World of the Dead (30)
World of the Dead (30)
"It's pink," Minjung groaned.
"It's a pretty color!" Gayoon claimed. Minjung grimaced at the color and then glanced at Gayoon.
"You like pink?" she asked in a sullen tone. "I thought a ghost girl like you would prefer to like black or darker colors."
"I like all cute stuff!" Gayoon said, feeling affronted. "And what's with the dry humor?"
"I was being dead serious."
Gayoon shook her head, not sure if Minjung was serious or not. She pouted and pulled Minjung away to another window display. Minjung was simply following her around, uninterested in any of the things. It seemed a lifetime ago when she used to be excited by these things but now it felt as if she was no longer that person. She did not seem to find any joy in anything at the mall.
Gayoon sensed her disinterest but was determined to make it a fun day for Minjung. She was going to make her re-visit the places she used to frequent before so that at least some of her zeal could return. The mall was quite crowded during the weekends and there were a lot of products on sale for them to check out. Minjung did not show any enthusiasm and simply let Gayoon lead her.
"We have to try these out!" Gayoon told her, pointing at a pair of chic striped dresses. One was red and black while the other one was green and orange.
"I don't feel like it," Minjung mumbled but Gayoon was not having any of it.
She gripped Minjung's shoulders and said, "I proised your mom that I'll make you have some fun. We'll not let anything dampen our moods today! I'll not tell you to cheer up but at least try to come out of that shell for the sake of your parents. Come on!"
Minhjung sighed at Gayoon's fierce determination. "Why are you doing this?" Minjung asked warily. "We weren't even friends before."
"You said 'weren't'," Gayoon pointed out. "Which means we're friends now! And friends help each other out during distress. I'm helping my friend by trying to make her smile. You should help your friend in making her endeavor a success!"
Gayoon was being shameless and for once, it did not matter to her. She was glad to find out that Minjung was starting to think of her as a friend and in spite of her current mood, Minjung gave her a small smile.
"Alright," she conceded. Gayoon yelped in joy and pulled her towards the shop. The storekeeper welcomed them upon arrival.
"Which dress would you like to check?" the smartly dressed shopkeeper asked.
"Those!" Gayoon said, pointing at the pair. The shopkeeper excused herself for a moment and went to the back office. After a few minutes, she brought the pair and handed them the dresses. Minjung simply stared at her one while Gayoon egged her.
"Try it on!" She said, handing her the black and red one. "Come on!"
"But-"
"Just go!"
Gayoon put her hands on her hip, looking like a strict teacher. Minjung shook her head in dismay and went into the trial room. Anything to get Gayoon to stop nagging.
After a while, she came out of the trial room. Gayoon was already dressed in the green and orange one, checking herself in the mirror. She put on a pair of oversized sunglasses from one of the displays and a ridiculously large hat.
"Don't I look great?" She exclaimed upon seeing Minjung. The latter looked at her from head to toe.
"No," she said flatly. "Those look ridiculous."
"Huh?" Gayoon frowned. "This is the latest style! I saw it in magazines!"
"Well, your sense of style is awful," Minjung said in a flat tone. She stepped forward and took off the hat and sunglasses. Gayoon winced as Minjung pulled off the rubber band from her hair, letting it loose. Minjung was surprised by how soft Gayoon's hair was and immediately, her innate style instincts kicked in.
She parted Gayoon's hair with her hands, bringing it to one side. She looked around and spotted a pearl necklace on one of the jewelry stands. Picking it up, she put it around Gayoon's neck. She then picked a large green bag from another stand, handing it to Gayoon and turned the latter around to face the mirror.
"Woah!" Gayoon's mouth fell in shock. "You've got a killer sense of style!"
"I wasn't a cheerleader for my pretty face, ya know," Minjung said in a smug tone. "I do have a good control over style. I was the stylist for the cheerleading team after all."
"Let's try on different accessories then!" Gayoon declared. "All hail the great stylist!"
She bowed in front of Minjung, who could not help but snicker. Gayoon was glad to see her smile a little and finally found a way to cheer her up. If only she could keep her mind off the bad things, then Minjung could finally begin to move on.
"Let's use that ring!" Gayoon exclaimed. Before Minjung could say no, Gayoon put it on her finger. Before she knew it, she became Gayoon's guinea pig as the latter made her wear all sorts of dress and jewelry.
"Too bright," Gayoon commented after making Minjung wear a bright orange dress.
"It'll look better with a yellow cover up," Minjung nodded. "Wait, let me try on this one!"
She took a purple crop top from one of the stands and changed into it. Gayoon catcalled upon seeing her. The shopkeeper watched from a distance as the two girls enjoyed themselves. Seeing the two girls enjoy so much was making her smile as well. Even though she knew that they would probably not buy the items but seeing such friendships was rare so she let them play around in the shop.
Suddenly, she got an idea.
"Let's go," Gayoon finally said after they had tried on almost every item in the shop. "We can't buy all this anyway."
"We can grab something to eat," Minjung suggested. She was suddenly starving which was a surprise to her. For the past few weeks, she had barely eaten much and had lost much of her appetite. But one day out with Jeon Gayoon made her ravenous.
"Let's go," Gayoon agreed. They put back everything in their place and changed back into their shirts and pants. As soon as they came out, the shopkeeper spoke up.
"Girls, come here for a moment," she said. The two looked at each other before approaching the counter.
"Bring out your palms," the shopkeeper said. The girls were hesitant before taking out their palms. The shopkeeper handed them a pair of matching chains which had dove shaped lockets attached to them.
"This is a small token from me," she said. "I've already paid for it."
She showed them the receipt to confirm her claim.
"Why are you giving us these?" Gayoon frowned.
"Yeah, why will you just hand these away to strangers?" Minjung asked.
"You two reminded me of a friend," the shopkeeper sighed. "I used to be very close to her too but over the years, we've lost touch. Seeing you two, reminded me of her. This dove…"
She pointed at the lockets. "It symbolizes friendship," she explained. "No matter where you are, if you keep the locket with you, you'll remember your friend."
The two girls glanced at each other and smiled. They thanked the shopkeeper and went off, feeling a renewed sense of camaraderie between them. Gayoon was happy that Minjung was finally coming out of her shell. Minjung was happy to find someone to trust.
But as Gayoon walked ahead, Minjung's smile was beginning to falter at the prospect of what was going to happen. Her hand unconsciously went to her stomach which was still reminding her that the happiness she felt was short lived.
"Minjung?"
Gayoon's voice broke through her reverie. "Let's go?" Gayoon suggested.
"Yeah!" Minjung exclaimed, following her to the restaurant.