05- Atramentous

There was something in the way her fingers runs along the different shades of colors on the shelf, stopping at the shade of blue she particularly liked, tapping it with her finger while her brain flashes of beautiful smiles, melodious laughter, and eyes filled with stars that tugs on her heartstrings.

She twirled the paintbrush she’s holding in her other hand as the conversation between her and her sister played through her mind.

“I should just stop now, right? It’s not like she’s going to like me back…”

“Hey, when did my sister become a quitter?! Why don’t you at least try? And if you really think there’s no chance, then you stop.”

“I don’t know unnie…”

“Fight until you can.”

“Fight until I can?” she mumbled.

“Who are you going to fight?” a voice asked from behind her and she quickly twirled around, eyes meeting with a petite one’s wearing a small smirk.

“Oh, hello. You’re Krystal, right?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m the exchange student. My homeroom teacher said this is where the art club is?”

“Yeap, you’ve come to the right place. I’m Seulgi by the way~ You can just grab whatever  materials you want and start arting~” she explained, motioning with her hands before smiling again and turning back to the paints she was looking at, grabbing one and sitting in front of her unfinished canvas. She heard the movements from the other girl as she circled the room, getting materials from here and there before sitting down beside her.

“So tell me… who are you planning to fight?” her paintbrush halted as her head slowly looked to her side to see Krystal--not looking at her but-- having a small smirk on her face and she can’t help but laugh before looking back on her painting and continuing.

“No one~ I’m not fighting literally~” she chuckled, feeling quite at ease with this transfer student. She felt Krystal look at her and she looked back, chuckling some more from the judging look and raised eyebrows the other girl is giving her.

“You’re weird...”

“And yet you like me already~” and it was Krystal’s turn to chuckle.

“Well aren’t you too full of yourself~” she was about to say another comeback when Yeri came barging in.

“UNNI-oh. Uhm.. hi~” Krystal looked at Yeri before looking back at her.

“Girlfriend?”

“EWWW NO.” came the disgusted reply from the maknae. She scoffed.

“Wow thanks Yer, you’re not my type too.” she rolled her eyes before looking back at the exchange student, “Yeri’s more like a little sister to me. Don’t be fooled by her looks, she’s actually half-incarnate of Satan.”

“Half-incarnate?” Krystal cocked her head to the side in question.

“The other half is my other friend, Joy.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Anyway,” she turned back to the youngest who was looking at her with a glint of curiosity in her eyes, “what is it, Yer?”

“Oh uhm, Yuri unnie’s already outside~ She wants to take us for ice cream!~”

“Hmm, okay then.” she grabbed her bag by the foot of the easel and stood up, turning her attention to the girl beside her. “I’ll see you around.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’m going to see you around what with the size of your ego and all.” Krystal smirked and she let out another loud laugh.

“Bye, Krystal.”

“Bye, Seulgi.”

“No, you have to multiply this number here to this and then get the divisible--” a long loud groan made her look up from the sketches she’s making. A pair of eyes met with hers and her whole being instantly felt at ease. She smiled, raising an eyebrow in question before her best friend mouthed, ‘Irene unnie’ and ‘Math’ to her and she let out a giggle. Her best friend also grinned before returning her attention back to the eldest.  Yeri slid to the seat beside hers.

“I already told Tiffany unnie about the dinner at your house and she’s excited about it. Especially meeting the Taeyeon unnie that Yuri unnie talks about a lot!”

“Unnie’s been listing what kinds of food to serve~”

“That’s nice...” Yeri paused, “So when are you going to tell Wendy unnie about your new girlfriend?”

“What girlfriend?” She looked at the maknae like she had just sprouted 25 heads.

“The exchange student.”

“She’s not my-- How can you even-- I only like--” She can’t even finish her words due to the utter  shock in her system. Yeri, of all people, should know who she really adores and yet here she is, saying lies and delusions. Then the youngest gave her a smirk and she stopped blubbering.

“Chill, unnie, I only meant it in a girl who is a friend way..but I see how it is~” an evil glint in Yeri’s eyes had her wanting to throw her not-so-lovable friend outside the window of this five story building they’re currently at.

“Yerriiiiiiiiii~~~” Joy whined, arms immediately going around the maknae and pulling, chokeslamming Yeri in the process. Irene had quickly went to try and stop the two from actually killing each other while Wendy shook her head and went beside her.

“Hey~”

“Hi~.....uhm..Do you want to get ice cream later?” she asked, smiling a little bit because maybe she can consider this as a date.

“Oh, Irene unnie and I are going home together later~ Isn’t that great?”

“Y-yeah. I guess we can go eat ice cream some other time then...” she mumbled, giving Wendy a smile that she practiced so well.

She was sitting under the shade of the trees, her hands maneuvering in rhapsody with the moving constellations inside of her. The pencil she’s holding moving up and down the pages as she tries to tame the lightless matter from eating up the stars that had formed slowly, enveloping her the past few years...until a voice startled her.

“You’re a really good artist, I must admit.” she looked up, eyes scanning the person’s face with a playful quirk on her eyebrow. The girl’s facial features were sharp and on point and as an artist, she admits that it’s aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. She smirked.

“And I must admit that you’re actually really pretty.”

“I see you’re finally falling for me” a teasing smile.

“Nah, I’m just stating a fact.. Besides, I already have my eyes set on someone~” she answered, grinning as she looked back at what she was sketching.

“And here I am wanting to ask you out for a date but..” a dramatic sigh as the girl sat beside her, “my heart’s broken.” She laughed as the pretty girl nudged her on the shoulders.

“So who is this someone that has crushed all my hopes for us?”

“She’s my best friend.” She gave the girl a small smile before shrugging.

“I hear a but there somewhere”

“But she told me a few months ago that she has a crush on one of our friends….” she sighed, “and now she’s trying her best to be closer to that certain friend.” she looked down at the sketchpad on her lap filled with shapes that makes out a certain person’s eyes.

“Hey~ It’s just a crush, right? They’re not together or something yet so don’t lose hope.” the girl said, gently patting her on the back.

“I guess so.” her phone vibrated just then, signalling a message from her sister. She fumbled a bit before standing up and looking back at her new friend, “I have to go~ Thanks, Krystal.”

“For what?”

“For this.” she smiled, “I’ll see you around.” and she waved a goodbye to a now grinning Krystal.

The weekend came by and hers and her sister's friends had flocked into their house for the dinner that her Yuri unnie had planned--so intricately to be honest that even she had been a bit weirded out by this, but she guesses that now that her sister had finally found and invited that childhood friend of hers, she’s making sure that she impresses Taeyeon unnie.

It was fine the first few minutes of them dining together until suddenly she started serving Wendy food and the latter had grinned at her before doing the same but this time serving Irene instead. She hears Joy scoff beside Irene while Yeri was chanting ‘EAT. EAT. EAT. EAT.’ at Sooyoung who’s trying to fit a pound of steak in in one go. And this continued on for the rest of the meal until it was dessert time and Taeyeon had served them the cupcakes that their family had brought.

“This cupcake is delicious!” her sister exclaimed, looking expectantly at Taeyeon.

“O-oh. It was Wendy who made all of these, I just helped a bit.” the older one revealed. Seulgi’s eyes lit up, this is her chance to compliment her crush non-stop. She knows Wendy bakes and had tasted some of it before (with incessant pleading and the occasional birthdays).

“Wow, Wendy, you baked really great! It’s extreee~meeelyyy delicious~”  She gushed and her best friend smiled at her.  

“You really bake so good, Wendy~ I love these carrot cupcakes as much as I love the carrot cake you gave me last time!~” Irene admitted.

What? Excuse her? Here she is needing to beg for her best friend to give her some of her baked goodies and here is Irene just getting them randomly? She saw Wendy beam, cheeks flushing from the compliment the older one had given her. She felt the atramentous feeling enveloping her but had quickly suppressed it and masked on a smile. Her sister had quickly told them that that’s the end of their dinner.

It was an hour later when she was finally left alone with Wendy what with Joy and Yeri hoarding around Irene. They were by the porch, looking up at the night sky.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Wendy whispered in their shared silence. Seulgi looked at her, eyes searching her every feature. “My parents,” the younger one paused, smiling as she continued “they were soulmates.” her best friend looked at her, brown orbs meeting brown as stars connected and constellations were formed. She smiled serenely at Wendy, reaching out and pulling the latter towards her, head fitting perfectly in her neck, arms feeling like they belong around the younger one. Wendy breathed in her scent before continuing,

“Mommy Seoh was Aunt Taeyeon’s and Aunt Sica’s sister. She met Mama Yoong around college and had instantly connected. I used to watch them when I was younger, how easily and perfectly they fit into each other’s harmony and I can’t help but wonder when will I ever.” a chuckle, “I used to not think so much about it... but now… I feel something’s changed.”

“I feel it too, Wen.”

A/N: Helloooo~~~

If you've read CotM, you'll notice that this chapter has the same title as chapter 5. It doesn't mean anything...I just wanted to let y'all know hahahaha haaa.

See you next week!~