When I’m with you, the time stands still
But my heart beats faster
I don’t know what this is
I just wanna get closer, closer to you

Closer, Closer - Verbal Jint & As One

A few days later.

Bomi lurked around in a hall, in front of a class room that still studying. According to her friend in Photography Club who also studying Civil Engineering, this was their class right now. She carried a paper bag that she held to her chest. She waited patiently until the class was over.

After another 10 minutes, the teacher finally left the room, and the students started to come out one by one. Bomi waited nervously before peeked into the class carefully.

“Oh? Bomi-ah, isn’t it?” suddenly Baekhyun came out and noticed her. “Do you remember me?” he asked with big smile on his face.

“Ne, Baekhyun-ssi,” Bomi nodded. She still felt awkward, but at least now she felt less embarrassed.     

“I heard from Chanyeol we’re the same age? Just drop the formality, please! Call me Baekhyun! Or Bacon, the boys like to call me that,” Baekhyun gleamed, that Bomi couldn’t help but to smile looking at him. “Ah, you’re waiting for Chanyeol?” Baekhyun turned back to the room and shouted, “Chanyeollie! Bomi-ah is here! He’ll be here soon,” he added after facing Bomi again.

“Thank you… Baekhyun-ah,” Bomi smiled. Baekhyun’s over-positive aura made her relaxed.

“That’s it! I’ll go first, okay. You’ll come to our next performance, right? See you around!” and with that Baekhyun dashed, walking away.

“Oh, Bomi-ssi,” Chanyeol showed up. He wore black hoodie under black varsity jacket with white sleeves, blue jeans, and shiny white shoes. He also carried a black backpack and completed the look with a black and red cap. Overall he looked like a kid, but the jeans flaunted his long legs.

Chanyeol stared at Bomi for a while, tilting his head. “You look… different.”

“Because I’m not wearing a blanket or your clothes?” Bomi joked around.

Chanyeol laughed. He felt glad that they were less awkward now. “No. Well, that, too. I mean, you looked like a real student.”

Bomi looked at herself. She wore white T-shirt and paired it with blue overalls skirt. “I am a real student,” she said, confused.

Chanyeol’s laugh got worse. “That’s not what I mean! You dressed up for the party. Now you look, hmm, fresh. I like it,” Chanyeol said it without thinking.

“… thank you,” Bomi tried not to blushed. She already did that enough before. “I want to return your clothes. Here… Thank you very much. I’m sorry for all the troubles.” She handed him the paper bag.

“Ah, not at all,” Chanyeol took it, scratching his neck. “You sure you don’t want to keep these? You looked good in them. And you know, they can be memento or something,” he grinned playfully.

“No, thank you. I think I can remember it well even without any memento,” Bomi smiled. Chanyeol was not the only one who could tease. “I’ll go first.” She bowed to Chanyeol, preparing to leave.

“Wait!” Chanyeol grabbed her arm before she could leave. “Ah, sorry,” he quickly pulled back his hand. “Hmm… Your dress. I already promise to buy you a new one. Let’s go shopping for you.”

“What? No, that’s not necessary!”

“You’ll skip a chance to buy any dress you like? Really? Come on,” Chanyeol took Bomi on her elbow, guided her to follow him.

Bomi sighed before finally agreed. Guess it’s impossible to say no to this guy…

“You’re smaller than what I remember,” Chanyeol muttered as he slightly touched the top of Bomi’s head. There’s at least 20 cm gap between their heights. Chanyeol pulled his hand, glanced at his fingers that just touch the smoothness of Bomi’s hair.

“Cause that night I wore high heels. Anyway, I’m not small, I’m normal, you’re the giant one!” Bomi insisted, she needed to stretch her neck to look up at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol chucked upon hearing this. “That’s another way to see it.”

They walked side by side along one of the shopping area in the city. Thankfully, now that the situation was normal, they could talk just alright.

 “I really can pick anything? What if you can’t afford it?” Bomi teased Chanyeol.

“Ugh… Was it expensive, that dress?” Chanyeol started to worry.

“Hahaha, nooo. I couldn’t afford expensive dress anyway.”

“Well, just pick a dress that worth the same, okay? No cheating!”

They walked a little bit more before Bomi stopped in front of a store, looked interested in the dresses they put in the mannequin. Chanyeol noticed this. “You want to try that? Let’s go in.” Bomi nodded, so they came in into the store.

Bomi immediately dashed in, checking the clothes racks happily. Meanwhile, Chanyeol tailed her, looking uncomfortable and awkward with all the pretty, fluffy dresses around him. His height made him stand out even more, and he realized that there’s only two guy in the store, him and one boyfriend who also tailing his girlfriend. He scratched his nose when two stewardesses giggled while looking at him.

“Hmm, what do you think about this one?” Bomi distracted Chanyeol from his own thought, showing him a dress she picked. “Do you think this one better, or not?” she showed him another dress.

“Why don’t you try both and see which one you like? I can’t really tell… Both of them looked okay. Sorry, I’m kind of useless in this.”

“Okay… Please wait here…,” Bomi told him before went to change.

“Hmmm…,” Chanyeol went through the clothes rack mindlessly, browsing them with half-hearted. But then he stopped, a dress took his attention. He hesitated for a moment, before finally took the dress from the rack to the changing booth. “Bomi-ssi… Do you mind try this one? I think this one will look good on you,” nervously he pushed the dress into the booth while looking away.

“Oh, alright,” he could hear Bomi’s voice.

Chanyeol sat in couches provided in front of the changing booth. He stretched his long legs, and pulled out his phone while waiting. There was a message from Baekhyun.

From: Bacon

Where are you? Still with Bomi-ah?

Chanyeol replied it.

To: Bacon

Yeah. Went shopping for her dress that I ripped -____-

From: Bacon

Tsk tsk. That’s what you get from being a beast. Be nice! Maybe you can score again tonight kkkk^^

Chanyeol coughed after reading his bestfriend’s text. “Aish, this kid… What was he thinking…” At that time, he noticed that Bomi was sticking her head out from the changing booth, but her body was still hidden. “Oh, Bomi-ssi?”

“Chanyeol-ssi… I’m trying the dress you pick… What do you think?” Bomi got out from the changing booth. It was a simple dark blue dress, with red and white peterpan collar; yet it seemed perfect on Bomi’s slender body.

Chanyeol blinked a few times before reacted. “Wooow. It turns out better that I imagine. You look good in it. Wait wait, come give me a pose. It needs to be documented,” Chanyeol raised his phone, prepared to take a pic.

“What? Why? Aish, no, wait-“ even though she reluctant at first, finally Bomi posed for Chanyeol.

“… cheese!”

“Done,” Chanyeol looked at the pic in his phone, satisfied.

“Should I choose this one? I like this one better than the dresses I picked,” Bomi checked herself. “Emm… the price is…,” she mentioned a nominal to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol thought for a while, trying to remember the money in his wallet. “Okay!” he finally gave an OK signal to Bomi.

“Okay, I’ll take this!” Bomi went to change again.

After a while they went out, Bomi carried the store’s plastic bag in her hand. “Thank you very much!” she smiled widely to Chanyeol.

“Hey, are you hungry? There’s a ddukbokki stand there,” Chanyeol nudged her arm, pointing at the stand across the street.

“That sounds good!” Bomi nodded.

“Let’s go!” as usual, Chanyeol led the way. When they crossed the road, he slightly put his hand behind Bomi in a protective gesture. Bomi noticed this and smiled to herself. “ Ahjusssi! Two servings please!” Chanyeol said to the seller.

“Wah… it looks delicious,” Bomi drooled over the ddukbokki.

“It does, right?” Chanyeol said excitedly.

“Ahjussi, make it 3 servings please,” suddenly Bomi said to the ahjussi, who nodded with an understanding smile.

“Whoa, you eat that much?” Chanyeol asked in shock.

Bomi smiled shyly. “Hehehe… I feel hungry right now…”

“… okay! Ahjussi, 4 servings!” Chanyeol shouted. “I don’t want to lose to a girl,” he winked to Bomi as they laughed together.

After an eating contest between the two, they still went on and bought ice cream. And by the end of the date, they already exchanged phone numbers, and before they knew it, they already dropped the formality.

“What’s that?” Seyeon asked curiously after seeing Bomi went home carrying a plastic bag. “Did you go shopping without me? Did you go with Minah?”

Bomi shook her head, smiled meaningfully. “With Chanyeol.”

“What? I thought you only went to return his clothes?” Seyeon grabbed Bomi’s arm and seated her in the couch, ready to hear the full story.

“Well he insisted to buy me a dress…,” Bomi went on and tell the story of her date.

Seyeon took a good look at Bomi for a while, before smiling. “You looked happy, I’m glad,” she gave her a motherly-smile. “Perhaps… do you like him?”

“Aish, Seyeon-ah! It’s not like that. We had fun, that’s it.”

Seyeon rolled her eyes. “Well of course, judging by the way you two know each other, you certainly having a lot of fun,” she , and received a small punch in the arm as the result. “No, seriously, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”

“I don’t know Seyeon-ah, and I don’t want to think too much about this. Besides, it’s just one time shopping!” Bomi tried to remind her.

“Okay, okay! Just… either you jump with both feet or not at all.”

“Neeeee, Ummaaaa,” Bomi played with her.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt, again,” Seyeon emphasized it the word ‘again’. “I just want you to be happy.”

Bomi looked at her best friend, knowing exactly what she talked about. “… I know. Thank you, Seyeon-ah.”

Chanyeol hummed all along his way home. He arrived at his flat, tossed his shoes to the corner, and jumped to the bed. He was thinking what he should eat for dinner when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out with his right hand.

From: Bacon

How? Another goal?

To: Bacon

Dirty minded kid, brush your teeth and go to sleep already.

Chanyeol was about to close his phone when he remembered the picture of Bomi he took earlier that day. He opened his gallery and stared at Bomi’s picture for a while. He wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, just staring at his phone intensely.

Without realizing it, Chanyeol’s lips mumbled her name, “… Yoon Bomi. Hmm…” And the corner of his mouth went up a little.

Hello! As always, thank you for reading. Comments? :)