see in her eyes that what she really meant was shut up,

"for helping me with this, by the way."

Yoonseo weighted his options, then decided to take the hint, smiling back with a nonchalant wave.

"Unnie, how did you two, um, meet?"

Yerim continued, in what seemed to be a practiced skill of diverting the conversation.

Hyejin blinked, taken aback for a moment, but recovered quickly enough to answer,

"Ah, we were classmates as freshmen. This guy just came back from the military."

She lowered her tone in a stage whisper,

"That's why he has a few screws loose, don't mind it too much."

Yoonseo scoffed.

"Pot, kettle,"

he muttered with a laugh, earning himself another smack on the arm. Eyes flickering to the clock behind them before falling back on Yerim, he finally questioned,

"So, what's the project I need to help with, anyway?"

[

outfit.

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[

cafe cerulean

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

"That's why he has a few screws loose, don't mind it too much." Yerim forced a light laugh. Yeah, I've figured that out by myself. Few is an understatement. Were they in the same year, if he'd just come back from the military? And he was in their major, too, presumedly, if Hyejin knew him. So she'd have to see him around?

"So, what's the project I need to help with, anyway?" She blinked twice. She'd been so miffed by the whole situation she'd managed to forget they were supposed to be working together — for the next three months, at least. Oh, fuck.

"Ah, um,"

She must have hesitated a moment too long, because Hyejin cut in smoothly, "Didn't I tell you? She's taking Noe's class this semester."

The older girl lifted her arm to drape around her shoulder, tugging her close. "He might not look it, but he's done Wild Cards twice already. I wouldn't have suggested him otherwise; gotta leave my precious junior in good hands."

"Oh, good hands!"

she echoed tepidly. Yerim's eyes met his, watched his expression morph into one of barely-concealed amusement. She briefly entertained the thought of attempting to beat the smirk off his face right then and there.

"I'll need a model, though,"

she began slowly, sheepishness tinting her words as a gleeful realisation dawned upon her,

"And— and you'll have to do a scene, and all, so I totally get it if you're not comfortable..."

[

outfit.

]

[

cafe cerulean.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

Was she only blunt when she was drunk? Or just holding back? Why? He glanced over at Hyejin, who seemed unfazed — so this must be the usual Han Yerim. The gears turning in her head were almost audible from where he sat. The smile on Yoonseo's face grew into a grin.

"No worries, I'm not uncomfortable at all,"

he replied, with a little too much cheer.

"Besides, it's for the main character, right? See-"

He pulled the sleeve of his jacket up his arm, showing her his tattoos as if she might have forgotten he had them,

"I'm pretty much perfect for it?"

Hyejin nodded along, glancing between her two friends in the beat of silence that followed.

"In that case, it's settled?"

"Sure,"

Yoonseo shrugged, studying Yerim's expression as he passed her the baton,

"as long as you're fine with it."

[

outfit.

]

[

cafe cerulean

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

"Sure, as long as you're fine with it." He was just rubbing it in now; gloating. He wasn't even trying to hide it at this point, while she stewed silently in her seat fighting a losing battle. Every muscle in her body tensed to prevent her from reaching over the table and grabbing him by the collar.

"Well, I—"

Her eyes shifted to Hyejin, eagerly awaiting her response, and a prepared rejection faltered upon her lips. She'd done her a huge favour, even if she'd corralled in a lunatic, and the last thing she wanted was for a beloved senior to find her ungrateful.

And truthfully, she didn't even have a good reason to kick him out. That was the worst part.

"Yeah, thanks in advance. For your help."

Her words came out stiffly, said through a gritted smile as she glared daggers at the man across her.

Hyejin, thankfully, had her gaze turned instead to her watch. "Great! Perfect," she said, "It's just about time for me to meet Jinah."

Yerim jumped to her feet, morphing quickly into the picture of the perfect, doting junior — in her head, still weighing whether Hyejin's departure would make matters better or worse for her.

"Oh! Did we keep you here too long?"

"Not at all, I'm happy I could be of help~ I hope your project goes well," Hyejin reached over to give the younger girl's shoulder an encouraging squeeze before turning a playful frown upon her old friend. "Don't you dare bully her, alright? Let me know if he acts up."

Yerim could sense his protest before he even opened his mouth, and she would give him no such chance.

Without missing a beat, she said,

"Of course! You'll definitely be the first to know,"

She stared at him, as if her next words were less of a reassurance to her senior as they were a thinly veiled threat to her new partner.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, though."

Hyejin barked out a short laugh in response, one that made Yerim wonder just how much of his bizarre personality she'd seen. The melodic clink of the cafe doorbell, and the door shut with a click behind her. Yerim watched the older girl's form disappear from view beyond the glass window before her gaze turned back to Yoonseo — the distaste in her features now bared freely.

She dropped back into her seat in a huff, arms crossing.

"You're crazy. Crazy,"

she hissed,

"Batshit insane. Why didn't you say no?"

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outfit.

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cafe cerulean.

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

존재감

seo yoonseo

"You're crazy. Crazy!"

Yoonseo watched his new friend bristle, vaguely reminded of a cat on edge. The woman behind her gave them a odd stare, to which he returned a bright smile.

"Batshit insane,"

Yerim continued complaining, unaware, absorbed in her own disbelief.

"Why didn't you say no?"

Yoonseo's head tilted, as if he couldn't quite understand her.

"Why would I say no?"

He laughed, all too genuinely,

"It's a request from friend for a pretty junior."

A sip of his drink. He didn't have to look to know Yerim would be unimpressed by his line. Undaunted, he threw her question back at her,

"Why didn't you say no?"

[

outfit.

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[

cafe cerulean

]

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

존재감

han yerim

His compliment was tossed out with careless nonchalance, and she felt her frown deepen. He must be so used to smooth-talking with a face like his. It would be so flattering if she had known him to be any less of what he'd shown.

"Why didn't you say no?"

"How would I?"

she snapped back immediately,

"It was a request made by my senior. On my behalf. How rude would I be to snub her like that?"

She cast a distasteful look up-and-down his seated figure before her gaze flicked away irritatedly, back out the window.

"I just can't believe you were the one she was talking about."

Her voice dropped low, adding in a mutter,

"I can't believe she's your friend."

Really. She couldn't imagine someone like Hyejin tolerating him; much less befriending him. Yerim had half the mind to call her up now and tell her she needed someone else. Maybe she could make up something about him harassing her — it was half-true, anyway — but she really, really didn't want to jeopardise her relationship with the older girl.

Her gaze passed over his seated form again, coming to rest on his still-exposed forearm, tattoos on display for the world. Was it a red flag to be inked up like that? Her mother would call him a gangster. Maybe she should introduce them. She might jump to her innocent daughter's defence and beat him senseless.

Her eyes lifted to meet his, and he gave her a small smile.

She inhaled deeply, her exhale coming out in a soft, resigned sigh. Vexation faded from her features, cooled into a veiled resentment that showed in the slightest pout of her lips. Slowly, lethargically — as if the action itself pained her — a hand slid her phone across the table. The screen flashed a number pad.

Her chin jerked towards it in an impatient gesture.

"Fill it in."

[

outfit.

]

[

cafe cerulean.

]

♡coded by uxie♡