(I guess... maybe this quest wasn't so bad after all.)
I paused.
(No, wait. ಠ_ಠ)
That sounded painfully cliché even inside my own head.
I immediately buried the thought before it could do any more damage to my dignity.
We stepped out of the arcade together, blinking as the softer lighting of the mall washed over us. After all the flashing screens, electronic jingles, and neon chaos, the hallway almost felt peaceful. Families wandered past carrying shopping bags, distant conversations blended into a constant hum, and somewhere nearby the smell of fresh pretzels drifted through the air.
Beside me, Ivy hugged her newly acquired plush like she'd just rescued it from a burning kingdom after an epic battle. Meanwhile, I was stuck carrying a giant smiling sunfish under one arm.
Yes.
A giant sunfish.
Don't ask how I got it.
Don't ask why I won it.
Some questions are better left unanswered.
"Alright," I muttered, adjusting the stupid thing before its tail smacked an innocent stranger. "Clothes. Before you start wearing my shirts like oversized dresses."
Ivy gasped like I'd just insulted a sacred cultural tradition.
"But they're comfy!"
"Yeah, and you look like a walking laundry bag."
She puffed her cheeks immediately, hugging her plush tighter. While she was busy being offended, my eyes drifted over her for a second.
(Actually. Now that I think about it… Why is she so small for a ten years old?)
I slowed my pace slightly and stepped beside her, quietly comparing our heights. Ivy barely reached my upper chest. Maybe a little over four feet tall. Not ridiculously short, but enough that it caught my attention now that I was actually looking.
Probably normal.
Kids came in random sizes.
At least I think they did.
I wasn't exactly a child development expert.
Then suddenly—
"What are you doing, Ahjussi?"
I looked down and found Ivy staring up at me with a confused expression. Then, unfortunately, her eyes lit up.
I recognized that look.
That was the look people got right before causing problems.
Before I could answer, she reached her own conclusion.
"You wanted a hug? Okay!!!! (≧▽≦)"
Without warning she wrapped both arms around my waist and squeezed.
Hard.
"Ivy."
No response.
"Ivy."
She somehow squeezed tighter.
(How? How the hell is a ten years old this strong?)
I tried gently pushing her away.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
I felt like I'd been caught by an unusually affectionate octopus.
"Unhand me," I declared with all the dramatic seriousness of a knight demanding release from captivity. Which is… cringe, and I don't even know why I said it like that.
That only made her giggle harder.
"Aren't we here to buy clothes?" I continued. "Release me from your evil grasp."
"Okay!"
Just like that she let go and skipped ahead, completely unbothered.
I stood there for a moment watching her happily bounce down the hallway.
"Kids are scary..."
"I'm picking my own clothes!" she said.
"Sure, sure, get anything you want…" The regret arrived before the sentence finished leaving my mouth. "I guess."
The sliding doors opened with a soft chime as we entered one of the higher end clothing stores. Cool air immediately greeted us, carrying the faint scent of perfume and freshly unpacked fabric. Everything inside looked spotless. Warm lighting reflected off brown polished floors while perfectly organized displays sat beneath tasteful decorations designed to justify criminally expensive price tags.
I almost never came here.
Not because I couldn't afford it.
Mostly because shopping was exhausting.
The moment we stepped inside, one of the employees looked up from behind a display table. Her eyes widened instantly.
"Oh my goodness. Mister Si Hon?"
I blinked.
"Yeah?"
Her professional smile immediately brightened.
"It's been forever since we've seen you! Welcome back!"
Several nearby employees turned at the same time.
Like somebody had announced a rare wildlife sighting.
"Mister Si Hon?"
"Seriously?"
"I thought he ordered everything online."
(I can hear you.) I thought while looking at that one specific girl who said that.
One of them laughed.
"We know, we know, he usually just order anything."
Ivy tugged on my sleeve and leaned closer.
"They know you?"
"Unfortunately."
The employee nearest me poked my arm.
"Oh, don't be like that, Mister Si Hon~"
I chose not to acknowledge her existence.
The staff member clasped her hands politely. "We'll prepare your usual preferences immediately."
"Actually," I interrupted, setting the giant sunfish beside a mannequin that somehow looked more dignified than I did, "not for me."
I pointed toward Ivy.
The entire staff followed my finger.
Ivy waved.
"Hi! I'm Ivy! (◍•-•◍)"
The transformation was immediate.
Professional employees became a gathering of older sisters in less than three seconds.
"OH MY GOSH. (✽ ﾟдﾟ ✽)"
"She's adorable. (ᵒ̴̶̷᷄▽ᵒ̴̶̷᷅)"
"LOOK HOW TINY SHE IS. OR IS SHE JUST SKINNY? (╥﹏╥)"
"LOOK AT THE PLUSH— NO! LOOK AT HER! (ﾉ◕o◕)ﾉ*"
"LOOK AT THE OVERSIZED SHIRT. (ﾟ∀ﾟ)"
They turned toward her. "What? Out of everything? The shirt? ಠ_ಠ."
One employee physically grabbed another employee's shoulder to stop her from rushing over.
I already knew this situation was spiraling out of my control.
"Miss Ivy," one of them said warmly, crouching slightly. "What would you like to wear today?"
Ivy's eyes practically sparkled.
"Anything?"
I opened my mouth.
Too slow.
Far too slow.
Before I could establish rules, limitations, boundaries, laws, international treaties, or anything… she was already gone.
She vanished between clothing racks like a hyperactive gremlin unleashed togo wild.
Every few seconds another excited voice echoed somewhere deeper inside the store.
"Whoa!"
"Ahjussi, look at this one!"
"Oooo!"
"Wah… (,,Ծ_Ծ,,), how can people wear this every day?"
I crossed my arms and watched her sprint between displays while employees followed behind trying not to laugh.
"He's actually letting her choose herself," one employee whispered.
Another nodded.
"Ts is a historical moment."
"T, S? ಠ,_｣ಠ. What is that supposed to mean?" A curious employee asked the girl beside her.
"It means THIS SH—"
A few minutes later Ivy returned carrying enough clothes to survive multiple seasons, several economic recessions, and possibly a small apocalypse. Pastel sweaters hung over one arm while denim shorts, jackets, hats, and shirts threatened to spill onto the floor.
Then my eyes landed on something.
Something dangerous.
Something glittery.
I pointed.
"No."
"It's not pink." She immediately answered.
"It's pink."
"It's a rose sunrise."
"That's just pink with marketing."
The employees immediately turned away to hide their laughter.
Cowards.
And somehow, standing there in the middle of an expensive clothing store, arguing with a ten years old about the difference between pink and "rose sunrise" while carrying a giant sunfish plush under one arm...
I had the uncomfortable realization that this was probably the most shenanigans day I'd had in a very long time.
***
(A minutes or more of arguing and etc etc…)
After another few minutes of Ivy admiring herself in every reflective surface available to mankind, I finally managed to herd her toward the checkout counter.
Honestly, getting her away from the mirrors was harder than winning the claw machine.
She kept stopping every few steps to inspect herself from a different angle, turning left, turning right, adjusting the sleeves of her new hoodie, and occasionally spinning for absolutely no reason.
"Ahjussi, look."
"I am looking."
"Don't I look cool?"
"You've asked me that seven times."
"And?"
"You still look cool. •___•."
She grinned immediately, satisfied by the answer she'd clearly been waiting for.
With that crisis resolved, I guided her toward the register while carrying enough merchandise to qualify as a personal shopping trip. The giant sunfish remained awkwardly trapped under my arm while Ivy held her tiny blob-bear against her chest like it contained state secrets.
The cashier greeted us with the polished smile of someone trained to survive retail.
"Did you find everything you needed, Mister Si Hon?"
"Yeah," I replied, setting the pile of clothes onto the counter. "Just these."
The cashier began scanning the items one by one while Ivy leaned forward curiously, watching each barcode beep like it was some kind of magic. Every time the scanner lit up, her eyes followed it with complete fascination.
Meanwhile, nearby employees were pretending to organize shelves while very obviously eavesdropping.
"Is he paying with his card this time?"
"No way."
"That card probably has infinite money."
"Do you think it glows when he swipes it?"
"Maybe it makes a heavenly choir sound."
I slowly turned my head toward them.
The employees immediately looked away.
"These people need new hobbies, (⌐■-■)."
The cashier nearly laughed before catching herself.
I pulled out my wallet and handed over the card anyway. The moment she accepted it, her posture somehow became even more careful than before.
Honestly, she was holding it like I just handed her something that came from a royal and accidentally dropping it or scratching it would kill her.
Which, considering what the card was connected to, wasn't entirely wrong… I mean, the royal part (ಠ_ಠ)>⌐■-■.
I sigh.
The scanner beeped.
The receipt printer hummed to life.
Transaction approved.
Just like that, the mountain of clothes officially became ours.
While the cashier finished packing everything into bags, Ivy rested her chin against the counter and stared at her reflection in the polished glass. Every now and then she'd glance down at her new clothes before smiling to herself again.
Then she suddenly looked over at me.
"Ahjussi."
"What?"
"I like shopping with you."
The words were so casual she probably didn't even realize she'd said them.
I paused for half a second before shoving my wallet back into my pocket.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "Let's get out of here before somebody asks for a picture."
"What?"
"Kidding."
"Why would they want a picture?"
"They don't."
I hoped.
The cashier handed over the bags while trying very hard not to smile.
"Thank you for shopping with us, Mister Si Hon."
"Thanks."
I grabbed the bags with one hand, adjusted the giant sunfish with the other, and started heading toward the exit with Ivy skipping happily beside me.
Behind us, the automatic doors slid open with a soft chime.
Then, unfortunately, somebody whispered just loud enough for me to hear.
"See? I told you he's not heartless."
"I know, right? He even went shopping."
"He smiled too."
"No he didn't."
"He totally did."
I kept walking.
Ivy, meanwhile, immediately burst into giggles.
"You smiled."
"I did not."
"You did."
"Prove it."
"I can't."
"Exactly."
She laughed harder.
And somehow, despite carrying enough bags to open a small clothing store and a giant sunfish plush that continued to destroy my dignity with every passing second, I found myself smiling anyway as we disappeared back into the crowd of the mall.