Minho was peacefully dozing in his bed, cocooned within his duvet and cuddling a pillow. Soft snores echoed in the room until the door to his sanctuary was violently flung open, causing Minho to stir from his sleep. He groggily cracked open an eye, still caught in the remnants of his dreamy haze.
"The cat god...?" he mumbled sleepily, clearly disoriented by the sudden intrusion.
The intruder turned out to be none other than Shin Ryujin. With an eye roll, she barged in, declaring, "Get up, loser. We're going shopping," as she yanked open the curtains, flooding the room with glaring sunlight.
In protest, Minho buried himself under his duvet, attempting to shield himself from the sun and return to his slumber, accompanied by disgruntled grumbling.
Unfazed, Ryujin marched towards the bundled figure on the bed, uncovering Minho with a swift tug, revealing him curled up beneath. Squinting against the light, Minho struggled to make sense of the situation, his brow furrowing as his eyes fluttered open slowly.
"Get up," Ryujin demanded, tossing the duvet aside and placing her hands on her hips in an intimidating stance.
Minho turned towards Ryujin, his disheveled hair sticking in all directions, and his face contorted in a grimace of discontent at the rude awakening. His glare shot towards Ryujin, accompanied by an audible scoff. "It's so early in the fucking morning, and shopping for what?" His voice, raspy and dripping with annoyance, resonated in the room.
Ryujin sighed, massaging her temple. "Oh, Minho, you still need to learn so many girl things before being one," she stated, sounding somewhat defeated. Minho continued to stare at her with slightly widened, irritated eyes that could practically shoot daggers.
"Anyways, just go and get changed. We need to properly choose your clothes for the date, and we're going to run out of time if you continue to lay there and glare at me," Ryujin said, her voice conveying a sense of urgency. With that, Minho grudgingly sat up, making sure to toss a pillow in Ryujin's direction in retaliation for the early and unwelcome wake-up call that shattered his much-needed dreamy slumber.
"Why do I even need to buy clothes when I have plenty?" Minho retorted, legs crossed on the bed as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.
Ryujin clicked her tongue in annoyance at Minho's barrage of questions instead of preparing. "Let me remind you, honey. You're going on a date as a GIRL. Obviously, you can't wear your own clothes," she emphasized, arms crossed firmly and her demeanor akin to a mother scolding her child.
"I could just borrow yours, though."
"Nuh-uh. You're meeting the son of #Lovestay's CEO, so you need to impress him by wearing their products. Besides, you wouldn't fit in any of my clothes, Min," Ryujin explained.
Minho leaned back with an audible groan, clearly displeased with the idea.
"Why am I supposed to impress him when I thought I'm supposed to sabotage the date so he loses interest in you, and therefore, you won't see each other again!" Minho protested, glaring with narrowed eyes, his hair still tousled from sleep.
The sight didn't intimidate Ryujin at all; in fact, she found the early morning Minho cute, resembling a grumpy cat rudely awakened—truthfully.
"Min, you're going to act as the daughter of one of the owners of WNNB ENT. I can't afford you ruining my reputation as the REAL daughter in front of one of the most affluent people in Korea," Ryujin pressed, her hand gestures emphasizing the gravity of her words.
Minho released a scoff as he rose from the bed, his reluctance evident as he tried to free himself from the tangled sheet that had snagged his feet. Tumbling slightly, he muttered, "No reputation would be ruined if you just decided to go on that date."
"Minnn, come on, one date wouldn't hurt," Ryujin whined, moving toward Minho and latching onto his arms in an adorable attempt to persuade him.
Sighing, Minho turned to Ryujin. "What if they find out I'm not the REAL daughter?" His forehead creased beneath the messy bangs poking into his eyes.
"They won't, Minnn. My mom didn't tell them my real name, and no one outside the family knows what I look like," Ryujin cheekily replied, swinging Minho's arms while clinging to him.
"So, I can't introduce myself as Shin Ryujin?"
"I'd prefer you not to."
With another sigh, Minho gently pried himself from Ryujin's hold, heading to the bathroom. "I'm not doing this without any exchange, by the way," he stated before disappearing into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
Witnessing Minho's willingness to cooperate, Ryujin squealed in delight, starting to jump in place, thrilled that she had finally convinced Minho to go along with her plan.
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After the two cousins got ready, Ryujin brought her car out of the garage and parked it near where Minho was waiting for her. It was Ryujin's idea to go shopping, so she insisted on driving, prompting Minho's protest. He thought it might look odd—a woman driving while the male sat in the passenger seat. However, Ryujin stood her ground, convincing Minho that there was nothing unusual about it.
"Hey, princess, get in," Ryujin called out from the driver's seat, rolling down the window with a smug expression, casually chewing on bubble gum.
Minho's face contorted into a grimace as he took hesitant steps toward the passenger seat, already dreading the day ahead.
Inside the car, Minho lazily gazed out the window while Ryujin belted out 'Agora Hills' by Doja Cat. Soon, the car came to a stop, indicating their arrival.
Ryujin exited first, and Minho followed, immediately surveying the luxurious establishment before them. The store exuded a dominant black color, adorned with accents of emerald green and bronze. Its name was elegantly scripted: "#Lovestay," accompanied by the store's distinctive symbol.
"You know I'd be happier if it's Gucci," Minho commented, but Ryujin just walked past him with a side-eye as she made her way into the store.
Minho's eyes lingered on the storefront, scanning the displayed items in the glass showcases and the model photos. After a moment, he decided to follow inside. What greeted him was a scene of luxury and sophistication.
The store offered a range of items, from clothing and makeup to fragrances and jewelry. It was spacious, with only a handful of shoppers around. Security personnel were visible in every corner, and attentive salespeople dotted the area.
"Min, over here!" Ryujin called out, beckoning him over.
Approaching, Minho observed the clothes Ryujin had already chosen, with her enthusiastically explaining why each piece would suit him, the salespeople nodding along, clearly aiming for a sale.
Minho looked at the clothes in Ryujin's arms, maintaining a neutral expression, though internally, he was imagining himself in the attire. 'Could they be more revealing?' he thought to himself, his face contorting slightly into a grimace as he noticed that the clothes Ryujin had picked were quite revealing.
"So, what do you think?" Ryujin asked eagerly, a wide smile on her face as she held up the clothes for Minho to inspect.
Minho, on the other hand, slumped on one of the numerous small couches inside the store, rubbing his temple with his index finger as he voiced his concern, "Ryujin, don't you think these clothes are a bit revealing?" He gestured toward the selection with a wave of his hand.
"He'd realize I'm a guy as soon as he sees me in those," he added, expressing his apprehension.
Ryujin closed her eyes, humming thoughtfully, envisioning Minho in the outfits she'd chosen, contemplating their level of revealing nature.
After a pause, Ryujin opened her eyes with a look of disgust on her face. She examined the clothes more closely, "You're right. The slit on this one could make you accidentally flash your dick to him," she remarked, much to Minho's chagrin, especially with the surrounding salespeople drawn by the array of clothes in Ryujin's hands.
She then motioned for one of the salespeople, beckoning them over, "Excuse me, miss. Could I see other female options that would..." Ryujin paused, gesturing toward Minho, "fit him?" she finished, trying to be discreet.
"Of course, miss. Just one?" the salesperson inquired, ready to assist.
"No, bring me all the nice options from the women's section that would suit him," Ryujin said cheerfully, prompting the salesperson to nod and signal the others to search the entire store for Ryujin's request.
In that moment, Minho wished fervently to vanish from the face of the earth and wipe the wide smile off his cousin's face.
Turning to him, Ryujin declared, "The clothes here are great. I'm going to look and buy something for myself while you wait here... or whatever," before venturing off to shop for herself.
With a groan, Minho slumped further on the couch. "I can't wait for the earth to burn down and be reduced to space dust," he muttered.
Continuing to lounge on the couch, something in his periphery caught his attention. He turned to the small glass table beside him and grabbed one of the many magazines placed on it.
"I can't believe I'm reading magazines when I'm supposed to be reading manga," he said to himself in amusement as he studied the cover of the magazine.
As he flipped through the pages, his eyes lit up, stopping at a particular spread. A small smirk curled his lips as he leaned back comfortably on the small couch, crossing one leg over the other.
The page that caught Minho's attention displayed a young male model donning a somewhat revealing design from the fashion brand, showcasing his well-built physique—the same model Minho had been swooning over at the cafeteria.
The model wore a gray long-sleeve crop top with a daring cutout in the chest area, paired with oversized denim jeans cinched with what appeared to be a skirt around the waist. The ensemble accentuated the model's toned abs and slender waist, captivating Minho's complete attention. It was the reason he now didn't dread being in the store while the salespeople picked out women's wear for him.
"Whatever, magazines and mangas both start with an 'm.' Why not dabble in fashion once in a while," Minho shrugged to himself, continuing to eye the magazine, particularly fixated on a certain model within its pages.
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ji's notes!
SORRY FOR THE SLOW UPDATES GUYS. I'M BUSY WITH EXAMS, COLLEGE APPLICATIONS, AND A LOT OF STUFF 😭😭😭
anyways, here's my fit from yesterday's class 🤪
^ my gf's favorite seat (my lap)