10. Loser

+she's so pretty I'm gonna die+

Seulgi hesitated a lot but it was understandable. It was the first time she was going out in a while.

"So what do you say?" she turned to ask Wendy who was lying on her bed engrossed in the last episode of some American TV show.

"It's ugly," Wendy mumbled. "But you're quite preoccupied for someone who is just going to eat. Plus, you said you didn't care."

"Showing up dressed correctly is just a form of politeness."

Wendy laughed more than she should have.

"Since when? Just say you want Baekhyun to call you cute and shut up."

"I don't care about what Baekhyun has to say about my outfit," Seulgi retorted before throwing the piece of cloth at Wendy's face. "Have you ever dressed just to feel good about being well dressed? You know that feeling when you walk and you're proud that you came up with this outfit."

"That's my daily life sweetie, I dress for no one but me," Wendy smiled.

Seulgi would have figured with the way Wendy was always well dressed. It's not like she needed to impress Chanyeol anyways, the guy was head over heels for her even after 6 years.

"Then let me live and help me find something decent," Seulgi grunted as she went over her wardrobe again.

"So now we're going for looking decent only?" Wendy smirked before getting up. "Move, it's my turn now."

Seulgi sat down and watched her best friend grimace every time she saw some questionable design or overly colorful top.

"For someone who technically works in the fashion industry you're quite the mess Seulgi. You know I love you but if you weren't always working and wearing pencil skirts with matching blouses, I would never be able to forget your weird taste for clothes."

"These are mostly souvenirs from Chanyeol's trips," Seulgi defended herself. "Do you really think I would buy this multicolored shirt with a giant bear printed on it?"

"Yes."

"Well maybe," Seulgi admitted. She couldn't resist anything with bears.

Wendy shook her head at her friend before throwing a dress on the bed next to Seulgi.

"He said to dress comfortably," Seulgi mentioned as she examined the short red dress. "And it's November Wendy, I'm going to freeze before I even reach the restaurant."

"A hoe never gets cold."

"That's why I do get cold," Seulgi chuckled at her friend's old reference. "Can't I wear jeans?"

"Listen Seulgi, if you wanted to wear jeans and a t-shirt, you wouldn't have asked me to help you in the first place," Wendy turned around before throwing a skirt on the bed.

"That's true but there are nice ways to sport jeans," Seulgi said as she got up.

"Sure but would you forget your nice jeans for a while and get dressed properly for a date? Please."

"Sure but it's not a date," Seulgi rectified.

"It's not a date if two people are going to eat at a restaurant and plan to go to the arcades right after? You're really going to tell me it's not a date Seulgi?" Wendy frowned.

Seulgi shrugged.

"Whatever it is, let me help you and if it's bad you can put all the blame on me," Wendy proposed. "I'll try to make it quick."

As soon as she said that, Wendy started throwing clothes all over the bed and pushing away everything that didn't look attractive back onto the rack. She grunted, rolled her eyes, sighed and even cursed but she still found something at the end.

"There you go Seulgi," the short girl said with a wide smile. To no one's surprise, Wendy included a skirt with stockings in the outfit.

"Don't you think it's a bit too much? I look like I care," Seulgi said worriedly.

"But you do."

"I don't."

"Whatever Seulgi, nobody's going kill you for looking cute," Wendy rolled her eyes. "Except for creeps, be careful."

"But if I try to look nice and Baekhyun notices, won't he get weird ideas?"

"Like you dressed up for him?"

Seulgi nodded.

"Just remind him of what he is: a horseman," Wendy deadpanned before pushing Seulgi to the bathroom to get changed. "Girls don't dress up for horses, they ride them."

Seulgi smiled as she closed the door to put on the clothes her best friend chose for her. She knew she could always count on Wendy to bring the best out of her and stop her useless worries.

"Is he going to come get you soon?" Wendy asked from the bedroom after a long pause.

"Baekhyun was out of town so he will join me there," Seulgi yelled to make sure to be heard from the bathroom.

"But your car is at the garage," Wendy started to worry like the mom she honestly was deep inside. "Do you want me to fetch you?"

"He said someone would come get me," Seulgi said to reassure her friend as she came out of the bathroom with her cute outfit. She did her makeup in the bathroom and it seemed pretty okay, nothing that would look like she tried to look pretty.

"Wow a taxi when he is out of town? Baekhyun is really capable," Wendy commented with a thumbs up.

"He is really nice, isn't he?"

"Stop bragging about your ex, would you? That literally makes no sense," Wendy cringed.

"So you can compliment him but I can't?" Seulgi frowned.

"People hate their exes yet you go around calling him oppa and eating with him without calling it a date to ease your conscience," Wendy said as she went back to the bed. "I'm gonna throw up."

"As long as it's not in my apartment,"' Seulgi shrugged before walking to her shoes rack to choose a pair that would suit her outfit. Her phone started ringing a bit after she was done putting on her coat and she answered to see that the taxi was there.

"Here's your bag," Wendy quickly said as she gave Seulgi her purse. "Don't forget Seulgi, you can't let yourself be deceived. You know men, you shouldn't have high expectations for them."

"I'll try to remember that," Seulgi smiled before stepping out of her apartment. She felt great even after hearing Wendy's warning so she figured the outfit was really like a magic spell.

. . .

Seulgi sat down at one of the tables of the restaurant Baekhyun had chosen and looked around once more to see if he was there yet. Indeed she arrived first.

She checked her last text messages to read again the one Baekhyun had sent her not too long ago.

I'm almost there, don't worry I won't make you wait too long ;)

10:27

It's fine I just arrived, don't feel pressured.

10:32

A few seconds after she clicked to send her message, Seulgi felt a hand on her left shoulder. She turned around to see Baekhyun smiling at her with a boyish grin which made her sigh in relief since it wasn't some strange old man who wanted to talk.

"You just arrived?" he asked as soon as he sat down. Seulgi guessed he hadn't seen her last message and smiled at his question. They thought the same way.

Seulgi nodded.

"How are you feeling? Better since yesterday?"

"Yes," Seulgi nodded as she remembered their last late video call with a smile. Baekhyun started calling her more often since last week and it wasn't just to check if she felt alone or bad anymore: he genuinely enjoyed her company. Baekhyun mentioned it before, maybe a few days before the end of his trip in Japan, but he also called Seulgi when he was feeling down to sort his feelings. "Being alone can have its perks but on the long run, you start to realize that it gets lonely to only talk to yourself," Baekhyun had confessed to her with a smile. Seulgi was surprised to see someone surrounded by so many people like Baekhyun could even feel remotely alone sometimes although she understood what he meant. There is nothing worse than feeling lonely in a crowd.

Baekhyun and Seulgi were sort of relying on each other through late phone or video calls that they both enjoyed in the last week and it made them even more comfortable around each other.

"So... do you have my souvenir?" Seulgi asked after taking off her coat and watching Baekhyun do the same.

"Oh! That's right!" he exclaimed. "I almost forgot why I asked you to come all the way here," Baekhyun grinned as he took out a small package with cherry blossoms on it.

"What is it?" Seulgi curiously asked as she delicately tried to open the gift to not tear open the beautiful gift wrap. "If it's a figurine of some Pororo knock off or earrings with ice cream ornaments then I'm not taking it."

"I know you're not 12, will you stop with this?"

Seulgi simply smiled as she took out the souvenir from the package and her eyes grew wide in amazement. The gift Baekhyun had bought for her was a white and gold cherry blossom flower ornament with a lot of details on the petals and a few beads pending at the end. It looked exactly like the ones printed on the package but classier.

"I hesitated between the pink or white one but I feared you might say it was too childish so I opted for this," he explained as Seulgi remained in awe at the ornament.

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