as all friends do, they have a couple of unspoken rules. namely: don't you ever date my sister. turns out, as they're all meeting at this party, this rule is a lot harder to respect than they expected.
a zb1 applyfic | closed
As soon as Irang climbed out of the car, she was greeted with the sight of the beautiful, luxurious Zhang mansion. Her eyes wide, she observed every inch of the estate. Baroque bricks, ornate windows, beautifully trimmed ivy running up the walls — this looked akin to a castle in a fairy tale. She couldn’t help but smile, as she turned to look at her older brother who’d followed her out of the car.
"This is beautiful!" she exclaimed, a hand covering her mouth. "So this is where your friend lives."
With a sheepish smile, Hanbin nodded, tugging on his lapel to straighten his jacket. "Quite the impressive house, right? I'm always amazed when I visit Zhang Hao hyung. And you haven't seen the inside."
"What, is it even better? How is that possible?"
Though her family was wealthy as well, their homes were in very different styles. She lived in an ultra modern penthouse, perched up in the most beautiful district of Seoul, with tall windows opening to a view of the city. From there, everything looked so small. Here, in a much calmer part of the town, the Zhang mansion almost seemed stuck in time, isolated from the bustling lives of working men and women. Irang could get used to this.
It also helped that the flowery hedges leading to the grand front door were meticulously manicured. It was obvious a lot of work and love had gone into making this home as inviting as it was. As she walked up the paved path, following her parents who were strolling arm-in-arm, she let her eyes linger over the lit up windows on the first floor. The guest of honor was probably preparing himself for his special evening.
Not a second after her father had knocked on the door, a woman she could only imagine was a maid opened. Irang stopped in her tracks, blinking. They had maids too? Sure, her parents had a cleaning staff come to their home once a month for a deep cleaning, but having workers on site all day? The Zhang family was on a whole other level.
"Welcome back, Mr Sung," the lady personally greeted Hanbin, who seemed to have seen her before during his visits to Zhang Hao. "The masters of the house will arrive shortly, if you may please wait in the entrance hall."
And indeed, like Hanbin had warned her, the inside was even more impressive than the outside. What they called the entrance hall, looked more like a banquet hall. There were tables littered with foods and drinks, immense red velvet curtains framing the room, and cascading from the middle of the cieling, a gigantic crystal chandelier, with dozens of lightbulbs lit up in a warm, golden light.
The kind of stuff that leaves you speechless.
Hanbin's gentle hand wrapped around her shoulder. "Crazy, right?" She couldn’t have settled on a better word. "I don't come here very often, but everytime I do I'm impressed."
"Well yeah, I get why! This is something else entirely." She peered around the room, her eyes settling on the lonely food tables. "Guess we’re the first to arrive."
With a nod, Hanbin crossed his arms. "Yes, it seems like it. Even the Zhang family isn't there yet."
"Hmm, I wonder if I'll get to make a few friends...Does Zhang Hao have a little sister?"
Hanbin's smile fell in the slightest way, but Irang knew her brother too well not to notice. "He has a twin sister, but I've only seen her a handful of times. She's not usually around when I visit."
Irang hummed, nodding slowly. Well, Zhang Hao had never properly met her either. She'd seen him a few times when he was picking her brother up, but they'd never been formally introduced. The only friend of his brother she knew at all was Yujin, as they were classmates.
Oh! Yujin!
"Will Yujin be here?" She asked as she turned to look at her brother, a suddenly excited smile on her face.
His grin was slightly teasing, though she wouldn’t have noticed. "Yes, he'll be there. Happy?"
"Well, of course! At least there'll be someone I know. It's not that easy to talk to new people, you know. What if they don't like me?"
His face softened as he pat the top of her head, whispering softly, "Don’t worry about it, I know they'll love you."
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