level 23 / btsvelvet

episode two

the car ride to park joy's new residence is anything but peaceful.

"your precious daughter has to live in a cramped, little apartment thanks to you." joy's mother huffs from her right.

"for your information, i offered our daughter a perfectly spacious penthouse in the upper east side." came joy's father from her left. "you think i agreed to this arrangement? i was going to put my foot down this time, but if i recall correctly, you were the one who insisted i let her get her way."

"like you don't already let her get her way anyways." her mother retorts, scrolling through pictures of the apartment's interior on her phone with french-manicured nails that clacked every time they hit the screen. "i can't help it that our daughter is so convincing."

"being convincing will come in handy in the future." her father exclaims childishly, "stop acting like it's a bad thing, woman."

before her mother can respond, joy sets down the fashion magazine she is reading with a dramatic glare towards either side.

"parents, please." the girl, no more than twenty-three, drawls in her best patronizing manner.  "can we, like, not? i'm not five years old anymore, and, just for emphasis, dad, i'm living here whether you like it or whether you don't."

joy's mother quickly chimes in, leaving her father exasperated with the two women. "exactly, dear, listen to our daughter." she sing-songs.

"i'm only looking out for my little girl." joy's father mutters as they arrive in the parking garage of the apartment complex.

as the chauffeur parks the car, joy ignores her father's grumblings as the men hired by the family take her luggage and follow in step behind her.

"look at the brands of these cars! beggars can practically live here!" her father's voice echoes in the air as they reach the modern-style lobby.

"even the elevator is this small!" her father scoffs again as the elevator door opens. "only this many people and it's already cramped like this." he adds when two girls about joy's age enter the elevator with them.

"actually, now that i consider it, your father has a point, sooyoung. are you sure you don't want the penthouse?" her mother holds a hand to her nose as if to guard herself from the scent of the less fortunate.

joy only snaps the bubble of her pink bubblegum in between her teeth in reply, staring up at the numbers displayed above the elevator buttons as they ascend higher and higher. she's quite used to ignoring her parents anyways.

at the same time, she doesn't quite notice the two girls behind her, one staring in awe at the louis vuitton suitcase at her side and the other visibly annoyed by her parent's remarks.

20, the red dots flash.

21.

22.

23.

when the elevator button dings, signaling its arrival at level 23, kang seulgi and kim yerim rush out and unlock the door to their shared apartment hastily. the two file in and close the door behind them just as park joy and her crew move past them, heading straight for apartment 2303.