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Realistic or Modern destiny, it's just a tiny dot

Characters
Here




































  • how she's feeling...



    words can't describe how she is feeling

















areum



hopeless lover












The last day before Christmas Break was supposed to be pretty uneventful, just like any regular day, Areum made sure to check that all her projects and assignments were done so she wouldn’t be rushing to finish them in her free time, as she was having her breakfast she wondered what she would be doing this year in Christmas, she didn’t have any plans maybe she could spend it with her friends or she would just stay at home and catch up with that romance novel she bought the other day that she hasn’t been able to start reading due to university and her job at the flower shop, the options were endless she just needed to decide on something.

With her head full of those thoughts she gave her parents a goodbye kiss on the cheek, as her father ruffled her hair and her mom told her she loved her. Everything was going like it was supposed to happen, just an ordinary day in the life of Shin Areum, and she enjoyed those days because it allowed her to enjoy everything that life had to offer without having any worries that she was running late or was going to class with an unfinished assignment.

As she made her way to the campus, she walked by a craft store and made a quick reminder to herself, that she still needed to get Christmas presents for her parents, she started brainstorming what she could gift them, the days were getting colder each day that passed, maybe a scarf would be good, but did she still remember how to knit? That was a good question, she definitely needed to give it a try before buying everything.

While she tried to remember the difference between a knit stitch and a purl stitch she finally made it to the campus and eventually her classroom, there were still some empty seats but the place was already full of life from all the students that were excited about the break. Areum headed towards her usual seat, in the middle area, she wasn’t a fan of being at the back and not being able to listen to what the professor had to say but she wasn’t either a fan of being at the front and have the full attention during a lecture, she enjoyed the middle, where she didn’t stand out that much from the crowd and still was able to pay attention properly.

As Areum settled on her seat and place everything on her desk, she realized something she forgot to buy a chocolate muffin with extra chocolate chips, she couldn’t start her day properly without it, it was almost like a crime to skip on that sweet treat, she checked her phone and there was still time to class, to begin with.
She could easily go and come back and she wouldn’t be late to class, then it was settled she was going for that muffin and no one could stop her.

There were more people in the cafe than she anticipated, definitely, it was because she didn’t go at her usual time, after what felt like a long time when in reality it was just a couple of minutes, Areum finally made it back to the classroom with muffin and hand and she noticed two things, first Ki-Hoon was there, in her class and she wasn’t there because she went to buy a muffin. What was he doing here? Areum knew that Iseul his best friend happened to be her classmate were they talking about something? She started getting curious, but she needed to act calm and collected, or at least what Areum thought was keeping it together in front of her crush, which was most likely just quick glances and feel her cheeks get red as she imagined how it would be if Ki-Hoon came to visit her instead of Iseul.

Before she headed to her seat she made sure that her bangs looked good. Did Ki-Hoon prefer girls without bangs? Maybe she could cut them off, but she thought bangs suited her and make her look cute. Once she was again in her seat she noticed the second thing an envelope, that wasn’t there before she left. Was this a secret admirer? She never had one before and the thought just made her heart skip a beat, that was such a romantic gesture!

She opened it carefully making sure not to damage it, after all, it was the first time she received something like that, she read the content and she realized that the letter was quite messy, the person must have been nervous when they wrote it, but that made it more special, it wasn’t until she read the last words that she felt like the luckiest girl in the world Love, Choi Ki-Hoon was the letter real? She almost pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Did Ki-Hoon really send her a letter? Did her feelings were finally reciprocated? She hugged the letter tightly close to her heart, this was the best Christmas present ever if only she wasn’t in a classroom full of people she would have already jump and turn around out of happiness, this was the best day of her life.

No one and nothing could stop the happiness that she was feeling if only she knew at that time that it was just a fake letter.

When the day of the date came, Areum’s smile was still as bright as the day when she received the letter. That day in particular she woke up earlier than usual, she needed to make sure that everything was perfect since it was the dream she has had since high school.

The mess in her room clearly showed that Areum didn’t have a clue what to do or wear. Should she wear something revealing? But it was cold and She really didn’t own clothes like that. Something formal? But that wouldn’t be too awkward for a first date? Maybe something cute was the way to go, and she had a dress that she had been wanting to use but was waiting for the right opportunity and this was the perfect occasion.

As soon as it was finally time for Areum to leave she rushed to the door, her parents asked her where she was going, she said she was meeting with some friends, her parents just looked at each other not really believing the white lie of their daughter, but they trusted Areum and told her to take care.

When she made it to their meeting place, Areum checked the time, she arrived half an hour before the established time in the letter. She didn’t mind waiting for Ki-Hoon since soon they would be together.

When the established time came, there was no sight of Ki-Hoon, maybe he was just running a couple of minutes late.

An hour passed and Ki-Hoon was not there yet, she believed that there was a lot of traffic, and that’s why he hasn’t arrived.

Two hours have passed and Ki-Hoon was nowhere to be seen, the night was getting colder and she could feel it on her cold hands that she started blowing warm air, just to try and warm them up, but she knew that once that Ki-Hoon arrived he would hold her cold hand and he would say sorry for keeping her waiting.

Three hours passed and Ki-Hoon wasn’t there still, did something bad happen to him? She started to worry, at that moment someone touch her shoulder, she turned with a smile on her face believing that he was finally there, she was faced with a couple that asked her if she could take picture of them. She accepted with a sad smile on her face as she saw the couple so in love with the other as she continued waiting.

When the fourth hour arrived Areum felt like she was going to burst into tears at any moment. Did he forget? Did he change his mind at the last minute? Did she get the dates mixed? Did she arrived at the wrong time and he got tired of waiting? She couldn’t point what was wrong, this wasn’t how supposed things should have happened, she was sure that Ki-Hoon would show up with a bouquet that he was planning to give her, they would smile shyly at each other as she told him the flowers were beautiful, they would have a hot chocolate together and they would end up their date with their first kiss as they saw the pretty tree and skate together before he took her home.

But instead, she was cold, sad, and heartbroken as she saw everyone else being happy she wondered why she couldn’t be as happier as them with the boy she liked, with that thought in mind Areum picked up the pieces of her broken heart and headed home, where she cried to sleep.

That was the worst Christmas break of Areum’s entire life.











































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

#conflicted











outfit

click me











location

lost, his thoughts











interactions

seulgi (npc)











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















The minute hand passed twelve, marking the seventieth hour. It had been three days since this strange dream had begun. Or, at least, that was how it seemed to him. But who knew how time worked outside of reality's control? He sighed, and his breath froze as it left him, floating away as white mist. Truth be told, there was a thought that lingered in the back of his head, a horrific possibility — that this might not be the beginning, but the end. The end of a long dream, a vivid dream, of memories he lived through and held dear that never happened. He didn't know which option he preferred.

"Iseul?"
A familiar voice interrupted his silent existential crisis, and he looked up to see the concerned face of his sister, standing a few steps away with hands full of grocery bags. Ah, right. She was back home for Christmas, just like she was every year since she moved out. Which, technically, was this year.

"Why are you just standing there like an idiot?"
She demanded, her tone slightly confused and otherwise judgemental. Seulgi was always the one to mask her concern with harshness; if this was a dream, at least it had his sister down exactly right. It was him who had been acting weird, and he knew his family noticed. He had tried to go with the flow, to just accept that he had been given second chance, somehow. But he couldn't hide how weird this all felt. Was he really, truly, back?

Well, whatever. He'd figure it out eventually. Putting on a bright smile, he wordlessly raised the plastic bag he'd been holding in his own hand, shaking it slightly to give her a sneak peek of its contents. It wasn't exactly a response to her question, but he was sure she'd just accept it, if for no reason other than not wanting to stay out here in the cold.

"Ice cream?"
Seulgi's tone turned even more scathing, and she finally resumed her brisk strides towards the apartments. Iseul surveyed the weather, and then reassessed his choices. He'd mindlessly bought something random so his excuse for leaving the house held water, but he supposed he should have given it a little more thought.

"Yup,"
he laughed, falling in step beside her,
"ice cream."
She shot him a look, eyes narrowed and gaze going up & down him like she was trying to find some kind of visible fault. But then she turned away, more quickly than he expected, and a smile tugged at her lips in what he thought might have been relief.

"What flavor?"
/
"Melon. Want some?"



And so the clock struck twelve again. And again. And as he lay in bed that night, Iseul debated on whether he should sleep. So far, doing so hadn't led to him waking up anywhere else, or at any other point in time, but he still had that nagging fear. He didn't want to go back before tomorrow. Because that was the day, six years ago, when he had first confessed to her. The day that Areum came out for a date with Kihoon and ended up with him, instead.

He had skipped classes on the day that his friends sent the letter, so he never saw for himself if she had reacted the same way this time, or even received it. But nothing else had changed so far, unless he interfered, so he didn't see why it would be any different for her. She would go to that same spot, in the same dress, and wait. He was sure. What he didn't know was whether he would be there this time.

If he went there, if he did everything the same way, then they would probably have another chance together, right? She would love him again — but was that fair? Consider everything he put her through before, who's to say he wouldn't fuck it up again? He'd been thinking about it ever since he woke up three days ago, and he was still thinking. Every time he made a decision, the other side of him put up an argument, told him he was being a fool, a bastard and everything in between.

Frustrated, he sat up, running a hand through his hair and messing it up for the umpteenth time. He was going to go bald at this rate. His phone buzzed, probably from the group chat, and he ignored it. If he stood up, he'd bet he would just start pacing again. So, he stayed there, with his head in his hands, for a long second. Another sigh. Another second. He lied down again. His phone buzzed, lighting up for a brief moment, illuminating the dark room, again.

By the time the next day came around, he had decided. He wouldn't go there. Or should he? Damn it. He was so lost in thought that he'd stood there, hands paused midway in spreading butter on his toast, until his mom cleared her throat and he snapped out of it. He glanced at the clock; if looking at something could wear it out, the clocks in his house would soon need replacements. It was still early. Still a few hours until Areum made her way there. Should he go? Or shouldn't he?

His inner debate continued until well into the afternoon, and then it was too late, because the meeting time had passed. He hadn't gone. And it was a good thing, he convinced himself, because now her life would be going down a different path. A happier path, perhaps. Surely. She deserved that. Well, though he supposed today would be a much less happy day. Kihoon wouldn't show up, after all. He checked the time again, and it was now about three hours after the meeting time he remembered. She must've already left, heartbroken. It was for the best. Right? She must've left.

If it was that part of the city... it would take him maybe half an hour to get there, tops. And, technically, he wasn't going against his own decision, because he wasn't going there to meet her. Because she would be gone by now. Yes. He could afford to go and check. Give himself peace of mind. That's all it was, he insisted, as he threw on a coat and left.

Arriving at the subway station, he surprised himself by remembering the place where she was, or would be. The closer he got, the surer he was that she wouldn't be there. Nobody would wait four hours for a date, even if they were the ever so naïve Shin Areum. His eyes scanned the street, every stranger's presence driving up his confidence in the theory. Yeah, he was being silly, obviously she was gone and he had already los-

A girl in a red dress, alone. She sat there, and anybody could tell that today wasn't going well. The image of her overlapped with memories, and he stood there, still. He had stared at her from far away then, too, hadn't he? He'd been conflicted then, but not his problems from that time seemed simple in comparison. She looked the same, but so different, so much younger than he remembered. But just as alone.

Did he make the wrong choice? She looked restless. In that outfit, she must've been freezing. He couldn't believe she really waited that long. He stopped himself just as he took a step towards her, almost by instinct. This was for Kihoon. Right, that's who she was waiting for, it was all for the sake of Kihoon. He'd forgotten, but she had liked that guy this much, she thought he was worth four hours of standing in this weather in a sheer dress and make a fool out of herself. How could he forget? It had been so frustrating for him to see.

But, then, he thought to the future version of his friend, the top schools, the accolades, the family business. Perhaps Kihoon was worth it. At the very least, more than he was. Perhaps his friend was the one who could make her happy, and she'd been on the right path all along. Yeah, he'd suspected as much, that it was him who dragged her off into that collision course that ruined them. Maybe if she had gotten together with Kihoon, everything would have worked out, or even just not ended the way it did. And she liked him so much.

He bit down a little too hard on his bottom lip, and realized he'd slipped back into that old habit. Areum finally started to pick up her things, preparing to leave. He stared after her figure walking away before he turned around to leave. He'd gained nothing from this trip but more to think about. More choices to make before the end of Christmas break, where he'd have to face her again.

Damn. This was the worst Christmas break of his entire two lives.


♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:




































  • how she's feeling...



    words can't describe how she is feeling pt 2

















areum



hopeless lover












The things she got after the fiasco that was her date with Ki-Hoon, one where he didn't even show up were:
1) A broken heart
2) A cold

It was pretty obvious that after the supposed date Areum wasn't the same, her smile was not as bright as before and she let out more sad sighs than she could even count. She ended up ordering something for her parents instead of knitting the scarves that she had planned, she just wasn't feeling it anymore even if she bought the stamen and needles days prior, her romance books didn't make her swoon as they used to, now every time that she read them she wondered that if after the end the guy would break the heart of the girl because apparently happy endings didn't exist.

Adding to her sadness she spent most of her break sick, only Areum would be the one that would spend 4 hours in the cold without having a proper coat because she wanted to show off the dress that she was wearing and that she was sure that Ki-Hoon would say looked pretty on her, but she was also sure that once he showed up he would lend his coat to her and told her that she needed to wear something warm because she would get sick, a cute moment that she dreamed but in reality, it never happened and it was just part of her imagination and it would most likely remain like that. If only she could rewind time she would have told herself that she should wear that padding coat instead because he would never show up and she was just going to embarrass herself in front of strangers.

Other than that her Christmas break was pretty uneventful as if she needed more stories to tell on what she did so with a bright new year of hopes and resolutions Areum was faced with the reality that she needed to go back to classes and faced once again her classmates. The ones that would often tease her because of her crush towards Ki-Hoon, would they know about the letter? What if they were the ones that wrote it? Could they really be that insensitive? They couldn't, well they shouldn't do that, but she knew them and they wouldn't do something like that to her.

As she prepared everything for her return she encountered the love letter that she received something that brought her so much joy before now was the memory of one of the saddest moments in her life and just ache her heart, she torn into pieces and throw it on trash, after all the contents inside the envelope were nothing else than plain lies. With the wish of never arriving at her class she pushed through as she took a step towards the building, her muffin didn't feel as sweet as before and it didn't bring her the joy to start a brand new day, even if the day was full of life for her it was just another gloomy day.

She let out a deep sigh as she was at the door outside of her classroom, she didn't want to show everyone that she was sad, but Areum was an expert at showing how she really felt, she entered and everything felt the same, all her classmates were catching up about the holidays and she wished if the liveliness of everyone would help her to overcome her sadness. She sat in her usual place not giving a lot of thought to what was going on, it wasn't until he talked to, Kim Dae-Won one of the famous group of friends that would usually tease her because of her crush on Ki-Hoon.

"So tell me Areum, what you did during your break. I went to Incheon but what about you? Did you go somewhere nice with someone? You know dates during Christmas are supposed to be really romantic or that's what I have been told, especially if you were sent a letter to get invited, especially when it said Love Choi Ki-Hoon" he said teasingly which made the rest of his friends laugh at his comment.

Why was he saying that? They were not as close to talking about what they did during the holidays. And why everyone was just giggling as he continued talking and how did he know about her going on a date and who signed the letter, that's when reality hit her. Ki-Hoon was never the one that wrote that letter, he didn't go because he never knew that he was supposed to go on a date with her, everything was part of this horrible and evil plan that all of them carried out. Why did she do to them? Why did they play with her feelings like that? She only had a crush on this guy, she wasn't hurting someone else, but why they were taking advantage of her feelings?

She didn't know how to answer, her emotions were taking control of her, her eyes started to get full of tears and she could feel how her heart was breaking all over again, the laughs of everyone sounded loud and clear in her ears and they didn't stop, she needed to be strong, she couldn't cry in front of them, but one thing was to say it and another thing was to actually do it. She stood up from her seat and rushed outside the classroom, she didn't care that class was about to start and that she was probably going to miss it, or that everyone just saw her as she started crying. She just wanted to be away from them, she walked without knowing where she was heading since her sight was covered with tears that led her to a bench under one of the trees that she thought was far away from her classroom and that was lonely enough, a place where she would be able to cry herself out as she wondered what she did wrong to deserve that.











































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

decisive...?











outfit

click me











location

random bench











interactions

his friends (npc), areum











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















Being back in school felt even more like a fever dream than days spent with his many-years-younger family did, throwing him ever so slightly off the balance that he'd managed to reach over the break. Luckily, catching up to old news and calling back faded memories of college — the people, the schedule, the systems — was a difficult enough task to keep his mind busy for the whole day, distracting him from any kind of existential crisis that it might have otherwise brewed. Still, the feeling of surrounded by friends in the classroom was a melancholic, rather welcome one, and laughing with them was one of the few things that remained surprisingly familiar to Iseul.

"Oh, she's here,"
Daewon, who was sitting closest to the entrance, commented, turning eyes to a familiar figure walking in with drooped shoulders. Kihoon arched a brow, ironically still the least in the know out of all of them. Iseul didn't think he'd care to be filled in either. Areum, on the other hand, clearly cared a lot. She was clearly not in a great mood and trudged into the room, hardly paying attention to her surroundings. Lost in her own heartbreak moment, probably; she might have been trying to hide it, but she never did do a good job of that.

"Go find out if she actually went,"
Sungho, the ringleader of this little event, spoke up. Daewon snickered. Iseul frowned. He loved his friends and, most of the time, they were fun. But this prank really did go too far, courtesy of this tactless duo. Not that he was one to talk, when he had let it happen twice. Ugh. The more he thought about it, the deeper into the dirt his self-image went. A little more and he'd need an excavator to dig it back out.

"Hey,"
he began, ready to offer to go talk to her instead. But Daewon failed to listen and had already left their group to approach Areum. Neither his friend's track record with feelings nor with girls gave him any confidence that this would go over well. His gaze followed them uneasily, taking in the girl's every reaction. From surprise to confusion, then to understanding. And then the all too familiar expression: hurt.

She stood up, rushing out the door, looking like she was on the brink of breaking into tears. Daewon turned back around, hands up halfway in the air as if he did nothing wrong. Iseul's lips pinched into a thin line, and got to his feet without really thinking his excuse through, mumbling something about washrooms as he, too, left the class. He could hear the group go quiet behind him. If any sharp eye caught the concern in his expression, it would have been... unnecessary, honestly, considering how obvious it was that he was going after her.

Finding her wasn't much trouble, as Areum didn't seem to be thinking about where she was going as much as simply going. It was finding the words to say that was hard, and he couldn't call out to her even as she arrived at an isolated bench in the corner of campus, finding himself instead stalking her quietly.

"Areum,"
he finally spoke,
"are you okay?"
Did she even hear him? He couldn't tell, she might have been too caught up in her crying. This was a mess. What could he do that would help? How could he console her now? Was there nothing, in the end?

Did it have to be Kihoon?

He could do that. He could help her get with Kihoon, couldn't he? If Iseul just lent her a hand, she could spend time with him, get to know him, maybe even find the right time to confess properly. He'd decided to step away from her life, but it would be fine if it was in this way, wouldn't it? It would be some sort of closure too, for him. He'd be fine with it. Right? He'd made up his mind.

"Listen,"
he spoke up a little louder, taking a wide step so he'd be beside her, his body turned so he could face her and she could face him, straight on.

"I can help you."




♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:




































  • how she's feeling...



    tired of crying

















areum



hopeless lover












Areum thought that she wouldn't be able to cry again after all those tears that she let out after the failed date, a date that the person she was waiting for didn't have a clue about was even happening, she also thought that she wouldn't be able to embarrass herself more than she did that day, who would spend four hours for a boy only the clueless and hopeless romantic Shin Areum would do that.

Now she was crying her heart out in the middle of the university on a random bench. Could she be more pathetic? She was sure that sooner or later someone would see her and they would just start telling everyone "I just saw a random girl crying" "Yes, it was Shin Areum it wouldn't take long until her name was known by everyone as the crying girl and the reason of her crying would come out to light. Her reputation would be ruined. Well, it wasn't like she really cared a lot after all she spent four hours waiting for her supposed date in the cold, her dignity was on the floor so she didn't have a lot more to lose.

Maybe they were just making her open her eyes giving her a wake-up call that Ki-Hoon didn't like her and it was just a fantasy that she fabricated on her head, but did they had to be so cruel about it? She knew that Ki-Hoon didn't have feelings for her. She could even say that most likely the guy didn't even know that the girl existed and if he did he wouldn't even remember her name. But when she saw the chance that finally her feelings could be reciprocated after all those years she attended still being blind by her own feelings, because she really wanted it to be true, there was nothing more that she wanted at that moment than Ki-Hoon liking her back.

Someone would have called her childish or even an idiot for thinking like that when there were bigger things to worry about than having a guy like you back, but to Areum it mattered and a lot because Ki-Hoon was and still is her first love. So that's what people meant when they said that the first heartbreak was the most painful, she just wanted the pain to go away to not be in this situation, and go back to the time when she didn't know how it felt to have your heart broken in the most hurtful way.

"Areum, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked her, she recognized it instantly as Iseul's not because they had share multiple conversations prior to this but because she knew him since high school and he happened to be the best friend of Ki-Hoon, so of course, he wasn't a stranger to her.

"Do you come to laugh too? I went to that date if that you and your friends want to know"
she said more harshly than she was used to, it felt weird and she never talked like that and Iseul wasn't at fault, he really did seem worried for her.
"I... I'm sorry I... I didn't mean to say that"
she added between sobs.

"Listen, I can help you." Iseul said as he was in front of her. She turned to face him and was sure that her eyes were puffy and red and most likely her nose was runny
"What do you mean you can help me? Is not like you can go back in time and avoid me getting that letter or me going to the meeting point. I really doubt there's something that would change things"












































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

trying his best











outfit

click me











location

random bench











interactions

areum











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















It's not like you can go back in time, she cried, and if this was a lighter moment, maybe Iseul would have found that even funnier than he did now. She was right, in a sense. He couldn't exactly go back now. Or maybe he could; it was just a matter of how. Did he have to get hit by a car again? He cringed internally at the thought, the last moments of his previous life threatening to return from their brief break — brief, because the last time he saw them was the last time he slept.

"Yeah, but..."
Iseul began, shaking off his darker thoughts and instead exercising his semi-talent of making things up on the fly. Even as the conversation was going on, he could feel the curious gazes from the hallway and adjusted, subconsciously, so his back could block their view of the still-sobbing Areum.

"You like Kihoon, right? And, you know, I'm really close to him, right? So if I, maybe, decided to let you tag along with me..."
he trailed off, holding his palms open in front of her like a magician showing off his tricks. Only, his tricks weren't tricks as much as they were like a failed clown's bumbling attempts to cheer a kid up.

Even as he spoke, he wondered about the logistics of his plan — one that he had mulled over through the past week and yet had made little progress on, mostly due to his indecisiveness on whether it was truly a good idea to go through with it. Well, looks like the decision was made now. He tried his best to sound enthusiastic regardless, as he completed his previous thought with an upbeat:
"You'd get to hang out with him!"


A pause.
"Right?"
He questioned, almost hopefully, as if begging her to feel better. Staring into her teary eyes made him doubt himself even more. Was this really going to be good for her? If somebody from this new future could just tell him, that would be great.



♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:




































  • how she's feeling...



    what more can I lose?

















areum



hopeless lover












"Yeah, but..." Iseul started saying and Areum noticed that the boy was trying to find the right words. Did he really felt guilty for the prank that his friends pull out in her? Or he was just playing a part to make her trust him and then his friends would play with her feelings once again? No, Iseul wouldn't do something like that, his words were short and he was having a hard time expressing what he wanted to say as she noticed the sincerity and worry in his tone. He was really trying his best to make her feel better and that was something that Areum valued, the honesty of someone so she trusted in him that he was there because he thought it was the right thing to do.

"You like Kihoon, right? And, you know, I'm really close to him, right? So if I, maybe, decided to let you tag along with me..." As he said out loud what it was already obvious Areum felt embarrassed and her cheeks turned a share of rosy pink, that most likely had been hide by the puffiness in her face due to her crying, but there was no reason to lie she really liked Ki-Hoon and it was pretty obvious that everyone else already knew about her crushing on him. What was he trying to say? Of course, she knew he was close to Ki-Hoon they were best friends after all, and every time she saw Ki-Hoon he was always next to him, someone that felt familiar but at the same time so far away. She was pretty sure this had been the occasion where both have interacted this much.

Wait, he was offering to help her to be the intermediary between her and Ki-Hoon with the excuse that she and Iseul suddenly decided to become friends even if they knew each other from high school. Was he doing it out of pity? But he really seemed that he was doing his best to come with an idea for her to get close to the person that she liked
"Spend time with Ki-Hoon?"
She said the thought of doing something together was almost like was part of her imagination, like a dream and now she had the opportunity to have her dreams come true and all those scenarios that were in her head would finally become a reality it almost felt like a prank that Areum hesitated to accept, she didn't want to say yes and then have all of Iseul's friends just come out of nowhere and laugh at her once again, her heart wouldn't be able to handle more pain.

"I...I don't know"
What was she saying? This is what she wanted, no? To get close to Ki-Hoon but after the letter, Areum was afraid of this being just part of another evil prank, even if Iseul seemed sincere
"I need to think about it... I should just get going"
She added as she cleaned her face from the remaining tears and tried to gain again her composure before she walked away leaving him alone.

The rest of the day went without more surprises, but Iseul's offer remained in her mind, maybe she should just let go and accept not fearing that this was part of an evil plan, the day was about to end and classes were almost over and she had already made up her mind she was going to do it because this is what she wanted to be next to Ki-Hoon.

She just needed to ask for Iseul's help; she just hoped he wasn't mad that Areum just left him like that. She headed towards where the guy was with some of his friends
"Iseul, can we talk?"
She asked nervously before his friends said goodbye leaving them alone; she took a deep breath trying to gain the courage to say out loud her feelings
"I like Ki-Hoon, I like him a lot, and I know you said you were willing to let me tag along so I can spend time with him so I'll accept your offer, I just want him to like me too"












































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

still trying his best











outfit

click me











location

class > cafe











interactions

areum / kihoon











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















"Iseul, can we talk?"
Timid words, but they instilled a curious silence among the group of boys. Hearing his name called, he glanced over at the approaching figure and smiled. He'd been worried when she'd left abruptly, looking unconvinced by his, well, admittedly unconvincing offer. But it seemed like she was here to agree — something he should be glad about, yet he couldn't help the gloom that threatened to take over. Ignoring the confused gazes of his friends, he nodded his agreement, picking up his laptop with one hand and waving goodbye to the eavesdroppers with the other as a signal that they should leave.

"I like Kihoon. I like him a lot,"
she began. Suddenly, he grew conscious of the expression he put on; it felt wrong to smile, but it wouldn't be right to not. He shook the thought off. It's fine, he told himself. By the end of this, he, too, would have the closure he needed. Wouldn't he?

"I know you said you were willing to let me tag along so I can spend time with him, so I'll accept your offer,"
she continued in that painfully sincere tone, doe eyes meeting his as she, unknowingly but brutally, threw a final punch to his gut,
"I just want him to like me too."


"I- I mean, of course, yeah,"
Iseul stuttered, suffering from a sudden scattering of his excruciatingly gathered enthusiasm for project Ki-Reum. He turned his uncertain gaze to the still half-full classroom, pretending his doubts were about their setting rather than the plan as he remarked,
"Maybe we should go talk about this somewhere else?"



He glanced back at the girl waiting for him, sitting at a pastel table snuggled in the corner of her once-favorite cafe. Or future favorite cafe? Whatever. Those semantics were hardly important to him in the moment. He mindlessly stuck the straws into their drinks — a normal latte for him, and a whipped cream-topped mocha frappe with a topping of peanuts for Areum, because every time they came here she would think about trying something new for ages before ordering the same thing in the end — and grabbed one in each hand as he strolled back.

"Here."
He put her cup down in front of her with practiced ease, moving his bag away and pulling out the chair across from her to take a seat. In his mind, he heaved a sigh, telling himself one last time: I've got this. This is good. He couldn't tell if the sheer number of pep talks he was giving himself was even healthy; he was more nervous now than on his first day of work three years ago. Or three years from now, that is.

"So,"
he spoke, clearing his throat, feeling an odd mix of awkwardness and familiarity when faced with what he finally had time to take in as such a... different version of Areum. Did she always have that haircut in college?

"I was thinking, right,"
he continued, cringing at himself for how in-eloquent he was coming off,
"we could just say that maybe I..."
He tried to recall their grades in the class; who was faring better between them? He didn't know.
"That one of us,"
he corrected,
"was needing help with this class, and so we're studying together? Or something. There's that group project coming up, and we haven't found our third person yet either. I'm sure I could convince Ki..."


He trailed off, a figure appearing just within his peripheral vision like the devil hearing the echo of his name. Iseul paused, first distracted and then surprised, and then slightly panicked as he realized he was right beside the shop window, his face clearly visible for anyone who cared to look. He averted his gaze as quickly as he could, as if that would help, but couldn't help feeling like they'd made a split-second of eye contact.
"I-"
he'd barely begun to speak again when the light cling of the glass door opening sounded and he went quiet again, feeling an ominous presence creep up behind him.

"Hey, Geum Iseul,"
a prickly voice called out,
"you disappeared and this is where you are?"



♡coded by uxie♡
 
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  • how she's feeling...



    I just want to dissappear

















areum



hopeless lover












Areum wasn’t sure if this was the right way. Did her decisions even make sense? She was about to ask the best friend of her crush to help her, so Ki-Hoon would like her. Maybe she was losing her mind and her feelings towards Ki-Hoon were clouding her way of thinking. But again, Iseul was the one that offered to help her, so she wasn’t technically the mastermind of this future agreement. Did Iseul even think it was a good idea? Or he was just trying to fix things without really thinking about the outcome.

Whatever the real reason behind the sudden proposition, Areum still took the chance. What else could she lose? She already spent waiting four hours for a boy that never arrived and that wasn’t even aware that he was supposed to be on a Christmas date with her. Either this was just the last hope for Areum or the wake-up call that her feelings towards Ki-Hoon would never be reciprocated. The last one was really a fact that she didn’t want to happen. So, whatever opportunity she had to be close to the guy that she liked, she would take it blindly, because in her heart she believed things would work out between her and Ki-Hoon and maybe Iseul was just the bridge that she needed after all those years.

And with that hope, she agreed to go talk about their plan somewhere else. Which was the main reason they were now in a cafe; one that Areum always wanted to come to, but never had the opportunity before. Although she heard that the place was quite popular with people of her age and the food and drinks were superb especially the whipped cream-topped mocha frappe with a topping of peanuts, that she had only admired through the screen of her phone but hadn’t been able to drink before.

Although Iseul offered to buy her something to drink, she didn’t have the courage to tell him what she wanted. He was already doing too much for her and even if she wasn’t a fan of plain coffee, she would still drink it because Iseul was being kind to her, so tasting the sour flavor of the coffee was something she could do even once. Unexpectedly, Iseul placed the drink that she had desired for so long in front of her. Surprised, Areum stared at the cup and then at Iseul, repeating the same motion, trying to understand what was happening.

“How did you know I wanted to drink this? I don’t remember telling you what I wanted.”
She asked curiously, but regret what she just said after those words left her mouth.
“I- I mean... Thank you for the drink!”
She added shyly as she took a sip of the drink and listened to Iseul talk. Areum wasn’t sure if his ideas were really thought of or he was just coming up with things on the spot; either way, she gave him the benefit of the doubt, but his proposition about the group project caught her attention. Not that she didn’t have a group already as she usually work with the same girls, but they were the type of group that send their parts and Areum ended up editing and making the entire project again because what they were assigned was incomplete or wrong, and Areum never had the courage to say something about it. Would they be able to do the project without her?

Out of nowhere, Iseul stopped talking and Areum got confused at what was happening as she followed with her gaze towards the boy in front of her was looking at just to face no other than the main reason both of them were in this cafe, to begin with. Panic arose in Areum’s inside this wasn’t supposed to be happening so soon; she and Iseul hadn’t come in the agreement of what their course of action would be. What was she supposed to do?

“Hey, Geum Iseul, you disappeared, and this is where you are?” Ki-Hoon said in a prickly tone. Areum didn’t have a clue on what to say. Should she acknowledge him? Or just let the two friends have their own conversation. But with no warning, Ki-Hoon took the seat next to Iseul. It was quite obvious that there was an awkwardness between the 3. She could almost feel the accusatory stare of Ki-Hoon as he silently demanded an explanation.
“We... we were talking about.. the upcoming group project! Yeah, that was... that was the only thing we were talking about, nothing more.”
She started saying awkwardly, hoping that Iseul would help her from the embarrassment that she was going through, instead her so-called partner in crime excused himself, saying he would get a drink for Ki-Hoon leaving them alone.

With doe eyes, Areum saw how the only person who could be of any help was leaving her alone, which made her feel more uneasy than she was already feeling. Sure, she wanted to have a conversation like this with Ki-Hoon but she wasn’t ready for it. What she could say? What was she supposed to say? The silence was becoming bigger and more awkward. Ki-Hoon seemed more uninterested than before. This was taking a turn for the worse and the ship of Ki-Reum wasn’t sailing, it was just sinking even worse than the Titanic.

“Do you like peanuts?”
She blurted out without thinking and regretted everything afterward. What has she just have done? She spoke without thinking and just asked the most random thing to the guy she liked. This was a catastrophe and Areum desired the Earth would open in the middle and swallow her so she wouldn’t have to see Ki-Hoon ever again. “What?” Ki-Hoon replied confused and most likely annoyed, or maybe Areum was reading too much between the lines. She for sure believe that Ki-Hoon was done with her at that point and Areum just wanted to run away.

“I’ll be right back.”
She said as fast as she could, leaving Ki-Hoon alone and rushing to find Iseul. There was no way that they could solve the failure that was that attempt at conversation. Finding the guy waiting in the line for his order to be taken, she rushed towards him.
“What you were thinking when you left like that? Out of everything I could talk to him, I just asked him if he liked peanuts. He must think I’m so weird; this is so embarrassing. How are we going to fix this? I already embarrassed myself to the point of no turning back”












































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

still trying his best











outfit

click me











location

cafe











interactions

areum











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















"We... we were talking about.. the upcoming group project!"
Areum spoke, beginning what was probably the longest real interaction she'd had with Kihoon in this lifetime. Iseul decided to take this as an indication of the potential this plan of his had, and stood up resolutely to leave the two of them alone for at least a while. Yeah, he definitely wasn't leaving because of the overwhelming awkwardness of this situation.

"You guys talk,"
he encouraged, sending her what was meant to be an assuring look that failed to reach her thanks to her rising nerves,
"I'll go get you a drink."
He tapped Kihoon's shoulder before he walked away, and when he glanced back, he saw Areum attempting to continue the conversation. Iseul wondered if he remembered the taste of the coffee here wrongly or if it always had such a bitter aftertaste.

As he approached the front of the queue, the odd loneliness of being a third wheel began to hit. Before it could truly sink in, however, before Areum appeared by his side, wearing a flustered blush. He arched a brow, but didn't need to ask to guess what might have happened. She must've said something stupid out of nerves.

“What were you thinking when you left like that?"
She hissed, her tone colored in panic. I was thinking you can finally talk to your crush, he wanted to retort, but the woman in front of him finished her order and he had to turn to place his own. Areum didn't seem to mind his lack of response, as she continued to rant:
"Out of everything I could talk to him, I just asked him if he liked peanuts.


He held back a laugh, not wanting to seem like a weirdo to the cashier, and as he moved to the side to wait for the drink, Areum's whispers mixed into the crowd's buzz. Still, he heard pretty clearly her despairing tone when she said,
"I already embarrassed myself to the point of no turning back!"


With a sigh, he turned to look her square in the eyes and in slightly too familiar a tone chided,
“Areum, you're panicking. Calm down, you didn't say anything... too weird. Unusual, sure, but."
Turning around again, he casually picked up a piece of paper towel and then wrapped it around the frappe that the barista had just placed down. Even their tastes match up, he thought with again that bitter tinge.

“Really, I keep telling-"
You, he completed in his head, barely stopping the word from leaving his mouth before he made a mistake. Right. He's barely talked to her before this. Quickly, he switched his words around.
“Everyone. Seriously, Kihoon is a nice kid, he was just born with a stiff face, I promise."


Taking the first step on their return journey to where his friend waited on his lonesome, Iseul continued on his hopefully encouraging speech,
“Look, we'll go back and continue your conversation about... peanuts."
He paused, fighting back the urge to laugh at her choice of topics once again. It was so like her; so weirdly endearing.

He took a short breath and then restarted,
“Talk about sweets or something."
Another pause, he dropped his volume as they approached their table so his friend couldn't hear,
“Kihoon likes sweets, too, so, you know. A common point? Anyway..."


Iseul looked down at her with his most reassuring smile,
“It'll be okay, Areum."



♡coded by uxie♡
 
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  • how she's feeling...



    this isn't what I was expecting...

















areum



hopeless lover












In a perfect situation, Areum would have known what to say; she would have acted calm and collected in front of Ki-Hoon, she would have started their conversation normally for them to get to know each other, and eventually, they would be close with the other, leaving them excited about when they would meet again. But in reality, she was a wreck of nerves that just blurted out the first thing that came into her mind. This was far from what she expected her first conversation with Ki-Hoon would be.

So, out of embarrassment, she rushed towards Iseul as if he could solve her failed attempt at starting a conversation with Ki-Hoon, but what could he do? Instead, the guy reassured her. “Areum, you’re panicking. Calm down, you said nothing... too weird. Unusual, sure, but. Really, I keep telling everyone. Seriously, Kihoon is a nice kid. He was just born with a stiff face, I promise.”

After hearing those words Areum took a deep breath trying to calm herself maybe it wasn’t a failure after all perhaps it was all in her head and besides the inexpressive face of Ki-hoon was one of the charming points he had it was almost as a captivating mystery.
“Nice kid, just a stiff face. I got it.”
She replied to make herself believe he wasn’t just bored with her and maybe he had found her mesmerizing. After all, maybe she was exaggerating, but she would believe anything to boost her confidence.

She followed Iseul as he told her about things she could speak with Kihoon, having at least something in common would help the conversation flow, or that’s what she was expecting. “It’ll be okay, Areum.” Iseul reassured her one last time as he smiled at her, she wasn’t sure if it was that Iseul’s speech made her feel at ease or it was the necessity of believing things would go alright that when he gave her that smile she did the same, somehow it felt like the right thing to do. That’s when she remembered back in high school how everyone would say how Iseul was thoughtful and kind, and it was in that moment that she realized people were right; maybe having Iseul by her side would make things better and a sensation of relief fulfilled her.

As the pair returned and took their respective seats, the nerves showed again. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, but she didn’t want to give up without at least trying. She took a sip of her drink before talking.
“So, what do you guys usually like doing in your free time? We used to go to the same high school but I guess we don’t really know a lot about the other.”
Areum started asking. She wasn’t sure if it was better, but at least it was an improvement from the peanuts question. “We do nothing but gaming.” Ki-hoon said sternly, which caught Areum by surprise since she wasn’t expecting any of them would be the type to be into video games.
“Oh... well I’m not great at them, but when I had the chance to play something I have had a lot of fun.”
She replied.

The conversation was becoming awkward again. What else could she say? She wasn’t knowledgeable in games and she was sure that the games she played on her phone weren’t the type of games the boys in front of her were interested in.
“Are you part of any club? I remember Iseul was on the baseball team back when we were in high school. Do you continue with it?
She asked curiously.
“I’m still part of the art club here. But I guess you didn’t know I was even part of it, back in high school.”
She added with an embarrassed chuckle as she took another sip of her drink. “Business management club.” Ki-Hoon said without giving more explanation. Areum was at a loss for words. He didn’t want to share anything, nor he was interested in knowing about her. Was speaking to your crush always that difficult?

Maybe they could leave the conversation about trivial things to another occasion
“So, Iseul and I were talking about the upcoming group project and we thought it would be good if we did it all together as a team.”
She started saying but got interrupted as Ki-hoon spoke to Iseul. “Why are we suddenly grouping up with her?” Ki-hoon asked painfully honestly. Areum was perplexed at the words of Kihoon. If she was being honest with herself, the honesty of Kihoon hurt more than she cared to admit. Did she say something that upset him? Maybe she should just step out and say that it was fine, that she could find another team and wish them good luck on their project and just never talk to them again.

Areum fidgeted her fingers trying to calm herself and find the right words to excuse herself from that situation because she had already ruined both of Iseul and Kihoon’s day just for her to be there, this was the worst outcome she could think to when she imagined how her first conversation with Kihoon would go.











































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

relaxed.... not











outfit

click me











location

cafe











interactions

areum, kihoon











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















"Why are we even grouping up with her anyway?"
Kihoon's curt question silenced the table like a magic spell. Iseul flinched at his tactlessness, eyes darting nervously between Areum's surprised expression and his friend's oblivious one. God, he had forgotten what a kid this guy used to be — and just when he'd managed to build him back up, too. Was wingmanning meant to be this hard or was it just his luck? Perhaps he'd used all his fortune up with that time travel incident.

“Why not?"
He finally brought himself to reply jokingly, the slightest bit of gritting-his-teeth mixed into his lighthearted tone so Kihoon could feel his annoyance,
“It's not like we've asked anyone else already, and we've known her since high school, haven't we?"
Iseul paused, making sure to look his friends straight in the eyes as he emphasized each word:
“It makes plenty of sense."


Kihoon's eyes narrowed back, and they stared at each other for a beat too long, before the boy finally sighed and gave a half-hearted shrug.
“Fine,"
he conceded, probably realizing how true it was that they didn't actually have another teammate option in mind, leaning back in his seat,
“I'll submit our names to the lecturer, today, then."


“Sure,"
Iseul agreed, all too quickly, smiling with a renewed sense of relaxation at the success of the first part of his plan,
“thanks, Kiki."
At the sound of his cute little nickname, Kihoon tensed, his stare morphing into more of a glare, bringing an even wider grin to Iseul's lips.

“Oh yeah, you don't know about it, yet, Areum,"
he remarked, looking over at her with mirth in his eyes.
“Hey, Geum Iseu-"
Kihoon tried to interject, standing up slightly from his seat, the beginning of a blush coloring his cheeks. Iseul flinched backwards in anticipation of any attempts at hitting him, yet continued without much care,
“His childhood nickname was Kiki. Isn't it adorable?"


Kihoon reached out his arm in a frail move to cover Iseul's mouth, only for him to duck away from it with ease, as if far too used to the antics. In his head, Iseul thought to himself that his maturity had really regressed along with his age, but in his amusement couldn't really claim to be bothered by that fact.
“He had this friend named Nari, who..."
he began, ready to tell the story of middle school and his discovery of what a kindergartener-Kihoon had been like, when he trailed off suddenly upon noticing an approaching figure down the street.

Did he happen to gain a new superpower in the middle of time-traveling? Would everyone he thought of just suddenly appear around the corner? Because, clearly, that was their friend, approaching them, all smiles.

“Hey, isn't that Nari?"
He questioned, though there was little doubt about it, causing Kihoon to settle back down and turn in the direction Iseul's gaze point. He, however, didn't seem the least surprised at her somehow also showing up here. Rather, he waved his hand to her, gesturing nonchalantly for her to join them in the cafe.
“Yeah,"
he finally responded,
"she asked me where we were."


Iseul's brain froze slightly. The memory of how close Nari & his friend were came back to him like a truck; even if they never become anything romantic, as far as he knows, every girl who did date Kihoon always had a phase of being jealous of her. He glanced at Areum, who looked more confused than much else. Well... it'll be fine if it's just for a while?

♡coded by uxie♡
 
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  • how she's feeling...



    too overwhelmed

















areum



hopeless lover












“Why are we even grouping up with her, anyway?” Kihoon’s words echoed in her head. She was supposed to brush off his statement, but it was difficult to ignore when it felt like a piercing stab in her heart. Was this because she liked Kihoon so much that it hurt her so much to receive that treatment from the boy she admired from afar? The same boy that she swore would make her happy and would love her unconditionally once they were together, but why did it hurt so much?

“Why not?”Iseul said, breaking the awkward silence that was formed between the unusual trio after Kihoon’s cruel honesty. “It’s not like we’ve asked anyone else already, and we’ve known her since high school, haven’t we? It makes plenty of sense.” His words felt light and almost encouraging that Areum hadn’t messed up anything, and a slight and sincere smile showed on the girl's face. She was so thankful for Iseul being the moderator of this troublesome interaction.

Just as the words fine left Kihoon’s mouth, Areum left out a sigh she didn’t know she was holding, relief full her entire body, and believed that maybe there was hope for her and Kihoon
“I promise to work hard in the project. I won’t let you guys down.”
Areum said chirpily, and Iseul was also relieved of the outcome of the situation, as his face had a beaming smile too. “Thanks, Kiki.” the guy said and Areum was now was in the front seat of the humorous interactions between the two best friends.

“Oh yeah, you don’t know about it, yet, Areum,” Iseul started, but what seemed a flustered Kihoon was trying to stop him from continuing the next part of his sentence. “His childhood nickname was Kiki. Isn’t it adorable?” Iseul added despite the efforts of Kihoon to stop him. At the sudden revelation, Areum couldn’t hide her giggle at the nickname that it seemed was an embarrassing one for Kihoon, but that she thought it was endearing.
“It really is. I think it suits him.”
She added with another chuckle.

“He had this friend named Nari, who...” Iseul started but was caught short as something or someone caught his attention “Hey, isn’t that Nari?” he said instead causing Areum to turn and see where the attention of the guys in front of her was. She didn’t mind someone else joining them, but she took notice of the small wave Kihoon gave to her. It was sure it was a friendly gesture after all from what she gathered from the past minutes this girl Nari and Kihoon were close friends, so he would treat her differently from how he treated Areum, but knowing that she could have Kihoon’s attention it hurt her to see it.

Nari came towards them with a bright smile and a bubbly aura around her, a little too bright that what Areum was used to; but mesmerizing at seeing someone with such a charming demeanor at just a first glance. If Areum had to compare Nari with her as flowers inside of a bouquet. The new girl would be the focal flower that would catch up all your attention no matter where you looked at it; even her name was fitting for that role. Meanwhile, Areum would just be a filler flower that would just be there to make the main character shine more. Could she even compete against someone that had been part of Kihoon’s life for years?

“What are you guys doing here? You have never been into this cafe before.” The girl asked as she took the seat next to Areum. “Oh! You ordered a frappe, great I have been craving one all day.” Nari added as she took a sip from Kihoon’s drink. While Areum saw the scene in utter shock Kihoon didn’t seem surprised at all. “I don’t know, ask them these two instead, they were already here when I arrived” Kihoon replied in his usual uninterested demeanor, but those words were enough to catch Nari’s attention as her eyes glimmered in curiosity as she continued sipping from the frappe.

“Is she your girlfriend, Iseul? Why you didn’t tell us anything? Kiki! Can’t believe you just meddle in their date! They were just trying to enjoy their time as a couple. How can you be so oblivious?” Nari exclaimed but as those words left her mouth, the embarrassment took over Areum, she got it all wrong there was no way she could date Iseul after all he wasn’t exactly how she would describe her ideal type.
“I’m... I’m just their classmate... We were just talking about a group project... There wasn’t any date going on, right Iseul?”
Areum said, flustered, feeling her face becoming a light shade of pink.

“Oh... Oh! I’m so sorry I just... I misunderstood everything since I have never seen you before with them! Kiki, why you didn’t stop me?!” Nari replied, embarrassed. “You were the one that started blurting out your assumptions. And is impossible to stop you once you talk.”

“Anyway, let’s forget that and start again. I’m Seo Nari, I study Illustration, am also a Webtoon artist in my free time, and a friend of these two.” Nari started saying with a smile, almost overwhelming Areum with all the words that came out of the girl’s mouth.
“Shin Areum... I just share classes with them.”


“If you have any trouble with them, let me know. Everyone might think they are too cool, but in reality, both of them are just horror movies nerds and probably love more their video games than everything else. Kiki is just a grumpy kid most of the time and Iseul... I guess he is too nice?” Nari continued speaking only allowing Areum to nod her head in affirmation “Hey Seo Nari, let’s go I’m already bored and you already finished my frappe.” Kihoon interfered in his aloof demeanor. “You are always cutting the fun. Either way, you are supposed to accompany me to buy supplies for my project.”

And just after Nari said that it was enough for Kihoon to stand up and walk towards the exit of the cafe “He is always so impatient, anyway let’s hang out together another time Areum! See you both another time!”Nari chirped excitedly before following the Kihoon, leaving alone Iseul and Areum. The girl took another sip of her drink, not knowing how to act after the two left.
“Nari is a really nice girl. She seems like the type to befriend everyone.”












































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

sigh











outfit

click me











location

cafe











interactions

areum











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















Nari came and left like a tornado, sweeping Kihoon away with her, leaving the two of them to soak in the silent aftermath. He could tell that all the cheer Areum had picked back up after they agreed to be a group was slowly draining away again. But what could he even say to make her feel better? He was barely able to comfort himself in the past few days; was there a therapist for time travelers out there? He needed guidance.

“Nari is a really nice girl,"
Areum spoke, surprisingly, first,
“she seems like the type to befriend everyone."
She toyed with the drink in her hand almost mindlessly, wearing an expression that said she had a lot on her mind — if a person could look like a tired sigh, that was her in the moment.

“Yeah, that's Nari for you,"
he laughed lightly, trying to channel the awkwardness into humor, but still making sure to emphasize,
“she's a good friend. To Kihoon, too."
He conveniently left out the fact that he used to think they would get together eventually, too. But they hadn't. At least, not in the last timeline. Kihoon had another girl that he was considering marrying, and Nari, well, she was as free a spirit as ever, when Iseul... left. All they had was truly friendship between them, it seemed.

"Well, then I guess we'll being seeing each other for our project from now on, huh?"
He reminded, injecting some enthusiasm back into the mood as he set down his nearly-empty cup,
"So mission accomplished, don't you think?"


He shot her yet another smile — she might think he was overly cheerful, but so be it, if that meant they weren't stuck in a vaguely gloomy air — and got on his feet. Turning around, he took a large step towards the cart behind them with stacks of paper towels, grabbing a couple off the top. He handed it to Areum, so she could wrap it around her drink and take it with them. She didn't seem like she wanted to be sitting around in the cafe anymore.
"Let's go,"
he declared,
"I'll walk you home!"


♡coded by uxie♡
 
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  • how she's feeling...



    getting happier

















areum



hopeless lover












Did her words sound jealous? Perhaps even gloomy? Areum expected it wouldn’t be that way; she wasn’t the type of person to hold something against someone or that would make obvious her discomfort, and there was no way he could hold something against Nari since their interaction was something Areum was processing just before it was over. And it wasn’t Nari’s fault that she was the childhood friend of the guy she had been crushing since high school.

They were on complete opposites sides of the spectrum in terms of who was more important in Kihoon’s life and maybe seeing the gap between the two hurt more knowing how just a couple of weeks before she was waiting for him thinking how she was his special someone. “Yeah, that’s Nari for you,” Iseul stated, stopping her from continuing with those disheartening thoughts. “she’s a good friend. To Kihoon, too.” He emphasized maybe with the purpose of encouraging her that she had a chance with his best friend, which Areum was grateful for his attempt to cheer her up.

“Well, then I guess we’ll being seeing each other for our project from now on, huh?” Iseul added, trying his best to light up the mood. “So, mission accomplished, don’t you think?”

“Yes, of course, that was the main reason we reunited in the first place after all, so it’s nice our plan worked out.”
She said with a slight smile at Iseul’s overly cheerful persona. “Let’s go, I’ll walk you home!” Iseul said. Areum wasn’t expecting he would offer to walk her home, not because it was something unexpected coming from him. Even if they were not close back in high school, it wasn’t to anyone’s surprise to know that Iseul was a kind and reliable kid.

She still remembered hearing one time in their art class how one of his ex-girlfriends talked about how Iseul was like the perfect boyfriend, walking her home, always making her smile, well mannered, and charming. Maybe it wasn’t as deep as she was thinking and he just was being Iseul
“Yeah sure, you don’t really have to but thank you, I appreciate it.”
She said with a small smile.

Leaving the cafe with Iseul wasn’t as strange as Areum thought it would be. They were not as close although they knew each other since high school, something about Iseul was making things feel at ease. Perhaps that was his charming point.
“Despite that, our meeting was chaotic with Kihoon and Nari arriving unexpectedly. It was nice.”
She stated,
“I rarely hang out with people from our class. I’m not saying I don’t get along with them. We just have different friends and most of them are in other degrees, so our schedules don’t match that often.”


She wasn’t sure why she was telling this to Iseul. Maybe it was that he seemed so friendly that part of her wanted to befriend him if it was possible. Was that thought perhaps too childish?
“Oh! Since we are going to work together, I think it would be better if we had each other’s phone.”
She said as she searched for her phone in her bag and handed it to him as soon as she found it.
“I promise I won’t disturb you and only call you for things related to the project.”












































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

0.0











outfit

click me











location

areum's neighbourhood











interactions

areum











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















Not for the first time since his return, that heavy feeling hit, when familiarity & distance clashed in his head. Familiarity, from this path that they'd walked together a thousand times before. Distance, between them, an awkward yet somehow right amount for classmates who weren't quite yet friends. Iseul tried to focus on the ongoing conversation but that, too, was passed through the filter of his melancholy and arrived before him like a faint echo from the not-so-long-ago past.

“We just have different friends and most of them are in other degrees, so ou schedules don't match that often,"
Areum concluded, as they passed the brightly painted stone decorations at the entrance to her neighbourhood. You can always hang out with us, the offer sat on the tip of his tongue, but a certain selfishness made him hesitate. Could he really handle it? Beyond sharing a class, beyond just the group project. If she was always around, stirring up complicated thoughts, could he last in silence?

He had to. He owed it to her, Iseul reminded himself, to make sure she was happy this time around, with or without him.

“Oh!"
She exclaimed, snapping him out of his uncharacteristically pessimistic haze — any worse and he might just break into a soliloquy, Iseul mused. His eyes travelled from the grey road to Areum, wondering what realization she had arrived at.
“Since we're going to work together, I think it would be better if we had each other's phone,"
she continued, reaching into her bag and rummaging around before pulling out her phone.

Oh! Oh, indeed. He had completely forgotten that he didn't already have her number. There was a time when he had those digits memorized. Maybe he still did, somewhere in his cluttered mind.
“Yeah, sure, you're right,"
Iseul replied, accepting the device she held out as casually as he could.

"I promise I won’t disturb you and only call you for things related to the project,"
she added, causing his fingers to pause for a moment above the screen, in the midst of typing in his contact — his had never changed in the six years they were together, they always joked about how she knew his number better than her parents' — and he glanced over at her at the risk of tripping over one of the small pots lined up along her neighbour's fence. She was at it again; treating herself like a burden.

“No,"
he replied, a little too quickly,
“it's fine to call, even if you just want to talk."
Don't keep bottling things up inside, he recalled that past conversation. And the fight: Just tell me what's wrong. You're always like this. He fought back a flinch at the memories.

“Anyway, here's my number,"
he cut himself off, handing back the phone to her,
“send me a text so I know yours. Then, I'll-"
Then, I'll add you to a group chat with Kihoon, is what he meant to say, but his words trailed off as they arrived at their destination. Despite how suspicious it must be, Iseul couldn't stop himself in time from slowing down before Areum even did, as if he knew exactly where she lived.

A figure stood on the front porch... a woman. A familiar woman; Areum's mom. He froze, his surprised gaze locking with her own, and he managed to bow in greeting through sheer instinct. He hadn't thought far enough, to consider how he would react meeting her parents again. In the past, they had a pretty good relationship. He wondered before how they must've felt, when they lost their daughter and realized it was all his fault, even though they'd treated him so well.

“I, uhm..."
he stuttered, eyes flicking between mother and daughter before taking a step backwards in the direction they'd come.
“I guess I should go now!"
He continued, injecting some of what he hoped was nonchalance into his voice.

"Remember to send a text!"
Were his parting words to the hectic day, hands rising in a small wave, before Iseul pivoted, making to walk away, throwing another bow at the woman as he made his escape.

♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:




































  • how she's feeling...



    lunch time!

















areum



hopeless lover












Despite being the first time that Areum spent time with Iseul somewhere else that wasn’t their classroom; it didn’t feel awkward, maybe weird, if she tried to put a word on how to describe their actual relationship. One that started as a mutual agreement to help her date Ki-Hoon. She really never thought of him as someone that would play matchmaker for someone that was nothing more than just his classmate; and not a close one to begin with. But she didn’t want to overthink things and just appreciate his kindness towards her.

Areum wondered why she had told him about her not having a lot of friends in their degree; maybe because she felt some kind of easiness talking to him despite that she always felt as if she was walking on eggshells with everyone around her; hoping that she wouldn’t be a burden or perhaps she was just too blindsided with Iseul kindness, that she felt like she could trust him with the worries that someone else would have found insignificant.

When Iseul replied to her comment about only calling him regarding their group project, she was taken aback by his reply. She wasn’t expecting that he would tell her; she could call him, even if it was just to talk. Wasn’t that something friends would usually do? She wasn’t sure if she could already call herself Iseul’s friend, but after the events from that day, well, they were no longer strangers.

Once he gave her phone back, she gave him a small smile, not really knowing what to do or say next; making that her overthinking was the reason she didn’t notice when Iseul slowed down before her once when they arrived at her house. On most days, Areum wouldn’t have minded being greeted by her mother after arriving from university, but this time was different, mostly because Iseul was there. She noticed the suspicious but still excitedly glance that her mother gave to her after she greeted Iseul back. This was terrible. Areum was sure her mother was already making all the scenarios in her head and all of them were based on the assumption that she and Iseul were dating.

“I guess I should go now!” Iseul said, breaking the silence, not even allowing the chance for Areum to introduce her mother to him and she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or not by that.
“Oh, okay, thank you for bringing me home.”
She said, hoping that her voice sounded as calm as possible. “Remember to send a text!” were Iseul’s last words before departing, which Areum only replied with a nod as she waved back as she saw him drifting away from her sight.

“So, when were you going to tell me about him?” Areum’s mother asked with a chirpy and curious tone in her voice.
“Mom, he is just a friend!”



The next few days went without noticeable situations. She texted Iseul just as they agree and soon after that; she was added to a group chat with Ki-Hoon. What a joyful moment that was. And that day was supposed to be an ordinary day, or that’s what Areum thought when she arrived at the cafeteria. Meanwhile, in the same place, a group of friends was already enjoying their food. That was until Nari spotted the other girl as she picked up her food. “Iseul look! Areum is here.” Nari said in a chirpy tone as she waved at the girl and motioned for her to join them. “Don’t worry, Iseul. I’ll make sure sparks fly between you two soon.”

Not wanting to upset Nari, Areum walked toward the group, noticing how Ki-Hoon and Iseul were with her as she took a seat.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
She said awkwardly, not really knowing what to say next. This was going to be a long lunch.











































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

...











outfit

click me











location

cafeteria











interactions

areum, nari, kihoon











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















The bustle of students settling in, the brightly colored rows of tables, the comforting smell of cafeteria food — it was almost beginning to scare Iseul, how easily he was slipping back into a student's life. His old smile, his old attitude, they were all becoming far more natural to him, unlike their practiced form just a week ago. Every day spent here smeared past memories with a little more blur, all the while bringing the present into sharper and sharper into focus. He'd forgotten, how easy it'd all been.

"...don't have any lessons after this, right? So, I was thinking we could drop by later? I really want..."
Nari's voice chirped like a background bird amidst their meal as she planned another of her impromptu outings, accompanied by a hum of agreement from Kihoon now and then. Iseul's fried noodles were quickly going cold under the whirring fans and so he let the duo continue their conversation, head quite empty as he attempted to inhale his meal before the wonders of heat transfer could fully take place.

"Iseul look!"
An abrupt cue, Iseul blinked stupidly up at Nari, not registering what she was pointing quite fast enough until she continued,
"Areum is here."
With a flinch, he whipped around just in time to see the familiar, nervous figure approach them.

"Don’t worry, Iseul. I’ll make sure sparks fly between you two soon,”
Nari laughed, clueless to the onset of awkwardness that would inspire in both him and, most likely, Areum. Quietly, he cast a brief glance at Kihoon... but he shouldn't have worried. His friend was too busy with his kimchi stew to pay attention, much less partake in this weird tension.

"Ya, stop it,”
Iseul responded, as casually as he could,
"I told you it's not like that. You'll make her uncomfortable.”
The firmness of his tone, however, was completely defeated by the ease with which he pulled out the chair beside him for Areum to slip into. Nari shot him an amused, knowing look. His arm stuttered in its retreat.

Yet, he determinedly ignored her as he turned to the other, far quieter girl,
"Have you eaten? Did your class end late?”


"Oh, also, do you have classes after this?”
An interjection from Nari, a bright grin spread across her face,
"We're hanging out after, do you want to join?”


A pause. Iseul spied the anxiety in Areum's wandering gaze. His own gut did a little flip. Will she come? Did he want her to come? Too many thoughts landed, pulling the relaxed strings of his thought suddenly taut. He glanced again at Kihoon across the table. Spending more time with this guy is what she wants, wasn't it? As a good wingman, he should encourage her to come, maybe subtly hint that this was her chance to get closer-

"You don't have to, if you're busy,"
he softly assured instead, gaze trained on his wilting noodles,
"we probably won't stay out long either."

♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:




































  • how she's feeling...



    lunch time! pt 2

















areum



hopeless lover












Areum would not lie. She felt like an intruder sitting with them despite how welcoming Nari was or how kind Iseul was when he pulled out the chair beside him just for her and, well, Ki-Hoon, it was still a work in progress. But she trusted Iseul that he would do his best to make sparks fly between the two of them, eventually. It was just a matter of waiting and well, Areum was an expert of waiting since she had been waiting for the same guy to notice her since highschool.

“Have you eaten? Did your class end late?” Iseul asked. She wasn’t sure if there was a slightly worried tone in his voice or if Areum was just imagining things. She was about to reply when Nari’s cheery voice interjected between the small conversation that was happening between the two. Areum thought for a moment, trying to remember if she had any classes after that, but the answer was no. Areum only stayed because one she was hungry and second she wanted to go to the library to study, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she skipped a day and exam season wasn’t near, so it was okay to miss a day besides she wasn’t scheduled to work that day, and this was a golden opportunity to spend time with Ki-Hoon.

“No, I don’t have classes anymore and I have nothing planned to do after this. So I’ll like to hang out with the three of you."
Areum said with a slight smile.
“Oh! And Iseul my class didn’t end up late, I just got busy asking some doubts to the professor but thank you for worrying, that’s really sweet.”


“Well, then it’s decided the four of us are going to the arcade after having lunch! You won’t regret hanging out with us, Areum!”











































♡coded by uxie♡
 




































  • how she's feeling...



    fun times

















areum



hopeless lover












Hanging out with Iseul and the others felt refreshing. The vibrant personality of Nari was enough to energize anyone and work in perfect contrast with the serious and a bit moody personality of Ki-Hoon; and the balance of it all was the personality of Iseul, one that was easygoing and kind. It was almost as if the three of them were meant to be together as friends.

And while in other circumstances, Areum would have felt like an outsider, somehow she felt at ease with the three of them. Their journey to the arcade was full of curious questions from Nari to Areum. The girl was pretty sure that Nari had decided to know everything about the new addition to their group; before the other two could even ask her a basic question like what was her favorite food.

“It’s been a while since the last time we came. I hope no one has broken my record in the shooting game we always play.” Nari said as soon as they stepped inside the arcade while they were received with the neon lights and sounds coming from the different games. “Areum, do you come here often?” Nari added, which Areum felt embarrassed to admit that it had been a couple of years since the last time she came to an arcade. Which was back in highschool when she went to it after hearing some of her classmates saying they went there with Ki-Hoon; and played that zombie game that was popular back then, which she tried only to realize she didn’t have any talent for aiming.

“It’s been a while since I came to an arcade, so I must really be bad at games but I can always watch you play.”
Areum stated, “What do you mean you won’t play? We can play as pairs since we are four of us. I’ll pair with Ki-Hoon, since he sometimes becomes too competitive in this kind of games and someone needs to keep him in place.” Nari said with a smile on her face. “Isn’t you the one that gets competitive?” Ki-Hoon replied, receiving a poke in the stomach of Nari almost saying that he needed to shut up.

“Well, if you don’t mind being paired up with me. I’ll try to do my best so we can have fun together.”
Areum said to Iseul with a small smile, before Nari excitedly dragged everyone inside the arcade. They would play some games and had fun. What could go wrong? Well, Areum wasn’t expecting that Ki-Hoon and Nari would be completely competitive. Areum was sure she had never met someone who took arcade games as seriously as those two; who tried to beat their records while Areum was just trying to survive the first round of every game they played; and so far it was a complete failure if it wasn’t for Iseul, who was way better at this that she could ever be in her entire life, but even with Areum’s failure he never seemed upset at her.

But despite the disastrous attempt to beat Ki-Hoon and Nari, Areum had so much fun and started to remember when was the last time she felt this and she felt happy to be able to spend time with them. While they were making their last round, Areum passed next to a crane game, noticing a plushie of a penguin. The girl stood up in front of the game thinking if she should try to win it, but she didn’t have too much expectations. “The prizes are so cute! Kiki and I have never been good at this kind of games, but you don’t lose anything trying!” Nari said excitedly as she appeared next to Areum.
“I am not sure, I don’t want to waste all my money on this.”
she replied.

“Well, while you decide, let’s go and take some pictures in the photo booth. I was able to convince Kiki, so let’s do it before he changes his mind.” Nari said while she dragged the girl with her towards the photo booth where their other two companions were already waiting. “Let’s take some pictures! What if we do first with the person we were paired up with and after that we could do one together. What do you guys think?"











































♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








traveller



iseul.













mood

falling in love 2.0











outfit

click me











location

arcade











interactions

areum, nari, kihoon











tags

Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy















Iseul's eyes followed Areum's gaze to the claw machine. From a distance away, he could barely make out the prizes, but he would put his bets on the hat-wearing penguin. It was her type of stuffed toys; cute, but just a little off kilter. A doting smile sneaked onto his lips that he rushed to hide, as Nari fluttered into view.

Photo booth... convince... he heard in snippets, and shot his friend a questioning look. Kihoon only responded with a shrug, annoyance tinted with an embarrassed flavour. Iseul scoffed. He'd almost forgotten what a fool younger Kiki was. If Areum could just see through to that side of this guy... his lips pursed — she'd probably find it cute, too.

"What if we do first with the person we were paired up with and after that we could do one together,"
Nari continued.
"What do you guys think?"
Iseul's attention snapped back to the conversation, looking once more towards Kihoon in hopes of a protest that never came, before his gaze moved to Areum, who seemed not to think much of the suggestion.

"We don't have to do it separately,"
he spoke out, a little too abruptly,
"just taking one as a group should be fine."
Three pairs of eyes turned towards him at once, questioning. Iseul shrugged, embarrassed, lips frozen in a sheepish smile.
"I mean, it'd make Areum feel awkward."


A frown passed by Nari's brow that made Iseul feel nervous, accompanied by a drawn out hum, as if she was in thought. But, true to her carefree nature, Nari beamed her usual grin, tone reassuring when she replied,
"Oh, that's true. You don't have to do it, Areum! Then, I'm gonna take it with Kiki first."
With swift hands she reached for a clearly re-hesitating Kihoon, dragging him away towards the photo booth and leaving the arcade feeling oddly hollow.

The shuffling of his own feet was all Iseul heard for a moment. Whether it was when he was walking her home or right now, being alone with Areum stirred a conflict in him, between familiar comfort and a looming sense of unease. Every other second, a different side won. Another glance stolen. She was looking at that claw machine again.

"Should we try it?"
He finally spoke, rolling the sleeves of his cardigan up, walking past her towards the machine before looking back with a smile.
"I'm pretty good at this, you know?"


Or, at least, he was at one point in high school. He hoped this was one of those things, like swimming or cycling — muscle memory, ingrained in you forever. And, if not, well. He supposed Areum would at least get a laugh.

He slid a bronze coin into the slot, bending down slightly to get a better look at the toys. Quiet eyes scanned the pile until he spotted the penguin in a hat again, sat conveniently unobstructed by the others. He couldn't help but get a little too into it, as one does with these kinds of games, attention laser-focused as he started. The buzz of the moving claw cushioned the silence between them, and it was only as he pressed the final button that Iseul looked to his side.

A muted old song played to his victory, the only sign of success to him, whose gaze lingered far too long on her. The neon lights of the machine glimmered in her eyes; he watched as they narrowed in anticipation then widened in surprise. She turned to face him, features lit up by a bright smile. Iseul took the breath he was holding at last.

♡coded by uxie♡
 




































  • how she's feeling...



    panicking

















areum



hopeless lover












Taking pictures was not something that Areum expected to do, but she knew it worked like a way to remember the day, something that Nari was especially up to doing. Did Areum mind it taking pictures? Not really. She liked the idea, but for some, it could be kind of awkward after all. She couldn’t say they were friends as if it was the first time they had hung out together, and all of this happened just because Iseul decided to help her date Ki-Hoon. Perhaps that was the reason she didn’t overthink the words of Iseul when she mentioned the awkwardness that could exist in the both of them taking a picture together.

And as both Iseul and Nari agreed, the picture would be too troublesome for Areum. The girl only shrugged in acceptance without saying a word that she didn’t mind taking a picture with Iseul, but perhaps that was the best decision for their little plan to work. To distract herself from what had just happened, her gaze went back to the claw machine, and wondered if she had the skills to even win the stuffed toy that caught her attention. Would the others think she was being childish for trying to win that prize?

“Should we try it?” Iseul’s voice broke the silence, and a surprised look took over Areum’s face. Was she that obvious? “I’m pretty good at this, you know?” He admitted while he gave her a confident smile, to which she only was able to reply with a slight smile back. Areum walked a couple of steps back from Iseul, standing next to him just as she saw her companion sliding the coin to be able to play.

Areum didn’t expect Iseul would put so much effort into trying to win the stuffed toy, especially one that seemed like a hassle to win like the penguin with the hat that was the one that she wanted. How did he know it was the one she wanted it? Perhaps Iseul was the kind of guy to notice the little details that most people ignored and that was the reason he didn’t hesitate ongoing for that specific prize.

She took a glance at him as he was trying to win the stuffed toy noticed the subtle wrinkle he did with his nose while being invested in something, and thought it was adorable of him. Wait, why did she just think that? This was Iseul, the guy who saw her sobbing when they returned from winter break and told her he would help her date his best friend. He was more of a partner in crime than nothing, yet here she was observing the smallest details of his persona and categorizing in how adorable she found them.

When the song of the claw machine started playing, Areum’s attention got back to the stuffed toy. Her face lit up with a smile as she held the stuffed toy closer to her.
“Thank you! This one was the one I wanted,”
she said joyfully. But as soon as she said those words, Areum took notice of a strand of Iseul’s hair that was out of place without thinking. Areum extended her arm, fixing it to how it was.
“Now it’s fixed.”
She said with a slight smile, but as soon as those words left her mouth, she noticed what he had just done. Wasn’t that out of place? After all, they were not particularly close to her to do that. Her cheeks turned into a light pink tone from embarrassment.
“I am sorry! I don’t know why I did that. Let’s go back to the others. They should be over with their pictures by now.”
She said awkwardly before turning back and walking back to the photo booth. She started wondering what was wrong with her.












































♡coded by uxie♡
 
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