“Jongdae, next outfit, please,” You smile at him and nod at Kyoungmi.  “Aigoo, so pretty,” The pictures you just took are displayed on the screen connected to your camera, Kyoungmi striking poses with a casual look and a shoulder bag, her hair collected to one side of her shoulder naturally and her eyes lined with just enough eyeliner.  “Yoojoon, you can come in,”

The student comes out of the changing room in your studio and stands in front of your camera, highly attractive in his casual denim blouse and white pants. 

“I don’t know,” You take one picture, then move on to the next as you keep talking.  “How you manage to look good in everything I put you in,” Taking opportunity of his bright laugh, you snap another picture.  “And I don’t know how I can not fall in love with, you know, you,”

Yoojoon raises his eyebrows at you.  “Me? Because of my looks?”

“Well, that, and the fact that you’re a lot more than a decent guy.  You don’t find decent guys just anywhere and here you are, kicking every other guy of your lane,” Glancing at the screen, you shake your head in amusement and give him a thumb up.  “Kyoungmi, you done? Yoojoon, you can change out and stay for a few more hours or go home and get some rest,”

He bows and smiles at you, running out to change. 

“Unnie, this is really pretty,” You hear Kyoungmi say and you look at her from top to bottom.  Her hair is tied in a tidy pony tail, and she wore your pastel pink, sleeveless, loose dress, topped with the white blazer with big, dark buttons, with the heels that matched the buttons’ tone, a rose pink shoulder bag slung over one of her shoulders. 

“Yoojoon! Yoojoon!” You swing out the back door and call the other part-timer.

“Hm?” He emerges out of the changing room, still in the clothes he was wearing.

“Come, come, hurry,”

You made Yoojoon stand beside Kyoungmi and there you go, a pretty couple look.  “Kyoungmi, you’re younger than Yoojoon, if I’m not mistaken?”

“Yes, by six months,”

“And Yoojoon is taller than you,” You give them an approving nod.  “Yoojoon, take her hand,”

“Eh?” Yoojoon leans a bit towards you, confused at your direction.

“Take her hand,”

He glances at Kyoungmi, you and back to Kyoungmi.  “Sorry, can I?”

Kyoungmi, too, glances at you and at Yoojoon.  She nods.

One picture taken. 

Eventually, the air between the two relaxes, their movements and poses more natural.  Yoojoon and Kyoungmi are friends at the same school, and having to work at the same place lets them develop a closer relationship but judging from the way they were shy towards each other, it seems that they’re not familiar with skinship, especially with each other.

“Aw, that’s cute,” Jihoo comes into the studio, startling the pair as they stepped away from each other.

“You!” You stomp towards him and step on his foot. 

“Hey!”

Sighing in frustration, you glance at the screen and tap the arrows repeatedly, cycling through your row of pictures.  Satisfied, you grin.  “Yoojoon, Kyoungmi, it wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, was it?”

The two’s eyes showed that they didn’t even realize that they were growing natural, accustomed to each other, because they glanced at each other and in surprise, giggled and chuckled at the same time. 

“You can change,” With a smile, you dismiss the two from the studio. 

“It’s not very ladylike to step on someone else’s foot you know,” Jihoo crosses his arms.

You laugh at his sentence.  “The water at the back is still flowing.  You’re going to over water the flowers,”

Panicking, the guy runs out of your studio, realizing his carelessness.

“Agasshi, you done?” Chen comes into the studio in replacement. 

“Yep, just finishing up.  Is Eun—“

“Here! I got this.  Go on and take care of the customers,” Eun hops into the room and starts tidying up the outfits, promising to manage the pictures like she always does.

“Thanks Eun, counting on you,” You pat her shoulder and glide outside your studio, blowing a loose lock of hair away from your face and dusting off your jeans before you step into the shop. 

You pull up your red blazer’s sleeves onto your elbows and greet the customers, who looked up in recognition towards your direction.

“Sajangnim!”

“Can you help me pick something out?”

“I’m having a party tonight, and I need something that catches people’s eyes,”

“I’m going on a date with my girlfriend, what do you think I should wear?”

One by one, you attend to the customers that need your advice.  Chen, as usual, hovers about around you, ready to fetch the additional materials you need.  When you pick something out for a customer, you purposefully converse with them to obtain an outline about their personality.  By doing so, you’re able to match their outfits to their ways of thinking, bringing out their characters that would blend both into their outfit and onto the society.  You add beads, feathers, lace, buttons, ribbons, scarves, hats, cardigans, sweaters, blazers, just any kind of complement you can compile with their pickings. 

“Chen-ssi, am I right?” A customer, a pretty girl, comes up to Chen as he handed you a roll of string.

“Yes, hello,” He smiles.  “Do you need any help?”

“Well, I’m liking someone,” The girl quietly says.  “And I’m going out to eat with him.  Sajangnim, I know you’re the sajangnim of this place but Chen-ssi is a guy, so I need his views on what outfit would catch his eye,” She adds in.

“Aw, Chen, see, you’re as good as I am, go run your own business!” You nudge him gently and urge him to handle the girl.  He laughs and comes with the customer to the casual dress section.

You turn back to the two customers you’re chatting with, unraveling the string Chen gave you.  You nod at his and her words, replying fairly to each of their sentences as you sew lace into the girl’s collar and fetch a scarf from one of the rack for the guy.

“Hey, sajangnim,” The girl says.

“Hm?” Your attention snaps back to your customers.

“Are you jealous?”

In surprise, your eyes bulged, but immediately frowned in confusion.  “Towards whom?”

The guy chuckles and fixes his hair in the mirror.  “Towards your boyfriend, of course,”

“Boyfriend?” Your brows furrowed even further.  “Which one?”

“Eiii,” The girl shakes her head and continues, “The one that just went away to take care of the girl with the crush,” Her tone indicating as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

“Well,” The guy nods at Chen and the customer he’s taking care of.  “The girl is cute.  So it’s natural,”

“Dear, dear!” You laugh at the two and pat at the newly added accessory to their outfits.  “He’s not my boyfriend, you know,”

“Oh?” The two says in unison, their eyebrows raised in surprise.  “He’s not?”

“Nope,”

“Then what is he to you?” The girl asks.

“Jongdae is, you know, he’s my, well—“ Your frown gradually turns deeper, as you can’t put a finger to your own answer for the question. 

The guy and girl patiently waits for you. 

“Jongdae? He’s, you, I mean, I kind of, err, it’s just, I’ve never—“ Your frustration heightens, and oh, perfect timing, Chen comes to you.

“Agasshi, something wrong?” His voice rings in your ear and you turn towards him. 

“Jongdae, what are you to me?”

Your customers nudge you with their elbows. 

“Ow,” You wince, rubbing your arm.  “What?”

Chen chuckles at this and looks at you in the eye.  “I’m your assistant, agasshi,”

“Assistant!” You snap your fingers at this.  “There you go!”

Your customers look at each other, and then at Chen, confused, questioning, until an understanding passes between them.  “Alright,” They shrug.  “We’ll be taking these!”

You beam at them and wait until they exit the shop, then return your gaze towards Chen.  “Hm,” You think.

Is he really my assistant?

Sure, well, duh.

But assistant?

I, you know, oh shut up.

“Agasshi,” You hear Yoojoon’s familiar voice call you and you turn your head towards the source of his voice.  He’s back in his own clothes.

“Mm?” You tidy up the messy table at the shop and return the outfits to their racks, stacking the pictures together and returning them to the display at the wall.

Hey, there’s something different about how Yoojoon calls me agasshi.

“We’re having a dinner party tonight, it’s Eun-noona’s birthday and she doesn’t even remember it so can you take her to the little restaurant across the block?” He grins.

Kyoungmi joins into the conversation and nods eagerly.  “We’ve made the required reservations, unnie.  You don’t have to worry,”

“Just drag Eun to the restaurant,” Jihoo laughs.  “Agasshi knows how to do it,”

There it is again.

“Oh, you guys! Nice one, nice one,” You give each of them a pat on the back.  “Cake, cake, make it chocolate.  Eun loves it,”

“But strangely, she likes vanilla ice cream,” Chen adds in.  Everybody laughs at Eun’s strange taste and you rest your arm on Chen’s shoulder.  “Make it an ice cream cake!” He says once again.

“You,” You click your tongue and grin, high-fiving Chen.  “Smart guy,” You nod at everybody as you point at him.

“I know a good cake shop nearby, I’ll take care of it,” Jihoo initiates.

Yoojoon nods repeatedly, jumping at the balls of his feet in excitement.  “And the presents—“

“Eun-ssi, what’s up!” Chen says out of the blue, startling everybody with his unusually loud voice.

All pairs of eyes stared at him in unison, including Eun who had just made her way into the shop.  At once like it begun, everybody erupted in another series of laughter at his unexpectedness.  Eun shakes her head and starts going through the files in her hands, pacing around the shop. 

Mischevious glances are exchanged and the circle is broken down, you staying by Chen’s side.

“You’re very awkward, you know that,” You quietly say.

“Maybe, but hey, she didn’t notice.  And what are we gonna get her?” He whispers back to you.

“New glasses and a new set of working suit.  She doesn’t want to work out of her suits,”

“Got anything in mind?” He glances at Eun.

“Apparently, I do,” You grin.  “Everybody, I’m giving you a shorter shift today.  Go home and rest,”

Jihoo, Yoojoon, Kyoungmi and Eun sighs in relief and leaves the shop one by one, silence settling into the place.

“Come on,” You take Chen’s hand and pull him into the studio, closing the door behind you.  “You know how she likes chocolate and vanilla at the same time?”

Chen nods slowly and his eyes brighten at your words, immediately getting the idea.  “Fitted brown with ivory lining?”

“Bingo,” You squeal and meet his palms in a high five, your fingers interlacing with his, snugly fitting into his palm. 

“You want to add heels too?” Chen catches the look in your eyes and says the words out loud.

“You know me so well,” You chuckle.  “I’ll make her a coat too when I’m at it,” You mutter quietly to yourself.

“Of course I know you so well, agasshi,” Chen beats you to the roll of fabric.  He pulls out the fabrics you want, even without you having to say them out loud.  He finds the heels’ base figure and sets it on your working table, along with the other equipments you need, grinning at you as you excitedly clap your hands.

Already immersed in your work, you don’t notice the quiet words Chen add;

“Because I’m your assistant,”