“Hey let me help you with that.” Rough hands ghosted over Joohyun’s before taking the heavy box out of her hands. 

 

“Uh, thanks,” Joohyun stuttered as she felt the electric feeling course through her and her cheeks grow hot. 

 

It had been weeks since Seungwan had walked out of her life and during those weeks, she had made her presence scarce. It scared Joohyun because she didn’t know what Seungwan was planning or going to do but at the same time, she was relieved that she didn’t have to deal with a delusional Seungwan for the time being. 

 

Meanwhile, Joohyun found herself becoming increasingly attracted to a certain coworker. Those calloused hands rough from years of holding brushes and working with different materials and those monolidded eyes were becoming more and more attractive to Joohyun day by day. Even though Seulgi didn’t drop by everyday, when she did, Joohyun found herself involuntarily spending more time around her. This included helping her set up the backdrop (leading to a lot of 'accidental' brushing of hands), watching her paint (when there were no other customers around of course) and even going out with her for dinner. 

 

And fortunately, Seulgi didn’t seem to mind her clinginess. 

 

Or it could have been that Seulgi was just dense. After weeks of working with her, Joohyun and Bogum could both agree on one thing — Seulgi was quite blur. Every time they hinted to her something, she couldn’t catch the hidden meaning and that brought a lot of laughs to the boutique workers. 

 

Nonetheless, it was an endearing trait that Joohyun adored. 

 

She was glad that Seulgi was around to help her get over her breakup with Seungwan. Those retarded jokes and weird faces she made never failed to brighten up Joohyun’s day. It seemed as though the famous artist had a hidden side to her other than drawing and Joohyun was glad that she could witness it. 

 

“Hey,” Seulgi’s voice pulled Joohyun out of her reverie. Rubbing the back of her neck, she glued her eyes to the floor for a moment before looking at Joohyun. 

 

“I just finished my new set of paintings and I’ll be holding an art exhibition for them this weekend and I was wondering if…if you wanted to come along with me?” A sheepish grin adorned Seulgi’s face after she extended the invitation to Joohyun. 

 

“You mean like a date?” 

 

Before Joohyun could even process her reply, those five words slipped out of and her face immediately flushed after she realised what she had said. 

 

Seulgi simply let loose a throaty laugh before smiling at Joohyun. 

 

“I would love for you to come as my date.” 

 

———

 

It was 2pm when Joohyun finally awoke. 

 

The past few days at the boutique had been hectic. It was usually like this when certain dates that were deemed lucky were coming up. There literally hadn't been a moment where Joohyun could sit down and the moment she got home, exhaustion took over and sleep hit her the moment her head touched the pillow. 

 

Which was why waking up at 2pm on Saturday was giving Joohyun a panic attack. 

 

She had just woken up. 

 

She hadn’t bought a dress for Seulgi’s exhibition. 

 

And Seulgi was picking her up in four hours. 

 

“Oh !” Joohyun cursed under her breath as she stumbled out of bed. She was positive she was going to ruin Seulgi’s exhibition by being the super underdressed date now. She had no formal, exquisite looking dresses lying around in her wardrobe and she had intended to wake up early today to go shop for one before the exhibition later. Throwing on a white tee lying around and a pair of jeans, Joohyun was prepared to dash out of her apartment to the nearest shopping mall to get at least a decent looking dress. 

 

Until she stopped short at the door. 

 

A large green parcel sat at her doorstep, completed with a pink bow on top. 

 

‘To: Joohyun’ was written in neat handwriting on the label on top of the box and Joohyun immediately smiled. 

 

That was Seulgi’s handwriting. 

 

Bending down, she picked the box up and ran her thumb over the label as she admired the beautiful handwriting Seulgi had before proceeding to open the box. 

 

And boy was she stunned. 

 

Inside the box lay one a white dress that was just begging Joohyun to pick it up. 

 

Her fingertips trembled as she held the fabric in her hands. This dress was definitely not cheap. The material was definitely made of silk and the cutting as well as the embroidery was without doubt, a masterclass. 

 

As Joohyun looked into the box again, she noticed a small note lying at the bottom of the box. Smiling like an idiot to herself, she quickly picked it up and read it. 

 

“Joohyun: I would greatly appreciate it if you could wear this dress to the exhibition later. I hope I got the size and length correct. If it isn’t, just drop me a text and I’ll get something more comfortable for you. Btw, I might drop by earlier later to inform you about what’s gonna happen. Wouldn’t want you to be shocked by the events later. See you soon :)

 

P.s. Hope you realised that the box opens both ways.”

 

Joohyun immediately flipped the box over the moment she read the last sentence. 

 

And the objects that lay in the box left her jaw dropping once more. 

 

It was a pair of white heels and a diamond necklace to compliment the white dress. 

 

Puffing her cheeks, Joohyun realised exactly how much Seulgi had spent on the box alone and she knew she couldn't accept it. Seulgi had no reason to spend so much money on her. No matter what the artist said later, she was going to return the entire box to Seulgi. 

 

Huffing, she took the box into her house to try on the dress and put some make up on. 

 

———

 

It was 5.30pm when Seulgi reached Joohyun’s house. Threading her fingers behind her back, she shuffled nervously to the entrance of Joohyun’s apartment. Finally plucking up some courage, she knocked hesitantly on Joohyun’s front door and waited with bated breath for the door to open. 

 

And Seulgi’s jaw just dropped the moment the door opened.

 

She had designed the dress she had wanted Joohyun to wear to her exhibition as her date and had even sketched out how Joohyun would look wearing it but she had not expected this. 

 

There was one hell of a goddess standing in front of her. 

 

Joohyun’s cheeks were a rosy pink as she opened the gate. Seulgi had designed the dress such that it would fit Joohyun exactly — as an artist she had to be able to get her proportions right — and the dress fit her like a glove. It accentuated all the curves in the right places and highlighted the radiance of Joohyun’s skin. Most importantly, the slit up the side of her dress revealed the smooth expanse of skin of Joohyun’s leg, making Seulgi gulp at the sight. The necklace around her neck sparkled just enough to highlight Joohyun’s collarbones without bringing attention away from the subject matter. 

 

At that point in time, Seulgi was so glad that Joohyun was wearing the dress she had designed especially for her.

 

And that dress was the only one of its kind in the world. 

 

On Joohyun’s side, she had applied light makeup which complimented the dress immensely as it brought out her youthfulness. Her hair was bunched to the side, revealing the pale, smooth skin on her neck. 

 

And the final touch that complimented everything was Joohyun’s cheeks turning even redder from embarrassment as she realised that she too, was staring at Seulgi. 

 

“You look amazing.”

 

“Uh…thanks. You look very handsome too?”

 

Seulgi’s lips could only stretched themselves into a smile as she heard Joohyun’s shy compliment. 

 

“Why thank you.”

 

“Ah! Sorry I uh, you look good! And the dress is beautiful and so is the necklace you didn't have to-“

 

“I wanted to,” Seulgi cut her off smoothly before flashing her a smile. “And don’t even think about returning it to me because I’d be left thinking you didn’t like it.”

 

“Ah that’s not even the case at all!” Words rushed out of Joohyun’s mouth as she tried to explain herself. “I love this dress and the necklace and the heels but all this is too much! I can’t accept it!” 

 

Seulgi chuckled inwardly at Joohyun’s flustered state. She had no idea how cute she looked right now and Seulgi could feel herself falling deeper and deeper for this girl with the Daegu accent working at the wedding boutique. 

 

“Then I hope you accept it by the end of the day,” Seulgi bent down to whisper into Joohyun’s ear. 

 

“Because for me, there are no such things as refunds.”

 

———

 

Butterflies were already swarming in her stomach the moment she stepped into Seulgi’s limousine. She had literally made a complete mess of herself the moment Seulgi had turned up at her doorstep. The velvety red vest coupled with grey lapels, a crisp white-collared shirt (slightly ed at the top showcasing beautifully shaped collar bones) and matching red pants made Seulgi look very very attractive. Joohyun hadn’t even realised the words slipping out of until they did and she wanted to facepalm herself so badly for that slip of the tongue.

 

You look very handsome too? What the were you thinking Bae Joohyun?!

 

It didn’t help how Seulgi had closed their distance to whisper into her ear. Their close proximity and Seulgi’s hot breath on her ear were the only things Joohyun could focus on as the artist stepped into her apartment. 

 

Seulgi had already briefed her on the necessary information and it appeared as though Joohyun’s role was quite simple — just keep close to Seulgi and try not to talk to anyone from tabloids or the media in general. 

 

Joohyun stared out of the window, hoping that watching the trees go by would help alleviate her state of worry. 

 

A sudden touch nearly made her jump from her seat.

 

This was the first form of skinship that Seulgi had initiated and needless to say, it caught Joohyun off guard. 

 

She couldn't tell when but Seulgi had scooted over and reduced the space between them to place her arm around Joohyun’s shoulder. 

 

“Hey, relax,” Seulgi smiled to Joohyun as the latter stared at her in absolute shock. The electrifying sensation that often coursed through Joohyun’s body when Seulgi accidentally touched her had now multiplied tenfold and Joohyun was finding it difficult to breathe as she got lost in Seulgi’s warm gaze. 

 

And Seulgi’s response only caused her ears to heat up even more. 

 

She began rubbing Joohyun’s arm in assurance. 

 

“If you’re worried, let me just tell you you’re gonna do fine okay. You look gorgeous and no matter what, just stick to me. I’ll definitely hold you up if you trip on the red carpet or something. You know, damage control.” 

 

And Joohyun couldn't help but laugh at the last sentence. 

 

“You look so beautiful when you laugh.” 

 

It seemed as though Joohyun could never stop blushing around Seulgi as the artist made her blush for the umpteenth time that day by saying words that made Joohyun self-conscious. 

 

“Smile like this for the cameras and everything will be fine ok?” 

 

Joohyun could only nod in response to Seulgi’s question and with a sudden rush of blood to her head, she leaned into Seulgi’s embrace and rested her head on the artist’s shoulder, feeling Seulgi’s grip on her shoulder tighten slightly. 

 

With that, they drove to the exhibition with Joohyun wrapped safely in Seulgi’s arms and Seulgi breathing in Joohyun’s beautiful scent. 

 

———

 

Seulgi sighed as the camera flashes started to hit the limousine as it pulled up at the red carpet. She never really liked these flashy exhibitions as the reporters never failed to try to pry into her private life. However, her manager and company insisted that it was for the sake of publicity so that her paintings would sell for a better amount of money and Seulgi could only accept it. After all, she did agree to become a public figure the moment her paintings and artworks hit the market.

 

“You ready?” It was an understatement to say that Seulgi was worried about Joohyun. She knew that this was probably the first time Joohyun had attended such a grand event on such a big scale and the poor girl must be terrified of what was going to come. She had invited Joohyun due to the “sake of publicity” (or so her manager called it) and she was going to do anything to protect Joohyun from anything that made her feel uncomfortable. 

 

“Y-Yea,” was all Joohyun could stutter in reply before the door to the limousine opened. Seulgi stepped out of the car first before holding her hand out to help Joohyun out of it. She could feel Joohyun’s hands trembling and she knew she needed to tell Joohyun somehow that everything would be fine. 

 

And so, she decided to loop her hand around Joohyun’s waist. 

 

She felt the muscles underneath her hand tense for a moment before relaxing and that was when she knew that Joohyun was a tad bit more relaxed now. Pulling the said girl closer to her, Seulgi took the opportunity to whisper into her ear. 

 

“Joohyun, to be or not to be? That is the question my pencil is asking.”

 

That caused Joohyun to really loosen up and break out into a small fit of laughter as she hit Seulgi lightly on the shoulder. 

 

And that smile was all Seulgi needed for Joohyun to walk the red carpet without worries.

 

——— 

 

The exhibition proceeded without any hitch and rather than be bothered by the random guests that approached Seulgi, Joohyun spent her time simply admiring Seulgi’s paintings. She knew that Seulgi was a professional artist but that did little to stop her from letting puffs of admiration from escaping her lips every time her eyes fell on a new painting. 

 

Throughout the event, Seulgi’s hand never left Joohyun’s waist, as though to say the words she couldn’t say out loud. 

 

I’m right here. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll protect you if you feel intimidated by everything that’s going on.

 

You’re safe in my arms. 

 

And needless to say, Joohyun was very very grateful for Seulgi’s small yet significant gesture. 

 

As night fell and the number of guests dwindled to no more than fifty, Seulgi finally dropped the facade she was putting up. Dragging Joohyun to the private room, she slumped into one of the armchairs, exhausted from the day’s activities. Joohyun had taken off her heels and in a rare display of affection, walked over to the artist and began undoing the knots in her shoulders. Seulgi had simply sighed in relief and melted into Joohyun’s touch instantly. 

 

Until she suddenly bolted up from the chair. 

 

“Ah! Just remembered I have something else for you! Follow me!” 

 

With that, she dragged Joohyun to the back entrance near the opened-air parking lot. 

 

“Wait here,” she instructed before dashing off. 

 

Joohyun paced back and forth along the window, heart palpitating in anticipation and worry as she wondered what Seulgi got for her. 

 

I hope it isn't something expensive again! We aren’t even together so if she buys something expensive, I have to return it. But if it isn’t… 

 

The drumming in her chest increased its pace and her mind went blank as she spotted Seulgi walking back towards her. 

 

Smiling to the artist who was smiling back at her, Seulgi’s blinding smile was to be blinded by a set of headlights glaring in Irene’s direction as a car swerved off the road onto the pavement.

 

And the last thing Joohyun heard was the breaking of glass as the window fell apart. 

 

-----------

Frikkin boring chapter I know.

The attempt to make up for it can be seen by the terrible cliffhanger at the end.

I think for me I want to develop the story well so unfortunately, that implies boring chapters required for story development.

Please bear with me. I promise the next update will be exciting (I hope).

Wow I actually have 74 subscribers for this fic. Hope I'm entertaining the 74 of yall :)

Thanks to kanss89, jellymaniac, po_nyong, MenaMarco, toncanan, punkinpumpkin, jiayue, alyciaheart, MCMira, Kangsseulbear, Olivert and forrester for the upvotes (Y)

Comments are greatly appreciated to point out errors (you know I rarely proofread my chapters)

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