All of My Days

10

2008

"Do I really need more of these shoes?" Seri whined, picking up yet another sparkly thing, grimacing at the sight. Her mother always brought her to her own favorite stores and made her buy uncomfortable, flashy clothes she hated for social events.

"Yes, for the pink dress. Take these," Han Jeong Yeon turned away as Seri sat down on the bench to try on the pair.

"Well, they are just as ugly and uncomfortable as the previous 20 pairs we tried on," she muttered under her breath, seeing that her mother turned away and was looking at the wallets in the display. If she didn't even care, why wouldn't she let her pick her own outfits?

Oh, right, because she thought Seri's taste was "trashy".

She heard a soft Uh-Uh tune from her phone and fished it out from the pocket, putting the shoes aside and sliding her sneakers back on.

"How's shopping?" Jeong Hyeok asked, as usual remembering her schedule and all the plans she mentioned, no matter how much time has passed.

"Well, I am now a proud owner of 2 fake-feathered, sparkly dresses that make me look like a marshmallow with boobs, and 3 toe-biting unethically produced and overpriced pair of heels," Seri summarized and nodded at the saleswoman putting the shoes away.

"Sounds like your mom could have just bought the things herself, why drag you there?" he asked as Seri stood by the counter watching her mom pay for the shoes.

"Well, she only shops with me for outfits for the socials they are dragging me to. Thankfully, I am free to buy whatever I want for everyday wear. I am going to do it now, she has lunch planned with her girlfriends," Seri explained. "What are you up to now?"

"Not much, just homework. What are you going to buy?"

"Want me to send you some pictures of what I choose?" Seri asked, smirking. The shopping trip could be saved if he was with her.

"Maybe.... 2-3 pictures max, ok?" she felt some hesitation in his tone.

After saying goodbye to her mother and making sure the matron of the Yoon house has in fact left the mall, Seri sat on the bench to take a little rest, drink some juice, and message Jeong Hyeok.

"OK, I am a free woman now," the 19-year-old wrote.

"Yay. What do you need to buy?"

"Not sure. I have some school events I will need to do presentations for, so I need something a bit more dressy," Seri typed, thinking about it. "So maybe some dresses or a blouse and a skirt."

"I see."

Seri finished her drink and got up, picking up her purse. After throwing the empty bottle into a recycling bin, she looked around the mall and located the store she usually frequented. The mannequins displayed a few different outfits that caught her eye, so she came closer and took a quick photo of them.

"What do you think about these?" she sent a message with the photo attachment.

"You're not in it," Jeong Hyok replied promptly with a pinch of disappointment in his words.

"I am still choosing. Do you think the sweater dress would look good on me?" she typed, walking into the store slowly, careful not to bump into anything.

"Seri. You can wear a burlap sack for all I care. Anything would look good on you."

Seri bit her lip reading the message, a small smile lighting up her face.

"You're not being helpful," she retorted.

"I'm sorry. I really don't care much about clothes," he said, but Seri only nodded in response and continued walking through the isles, picking out a few items to try on. In contrast to the brands her mother chose, Seri favorited more muted colors, natural fabrics and textures, plenty of them displayed in the most recent collection of the brand she was browsing through.