II.

“Do I really have to?”

“Yes.”

Taeyeon sighed.

In her entire life, she could count the number of times she had to wear a dress with the fingers of her two hands, and she vowed to herself that she would never resort to using her toes for that. Ten is more than enough, she told herself when she had to wear one for the seventh time, swearing off the flowery dress that clung to her body awkwardly. She was a small girl, and she couldn’t, for the life of her, understand why the stupid seamstress made her a dress one size bigger.

“It’s my wedding, Taeyeon. I’m sure you could spare me one finger for that.”

“Fiiiiine,” she drawled, looking at her laptop screen where Hyoyeon’s face was zoomed in on a video call. She dropped the documents she was holding and showed her right hand. “I’ll spare you this one,” Taeyeon said, flipping her middle finger.

“Ha ha, so mature of you.”

“It’s a very special finger, Hyo,” Taeyeon said as she snickered, “You should be honored.”

“I am, very much. Now go attend to your maid of honor duties and pick up the sketches from Tiffany. I’m flying back the day after tomorrow and I’m expecting to have them as soon as I step out of the airport.”

Taeyeon clicked her tongue as she slipped the documents harshly in their respective folders. She could hear Hyoyeon laughing at the background.

“Oh please, don’t act like you don’t want to see her.”

Taeyeon’s lips twitched, betraying her. She fought the smile that was threatening to come out, but the mere thought of seeing her made her giddy inside.

Finally, a small smile broke out, and Hyoyeon wasn’t reluctant to point it out.

“My God, you are so transparent!” The bride-to-be yelled, laughing in between her words.

Taeyeon couldn’t help but chuckle along, shaking her head as she continued to tidy up her desk. There was no use denying; Hyoyeon was the only person who could see right through her, and she didn’t mind that at all.

“It’s okay, I approve of her. Also because I think she fancies you too.”

Taeyeon stopped cleaning and turned towards her laptop with an amused smile. “Fancies me?”

“Yes, she’s as transparent as you are,” Hyoyeon said, nonchalant. “Now go woo the designer. Who knows, we might even get a nice discount.”

Taeyeon laughed then, leaning down towards the laptop screen. “You’re a horrible person. Bye.”

With Hyoyeon waving, she shut the screen close, straightening her shirt a bit before making her way towards the door.

—–

Taeyeon loved quaint things.

She liked the smell of aging leather, the sound of creaking floorboards, and the weird aesthetic look of chipping paint on fading walls. She drew a weird sense of comfort from them, and more often than not, she always found herself immersed in the feeling they gave off.

It was the same reason why she liked Tiffany Hwang’s studio. The two storey place was exactly what Taeyeon liked in an establishment—charming, cozy—just a small space that embodied the whole nature of the business and its owner. It was captivating; being there felt like being in another place.

The first time Taeyeon went there, Hyoyeon had dragged her, yelling about the important roles of being a maid of honor, which apparently meant being the bride-to-be’s slave. Dejectedly, she went with her, but as soon as she stepped off her old sky blue Beetle, had opened involuntarily and her eyes had twinkled.

Tiffany’s, the antique sign on top of the door read. It reminded Taeyeon of the jewelry brand, but instead of teal, the store front was painted white with dark brown accents, with clear windows held by old wooden panes. The vines that crept along the weathering brick base made everything organic, and it tickled Taeyeon’s fancy, along with the number of antique frames she could see hanging on the inside.

It’s not your regular dress shop, Taeyeon had deduced, it was something else.

And now that she’s standing right outside taking in the beautiful sight once again, she was convinced that it was actually something much more.

—–

The bell attached on top of the door dinged as Taeyeon went in, making the lady inside look up at her at the sound. She smiled, taking her sunglasses off as she approached her desk.

“Hello,” Taeyeon greeted, hanging her glasses on her shirt. “Is Tiffany in?”

“Ah, yes Miss Kim. She’s upstairs in her studio. You can go right ahead.”

“Thanks.”

With a grateful smile, Taeyeon headed over to the stairs, taking her steps slowly as she looked at the framed pictures of brides lining the walls towards the second floor. She figured Tiffany designed all the dresses in the photos, and that simple thought made her smile.

Before she knew it, she was already standing on the opened doorway that led to Tiffany’s work studio slash office, staring at the woman who was still oblivious of her presence.

She watched her work among the sea of silk and lace, smiling unconsciously at every frown and pout that the woman made while she cut the cloth draped on the table.

And when Tiffany suddenly looked up to meet her gaze with her clear, expressive eyes, Taeyeon felt her heart jump up to .

———

———

Sometimes, Tiffany wondered how she would look like in a wedding dress.

She wondered if she’d glow like the hundreds of brides she had met and worked with, or if she’d look mediocre in spite of wearing a thousand dollar dress wrapped in expensive beads and precious crystals. It was funny, because ever since she started her small business, she had never thought of trying on one, not even one of her designs, because it just didn’t feel right.

Many times she had tried to design herself the perfect gown, but nothing ever came out right, and most often than not, those sketches always ended up in the trash bin.

She always had an eye for what’s beautiful for others, and Tiffany thought, maybe, it just didn’t apply to herself.

Either way, she was happy. It’s fulfilling enough to see the brides smiling widely in the dresses she designed and made with her own hands.

A slight creak on the floorboards made Tiffany realize she wasn’t alone. She looked up at the source, surprised to see Kim Taeyeon standing by her doorway, looking equally shocked.

Instantly, Tiffany squinted, throwing an accusing glare at the woman. “Were you trying to sneak up on me?” She asked, playful, pointing the scissors she was holding at the girl.

She saw the twitch on the corner of Taeyeon’s lips and finally she smiled.

“I was, uhm—” the woman paused, scratching the back of her neck before grinning. “I was testing my ninja skills.”

Tiffany raised her eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yep.”

Tiffany smiled then, this time pointing the scissors on Taeyeon’s feet. “Okay. Then for future references, that floorboard under your right foot,” she paused, shaking the pointed thing for emphasis, “it creaks when you put weight on it. Just a little, but I could still hear it.”

She watched as Taeyeon looked to where she’s pointing at before stepping on the spot, making the board creak.

“Heard it? Also that one in front of your left foot. That one creaks louder.”

The petite girl did the same with her her left one, nodding at the loud result.

“And if you want to try getting in through the windows, don’t. They don’t open.”

Taeyeon laughed then, and Tiffany smiled at the unique sound.

“Okay, I’ll keep those in mind,” the woman said, stepping on the creaking board again, making her point.

Tiffany shook her head, chuckling. “So what can I do for you?” She asked, going back to cutting the huge piece of cloth draped on her work table.

“Uh, Hyo asked me to pick up some stuff.”

“Oh! Yes, I have it here—” Tiffany paused and looked around her cluttered studio, “Somewhere.”

She sighed as she gestured for the girl to come in while she searched for the sketches she prepared earlier. “Sorry for the mess,” Tiffany said when she saw Taeyeon dodging the rolls of fabric laying around the floor.

“It’s okay. My office is messier than this.”

A soft laugh escaped Tiffany’s lips, heading over to her desk to continue her search. “Really now?” She asked without looking.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Okay, whatever you say.”

Her office was more cluttered than she thought though, finding heaps of other stuff under the piles. It took three more minutes before she finally found the binder containing Hyoyeon’s dress sketches, and a few more before she managed to compile the magazines she wanted the woman to browse on.

She held everything against her chest as she turned, only to find herself face to face with the petite girl.

“Hey, I found… them… I…”

Tiffany tried to speak, but Taeyeon’s eyes were so dark up close that she ended up just staring at them. And while she never knew what it actually meant to be lost in another person’s eyes, she knew now that it was possible to drown in them.

“S-Sorry, there was, uhm…” Taeyeon spoke softly and Tiffany froze when she felt the slightest touch on her back. “There was a thread. On your back. Sorry.”

The petite woman finally stepped back, showing her a piece of cream-coloured thread trapped in between her fingers.

Tiffany blushed. “T-Thanks,” she stuttered.

“No problem.”

They stood there, mum, staring at their feet. Tiffany heard the floorboards creak under Taeyeon’s feet when she shifted, snapping her out of her stupor.

She followed the girl’s eyes and realized she was looking at the binders in her arms.

“Are those…?”

“Oh!” Tiffany exclaimed, almost fumbling with the sketches and tied up magazines. “Here.”

She handed them over, carefully slipping them into Taeyeon’s arms. There were a lot and she admitted she went a bit overboard with them, but she just wanted her new client to have a lot of designs to choose from. That, and because, well, she wanted to impress them.

“Thank you. I’ll make sure Hyo gets them.”

Taeyeon let out a small, crooked smile, and there was nothing special about it, but Tiffany felt otherwise.

—–