Luna went to her balcony at six a.m and took pictures of the morning twilight with her phone,
The previous day Joy had suggested that Luna join her photography club and for the entry test she had to bring pictures she had taken.
The ones she was getting weren't satisfactory and she wondered if it was because she was using a phone and not a camera so she went and woke up Jihoon to ask if he had one.
After pushing her off the bed twice for waking him up early when he had just gone to sleep at 3, he finally answered her groggily.
"Go to the fourth room in the basement and check the showcase on the left, and JUST the showcase, don't look around and definitely do not snoop around."
Luna was badly tempted to do exactly as she was told not to but she refrained as she had no time, dawn was slipping.
So, she entered the room with intentions of looking to the left but was stunned by the red.
It was a huge dark room, with pictures and polaroids strung across the room on multiple strings and hundreds more stuck to the large walls.
Is he a fan-site?
She wondered.
Or a stalker?
Or BOTH?
She forced herself to look away and looked at the showcase where another surprise awaited her.
There were multiple cameras of different brands, eras and types.
Each one seemed harder to operate than the other.
Luna pulled on her hair in frustration, she had no time so she picked the one she 'thought' she could handle.
A compact camera.
She had wanted pictures of the twilight but the ones she got of the sunrise were breathtaking and she proudly turned the camera off.
She put it away and enjoyed the morning, her gaze turned to Haemin's house and she chuckled remembering the bird and cat fiasco.
She wished she hadn't thought so bad of him at first.
Haemin's door opened and he stepped out in running apparel.
Luna's eyes twinkled as she adored how he looked in a tracksuit.
"Haemin!" She called out to him before she could stop herself.
He turned to her, startled, and erupted into the biggest smile when he saw her.
He waved and Luna mirrored eagerly.
He pulled out his phone and pointed to it.
Confused, Luna stared at him and shrugged,
She also grabbed her phone.
Haemin cupped his hands around his mouth,
"What's your number?" He shouted.
"Oh right, we dont have each other's numbers yet." Luna thought outloud.
Haemin saw her lips moving so he inquired, loudly, "What?!"
Luna chuckled, "Wait." She shouted back and checked her phone for her number.
"Its ZERO ONE ONE FIVE TWO TWO TWO SEVEN SIX ONE FIVE."
Haemin laughed along with her as he dialled it.
They were definitely disturbing the whole neighbourhood perhaps, but both of them seemed to have been in their own bubbles of insouciant blitheness.
"LUNA JOCELYN PIÈRCE IF YOU DONT SHUT UP NOW IM GOING TO THROW YOU OFF OF THAT BALCONY." Jihoon shouted from inside the house and Luna laughed as she picked up the call, she was so elated she didn't even notice what he had said.
"Good morning and welcome back neighbour." Haemin's perky voice flowed out of the speaker.
"Good morning." She smiled back.
"Want to go to uni together today?"
"Mmm no." Luna replied, with a smile still persistent on her lips.
Haemin's dimmed, "Why not?"
"I have to help Jihoon with something so Ill probably miss my first class."
She already had this lie prepared, she had to stop being so available.
And she had already promised Hyun that they would meet before classes started and eat breakfast together.
"Alright then, Im gonna go for a run, see you in class?"
Luna gave him a lopsided smile, "Ofcourse."
As soon as she turned - after following Haemin with her gaze as he ran down the street - she was startled by a silent Jihoon leaning against the doorway.
"So, what exactly do you have to help me with?" He asked smugly.
Luna rolled her eyes and pushed past him, "Mind your own business."
Jihoon followed her to the kitchen, " You used me in your lie, so basically it is my business."
Luna began to make him breakfast, she decided to make her lie true.
"I remember you went to meet him on a previous morning as well. Raced to meet him actually , these were the guard's words." Jihoon sat on a stool.
"Uhh cats and birds, you wouldn't understand, what's your point anyway?" She rushed out.
"Cats and birds.." he repeated and shook his head, "What I mean is, you seemed to like him, why are you avoiding him?"
Luna pulled out a baguette from the bread basket, "Why would you think I like him?"
"You spent a night with him." He deadpanned, "I hope you used protection."
Luna gasped, "Nothing of such sort happened, we're just friends!"
Jihoon raised an eyebrow, and Luna added, "For now."
He grinned and raised his hands, "Hey, friends with benefits is fine too, I wont judge, just use protection."
Luna raised a pan to his face, "Shut up before I slap you silly with this frying pan, rapunzel style."
Jihoon moved it aside, "How about you use it to make me french toast."
Luna rolled her eyes again and got to it.
"But you said just friends for now, meaning you do like him, so, why are you avoiding him?"
She sighed, "Joy said I shouldnt be too available all the time if I want to get him to like me back."
Jihoon groaned, "Luna nooooo why are you listening to that girl, she's been a player since middle school, she'll give you horrible advice!"
"But it makes sense!"
Jihoon tried his best to convince her that Joy wasn't a reliable source, that even teen magazines were more useful,
But Luna turned a deaf ear and left for uni.
☾
"There she is, the green goth." Hyun came up from behind her.
Luna looked down at her green and black outfit, "Green goths are a thing?"
"Well if pastel goths are, then green goths must be too."
Luna smiled, and they walked to the botanical garden greenhouse to eat the Mcbreakfast Hyun had brought.
"Green has always been my favourite, every shade."
"What about the black?"
She thought about it for a second, "That one's unconsciously acquired."
"Oh because its black like your soul?" He teased.
"Perhaps." She agreed seriously.
Hyun's smile faded, he cleared his throat and they both sat down on the grass patch.
He quietly took out the food and Luna knew she had to talk to him about the rumours he had heard about her because he wasn't gonna ask himself out of niceness.
"I had a friend at juvie, Jade. She made it possible for me to survive there for five years." She started abruptly.
Hyun breathed out, "Five years.. wow."
Luna went on as she ate, "We were like Flaca and Maritza from Orange is The New Black-"
"You're a lesbian?" Hyun cut her off.
Luna slapped his head, "Let me finish, like Flaca and Maritza, except the lesbian love. It was us against the whole facility, us against the world."
Hyun deflated, "That's cool, where is she now?"
Luna didn't answer his question,
"She was cool." she agreed, "And so daring, there was this one time where we snuck out to the guards' kitchen and raided their fridge."
Hyun gaped, "Oh my god, you acted out, in juvie even?"
"It kept us entertained, kept us going, kept us sane. Or else if you stop to focus on people and the things going on around you.. you'd lose your mind."
"But how did you end up.. never mind, uh when did you get out?" Hyun nervously waited for Luna to not mind his slip up.
She chuckled, "Its fine, you can ask."
She would never admit it but she was glad Hyun knew prior, it was easier telling him.
"Its a long story though, is it okay that we're picnicking here like this?"
Hyun inflated his chest, "Im a botany major, if anyone tries to kick us out, Ill beat them with a
Cleistocactus from the Cactaceae section."
Luna laughed and began telling him her desolate tale.