moonstruck. | 정원

008 | plucked notes.

★ | eight. plucked notes
6:45pm : tuesday

HYERIN STOOD IN FRONT HER CLOSET, feeling a flutter of nerves as she tried to pick out an outfit for the birthday party. when Minji had suggested she wear the pretty white mini dress, Hyerin had hesitated. it was flattering, no doubt, but it was also a bit more revealing than what she was used to.

as she slipped into the dress, Hyerin couldn't help but feel self-conscious. the fabric hugged her curves in all the right places, but the neckline dipped lower than she was accustomed to, making her feel exposed. still, she trusted Minji's judgment, knowing that her friend had a keen eye for style.

with a deep breath, Hyerin stepped in front of the mirror, her reflection staring back at her with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. she smoothed down the fabric, adjusting the spaghetti straps until they felt just right. beside her, Minji appeared in a more casual ensemble—a pair of wide-leg jeans and a crop top— a contrast to Hyerin's more feminine ensemble.

"you look absolutely gorgeous," as Minji gave her a reassuring smile and a nod of approval, Hyerin felt a surge of confidence. "thank you, you too."

"ready to go?" Minji asked with a smile. "yup." she replied. this was going to be something.

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Hyerin was excited but a little nervous as she arrived with Minji at Choi Haerin's older brother, Choi Hanbin's birthday party. the house was filled with loud music and lots of good-looking teenagers and adults. there were colorful lights and people dancing in the living room.

"woah, this is crazy," Minji said looking around the house.

"I can feel the bad energy already..." Hyerin said looking around as well and scrunching her face in disgust as she saw some students making out.

"oh please, this is how all high school parties are," Minji rolled her eyes. "do you want a drink?"

"nope, I'm good."

Hyerin noticed some of her peers holding red solo cups, some of them were even underage, clearly enjoying drinks. she opted for a soda herself, as she wasn't quite ready to try alcohol.

"hey !! Minji, Hyerin, y'all are here! I've been waiting for you for so long, seriously." Haerin said to them with a smile. "where is Jungwon? you didn't bring him?" she asked as Jungwon was nowhere to be seen.

"he's coming! he said he'll be a bit late and told us to go without him when I offered him to come with us," Minji said.

"yeah." Hyerin nodded her head. she wondered where Jungwon was and how long he was going to take to arrive.

"ohh, okay! have fun, I have some guests to welcome even though I really don't want to but see you later!" Haerin said before hugging both of them and disappearing into the crowd.

Hyerin couldn't help but look around the house, trying to find a certain person. her eyes lit up when she found him, Park Jongseong, chatting and laughing with some of his friends.

suddenly, Jongseong's energy shifted as he headed over to a corner and picked up his electric guitar. he plugged it in and strummed a few chords, the room got quiet in anticipation. Jongseong's fingers dance effortlessly across the strings, Hyerin couldn't help but admire him.

"rin! are you even listening??" Minji suddenly said making Hyerin flinch a bit. "huh?" she looked at her best friend in confusion. "what happened?"

"you're really in love, ugh." Minji rolled her eyes, surprised at how Hyerin was really busy admiring Jongseong that she wasn't even hearing her.

"well, isn't he just perfect?" Hyerin said, looking at her crush with heart eyes.

"he's literally taken, you homewrecker!" Minji hit Hyerin's head, making her wince in pain.

"the hell?! I'm not a homewrecker! I'm just crushing, okay? I'm not that type of person."

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