♪Juliette, I’ll give you my soul

Juliette, please accept me

Juliette, sweetly, a little more sweeter

Whisper my serenade ♪

“What do you think?” Chanyeol asked, showing a picture of a bike on his phone. Jieun stared at it intently and she’s sure that the bike must’ve cost him much. It looked expensive. “I bought it three days ago. It’s the latest model. I saved for the whole year just to buy that,” he added with a bragging tone. His smile got even bigger as he continued showing Jieun the photos that he took while riding the bike.

“Don’t you think it’s dangerous to ride that? There are a lot of accidents involving motorbikes nowadays. Is your mother okay with it?” Jieun asked with a worried tone. Chanyeol shook his head immediately.

“It’s not dangerous. It depends on the one driving it,” he answered, reaching back for his phone. “Mom hated the idea at first but I convinced her. I drive well. You can ask Baekhyun and Minseok. I’ve given them a ride before.” Chanyeol sounded confident about his driving skills that it made her feel like there’s really no need to bother the two.

Yixing and Baekhyun were seated near the window and she was sure that they can’t hear a thing because they’re too concentrated on what they’re playing. The rest of the flower boys were running late. Jieun looked around, assessing the situation inside the shop. Jongin’s at the counter while Sehun’s mopping the floor. When she heard the bell chime as the door came open, she knew right away that she should get back to work.

Two groups of office workers entered the shop and sat at the free tables near the corner. Jieun walked towards the counter, getting ready to do her job once again. Jongin expertly took the orders and Jieun prepared the drinks without sparing any second. The two of them were just quietly doing their jobs. Jongin hasn’t really spoken that much for the past few days compared to how he used to blab about things in the past. She’s suddenly reminded of that day when he asked her about Sehun.

Are they in a silent war? I thought they’re getting along. Why are they suddenly so silent? Jieun, with brows furrowed is curiosity, looked at Sehun’s direction. The orange head’s already collecting empty mugs and plates from the tables. Her musing came to a stop when she heard the bell chime once again and this time, she knew who their customers were basing only from their voices.

“Where did you go?” Jongin asked when the rest of the flower boys entered the shop.

“We had to take a detour because our genius driver here wasn’t informed about the ongoing road construction,” Jongdae sarcastically replied while pointing at Junmyeon. The latter swatted Jongdae’s hand before making a face.

“I shouldn’t have given you a lift then. I feel like my ears are going to bleed because of your nagging,” Junmyeon retorted. Jieun couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of the two bickering. When it’s not Baekhyun or Chanyeol, Jongdae’s often seen squabbling with Junmyeon. Kyungsoo and Minseok looked like they’re already tired by what’s happening.

Minseok, being the more responsible person in the group, quickly placed their orders. Sehun approached the counter, placing the trays on the table before entering the kitchen to wash the mugs and plates. Jongin quickly prepared the order of his friends with Jieun’s help.

“Jieun.”

“Why?” she asked as she turned to face Chanyeol who sneakily made his way to the counter.

“Do you want to go to the party with me? Sarang invited all of us to be there. The others are going to ride Junmyeon’s and Yixing’s cars. Sehun’s going with them.” Chanyeol paused a bit before flashing her a cheeky smile. “And because I’m such a gentleman, I volunteered to take you to the party.”

“Using your bike?” Jongin asked as he placed the drinks on the tray.

“Yeah.”

“With her wearing a dress?”

Chanyeol shrugged and casually nodded. “Yeah. I don’t see any problem with that. She’d even look badass and cool.”

Jieun chuckled, amused by how the giant’s trying to convince Jongin. “Don’t you even think of it. I’ll just ride a taxi with her. That’s the safest way,” Jongin stated, walking back to the machine to make some more coffee.

“You can’t do that. You’re supposed to be at the venue with Sarang, welcoming guests and whatever you’re supposed to do. That’s what a boyfriend should do to support her girlfriend,” Chanyeol said. Even though it was a fact, Jieun felt that weird bitterness again and she hated why she’s feeling that way. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Jongin pause when he heard that.

“So…” Chanyeol mused. Jieun turned to him once again. “Are you coming with me?”

Jieun thought for some seconds before slowly nodding her head. “Okay, I will-”

“No, she’s not,” Jongin said, cutting her off. The two looked at him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Chanyeol asked, whispering. Jieun shook her head. She has no idea why Jongin’s acting like that at all.

“She’ll be riding either Junmyeon’s or Yixing’s car. I don’t trust your driving skills at all.” And with that, Jongin put the rest of the coffee on the tray. He pushed it towards Chanyeol with a smile on his face. “Safety comes first,” he added.

Pouting, Chanyeol sighed in defeat before picking the tray. Jieun stared at the giant as he walked back to where the rest of the crew were sitting.

“What’s wrong with you? I’m totally fine with his offer,” Jieun asked, turning to Jongin. The latter gave her a lopsided smile before reaching for her hair to pat. He was about to place his hand on her head when he stopped and paused for a second before pulling his hand away.

She found that weird.

Instead of patting her head, Jongin pushed her forehead lightly with his index finger. “It’s all about safety,” he replied before reaching for the other tray of pastries. Jieun looked at him as he walked away, joining his friends on the table across the room.

Why do I feel like something’s going on?

Holding the black dress in front of her, Jieun looked at the mirror. The design of the dress is simple and she thought that it would be just right to wear it during the party. It’s not like she’s the focus of the event to begin with so there’s no need for a very extravagant dress. While looking at her reflection, she was suddenly reminded of the past parties that she attended. They were not really good memories. She was often looked down at because of her size. She knew that there were people who made fun of her because of that.

For the past weeks, she’s been trying to lose weight. She’s been watching her food intake and she’s been sticking to a certain exercise which her sister made for her. A part of her recognizes the reason that she’s doing it because she wanted to look pleasing to others like any girl out there but the bigger reason of her efforts was that she wanted to do it for herself – to feel satisfied that she did something to change not for others but for her own.

The self-pity and all of that are always there whenever she looks at the mirror but she wanted to get rid of that even li