So Far, Yet So Close (4)
Is this how Adam and Eve felt when they ate the forbidden fruit and came to their senses?
In other words, this is incredibly embarrassing.
How on earth do people walk around wearing something like this?!
It was embarrassing enough putting it on, but looking at my reflection in the mirror afterward was twice as mortifying.
It's a guaranteed heart attack.
If I show him this, I feel like I'll die of embarrassment in a completely different way.
I just want to wear a T-shirt...
To hell with preferences, I rushed into this way too fast.
Just as I was about to change back and head out before Yuseol arrived—
"Chae Yujin?"
"Huh?! You're already here—?!"
Thud!
"...What was that noise?"
"N-nothing!"
I hurriedly pulled down the camisole while rubbing the spot where I had bumped against the wall.
Thank goodness I locked the door, or it would have been an absolute disaster.
"Aren't you done changing yet?"
"W-why do you ask?!"
"...Well, you called me. If you made me come all the way to the fitting rooms, didn't you want me to check out the outfit?"
"H-how did you know?! You're so smart...!"
"......?"
While we talked, I kept tugging at the camisole.
I was determined to cover my belly button at all costs, but the more I pulled, the more the thin shoulder straps stretched, only emphasizing the curve of my chest.
I hated the store clerk who recommended this, and I hated myself for getting swayed by the word 'boyfriend.'
But the one I hated most was the culprit who caused this situation in the first place.
"I hate you, Seol Yujin."
"...Out of nowhere?"
"Reflect on your actions for ten seconds. Otherwise, I'm not opening the door."
"......?"
"You're doing it, right?"
"...Yeah. I'm deeply repentant."
Exchanging these silly words helped ease my tension a bit.
To put it in perspective, my heart, which had been pounding like thump-thump!, calmed down to a steady pit-a-pat.
Though I wished I could get it to calm down completely...
"...You have to give me an honest opinion, okay? I've never worn clothes like this before, so don't laugh if it doesn't suit me."
If only Yuseol would look at me as a girl.
Yes, I could endure this much.
Click...
"......How is it?"
I had intended to look him in the eye confidently.
"...D-do you think it suits me?"
But the moment our eyes met, I gasped and lowered my head.
I wasn't usually sensitive, but a prickling sensation on my skin told me exactly where Yuseol's gaze was resting right now.
...What is he thinking?
Will he think I'm dressed too provocatively, just like I used to think about the older girls who wore these clothes?
Or will he think it looks feminine and nice, like the clerk said?
Even if he doesn't think it suits me, I just hope he doesn't find it weird.
I wish he would realize the meaning behind me showing him this side of myself.
So...
...Look only at me.
Swallowing the words I wanted to say, I slowly lifted my head.
Meeting his gaze with the hope that he wouldn't just look at me with a blank face...
"It suits you. You look really pretty."
It was his usual gentle smile.
He smiled without a single hint of awkwardness.
It was a smile of affection and tenderness.
A kindness he never showed to anyone else.
The smile of Yuseol that only I knew... the privilege of being his childhood friend.
So his words about it suiting me and me being pretty were undoubtedly the truth—
"...That's a relief."
No matter what I looked like, he would smile at me just like this.
Not as a woman, but as his childhood friend.
And so...
"Thanks. For saying I'm pretty."
Smiling was all I could do.
For the first time, I hated being just his childhood friend.
While I was changing back, Yuseol went to buy drinks.
The line must have been long, because he only reappeared after I had paid for my clothes and stepped out of the store.
It wasn't particularly hot, and Yuseol rarely sweated, but he brushed back his bangs and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead—a rare sight.
"Maybe because it's the weekend, but the place was packed and the line was huge. This was the last one they had, too."
Yuseol said as he handed me a milk bubble tea.
It was my favorite drink lately.
"Thanks..."
"So? We still have about an hour before our meeting time. Do you want to look around some more?"
"Well... I bought my clothes faster than I expected, so I don't really need to look around."
I stirred the drink with my straw.
I usually ordered my drinks with less ice to keep them sweet, and the milk bubble tea Yuseol handed me had very little ice in it.
...Wait. Did I tell him to get it like this?
"Then help me buy some clothes this time."
Just as a subtle question popped into my head, Yuseol chuckled and pulled out his phone.
"...You're buying clothes?"
"To be precise, I'm looking for shoes and a hat. Since I'm here with a fashion expert, I figured I could get some good recommendations."
Yuseol said, keeping his eyes on his phone.
Having checked where the store was, he took a sip of his coffee and tilted his head.
"You'll help me, right?"
"...Well, it's not like it's hard."
"I'll be looking forward to the fashion expert's eye."
The store I followed Yuseol to was incredibly charming.
It was small and had a cute interior, but...
"Isn't this a women's clothing store?"
Fundamentally, most of the clothes hanging here were for women.
Fitting the cute atmosphere, the majority of the designs had an innocent, pure vibe.
In other words, they were exactly the style of clothes I usually liked to wear.
"My head is on the smaller side. Even if they're free-size, hats from men's stores don't fit me well. Plus, I actually quite like these kinds of hats."
Yuseol said as he stepped further into the store.
Heading toward the section lined with hats, Yuseol examined them with a serious look, occasionally trying on the ones he liked.
"How is it? Does it look okay?"
"...Why does a women's hat suit you so well?"
"Hats don't have genders. Besides, everything is unisex these days. A few of my jackets are women's, too."
"...No wonder I wanted to steal them."
"I'll give them to you when I grow taller. I won't be able to wear this kind of stuff in a few years anyway."
"Will that day ever come?"
"...Why were you so quick to answer that?"
Yuseol let out a dumbfounded chuckle and put down the hat he was wearing.
Then, with a soft exclamation, he pulled out a piece of clothing next to him.
"I think this would look good on you."
It was a green knit sweater with a prominent V-neck.
Since I usually wore dresses, T-shirts with cardigans, or blouses, it wasn't something I typically wore, but the color and clean style were indeed pretty.
"...But why so suddenly?"
"Just looking. It's not like window shopping is going to hurt anyone."
"...Well, that's true."
"Hmm, it would look pretty layered like this."
Yuseol said, pulling out a white dress shirt and a striped beige dress shirt from the opposite rack.
"What do you think about wearing it like this?"
"...Are you telling me to try it on?"
"Well, I'm not the one who's going to wear it. Green doesn't look good on me."
"Your boyfriend has great taste! I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw you~."
Just as I was about to say something, a husky voice cut in.
When Yuseol and I simultaneously looked toward the stairs leading to the basement, a woman with an incredible figure appeared.
...Wait, why is the owner of the store we visited earlier here?
...Excuse me, but did you just call us "boyfriend" and "girlfriend"?
"How about this skirt and these knee-high socks to go with what your boyfriend picked out? My years of experience tell me you'll look absolutely adorable!"
Leaving my questions aside, the woman brought over the clothes with an incredibly excited expression.
Swept away by her overwhelming presence and energy, I found myself taking the recommended clothes.
"...Huh?"
"Please! You must try them on! While you're changing, I'll go find some shoes that match the outfit...!"
"Ah, no? You don't have to go that far—"
Whoosh!
"...really."
"She's already gone."
The door was wide open.
Yuseol closed the door so the air conditioning wouldn't escape, then went back to browsing the hats.
"I'll keep looking for something for myself, so go ahead and try that on first."
"...But I don't plan on buying this?"
"For someone who doesn't plan on buying it, you look like you really want to try it on."
I flinched.
"...No, I don't."
"If you want to say that, maybe stop holding it up against your body first?"
"What? When did my hands start doing this...?"
Looking down at Yuseol's words, I realized I was indeed holding the clothes up to check if they suited me.
I really hadn't noticed.
"...W-well, should I just try it on then?"
"Go ahead."
Yuseol nodded with a smirk.
After blinking a couple of times, I walked slowly into the fitting room.
I slowly changed, starting from the socks and working my way up...
"Oh my gosh. Yuseol, I look so innocent."
"...Are you really saying that about yourself?"
After quickly removing the face cover and tidying my hair, I saw myself looking better than I could have ever imagined.
Without a single exaggeration, at this very moment, I was the prettiest middle school girl in Hongdae.
"Yuseol! How do I look!"
I quickly opened the door to show him how pretty I looked.
Yuseol, wearing a hat, turned his head to look at me...
"Kyaaaah!! Oh my gosh! It looks so good on you!!"
Right then, the store owner stepped back in, waving her hand dramatically and reacting enthusiastically.
"Ah, that hurts..."
"Where on earth did you find a girl like this?! I'm so jealous!!"
"I said, that hurts..."
"Oh, right! This is no time for that!!"
The owner bypassed Yuseol and approached me.
She opened the shoebox she was holding and handed me a pair of black Mary Janes...
"...Perfect."
Just how moved was this woman to look like she was about to get a nosebleed?
"...Really?"
Still, it felt amazing.
"Of course! Are you a model by any chance?! Or are you interested in modeling?! If you are, how about working with me?!"
She clapped her hands, pulled out her phone, and asked if she could take a photo...
Even if it was just salesmanship, her reaction made it impossible to keep my lips from curling upward. But...
"I knew it. This is much better."
A simple, yet refreshing smile.
The fact that you hadn't taken your eyes off me since the moment I stepped out of the fitting room made my heart flutter more than anything else.
Which meant...
"Excuse me. We'll take this outfit just as it is."
Doing things like this was cheating.
"......What?"
"Oh my goodness! You're buying it for her?! Heavens, where did you find a guy like this! I'm so jealous!"
"Why are you grabbing my arm again...? I said, that hurts..."
"I'll give you a discount! Just wait a second!"
Humming happily, the owner quickly headed to the counter.
She must have had a strong grip, because Yuseol was busy massaging his arm to recover.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
I asked.
I had no choice but to ask.
Because to anyone looking, this was—
"Don't go around wearing that other outfit."
"......Huh?"
"The clothes you wore earlier suited you, sure. But your usual style looks way better on you."
"—"
"That clerk was weird, too. Why would she recommend clothes like that to a middle schooler? It didn't even suit you that well... I mean, it did suit you. It's just... it didn't match your vibe."
Yuseol quickly corrected himself.
Flustered by my silent gaze, he slightly averted his eyes.
"I get that you want to change your image, but that style doesn't fit you. I'm buying this for you because I knew you'd complain if I just told you not to change it, so keep that in mind."
He spoke bluntly, glancing at me sideways before turning completely to walk toward the counter.
"...Huh?"
"It took me a couple of beats to process Yuseol's words and expression."
"It was a side of him I had never seen before."
"Make sure to come back next time! I'll give you a discount then, too."
"Yes. Thank you."
"Of course, you two have to come together, okay?"
"...She'll buy them at full price next time."
"Oh, look at you playing hard to get!"
"I told you, that hurts..."
While I was briefly away, the owner and Yuseol were chatting away.
Sensing my presence, they both turned their heads toward me at almost the same time.
"You looked so pretty in it, you should have just worn it out~."
Just as the owner said, I had changed back into my original clothes.
The shopping bag was stuffed full, containing the new clothes they had packaged for me.
"I wanted to, but I'd rather wear it on a more special day."
"Oh? A special day?"
Realizing the meaning behind my words, the owner's lips curled into a sly smile.
"Isn't that just a daily look?"
Meanwhile, you tilted your head in confusion.
It was always like this.
Why are you only clueless at times like this?
Or maybe you're just pretending to be clueless...
"...Why? Is there something on my face?"
"Pfft. Yeah. There's something on it."
"Where?"
Yuseol touched various parts of his face, looking at me to tell him where.
I quickly closed the distance between us...
Smooch.
And kissed away the cluelessness on his cheek.
"Oh my goodness!!!"
"......You?!"
Yuseol hurriedly backed away, covering his cheek.
I winked and gave a playful laugh.
"What? We've always kissed each other when we were grateful ever since we were kids."
"You dummy, that was in elementary school! And our parents forced us to do it!"
"It's only been four months since we graduated elementary school. It's still valid, and I'm a good daughter who listens to her parents."
"What are you even talking about...?!"
Yuseol's face flushed bright red as he backed away.
But with the glass wall behind him, he had nowhere left to run.
If I kept pushing, I could definitely reach him, but...
"Thanks. For saying I'm pretty."
I stopped in my tracks.
Standing there, I reached out my hand.
I had a vague understanding now.
Of the meaning behind the smile you give me.
Of the meaning behind the feelings you show me.
And so, I felt a faint certainty.
That no matter what I look like, you will look at me just like this.
That even if I stay just the way I am, you will keep looking at me.
Even though you're even more clueless than I am, and it looks like it'll take a long time for you to realize it...
"I'll cherish these clothes!"
Me, Chae Yujin.
A girl who gets things done.
"I love you!"
"...Huh?"
I am definitely going to make you confess to me.