A/N: Happy Seulrene day! Because this is Christmas month, of course there had to be a Christmas inspired au. I actually really struggled a lot because I had several ideas and could only choose one. So I am doing one I didn’t get to write on previous Christmas. Where Seulgi gets a job at a department store wrapping gifts only so she can have the chance to be close to the person she likes, Joohyun. But she is just a tad bit clumsy, lol. Should be cute, enjoy please.

“Ow, ow, ow…” A brunette whispered as she stared down at her new paper cuts. Seulgi had just barely gotten over the old papercuts, only to replace them with a fresh set. But such things happen when you’re as clumsy as she. Still, Seulgi knew she had to get back out there. She couldn’t stay hidden away in the storage room forever. Not when it was the Christmas holiday coming, and people were piling into the store to have their gifts wrapped.

Why gift wrapping of all the odd jobs the college student could have picked up over her winter break? She could have joined her best friend Seungwan as she played an elf down at the part of the mall where kids come to tell Santa their wishes. Or she could have joined her other friends Sooyoung and Yerim. The two younger girls who had somehow managed to land the best job at the mall. Working at the cookie shop and getting a taste of all the new Christmas treats.

“You’re an idiot!” Sooyoung had told her when she announced her job.

“Idiot.” Yerim had agreed. “You could have been eating cookies with us. But instead your wrapping gifts. We no longer know you, Kang Seulgi.”

Of course, Seulgi had a very good reason why she picked the department store. A very good reason actually.

“Seulgi?” She turns when she hears her coworker, and current object of her affections, Bae Joohyun. The girl was simply the most beautiful person Seulgi had ever seen. She was also sure she had seen Joohyun in passing before, though not necessarily at campus. Either way, the moment Seulgi found out Joohyun was working here. She immediately applied too. Joohyun stares at her curiously, when she does find the monolid girl.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Uh…” Was that her heart pounding in her ears? Seulgi really should get that checked out soon. Joohyun just looked so cute with her dark locks in a ponytail and round specs. What else could Seulgi do but sit there staring, all while trying to ignore how her heart was beating faster than usual.

“Seulgi?” Joohyun speaks again. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine. I’ll be right out.”

“Oh, good..” Joohyun sounds relieved. “I know it’s getting kind of crazy out there. But, we’re so close to Christmas, it’ll be a little more hectic. Come out when you’re ready. I can’t do this without my gift wrapping partner.” The way she says that with this soft smile on her face. Has Seulgi’s heart practically threatening to jump out of her chest. It can’t be good for her health each time she’s around Joohyun. However, Joohyun was the entire reason she took this job. There was just this pull to be close to her, and they spend several hours out of their day together during work days. Especially on the weekends. 

Though, they’re not talking to each other but so much. Since they really are just wrapping gifts for people. Still, it’s nice to be besides Joohyun while doing so. Even if, it’ll probably give her some sort of heart attack because of her feelings. Seulgi honestly has been gathering up her courage day by day. Her goal is to hopefully ask Joohyun out on a date before Christmas arrives. For now, Seulgi knows she has to get back out there. She certainly can’t leave Joohyun to handle all the customers by herself.

Would it be too much to hope that she won’t get anymore papercuts?

“I just had to pick the job that emphasizes my clumsiness.”

Seulgi knew she was clumsy before she applied for this job, and nothing about that fact had changed. Every day she’s leaving here with some sort of battle scar, as Seulgi has taken to calling them. But each injury was worth it, in her opinion. As long as she could look over to Joohyun next to her. 

“Hi, welcome.” Seulgi greets cheerfully as there are people heading over to get their items gift wrapped. All in all, it wasn’t a bad job. Sometimes, there would be a difficult person or two. But for the most part, many of the customers were friendly and would make sure to leave bonus tips with both her and Joohyun. Sometimes, Seulgi would watch Joohyun work. Not in a creepy way or anything. But simply just look at how precise and delicate she was with the whole process. Everything always looked so perfectly neat whenever Joohyun finished wrapping the items for the customers. Like she was just born to wrap gifts, though Seulgi is sure Joohyun probably has other dreams and wants for her future. All things Seulgi wants to hear about. Sometimes, she thinks about sitting somewhere in a quiet place, mugs of hot chocolate, as they just talked and got to know one another. That was her up anyway, if she ever got up the courage to ask. At this rate they would be finished working and she wouldn’t ever ask.

This job was only seasonal anyway. Meaning Seulgi didn’t have but so much time to ask Joohyun out.

“Ow..” If she could also stop hurting herself. “Another paper cut…” Seulgi sighs. It would be a miracle if she got out of this job with her hands intact. Joohyun looks at her the moment she hears Seulgi has hurt herself again. She feels kind of bad, honestly. It seems like every time she looks the poor girl has some sort of injury. But what she also really respects too, is how Seulgi never gives up. She continues on even if she comes out with more cuts or bandages than possibly anyone who’s ever worked here. Joohyun has the feeling she’d like to sit down with Seulgi and talk to her more too. Only never had the courage to ever approach anyone first. Though she knows she has seen Seulgi before, despite them not going to the same university. Maybe before it’s too late she will get a chance to ask her out.

“Are you okay, Seulgi?” Joohyun asks.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Nothing to worry about, Joohyun.”

Seulgi’s hands honestly didn’t look fine. She had fresh new paper cuts over the ones that didn’t even properly heal. Joohyun wants to help her somehow, but there’s customers coming in, and for now there’s not a whole lot she can do. The only thing she can hope for is Seulgi not getting hurt for at least the next ten minutes.

“Hey, Seulgi. Do you mind grabbing some more of the red and silver wrapping paper from the storage room for me?” 

That should be a safe walk. Seulgi should not be hurt doing that. The cute way the monolid girl salutes and promises to return with the wrapping paper makes Joohyun smile. Seulgi is honestly the most adorable person she has ever seen. Not just physically either with her cat-like features. But her behavior too, as Joohyun has come to notice the little things about her co-worker. Like how focused she’ll get when wrapping the gifts and picking out the right bows so it’s perfectly color coordinated. Seulgi also has such a friendly and cheerful way of greeting everyone too. She just has this really nice smile that puts a person right at ease. Joohyun knows she has felt at ease by Seulgi’s calming voice and smile plenty of times. 

“Sure thing, Joohyun. I’ll be right back.”

Of course, it couldn’t have been no more than two minutes when Joohyun and the other customers heard a loud crash coming from the back.

“Seulgi!”

“It’s fine, I’m fine, not hurt at all!”

“Oh, dear…”
 

Joohyun excuses herself quickly to check on Seulgi. She has to make sure the other girl isn’t hurt at all. Though, truth be told she is rather worried about Seulgi. That sounded awfully loud for someone who claims not to be hurt. 

“Seulgi?” Joohyun opens the door that leads to the storage room behind them. At first nothing seems too out of the ordinary. Until she spotted Seulgi on the floor with a few boxes of wrapping paper surrounding her. She didn’t look too badly hurt, that is until Joohyun got closer and saw the beginning of a bruise on her arm. Joohyun smiles softly and kneels down. The first thing she does is help by moving the boxes of wrapping paper away from Seulgi.

“Oh, Seulgi. I fear this line of work is much too dangerous for you.”

“Everything is too dangerous for me.” Seulgi laughs. But accepts Joohyun’s hand so she can be helped off the ground. Again, her heart is pounding so hard in her chest. It seems to do that too often when she’s around Joohyun. Seulgi just about loses her mind altogether when Joohyun touches her arm. The shorter girl does so in the most delicate of ways. Seulgi knows she’s just red-faced at this moment too. Thank goodness Joohyun isn’t looking at her or anything. She’s more focused on the bruise on her arm. 

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay, Seulgi? I don’t mind covering the rest of the shift today if you’re in pain.”

“No, I’m fine, Joohyun. I won’t leave you here to handle all this by yourself. Even if I come out with less fingers or something by the time we’re done working here.”
 

Joohyun shakes her head and laughs. “No, we don’t want you to lose any fingers or anything. But come on, let’s get back out there.”

Seulgi wants to mention to Joohyun that she is holding her hand as she leads them out toward the front. Only, Seulgi finds that she has no words at all. She simply looks down at the way their hands are now joined. Her face completely red again and knows if she were to speak. It would probably be some incoherent babble anyway. It sure did feel nice to hold hands with Joohyun, though. Maybe one day they would hold hands again, under much better circumstances.

“If only I could actually ask her out…”

One of the first chances Seulgi gets to meet up with her friends, is one day after her shift. Seungwan, Sooyoung, and Yerim were all off around the same time for a change, and it was decided they would meet for a late dinner of sorts. Seulgi agreed and not only because she was starving. She did want to see her friends and catch up. With school and work taking up most of their time, it wasn’t all that easy to just meet unless they were all free. Seulgi could see Seungwan sitting at the table, clearly the first one there. She was also reading through some huge textbook of hers, no doubt studying for an exam. Trying to get a head start even though school currently wasn’t in session.

“Hey, Wan.” Seulgi greets cheerfully and sits down beside her smaller best friend. s

“Seul, hey!” The brunette grins when she notices Seulgi. Seungwan instantly hugs her and pauses when she realizes she’s gotten some of the elf makeup on Seulgi’s jacket.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She laughs. “I thought I took it all off before leaving work today.”

“Don’t worry, it looks cute.” Seulgi assures. The two share a laugh and make some small talk. Asking each other how work and school is going. Before the next thing they know two bags of cookies are placed before them. And they see their younger friends Sooyoung and Yerim sitting down at the table with them.

“Cookies for you two losers.”

“You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Thanks…” Seungwan notices that in the first bag the majority of the cookies are half eaten. Before the younger two can even be questioned. They just shrug like they are innocent.  

“You ate most of them.” Seulgi notices.

“We had