Shopping and hidden feelings

Saturday arrived like a sigh of relief, warm breeze, fluttering curtains, and the promise of one thing: escapism. Haerin and Nana met up at the local mall just after noon, both in fresh outfits that said "I woke up like this" while secretly taking two hours to assemble. Nana twirled in place. "Tell me I don't look iconic." Haerin giggled, adjusting her shoulder bag. "You look... loud." They slipped into the flow of weekend shoppers, darting between skincare counters, novelty fashion racks, and perfume aisles. Nana made it a mission to test every lip gloss in sight. Haerin spent more time admiring stationery that looked too pretty to write on. As they passed a luxury boutique, Nana stopped dramatically. "Wait. What if the twins shop here?" Haerin groaned. "Nana..." But it was too late. Nana pulled her in. Inside, with gleaming floors and music that sounded like whispered secrets, the girls explored with wide eyes. Nana held up a jacket she couldn't afford. "If I ever become famous, this is day one wardrobe." Just then, the boutique door chimed. A group of students walked in, two familiar girls in full gloss and quiet power.  Sooyeon. Mijin. Dressed like influencers on a sponsorship deal, they spotted Haerin and Nana almost immediately. Sooyeon tilted her head, smirked, and whispered something to Mijin, who nearly tripped over a display table pretending not to laugh. Haerin stiffened. Nana whispered, "Do. Not. Engage." But the weekend was just warming up... 

 Haerin and Nana paused near a row of delicate perfumes, bottles shaped like glass cherry blossoms and royal crowns. Nana leaned in, whispering with suspicious enthusiasm, "Pretend we came here for something serious. Like... skincare. Or prom dresses. Something upper-tier." Haerin glanced sideways, catching a familiar flick of hair and gloss from across the room.  Sooyeon and Mijin had entered. They weren't shopping. Not really. Just trailing behind, slow and subtle, scanning racks without touching anything, eyes firmly on the girls ahead. Sooyeon smirked at a coral mini skirt Haerin had picked up. Mijin barely pretended to check price tags, her laugh half-swallowed when Nana knocked over a shoe box. But Haerin played it cool. She turned the hanger, inspecting fabric with unnecessary seriousness, and quietly asked, "Do you think this suits me, Nana?" Nana nodded dramatically. "Yes. You'll look like someone with generational wealth who doesn't need compliments." They both giggled. Sooyeon narrowed her eyes. "Who are they trying to impress?" she whispered. Mijin shrugged. "Whoever's watching." But behind their teasing, tension buzzed softly through the boutique. Because deep down... Sooyeon wasn't just mocking. She was studying.

 Just as Haerin twirled the hem of a sundress with exaggerated elegance, Nana froze mid-step. Her eyes locked on a flicker of motion through the glass storefront. Nana clutched Haerin's sleeve. "It's them...I just saw one of the twins outside, Haerin. I swear."   Haerin raised a brow, puzzled. "Nana, what are you talking about?" Nana leaned closer, voice hushed but intense. "Jisoo. Outside. Near the bakery window, don't look!" Haerin instinctively turned anyway, but saw only reflections and passing strangers. Nana tugged at her arm, urgency rising. "Let's leave quietly. Come on. If she saw us first, this whole 'casual shopping' charade is cooked." Behind them, Sooyeon and Mijin exchanged looks. Their silent spectatorship now crackling with curiosity. Sooyeon whispered, "Are they running away?" Mijin smirked, "Or toward something?" As Nana pulled Haerin toward the back exit, half escape, half dramatic exit, the boutique's quiet hum felt suddenly theatrical.

 Nana's eyes darted past a kiosk, scanning the crowds like a detective in a K-drama. "Where did he go now?" she whispered. "I swear I saw him pass... I doubt it was Minjun. I think that one was the other one... Jisoo." Haerin groaned, tugging her sleeve. "And why do you want us to follow him like psychopathic spies, Nana?!" Her voice was quiet, but her frustration echoed loud, toned down only by the sheer effort it took to stay invisible. Nana didn't flinch. "Because this isn't regular coincidence, Haerin. They keep appearing. I'm starting to think we're the main characters and we haven't accepted the assignment." Haerin gave her a "Please, not today" look, but somewhere in the distance, the sleek shape of someone walking away, tall, calm, unmistakably Jisoo, made her heart skip.

 Nana's grip tightened around Haerin's wrist the moment she spotted Jisoo heading toward the far end of the mall, cool, collected, and completely unaware of the storm trailing behind him. "Come on, come on, he's walking that way," Nana hissed, pulling Haerin past a rack of sparkly handbags and discount phone charms. Haerin stumbled a little, whisper-shouting, "Nana! What are we doing?!" "Field research," Nana replied, way too serious. They kept their distance, following him through the crowd like undercover agents in designer sneakers. Jisoo stopped in front of a quaint café, small, quiet, almost hidden between louder storefronts. The girls froze, quickly turning to face the opposite direction, pretending to admire a display of overpriced candles. But when Haerin risked a glance back... He was gone. "Nooo, where's heeee?" Nana cried, her voice a theatrical whine wrapped in panic and defeat. Haerin rolled her eyeballs so hard it was a miracle they didn't escape her skull. "Nana, we haven't shopped for anything yet. Did we actually come out just to follow people?" She sighed. "It's possible that wasn't... him. Let's go." Nana pouted, but followed Haerin's lead, muttering something about missed cinematic moments and the tragedy of disappearing boys.  

 Still buzzing from the almost-encounter, Haerin and Nana wandered deeper into the mall, letting the scent of cinnamon pretzels and distant pop music guide them toward something lighter, something normal. They stopped in front of a boutique called "Mint & Thread." Clean layout, soft lighting, racks of colorful clothes, and best of all, price tags that didn't require a bank loan. Nana pushed the door open with a flourish. "Now this is our territory." Inside, rows of floral tops, denim skirts, oversized sweatshirts, and faux-leather bags stretched like a playground of personality. "Okay... mission: Buy something that looks rich but costs less than lunch," Nana declared. Haerin chuckled, finally easing into the moment. "That's your mission. Mine is to find something that won't make me trip and flash my dignity again." They both laughed, weaving through hangers and shelves like two girls finally free from cafeteria tension and boutique drama. Haerin held up a sage green cardigan while Nana pretended to model a pair of sunglasses with exaggerated posing. Outside the store window, weekend life rushed by, but inside, it was a pocket of calm. Just them. Just joy.

Minjun had been scanning his phone distractedly while waiting outside a tech store, until a familiar laugh pulled his attention. He looked up. There. Through the boutique's glass panel. Two girls, one pretending to do a runway walk in plastic sunglasses, the other clutching a green cardigan and rolling her eyes with a smile. His heart did something inconvenient. Nana spotted him seconds later and froze mid-strut. "Haerin," she whispered urgently, dropping the sunglasses onto a shelf. "Twin alert. Twelve o'clock. Your boy Minjun." Haerin turned, looked out the window, and locked eyes. Minjun raised his brows slightly, a mix of surprise and amused recognition. "Okay, go-time," Nana said, grabbing Haerin's wrist like it was a matter of national emergency. "You will not run. You will not fall. You will meet the boy." "I'm not ready!" Haerin whispered, clutching the cardigan like it could deflect awkwardness. "You look cute. You've got charm. You're wearing shoes with grip. We move," Nana declared. They stepped out of the boutique and into the mall's soft chaos. Minjun noticed them coming. He didn't move, just stood there, phone still in hand, expression unreadable but clearly locked onto one person. Ten steps away. Then five. And suddenly, they were face to face.

Minjun chuckled softly, slipping his phone into his pocket as he looked down at Nana, her exaggerated awe both amusing and slightly flattering. "You girls are here too..." he said, voice light and teasing. "Didn't know this mall had such elite clientele." Nana didn't miss a beat. "So nice to meet you outside of school, Minjun," she cooed, her eyes scanning him from head to toe like he was a rare artifact. "You look so... expensive." He tilted his head, brows raised in playful surprise. "Is that a compliment or a price check?" Haerin awkwardly glanced between them, clutching her cardigan like it was her shield from the whirlwind of flirt energy Nana was casually launching. Minjun's gaze shifted, locking briefly onto Haerin's. A half-smile tugged at his lips, smaller, more personal. "You're shopping too?" he asked, tone gentler this time. Haerin nodded, eyes darting to Nana in a silent plea for her to behave. Nana smirked but said nothing. The air around them was laced with weekend charm... and just the tiniest thread of tension.  

Minjun was still chatting with Nana and Haerin, his smile easy, his presence warm, when another presence approached. It was quiet. Intentional. Like gravity shifting.  Jisoo. His steps were slow, precise. He stopped just beside Minjun, his gaze settling briefly on the girls. Nana's eyes widened like she'd just spotted a celebrity mid-street. Her jaw parted ever so slightly, and she leaned toward Haerin in whisper-shock. "Hi... what's his name?" Haerin didn't respond, eyes lowered, fingers clutching her cardigan like it could hide her suddenly shy heartbeat. Instead, the answer came directly from him. Calm. Low. Collected. "Jisoo." He nodded slightly. "Nice to see you girls here." No pause. No awkwardness. Just that quiet storm energy wrapped in polite charm. Then, turning to Minjun, his tone shifting: "I'm done here. We can leave." Minjun glanced once more at Haerin before nodding. As they turned to walk off together, Nana blinked rapidly. "Okay. Okay. That was... cinematic." Haerin didn't reply. But her silence felt louder than words. 

Back inside Mint & Thread, the boutique felt calmer now, less like a stage, more like a soft landing spot. Haerin and Nana walked to the counter, arms loaded with their final choices: the sage green cardigan, two pairs of flower earrings, matching floral mini skirts, two pairs of denim shorts, mini dresses, a long flowing dress(Haerin's pick) and an oversized hoodie Nana couldn't resist. The cashier smiled. "You two look like you had fun." Nana winked. "You have no idea." They paid, bagged their finds, and stepped back into the buzz of the weekend crowd. As they passed the fountain near the mall entrance, Nana bounced slightly with excitement. "I sure can't wait to see them in school next week," she squealed. Haerin shook her head, her laugh bubbling out in the breeze. "Okay, Nana. You're becoming cringe... like, stop." She bumped Nana's shoulder gently, chuckling again. They walked off together, two bags, two secrets, and one unforgettable mall day tucked in between.

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