sweet as candy

Gwiboon is doomed the day she actually gets the job at the new candy store in town. She had applied for the job out of necessity and she hadn't in her wildest fantasies actually thought she would get it. But here she is, her co-worker showing her how to work the cash register.

Gwiboon doesn't really like children; in fact, the small nuisances are more trouble than anything to her, but still she pretends that they're the joy and greets her co-worker with a huge smile as their eyes meet.

Her co-worker opens the shop and leaves the shop for Gwiboon to manage. She knows the co-worker is working in the back-area but that doesn't mean that Gwiboon is any less nervous as the store is filled with children of all ages. Gwiboon is usually never nervous. She can handle almost anything, at least if she was to say it herself. But being here and having to put up this sweet facade is going to ruin her at one point. The only thing good about this job is that she is going to get paid quite well.

The hours go by slowly, the store becoming especially busy around 3 pm when all the elementary kids are off from school. Gwiboon is about to close the shop with her co-worker when a girl slips into the store.

"Sorry, I'll be real quick! I still have 5 minutes."

She sends a dazzling smile their way and Gwiboon freezes. Her co-worker grumbles. The girl makes her way to the chocolate section and is looking for a few seconds before she grabs a chocolate heart and hurries to the cash register. Gwiboon's co-worker serves the girl with a sweet, fake smile while Gwiboon observes the other girl on the other side of the desk.

She has long black hair, flowing down her back ending right above the beautiful curve of her . Her legs are slim yet still sturdy. Her S-line is beyond anything Gwiboon has ever seen before and without a doubt carved by a goddess. The girl turns around just and gets eye contact with Gwiboon. The smile she sends her is mind-blowingly beautiful and Gwiboon wonders if she strains her cheeks by smiling so wide.

As she skips out of the door with her chocolate heart Gwiboon is brought back to reality by her groaning co-worker.

"Always right before closing, god dammit," they mumble and Gwiboon closes the door quickly and locks it before she flips the sign to 'Closed'.

"Who is it?" she asks curiously as she joins her co-worker behind the cash-register.

"Eunsook," the other grumbles and counts their income.

Gwiboon sees the wide smile for her and can't really imagine a girl so beautiful deserves so much groaning and grumbling.

Gwiboon works for the rest of the week and just like her co-worker said, Eunsook arrives every day 5 minutes before they're closing. She buys her candy depending on the day. Monday is chocolate day, Tuesday is hard candy, Wednesday is lollipops, Thursdays are licorice and Fridays are cotton candy. She also only buys one piece. Gwiboon wonders how she keeps her beautiful body because apparently the girl has been coming for months and her co-workers swear she hasn't changed one bit. Gwiboon just enjoys the sight.

She is off for the weekend and instead of doing productive things such as creating college applications and designing clothes for her dream she calls Junghee and asks her to help her dye her hair. Gwiboon's grandfather isn't very fond of the cotton candy pink she sports when she returns home from Junghee's on Saturday but he says nothing.

When she opens the store on Monday it's to a silent day. She's here alone today, no longer in training and she has the full responsibility of the candy store. This includes yelling at kids who try to sneak candy into their pockets, a thing Gwiboon secretly enjoys. She's waiting for Eunsook though, long, manicured nails drumming on the cash-register while there's no one there.

5 minutes before they're closing, the long-haired girl steps into the shop, excuses herself for coming so late and walks straight to the chocolate. Gwiboon follows her motions with her eyes and admires her back. When she finds what she wants, Eunsook finds her way to the cash register.

"You're alone?" she asks and Gwiboon nods, almost starstruck. It happens all the goddamn time. She punches the price into the machine and tells Eunsook and the other hands over the money with a smile. "Your hair looks like cotton candy, it's pretty."

With those words, she spins around and hurries out of the candy shop. Gwiboon lifts her fingers to nervously trail them through her hair.

Her co-worker calls her the next day and asks if she can take the rest of their shift because they have to go to the doctor. Gwiboon happily agrees - another shift means more money and another chance to talk to Eunsook. Except she's just as starstruck when the other enters the store and buys her hard candy. They don't exchange many words but Eunsook's smile never falters.

Wednesday and Thursday go by fast and Thursday is so busy that Eunsook isn't the only customer in the store 5 minutes before they close.

On Friday Gwiboon peptalks herself into actually talking to the other girl in front of her mirror before she leaves. She has her hair in a bun and her nails painted pink to match. Her make-up is on point and she feels extremely attractive. If only Eunsook thinks so too.

The day is relatively boring and Gwiboon's co-worker leaves an hour before closing time because they have something to do. They don't tell Gwiboon what but honestly, Gwiboon couldn't care less. She's getting gradually more nervous and when she looks up from where's she wiping the counter 30 minutes before they close and spots Eunsook she blanks out.

"You're here early," she says and the other girl spins on her heels, looking at Gwiboon before she eases into a smile.

"Oh yeah, class ended early."

Eunsook smiles and turns back to search through rows upon rows of candy.

"Cotton candy today, right? It's Friday."

Gwiboon doesn't know what's gotten into her but it feels right and hell, if Junghee knew she had been nervous in the first place she would never had let Gwiboon live it down. Eunsook looks surprised but nods softly.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

This has Gwiboon laughing softly.

"You always buy the same thing throughout the week," she says with a smile and Eunsook laughs. Even her laugh sounds as beautiful as her smile looks.

"I guess I do..." She leans a little closer to Gwiboon who has now reached the cotton candy shelf, "... Gwiboon." Gwiboon sends her a soft smile.

"Are you doing something after I close?"

There's silent in the candy store for a heartbreaking moment in which Gwiboon wonders where the heck it came from and bemoans the fact that Eunsook now thinks of her as a stalker.

"No, I don't think so."

Eunsook smiles and Gwiboon sighs relieved until she realizes what Eunsook actually said.

"Uh... Wanna wait for me?"

Damn, this is stupid. But Eunsook smiles and nods before she extends her hand.

"I'm Eunsook," she says and Gwiboon hesitantly takes her hand, trying to keep the fact that she already knew to herself. Eunsook's hands are just as soft as Gwiboon had imagined.

"Gwiboon," she introduces herself and Eunsook blinds her with another one of her wide, dazzling smiles.

author's notes

This was actually the first fluff I ever wrote. I still find it hard to believe but it's true. I'm very fond of teenagers Eunsook and Gwiboon. I imagine Gwiboon is 17 so Eunsook would be 19. Soft and innocent.