Catching up Closed

Saturday | 23 October 2021 Violet in English, Red in Korean

To fix her? What the hell? Ye-jun knew nothing about Eun-ji’s maternal grandparents but he already hated them. They sounded like bullies and if there was something he could not stand, it was bullies. Kids being mean, he could somewhat understand as a lot of them just didn’t know any better yet but adults weren’t supposed to do that. Especially not to their own family. “All the more reason for me to come and visit then. ” He said resolutely. His cousin frowned at his reply. He knew that face...she wasn't going to go down easy. “If they treat you badly it's only right you have some support there. I assume your parents are still working insane hours and since grandma is no longer around...It just doesn't seem right for you to be there alone. ”

Eun-ji sighed at that, she probably seen this coming but what she didn't know was that he now didn't give up easily either. She used to be the braver one in the past but he would made sure to let her know that things changed for him in that regard. “I do have support there during summer. My fiancé... ” What the...? What the hell was going on in Chester?! Before he could ask just that however, Eun-ji raised her hand in order to show, she was not done yet. “I know, I know but don't worry he is not ACTUALLY my fiancé. It is true the Hunts have chosen him for me and his parents apparently agreed because they owe them one but neither he nor my parents agreed to the arrangement. We just let him visit over the summer so grandmother thinks we agree and leaves us alone. I still don't know if I can fully trust him but he seems nice and he is on my side. Mrs. Hunt also likes him so she doesn't give him a hard time even if he rebels whereas you...” Ye-jun watched the girl cringe. “Don't necessarily fit her standards.”

Eun-ji's explanation did not stop him from worrying. The boy didn't know this fiancé of hers and so he couldn't trust him. What if he was just pretending to be on her side? “Yeah...I won't believe that until I see him.” Ye-jun knew what it was like not to fit other people standards. He despised it but he could bear it one more summer. This time it was he, who stopped his cousin from protesting. “Let's make a deal. I won't bring my parents with me so they stay safe and you can tell the Hunts that I'm from a pure blood family. That should get them of my case and I am sure your parents will back me up on that, right?” Eun-ji begrudgingly nodded. She was probably still not fully convinced though. “Tell you what, you can make a rule list for me and I’ll promise to follow everything you say. If I don’t, I will pack up and go back to France immediately.” The girl sighed again but seemed to relax a bit. “Fine, I’ll put together the list and we’ll talk about it later. Let’s not ruin our little reunion with it.” She smiled then and Ye-jun immediately felt better. “How do you like Hogwarts? Are you looking forward to the ball? What about a date? Do you have one?” She was always great at distracting people with questions. He knew what she was doing but he decided to let her get away with it this time. “No I don’t…I honestly thought we would go together.” He admitted somewhat confused by her question.

Saturday | 23 October 2021 Blue in English, Red in Korean

It was clear now that Ye-jun has changed and not only in his appearance. In the past, he would have given in quite easily but now he stood tall and confident with no intention of giving up. Eun-ji was impressed but also worried. What if he kept acting all rebellious in front of the Hunts as well? That would not end well. She had to write that down as the first rule. In all honesty, the witch was still not very happy about his plan but she had to admit, having him there might prove to be rather nice. They also just reunited after five years and she didn't want to cut ties with him yet again. This could work. Her father might be disappointed that his brother and sister in law won't be coming but he would understand eventually.

“No I don’t…I honestly thought we would go together.”The statement swiftly brought the raven-haired girl back to reality. That made sense. Why didn't she think of that before? Though to be fair, Eun-ji got the letter about Ye-jun's arrival only after Aaron had already asked her. Great...first Lucia and now my cousin. I really didn't think this through, she reprimanded herself. She already felt bad for letting her friend down but now she had to turn down her family as well. “Ah..I'm sorry. Somebody already asked me before I knew you would be coming here,” the Ravenclaw admitted bashfully. She was worried her cousin would be disappointed but he just snorted in amusement. “Well of course you do…I should have known. You are smart, pretty and kind. There was no way you would be without a date.” Eun-ji thought he was exaggerating. She may have known how to take care of her appearance now but she felt that her personality suffered a huge blow recently. Thankfully, the boy didn’t know about that. “Oh stop it…you know that’s not true,” she shook her head disapprovingly. “So what are you going to do…you seem quite popular, are you going to ask someone from your school?” She wondered whether there was a girl he liked but then she realized, she knew nothing about his preferences. Perhaps he didn’t even like girls… It would be too awkward to ask about that all of sudden though. “Nah...I don’t like rumours besides, wouldn’t it be shame to visit Hogwarts and then hung out with Beauxbatons students all the time?” Well, he's got a point…

Eun-ji was just thinking if there was somebody she could recommend, when she noticed a familiar figure walking by. But of course, why didn’t I think about that before! Lucia would be perfect if she still didn’t have a date. The Ravenclaw knew her so she could rest assured that her cousin had a good company and they would make a ridiculously beautiful pair. She wouldn’t force them of course but it could be nice if they got to know each other. They were both close to her and she felt like they should get a chance to talk. Also, even if it didn’t work out and they went with somebody else she could at least introduce the two. No harm in doing that.“Lucia, over here! Do you have a moment?” She called the Hufflepuff, motioning to join them.

Interacting with: Ye-jun Lee and @Lucia Fox

The ball was really close, and yet Lucia still had nobody to go with. Alexa was going stargazing with Henry, Eun-ji had a date, and... yeah, those were the only people that Lucia had considered going with. As friends, of course! Obviously! But she didn't want it to end up like the first ball she'd attended here at Hogwarts, where she'd ended up just twirling around by herself for a while before giving up and heading back to the dorms. That hadn't been the best night of her life. The 2021 Blossomball had been really fun though! She'd gone with Eun-ji (Carolyn, as she was back then), and they'd tested their luck and agility and wits in the so-called Heroes' Trials, then shared a few dances before going back to the castle. That had been a good night. And now the Autumn / Halloween / Samhain ball was coming near once again, and when Lucia had tentatively asked Eun-ji if she wanted to go with her again (AS FRIENDS!), Eun-ji had declined. Politely, of course, amd with apologies, but she'd still declined. And Lucia had known without asking that Alexa would want to do something with Henry that evening, and didn't want to make her conflicted or anything, so had kept quiet.

Today was cold, and Lucia had finally succumbed to the Scottish weather by wearing her coat, which was just beginning to get a little too snug for her liking, not that she made it obvious. However, she'd also succumbed to Ebony's insistance that a duellist needed excerise, running preferably, and that Lucia was far too lazy for her own good. Her compromise (no way on Earth was she going run) was to set off on a brisk walk around the grounds. It was strangely peaceful, and the Hufflepuff was just beginning to enjoy herself when-

Was that her name?

Lucia spun on her heel, her loose black-blue hair flying out behind her. "Oh! Eun-ji!" No more Caro- Eun-ji, oh no. Even if Lucia still occasionally caught herself naming her friend wrongly in her head, at least she now didn't do so out loud. "And, um..." Lucia faultered a little as she made her way over to where Eun-ji was talking with... a boy. Who was he? Was he someone Eun-ji wanted her to meet? There were three options, really. One, he was Eun-ji's ball date. Two, he was Eun-ji's cousin, the existence of whom she'd mentioned once but never elaborated on. Three, he was some other relative that Lucia didn't know about. Or four, he was just some random person. Oh. That was four options, not three.

By the time Lucia had managed to completely confuse herself, she'd reached Mystery Boy and Eun-ji. "Um." What was she supposed to do now? "Lucia." At a loss for anything else, she held her hand out towards Mystery Boy. "Lucia Fox."

Saturday | 23 October 2021 Violet in English, Red in Korean

Ye-jun still had many questions he wanted to ask but his cousin suddenly got distracted. "What is it?" He asked looking over her shoulder. It appeared she spotted someone familiar. Lucia...Lucia...Where did he hear the name? Oh right, Eun-ji said she was one of the very few friends she had here. In that case, he should be nice to the girl as well. The boy smiled at the black haired witch. She seemed somewhat awkward as she introduced herself so he wanted to appear approachable. Such thing was unusual for him but this was an unusual situation after all.

"Nice to meet you Lucia. I'm Lee Ye-jun. Eun-ji's older cousin." He introduced himself as he shook the offered hand. The Ravenclaw gave him a dirty look for that one. "Five months." She reminded him and he shrugged. "You still call me oppa." The boy retorted without any remorse. Oh how he missed their friendly banter. "Admittedly however, while I'm older, she is the better Lee. You have chosen your friend well." He praised the newcomer. This time his smile grew more sincere. The first smile was friendly in a more polite way but this time he was speaking from the heart. "I go to Beauxbatons by the way." He added as an afterthought since he forgot to mention it at the start. His English was pretty much perfect since he lived in Chester for many years so it would have been hard to tell otherwise.

All right...there goes the introduction. Now what? Ye-jun eyed his cousin. Unlike the girls he wasn't awkward at all but he assumed there might have been a reason why Eun-ji called Lucia over so eagerly. They were here to have a private chat so if his cousin wanted to introduce them right away, she probably thought of something. "Well...I might be overstepping some boundaries and if I do, please let me know but...I just got this idea..." Ah...I was right then. "Yes?" He encouraged Eun-ji to continue. She hesitated for a moment but eventually shook her head and continued. "The thing is you are my cousin and you," she smiled at Lucia. "…are my friend but I let you both down. Although to my defense, I wasn't aware Ye-jun would reappear in my life so suddenly and I didn't think a pretty girl like you wouldn't have a date for the second time. I really did have fun last time by the way..." Ye-jun couldn't be sure but he guessed where she was going with this. "Still Aaron asked me first. He is a dear friend of mine and I was quite happy he invited me to go with him." She seemed sincere and it made the boy wonder what kind of person this Aaron was. Hopefully, he would be good to her. I should introduce myself to him one of these days. "So what I'm trying to say is...maybe you two could go together? I promise you'll be in good hands." She said to her friend reassuringly. Hmm...It’s not a bad idea actually. I don't know anyone here so if I asked a random girl, chances are I wouldn't enjoy the evening.

Finally making his mind, Ye-jun nodded. "I admit I would feel better going with someone Eun-ji recommended though I will understand if you'd rather find a proper date." He wasn't going to be pushy about it. They only just met, if Lucia had someone more familiar in mind, he would indeed understand. "I'd hate to ruin your evening but if you need a decent dancer or want to hear some embarrassing childhood stories involving your friend, I might be just the right guy for you." The elbow in the ribs was not entirely unexpected. "Hey!" Ye-jun ignored the offended exclamation though. He was focused on the other girl at the moment. "So...what do you say?" He asked with a smile.