Secrets of Attraction

Five: SUZY

Stephanie clapped. "Now that is you."

"Absolutely." Yoona smiled.

"Yep, I think this is it," I said, twirling. The dress showed off my legs, which were seriously toned from months of crescent lunges and downward dogs. I pulled both Stephanie and Yoona next to me and we struck model poses. The saleslady breezed in to collect the clothes off the reject rack.

"How are you girls - Oooh, so pretty," she said. "What's the occasion?"

We stepped away from each other, giggling.

"Oh, um - CJ E&M Dance," I said.

"Fun. I have to say that red dress is lovely. Didn't seem like much on the hanger, but on you it's really smashing. Let me know if your girls need anything else." She darted out of the dressing room with clothes draped over her arm.

"See?" I said. "Even the saleslady thinks you look smashing."

"She's not exactly impartial." Yonna checked out the price tag near her armpit. "And hey, look, all of my birthday money and a month's worth of working for my mom just for what's pretty much a practice date."

"Okay, you've got to stop this - so what if you're not in love with this guy? We all can't be Stephanie and Jisoo."

They both gave me quizzical looks.

"Aren't you in love with Minho?" Yoona asked.

I laughed, but when neither of them joined in, I stopped.

"No, I'm not," I said. It felt strange to be declaring it out loud in front of a three-way mirror - endless images of me saying the same thing. "I mean, I like him a lot - we have fun and all, but do I think this is love? Hell-to-the-no, but I'm not hung up on it. Neither is he."

My little speech was met with an uncomfortable silence. Was it really so awful that I felt that way? Stephanie checked her butt out in the mirror again. Yoona looked at the floor.

"I just don't know if I can do that. Be all casual," she said.

"Omigod - lighten up. Consider it an experiment. You didn't ask the guy the marry you, it's a freaking dance in a college stadium. You're not going to wreck your love life with one awkward date. There are worse ways to spend a Friday night."

"She's right, Yoona. Kyungnam's hot and you guys seemed to hit it off that night at the movies. I like the experiment idea."

"Buy the dress. Kiss the wrong boy. Flirt your butt off."

Yoona face-palmed, but laughed. "Guys . . . ugh . . . okay. Yes. You're right."

"Success," Stephanie said, waving her hand in the air as she returned to her dressing room.

After our purchases, we wandered over to the food court to meet Eomma in front of Popping Boba. My stomach growled. A berry slush with tapioca pearls would not cut it. What I really wanted was a honking plate of chilli-cheese fries.

"Hey, you guys want to split fri-"

The words stopped as my eyes  landed on my mother.

Sitting in front of Popping Boba.

"Is that Haein? With your mother?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes."

Was it him? He looked different in jeans, although I guess it was ridiculous to think he'd be roaming the mall in yoga pants and his mat strapped to his back. He had a life outside of the yoga studio, of course. Damn, he wore it just as well. I could not for the life of me understand how my mother could compartmentalize Haein into yoga-information guy. There was a stack of books between them. My mother spoke using gestures that made her look like she was swirling the air around her.