ONLY HOTTIES SHARE A BRAIN CELL. Must Lili Say More? — @lgcmaylin

CHEF BOY ARE WE FUCKED. where lili is no chef and @jiahlgc knows.

lili could feel it in her bones: exhaustion.

and it wasn’t even the good type of exhaustion — the one you usually get after a good dance practice, or after a hot stone massage. no — it was the one where every part of your body ached, even just moving a finger seemed to hurt. she frowns, pulling on the tap to turn on the hot water, ready to scrub her hands raw — as if doing that would clean them well enough to do their next task: cooking.

ugh, it never seemed to end, did it?

were they supposed to be variety stars or manual laborers?

“ugh, my fingernails are filthy.” lili mutters, more to herself than to anyone really. though, it doesn’t really hurt that the only one in earshot happens to be her roommate, who she is sure is already used to lili’s dramatics — if one could call it that.

her eyes pass from where she was currently brushing, hard, at her fingertips to jiah’s pretty manicure. “how’d you clean your nails so fast?” 

and then, after a long pause, with a hint of disbelief at the sight of her roommate: “— wait, you’re not seriously going to cook are you?”

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?”

@LGCENT just posted a photo!

first snow fall of the year! did your wish come true? 

#lgctrainees #lgcent #xulili

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."

call it relief or whatever, but when sarang gives her a promise — lili makes due to hold her to it.

( because there was no way in hell lili was going to haul her passed out ass from this bathroom if it comes to it — then again, if she had passed out maybe it would stop all their peers from haa-ing all over the place )

no, no — that would be unkind — to wish someone would pass out, especially if that someone looked close to tears and near death from whatever was going on inside her pretty head. lili couldn’t be the reason for something bad happening — not again.

so, as relief fills her, she trades her sigh of ease to one of a gentle smile, if you could call it that. trying to rack her brain for any words of comfort, kicking herself for being … lili … instead of someone like taeha who was so good at words and comfort. 

settling for a — it’s okay — a shoulder lifts, nonchalantly. “everyone has their bad days,” not lili, per say, but that wasn’t something she could say now. 

“no worries, the worst they could do is make us run around the gym again.” on second thought — “just give yourself a minute — okay? you don’t need to rush yourself.” 

the last thing she wanted, was someone to be worried.

well, someone worrying over her. this was stupid. she was stupid. people got bad comments all of the time, people had bad days. it was her own need not be seen as not perfect. it wasn't just about being perfect, she was wrong. not okay or even unremarkable but wrong. and wrong in front of everyone.

it took a moment to realize that lili was still speaking to her. it was that easy to get lost in her own head. sarang tried to focus on the breathing. she nodded her head to the question, she knew breathing options. it was her own thoughts doing this to her. sarang tried her best to follow, to calm her breathing. more importantly, to forget about what happened.

it was the comment about passing out that managed to get a strangled laugh from her. "p-promise." she muttered out, she was sure she wouldn't pass out. hopefully. she breathed slowly, still counting in her head. when sarang was through the worst of it, she was able to speak again. "i- i-i'm so sorry you h-had to s-s-see that." she was read from the embarrassment. "j-just a bad d-day, you s-should g-go back, i wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

she doubts it — but lili should be thankful for zoe’s optimism. it might be the only thing keeping her hopeful for the rest of the day until the ride home. just a couple more hours and they were home free — at least, this is what lili thought.

lili was not a work with what’s available but god told her beggars could not be choosers — and it is only today that she realizes the truth of those exact words. with a grim smile and a hand to hide it she feigns a dramatic sigh before falling onto zoe’s shoulder, “don’t worry, zoe, once we get back, you’ve got a ginseng chicken soup with your name on it on my dime, i swear it.”

only a couple more hours, she tells herself, and lili is near ready to  buy their whole dormitory soup if she needs to speed up the process. sitting up straight, she raises a brow, genuinely pondering what part of the weekend that she enjoyed — sparingly — there were times here and there she liked, if she truly could get out of her nitpicking ways to admit it. 

“mm,” she thinks for a minute longer because it was genuinely that hard for her to find some part of the weekend she actually found enjoyable — because knowing lili, this weekend was not her top ten — nor top one hundred — best picks of a good time. “spending time with you and jiah, i guess. but like —“ she lowers her voice to a whisper, a hand raised to cover her lips lest their be lip-readers in their midst. “i already hang out with you guys back home and at least there we have cell service.” before dropping her hand. “but i guess the chickens were kinda cute — smelly, but cute. kinda like you.” she laughs before pinching the other’s cheek, “kidding but you definitely did stink after friday.” 

— 🐰 » 

Zoe watched Lili with a mix of amusement and concern, noting the exhaustion etched in her friend's features despite her attempts to maintain a smile. Being on their feet for hours wasn't easy, especially when trying to promote something as seemingly mundane as soap bars at a fair.

"Grace, indeed," Zoe replied, her accent softening with empathy. She could sense Lili's frustration, the subtle strain in her voice as she talked about luck. Zoe leaned more toward believing in hard work, but she understood how luck could sometimes sway things.

Zoe chuckled and shook her head. "Well, you're so right there, but I guess we'll just have to work with what's available. Who knows, maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised today," she said optimistically to Lili's mention of the disappointing food, though she shared her doubts about the culinary offerings.

The mention of ginseng chicken soup brought a wistful smile to Zoe's face. "That does sound amazing," she agreed, imagining the warmth of the soup on a chilly day like today. "But hey, even if the food isn't great, at least we have each other's company," she added, playfully nudging Lili.

Zoe's gaze softened as she looked at her friend, silently offering her support. "Hey, amidst all this chaos, did you manage to enjoy any part of the day?" she asked, genuinely interested in hearing Lili's perspective.

୨୧ .  莉莉 ✽ PLOT CALL _ q2

lili needs someone she hasn't interacted with ever!!! so, if you need someone as well and have never threaded with lili before please like this post and i'll drop a message in your ims ~

under the cut are some roll over plots i took from my previous plot call!

our muses are at a local BBQ  &  your muse accidentally trips and knocks lili’s plate on the ground  /  spills wine (soda, water, etc)  on lili ( ofc lili is livid because this was rtw susan fang! )

your muse found a pet and asks lili if its her to which she responds “ew, fur is so 2000s” but begrudgingly ( from the goodness of her heart ) helps you find the owner of this lost pet; includes lili grimacing at the pup slobbering all over lili

catching lili leaving the dorm in her face mask because she thinks no one will recognize her and her gorgeousness as she picks up a sweet treat at a convenience store

practice room confessions

super late plot call for the trainee mission ! if anyone still needs a prep & activities thread, lili is free to take up a couple ! please like or reply and i’ll hop into your messages ♡

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 ? "