Finding a Poised Moment [ Part 1 ]

Dec 24, 2013 16:55

Taeyeon/Minjung
PG-13, Romance

★ It was all Gwiboon's fault that Taeyeon was in a convenient store one wintery night.

A/N Slight warning: This is a girl!SHINee story that I would have never posted if it weren't for xxgingerchanxxx. I corrected them but it was written 4 years ago so the quality is questionable.



When her roommate had insisted for her to get snacks one late, cold Saturday night, Taeyeon had not been impressed. In fact, throwing her laptop at Gwiboon’s face was an all-too-real thought that flashed through her mind.

She had calmed down considerably now that she was in front of the chocolate rack in the nearest convenience store. She bit her lips, staring tiredly at the colourful packages. There were so many kinds, so many brands and she honestly never paid attention to which one was Gwiboon’s favourite and which one she loathed entirely. Knowing her favourite anything was Junghee’s job, not Taeyeon’s.

“Need help?” The girl behind the counter asked. Taeyeon lifted her head up, smiling sweetly.

“Ah, that would be nice.”

The cashier smiled back, rounding the counter to stand beside Taeyeon in front of the chocolate. The girl had defined features and had her black hair up in a high ponytail. She looked quite gallant. Taeyeon wasn’t sure why that was her compliment of choice when describing the girl, but it made sense, somehow.

“Do you like dark or sweet chocolate?” She asked, grabbing a Snickers bar.

“It’s for my roommate,” Taeyeon said, wriggling her fingers inside her thick woollen mitts. “I’m not sure what she likes.”

“I see.” The cashier put the chocolate down to grab a Dairy Milk bar. “This one is semi-sweet. Can’t really go wrong with it.”

Bowing slightly, Taeyeon grabbed the chocolate that was handed to her. She went to take two more, just in case she could sneak one past her roommate’s eyes.

“Will that be all?” The cashier said, standing straighter and grinning down at her.

Taeyeon shook her head slowly, semi-mesmerized by the way a strand of hair fell from the girl‘s ears. “Do you have almond milk?”

“Yeah, hmm...” The tall girl pointed vaguely at the entire store. “I think it’s at the back.”

Taeyeon took a few seconds to realize that she needed to go and get it herself, half-expecting the cashier to go and fetch the milk for her. Shaking herself out of her trance, she moved quickly through the aisles, found the milk and jogged back to the main counter where the cashier wore and amused expression.

“Thanks.” Taeyeon said, plopping her items on the counter. She squinted to see the name on the girl’s tag. “Eunsook-ssi?”

“Oh no, this is my friend’s name, I’m wearing her uniform. Forgot mine at home.” She said. “I’m Minjung.”

Taeywon stretcher her arm over the counter, feeling the material of her thick jacket protest at the brusque movement. “Lee Taeyeon.”

Minjung shook her hand, laughing. “Nice to meet you, Taeyeon. I’ve never seen you around before. People are pretty regular usually.”

“It’s my first time here, the one in my building shut down recently.” Taeyeon giggled. “It was a bit creepy anyway.”

“Well, come back any time.” Minjung bagged her purchase and handed it to her when bills and coins landed on the counter.

“I will. Good night.”

“Have a good one,” Minjung waved.

The walk back was short but freezing. Taeyeon felt light-hearted; much more so than for the go-trip anyway. Getting home, Gwiboon all but jumped on her, pushing her nose down the bag to inspect the chocolate, missing the distant happy look Taeyeon wore.

------------

“Back so soon?” Minjung said when Taeyeon walked into the convenience store an hour later.

“Yeah. The chocolate wasn’t sweet enough.”

The tall girl leant on the counter, chuckling. She was now wearing a sweater that covered her name tag.

“Your roommate’s difficult, isn’t she?”

Taeyeon sighed heavily. “You have no idea.” She crouched in front of the chocolate rack. “She’s very persuasive though.”

Minjung laughed some more, leaning forward on the counter in order to watch Taeyeon glower at the myriad of choices in front of her. The atmosphere was somewhat tense. Taeyeon’s mood had gone down considerably after hearing Gwiboon screech about how she ‘should have known’ and ‘should have texted her’. Taeyeon had chosen to slip back into her winter gears over spitting a bitter remark about how much of a child Gwiboon was.

“Just buy her a Snickers or Kit-Kat,” Minjung suggested, shrugging.

“I don’t even want to go back.” Taeyeon gritted her teeth. “She needs to learn to go buy her own stupid chocolate.”

“Why doesn’t she?” Minjung asked, drawing back when Taeyeon got up to throw a Snickers bar and Kit-Kat on the counter.

“She’s impatient and she likes to be doted on,” Taeyeon rolled her eyes. “That’s all she knows.”

“I see,” Minjung scanned the items mindlessly, getting a new plastic bag out. “You can hang out here for a while if you want. Graveyard shifts are boring.”

“It’s really late,” Taeyeon said, grabbing the plastic bag thoughtfully. “But it is Friday.”

Minjung nodded, grinning. “No one ever comes in here this time of night. It’s boring. You can help me play solitaire.”

Taeyeon unbuttoned her jacket and pulled it off, but left her scarf dangling around her neck. It was cold in the store, the large windows and refrigerated sections exuding more cold air than the radiator managed to cancel out.

She watched the taller girl play with the default computer games in the system, giving her advices for Mah-jong and laughing at her strategy in Minesweeper. She’d gotten up to sit on the counter seeing as there was no other chair than the one Minjung was sitting on. At some point, she had gotten juice boxes for the both them, handing the banana-orange one to Taeyeon and grabbing a peach one for herself.

Taeyeon was chewing on the straw, swinging her feet back and forth between the counter and the wall of cigarettes and lottery tickets. Minjung groaned as a dialogue box popped up, claiming that she had lost her game of FreeCell. Turning away from the screen with a pout, she put her elbows on the part of the counter next to Taeyeon.

“You win some, you lose some.” The younger girl chirped, tapping on her Unnie’s head gently. She laughed when the only response was a playful glare. Smiling, she hopped down the counter and landed on her feet heavily. “Well, thanks for everything. I should get going.”

“Already?” Minjung perked her head up, eyes wide. “It’ll get lonely around here.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll be back, but for now...” Taeyeon slid her phone on and showed the 20 unread messages on her home screen. “I think someone else is getting lonely.”

Minjung laughed and shook her head left and right in exasperation. “I see,”

After a few promises and a quick exchange of cellphone numbers, Taeyeon was skipping out the store and back to her apartment where a very pissed off Gwiboon was waiting for her with a tightened jaw and tapping foot.

-------

The following week was filled with hilarious text exchanges between Taeyeon and Minjung. The younger girl had teachers Minjung knew about and they spent quite a lot of time joking about their unique methods. Pictures of the best and worst coffee cups around campus, of someone wearing a funny hat, and of the first snowfall of the year were sent back and forth. In a matter of days, Taeyeon deemed that they were friends.

Minjung’s work schedule was messed up and her next shift was nowhere in sight. They ended up meeting one Friday night after Taeyeon had begged her to tag along to Gwiboon’s clubbing extravaganza.

It was freezing; much colder than the week before and probably much warmer than the next one. Taeyeon scratched her legs. The prickling sensation was slowly numbing her articulations. Standing in front of a club with a mid-thigh skirt and high heels in that weather was pure torture and she wondered why she’d ever agreed to do anything of the sort. Looking at a shivering Gwiboon who glared pointedly at the doorman, she sighed deeply.

“You okay?” Minjung asked. Now, the tall girl had been smart. She was wearing skinny jeans with a moderately fashionable t-shirt underneath her everyday winter coat. Gwiboon had grimaced at her outfit, but Taeyeon was relieved to see someone with some sense into them.

“It’s so cold! I told you we should be wearing tights.” Taeyeon directed her last comment at Gwiboon who bit her bottom lips in restrained anger.

“We’ll be inside in no time. No need to freak out every 2 minutes, God.” She said, trying to look over the crowd of people standing in a messy queue in front of them.

Taeyeon jumped up and down, her hair bouncing with each of her movement. Minjung gave her a sympathetic smile and proceeded to pull up the hood of Taeyeon’s jacket, saying that despite her frozen legs, she could at least try to salvage her ears.

They got in eventually, passing by a bunch of boys who had been denied entry for the simple fact that they were not girls with short skirts. Taeyeon had been at that club before; the cramped dance floor and the scent of cheap alcohol were familiar. As much as she liked to dance, her ballet training wasn’t exactly helpful in such a sketchy environment.

“Wanna get something to drink first?” Minjung screamed into her ear. They could feel their blood pulse with the loud beat. Gwiboon pulled them forward, immediately making a beeline for the bar. Taeyeon didn’t find alcohol particularly appealing, but ordered the fruitiest drink nevertheless. She didn’t have time to drink half of it that Gwiboon was leading her away from it and onto the dance floor.

In all seriousness, how anyone ever convinced her that this would be a good idea was a mystery, but she did like dancing. She swayed to the music, not really caring that she might look a bit too involved in it. Gwiboon winked at her, pulling her own brand of moves that attracted probably more attention than she should want. Taeyeon didn’t want to dance with anyone, but her wish was unheard because both girls and boys came to flounce about.

Once caught surrounded by a wall of people, Taeyeon could do nothing but continue to dance while sending disapproving looks and glares to whoever came in close proximity. She looked over to the bar where Minjung was looking worriedly in her direction. Gwiboon was a few meters away, still dancing. Going back to look at Minjung, she couldn’t see her anymore; her bright red drink was left forgotten at the bar. Looking around frantically, it didn’t take long before she caught familiar eyes. Minjung was swimming through the crowd, unafraid to push and shove whoever refused to let her through. Taeyeon tilted her head, inquiring the reason behind the haste. The tall girl was close enough to grab her forearm now and Taeyeon didn’t put up a fight when she was pulled away from a particularly handsy man.

“What’s going on?” She asked as they made their way back to the bar using the path Minjung had dug. There was no immediate answer and Taeyeon guessed she couldn’t be heard since the loud music rendered everyone deaf.

Back to the bar, the music was slightly softer; the ground still shook, but at least talking was not impossible.

“What’s going on?” She repeated, sitting on a stool beside her friend. Minjung looked at her, puzzled.

“I thought you were- well, I thought you couldn’t get out of there,” The tall girl said, twirling the tip of a lock of hair around her fingers. “You had that look on your face.”

Shocked may have been a powerful word to describe Taeyeon’s reaction, but it was close to how she felt. They were barely even friends, but the sudden realization that someone might be looking out for her spread warmth inside he chest. It had been a while since anyone had bothered to.

“I- uh, I’m used to it,” She cleared her throat. “I had it under control.”

“You never know with those types of people,” Minjung frowned, crossing her legs as well as her arms. “Someone as pretty as you are is a real treat for them.”

Taeyeon bit back a smile, whispering a dulled out; “Thank you,”

The rest of the night was mostly spent chatting at the bar, joking around with the bartender and the other bored customers around them as they people-watched. Gwiboon had joined them after a ‘completely smashed guy’ had spilled half of his beer on her dress. The evening ended up being a lovely one albeit for the few unwanted advances from the group of guys next to them.

It was still fairly early for a Friday night when they’d decided to go home. Grabbing their jackets and coats, they made their way out in the snow. Gwiboon grunted, complaining about her feet going numb after about five steps away from the club.

“What an awful night!” She cried, voice reverberating in the darkness of the street. “Why would it even snow, it’s not December yet!”

“Every year’s different, I guess.” Minjung said, walking alongside Taeyeon who was a few steps behind her fast-paced roommate. “You should wear proper autumn clothes next time.”

“Going clubbing in jeans works for you, but I have a reputation to uphold.”

“What reputation.” Taeyeon mumbled. “Who were you trying to impress in there, Unnie.”

Gwiboon raised her chin in a haughty way, walking in double-time. Taeyeon had trouble trailing behind; her feet were making a Mayday call. She could almost feel the blisters popping are the sharp edges of the cheap plastic dug into her skin. Not to mention a frost-bite sensation made her exposed toes completely numb. She contemplated taking off her shoes and just walking bare feet in the snow.

Minjung was walking beside her, accommodating with her slow pace. She clicked her tongue once and moved in front of Taeyeon to block her way.

“Do you need a lift?” She asked, pointing behind her shoulder.

“Should we holler for a taxi?” Taeyeon stopped, looking up and down the empty street.

“No, I mean, hop on?” Minjung said, turning around to crouch and tap on her shoulder.

There was a brief moment of hesitation. Despite being quite light, Taeyeon was a fully grown woman and even while being slightly older and taller, Minjung was still a pretty lean girl. A sting of pain shot through her right foot and she decided to throw cautions to the wind because, really, they had few other options.

“Okay,” She said. Her skirt rode up quite a bit as she climbed on, but, in the darkness of the street, she couldn’t care less. Minjung hoisted her up and caught up with Gwiboon easily. She was strong; going up a slight hill with someone on their back wasn’t something anyone could do. Taeyeon hugged her neck, nuzzling at the space between her own arm and Minjung’s scarf.

Gwiboon had a spiteful remark about how Taeyeon should wear high heels more often to get her feet used to the feeling. “Sorry, though.” She added remorsefully once her outburst was over. “Going out today might not have been my best idea.”

“That’s okay.” Taeyeon said, smiling. She could hear Minjung’s breath start to quicken. “Let’s just get home fast.”

“Yeah, let’s go to bed.”

Minjung smelled of cherries and cold winter nights. Taeyeon tightened her grip around her neck, earning a low laughter and a movement that brought her up higher on her friend’s back. She laid her head more comfortably on Minjung’s shoulder, unsure why she felt like crying.

--------

“It’s weird, though. Gwiboon-unnie’s best friend is a total sweetheart, well, she has her bad days, but overall she’s awesome.” Taeyeon said while munching on the toffee she’d just bought. “Unnie should appreciate her more.”

Apart from the few getting-ready-to-party kids coming in at unpredictable moments, the late-night Saturday shifts were as dead as the Friday ones. Minjung had a textbook lying in her lap, but Taeyeon was pretty sure she turned the pages without even glancing at the text.

“I’m sure she does.” Minjung said, toying with the corner of a page. “She doesn’t seem to be the sentimental type, that’s all.” There was a pause, Taeyeon hummed as she leant her back against the counter lazily. “Why wasn’t her best friend there when we went out?” Minjung asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“She’s not very fond of clubs, you see?” Taeyeon explained, threading her fingers through her bobbed hair. “She loves dressing up and singing, but dancing’s not really her thing.”

“Oh really.” Minjung tapped her fingers against the pages of her textbook. “That’s unfortunate for you,”

“Isn’t it?” Taeyeon grabbed a bag of candy that lied next to her and shoved a few pieces in her mouth. “I don’t mind it as much as you’d think though. It’s entertaining.”

“I bet it is.” The taller girl went to pick up a few candies for herself. She made a face at the sour taste and Taeyeon burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand.

A man came in and Taeyeon went to take Minjung’s chair while the latter fulfilled her cashier duties. He was gone in a matter of minutes and Minjung pulled herself up onto the counter, rubbing her face and brushing her bangs away. She yawned widely, stirring.

“Tired?” Taeyeon asked, popping another candy into her mouth. “It’s close to 1am, it’s getting late.”

Minjung nodded, twining her legs at the ankles. “Yeah, you should head home.”

“That’s an awful idea.” Taeyeon said, waving the hand that wasn’t holding the bag of candies in protest. “Gwiboon-unnie had a date tonight. I don’t want to hear about it. I’ll go when she stops texting me.”

As if on cue, they heard a cellphone buzz somewhere in the pockets of her jacket.

“What happens then? Will she be sulking?”

With a shake of her head, the younger girl gulped down another candy. “No. That’ll just mean she fell asleep.”

They laughed for a bit. Taeyeon looked down at the textbook she’d snatched from Minjung when the client had come in earlier. She read one sentence, then gave up and rummaged through the bag of candy to find the last piece.

“So Gwiboon’s dating?” Minjung asked. Her tone made it seem like she was scared of being intrusive. If only she’d known Gwiboon’s openness about the ordeal, she wouldn’t be hesitating, Taeyeon thought amusedly.

“Yeah. It comes with fanfares and parades actually. It’s not really the shy type of dating,” She laughed, rumpling the bag in her hands. Powdery sugar fell out to glaze the page of the book.

“I can guess.”

Taeyeon shrugged. “I usually don’t meet the guys. I just hear about them.”

“Maybe she’s just messing with you.”

“Maybe she is,” The younger girl shrugged again, unfazed. “I always thought they might be fake boyfriends.”

Minjung laughed heartily, looking down as her legs swung from side to side.

“Do you have one?” Taeyeon asked, licking her fingers to get the much-needed extra sugar. “I mean a real boyfriend,”

There was a coy giggle, making Taeyeon look up and see the way the older girl was looking at her legs move, bashfully.

“I’m not really into, well.” She looked away at the refrigerator full of drinks next to the counter. “Boys. I’ve never really been into them.”

Taeyeon’s eyebrows rose higher. “Oh?” She licked at the sugar stuck to her front teeth and continued to gaze at Minjung. Her face had grown a shade darker.

“Yeah. Hm, we don’t need to talk about it, though.”

“Have you ever kissed another girl?” Taeyeon asked, surprising herself with how blunt it sounded. Her cheeks burnt up instantly. “Uh,”

“I have, yeah.”

The younger girl blinked, looking at the sugar sparkling on the book in her lap. She needed to process the information. Minjung stayed silent.

“So you’ve been with girls.”

Nervous laughter mixed with the low background music playing in the store. They shifted in their seats, feeling the air get warmer and heavier.

“Not a ton,” Minjung said, jumping off the counter to busy herself with arranging the candy bars on the other side of it. “We really don’t have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not uncomfortable,” But she couldn’t deny that it was a bit. Taeyeon dusted the book with the back of her hand. What was odd was that she’d known other girls who had come out to her and it had never been an issue before. With Minjung, however, it felt more like a confession than a fact and that could maybe explain why Taeyeon’s heart had sped up. Her cellphone buzzed in her jacket and she went to look at the new message.

“Unnie says her date was awful.” She said, trying to lighten the mood. “I have a detailed account of the night. He wore his fedora inside the movie theatre.”

“Sounds like a catch,” Minjung emerged from the other side of the counter, still wearing that same embarrassed expression Taeyeon wished wasn’t there. She proceeded to read out every text she had gotten since the beginning of the night, making tactful jokes about insignificant details of Gwiboon’s night.

She left half an hour later, attempting to convince herself that nothing was weird, nothing was awkward and everything was going swimmingly. With the cold gnawing at her limbs, she power-walked to her apartment a mere block away. Her stomach lurched as she pressed the button to call the elevator. She’d known Minjung for a little over a month. They’d grown close faster than she would have ever imagined and she wasn’t sure how long she could fool herself into thinking that that night wasn’t a turning point.

[ Part 2 ]

girl!shinee, pairing: minho/taemin

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