before you go

@gyuri p。 “well i couldn’t come empty handed, especially since i’m the one keeping you in tonight and eating away at your profits. besides my drinking tolerance has gotten better in the past few years, just a warning.” he joked as he tucked the little bread package in his jacket’s interior pocket. as he brought up the last time they had a drink, he paused for a moment. as he looked around the shop, not much had changed. the layout was similar, just a few products switched out and different packaging as expected from the past time. however, what was different about them since they truly last saw each other, spent time with one another? despite these intruding thoughts at the worst timing, a smile remained while making his way through the store, “you have nothing to worry about me getting lost. everything is still the same. i remember telling your parents that awhile back, that it was nice to come back to something familiar.”

despite his roots, busan at times felt foreign for the local. gone was his childhood home that he would return late to, long days and evenings spent at school and the library. now his mother had her own place, one of the first few big purchases he made when he finally saved up. his apartment was empty during the late nights he returned. his ex typically stayed back in seoul. even when she was in the city with him, she was out with some friends. it was on his lonely late night walks he found himself in front of the familiar park&go without noticing it, never forgetting to greet her parents. just like back then, they welcomed him with open arms. for an hour or so, he would eat a small snack at the counter and talk with her parents about his day as if he was a kid again, needing a place to hide and waiting for gyuri.

“things really haven’t changed. i haven’t been back here for ages, but i can’t believe they never got rid of the couch,” taecyeon widened his eyes when he saw the worn out loveseat. as kids the two spent afternoons there working on their homework, ranting about life, and listening to music. when they got older though, the two would laugh and tease about how her father would drop by the room more often than usual. seeing a couple of empty milk crates nearby, he pulled them over to the area and left the bags next to the couch too. for a second he hesitated, looking at both of his options before gyuri arrived. he ended up sitting on a crate close to the sofa, already his leg shaking while resting his hand on top.

“sorry for coming in late, but also for not stopping by earlier. i really did mean it. i thought i was going to be in town a few weeks ago, but some stuff came up,” he called out to her while waiting for her. however, impatience eventually got to the best of him, even just those mere seconds. as he leaned against the doorframe, his eyes following her around the store, he had to remind himself to take deep breaths. it was always nerve wrecking to run into an ex of sorts, especially with their history. yet in that moment his heart beat harder than he could ever remember, practically pounding against his chest. knowing that he was staring than he should, he reached out to her to take the items out her arms, “did you get a chance to eat yet? i mean an actual proper meal, not snacks. i can order something extra for us, there’s probably a shop open at this time. i know i'm the guest, but you should relax right now. the worst that will happen is that i drink four extra cans of beer than predicted.”

@taecyeon o。 gyuri sighed as she flipped the store sign hanging on the door from open to closed. it was quite pathetic having to close a convenience store so early in the evening but with cutthroat competition like the shiny new gs25 store around the corner, the outdated park&go didn’t stand a chance. the empty streets on the other side of the glass doors only seemed to prove this. yet it wasn’t just customers she was hoping to see. she would frequently stop by the front door and look outside, eyes searching for a certain someone. each time she was met with disappointment—an empty street or a worn-out salaryman who looked nothing like /him/.

she wasn’t even aware that she developed the habit until her only employee—some cheeky high schooler—had pointed it out just now. he even dared to say that her intense staring was “scaring” away customers. he was probably right… but she didn’t want to admit it so she told him to go home already. didn’t have to tell him twice. the kid packed up his stuff and was practically flying out the door with a cheeky grin. at least now, she could have some peace and quiet…

gyuri made her way back to the checkout counter and started balancing the cash register. it was a time-consuming task, one that kept her mind occupied with numbers instead of the idea of being potentially stood up. this was likely the case considering her call with taecyeon had been nearly a month ago. she reasoned to herself that he was likely busy with his assemblymen career. after all, campaigning and negotiating bills should hold priority over hanging out at a convenience store. the thought of being brushed aside stung; however, she did not regret making the call. that time she spent inside that poorly lit backroom had been the best night she had in a /very long/ time. after she hung up, she all but ran back to the snack aisle to collect his favorite gummies and chips. she stuffed them inside a hidden compartment of the checkout counter, knowing her employee wouldn’t be able to resist if he saw them. it was a silly thing she did looking back at it now.

despite her best efforts, her mind was distracted. she let out a rather colorful curse when she realized she had to recount everything. to make things worse, she heard the bell chime of the front door opening. too tired to keep up any pleasantries, she grumbled, “hey, did you not see the sign? we’re closed. come back ano-” she was rendered speechless as soon as she saw who walked through the door, ok taecyeon in all his glory. the crisp lines of his suit complimented the sharp features of his face. time had served him well. he had always been handsome but there was now a sense of assurance that made him all the more attractive.

“you’re past pushing your luck. first, you wanted chips and gummies, now bread? i’m trying to make a profit here,” gyuri joked as she took out said snacks from the hidden compartment. “hey,” she responded, returning his smile with her own. “it’s not much but welcome back, taecyeon.” her eyes widened at the sight of all the bags in his arms. “what’s all this? i thought it was my job to get the refreshments for our little get-together. speaking of which-” she closed the cash register, grabbed the snacks, and made her way out of the counter. “i’ll fetch us the beer. do you remember how to get to our spot in the back? it’s still the same after all these years.”

@gyuri p。 taecyeon stood in front of park&go for a few minutes, unable to step inside the familiar store just yet. instead, his eyes darted between the closed sign and the lone woman inside. already, it was late in the evening and nearly a month since they last spoke on the phone. what should had been a meetup a few days later turned into nearly a month, work getting in the way as usual, whether it was a bill deadline he had to tend to or campaign work. life too had its way, divorce more so. no one else knew of the news aside from his ex, their families, and their attorneys; but it was that privacy that partially tied things up before he could head back to busan. even with the secretive constant back and forth between their lawyers, he was still stuck in the process. hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but he himself was not innocent.

before he could finally take a step towards the store, he took another peek inside the bags he brought with him. it was a rather confusing mix of expensive candles, perfumes, and a bottle wine with fancy european names that he could not pronounce; following the guidance of a department store attendant’s recommendations instead of his secretary shopping for him. back then he used to tell her how he would shower her presents when he finally had the means to, especially after hearing about her travels and realizing the type of people she met through her work, a level that seemed eons away from his own social standing. yet he never expected how this current scenario, them meeting as distant exes. as he approached the glass door, he stopped once again from entering. through the glass he could see her.

she was breathtaking. his mother, a former miss korea contestant herself, used to tease taecyeon how he would never find another woman as beautiful as gyuri with the way he would gawk and fumble around her. she was not wrong.

one tug to the door and it swung all too easily, maybe she was not completely upset with them meeting late into the night. maybe he should had been more patient and waited until the morning, give himself a chance to change. it was these types of thoughts that had him looking down at his smoothed out gray slim fit suit and navy tie, did he look too uptight? it was too late at this point, all he could do was take another deep breath as he made his way to gyuri. nothing could soothe the knots that tied on top of one another, but all he could do was muster a smile that barely hid his own nerves. “i should had asked you to save me a couple of those pokemon breads for me, but maybe i’m pushing my luck with that request,” he chuckled softly before reaching for the last bun, tossing it in his free hand as he looked around the bright, but empty store, “i think this is probably the best homecoming i’ve had in awhile. hey.”

@taecyeon o。 [ ongoing call : ok taecyeon ]

“you’re partially right. that combination was received with mixed responses from my colleagues–” she paused, debating whether or not she wanted to go into detail about the struggles she endured during her old job. she knew taecyeon would never judge her. he had always been her biggest supporter, encouraging her to take on a career that others deemed “too dignified” for someone of her status. still… she didn’t want him to worry either so she settled with a half-truth. “but the passengers appreciate my looks and impeccable customer service.” some a little /too/ much in her opinion.

gyuri bit her lip nervously. had she soured the mood so early in their conversation? this was their first time talking in /years/ and yet here she was, not-so-subtly complaining about how her life had become. thankfully, his response was short and sweet. she was grateful that he didn’t press for further information. “that’s good to hear. hopefully, things will only go up from here. you deserve more than just pretty decent.” it was a cheesy thing to say but it was the truth. she chuckled, her smile returning. “ooh, i can’t wait to hear it. of course, karma exists. you’ve been serving up karma with a strong helping of justice for years now.”

her smile grew, happy that he agreed with her terms. it made sense to reunite at their old hangout spot, full of fond memories and guaranteed privacy. “great, it’s a da-” she stopped herself, cheeks warm from the almost slip-up. “i mean, that sounds like a plan. and don’t worry, we still have them. i’ll make sure to save a couple of bags for you. just shoot me a text when you’re about to head over so i can close up the shop early.” she was about to say more when she heard the tell-tale chime of the front door opening. “ugh, i have to go. a customer just walked in,” she sighed as she got up. “it was nice catching up with you. made my night, honestly. take care and i’ll see you soon, taecyeon.” her voice was wistful and somewhat hesitant as if she wanted to continue the conversation all night. alas, duty called. she hung up and got up to face the dreary reality that was the convenience store.

@gyuri p。 [ ongoing call: park gyuri ]

“you always know what to say, even if it’s not completely true. you were probably everyone’s favorite stewardess, but that’s not surprising. it’s hard to hate the combo of brains, beauty, and personality,” he could not hold back his amused tongue click from her words. back then, she was one of the few people who had something nice to say. what his mother and his teachers said, sure they counted. it was usually expected that parents had something kind to say about their child, aside from his father. teachers would easily pay a compliment or two if a student was well behaved and had good grades. she was different. her thoughts on him were not based on his success, but him as a person, a rarity those days.

for a second, taecyeon crooked his head at her remark of her sorta reaching her dreams. he heard from his mother that gyuri was back and running her parents’ shop, but at that moment he asked if he missed something from that conversation. clearing his throat, he hesitated for another moment before continuing, “you still got to fly, see the world. all of the things you dreamed of, but i’ll admit… things have been pretty decent for me compared to most. i can’t complain.” a particular memory came in, almost snickering at this with an all too proud of a tone, “wait until i tell you about who i ran into a few years, in court to be particular. what i can say is that karma does exist.”

a sigh of relief could be heard from his end, not even realizing until that point how he held his breath for her answer. while he was one to splurge on exclusive private bars and ritzy hotel suites for his mistresses, taecyeon did not care about that sort of thing now. gyuri was not just any woman that he could mess around with and toss to the side. he could not mess things up again, already it seemed like a near damn miracle that she wanted to meet him. he kept this in mind as he nodded, “i like the sound of that. lucky for me, i’m supposed to be back in town in a few days. hopefully you still have my favorite gummy worms and crab chips.”

@taecyeon o。 [ ongoing call : ok taecyeon ]

there was an incessant fluttering in park gyuri’s chest. a once-forgotten feeling that somehow resurfaced as they talked. to think after all these years, ok taecyeon still had that effect on her. “well i apologize that my beauty further fueled their inferiority complex against you,” she teased, clearly not sorry. “if it makes you feel better, my old coworkers were jealous that my boyfriend looked so good in uniform. they were adamant that i had photoshopped your photos.”

she rolled her eyes at his modesty. leave it to taecyeon to brush off his hard-earned accomplishments. “trust me, you /are/ doing a great job. in the short time i’ve been back, it’s easy to see how much busan has changed for the better.” she bit back a sigh. while they both had taken steps to make their dreams closer to reality; however, she had single-handedly destroyed all her hard work thanks to one torrid affair. now here she was, stuck managing a convenience store on its last legs. “yeah, emphasis on ‘sorta’ from my end,” she said bitterly before she could stop herself. “but i’m glad one of us is still flourishing.”

gyuri frowned at his answer. what /exactly/ did she want? a part of her wanted to be cautious and keep her distance from him. her past experience proved it unwise to be involved with a married man. yet another part of her yearned to see the one she considered her first love. as long as she was careful, there shouldn’t be any harm in reconnecting with someone she held cherished memories with. perhaps this could give them the closure they needed to move on. “fine. how about we do this-” she started, her voice decisive. “stop by the shop the next time you’re free. we can crack open some beer and catch up in the back. it’ll be like old times.”


[] hope this works! let me know if i need provide more context or change anything.