Date? (2)
I sat in the chair for what felt like an eternity before finally standing up.
“Haa… Let’s go now.”
The words carried the weight of countless worries and inner turmoil.
When we stepped out onto the street, it was still crowded with people. Jian hugged the doll tightly and began walking with light, bouncy steps. Worried she might dash ahead again, I took her hand. Jian glanced down at the doll for a moment, then held it out toward Hajun.
“Daddy, you carry this!”
She passed the doll to him and grabbed his hand instead. As a result, Hajun and I each had one arm wrapped around the doll while our other hands held Jian’s.
“Hehe~”
Jian laughed happily, shaking her head from side to side and hopping along. Maybe her joy traveled through our joined hands, because I felt happy too.
“The store’s just a little farther.”
At Hajun’s words, I looked up and saw rows of small clothing shops lining both sides of the street. The largest one stood out immediately. Since my wife had always bought my clothes before, shopping in an actual store felt strangely awkward.
“Whoa! So pretty!”
As we got closer, Jian stared at the outfits displayed in the window.
Inside, the place was packed. People were everywhere, browsing through the racks.
“This one’s pretty! Can you wear it for me?..”
Jian looked around before picking up a gray skirt from a hanger and holding it out to me. I stared at it, flustered. It was a design I should never have had to wear in my entire life. After staring at it for a long moment, I shook my head.
“…I’m sorry, Jian. Could we do it next time?”
I was pretty sure I’d said the same thing the first time we met, but I couldn’t help it. Jian’s face fell instantly, and seeing that expression made me feel terrible. Still, I just didn’t have the courage right now.
“Next time… I’ll definitely wear it next time.”
“Really..?”
“Yes. Promise.”
I stroked Jian’s hair, then held out my pinky. She reluctantly nodded and hooked her finger with mine, but she still looked upset. I scanned the clothes on the hangers and told her,
“Then, you can pick out the top for me and I’ll wear it.”
“Really? Then…”
“But! No dresses.”
Jian looked a little down again at my condition, but she quickly returned with a white blouse. It had a ribbon at the neckline, but it was close enough to a regular shirt.
“Um… How about these?”
When Hajun saw Jian handing me the blouse, he offered a pair of jeans. They looked a bit wider in the legs than the ones I sometimes used to wear. I wondered if this was the style these days.
“Um… Shouldn’t we also get some short-sleeved shirts or shorts?”
“I suppose so. There aren’t any suitable clothes at home, so today we—”
Hajun’s voice grew quieter and quieter until it was almost inaudible. The memory of what happened that morning flashed through my mind, and I fell silent too.
“W-well then, let’s just grab a few plain tees!”
Hajun practically shouted as he hurried over to the SALE section and returned with four short-sleeved shirts. I picked up two pairs of shorts. Jian, somehow, had found a pair of what were called “dolphin pants.” Seeing them made both Hajun and me even more awkward, so we quickly headed to the register.
“Ah… right.”
My quiet murmur made Hajun turn his head. Come to think of it, I didn’t have any underwear. I was only wearing what I had on now, so I needed to buy more. But it didn’t look like this store sold any.
I was still debating whether to mention it when Hajun asked in a worried voice,
“Is… something wrong?”
“Ah… it’s not that… I mean… u-underwear…”
There was no reason to feel embarrassed, yet I did. Hajun seemed to feel the same; he just made broken sounds like “Ah… uh… um…” as if his brain had short-circuited. Jian, apparently unable to watch anymore, turned to the cashier.
“Miss! Where do you sell panties?”
“Pardon? The underwear section is on the third floor.”
The cashier looked at Jian instead of our malfunctioning selves and answered politely. Third floor. Hajun glanced at me, then answered carefully,
“I… I’ll wait on the first floor. Would you like to go up with Jian?”
I started to nod, then stopped. The underwear store I’d visited last time had only a few plain, solid-colored items. But from what the cashier just said, the third floor sounded like a full lingerie department. That meant there would be all kinds of underwear… Suddenly, a wave of embarrassment hit me.
“Could you… come with me?”
Hajun’s entire body stiffened the moment he heard my quiet request. But there was no helping it. They say pain becomes smaller when shared. Surely embarrassment worked the same way.
“Miss! Let’s go quickly!”
Jian didn’t give Hajun any time to think, urging him along. After hesitating for a long moment, Hajun finally made up his mind.
“…Understood. Let’s go up together.”
[3F Underwear · Lingerie · Accessories]
[2F Children’s Clothing]
[1F Unisex · Casual]
“Th-they sell children’s clothes here too, huh.”
“Y-yeah! They do…”
Hajun tried to ease the awkwardness, but my flustered reply ruined it. The elevator soon reached the third floor and the doors opened. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I could smell perfume in the air.
Fortunately, what I saw right by the entrance were accessories like necklaces and rings. But when I shifted my gaze just a little to the side, my eyes were captured by rows of colorful underwear. I’d occasionally seen things like that in my wife’s closet, but I’d never seen them worn up close. My face burned.
“Uh… There are more people than I expected.”
“Y-yeah…”
Hajun tried to change the subject, but it was obvious to anyone that he was just trying to hide how awkward he felt. We slowly walked toward the displays. On the mannequins hung underwear so flashy it was almost painful to look at.
“Welcome!”
A bright voice called out as the sales associate approached us with a smile. Of all places, she had to greet us right in front of the underwear section.
“Um… Are you here to look at couple underwear?”
At the associate’s single sentence, I froze solid. Hajun beside me must have been startled too; he was only coughing.
“N-no! We’re not… we’re just…”
I waved my hands frantically, but the associate only laughed louder. Then she noticed Jian and seemed to understand.
“Ah~ These days a lot of couples buy matching sets, so there’s no need to feel shy. How about something like this?”
She brought over a black lace set and a package of men’s underwear. For a moment, my brain completely shut down.
“Y-yes! We’ll look around and choose ourselves!”
Thankfully, Hajun recovered first and stopped the associate’s runaway enthusiasm. She bowed politely, handed the lingerie set to Hajun, and stepped back to help another customer.
“I… I’m not thinking straight.”
“Haa… Same here.”
We both let out a sigh at the same time and met each other’s eyes. Jian seemed to find the whole situation hilarious; she giggled and shook my hand.
“Miss, your face is red! Daddy’s face is red too!”
Her words were more than enough to make us break eye contact. Thankfully, when we looked away, we spotted a quieter corner deeper in the store. Instead of flashy lingerie, there were simple, basic designs.
“Th-that area looks a bit better…”
I pointed to the corner and spoke quietly. Hajun nodded and we slowly walked over. Once we reached the corner, we found underwear in plain brown, white, and black colors.
“This is incredibly stressful…”
Hajun sounded completely drained. I nodded in complete agreement. I picked up a few pairs from the rack, then put them back. The problem was that I had no idea what my exact size was.
The ones I’d bought last time had been random grabs, and even now they felt a little tight. I looked around for a fitting room, and Hajun asked,
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah… well… the size…”
“Pardon?”
I spoke in a voice that kept getting smaller, but it seemed Hajun couldn’t hear me.
“I don’t know my size..!”
“Ah… I see. The… size…”
When I finally raised my voice, Hajun couldn’t hide his panic. Speaking with his tongue completely twisted, he quickly turned and called for an associate.
“E-excuse me! Is there a fitting room?”
“Yes, right this way.”
The same associate from earlier came over at his loud call and answered. Then she looked at us, narrowed her eyes, and added,
“Our fitting rooms are for one person at a time…”
“N-no! That’s not it! I just don’t know my size…”
In my panic, I added unnecessary details. The associate tilted her head in confusion.
“Size… Oh! Are you perhaps a temp—”
“No, no! Absolutely not.”
I denied it loudly. No matter how I thought about it, this associate seemed to jump three steps ahead of everything. I sighed and, with no other choice, said,
“I was sick for a while… so I don’t really know.”
“Ah, in that case I’ll help you. This way, please.”
Fortunately, the associate nodded, grabbed a measuring tape, and entered the fitting room first. I glanced at Hajun, who was sitting on a chair looking completely out of it, and spoke to Jian instead.
“Jian, can you take good care of Daddy for me?”
“Yup! I’ll watch him well!”
I handed her the doll and stepped into the fitting room. Surprisingly, it was quite spacious—big enough for two women to fit comfortably. I took off my top, hung it on the hook, and walked over to the associate. Even though I was showing my underwear to a stranger again, it didn’t bother me this time.
“Please turn around slightly and bend forward~”
At her instruction, I leaned forward a little. The cold measuring tape brushed against my skin. A subtle, awkward feeling washed over me.
“Your top is about 93! Now please straighten up!”
I had no idea what she was talking about. What did 93 mean?
“Bottom is 75. 75D? As expected… I’m really jealous…”
I didn’t understand most of it, but this part I understood perfectly. D. At the associate’s words, my face burned so hot I couldn’t say anything. I just kept my head down.