Sha La La - Shin Min Ah

Narrator's POV

"Do you think this looks good on me?" Min Yu went out of the dressing room wearing a collared, floral dress that reached above her knees. She turned around as Donghae watched her from head to toe. "So...?" she twirled to face him. He had a grim look on his face and shook his head no. She bit her lower lip and punched his arm. "Fine," she grumbled and closed the door to change.

She pulled the dress over her head and hung it beside the three other dresses she had tried on, but Donghae didn't think it was good enough. Either it was too short, too long, or just not in his liking. A knock sounded softly against the wooden door of the dressing room. "What?" she shouted over. "Try this one," he suggested. She opened the door, and Donghae's hand darted inside, holding a wedding dress.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" she demanded and her eyes drifted to the ring on her finger. She had never dared take it off, although it only made it harder for her to move on. Donghae, on the otherhand, snickered and laughed at her anger. She kicked the door close, hurting Donghae in the process. "OW!" he complained and pulled his arm back. He hung the wedding dress back to its original rack and walked around the clothing store.

"I thought we were going to eat dinner," he complained when he saw her holding the rest of the clothes she had tried on. "We haven't gone sight-seeing yet," she replied, returning each garment to the specific racks with a pout. The wind chimes made a clattering sound as a handful of foreigners went inside. Judging by their looks and the way they speak, Min Yu could tell they were Chinese.

The male employees of the shop couldn't help but gawk over the tall, flawless women who took a look inside the store. Min Yu was one of the people to stare at the newcomers too. But she sighed and scratched the back of her neck. "So pretty..." she commented with a shrug. Donghae sensed her low spirits by her act, and he dragged her by the arm outside the shop.

"WHAT? I'm not yet done," she whined. He let her go from his grip as she dusted her clothes. "Fine, then. I'll eat by myself and you go back to the hotel alone," he stated and walked away. Min Yu contemplated for a minute before running after him. "Just know that I followed you because I'd get lost...like you," she laughed at the memory of him darting in her hotel room as he cried.

"Don't make me remember," he stomped his foot as he walked. "Where are we going, anyway?" she asked, looking at her surroundings. Thailand was a beautiful country, especially at night. "I don't know. I'm just walking towards random directions," he laughed and rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. Her eyes wandered around the crowded, noisy street in Bangkok until she had spotted a diner.

Donghae's POV

I pushed the door open and let her go in first before me. Everything I laid my eyes on was foreign, from the people to the menu. "Do you know something about their food?" she turned to look at me as she fell in line to order. "I've eaten something before called chok. I think it's rice porridge or something. But I liked their fried noodles very much. I think it's called kuai-tiao rat na," I replied.

"I wonder if they speak English..." she muttered under her breath. She had reached the counter and had a hard time looking for someone who could understand her. A smile spread across my face as I watched her banter with the staff. If it wasn't for her, then I would have been lost and lonely in an alien country...no, scratch that. I WAS the alien in this country.

"What did they say?" I asked when she sighed. "I don't know. But I told them to get us food and coffee," she snickered. When it was time to pay for the food, I handed money to the cashier before Min Yu could fumble for her wallet. We sat down on an empty, vacant table and began eating. Suddenly, a loud scream erupted from another customer.

I turned, only to see a man kneeling on the floor, proposing to his girlfriend. She nodded, and the guy spun her into his arms for an embrace. Min Yu shifted in her seat uncomfortably across from me as she ate. "So...how did Chunji propose?" I asked with a smile. She cleared and poked at her food. "It was nothing special," she faked a smile and looked away.

"If it was nothing special, then you wouldn't have said yes," I replied. She bit her lip hesitantly before answering. "At that time, it was special. But now it's not that memorable and I prefer forgetting all about it," she said. "But you'd rather wear the ring..." "It's because I promised him I would, in the same way I promised him I would look for you," she said in such a way that ended the conversation completely.

After a few minutes or so, she was done eating and was only waiting for me to finish. "I thought you wanted to get drunk?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "It seemed like a great idea to get wasted every night after he told me he was never coming. But now I have someone to talk to," she smiled and stared out the window, watching the flower shop across the street.

"Who? Me?" I pointed to myself. "No. The old lady next door who wanted to hit you with her stick," she replied sarcastically. Flashes of the memory played back in my head, and I felt tears b in my eyes. She laughed loudly at my expression, slapping the wooden table as if it would tone down her noise. "Aigoo," she exclaimed as she rested her head against the window and stared at me.

"Of course, it's you, babo," she added and looked out the window again. I scrunched my eyes, wiped away the forming tears, and continued eating. "If I had a flower for everytime you make me happy, I'd have a garden by now," she thought out loud as she intently watched people come and go to and from the flower shop. I was already full from what I had eaten, but her words made butterflies in my stomach. "If you want me to buy you flowers, just tell it to me straight. No need for cheesy pick-up lines," I complained.

But her gaze was fixed somewhere outside, towards something blank and only she could see. And then it started raining.

Min Yu's POV

I woke up because of an unidentified noise. My eyes fluttered open to the blinding absence of light. I sat up and wondered where the noise was coming from. It was half past five in the morning, but the sun was still busy offering its heat and brightness to another part of the world. Another knocking sound was heard, and I stood up instinctively to the possibility of a burglar.

I clutched the pepper spray tightly in my right hand as I tried to follow where the noise was coming from. I walked towards the huge glass windows and pushed the curtains aside. There seemed to be nothing but the tree branch scraping against the glass. I pushed it open to avoid the window from breaking, the cold wind rushing in from outside.

"Oh thank God you woke up," someone shouted from below. I scrunched my eyes, irritated, and took a closer look. Chunji waved his arms frantically to catch my attention. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Happy first anniversary!" he greeted and presented a bouquet of flowers in his hand. I smiled from ear to ear at his efforts for making this special day memorable. "Uhh...Min Yu?" he shouted.

"What?"

"Won't you let me get inside? I'm freezing," he said. I ran towards my door and dashed down the stairs in a flash. I reached the front door and opened it for him. He crushed me into one of his suffocating hugs when he entered the house. "Thank you," I kissed his cheek softly. "Aren't you wondering why there are one, two, three, four...ten flowers instead of twelve?" he asked as we both headed to the living room.

"No. Can you please enlighten me?" I asked, switching on the lights and taking the spot on the sofa beside him. "This one's for when we first met. Another for when you toured me around Seoul in a subway. This is for when I realized I loved you..." he went on and on, giving me reasons, together with flashbacks, of every memory he had of me.

"Do you know what this last one's for?" he asked, twirling the stem of the flower with his fingers playfully. "For what?" I asked sleepily, resting my head against his broad chest. "For when you first kissed me," he mumbled. I looked up as he leaned closer, closing the distance between my lips and his. My heart skipped a beat as always whenever he kissed me, and it never failed to give me the tingles.

We both pulled away after seconds and I snuggled closer to him. He rested his chin on the top of my head as I closed my eyes with a big, contented smile painted on the corners of my mouth. "I love you. Even though you always make me worry with your strange liking for adventure and danger, make me crazy when you keep secrets from me, give me headaches when you skip meals, and despite the fact that you have a long line of admirers behind me, I love you very much," he said, my hair gently.

We both chuckled heartily, enjoying each minute of us being together. "And even though I don't know if I should smack your head violently or not, I love you too," I replied before drifting back to sleep in his arms.

I snapped away from my random, reoccuring flashbacks of events I should already be forgetting. Chunji was probably getting over me and our eight-year relationship back in Seoul. If he could accept the fact that we were no longer together, then so can I.

Donghae's POV

She smiled to herself, as if remembering something, and looked down. When she looked back up towards where I was, she was Min Yu again. "Ya, why do you eat so slowly? I can't wait for you all night. Aish. Such a turtle," she scolded. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and crumpled it. "Fine," I rolled my eyes and we both stood up to leave. She walked quickly, the pattern of her footsteps never the same and never followed a beat.

"How come people don't flock over you? You're all alone and not protected by bodyguards," she asked. "I try hard to remain anonymous," I replied, trotting beside her. I pushed the glass doors open, letting her exit first. "Quit it with the gentleman tactics," she commented, which I ignored. We both stepped out and I immediately felt raindrops falling on my head.

I took my jacket off and put it around Min Yu's shoulders. "You know this is useless, right?" she asked, but clutched the jacket tighter around her. "Nag, nag, nag. You can't do anything but nag and complain and whine," I replied. We walked side by side under the drizzle, with a few raindrops falling on her glasses. She sighed as she wiped it dry while making sure she doesn't bump onto anyone along the way.

I snatched the eyewear from her hands, making her stumble as she tried to get it back. "Come on, Donghae. I can't see," she fought. "Wae? Wae? You're blind now?" I teased. "Give it back and stop acting like a child," she scolded, getting quite irritated by the minute. "NO," I declined defiantly and continued walking. "Ugh. Fine," she sighed and linked her arm through mine.

"Don't touch me," I complained, pushing her away. "But I can't see clearly. Everything is a blur," she scrunched and blinked her eyes a few times to adjust. "You always make everything hard," she breathed in and out deeply. Even though she won't give anything away, I know I have caused her so much trouble. Seeing the ring on her finger, I know I won't have another shot, another chance at being with her if I ever let her go again.

She was so close to tying the knot with Chunji, and he had paved the way for me. My hand made its way down from her forearm to her soft palm, intertwining my fingers with hers and loving how they had perfectly locked together. She shot a glance towards my way and wanted me to release her hand, but I continued walking. After a few more steps and I still hadn't budged, she gave up and quit fighting back altogether.

I smiled to myself as we were on our way back to the hotel in silence, with people occasionally giving me knowing looks of recognition. After a few minutes or so, Min Yu stopped dead in her tracks. "What?" I demanded. "I'm tired. I want to ride on your back instead," she smiled and put her palms together as if uttering a prayer. "But the hotel's just there, see?" I pointed to the building in sight.

"Oppa~" she whined and stomped her feet cutely. I could feel my blood rushing to my cheeks and pooling to make me blush. People started to stare and watch as she continued throwing a fit. Knowing her self-centeredness, she never cared about what people would think. "Fine," I ducked on the sidewalk and waited for her to climb up my back.

"When you stayed here for a long time years ago, have you dated?" she asked as she encircled her arms around my neck. "Although there may be girls who showed an initiative, I never really took notice," I replied truthfully. "Why? Your standards are too high?" she demanded with a teasing tone in her voice. "Everything has to be the best," I said, echoing the lyrics of Super Junior's Superman.

"Yoona's best in everything she does," she commented. "But she can't impress me by reciting all the bones of the body, nor by counting from one to ten in different languages. I bet she can't even appreciate a warm cup of coffee nor two bottles of soju. She can't protect me from an old Portuguese lady who wants to hit me with her stick. She can neither tell me which shirt suits me, nor can she make me as worried as an old person. She's not the best at surviving near-to-death experiences nor at making me wait for half an hour falling in line to order food unlike..." I paused and bit my lip, knowing I have said too much.

"Unlike...?" she pressed.

"Unlike you."

~Sorry for the late update! Somebody unsubscribed...why :(