— victory record & music shop.

@✽ heeseung l. Hongki went right through the Victory Trench setlist he had been playing, nearing the end of it and finishing with Grave Mistakes. He sang into the microphone, mellow notes coming from his electric guitar. It was a nice change of pace compared to the harder rocking songs he had been performing earlier. “If if takes you forever, I want you to know… oh oh oh oh…” he almost breathed into his singing, with the amount of vocal control he had. He wasn’t even tired yet but once the final chorus was playing he felt like it was time to end the performance with this energy level. The shop owner ended the song and performance seamlessly. He even playfully included the band’s slogan, saying “Aggressive, not passive.” before hopping off the stage with mild applause from the nearby audience and big smiles from Hongki as he bowed.

“Ah, thank you, thank you.” He spoke softly, bowing 90 degrees to whoever was near and clapping. He /was/ always like that after every performance, this was the only way he could really be on stage outside of Victory Trench. He made eye contact with a lot of the store regulars, giving them genuine smiles and waving as well.

@✽ hongki l. heeseung had always appreciated and admired the store owner's performances on his mini stage. the thought of whether the older male ever pursued a music career with that talent never fails to cross his mind, although he's never considered expressing it verbally to the owner. after all, heeseung barely knew his name, and he certainly wasn't the type to randomly approach someone to start a conversation.

the songs being performed on the stage were quite familiar to heeseung, seeing that he casually listened to band. across the multitude of playlists he's created, victory trench songs were scattered here and there, despite having little knowledge about the band itself. all he knows about victory trench was their music was great, which explains why heeseung finds himself no longer occupied with the different albums and cds surrounding him as he naturally gravitates towards the mini stage. he's unsure how long he's been standing there, attentively watching the way the shop owner become lost in his own world, singing his heart out and playing the guitar effortlessly; but the one thing that was for sure was the respect and admiration heeseung has for him.

@✽ heeseung l. Hongki was doing his usual at the store, greeting customers and even going to them when they requested his presence aside from going to his handful of employees who would man the cashier when he was performing. And like clockwork, his regulars came in aside from the random newcomer. His single employee on shift handled them with ease, helping them with song requests as well as ringing in their purchase. At normal intervals, usually lasting for 30 minutes each every few hours, Hongki would bust out his electric guitar (or piano) to perform on the mini stage at the center edge of the store. All his customers appreciated it, many even applauded him for it. Most of them probably didn’t recognize him anyway, that was a common thing.

Today was a bit different for him in terms of performance. The night before he was on a video call with his former Victory Trench bandmates and even their manager. It was just a little catch up for them, something they hadn’t done in a while since the disbandment. There were some touching moments and it grew sentimental quickly, they even planned to meet within the next few months. Following that, the next day, today, Hongki decided to play one of the set lists they would do for VT concerts. This one in particular was their set list for their final goodbye concert. He did the opening song as a few people came in, shredding through with his electric guitar and singing “Be Free,” a B-side from their Bleeding album. After hitting the chorus on his guitar and the high notes with ease, he moved onto the next song, Marathon from their debut album. He was heavily focused on playing this time, as he felt he had to do justice to his own songs that he hadn’t sung in a while.

@✽ hongki l. with his shifts at neoculture cafe primarily starting early in the morning to set up the store and complete adhoc duties, heeseung generally manages to finish up in the afternoons. usually the moment his shift ends, he would head straight home to nap on the couch, catching up on sleep he has the tendency to lack. but there were also instances when his impulse overpowers his lethargy, leading to heeseung aimlessly walking the main streets of town as he takes an extremely long, roundabout way to get home.

whenever these little ventures occured, aside from his usual convenience store or grocery visits, there was always one shop that heeseung enters in without hesitation — victory record & music shop. there were a number of factors to explain his affinity for the place, one being the extensive and various kinds of products offered, but another reason was the shop owner's impromptu performances on the mini stage built in the corner of his establishment. somehow, whenever heeseung visited the store, he would always be greeted with the owner belting high notes with his heavenly vocals while he plays on the electric guitar. and today was no different as he stepped foot into the store, bowing politely towards the direction of the mini stage as he sends a wave, before browsing the new vinyl records displayed front and center in its section.

@✽ areum k. he isn’t sure how long they stay standing together, him shielding her face into his shirt as he rubs gentle circles into her back, but he doesn’t try to keep track. areum is his only priority at the moment, her emotions being the most important thing for him to pay attention to, and her reinstilling her happiness being his only concern. eventually, she does pull away, still shaken and still slightly sniffling. her makeup’s running down her face and her entire body droops with a heavy feeling of exhaustion.

“it’s okay,” he says, voice quiet after all the time he spent in silence. “don’t worry about it, areum. my shirt’s not important.”

they stare at each other in the silence that settles back over them. at the mention of his shirt, he looks down and does in fact see an almost areum-like after-image in the fabric. it makes him smile in a sort of way, to see this blobby likeness to her staring back at him on his chest. looking back up at areum, he tries to offer some sort of consolation, but she speaks before he can.

“i think we Do have a connection, though, areum!” he protests feebly, not wanting to seem like he’s attacking her right after her crying spell. “and i’d like to get to know you better… we see each other frequently!”

he pauses, gnawing at his lip before continuing. “and… and! if you’re gonna get me a new shirt, we should go shopping together anyway! you don’t know me well enough to know my style yet, right?? it should be a thing we do together!”

he isn’t sure why he’s trying so hard to keep areum within his reach. after all, he’s always known of her as more of a concept, as a character in all of the stories that mr. kim used to tell when changmin would visit as a kid. the age divide between them also feels so far, with areum experiencing so many more things than changmin has–and probably ever will. in every aspect, he and areum are opposites, and she’s right that he doesn’t technically owe her anything, but changmin can’t stand to have everything end as it is right now.

“anyway, you need my phone number? to schedule a shopping day?” changmin is already pulling his phone from his pocket, scrambling before areum can take the opportunity to run. “we can do this together and if you really don’t wanna hang out after that… i can respect that!”

@✽ changmin j. It felt like an eternity in his arms sobbing. Then again, it always seems like a lifetime has passed during such moments and so she had no way of knowing for sure. After a few moments she finally began to settle again; the shaking became trembling but did not stop altogether as she grew quiet and contemplative against him. There was a universe in her mind bustling to try and become coherent, to make sense of it all, and yet she didn’t think she was any closer to peace that she was when the outburst started. The thick blanket of grief still laid heavily upon her.

“No, it’s not okay, and I’m sorry.” She mumbled, looking down at his tear and makeup-stained shirt as she pulled away. It was a feeble attempt but she did try to wipe some of it off with her sleeve before giving up entirely. A long sigh passed her lips as she shook her head, too exhausted and too shamed to fight anything or anyone at that moment. “I will get you a new one. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Her face was almost an expressionless mask as she finally looked up at him and met his gaze, only the slightest touch of sadness darkened her eyes. The corners of her lips twitched slightly upward for the space of a second and then fell again as she crossed her arms uncomfortably over her chest to try to feel less emotionally exposed. For all of her anger and boisterousness from before, she was now nearly silent as she struggled to find any words that wouldn’t make things worse.

“We’re not friends, you and I, we just know some of the same people. That does not make a connection and you don’t owe me anything.” She began calmly, not in a mean or derisive tone but rather iterating facts for sake of clarity. Of course she realized it must have sounded harsher than she meant it but she did not know how to accept any kind of affection that she didn’t think was hers. “I can get you a new shirt and we never have to speak again. You are not obligated to me.”

@✽ areum k. changmin held his hands up as soon as he saw areum’s defenses shoot back up. he feels suffocated, like a tremendous weight was sitting on his chest. seeing areum so distraught made his chest go tight with guilt, like a rope was being coiled tighter and tighter around his heart. he takes another tentative step toward her, shielding her appearance from anyone who would pass by.

“you don’t have to talk to me, areum,” changmin frowns as she speaks, her words still carrying barbs at the end of each syllable despite how hurt she looked. “i just came here to apologize-”

the moment she takes a step toward him, he stiffens up, wary of whatever she would do or say. he’s not well-equipped for these types of situations, always the peacemaker who has found ways to placate and please others. his brain is running a mile a minute as he attempts to mentally thumb through all of the advice his mother has given him over the years. as her arm raises up, a drop of cold nervousness slides down his spine, freezing him in place. he would hardly be able to dodge at this point, so he simply squeezes his eyes closed and anticipates the hit–

only the hit never comes. instead, it’s areum that collides into him, body shaking and trembling. his eyes pop open, body still stiff and frozen, until the sound of her sobs finally pull him out of whatever stupor he was in. he wraps her up in a loose hug, fingers automatically carding through her hair the way his mom used to do to him when he was younger.

“oh-!” he chokes out, before swallowing whatever jumble of words he was attempting to say. “it’s okay, areum! you can do whatever you need to do…”

he pats her back gently, lightly, not wanting to make things worse. “i’m here for you areum.. that’s what friends are for!”

@✽ changmin j. The cold air helped to calm her down but really it was the release which she needed that slowly assuaged her rampaging emotions. Or it would have if the young male hadn’t followed and her defenses popped right back into place. No. Why? Why would he do this?

“Are you deaf and dumb? How could I be more clear? I don’t want to talk to some weird kid.” She asked as she righted herself again, lower lip quivering with the barely-contained tears. Her words had venom and sting to them but her expression was pure despair. It was like she wanted to be mad but couldn’t be; she could only hurt.

Her makeup was beyond repair and she didn’t even bother to try wiping away the tears or the stains left behind on her visage. The pain gave way to embarrassment and then anger as she hated being so exposed to such a stranger. Her shame was deep and the negative emotions coiled around her spine like a serpent until she went to strike .

Areum raised her hand and took a step towards him as if she would hit the male. What ended up happening started as a punch but as soon as she caught on how she was behaving, her heart sank and all of the strength left her arm. Instead it turned into some kind of desperate love tap as she collapsed into him and started to cry again.

@✽ areum k. changmin had feared that he had said too much, but he had not anticipated such an intense response from areum. as soon as the first tear fell down her face, changmin felt a deep cold seep throughout his body, his fingertips going numb so that all he felt was a general fuzziness. his mouth begins to flap open and closed like a fish, words not fully forming into cohesion.

“huh..?? areum??” is all he manages before she’s barreling on, and he can only feebly attempt to calm her down as the tears just continue.

he knows she’s hurt and that’s why she’s lashing out, but it still pains him to hear it. he presses his lips together, brows furrowing.

“i thought we were becoming friends!” he protests, before attempting to stumble after her. “hey!! wait!! areum!!”

he hardly notices his feet are already in motion, tripping over himself in hopes of catching up to her. he barely manages to catch the merchandise that gets knocked over when areum hits the display, straightening it up awkwardly and apologizing to the staff. his mind is swirling, overloaded, overwhelmed. the album feels like a hot brand in his hand, stinging where he begins to regain feeling in his palm. he glances at it, feeling as though he’s come to a mental crossroad.

where was it that he went wrong? at what point did he really cross the line? they were doing so well discussing music just moments prior… had he said something offensive about her taste? or maybe he had completely misread their entire conversation in his perspective?? should he gift the album to her?? but what will she do if she can’t play it…?

clenching his jaw, he resolves himself to his plan. mission: help kim areum is a go from this point onward! he meanders back to where he had found the album, tucking dean martin back in between the other albums and patting his plastic-wrapped self affectionately. then, turning on his heel, he scurries out of the store in hopes of still catching areum before she gets too far. turning his head every which way, he tries to still his rapidly beating heart. the blood pulsing through his ears is almost deafening, his senses on high alert.

just barely, he can make out the sound of Something in the alley that tucks beside the store. swallowing, he does his best to calm himself before slowly making his way around the corner. cautiously, with his hands pressed firmly to his sides, he stands at the entrance to the alley. distance would be good in this situation, he thinks.

“...areum…?” he says, hesitant to scare her away more. “are you okay…?”

@✽ changmin j. “For a while the mob had their hands in everything which was why it was so hard to bring them down. Vegas wouldn’t even exist without them, not like how it is. They needed somewhere to launder money so, casinos.” The woman explained, almost bubbly until her attention was brought back to the album in his hands. She tried to put on a smile but it didn’t quite reach her eyes as she nodded at his accurate identification.

Everything was going well, she could handle it, and then it felt like the bottom dropped out of her entire world and she was falling into the deepest, darkest void that anyone had ever conceived of. He was going to take the album. Logically she knew that would eventually be the likely outcome since she had sold it but somehow she just wasn’t ready for it. Dean Martin was going to be gone.

It was like a blow to the chest that took the metaphorical wind right out of her and without realizing, tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes. He was being sweet, so sweet, but that wasn’t what she wanted and she felt as if her world was shattering all around her. Even those pieces too were up into that ebony morass and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

“N-no. That’s okay. Learning to let go of things is part of life.” She heard herself say and although they were speaking about the album itself, it’s not at all what she meant. It was like she was trying to console herself about something else, something distant and far greater but the pain was too much. Her face contorted in unspoken internal agony as the hot rivulets began to pour down her cheeks, she was coming undone.

A panicked and shaky breath jolted through her torso as she fought to stop it, bringing her hands up to try and stop the waters from flowing; smearing her dark eye makeup across her features. “Gosh, you’re such a stupid kid. Why would I want to be anywhere near you?” She muttered angrily, lashing out at the poor guy as she turned and ran; bumping painfully into a display before making her way out of the shop.

Areum barely cleared the door and managed to tuck around the corner into the alley as the tumult of pain racked her body and soul. She tripped and fell against the cold brick exterior, just leaning against it as deep and heavy sobs shook her chest and shoulders. There was no stopping the tears as they fell into the soft sleeves of her hoodie where she buried her head to try and muffle the sounds emanating from her person.

@✽ areum k. “i never considered that there would be mafia in music!!” changmin’s eyes grow wide as areum continues. “history is so cool… there’s so much i don’t know… but you know so much areum!”

it’s a small reminder that changmin has yet to leave his hometown of dandelion, has never seen things outside of this microcosm tucked away from the rest of the world. there’s a wide expanse that stretches out past his view of the Great Unknown. in some ways, changmin is comforted by his familiar surroundings, but in situations such as this, he feels remarkably ignorant.

“so.. so!!!” changmin’s brain is a mess as he attempts to absorb everything he hears at once. “you’re the regular then!! the one who comes in and requests for this to be played??”

his chest fills with a fuzzy kind of feeling, an excitement tingling throughout him at the revelation that: he found them! the regular customer! but he also sobers quickly, processing what areum said before that. his face droops then, his brows furrowing.

“you don’t have anything to play it on? that’s no good…” he pauses, before piping back up. “what if you come over to the hanok when you wanna listen to it? at least till you get your own player?”

he isn’t sure if he’s overstepping, so he promptly clamps his mouth shut immediately after. he looks down at the album again, looks at its well-loved cover and the font that is slightly difficult for him to read. it suddenly feels less like an interesting little tidbit that he’ll play while he cleans he hanok, and more like a puzzle piece that could help complete something bigger, greater. he watches areum carefully, wary that he’s said too much, hands going clammy around the album.

@✽ changmin j. The boy seemed to be endlessly enthusiastic as optimistic, just as he had been during their brief encounter at the hospital but here it was a bit more direct because he was talking to her. As much as she wanted to be grumpy about it or his inexperience with music, she just couldn’t bring herself to gatekeeper his experience. Everyone had to start somewhere and if this were the beginning of his journey, all she could do was try to help him. Music was the only thing that soothed her soul and she wouldn’t deny him that same thing.

“It’s very niche. Most people prefer Sinatra. Frank Sinatra. When it comes to the old American style crooners. I think he was the most popular because of his charm and good looks more than his actual voice, even though it was good. He also tended to have better songs than many of his colleagues, but there is a theory that his musical success has a lot to do with his ties to the Italian Mafia at the time. You might like him more.” Areum rambled again, slipping quite casually into her depths of music knowledge to share with the male and ever so slightly letting her guard down.

When he brought attention back to the album in hand, she could only shake her head and sigh. “I do but I can’t afford it and I have nothing to play it on.” She answered honestly, cheeks flushing with her embarrassment. The woman averted her dark eyes to the floor as if it was the most important thing in the room. “It’s why I come here to listen to it almost every day.” While what she said was true, it wasn’t exactly the whole truth. The album used to belong to her, many of the vinyls still in the store did, but she had to sell them and her player months ago when she got back into town to pay for the house. Just another sacrifice to try and keep things afloat.

@✽ areum k. “oh! so you know this artist well?” changmin glances down at the album cover, running his fingers along the name printed on it. “‘dean martin’... i don’t know a lot of american musicians but i think he’s a good place to start!”

he pauses, before suddenly seeming to remember something. “hey!!! i’m not that young!!! i still have a good amount of life lived!!”

he laughs then, peering over at areum to survey her reaction. it’s not as though he means to make a scene here in the record shop, and he’s never been the best at “reading a room.” his mom says that he simply likes to hear himself talk and while this may be true, changmin has never wanted to hear himself talk more than someone else. he just simply has a lot of thoughts in his brain and his mouth has never had the strongest lock on it.

“you seem to know a lot about him!!” changmin beams over at her, enjoying the ease at which she discusses the topic. “i’d love to hear more about him sometime. i’m new to this style!”

it seems like a good starting point for their (possibly??? maybe??? hopefully!!) budding friendship, so changmin pounces on any possible lead for him to follow. areum isn’t the most transparent person in the world, he finds that any interaction with areum is like a game of i-spy, looking in between her words for what she means. watching her talk about dean martin was like suddenly viewing a clear picture, like he was suddenly seeing a sliver of the true areum… or at least, what he can guess would be the true areum.

“since you know so much about him, did you want this album?” changmin holds it out ot her. “i’d hate to take it from a true fan since i’m just a casual listener!”

@✽ changmin j. It was hard to hide her complete confusion at being invited anywhere by the male. Her eyebrows knit together for the space of a few seconds before she raised one inquisitively. As if that wasn’t enough, she actually glanced to the left and right over shoulders just in case he was talking to someone else. Nope. It was still just them. Why was he being so friendly? Usually her gloom keeps people away, why wasn’t it working? Was she broken?

“Uhh, yeah, sure.” She answered, not really knowing what to do in that situation. Fortunately the conversation swapped to something she knew much better and her expression softened as he indicated the album. Once more she had the urge to reach for it but it only came as a slight twitch as she held herself back. “So you are only interested because you heard it so much?”

Her confusion only grew as he neared and she couldn’t tell if he was playing with her or being serious. Was he making fun of her? It didn’t seem like it would be something in his character but she knew first hand that devils often wore friendly faces. Did this smiling boy have a demon inside too just waiting to gobble up whatever happiness she had left? The thought gave her pause and her cheek twitched a bit before she simply surrendered. If not him then something else would come along so there was no use in fighting it.

“Yes. It’s Dean Martin. An American artist from the late 50s to 70s. It’s a good album but I don’t think it will be to your liking. It is from 1958. A classic. Not for young people anymore.” She answered, spitting out a series of facts and then trying to dissuade him from listening to it. For some reason she was embarrassed to share this with him. It wasn’t a big deal to share it with the people at the shop, they all loved music as much as she did, but he seemed more like a tourist than a nerd; just there for the vibe.

@✽ areum k. her reaction wasn’t what he had anticipated. in fact, he was a bit startled, hand slowly drooping as it seemed her invisible spikes were becoming longer and longer. he vaguely feels as though he might’ve misstepped, or rather, Overstepped. he reels himself back a bit, taking a breath before attempting to try for conversation again.

“you should come visit sometime,” he says, free hand coming up to absentmindedly rub the back of his neck. “i think it would be a nice experience for you.”

his words seem to fall upon deaf ears as areum gestures to the album he had nearly forgotten he was holding. he glances at it, suddenly remembering the entire reason why he had initially come to the record store today.

“oh, this album?” he pats it tenderly. “i always hear them playing this artist in the store so i thought it would be a nice album to have… reminds me of all the times i’ve come in here!”

he leans forward just a bit, acting as though he wants to let areum in on a special secret. maybe it Is a secret, a small little tidbit of gossip that he’s been sitting on and ruminating on for the past few visits.

“the staff told me that there’s a regular that always requests this album to be played,” changmin’s voice almost falls into a scandalized whisper. “so i wanted to see for myself just how good it was!”

a pause as he surveys areum’s reaction to this tidbit he has shared. “do you know this artist, areum?”

@✽ changmin j. He felt loud. Was he loud? She couldn’t even tell anymore as discomfort settled in around her person, like a thousand ants parading across her skin and there was nothing she could do about it. An idle hand reached up to rub her forearm as if to soothe the sensation away but it did very little as she took one more step towards the male.

It was like looking at the sun if the sun were also somehow irritatingly cheerful as it drifted across the sky, a stark contrast to the darkness which seemed to emanate from her person. Areum could barely even manage a smile to him as he spoke but she did at least attempt it, some half-hearted twitching of her dull lips before she averted her gaze once more. The boy clearly had no idea that his presence was somehow blinding and yet, she couldn’t quite be cruel to him in response either.

He had seen her and her father, he knew what she was going through, and yet there he was conversing with her as of there wasn’t a care in the world. Areum longed for that sensation and hated him for the lack of it. Logically she knew it wasn’t his fault and so she did her best to remain civil. But it was more than that; she felt exposed around him, vulnerable even, and that just wouldn’t do.

“Yes, that’s the place.” Came the gruff reply before she her lower lip into and bit down on it, trying to keep her attitude in check. “It’s fine.” Then her eyes found the album in his hands again and she was reminded why she entered the store to begin with. She gestured to it with maybe a little bit more desperation than she meant to show. “Are you going to buy that?”

@✽ areum k. “yeah! im glad you recognize me,” changmin watches areum’s face contort at the mention of her father, so he awkwardly rambles along in an attempt to ease the mood.

“ohh i didn’t know you’re a regular! i come here a lot too!!” he laughs a bit at her inquiry, patting the album in his hand affectionately. “i like good music, of course!! so this is the best spot to go when i wanna spend time doing something fun.”

he can tell that she seems preoccupied, so he hums a bit in thought, surveying the person in front of him. it’s not that she’s completely unrecognizable, but she certainly feels Different. it’s in the way that her posture is hunched over so she looks like she’s on high alert, and the way her eyes are dark and hard to read. changmin had enjoyed the presence of a sort of kindred spirit at the bed of mr. kim, glad to have someone there who could also look after the man in his time of need. he had seen her as someone who was equally devoted to her father as he was to his mother. there was a loyalty, an unwavering desire to protect that he thought would allow them to bridge a gap between each other.

or, well, that was changmin’s train of thought as he had felt the burning desire to make a new friend.

“i know i’ve probably introduced myself before, but i feel it’s good to introduce myself again now that we’re kind of out in our natural habitat,” changmin extends the hand that’s not holding the album out to areum. “ji changmin!! my family owns the hanok at the edge of town!! if you ever need a place away from town for peace and quiet, we’re the best place to go!!”

he winces a bit, biting the inside of his cheek as to bite down the embarrassment that fills his chest. “sorry about the spontaneous advertisement… force of habit.”

@✽ changmin j. Upon hearing her name on a stranger’s tongue, she quickly glanced in the direction of the sound as was met with the visage of a young man she had only seen a few times before in her life. The raven-haired woman was taken aback and barely had time to process where she had seen him before when she realized what he had in his hands. Her prize.

The male was momentarily forgotten as she took a small step towards it, not even bothering to respond to his question at first. Then her brain kicked in and she hesitated, shifting her weight from foot to foot in a small shuffle of barely repressed desire. Her fingers twitched in the direction of the album before she shook her wrists to hide her hands once more in the sleeve of her hoodie. No. She had to behave and act like a normal human being for once and attempt human social interaction.

“Ye-yes.” She managed to stutter out and shift her attention back to the individual who unwittingly had his mitts on that which she loved so dearly. “You’re that young guy from the… thing. You visit my dad.” At the mention of her father, the sudden rush of sadness exploded in her chest. No. Not here. Anywhere but here. She shoved the emotion down into the depths of her stomach and tried to bury it there, blinking back tears as she reverted to the next emotion she could display which would be acceptable.

Areum cleared and set her jaw, an expression something like mild annoyance tightened her features but her dark orbs still swirled with pain. “Yeah. Yeah. I come here all the time.” The woman replied in a voice barely audible despite how near they were. “What are you doing here?”

@✽ areum k. ji changmin was most definitely Not a musical connoisseur by any means. in fact, he could be likened to the opposite, never really discriminating when choosing what to listen to. music was music to changmin, and genre had no bearing on the enjoyment he got from listening to something new. that’s one of the reasons why changmin enjoyed visiting victory records so much despite hardly placing most of the artists advertised.

the other reason for changmin’s frequent visits could be tied back to the excitement of knowing a celebrity in some shape or form. he never quite stopped feeling starstruck whenever lee hongki was working.

but celebrity intrigue and music tastes aside, changmin had fallen in love with the vibes surrounding the small, cozy store. he always made sure to visit whenever he was in town and tried to pick up a new album on the way. today, he had his sights set on obtaining the album he had heard played often on the store tracklist, inquiring about it to the employees after hearing songs of the artist multiple times. he was told that a regular customer had requested the album, and changmin’s curiosity was inevitably piqued. there was a mystery that surrounded this unknown regular, someone who was so infatuated with an album that they insisted it be played whenever they visited…

changmin could only hope to run into them.

thus, he found himself browsing the shelves for the well-loved album, eyes locking onto the familiar band name and numerous titles on the tracklist bringing up various memories of his past excursions into victory records. he fondly looked over the cover art and the different tracks, eyes flitting over the price tag before they drifted over to the vibrant green nails jumping between album stacks.

standing back and glancing up at the person’s face, he jumped at the realization of: hey.. i know this person!!

“ah, kim areum??” he his head, album still clutched in his one hand. “is that you??”

she looked so Different from those times he had seen her at mr. kim’s bedside in the hospital, her face possessing a flush to it that was absent under the harsh, sterile lighting. she was dressed comfortably, figure nearly lost in the oversized hoodie she wore, and he eyed the boots she wore. somehow, she looked just as celebrity-like as hongki did.

“i didn’t know you shopped here!” he continues. “do you come here a lot??”

@✽ changmin j. The speakers overhead buzzed with the rhythmic drumming and sensual strumming of electric guitars to a classic rock song that filed the small space with an ambience that could only fit with a record store. There was very little chatter to muddy the sound as the few patrons of the shop simply browsed and enjoyed. For Areum it was like being wrapped in a warm auditory hug that embraced her heart and soul in a way that the physical act could never do. It felt like home.

In truth, she actually felt more comfortable there than she ever was within the four walls of her actual house. There were no ill memories here in the sea of albums and liner notes. No betrayal. No pain. Just a blissful escape that hung between each note and pause that carried her into cathartic adventure.

For a time at least she could forget about the normal soundtrack to her life; a strange mix of hospital monitors going off and the mind-numbing hum of the tattoo needle. Areum relished these few moments that she could breathe freely and disappear entirely into the music. In many ways it didn’t matter exactly what was playing, even though she had her favorites, she just needed something for her aching soul.

Most everyone in the record shop knew her and left her alone. She would simply wander around the stacks and racks idly as the music played unmolested. Clad in a pair of black boots, ripped jeans, and a far-too-large hoodie, she didn’t exactly look the most inviting anyway but at least there she didn’t seem out of place.

Her chipped, green-tipped fingers danced along the stuff edges of the albums lined up before her person. They quickly and expertly shifted between each one as she searched idly for something she had viewed many times. It was a favorite of hers, one she would ask them to play again and again, but not one she would ever buy for herself because she just couldn’t justify such an investment. A small glow of excitement formed on her features in anticipation until she reached her destination but then stopped: it wasn’t there. Her heart sank and she looked around frantically for her missing prize. Had someone bought it? Oh, no, she began to get distressed as various scenarios ran through her mind. What if she would never hear it again?

@✽ jia s. Hongki was quietly ducked down underneath the counter upfront, sorting out some vintage cassette tapes in a box since he had spilled them out during his break time. It was rather quiet and he did not expect anyone to come in at that hour, so he didn’t bother to play any music on his guitar like background music as he normally did. It was a strange practice, most music stores in Seoul would just have speakers blasting mp3s but Hongki preferred this method. It keeps his mind and guitar-playing fingers sharp, he wouldn’t forget how to play as easily if he was always practicing behind the counter. He even took requests from loitering customers. That day though, he was too busy cleaning to play.

Of course he heard the little bell above the door ring, signaling that someone had stepped inside. Without getting up, he half-shouted in his husky voice. “I’ll be right there, customer!” It was just to let them know that there was actual staff working at that time. After almost two minutes, he finished cleaning up the pile of spilled tapes, getting up with the cardboard box in his hands, settling it on the counter and flashing the young woman at the counter with his smile. “Hello, and welcome to Victory! The name’s Hongki, how can I help you?” he spoke up, setting the box aside and resting his hands on the counter after politely introducing himself.

@✽ doyeon k. It had been a rather slow day at Victory, but that wasn’t anything new for Hongki. A handful of customers would come in and out, usually his regulars, and Hongki would as he always did, greet them with kindness, sometimes a discount. After he finished texting a possible employee, he decided to relax behind the front desk. There were barely any people at that time, and they never really minded when he would play his electric guitar, it was a music shop after all and he was skilled at playing.

With the last person leaving the store, he casually rested his legs on the counter, leaning back in his armchair. His sleeves were lifted up to his elbows, his tattoos exposed since he did not want his favourite orange knit sweater getting caught in the guitar strings while he played riffs. With his trusty electric guitar hooked onto the amp as it always was, he played the first 20 seconds of Rock You Like A Hurricane by Scorpions, which was almost purely electric guitar. He was nearly up to the first verse, not realizing Doyeon had already entered, only sensing her presence when he briefly looked up and away from his hands.

“Oh, Doyeon-ssi! Hello, hello!” he greeted her, a wide grin on his face as he bowed. He set his electric guitar on his armchair, getting out from behind the counter. He bowed to her again, politely sticking his half-exposed arm to her for a handshake. “Welcome to Victory Record and Music Shop! I’m Lee Hongki, the manager and owner of the place! You can call me Mr. Hong or Mr. Lee, haha!” he spoke gleefully, his head bobbing up and down a little as he spoke.

@✽ hongki l. doyeon was most excited to be finally working at a music shop— it had been one of her ever-longing dreams to at least work at a shop where music surrounded her in every nook and cranny. it truly was a dream come true, and the fact that she came across the shop owner's flyer really set in stone her excitement to be working for them. getting the green light to stop by the place, doyeon made haste to the location, not wanting to leave the owner waiting too long for her arrival.

as she happily skipped over to what seemed like the entrance of the shop, doyeon eagerly twisted the knob, making her presence known. scanning the vicinity, doyeon was truly enthralled by the beauty of the place— it quite literally screamed 'music' and definitely left her a little speechless. though not for long before she noticed an older-looking fellow behind the counter. piecing it together, she figured it was the owner and made her way over before enthusiastically waving a hand at him.

@✽ hongki l. even though jia had been in this town for quite a while now, she still stumbled across quaint, pretty looking places, and this record store tucked away in the corner of her street immediately caught her eye, decor rustic and almost living in its own world, a world which she recognized from her favourite band - victory trench. even the name caught her off guard, victory record & music shop. was it just a coincidence or was the owner a huge fan of them as well? with a hammering heart, thumb wiping across the back of her clear phone case housing hongki's photocard from the 'midas touch' era, the first photocard ever released, she stepped into the shop, indulging in the quiet and calm atmosphere.

it really was interesting seeing how wide the selections of artists were, and there were a few gems, cds and LPs from the past such as bon jovi and michael jackson. maybe there would be the original 'victory trench' limited edition LP she had eyed from day one, album cover of soldiers in trenches, fighting a war, greatly etched in her mind since she was a little girl. talk about taste, but the music really did resonate with her, and it was a bummer when she finally had the capability to buy some of their stuff only to find out that most of the early discographies were now sold out or resold at exorbitant prices. now 25, making enough bank, all she wanted was to complete her shelf, her shrine as a peacemaker, and she made her way to ask the staff at the counter on whether the item, by any chance, was in stock.