Chapter 35: Comic book window (3)
Part 5
Holding the culotte skirt—or whatever they called those skirt-pants hybrids—stirred a strange, wistful feeling. Swept up in the moment, I’d accepted it without thinking, but now, staring at it in front of the mirror, I was hit with waves of regret, tempted to back out. Sure, it had pants sewn inside, but it was still a skirt.
“…I’ve never worn anything like a skirt.”
My head knew it wasn’t much different from pants, but my emotions screamed otherwise. To others, it’d look like a skirt, plain and simple. I wasn’t some cross-dressing weirdo enjoying a perverse thrill as a shop clerk, but still.
“…Ugh.”
A gloomy sigh echoed through the narrow break room. I’d lost count of how many times I’d sighed. No matter how many, the reflection of me holding the uniform didn’t change. This might be the biggest crisis I’d faced yet.
“I can’t just stand here forever…”
I’d been standing there, uniform in hand, door locked, for nearly five minutes. I’d asked for a moment to prepare, but dragging it out longer would just inconvenience everyone.
“…Let’s do it.”
It felt like something inside me was crumbling, but…
Part 6
“Aren’t we putting out too many soboro buns?”
“Didn’t you say to make extra since they’re selling well?”
“Did I?”
Youngjin’s dad looked puzzled, as if he genuinely couldn’t remember, while his mom started getting exasperated. I paused arranging the display, and Youngjin, catching their exchange with a grin, decided to jump in.
“Yoonseo’s here, and you’re embarrassing yourselves like this? What if she says, ‘I can’t work for people like this!’ and storms out?”
“You think Yoonseo’s as picky as you?” his mom shot back.
“I’ve known her way longer than you, Mom.”
Well, he’s not wrong—I wasn’t about to complain over their bickering. Haha, you two are still so close would’ve sounded stiff anyway. Keeping that to myself, I quietly checked my phone. 8:40 a.m. Twenty minutes to opening, and five minutes since Yoonseo went into the break room with a stiff expression.
“…Maybe pants would’ve been better,” Youngjin muttered.
She’d said she was fine now, even showing her face on streams, so she wasn’t rejecting her new self, Youngjin figured. But accepting herself and being treated as a woman might be different beasts. Never having experienced it, he couldn’t know. That uncertainty made him extra cautious.
“By the way, Youngjin! Did you tell Yoonseo we open at 9?”
“…Oh.”
“Can you let her know it’s time to come out?”
It wasn’t like they expected her to start working today. The plan was for her to observe how the shop runs for a day, and she’d agreed to that.
“Don’t push her too hard!” his mom added.
“Got it, got it.”
Youngjin caught the cautious tone in his mom’s voice—she probably felt guilty for rushing things. She likely shared his concerns. Caught up in the moment, they’d offered the women’s uniform despite having a men’s one, and he hadn’t corrected it.
Yoonseo wouldn’t notice unless they said something, but his steps toward the break room felt heavy. Was this guilt-worthy? A quiet grumble escaped him, fading into the air.
“…Ugh.”
The shop wasn’t big. Past the counter, through the kitchen, a short walk to the break room. Not enough time to sort his thoughts. His hand hesitated, twitching before knocking.
“…Alright, I’ll just tell her there’s a men’s uniform.”
He owed that much to a friend helping out. The door clicked open just as he steeled himself to knock.
“Yoon…”
“…Oh, sorry. Took me a bit to psych myself up.”
Seeing her only in a cap before, the sight of her honey-blonde hair flowing freely felt dazzling. A faint shampoo scent wafted. She clearly hadn’t expected anyone at the door—her golden eyes widened, glinting brightly under the fluorescent light.
“Opening soon, so I was gonna say come out, right?”
She tugged the crisp white shirt down, tucking it into the skirt, accentuating her slim shoulders. The light brown pleated culotte reached her knees, paired with black flats and plain white socks, leaving her pale shins exposed. Didn’t notice in pants, but her legs are super slim, Youngjin thought fleetingly.
The apron, not yet tied but draped over her arm, gave him an odd sense of relief. Hard to explain, but it felt like the apron would’ve been a shame to cover her up.
“…Does it look weird?”
“No, no, no. …It looks insanely good.”
“Right? I thought it wasn’t bad myself.”
He must’ve stared too long, but thankfully, it wasn’t that long. As she brushed her hair behind her back, smiling faintly, there was no hint of discomfort or awkwardness.
Closing his eyes briefly, Youngjin recalled their group’s promise: We’ll stay friends. No matter what, we won’t let anything harm our bond. Nearly a decade of friendship, built on trust and memories, suppressed the sticky feelings creeping up.
“…Hey, Yoonseo.”
“Yeah?”
It’d be nice if you stayed like this. The thought lingered, but her comfort mattered more. Facing her curious tilt of the head, Youngjin smiled lightly and continued.
“Forgot to mention, there’s a men’s uniform too.”
Part 7
In the end, I stuck with it. Not just because the pants lining made it feel less strange, but because Youngjin’s mom’s reaction was so earnestly pleading.
“…You sure you’re okay with this?” Youngjin asked.
“Well, the counter hides my lower half anyway. And the pants inside don’t feel too weird.”
As I struggled to tie the apron behind my back, Youngjin sighed softly and reached out. He’d helped out here for years, and his knot-tying was deft—done in a blink, though I couldn’t see it.
“Yoonseo~ Ready to learn the display layout?” his mom called.
“Yes!”
I flashed a quick smile at Youngjin’s gesture to hurry along. First, I’d get a feel for the display, then learn the POS system from him and his mom during downtime. We’d probably be stuck together soon enough.
“They don’t plan to have you work alone for a while, so just take it easy, like you’re exploring,” Youngjin said.
“We haven’t even set my hours yet.”
“Think of it as a trial run. A tutorial. Less like work, more like a field trip.”
With that thought, I shuffled toward his mom, who was beckoning me. Ten minutes to opening. Different from my first stream appearance, a pleasant flutter of excitement stirred in me.