lgceunji

[lgceunji]

     @lgcxahra​ is performing!

     eunji stood, hands clasped, hair done. it was prettily fashioned into her iconic ponytail, but curled and bouncy. she knew with that and just a little touch of the stylists’ makeup, she looked good. that was really all that mattered! she was on tv to be popular, to entertain, not to actually do good cooking. she knew from the previous season that absolutely zero viewers were in it for the cooking, so, all she had were her looks and variety skills. for that day, though, she could already tell she would be using no such skills.      it was out of her head. the event itself was gone. the smoke, though, it lingered.      her face was as dolled as it could be. not a single hair was misplaced. underneath, though, at the base of the beauty was a defeated child. there would be no jokes. there would be no smiles. eunji figured, even in her pessimistic state, that looks would be what she had best to give.      she stood beside her partner, ahra, and listened patiently to all instructions. she did not give big reactions, she only took what was given to her and made note of it.      before the mc’s could finish giving them all the details, eunji was already planning ahead. she leaned over to her new friend partner.      “what kind of desert should we do? it should be something simple, right? we don’t want to mess it up.”

[lgceunji]

✧ .・゜゜dream high; dark

     “here, i got a little something for you while i was out!” eunji squeaked excitedly. in two hands, she held a small, red, velvet necklace box.      “oh- oh! oh, for me?”      eunji nodded eagerly.      “oh! um, well, thank you, but i don’t really do jewelry, you can keep it.”      “. . . what?” her squeaky voice turned cotton soft. like cotton candy being torn apart, the two halves of her little heart split.      “yeah, sorry, it’s nice of you to think of me, though! i really appreciate it!”      eunji stood tall. she held her shoulders back, and gently, nodded. the box was still closed as the other girl walked away. she was one of the only girls in the musical eunji thought she could get close to, or use, as disgusted as she was with herself for thinking it. she found a perfect target, she set a trap, and then. . . nothing. the mouse did not even bother sniffing the cheese before running off to reherse her scene.

     “oh, no, it’s okay! i already ate earlier.”      “i don’t actually wear necklaces, but thanks!”      “uh, there’s no movies out right now that look good. . . maybe next time!”      “hey, i have these shoes already! how did you know?”      no trap caught anything. every set up, never having failed before, worked. there were all these new musical girls and not one of them fell for it.      of course, eunji thought, the obvious mode of action was to record the rejections and post them on sns, outing the trainee and stirring up a scandal before they can even debut. she could feel the heat on her arm. the glass in her eyes. no, no, no that was a terrible idea. . . but if no blackmail, then what?      it was tech week, thought to be the most chaotic week of them all. eunji did well on stage, as confident as ever, but as eunji sat between scenes, there was nothing.      her eyes filled with darkness and blue lights. in the white lights, her hair was a fiery red. now, it was a muddy blue. even her skin looked paler, wrong, in the dark lights.      someone sat beside her. a girl. a pretty girl. eunji instinctively sat up and opened her mouth. then, like tripping, she fell back. she hunched over. she shut her mouth.      she wondered what to say, how to say it. her long nails tapped along her forearm. where did she go wrong all those times before? would this be another chance for it to go right? why was she thinking so hard about it.      just as she worked up the courage to ask the other girls’ name, she was off. she moved away from eunji. all night, nothing changed.      eunji went home in the dark.

word count: 458

[lgceunji]

✧ .・゜゜side event 010, individual discipline; safe violence

     eunji sat across from a manager. news about isac was going around. she was told, over and over, that she really ought to participate.      “it’s good for the fans! they want to see you, eunji, not just know about you. you don’t even need to be good at what you do either, just, go for it! pick anything you like and it’s yours to compete in.”      a piece of paper was slid across the table. the sound of paper and wood echoed through the room. eunji’s hands, for a moment, did not move.      a groan.      “well, no one is forcing you to, i just thought you might enjoy it, is all.”      eunji’s eyes went to the paper. she could hear the other trying to leave the room. she knew it was her silence that ruined the vibe of their little meeting.      her eyes, without any advice, jumped to the third thing on the list. gymnastics.      eunji grimaced.      “ew.” she whispered.      “what was that?”      she wanted to get as far away from gym as possible. it was toxic, not fun, pressuring, annoying, physically painful, emotionally painful, abusive, difficult, and unrewarding. never again. never.      her eyes did not stop. she could not help her. her bored, depressed brain must have been starved of stimulation.      more footsteps.      individual archery.      eunji’s brows furrowed. archery? she had not thought of that. they were allowing trainees to do archery? she wondered what it might feel like. pulling the bow back, just like merida, and having the luxury to shoot at something, anything? it sounded fun. her heart raced.      “wait-” she commanded, sticking one hand up from the table. she used it and pointed to the paper. “i want this one.”

     she almost never went to practice. it was offered more than once but always turned down. how was she to shoot anything if she could hardly dress herself in the morning?      only the day of the event was she up. she was ready to face whatever the stupid show she had signed up for was going to be.      she got there, to their practice arena, and was given a rundown. she nodded but never said yes. before she knew it, she was off, allowed to start practicing.      she only had to lift her bow once to fall in love. she smirked. she smiled. she pulled back, hard, on the arrow. oh, she was going to pull it as far as she could. the tension matched her. it stung. nothing could break the rope. nothing could cut the tie.      she shot. it exploded forward. she gasped as it careened away.      eight points?      oh, yes, this is it.      the crowd inside isac was loud, but, it felt, the crowd just outside was even louder. random nobodies from all over the world showed up just begging to sit and pretend they were good at something. eunji was no different. she would pretend, she could pretend, and then she would be.      she was hurried to her designated spot. she wanted to go. she was ready to fire. the sound of the bell, or horn, or gun, could not come soon enough.      bzz.      she threw her bow up and shot. sparks flew. for the first time in days, her eyes were wide and bright. it felt good. it felt so good.      she scored a five.      she was already smiling. it was an evil grin. drunk with safe violence.      bzz.      more.      she craved more firing. more, more more. she wanted to go over and over again until her arms gave out.      in the end, she scored, well, something, but she did not care what. she blatantly walked away as soon as her ten rounds were up. smiling, from a distance beautifully, she strutted away with her head held high. it was never about the score at all. it was never about the sport at all.

word count: 643

[lgceunji]

     eunji’s eyes followed the beads onto the table like a pound puppy’s eyes follow a treat. swollen. blinking hurt. opening them hurt. still, she did not flinch.      she reached for the remote. she knew how to control it after days and weeks of breaking into the old lady’s home. she flipped through whatever. she scrolled. she sighed. she needed something, anything, to make her. . . romantic. she needed romance.      she wanted to watch beauty and the beast, the little mermaid, anastasia- she wanted to watch anything magical and fairy-like. she settled on a boring drama about high school lovers. it was like all the other dramas, and eunji knew that, but she watched it anyway. she started the first episode, knees tucked to her chest, wishing dearly for the happy ending that she already knew was coming.      the beads.      she swallowed.      she could hear coach screaming in her head.      just because you’re tired doesn’t mean you get to be lazy! take a break, get water, and then get your little ass back here before i drag it back. do you know how hard it’s going to be? do you know how much you need to break? i’ll break all your ribs to show you real pain, little girl. and even when i do break your spine in, like a dog in the streets, i’ll get you back on that beam. pain doesn’t mean laziness, you little shit. get to work.      she took a deep breath and stared at the beads. she could hardly move her hands. they were stuck. she counted to three, to try and throw them up, but they stayed glued.      “no. get to work.” she whispered, picking up her first black bead.

[lgceunji]

     the brushes, the lipstick, the eyeshadow, they all looked so plain. she knew it was unreasonable to think that every palette before her just so happened to be grey and mutted. yet, eunji could see them no other way. grey. brown. mutted. dull. nothing like a class sori would teach. . . even the deep plums and wine reds, rather than deep, looked dead.      her head slowly lifted to the teacher. the unfamiliar tickle on her shoulder made her shiver. she pushed her hair back, trying to get it off of herself. she had little strength to put it in a ponytail. she wondered how sori went about with her hair down constantly.      she did not laugh at sori’s attempted jokes.      god, i can’t believe this girl- how embarrassing can you be?      she clung to the idea of chewing sori out for being so embarrassing. yet, she could not bring herself to think a further rude thought. she remembered the fire. again. no, she decided, she would never be like that.      she stared at sori, like a baby learning a stranger’s face. when she heard her name called, as if possessed, she stood up. she walked. she felt like she was being moved by puppeteer. the strings in her knees lifted her slender, yet heavy self towards her friend.      friend. . .? is it too risky to call sori a friend?      as if a queen taking to her throne, eunji boldly sat in the makeup chair. she stared out at all the faces. they looked at her. their eyes all looked so colorful.      concern? worry? disgust? excitement? envy?      it felt so good. every single expression made her chest tingle. she held her head high above them.      she shimmied her shoulders, getting comfortable in her throne, and kicked one leg up and over the other. she took a deep breath.      “what look will you be giving me today?” she had stolen her voice from a mermaid.

[lgceunji]

     eunji leaned in as he spoke. really, he could have been saying anything. she just wanted to look. her eyes feasted before her on those eyes, just turned in so but still wide and gorgeous. his perfectly shaped and even nose that even made her wonder if she needed a touch-up. more than anything, she was enamored by his gorgeously shaped lips. it was not often that such a handsome man was also gifted plump lips like his. and, oh, when he smiled. . .      even during her true focus of his visuals, though, she listened. she listened easily to him, so easily that she could be distracted, but she still knew what he was trying to say.      “hm. . .” her sweet voice lowered into a tempting whisper. she had something to say, yet, even for her, it was hard. “i think you’re wrong. you do mind being in the background, or else, why would you be so bothered by it?”      she put her elbows on the table in front of her. she held her head in her hands. something about him was a peaceful break from the whirlwind in her head. he was so needlessly dull. it brought her to earth. he was so handsome, yet, he made her think straight.      an idea.      “you know what!” she jumped up. she kept her hands delicately on the table. she gave him a sweet smile, yet held her head high. “i know what you need! you stay right here!”      she rushed away, ponytail bouncing to and fro behind her, and returned with her gym bag. this time, she chose to move the chair to sit beside him. she showed him the book in her hands.      a little princess.      “i know you’re not a girl, but,” she held the book with two hands, touching the cover tenderly, “this book taught me a lot! i think it will really help you with your performances- it’s all about this little girl who is, like, super, totally, mega rich, and then she, like, has it all taken from her! in a snap! and so, then, well. . .”      she took a deep breath. she had fallen far too deep into her excitement over her favorite book. she lifted one leg and crossed it over the other.      “i guess you’ll just have to read it, huh! trust me, it’s a really good one and a quick read!”

[lgceunji]

✧ .・゜゜casting call 007; ah, this is it

     eunji sat in the waiting hall with the other girls. the female actors and trainees all went past her, silently, heels and sneakers punching the floor. some were tense and some were confident. at the very least, they all felt something. eunji was the only one with her hands in her lap and her head facing down.     even as the other girls got up to sing and dance and practice around her, eunji stayed put, feeling nothing at all. she had no desire to stand. she had no desire to dance. yet, she pushed herself to practice days before. now, though, if it was not necessary to jump up and dance, she would not do it. she convinced herself that she was preserving energy. truthfully, she had not an ounce of energy in days.      her red hair did not smell like sweet, strawberry shampoo. her lips still tasted of toothpaste. under her monotone clothes, she was tense. her large muscles did not bounce happily, but tensed sedentarily.      once, she had heard a girl walk past and ask, shocked, “is that really jin eunji?”      she ignored all the rumors. she ignored all the mutters. she only listened to the sounds of the ocean that she made up in her mind.      a crashing wave, above everything, rang through to her, “jin eunji? is there a- it looks like a trainee, here named jin eunji?”      all the girls heads turned to her. she could not look up until she took a deep breath.      she slowly stood, and then looked up. she raised a tiny, shy hand.      “that’s me.”

     she followed into the audition room, whereupon there was a small platform for a stage.      her high voice was lowered. her well-loved hair was barely brushed.      “hello. my name is jin eunji. i will be auditioning for an ensemble role by dancing to dream high’s main song.”      after various levels of bored nods, she took to the center of the stage. her music was played. she imagined it was the same music the other girls danced and sang to.      the beginning was only dry motion. she was given a chorus to complete. she had a mission. so, dully, she followed it. she threw her hands as told. she turned as planned. it was a vanilla dance. she took it exactly as instructed, adding no frosting or sprinkles to the cake.      then, as it went, something shifted. she took her own path. instead of following the given choreography, she planned a piece of her own. she took a deep breath. she thrust her arms out. she twirled just so. her lips turned into a smile as she rocked to the song.      before she knew it, it was over. the entire minute and a half was gone before she realized, and, she found herself in her end pose.      she took a deep breath. she pressed her lips together. no one could hold back such a smile.      as if a slow, rising tide came in, a thought entered her mind.      ah, this is it.      so simple, yet the phrase began to repeat in her head like a mantra. like a song stuck in your head. ah, this is it. ah, this, this is it.      “thank you, jin eunji.”      as fast as the song had ended, she had returned to herself. she was let out of the room and her head fell. her lips turned downward. she passed through the doors looking completely dejected.      “woah. . . look at her.”      “do you think she messed up that badly?”      her ears were extra sensitive. she could hear the others’ whispers around her, real and unreal. still, even hearing them, no change came to her. she did not lift her head or walk with confidence. she walked, if anything, slouched and tired. yet, even so, the happy mantra played in her head. a broken record.      ah, this is it.

word count: 648

[lgceunji]

     zipped. shut. locked. eunji’s lips were as sealed tight as they could be.      eunji sat on the floor. she wore her hair down. her lazed bones had no strength to do her hair. for the first time, in years, her hair looked frizzled. it looked like it had not seen moisturizer in weeks. her new, red, hair was less than cared for.      “-something they can hold onto forever and cherish!”      sure.      eunji wanted to speak but she must have not wanted it that badly. like two heavy, chapped rocks, her lips stayed still and pressed together.      the girl could not even watch jiyeon move about as she stared off into space. she could have died. she could have died. but, here she was, alive. why did that alone not give her energy? jiyeon zipped to and fro, in eunji’s eyes, while eunji stayed still and silent. it felt horrible but at least it felt cold.      her brain could only register so much. all she knew that was happening was she was here, on a mission, to make something, and jiyeon was currently making it. other than that, her mind was to fogged to see any light, even when inches from her face.      not only was her vision to the world fogged but the inside of her head was clogged too. every wire, every spark, was rearranging. it happened so fast that, to eunji, it seemed nothing was happening at all. her thoughts moved so quickly that it looked as if they were still.      like put in slow motion, like a zombie able to speak, eunji’s rocked lips finally began to part. they were heavy. they dragged her. with them, they dragged her voice, and she could only speak very slowly.      “can.. we.. watch.. something?”

[lgceunji]

     hey, all! i got some great advice from our dearest lgcseojin mun and i wanted to make a post specifying what kinds of things my muses’ fans would know about! so! read this to have a better understanding of my characters’ public personas and what questions i would love asked about them!

     HUNJI: questions can be about future dreams and why he’s on it if he’s not a full year yet, his pets and if he has any, his family and if he has any (the public doesn’t know his family dynamics), other interests, what his childhood was like, and what made him join lgc.

     EUNJI: questions about gym and the olympics, her favorite things/general interests, her home life and where she grew up, her free time interests, if she has any pets, tmi’s, her dancing, her sudden switch from singer to rapper, or her music career/career in general!

     BENJI: questions about america/his home life, his lack of popularity/notoriety, his always good mood despite not debuting, the rumors that he did murals for famous rich people around the world, his free time interests, and his clothes/why he always wears the same thing.      also, if you read this far, give this a little like so i can send you some questions too! (i rlly love coming up with them actually! i’d be happy to send one or more~)

[lgceunji]

     eunji tilted her head. she was an older child, yet still looked so much like a baby. eunji wondered how big they were when they. . . come out. are they this big? she thought someone had told her this child’s age but now there was nothing. no numbers, no statistics. there were no imperfections on this child despite being inherently not beautiful.      no cheekbones, not really, and dull eyes, eyes like most girls. no abs, no muscles, no waist, no hips, no nothing. she even had a giant, gross head for her tiny, fat body. yet, despite everything, eunji was infatuated.      do i love you because i’ve never seen something so ugly? you should be so ugly, right? all babies are. . . all babies are a little gross.      eunji lifted the little girl’s hand to look under her arm. no skin drooped. it was amazing. she just. . . stayed like that. eunji even gave the girl a gently squeeze of the bicep. there was no stiffness like muscle, yet her skin acted as though she was fit.      “you’re so weird. . .” eunji whispered. she plucked another popcorn kernel and fed the girl the puff. she just stared at eunji. blank. eunji stared back. bestowed.      “what? did you pick a movie?” eunji tuned her head to yeseo. the other two girls were cuddling on the opposite side of the couch. eunji plucked two kernels by the time her new best friend had finished one puff.      “i don’t care what we watch. . . it just can’t be disney. i hate princesses.”      eunji handed her baby another puff. then another. she stared at the baby’s stomach. something in her told her to lift up the child’s shirt to see how fat she really was. eunji lifted her shirt.      with furrow brows she stared right at her fat little baby tummy. she looked like an obese whale. did they all get birthed like this? fat and gross? she dropped the shirt back down. with wide, curious eyes, the child followed eunji’s hand.      “how can you be so pretty?” eunji’s hand reached up to the baby’s chin. it was fat too.

[lgceunji]

✧ .・゜゜babysitting services; like you

     eunji sat on the couch, now sitting straight up, with that baby in her arms. ever since the twenty month old child was handed to her, she never put the girl down. likewise, the little girl never seemed to let go. there was something there. it was a sudden spark, or a sudden love, that eunji felt for the baby. maybe the blank-faced-bundle did not agree, but, from eunji’s eyes, there was no way she could deny or explain the sudden feeling.      maybe it was that she wanted a child of her own. maybe it was that she could not imagine her own self being so small.      still, even as the clocked ticked and the minutes became seconds, she was smiling at the little girl.      before her, the staff had set up a camera and a chair. there, eunji was to be interviewed.      “how was the babysitting experience?” the interviewer asked.      eunji took a deep breath. she brilliantly beamed.

     “well,” she looked down to the little baby in her arms. her voice was suddenly even higher than usual. “it’s been an awfully good time, hasn’t it?” she pet the baby’s head softly. the little girl looked blankly at her. only her eyes were wide and attentive. it was the same, adorable expression eunji had seen all day. she never wanted to look away.      “this was your first time on babysitting services,”      eunji did not look away from the little girl. she just nodded as the interviewer spoke.      “what made you want to join the show?”      eunji sat up straight. with all her power she was able to look up and away from the baby. the baby, too, looked away, and both ended up staring at the camera.      “well, i thought i didn’t like kids,” eunji knew to look directly at the camera and not the person behind it, “so, i really was coming. . . i think i just wanted to experience something new.” she tilted her head. it looked like she was giving the baby a hug. maybe her cute tilt was an excuse to do exactly that.      “so, i joined the show because i wanted the chance to do something fun. i really thought i would not like the kids, but, i wanted to challenge myself anyway.”      she just had to take another glance at that cute kiddo.      “but, i ended up really enjoying this,” her voice raised in pitch again, “i’m glad i got to meet someone like you!” she gently tapped the little girl’s nose with her index finger. the little girl scrunched her nose and gave eunji a great smile.

word count: 435 points: +5 english, +2 notoriety

[lgceunji]

✧ .・゜゜dream team; my bad!

     eunji was covered in sweat. her hair was up, in a ponytail, but all those baby hairs still were matted to her forehead. it was a mess. all her makeup had either sweated up or somehow ended up in her mouth. atrocious. yet, smiling underneath the cheap frame, was a gorgeous painting. her smile was unlike any happy thing conceivable by mere man. a goddess? she sure felt like one.      despite not exactly winning, she was confident. she held her head high. her master plans, her evil intentions, all selfishly to win, for the most part, went according to plan. now was her big chance to explain her thought process.      the interviewer, who was behind the camera, wasted no time getting to the questions.      “eunji, what did you think of this game?”      she furrowed her brows. she tilted her head. a painting under a frame.      “the game? um,” she looked around. she was not expecting such a simple question. when could she get to the meat of her thinking? “it was good!” she looked forward, “it was really fun! i think it was simple, but, really really fun!”      cleared throat. check. next.      “eunji, you had a very interesting strategy. can you please explain to us what that was? you mentioned shields?”      eunji threw up her hands and clasped them together! with a bright grin she eagerly nodded.      “i was hoping you would ask that!

     “well, really, it was pretty simple but it worked out really well.” she mused. she put her folded hands behind her back. she looked sweet like that. innocent.      “i would just run until i found someone, someone like aaron,” she smiled, “and then i would take him, because the girls wouldn’t do the same thing,” she rolled her eyes, “and i would pretend that someone was chasing me! this would make him nervous, and feel like he had to do something. who is going to walk away from a scared little girl? anyway! then, i would stay with them, and when the time came for it, or if two people came after us,” she sighed deeply with another eye roll, “which sadly never happened, i would just, well, shove him into them and then run away! or, if i was more confident in who i was with, then i would just make whoever i was with fight the opposite team, get their tag, and then, well, keep protecting me! they do all the work, i get to sit back, and all it takes is a little bit of acting!”      “that is. . . quite the strategy.”      “why, thank you.” she blinked innocently.      “then why did your team lose?”      eunji took a deep breath. she twiddled her hands together in thought. she pursed her lips. “well, you see, i didn’t exactly. . . i was too scared of getting my tag taken,” was it just more acting? “so, i wanted to survive as long as i could, even if i got no flags and we, uh, didn’t exactly win. heh. my bad!”

word count: 504 points: +2 english, +3 korean, +2 notoriety

[lgceunji]

     she was infatuated with everything about the little girl. she counted her eyelashes. she looked at her nails. they were so tiny! her feet had toenails too! it made eunji take a glance at her own toenails. hers were much bigger. over and over eunji looked at the baby, the rather big baby, and then looked at herself. she even gently examined the child’s teeth, lifting her upper lip. they were so tiny! they were so spread apart! eunji laughed at it. how had her own teeth ever been that small? had she ever been this small at all?      eunji could hear the pitter patter of feet on the padded floor. she turned her head to see a ball of hair bouncing onto the couch. delighted, eunji laughed! popcorn spilled on the floor, just a little, and eunji scrunched up her nose. yeseo would clean it later for sure.      “oh my god!” eunji laughed, “be careful! you’re gonna spill it everywhere- here, give me some.” eunji reached out a hand. the kid must have felt like a friend of the fairly older female. she took to giving eunji a sizeable, for her tiny hand, cluster of popped corns. eunji took it in her own palm happily.      yeseo’s criticism of their movie choice made eunji’s nose crinkle.      “i don’t care what we watch,” she was moving so she was more slouched. she sat the one year old up more and kicked her legs out. she put her feet on the edge of the couch, knees bent high. it was a comfortable back rest.      “can you even eat this stuff? can she even eat this stuff?” eunji furrowed her brows at the small child. for twenty months, she spoke very little, but eunji did not care. she saw to it, on pure instinct, because her iq numbers would never be of good service, that the little kid was to eat only the most puffed parts of their puffed popcorn.      she snapped the crusty parts off and ate them. then, she held the puffed part to the little girl. she would open her mouth and only eat the safe stuff.      eunji looked to the tv. “i think horror is okay,” she remakred. she did not mind that her mouth could never fill on popcorn alone, “if it’s too scary just turn it off, right?”      pick. pluck. puff. pick. pluck. puff.

[lgceunji]

     hey, all! it’s the new trimester so as of now i am officially DROPPING ALL EUNJI THREADS! the only exceptions are @lgcjiyeon​ and eunji’s isac thread, @lgcxjun​ and eunji’s confidence thread, and @lgcyeseo​ and eunji’s event thread! but, all others will be dropped!      i really want eunji to have a lot of friends in this group so please! feel free to message me for plotting or maybe even give this a like and we can discuss a thread/a starter!

[lgceunji]

     eunji stayed infatuated. his eyelashes, his facial peach fuzz. even the scent coming from the top of his head, some baby powder she assumed, had fully captured her. she smiled at him, just a tiny smile, a non-detectable one. he stared back. he was confused, bewildered, maybe, and just as infatuated. her smile grew.      “what are you thinking, little one?” her voice was light, “have you ever seen someone so pretty before?”      she gave his nose a little tap and giggled. he only smiled back, a quick flash of the cheeks, then whipped around. yeseo was on about something. why did she always ruin the mood?      when yeseo held the box out to her, eunji took a deep breath. she kicked her leg out to the side and held her hand on her hip. she tilted her head, bitchy in every way, and the judgmental baby on her hip was no help.      “ugh,” she rolled her eyes. why was it always the older sisters ruining the fun? she just wanted to play with the baby! “why doesn’t it just come in a bag?” she moped.      her head snapped to the cameras around them. she stared, gave them a look of confusion, and dropped her hand. she swallowed and wiggled her feet together.      “well,” she took a deep breath. her voice was once more light and sweet. “i guess we can go pick out the movie, right?” she looked down at the eldest boy, who had been shockingly quiet, and held out a hand to him. “do you care what we watch?” her question was half hearted. she was going to watch whatever she wanted anyway.      “what do you think about horror, boys?” she belted into the living room. the boy beside her jumped.      “yes! let’s watch IT!”      eunji laughed as her new friends followed her to the couch. she sat down, criss cross, on her legs, and put the baby in her lap.     “oh!” her mouth opened and her eyes widened, “go tell yeseo thanks for making popcorn,” she reached out and patted his head. excitedly, he ran back to the kitchen with a loud mouth at the ready.

[lgceunji]

     eunji’s tall, newly red ponytail bounced through the cafeteria. like a bunny’s tail, her hair made her easy to spot from anywhere. she adored this new look, even if temporary, she knew a just a major change would make her look a hundred years younger.      to and fro, she strutted from table to table. at one, she started drama about some guy named hunji. at another, she whispered to her friends about the boy she likes. hurt, help, hurt, help. she had no time to eat seeing as this was one of the few times anyone got to socialize.      when she was done, and she worked up an appetite finally, she went and got food. she was on a strict diet for her weight loss and muscle gain, so, she only had meat and a side of radishes for her lunch. on her way to sit, well, wherever she so pleased, she heard someone talking about her.      like coming home, she heard whispers, but like finding your room painted new, it was something positive!      she stopped in her bounce. she turned around, her red hair flying out, shocked and delighted all at once.      a treat? just for me?      the cinnamon and apple perfume was strong. her smile grew when she saw how handsome he was. a cute boy like that thinking about her? it had to be heaven, just where she belonged!      with big strides and a bigger pride, she sat across from him happily.      “i heard you talking about me?” she laughed, “did you say i was confident?” she sat back and put her hand on her chest, “that is literally so sweet of you.” she pouted, but her lips curled up, at what she heard. she would not take disapproval for an answer either.      she set her elbow on his table and leaned in. she gazed at him, smiling, and her lips parted. they were tinted red.      “but,” she sighed, dreamily, and looked him up and down, “a handsome boy like you? why do even need to be confident? you have everything you need,” she stood up to lean forward. she giggled and booped his nose, “right here!”      she knew the true answer. she was looking for a reaction. was he as smart as a bag of hammers or did he really give a damn about feeling better?

[lgceunji]

     “i don’t know what it is!” she cried, throwing her hands up, “but it has a picture of popcorn on the box! but, inside, there’s just these flat, wet bags.”      eunji sighed and put her hands on her hips. she looked at yeseo, partly confused and partly upset. she felt that this whole popcorn thing was far too complicated. why did they not just have bagged popcorn like every normal person? were they so poor as to need to grow their own popcorn with brown, paper bag seeds?      her eyes snapped to the child. how old was it? no more than two, eunji figured. it looked into her eyes and she looked back. her hands squeezed on her hips. she had the sudden feeling. . .      why is it actually kinda cute? i hate kids!      cooking was no talent of eunji’s. she was much better off socializing, and, picking movies for everyone else. she suddenly reached her arms out. she had no clue how to hold a baby but went for it anyhow. two hands, under the arms, and up out of yeseo’s.      her voice softened like it never had before. around yeseo, someone she was always nagging and being nagged by, her voice was high and nasally. now, with a baby in her hands, she spoke like a new, young mother.      “i can take it.” she did not let yeseo have more than a moment to think before the baby was in her arms. it stared at eunji. it looked at her arms. it looked bewildered. had such a young child never seen a girl with muscular arms before?      eunji followed what yeseo did and set the baby on her hip without thought.      “i’m not good at cooking anyway.” she was speaking to yeseo, but, was looking at the baby. it was so strange looking. why did it’s eyes seem so big? why were it’s ears so small? what happened to all it’s hair? she hoped she was never this bald as a baby. did her parents photoshop hair onto her when she was born?