★ | #11 | decor
"or maybe we're both just bad at this stuff."

. 𖥔 ݁ ˖ nicole's radio station
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why i love you • grentperez
"you bring the joy into the darkness of this world."

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SUMMER was a blessing and a curse. On one hand, fun places were opening up — such as funfairs. On the other, the heat was unbearable at times, depending on the humidity.

Sim Jaeyun brushed a strand of his hair out of his eyes, of which were squinting due to the bright sun shining in the afternoon blue sky, left uncovered with barely any clouds in sight.

He had taken it upon himself to take his dog, Layla, for a walk today, considering he was busy all week unpacking boxes at his house, or picking up deliveries of furniture that had yet to arrive.

However, today out of all days seemed to be the worst possible choice. He should have checked the weather beforehand, as it seemed way too hot outside even for him. He couldn't imagine how it felt to Layla, who was covered under a mass of fur.

Holding onto the leash strapped to the border collies harness, he cooed quietly as the dog panted slightly, leaning down to run his fingers through her golden fur.

Now aware that the dog was overheated, Jake sighed quietly to himself as he gazed upwards. The townhome he had recently moved into was close to the townsquare, roughly a fifteen minute walk.

However, right now, it seemed quicker to stop by there than to turn around and go back home, as to not exhaust Layla from the heat; given her current state already.

Jake recognized the path he was taking, his gaze hopeful as he guided the dog along with him down the wide sidewalks. The flower shop, adorned with warm tones of color on the outside — a comfortable sight to see.

She may not be there today—it really was a guessing game as he didn't have her schedule at all. But, regardless, he'd take his chances.

A few more minutes passed, and soon enough he found himself pushing the glass door open, a calm rush of cool air fanning against his skin as he eyes wandered around the shop in an instant.

To his liking, he caught a glimpse of the girl as she rang somebody up, thanking them with a small nod and a friendly smile.

The stranger brushed by to exit the shop, as Jake offered a polite nod as he stepped further inside, leaned over slightly to pet Layla, who he kept close at his side.

As soon as Choi Seonmi laid eyes on him and his friendly companion, her eyes widened slightly in surprise before softening with a familiar glow to them as she took in the unfamiliar sight of the dog in her presence.

Jake muttered small pleas to Layla to behave, though he knew she would. He was simply a bit nervous to embarrass himself in front of the girl, who approached him quietly from behind the counter.

"Hey, Jake." Seonmi greeted warmly, a soft lift to her tone as she flashed a sweet smile his way—enough to make his heart flutter.

"This is the famous Layla, is it?" She questioned, eyes falling upon the border collie, who had her tongue stuck out as she panted, all worn out from her walk here.

Jake smiled, a small laugh bubbling from the back of his throat as he loosened his grip on her leash, nodding his head in response to Seonmi's words.

"Mhm. The one and only." He retorted, his hand resting on top of Layla's head reassuringly, giving her a small pat.

"Goodness. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Seonmi said, a playful expression spread across her features as she tilted her head.

"Well, I thought it'd be nice to stop by. It's been a few days since I've seen you in person, you know." He reasoned, shrugging his shoulders.

"And, Layla here was getting tired from the walk. That heat is really doing a number on her. And, we were closer to here than we were home, so I was in hopes that you'd have water for her?" He added on sheepishly, biting down on his bottom lip.

Seonmi chuckled, a hum sounding past her pink lips as she stood upright, nodding her head in return. "Oh, of course! I get it."

"The heat exhausts me. I can't imagine what it must feel like under all of that fur." The girl chimed in, clicking her tongue as Jake nodded.

"Right? That was exactly my point, too." He agreed, gaze flickering in-between both Seonmi and Layla.

"Well, here, just one moment. I think I have an old plant tray that can act as a makeshift bowl for her to use comfortably." Seonmi explained, excusing herself into the back room for a moment.

Jake waited patiently, petting the dog in hopes to soothe her heavy breaths until Seonmi returned, carefully carrying said plant tray, cleaned and filled with cold, refreshing water.

"Here you are, sweetheart," Seonmi cooed, referring to the dog sweetly as she set the tray on the floor. Immediately, the border collie stepped forward, indulging in the refreshing drink.

"And, here. For you as well." She hummed, pushing herself upright as she extended a cold water bottle she had retrieved from a mini fridge. "It's important to stay hydrated— especially in these conditions."

"Thank you. You're too kind." Jake sighed out, accepting the bottle of water into his hands gratefully.

His fingertips lightly traced out shapes and lines into the condensation of the bottle, a smile spread across his face as she brushed it off with a smile and the wave of her hand.

"No worries. I'm just happy I could help." Seonmi confessed. "And, I'm in a good mood now. I finally met Layla, after all. I think she's even cuter in person."

"Oh yeah?" Jake raised a brow, his smile growing wider if possible. "She really is." He agreed, a soft hum sounding past his lips.

A brief moment of silence passed through, before he spoke up once again, breaking the comfortable silence that was growing between them.

"How are you, Seonmi? I hope we aren't disturbing you too much." He asked, taking a sip from the bottled water she had offered him.

"Hmm? Oh, no, I'm alright. You aren't bothering me in the slightest. Today has been relatively slow, and I've been bored. I didn't expect to see you today but I'm glad I did." She spoke, expressing her true view on the situation, or the day as a whole.

"And you?" She returned, shifting the question over to him. Jake smiled, pressing his lips into a thin line as he gathered his thoughts and words in his mind.

"I've been good, just a bit busy. I've only just moved into my first house not too long ago, and some furniture is still being shipped in. I've been wrapped up in that, and haven't had the time to really take her on walks and stuff like that." He explained, gesturing down to Layla, who was now laying on the floor of the shop.

"I had a break in shipments today, so I thought I'd take her out. I just didn't expect it to be this hot outside." Jake concluded.

Seonmi raised a brow, folding her arms comfortably over her chest as she listened along to his words intently.

"Oh? Well, congratulations on your first house, Jake! That's amazing." The girl expressed, genuine interest evident in her tone of voice.

"Thank you!" Jake exclaimed, laughing softly as he clasped his hands together. "I just have to figure out the decorations. I didn't plan that far ahead."

"Ohh, yeah, I get it. When I moved into my apartment I just kind of visited home stores and hoped for the best. But, it came out pretty, so I suppose it worked pretty well." Seonmi admitted, a small smile spread across her lips.

"Really? Well, I hope I'll have the same luck. I'm just not really the best at choosing decor. I can't stick to a theme, and then in the end it ends up clashing and it doesn't look well. But maybe I'm just styling things wrong." Jake wondered, a sigh falling from his lips as she tilted her head.

"I understand. It's hard, isn't it? Or maybe we're both just bad at this stuff." She chuckled, as he smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Maybe." Jake agreed, letting out a soft sounding laugh.

"If you want, I can help. I can't guarantee things will end up looking like a Pinterest board or something, but I suppose it's worth a shot." Seonmi offered, as he raised his brows.

"Do you really want to?"

"Of course. I keep taking on extra shifts here and covering for my brother because I'm bored. Helping you would give me something to do, and probably also be super fun." She confirmed, as the boy hummed quietly and nodded.

"In that case, if you really want to, I don't mind at all. It'd be ten times more fun to decorate together." He said cheerfully, to which Seonmi hummed.

"Alright, great. Just let me know when you're free or something. I can do it any day."

"We can visit department stores tomorrow, if that's good with you?" He tilted his head, eyes narrowed slightly as he waited for a response.

"I can do tomorrow, sure. Where do you wanna meet?" The girl questioned, running her fingers through her hair.

"Wherever is most convenient to you. I can pick you up at your apartment, or if you'd rather meet me here I'm fine with that too." Jake retorted, playing with the cap of his water bottle.

"My apartment is further away. Is it really okay to meet there?"

"Of course it is. I can drive there in only a few minutes." Jake assured, to which he watched as she raised her brows in slight surprise.

"You can drive?"

"Oh, yeah. I don't really drive too often, only when I'm going somewhere further— like my friend's house or something. Or if the weather is bad." He explained, as she followed along with his words carefully, lips pursed as she hummed lightly.

"That's cool. I can drive as well, but I feel like I don't trust myself as much since it's been forever since I've actually driven. I got my license a while ago but I never got a car since everything has always kinda been within walking distance for me. " Seonmi uttered.

"I get that. You know, we have a lot more in common than I thought." Jake smiled cheekily, tilting his head before continuing on with his words. "Crazy. Almost like we're soulmates, or something."

"Or something." Seonmi repeated sarcastically, playfully rolling her eyes. She took a deep, dramatic breath and clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Just when I thought you had given up on your flirtatious remarks."

"Me? Giving up? Never." The boy pointed to himself, quirking a singular brow before he waved the idea off with one of his hands.

"You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take." Jake reasoned, quoting the rather popular phrase as Seonmi chuckled and nodded.

"Well, I admire your dedication." She praised, shrugging before her attention shifted to Layla, who was quietly laying on the floor.

"Can I pet her?" Seonmi asked, wanting to be sure as to not overstep anything. Jake hummed softly in return, nodding his head as he kneeled down beside the dog.

"Of course you can. She's super friendly, don't worry." Jake smiled gently, fingers threading softly through her fur.

Seonmi nodded in response, kneeling down in front of Layla. She held her hand out, letting the border collie sniff it to get used to her scent before her fingertips crept up into her fur carefully.

As if testing the waters before growing accustomed to one another, as Seonmi pet the dog gently yet happily. "She's perfect." Seonmi mumbled, complimenting the border collie.

Jake laughed quietly, watching the small exchange between the two—how Layla leaned into her warm and gentle touch, paws frantically lifting herself momentarily to shift closer to Seonmi.

"She likes you." He pointed out, as Seonmi peered over at him, a cheerful glint in her set of brown eyes.

"That's quite the honor." Seonmi claimed, a soft giggle bubbling from the back of her throat as she turned her gaze back down at the dog.

Before they knew it, they found themselves shifted more comfortably on the floor with Layla, too lost in conversation and track of time to care as the hours ticked by.

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★﹐authors corner ．﹗﹑ 2.1k words.
helloooo!! long time no see woahh ? it's been literal months haha

it's october now, and over the past few months when it's come to writing i've been focusing solely on ephemeral only. because of this, ephemeral is now at its end with only a few chapters left which fortunately for those waiting for this story; i can now focus on this.

thank you all so much for your patience! i'm so sorry for the lack of updates.

anyway, thank you so much for reading! i miss you all a lot and i have been brainstorming the next few chapters already (currently writing the next haha). i look forward to sharing future chapters and projects with you all 🤍

byeee. take care of yourselves <3
october 4th, 2024 — 5:55pm.
not proofread.