The Call from Mina

The post she'd been dreading. Her heart sank as she saw it: a picture from the graduation ceremony at the restaurant, one she vaguely remembered from a few weeks ago. Except Yujin wasn't in it. Not fully, anyways. She was half-cropped out, her face barely visible, as if So Yeon had posted a picture of her without actually posting her. She couldn't tell if it was an accident or just plain villainous —So Yeon had edited the photo, cropping her out just enough to make it look like Yujin had never even been there. Why wouldn't she have asked her to change her position or retaken the picture.

Yujin's pulse quickened. The worst part was, the caption was one of those "#UniFriends" tags, as if they'd been inseparable. As if they'd been close. the embarrassment of being the only one cropped out of a group picture. She almost wanted to scream. But instead, she just stared at the screen, feeling the familiar sting of inadequacy and the creeping sensation of being left behind.

She couldn't help but compare. She tapped over to her own Instagram. It was embarrassing. A few blurry photos, all shot at weird angles with unflattering lighting. Her account looked like it belonged to someone who'd given up trying to be on "Instagram" and just posted whatever. No Birkin bags. No glamorous vacations. Just photos of her at random places, always a little out of place. None of them were even aesthetically pleasing. The camera quality was grainy, and the poses were stiff, as if someone had told her to "act natural" and she'd forgotten how.

She clicked through her pictures one by one. None of them had the energy of So Yeon's posts—none of them had that polished sheen.

Yujin let out a long breath. Why did So Yeon's life seem so easy? Was it all just natural talent? Or was there some secret Yujin didn't know?

She pulled her closet door open. There were dresses in there—some of them had tags still attached. Dresses she'd bought on a whim, thinking she'd wear them to some party or event she'd never gone to. They were beautiful in their own way, but she never felt confident enough to wear them. Tonight, though...

Yujin rummaged through the hangers until she found one. A deep emerald green dress that caught the light just right. She slipped it on, feeling the soft fabric against her skin. She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.

You're pretty, Yujin, she thought. You are. You're just… broke.

Her reflection stared back at her, eyes wide, lips pursed as if she were trying to will herself into someone she wasn't. She pretended to pose, trying to emulate those polished photos she'd seen on So Yeon's Instagram.

She swirled around in the dress, pretending she was on a runway, mimicking what she imagined to be the perfect model strut. She smiled to herself, acting like a star.

"Yeah, that's it. You're a model. You can do this," she whispered to herself, pretending to ignore the reality that lay just outside her tiny apartment.

She straightened her posture, imagining the scene. "Hi, yes, I'm available for the shoot. Absolutely, I can be there by tomorrow. Oh, and I'm great with the camera, too. I know how to work my angles."

She tilted her head slightly to the side, adjusting her expression in the mirror as if an agent were standing right there. "No, I'm not nervous. It's just another job, right? Just another runway to conquer. I'm ready for the big time."

Her lips curved into a smile she practiced too many times, and she paused, looking at herself. For a moment, the fantasy felt almost real. Almost.

But then her phone ping from the bed, pulling her out of the dream. Reality came crashing back.

It was ridiculous, but it felt good. For a moment, Yujin could almost believe that she was someone else—someone with a life like So Yeon's. Someone who mattered. Someone who wasn't stuck, scrolling through job listings, feeling like a bystander.

As she stood there, pretending, she realized something. It wasn't the dress that made her feel like a star—it was the escape. The way she could shut out the rest of the world, even if just for a few minutes, and imagine that her life was more than this.

"Maybe," she whispered, "I'll post it tomorrow."

But deep down, Yujin knew it was just another way of escaping the fact that, outside of this room, nothing had changed.

A Night of Bad Decisions

The phone rang again, Mina's name flashing across the screen. Yujin groaned, pulling the phone to her ear.

"Yujin! Let's go out!" Mina's voice was as energetic as always, crackling with excitement.

"I'm not in the mood," Yujin muttered, curling up on her bed, still wearing the dress she had put on earlier to take some half-hearted Instagram pictures. The dress wasn't bad—it just didn't feel like it belonged to her.

"Come on!" Mina's voice cut through the air, the sound of her laughter filling the line. "You've been holed up in your room all day. Seriously, one night won't kill you."

Yujin hesitated, staring at the ceiling. Mina was right. She had been stuck in her room, dwelling in her own thoughts, letting the weight of uncertainty crush her. Maybe she needed something to snap her out of it, if only for a little while.

"But I don't know... I'm not feeling it," Yujin replied, glancing at the mirror and tugging at the dress, still feeling self-conscious.

"Yujin, please!" Mina's voice softened, practically dripping with excitement. "It's a graduation party, and it's hosted by one of those big-shot students, you know? The one with a million followers on IG. He's celebrating hitting 2 million!" She paused, a mischievous edge creeping into her voice. "Okay, okay, they're probably all faking it for the likes, but hey, at least they look like they've got it together. And we can pretend we care, right? Plus, it's free for everyone! And you know how much you love food, Yujin. They'll have some exotic food you'll be all over."You're practically drooling just thinking about it."i know

Yujin let out a small laugh, shaking her head. Mina always had a way of making things sound like an adventure, even when they were anything but. "I don't know, Mina. I'm not in the mood to pretend."

"Yujin," Mina whined, sounding almost like a child. "Just one night. One! I promise it'll be fun. You'll get out of your head for a bit. Please. It's not like you're stuck in your little apartment forever."

Yujin paused, biting her lip. She couldn't deny it—she'd been stuck in this small apartment, feeling like her dreams were slowly slipping away. Maybe one night out wouldn't hurt. Maybe it would give her a sense of normalcy, of what it used to feel like when she was still pretending everything was fine. Besides, it wasn't like she had anything else to do.

"Fine," Yujin relented, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'll go."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Mina cheered from the other end. "You're going to love it! We'll make it a night to remember!"