Sang Hee’s POV

I fidgeted in place, clenching my coat against the cold wind breezing. I turned around and stared at the multicolour cupcake in the window. They were beautifully made, with swirls of various hues and sprinklings of different shapes on them.

A sad smile appeared on my lips as I remembered how Dae Myung and I used to work side by side, serving the customers. Slight bitterness and loneliness swarmed me as I started to miss him.

And I found myself guiltily looking even more forward to my outing with Stephy, to forget about the worries that were chaining me down. I still had no idea how I was going to answer Dae Myung.

I didn’t want to think about it. I wanted to push the trial of finding an answer to his confession as far as possible. I knew that I was being a coward: I had to face it someday, no matter how much I ran away from it. But I just didn’t want to imagine the hurt in his eyes when I would tell him.

Nor did I want to think about the eventual crumbling of our friendship, of our bond I had always thought unbreakable.

“Sang Hee! I’m here!”

A voice called out to me. A voice I hadn’t heard in what seemed like years.

I turned to face the person whose voice had just resounded. And I saw her, running towards me in a black, long coat matched with black leather boots and a violet scarf.

I immediately smiled and waved at her shyly. It felt so odd to see her after so many months. I had only texted her all along. I wondered if today would be awkward, since our friendship was based on words up until now.

She soon arrived in front of me, panting and her cheeks rosy. She didn’t stop there though: she continued her momentum and embraced me tightly. I was surprised at this act, but soon got over it and hugged her back, smiling giddily.

“Sang Hee-ah~! Why are you still sooooo gorgeous?!” she said happily, kindly. She backed away slightly, with her arms still around my neck. “I missed you and probably will even more when I'll leave for Busan...”

 “I’ll miss you too…! And you’re the one who’s gorgeous here…” I replied, smiling. The way things had just placed themselves into a comfortable atmosphere was so quick and unnoticeable.

I guess I didn’t need to worry that much about our friendship failing when it actually came to real life interactions.

“Awww thank you~,” she answered with a smile. She then took away her arms and placed them in her pockets. She turned to look at the window filled with colourful delights. “Well? Shall we start by these scrumptious-looking cupcakes?”

“You’re going to eat already? It’s only 11am!” I commented, chuckling slightly.

She shifted her gaze to look at me, her smile turning into a smirk. “You should know me by now! It’s never too early or late to eat cupcakes in my book!”

Of course, I should’ve known that by now.

I couldn’t help but laugh at that statement. “That’s true! It’s a good thing I told you to meet me here then, because they sell the best cupcakes in the whole world!”

“You work here, don’t you? Aish, I’m so jealous!” she said in a jokingly frustrated manner.

“You don’t get to eat them though, so it’s more like torture, actually.”

“Bwoh, I’m sure you get discounts! And it’s also fun to spend time with a friend while working…”

I immediately remembered him.

And I missed him so much.

I must’ve stopped smiling, since she now wore a worried expression on her usually happy traits. I didn’t want her to worry, so I forced a smile to reassure her.

“Well, shall we go?” I said simply, walking to the door.

She smiled yet again; I could see the remains of her worry still in her smile though. “Alright~. Don’t let me buy too many cupcakes, araso?”

I opened the door and waited for her to go in first. “Araso~.”

The plastic bag which contained an ornamented box of cupcakes was held by her hand and swayed to the rhythm of our steps. We walked along the streets of the shopping district of Seoul, peering into the windows that were filled with various clothes and accessories.

I didn’t usually go out shopping often, even less with another girl of my age before. I was always too shy to talk to the shop clerks, too embarrassed to look into their eyes. Just the thought of having to talk to someone I didn’t know intimidated me.

As we passed by a chic, glamorous clothes shop, Stephy stopped in her steps and made her gaze wander around in the window. I halted as well, curious to see what had caught her attention.

“See any clothes you like?” I asked curiously.

“No, not the clothes.” she answered, her eyes still set on what was behind the window.

“What is there to look at if it’s not for the clothes then?”

She pointed out at the crystal chandelier hung on the ceiling: it was one of those rustic, elegant lights you would find in castles. A few strings embedded with reflecting crystals hung in a parabolic line.

“That chandelier is beautiful! And the walls are plastered a dark, yet chic print,” she said, waving her hand at the walls ornamented with a few black prints of flowers. “It makes the window look a lot more attractive and elegant to the eye, don’t you think so?”

I couldn’t help but laugh slightly. So she wasn’t looking at the clothes, but at the decoration instead?

“It is! But I thought you were looking at the clothes,” I said in an amused manner. “So you’re into interior designing?”

She turned to look at me with a smile. “Of course! I want to become an interior designer later on…”

“How come you never told me that?!” I said, faking offense.

“Bwoh, it’d be too random just to burst out saying that!”

“But you’re random…”

She didn’t say anything for three seconds, then laughed. “Good point. At least you know now! But we’re here for shopping, so let’s go try out the clothes they have! They have a pretty chic and elegant style going on.”

At those words, she took my hand and dragged me into the store.

And soon enough, she started searching amongst the many colourful clothes. I followed her, pulling away some clothes I found intriguing, only to put them back in; this sort of style didn’t seem to fit me, and I didn’t think I’d look good in any of these.

Stephy didn’t think so though, as different clothes started to pile up on her arm. After a fruitful search amongst the wonders of the shop’s clothes, we made our way towards the trying rooms. It was probably going to take a long time, trying all those clothes.

“I’ll wait for you here, okay? Come out every time you would have worn a set of clothes! I want to see!” I said, feeling hyper and giddy. I really felt special, to be shopping with her.

She didn’t walk in at all, and instead, looked at me with a smirk. “Who said I was the one trying them?”

I stared at her blankly. “What?”

She handed me the clothes. I took them; there must’ve been at least four shirts and three skirts. “I picked these out for you! So go and try them now~. Don’t forget to come out every time you would’ve worn a set!”

“You didn’t even tell me!” I protested, faking annoyance.

“Well, now I did! So go in~!” she said, shooing me into the dressing rooms.

I walked in, a bit reluctantly and still surprised. The store clerk checked the number of clothes I was going to try, and then brought me to a cabin. I smiled slightly and thanked her as she walked away.

As I started trying my clothes on, I saw short, black boots being hauled under the door. “Try these too!” I laughed slightly.

Silly Stephy…

The first set of clothes was too dark and plain, in my opinion: it was composed of a gray, wool skirt and a pink, ornamented long-sleeved shirt. Stephy thought it was plain as well, so it was immediately crossed off.

The second set was pretty decent: it was a white, striped long-sleeved t-shirt covered with a purple, wool dress that finished right above the knees. It was pretty cute and simple, but as soon as Stephy looked at the price tag behind my neck, a sigh was heard. The price was too high for this decent-looking piece of clothing, so we crossed it off too.

As I walked out the cabin, I heard a dramatic gasp from Stephy’s direction. I looked at her, and a wide smile had now taken a hold of her lips. I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

There stood a thin girl, wearing a cute pink shirt ornamented with black flowers and a frilly white skirt, topped with a black jacket and subtle accessories. Her legs were covered by knee-high socks complimented with black ribbons, and she wore half, cream-colored platform boots. She looked truly stunning and beautiful.

So it was all a shock to see that I was that same girl.

Stephy immediately walked over and paced around me, eyeing with delight at the prospect of her clothes having transformed me into a fashionable-looking person.

“You’re so beautiful like this, Sang Hee! This set is definitely bought now!” she exclaimed happily.

“You really think so?” I replied, slightly embarrassed yet happy.

“Of course! Stay in these clothes, you’re spending the rest of the day like this!”

“W-What! No, it’s a bit too much, don’t you think so?” I was somewhat wondering why Stephy had forced me to wear the clothes I just bought when my coat would just dissimulate them.

“Not really! You’re stunning in this. Let yourself indulge in what beauty you can exude~.”

I took the price tag behind my neck and showed it to Stephy. “I think it’s a bit expensive though…”

She walked behind me, took it and gazed at it. “Not too bad. I’ll pay half!”

I was already grateful to her for complimenting me so much, but to hear her want to pay for it was something I couldn’t allow. “No, don’t! I’ll pay for it. I work, remember?”

She faked sadness. “Waeeee. I’m leaving soon, and I haven’t gifted you anything yet. So you should let me pay!”

“Well, I haven’t gifted you anything either…”

“Just shopping with me is already a gift!”

“Then I should say the same thing too!”

She sighed, falsely exasperated. “Okay… Fine! But you’ll have to let me pay someday for your birthday!”

I smiled, happy to have won this. “Okay~. My birthday’s February 8^th, so you should remember it!”

She took out her cellphone and started pressing some buttons. “Okay, marking it! Now go take the rest of the failed sets and give them back, so you can go pay~.”

So this was what it felt like, to shop with another girl of my age. Especially my best friend too, out of all people. It was a heart-warming feeling, to have someone support and compliment you when you couldn’t even do it yourself.

And I knew it was the right choice to have spent the day with her.

I laughed slightly and twirled in front of the mirror, before making my way back into the cabin.

Dae Myung's POV

I walked into La Pâtisserie Élégante. I had decided to work extra hours. Just to have something to keep my mind distracted.

But it wasn't the best idea, since this was where I worked with her. It was a place filled with memories, with laughter, with concealed pain. How was I supposed to stay sane within these walls when I was so used to seeing her around here?

But I guess it would be alright since she wasn't working today.

I knew all too well that it was only me trying to convince myself it would be okay.

As I started preparing the pearlescent blue frosting that was going to be spread on the next batch of Azure Paradise cupcakes I was ordered to make, I heard the employees' door open, followed by a few, loud high heels clatters. Judging by the echoes, it was our eccentric manager. It was soon validated as I heard her unique, high-pitched voice.

"Dae Myung! It's so odd to see you without Sang Hee!" she exclaimed, surprised.

Did she really have to mention her?

"I did say I was working extra hours, didn't I?" I replied, sighing.

"Well, I thought she would be working too!" she said, disappointed. She soon tapped her lip afterwards, wondering. "Then again, why would she come to visit the shop today if she would be working?"

I immediately felt a slight tint of joy to hear that our manager had seen Sang Hee. It meant that she was doing fine, in a way: she wasn't saddened or depressed enough to stay cloistered home. But, as I realized that also meant that she didn't care about my confession, I felt disappointment and sadness weigh down my heart.

"Oh, so she visited the shop?" I asked, trying to concentrate on my task. It was a total fail though, as I didn't even take notice of what I was doing in the first place.

The manager nodded. "She was showing our selection of items to this other girl. A friend I think. She even managed to make her buy a lot of cupcakes too!"

My heart must've weighed a thousand kilos by now, as I felt the motivation and will to let myself be independant waver. In addition to not staying home and being saddened, she had decided to spend time with another friend instead? I couldn't say if I felt betrayed or glad.

"I see..." I stated simply, trying to hide the incredible gash that had appeared on my heart.

"Well, talk her into bringing her friend more often. It'll be good for us!" she said with a flicker of a hand before walking away to arrange the items in the front window.

Talk to her?

How was I supposed to talk to her if I was hanging by a thread, waiting to see if she would save me or cut me off?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello dearies!

Yeah, yeah, I know. I took a veryyyyyyyyy long time. TTwTT

But it was all for a good cause! Well, my cause of having good grades in College, kekeke. I hope you guys don't mind? <3

You guys should be happy though, since I wrote a lot still for this chapter! And the topic was girl friendship! <3 I always love to write about how tight Sang Hee and Stephy are~.

On a sidenote, I noticed some people get impatient and unsubscribe, because they think I died or something. Well, I didn't! xD Do you guys prefer if I update notes of when I'm in a period of exams or something, when I'm not able to write as much? I can do so, if you want!

Haha anyways, I hope you guys weren't too bored with the girl friendship here~! I DID add some DaeDae at the end though (although it's heartbreaking...)! 

Thank you so much to those who have stuck with this story! Please do stay patient and remember that I also have College to deal with, unfortunately... I know you all understand what I'm going through, right? <3

★ Thank you soooooo much to ChiiRiiSwirlz for taking her time to draw the beautiful picture that was included in this chapter! I really love it <333 ~ Sang Hee's looking so gorgeous... <3 Kekeke, I swear, I had a huge smile for the rest of the night~. <3

Here's a link to her DeviantArt! : http://swirlzsmile.deviantart.com/