Dreamcatcher Imagines

𝗴𝗮𝗵𝘆𝗲𝗼𝗻 | the magic cottage

Reader Is: Neutral Age (Non-DC AU)
Categories: Fantasy, Fluff
Summary: Gahyeon, the reader's mysterious neighbor and crush, accidentally interrupts her dinner.

♡

It wasn't long after you moved into the small cottage at 3 Thistle Lane that you met Lee Gahyeon, your new neighbor. She was a sprightly young woman with bountiful energy and vibrant pink hair that always looked as though she had just dyed it that day, which often made you wonder how she kept up with it so well, since any hair salon was quite a trip from where you now lived.

That was but one of many mysteries about the sweet girl, who had first approached you after you had moved in with flowers that looked as though they had been plucked only seconds before she placed them in the hand-woven basket that she handed to you with a thousand-watt smile and a shy murmur of welcome. In all the small talk that you had engaged in with her since, she never said what she did for work, but you assumed that it was something remote, seeing as that was how most of the people in your new neighborhood lived. It was a long trip to get anywhere from the rural area that you had moved into. Luckily for you, you were a writer, and you were already finding it quite easy to work from home, much to your delight.

You had adjusted so well that time seemed to fly by, and before you knew it, you had lived in the cottage at 3 Thistle Lane for three months already. You had just sat down at your dining room table, smiling to yourself as you breathed in the scent of the delicious pot pie you had made – far too big for one person, you realized halfway through the task, but it would save you some time for a few days since you could reheat the leftovers – when a soft knock at your back door made you look up in surprise. You caught a glimpse out the door's window through the delicate floral curtains that had been pulled back with satin ribbons, and as a familiar head of rosy hair and peach cheeks came into view, you instinctively smiled.

"Gahyeon! What a lovely surprise," you said with utter sincerity as you pulled open the door, taking in the sight in front of you.

Gahyeon was dressed in a simple white lace dress, the sweetheart neckline of which was accented by two red ribbons that made her figure look so stunning that you felt a blush spread over your cheeks. "I hope that I'm not interrupting your dinner," she said worriedly, peering behind you at the set table.

"Actually, I was just about to sit down to eat, and I realized that I've made way too much food. Would you be willing to join me?"

"Well, I just came over to share some vegetables," Gahyeon smiled shyly, gesturing to the basket in her left hand. "But that sounds really nice, if you're sure that you don't mind any company."

"Mind? Are you kidding?" you admonished her, pulling the door open wider and ushering the young woman inside. "I'm elated to have your company."

"Oh," Gahyeon laughed slightly, and though she was looking down at her stocking-covered feet after having removed her shoes at the door, you could still see a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Then I'll stay, and thank you. Can I help you with anything?"

"No, just have a seat at the table and I'll get you a plate," you replied with a smile as you headed towards the kitchen to fetch another set of cutlery and a second plate and water glass.

"Alright," you heard Gahyeon reply from behind you. Your task only took a moment, and you quickly returned to the dining table to find Gahyeon sitting very primly with an anticipatory look on her face in the chair across from yours.

"Thank you for the vegetables," you said softly as you put together Gahyeon's place setting. "I've used some of your carrots in this pot pie. They looked lovely, and I'm sure that they taste amazing as always." Gahyeon had frequented your house several times before already with "overflows," as she called them, from her garden. She always seemed to have hundreds of thriving plants that produced the juiciest of fruits and the sweetest of vegetables. You were never sure just how she accomplished such a feat, seeing as you didn't have nearly as much good luck during your own attempts at gardening in your backyard, but perhaps your brown thumb was to blame. Gahyeon seemed to always be outside tinkering with her plants in some fashion, but you never seemed to be able to find the time or knowledge to do such things.