"Are you the owner of this shop?"
Lia asked the taller girl in front of her. Confused from the sudden information given to her.
"Yes. Why?" The girl raised an eyebrow as she placed down on what seems to be groceries right beside her.
"Uhm. My sister told me to go here."
"Wait are you the girl who's supposed to live on the extra room?"
"Yes I'm that girl." Lia simply replied emphasizing the word 'that' as she switched the position of her backpack strap from one shoulder to another.
"Well why didn't you say so! Let go in the shop it's quiet cold out here!" The taller girl said as she lifted the plastic bags right beside her and walked passed Lia to unlock the door.
The door then got unlocked as both Lia and the girl entered and stood in the middle of the shop.
"Uhm. May I ask a question?"
The taller girl turned around to face Lia as she placed the plastic bags on the front counter of the shop.
"Sure. Ask away" The girl simply replied.
"I thought a man owned this shop?"
The girl simply smiled towards the smaller girl and leaned her back to the counter.
"It was a man, but not anymore."
Lia furrowed her eyebrows.
"What do you mean? Did something happen to the past owner?"
"No silly. He just moved away to a different place to chase his dream."
The girl chuckled as she combed her hair with her hands.
"Is it ok to ask one more question?"
"Didn't I tell you to ask away? Go on ask anything."
"What's your relationship with the guy and what was his dream?" Lia asked hoping that she's not prying way too much on the girls private life.
"He's my brother Hwang Hyunjin. He left to pursue his music career which is actually doing good." The girl paused and sighed as she tucked her hands inside her pockets. "Before he did leave. He entrusted the flower shop our mother had made to me."
"Uhm, where is your mother?" As the question got brought up. The smile from the girls face changed to a saddened expression.
"She sadly passed away four years ago."
"I'm sorry about that." Lia comforted the taller girl.
"It's all right she's in a much better place now." The taller girl stood up and straightened her body and warmly smiled at Lia.
"Anyway all is good. I'm doing really well while handling the flower shop and my brother is doing well on his own too." The taller girl smiled.
The cat eyed girl might be putting up a facade right now. But Lia saw right through it, she knows the girl has been through a lot. Lia even thought of asking the whereabouts of the taller girls father, but as soon as she saw how the cat eyed girl reacted from the mere mention of her mother. Lia knew not to bring the question up.
"What about you aren't you gonna chase your dreams?"
"That's a question for another time missy, and by the way what's your name?"
"Oh. Uhm. My name is Choi Jisu but you can call me Lia."
"Pleasure to meet you Lia. My name is Yeji, Hwang Yeji."
Both girls then shook hands. As they both shook each others hands Lia took the time to examine Yeji's face. Somehow she can't help but think how intimidating Yeji's face looks. When she has her poker face up, she looks like a grumpy cat that if touched it would pounce at your face. But what made Lia's assumptions on what Yeji is like changed. Because as soon as the taller girl got to know Lia's name and who she is, her face softened up and she became so energetic and lively. Basically saying she has quiet a misleading visual.
After both of them got to know each other. Both then proceeded to go upstairs.
As they reached the top floor Lia looked and surveyed the not so spacious surrounding of the said boarding house.
The place isn't anything special at all. A small living room with a sofa, a coffee table and a television up in the middle of the room, being lit up by the ceiling florescent lights. Not to forget the perfectly place window right in the middle wall of the living room. No trees nor buildings covered the view, making it easy to look outside to admire the beautiful sky at day time and the great display of the twinkling and sparkling stars at the sky of the mellow and serene night.
She then averted her gaze over at the left side of the place where the kitchen is located, again not that big but that doesn't matter as it had more than enough qualifying kitchen gadgets and utensils. And in between the living room and the kitchen, a corridor is located with three rooms on it and the bathroom at the very end of the corridor.
The design of the place is plain and simple. But what made it look homely is that it wasn't that big to begin with. It wasn't cramped too. It had just enough space for anyone to maneuver around. It's also nowhere near the mention of tedious too. It's more like innovative. The way Yeji perfectly distributed different kinds of plants and gorgeous flowers made the place very meticulous and colorful. At the same time Yeji also didn't make the variety choices of the plants and flowers way to overpowering, as she had just placed enough to compliment the furnitures.
They soon stopped in front of a door that is supposedly Lia's room.
"This your room Lia." Yeji talked as she placed her right arm in her hip and her left arm stretched towards the door seemingly showing the door off to Lia.
"How much is the rent?" Lia asked.
"No payment needed. You just have to do a job that you'll get to know tomorrow." Yeji crossed her arms.
"Okay? So I can live here for free but I have to do something?"
"Yes. All is free. As long as you do the job I'll make you do tomorrow perfectly."
This mystery job that Yeji's been mentioning made Lia feel nervous. What if it's physically straining for her. What if it's dangerous.
"Go in your room you must be tired. I'll wake you up tomorrow for your job."
With that Yeji left as she went to the living room.
"Welp. I guess I have a part time job then." Lia sighed and pouted as she opened the door of her room.
As the door opened a very minimalistic design of the room is what she saw. There really isn't anything much in there. There's a bed that could probably fit two people, a table in front of a sliding glass window and in that table a flower in a small flower pot and a lamp sits. Right beside the window is an air-condition.
Lia frowned. She was just about to go out her room and ask Yeji as to why there were no closet in her room. Until she looked to her right where a closet stood with a built in mirror on it. It just wasn't shown in her peripheral visions because the door covered the closet.
It may not be much but it's enough for her. She's just glad she have somewhere to stay.
Lia stretched her arms up and deeply sighed as she placed her backpack on the bed and placing her luggage right beside the bed.
She looked at the time.
9:47 PM
"I need to take a bath." Lia said as she opened her luggage to search her pyjamas.
After locating and taking her pyjamas out. She then took all the stuff she needed and headed towards the bathroom.
As she arrived in front of the bathroom, she held the door knob and twisted it. Upon entering the bathroom she saw Yeji standing in front of the mirror while drying her hair with a towel and with nothing only but her bra and undergarments worn.
Lia screamed startling Yeji.
"Ahhhh!"
Yeji then turned around startled only for her to see the smaller girl covering her eyes with her clothes.
She immediately took the towel that she was using and wrapped it around her body.
"Jesus Lia you scared me." Yeji uttered as she went close to Lia.
Lia still covering her eyes didn't even bother to reply to the taller girl.
"Hey you okay?" Yeji asked.
"Yes... A-and are you covered up?"
"Yes I am. Now remove that thing on your face."
Lia then removed the clothes covering her face where she saw the cat eyed girl standing in front of her fully covered up.
"Why would you enter without knocking Lia?"
"Why didn't you lock the door?" Lia responded not answering Yeji's question.
"I thought you wouldn't go for a bath so I didn't lock it."
Silence built up between them after that. Until Lia spoke up.
"I'm sorry." Lia apologized and bowed her head.
"No. Don't apologise. It's my fault for not locking the door." Yeji said and patted Lia's shoulder.
"Now here, I'm heading out so you can have your bath." Yeji said.
"But you're not finished doing your.stuff yet." Lia replied to the cat eyed girl who's about to leave the bathroom.
"It's okay I'll do it in my room." Yeji smiled towards Lia and proceeded to exit the bathroom. Leaving Lia so that she could do her business.
After Yeji left. Lia locked the door to prevent the same incident from happening again and entered the shower. She turned on the shower letting the cold water run through her body. As she felt the cold water flow right down her body she momentarily trembled from the sudden delicate cold touch of the water.
Using a strawberry scented body wash, she thoroughly distributed the product all over her small figure, refreshing and cooling off herself and at the same time cooling down her rumbled up consciousness. Taking her own shampoo which she placed right on top of he cupboard. She added the shampoo on her hair, massaging her scalp relaxing her in the process.
As she finished. She twisted the faucet of the shower, letting the cold water once again touch her skin removing the excess foam formed by the body wash and shampoo off of herself. She ran her hands through her hair, combing it as she let the water straighten it as she thoroughly removes the products off of her hair. She raised her head up as she faced the shower head letting the water do its final run down from her head down to her toes.
Finishing from her bath. She took the spare towel hanged right beside the shower curtains. Using it to dampen up her small figure.
It wasn't that long and she fully wore her pyjamas inside the bathroom. She walked towards the mirror to make one final touch up on her face putting a moisturizing face mask on it.
she then left the bathroom and headed towards her room.
As she entered her room she removed her backpack from her bed as she closed the lights and turned on the air-condition and plopped herself down in the bed.
She laid there for about thirty minutes just rolling from one side of the bed to another. Feeling somewhat unsettled.
She tried to sleep and nearly succeeded on doing so, but she somehow can't forget the image she just saw awhile ago.
Yeji's body.
Her body was perfectly sculpted. It was as if the sculptor Michelangelo himself came back to life just to sculpt Yeji's body. She never thought Yeji would have a body like that. Solely basing from what the taller girl wore. Yeji just wore baggy clothing, basically it never showed of her body shape.
Lia closed her eyes, but then the image of Yeji's body once again came across her mind. Simply by just imagining the sight of Yeji's body. Lia blushed.
Feeling the heat creep up her face she opened her eyes and sat up and deeply sighed as she lightly pat her cheeks and settled herself down the bed once again. Finally getting ready to sleep.
"Stop thinking about that and sleep Lia." She said as she closed her eyes letting the soft bed and the serenity the night gave her, take her to her dream land.