Baby Blue | Kang Mira

I never thought myself to be a bookish person.

Right now, wrapped in a silk duvet and my body rolled over the bed, with the auburn pages of 'Little Women' flashed before my eyes, I can only come into one conclusion- this book has cast a serious enchantment on me. Most of the times, I'm forgetting to shift my position, or even to push away the red strands of hair falling over my gaze.

Back in Kyeon-ju, I was never allowed to study. It was Aera, my little sister, who had the permission for that. But I never once minded. Aera used to take out a lot of books from the library of her school and we would read them in our secret hideout.

But the books Aera used to get from the library, were mostly based on filthy and toxic politics. The schools were run by the lead political party of the village; resulting a drastic change in the selection of chosen books. It took us days to recover some good ones which suited my taste.

Politics was never my preference. Yes, it was indeed a hot topic in the village, and surely, in our house because my father was the right hand of the Councillor. He couldn't be seen in the day and for that, day was my most liked time. When night approached, my nightmares also started.

I shake my head and push away the thoughts from my mind. Past is past, I keep telling this to myself, those who clutch on the past, lies and deaths, are the old ones.

I get back to reading. My fingers curl around the duvet to pull it above my waist. Right at the moment, someone knocks on the door.

"Come in." I speak while getting up from my lying position and quickly tying my hair in a fluffy bun. Beomgyu peeks into the room. His eyes are dark blue, unlike his brother's. And the most intriguing part of them is the way they shine like a sapphire all the time. 

"Noona, get ready. We are leaving to buy some necessities."

"Oh!" I mutter in surprise, pushing the duvet away. "That's sudden. Is it only you and me?"

"Soobin Hyung comes with us, of course. You know what? I'm sure that he can't survive without me for a single day." Beomgyu remarks sassily while checking his nails. Truth spoken. The bond they have is unparallel from what I have seen.

"And Yeonjun Hyung will join us from the hospital." Beomgyu finishes and cocks his head, eyeing me skeptically. "He's going to buy you a lot of dresses, Noona."

"I already have a lot of dresses. Why should he waste-" I start to speak, but Beomgyu cuts me off in the middle.

"Let my stupid brother to impress you, Noona. He's been absolutely dying for this."

I think that leaves me no space for farther discussion.

After twenty minutes, I step out of my room, fully dressed, to see Ms. Yena bickering with the brothers at the front door. Both of them are huffing and glaring at each other sulkily, with their hands crossed above their chests.

I take a moment to appreciate their peculiar clothing choice. The brothers are wearing matching deep blue shirts and pants with bright yellow stripes. Even their shoes are the same.

"The red bowtie is perfectly fine, Mr. Choi. It has no holes or whatsever," Ms. Yena speaks in an exasperated tone to Beomgyu, who keeps tugging down his bowtie, as if he's willing to rip it apart. "And no, Mr. Choi. You're not taking off the hat." she threatens Soobin who is halfway on throwing his blue hat into the dustbin behind him.

"What happened?" I ask Ms. Yena with curiosity. Beomgyu and Soobin immediately starts protesting.

"Look, Noona! Ms. Yena is forcing us to wear these ridiculous dresses!"

"Young masters, you need to dress like your age!" Ms. Yena sighs deeply. "Both of you are looking good enough, if this is what concerns you!"

"We look like kids cosplaying for Donald Duck!" Soobin hollars and stamps his left foot on the ground, then bends over to moan in pain instantly.

"Gosh, Mrs. Choi. Please, take them away." Ms. Yena rolls her eyes and turns back from us, going inside the house with angry steps.

"Let's go then. I assure you that you're looking quite cute." I pat both of them on their shoulders, and the brothers pout at me innocently.

"At least let us take off these yellow shoes, Noona?"

"Nope. You're wearing that."

Beomgyu and Soobin groan together. 

"Can I suggest something? Instead of buying dresses, how about we buy a book, Yeonjun?"

The man looks down at me, his charcoal eyes glinting intently. "A book?"

"Yes." I hold my right wrist, averting my gaze away from him. "There's a book I'm reading now. It has another part in the series. I looked for it in your bookshelf but couldn't find it."

"It's okay. I will get you the book you want." Yeonjun chuckles lightly. "I'm guessing it's Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott?"

"Yes!"

Yeonjun ruffles my hair in an affectionate way, locking me in his embrace and begins walking again. I hear a loud, belching sound behind us.

"But you need some new dresses first, Mira. I promise you to buy the book after that. Is it fine?"

"Yes and yes."

"Here." Yeonjun stops in front of a clothing store, which is decorated lavishly with pink and golden bows, confetti bursting from the roof and the bell in front the door tinkling often. The signboard says'Berty's Beautiful Dresses'. Another slightly small signboard is right beneath it, 'Perfect Place For Perfect Princesses!'

"Goons, I'm pretty sure your gender isn't applicable for entering in this shop." Yeonjun turns back, facing his two brothers who are huddled together. "So get away from my sight, please."

"And what are you?" Beomgyu spits back as if he has been waiting for it. "A cute, bubbly, meowing white cat?"

"Go away."

"Fine! We are going!" Beomgyu grips Soobin's hands and both of them blow raspberry at us in unison. "Enjoy your pet time with your lovely wife!" they set off to another alley and burge into a shop, causing the dog on the roadside to leap up in fright.

Yeonjun scoffs at the chaotic due and takes my hand again. At the moment we enter the shop, a short and plump lady bursts out from a row of sparkling gowns and rushes toward us.

"Hello! Welcome to Berty's Beautiful Dresses! I'm Berty, nice to meet you! What have made you to visit my shop in this busy hour? Gowns, skirts, or corsets? Perhaps a new pair of knee length socks? Ornaments? Hair colors? Cloaks? Shawls? We have all of them here!"

The woman rambles in an insanely fast speed which makes stars appear in our visions.

"Uh- gowns, I guess?" Yeonjun mumbles while scratching his nape. "Is that what you prefer, Mira-"

"Lovely!" the woman claps loudly and pulls my wrist, dragging me toward a section of dresses. I gasp in surprise as a crowd of colorful cloths slaps my face. "We have a lot of them!"

"Enjoy your time, Mira!" Yeonjun waves at me from behind, stifling his laughter. I make a pleading expression, trying to let him know that I wish to be saved from this torture, but he only shrugs and turns back.

"Now, now. What color do you prefer, my lady?" the plump woman lets go of my wrist and starts pulling apart numerous closets one by one, all of them are full of countless gowns. I stand there, stunned. Behind me, a group of girls walks past while roaming their eyes over the dresses.

"Any color." I answer in a timid voice. The woman tilts her head at me, looking confused.

"Then I guess I will have to dress you up!"

Before I can utter a single word, the woman has already started digging through the closets, pushing back multiple hangers and searching for a perfect dress.

"Not this one. No, golden will look horrible with red hair. Green? No, too feisty. Yellow? I think yellow is good, but it's not a comfortable color. How about baby blue, my lady?"

I crane my head aside stiffly, indicating a subtle yes. The woman dives into the sea of cloths again.

"This looks perfect for you, my lady!" she grins happily and brings out a simple, yet astonishingly blue gown. It has a short, white cape on top, the hems sewn with indigo flower patterns. 

"You can try it in the the room right here!" she points at a door beside. "Let's see if it suits you or not! Though I'm pretty sure that you're too beautiful for this silly gown of mine..."

Pampering and nudging, the woman pushes me inside the small room and shuts the door. I'm left with the soft material of gown held in my palms.

Small talks from outside reaches to my ears as I start opening the chain of my dress. A strong fragrance of lavender lies in the air; is it normal for public shops to smell this way? Light seeps through the bottom of the door, crawling up to my feet. I slide my hands through the long, white sleeves of the gown.

When I push the doorknob to exit the room, I don't see the woman near anymore. Maybe she has gone chasing behind another customer. Sighing, I stop and look at myself in the mirror.

Seems like a human.

Getting on my tiptoes, I continue peeking over the pool of dresses, until my gaze falls on Yeonjun. The man is leaning against the counter while staring down at the newspaper held in his hands. His eyebrows twitch as he turns over a page.

"Yeonjun, is this one okay?" I halt in front of the man who looks at me over the newspaper, and slowly brings it down. "I think it fits me quite well, don't you think?"

His gaze turns into a rather horrified one; this is what I can guess from his lips parting open and eyes bulging out in a dangerous speed.

"Do I look... that bad?" I mutter with discomfort. The horror in Yeonjun's gaze intensifies.

"Okay, I will change it." feeling insecure to my bones, I turn away quickly. "I can try another one-"

"Wait, wait!" Yeonjun drops the newspaper on the counter and stops me by holding my wrist. "Mira, where are you going? You-" he blinks rapidly while scanning me from head to toe, his deep gaze raising goosebumps on my skin. His shoulders slump down in a defeated way. "Oh my, Mira."

Yeonjun doesn't say anything for a good five minutes.

Then he stammers out. "You look... beyond of the world."

I blink, he blinks. We start a blinking game. Yeonjun lets go off my wrist in the process, his gaze turning softer and warmer as the time passes.

"Pretty. Absolutely pretty." he is talking like an enchanted painter, lost in the beauty of his own artwork. He wants to pinpoint exactly which part of it is making him lose his mind, but can't do that thoroughly. All the words are jumbled in a way that can't be rearranged; and even if they are rearranged, they won't sound like the way he wants them to.

"S-stop." my cheeks fume red, eyes wider than wild deers. "You are blabbing too much."

"You should know that I always speak what I believe." Yeonjun continues in a dazed tone. "And when I say you have no right to be this beautiful, Mira- I mean that I'm feeling so envious of you right now. Gender envy."

"You're going to regret saying this." I whisper while looking down at the floor. I think I can't turn more red than now. His words always leave a deep impact on me; and it makes me think that whether one day, he will also get disappointed like others.

"You're looking too much pretty, Mira." Yeonjun stands close to me, and the next second, I feel his fingers trailing down to the long strands of hair messed around my forehead. He gently brushes them aside. "Really. So so pretty."

I whack his hand away, to which he laughs near my ear. The sound of his laughter tingles my nerves, feeling overwhelmed by the surge of new emotions bringing warmth to my skin.

"A bookshop, please." I mumble and suck up my breath, because Yeonjun has just responded back to me by placing a soft peck on my cheek. "Please!"

After being done with the dresses, we step out of the shop hurriedly, because the shopkeeper woman keeps insisting us to buy more unnecessary things- such as a pair of fox gloves which I absolutely haven't liked. Yeonjun looks around for a sight of his brothers, even peeks into the shop they have burged inside before, but doesn't spot them.

"Do you think they have gone home already?" I ask, feeling the warm rays of the setting sun over my skin.

"I think so."

Our next stoppage is a bookshop. I let out a gasp, happiness blooming inside my chest like pretty roses as my fingers run over the smooth covers of books displayed in front of me. Various, numerous, glorious; all of the books look inviting and been dying to be opened by me.

"You should also look around for more books, Mira. Maybe there's more which can pique your interest?" Yeonjun suggests while picking up a book from the shelf. I inch closer to it to read the title, 'The Metal Monster'.

"Do you like fantasy books?"

"Fantasy saves lives, Mira."

I smile at his answer, and go around in search for the book I want first. Along in the way, I keep touching the books and giggle; finding the thought endearing that how it will feel to spend rest of the summer reading inside this bookshop.

Yeonjun nearly jumps on his feet as I return to his side.

"That's a... lot." he points at the heap of books kept safely in my arms. My eyes light up like the Sirius in the sky.

"I found many books that have piqued my interest!"

Yeonjun looks flabbergasted, but doesn't speak more. And to my astonishment, I don't even feel guilty. The possible images of diving into the different world of these different books make me go crazy.

But I also don't forget to put inside The Metal Monster, too.

Yeonjun stops beside a tiny shop decorated with bright yellow fairy lights. There is a showcase of spices, sweetened fruits, crackers and colorful candies on display. I bring the books toward my chest, and stand close to him.

Being with Yeonjun makes me feel calm and safe.

"A box of lemon tea bags, please?" Yeonjun asks the shopkeeper who nods and starts preparing his request. I tilt my head to a side, confused.

"I think we have run out of tea in the house. Ms. Yena must have forgotten to tell me." he smiles while pointing at the books tucked in my arms. "Seems like you are going to have a long night, Mira. So you will need a cup of tea every now and then!"

And have I ever said that Yeonjun feels like dream?

A too good to be true dream.

a / n : beomgyu and soobin's outfit for today ↓

why don't you guys vote 😭 votes make me feel full and happy that my story is going somewhere... 

tani. 28.08.2023.