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It was a chilly day in early February, the kind that made every breath of air turn into clouds. The mall was crowded and decorated in pinks and reds for Valentine’s Day—ribbons, glittering hearts, tacky signs, the entire ensemble.
Jinshi and Basen were casually browsing a department store, though they looked oddly serious. Just like the other dozens of people in the mall, they were browsing for Valentine’s Day gifts. Jinshi shopping for Maomao, and Basen for Lishu. It wasn’t their first Valentine’s, but somehow it felt just as challenging.
“I don’t know what she wants this year at all,” Basen mumbled.
“You’re making it more of a big deal than it is.” Jinshi replied with forced confidence—he was struggling just as much.
They stopped at a stand, the kind that was stacked with chocolates and glittery gift boxes.
Maomao wasn’t average, he knew that much. Plushies and things plastered in hearts weren’t necessarily her thing. Last year, he’d gotten away with gifting her a strange potted plant she’d wanted. But this year… he did want to try something cliché. Just once.
“What’re you two looking at?”
Oh right, Lihaku was also there. He had tagged along, but it didn’t look like he was too serious about it.
“Maomao doesn’t like sweets… but she doesn’t hate chocolate. Maybe dark chocolate?” Jinshi muttered to himself.
Basen frowned, lifting up an expensive-looking skincare set from the shelf. He turned it in his hands before shaking his head and putting it back down. Jinshi mirrored him—placing the box of chocolates back. Both sighed in unison and shuffled on.
“Girls are quite complicated…” Basen rubbed his head.
“Indeed…” Jinshi agreed gravely.
The trio continued wandering, stopping at a few storefronts, peeking inside, then dismissing them with equal disappointment. Nothing screamed the perfect gift.
Lihaku chuckled beside them, “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind some flowers!”
The two dramatically paused, glaring at him as if to say, “He can’t be serious.”
Jinshi straightened, coughing lightly.
“What are you getting Pairin?” he asked curiously.
“Hm? Flowers and chocolates.” Lihaku said, so casually it was almost insulting.
Both men stared at him like he’d grown a second head.
“I buy her whatever she asks for!” he added proudly.
Jinshi’s unimpressed expression deepened. “Isn’t that too.. simple?”
Lihaku was the type to shower her with those types of gifts usually.
He stretched lazily, linking his hands behind his head. “I guess I’m also warned to save up my energy...”
“What does that have to do with—“
Ah.
Jinshi groaned aloud, pinching the bridge of his nose. Basen wisely chose silence.
“…Let’s just call it a day. We still have time,” Jinshi said calmly, pulling out his phone.
“I suppose…” Basen’s voice sounded a bit dejected—until the Jinshi suggested food and he perked right back up.
While the two debated restaurants, Lihaku’s eyes were absently wandering around, scanning their surroundings like a curious dog.
“Oh!” he exclaimed suddenly. “Can we make a stop here?”
But it was less of a question and more of an announcement. Without waiting for a response, he walked off and disappeared into a building just ahead.
Jinshi raised an eyebrow, his gaze following. And just by looking at it, he could tell it was no good.
LED lights glowed purple and pink around the entrance, and above it sat a sleek black sign with bold letters sprawled across it. Couples walked out clutching discreetly wrapped bags—too discreet for Jinshi’s liking.
Basen, earnest as ever, was already following Lihaku before he grabbed him by the collar.
“You shouldn’t..” he muttered, maintaining as much composure as he could.
“Huh? What is it?”
Jinshi sighed, “You really can’t tell what kind of shop this is?” His face was growing red just thinking about it.
Basen tilted his head, clueless and confused.
Jinshi pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, for your sake, we shouldn’t follow…”
His words trailed off.
Of all the times, he started to remember something that had happened just the other night.
It was late, their apartment quiet except for the occasional rustle of paper. Jinshi lay on his side, idly twisting Maomao’s hair into something resembling a braid. And next to him, she was stretched out comfortably on her stomach, a book open in front of her.
This was how most of their nights went—her reading, and him occupying himself with whatever part of her he could reach.
Jinshi hummed, watching her face in the dim light.
“What are you reading?” he asked, curiosity clear in his voice.
Without answering, Maomao closed the book halfway and tipped it towards him, showing the cover and title. Not that it helped him much.
“What genre?”
“A romance,” she replied simply, eyes already back on the page.
Jinshi blinked. “Since when do you read those?” The braid in his fingers fell apart as he loosened his hold on her hair.
“Joka said it’d be a good read.”
He shifted closer, resting his cheek in his palm. “You take her recommendations seriously.”
Maomao nodded, then with a glance in his direction added, “I actually quite like this one.”
Jinshi smiled at her, he couldn’t help it. She sighed like she already knew what that smile meant.
“Let me see.”
Maomao was already handing the book over, finger keeping the place.
Jinshi settled on the page she’d been on, skimming through it. He expected flowery words about fated lovers. Instead—
“‘Fluffy handcuffs!?’ What is this?!” Jinshi’s voice cracked as he read through the first sentence.
“Ah, maybe this wasn’t a good scene to start with.” Maomao took the book back casually.
“This is a bit more than just romance,” he coughed, clearing his throat.
She only shrugged. “It’s some people’s cup of tea.”
“I guess so..” Jinshi laid on his back, looking up at the ceiling.
The room went quiet again.
...
Maomao looked at him. “What?”
They’d been together long enough for her to tell when something was on his mind.
“..Well, are you into that?”
She narrowed her eyes. She let the silence hang in the air before she closed the book and set it aside.
“Hmm.. am I?” She rolled onto her side, facing him.
His brows rose. He edged a bit closer. “Are you?” He said back.
“I think it’s too extreme for you.”
“Extreme?” Jinshi puffed out his cheeks, hands reaching out to touch her face. “So that is something you’d wanna try…?” His voice dropped to a whisper.
Maomao studied him, faint amusement in her expression.
“Mm.. I don’t care..” she yawned. “Just don’t do anything stupid.” she said a bit too knowingly.
She shifted closer against his chest, closed her eyes, and drifted to sleep.
He looked down at her, brushing a stray strand of hair from her neck. ..A faded bite mark peeked out.
Jinshi blinked.
“On second thought—we can’t leave Lihaku behind.” he declared, marching forward.
Basen, lost but loyal as ever, followed after him.
Once inside, Jinshi immediately realised that this might’ve been beyond his depth. The place was dimly lit, velvety, and smelled strongly of perfume. Rows of lace and silk lingerie hung on displays, ranging from sweet and frilly to alarmingly minimal. The walls were lined with neatly packaged toys, ropes, cuffs, even leather sets that made Jinshi’s throat dry up.
It was clearly not a shop for three men to casually wander into—or maybe it was. Whatever floated your boat.
“J-Jinshi… what is this place?!” Basen stammered, quickly catching on.
Jinshi couldn’t even muster a proper answer.
Lihaku was already deep in the shop, chatting casually with the staff as though he was just browsing for tea.
He glanced back at Basen—his poor subordinate looking like a deer in headlights, his face burning red.
“I’m leaving—!” he choked, spinning on his heel.
But he didn’t make it far.
“Sir, can I help you today?”
A staff member intercepted him—a stunning young woman smiling warmly, unfortunately Basen’s very obvious weak point. He jerked his head away so fast it was a miracle he didn’t pull a muscle.
“N-no… it’s fine!”
“Aw, but it’s Valentine’s Day soon, isn’t it?” she cooed, entirely unbothered. “Looking for a gift for your partner?”
Before he could protest, she looped her arm through his and began pulling him further inside. “We have some adorable lingerie sets!”
“L-lingerie?!” Basen squeaked, nearly tripping over himself. “She… she wouldn’t wear things like that!”
He was fighting hard, but clearly not hard enough. The poor man was as stiff as a board, simply too polite to resist.
However, Jinshi’s amusement didn’t last long as another staff member approached him.
“Welcome sir! Looking for a gift too?”
Somehow, he managed a polite wave of his hand, though his red ears betrayed him.
“…I’m just waiting for my friend.”
The woman tilted her head, unconvinced, but smiled anyway. “Of course! “I’ll leave you be.”
He let out a quiet sigh of relief and dared a glance around the shop once more.
Bad idea. His eyes caught on a wall display of large… toys—he immediately looked away, his face heating up. Yes. He was absolutely out of his depth here.
Determined to keep his eyes on something safe, he scanned for Lihaku. To his horror, the man was already at the register—cheerfully checking out with a bag full of items.
Jinshi marched over. “…What the hell did you just buy?”
Lihaku grinned, “Just some—” He started reaching into the bag to proudly display his haul but Jinshi shoved his hands back down instantly.
“—Actually, never mind. I don’t want to see it.”
He was quiet for a second, though it would be a lie to say he wasn’t a little curious.
“…How do you even know Pairin would like… this?” Jinshi mumbled, vaguely gesturing to the incriminating bag.
Lihaku tilted his head, chuckled, and pulled out his phone instead. He held it out with zero shame.
Jinshi leaned in. It was messages between him and Pairin.
“Liliii you’re in the area right?? I’m busy so can you buy me lingerie for Valentine’s ♪（ｖ＾＿＾）”
“Lube too! ♡”
Jinshi blinked. “…Lili?”
“Haha, that’s embarrassing!” Lihaku admitted with a sheepish scratch of his cheek.
Jinshi gave him a look, only because that being the most embarrassing part was worrying. He had little shame.
Clearing his throat, Jinshi tried to sound casual, “Well say… for the.. clothes… How do you even know… like… the..” His voice cracked around the edges.
“Her size?” Lihaku asked.
“Well! I wasn’t going to say it like that, but—you know—” Jinshi nodded, ears burning.
“Hm..” Lihaku crossed his arms, thoughtful. “I dunno. At some point I just figured it out.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Before he could get an answer, a loud clatter cut through the store. Both of them turned just in time to see Basen collapse, a poor staff member hovering beside him, holding up a frilly pink lingerie set. Basen’s face was a deep red—and he looked seconds away from foaming at the mouth.
Jinshi let out a breath. Somehow, knowing there was someone more hopeless than himself was oddly comforting.
Lihaku was kind enough to go and haul Basen up and start carrying him out. Jinshi trailed after them, grateful to escape—until he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He looked back and it was the same staff member from earlier. She smiled sweetly and pressed a card into his hand.
“Sir, please take this.”
“Oh no, it’s—”
She nudged him. “When you come back, don’t hesitate to use this discount.”
When I come back?!
Jinshi looked down at the card, then back at Lihaku dragging a limp Basen towards the exit.
…
He pocketed the card. Quickly.
“Thank you for shoooppinggg!” the employee sang as he hurried after them.
So, that’s how Jinshi found himself—after far too many days of procrastination—standing in front of that same shop, on the very day of Valentine’s.
To clarify, he had already bought Maomao a gift with a guaranteed success rate: some strange herb, an obscure mixture, the usual.
But he had told himself he’d try something more cliché this year. Though… standing here, he was starting to realize this might be pushing the boundaries of “cliché” in their relationship.
Jinshi straightened his posture. It was fine. Totally fine. He didn’t look conspicuous at all.
Or so he thought.
Dressed in a jacket, scarf, hat, sunglasses, and a mask, he looked less like a normal customer and more like an idol trying to dodge paparazzi. But for him, the disguise was crucial—being caught here would be a nuke on his reputation.
“Alright,” he muttered under his breath. Then marched forward with confidence, slipping easily into the shop.
The atmosphere hit him immediately: the glow of LED lights, mannequins dressed in lacy garments, shelves with objects that made his eyes immediately dart away. He frowned, rummaging in his pocket—he was on a strict schedule, he absolutely couldn’t get sidetracked.
“Welcome back, sir! How can I help you today?”
Jinshi paused. ...Welcome back?
He slowly turned around, and sure enough, it was the same employee from a few days before, smiling at him like they were old friends.
But they weren’t—so why was she looking at him like that?
Behind his glasses, Jinshi stared at her. She stared right back. For a second it felt like a silent battle of wills, though... Jinshi wasn’t even sure what he was trying to win.
So much for the disguise… He sighed, pulling his mask down briefly.
The woman grinned knowingly, as if to say I knew it. “So, looking for a Valentine’s Day gift?”
“A gift… well—yes. Something like that.”
Her smile sharpened. “Ah, I see. A surprise. Wonderful! I can show you to our range—”
“Actually…” Jinshi cleared his throat.
From his pocket, he slowly revealed an oversized sticky note covered in neat handwriting. And although the handwriting was pristine, the contents of the note were quite… vulgar. Different toy names, some circled, some crossed out, vague measurements (he’d done some snooping), favourite colours, and many more strange scribbles.
The employee blinked, looking down at the note, then back up at him, visibly impressed and not disturbed in the slightest.
Finally, she let out a smug laugh. “I was wrong to doubt you, sir. Please, right this way!”
In a way, that only hurt Jinshi’s pride more.
Quickly pulling his mask back up to hide his face, he followed her in silence. It wasn’t his style, and certainly out of his comfort zone… but if it meant Maomao would be satisfied, then it was worth it.
I hope she’ll like it, he thought, straightening up despite the heat in his cheeks.
Meanwhile, somewhere across the city, Maomao sat quietly on a train, her bag in her lap and looking out the window.
But out of nowhere—
Achoo!
She sneezed.
Maomao frowned faintly to herself.
“…Strange.”
And that was that.