— verbatim bookstore.

@✽ sicheng d.ˡⁱᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵐᵒⁿᵗʰ⁻ⁱˢʰ jisoo just keep his mouth shuts hearing sicheng's ramblings about the past things — about how they shouldn't meet back after a few years and even asking why he's here. he know the male must feel bad for everything that happened in the past but jisoo have no right to judges him anyways. he placed his both hands on sicheng's shoulders in attempt to calm him down. "cheng, it's okay. you don't have to be sorry with the past things because it's all in the past. I'm glad and thankful that I can still meet you like this. " said him as he pats sicheng's cheek. jisoo stares at the male with longing looks. he never thought that he will met him again but he did. after their painful breaks up, jisoo went back to LA to further his studies in aviation. he was struggling in his studies and at the same time he wants to forget sicheng. things are going hard for him at first but eventually he successfully become a pilot due to his hard works and efforts. ( but there's still sicheng in his mind and heart which is why he rejected all the love confessions by his other colleagues and some friends ) he took sicheng as his inspiration and motivation to do better and that's why he become more better. he rather not to see sicheng as long as he can work more diligently and have him in his mind and keep him in his heart. for him, sicheng is jisoo's first love and last love.

"do you want to have some drink with me? just to catch up some things ? it's gonna be my treat. " asked him hesitant. he was really hopeful that sicheng will accept his offer this time despite how much he wants to run away from jisoo right now.

@✽ jisoo h. His breath hitched as he felt a hand grab his wrist, heart dropping as he heard Joshua’s voice. He stood still, wanting to run yet still too nervous to move away from the male. “I.. why are you here?” His voice was strained, too shocked to say much else as he blinked at Joshua. How the hell did they end up in the same place yet again? Sicheng wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it, already feeling his stomach twistin knots as he listened to his ex. “God.. how did this even happen?” He hated hearing how gentle Joshua’s voice was, hated how kind he was being, hated how he still somehow cared for him. A soft ‘thud’ was heard as Sicheng’s bad dropped onto the ground, eyes building up tears that he quickly blinked away before running a hand through his hair. “That’s the problem.. I wasn’t supposed to see you again. We parted ways back in China, we weren’t supposed to stumble across one another in some random town in Korea.” He hadn’t even realized tears had started falling until he felt one slide down his cheek, eyes widening as he quickly shook his head. The last thing he wanted was Joshua blaming himself for Sicheng’s own issues. “I.. I don’t know. I just- I was nervous and selfish.. I only thought about myself and my wants when I left. You didn’t do anything wrong, I was just.. I was scared. Scared to fail and let everyone down, but that doesn’t excuse what I did to you.. I’m- I’m sorry.”

[post deleted by owner]

@✽ taeyeon k. The man had stopped in one of the newer sections of the poetry area, one populated exclusively by Korean authors. He stood there longer than most would have, effectively blocking the way for most people. It didn’t matter much since most people weren’t in that section anyway. With eyes looking at the backs of two neatly-plastic-wrapped poetry and short story compilations, he hummed behind shut lips, softly bobbing his head to the gentle instrumentals that filled the store at a low volume.

“Excuse me,” he heard someone say, though he didn’t look up. It probably wasn’t directed at him anyway. “I just need this—” Oh, so it was for him. It was way too close to him for it to not be for anyone else. Hongki turned his head to the source of the voice, blinking for a moment as the person looked like they didn’t even want to be perceived with that hood over their head. “Ah, sorry.” he decided to step aside, but not before he tried stuffing the two books he was holding back into their spots. His hurry to do so kind of messed up the arrangement of the books on the shelf, one of them even falling but he caught it before it hit the ground. Finally, stepping aside, he kept his hand in his pocket, politely eyeing the female stranger while she took his spot in the poetry section.

@✽ hongki l. The bell on the shop's door rang as Taeyeon pushed inside. Her hood was over her head, covering her features. She had a pair of corded headphones in her ears, not playing anything. She bobbed her head as if it did though, putting on a facade to the people around her that she wasn't in the mood to talk.

It worked like a charm, for the most part. The townspeople didn't recognize her, nor did they want to talk to her. Even those who were friends of her parents or knew her in high school made the effort to tap on her shoulder and say hello. Taeyeon liked that. She enjoyed being invisible.

The poetry section was small, but no one really liked to look there. From the corner of her eye, Taeyeon only saw one person there. "Excuse me." She mumbled, probably the first thing she said that day. "I just need this—" Her hand pointed out to a book in front of him.

@✽ sicheng d.ˡⁱᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵐᵒⁿᵗʰ⁻ⁱˢʰ Joshua's heart clenched when Sicheng still remembered him. It's supposed to be a good thing, right? He didn't know why he could feel a little bit excited about it. Maybe he's just too happy to see him again after a few years. He's about to say something before the male suddenly took his belongings and walked out of the store, leaving him dumbfounded. Joshua's mind is processing this sudden situation quickly as he makes his way out to follow the male. no. There's no way he'd let him go again. this time. "sicheng ah. wait up.." He grabbed the other's wrist and cleared his throat before slowly letting his hand go. "Please don't run away. Aren't you tired?" he asked him as gently as possible. "We just met again after a few years. Why do you keep running away from me? if I do something wrong , I'm sorry. but please stop running away. " 

@✽ jisoo h. “I’m sorry sir, but it’s not like I work-“ Sicheng’s words had turned silent, eyes widening as he looked up from his screen and made eye contact with a familiar face. He blinked at the male, a quiet string of curses leaving his mouth in disbelief. Joshua Hong, the man who’s heart he broke. The last time he had seen him they had been in China together in their high school days. “Joshua.. what- what are you doing here?” By all means he didn’t expect nor want to see Joshua again, feelings of guilt and anxiety filling up in him as he started to stuff away his laptop into his bag. He slung his bag across his shoulder, brows furrowed in deep thought as he glanced at his ex before leaving out the store. Sicheng didn’t even have a reason to feel this way, he was the one that had ended things and had left Joshua all alone. But still, a part of him had always still thought about the male, never able to fully get over him. He had dedicated so much of his life and attention towards his future and his work, so much so he had broken up with the male, yet even after his own success he couldn’t seem to forget about Joshua. He hated it, hated that his success didn’t fill up the hole in him, hated that even just seeing him for a second did so much to him.. a breath he didn’t know he had been holding left his mouth as he stood outside of the store, hands tightly holding onto his bag as he stood out in the cool air.

@✽ sicheng d.ˡⁱᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵐᵒⁿᵗʰ⁻ⁱˢʰ joshua was walking around the small town with a cup of coffee in his hand, loving and enjoying the views of small town right in front of his eyes. he changed his gazes towards the sky and somehow the longing to fly comes again. a small smiles graces his lips at the thought of his colleagues in the air services. he missed them so much. not too long after , his mind went to a certain somebody who once entered his life. how was he doing ? was he okay ? is he married yet? is he happy without him right now ? is he — achieving his goals yet? all of those thought makes Joshua's heart clenched in bitterness. he missed him. he actually missed his presence but it's nearly impossible for them to meet again after their last break up. the said guy was in china and he's currently in korea. he chuckles to himself and keeps on walking until his gazes stopped at the bookstore. he throw away the cup into a trash bin and heading there. maybe it's a good time to read with this kind of weather. Joshua always love to read ever since he was kid and with that efforts of readings, he achieved his goal to become a pilot. he opens the door and closed them behind him as he makes way inside. he's about to smiles at the greetings before his smiles faded right away at the sight of him. him. him. it was him. dong sicheng. all the memories rushes into his mind before he gather his courages to smile at the still pretty sight in front of him. "doesn't it rude if you're greeting someone without looking at them right in front of their eyes ?"

@✽ jisoo h. Soft chatter and the ticking of the wall clock filled the book store as Sicheng glanced around the displays. Today wasn’t particularly busy, but there was still a good amount of costumers. A part of Sicheng was grateful for not working here, remembering just how stressed Seunghyub had been during the release of an anticipated sequel from an author. The Chinese male didn’t mind helping his friend though, gladly organizing and offering help to costumers while he also talked away to anyone that was a fan of his writing. And today that’s what he was doing, fixing a display of a new release before sitting aside to pull out his laptop. That had been another plus of hanging around the shop. He was given the go-ahead to write in the shop, Seunghyub even encouraging him so that he’d be around to talk to any passerby. Sighing, Sicheng typed away on his laptop, brows furrowing in concentration at the document. The sound of the door opening and closing alerted him, a small ‘welcome’ leaving his lips as he continued on his work.

@✽ gyuri p. "Oh?" Seungyeon said in complete surprise. "I'm super duper curious about what you think about the show more so since you finished it." She said in both excitement, and curiosity. It seems to be a little hobby of her to talk people whom read and/or watch the show. She always wanted to know what they think about it. Did it help them in their time of need? Do they think she made everything up? Does it help them to know things can always get better, and their not alone? "You're not wrong about that it's not make for the faint of heart." She also glanced at the book. "The book have all the missing scenes; however as said before it's not for the faint of heart at all." She let out a laugher while nodding her head. "Of course I would love to have a deep discussion with you at anytime."

@✽ taeyeon k. Hongki hovered inside the bookstore, lips pursed unknowingly as his eyes took in all the books in the poetry section. His fingers lingered over the spines, something he did so it would be easier to read and focus on each of the titles. He was in the animals section earlier but he moved on to poetry as he needed some new material to read back at home or when he was on break at the Victory music shop.

One hand tucked into his pocket, he continued perusing the poetry section, not knowing that he was bumping into a few people in the oddly cramped space. He wasn’t really looking at every single person he disturbed, but being the polite man he is, he would always give a genuine apology before looking for a book to purchase himself.

@✽ seungyeon h. “nice to meet you too, seungyeon.” gyuri smiled sheepishly back. “i’m actually finished with the show. i just finished it the other day.” for the second time but she wasn’t about to admit that. she perked up knowing she was talking to a fellow fan. getting insight from someone who shared the same passion for the series would mean a lot more to her than someone who watched it on a whim. “that’s good to know. it did feel like certain things were rushed or even missing at some points. they must’ve been pretty–” she paused, figuring out the right word. “...grim scenes to have not been included.” she looked down at the book’s cover thoughtfully before looking back at the woman. “thanks for giving me your honest opinion. i’m definitely going to get it now.” there was a genuine smile on her face. “if you’re open to it, i’d love to discuss more about the book with you once i read it. it’s nice meeting a fellow fan.”

@✽ gyuri p. "You're welcome glad I could save you hours of your time. May I ask what part of the show you're on?" She answered playfully with a smiled of her own. Seungyeon amusement only grow at the other words if only Gyuri knew the truth. The truth that she was talking to the writer herself. She wonder how Gyuri would react. "You can say in a way I am a fan of both the show, and the book. I would say it's worth a read if you'll like to know the whole story since the show tend to leave a lot of things out. You know how tv shows are now days having to be careful on what to show or not." She thought to herself. 'Or in my case I refused to let them show certain things.' "I agree that it tends to overshadow; however from what I seen in this case it did not." Seungyeon let out a laugher at the late greeting. "Nice to meet you Gyuri I'm Seungyeon."

@✽ seungyeon h. gyuri grabbed the book from the other woman’s hand, sending her a grateful smile. “thanks, you’re a life savior. i swear i would’ve been looking for hours if it wasn’t for your help.” she debated whether or not she should tell her that she binge-watched the show /twice/. “yeah, i am. i’ve been really enjoying it.” talk about the understatement of the year. “how about you? have you just watched the show or have you read the book?” she was curious. “if you are a fan, i’d like to hear your opinion on the book. i’m sure it’s worth reading but is it as good as the show? adaptions tend to overshadow their original sources so i wonder if this will be the same case.” straightforward as always, gyuri looked at the other woman expectedly for an answer. it took her a moment to realize she hadn’t even introduced herself yet. “i’m gyuri, by the way. you are?”

@✽ gyuri p. Seungyeon would never still to this day figure out why her memoir was pick to be made into a series. She mainly wrote it for self healing, and to let others like her know things will get better. The thought of blowing up like it did was never something that cross her mind. She had green light the show on a couple of conditions. She was to get her share of the profits, and more importantly nothing can be added nor change.

It was one of her rare days where she end to the bookstore alone just wanting to relax. She hummed while browsing thought picking up whatever caught her eyes. "Oh, I did spotted it somewhere near here." She answered the other while quickly looking for the book before pulling it out. "Here you go I take it you're a fan of the show?" Seungyeon asked in amusement while holding out the book.

@✽ seungyeon h. gyuri wasn’t one to have hyperfixations but if there was one thing she was obsessed with, it would be the tv series “there's always a ray of sunshine behind the darkest cloud.” it only took a few minutes into the first episode for her to get completely hooked. the horrors that the protagonist went through were difficult to watch; however, witnessing how she persevered through it all was well worth it.

gyuri was eager for more and was surprised to learn that the tv series was based on a memoir. so she found herself in the bookstore, searching shelf after shelf for it. she knew was she close to finding it yet it was difficult to distinguish the title in a sea of book spines. desperate for some help, she looked around for staff but found no one nearby except a woman around her age. figuring there was a chance she could be a fan of the show or book, she approached the other woman. “hey, you wouldn’t happen to have read or heard of the memoir ‘there's always a ray of sunshine behind the darkest cloud’? i can’t seem to find it and now i’m wondering if it’s even worth the hassle.”

@✽ ten l. "Yessir! I'd like for more people to be able to read. Nowadays, everything is so expensive, including books. Sad, really," he rambled on and rubbed the back of his neck. "Come with me," he smiled again and beckoned Ten to follow him as he walked over to a large selection of wrapped books. Each of them had their own little wrapping paper and bows for decoration.

@✽ yunkyoung s. As soon as Eunwoo stepped inside the bookstore, he was greeted with the smell of new books - earthy, woody, and something about the smell that he couldn't depict in words but he was sure that smelt pleasant. And not to mention, a bubbly greeting from his dearest friend. As expected from the cheerful Seo Yunkyoung. The corners of his lips naturally curled upwards into a wide yet polite smile and he bowed his head towards the female, "hello there, yunkyoung-ssi. thank you for the welcome, i'll make sure to let you know if i need anything."

'Kyoung' was a nickname of hers from Eunwoo and it almost slipped right on the tip of his tongue, luckily he managed to hold it back as he didn't want to sadden her of something that she couldn't control — the retrograde amnesia. With a brief look thrown to his friend and a soft chuckle was emitted as he trod lightly to the comic book section, remembering how adorable his friend's today's outfit. Pink did look so good and soft on her petite frame. Picking up a new volume of horror comic book that he spent reading it for weeks now, one of the reasons that he was occupied most of the times. Then, off he went to the counter where the female was.

"Hi, so - I would like to buy this book and also, what comic book would you recommend for comedy genre? Preferably the finished ones please," requested Eunwoo as he put the book on the counter, looking around.

@✽ wonwoo j. 'Gahyeonnie' she stood and stared at the man, not hearing her real name for a long time made her confused for a moment, that she slowly changed into a pose of defence , giving him a quizzing look. "if you are hear for fighting, then you have come to the right person." she looked up and down at him, realising he wasn't the fighting type, that she let her guard down .

"wonwoo? wonwon? noonoo?" she never did go to school , except for primary, so could it possibly be the boy she hung around with back then all those years ago? while pondering her own question she emitted a soft laugh. " I will admit the name is familiar, but very uncertain right now, if you are as you say you are, what was I like back in school?" she folded her arms , but mentally admitted to herself, if it is as who he said he is, she was proud to see him turn into one handsome looking man.

@✽ gahyeon l. All Wonwoo could do was only stare at the lady he supposedly knew that stood in front of him, thinking to himself that she had grown up well after all these years. “You’re Gahyeonnie, right?” he asked, making sure to be cautious as he didn’t want to come off as a creep towards the lady.

“We used to meet at the library during breaks, we’d exchange our books with one another.” he was about to ramble and give her more information, when he came to the realisation that he had not even introduced himself properly. “Ah.” he paused. Wonwoo bowed politely in her direction, “I’m Wonwoo. I work here part-time. You used to call me Wonwon, though.” he chuckled softly at the thought.

@✽ hongjoong k. ten couldn't help but smile when he saw the way hongjoong was smiling as well, and he straightened up slightly at the idea that hongjoong immediately shared with him. "oh, that sounds really cute! let me try that, i feel like i've exhausted all options in most of my preferred genres so i need something i haven't already read." the dancer laughed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck, using his free hand to dig through his pockets for his wallet. "okay, only five bucks? let me do it then, i really need something new in my bookshelf."

@✽ ten l. "Oh, thank you!" hongjoong replied, a proud smile on his lips. he loved this little bookshop. he worked hard to get everything together and just how he wanted it. "no problem at all. if you're interested, though, i have a little event going on here. Not an original idea, but it's cute nonetheless. It's called "Blind Date with a Book"! It's super cheap, too. Only five bucks. Just a little something that I thought would be fun for book lovers."

@✽ hongjoong k. ten paused when he heard the voice greeting him, and he turned to look at the person coming closer. they were just slightly taller than him, by maybe a few centimetres at most, and ten's eyes were instantly attracted to the many piercings on his ears. he cleared his throat and smiled before directing his gaze to meet hongjoong's, bowing slightly even though it was delayed. "ah, i'm ten. this is a very cute bookshop, and the name is cute too! i'm not looking for anything in particular, i suppose...whatever is calling to me?"

@✽ wonwoo j. she made her way into the book shop, sure she likes to read about dangerous stuff but she does enjoy reading about cute things too , but if anyone saw her reading something like that , she will find them and teach them a lesson. "ah the book store I hope they have what I ordered last week. How to draw kawaii things but also about .. weapons too." she coughed, hopefully no one heard her.

walking around with her hat down low and in her work uniform she looked around at various cook books and travel books in the area, sure she isn't a world travelling pilot yet but she does get around the country so maybe she could find something about the country in which she has not yet been, so after picking up the book she felt someone staring at her. " Oi! who goes there! reveal yourself!" with her defensive side becoming alert, she stuck her hand into her pockets.

watching the other come closer she wrapped her hands around her wallet before sighing in relief, someone she was not aware of ? talking to her ? just made her laugh. " Have we met before have we ? and who are you ? " she tilted her head a little in curiosity.

@✽ ten l. hongjoong was arranging books near the back when he heard the small bell ring when the door opened, and he stepped down from his ladder to make his way up front to greet those who came in. "Hi! Welcome to Spellbound Realm. I'm Hongjoong," he smiled to Ten. "If you need help with anything, let me know. I'm happy to do what I can."

@✽ gahyeon l. The day was going by pretty slow as usual, something that Wonwoo did not mind at all as he preferred things to be of a much slower pace. As he was going through a new batch of pre-ordered books which came through shipment, he noticed a dent at a corner of the box, causing a section of the books to go dented as well. He let out a sigh of frustration as it had been no less than a week since he encountered nearly five sets of damaged books. This meant that he had to sell them at a much lower price, resulting in a loss rather than a profit.

Wonwoo stood behind the counter in a daze, unable to process anything at this point in time while he tried to figure out what he could do with the damaged books. However, something, or rather someone — had caught his attention. His gazed was fixed towards a female, much shorter in height compared to him, as there was something about her that just seemed so familiar. Yet, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Slowly, he made his way over to the lady, cautiously approaching her with a small smile. “Hi there, have we perhaps met somewhere before?”

@✽ hongjoong k. ten was excited to finally have a day off and he used it to run errands - his first order of business was making it to the bookstore so he didn't have to bring food inside it, and he stepped in with a smile on his lips. he took in the smell of books before venturing his way further inside, preferring to peruse to see if anything captured his interest rather than looking for anything in particular.

@✽ eunwoo c. sitting on a comfortable cushy chair behind the counter of the bookstore that she works at usually from 9-5 on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays - at least that is what's written in her notebook. she's dressed herself in a cute fluttery pink blouse and a pair of jeans, a matching pink hairband to keep her hair out of her eyes. yesterday's her had left a note about wearing the blouse, it was a new purchase and it deserved to see some time out in the sun. the blouse fabric was soft and yunkyoung liked it a lot.

the walk to the store was nice, she had listened to a playlist in her phone titled 'bookstore walking songs' filled with bright pop songs and other cheerful sort of music. the owner had greeted her warmly and opened the store for them. he had showed her a checklist of things she had to mind during her shift that she instinctively knew was made for her and he made sure she was comfortable before departing for the day.

it's calm and peaceful currently, a few people have rung up purchases, yunkyoung doing so and tying them up neatly in cute packages. she likes doing it, making the books all pretty and ready for someone to open up and read.

with no one else in the store at the moment, yunkyoung takes the opportunity to go to the shelves and start putting some of the books back in their rightful places. it's easy enough to do, going alphabetically within each genre area and making sure that all the spines are facing the right way. there were some enthusiastic kids in earlier that day, and their laughter was infectious but one could not expect them to be neat at all. it didn't matter though, yunkyoung didn't mind it.

with the chime of the door though, yunkyoung's attention was pulled there. with a bright smile and a wave, she greeted the customer the way she would with anyone and everyone that came through the store. "hi there, welcome to the bookstore. i'm yunkyoung, please let me know if i can help you with anything today!"

@✽ yunkyoung s. The sound of foot tapping against the wooden floor has filled his room, eyes were unable to concentrate on the bright screen, more likely, staring at the screen for too long hurt his eyes. Taking his black thick glasses off, the male gingerly rubbed his eyes as if it could reduce the discomfort in his eyes. It has been awhile since he had so many pictures to be edited, at least the pay was quite generous. His forefinger clicked the minimize buttons on the programs overlapped to each other, filling the entire screen of his computer and lastly, he saw a blue folder on the very right corner. The folder that named “ㅅㅇㄱ” sat right next to his important projects, a glimpse of that folder managed to crack a smile on his face for the very first time today. Just how important that folder was to him. His dark brown orbs squinted to take a look at the clock above his desk and realized that it’s time for him to do his routinely visit to the place that calmed his mind — the bookstore.

Grabbing his phone and keys on the table, he almost forgot to wear his glasses. Eunwoo couldn’t really be separated with three things on his life. Camera, phone and lastly, glasses. He felt and uncomfortable without it. Completing his comfortable look, he put his varsity jacket on along with a pair of jeans. A final look on the mirror and off he went to the bookstore. Why bookstore? Even his friends were wondering how this guy who couldn’t take his eyes off the screen of either computer, phone, or camera, succeeded to put his attention on comic books. Man, comic books were so interesting to read. He once neglected his client’s project because of comic books and got an earful by his friends. Guilty, yes but just slightly. Having fun, totally a big yes. Never knew that he could find another hobby aside photography. Seems staying at his hometown was not that awful.

A glimpse of the familiar building almost had him grinning widely like a Chesire cat’s smile. Of course, he resisted the urge of smiling that wide, didn’t want to be seen as a crazy guy though. He just couldn’t wait to see a certain bookstore worker. The one that introduced him the most entertaining books ever, the one that who greeted the customers with a wide smile, the one that made sure the bookstore was a neat and comfortable place for the customers to purchase books, the one that made a job of being a bookstore worker seemed easy and fun. Yet the one that always failed to remember Eunwoo being a friend of Seo Yunkyoung.

He deeply inhaled with his tight grip on the door’s handle, watching the girl advanced towards every book shelf in the store to put back the books or arrange them. Eunwoo already predicted how the girl would greet every customer that came into the store, it might be boring for the others or never paid attention to the greeting but to Eunwoo, it was purely soothing with her silvery voice came into his ears and relieved that his friend was still breathing and healthy.

— open!