Soundleasure | Choi San

Chapter 24

There wasn't anything he hated more than going shopping, especially when he had to enter those shops where he was scrutinized as soon as he set foot inside. His anxiety already reached its peak whenever he entered commercial shops filled with people, but it was a whole worse experience when the stores had more assistants than customers. It felt as if he had a huge neon light above his head that made everyone aware of his presence. It felt like he was less able to go unnoticed as he loved to do.

And it was still okay since he went there with Hongjoong and Seonghwa, he couldn't imagine how bad it'd have been if he had gone alone.

—Are you telling me you don't have a single suit that you could use? —Seonghwa mentioned first, turning to San with a concerned look.

—Tell me when I'd need to have one —his eyelids slightly dropped, challenging his friend.

—This weekend —his answer was so quick and blatant, that San could only roll his eyes while he walked around the store, trying to hide among the racks.

—Do you know what dress Y/n is going to wear? —Hongjoong asked, interrupting their dumb conversation.

—Why?

—Your outfits should match —Hongjoong commented as if it were obvious—. If her outfit is mostly red, you should wear a small detail in red. If her outfit is blue, you should wear a small detail in blue. And important: with the same tone. It's common sense.

San quickly shifted his eyes to Seonghwa, who only nodded at the intervention of their friend.

—She'll be wearing a white dress —he shrugged.

—Cream? Eggshell? Seashell? Off-white? —Seonghwa questioned.

—I don't know... White.

The huffs that came from his friends pushed him to ask Y/n for a pic of the dress, receiving one almost immediately after the dress spread on her bed, easily standing out among the gray sheets over the mattress.

Y/n: Are you buying your suit?

Y/n: Don't worry too much.

San's smile hinted to the other two friends what was going on in his phone, making them roll their eyes at just the idea of him being so easily distracted.

—Oh, it's a seashell white —Hongjoong mumbled, zooming in on the picture when San finally turned his phone.

Both of his friends walked ahead of him, almost as if they read each other's mind on what outfit would be the best one to match Y/n's.

And their ideas were great, until he had to try on a total of eight suits, changing the fabric of the shirts with each one of them, because a plain white shirt would be too basic for the type of event he was going to attend.

San was exhausted, almost tempted to give up and wear a simple shirt and a pair of pants of the same color so he wouldn't have to think about the accessories more than necessary. But he also knew that, after Y/n invited all of his friends and their girlfriends, they all would give him a hard time if he ever showed up that way.

—I really thought you'd take her home that day —San heard Seonghwa tease Hongjoong from the outside.

—Things need to go slow. And also, I needed to finish a project that same night —his other friend excused himself—. If I don't get it well done, they'll start dividing projects among the group, and I can't let that happen. Not when my rent is already eating fifty per cent of my salary.

—Are you talking about the baker? —San asked from the inside.

Hongjoong had told them about that girl. He met her when he went to get something to eat on a short break he allowed himself, and he didn't hesitate to ask her out. But now it seemed like he was hesitating on adapting to what she expected from a normal relationship, placing his job at the top of his priorities.