Invisible String || PURINZ

02 • stressful outings

Mornings weren't Yunjin's favourite, but she didn't hate them. She wished she could get up with the sun, like Minji– but her alarm always sent her into a fit of grogginess and the longing for just a few hours more of sleep.

But however much she pined for more rest, her second alarm made her rise up and rub her eyes. Looking in the mirror on the grey wall, her messy hair and spotty skin made her want to cry. About ten layers of makeup would fix all this– though she didn't feel like going through all that effort.

Being dramatic is a lifestyle, really.

With a sigh, she left the comforts of her bed. Her feet touched the cold bedroom floor, sending a shiver up her back. She walked on the very tips of her toes, trying to get away from the icy stone, however that didn't last long.

"Rough morning?" Hanni asked from down the hallway. She, too, had just woken up: Yunjin could tell from her foggy eyes.

Together, they walked down the hall and into the kitchen. "I'm just stressed," The other replied with a sigh.

Hanni gave a nod of understanding. "Because of auditions, huh? You'll do well, Jennifer. You know just as well as I do that you're amazing. You've got this, really!" She cheered.

The pair split up: Yunjin sat on the kitchen counter as she took an apple from the fruit basket whilst her friend raided the fridge. Minji was already in the kitchen, sitting at the small table by the window staring at her phone.

"Hanni is right, you'll do well." She spoke in English just like the other two.

Hanni poked her head out from behind the fridge door, looking satisfied. "See? Even Min thinks so."

With a slow nod, and her mouth full of bits of apple, Yunjin started to feel a little better. "I hope my group is kind," She sputtered whilst covering her mouth.

"You're going to choke if you keep that up," Minji reminded her– this time in Korean. "I'm sure they're lovely. Eunchae will be there with you, and the girls we met a few days ago seem nice. You already know them, don't you?"

The other made sure to swallow her bite of apple before speaking this time. "I do." She answered absent-mindedly. Hanni and Minji shared a look– they knew there was more to it than Yunjin let on.

"Who knows, maybe they won't make it. Enough people who audition, right?" Hanni tried. Minji raised her eyebrows, wondering if that was the right thing to say.

With another sigh, Yunjin nodded. "Just one more week. I can wait a week." She mumbled.

—x—

Yunjin loved coffee. Her greatest love was coffee, and it saved her ass every single day. So, as she sat on the cool floor of their practice room, she sipped on the straw of her ice cold coffee cup. With every sip, she felt like she was floating.

"Okay, so left-right-left-down... and what was it again?" Eunchae asked from the other corner of the room.

Yunjin turned her head, observing how their coach helped the younger girl get her steps right. From the corner of her eye, she saw the flash of a shadow by the door. She took another long sip from her drink, thinking it was just someone passing by.

"Jennifer, Aeri asked if we want to meet up later?" Hanni asked, peeking over her shoulder.

Danielle looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Aeri? That's Giselle, right?" She wondered. The other replied with a short nod and a goofy smile.

"Yeah, I'm up for that. I've decided to take the afternoon off and just practise when it's nice and quiet here." Yunjin replied, setting her empty cup neatly on the ground.