CHAMPION | NCT

o30

C H A P T E R
T H I R T Y

Ten took me to Phase 4. I preferred referring to it as an unlimited extension of wardrobes. I loved the idea of dresses. Its history, its construction, its evolution. The type of clothes you wore defined you. Dress like a rag and people would disgrace you. Meanwhile, dress like an ambassador and people would never bat a negative eye.

"Won't Yuta be glad if you buy clothes for him?" Ten suggested, hands on his pocket. "Princeling might need it."

"Do you think he'll need a new set of clothes?"

"Him? Not really. But, you? Yes. Need to impress him, Sooji. You know, Champion thing..."

A small smile appeared on my lips. "I'll do then. Once we finish shopping for my own clothes. We have someone to impress first before Yuta, right?"

Ten's eyes flickered.

"Ah. Right. We're having dinner with the Nakamotos. You need look grand tonight. You know, like a beautiful rose where they're afraid to put a finger on. Be a woman of thorns."

"We had been shopping for an hour and we still didn't pick any clothes."

"Correction: you haven't picked any. You just snob at the dresses I offer you."

"It's because you always give me overstyled ones. I prefer being simple."

He chuckled a bit. "Amusing. I never expected you to be like this. I thought you'd go straight to the most beautiful one."

"I'm not like you are, Ten," I half-smiled.

"Seems like there are some things I don't know about you then," he winked.

"Let's go on with this." I surveyed the shop. "Oh, what about that one?" I pointed my finger over a dress that I spotted two lanes away from our position.

"Which one?" Ten's brows curled.

"The blue?"

"Blue?" he faced me. "You're going to look down and depressed. Choose a brighter color."

"Purple?"

"Really? Jeena wore that in Kun's magic show. And things...didn't go out pretty well. I am starting to think that color has a bad omen."

"Seriously?"

He nodded.

I sighed.

"Fine. I'll go with yellow."

"Good choice. I'll just wear a tuxedo then."

"I thought we'll switch to bright colors. And you're planning to wear black?"

He laughed. "We won't stop downing each other, huh?"

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and agreed. It's just color anyway.

Ten and I left the Phase wearing the clothes that we bought. In the end, he and I wore black and yellow clothes respectively.

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Children go missing all the time.

Sometimes it is faeries who steal them.

Other times, they trust a wolf.

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