Distance Inspires Yearning pv Eun-Ji L.H

Made by the lovely Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

𝟶𝟻 . 𝟶𝟻 . 𝟸𝟹

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚅𝚒𝚋𝚎 - 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝙽𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚗

“Do you by any chance actually have a split personality?” He shrug with a cheeky grin. Surely she had her answer by now. And then his head was attacked with her sketchbook. It caused no harm. But he was momentarily surprised. It was like this when she pinched him out of the blue last time they met. Surprising for a second, but ultimately forced him to sneak in a small genuine smile. He couldn’t see her being playful often. The thought that not a lot of people had seen her like that was.. nice? He supposed. But the whole thing was less surprising than her next action of handing him her sketchbook.

Hanako was unable to hide the curiously confused flicker of emotion on his face when she handed him her sketchbook. He hesitantly took it and by habit, looked up to her as if he’s expecting her to change her mind and take the sketchbook back. As if asking, ‘ are you sure? ‘. He hadn’t made it easy for anyone to want to share things with him. He himself, despite all his theatrics and confidence, was generally a private person. The thought that anyone wanted to share anything with him without expecting anything in return was a tad bit foreign to him. Thinking that it was odd to return it now, he flipped through the pages. It’s just sketches anyway, what’s the big deal?

The big deal was the gentle beat of his heart loud enough for him to hear in his ears. If we wanted to be dramatic, he would pinpoint it as a spike of fear. Realistically, he knew he was just a bit weak to things like this. It was easier to straight up kiss strangers. It gives a temporary good memory, and ends as quick as it started. Drawing in someone’s sketchbook left a trace of him that lasted longer. Way, longer.To leave a trace of him in Eun-Ji’s sketchbook…

No no. He was thinking too much about this. It doesn’t mean anything.

Getting over his initial hesitance, he skimmed through the pages of her sketchbook. Not wanting to linger on a particular drawing for too long. He tried to keep his face neutral, and as always - he failed. He was impressed, plain and simple. Still, Eun-Ji wouldn’t hear a word of compliment from him. The pages were filled with random sketches, some from scenes he was vaguely familiar with, dueling poses, dancers and animals. Hanako realised this may have been why he was uneasy about opening her sketchbook. Without saying anything at all, he felt like he knew her better just by the stuff she drew. He didn’t want to know her better. Nothing that didn't have anything to do with her pretty face, at least.

The dancers in her sketches were thing that caught his attention the most. He knew her to be in clubs, but he wasn’t sure which and for what. Perhaps she was in some dancing club. Or at least had ballet as her hobby. Yet, another thing he learned about her. He could have inquired and satisfied his curiosity more. Like if she danced herself? Was it ballet? Or did she just admire ballerinas? Of if she enjoyed shows like Angelina Ballerina as a kid. But like when he found out she cooked, he wouldn’t be able to ask those questions. Mainly because they were useless piece of information. Sure, he was curious to know. But it was useless even if she did indulged in his questions. What was he supposed to do with that information? All he needed was to enjoy the time he had with her now, and nothing else mattered. It seemed whenever they met, she had shown an unexpected side of her Hanako never would have considered her to have. First was the cooking, next was the drawing. Hanako couldn't help but think if he’d be able to see them all. Not…that.. He cared. Course. Or even wanted to. In fact, it was the last thing on his mind. Honest.

I really should’ve just skipped all those pages and start drawing already.

If Eun-Ji saw him now, he had an unfamiliar serious look about him as he grabbed an available pencil to start his sketch. He intended to stick to what he said he’ll do. Perhaps to her surprise, he wouldn’t actually look at her at all during the process of his sketch. It was like everything he needed to know was already engraved in his head. While she answered his question about their deal, he only paid half his attention to what she was saying. Considering he had expected her to say something like, ‘ Hah, you wished ‘ or ‘ if you were the last person who could brew tea, I still wouldn't have accepted ‘ .

She got to the point where she said it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. To which he suppressed an amused laugh, instead giving a faux disappointed sigh. “ Really? Shame then. I’ll remember to mention that skill of mine next time I use it, “ he joked. Mainly to remind himself that Eun-Ji wouldn’t be the last person he’d propose that deal to. When a door closes, another one opens. He doubted that the quote was meant to be used for this situation, but hey it sounded just about right. Opportunities, right? That's what she is to him. An opportunity to have fun. Nothing more special than that.

“In any case, I have been feeling a bit bored lately and you are a fun distraction…” he slightly tilted his head up to inspect her with a raised eyebrow and a cheeky smile beginning to form.“Sometimes.” he returned her pointed stare with a cheeky smile anyway. However it was the next words that surprised him. “So I might just take you up on that offer if you are still interested.”

If he wasn’t already finished with his sketch, he would’ve dropped the pencil already. “ Did I hear that correctly?” he questioned curiously, his attempt as suppressing a smile failing miserably. “ Awwwww, see Precious. I told you that you’d miss me. A week without me was too much for you, wasn’t it~? “. He said it so naturally, but it was like he was holding back from sounding like he was just joking when he said it. Like it was a mask to merely contain what he actually felt about the situation. Truthfully, maybe he needed another pinch. To wake him up from this good dream he’s having.

On the other hand, he was rather annoyed that it took this long for her to make her decision. So much so that he spent the whole week thinking she just politely rejected it. This was one of the very few instances where he was glad to be wrong. After a few moments of being unable to hide his good mood, he calmed down and asked her a question. “ You… do understand what you’re signing up for when you say that, right?” he asked, curious. Its not like they had a more detailed talk about what they’d be. Not friends, certainly. Not dating either. Hanako was used to it, but was she?

Setting aside the pencil, he closed her sketchbook and handed it back to her. “ There you go~. You can look at it whenever you miss me. “

As promised, there was a stick figure of Eun-Ji in her sketchbook. Though ‘where’ it is may be a more important question to answer. A question which Hanako had no interest in answering. Unlike the artist, it seemed like the doodle intended to keep itself hidden. Between the many pages in the book, tucked away in a moderately small corner. Like a game of hide and seek, Eun-Ji would have to scan her own pages to find it. On one of the pages of her sketch, the doodle of the stick figure would be in the corner. There was a dash next to it, but instead of a name, Hanako drew a simple flower and a winky face.

He struggled the most with the ballerina outfit, Eun-Ji is able to easily tell that it was his first time drawing anything like that if she wished.

The idea that his name would be in her sketchbook seemed too much. He didn't want her to keep remembering him whenever she saw it. Maybe one day when they had each others fun and forgot about one another, she’d look at the sketch wondering who on earth invaded her sketchbook. He had no plans on staying in her life for long.

@Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Hana seemed caught of guard by her playful gesture and the witch really couldn’t blame him. In all honesty, she was a tad surprised herself. This was not how she usually acted, at least not around people she didn’t know well, yet this was already a second time she did so around Hanako. What was it about the boy that made her lose control over her actions like this? It was truly bizarre and Eun-ji decided she’d rather not dwell on that particular fact too much. At least it made him smile…Wait… Obviously she was tired from studying too much otherwise she would never have such thought. Yes, that's it….I need to catch up on sleep tonight.

Leaving her sketchbook in his hand caused another small pause in Hana’s actions. Clearly, he was wondering whether she was serious but Eun-ji elected to ignore it and just go back to her flower weaving. She wouldn’t have let him have it if she didn’t want to. To be fair, the Ravenclaw was a bit more careful with her sketchbooks in the past but after her aunt burned a whole bunch of them last summer, she decided she shouldn’t be so hung up on them. Treasuring something too much only made you vulnerable. Eun-ji didn’t like being vulnerable. It was dangerous.

Despite keeping herself busy with the flower crown, she still made sure to subtly check what was going on with the boy next to her. It was fairly easy to do since he was fully concentrated on the pages in front of him. At first, Eun-ji thought he would just look at the drawings and quickly scribble a stick figure at one of the pages before giving it back but he actually took his time. He didn’t comment on her skills but Eun-ji didn’t mind. She was not good at accepting compliments, which is what people usually tended to do when evaluating her sketches. It’s not like she was an exceptional artist or anything so there was no need for any of that.

At last, the Slytherin picked up her pencil and started to draw his "masterpiece". Eun-ji didn’t peek at his creation, she didn’t like it when people watched over her shoulder as she worked so she never did so to anybody else herself. Isn’t he just drawing a stick figure? She pondered eventually, not expecting him to spend as much time on it as he did. The boy even took time to fix the picture several times as if he wasn’t quite happy with it. So much effort for a few lines? Strange. However, she couldn’t help but feel a bit happy. It appeared the two of them were really good at surprising each other. Perhaps that’s why he was such good distraction.

“Really? Shame then. I’ll remember to mention that skill of mine next time I use it.” Wait, didn’t he ask her just last week? How come he was already thinking of asking someone else? Even if it was just for fun, there should be some mutual respect involved. Only a few moments ago, she was sure Hana was still waiting for her answer but now… No. Let’s stop overthinking. Just tell him and see what happens. It's not a big deal. Eun-ji almost shook her head over her own thoughts. “Not really dear Gollum. I was far too busy for that.” She answered nonchalantly. As usual, she didn’t want to give him a positive answer and make him gloat but it also had a hidden purpose. The Ravenclaw wanted to clear up that she didn’t just leave him hanging on purpose. Again…mutual respect. She was a big fan. Interesting. He actually looks genuinely happy. It was not like he was jumping with joy but he wasn’t acting smug. His smile looked more sincere this time.

“You… do understand what you’re signing up for when you say that, right?” Eun-ji took a moment to ponder about it as she took her sketchbook back. She was done with the flower crown but did not look into the notebook immediately. Somehow, it felt impolite to do so before answering the question. “I’m not sure one can fully understand anything about you to be honest.” She shrugged before continuing. Then again, she doubted there was anybody that could fully understand her too. “But it’s part of the fun I suppose and that’s what we are going for, no? Deep relationships are exhausting. I’d like to try something new. I really just want to have fun for once so I figured your offer was worth a try. You didn't change your mind, did you?” Really, his proposal couldn’t have come at a better time. Eun-ji finally managed to find herself almost entirely without friends so she wasn’t lying. She genuinely felt emotionally drained and yet she also couldn’t deny that she was feeling quite lonely. There was no way she was going to start forming any deeper bonds anytime soon but her thoughts were loud and her life felt empty. Hana seemed like a perfect fit to fill that void without asking much in return. Of course, she wouldn’t ask for much either and that was the whole point of this, was it not? A great deal as far as she was concerned.

Once she was done explaining, Eun-ji finally opened her sketchbook. At first, she considered doing so when she was alone but the curiosity eventually got the best of her. She had to search for a bit, which she thought was very much "Hana". Hanako Tone didn’t like to make things easy for others. Thankfully, she was already familiar with her sketches so it didn’t take long to find the stick figure after all. The girl huffed in amused. It was actually quite cute. He even made an effort of giving her a special outfit. “The prettiest stick figure for sure.” But of course she couldn’t leave it at that. “Then again the last time I’ve seen one was about…nine years ago?” It was probably pretty clear that she was referring to a kindergarten art class. However, it was also clear that she was not really mocking him. Sure, her tone was teasing but in a friendly way.

After a brief consideration, the witch picked up her finished flower crown and placed it on top of Hana’s head. “There…a reward.” Leaning backward a little bit, she inspected her work. Yep…it was quite pretty.

@Hanako Tone

Made by the lovely Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

𝟶𝟻 . 𝟶𝟻 . 𝟸𝟹

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚅𝚒𝚋𝚎 - 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝙽𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚗

“Really? Shame then. I’ll remember to mention that skill of mine next time I use it.”

Hanako suppressed the urge to give the girl a quizzical look when she didn’t respond and just kept on drawing. Was it not a good joke? Then again, she had barely responded to most of his jokes that he should have gotten used to it by now. What was different about this silence? Was he maybe getting used to what was a ‘Normal Eun-Ji’ silence, and what was a weird one? There was no particular reason for his comment to upset her, if that was the case. The possibility of it even sounded absurd in his head. Perhaps he only imagined things…

“Not really dear Gollum. I was far too busy for that.” she said, dismissing the idea that she might have missed him. Which only made him more amused.

“ Oh, really? So…you approached me today because you didn’t miss me? Well, okayyyy whatever you say, Precious” He teased, clearly not believing that she didn’t miss him. Well, to be honest he didn’t think she would be thinking of him 24/7. Plus, it was until very recently that he was solely convinced that he was just a passing thought to her. But considering the new development, would it be really bad if a guy had a little hope that he was missed? At the very least, it was good teasing material. Particularly the fact that it was her that approached him first.

It was then that she explained her thoughts on Hanako’s question. It answered some of the question, but he still didn’t quite get the full picture. Couldn’t she have been more specific? Or was it really just something for her to pass the time? Hanako honestly didn’t expect such a mindset from her. Deep relationships were exhausting? Maybe the rumour that she was into Holmwood weren’t the whole story? Suddenly, Hanako felt like he was in a better mood. If that was possible.

“ Course not. I mean it when I said it”. ‘Im glad you choose me’, was something he held back from saying, but perhaps she could tell by the soft smile he sent her, this time without hiding it. And it only lasted for 2 seconds before it was gone. “ Being mysterious is one of my many charms, Precious. Lots of people dig a guy with secrets, from what I see. You’re the same, yes? “, he pridefully commented with a confident wink.

Despite his silent plea that she wouldn’t find the sketch in front of him, she opened her sketchbook obviously to find his drawing. Wait wait wait…. Why was he nervous? He supposed it’s been a while since he drew anyone. Or drew in general, actually. Whether Eun-Ji would hate it or not was no relevance to him. She asked for a stick figure, and if his drawing was too unlikable for her artistic eyes, then surely she would’ve never given him the opportunity in the first place? A horrid idea pass by that she merely asked the drawing to make fun of it. He wanted to believe she wouldn’t do that. Even if she did.. It didn’t… matter. Yea, of course it didn’t matter. He didn’t care.

“The prettiest stick figure for sure.”

He perked up quite quickly for a guy who couldn’t care less about some stick figure. Seemingly energised by her simple compliment. “Then again the last time I’ve seen one was about…nine years ago?” Ah, of course she had to ruin it. Still, Hanako found nothing but amusement in her ending statement.

“ I got competition already?” he jested. “ Please, whatever stick figure you saw, I bet it can’t hold a candle to mine. You said so yourself, didn’t you? ‘Prettiest’~. I keep my promises most of the time~”

That was the end of his cheeky mood because nothing could have prepared him for what Eun-Ji did next. The unfamiliar sensation of light weight rested on his head and he swore his brain malfunctioned for a few good seconds. “There…a reward.”.

A huh?

Confusion was written all over his face, before one hand hesitantly reached up to touch the edges of the new flower crown now resting on his head. He was unsure what expression he made that was clear for Eun-Ji to see. He was too busy being hit by the fact that he only realised that it had been years since anyone put a flower crown on him. It was always him doing it for other people. But whatever his expression was, he was fairly certain there was light blushing involved. Against his better judgement, he turned his head away. Like a shy kid all of the sudden and it made him feel icky all over. Why had he done that?! He just didn't want Eun-Ji to see his face, but this was basically worse! He couldn’t even think straight to admire it. Not with this crisis in the making. This is just embarrassing…

And before Eun-Ji could catch on and gain more of the upper hand than she did already, he asked her a simple question. “Did you say earlier that ‘this’ thing is new for you? “. He turned back to look at her, his earlier pink faded slightly. A familiar smirk on his face, he leaned in. Reclaiming a bit of the distance she left between them just now. This was certainly a way to make her forget his earlier fumble. ”I think you need to specify more on what ‘fun’ is for you.” he uttered, emphasising ‘fun’ , a deep flirty tone mixed with his usual playfulness. “Because if it aligns with what I see as ‘fun’, we would be doing a loooooot less talking right about now~”. It was pretty clear where he was going with this. Earlier blunder aside, he wouldn’t mind a kiss from her at this moment. Now that would certainly distract him of his earlier embarrassment, and the fact that his heart was racing at a slightly faster pace now. But that was the after effects from her earlier sudden attack, clearly. “ Since you so kindly gave me a flower crown this pretty, how about you tell me how to give you a reward of my own?~ “.

@Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

Blue in English, Red in Korean

“Course not. I mean it when I said it.” Eun-ji felt a strange sense of relief wash over her body. Of course, it wouldn’t have been a big deal even if he did change his mind but this was certainly a preferable option and considering the sincere smile that followed, she knew Hana meant what he said. The witch allowed herself to relax and even went along with his next joke. “Well, of course. I’m a Ravenclaw…we love a good riddle.” She fired back casually. Not that she was planning on solving this particular enigma but she thought playing with it for a bit sounded pretty fun indeed. There was no simple solution to Hanako Tone, which only made him more interesting.

The Stick figure inspection had been dealt with rather swiftly but Eun-ji had a feeling, she might go back to it eventually. Not on purpose of course. It’s just…the drawing was now imprinted in her sketchbook so it was unavoidable for her eyes to linger on it once in a while when she was using it... right? Despite her best effort to water the compliment down, it still made the Slytherin giddy. Eun-ji wasn’t too mad about it this time. “I got competition already?” The witch raised her eyebrows. “Why? Is that hard to believe? I’ll have you know, I even received a marriage proposal from a young promising artist.” It sounded like a very light-hearted comment but in reality, she felt a prick of sadness after mentioning the kid. Gilbert was very talented artist indeed but he would not live long enough to see his dream come true. That’s precisely why he could joke around about marriage at such young age and why Eun-ji never properly turned him down. There was no reason to. They both knew the whole thing was just nonsense neither should take too seriously.

In all honesty, Eun-ji’s following gesture of gifting Hana the flower crown was pretty much spontaneous and she didn’t think much of it. Sure, it was not something she’d do on a daily basis and just for anyone but still… She definitely didn’t expect the reaction she got. Didn’t expect it but enjoyed it all the same. Who would have thought, she had the power to render Hana silent. Not only that…he was actually embarrassed by her gesture. Adorable. Eun-ji almost chuckled before her brain caught up and she had to resist the urge to slap some sense into herself. Sleep deprivation sure was a dangerous thing. Still, the Ravenclaw allowed herself to smile at least. It was a victory for her after all so why not celebrate it.

The frustrating thing was that Hana always managed to retaliate quite quickly. There was still a small blush across his cheeks when he decided to repay her tenfold but he did so anyway. “Did you say earlier that ‘this’ thing is new for you?” Eun-ji blinked in surprise. Was it? The answer should have been easy but she couldn’t help feeling a bit torn. What she had with Flash…she still couldn’t quite put her finger on it but they were definitely not just friends, right? They never said anything but he was always there when she needed someone to lean on as was she. There were soft touches, hand holding and they even hugged. He also got angry on her behalf on more than one occasion. Eun-ji was pretty sure their relationship was special but she didn’t have a name for it. Either way, it was very different to whatever was happening here so ultimately, she went with a ‘Yes’. Although the brief hesitation might have undermined her answer a little. Either way, there was no time to ponder about it further as the boy in front of her suddenly leaned in. It was Eun-ji’s turn to freeze. Was he seriously asking her for a kiss right now?

How are you always so smooth about stuff like this? The Ravenclaw wondered how many people already received the same offer from him. To tell the truth, she wouldn’t have been surprised if many of them accepted but Eun-ji was different. Surely, Hana must have known this as well, no? Unfortunately, she was not as smooth as he was but she could be incredibly stubborn and hated giving in. The more time she spent around Hunts, the more she excelled at defiance. Her treacherous heart sped up as she leaned in even further, stopping a mere inches away from his face. “Don’t be greedy.” She teased right back, somehow managing to keep her voice steady. Given her current predicament, she couldn’t help but feel proud of herself. No. He was not getting her first kiss like this.

“Hmm…What do I want?” The raven-haired girl sincerely gave it some thought. “I don’t have a list or anything but few things come to mind.” It was only fair to give him something to work with since she accepted his proposal. “How about you eat with me once in a while? Also don’t just yell at me in the corridors, stop by and actually talk to me sometimes? Ah…” She suddenly remembered what she was thinking of for some time now. “Take me to Hogsmeade one of these days? It’s been awfully long since I’ve been there and it’s not much fun going alone.” Eun-ji had no problem with being alone before but now that she was alone all the time, she was starting to get tired of it. Besides, she genuinely couldn’t remember the last time she visited that place with a company. If she was being honest, she really wanted to see Christmas Hogsmeade however she couldn’t bring herself to voice out this particular detail. Christmas was still pretty far. The Slytherin might very well get tired of her at that point so going sometime in the near future would be fine. She couldn't help but feel like she was propositioning a date for the first time in her life. It was strangely thrilling.

By this time, it was getting really hard to think straight, facing Hana like this. I need to finish this right now. Indeed she had to...before she made a fool of herself. “Just for starters…I’m sure we can figure out more fun things to do together, hm?”

@Hanako Tone

Made by the lovely Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

𝟶𝟻 . 𝟶𝟻 . 𝟸𝟹

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚅𝚒𝚋𝚎 - 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝙽𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚗

He let out a chuckle at her joke about figuring him out. “ Oh yea, trust me. You wouldn’t be the first birdie who tried “ he remembered his meeting with Dealla Prince fondly, the happy memory evident in his eyes. “ Who knows, maybe you’ll be as lucky as she was. I seem to be a pretty popular riddle among the Ravenclaws. “. Dee caught him crying where he had attempted to belittle her into leaving. Which only seemed to make her determined to stay and understand him. Ah yes, he was quite a little gremlin and Prince certainly was determined to figure him out. And through sheer determination and an eye for eccentric methods she used, she succeeded. They ended up being what he never thought they would be. Friends. Was she aware of Hana playing around with one of her fellow Ravenclaw duelists? Hmmmmm, oh well she probably wouldn’t care. If anything, she’d probably be concerned. Probably more for her teammate than him. Which is always fun. @Dealla Prince

Still, it didn’t make the thought of people figuring him out less uneasy. He had a lot to hide underneath his carefree persona. And way too many experiences with people leaving him for being his authentic self. He has yet to have the comfort of being totally himself. And he would need to keep the act up a lot around Eun-Ji. He was a riddle she should to solve. He found ease assuring himself that she was just joking.

Casually joking with someone he thought of as an ice princess a few weeks ago. What a weird twist of fate.

However it was when she mentioned someone proposed to her that the mood shifted slightly. A bit familiar to when he had bought up asking out someone else and he was met with silence. Hanako shifted his gaze somewhere else, hoping his darkened expression wasn’t too obvious. Still, he looked up again and Eun-Ji would be greeted with his regular smile. He had to force it into his brain that she definitely was just joking. She couldn’t …actually be engaged now could she? Instead of commenting, he placed all his energy into keeping his expression from falling grim at the thought.

It will always feel awful. To be remembered that he was slowly becoming the person who wretched his parent’s marriage. He doubted everyone he had fun with were truthful when they said they were not taken. A fact he usually realised at a later date. Yet he had allowed himself to join in the temptations. Why? He didn’t need to get into it right now. Not in front of someone like Hunt. To calm himself down, he merely continued to grab himself another cup of tea. The cold refreshing brew sliding down his throat with ease. Even if she were engaged, that was not his business to care. He will eternally be grateful for the many other events that distracted him from this.

Oh how much he loved being an asshat brimming with confidence. It was great that she decided not to comment. He liked to think it was because of his suave charm and not the fact that she may have just pitied him and given him mercy. Judging from the reddish tint on her cheeks, he would have assumed it was the first reason. Now they were both a bit red from different situations, nearly pressed up against one another with the lack of distance. He of course, relished this. Especially the smile she gave earlier. Two smiles in under one hour? Damn, he was good. He ignored the fact that those smiles were not the result of his ‘rizz’ but his rare occurrence of courtesy + tea skills bragging and just being momentarily embarrassed.

As expected, he didn’t think too much about when he offered to kiss her. Most knew how bold he could be. This was the least bit surprising. Just as surprising as her rejecting it. He gave her an amused smile, showing no irritation to her decision. While he would’ve enjoyed if she accepted, he didn't expect her to. Perhaps she would be able to surprise him as she always seems to have a knack for doing. It was enough they were way pass the scene where he was shy. His heart started to slow at a steady pace, - before she decided to lean in. He was unable to mask the initial mild shock at her reaction, looking at her wide eyed.

Be still, heart. He was merely surprised. Again! Irritatingly so. However this time it was much easier to keep his cool. His widened stare morphed into one gleaming with mischief. Yep he definitely liked what he was seeing. This was so much more familiar than having a flower crown on his head. “ Am I? I can’t help that you have a talent for making it oh so tempting~” he matched her steady tone with his own like it was second nature. He quite liked this unexpected side of her. How long would this last? He would love to see. Which was made obvious by the way he didn’t move an inch away.

The tantalising mood however, was crushed with Eun-Ji’s suggestions. Hah? How could she think of such suggestions when they’re t h i s close together?! Initially, he was rather dumbstrucked and it showed with how his face fell almost comically as she went on about her suggestions. Though the more she went on the more he thought it was sorta..cute? He’s unsure. He feels like he should be disappointed, but he wasn’t. It even made him a tad bit guilty that all he was thinking of was locking lips, while she wanted to go on dates and talk more. The edges of his mouth twitched, as if a chuckle was about to crack but he kept it in. How..precious.

While it was cute to see her thinking so seriously on what they should do, there was an uneasy tug in his stomach as he registered her suggestions in his brain. Those were very…couple-ey suggestions. He tried not to think about how he almost showed a smile at the suggestion of them eating together again. He was just excited for the food, right? Not the company. “ Hmm, I have to be honest here, Precious. Those aren’t really my thing for this kind of fun But, I suppose you win. You’re worth it~” for now. “ But also… are you okay with them? Rumours fly around. Some people may think we’re dating. Or maybe they’ll pity you cause you’re one of the hearts I've so mercilessly stolen. A soul that needed to be saved from a no-good guy like me~” he joked, exaggerating his rumours funnily. . “ But I figured since we’re just here to help our boredom, you wouldn’t care, right?” ideally, they wouldn’t have cared one bit. This applied to him too. “ Again, those requests seem easy enough to do. But…you know from what I see from your suggestions, you really make it sound like you…“he trailed off on his train of thought, a curled of a smirk appearing as if he just had an idea. “ Certainly now you h a v e to admit I’m not just a fun distraction ‘sometimes’ right? Not when you’re making all those cute plans for me to spend time with you. “

After a while, he toned down on his cheeky nature, as if he hesitated to say something that had been weighting down on his mind. “ Is that.. Really the gist of what you want? I’m not that much of good company you know”. he suddenly asked, a usually unfamiliar neutral tone. A thought that immediately had him quickly slipping into his usual demeanour. “ Unless the main topic is something ..specific” teasingly, he caught his bottom lips between his teeth. His half lidded gaze flickered between her eyes and her lips, before entirely resting on the captivating depths of her eyes. He hasn’t spent enough time admiring them lately. But it would only be a moment before his mask sprouted cracks in his expression, undoubtedly softening his features as the tinniest shade of concern washed over them. “Are you sure about this, Precious?” he asked in a whisper. Considering their faces were mere inches away, he was sure she had no trouble hearing him.

@Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

Blue in English, Red in Korean

“Can’t say I’m surprised.” Walking enigma like Hanako Tone was bound to catch an interest of a few curious students from the Ravenclaw tower. It didn’t help that he was quite loud and generally just…everywhere. Well, at least it felt like it. The witch wasn’t going to try and solve this riddle of course but she was certainly entertained by all the unexpected actions and changes in his expressions.

Speaking of expressions, the Slytherin seemed to be a bit unhappy with her proposal joke. It was very brief but Eun-ji was observant enough not to miss it. Especially considering their close proximity, it was pretty easy to keep track of any mood shifts. That being said, she didn’t think much of it. It was probably just his ego coming to play. There was no way he would be jealous because of her. Eun-ji was not that conceited, thank you very much. Neither of them had any reason to be jealous. They were in this purely to have fun. Since that was the agreement, she probably didn't have to mention Charles either. On the contrary, sharing such personal detail would only make things weird, wouldn't it? Yeah...better not.

Collecting himself quickly, Hana managed to return the favour and make her blush with an offer of a kiss. Offer that would not be accepted of course. Then again, he couldn’t have expected otherwise, right? Judging from his reaction, he indeed must have expected as much. There was no hint of disappointment in his face. Eun-ji soon realized that this has turned into some sort of a tug of war game between them. Once she managed to compose herself, she went ahead and leaned in, successfully wiping the smug smirk of Hana’s face. The young witch found herself enjoying this immensely. No matter how brief those moments were. It felt like a small victory every time she managed to do so. She always thought it would be incredibly hard to throw him off but strangely enough, it turned out she was rather good at it.

The Ravenclaw teased, the Slytherin teased right back, none of them moving away. Both too stubborn to lose to the other. Eun-ji never thought she’d behave like this around someone…let alone someone she didn’t know well and yet…it was somewhat liberating. At least there was one person around, whom she didn’t have to be so serious all the time. It was only when she answered his following question about her expectations that the atmosphere shifted a bit. Although he eventually agreed to her ideas, it appeared, she said something unexpected. The way he agreed however, was something unexpected for her. The four words made Eun-ji pause for a bit.

“…You’re worth it~” It was quite some time since she felt like she was worth anything. It wasn’t always like that but recently she felt it deep all the way in her bones. Of course, she knew Hana didn’t really mean anything by it. He was just being his usual self and kept carrying on with the teasing. Still, it was hard to disregard those words easily. It should be fine to think about them for a moment or two, right? Thankfully, the boy in front of her continued talking so she had plenty time to refocus on their conversation. “You are right, I do not care. It’s nobody’s business who I hang out with and what I’m doing in my spare time.” Although there was no need for it, the witch did appreciate his concern…that is if he was actually concerned. It was hard to tell with this one. “Besides, I can take care of myself. I don’t need saving from you or anything else for that matter.” She shrugged casually, fully aware that the statement was not entirely true. She’d never admit such thing aloud however. Not to mention Hanako Tone was definitely not someone who’d be interested in saving her so there was no need to be honest.

“Again, those requests seem easy enough to do. But…you know from what I see from your suggestions, you really make it sound like you…” What? Was he trying to suggest she wanted to date him? What a nonsense. Why would she ever do such a thing? Eun-ji had no desire to fall in love right now and they absolutely did NOT suit each other. Also, most of these things were something you could do with a friend. It’s not like she asked him to hold hands or anything. You were the one, who wanted to kiss me just few seconds ago. Eun-ji thought stubbornly. Well, he wasn’t being all romantic about it but still… “Whatever do you mean?” She raised her eyebrows a little. A gesture he was no doubt very familiar with by now. “A fun distraction means we are supposed to do things we find fun. I just happen to want to do these. Yours might be entirely different and that’s fine too.” She paused then. Actually…what are your expectations? I want to know too.” After all, it was only fair he shared his plans with her and she was genuinely curious.

“Is that.. Really the gist of what you want? I’m not that much of good company you know.” The Slytherin suddenly slipped back into a more neutral tone. It really did feel like he was worried about her. It sounded so unlikely but what was she supposed to think when he kept asking for reaffirmation? “If I thought so, I wouldn’t agree to the proposal in the first place. You are ridiculous sure, but there is some charm to it.” This was said as a matter of fact. Technically speaking, it was a compliment but she didn’t want to make it sound as one. There was no need to stroke Hana’s ego. It was already big enough. Eun-ji just wanted him to know that she knew what she was doing. Although...did she? Well, she was bound to find out soon.

Unfortunately, the peace didn't last. It didn’t take long for the cheeky Hana to emerge again…like a phoenix rising from the ashes over and over. Somehow, Eun-ji has come to terms with their current closeness but watching him bite his lip and gaze at her so intensely, she couldn’t help but grow incredibly self-conscious. Yep…time out. She thought to herself as she flicked the boy’s forehead. Even so, it was clear she was not mad or irritated, considering how gentle the gesture was. It wouldn’t even leave a mark. What was there to stare at anyway? “Yep, I’m sure Gollum. Like I said…I can take care of myself. No need to worry about me.” The Ravenclaw reminded him her earlier statement.

@Hanako Tone

Made by the lovely Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

𝟶𝟻 . 𝟶𝟻 . 𝟸𝟹

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚅𝚒𝚋𝚎 - 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝙽𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚗

“ Ah, I see” he mused when she mentioned she didn’t care who she hung out with, seemingly pleased with her answer. Though he did silently take note of when she mentioned she didn’t need saving. He presumed that was obvious already. He was no hero. Not her’s, certainly. The earlier intention was to tease her about how bad of an influence he could be on her. Could that have been misinterpreted as him possibly caring for her? That was…concerning, if it were true. The flower crown felt a tad bit heavier on his head. His expression faltered only for a second before he tried to mask it, not wanting to let her know he was unnerved by what she might imply. Still, she didn’t make it sound too serious. It didn’t seem worth correcting her for now.

His eyes widened slightly at her confirmation that she really saw those activities are fun, still he gave her a light smirk. “We have really different interpretations of fun, don’t we? “, he joked. Okay, fine. It’s been a while since someone wanted more than just a few overused honeyed words and a few harmless kisses from him. Still, he was rather taken aback. “ I feel like our arrangement will be a tad bit different than my usual ones, Precious. I’ll get used to them. For a small price, that is” he winked. Spending time with her certainly didn’t feel like much of a bad idea.

Still, his mind wandered to her suggestions. Could it be that she didn’t actually get to do those often? At least compared to him, she wasn't particularly known for having a whole group of friends. That was not his concern anyway. Or at least it shouldn’t be. All that matters if he was benefiting at all from their arrangement. It was an extra plus if she could have the fun she sought out too.

She tend asked what his expectations were, which he responded with a casual shrug and a playful grin. “ I dont really need any expectations in stuff like this, precious. Just don’t try to tie me down, and we'll get along just fine “ the tone he used was meant to be lighthearted, but he made sure to sound just serious enough to hope she’d take it seriously. “ I suppose I wouldn’t have to worry about you actually trying anything like that now would I?” he teased. No way she was going to ever develop something for him. Him? As her boyfriend? As anyone's boyfriend for that matter? The thought almost made him laugh right there.

“If I thought so, I wouldn’t agree to the proposal in the first place. You are ridiculous sure, but there is some charm to it.”

Hana merely grinned, seemingly unfazed by the lack of enthusiasm in her compliment. It was still a compliment! Though he thought it would be better if she just omit the word ridiculous entirely. “ One of my many charms. No worries, wherever I am, no matter what I do, there’s bound to be some memorable fun for us to indulge in”. He smirked, rather relieved she didn’t ask him why he asked such a thing. Earlier before she answered his odd question,… there was a hint of hesitance in his tone. One he didn’t like to openly share with others. How there was a part of him that didn’t believe anyone would genuinely like his company. It was pathetic to have, but hey, it was there. Like an annoying nagging feeling that’s always been with him. And has only been louder since Percival his supposed best friend, left him. Alas, it was unnecessary information for Hunt to have.

And a bit after that, perhaps he teased her a bit too much. During their little short lived intimidate moment, she flicked his forehead and the magic between them was shattered. Hanako leaned away, obviously not suspecting such an attack. His hands rubbed that part of his forehead as he took a few breaths to calm his annoyance. “ Ow?? Seriously, why is it that so many people like to do that to me? Do I really deserve such a cruel fate?” he hissed, though it was just one of his many instances of being dramatic to distract himself from how he couldn’t see it coming, judging by the hint of a smirk on his face. Sadly, because of that, he completely missed out if she had blushed or something. Perhaps he should try harder next time, given that she doesn’t attack him again.

Eun-Ji then mentioned something about not needing to worry about her and he had a slight frown on his face for a moment. Perhaps this was a good time to bring up his earlier concerns about this possible misunderstanding that he cares for her. “ Oh I know you can take care of yourself “ he assured, his earlier slight frown turning into his usual smirk. “ It’s one thing that we share in common. And one reason why I think our arrangement will work out nicely~”. It was framed as a compliment, but he had no doubt she would understand the hint he gave in his words.

This was purely a transaction between two people who were bored for different reasons. Hanako had made it bluntly obvious he didn't want anything more. He usually had no trouble admitting the fact, but somehow he felt more at ease (if that were even possible). He had his fair share of messy endings to these partnerships. The least he had the patience to deal with was if the other person developed unnecessary feelings for him. Doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. They could promise in the beginning that they’d never fallen for him, but the heart is a fickle little thing. Consistently changing without warning. Yet, this was this unspoken understanding between them he wanted to hope wasn’t just on his side.

He paused for a moment, leaning in slightly, though not as close as before, giving her a mischievous smile. “ You know what, I just thought of something I can expect from this thing we have. You can let me kiss you sometimes. That’ll keep me happy” he suggested, the playfulness evident in his tone. Thinking the earlier statement was a bit of a uneasy topic, he opted to bring them back to a lighthearted atmosphere they seemed to thrive in. Technically, he wouldn’t mind all that much if she said a flat out no to his suggestion. But hey, a guy could hope.

@Eun-Ji Lee Hunt

Blue in English, Red in Korean

Hana took the comment about her independence in stride and didn’t probe any further. Eun-ji was grateful for that. She wanted him to know she was not some fragile flower in need of special care but she also didn’t want to delve too deep into the subject. Thankfully, the Slytherin was not someone, who enjoyed serious conversations and this was no exception. She supposed that was why she felt so comfortable around him despite the fact that they didn’t know each other too well.

“We have really different interpretations of fun, don’t we?” Ah so he was still hang up on that one. Initially, Eun-ji didn’t see her suggestions as a big deal but now that she thought about it, it was probably not very fitting for Hanako’s personality. He was usually all over the place and his attention was rather fleeting. Still, it wasn’t bad to try something new, right? And if he didn’t like it, they could always discard her ideas later. It’s not like she would cry over the fact that he didn’t want to go on a trip with her. “Well…Doesn't that make things more interesting? It's not really that surprising. I'm probably quite different from your usual acquaintances, am I not?” She was pretty sure about that one and if that was the case, he shouldn’t be too surprised about this either. What did he mean by price though? That was a bit disconcerting. The raven-haired girl was too afraid to ask, opting to ignore the comment for the time being. Instead, she asked about his expectations. Unfortunately, the Slytherin apparently didn’t have any. Why did he ask about mine then?

“Oh no…you don’t have to worry about that. I don’t have time nor energy for such things.” The witch immediately discarded his worries. He was doing his best to sound light-hearted so she made sure to sound nonchalant but she was pretty sure there was some serious concern underneath his pretense. Thankfully, they were both on the same page. Love was painful and entirely unnecessary. It only made things complicated and she could not afford complicated right now. Besides, while the two of them clicked almost instantly, she couldn’t even imagine them becoming something serious. It was simply a ridiculous idea. OOC: Oh sweet summer child. If you only knew

“One of my many charms. No worries, wherever I am, no matter what I do, there’s bound to be some memorable fun for us to indulge in.” That one, was easy to be believe although she was pretty sure ‘trouble’ went hand in hand with it as well. “Good. That's what I’m hoping for.” Eun-ji nodded, seemingly satisfied. After all, any troubles he could cause couldn’t be worse than those she already had and she needed the distraction.

Soon after that, Hana’s gaze grew too intense and Eun-ji made her escape. The boy was very dramatic about it but somehow, she wasn’t surprised in the slightest. “Oh come on…it didn’t even leave a mark. I would like to see you play games with my grandmother, you’d probably just die then.” Except…it was her grandmother, who was dead now. Even if by any bizarre twist of fate Hana really ended up in Chester, he would never get a chance to meet the woman. Still, her statement was true. Eun-ji’s paternal grandmother was an incredible person and she loved her granddaughter dearly but she was also very much no nonsense kind of gal. She did not make things easy for the little girl even during games. If she failed, she’d be punished with no mercy. Her grandfather was always the soft one. “Also if people keep doing so then I can only imagine at least half of those were well deserved.” She teased the boy. Knowing his personality, it was almost inevitable. That being said, the Ravenclaw had no desire to actually hurt him. She’d made sure she was gentle enough not to do so. Hana was simply being a drama queen.

“Oh I know you can take care of yourself.” Good so we are on the same page. The sentence was voiced out as a compliment but Eun-ji was perceptive enough to know it was not that simple. After all, there had been similar comment just a few moments ago, so it was not hard to understand his concerns. The witch didn’t mind however. They agreed this was all just for fun so she didn’t expect him to coddle her in any way. On the contrary, involving real feelings would just make things messy and she didn’t want messy. The witch didn’t comment any further but she did nod in acknowledgement. Just to let him know that she fully agreed.

After clearing that up, Hana obviously came to another mischievous decision and once again leaned closer. Not as close as before but closer nonetheless. Strangely enough, the Ravenclaw didn’t feel unsettled by his movement. She was learning one needed to be vigilant and always expect the unexpected when dealing with this particular Slytherin. She didn’t doubt, he would keep surprising her in the future but this motion didn’t really faze her. His next words on the other hand…

Truth be told, the young ballerina had yet to have her first kiss. She knew many of her classmates and even younger kids were way ahead of her in this area but she never had the opportunity. Hana couldn’t know that however. She could already imagine the teasing that would come along with said admission. No. There wouldn’t even be a hint. Besides, what was there to worry about? Eun-ji used to be a rather romantic soul but that part of her was mostly gone now. It’s not like her kiss was in any way special so what was the big deal? “Well…I suppose sometimes is fine. I always honour my end of the bargain.” She replied eventually. At least he was handsome. I’m not going to make it too easy for you though. “That being said, don’t get too carried away. After all, this is supposed to be fun so I should make sure you won’t get bored too soon.” Eun-ji said and for once, there was a hint of cheekiness in her own voice as well. It was perfect way to mask her internal struggle.

@Hanako Tone