Entranced

Eleven Years Later

"Unnie," a voice whispered into my ear for the millionth, "Unnie."

Trust my sister to wake me up early on a Sunday.

That was what ran through Hyejeong's mind as she tried to ignore the fact that Hyejin's voice was ingrained in her unconscious, interrupting a wonderful dream involving a forbidden trip to the cirque.

Hyejeong groaned inside.

"Unnie, wake up." Her sister's voice became slightly impatient, shaking her a little more vigorously.

Five more minutes, Hyejeong thought, too sleepy to even say it out loud. She burrowed deeper under the covers.

It was promptly yanked off her.

"Shin Hyejeong!" Hyejin shrieked into her ear.

Hyejeong yelped, covering my ears. "What?" she groaned.

The latter gave a smug grin as she plopped on the bed, happy that she was victorious. "Eomma wants you to wake up. It's getting late, and you're still asleep."

"You're the one who always wakes up late," Hyejeong mumbled, rubbing my eyes as she sat up. It was then that she noticed that Hyejin was wearing something other than pink pajamas, fluffy bunny slippers and bed hair, and her eyes travelled up to her sister's flawless face.

"Why are you dressed?" I asked her.

Hyejin rolled her eyes as if it was obvious. "We're having guests," she replied, smoothening the embroidered bodice of her pink cocktail dress. It had so many ruffles, it made Hyejeong's mind spin.

Her sister got off my bed, fluffing up her skirt, and pouted down at her, "Get ready, will you? I can't go down there alone." She walked out of the room, pausing at the doorway.

Hyejeong sighed tiredly, and looked at her clock. "But it's only ten in the morning!" she whined, and with a groan she buried herself back onto her bed.

Hyejin muttered something under her breath. "Unnie!" my sister shouted, "If you don't get up I'm going to take a picture of you and send it to the family chat!"

Trust sisters to be so bossy.

***

After Hyejeong got dressed - thank goodness it was not pink - she sat in front of the dresser and brushed her thick, dark hair. Against the black lace cocktail dress, her face was as pale as ever. That was the good thing about dressing herself instead of having her maids do it for her; she was able to choose whatever she wanted to wear.

She looked at her reflection. Up? she thought, bringing up her hair. Or down? she dropped her hair.

The girls rarely presented themselves much to guests, since they were mostly their parents' business clients and would almost always be cooped up in their father's is study.

The only time Hyejeong did dress up was when the private lecturers arrived to teach her and Hyejin, but even then, it rarely went beyond whatever basic makeup she had the patience to slap on her face.

But Hyejin was always in perfect form. Which was why she was Pretty Hyejin.

Slightly frustrated, Hyejeong ended up braiding her hair loosely and place the braid across her right shoulder. Not too tight, but not too loose either. She placed little crystal-encrusted clips around the braid to make it seem like she had put in effort.

Just for fun, she clasped a choker around her neck. She had secretly ordered little things online along with the textbooks that she always bought, and had yet to use this one.