왕은별 IS READY TO RETURN

wang eunbyul

MODERN LONELINESS
by lauv

SCROLL RIGHT

★ the face

NICKNAMES.

★ eun, byul。 standard nicknames derived from her given name. addressed by her friends. ‘byul’, which translates to star, is the commonly used nickname out of the two. it's one of her friends’ ways of showing their support towards her dream of becoming a figure skating star.

PLACE OF BIRTH. tongyeong, south gyeongsang province.

UALITY. heteroual demiromantic.

LANGUAGES.
★ native korean。 her mother tongue. since she was born and raised in tongyeong, she uses gyeongsang dialect. she learned the gyeonggi dialect when she moved to seoul.
★ advanced english。she learned it as a mandatory subject throughout her elementary to high school years. since she entered international figure skating competitions, she also felt it was necessary for her to learn the language further.

APPEARANCE.

same as the pictures used in this app.

STYLE.

scroll through the face claim for reference pictures.

eunbyul’s personal style ranges from sweet and feminine to chic and minimalistic. her wardrobe has an abundance of cropped tops, off-shoulder dresses, a-line and pleated skirts, and floral prints. she doesn’t wear jeans a lot but when she does it’s usually slim-fitting ones or high-waisted and wide-legged jeans that she pairs with her cropped tops to accentuate her tiny waist. she’s pretty much immune to the cold after being on the ice her whole life, but she’ll wear cardigans, trench coats, or sweaters over her outfits when it’s winter season. her go-to footwear is a pair of continental 80 adidas since it is versatile and matches well with a lot of her outfits.

★ the core

scroll right for more sections!
tw: mentions of depression

PERSONALITY.

hard-working, ambitious, creative, quick-witted
istp-t, turbulent virtuoso
independent, competitive
gryffinclaw, choleric-melancholy
reserved, self-critical, prideful, single-minded

eunbyul displays a quiet and restrained personality. in social situations, she would rather let others talk over each other and blend in the background. because of her uncommunicative personality, she is often thought to be distant and cold; thus, she is often avoided. even when you muster the courage to approach her first and you think that the hurdle has finally been cleared, another hurdle appears. you’ll talk to her for a few months but realize that during that time, you’re the only one who has been doing the talking while eunbyul simply listens. this is followed by the realization that you actually know nothing about eunbyul. feeling that you’re the only one putting in the effort, the emotional distance between you and eunbyul grows larger and the friendship gradually fades into nothing. even when eunbyul desires to maintain her relationship with others, she is unable to do so because of her closed off personality.

the primary reason why eunbyul chooses to withhold her thoughts and feelings is because of her emotional perfectionism. this is partly due to her immense need to be seen as someone independent, and partly because she takes a lot of pride in the fact that she is seen as someone independent. eunbyul has always preferred to do things at her own pace and on her own terms without relying on a third party. although her independence does have its benefits, the costs simply outweigh them. in eunbyul’s case, she sacrifices her welfare and relationships for the sake of her image. she would rather repress her feelings rather than to be seen as someone vulnerable because she beleives that people will belittle her and reject her if they knew that she was never as strong as they initially perceived her to be. however, burying her feelings will only cause them to accumulate, eventually resulting in an overwhelming emotional, mental, and physical stress.

her lack of expression is also often equated to a lack of ambition. in reality, eunbyul is a highly ambitious individual. it’s just that she opts not to openly express her goals because she wants her results to do the talking. eunbyul doesn’t only dream big, but she also works just as hard to accomplish her goals. this is clearly manifested in how she devotes most of her time and energy into practicing. eunbyul’s dedication to her craft is unmatched, and it is a quality of hers that her peers admire. the problem is that despite being always hard at work, eunbyul has an extreme tunnel vision. the fact that she focuses most of her attention on her figure skating without regard for anything or anyone else has some serious repurcussions. because of her single-mindedness, eunbyul ends up unintentionally neglecting other aspects of her life that are equally, if not more, important.

although eunbyul doesn’t externalize her emotions, she is easily upset and angered when she loses in competitions. on one hand, her competitive spirit fuels her drive to work harder. on the other hand, because she wants to win at all costs, she ends up putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on herself to give a perfect performance. eunbyul also has the tendency to compare herself to her peers and happens to be her own worst critic. whenever she sees that someone else is doing better than her, eunbyul will feel as if she’s not doing enough on her own. consequently, she ends up pushing herself even harder, even though everyone around her knows how hard she works all the time. the pressure eventually turns into stress and she unconsciously takes out her stress on those she interacts with through a display of passive aggressive behavior. in the end, eunbyul only blames herself for her own loss, leading to self-doubt and a negative distortion of her own self-image.

because eunbyul is always overemphasizing her weaknesses, she underemphasizes her own strengths. one of which is her creative mind. she’s the type of person to constantly seek opportunities for creative expression. since she finds it hard to express her own thoughts and feelings, these activities are a way for her to express her emotions and uniqueness. when she’s not practicing, eunbyul likes to spend her time in solitude to allow her mind to wander. her best ideas materializes when her mind is elsewhere. having a creative mind also gives her the mental flexibility to respond quickly and effectively according to the demands of a situation. this quality was further developed through her experience as an athlete. although she practices over and over, unexpected scenarios occur during the performance itself. she can cover up a mistake and make it seem it was part of the performance all along. eunbyul’s quick-wittedness also allows her to notice subtle emotional cues and understand persons clearly.

BACKGROUND.

“i used to be a shoothing star, when did i become so dark?”

circa 1998

on the night of may 20, wang eunbyul was born to a lower-middle class family which consisted of wang eunsang and wang byulyi. wang eunsang, her father, worked as a paralegal. her mother, wang byulyi, worked as an elementary school teacher. despite their family’s socioeconomic status, eunbyul always thought that she lived a rather privileged life. being an only child, she was constantly showered with her parents’ love and affection. she was just as happy as the other kids, which was more than she could ever ask for at such a young age.

circa 2003

eunbyul’s love for figure skating began when she was merely five years old as she watched prominent figure skaters on their cathode ray tube television. their elegance and athleticism had completely enthralled eunbyul. as the skaters performed their jumps, it almost seemed as if they were flying. witnessing that magical moment formed a desire within eunbyul to fly, too. due to eunbyul’s insistence, her mother eventually took her to a public skating rink near their place. the first time eunbyul’s eyes laid on the pristine ice, she had fallen in love. and the way her blades glided across the ice felt almost natural to her.

thinking that it was nothing more than a hobby, eunbyul’s parents gave her the permission to train. albeit eunbyul had struggled not to fall at first, she quickly showed signs of improvement. she managed to perform a single axel within a few days of training, a feat which amazed her coach since it was a technique that normally took beginner skaters a few months to perform. her coach remarked that eunbyul had an innate talent for the sport and envisioned that she will become an eminent figure skater someday, which further fueled eunbyul’s desire to pursue skating as a profession.

circa 2008

as eunbyul grew older, the more exhaustive her training became and the more it used up her time. three days of training doubled and turned into six. her parents expected her to give up at some point due to the intensity, but she only grew to love the sport even more as time passed. what started out as a leisure interest turned into a fiery passion. despite the cold, the inner fire in her heart kept ablaze. on ice, she felt alive. she loved skating so much that she would skate until the public rink closed, even stubbornly refusing to go home whenver she’s in the middle of learning a new move. unfortunately, eunbyul invested so much time in training that she ended up neglecting her academics. unbeknownst her parents, eunbyul had been regularly skipping class to practice skating during her own time. although eunbyul thought the investment was worth it, the importance of education is second to none in her family.

thus, as soon as her grades fell and her parents found out about her deliberate absences, she was forced to temporarily suspend her training until she was able to raise her grades, much to her chagrin. as soon as she walked into class, she was instantly greeted with the incessant whispering and scrutinizing eyes of her classmates. her constant absences made her appear to be a slacker in the eys of her classmates, not knowing that she’s actually been overextending herself every day.

on top of being the center of everyone’s rumors, eunbyul didn’t know anyone. it was only expected, however, considering that she was at the rink nearly every day of every week. eunbyul simply didn’t have the time to socialize. not that she needed to, she felt that she would be fine on her own. but she’d be lying if she said she never felt lonely. this is when she first met lee junghee.

out of everyone in class, only one ball of sunshine greeted her with a bright, genuine smile. junghee handed eunbyul her missed assignments over the past weeks, along with detailed notes of the lectures that were handwritten by junghee herself. the gesture moved eunbyul. they weren’t close—frankly, eunbyul didn’t even know her name until that moment—so junghee had no obligation to help her. junghee could’ve just let eunbyul fail and yet she didn’t. although eunbyul wanted to know junghee’s reason, she decided against asking her for the time being and settled on expressing her gratitude.

since eunbyul wasn’t familiar with any of her classmates, junghee also offered to introduce eunbyul to her two other friends; namely, raon and muyeol. during recess, she hung out with the three, and it eventually became a routine. although eunbyul was always with them, there was an obvious emotional disconnect between eunbyul and the group. the three of them shared everything with one another, whereas eunbyul kept everything to herself. any attempt made by the three to get to know eunbyul was rebuffed by the latter. from an outsider’s perspective, eunbyul stuck out like a sore thumb. it was as if she was only with them because she didn’t know anyone else, which is true only to an extent. eunbyul thought they were all kind people, she was just an inherently private person.

circa 2009

when eunbyul finally resumed her training, she once again began to lag behind the other students in terms of academic performance. her parents would have made eunbyul quit permanently if not for junghee who reached out to help as soon as she sensed that eunbyul was struggling. eunbyul finally took it upon herself to ask junghee why she kept on helping her despite having no reason to. junghee smiled radiantly at her, an image she never forgot til this day, and responded, “what do you mean i have no reason? it’s because you’re working hard to achieve your dreams, right? i know it may not seem that way to others, but i can tell. and i know it’s hard, balancing your schoolwork and your personal goals, so i want to help lessen the burden you’re carrying. after all, we’re friends!” the genuine kindness that junghee extended to eunbyul was the reason why the younger girl finally decided to open up to junghee about herself and her dreams of standing on the world stage as a figure skater. the support eunbyul received warmed her heart and it made her believe that opening up to someone wasn’t such a terrible idea. when she began to open up to raon and muyeol, she was also welcomed with the same amount of support junghee gave her. ever since that day, eunbyul felt that she finally connected with the group.

afterwards, hanging out with the group after class felt much more enjoyable. she found herself laughing harder and smiling a lot more. at times, the group would also go with eunbyul to the public skating rink she practices at. the group cheered her on as she practiced her routine and it gave her the motivation to do even better. she also taught them how to skate, although they all failed hilariously. her first time with them at the rink remains to be one of the most precious memories eunbyul holds onto. as the years passed, more members were added into their circle. the group was like a second family to eunbyul and all of the members were like her surrogate siblings.

circa 2015

after spending countless hours practicing and winning several inter-regional competitions, eunbyul became qualified to enter the south korean figure skating championships at the age of seventeen. during this event, she won the bronze medal. despite not winning gold, she caught the eye of different coaches due to her impressive technique. in particular, a retired veteran figure skater, shin yura, offered eunbyul a chance to train in seoul under the her tutelage. however, eunbyul’s parents strongly opposed as they had wanted eunbyul to pursue a practical career, such as law or business. eunbyul’s coach at the time further insisted that eunbyul should continue to skate, believing that she will make it far. however, that won’t happen if eunbyul continued to train in a small coastal city where there are limited facilities. her coach recommended that eunbyul move to seoul where she can have access to better amenities and attend better programs.

despite their attempts to persuade eunbyul’s parents, their thoughts on the matter were unwavering. becoming a professional athlete is easier said than done since there’s a tremendous amount of competition in sports. her parents were worried that if eunbyul failed to become successful, her efforts would have all been for naught. they wanted eunbyul to pursue a practical career that will allow her to financially sustain herself in the future and when the time comes that they are no longer around to support her. however, eunbyul took offense to this and interpreted their opposition as them not having faith in her. eunbyul felt betrayed because the people she believed would have her back until the end turned against her. this put a strain in eunbyul and her parents’ relationship.

circa 2016

without informing her parents, eunbyul made up her mind to leave tongyeong for seoul after graduating high school in order to pursue her dreams. all of her friends were informed of her plans to move to seoul, but none of them knew about eunbyul’s strained relationship with her parents nor her decision to arbitrarily cut ties with them. at the same time she left, her parents finally decided to support eunbyul upon realizing that rather than worry about their daughter failing, they should trust in her abilities and the amount of hard work she puts into perfecting her craft. unfortunately, they arrived at this realization a little too late since eunbyul had already left tongyeong and cut ties with them. now, her parents can only support her through the screens. but when things don’t go as planned, they decided that they’ll welcome eunbyul back with open arms and be the ones to pull her back up.

circa 2018

ever since eunbyul began training in seoul under the instruction of shin yura, her skills improved exponentially. throughout her journey, eunbyul had to endure a lot. she had to adjust in a completely new environment where she didn’t know anyone. balancing her college studies and her sport was also a lot harder compared to when she was in high school. it was because of the support of her friends as well as her desire to prove to her parents that she can become a successful figure skater that she was able to gather the strength to push herself forward. on a more positive note, eunbyul gained opportunities that she would have never gotten if she had remained in tongyeong. she travelled to different countries to compete in figure skating competitions, courtesy of yura’s influence.

from 2016 to 2018, eunbyul won numerous gold medals as a senior figure skater consecutively. in particular, she reached a peak in her figure skating career in 2017 and 2018 when eunbyul won the national title at the annual south korean figure skating championships back-to-back. her numerous achievements in such a short span of time allowed her to gain the attention and support of both the korean public and international audience. in addition, she became qualified to represent korea in the 2019 world figure skating championships. finally, things were falling into place for eunbyul and she was getting closer to achieving her life-long dream of performing at a bigger stage.

circa 2019

unfortunately, everything that eunbyul built up from the ground came crashing down instantaneously without giving her time to pick up the fallen pieces. on january of 2019, two months prior to the world figure skating championships, it was announced that eunbyul would not be able to compete due to an anterior cruciate ligament (acl) and meniscal tears. while practicing hard on one of the more complex jumps of her routine—it may be argued that she ended up practicing a little too hard, even going beyond her normal schedule, as a result of the pressure—, eunbyul landed awkwardly and ended up receiving a direct blow to her knee. although she experienced numerous injuries throughout her career, her gut feeling told her that something was wrong this time.

her team of doctors informed her that she had to undergo a surgical replacement of the torn ligament and that it would take months to heal. she knew she didn’t have a choice as this was her only way of getting back on the ice again. although her future seemed bleak at that moment, eunbyul clung onto the thin thread of hope that appeared before her.

eunbyul’s surgery was deemed successful, but that was only just the beginning. when she attempted to skate, eunbyul felt an incredible amount of pain. it seemed that although the surgery was successful on paper, it didn’t reflect on the ice. upon further investigation, eunbyul had to undergo a secondary surgery. the fear eunbyul first felt once again caught up to her. this time, unfortunately, her fear turned into reality. due to the successive surgeries, eunbyul was told that she may never recover the original condition of her ligament. this meant that she had to quit figure skating because she was at an especially high risk of getting a severe injury again. the thread of hope eunbyul had clung onto so desperately had finally snapped, and eunbyul found herself falling into an abyss of darkness.

the state of eunbyul’s injury and the precipitous end of her skating career was broadcasted all over the media. soon, everyone in tongyeong and her friends heard about the news. eunbyul received an endless stream of messages showing support but she just couldn’t bear to talk to anyone. eunbyul felt a tumultuous range of emotions that she couldn’t even begin to explain to someone. to eunbyul, it wasn’t just her career that ended. figure skating was ingrained into her soul. it was the inner fire that kept her going. but that fire was instantaneously put out. not only that, but eunbyul gave up so much for figure skating. she gave up her family for goodness’ sake. and she also had so many people counting on her but she ended up letting them all down.

eunbyul didn’t think anyone would understand what she’s going through. as a result, she began to deliberately isolate herself. she did not let her friends in no matter how much they reached out to her. she did nothing for weeks and remained cooped up inside her room, her head filled with nothing but miserable thoughts. the accumulated negative feelings eventually consumed eunbyul. a few months after her injury, she was diagnosed with depression. although she inevitably had to live on, things just weren’t the same anymore.

LIKES.
★ winter
★ hot chocolate
★ seafood
★ strawberry cheesecake
★ patterned socks
★ moon and stars

DISLIKES.

★ summer
★ bitter coffee
★ humid weather
★ horror movies
★ being interrupted
★ spicy food

HABITS.

★ fiddling with her fingers when she’s nervous
★ sighing profusely when she’s stressed out
★ biting her bottom lip when she’s thinking hard
★ “i’m fine” is her instantaneous response when someone asks her if she’s alright, even if it isn’t true
★ clapping her hands when she’s excited

HOBBIES.

★ ice skating
★ stargazing
★ journaling
★ playing the guitar
★ flower arranging
★ travelling

TRIVIA.

★ eunbyul is currently renting a studio apartment near chung-ang university.

★ eunbyul has a psychogenic pain disorder. she feels pain that isn’t there, yet the pain is very real. there isn’t a physical explanation for the cause of this pain. instead, it’s caused by her own psyche and psychological stress after the incident. she gets random pain episodes of splitting pain in her right knee, as if she were experiencing the injury all over again.

★ after the incident, eunbyul developed a binge drinking habit as a way of coping with her problem. eunbyul always overcame her problems on her own and came up with solutions to these problems. this was the one and only problem she did not know how to solve. although she is aware that drinking is an unhealthy coping mechanism, it undeniably allows her to cope. even if it is only temporarily.

★ she has a low alcohol tolerance. a bottle of beer is enough to get her tipsy. this is why she prefers to drink inside her apartment rather than outside because she knows she gets intoxicated easily. when she does go out to drink, she always makes sure she’s with someone she knows and trusts.

★ sleeps really late, her earliest is 12 am and the latest is 2 am due to her hobby of stargazing. she developed a fascination for stars because of her name. she’s also an early riser. she wakes up at 6 am because she likes to watch the sunrise. it’s become a habit since she used to wake up at 6 am to train.

★ a good cook. since eunbyul used to be an athlete, it’s imperative for her to follow a healthy and comprehensive diet that was in line with her physical training. whenever a figure skating season ended, eunbyul liked to reward herself by eating fast food takeouts. after the incident, eunbyul maintained her healthy eating habits, only occasionally eating from fast food restaurants.

★ she doesn’t have a driver’s license. although she wants to get one, she has a feeling that her psychogenic pain disorder will make it troublesome for her to drive her own car. however, she’s still currently saving up to buy a maserati for when her condition gets better. it became her dream car after seeing one during her trip to italy for an international competition. as of now, she commutes from one place to another.

★ in public situations, eunbyul likes to wear headphones to avoid any sort of interaction with strangers. although most of the time, there actually isn’t any music coming through.

★ she developed her hobbies of journaling, flower arranging, and playing the guitar after she was diagnosed with depression to help improve her mental health. she journals everyday to keep track of her symptoms and triggers, as well as to come up with ways to help control them. and ever since she learned how to play the guitar, she started writing her own music as a form of creative expression. she takes flower arranging classes whenever she’s stressed out or feeling anxious.

★ the relationships

scroll down for relationship details then right for more!
hover over name and images for collab details!
layout credit to tiffanybluex uwu <3

LEE JUNGHEE.
1997.
BEST FRIEND.

“thank you for always being the first one to reach out to me.”

junghee was the first person eunbyul met in the group, and she was also the closest with junghee out of everyone else. eunbyul won’t forget the time junghee cheerfully greeted her and how the latter went out of her way to extend a helping hand when she sensed that the former was struggling. the genuine kindness that is embbeded in junghee’s character is what made eunbyul trust and open up to her.

junghee was also the first person eunbyul told about her dreams to. junghee supported her even when everyone else belittled her “silly” dream. after all, living in a small coastal city and coming from a lower-middle income family, one would expect her to pursue a more practical course. to eunbyul, having someone believe in her and her dreams felt like being on top of the world. she held on firmly to that belief and it was what kept her strong throughout the years.

eunbyul has expressed her thankfulness to junghee numerous times, but she always felt that it wasn’t enough. she thought that the only way to show her utmost gratitude to junghee’s belief in her was by accomplishing her dreams. and she worked hard doing just that.

when eunbyul left for seoul, she was in contact with junghee the most. eunbyul kept junghee updated about her skating competitions through video calls. however, they gradually drifted apart as eunbyul began rising to fame and she started to completely devote herself to practicing her sport. junghee was understanding about it and kept supporting her. junghee always watched her competitions on television. afterwards, she always made sure to video call eunbyul to congratulate her for her accomplishments personally.

the two completely lost touch when eunbyul got her career-ending injury and she began to distance herself. the emotional blockade that was present when they first met was up once again. eunbyul couldn’t bear to talk to junghee, or anyone for that matter, because of the belief that she let down everyone who was counting on her. junghee knew that she couldn’t even begin to understand what eunbyul was going through. but how can she understand if eunbyul wouldn’t give her the chance to? as junghee’s concern for eunbyul grew, so has her frustration.

unfortunately, before the two could talk and reconcile, junghee had passed away. and eunbyul was left with feelings of guilt, sorrow, regret, and with many things left unsaid.

HEO RAON.
1998.
CLOSE FRIEND.

“we’ve both faced a lot of obstacles and a lot of doubters, but let’s overcome them and prove them all wrong, yeah?”

due to their similar personalities and shared values, raon and eunbyul got along well. whenever they hung out with each other, there was always a comfortable silence between them as they both immersed themselves in their own activities. they both value their privacy and independence, and they understand that they both need time alone to reflect on things. whenever the two sense that something is amiss with one another, they give each other space until they’re ready to talk about what’s bothering them themselves. and when they finally decide to talk, they merely offer a listening ear. instead of providing ineffective advice to problems they don’t fully understand, they acknowledge that their struggles are real and empathize, which is something the two greatly appreciate about each other. they also both value their freedom and the importance of pursuing the things you want to do in life, regardless of what other people may think. hence, they’re highly supportive of each other’s dreams. eunbyul listens attentively to raon’s rambles about art history and different kinds of art, whereas raon listens to eunbyul’s prattle about her favorite figure skaters and routines. when they both left seoul to pursue their dreams, the two remained in contact, albeit not as frequently due to their busy schedules. prior to their paths diverging, raon actually gifted eunbyul a painting of the latter doing a biellmann ice skating pose. eunbyul hangs it on the wall of her studio apartment til this day.

KIM MUYEOL.
1998.
FRIEND.

“we didn’t talk a lot, but i know you’re a good friend, muyeol. i wish i could have gotten to know you more as well.”

out of everyone in the original trio, eunbyul is the least close with muyeol. his judgmental and demanding personality did not mesh well with eunbyul’s personality of always unduly criticizing herself. however, eunbyul noticed that muyeol tones down his abrasiveness whenever he’s around her. and the two found common ground through their ambitious and iron-willed personalities. although they are both pursuing different goals, they expressed their support for one other. outside of their group hangouts, the two rarely hung out and conversed, even through text messages since their interests didn’t align. thus, despite separating on good terms after graduation, they inevitably drifted apart over time.

ONG BARAM
1998.
FRIEND.

“i hope we’ll get through our past wounds someday, baram. thank you for being with me during my time of healing.”

although eunbyul and baram are part of the same group, they weren’t the closest of friends. they were both extremely reserved individuals, preferring to blend in the silence. on the rare occasions the two of them talked, eunbyul remembered how it was like walking on eggshells due to the younger girl’s sensitive nature, which eunbyul was knew was a result of her parents’ abhorrent upbringing. apart from mere tidbits of the younger girl’s past, eunbyul knew nothing else. however, eunbyul did support baram from the sidelines and hoped that the latter will find a goal worth pursuing for herself someday.

when eunbyul moved to seoul, the two fell out of touch. that was until news of the rising figure skater’s injury and its lifelong consequences in her professional career came to light a few years later that baram decided to reach out to an old friend. baram ceaselessly sent eunbyul messages every day and expressed her concern. unfortunately, none of baram’s messages had gone through eunbyul she grew increasingly worried over time.

fate brought the two together when, one late evening, baram saw eunbyul in a convenience store hoarding several canned beers into her basket. a part of baram wanted to run out as soon as she saw her. ever since leaving seoul, she’s been afraid of coming into face-to-face contact with any of her old friends. however, upon seeing the older girl struggling to keep herself upright and balanced, unmistakable signs of being intoxicated, baram couldn’t leave her alone in her state and decided to bring her back to her apartment. eunbyul decided to follow her because her face seemed so familiar, but her inebriated state at the time failed to come up with a name to match her face.

as soon as eunbyul woke up, she was perplexed to find herself in an unfamiliar room. and she became even more dumbfounded upon seeing baram enter the room holding a tray of hangover food. their reunion was awkward, to say the least, but the familiar face comforted eunbyul. when baram cut the silence and finally asked her, “are you okay?”, perhaps it was the burden of holding everything in for so long, eunbyul began to tear up. just as she was about to stop herself from crying, baram told her that it was okay to cry, and that she’ll lend eunbyul her shoulder to cry on so she won’t see her. and that was what eunbyul did, lean on baram’s shoulder and cried her heart out. it was the first time in a long while eunbyul had allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of someone else. baram just sat silently as she rubbed eunbyul’s back. when eunbyul finally composed herself, baram offered a listening ear. gradually, eunbyul began to open up about her struggles after the incident while baram empathetically listened.

realizing they were both going through similar situations, at least in terms of their mental health, the two found a confidante in one another and slowly began to trust each other and depend on one another.

KWON SABIN
1998.
CLOSE FRIEND.

eunbyul and sabin first met through the introduction of eunho and gradually developed a close bond. prior to eunho and sabin becoming an official couple, sabin and eunbyul would often hang out alone after school. eunbyul liked being around her presence since she always radiated cheerful and carefree vibes. simply being with her made eunbyul happy. eunbyul wanted to protect that friendship. .

thus, when they all parted ways in college, eunbyul would reach out to her continuously. unfortunately, sabin never reached back to her. it hurt eunbyul because it seemed like she was the only one making an effort to keep their friendship alive. although their friendship was hanging on by a thread, eunbyul never stopped reaching out to her in hopes that her efforts will be reciprocated one day.

the thread finally snapped after eunbyul’s accident. she began to isolate herself from everyone. although she refused to contact, deep down there was one person she desperately wanted to hear from, but it never happened. unbeknownst her, sabin was also feeling the same way. sabin wanted her friend to reach out to her once more. having both of them depend on the other to reach out, their friendship fell apart..

the remnants of their friendship further broke into pieces when sabin saw eunbyul and eunho arriving in tongyeong together. but now that they’re back in the place where everything started, it’s only a matter of time until they come face to face with each other once more. after having their much needed heart-to-heart conversation, they’ll realize that they never lost a beat.

bonus bc i found this analogy that i thought suit them so much: their friendship is like an heirloom vase. it fell and broke into pieces but since it means so much to them, they carefully glued back together. although it does not look the same as it did before, they still value it for what is is and fully embrace it for what is represents.

JUNG SOOAH.
1998.
CLOSE FRIEND.

sooah became one of eunbyul’s closest friends in high school. the older girl’s friendly and exuberant demeanor reminded eunbyul of junghee when she first met her. as a result, eunbyul was quick to warm up to sooah compared to other people. sooah is very supportive of eunbyul, often attending her competitions, holding up a banner while screaming at the top of her lungs in hopes to encourage the younger girl, which always made her happy. since sooah always wanted to travel around the world and eunbyul always got the opportunity to travel to different regions and countries to attend competitions, sooah would always ask eunbyul stories from her travels whenever she gets back.

due to their close relationship, it’s easy for eunbyul to detect changes in sooah’s mood and behavior, particularly around muyeol, and concluded that the older girl may have developed feelings for him. eunbyul quietly supported sooah when the latter finally decided that she wanted to confess her feelings towards muyeol. when the outcome wasn’t what they both hoped for, eunbyul was there to comfort sooah.

when college applications rolled in, it just so happened that the two of them got accepted into the same university, and that was how the two of them became roommates. thus, sooah is one of the friends eunbyul didn’t drift apart from. on the contrary, the two only grew closer and they continued to support each other in their endeavors.

the same way eunbyul supported sooah when she found out about the latter's crush on muyeol, sooah supported eunbyul when she realized that eunbyul may be developing feelings for eunho.

after eunbyul’s injury, sooah became one of eunbyul’s biggest support systems despite eunbyul’s initial refusal to engage with anyone. although eunbyul shut the door tight, sooah, quite literally, kicked her way in. sooah constantly tried to cheer eunbyul up. sooah was the one who managed to convince eunbyul to finally go out and experience new things. although eunbyul preferred to be alone in her travels, there are times when they go on weekend trips together.

SHIN PUREUN.
1998.
FRIEND.

eunbyul became acquainted with pureun since they were children because of their mothers who happened to be close friends. eunbyul’s mother would at times bring eunbyul with her to pureun’s place, and the same goes for pureun’s mother who would occassionally bring pureun with her to their place. their mothers hoped that the two of them would grow closer over time, but it never really happened due to their reserved nature. their friendship only began to solidify after being in the same friend group during middle school. even then, the two were rarely spotted hanging out together. although they weren’t the closest in the group, that didn’t make pureun any less important to eunbyul.

once everyone separated ways, eunbyul would occassionally send messages asking pureun how she’s doing. and whenever eunbyul won in her competitions, she’d receive congratulatory messages from pureun. they’d always reply along the lines of “i’m doing fine, hope you are as well” and “thank you, i appreciate it”, respectively, but their conversations never went any further than that. over time, the distance between them grew bigger until they stopped messaging each other altogether. still, eunbyul would sometimes wonder how pureun was doing, but she never took the initiative to ask her directly.

after receiving news of eunbyul’s career-ending injury, that was the first time in a while that pureun actually reached out to eunbyul. at the time, the impact of the injury was still fresh in eunbyul’s mind. she felt both angry and resentful towards herself. unfortunately, eunbyul ended up taking out her anger and resentment on pureun. unfortunately, eunbyul only realized what she had done a few hours after their exchange. the damage was already done. on top of all the emotions she felt at the time, guilt and regret were now added into her list. it’s been months since we last contacted each other and when we finally do, the first thing i do is lash out at her? you’re pathetic, eunbyul.

perhaps another emotion that eunbyul felt, but she refuses to acknowledge, is envy. despite being a rookie actress, pureun gained a lot of recognition for her talents and was well on her way to achieving her dream of being a successful actress. unlike eunbyul, there was nothing stopping pureun from achieving that dream. eunbyul couldn’t help but compare herself to an old friend, and she feels angry at herself for feeling that way. i should be happy for her.

hence, one of the contributing reasons as to why eunbyul is hesitant to go back to tongyeong is because of pureun. after their last encounter, eunbyul couldn’t help but think that pureun hates her now. and eunbyul won’t even blame pureun if she did hate her since eunbyul had hurt her. however, eunbyul also doesn’t want things to stay the way they are now. if eunbyul wants things to change, then she needs to make the first move. she can’t sit back and wait for the other person to reach out first. that was what eunbyul did with pureun after the distance between them grew, and that only worsened their relationship. once the two finally clear the air, their friendship will strengthen and they’ll become more open with one another.

NAME, LINKED.
YEAR.
RELATION.

interactions.

★ the lifestyle

OCCUPATION.
★ (former) figure skater.
★ undergraduate student at chung-ang university, majoring in sports science.

DAILY SCHEDULE.
during the first few months, eunbyul’s life post-injury can be best described as dull, bleak, and lifeless. now that training is out of her schedule, she has more time in her hands and is finally channeling all of her focus and energy into her studies. accomplishing her course requirements has been a good distraction for her. during weekends, she always locked herself inside her room all day, refusing to talk with anyone. with the help of those around her, eunbyul eventually learned to keep herself busy with her newfound hobbies. although the void in her heart still remains, she’s now become more willing to go out and explore different places. eunbyul especially likes to go on weekend trips to different regions on her own since spending time alone helps her think and reflect. right now, she’s reflecting on what she should change in her life and what steps she should take to go in the right direction.

STRUGGLES.

★ her life will never be the same。eunbyul’s life revolved around figure skating. she was always working towards achieving her goals of performing at the olympics and becoming a renowned figure skater. relentless hours of training accumulated into more than a decades’ worth. just when she was finally able to reach her goals, be where she longed to be, it was all taken away from her in an instant. she thought fate was at her side, only to find out it was playing with her all along. something she used to be good at, now she can’t do anymore. it was all a difficult pill to swallow, even until now. a part of her understands that she needs to move forward, but it's just really easier said than done.

★ loss of her identity。eunbyul’s passion and love for figure skating was deeply rooted in her character. it was as if she was made for figure skating. whenever someone asked her the question, “who are you?” her response would always be, “i’m a figure skater.” so when figure skating was taken away from her, it is now a question she struggles to answer as she feels nothing more than an empty vessel.

★ pain, fear, denial, anger, depression。after the impact of the injury, eunbyul felt the agonizing pain in her right knee. compared to her other injuries, eunbyul intuitively knew that, this time, there was something wrong. instantaneously, the physical pain she felt turned into emotional fear. fear of not being able to perform again and fear of letting herself and everyone else down. when her doctors informed her after her second surgery that she would have to quit her career as a figure skater, eunbyul was in denial. throughout her career as a figure skater, she suffered numerous head concussions, ankle and foot injuries, and shoulder dislocations. and yet she turned out fine after all of those. even if the pain remained, she was able to endure and pull herself back up. why was it so different now? when the reality of the situation finally began to settle in her head, she became angry at herself for making such a stupid mistake. but after realizing that nothing left can be done, and that directing her anger at herself and the people around her won’t resolve her situation in the slightest, she became depressed. the thing is, each stage did not completely go away. the feelings of pain, fear, denial, and anger are still lingering deep within her heart and, instead, all accumulated into her current state of depression.

★ nobody understands her pain。after her injury, she received a lot of “’'m sorry this happened to you, i can understand your pain” which doesn’t help her even in the slightest. in her head, no one will understand the pain she is going through. this feeling affected her relationships and caused misunderstandings. eunbyul was blinded by her own frustrations that she was unable to see the unconditional love and support she received from the people around her.

★ loss of a dear friend。just like when eunbyul first found out that she can no longer skate due to her injury, eunbyul is currently going through her own stages of grief upon learning about the passing of junghee. junghee’s death felt like burying a part of herself and her life. although the memory of junghee will forever live on in eunbyul’s mind, she knows it will never be the same without her physical presence. junghee always stood by her side in every situation she was in and sought nothing in return. the fact that she was no longer there made her feel empty. reminiscing her happy memories with junghee is now filled with a lot of sadness and pain.

★ strained familial relations。since leaving tongyeong, she hasn’t contacted her family once. although she’s the one who cut ties with her family, it’d be a lie to say that eunbyul does’t miss them. and it’d be a lie to say that she doesn’t have any regrets. she doesn’t regret chasing her dreams, but a part of her regrets having left without a proper discussion. she often wonders how her family is doing and if there’s a chance that they miss her, too. now that she’s going back to tongyeong, she also wonders if she should avoid her parents or confront them. if she did the latter, how would they react? she came up with different scenarios and none of them involved a happy reunion.

DOES ANYONE CLOSE TO EUNBYUL KNOW THAT SHE IS STRUGGLING? HAS EUNBYUL SOUGHT OUT HELP?

everyone knows about her injury, but only a handful of people know about the struggles that came along with it. namely, ong baram, jung sooah, and cha eunho (collabs). for the first few months, she stubbornly isolated herself from everyone. but thanks to the incessant efforts of the aforementioned list of people, they eventually convinced eunbyul to seek professional help. at the same time, her friends also provide her with the practical and emotional support she needs to help her work through the steps of grieving her injury. they convince her to try different activities to help her discover other hobbies she may be interested in. her coach, shin yura, also played a role in helping eunbyul overcome her struggles. she tries to help eunbyul come up with different career prospects.

★ the lover

CHA EUNHO

JUYEON, TBZ

COLLAB WITH SIRIUS-

NICKNAMES.

★ ho-ya。 since eunbyul and eunho share the same first syllable in their given names, eunbyul addresses him by this nickname.

DATE OF BIRTH & AGE. january 10, 1998.

PLACE OF BIRTH. tongyeong, south gyeongsang province.

HOMETOWN. tongyeong, south gyeongsang province.

NATIONALITY. south korean.

ETHNICITY. south korean.

OCCUPATION.
★ (former) basketball team player.
★undergraduate student at chung-ang university, majoring in sociology.

PERSONALITY.
refer to silvi's app!

BACKGROUND.
refer to silvi's app!

CURRENT RELATIONSHIP STATUS. mutual pining. both are unable to commit in a relationship at the moment due to their unresolved internal struggles.

THEIR LOVE STORY.

what i wrote closely follows what silvi wrote, except it’s told from eunbyul’s perspective!

★ chapter one: how eunbyul met eunho。since tongyeong is a small town, it wasn’t really a surprise that everyone living there knew each other, at least by face. that was the same case with eunbyul. every time eunbyul is on her way to train after classes, she always saw eunho having fun with his friends in the local park. eunbyul also noticed how he was always surrounded by people. it was at that point that eunho first reminded eunho of a star. he was always surrounded by people, as if they were all bedazzled by his light. a part of eunbyul wanted to know what it was like to have so many people around you. and perhaps a small part of eunbyul also envied him for that. due to her reserved personality, she never formed a lot of connections.

the two officially met during their middle school years. they bonded over their statuses as student-athletes. eunbyul was grateful and elated to finally have someone to talk to about her struggles as an athlete since eunho can empathize with her situation. as the two of them grew closer, eunbyul slowly understood why people seemed to naturally gravitate towards him. the guy simply radiated confidence. eunbyul, who chooses to hide in her own shell, wanted to emulate that same energy. his determination to succeed in the things he does was also a quality of his that eunbyul drew inspiration from. at that moment, eunbyul was thankful to have been friends with such an amazing person.

it was also through eunho that eunbyul officially met sabin. the three of them formed their own separate trio and sabin became one of eunbyul’s closest friends. meeting sabin is perhaps one of the things eunbyul is most grateful for towards eunho. if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have met sabin.

although all is well at first, eunho and sabin’s growing feelings for one another eventually led to eunbyul out of place in their trio. the feeling only worsened when the two finally made their relationship official. as a couple, it was only natural for them to spend their time together. but that meant spending less time with eunbyul. although eunbyul was genuinely happy about her friends’ happiness, a part of her feels like she was pushed out. it’s even harder because they were her closest friends. eunbyul gradually began to distance herself from them. whenever they would suggest to hang out, eunbyul always excused herself, often stating that she had training to do. although she continued to talk with them during their classes, the emotional distance between them was undeniable.

★ chapter two: too young to know we had everything。upon entering high school, continued to maintain her distance from eunho and sabin. however, eunho would sometimes go to her for advice or a listening ear regarding sports-related concerns. neither brought up the growing distance between them and eunbyul couldn’t help but think that maybe she’s the only one feeling this way. or maybe eunho simply didn’t care about their friendship as much as she did. the thought that she may have lost one of her closest friends hurt her.

that was until their second year in high school when eunho and eunbyul were put in the same class. eunho asked her during one recess, “wang byul, we're still friends, right?” although eunho didn’t directly bring up the emotional distance between them, eunbyul knew that that was what his question alluded to. the fact that eunho also felt the same way about not wanting their friendship to fade made eunbyul feel relieved. he continued to ask the same question every day. and every single time, eunbyul’s response was a simple yet firm nod.

the two grew closer once more after the news of eunho’s ankle injury. she heard from junghee that as a result of his injury, he was can no longer continue to play the sport he loved. out of everyone, eunbyul understood the most how a sport can affect someone’s life. she knows how much time and energy he dedicated into his sport. hence, as soon as she arrived in tongyeong, eunho was the first person she visited.

“ho-ya, how are you doing?” eunbyul asked as soon as she let him in. eunbyul saw how hard eunho tried not cry in front of her. although he didn’t shed any tears, the emotion he was feeling was clearly reflected in his eyes. for a while, he couldn't look directly at her. but eunbyul waited patiently until he felt that he was ready to talk. “i know it’s difficult, ho-ya, but i want you to know you’re not alone,” she told him. and when eunho finally decided to open up, eunbyul gave her sincere support. she knew he’ll be able to get through this. a star shines the brightest when it’s in the dark. after a heartfelt talk, the two finally decided to clear the air between them and finally shorten the widening gap. eunbyul realized how much she missed eunho and sabin, and she was glad that she finally managed to let out everything she was feeling. from then on, eunbyul vowed to always give eunho and sabin her support.

before leaving, eunbyul drew a star in eunho’s cast, right next to junghee’s whale. eunho laughed at her for such an obvious choice and she could only roll her eyes in response. the truth is, she didn’t have the courage to tell him her real reason. if junghee was eunbyul’s sun who always managed to brighten up her day, eunho was like a star to eunbyul whose light blinded her and never seemed to dim. now that all of the misunderstandings have been cleared, their trio started hanging out again, closer than ever.

when it was finally time to start applying for universities, they were elated to know that they all planned on going to seoul to pursue their higher studies. a few months afterwards, the three of them finally graduated high school. although eunbyul graduated on good terms with all of her friends, she decided not to tell eunho, or anyone for that matter, about her strained relations with her parents because she didn’t want to ruin the celebratory occasion for everyone.

★ chapter three: a fated meeting in university。due to eunbyul vowing to support her friends, it was her who constantly reached out to both eunho and sabin after they’ve parted ways. however, neither of them returned any of her calls and messages. eunbyul was left feeling frustrated and hurt, again. at that time, eunbyul was unaware of her friends’ messy breakup. she only found out about it a few weeks later when she received a call from junghee. and the frustration she initially felt was replaced with confusion and worry. and she couldn’t stay mad since she was also keeping secrets from eunho.

during freshman orientation week in chung-ang university, the two unexpectedly ran into each other on campus. before she could even process the fact that they were attending the same university, eunbyul had the urge to run and avoid him. but he walked up to her before she could do anything and asked her if they could talk in private. even if she wanted to, eunbyul couldn’t turn him down after that. they went to a nearby café to catch up with one another. although eunbyul was physically present throughout their conversation, her mind was wandering elsewhere. a lot of thoughts were running through her mind at that time, should i ask him why he and sabin broke up? do i ask him why he didn't tell me anything? or, before all of that, should i ask him how he’s doing first? in the end, she couldn’t ask him anything.

she was caught off guard when eunho inquired about her parents. she opened to speak up but she held immediately held herself back and instead shook her head. she was extremely glad when eunho decided to not pry any further. instead, she inwardly mocked herself, how hypocritical of me. here i am questioning why he won’t tell me anything when i won’t even tell him anything either. and despite the fact that he was heartbroken at the time, eunho tried his best to put on a cheerful facade to comfort her.

after the two caught up, eunho told eunbyul that he’ll eventually tell her the details of his breakup with sabin, and that he just needed a bit time before he could do that. eunbyul nodded, showing him her clear resolve to wait. after all, she promised him that day in the hospital room that she’ll support him. and that’s exactly what she did. eunbyul recalled all of eunho’s hobbies and the things he liked. she would buy him his favorite ice cream and seafood platters, watch his favorite crime and mystery movies with him, and play his favorite games together. eunbyul wondered how and why she even remembered all of these things about him. albeit at that moment she decided not to pursue the question any further. when eunbyul found out the details of their breakup after a drunken night, eunbyul told herself that she was going to help him recover from his heartbreak and stay by his side until he can truly say that he’s happy from the bottom of his heart.

★ chapter four: spinning in and out of control。after sustaining a career-ending injury, eunbyul ended up closing herself off from everyone, including cha eunho.

“let’s talk this out, okay? i’ll come back every day until you’re ready to open the door.” he told her from the other side of the door. eunbyul could only mutter an inaudible okay. the truth is, she couldn’t bear to face him. it was ironic because a few years back, eunho was in the exact situation as her, except eunho let her in a few hours later. eunbyul had no intention of doing that. she figured that he’ll eventually grow tired and stop dropping by after a few days.

he didn’t, to her surprise. everyday, without fail, eunho dropped by and called out to her from the other side of the door. “please let me in, eunbyul. let me help you.” he told her every single time.

when eunbyul finally let him in, she couldn’t help but ask, “why do you keep coming every day when you don’t have to?”

“i just wanted to let you know you’re not alone. been there, done that. here i am.” eunho repeated what she had told him at the hospital. when she heard that, she found herself crying once more. and this time, she cried not because she was sad, but rather she felt grateful that he was there for her. and grateful that he didn’t give up on her when she wanted to give up on herself.

“ho-ya, thank you,” she told him.

after that day, every time eunbyul’s experiencing one of her pain episodes, she always ends up calling eunho. it was as if she was wired to call eunho and nobody else. and the thing is, eunho always comes to her.

“i’m sorry for always making you come to my rescue,” eunbyul apologizes to eunho after calming down.

eunho shook his head, “don’t apologize, wang byul. i’m doing this because i want to. you’ve been there for me when i was at my lowest. so let me take care of you this time, yeah?”

“you might want to rethink that. it’s going to be a lot of work. i’m a complete mess.” she laughs mirthlessly.

“trust me, it’s not. not if it’s you, anyway.” eunho says with a smile. and that smile was enough for her to trust him.

★ chapter five: falling like stars, into love。romance was a concept that eunbyul thought she would never need in life. her friends always joked that it’s because figure skating was the only love of her life anyway, which was true. the only thing in life she focused on was her skating. ever since the accident, however, eunbyul has more time to self-reflect. for the first time after the incident, eunbyul is finally starting to consider finding her happiness. i guess losing everything is the only way to know what’s truly important to you.

ever since they met back in middle school, eunho has always been an important person to eunbyul. and she’s sure that he will remain important to her in the years to come. eunbyul didn't know when it started, but being around eunho started feeling natural. as if that was the way the world worked. having him by her side, that is. it wasn’t until sooah, her roommate, pointed out that what eunbyul may be feeling for eunbyul is beyond platonic friendship.

★ chapter six: loose ends that have yet to be tied。although eunbyul is finally aware of her feelings for eunho, she didn’t want to let him know about them yet (although she had a feeling that eunho already knows about it, considering how perceptive he is). but there were still way too many unresolved conflicts that they both needed to overcome. eunbyul is still trying to recover from her trauma after the injury and she has yet to confront her parents once more. on the other hand, eunho still has emotional scars that he needs to prevail over.

not to mention, the biggest unresolved factor that they both need to overcome is their relationship with kwon sabin. in eunho’s case, he has yet to gain closure from their messy breakup. as for eunbyul, she hasn’t spoken with sabin ever since they parted ways. although eunbyul tried to reach out, sabin never reached back. eunbyul often wonders how the younger girl is doing, and she couldn’t help but think of how she would react if sabin knew that she liked eunho. would it count as a betrayal? the thought of betraying one of her closest friends keeps eunbyul from being honest about her feelings.

ENDING. will end up together after the two have finally resolved their internal struggles.

HIS TRIVIA.
refer to silvi's app!

RELATIONSHIP TRIVIA.

★ she only drinks out when eunho is with her since she feels a lot safer with him, even though both of their alcohol tolerances are relatively low. there have been a few instances where she’s the one who ended up taking care of him, but she doesn’t really mind since she thinks a blushing, giggly eunho is really cute.

★ eunbyul likes to cook for eunho. she cooks his favorite meals whenever he drops by her apartment or brings her his favorite desserts whenever she drops by his apartment.

★ going on a late night drive around seoul and drinking on a saturday night while stargazing on the rooftop of either eunbyul’s or eunho’s apartment complex is their thing.

★ sooah, her roommate, is the first one to find out about her feelings for eunho. she also not-so-accidentally told muyeol, who may or may not have also told the rest of the crew.

★ eunho drives eunbyul to places she needs or wants to go to so she doesn’t have to commute. additionally, he always plays her favorite songs in the car for her.

★ eunho likes to give eunbyul his jacket whenever it’s cold even though eunbyul is pretty much immune to it. and eunbyul always likes to wear his jacket since it gives her a warm and comfortable feeling.

★ eunbyul likes to call eunho late at night as she stargazes. even though he isn’t physically beside her, just hearing his voice is enough for her. whenever eunbyul asks him if he’s about to sleep yet, he always replies that he couldn’t sleep. the truth is, he always waits for her call. there have been times where they stay up until the wee hours of the morning just talking to each other on the phone.

★ once they begin dating, eunbyul would like to go on a date with eunho where they sleep under the stars.

★ the interview

ARE YOU READY TO RETURN TO TONGYEONG? WHY OR WHY NOT?

“not really, no,” eunbyul answered instantaneously and a huge sigh escaped her lips afterwards. if she had a choice, she definitely wouldn’t go back. “but i need to go for junghee. it’s the least i can do for her.”

DID YOU KEEP IN CONTACT WITH ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS IN THE GROUP? IF YES, WHO DID YOU KEEP IN CONTACT WITH? IF NO, WHY DIDN'T YOU KEEP IN CONTACT WITH YOUR FRIENDS?

“initially, i kept in contact with some of my friends, junghee the most out of everyone. we promised to keep each other up to date with everything that’s going on in our lives. over time, i slowly drifted apart with them. i became so fixated on my goal that i ended up sacrificing my social life in the process. although after my competitions, they would always send me congratulatory messages and i would take my time to respond to each one. however...” eunbyul took a deep breath before continuing. “after the incident... i was in a really bad place and i completely fell out of touch with all of them. i ended up pushing them all away instead of letting them in, it’s... all my fault.”

WHAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU RECEIVED THE NEWS THAT JUNGHEE PASSED?

“i... was celebrating my birthday...” she regretfully responded. her mind recalled the day she received the phone call. the day prior to that was her birthday, junghee sent her a text message that said, ‘happy birthday, byul! i bought your favorite strawberry cheesecake to commemorate! i know you’re going through a difficult time, but i’m always here for you, you know that, right? i promise i’ll pick up right away, so shoot me a call when you can.’ eunbyul had always to talk to junghee after that, but she wanted to go over the things she wanted to tell junghee first. in the end, she never got the chance to.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD JUNGHEE BEFORE SHE DIED?

thank you for reaching out to me when i was at my lowest, i’m sorry for pushing you away, thank you for being the best friend i could ever ask for, i’m sorry for not being the same kind of friend you were to me, thank you for believing in my dreams and trusting me to achieve it, i’m sorry for disappointing you. eunbyul’s mind whirled with so many thoughts of what she wanted to tell junghee. but just thinking about the things she wanted to say gave her a strong impulse to cry. and eunbyul never cried. not in front of anyone, at least. to stop herself, she merely responded with, “there’s too many things i want to tell her.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY WITH JUNGHEE?

a soft, melancholic smile adorned her features as she took a trip down memory lane, “there are a lot, honestly. but i would choose the time when i first brought her the public skating rink after she insisted on watching me practice. it was the first time i actually brought a friend. she made me teach her how to skate during that day. she was honestly so bad at skating, it was hilarious! i remember she fell down ten times. and when i left her alone on the middle of the rink, she had to crawl her way to where the handles were. but the whole experience made me really happy. it was like... sharing a part of myself. it was and still is one of the best memories i had on the rink.”

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR WAY OF COPING WITH STRESSFUL AND EMOTIONAL SITUATIONS?

“i keep myself busy so i don’t end up thinking about the situation.” she vaguely responded, not wanting to elaborate further. she inwardly cringed as she thought of the numerous empty bottles of beer that were scattered around her apartment. drowning her sorrows is something eunbyul isn’t proud of, but it was what allowed her to cope temporarily.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS?

“i want to tell them that i’m sorry for not keeping in touch with them despite promising to and for pushing them away when they were only trying to help me. but i also want them to know that i appreciate the fact that they reached out despite my stubbornness. and, i want to tell them that i miss them.”

IF YOU WERE ASKED TO STAY A FEW MORE DAYS, EVEN A WEEK FOR YOUR FRIENDS, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO STAY?

“no!” eunbyul precipitously responded. she became aware of her sudden outburst, which was an action unlike her, and immediately composed herself. “i mean... i can’t prolong my stay. i’ve got things to do, you know?” i don’t want to risk running into my parents, she bitterly thought.

★ final goodbyes

TBHDDAENG. MARI. 60%.
TURN IN. BACK TO STORY. CHEATSHEET.

COMMENTS. i hope enjoyed reading through the app as much as i enjoyed writing her! i hope everything still makes sense since i stopped working on the app for a whole month due to academics. especially the love story since it was kind of rushed (you can like tell at which point it was rushed ajhsfkajdf)! i wanted to work on it more, but time simply wasn’t on my side. unu if you need any clarification, do lmk! good luck choosing applicants and i wish you luck on your story!

SCENE REQUESTS.
★ everyone’s reaction @ eunho and eunbyul when they arrive at tongyeong together
★ i’m genuinely soft for heartfelt family moments, so definitely a scene of eunbyul finally reconciling with her parents! maybe with eunho there with her as moral support
★ after reconciling with her parents, eunbyul shares with them her life in college so far. she doesn’t realize it, but she ends up mentioning eunho’s name 3/4 times. her parents ask her if she and eunho were dating, which greatly flustered them both
★ the whole squad visiting places they frequented at in the past! (insert sabin and eunbyul sneaking off on their own to visit the places the two of them frequented at?)
★ wholesome moments between sabin x eunbyul and pureun x eunbyul once they’ve rekindled their friendship, as well as baram x eunbyul, and sooah x eunbyul hehe uwu <3

PASSWORD. remember when you guys attended one of my skating competitions to cheer me on? it was a small, local competition so there weren’t a lot of people in the audience... but all of you were screaming your asses off as you waved banners with my name in the air. i yelled at all of you afterwards for embarrassing me... truthfully, i really appreciated it. it boosted my confidence and gave me motivation... so, thank you.