This has got to be the fourth time. 

 

Not that Wendy is counting (she definitely is) but she’s sure this girl has bought socks from her for the fourth time.

 

The very first one, Wendy remembers really well, because how can you forget a face like that?

 

It was an unpleasant Monday afternoon, she just got off of another customer—a kid throwing tantrums because I want a doraemon sock give me a doraemon sock!

 

She just got those out of stock!

 

Her unpleasant afternoon was abruptly shifted to something else, mostly because this girl, this oh so pretty girl, comes in probably looking for socks. 

 

Now, Wendy is always intimidated by pretty girls. So instead of being a proper sales person that she is, she left the girl scanning for socks by herself.

 

“Do you have something with watermelon design?” The oh so pretty girl approached her. 

 

“Uh, yeah-yes of course uhm let me show you here.” Wendy complies.

 

Wendy shows her different designs of socks, from low cut ones, to knee length ones, to overall printed with watermelon ones.

 

The girl picks everything she suggested and Wendy grabbed it all for her. She motioned for the register and punched in the order. The pretty girl pulls out her card and Wendy reads the name from it.

 

Bae Joohyun.

 

Pretty name for a pretty girl. 

 

Joohyun smiled widely at her, taking the items in a paper bag and her card back. Wendy stutters in saying “Thank you! Come-come back a-again!”

 

“Thank you Wendy-ssi!” She says, eyeing her name tag.

 

-

 

And oh did she came back again.

 

The second time, she was about to close her shop. She sees the pretty girl—Joohyun, catching her breath running towards the entrance. 

 

Wendy smiles at her and opens the door for her instead.

 

This time, Joohyun was looking for something purple.

 

Wendy shows her almost every purple sock she’s got, and waits for Joohyun to take her pick. After few minutes, she chose four low cut ones with minimal lines on it, another seven pairs of plain purple, and another four pairs with grapes on it.  

 

Wendy thinks she’s bit confident now to throw in a small talk, so she does.

 

“I used to have a few jokes about pairs of matching socks, but I’ve lost one.” Wendy tries.

 

Joohyun just stares at her.

 

Wendy thinks of changing her name, booking a flight to Zimbabwe and moving there for good.  

 

“Oh it was a pun! I’m sorry, I didn’t get it right away, that was embarrassing.” Joohyun says, flustered.

 

“No no, uh I’m the one to be embarrassed, that’s a lame one.” Wendy chuckled.

 

“Well, maybe tell me another one next time?” Joohyun offers instead.

 

Wendy just nodded while absentmindedly handing Joohyun’s package and her card back. Joohyun says thank you but Wendy was too shocked to respond.

 

“Next time?” She repeats to herself.

 

-

 

“Okay how about What do you call a bear with no socks?” Seulgi suggests.

 

It’s probably her best friend’s third attempt of telling her jokes that if not bear related, then socks related. This time she’s got both.

 

“What?”

 

“Barefoot!” Seulgi rolls in her couch laughing, Wendy face palms.

 

“This is your fault! You keep on telling me terrible jokes and now I’ve used one to a pretty girl!” Wendy whines.

 

“It’s not my fault she didn’t get it! And you should be happy, she says there’s still a ‘next time’”. Seulgi says. ”Why does she keep on buying lots of socks anyway?”

 

“I don’t know, maybe she’s a sock collector or something.”

 

-

 

The third time she sees Joohyun, it was raining hard.

 

She watches her attentively as she folds her purple umbrella and hangs it on the shop’s umbrella rack. She watches as Joohyun scans the socks on display, contemplating whether she should approach her or not.

 

Joohyun picks up three pairs of random socks and six pairs of white ones then headed towards her direction. She smiled at Wendy—so bright she wonders why the rain hasn’t stopped yet. She carefully wraps the items and scans Joohyun’s card. She’s overthinking of what to say but Joohyun beats her to it.

 

“I saw my cousin Yeri earlier and she’s wearing one red sock and one black sock.” Joohyun starts. “So I asked her why she’s wearing that and she replied with “I’m not sure, but I have another pair like this at home.”” Joohyun said with a straight face.

 

Wendy bursts out laughing.

 

Joohyun blushes hard.

 

“I’m sorry, hahaha I’ve- I’ve probably heard that joke from Seulgi twice, but yours is definitely funnier!” Wendy says in between laugh.

 

Joohyun looks proud, though she’s caught a name she’s not sure what to make of.

 

“Seulgi?” She asks.

 

“She’s my best friend. She’s the one to blame for my poor excuse of a joke last time. Sorry.” Wendy answers.

 

Joohyun let’s go of the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Just best friend, that’s good, right?

 

“Thank you for buying again!” Wendy says as she waves her hand.

 

Joohyun did the same.

 

-

 

This has got to be the fourth time—Wendy thinks.

 

And the second time she’s about to close the shop.

 

Joohyun comes in with her blinding smile. She waves at her and Wendy did the same. This time, Wendy approaches her whilst she’s busy scanning the socks on display.

 

“You’re here again!” Wendy says, a little too enthusiastic.

 

“Uh yeah, um I needed a new pair of socks.” Joohyun says.

 

“Why do you need new pair again? Do you throw them out after wearing them once?” Wendy jokes.

 

“I-no, I just- well,” Joohyun starts to reason.

 

“I’m kidding.” Wendy chuckles. “You don’t have some weird sock , do you?”

 

“No, oh God-no.” Joohyun responds flustered.

 

“Hey I’m just kidding.” Wendy said, touching Joohyun’s shoulder to ease her quite flustered face. Joohyun looks like she’s a deer caught in headlights.

 

“Say, it’s your fourth time here.” Wendy says, suddenly gathering courage.

 

“Uh yeah?”

 

“Within two weeks.” Wendy adds.

 

“Uhh, yes?”

 

“And you’ve bought tons of socks more than enough for two weeks.” Wendy says. ”I’m starting to think you’re coming here for me.” Wendy jokes again.

 

Wendy thinks that’s a witty one. Bit flirty but still witty—

 

“Yes.” Joohyun says, looking everywhere but her.

 

“Uh what?” Wendy says, unsure if she’s heard it wrong or maybe Joohyun just wanted to say yes again or something.

 

“Yes, I come here to uh, uhm- to see you.”

 

Oh.

 

Oh. 

 

-

 

Wendy asks her out for dinner.

 

Joohyun agreed right away, so she waits for Wendy to close up the shop and they headed to a restaurant nearby.

 

Wendy finds out Joohyun was actually telling the truth. What did this pretty girl saw in her? She still can’t understand.

 

“You’re actually wrong.” Joohyun tells her. “That was my fifth time in your shop.”

 

“I’m sure that’s just the fourth time, not that I was counting.” Wendy said defensively.

 

“The first time I was with my friend Joy. She bought the socks, maybe that’s why you didn’t notice me.” Joohyun explained. “She’s the one who headed to the counter, I stayed behind.”

 

Wendy tries to think hard but shook her head realizing she’s had so many customers since she opened the shop and it’s futile to scan her memories for that specific day.

 

She’s regretting though she didn’t notice Joohyun right away.

 

Joohyun looks like she understands what’s going on inside Wendy’s head, so she explained “I’m not sure if you remember her but tall girl, too pretty, looks like Miss Korea?”

 

Wendy’s face lit up in recognition, she definitely remembers that girl!

 

-

 

It was Joohyun’s nth time in her shop today. 

 

Wendy had lost count, mostly because Joohyun started to drop by almost every day before her shop closes to grab dinner with her.

 

Tonight was different—Joohyun invites her over to her place to cook for her instead.

 

So she found herself sitting in Joohyun’s kitchen eating Joohyun’s five course meal.

 

“Do you prefer wine or champagne?” Joohyun asks her after the meal.

 

“Wine please.” Wendy smiles.

 

Joohyun hands her a glass of red wine, but being the clumsy girl she is, she spills it all over her shirt.

 

“Oh shi—“ Wendy says.

 

Joohyun helps her by taking the glass from her hand and grabbing kitchen towels to wipe the wine off her shirt.

 

“That’s gonna be sticky and uncomfortable. Come with me I can get you a change of clothes.” Joohyun urges to follow her in her room.

 

Wendy stands there awkwardly waiting for Joohyun to grab a wet towel from the bathroom. She hears Joohyun from inside telling her to choose a shirt from one of her drawers.

 

Wendy opens the top one, and she finds all of the socks bought from her shop occupying the whole drawer, some even springing out and falling to the floor.

 

Joohyun sees her and eyes immediately widened in shock. She pushes the drawer close, failing to do so.

 

Wendy for it so Joohyun told her to keep her sticky shirt on instead.

 

“But I’m your solemate!”

 

Joohyun throws the wet towel in her face, laughing.