Crescent // ATEEZ ✔

42 [makeup]

Yeosang avoids the towering stacks of textiles that are about to collapse, his hands shooting out to stop the items from toppling over. He has to cross over and go around multiple obstructions on the floor before reaching the person he was looking for, hidden among the sketches and scraps pinned against the wall. There are no more empty space on the wall until they overlap with each other, and it gives him no wonder how the seamstress could have lost the right measurements.

Anna is buried under different types of fabrics, her hands expertly pushing the material under the needle, her foot pressing down to mobilize the needle. The sound of the machine drowns out the arrival of Yeosang, that even as he stands near her, she keeps on working, completely oblivious to his presence.

Yeosang reaches out a hand to tap her shoulder, and her immediate reaction is to scream before cowering, bringing her work to a stop and the room to a sudden quiet.

"Anna, it's me," Yeosang announces, "Kang Yeosang."

She lifts up her head like a tortoise out of its shell, before peeking over her shoulder. She puts a hand over her chest and turns around too quick she almost falls forward, but Yeosang helps her to steady herself.

She fixes her glasses and fists her hands, touching the wrists together, with a smile that could blind anyone. "Baby, you're here!"

"I'm not-" he glares, "your baby."

His eyes soften gradually when he sees the plasters littered across her arms and face. The plasters are all cartoon-themed, perfectly demonstrating how her personality is. The length of her hair is uneven, a result of her deciding to cut it on her own. The low light does not hide the bruises she has all over her body, the battle scars of her clumsiness.

"You could have made some noise, because first," she tilts her head to the side, "I thought you were a ghost. Second," her body sways, "I thought you might be some bad person wanting to do something to me."

Yeosang throws a look to the condition of her shop and gestures, "I don't think that even ghosts would want to live here, and anyone coming in would die first after being crushed by all these textiles."

He doesn't realize it but his voice changes, lacing with worry as he observes her hands and face. He does it automatically that Anna doesn't do anything to brush it away. She knows that once Yeosang snaps back to reality, he would pull away as quick as lightning. So she lets him be, letting herself enjoy the short moment his skin touches hers, even though he's only doing it without much thinking. Her guess proves to be correct as he lets go of her hand almost roughly before clearing his throat.

"If you know that you're the clumsiest person around, at least consider to tidy up your workspace," he tuts, "I took ten years to arrive to where you are."

"I did tidy them up," she huffs before sinking back, "but I end up knocking more stuff until it becomes haywire again, so I just let them be. Makes it feel more homey."

"Uh-uh," he says absent-mindedly, still looking around the shop. "It definitely gives off your vibes." He lifts up some scraps and inspects them before uttering, "Did you manage to find a suitable dress according to the measurements I gave you?"

"I did, thankfully! Since you said you needed it in less than an hour, I found this black floral A-line dress and I managed to alter the chest area so it will fit her. It's a her, isn't it? Oooh she must be really pretty. I've always wanted to know how it feels to be able to pull off these kinds of dresses. How do you think I would look with the dress?" she snatches the dress from the side table and puts it against her, waiting for his answer.

"A nightmare," he manages. "How much is the rental? I promise you'll get it back in one piece. And no, a date with me is not a price."

She frowns at his reply, offended, but knows that's how he usually is with her. He's always so direct and cold, even as she made it obvious that she treats him a little bit differently than the other boys. She pulls herself together, knowing that she's only being full of herself. She finds a bag and carefully folds the dress inside before stretching out her arm and giving it to him.