The morning
The morning rose gently inside Aera's pink apartment.
Pale sunlight slipped through tulle curtains, brushed over pastel posters, danced on the mountain of plush toys like a tiny childhood kingdom.
The wooden floor creaked lightly, the strawberry candle still burned from the night before, and a tray of cream pastries filled the air with sweetness.
Nari opened her eyes, still wrapped in the warmth of the bed, when—
— GET UUUUP PRIIINCESSS!! yelled Aera, jumping on the mattress like a maniac, holding a giant heart-shaped pillow.
Nari jolted, then burst into a laugh she didn't even recognize — a clear, real, almost childlike laugh.
— Aeraa! You scared me!
— That's the point, madam! Today, we make you BEAUTIFUL.
Gorgeous.
Stunning.
Devastating.
So you can go declare your love to your favorite psychopath.
— Who knows… maybe you'll come back with a ring, Mrs. "I'm married to a psychopath but he's hot."
Nari let out a small raspy laugh, still hazy from sleep.
Aera continued her performance:
— Me, I feel like a princess in her pink kingdom, waiting for a prince to save her… HELPPP MEEE! she screamed dramatically, collapsing onto the bed like a K-drama actress.
Nari laughed so hard her stomach hurt.
A real laugh.
A laugh she hadn't heard from her own mouth in weeks.
For thirty minutes — maybe more — the bedroom became a pink battleground.
Aera opened her wardrobe like someone opening a treasure chest.
Dresses flew everywhere.
Skirts.
Crop tops.
Mohair sweaters.
Unicorn pajamas.
Cat-ear headbands.
Sparkly high heels.
Glitter accessories.
She threw the first pillow at Nari's face.
Nari screamed in surprise and threw a pillow straight into Aera's face.
— AH! YOU DARE??!! Aera shrieked.
They threw pillows, rolled across the bed, giggling like two sixteen-year-olds.
Aera even tried to tickle Nari's ribs, who howled:
Aera grabbed a pillow and smashed it into Nari's face.
— AERA!
— You deserved it!
Nari threw the pillow back so hard the pink heart bounced off the wall and hit the floor with a loud thud.
Aera froze, mouth wide open, dramatically.
Then she launched herself at her in an avalanche of pillows.
Nari laughed so hard she cried, folded in half, trying to shield herself behind a giant bunny plush.
— STOP! STOOOP! she yelled through laughter, breathless.
— Never! Aera shouted, chasing her with a pink unicorn like it was a weapon.
The two girls rolled in the blankets, tickled each other, screamed in laughter, until their cheeks turned rosy and they were both gasping for air.
For one second,
in that overly bright pink bedroom,
the darkness disappeared.
Aera clapped her hands.
— Step 2: The Queen's Transformation.
She opened her closet — a closet so full it seemed on the verge of collapsing.
Dresses exploded outward in a burst of colors:
• a black satin dress
• a sparkly deep-red one
• a dramatic backless white dress
• a pink tulle dress
• a midnight-blue spaghetti-strap dress
• a cream Parisian-style dress
• an oversized mohair sweater
• a glitter crop top
• three pleated skirts
Aera tried literally EVERYTHING on Nari.
— Try this! No, this one! Wait— THAT ONE! God, let me DIE, you're a bomb in this!!
With each change, she spun Nari around like a display mannequin:
— Arms up!
— Stomach in!
— AHHHH YOU'RE INSANE!
— I want to be you!
Nari laughed, cheeks red, but inside her something warm was slowly returning.
A timid warmth, but real.
Aera sat Nari on a chair.
— I did a beauty school program for two whole weeks, so I'm extremely qualified.
— You lie so much… Nari giggled.
— Silence, madam. Let the artist work.
She placed a cat-ear headband on Nari and lifted her chin:
— Eyes up!
Not like a cow— like a princess!
Nari burst out laughing.
Aera applied:
• a soft peach blush
• champagne highlighter
• a shimmery rose gloss
• a touch of mascara to open her eyes
Then she stopped, set the brush down, cupped Nari's face gently and whispered:
— God, Nari…
You have stunning features.
Truly stunning.
Nari lowered her eyes, touched.
Aera turned on her bubblegum-pink curler.
Nari's black hair slid through her fingers as she wrapped each strand around the iron, slow and careful, one curl at a time.
Perfumed steam floated through the room.
Each curl seemed to awaken something inside Nari.
The scent of fixing spray mixing with the smell of still-warm brioche.
The pink lights of the chandelier reflecting in her shiny waves.
Then Aera chose THE dress.
A dress that highlighted every line of her body.
Her legs.
Her waist.
Her neck.
She adjusted the straps, smoothed the fabric, turned Nari around slightly, studying her from every angle like a professional stylist.
— HOLY SHIT.
Nari…
Look at yourself.
Aera stepped back with her hand over her mouth.
— You… are… gorgeous.
Look.
She turned Nari toward the mirror.
And Nari saw herself.
Black hair in soft waves, shiny as silk.
Brown eyes bigger, brighter, alive.
Rosy lips.
Glowing skin.
A dress that fit her like a second skin.
A woman.
A real one.
A beautiful one.
A strong one.
Her hand lifted to her lips, trembling.
— I… is that me?
— Yes, Aera smiled softly.
That's you.
The you you forgot.
Nari's eyes filled with tears.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Not Sion.
But tenderness.
Gratitude.
A gentle, new light.
Aera leaned in, pressing her forehead against Nari's.
— You see, Nari…
You're beautiful.
You're strong.
You're alive.
You're not just a girl someone loves.
You're a girl who deserves to be loved.
Nari broke down in tears.
Warm tears of another kind.
Not the kind born from heartbreak.
The kind born from rebirth.
She wrapped her arms around Aera.
Two girls.
Two friends.
Two survivors.
Two souls who, in Aera's pink bedroom,
just saved each other's lives—
simply by laughing.
Simply by holding hands.