She brought the cigarette to her painted lips, breathing in the toxic air. She remembered a time when she used to hate this smell, claimed it made her sick, the smell that always lingered around her childhood home. She had always found it ironic that the one person who was supposed to protect the girl was the one to hand her first cigarette. “It will keep you thin.” She remembered her mother saying as she handed the sixteen year old girl he first cigarette. Sera scoffed at the memory. The only times she paid any attention the girl was when she was signed to her modeling agency and even then the money was all she cared about.

“These things will kill you.” A soft voice spoke, the boy it belonged to, leant back into the railing of the balcony beside her. She smiled at his routine words; taking the cigarette between her fingers she turned and exhaled the air in his face to mock him. The boy grimaced in frustration at her thoughtless action; he hadn’t expected anything different from her.

“Sera.” His voice was stern and she could tell he didn’t find her teasing funny.

“ off, Baekhyun.” She wasn’t angry with him, although most days it seemed like she was, Baekhyun knew her too well not to take her bouts of irritation to heart. The confidently grounded boy that had befriended her in all her selfishness, was the one constant in her life, her anchor, the one that kept her grounded in the rough sea that was her life.

“Just come back in.” The loud thumping of the music inside the apartment reached her ears as she noticeably grimaced. She hated these parties.

“Fine.” Sera pushed past him, throwing the remains of her cigarette over the edge.

Baekhyun led her through the crowd but when she lost the grip on his hands she panics. Spotting the hard to miss tall as hell best friend of Baekhyun, she followed his presence into the kitchen. Sera couldn’t bring herself to smile let alone mutter a word of thanks when Chanyeol handed her a bottle of beer. The tall boy still inept to the awkward air between them found his way back into the party without a single word either.

She took a swig of the drink and watched as the people around her blurred into the background. Sera didn’t want to be here, if Baekhyun hadn’t convinced her to leave the confines of her apartment that night. Drinking was the only thing that would get her through the unnecessary social experiment that was her twenties. Baekhyun disapproved of her drinking too; he disapproved of almost everything.

Post three empty beer bottles, Sera relaxed into the cold hard kitchen counter. A familiar face met her gaze and Sehun walked over to her, a shy smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

“Noona!” He cooed softly, “It’s good to see you out.”

“It’s good to see you too Sehun.”

“Are you having fun?” Sehun didn’t bother to press when she didn’t answer; it was a stupid question on his part.

“Where’s Baekhyun?”

“Sera?” Sehun’s heart clenched at the mention of Baekhyun. His voice drained and Sera rolls her eyes. He had left, after forcing her to come he had just left her there.

“Whatever, him.” Sera grabbed the glass Sehun had been sipping at for the last half hour and downing it in less time than it took for him to stop her.

***

“Yah!” Hani yelled beside her ear.

 "Aish," She muttered throwing her pillow back to her unsympathetic friend, she had the largest hangover, drinking probably wasn't a best idea when she had an early photo shoot the next morning.

“Ten minutes, or I’m leaving you at home” Her roommate warned throwing the pillow back at Sera before leaving her room. The tired girl grudgingly got herself out of bed and on instinct she checked her phone to find several missed call and just one text.

Sorry

She couldn’t help but laugh in frustration at the text; this was how things always worked with them, wasn’t it?

“Yah, Shin Sera!” Hani called, “I mean it!”

"Fine." Sera mumbled hesitantly stepping out of bed and heading for the adjacent bathroom. She washed yesterday's make up off and brushed her teeth before heading to her wardrobe and throwing on a pair of leggings and a long white tee. Hani passed by her room and scoffed at her friend's apparent lack of a mirror.

"Comb your hair." She chuckled throwing a brush at Sera.

***

Her phone vibrated rapidly, Baekhyun’s name flashing on her phone screen. She wanted to answer the call yet she was still angry with him. The phone screen went dark as the call stopped, Sera let out a sigh of frustration.

“Are you ok?” Hani questioned resting her empty chopsticks to her lips pretending to have just taken a bite, Sera rolled her eyes at her friend’s actions. It was never uncommon for models to skip meals here and there but lately it seemed like Hani was skipping almost all her meals. The younger girl never felt the need to bring it up with her roommate; it just wasn’t any of her business she had decided.

“Sure.” She mumbled a vague reply; Baekhyun wasn’t any of Hani’s business either.

“Are you using again?” Hani reluctantly added.

“So?” Sera found no problem with drugs, most models she knew relied on something to get them through the long shoots, for her it was just a line of . Hani didn’t subscribe to her theory; she was still naively doing modeling because she liked it.

***

“Hey Baek.” Hani had opened the door to be greeted with the boy that she had gotten so used to coming around. She saw the Chinese takeout bags and smiled. Baekhyun was always there, Hani had eve