THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON — If Lili Is The Moon, What Does That Make @lgcjisoo?

lili had never thought her social battery was one with a limit — but today, it seemed to exist in bursts. teetering on its last legs as she lets zoe’s drawl come in one ear with a nod and a small, passing smile when it goes out the other. it wasn’t that she was tired or anything but there was only so much energy could exert and unfortunately, much of it had been placed on emphasis when for the first time in the last four hours she had finally tried to try her luck in selling these goddamn soap bars that just were not their consumer’s target product today.

soap — she thinks, while sipping on the cup of juice she had snatched up from emi earlier — why had it been soap?

“mm,” she says in reply, setting her cup beside her on the bench. biting her tongue when zoe mentions luck — and sure, maybe the others did have luck on their side. even if the unspoken advantage was a tell-tale sign of it all. 

“grace, huh?”

losing with grace had never been her style but lili liked that that was how it seemed despite everything. 

“i wouldn’t be hyping up the food too much, if it’s anything like yesterday, the food will probably not be to the best expectations.” again, lili was not looking forward to being dressed to her elbows in misplaced vegetable chunks that did not make it onto the cutting board. her heel kicks gently at the ground with a small wry laugh, “you’d think because it’s our last day they’d treat us to a nice meal, i could really go for some ginseng chicken soup.” 

she didn’t want to complain — scratch that, this was lili — all she did was complain. 

♥︎ ╱ ꜱᴜɴᴅᴀʏ - ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴀɴᴛꜱ ᴊᴜɪᴄᴇ? ⤿ ꜰᴛ. @lgclili

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀♥︎

Zoe leaned back against the weathered wooden bench, relishing a moment of calm amid the bustling marketplace. The frenetic energy of the morning's sales still echoed in her mind, but now, with a satisfied smile, she turned her attention to Lili. She had seen her around Legacy before, so Zoe was grateful to get a chance to talk with her really.

"Can you believe how quickly today flew by? Team Juice really nailed it!" Zoe exclaimed, a glimmer of triumph in her eyes. She felt a swell of pride for their team's success, knowing they had earned a well-deserved break while the other teams took over the cooking duties.

Glancing at Lili, Zoe acknowledged her friend's efforts. "I guess luck was just on our side today," she remarked, reaching for her water bottle to quench her thirst. "But hey, don't stress too much about it. You did fantastic out there, and now we get to enjoy a scrumptious meal thanks to Team Soap Bar!"

Zoe's curiosity got the better of her as they continued chatting over their lunch. "By the way, how was your challenge with selling soap bars?" she asked, genuinely interested in Lili's experience. "I know it was a tough crowd out there, but you always handle it with grace."

EYE OF THE STORM     ୨୧    @yujinlgc     / backdated !

it was an ill-kept secret that lili was rotten to the core. sure, she liked to think of herself as a better, bigger person when it came to most things but even the ugly head of jealousy was hard to hide. 

harder to hide when one of her close friends — at least, closer than most — had just debuted before her. 

yujin deserved it, of course she did, she worked harder than anyone she knew but that couldn’t — wouldn’t — stop lili from secretly wishing for her despair, her downfall, because deep down that was just how vile her heart was — how despicable her ambition had ruined her. but it wasn’t like it was yujin’s fault that lili was left behind — falling through the cracks so far below to not even be considered — no, it wasn’t yujin’s fault at all.

and yet, that wouldn’t — couldn’t — stop lili from blaming her. 

but like any bigger, better person, lili was trying her best to keep it hidden; smiling when she sees her friend at her debut showcase. grinning and bearing it when she sees her friend’s face all over her social media. she was the bigger and better person, but lili was seething through it all.

very much so as she sits beside her so-called friend and listens, with bated breath, as the other vented about struggling with her new-found fame, god — it was taking everything within her from rolling her eyes, livid at what she was hearing. 

“so,” lili deadpans, about a word or two from being fed up, trying to simmer her anger as she gnaws at the straw of her matcha latte. “what do you want me to say, yujin?”

A BITTER TREAT. sometimes the sweetest treats are made bitter, black banquet filming site — @hyunsoolgc

lili was bored. 

sure, this may have been her first time on a film set — but the glitz and the glamour of it all had worn off the second she had stepped off the car and entered the wardrobe truck. it was no different than a day in the life of her famous grandmother. all politics and circumstance, all frazzled nobodies running around as if their heads had gotten cut off in search of their master ( read: the famous starlets that would lead this snazzy film ) — for lili, the rose-tinted glasses of film were quick to wear off.

but it was fun — being away from practices and demanding coaches for a while.

it also helped that these snazzy film starlets had such devoted fans who bought and hired yummy coffee trucks that catered to the film staff. and since, today lili happened to be one of said film staff — even if she was a nameless nobody with no lines and her face was completely covered by a masquerade mask — and that was all that she needed to exchange her pretty, pearly smile for an ice hazelnut latte. yum.

now, to thank the snazzy film starlet whose fans were dedicated enough to allot an atrocious amount of money for some parasocial relationship that would never be. she turns the cup around and almost feels her jaw drop in shock before her teeth begin to gnaw at the straw. 

how annoying. heading straight to the source, she hands him his own drink — “thanks for the coffee, i hope you thanked your precious fans for it.” 

the first day of the year.

lili knows what it is — she always know what it is — but as all the years before, she learns it’s better to not expect anything. less expectations, less chances for her to get her hopes up and have them fall apart once the clock strikes midnight and the second day of the year comes with the first going unnoticed — again. 

the first day of the year.

lili knows what it is — she does — because the first day of the year: is her birthday.

this year comes in the form of a phone call and an apology — her grandmother calls, gives her her best, and then apologizes for hosting a party — not in her honor — but for the nth charity excursion her grandmother was aiding. her grandmother was 591 miles, and 2 hours and 15 minutes away and all lili received was a phone call — one that lasted less than ten minutes.

it would be sad if it wasn’t so … expected.

her birthdays of past, much like she believes this year to be, were always inconsequential. days that went by with no thoughts except living until the next day. this year wouldn’t be any different. this year, she thinks, she will still bear the bitter agony of expecting something she shouldn’t.

the first day of the year.

lili knows what it is — but this year, is surprisingly different.

what lili hadn’t been expecting was seeing taeha — having taeha lead with a surprise even though lili has always said ( rather unconvincingly, might we add ) that she didn't like surprises — suddenly being immersed in the brilliance that was taeha and being the center of her energetic display of affection. frozen in her place, her eyes open to reveal the same room she had entered minutes earlier, the one significant change is taeha — carrying a cake that lili can only describe as atrocious on sight, but she bites her lip.

( whether to stop the tears that had suddenly begun to well up at her lashes or the onslaught of forced ‘complaints’ at the tongue — who knows ) 

instead, she fiddles with a small smile pressed between her lips — a hand running through her hair as the other nears, “did you make this yourself?” even if the obvious is very well obvious, she still asks, inspecting the cake as she does so. it was cute, now that she looked at it, if she ignored the imperfections here and there — she could see taeha’s sincerity in clear view.

it’s the first day of the year.

lili knows what it is — had readied herself with zero expectations — but a part of her finds the longing in it quenched at the sight of taeha’s brilliant smile and her horribly iced penmanship. it made the saying it’s the thought that counts loom in the back of her mind and she can’t help the way her heart swoons, leaning forward at taeha’s command — eyes closing, one by one, as she takes a second — maybe three — before she blows out the candles.  

 「 ❀ 」  ━━ ˗ˏˋ 22 CANDLES !

@lgclili

"Close your eyes and keep them closed!" Taeha instructs from her place just outside the practice room. Inside Lili would be waiting for an extra special, super duper surprise ( as the string of texts she'd sent a few hours prior promised ). A bit of scuffle and shuffle can be heard beyond the open door, before she moves to take a few careful steps into the room, balancing a tray on her forearms.

"Okay, now open your eyes!"

On the tray is mini two - well, more like 1.5 if one were to be technical - tiered vanilla cake with a strawberry filling, covered by a thick layer of pink buttercream frosting. The words Happy Birthday are written in purple icing on top, alongside a pink and purple smudge camouflaged by a cluster of red candies arranged in the shape of a heart to conceal Taeha's failed attempts at writing Lili's name in fancy script. Finally, twenty-two brightly lit candles are placed wherever space would allow, illuminating Taeha's excited grin.

Sure, some may call it a "homemade monstrosity" ( coined by her older brother who was quite amused watching the cake's creation on Taeha's FaceTime version of Kitchen Nightmares ), but the trainee is certain her friend will love it! ...At least she hopes she does.

"Happy birthday, Lili! Make a wish!"

“and it doesn’t bother you at all?” insane. absolute insanity. country folk were definitely built different, lili thinks.

“a bit.” she mumbles, even if she could still smell the horrible stench of chicken poop, it did help a little — enough that lili couldn’t keep herself from winding her arms around the other girl out of gratitude, as if the smallest gesture had somehow warmed lili’s frozen heart in a matter of seconds. 

she wouldn’t call the other her life savior but it was a start, wasn’t it?

she smiles beneath the cloth, a laugh teetering at the tip of her tongue. “what would i have done without you?” probably suffered the rest of the day and then some, but she cuts to the chase. pulling herself off the other girl as she stabilizes her squat and stares into the dirt. “i just wish there was something i could spray into it, though. maybe it would help it.”

[ ♥ ]

jaekyung was a perceptive person. she could tell that some took to their variety location less enthusiastic than others. if she'd been a born city girl, perhaps she'd been the same. however growing up on a farm on the country side equipped her with skills that fortunately lead her to approach this outing with a feeling of nostalgia and joy while breathing through the tasks with an ease only someone familiar with the tasks could portray.

"I'm used to it," she thus tells lili as the girl falls down into a crouch beside her. exhibit a of classic city girl. "I grew up on a farm. so this isn't anything new for me," the girl continues to reason with a grin on her lips.

she did however take pity on the poor female who was obviously having a bad time. not wanting her to receive potential bad feedback from the moment this went live, jaekyung decided to help her out. "come here. I have an idea." taking her gloves off she made use of the towel that hung close by, sure to do a quick sniff test before she tied it in a way that would allow lili's nose to remain covered and hopefully kill some of the smell. "better?"

FILE: LILI _ PLOT CALL _ q2

SUB: EVENT

⤷  RE: TRAINEE MISSION 017

preparation thread: open !

bonus thread: with anyone i haven’t threaded with yet ~ !

⤷  RE: WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY 002

lili is open for plots ~ she is gonna struggle hard b/c 1) she knows 0 japanese and 2) hosting is probably her weakest skill

meet ! xu lili ( 徐莉莉 ), '01 —  i’m the prettiest poison you’ve ever seen.

re:  prof  /  points  / tags  /  pinterest 

𝟭 . DISC — upon request! / TWIT — @/ninithots / OOC.

shen xiaoting

໒꒱ . TRAINEE MISSION # 15 、

round and round it goes.

where it stops — no one knows. 

she pulls the string once more, ricocheting the top into the floor. the clatter it makes as it hits the ground does not strip her from her reverie, irises hypnotized by the spin and pull of the game. finally a game that she had a knack at — that didn’t require her to think or to do or to ace at the first go. all it took was a pull of the twine and the top would fall apart from her fingertips. ready to split the ground beneath it as it run amok around them. 

and run it does, running in circles from point a to point z. never in the same place, its center of gravity teetering fast until it tilts a little too far on one side, collapsing upon itself as it topples. a pause in the game as she snatches it up to start all over again. 

again, it’ll spin round and round.

where it stops — her eyes will go.

follow it until the end, like an expectant child would to a mother.

or like what she believes an expectant child would do in the presence of one it fawned over. lili would no know better. like the top, she finds herself spinning and spinning — fast and furious through the lanes of people, around people, through people, continuing on until her own center of gravity tilts — and she stops, 

all to begin again.

because like a top, lili finds herself adjusting — forcing herself to acclimate to places unfamiliar, submerging head first into a game she doesn’t know, but must learn in order to survive. 

like a top, she’ll spin — spin and spin because she’s at the mercy of someone else.

the top pivots at the will of her pull, like she bends for the validation of others. begging for acceptance, vying for a win amongst the multitude of losses just stacked against her. 

fingers pull at the string once more.

and again, she’ll spin — spin, spin.

round and round, it goes.

where she’ll stop? no one knows. 

a complaint is already halfway up her throat, almost to her lips, when she bites it down. the warmth a very necessary welcome to limbs that were nearly tinted blue from the cold. 

does lili say her thanks — no, instead she smiles and says, “but this coat doesn’t match my dress.” all while buttoning the coat up and swallowing herself into its warmth. admitting defeat in the most quietest of ways.

it was parker, she thought waving a white flag this once in his presence would be fine.

her first white flag of the year — who knew it would happen this soon.

she muddles over the information parker passes over, almost whining as he skips over the best parts — “okay, but what about the dirty stuff, they sound nice and all but they have to have some cons, right?” 

and it wasn’t lili if she didn’t have a good pro and con for everyone she met. like for parker — pro: he was kind, con: he was so kind he was a bit naggy in a do what i say or it will break my heart kinda way and lili didn’t like to make a habit of letting people down like that.

least of all the people she thought of as hers.

Parker plays up the pain of Lili’s kick with a hop away and a small hiss, though barely any pain registered. He had certainly been kicked harder by his real sisters, but even as he had somehow become the older brother of some, especially the group he was meeting up with for Lunar New Year, he couldn’t pretend to be completely mature.

 “It’s the girl who’s going to be sick the rest of the break,” he comments with a roll of his eyes. He is already shrugging off his coat and forcing it over Lili’s shoulders with the roughness of someone who already knows they’re going to be refused but has no intention of taking their coat back. A bit of his red button-down can be seen between his scarf and the thick half-zip he had on under his coat; it’s warm enough for this distance to the restaurant, though he is not thinking about how he’s getting home yet. Maybe a drink or two will help. “They’ll like you just fine as long as you’re not sick over dinner.” 

He tips his head to indicate she should follow him but in truly Lili fashion she’s already pulling him along. “You really don’t need to impress them too much; they’re trainees like you are— or well… one of them is.” It’s been so long since he’s talked to Yuxi that sometimes he forgets she more than six months prior. “Yichen is really nice, and Yuxi…” he faulters in his steps to think of the best way to describe the other girl. “Honestly, I think you’ll like her. She’s a wannabe cool girl like you.” 

There really aren't very many people around the point they meet up, but the closer they get to Daerim-dong, the more people seem to pop up. While a good deal of the Korean residents are with their families, the official Chinatown shows more life with red and gold decorations.