lucky charms ✧･ﾟ y.m [book 1]

seventy-seven

It had been over 48 hours since Jiyeon had stepped foot outside of her house.

It was only when her chocolate stash had run out that he had finally had enough.

"Boys, I'll be heading out for a while," she called to Yoongi and Jimin. The two of them were talking quietly on the couch, Yoongi's head lying in Jimin's lap. "Text me if you need anything."

They nodded, and Jiyeon stepped foot out of the house.

Finally.

It was a nice day out. The wind was gentle enough to cause strands of her short wavy hair to fly up, only for her to catch them and tuck them neatly behind her ear.

She could get her hair dyed today, she thought. Or she could visit that ice cream parlor that Jimin and Yoongi liked so much.

Recently, the more she saw the two together, the more this foreign, bittersweet feeling left her heart aching.

Odd as it may seem, she thought, she wanted that too.

Somebody to love.

Time had passed, and so did any thought of Jiyeon ever finding someone else after her husband had left.

She laughed to herself softly at what seemed like such an absurd idea, getting into her car. She was craving something sweet. Maybe ice cream was a good option.

<3

A little bell chimed above Jiyeon's head as she pushed the door in, eyes widening slightly as the sweet aroma of sugar and vanilla goodness hit her nose. Oh, how she loved that smell.

"Welcome to our little ice cream parlor!" a woman beamed behind the counter. She looked to be around the same age as Jiyeon, a baby pink apron hung around her neck, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. Soojin, her name tag said, her handwriting small and neat.

Looking around, she found herself falling in love with the little parlor, admiring exactly the same things that her own son saw in the place-- its brick walls, the pretty lights hanging from the ceiling, the tables and chairs a glossy white, a cozy feel to it all.

"Are you closing soon?" she wondered aloud as she reached the counter. "It's-- it's a bit empty."

The woman smiled and shook her head. "We, um, we close in a few more hours."

Jiyeon's cheeks warmed. "Oh," she replied stupidly. The woman was pretty, she observed, with light freckles dusting her pale complexion, her cheeks tinted a soft pink. Her hair fell in waves like Jiyeon's, though it ended just below her ears, dyed a dark chocolate brown with streaks of chestnut.

"No worries," she laughed softly. A warm, light, pretty laugh. Fitting. "It's usually this empty around this time. Pretty quiet, too."

"And during the day?"

"It's busier, but a manageable kind of busy, and-- and I do have a few regular customers to keep me company when no one's around."

"I don't see why more people don't come here," Jiyeon frowned. "This place looks lovely."

"It's like my home," Soojin admitted shyly. "It's only been a year or two since I opened the parlor, but-- it was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made."

Jiyeon's eyes widened. "Oh, you own the parlor, then?"

The woman nodded. "Yeah. It's nice, because I get to be here all the time. I love the vanilla smell of this place, it's comforting."