The door bell tinkled as Irene walked through the door. She found herself in a dusty old corner shop that she had walked past many times. For some reason that day it seemed like the shop had a certain mysterious attraction to her. It was an inexplicable allure that was pulling strings on her heart to approach the strange looking building.

The store was decorated old-western. The shelves were stocked with bottles and glass containers filled with colored-powder, strange looking liquids and antique items. The names on the label of each weird concoction became funnier one after another. Lucky lotto, Devil’s kiss, Break Free, Bang Bang, You Don’t Know Me (Anymore), Hands on Me, Love Me Harder…

Irene stood in front of the last bottle that caught her eye.

“You have good taste, miss.” The girl quickly turned around to see a young girl standing in front of her. The girl was of the same height, had white hair and wore quirky round spectacles. She must’ve been several years younger than Irene.

“What are these things?”

“These are drinks, miss.” The girl smiled, revealing her gorgeous eye-smile.

“Well, yeah, but what’s in them? I have never heard of these drinks before.”

“Miss, they will taste whatever it is your heart is yearning for.” The words made the girl turn back around and look at the bottles once again, taking Bang Bang and Lucky Lotto in her hands.

“Are they special or anything?”

“Indeed they are, miss.” The girl smiled even wider. “They will give you exactly what it says on the label.”

Irene chuckled on the idiocy of that statement.

“They give me what I want? What does lucky lotto do? Make me a millionaire? That’s crazy!”

“Sorry, miss. At this store, we don’t sell fake products. They are a unique specimen the storeowner created and they are not to be rece bought. Our products are genuine.”

Irene was taken aback by the sudden sternness in the tone of the girl, realizing her condescending tone might have offended the girl.

“I-I didn’t mean to insult you.” She apologized.

The girl quickly returned to her chirpy ways. “It’s okay, miss. Many people misunderstand what it is that we do here.”

Irene raised her eyebrow. “What we do?”

“Yes, miss,” She explained. “We are the store of desires. We give you what you wish for.”

Irene looked down at her bottle. “What I wish for huh?” She put the bottles back on the dusty shelves and turned her gaze at the bottle she was staring at before.

“That bottle you’re looking at is a great one, miss. There is only one in the world.”

Irene took the bottle off the shelf and looked at the glass bottle with the pink liquid inside.

“What does it do?”

“But it helps you find love of course, miss,” The girl said.

“Love?”

“Yes, miss, love that will hold onto you tightly, never to let go.” The girl grinned. “The master made it so that young people can underst-“

“I’ll take it.”

“B-But of course, miss,” the girl said. “Are you certain this is the one?”

Irene nodded in response. She wanted this. No. She’s needed this for a long, long time. She pulled the wallet from her purse. “What’s the price of this?”

The girl opened up her booklet as she’d done many time before. It listed the cost of each item in the store, but none were monetary. As I tried to look at the little italic handwritten descriptions, she slammed the big leather covers together.

“A sacrifice to Venus is all.” She answered. “The more love you get, the less love you will feel towards the ones you already those you already know. Not exactly the price people would generally like to pay of course, but for those in need, this could solve the problems in their lives with a bit of companionship, don’t you think?”

The girl reached out for the bottle, only to be pleasantly surprised. “No. I’ll take it.” Irene said, pulling the cork from the bottle and gulping down the content. She didn’t have many relationships to begin with and those she had she didn’t care for. Why would this be of any different.

The girl smiled again. “Pleasure doing business with you, miss.”

***

As Irene walked out the door, a man walked right into her sides, causing her to fall flat on the pavement.

“What luck.” Irene said to herself.

“Miss, are you okay?” As she looked up to her predator, she saw a beautiful looking girl, wearing a white shirt, black pants and 3 inch heels with silky long raven dark hair reach her hand out to her. The mere beauty leaving Irene stunned for words, agape like an idiot.

“I-I…”

“You must’ve been really hurt falling like that. Please let me help you.” She pulled the girl from the ground. “I’m a nurse. Let me look at you and see if you were hurt anywhere else.”

The girl spun Irene around, brushing off the dirt from her .

“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry.” She grabbed her wallet and pulled out a card. “Here’s a card with my name and my number. If you ever need anything, just let me know, okay? Again, I’m so sorry. Maybe I can buy you a drink sometimes. Just leave me a message on that number and I’ll get back to you.” She said as she hurriedly ran away, leaving the Irene holding onto the card, flabbergasted.

She took a look at the card.

Kang Seulgi
Nurse
Seoul University Hospital

No wonder she looked a bit young. She must’ve been a nurse-in-training. She did insist, maybe if that potion really worked, she could have a chance.

***

And that was exactly what Irene had planned. Sitting on her bed at night, she stared at the card, her mobile phone sitting quietly next to her. She picked it up and punched the number into the phone. The phone rang. Once… Twice… Thrice…

Irene looked at her phone, contemplating whether maybe she should off the call.

“H-Hello?”

Irene could hear the heavy breathing from the other side. The girl must’ve rushed to the phone.

“Hellooo~” the girl repeated.

“H-Hi, it’s me.” Irene said. What do people usually say in these kinds of calls? Why didn’t I think before I dialed?

“You who?”

“I’m Irene, the girl you bumped into earlier today?”

“Oh yeah! I’m so sorry today.”

“I-It’s okay.”

“Hey, I just got off work. Do you want to go out for a drink together?”

The lack of subtlety caught the girl off-guard.

“I-I didn’t think…”

“You don’t want to? Oh, I’m sure you have things to do right?”

“No!” Irene shouted, surprised by her own reaction. She could hear the other girl chuckle.

“Okay, okay. Text me your address and I’ll come pick you up okay?”

How is it that this girl is so confident?

“O-Okay. I’ll send it to you then.”

“Okay! See you in a bit!~” The youthfulness of the girl named Kang Seulgi was apparent from the constant stretching of her words at the end of her sentences.

***

It didn’t take long for Seulgi to arrive in her little red car and drive them over to the hip bar in town everyone had been talking about. Seulgi was very talkative and the two found topics to converse about that even Irene didn’t think she could relate to. The girl made her laugh constantly throughout as they poured in drink after drink. There was a strange connection there at no point did she feel like wanting to end the evening.

The phone buzzed on the table. Irene looked at the screen and clicked on the red button.

“Don’t you need to pick that up?”

Irene shook her head. “It’s not important.”

“Now what were we talking abo-“

The phone buzzed again. Annoyed, she set the phone on silent vibrate mode, dumping it in her handbag as she tried to put her focus back on the girl.

Seulgi kept her gaze on the older girl mesmerized by her looks and spontaneity. The attraction was definitely there and for anyone who’d had seen the two together, could witness that the sparks were flying off between them.

“I really like you.”

Irene looked down at her hands, blushing from the other girl’s words. “Really?”

“Yeah. You’re beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous, and you’re the kindest and warmest person I know.”

Irene could feel her cheeks heat up like a hot air balloon. “N-No one has ever said that to me.”

“Yeah and they don’t know what they’re missing. You’re a real catch. Anyone would be lucky to be with you. I know I’d feel so.”

“R-Really?” Irene stuttered. She looked up to see catch the other girl staring at her.

“Really.”

Seulgi leaned in and kissed the girl on the lips, two fingers holding onto the chin of the older girl. The room went silent as her mind went blank and all she could think about were the soft texture of the nurse.

The spell broke as her bag began to vibrate again, forcing Seulgi to pull back into her seat.

“Take it. It must be important.”

Disappointed and annoyed, Irene apologized and hurriedly ran out to pick up the call.

“What?!” she shouted.

“Don’t you talk like that to your mum. Where are you?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Heat began to boil inside the girl, but this time it was different, it was fiercer.

“Your sister is sick at home. What in the hell are you doing out? Are you drunk?”

Irene didn’t know what to say, but something inside her urged her to fight back.

“I told you it is none of your damn business. I am old enough to do what I want.”

“Not when your sister is like this. You were supposed to take care of her and I need to go to work.”

“I don’t care about it anymore. Leave me alone!”

Irene hung up the phone. Still huffing and puffing from the anger inside her.  Her hands were trembling as she held onto the device. Why did I say that? I never leave Joy alone. She looked at her watch. It’s 3am in the morning.

Joy was suffering from a heart disease and needed constant medical care. But right now, it just wasn’t something Irene could really care about. Why have I become like this? Wait. Is it because of that potion?

“Hey, everything okay?”

Irene turned around to see the other girl standing at the doorway, cold air puffing out of her in little clouds.

“Y-Yeah. Everything is fine.”

“Come in. It’s cold outside.”

Irene looked at her phone again. The screen left with a notification from Joy.

I need you. Help. Please come home soon.

She turned the phone off and slipped it into her pocket. She didn’t want to care anymore.

“I’m coming!~”