Chapter Text
Shopping was always a problem for her. She disliked spending too much time on clothes, shoes, and jewelry. She always complained when one of her friends dragged her into a store. Her style of clothing was the most comfortable and convenient. Whatever was hanging in her closet or lying in her dresser, she wore constantly and everywhere. These were mostly sportswear and voluminous clothes that hid her slender figure.
The woman, not a fan of hiking, was now dragging her tired legs along the second floor of a clothing store. Her two arms were filled with various shopping bags, stuffed with expensive clothes, seductive lingerie, and some high-heeled shoes. Ahead of her, chatting cheerfully and talking on the phone, walked her bosom friend, who was going on a romantic date that evening.
Nayeon, a girl she's known since high school, attended the same university together, and now works in the music industry. So, Nayeon decided to arrange a romantic date today, seduce her friend, and "take their relationship to the next level," as she put it when she begged her to help her choose the right dress and get ready.
She couldn't resist the smile and ingratiating glance, and now she was paying, mindlessly strolling through the store, waiting for her by the dressing room and admiring all the outfits she chose. The torture had lasted three hours, and according to the list Nayeon held in her hand, it would continue.
Now the only prayer that was swirling through her mind was for this torture to end quickly, and for her to return home, under a warm blanket, with a box of chocolates at hand and her favorite movie on TV.
"Dahyun, can you hear me?" Nayeon asked, interrupting her thoughts and waving in front of her face. She was beaming, her front two teeth showing, her cheeks flushed and her dimples pleasant. "Jeongyeon called to check on our date, and I told her I'd be waiting around 6:00 PM."
"Are you telling me this because we're wrapping up?" DaHyun asked hopefully, lifting the bags up and letting them go.
- Almost there. The clothes are definitely all set, but I still need to buy a couples' gift, so now we're going to the jewelry store, the one I had my eye on while we were going up the escalator here.
- Oh, no, Nabongs ! - she whined.
- Yes, yes, I promise, with this shopping trip our trips will stop for today - she raised her right hand up in a vow.
"You promise? Really?" She looked skeptically at the beaming girl, then sighed heavily and stomped toward the escalator to go down.
"Hooray! You're the best, DaHyun," the girl cried, running up to her and hugging her from behind.
“I know,” she said proudly, making strange movements with her eyebrows.
Nayeon laughed louder, still hugging her shoulders.
- Thank you really much, Dubu . You helped me out so much today, even though I know perfectly well how much you dislike all this.
"You need help, and what kind of friend would I be if I refused you? So, what's the name of that store we're going to?" When they reached the bottom, she stopped in the hall, awaiting further instructions.
“Picasso,” Nayeon answered, looking around, then her eyes caught the strange inscription, taking her friend by the wrist and dragging her there.
"Picasso? Isn't that the name of a famous artist? What does an artist have to do with jewelry?" DaHyun asked, surprised, following Nayeon to the jewelry store.
"I don't know why, but the name is cool. Oh, look, here it is! We're here!" Nayeon said happily, pointing to the store and looking at the sign.
Opening the doors, they stepped inside and were struck by the store's elegant decor. The decor allowed them to immerse themselves in an atmosphere of poetic inspiration, evoking picturesque natural motifs in their souls, and savoring the pleasant aroma of strawberries. Ah, all fatigue vanished instantly!
"Welcome to Picasso," a short girl greeted them with a pleasant smile. "What are you looking for? We have all the designer pieces from around the world, everything your heart desires. So, what do you want?" She smiled again, revealing two dimples.
"Um, are you free after work today?" DaHyun asked, not giving him a chance to say a word. She stepped forward, standing next to the girl.
"You want me?" the girl asked, raising an eyebrow and slightly wrinkling the bridge of her nose.
“Yes, I want to ask you out on a date,” DaHyun nodded her head affirmatively, looking fascinated at the small mole under her lower lip.
"You don't know me, and yet you're still proposing to me?" she smirked, a twinkle in her eye as she looked at her. "You're weird," she said, then turned her gaze to the girl standing next to her and asked. "Do you want me too?"
"No, no, I have a date today. And we just came here to buy me a couple of couples' pendants," Nayeon said simply, moving closer to the display cases, peering through the clear glass at the brightly colored jewelry.
"Are you two on a romantic date?" she asked, looking from one girl to the other.
"Oh, no, we're not a couple," Nayeon laughed, DaHyun nodding vigorously, shaking the bags in her hands. "DaHyun's my assistant for today. We're best friends."
“If you agree to go to dinner with me, then I will have a romantic date today,” DaHyun admitted honestly, without taking her eyes off the beautiful girl in front of her.
"What if I don't agree?" she asked curiously, tucking a golden strand of hair behind her small ear, revealing a pretty flower-shaped earring.
- I will come here until you agree to go.
“You’re so persistent,” she chuckled, taking a step back, turned away, approached Nayeon, and began asking about the upcoming date, completely ignoring the customer’s friend until she had purchased the necessary pendants.
After the jewelry was purchased, Nayeon happily showed DaHyun what she had bought, and the girl spoke to her again.
“My working day ends at 8:00 pm, so come tomorrow and I’ll give you an answer,” the girl said, saying goodbye to her and closing the doors of the Picasso behind them.
- DaHyun, what's gotten into you? Why were you acting like that?
- Nayeon , I think I fell in love at first sight - DaHyun shared her feelings, looking hopefully at the closed door, waiting for it to open and the sweet girl to smile at her again and say that she agrees.
"Wow! Dubu , seriously?" Nayeon whispered, dragging her away from the store. When her friend smiled sadly, she encouraged her. "She won't resist your charm, Dubu . Tomorrow, she'll definitely give a positive answer."
- Do you think so?
- Sure!
Neither tomorrow, nor the day after, nor even after a month of waiting, did DaHyun receive the long-awaited positive answer. Gradually, her infatuation blossomed into true love, and DaHyun genuinely didn't know what to do to make her reciprocate. She couldn't even find out the name of the woman she'd fallen in love with. As soon as she entered Picasso, she was shown the door, told the woman wasn't at her desk, even though she could clearly see her blonde hair behind the counter in the back of the store. Why she was being ignored, why they were avoiding her, DaHyun had no idea, and she desperately wanted to know. Her visits to Picasso continued for almost three months, arriving precisely at the appointed time, around 9:00 AM, before heading to work, and at 7:30 PM, when she returned home.
Three months and 4 days later, DaHyun has not arrived.
Three months and 7 days later, DaHyun has not arrived.
Three months and two weeks later, the girl who was expecting her arrival became worried and began leaving work early, looking out for the black-haired stranger, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"You did it again, Chaeyoung," one of her best friends scolded her, sitting across from her in one of the cafes when they were given a lunch break. "Why were you avoiding her?"
“I wasn’t avoiding, I was just scared,” Chaeyoung slowly sipped her hot coffee, trying to justify her actions.
"Afraid of what? A new relationship?" her friend asked, also taking a sip of Americana. " Chaeyoung , you need to start a new life, and that girl was a great introduction to the real world! If I weren't in a relationship, I would have hit on her a long time ago," she added, glancing at Chaeyoung, who, after her words, jumped up. Her piercing dark gaze fixed on her grinning friend. "What's with that look, Chaeyoung? Doesn't she have the right to be loved?" She raised an eyebrow, and Chaeyoung drooped, her shoulders slumped, and she moved back in her chair.
"She's probably happy and loved right now," Chaeyoung said, touching her coffee cup but not lifting it to her mouth. "I did it again, I let go of the person I needed."
"Hey, Chaeyoung!" she placed a comforting hand on her friend's. " What if she comes tomorrow? What will you do? What if, for example, she says she went somewhere with Nayeon or was busy with work and couldn't just get away..."
- I'll tell her my name and agree to a date.
"Really? You'll do that? Would you agree to go on a romantic date with me?" Chaeyoung heard from behind, her neck almost craned as she turned to look at the girl they were talking about.
DaHyun smiled brightly, showing her smiley eyes, and danced in place, each holding a bag that shook with her. Standing next to her were her smiling friends, Nayeon, and someone else.
“Hello, we’re back again, only this time for the rings,” Nayeon said shyly.
" Nabongs, be quiet," the tall girl hissed at her, squeezing her friend's hand in hers. "She hasn't yet answered Dubu 's question . "
“Oh, right, sorry,” Nayeon fell silent, her eyes telling them to continue.
"My name is DaHyun. So, will you go on a romantic date with me today?" DaHyun asked her vexing question again.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Chaeyoung," she said, offering her hand for a handshake. She remained there until she smiled sheepishly at the girl and added, "My workday ends at 8:00 PM, and after that I'm free, so... why not?" She shrugged, but seeing DaHyun's expectant look, she clarified. "Yes, I'll go on a romantic date with you."
- Hooray!!! Nayeon, Jeongyeon, she said yes to me! I'm also going on a romantic date today!