It was one of those deceptively peaceful mornings, the kind where the sun was doing its whole "soft golden light" thing, birds were chirping like they were auditioning for a Disney movie, and everything was just a little too perfect. Heiran sat in her studio, sipping on a cup of rapidly cooling coffee, staring at her phone. Her mint-green bicycle was locked outside the building, mocking her. Maybe she should've been outside, riding through the streets, enjoying the day. But no, instead, she was here, thinking about the dance.
She'd heard about it over breakfast when Jihyun dropped the news like it was no big deal. "Oh, by the way, we have the JYP Charity Dance Gala next week. Formal dress code. You know, heels, dresses, all that fun stuff."
Fun stuff? Heiran had nearly spit out her coffee. She enjoyed dancing, sure, but in private. Dancing in front of people? No way. That was reserved for solo kitchen dance-offs, where the only judge was her toaster, and sometimes her beloved Jihyun and Junghwa unnie, when they crept up on her in the morning.
She leaned back in her chair, eyes flicking toward her reflection in the mirror. Normally, her work uniform was a cozy combo of sweatpants, crop tops, and oversized hoodies-perfect for biking, perfect for life. To make things worse, she suddenly remembered the two little secrets she carried with her-literally. Tattoos. And not just any tattoos. Small ones, discreet, hidden in places no one had ever seen. One was a delicate rose in the middle of her back, just below her neck, a subtle nod to her love for flowers but also a reminder that she was not a flower. She was more like a cactus-hard to approach, a little prickly, but low maintenance.
Then there was the lunar cycle on her collarbone. It was small, discreet, and barely noticeable under normal circumstances-unless she was wearing a low-cut top, which she almost never did. The tattoo had started as a spur-of-the-moment decision because, in a moment of sheer self-delusion, Heiran thought it would make her look mysterious. Spoiler alert: tattoos don't magically make you mysterious. They do, however, make you hyper-aware of necklines and constantly paranoid that your aunt might see them at family gatherings.
The phases of the moon were supposed to represent change, growth, and blah blah... but she got it because it looked cool and artsy. You know, something that would get a lot of likes on Instagram. So far, though, the only people who had seen it were her two roommates and her mom, who simply blinked and said, "Well, at least it's small."
Hwa loved the tattoo, calling it a "quiet flex." Jihyun, on the other hand let out an exaggerated "Wooooow," and said "Look at you, miss Gen Z hot girl."
The tattoos were small, and she rarely thought about them. But then it hit her: formal dresses tend to be... revealing. Which meant these little tattoos were about to make their JYP debut.
"Great," she muttered. "What's next? I have to give a speech?" She imagined Seungmin raising an eyebrow, probably followed by some dry remark like, "Oh, so you're one of those people." Felix probably be gasping, "Oh my god, you have tattoos?!" Han would definitely mock her in his usual way of teasing that made everyone wonder if they fighting or flirting. Chan would probably just smile, being his usual nice self, and say something like, "Cool tats, mate," and that would be the end of it. But even that would make her want to melt into a puddle on the floor.
Heiran sighed, sinking deeper into her chair, eyeing the half-empty cup of coffee. She swirled the coffee idly, imagining herself swirling around in some fancy ballroom, trying to dodge questions about her tattoos while awkwardly balancing on heels.
Where was Chan with his croissants when she needed him? She missed those days when he would just appear with pastries, like some sort of fairy godmother, instantly making her feel a little more at home. But today was a stroopwafel kind of day.
