Love & Hate (Moonsun)

Forty-Six

Her portfolio is almost perfect. Byul has been doing a lot more editing than photographing the past few weeks, but it would be worth it. She'll get accepted somewhere far away from her parents and classmates and she'll open up once she gets there. She'll hold hands with Yong and kiss her in public without the fear of someone she knows seeing her.

You won't be disappointed in me anymore, she thinks and glances over the racks of dresses towards Yong and Hyejin. She's holding up an elegant, floor-length gown in front of her body and waggles her eyebrows towards Hyejin in question. She'd really look perfect in anything.

A loud snap in her right ear startles her. Wheein's eyes are narrowed and she's crossed her arms. "I need you to focus Byul. You can stare lovingly at your girlfriend later. Right now, we're looking at dresses."

Byul groans, resuming her comb through of her currently fifth rack of dresses. "I hate dresses and I hate dress shopping."

"So you've said. Many times now."

She reaches over to ruffle Wheein's hair. Tiny hands rise up to combat her away. "You're just my own ball of sunshine, helping me through the pain." Wheein rolls her eyes. "Maybe your time is best spent helping Hyejin with a dre-"

"Aiish! Don't you dare finish that sentence."

"I'm just saying, since you're abstaining from dress shopping until Sam formally asks you to the dance, you should be helpful. You're not being helpful to me right now."

"That's right! I am dating Sam. And Hyejin is just my friend."

Byul pauses in her dress searching to stare at her. Wheein has been acting weird lately and she wouldn't divulge on the why. But she always ends up coming around in time and telling Byul everything, so she's not particularly concerned, just weirded out.

"And in other news: grass is green."

Wheein flushes red around her neck before she sulks over towards Yong and Hyejin. Their Saturday seemed to have gone a lot better than her own and Byul is glad for it. Even though Wheein has her band friends, it would still be nice if they keep in touch - no matter if it's only for Hyejin's sake.

Byul watches her gesture at Hyejin whose eyebrow is arched in what almost looks like disbelief. Yong eyes dart between the two of them, lips upturned into an amused smirk.

She knows Yong believes that Wheein is what she explained as 'pasta noodle straight'; wherein one thinks they are straight, but, after lengthy exposure to a moisture-inducing substance, can become quite pliable. In essence: spaghetti is straight until it gets wet and so is Wheein.

Byul, on the other hand, understands Wheein's interest in Hyejin as merely an attempt at friendship. However, Yong did mention there was a moment in time Saturday where Wheein pressed her knee against Hyejin's crotch during a moment when they were fake flirting. That's the bit she's waiting on an explanation for.

"Would you like to come to the dressing room with me?" Yong has appeared at her side, three vibrant dresses slung over her shoulder by the hanger. "I need a handsome lackey to hold my frocks and tell me how pretty I am."

Byul shrugs and relieves her of the garments over her shoulder, grateful to not have to look at more dresses for herself. "You look simply radiant, m'lady."

Her mouth pulls up coyly. "Keep that up and I might have to reward you."

"You are the air I breathe, m'lady." Byul droops into an exaggerated bow. "No reward is greater than thou presence."

Yong cringes as they walk towards the back of the store. "You're so gross."

"Only because I've trekked through the mud for your atten-" She's cut short by Yong's finger against her lips. After a quick glance-around of the near empty store, Byul kisses it.