✈ bookstore.

@✉ ⋮ moon junyoung the moment the strange man had mentioned the cafe her suspicions were confirmed that he was indeed the man who had been staring at her as if he had recognized her from somewhere, yet now he was the one asking if they had met before. minhwa would have had some sort of recollection of meeting the guy standing before her. he didn't exactly blend into the crowd, and her nose scrunched briefly with distaste as she wondered if she was being pranked.

"uhm..." she started, fingers twitching and gripping the hem of her apron, "I don't believe that we've met before....I don't recognize you at least." it was a bewildering situation. one that was causing her paranoia to grow as she briefly wondered if this was some ploy by her ex to infiltrate her life again. last she heard he wasn't in seoul anymore, but he wasn't exactly the type to let things go easily either...even with years passing since they've spoken. and with her growing fame online, it was harder to keep a lower profile.

the abrupt change in conversation topic, though, nearly had her physically jolting as she blinked at the other, taking the books he held up into her hands so she could go through the process of ringing them up. "ah, I would be lying if it wasn't a bit odd," she attempted to joke as she placed each book into a reusable tote she provided each customer after scanning them, manicured nails clicking away at the keyboard to the cash register, "we...i...uhm, if you'd like to talk, I can step away for a moment. we aren't too busy and I can call my other employee over to watch the counter. I'm the owner, so...what I say goes I suppose?"

@✉ ⋮ ahn minhwa once again, that strange, warm, comfortable feeling filled him at the sight of her, and at this point his curiosity was turning into frustration. how could he possibly not remember someone that made him have this feeling? he was rarely comfortable with anyone, in fact he could count on one hand the number of people that made him feel warm and at ease. so why couldn’t he remember her?

he had been so lost in his thoughts, blankly staring at the woman, and had almost missed her question, but thankfully her voice brought him out of his trance, a small smile settling onto his lips as he says, “hello, i believe i saw you at jiho’s cafe. but have we met before then?” he paused for a minute, giving her another good look over, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as if in slight confusion, “you look so familiar… it feels like i’ve met you before, but i can’t seem to remember…”

he trailed off, realizing that perhaps this was not the time nor the place to talk to the woman. she was at work and was clearly too busy to be answering his questions. quickly waving it off, he said, “actually never mind, i’m sorry to bother you. i’m sure this whole interaction has been weird for you. i will let you get back to work. could you ring up these books for me, and i’ll be on my way?” he held up the books he planned on buying for his mom, remembering the task at hand and trying to ignore the urge to learn more about the woman in front of him. maybe he could have his friend in intelligence dig up some information about her and that could clear everything up.

@✉ ⋮ moon junyoung the day had been rather uneventful for minhwa's bookstore, just the typical regular customers wandering the shelves or settling down in the few comfy chairs she had installed not that long ago. her vision for her store was to create a place people could escape too beyond just the words on a page. she wanted an experience, something memorable. the kind of safe haven that books had provided for her when she was struggling.

even now, she could easily immerse herself into the setting of a novel, imagining what it would be like to be the female protagonist swept off her feet by the male lead. an amused smile settled on her lips as she lifted a box of new merchandise from the counter to settle it on the floor, making it easier to go through for inventory. she chatted amicably with her employee that was updating the display window with the flower bouquets minhwa had impulsively bought on her break that day.

"eunbi, when you get a chance before we close tonight, i'd love to pick your brain over a potential new cataloging system," she called out as she moved the boxes further out of the way so if a rush were to occur, there wouldn't be a tripping hazard behind their counter. when she straightened up, though, she came face to face with the man she had only recently stopped wondering about, convincing herself she had imagined the entire strange interaction. but that thought now was thrown out the window as he spoke to her as if he knew her from somewhere.

"uhm, i'm sorry, but do i know you?"

@✉ ⋮ ahn minhwa time had past so fast and before junyoung knew it, his mother’s birthday was approaching. being the dutiful son that he was, he always made sure to spend time with his family during important holidays, especially birthdays. perhaps it was his time in the military that taught him that tomorrow was never guaranteed, and it made him want to make memories with them so he would have no regrets in the future. it was a grim, morbid thought for sure, but facing the likelihood of death everyday for years has a way of impacting someone like that.

junyoung, knowing that he still hadn’t gotten a gift for his mother’s birthday, was starting to feel anxious. he took a glance at the clock on his phone, and it appeared that he had plenty of time to stop and go shopping before work. his mother had talked about a few new books that she was looking forward to reading, and he thought they would make perfect gifts. his mother was an avid reader and would always prefer books as presents over expensive luxury items. pulling on his jacket, he hurried out of his apartment and down the street. he recalled seeing a bookstore near the cafe that he frequented and figured that would be a good place to start.

soon enough, he stood outside the small, quaint establishment. it was the kind of place he knew his mom would love to visit, and he made note to tell her about it later as he walked up to the door and gently pushed inside, the soft jingle of the bell above the door pleasantly filling his ears. he didn’t see anyone in the store, but he figured the owner heard him come in and would be out shortly. he took this time to browse the shelves, trying to remember the names of the books his mother mentioned, and a small smile settled onto his lips when his eyes landed on one, then two of the books. surely two books would be a good enough present, right?

books in hand, he stepped up to the counter to pay, his gaze landing on the bookstore owner, and his body freezing for a moment in surprise as the recognition spread across his visage. it was the woman from the cafe. before he could stop himself from speaking, the words spilled from his lips, “it’s you…”