𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗬﹕heeseung

－ 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

Third person.

Out together were Aera and Miyeon shopping around, seeking to find an anniversary present for their parents before time runs out. They have been through almost every store department, but let's just say one is being a little too persnickety in choosing the perfect gift.

When it comes to gift hunting, Aera's name is put on a decent level. It rather depends on the occasion or celebrant do her efforts matter. However, her parents are celebrating their tenth year of marriage. That's how long ago she and her mother found a man with his daughter who welcomed them into their lives.

Oh, and look, that daughter is the sister she never thought she could have standing next to her.

"Would they be unimpressed if I give them a matching pair of mugs?" Aera asks, showing the box containing the said item that truth be told, does look cute.

"Quite frankly, yes. But Aera, I care more about eating anything edible right now so can you please find something already and let's go." Miyeon complains. Unlike her sister, she already bought a gift ages ago. Aera only forced her to come along so she could have someone to ask for opinions and better recommendations.

"Unnie~ just give me some more time and then we'll go have lunch." Aera pouts, using her cute charm that has always worked since she was a child.

"You're a pain in the ass." Miyeon glares and Aera smiles devilishly.

The hunting goes on and at this point, the older sister comes to be the child who unwillingly follows around and can't deal with the virtue of patience anymore.

Aera's aware that her sister's about to lose her sanity, so she lets her off to get anything from the ice cream shop while she enters another gift shop. And now, she's in a dilemma between two items that would be out of her budget if she buys both.

"Although this has a prettier design, this one's color would look better wherever room they put it in..." Aera talks to herself absentmindedly, each of her hands holding the two similar objects as she mulls over them.

"You seem to be having some trouble, ma'am." The owner of the shop, a man who looks to be in his fifties, approaches her slowly.

"Ah, yes. I'm trying to buy a gift for my parents' anniversary. I've been to several stores already and only these caught my eye the best. I'm not sure which should I get though, they're both lovely." Aera sighs at her minor problem.

"Why not get both?" He asks.

"I'm not too sure... I think I should only get one." Aera laughs timidly.

"I could give you them for half the price in total." His kind offer astounds her. Aera standstills to hear him retract, but the man looked too genuine as she hits upon that he wasn't joking.

"Are- are you sure? There's no need to, I can-" Aera rejects it at first.

"It's fine, take what I said. Your parents must be lovely people." He laughs mildly.

At the counter, the items are wrapped together as a huge gift by the man himself before it was final and settled that Aera got what she wants to give to her mom and dad.

"Thank you so much! Have a great day!" Aera beams cheerfully, skipping as she leaves the shop.

The gift search is a success after all, as Aera shows off what she got to Miyoung and told her about what occurred inside the gift shop. The good remarks Miyoung gave even boosted her fulfillment.

With the main agenda of the day getting ticked off the imaginary list, they can have their lunch at last. The first place they saw was just right by the corner, and Aera guesses it might either be a recently opened cafe or everything inside just seems like it is.

Aera suggested eating in and taking a break from walking since she knows her sister would make no refusal. Except, it is quite full of customers as she looks for an available table for two.

"Found any seats?" Miyoung asks, currently at the front of the counter after she had said what they're ordering.

"Nothing in sight, unfortunately." Aera shrugs with a shaking head.

Their food arrives and they were thankful enough that they aren't too much to deal with to eat outside.

"Wait, I'll grab us some tissues." Aera runs back to the countertop and grabs some tissues, along with two extra straws that she saw on the surface.

It wasn't intentionally done when her hand touched the hand of a person who appeared next to her. She lifts her eyes and meets a girl who flinched at the contact, and accidentally drops her phone on the tiles.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Aera bends down to pick up the phone, relieved that there wasn't any damage.

"No worries! Thank you." The girl chuckles a little, taking hold of her phone and about two or three tissues, and smiles at Aera for a quick goodbye.

It wasn't consciously done either when the sights of Aera follow where the girl was walking back to. And she wished she didn't. Because what appeared to be a great day was ruined after seeing the girl sitting at a table with someone she knows well.

She'd tell herself it might be another person who looks like him, but the book on the table also looks exactly like the one she had just registered from the library days ago for whom she would label as a friend. Maybe, it's just a coincidence?

Never mind, who is she kidding? Who she's cautiously looking at right now is Heeseung having lunch with some girl. A pretty short-haired girl, too.

"Aera, what's taking you long, you're only getting some tissues." Miyoung's voice breaks her away from her petty thoughts.

"Huh, oh, yeah-" Aera hands her the torn tissues in her left hand, courtesy of the tight grasp she had on it while she was staring at the back of their heads.

"Okay, let's go." She takes a bite aggressively of her sandwich as they exited the cafe.

Upon reflecting on the unanticipated occurrence, Aera was mortified that inside her calm body and nonchalant face, she was boiling from bitterness inside. Bitterness? What for? It just so happens when she saw them together, which shouldn't be bizarre to know about. For some reason, she knew that that was the girl he told her about for his Japanese lessons. And she was right about her being nice as she recalls their sudden encounter.

What was wrong with herself? She and Heeseung are both on good terms, and the chat from this morning can justify that. It just wasn't reasonable. Aera hopes she'd forget about it right away and consider it as nothing as well.

"Are we going home after this?" Miyoung questioned.

"I'm thinking of what to wear to ma and dad's dinner." Aera lies, staring at a light post unfazed.

"So, we are going home? There's the bus stop over there-"

"Nah, I wanna get new clothes. Come on." Aera fully turns around and changes direction, heading back to the shops but now with a different target,

To stop thinking of him.

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Nothing to say but hi :)