Chapter Text
Minnie went again. And again and again. Three more times in the 2 weeks following her third visit. The taste of friendly, reasonable human contact after isolating herself for a couple years made her realize she needed it. Her schooling had made her wary of many people and things, so she had kept no connections to other people her age. She found them to be untrustworthy.
But Miyeon had somehow captivated her enough to keep going back. The 6th visit, Miyeon actually sought her out. She cornered Minnie as she was staring vacantly at a display of vials of various sizes.
“I thought I heard you come in.” Miyeon looked very satisfied at Minnie's shocked look. Today she was wearing a strapless dress with exposed shoulder and collarbones. She looked wonderful. “You're our only regular and I've memorized how you open the door and the way you walk. As if you don't wish to disturb anyone.”
Minnie bit back after getting over her shock at being remembered. “It's only because it's so quiet in here all the time.”
Miyeon's face fell. Her hair drooped a little too. “Yeah… It's empty. Sometimes you're the only customer I see all day.”
Minnie couldn't help but frown sadly too. She hadn't meant react so harshly to Miyeon. She turns back to the shelf beside her to avoid having to look at her despondent figure. “How are you two still surviving?”
“Soyeon's savings,” Miyeon says with a small smile. “She's not too happy about it, but she'd hate seeing the business fail even more.”
Minnie hadn't seen Soyeon again since their first meeting, but she had learned more about her from talking with Miyeon. Miyeon had endless compliments for her “partner in crime”. She had met Soyeon before her business had taken off, and once it had, Miyeon had stepped in to help. She was endlessly proud of Soyeon’s fortitude and openly admired her knowledge. Miyeon and Minnie’s interactions were often full of tidbits of information about the items stocked in the store, most of which she had learned from Soyeon. Often thrown in were compliments about Minnie, and how “lovely she was to have around,” which made Minnie flush every time.
“Oh! You've actually been helping a lot as well!” Miyeon smiled sweetly. It was as if she could read Minnie’s mind. “I know that's probably a little weird since I almost consider you a friend now, but the money you give us for your purchases has helped immensely.”
Minnie was stunned. “I'm your friend?”
Miyeon looked at her fondly. “Yeah, of course. It gets lonely here you know.”
It took a minute for all her words to sink into Minnie's brain, but when they did she instantly scrambled for her purse. “I-I can help more I have a lot of money on me you shouldn't have to worry so much when I can help.”
Miyeon halted her actions with a gentle hand and a gentle laugh, causing Minnie to blush. Miyeon then pulled her into a hug, giving Minnie an elegant bare shoulder to the face. Minnie felt that she was probably growing redder as she wrapped her arms around Miyeon's waist to return the hug. It had been a while since she had a friend, especially one so beautiful. Thankfully in this position Miyeon couldn't see her face.
Truthfully, Miyeon’s refusal of Minnie’s cash only increased her desire to help. No one she had interacted with had refused money, especially not in favor of connecting with her. Minnie, unfortunately, couldn’t think of another, better way to help.
Minnie eventually let go of her embarrassment and let herself enjoy the hug. When Miyeon began to pull away Minnie couldn't help but linger. “I haven't had a hug in so long…” She finally let go.
Miyeon laughed lightly. She laughed a lot and it always warmed Minnie's heart. “I've only hugged Soyeon recently.”
Minnie smiled warmly. She feels content in a way she hadn't for a long time. “You two seem really close.”
“Yeah… been together a while.” she smiled wistfully. “When I had to start covering the second counter I saw less of her but we always spend nights together. Now I just think she gets lost in here.”
“Do you...live nearby?”
“Oh yeah, there's a couple rooms connected to the shop. Few downstairs, few upstairs. Soyeon was living alone, but she made space for me.” Miyeon looked at the shelf next to them, seemingly thinking about something else. Minnie looked down and shuffled her feet.
“You wanna see it?”
She looked up again in surprise. Miyeon was tilting her head at her curiously, like a little puppy.
Minnie wanted to pet her hair. “Where you live?”
“Yeah,” Miyeon smiled softly. “Don't worry about being a bother, we’d enjoy your presence.”
Minnie was worried. “Don't you have to run the counter?”
“After that, of course!”
Minnie still wasn't sure. She looked off to the side awkwardly, not wanting to stare at Miyeon's cheerful face. But that didn't last long as Miyeon moved her attention back with a soft tap on her cheek. “You don't have to if you don't want to.”
Minnie grabbed the hand next to her face, still not looking at Miyeon's eyes. Her hand was soft and Minnie began stroking it with her thumb before she realized what she was doing. “Okay.”
“Really?!” Miyeon sounded ridiculously happy for just one word. Before Minnie realized what was happening, she was being hugged again, and it was perhaps the warmest embrace she had ever been in.
While she waited for Miyeon to finish her shift, Minnie went out. It had become a habit to stop by their shop whenever she went out, but today she had other, less magical errands. One can't eat crystals after all.
After collecting all her necessities of food and toiletries, she stopped to eat lunch at a sandwich shop, and ate outside to enjoy the sunshine. The cobblestone walking path was in an isolated part of the city, the sounds of traveling motor vehicles distant. The brightly lit alley was not only a place for shops for magical people, despite the hidden nature of the path. Plenty of the buildings housed shops that non-magical people would consider “normal”, but there were also many of a more magical nature. A plant store had flora lined up in front of its windows, and the fronds of a few trees waved at passerby. A bakery was next to it, linked to the sandwich shop Minnie sat outside, the scents of bread wafting across the street. On either end of the road, where the path became narrower and clearly delineated it as a walking path only, were residential buildings, compelling the people living there to enjoy the ease of nearby shopping. The street was busy as a result of all these factors; though magic folk were known for enjoying hidden spaces, even non-magical people would enjoy some quiet shopping time away from the city center.
Despite this lovely quietness, she soon left her place in the sun in order to return to the shop. Though the crowd wasn’t loud, they were observant, and Minnie felt exposed in her patterned dress and oversized hat.
Back in the comfort of the shop, she listened for any sound of people. Because of the outside noise, the shop felt eerily empty. She sniffed, curious of the nature of her surroundings. Over time she had noticed the smell of the shop, an herby one. If someone lacked her skills and didn't know it was a magic store, they might think it was a spice shop. Magic was never too far off from cooking though, and comparisons of magic to bakeries and the like were common. It was a comforting smell; perhaps she made the association with cooking because of fond memories of her mother.
Her mother always smelled strongly of baking and magic. She had used the connection between the two as inspiration and motivation to create her own bakery; much like one would assume, her goods were not solely for the purpose of filling ones stomach. Minnie recalled feeling awe as she watched her mother whip up loaves of bread, and the comforting warmth the would spread to her toes whenever she bit into her slice.
The fond memories of her mother filled her mind as she headed to the back of the store, where she would wait for Miyeon. It had been a long time since she had thought about her mother, or had even bothered to remember her childhood. It was something that had become useless to her as she grew up, but now she wondered why she would forget her past when it made her feel this good. She found herself wandering through a new part of the store, but trusted her knowledge of the space to bring her to the place she needed to be. Sure enough, she soon came across a door that said employees only. She looked down to find the welcome mat that Miyeon had mentioned, and gave a small smile at the inconsistency between the two messages.
She didn’t notice time passing, and wasn’t sure how long it had been since she entered the shop, but Miyeon arrived surprisingly quickly. She gave a bright but tired smile in greeting, before unlocking the door to their home. She kicked off her shoes by the door and disappeared through another doorway. Minnie took her boots off more slowly, carefully untying her shoelaces. She gently closed the door behind her, and followed Miyeon deeper into the apartment.
Through a doorway on a left she could see a dark kitchen, while on the right was a sitting room, which featured a couple of couches and TV prominently, though other furniture was scattered throughout the room. Miyeon sat down on the couch facing the TV, and looked brightly towards Minnie, encouraging her forward with a gesture. She patted the spot next to her, and Minnie sat down obediently. Miyeon curled her feet up under herself, explaining, “I can show you around in a bit, I just want to rest my feet before I start walking all over.”
Minnie felt the fabric of the couch under her; it was a tasteful mustard that didn’t overwhelm the room, and it felt slightly soft and fuzzy. It was much more comfortable than the firm seating Minnie has for her own apartment; neither she nor her parents had seen much reason for fancy furniture. “Your couch is nice.”
Miyeon grinned. “Thank you. I had to spend some time furnishing this place until it was suitable for two people. Soyeon only had the bare basics.”
In the corner of the room, behind the TV stand, there was a table covered in papers. The mess of the table seemed out of place amongst the rest of the otherwise orderly room. She shifted forward, examining the room from her spot at the couch while Miyeon closed her eyes to rest.
“I’m curious. What brought you to our shop in the first place?”
Minnie startled. Some time had passed since they had sat down, and Minnie almost thought Miyeon had fallen asleep. She brushed off her surprise, and considered Miyeon’s question. “I’m not really sure. I come to this alley often since my apartment is nearby, but there are many stores so I just never happened across yours before.” Really, she didn’t think it was entirely coincidence that she came across the store. She couldn’t accurately remember, but every time she had gone to the store it felt like something was pulling her towards it. It was convenient there was always something she ended up needing when she went.
“Did you figure out what to use that crystal for?” Miyeon was tapping the side of the glass of water that had already been on the table.”Not a lot of people can figure out how to use the crystals we have.”
“I did some tests and I think it’s a kind of energy holder or storage place… something like that. If I casted a spell close enough to it part of the spell would like… go into it. Not sure how useful it is but it’s very fascinating.”
Miyeon looked quite impressed and Minnie felt some kind of emotion crash through her. Perhaps pride.
Miyeon leaned closer to Minnie and asked, “So, how did you start practicing magic?”
Minnie’s eyes widened and she leaned a little away in response. “Well, I started learning from birth. Didn’t you?” Minnie had never met someone who hadn’t grown up learning magic. Her school was a special private one where magic families would send their talented children, so any acquaintances she had made there already had many years of magical experience under their belt. Logically, she knew there were people who didn’t use magic at all, but she had never really thought about it before.
Miyeon leaned back again, resting her arms on the back of the couch. “No, I’ve only been studying it for a few years. I only got interested in college because I didn’t have much interaction with it before that.” She smiled sweetly, but it looked kind of unsure. The first awkward smile Minnie had seen from her. “I didn’t know it was so uncommon for people to do that.”
Minnie started. “Well, I mean, I don’t know much either, I just never was around non-magical people before. I thought it was either something you were born into or you would never do it in your life.” Minnie took a second to consider. “I guess it makes sense that you could learn, we have schools for a reason.”
Miyeon laughed, looking cheerful again. Minnie felt proud again. “I think I’m a little too old for school now, I’ve learned what I know all on my own.”
Now it was Minnie’s turn to be impressed. “That probably takes a lot of determination right? I can’t imagine learning the basics without some support.”
“Well, it wasn’t too difficult for me, I think. I don’t really have any basis for comparison. My first year I mostly just read everything I could without many attempts of actual casting.” She tugged the hem of her dress over her knees. “I didn’t feel safe doing it alone and didn’t know where to go, so.” She perked up, “and then I met Soyeon! She helped a lot. She’s really sweet and practical and wonderful. Everything seemed much easier with her around.”
Minnie giggled, actually giggled at Miyeon’s enthusiasm. She had never met someone quite as fun before. She couldn’t remember having laughed in years.
Miyeon looked thrilled that she had pulled laughter out of her new friend. “Your laugh is really cute.”
Minnie covered her mouth, her cheeks turning red. She knew she looked shocked, not yet able to take a compliment smoothly. No one had really complimented her before, not before Miyeon. “Uhm.. ah. Thank you…”
Miyeon smiled softly. “You’re welcome.”
They were silent for a bit, Minnie looking down at her dress and bunching it above her knees, lifting the end off the floor. She could feel Miyeon’s eyes still on her, and though she couldn’t see her, she kind of felt… good. It wasn’t the kind of staring that makes her feel exposed or judged, instead making her feel kind of comfortable. The silence wasn’t awkward, but Minnie still felt as if it should be filled. However, when she opened her mouth, Miyeon looked above her head with a bright smile. “Hi Soyeon.”
She heard a quiet but voluminous female voice behind her. “I heard laughter?”
Minnie twisted in her seat to look behind her, and found Soyeon, looking much different from the last, and first, time she had seen her. She was in pyjamas instead of the hat and overalls from then, and her hair was down. She looked softer, and tired. However, when their eyes met, Soyeon’s eyes grew wide. Miyeon called out, “This is Minnie! I guess this is the first time you officially met.”
Soyeon came closer, and reached over the arm of the couch to clasp Minnie’s hand in greeting. “Miyeon’s talked about you a surprising amount.” Her cheeks were flushed, and Minnie chalked it up to feeling embarrassed about having a stranger in her home when she wasn’t properly dressed.
Minnie shook Soyeon’s hand, feeling shy. It had taken a lot of effort and hard work on Miyeon’s part to get Minnie comfortable chatting, but suddenly she was faced with a new person and found herself out of words. Soyeon looked sweeter and more open now that she was not working, and Minnie found herself wanting to know more about her, and what kind of person she really was. She didn’t express this out loud though, thinking it might be a strange thing to say, and she suddenly felt hyperconscious of her eccentric garments. There were too many things flowing through her mind, and nothing intelligent popped into her head, so she stayed silent and just watched Soyeon’s cheeks get redder the longer she stared.
Soyeon eventually broke eye contact and said, “I’m surprised you’re still here. It’s kind of late, and I thought you were leaving before dinner.”
“Oh!” Minnie turned to find Miyeon gasping in shock. “She’s right, it’s almost eight! You should get home before it gets too dark.”
Minnie stood and gathered herself, making sure she wouldn’t leave anything behind. Soyeon stopped her before she left the room and said, “Wait a sec.” She went to the desk in the corner and scribbled something on a corner of a piece of paper, tearing it off. She came back to Minnie, and handed the paper to her. “Here. It’s our phone number, so you can call us instead of walking all the way down here every time you want to chat.”
“Oh!” She wasn’t expecting quite a nice gesture from Soyeon, after the implication that her presence was unwelcome. She didn’t think badly of Soyeon, but it did feel like Minnie was invading their personal space by having been here so long. “Uhm. Thank you.” She took the piece of paper. Maybe, the number was just a way to keep her away, so she wouldn’t come anymore and bug them. Was she being too intrusive?
Soyeon was looking at her feet, arm across her waist. Miyeon came over and threw her arms around Minnie, embracing her warmly. Minnie hugged back, feeling awkward with Soyeon right there, but she did not show any sort of negative expression like Minnie was expecting. In fact, she was looking up and smiling. Miyeon pulled back, and Minnie refocused on her as she spoke, “I really hope you come here more now. I like seeing you. I think you two would get along really well too!” She looked between Soyeon and Minnie. Soyeon nodded, still smiling, though she was looking at Miyeon instead of locking eyes with Minnie.
Minnie promised, “I’ll come back,” and smiled too.
The walk to her apartment wasn’t too long, but it felt lonely after the leaving the warmth of the shop. A few places were still open, but most were closed or closing. She didn’t stay in the street too long, her apartment residing in one of the buildings at the end of the alley. She opened the street door into the building, waved at person in the lobby who was guarding the door, and walked up the stairs to the third floor. Everything was quiet. Outside wasn’t too dark yet, and all the lights in the building were on, but it still felt very different than all other times she had been here. She had not been outside at night much before, spending most of her time in her apartment, experimenting.
She reached her fourth floor apartment and plugged in the keycode. She pushed open the unlocked door and pulled off her boots, which she had not bothered to lace up again. The laziness wasn’t like her, but things had felt different lately. Logically, she decided it didn’t matter because no one would be able to see it under her dress anyway, and she didn’t wish to linger and risk bothering her hosts.
The door closed shut behind her, shutting out the light and bringing the entryway into nearly complete darkness. She didn’t bother turning on any lights when she turned into the kitchen space and grabbed a granola bar and chowed it down. She ate quickly, but it still resulted in her staring at the dark stove absentmindedly for 5 minutes.
She left the wrapper on the table and got ready for bed, washing her hands and face and teeth. When she entered her bedroom, she shut the door behind her as she always did, though there was no need to with no one else around to keep her privacy from. She stood there, staring at her bed, feeling something she hadn’t really felt before. She slowly moved towards her bed, pulling off her long socks and throwing them on the floor, hooking her hat on a nearby chair, and gently pulling off her dress and adding it to the same chair, joined by her bra. Her pyjamas and every other piece of clothing she owned was neatly folded away in her dresser, but she didn’t bother to get them out this time before lying on her bed, sheets still tucked in.
She stared at her ceiling, still feeling. She found herself still wishing to be in the warmth of the shop, around Miyeon… and Soyeon too. Her empty living space, exponentially neater than theirs, felt cold tonight. She clambered off the bed, and pulled out a nightgown from her dresser, one that was not much different from the dress she was wearing in the day. She pulled it on, then climbed back into bed without bothering to clean up the scattered clothes, or even closing the drawer. She curled up under the covers, and felt significantly better, but still felt she was missing out on something. The image of Soyeon’s smile appeared in her mind, and the sound of Miyeon’s laughter followed, and she smiled too, feeling… content. She wiggled into her pillow in a way she hadn’t since she was a kid, and found herself falling asleep easily.