— canterback stables.

@✽ dahyun k. She tried to hide her grimace. Hyunjung felt horrible. It was neither of their faults, but she was so caught up in her own life and problems that she didn’t think about the people around her… Even though she and Dahyun hadn’t had an ongoing conversation for a few years now, Hyunjung owed her an explanation at least. A warning? There was so much to Hyunjung she didn’t want to share with anyone, let alone Dahyun, who was always such a good friend. A friend Hyunjung felt like she didn’t deserve. Was that it? Dahyun didn’t deserve her or to live in this dump that was Dandelion… Hyunjung wasn’t sure if she wanted to show Dahyun around the town. The only beauty within the town lay in the outskirts, where one couldn’t see a single human. “Um… sure.”

It was awkward on her part. She nodded and followed along, creating a map of where they could go. Luckily, Hyunjung liked to jog around the town, and the quieter areas were her expertise. Where people wouldn’t stare at her because she had the audacity to take care of herself, she led Dahyun to where she first ran, where she went aimlessly without thinking about how to get back.

“You’re right.” Hyunjung sighed. She didn’t want the townspeople to know even more about her business. Her family, as in, Hyunjung’s father and mother, were already an enigma to those who knew of the capable farm family Kim. “I’m sorry for not telling you. Things kind of… snowballed. Truth be told, I didn’t want anyone to know where I went, let alone that I was leaving. This isn’t exactly the dream destination to escape to, right?” Hyunjung turned her head to gesture at the horse swatting at the flies bothering him. Hyunjung wrinkled her nose. She wondered how much this town smelled, and she had gotten so used to it.

Hyunjung couldn’t meet Dahyun’s face. She kept her eyes forward to their destination on the small trail that led to a hiking trail. They would walk closer to the seaside, sheltered by the coniferous trees that towered them. “I didn’t pack much, to be honest. And… I wouldn’t want you to see where I was at. It was too much, even for people like us.” She finally met Dahyun’s eyes, giving her a warm but sad smile. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” With a shake of the head, she tried to chuckle. “The breaking point was losing my job, but I already had so many stone bricks weighing on me before I left. When I had nothing to work for, I had nothing to stay for. The only place I could come is here. I never thought I would come back.”

@✽ hyunjung k. "I was hoping for a tour actually." Dahyun requested with a shake of her head, they needed privacy for this conversation. But she was also curious about the property her friend took ownership of and she still planned on helping in any way possible. "I have a year to prepare for my bar exam, so I thought spending that time away from the city would help." This was the official reason she left the city and yet, she was in a small town that she's never heard of in her life. While it would be a year away from the public eye and her family, but truthfully, she would be beside her friend and that was more than enough of a reason to come.

"Let's take a stroll first, through the quieter parts. There's quite a bit to explain and some better said in private." Her nose wrinkled at the thought, it was going to be a long discussion but still smiled as she hooked her arm with the other woman, a familiar gesture. Dahyun nudged her to lead their walk, a thoughtful look on her face as she considered where to begin. "You left suddenly, I didn't even know until it was too late. I should ask why you didn't say anything but I already have a good idea." She shot an accusing glance at Hyunjung, it had hurt to find out her dearest friend had fled the city without a word. While the lives they led in society may be different, it didn't change the years they spent side by side.

"I would still have liked to know ahead of time, I could've helped you pack or convinced you to stay." It brought back memories better left forgotten and for a brief time, she even felt alone. But that was quickly overtaken by guilt, Dahyun could have done something sooner and prevented any further difficulties for her friend. They have come too far for something as simple as this to tarnish their relationship, Dahyun will just have to prove herself. "I am both your greatest friend and ally, you can trust me and I will help as you would for me. We will bury the dead body together." She promised, using a joke to lighten the mood but still conveying the depth of their friendship.

@✽ inah s. Hyunjung glanced at her watch and frustratingly put her hand down when she saw the minute hand barely reached the 11. Beside her, Baekgwang seemed to understand her frustration but made no moves to show he was equally frustrated. Instead, he continued using his tail to swat away the spring flies biting his skin.

“I’m too early.” Hyunjung grumbled. “I was expecting you to put up a fight, or at the very least, expecting me to have to quit everything and call someone else to do it for me… Somehow, you managed to pull through.” She turned her head from where she stood, looking at Baekgwang in his eyes. His ears twitched, indicating he was listening. “Don’t step on my feet throughout this. I had to borrow Jungmi’s boots but they’re too small. I will die if you step on me.” She brought her hand up to pet Baekgwang’s nose. He was getting thinner. Unable to properly chew on the food given to him, he was getting scarily thin. Despite being retired, many would assume he would become a round barrel who lazed around all day. Hyunjung’s uncle visited the vet and said his teeth needed to be floated. Hyunjung was horrified watching the videos on YouTube about this procedure and even more horrified when he told her that *she* would be the one to hold Baekgwang throughout it.

Luckily, Baekgwang was pleasant, unlike the other horses around the farm, which seemed to have a personal vendetta against her. Somehow, Baekgwang recognized her from when she was little, or he was just lovely. Either way, he was standing still for now as the vet’s car started driving down their long driveway. “Here we go.” Hyunjung muttered.

@✽ dahyun k. She wasn’t the type to cry. Hyunjung remembered the last time she cried when her boyfriend broke up with her, and she couldn’t even get the comfort she wanted from anyone. She cried alone in bed, weeping softly to not wake her father. She didn’t like to cry and found it a form of weakness that she wouldn’t let anyone show. It just wasn’t part of her daily routine at this point, and she was not one to do so in front of another person, god forbid, who actually knew her.

Hyunjung was used to being alone; she was used to being *left*.

But she wasn’t used to people *returning*.

And so, seeing Dahyun’s face before hers, her smiling face and comforting eyes, Hyunjung felt the squeeze in her chest and couldn’t help but feel like she needed it. She wanted to cry. It’s not like Dahyun had been there for her, nor Hyunjung for her, but finally seeing that person that Hyunjung knew for so long and felt so close to… She felt like she wanted to burst into tears and just let it all out.

She composed herself, blinking away the shock in her eyes and finally taking a deep breath, albeit shaky. “Da-Dahyun?” She almost wanted to pinch herself, but when Dahyun’s hands reached out and grasped hers, she knew that this was real, that she was there. “It’s— it’s okay.” She didn’t know what to say, croaking out her words in shock. She tried to compose herself. “I should’ve—”

Hyunjung raised an eyebrow and nodded, frantic. She was excited to see Dahyun and catch up with her, but she was a little worried. She looked like a rag doll and was here in this itty bitty town she swore never to return to. Would Dahyun still like her when Hyunjung had all the bedazzling stripped away? “S-Sure! Um… Let’s get coffee, or something. How long are you here for?” Hyunjung peeked back into her house and grabbed her purse on the coat rack, putting it over her shoulder as she stepped out onto the ground, feeling more refreshed than she thought she would.

@✽ seungwan s. Hyunjung remembered what a girl told her in university: the more you frown, the more wrinkles you’ll have. She had probably heard it somewhere else, whether it be on TV or a page of some magazine she had passed by while buying NOT diet-friendly snacks. But Hyunjung remembered that girl precisely because of how she said it, pointing directly at Hyunjung’s forehead, which had sunk into the creases that would eventually cause the pathways in her face. She tried to remember those girl’s words, bullying if nothing else, whenever she had sunk into one of her famous pouts, arms crossed over her chest and face grumpier than a cat stuck in the rain. It was a family heirloom handed down to her by her father. As much as Hyunjung wanted one as perfected and ominous as her father’s, she would have to practice much more. He was the one who managed to pull it off the entire time they spent living together.

But Hyunjung had to be happy. Her aunt would scold her again if she were caught frowning at the veggie stand, and there’s nothing more embarrassing than being scolded as a 28-year-old woman.

Hyunjung knew her veggies, knew they were tasty if her grandmother’s cooking was any evidence, but she hoped there wouldn’t be a lot of chit-chats… So, as a customer neared her way toward the veggie stand, Hyunjung had to perk up and give a small smile. She wanted to go back to pouting.

She didn’t /want/ to be here; her aunt made her as she had to pick up her daughter from a dance practice in Seoul. Hyunjung would be here until her cousin returned, which would not be for at least an hour. Once this customer left, she would have to run upstairs to get her laptop so she could do /something/… Anything.

@✽ hyunjung k. For many people, it was easy to feel alone when life became difficult and for her, it was no different. Dahyun withdrew from the people around her and was trapped in a bubble of her own making. So focused on her studies to graduate law school and then her family, there wasn't any time for anyone else. By the time the news reached her, it was too late, Hyunjung was fired and preparing to leave. There was little Dahyun could do to change that but there was no way in hell that she would let her dear friend's name be smeared. It took some time to dig for the right information and through it, find the solution to her own problems. She bargained for a year away from her family and high society in Seoul; a vacation to study for the bar exam in the eyes of the public.

In truth, it brought her here, to her friend's front doorstep with a warm yet apologetic smile. After Dahyun's arrival in town, she sorted out her apartment and came straight over, needing to check on one of the few people she trusted. The very same person she failed to aid in their moment of need and now, she found that there were not enough words to explain everything she needed to say. An apology was a good start, Dahyun stepped forward to squeeze her friend's hand. "I'm sorry I took so long -" to see you, to help you, to be there for you like you always were for me. "But I'm here now and you are not alone in this."

It was a promise from their childhood that started despite their differences and finding a genuine friend in each other, even after all these years. There was no doubt in her mind that Hyunjung kept these problems to herself intentionally and their friendship meant more than the lives they led in Seoul. For Dahyun, it was an easy choice to come out to this small town and accompany Hyunjung through this transition, to make up for her failure and spend much needed time away from her responsibilities to her family. "A lot happened after you left but it's better spoken about in private. How about you show me around for a bit?"

@✽ dahyun k. Perhaps some fresh air would clear her head. She can feel the heavy metal press against her nose and temples, taking off her glasses to rub at the tender and stressed nerves there. Whoever did the accounting before her was archaic or stupid, Canterback Stables was not only losing more money than they were earning, but they had such a chaotic set-up that Hyunjung was sure they were behind on most of their bills. Her grandmother would probably go under cardiac arrest if Hyunjung told her this. It was a profitable business, especially now that the population of Dandelion and wandering tourists came here more often and wanted to try out the local generational farm.

They could pay off the bills, but what then?

Fresh air. Focus on that for now.

Hyunjung sighed and closed her laptop, stretching her stiff body that threatened to cramp at the slightest movement of her spine. She needed to do more exercise and stretching if she was going to do this much work in a day. At least the bank she used to work at was a walk away from her house, near a gym she would go to before or after work… The desk she had to sit at was right beside her bed.

But the air was better here. As much as she didn’t like Dandelion and their locals… Despite the smell of animal fasces and other stenches that surrounded their farm, the air was still… Nice. Very nice.

She ignored her aunt asking her a question as she walked downstairs and out the door, standing at the doorway when she caught a familiar face.

[] sorry for the long wait! i hope this starter is okay ._. despite being a little long fjhd got carried away