Yaebin hates that she has to do this, but it’s not like she has any other choice.

 

She has long admitted that she never came from a well doing family. They each have their own struggles to get through every day in order to just live. Sometimes she thinks about the times where she would have to see her parents get out of the house at the wee hours of the morning and not actually coming back until a few days later, just to earn money. It broke her heart, it still does.

 

Now that she’s in her second year of college already, she realizes that money isn’t just going to pile up in front of her. She has to earn it. Especially with its fees costing almost more than whatever her parents had saved up for over ten years. She’s about to lose her mind.

 

And here she is, on her first day of working as a cashier in the nearest convenience store she could find from her small apartment.  Working here wasn’t even her first option, but her best friend Eunwoo, saw a notice when she came to the store a few weeks ago. So she thought, why not?

 

It’s a Monday morning and she’s already bored to death. She’s only filling in the shift because she doesn’t have any classes on Mondays. She thinks it’s an advantage. Who the hell likes Mondays anyway? And who the hell likes going to classes on Monday of all days?

 

She thought she wasn’t going to get any customers since it’s still early, but she thought wrong when she sees the door being pushed open and she hears the bells chime. In came a girl, a tall one at that, wearing a long black padded jacket (since the weather has been cold for a few days anyway) with a white shirt underneath and black jeans.

 

“Welcome!” Yaebin says politely as she bows to the first customer of the day.

 

She doesn’t get a response, with she has expected. But she doesn’t even get a smile, which she believes she should get used to. She observes as the tall girl goes straight to the drinks section, getting a bottle of coke. If she knew the girl personally, she would’ve given her advice on what not to drink for breakfast but she’s always been a health freak since birth anyway.

 

Once the tall girl got her bottle of coke in her hand, she then goes straight to the cashier, allowing Yaebin to have a full view of what the girl looks like. Yaebin’s hand swiftly moves to take the bottle and scans it as she takes a few peeks at her. Not bad, she thinks to herself.

 

“Is this all?” she asks to make sure.

 

The tall girl then contemplates a bit, “hold on..” her eyes wander to the counter and her hand picks on something and nonchalantly drops it for the cashier to scan.

 

Yaebin almost chokes on nothing as she notices that the thing was indeed a pack of condoms.

Don’t ing laugh or do some dumb , Yaebin. This is your first day for ’s sake.

She calmly takes it in her hand and scans it, “that will be 15 dollars.”

 

“Thanks,” the tall girl utters before giving Yaebin a small smile and leaving in a matter of seconds.

 

“Not bad all.” Yaebin says to no one in particular as she sees the girl walk out and hears the bells chime once again.

 

Yaebin is done with her first day and she’s greeted with Eunwoo sitting on the couch watching some random movie playing on the TV. She s her work uniform and plops down on the couch next to the other girl with a loud sigh. They talk about what happened during her entire shift.

 

“So you’re saying the highlight of your first day was when a random girl bought a pack of condoms and you almost lost your ?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Eunwoo bursts into laughter before putting a handful of popcorn into , “you’re a .”

 

Yaebin retorts, “I’m not! I was just not used to it!”

 

“Not used to what? Seeing people buy condoms?”

 

Yaebin merely nods.

 

Eunwoo shakes her head in disappointment at her best friend slash roommate, “people do that all the time,” then she realizes what she just said, ”wait, let me rephrase that: straight people do that all the time.”

 

Yaebin snickers, “I guess that’s why I wasn’t used to it,”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“It’s because none of us are straight.”

 

It’s her second day of work and the store is already getting far more customers than during her first day. She likes it, though. It gives her a rush for once and she doesn’t get bored every five minutes.

 

She quietly hums to the music surrounding the store when she hears the door being opened and it’s a person she recognizes. It’s the tall girl who came yesterday. How could she forget?

 

This time though, the girl doesn’t get a bottle of coke first, or any bottle of any brand for that matter, but instead goes straight to the counter to retrieve another pack of condoms.

 

What the , Yaebin thinks.

 

She takes the item and scans it as she usually does. This time she doesn’t have the nerve to spare the customer another look. So she doesn’t get to see the small smile the girl gives her before getting out of the store.

 

“Listen, I didn’t know people can finish a pack of condoms in under a day? Isn’t that tiring?”

 

Eunwoo almost spits out on her coffee, “what the hell did you just let escape from your mouth?”

 

“I didn’t know straight people are freaks.”

 

Yaebin then gets a smack from the back of her head, “don’t think that way, .” Eunwoo says sternly before getting another a sip of her hotly brewed drink.

 

“Ouch..” Yaebin rubs the pain on her head, “what am I supposed to think then?”

 

“Just think about how you should mind your own business.”

 

“We all know that’s not how Kang Yaebin works.”

 

Eunwoo fakes a frustrated sigh, “sadly, that’s true.”

 

It’s been a week, and she’s seen the same tall girl buying the same pack of condoms for about four separate days now. She doesn’t want to believe this is happening. She has the huge urge to ask the girl why the are you buying so many condoms?? but figures it would freak her out. Oh, it would definitely freak her out but she just wants to know why!! Because she wants to understand!! Because she’s Kang Yaebin!!

 

Is Yaebin having a mental breakdown about condoms? Yes, she most probably is.

 

One thing she can confirm is that the tall girl is actually quite attractive. This fact is proven after staring at her face when she enters the store, when she walks somewhere to get something to buy, when she picks something from the counter (Yaebin kind of hates it when this happens though because she knows it’s the part where condoms are involved) and finally when she pays the amount of her things to Yaebin herself.

 

Yaebin has almost been stalking her up to this point by now. But will she admit this? No, she will not.

 

“You’re basically stalking this girl,” Eunwoo states in an affirming tone while patting her best friend’s back as if she has done something that’s against the law. Well, technically, it is anyway.

 

“No I am not!!” Yaebin is throwing a tantrum now, like she always does over small matters every hour of the day. Eunwoo can confirm this, she has the most experience because she’s seen things after all. Good things, bad things, you name it. Kang Yaebin is an unpredictable person.

 

“Well, no one would observe a customer that hard,”

 

“But she’s considered a regular customer.. AND for condoms,”

 

Eunwoo slowly turns her head to look at Yaebin, as if she’s finally come to realization about something.

 

“What?” Yaebin asks since Eunwoo has been staring at her for a minute straight, almost not blinking once.

 

“You have a point,” Eunwoo finally says.

 

Yaebin nods while smiling to herself in approval, “right! So I am most definitely not a stalker for tall pretty girl who sometimes wears long padded jackets, sometimes blue long sleeved shirts, sometimes red blouses, blue ripped jeans or navy shorts, with a rainbow bracelet on her right wrist.” She concludes with the proud smile still not wiped off her face.

 

“…. I take back whatever I said.”

 

Her second week of work has approached. This is it, she reckons. The time has come for her to know the truth. The truth about the girl who buys condoms almost every other day. The mystery is about to be solved. And she has the desire to unfold it one by one.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Her thoughts are interrupted as her vision clears and she fathoms the existence of the girl in front of her. It is none other than the girl.

 

She snaps out of her trance, “right, yeah, sorry about that.” She takes hold of the familiar small item and scans it like she has been doing almost every ing day of the damn week.

 

The girl chuckles, “it’s fine, don’t worry.”

 

Yaebin sighs, “you’re really pretty..” she accidentally mutters under her breath.

 

“You said something?”

 

Yaebin gradually looks up to face the figure in front of her, knowing well she is caught. So in the end she thought it and says “I think you’re really pretty.”

 

The girl lets out a smile. It’s interesting because Yaebin knows by heart that she hasn’t seen that type of smile coming from the regular customer before. If she was intrigued before, she’s even more so now.

 

“Thanks,” the girl speaks with a small voice.

 

Yaebin hands her the change, “is it.. okay if I wanted to know your name?”

 

“Kim Minkyung, 21.”

 

Yaebin giggles because she knows she didn’t even ask for her age but she stuck out her hand to shake it with hers anyway, “Kang Yaebin, 20.”

 

Yaebin feels a bit weird because apparently she’s excited to go to work today? What the hell is going on? Is the world ending? Is her life about to change? Is she about to finally get more money? Is destiny on her side? Is Eunwoo finally going to admit on who’s smarter? Is she finally going to be taller than- wait, forget that last thought.

 

It’s been two hours since her shift and she’s humming along to the random songs playing in the store again. She’s always had a thing for singing, but never actually had the courage to perform in front of an audience before. She sang to Eunwoo once when they graduated and got emotional over stupid things, and she never regretted that. Eunwoo may as well become her only audience for now.

 

“You sound like you have a nice voice,”

 

Yaebin hears a sudden familiar voice as she’s reorganizing the items that just came in that morning. She has her back facing to the counter so she never really noticed someone came in.  She isn’t disappointed when she turns to see Minkyung standing before her.

 

She scratches the back of her neck as a sign of embarrassment, “N-no.. I really don’t,”

 

Minkyung simply smiles, “Looking forward to hearing it soon, then.”

 

Yaebin can only gush. She doesn’t really know what to say about it.

 

“Slow day today?” the taller girl willingly continues the conversation.

 

“Yeah.. I guess since the weather’s colder than usual.”

 

“I see,” Minkyung utters as her attention is now shifted to the counter. Yaebin knows exactly what she’s searching and reaching out for.

 

When she sees the familiar item handed to her, she thinks it is the last straw. She wants to know. And she wants to know it now.

 

“Can I.. ask you something?” she begins hesitantly.

 

“Sure.”

 

“It’s gonna be a bit.. personal though..” Yaebin says with a sheepish grin on her face.

 

Minkyung gives her an assuring smile, “I don’t mind,”

 

“Why do you buy condoms? Almost every day on top of that?”

 

“Isn’t the answer obvious?”

 

Yaebin is caught off guard by the comeback, “O-oh, right, I see..”

 

Minkyung laughs, “Yaebin-ah, I’m just kidding. It’s actually not for me.”

 

Yaebin doesn’t know how to react to that. She isn’t sure if she should think about how Minkyung just casually joked with her or about the fact that Minkyung just called her by her name for the first time.

 

Minkyung takes the silence as a signal to further explain herself, “I’m being serious! I don’t even use them.”

 

Yaebin takes her words the wrong way, “Oh, so you’re the daring type then?”

 

Minkyung feels like she’s about to lose her mind from laughing so much, “Oh my God, no. That’s not what I meant! I mean I don’t even have to use them.” She feels a blush coming as the words leave .

 

“You.. don’t have.. to?” Yaebin is still confused as hell.

 

The taller girl gets a hold of herself, “well.. this isn’t the best way to come out to you, but yeah I don’t have to use them for that kind of stuff,” she says as she feels an evident blush rushing up her cheeks.

 

Yaebin feels like she deserves to get accepted to Oxford because she finally understands, “Oh, okay, I get it now.” It doesn’t stop her cheeks from feeling all warm, though.

 

Minkyung slowly nods to herself. She has her head down, she’s too abashed to say anything.

 

“If it makes you feel any better.. I am too. We’re the same.” Yaebin beams.

 

Minkyung glances up at this, the usual beautiful smile slowly creeping up her face, “are we?”

 

“We are.” Yaebin promises.

 

“So it’s not for herself? Whose is it then?” Eunwoo asks when Yaebin tells her the whole story of what happened the day before. She never thought the story about the girl would extend this way but here they are.

 

“I don’t know. She didn’t tell.” Yaebin answers simply.

 

“Ask her then!”

 

“Stop trying to make me sound like a creep!” Yaebin screams to her face. There’s no way she would ask that to Minkyung. They just hit things off a bit yesterday and she doesn’t want to ruin it now.

 

Eunwoo rolls her eyes, “oh please, you know you want to know why.”

 

Yaebin folds her arms, “no I don’t. I’m totally fine with not knowing.”

 

“So, if it’s not for you then who are those for?”

 

Minkyung chuckles as she waits for Yaebin to scan the pack of condoms, “it’s for my friend.”

 

“Why won’t your friend buy this himself then? Why ask you?”

 

“Because he’s too ashamed to buy it on his own,” she continues when she notices the look of disapproval Yaebin showed about her friend, “plus, he gives me a tip every time I buy them so, in the end, I win.”

 

Yaebin nods, taking in every new information, “I see, that’s pretty awesome.”

 

Minkyung thinks the younger one looked cute so she proceeds to pinch the latter’s cheek, “when do you get off work?” she asks casually.

 

Yaebin is a bit surprised by the sudden gesture but says nothing about it, “in about fifteen minutes. Why did you ask?”

 

“Well, I watched this movie trailer last night and thought it would turn out to be cool and fun. Wanna join me?”

 

Yaebin pretends to consider, “hmm.. what’s the movie about?”

 

“There’s a lot of girls in it.”

 

“Okay, I’m in!”

 

They both laughed.

 

Eunwoo is shaking Yaebin by her shoulders, affectively making the latter panic over nothing, “you’re telling me you went to the movies with her?”

 

“Whoa, chill,” Yaebin says while prying Eunwoo’s hands off her, “and yeah, it was a nice movie. No big deal.”

 

“No big deal, my .”

 

Yaebin laughs at Eunwoo’s remark. Simply because she’s right. It’s a big deal for her. Because she thinks Minkyung is attractive and she may have come to like her. Maybe. Possibly. She doesn’t really know yet.

 

She takes a look at her palm. On it is written a phone number, with the words ‘Minkyung’ right below it. When she was on her way home, she tried so hard not to let her sweat smudge it up. She can’t afford to lose Minkyung’s number on her palm. She knows she can always ask for it another day if it ever happens but she figures she won’t have the guts to.

 

She quietly smiles to herself despite Eunwoo rambling about how she should be braver with the person she likes. How did Eunwoo know Yaebin likes her? She has absolutely no idea. Maybe her best friend is a psychic and she’s fine with it either way.

 

“Hi there.” 

 

“Hi!” Yaebin grins and waves when she spots the all too familiar tall girl entering the store, “you’re here early,” she says as she looks at the time on her watch, “you usually come here at ten o’clock the earliest.”

 

Minkyung makes an impressed face, “I see you’ve memorized the times I come in,” she takes a few steps closer to the counter to hold Yaebin’s hands in hers, “I just wanted to see you before I head to my first class.”

 

Yaebin looks down to their joined hands before she realizes something, “you go to college too?”

 

“Yes, silly.”

 

At the newfound information about the older girl, Yaebin sighs, “there’s still so much more I don’t know about you.”

 

Minkyung gives a playful smirk, “you can know more stuff about me if we go out again sometime,”

 

Yaebin blushes, “I’d like that very much,” she admits.

 

Minkyung giggles fondly and she reaches over to kiss one of Yaebin’s cheeks, “you’re cute,” she manages to say before completely pulling away.

 

Yaebin does the same to Minkyung’s cheek happily, “I think you’re cute too.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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