FILE: XU LILI _ MODEL PORTFOLIO

@LGCENT just posted a photo!

just another year around the sun 🎁 ❤️

#lgctrainees #lgcent #xulili

other than a keratin treatment, lili would be aghast to have a lick of bleach touch her virgin hair. her fingers reach for her unsplit ends with a testing eye before flicking the hair over her shoulder, “i would,” kyoka was right, lili would look good in pink — as she looks good in anything — her ego was showing. “but i’d rather not, i love being brunette.” 

it would probably lili’s only boring flaw — the fact that she had never wanted nor ever would want to dye her hair another color. 

“people can be such antis,” and in their line of work there were many of those. not that lili was a good person, herself, but she was far from a 일진 of the likes that were constantly getting thrown around in media these days. “try not to hang around those bad apples, okay?” 

her chopsticks tap her silver tray, glancing at what she had leftover on it ; "do you want my potatoes?"

She tucks a strand of her hair behind at the unexpected compliment. "If I have the money one day," Kyoka solemnly begins, "I want to dye my hair pink and green, like a strawberry." And then she promptly hides her face behind her hands at that declaration, mumbling something about pineapples again. Once she's recovered from her own words, Kyoka adds, "But I bet you'd look super super pretty in pink too!"

Nodding along to Lili's words, Kyoka takes the time to finish off the rest of her plate. "One person in your school who hates you and-" she collides her fists together into an explosion to illustrate her point.

"Yup! Everyone had stage names too, so that technically our real identities are private." She shrugs. "But the entrance exams are all posted anyways and people can guess age orders based off stories so it's not that helpful." Besides, all the academy girls knew each other, so really, everything was an open secret.

໒꒱ . TRAINEE MISSION # 17 _ NOSTALGIA PERFORMANCE ( DOLPHIN ) 、

despite her initial toil and complaint, lili finds a refreshing relief once she finally steps foot onto the stage. the heated lights overhead that dim before the start of the performance. the quiet murmur of staff and performers as they quickly take their places. the silent cue to begin — it all pricked at her nerves and delighted her in ways that make the past few weeks of grumbling kind of worth it?

( i know — shocking )

the songs aren’t necessarily hard. 

in fact, other than the slight hitches in octave, lili finds them fitting into her range with ease. she had never thought she’d grow accustomed to singing such cutesy songs about love but — here, she is. grinning and bearing it, as she can, all while prancing around as if the cutesy, pretty love that she sang about was all that mattered in the world. 

its fitting though — such cute songs for the turn of seasons. and with that thought, lili realizes, she could hardly care less about what they wanted her to sing. even if it was a song about some mid dude being a dolphin, no less. 

( lili’s interpretation, mind you )

she just missed being on the stage, in front of people, having them fawn over her in ways that only the lights and the roar of a crowd could do. the lights are blistering as the song starts up and the peppy beat drills through the sound system.

the dance isn’t hard — a flourish of hand movements here — side stepping into formation, there. rocket science be damned — it as like clockwork, hitting each beat with it’s composed movement that lili wishes that they had changed it, made it their own but she supposes this is what it meant for them to be doing these stages:

to be appeasing to its nostalgic factor. 

when songs only required pretty girls to sing cutesy songs with average choreography that aided in its virality. it’s in no way for lili to meddle — she thinks — as she moves from the side to the center once it’s her turn, the words rolling off the tongue with a dazzling smile to boot. 

because if it got her on stage, what did it really matter?

( at least for now )

request for you to not be a bitch

request denied

“you’re right,” she sighs — side-eyeing the trainer, utilizing her most famous confused expression: a draw of the brows, the slowing of her lips into a small, perplexed pout. “it also doesn’t help that he’s being so annoying about it, too.”

having been a transplant all her life, lili has been accustomed to not knowing where she’ll be or where she’ll stay. implanted from one place to another, from one caretaker to another — but never to the ones who really matter. so, she mulls over the question — one, to any other normal person, would be considered an easy-going, friendly question. 

lili decides easiest is best.

“los angeles.” it’s where she’s been the longest — so, by default, she supposes she could assume its role as her hometown as necessary.

“and you?” she tried to place the other’s accent but asking would probably be the easiest way to an answer.

Amelia loved the fact that she was a foreigner. She loved using it as an excuse during training and also to mess with other people. Throughout the years, Amelia had gotten out of a number of different scenarios thanks to the fact that she was a foreigner. She'd also made quite a lot of friends thanks to being a foreigner as well which was even better.

Amelia listened to the other girl, using her face as a mask to hide their true intentions. ❛ I get it. Some days are just not your day and when they add training on top of it it's just too much. ❜ Amelia shook her head softly.

Amelia was trying so hard to ignore the look on the coach's face while he stood next to them. Her desire to cause mischief and mayhem was too much right now. Growing up with two brothers had definitely shaped her personality. The fact that the other girl was just as into her idea as she was told Amelia that they would definitely become very good friends in the future.

❛ I'm Amelia. It's nice to meet you, Lili. Where are you from? ❜

call it an act of rebellion or a battle of wills — or maybe lili was just tired of playing the role of the ‘woe is thou’ and wounded — but the second she found out her grandmother had once again cancelled on her once again, lili was done playing a facade that was barely holding on by a thread. tape and plaster could do little to hold up what once was, such tools were futile to what true care and attention could do. unfortunately, lili knew such a thing — so, maybe in hindsight, it was better to shed these masks rather than cling to their rugged shards.

abandoning her role to play, sitting there to listen to a meeting that had nothing to do with her except play appearances was not how she wanted to waste her free time. the downfall of her crude decree of renouncing these responsibilities were that they had to fall on someone …. and sadly, that someone had to be yutai.

when she arrives, she comes with a consolation — or was it a perceived condolence? — in tow, a box of chocolates she had picked up in cheongdam on her way over. ducking into the fluorescence of the convenience store, she taps him on the shoulder with a passing hand; nearly missing his cup of ramen as she drops the dressed up chocolatier tote onto the counter. “as a thank you for your service today.”

it was lili’s best way of apologizing, even if an apology would never leave her glossed lips. ( it’s like they say, better than nothing, right? )

✧⁺ DIMMED LIGHT: @lgclili

yutai hated still being present in his family's lifestyle, but there was no helping it. this was an alternative to the promise he couldn't hold up with his mom. since he couldn't become a model within a year, he negotiated new terms that allowed him to still train but make appearances when summoned.

though today's dinner wasn't one he was summoned for, instead he volunteered to participate in it for a dear friend of his.

sometimes, he did things he didn't want to do to save the burden of those he cared for. he knew that when lili's grandmother canceled, she would have preferred to not show face when she was hurting. so being the friend he is, he decided to go instead of her and sit through the long, boring conversations about a business he didn't care for.

when he messaged her to meet up with him at a convenience store so he could fill himself with good ramen, he expected no backtalk from her. not today.

standing by the window, he mixed his preferred dinner (even if it wasn't the healthiest) and waited for her to show up so they could talk about all the things she missed out on.

“no, no —” her hand immediately shoots out to take chaekyung’s arm again, raising the other’s hand to her forehead again. “check it again, i definitely feel something coming on.”

when the rouse is called — lili frowns. method acting, her ass! “everyone does that when they feel faint — me, i’m everyone and i feel faint, i swear it.”

she didn’t feel faint — but how was chaekyung to know? weren’t symptoms like these supposed to be subjective? 

“maybe it’s because your hands are so cold.” it was definitely not because lili wanted to be escorted out of this bird-infested hell.

( just when she had thought they had finished another trainee returns with a ha! just then — lili feels her eyes roll to the back of her head, her blood running cold )

"fine, be that way, abandon me in my time of need!"

she did as she was told, bringing her hand to lili's forehead to check her temperature. huh. the warmth of her skin felt normal. chaekyung wrapped her arm around the older female, this time placing her hands on both of their foreheads to compare temperatures. nothing. her hands weren't that cold, so she should have felt it if lili's temperature was higher.

her eyes narrowed as she squinted at lili. "your temperature's fine... and you look," she paused, scanning her from head to toe, "totally healthy." chaekyung let out a gasp followed by a low whisper, "your acting's so bad, unnie. the moment you said 'oh' followed by my name, you gave yourself away." as she said that, she pulled her arm away and gently pushed lili back so she could stand on her own. "nobody does that when they feel faint."

“i bid you no harm!” raised above her head, lili rises from where she had been laying in secret; where the hope of the other passing by her undetected had been all but lost, lili knew it was better to admit quick defeat than harbor another’s ire unto herself — she already had enough of that with the authorities. 

( she could only hope her picture plastered all over the kingdom’s posts did not do her justice )

she emerges from the shadows, slowly. assessing the situation with every dire step she took towards the unknown voice, if necessary, lili would run — there was no knowing how far she would get, but if all else failed, it would be her first prerogative to get the hell out of there.

 in the light, her eyes adjust, blinking for effect as she settles her gaze upon the other girl — and to her surprise, relief floods her, immensely. hands sought unto the girl’s wrist as first chance, nearly pummeling over the other in her rush. “miyu!” she couldn’t believe her eyes, what were the chances? had her luck changed? could miyu her lucky charm, per say? “w-what are you doing here?” the poisoned gardens hadn’t been the first place she would have pegged the other to venture, but then again, neither would lili be caught dead there, as well, if it hadn’t been exactly the place no one would come looking for her. 

━━ gyeseung | blossom ( @lgclili ) 

what drew miyu to the poisoned garden was mainly curiosity. though she had never truly been interested in the art of healing, her parents had tried desperately to teach her the tricks of their trade. seeing the dimension in the pocket realm, something pulled her towards it. she's forgotten most, if not all, of the craft, but is determined.

her journey begins and miyu starts to seek out a certain ingredient that will help restore the shine to her instrument, something to help polish it. it's an act of defiance in a way; using what she'd found in a way that her parents would turn their nose up to. she doesn't intend to stay in the garden for twenty days, not concerned with gaining poison immunity.

in fact, she'd rather get in and out as quickly as possible.

there's no map, no directions, but there's a picture burned in miyu's mind of what she needs to harvest. after searching for what feels like days, she's tired and ready to turn back. until she hears a rustling behind her.

"who's there?" she shouts, eyes darting around the area. miyu listens carefully, waiting for a response, sensing that someone else was in the area. "are you a friend, or are you a foe?"

fun was not the word that could explain her mood but she supposes it was the best way to … levy the anguish that was swirling inside her. if she had expected anyone to stop her, such a feat goes without notice, their presence easily slipping through the doors like sand between ones fingers; quick, hard to hold onto and without fail, easy to miss. 

lili knew she would hear no end of it later but she didn’t care about that, at least not now.

for the remainder of her birthday, lili wanted it to be about her.

and rather than wallow at home, moping about another failed birthday, she mulls jisoo’s suggestion with a tilt of her head; bracing the new year’s cold with a quick tug of her jacket around her shoulders. “what do you have in mind?” the night was still young but — it was the beginning of the new year, what were the odds somewhere had room to accommodate them?

it really didn't feel like a birthday dinner at all, and it makes jisoo think that they ought to rewind a few days and have had a mutual celebration instead. it's not too late, considering how its going. belated never hurt anyone ( well, on paper. but with lili, it could always play out to be a different story ) but anything seems to be better than this. the whole event was decorated as a farce for lili's birthday but the charade did not match. the memo was missed. and no birthday cake even!

jisoo is dressed for the occasion but the celebratory part seems to be amiss as he sat for majority of the eve, legs crossed and observant at the lack of anything truly happening. trying to stay quiet through the droll of speeches, there was only so many bathroom and water breaks he could take while not ditching his friend's side.

"yes, time does fly when you're.... having fun." he clears his throat, glancing at his watch. "i think it is time to head out. if you'll excuse us," his family did have a dog, settling perfectly at home with his parents, but it would be well-suited as an excuse if anyone asked for proof of photos. he hadn't brought anything with him that wasn't already on his body, lest his coat so with that in hand, he is already on tailspin on the way out. he prefers to have lili go ahead of him, in case anyone starts asking about why they were leaving so early, or that they not ought to go.

only when they're out of earshot, and sight and having turned the corner, jisoo glances at lili fully first before opening his mouth again. a conversation with her at times could be described as standing in the middle of a fork. which way to go? "would you rather head home or be on autopilot and we still end up celebrating your birthday a little more quietly between the two of us? we're already out and dressed for it."

having already had the go around earlier in the day, lili finds herself coming through the halls once again on a whim. would the cards have changed by then or was it a daily thing rather than an hourly rotation? her collection of ‘drink me’, ‘eat me’, and ‘open me’s were as provocative as they come but didn’t really answer the question that was looming in everyone’s minds:

why?

why did the pranks this year seem so tame? — was there more to the picture? — was there something they were all missing? were they all just lying in wait for the better, more out-of-this-world prank of all pranks to happen? 

surely, this had everyone on the edge of their seats and that was more than enough reason for lili to try her hand at the cards again. perhaps getting more would change her odds for whatever this was all leading up to.

but, as it turns out, from the lack of collections, maybe the cards were really that hard to come by. “huh, i would have thought they’d added more by now. there was a ton earlier.” 

pulling out a stack of the cards she had commandeered earlier, she looks at the words scrawled across them. “i’ve gotten a drink me, eat me and open me — but not a take me. want to trade for one of them?” lili didn’t know what any of them meant but maybe if she was able to collect them all, it’d somehow give them better meaning. “it’s definitely very alice-esque, don’t you think? with the eat me and drink me, maybe it’s a hint to their costumes this year? maybe we’ll see some naughty caterpillars for halloween?”

two of hearts.

⇢ starter for @lgclili

" take me ... " areum reads. after taking so long to find one of the playing cards ( they really didn't need to hide the cards as well as they had ) she couldn't help but be a little bit confused as to what the card meant. with a quick glance around, areum approaches one of the people beside her – were they as unlucky as herself, to get such a vague card ? " did you find one of these too ? " she asks, holding the card up to show the other woman. " because i ... really don't understand what this is supposed to mean ... " areum chuckles meekly. " does yours say something similar ? "

" they're usually pranks of some sort ... " she comments, recalling previous years. " should it be fishy they didn't do that again ? or are these cards some sort of an elaborate prank ? " she wonders, examining her own card a moment longer. " i don't really know – and the motif is cute, but what does this have to do with nintendo ? " she hums, frowning. " i don't know, i'm stumped ... this isn't any kind of puzzle i know how to solve. what about you ? "