No One’s POV

“Where are we going?” Dara asked suspiciously as Min Ho drove the car.

Min Ho had ushered her into his car hastily after lunch without giving an explanation and Dara wanted to know exactly what was up his sleeve.

“Gangnam” He replied with a grin.

“Huh? Why are we going to Gangnam?” Dara furrowed her eyes brows in confusion, not seeing why he would want to take her there.

“You’ll see” Min Ho answered, not giving anything away.

Min Ho was taking Dara to Gangnam to go shopping. He wanted to spoil his new girlfriend and decided that this was the best way to do it. He intended to buy her so much that both the backseat and the boot of the car would be loaded up with bags and boxes. The other reason for wanting to go shopping with Dara was so that he could buy her an outfit to wear to Kim Bum’s party tomorrow.

Yes he intended to take her there.

The plan was to bring Dara along to the party as his date and in private take his 30 million won from Kim Bum. He’d get the girl and his money. It would go off without a hitch. In addition Hyun Joong would most likely be at the party too and would receive his answer from Dara, which would be a no.

Min Ho was confident of all of this.

As he drove the car, Dara stared out the window. Her mind wandering off to how she would tell Hyun Joong that she couldn’t return his feelings. Should she do it over the phone? Meet him at a coffee shop? Tell him the next time she sees him at school? It was a dilemma that Dara really didn’t want to have to deal with. She could already imagine his face when she would tell him ‘no’. She didn’t want to break his heart.

But she would have to, it was inevitable. As long as her heart remained captive in Min Ho’s grasp she couldn’t lead him on any longer.

She didn’t really know what to expect from Min Ho today. Dara didn’t know much about Gangnam, or more like she didn’t know the area well. It wasn’t a place that she had gone to very often, maybe only once or twice. It was a place that simply didn’t fit her budget for anything. Even fast food.

Dara could tell when they had entered Gangnam, it was enviably obvious. The apartment complexes all of a sudden became nicer, the streets neater, the surrounding cars better, even the store names rang with prestige. The invisible boundaries of wealth and her norm never ceased to amaze her, how it just all of a sudden went up by 10 notches. It was the same way when driving to Min Ho’s home, but it seemed even more so in an industrial area.

Dara spotted a group of girls that must have been her and Min Ho’s age walking along the pathway. Walking mannequins. Dara frowned at their perfection. They were taller than most girls she had met and were exceptionally pretty, draped in numerous labels no doubt. The love struck girl who sat in the car all of a sudden felt insecure and inferior. With her short height, average appearance and middle class status.

Does Min Ho notice girls like that? Does he like girls like that? Dara thought to herself, scowling at the ugly thought.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Min Ho who was watching Dara out of the corner of his eye. He saw how she judged the group of Gangnam girls walking across the road in front of them now. He could tell what she was thinking and could only shake his head. The girls were attractive no doubt, but Dara surpassed them by far in his eyes as well as many others. She was shorter and therefore she looked more delicate and feminine in Min Ho’s eyes. She was beautiful, not pretty, but beautiful. Those girls couldn’t hold a candle to her in his opinion. As for Dara’s attire and status, he didn’t care. She looked good in anything and she held herself well. Maybe once upon a time he would have liked girls like that, but since Dara came into his line of vision things changed.

Dara changed everything.

Min Ho took one of her hands in his and twined their fingers together, giving her what was meant to be a reassuring squeeze. Dara gasped silently at the sudden skin to skin contact but then smiled softly, her insecurity fading away just because of Min Ho’s gesture. She thought herself silly for letting poisonous thoughts enter her mind and immediately wiped the slate in her mind clean. Enjoying her time with Min Ho, not matter where they were.

They pulled into a parking space and the car engines buzz came to an end.

“We’re here”

Sandara Park’s POV

“You wanted to take me to a mall?” I asked him, unexcited by his choice for an outing.

“Yeah” Min Ho answered, getting out of the car.

I followed suit and came to his side, feeling a cool breeze dance around my bare legs. A tingle ran down my spine and I shivered, crossing my arms across my chest to keep warm despite wearing a cardigan.

“Why?” I said with distaste, not seeing the point of going to a mall so far out of the way.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder holding me against his side seeing that I was cold and took a deep breath in.

“Because, we’re going shopping” He announced.

“I can’t buy anything from here” I was quick to point out.

“Who ever said you were paying?” He laughed, walking us towards the large building.

“Min Ho…” I started.

I forgot what I was going to say when we stepped into the mall.

It was buzzing with life. Conversations hummed in the air, food and expensive perfumes could be smelled, clicking heels and cell phones ringing surrounded us. It was like the mall I always went to with Bommie, only bigger, prettier and…simply put…better. The polished marble floor didn’t have a streak of mud upon it, where we would have sticky benches there were black, flat, leather couches and all the store attendants were good looking. None of this could be seen from the outside as the windows were darkly tinted.

All I could see was label after label, the store names recognisable and yet alien.

I felt like a potato that somehow ended up in the strawberry patch.

“Let’s go and to that couple store first” Min Ho suggested, quickly bringing us to a store that looked like it stocked almost every item of clothing in couple form.

We entered the colourful store and were hit with a strong cherry fragrance that was somewhat overwhelming.

“What the hell is that?” I hissed to Min Ho as we stood in front of a rack of couple sweatshirts.

“This place is called Cherry Couples. They’re renowned for their couple stock and this sickening cherry smell their stores have” He explained, wrinkling his nose.

I nodded and looked through the sweatshirts, finding none of them to fit my taste.

“Ick”

“Maybe t-shirts…” He grabbed my hand and dragged me along with him.

There were a few other couples in the store. A pair of awkwardly cute teenagers, two pairs of people our age and an adorable couple of 5 year olds shyly holding hands.

“What about these?” He lifted up two shirts with lovey-dovey angry bird prints on them.

“No. How about these?” I showed him a pair of shirts with hello kitty couples.

“I’ll look gay if I wear that” He shook his head in disapproval, putting back both of our choices on the rack.

“I think you are gay already. You’re the one who wanted to go to a couple store” I teased, playfully nudging him.

“Yah. Only because I thought you would like it” He defended himself.

“Oh really now?”

“Yeah”

“Really?”

“Dara…”

“Min Ho…” I mimicked him.

He was about to say something when they caught my eye.

“Oh! How about these two?” I asked.

I had pulled out a pair of couple t shirts with that spelt out the word ‘saranghae’ when put together. The girl’s one was in baby pink and had the character ‘sa’ and half of the character ‘rang’ printed on it. While the guy’s one was in baby blue and had the other half of the character ‘rang’ and the character ‘hae’ printed on it.

“Did I ever tell you that love you?” Min Ho murmured, wrapping his arms around me to analyse the tees, his chin hanging on my shoulder.

“I think I’ve heard that from somewhere once” I mused and tapped my chin with a finger.

“Well I’m about to say it again” He affectionately warned.

“Okay, go ahead” I leaned into his back.

“Saranghae”

We bought the couple tees from Cherry Couple, along with little disco ball phone charms. We then bought matching blue backpacks at this one store, with beige straps.

I wasn’t really paying attention to where Min Ho was leading me, as we walked around the mall. So I didn’t realize where we were until a pretty lady in her mid-twenties came up to us.

“Hello and welcome to Victoria’s Secret. Do you need any assistance today? Perhaps a fitting?”

It took all my self-control to not let my jaw drop through the floor. Min Ho had brought me into the lingerie store and it wouldn’t have been an accident either.

“Yes, we need a fitting for her” Min Ho politely said and gestured to me.

“Okay, let me just check that the room is free and I’ll be back with you two in a moment” She clapped her hands together with an eye smile before running off.

“Oh my God, what are we doing here?” I hissed once she was gone.

“Buying you clothes” Min Ho innocently replied.

“These are not clothes, this store is for underwear!” I whisper shouted.

“So?” He asked.

“I can’t go shopping in here with you” I flailed my arms around, wondering how he couldn’t see that.

“I’m your boyfriend though” He smirked, taking a step closer to me.

I swallowed and was about to snap back a reply when the shop assistant came back.

“Okay, please follow me dear and you sir just sit tight for a moment please” She ordered, leading me away from Min Ho.

I don’t need a freaking fitting! I know my size already.

We entered a small room with a mirror, a chair and a stack of measuring tapes. A sizing chart on the wall. She measured my waist, my bust, my hips and everywhere else that she felt the need to measure.

“Wow. Tiny framed and yet still so busty. Lucky you dear” She carolled as I put my clothes back on and handed me a piece of paper with my sizes for bras, and gowns.

“Thanks” I mumbled with a bow and hurried out, feeling embarrassed having to go through that whole fitting process again for the first time in so many years.

Lee Min Ho you’re dead.

Min Ho was standing where I left him, that stupid smirk plastered on his face as he watched me come to him. He snatched the paper out of my hand and let out a quiet chuckle.

“You really do make me happy Dara” He muttered lowly, handing the piece of paper back to me.

“Shut up you ert” I growled.

Thankfully it seemed that while I was gone the few customers that were here had left already. But that didn’t stop me from blushing as Min Ho swept through the store quickly and handed me a pile of things to try on.

“I want to see you try on all of these” He whispered into my ear.

My heart skipped a beat and I didn’t argue, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible.

The first set was simple black lace, with bows at the hips and in the middle of the two cups. Min Ho liked that. The second set was emerald green satin with a push up bra that Min Ho insisted we get after seeing me in it. There were a few more sets that he decided we should buy after seeing me in them and a couple of skimpy gowns too.

We left the store with 8 sets and 2 gowns.

We probably would have bought more if not for the fact that another couple came to the store and while the other guy’s girlfriend was getting changed in the changing booths I came out in this black and faded-rose corset set. I quickly ran back into my changing booth when I realized it wasn’t only Min Ho out there. However that didn’t mean the other guy hadn’t seen me too and according to Min Ho he said some things that made Min Ho want to give him a concussion so that he would be the only one that got to remember me in that outfit.

We went to a many stores after Victoria’s Secret and bought a lot. I kept on telling Min Ho no more, but he ignored my protest and when I refused to try anything on he’d still buy me things that he thought I would look good in based upon my measurements from the fitting earlier. I was not happy imaging the amount of money he had spent today.

Min Ho was carrying 15 bags filled with shoes, lingerie, clothes and bags. It was ridiculous.

“Okay. No more, I’m serious” I said firmly, giving my boyfriend a stern look.

“Why? Aren’t you having fun?” He asked, concerned.

“I think you’re credit card can’t be having any fun” I shot back.

“Aish. Dara don’t worry about that kind of thing” He said.

“Min Ho this is too much” I pointed at all of the bags.

“Just one more store”

“Why?” I groaned.

“Because we’re going to a party tomorrow evening and I want you to have an outfit” He replied, with a dazzling smile.

“Wait. You want to buy me an outfit for a party tomorrow? You do realize how many outfits we already have in those bags right?” I questioned, hoping he would realize and say that we didn’t need to buy anymore.

“Yes I want another outfit for you tomorrow. If I had it my way we would have bought more today. Please Dara, just one more store and then we’ll go home” He requested.

Lee Min Ho you are going to be the death of me.

“Okay, fine” I sighed in defeat.

We walked into a store that was themed black and white. The walls were black and the floor was a pearly white, the art on the walls was all in grayscale and the staff wore black and white as well. It was effective because their stock appeared more striking- all of their colourful clothes stood out

A black fitted dress, a pair of diamond studded gold hoop earrings, a diamond incrusted charm bracelet and a pair of expensive black strappy heels- all from the same store.

Min Ho had found a disgusting loop hole into spending even more money.

I had never been so spoilt in my life.

Writer's Notes:

Judge me all you want, this is part of the story.
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