Her heart beat furiously –Jieun wasn’t sure if she was excited or scared that the shop existed.- as she read the name of the shop. The shop was dimly lit from the outside, casting eerie shadows around it with short stone steps leading to the door frame.

“Have you heard about the shop down Dark Street?” The question from her memory flashed into her mind and she nodded her head in reply as she adjusted her glasses. “I’m staring at it right now.”, she thought as she continued staring, unsure of what to do before another question flooded into her head. “Are you talking about Exotics? The shop owned by a vampire that will beautify any girl that enters?”

“Vampire.”, Jieun mumbled as her heart started beating furiously. “If the shop is real, then the owner of the shop…. Is… a…”, she thought as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. “No, Jieun. There is no such thing as vampires! Vampires are created from our imaginations! Stop scaring yourself and enter the shop!”, she reminded and scolded herself.

With her mind cleared out, she stomped her way towards the shop and made her way up the steps. Jieun hesitated for a second before she shook her head and turned the knob, opening the door. “Hello.”, she called out softly, poking her head into the shop and gasped when she saw the interior.

The interior of the shop looked bigger that it should have been and was definitely more spacious. Directly in front of the door was a table with the cash register on it and black curtains were behind the said table that led to who knows where.

Racks of clothes; from T-shirts to dresses, connected themselves side by side against a long stretch of wall and two smaller, and shorter, walls next to it had shelves displaying all types of shoes; from converses to heels, and all types of bags; from clutches to backpacks individually.

The centre of the room had small chairs, which you can find in every shoe shop, around a display case filled with different types of Jewellery; from earrings to necklaces. Never in her life has she seen such a collection of clothing; only female to be exact and she didn’t even realize that her legs had brought her into the store as she explored the different types of apparels.

Her hand fondled with the material of the dresses and gasps when she realizes how soft and smooth the materials were. “They’re beautiful.”, Jieun mumbled as she continued to explore the place. Honestly, she didn’t like shopping, for clothes especially, but this shop had a certain pull for Jieun and she didn’t mind it at all!

She was admiring the various jewellery when the reflection of a person on the display case caught her attention. “Ahhhhhhhh!”, she screamed and jolted upright tumbling backwards. She yelped and braced herself for the fall but it never came. Someone had caught her right before she could hurt herself.

Jieun opened her eyes and immediately stared into a pair of black orbs that was filled with worry. His eyes were so black that she found herself hypnotized by them while her mind turned blank.

“Are you alright?”, he asked softly and she swore she couldn’t feel her legs. His voice was so velvety that she literally melted in his arms. “It should be a sin to have a voice this appealing.”, she thought as she continued to stare at him.

He smirked and brought her body closer to his, causing her eyes to widen, before he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I asked if you were alright.”, he whispered softly and seductively as her heartbeat increased.

Jieun stayed frozen, eyes wide, as he slowly closed the space between them. “No!”, she screamed in her mind and pushed him away before crawling to the other end of the room as she adjusted her glasses. His eyes had widened at her reaction but the smirk quickly returned to his face as he stood up.

“W-who are y-you?”, Jieun demanded, stuttering as she got a good look at the stranger. His hair was grey in colour; styled perfectly, while his face was fair; almost pale, with a sharp nose, big black doe eyes, and very kissable lips.

He was wearing a white long sleeved business shirt; that hung against his body nicely while the sleeves were folded up till his elbows, accompanied by dark blue jeans and a pair of formal shoes. She was distracted for a moment as she took in his Godly features.

“He’s…. Perfect…”, she thought after staring at him as his smirk grew wider. “My name is Luhan. I’m the owner of this shop.”, he introduced and Jieun’s heartbeat fastened as she melted once again. “Stop melting at the sound of his voice! Gosh, you’re so weak!”, she scolded herself mentally before calming herself and stood up.

“M-my,”, she croaked and cleared once before continuing, “My name is Jieun. There was a rumour going around that you would beautify any girl. Is that true?” Luhan smiled and nodded his head before correcting her statement. “I’ll beautify any girl who enters my shop.”

“What’s the difference?”, she thought and brushed the thought away before asking how long the process would take. Luhan hummed as he thought about it, walking around Jieun as he analysed her. Her heartbeat continued to run a marathon as goosebumps could be felt all over her body as he scrutinized her appearance.

After what seemed like an eternity to Jieun, but was in fact only a few minutes, Luhan stood in front of her with a frown on his face. “Am I really that hopeless?”, she thought gloomily as her heart stopped when she assumed he couldn’t beautify her.

“I don’t understand why you want to be beautified. You’re already beautiful.”, he said softly, as if assuring her, as he caressed her right cheek. Startled by the contact, she pulled away from him and stared at him with wide eyes. “So are you saying you can’t beautify me?”, Jieun asked as he shook his head.

“I can, but I don’t see the need to. You’re beautiful enough; appearance wise anyway.”, Luhan said as she narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you mean I’m beautiful appearance wise. Are you trying to say that I’m not beautiful on the inside? You don’t even know me to say that!”, she retorted and folded her hands across her chest as she glared at him.

He chuckled lightly at her reaction before shaking his head in amusement. “There are a few standards when it comes to being beautiful; CAP, as I like to call it.”, Luhan stated as Jieun listened curiously. “She’s so adorable.”, he thought before continuing.

“One, the most important, is the A; appearance. This means a clear face; no pimples, acnes, etc. Your features; the size of your eyes, lips and face, the sharpness of your nose, are all perfect as that is what God has given you. In your case, you have big eyes, a small nose and lips that fit your face shape perfectly. Not to mention, your skin is flawless. So, you’re beautiful enough, appearance wise.”, he said and a blush crept up onto Jieun’s cheeks as he chuckled at her reaction.

“The second thing is C; confidence, which you don’t seem to have.”, he stated and frowned as she glared at him before pouting, knowing very well that he was right. “In terms of outer appearance, I can change you just like that.”, Luhan said as snapped his fingers before continuing, “But in terms of confidence, it takes longer.”

“How long?”, she asked worriedly, as he shrugged his shoulders and said it depended on her. “Why do you need to be beautified?”, he asked curiously as she explained about the annual Dance at the end of the year and that one of the school’s kingka asked her to be his date.

“I see…”, Luhan mumbled softly as Jieun bit her bottom lip anxiously. “Well, I suggest we’ll work on your confidence then.”, he said and pushed her into the changing room. “Perform a catwalk around the shop after you change into whatever clothes I give you.”, he demanded and Jieun was about to protest when he closed the door on her.

“Did he just-” Before she could even finish her thought, Luhan opened the door and passed her a white T-shirt with the words “Kiss Me” in red designed in the middle and a pair of skinny jeans. “The shirt is a little weird but it’s is alright, I guess.”, she thought as she locked the door and changed into the outfit.

Just as she was about to open the door, Luhan reminded her to perform a catwalk around the shop. “Why is his timing so perfect?”, Jieun thought as she shook her head and opened the door. She did as she was told before standing in front of Luhan who was sitting comfortably on the chair; watching her.

He nodded his head in approval and asked her to pose. “Don’t forget to smile.”, he added as she rolled her eyes before forcing a smile and doing a V pose. Luhan chuckled and shook his head as he passed her the next set of clothes; a pair of hot shorts and a cropped top with the words “Hug Me” across the middle.

“He expects me to wear this?!”, she thought with eyes wide after scanning the outfit. As if he could read her mind, he nodded his head and pushed her towards into the changing room again. “He’s crazy!”, she screamed in her head as she glared daggers into the pieces of clothing. Jieun was never the type to dress so revealingly and she didn’t want to start now.

She changed into her school uniform before opening the door, stomping past Luhan. “Where are you going?”, he asked, stunned that she was leaving, as he chased after her. “I’m leaving! This is stupid! You’re not beautifying me! You’re making me change into that outfit just so you can see my body!”, Jieun exclaimed as she stomped her way towards the door.

“So you’re giving up?”, he asked mockingly and folded his arms as she froze on the spot. “The last thing needed for a person to be beautiful is P; perseverance.”, he said as she turned and glared at him.

“Why would anyone, need to have perseverance and confidence to be labelled as beautiful?! Because the last time I checked, a person is only beautiful from their appearance. And since you told me that I’m “beautiful” enough, then I don’t need your help! ”, she exclaimed before bursting out of the door.

Luhan sighed when he was left behind in the shop. “This is harder than I thought.”, he mumbled as he massaged his temples.

---------

She sprawled onto her bed as she thought about the day’s events. “There was only a week left to the Dance and the rumoured person that can beautify me decides to be a ert. Urgh!”, Jieun thought as she pushed her face into the pillow and screamed her lungs out.

“Why would anyone, need to have perseverance and confidence to be labelled as beautiful?!”, she screamed, though it was muffled by the pillow, as she thrashed around on the bed. After 5 minutes of whining, she huffed and lay on her back as she stared at the ceiling.

“Confidence. Being confident can be quite pretty. I won’t be brought down by people’s hurtful words and my head will be held high almost all the time.”, Jieun thought after she cleared her head. “As for perseverance, I won’t be easily defeated and that’s, kind of, cool; I guess.”, she mumbled and ruffled her hair frustratingly.

“Great! I just push away someone who actually could have helped me!”, she groaned as she thrashed around on the bed again. “It’s ok. I know where his shop is. I’ll just visit him again tomorrow, before work.”, she mumbled and nodded her head in determination.

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“Where’s the shop?!”, Jieun exclaimed as she walked back and forth Dark Street. She had been walking around for the past hour and she couldn’t find the small alley connecting to Dark Street at all! It was as if there was never such a place.

“No, this can’t be happening. I need him! I need him to help me!”, she thought as she sunk down onto the ground. She didn’t know how or when but she had grown attached to Luhan and all she could think of was him. “Luhan, I need you.”, she mumbled said she covered her eyes as she broke into tears.

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“Ailee, Miyoung. Do you know anything about the shop in Dark Street? Did it move to another place?”, Jieun asked the next day, shocking both Ailee and Miyoung, as they stared at her. Jieun rarely talks to anyone and this was the first conversation they had with her.

“Erm.. Which shop are you asking about?”, Ailee asked cautiously as Jieun told her the name. “The one owned by a vampire that will beautify any girl who enters. You guys were talking about it a few weeks ago.”, she explained as the two girls glanced at each other before staring at her as if she had grown two heads.

“Vampire? There’s no such thing as vampires. Jieun, are you alright?”, Miyoung asked worriedly, as she placed her hand on Jieun’s forehead. “I know there’s no such thing as vampires- Urgh! The main thing is the shop! Where did Exotics move too?”, she asked as she moved Miyoung’s hand away from her head.

Both of them glanced at each other one more time before they shook their heads. “There is no such shop as Exotics. We should have known about it if there was.”, Ailee said as they mentioned that the two of them loves shopping in Dark Street. “No… Such…Shop…?”, Jieun mumbled, dumbfounded, as she dragged her feet towards her table.

“Is she alright?”, Ailee ask Miyoung as the latter shrugged. “Poor girl must have read too much fantasy novels.”, she replied as they sighed and shook their head in pity.

“There is no such shop as Exotics.” Ailee’s words kept replaying in her mind as she stared into spaced. “That couldn’t have been just a dream. It was too real to have been just my imagination.”, she reasoned with herself as she thought about it.

“But then again, Luhan was too perfect to have been real.”, she reminded herself as his image appeared in her mind. “So… He wasn’t real?”, she thought and winced as her heart constricted at the thought. “No. Luhan was and is real. So was his advice.”, she told herself and nodded her head and she planned to change herself.

“First, I have to be more confident…”

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Hey there~! I know I said I wanted to update when I can the poster but.... Who cares! XD I'll Update now! I hope you guys like this chappie as well! Alright~ One more chappie to go before this story ends! T.T I can't believe it's ending so fast! T.T Thank you for all your support!!

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