In The Arms Of Morpheus || CHOI SAN

III

 
 
 

"You're early, again." Chaeyoung said when she saw Sieon enter the shop –which had the clear sign of 'closed' hanging on it, while she was doing the regular dusting of the stuff.

"Nah, I just came to give you these." Sieon said handling her a box of embroidered clothes. Chaeyoung just stared at her confused, the box currently pushed into her hands.

"I've finished all of them, just forgot to bring them yesterday." Sieon reached towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Chaeyoung asked.

"I'm going to the market. I need to buy some buttons for Sooyoung's dress and also a few groceries for my house. I'll probably visit the shops close to my house as well so after putting the groceries there I'll come back. It'll take a while but I'll definitely come." She smiled at Chaeyoung and assured her.

"Buttons for Joy's dress? Just so that she will beg for sympathy at the time for payment and you'll pity her, giving her a discount for everything." Chaeyoung scoffed and angrily placed the box Sieon gave her, down.

Sooyoung –nicknamed Joy, was one of Sieon's regular customers. She always asked Sieon, specifically Sieon  to sew her dresses and also to make them a bit fancy by putting some buttons or pretty linings but when the time for payments came, she always used to make that her so-called sad face only for Sieon to allow her to pay less. No matter how many times Chaeyoung tried to make her friend understand, somehow she would get tangled in Joy's words and end up giving her the dresses for less than the required amount.

"Don't worry, Chae. I promise I won't do it this time." Sieon gave Chaeyoung her words and walked all the way towards the market.

Sieon wasn't the one who allowed unfair business but sometimes –especially when it came to the shop, she could just not argue with the customers as the fear of people who already thought of her as hapless, would then start to badmouth about Chaeyoung and not visit her shop anymore.
Chaeyoung letting Sieon work in her shop was already a blessing and she didn't want Chaeyoung to go through anything because of her.

There's not a lot of stuff… Sieon thought while going through her list.

That morning had came earlier than expected and Sieon could've bought her groceries then. But all the time which Sieon thought would pass, washing and treating herself and doing some chores of her house, passed, while sitting wearily on her rocking chair, thinking about the event that had taken place a few hours ago.

 
Sieon bought the required stuff and went home. After keeping everything in place, she was going back to the shop when she remembered that just a day before, Chaeyoung mentioned that the machine oil was finishing and she would have to buy some bottles when she'll next time visit the market.

The market is on my way to the shop, I will buy the oil.  Sieon decided and took the longer way so that she would also be able to buy the oil. Besides it wasn't late and Chaeyoung would be glad too.
  
  

✂
 

"Kyuhyun uncle, how much is one, small bottle of machine oil." Sieon asked the tall, kind man while admiring the different sewing items in various of colors that were displayed in front of her.

"2 coins for 1 bottle and 5 coins for 3, but." He paused. "But right now I'm out of it. Nayeon's shop had brought complete three boxes of it in the morning from me. You can get it tomorrow."

Sieon looked at the man miffed before puffing out a ball of air and shook her head.
"It's fine. Thank you, by the way."

Nayeon was just another tailor like Suyun and Chaeyoung but her shop was much bigger and had countless of customers daily. The shop was founded by Nayeon's grandma and was gradually transformed from a home métier to a manifest business, being known widely in the village.
 
 
 
‘Golden Stitching’, the shop beautifully stated its name with a charming calligraphy which was painted in golden, resembling the name. The bell echoed when Sieon entered the shop with an almost forced smile.

Her feelings were always neutral for Nayeon and her sister as she didn't really know anything about them but Chaeyoung was friends with not just the owners but also with the workers which meant that Sieon had to interact with them too.
She could've been friends with them as well because they shared the same passion and interest but their minds, according to Sieon were also filled with uncertain, false rumors about her –just like most of the villagers.

She always found it weird how Chaeyoung had strictly stated that the only place machine oil was supposed to be brought from was Mr. Kyuhyun's shop and no where else. Sieon agreed that she may not be 100 percent aware of the differences between right or wrong in those stuffs but oil was oil. It is used to make a clogging machine go running and that's what'll happen if you'll even add the vegetable oil to it, then why was it wrong if she brought the machine oil from someone else's shop?
 
 
Entering the shop Sieon realized there were only a few people in there so her nervous steps settled and she made her way towards the customer-free counter with ease, where Nayeon was.

"Hello Nayeon."

"Oh hello to you too Sieon! What brings you here?" Nayeon greeted back the girl with her usual cheerful tone.

So straightforward…
Does she not want me here?

"Oh um, actually I went to buy a few machine oil bottles and turns out that they were no more with Kyunhyun uncle but instead you. So, I was wondering if you could just give me three from them, even two would work for now…" Sieon fumbled her fingers, not hoping for a positive reply knowing that the way she had asked for the bottles was bizarre.

"Ok, you can have three for 6 coins."

Sieon immediately looked at her hoping she won't laugh at her and say 'i was joking!'...and that didn't happen. Nayeon's offer was genuine as she took out there there bottled from the back of the counter and placed them in front of her.

"I-wow- but, wait. Why for 6 coins? Uncle Kyuhyun said that three bottles were for 5 coins."

"That's his way of business and this is mine. Do you want them or not?"

"No, I'll buy them." Sieon took out 6 small coins from her pouch and placed them on the counter before she picked up the bottles and made her way towards the door.

"Thank you very much Nayeon. I'll get going now."

"Yeah. Okay. It was my pleasure."

Sieon held the bottles in her hand and her senses did their job. She felt that the weight of one of the bottles was less than the other two so she turned around again while opening the light bottle to have a look.
"Nayeon, I think that you have-"

It was then, when the door flung open making the bell echo again, and a guy came running into the shop, only for him to collide directly with Sieon.
Everything had seemed to have stopped in that very moment as the bottles flew from Sieon's grip –even the one with the open cap, spilling everywhere and she was met face to face with the wooden floor.

Jeongyeon –Nayeon's sister, came running towards them, eyes of the workers and the few customers, fixed on them.
"Are you alright?"