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Every day from then on, we'd meet each other like we planned. Some days at the park, some at the mall, and sometimes at those famous cafes she loved. We would talk for hours about everything we had done over the years. For me, everything felt so ordinary. Honestly, my life was even more boring than ordinary, because all I mostly did was read. That was it. Just reading books and web novels and scrolling through forums. But when I listened to her, to Han Sooyoung, it felt like I was sitting next to a star.
She had gone to so many places. She even visited Japan. Japan! I had only dreamed of going there. Her life was nothing like mine. Her fashion brand was massive. I hadn't heard of it before, probably because I only ever shopped at local malls. I wasn't the type to keep up with brands or trends. But when she showed me her designs, I felt like I was dreaming. The clothes didn't even look real,they were so beautiful and detailed, something straight out of a fantasy story.
"Oh Dokja, what about I show you my studio here in Seoul?" she asked, her eyes shining with excitement. "It's close to my house, so I could give you a tour too!"
A tour? Of her studio? And her house? This wasn't a normal day at all. My heart started racing. I was really excited, even though I'd never thought of making clothes or stepping into a fashion studio. Still, reading her novel always made me imagine fashionable clothes. Every character in her story had such amazing style. It made me curious in a way I hadn't expected.
We got into her car. I wasn't sure what I thought her car would look like, but it was still a surprise. It was designed beautifully on the inside. The seats were covered in sleek black leather, soft to the touch. The steering wheel had a dark purple cloth wrapped around it, stitched with tiny, glowing pearls. It felt like I had stepped into some high-class movie scene.
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The drive took around thirty minutes. We passed through the quieter side of the city. It was calming watching the trees pass by and the tall buildings getting smaller. Finally, we stopped at a building and parked in a nearby lot. The place didn't look like a studio, at least not how I imagined one. It looked more like a school building, honestly.
"I help students learn sewing here," she said as we walked inside. "I don't get a lot of students these days, so I mostly do my own work now."
"Does the owner let you do that?"
"Yeah, he doesn't mind," she smiled. "I keep my room clean, so he's fine with it."
"Oh… that's great. I don't even keep my house clean…"
She giggled softly. "Don't worry, you'll get better. I'll help you."
I was stunned. What did she mean by that? This girl, who was busy all the time with her work, who designed clothes and taught sewing,she wanted to help me clean my house? That didn't sit right. I mean, if she ever came over, she'd be a guest. I couldn't just let her clean.
"No need," I said quickly. "It's not even that bad. If I want, I can clean it in like… thirty minutes or so."
"That's great then," she said, smiling.
We kept walking through the hallway. Her footsteps were light, like she belonged in that place. Finally, we reached her studio room. When she opened the door, I was stunned.
It was huge. The room had high ceilings and large shelves stacked with rolls of fabric in every color and texture you could imagine. There were five stitching machines, each set up neatly in its own station. The walls had design sketches taped up with little notes written on them. It was bright, full of natural light, and smelled like cotton and paper. The whole place felt alive.
There were outfits already on mannequins,long coats, layered dresses, and cool casual styles that looked straight out of a drama. Every mannequin looked like it had its own personality. Like they could walk away any second and speak.
"So, Dokja, is this good?" she asked.
"It's honestly amazing," I replied, still staring around the room.
We ended up sitting in the studio for a while, just talking. We talked about her designs, her inspirations, and how she even started her brand. I told her some stuff too, not much, just things about my life, things I liked. She listened like it mattered.
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Time passed quickly, and outside the windows, the sky turned a deeper shade of gray. I didn't notice it right away, but soon, the quietness of the studio was interrupted by a knock.
It was soft at first.
Then again, three knocks.
I looked at the door. The glass panel beside it showed a blurry silhouette. It was a man. I couldn't tell who, but something about the shape of him made me freeze.
Han Sooyoung walked over and opened the door.
And then I saw him.
My ears started burning. My chest tightened. My legs felt weak.
My eyes stung instantly and tears began to form without warning. My vision was going blurry.
The air suddenly felt thin. I tried to breathe, but it felt like I was gasping for nothing.
The ground felt unstable beneath me. The lights in the room seemed to flicker even though they weren't. I could barely hear Sooyoung's voice calling my name.
My knees gave out.
I collapsed.
Everything went black.
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