Today, you’re dedicated to learn many, many things.  Mostly colors.  So, as Chen had promised you, he took you to the family’s jewelry shop, a spacious two-story building, with bright lights and mirrors all around, the walls ornately decorated with golden paint and carvings, bringing the place a sense of luxury as the lights sparkled against the jewelries in the polished glass cases. 

You see a beautiful woman, probably in her mid-twenties, in a jet black blazer and a pencil skirt, both looking expensively lined with golden stitches, emerging from behind a door built in to the wall behind the glass cases.  Her eyes fell upon Chen and she greeted him with a smile.  “Hello, Kim Jongdae-ssi.  It’s been a while since you’ve visite—“ And then, she saw you and her smile quickly disappeared.  “Oh dear,”

The woman spun on her heels and returned into the hidden room, a murmur of a swift, panicked conversation audible to your ears.  You gave Chen a side glance and he chuckled in answer. 

“They’re flustered because of your presence, agasshi,” He whispers into your ear.  “It’s not everyday does a daughter of the Park family pays a visit to her jewelry store,”

“Oh,” You dumbly replied.

The door opens in front of you once more and this time, the woman came out with a man, dressed with similar attire properties, in a suit.  Both the man and the woman had a golden name tag pinned onto the left side of their chests. 

“Miss Park, please, please have a seat,” The man flashed you a smile and gestured onto a chair across where he stood.  Chen helped you settle down and took the seat beside you.  “If I may ask, what brought you here, dear miss?” He politely asks, sitting across from you, next to the woman.

“Choi Kyung-ssi, Shin Eunjung-ssi, do you not notice any difference from agasshi?” Chen asks them back.  He’s actually doing so to help you recognize their names.  So the man is Kyung and the woman Eunjung.

“We, um,” Eunjung stuttered, glancing at you nervously, both afraid to be rude to stare but also pushed by the need to answer Chen’s question. 

You chuckle at the two’s response.  “Really now.  Kyung-ssi and Eunjung-ssi, was it? It is fine to lessen the formalities.  Do treat me like a regular costumer,” Your lips tugged to a smile as your eyes looked into theirs, amusement in your gaze.

“It’s true!” Kyung looks into your eyes.  “The difference; it’s your sight, isn’t it?”

“Excellent observation,” You kept your smile on your face.  

“I’ve heard of such rumors,” He nods.  “We are all happy for your successful operation, Miss Park,”

“Thank you,”

Getting down to your main purpose, Chen tells the two that you are here to learn about different kinds of precious stones, in characteristic and color. 

“With all due haste, then,” Kyung stands up from his seat, followed by Eunjung.  “To the second floor; shall we?”

With your arm linked through Chen’s, the 4 of you in total makes your way upstairs using the marble steps at the end of the first floor, Eunjung’s heels quietly making its way across the floor.

By the topmost step was a door, its cold marble handle waiting to be held. 

“Ladies first,” Kyung steps aside.

You set your hand on the handle and push, letting the door open with a click, revealing to you what’s hidden behind it.

The marble grandeur of the first floor changes in the second.  The room, which practically makes up for the whole second floor is made of wood.  Dark wood panels lined the walls, the same material built into the floor.  It gleamed in the light with which the lamps in the ceilings glowed from, showing off its polished surface and its spiralling patterns beautifully.  Standing lamps with ivory hats were positioned near the wall, generously providing light further into the room.  Tables were ordered in rows, 5 at both sides of the room, an aisle formed in between.  Each had different tools scattered upon it, ones you’ve never taken a look at. 

“This is,” You perceive.  “The workroom, am I correct?”

“Excellent observation, miss,” Kyung gestures for everybody to trail behind him towards the far end table, one longer than the rest as it stretched from the left side of the room until the right, the only gap in between provided for convenient entry and exit to the back of the table.

You and Chen sit at the outside of the table, waiting as Kyung and Eunjung lowered their heads into the back of the table.  You hear the sound of drawers being pulled, and presume that the inside of the table was lined with drawers, from one end to the other, because Eunjung went from here to there. 

“Now, here we go,”

A repeated clatter resounded on the wooden table, and you are faced with a mound of sparkly, solid objects, colorful and bright to your eyes. 

“Are these, genuine?” You tentatively poke at one stone, which gently twitched on its place.

You hear Kyung and Eunjung chuckle.  “Most definitely, Miss Park,” Eunjung answers your question. 

“I see,” You draw your hand back, setting it upon your lap.  “Forgive my obliviousness,”

Your apology is politely brushed off by the two, who began fumbling into the mound of stones, taking turns in explaining to you what types of stones they are, what colors do they come in, and how plentiful are they worth. 

You’re a quick-learner, so by the time the pile had been reduced to only a few scattered stones, you had gotten nearly all of them into your head, latching their information entry onto your brain. 

“Have you taken a liking to a specific stone, miss?” Eunjung asks, tidily ordering the gemstones in a row.

“May I call out a whimsical guest, agasshi?” Chen speaks up, a playful smile on his lips.

“Let’s see if you’ll get it right in one try,” You beam at him, sitting back.

Without even the slightest hesitation, he continues.  “It’s the clear opal,” He plucks a transparent stone from the row, holding it up for you to see.  “This one in particular, because of its teardrop-shape,”

“I was hoping you’d get it wrong, Jongdae,” You shake your head, but nevertheless smile.  Yes.  The exact diamond has caught your eyes.  Its beautiful clarity combined with its sparkling ability to diffract light is a wonder to you, how one simple stone can show you such a variety of colors all at the same time.

You stand and bow to Eunjung and Kyung in thanks, the two of them helping you out the shop with smiles on their faces.

“You are always welcome into the shop, miss!” Eunjung waves as Chen pulls away from the building, going towards nowhere in particular.

“Where to, now, agasshi?” He asks, glancing at you through the rearview mirror.

“I don’t know,” You hum in thought.  “Some food, maybe?”

You’re glad that you chose to wear your casual turtleneck, sleeveless, flower-printed dress that fell on your knees, your red cardigan topping it all, because you had the sudden urge to visit a restaurant you just happened to pass by without being picky.  Your eyes fell upon a quick-serving restaurant, a wisp of smoke slipping through its ventilation grates, indicating that something was indeed cooking.  It was bustling with people, so it clearly suggested that the restaurant served good food.

Together with Chen, you cross the street from the place you parked your car towarrds the restaurant, quickly getting a seat because there were only the two of you.  The menu immediately showed a row of culinary pictures, simple, but enough to stimulate the activity of your saliva.

“I’ll take the noodle set C,” You say towards the waitress.  Chen copies your order and the two of you wait, the loud sizzle of the frying pans occupied by the food tossed over and over again by the kitchen staff filling your ears. 

The food was indeed excellent.  It satisfied both your and Chen’s stomachs, the two of you swiftly making your way out to provide more vacant seats for the ever-growing line of waiting people.  It was late, and it was time to go home.

“I gotta say,” Chen quietly speaks.  “I’m going to ask Lena to stock up on the instant noodles,”

You laugh at his idea, agreeing without a second thought.  “And the cup ones too, they look appetizing,” You remember.

He nods in agreement and the two of you shared a mutual conversation about food, the tiring day not even mattering anymore.

By the time you’re safely tucked in bed, it was nearly midnight.  Traffic came into the way on the road, so you were delayed in the matter of arriving in your house.  You sigh, your head rested on top of your hands on the soft pillow.  You’re adapting much quicker, now that you think about it.  It’s only been 3 days since your operation and you’re alredy optimized in your ability to see.  Although still so very many things perked your deepes curiosities, but ‘seeing’, for the time, you’re almost actually used to it. 

“Agasshi,” You hear a muffled voice call your name from the door, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Oh, coming, Jongdae-ah,”

The door quietly opens and you step out, answering his call once more. 

“Can we have a bit of a walk?” He readies his arm.  “You must have been thinking,”

“Sure,” You smile.  Out to the garden the two of you strolled, the muted rustle of the grass beneath your feet repeatedly following your each step.

“I’m really glad that I don’t find it too difficult,” You say, referring to your adaptation.

“Our feelings are mutual, agasshi.  But you have to pay more attention on what’s at hand.  It is not rarely do I catch your eyes distracted by your own surroundings,” He chuckles. 

You playfully nudge him.  “Can’t help it, you know,” The two of you slow down by your garden’s stone waterfall.  “Seeing lets you, um, see, so many things,”

The two of you laugh at the sentence you just stated, its repeated meaning a mistake but understandable.

Chen glances at the watch latched onto your wrist and looks into your face.  “You must have forgotten,”

Tilting your head in question, you look back at him.  “Forgotten what?”

Chen lets go of your arm and pulls something out of his pocket.  It sparkled as you caught its end with your eyes, but you couldn’t put a finger to define what the object was.

Curiously looking, you begin. “What is—“

All of a sudden, Chen’s arms go around you, not exactly hugging you as it hovered behind you, his fingers occassionally brushing your neck as he fumbled with something.  The object settled on your neck in perfect length, and you look down to see what it is.

It was a golden necklace.

And the opal you’ve taken much a liking to was its pendant.

You look up and meet Chen’s eyes, his affectionate gaze meeting your confused one.  His hand cups your cheek and he tucks a lock of hair behind your ear, brushing a loose strand of hair away from your eyes.

Smiling gently, he quietly says.  “Happy birthday, agasshi,”