[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/yeOTM5W.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/6mYTocg.gif[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/nlMwe5h.png[/img]

[color=slategray][sub][@Universorum] and [@Fabricant451]
Featuring: [color=ffefd5][b]Min “I Wanna Tell Parker!” Seo[/b][/color], [color=b57f13][b]Henry “Yo, What’s this Button Do?” Green[/b][/color], and [color=0598bc][b]Brian “Don’t Tell Parker! And Don’t Press that Button!” Helmsley[/b][/color]
Location: The Captain’s Bridge[/sub][/color][/center]
[hr][hr]
[indent]Henry was pulling Min along through the halls of the ship, constantly stealing glances at her with an apologetic hint in his eyes. Henry felt awful, he really did. Because he’d promised Brian his assistance in whatever his goal was here tonight, his and Ducky’s date had been cut rather short. Did this even qualify as a date? Henry had dragged her to another party, this time after sending her to his sisters for a makeover, which he was certain was exhausting. Then, at the party, he’d fed her shitty party food and pretended it was some kind of a meal they could talk over. The dance?

Well, the dance had been the single most romantic moment of Henry’s life. He didn’t think he’d ever come anywhere near topping it. The mood had been perfect, the setting perfect, the song was good. The girl was a twelve out of ten, and Henry had been really, truly, genuinely happy. A landmark moment in his teenage years. When he’d been younger, it had been simple. Life was simpler back then. Wake up, eat pancakes, play with mom. Play with dad. Play with mother. Exist and be happy. It wasn’t until people started being [i]dramatic[/i] that shit fell down the drain.

Now, though, it seemed Henry’s life was on the up. He’d even got it in, and was determined to make sure that tonight wasn’t just a one time show. In fact, if Brian hadn’t called, he probably would have had her out of her clothes after he did the line. Unfortunately for him, though, Brian had called. And now, Henry found himself standing in front of the door to the bridge. He took both of Min’s hands in his as he turned to face her, [color=b57f13][b]“hey, Ducky. I don’t think you’ve really met Brian before, and I just want to warn you… he’s a little weird. He’s cool, though, we’re friends. Don’t get me wrong. Dude’s just kinda different. And I don’t want him to freak you out, okay?”[/b][/color] Henry kissed her lips, and gave her a smile. [color=b57f13][b]“If it’s too much, just give me a sign. I’ll protect you.”[/b][/color]

If Min-seo was on the outside looking in she probably wouldn’t find a lot of positive things to say about the night. It was easy for someone as a passive observer to remark on things, and she had done so many times when it came to lame romantic moments in melodramas back home. As a viewer, if Min-seo watched a show where the two leads had snack foods for a meal after the male protagonist made the female lead get a makeover, Min-seo would’ve taken to the internet and voiced her concerns as to how unrealistic and unromantic it was. 

But Min-seo [i]wasn’t[/i] an observer and life had a way of messing with expectations in surprising ways. The night so far might not have been the storybook romance of a first date that many young women picture, but on the whole Min-seo didn’t have many negative thoughts on the matter. Even the meal of party food was cute; it wasn’t a candlelit meal with a violin player serenading them, but to Min-seo it showed that Henry cared enough to give Min-seo a memorable time. She was certain that Henry had had many dates and possibly even more women, but the fact that he put forth an effort to make Min-seo feel like royalty even with the limited resources counted for a lot. 

Even though going off to talk to his friend wasn’t anyone’s idea of how a date should go, Min-seo was at least happy to provide the bit of moral support like a good girlfriend would. If nothing else, she saw it as more means of spending time together and that was enough reason not to be too upset. Having friends was great, but Henry had a girlfriend now and Min-seo wanted to make sure he knew that. [color=ffefd5][b]”Freak..out?”[/b][/color] That painted a certain picture and Min-seo was already picturing someone that threw chairs around and shouted a bunch or something of the sort. If that was the case then maybe there would be a conversation in the future about Henry’s choice in friend, but for now she was willing to give the benefit of the doubt. [color=ffefd5][b]”If I get scared I will...squeeze your hand. Okay?”[/b][/color] 

[color=b57f13][b]“Not scary… just different.”[/b][/color] Henry said, before knocking on the metal door in front of him. There was a delay, before the door swung open, and Henry pulled Min inside, and the door closed behind them. Henry looked around the bridge, which was largely unremarkable, unless one was impressed by various nautical instruments. Admittedly, even a layman would be able to appreciate the sleekness of the room; everything seemed to be metal, chrome in most cases, and shined to the point you could see your reflection in it. Henry was largely unimpressed, having been in similar rooms before. Eventually, however, he laid his eyes on their target: Brian Helmsley.

Brian was sitting in a chair that floated over the steel floor they stood on, most likely via magnetism. His back was turned to the pair, and he was instead facing six televisions mounted on the wall, each maybe twenty-seven, or thirty-two inches big. Like any proper set up, they matched. Each one was currently providing a live feed of different parts of the party, and Brian was just watching it. Henry snapped his fingers to get Brian’s attention, and Brian spun around in the chair to face him. On his lap was a bag of McDonald’s, and one of his hands held a large cup, filled most likely with some kind of sugary drink. [color=0598bc][b]“Dude, Damian just [i]left[/i]. What am I supposed to do now? He was supposed to give a speech to everyone and get them excited, like he so often does bu— hey, is that Min-seo? Geeze, man. Glow up, much?”[/b][/color]

[color=b57f13][b]“Hey, Brian. Yeah, it’s Min. I brought her here, like on a date?”[/b][/color]

Different. Different didn’t necessarily mean bad, but Min prepared herself for the worst all the same. On the other side of the door, she was instead taken by the sharp shine that seemed to coat the entire room. Min could see herself in various instruments and some of them even distorted her appearance like she was at a carnival funhouse. She wanted to reach out and touch some of them but figured doing so could be bad, like pushing a button and causing damage levels of bad, so she refrained and simple started opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish as she looked at a particularly funny chrome knob that made the bottom half of her head look scrunched up. 

It was when Brian and Henry said her name and she could feel that inkling when eyes were on her that she stopped making funny faces in the nautical gear and remembered that she was kind of meeting one of her boyfriend’s friends which was surely a big deal for all involved. Min-seo waved at Brian, though when she saw that the monitors in the room were real time her eyes widened and frantically she looked between the two males in the room. 

[color=ffefd5][b]”Is that...here? The boat? You...you...see...everything?”[/b][/color] Min-seo was understandably concerned as her mind recalled the sign in to the room. Were there cameras there too? Was Brian some kind of...weird pervert? If that was the case then Min-seo was [i]definitely[/i] going to have a talk with Henry after this.

[color=0598bc][b]“No, not everything. Just the public areas — no bathrooms, none of the bedrooms, or anything like that. I’m monitoring, to like make sure that there’s enough dramatic crap that the Weekend Warrior, if they’re on this boat, write about [i]something[/i], so I can figure out who it is. Look, it’s a really convoluted plan that you’re probably not interested in.”[/b][/color] Brian said, waving her concerns away with his hand; the very same hand that held a chicken McNugget that was quickly thrown into his mouth. As Brian crunched on it, Henry put an arm over Min’s shoulder, draping it around her as he pulled her closer to him.

[color=b57f13][b]“See? I told you he was weird. He has a vendetta against the Weekend Warrior, because they made people think I date raped Parker, which kinda made people be weird to Parker, and Brian… well, Brian likes Parker. That’s a secret.”[/b][/color] Henry said, and Brian’s lips curled into a frown as he thought about what Henry had just said.

[color=0598bc][b]“You told your girlfriend that I’m weird!?”[/b][/color] Brian snapped, and Henry did not’ respond with words, and Brian sighed, and backed down, realizing that this was a hill he had no interest in dying on. [color=0598bc][b]“Look, I just need you to go to the stage we had built, walk up there, wear this glove,”[/b][/color] Brian said, throwing Henry a glove with a button on it, [color=0598bc][b]“and then press that button.”[/b][/color]

Henry thought it was a little shitty of Brian to call Min his girlfriend [i]just like that[/i]! Henry had only been on one date with her, and that wasn’t enough to call her his girlfriend! However, Henry didn’t find himself [i]totally[/i] adverse to the idea, which was a strange change of pace for him. Rather than point that out, though, he looked at the glove he’d been tossed, and stared at the button. [color=b57f13][b]“Why, what’s the button do?”[/b][/color] He asked, moving his hand to press it.

[color=0598bc][b]“Don’t press that button!”[/b][/color] Brian yelled, and Henry froze.

Brian was definitely...strange but Min-seo kept her comments on that front to herself; she was honestly just relieved that he wasn’t a weird pervert spying on private rooms, though she couldn’t say that watching cameras at a party was all that less perverse a hobby. Security guards did that but security guards were paid and were looking for criminals; Min-seo doubted that any criminals went to this school let alone this party. For the first of Henry’s friends, Min was feeling absolutely mixed. Brian was like the people that put on weird foil hats, at least that’s what Min was picking up from the vibes being let off. 

[color=ffefd5][b]”Parker?”[/b][/color] There were a few things spoken of that caught Min’s interest, however. [color=ffefd5][b]”You like...Parker? Like…[i]kissing[/i] like? You...have crush...for Parker? I...tell her, she will be...happy,”[/b][/color] Min-seo was surprised, pleasantly so, at this revelation. Not too long ago she assumed Henry and Parker were a couple but now here was Henry’s friend who had a crush on Parker, of all people. This talk of plans and Warriors didn’t interest Min-seo, what interested her was picturing Brian and Parker and what that date could possibly be like. 

Min did break into a smile when Brian called her Henry’s girlfriend, and that only made Min-seo nuzzle against Henry’s arm for a brief moment of affection. It had a good ring to it, didn’t it. ‘Girlfriend’. Of course, Henry was her boyfriend and she was his girlfriend, that’s how it worked. They were [i]together[/i] and so now they were together. Brian had eyes on the boat everywhere and even he could see it with his own ones. The good vibes lasted until Brian shouted about a button, which made Min-seo flinch. 

Fortunately she had her boyfriend to cling to.

[color=b57f13][b]“Dude! What happens when I press the button? Don’t yell at me, that makes me want to press it more! I’m high.”[/b][/color] Henry protested, as Min snuggled up against him with a somewhat silly grin on her face. Henry was suddenly very stressed out over this glove and its button. Even after he spoke, the feeling only got worse, as Brian scrunched his nose up in seeming disgust, before pointing at Min-seo. 

[color=0598bc][b]“You’re out with her, and you’re high? Probably on coke, too, huh? You’re the scummiest, man, but whatever. Not my place. Just don’t push the button.”[/b][/color] Brian shook his head, and Henry seemed to visibly deflate as Brian mercilessly popped his bubble. Henry stuffed the glove into his pocket, while Brian focused on Min-seo, focusing on the other important part of the conversation. [color=0598bc][b]“Don’t tell Parker! It’s really important that you don’t. I’m gonna tell her myself, uh, one day. I hope to, anyway… I have to make sure everything is right first! I have a plan.”[/b][/color] Brian said, talking in an unusually hurried tone, as he shook his head. He didn’t want his secret crush to get out in any way other than him telling Parker himself. In a special, memorable way. Brian had a plan that he knew Parker would never forget, and he was excited to do it, he just had to wait until the right time.

[color=0598bc][b]“Just go do a speech, then press the button when you’re done, right? You don’t have to do anything more than that. I know [i]you[/i], Henry, and I know you of all people can get everyone excited. Throw shade, set fires to the dumpster that is our high school, hit that button, and kiss your girl in front of everyone. Then you can do whatever, I just need you do this, alright? Damian was supposed to, but he bailed on me. I’m gonna have words for that guy...”[/b][/color] Brian had rambled a bit, but Henry nodded affirmatively. [color=0598bc][b]“I have a time frame, so you have like… thirty minutes. Then do it, okay? Everyone will be herded there, so you should have an audience. See ya.”[/b][/color]

Henry nodded a bit, though his feelings were still a little hurt by being called out like he had been. He looked at Brian, and Brian spun his chair back around, done with the conversation. Henry sighed, and led Min out of the room, and the door shut behind them. [color=b57f13][b]“It’s like talking to my parents, sometimes. Brian takes things pretty seriously. He doesn’t like drugs…”[/b][/color] He said to Min, giving her a look that showed Henry’s interior feelings better than his words could have ever done: Henry felt personally attacked by Brian in that scenario, and was embarrassed now. Should he have had not done the drug?

The main takeaway Min had was that Brian didn’t seem like a bad person, just a little weird. But she also thought Henry was weird when she first came to America and that went triple for Parker. Everyone was weird at first, but that didn’t mean they weren’t good people too. Anyone who had a crush on Parker couldn’t be a bad person, of that Min-seo was certain. Of the one friend of Henry’s that she had met, Min put Brian at the top spot. And because he asked her not to tell Parker, she wasn’t; but he didn’t say anything about [i]suggesting[/i] it. Given the time Min-seo spent around Parker, they were sure to have a little girls talk at some point. 

[color=ffefd5][b]”He is your friend.”[/b][/color] Min could see that Henry was having mixed feelings and was it not part of the job as girlfriend to cheer up her boyfriend? [color=ffefd5][b]”Even if...hard words..he is still...your friend. It is...okay.”[/b][/color] Min-seo took a little bit of initiative and kissed Henry on the cheek while lightly squeezing his hand. Who wouldn’t perk up after a kiss from their girlfriend? 

Perhaps more surprising to Henry than to Min, the little show of affection did make him smile a bit. She was right, after all. Brian was still his friend, and he didn’t normally get that up in arms about drug use. Henry decided to chalk it up to stressors from hosting a party that was basically designed to let him capture someone who did a good job of hiding. He was all in on this, that much was for sure. [color=b57f13][b]“Yeah, you’re right. He’s chill, so I’ll be chill.”[/b][/color] Henry’s smile returned to his face again, now with his normal warmth as he stared at Min, and found himself considering what Brian had said. Was Min his girlfriend? Did Henry want that? As he gazed into her eyes, he found himself thinking, [color=b57f13][i]“Yes, dumbass. You do.”[/i][/color] Despite that, though, Henry was shook to the core with the idea of responsibility.

Being a boyfriend meant that he had to care. He had to watch over her, support her when he cried, make sure she was happy, ensure that she always felt beautiful, kiss her and hold her, sleep in the same bed as her — probably every night, since they lived in the same house! — cuddle her, watch shows with her, and [i]love her[/i]. That was a lot of stuff! Henry had to think about it, and as he mentally listed things, it occurred to him that he already did some of those things… Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad, huh?

There was certainly one thing that would encourage him. [color=b57f13][b]“Hey, Min, we have like 30 minutes, do you wanna go back to the room and go again?”[/b][/color]

In her next letter home Min-seo would have to give some words of thanks to her stepmother. While Min and her stepmother were often at each other’s wits end, now that Min-seo was applying some of the ‘wifely lessons’ that she learned she was finding that there was some knowledge there. Being a girlfriend was as much work as it was pleasure, but Min-seo was confident she could strike the balance and be the best one Henry had ever had. Already her super secret technique of showing affection and reassurance was working, though that one wasn’t part of the lessons given by her stepmother. That was pure Min-seo. 

Thirty minutes? That meant that in thirty minutes Henry had to do his speech thing which would definitely be a bit of a gap in their date, and thirty minutes had a way of feeling like an hour or longer when it was with someone you cared about. She knew what was meant by the room, however, and if in thirty minutes they could recapture that feeling of the first time then Min certainly didn’t mind spending her time like that. She gave it a moment’s thought before giving her reply. 

[color=7fc19e][b]“MIN!”[/b][/color]

It wasn't Min’s voice that filled Henry’s ear, but rather a higher pitched one coming from behind them. As Henry turned around, he found himself looking at a blonde girl that he could have sworn he knew. The girl was dressed in a short black dress that had small wet spots on it, as if she’d been splashed by someone in a pool. Her hair appeared to have been freshly blow dryed, and looked slightly frizzy. Min, though, would know exactly who the mystery girl was; her best friend: Kit! [color=7fc19e][b]“I’ve been looking for you! You must be Min’s boyfriend! Right?”[/b][/color]

Henry stared at the blonde girl dumbly for a few seconds, as his cocaine fueled mind tried to process the question. Was he? Was she his girlfriend? Were they a thing? Were they official? Was he ready for an official thing? Would his moms be okay with this? What about dad!? Wait, Henry didn’t give a shit what they thought. Kit glanced at Min, while Henry kept his thousand yard stare, before Kit quietly spoke. [color=7fc19e][b]“Hey, is your man alright…?”[/b][/color] Her eyes went wide when Henry finally barked his reply out, coming out of shock very suddenly.

[color=b57f13][b]“YES! I mean, uh, yes. I’m Min’s boyfriend. And Chae Minseossi is my girlfriend. And I think I like it.”[/b][/color]

[color=7fc19e][b]“That’s cool! Can I borrow her?”[/b][/color]

It seemed like fate had other ideas in mind, at least it would if Min-seo was someone who believed in fate. Karma was a different situation, but when her response was interrupted by Kit, Min-seo wasn’t sure if she should have been annoyed at the appearance or happy to see her friend. She opted for the latter, since if she really thought about it it was Kit’s advice that helped make tonight go as well as it had. Min remained silent after Kit’s question precisely because it was asked to Henry first and foremost. Min already had her answer in mind and had since they had seen each other naked. 

Her silence was broken by a gasp. It wasn’t the fact that he said yes - she had no doubt that he would since she had no doubts about their relationship status - it was the fact that he was [i]formal[/i] about it. [color=ffefd5][b]”Henry-oppa…”[/b][/color] Min-seo responded in a voice that was practically causing someone to have a diabetic episode with how meltingly sweet it was. Even though Kit was there, Min-seo had to give Henry a kiss, not on the cheek this time, as if to cement it officially. And as a reward for him going out of his way to drop a little bit of Korean into the mix. 

Now Min-seo turned back to Kit, though she looked towards Henry a moment before responding. They only had thirty minutes, but Kit was her [i]best friend[/i] and Henry had taken Min to see one of his friends. [color=ffefd5][b]”[i]Henry-oppa[/i]...I will meet you for..speech, okay? Kit is...best friend. We will meet before...speech.”[/b][/color] 

Henry might have been disappointed, but Min-seo had so much to tell Kit and not nearly enough time to say it all. 

[color=b57f13][b]“Oh, yeah, that’s totally fine, Ducky. Have fun, I’ll be waiting for you.”[/b][/color] Henry said, giving Min a squeeze of her hand. Min’s other hand was taken by Kit, who tugged her away.

[color=7fc19e][b]“Thank you! Byeeeee.”[/b][/color][/indent]