Pandora's Box | kim mingyu & jeon wonwoo

09

It was supposed to be my day off.

But instead, I had been called into work. My cousin had taken over the register and I was restocking the shelves in the back. My uncle was in his office, taking care of a deliveryman and recording inventory. The store was actually busy, as it was a Saturday. There were teenagers lounging around and busy moms picking up the week's necessities. For the first time, the buzz all around me served as a welcomed distraction from what was happening in my life.

Which was why when Lim Nayoung stepped into the store and marched her way over to me, my heart fucking dropped. 

"Good morning Mingyu!" She greeted me cheerfully, but I was unable to reciprocate.

"What are you doing here?" I had been unable to contain myself: both my tone and question were aggressive. This caused Nayoung to frown, and she took a step back, furthering herself away from me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you at work. I was passing by by chance, promise," she said, raising her hands as if she were pleading with me. I softened, but I was still annoyed.

"No, it's fine. You just caught me off-guard, that's all," I explained, trying to smooth things over a bit.

She nodded and seemed to find this explanation acceptable. Then, for a second there, we kind of just stood there and stared at one another for a second. I couldn't help but notice that Nayoung was pretty. Like really pretty. Her eyes were wide and almond-shaped; her skin was creamy and clear; her lips were small yet plump. I was all too aware of her femininity, and how different we were. I was also too aware of how unappealing she was to me.

I chose to ignore that thought.

"I'm going to Seoul today, actually," she suddenly announced.

I was slow to react but in the end, I nodded and said, "That's good. Have fun with your boyfriend."

This seemed to have been the wrong thing to say because as soon I said it, Nayoung flinched and averted her gaze from me. She looked quite uncomfortable, and in the end, she simply added, "yeah I'm going with a friend. Figured I should stock up on snacks before the trip. Thanks for helping me out. See you on Monday." And then she swiftly turned around and practically bolted out the door.

The whole thing was weird, but I decided to just shrug it off and continue on with my day.

The peace I had managed to reacquire once Nayoung had disappeared did not last long. During my lunch break (mid-bite of my sandwich) my phone began to ring. No one really calls me, so I was expecting it to be my mom or my sister. The person I was really hoping for, however, was Wonwoo.

With my heart filled with hope, I joyfully picked up the phone and said, "Wonwoo?"

Mentally, I swore. it had been a slip of the tongue, and I knew that if it wasn't Wonwoo, but instead, my mom, she would tease me to no end. Nevertheless, I had convinced myself at that point that it could be one else but Wonwoo, so when a completely unexpected voice answered instead, I almost fell off my chair.

"Mingyu? It's Nayoung," she clarified (as if I needed any fucking clarification).

At the sound of her voice, I had to stop myself from audibly sighing. The disappointment that welled inside me was to the point where I could barely contain it, and I feared that if I continued to suppress my emotions, one day I would suddenly burst out crying. With all this in mind, however, I kept it together and asked, "Why are you calling me?"

I could hear her laughter on the end but even I could tell it was pretty sad. I heard a sniffle before she said, "my friend bailed on me, and now I have no one to go to Seoul with."