Archive of Our Own

He still remembered a time, when he was just a little boy, walking hand in hand with his grandfather to the quaint little shop down the road. He remembered walking past rows and rows of shelves filled to the brim with books - some old, some new and a few somewhere in between - as the old man dropped his stuff behind the counter. 

“You know what I like about this place, Channie?” the old man had asked as he watched him swing his tiny little legs off the counter top, bright curious eyes scanning around the old establishment. “It’s a sanctuary for the people who seek escape from the world, to find an adventure somewhere else.”

At his curious glance, the older man continued, “Some people come here and find a book about interdimensional travels, some might stumble upon the history of the dead from a hundred years ago and others might just find the simplest pleasure in a simple cookbook they found.”

“Can’t they just find those in a normal book store?” he had asked then, jumping off from his perch to join the other at one of the wooden shelves. His grandfather had smiled then, wise eyes following the small hands pulling out a book from the lower shelves. It sent a few dust flying in the air and the other laughed as he let out a sneeze.

“Even if you find the same book here, each book in this place carries its own history, it’s own memories between the creases and pages.” He opened the book in the young boy’s hands, flipping through the pages to find some faded doodles littered across some of the pages. “So, you’re not only enjoying the books but you’re also given a glimpse of the old owner’s quirks and habits. It gives them a little more personality and I think that’s something special.”

The sound of the front doorbell ringing marked the end of their conversation as his grandfather went to assist while Minchan was left to his own devices. It was when day turned to dawn, when his grandfather locked the store up for the night, he turned to face him and said, “ Wabi-sabi .”

Minchan blinked. “What?”

“ Wabi-sabi ,” he repeated, nudging his shoulder to keep him moving down the pavement. “The beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. That’s the charm of the bookstore to me.” And he could still remember the proud and content smile he had on his face.

Fast forward to the present, there he stood in front of the newly renovated store, staring at the freshly painted walls and the new sign hanging over the door, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he would be able to reach the same level of passion as his grandfather, if he’d be a good successor to the old man.

“Why are you still standing outside like a signpost?”

Minchan was pulled out of his melancholy and thought by someone pouncing on his back, the added weight almost sending him toppling over. Turning his head, he levelled a playful glare to the older girl still clinging onto his back who only offered a cheeky smile back. A few steps behind her, Haebin approached them with a smile on her face.

“Ready to be an official owner of a bookstore?” his cousin asked teasingly as Sejeong, his other cousin, finally loosened her hold into a loose hug, head resting on his shoulder instead.

Minchan had only shrugged, not really knowing how to explain the jumble of emotions he was experiencing at that point. “I guess? I want to do my best regardless, I want to make sure I’ll be able to make Grandpa proud.”

“He would already be proud of you, you’re taking care of his fondest memories.” Sejeong had muttered assuringly, her hold tightening slightly as the three of them fell into silence. “But he would be more proud knowing you’re doing this for yourself as well.”

“Oh, stop it,” he hushed her then, shaking the giggling girl off him. “Don’t we still have work to do? The opening’s tomorrow.”

“Look at him, already bossing people around,” Sejeong continued to goad the younger but finally relent when Haebin looped her arm around her neck and pulled her into the establishment. 

Minchan could only shake her head in amusement. They were a handful at times but he counted his lucky stars when they offered to help him around the shop to help ease his workload. Looking at the store sign again, at the words ‘ Wabi-Sabi : A Second-Hand Bookstore’ written in pretty cursives, he let the soft smile play on his lips. “I hope you’ll look after me well,” he muttered softly under his breath before he joined the others inside the store for the final preparations.

»——————◦•♛•◦——————«

The first few months had been a rocky road for Minchan, juggling between managing the logistics and finance of the store, helping out his cousins at the front and just acclimating himself to being an owner of a bookshop. It took a lot of trial and error but he could confidently say he managed to find his footing and balance in his new life, if a little shaky at times.

One of those times was now, as Haebin stood in his little makeshift office, looking down at the slumped over form of her younger cousin ruefully but firm.

“Can’t you stay a while longer?” Minchan finally broke the silence, lifting his head up from the table to send a hopeful look to the other. When she only responded with a pointed look, he buried his head back into his arms with a loud groan. “Do you have to leave so soon?”

He felt fingers carding through his hair, an attempt to appease his distress, but Minchan stayed slumped as Haebin explained, “You know I would’ve postponed it if I could but they need to fill the position as soon as possible and I really really wanted that job. Besides,” she paused in her admission, making sure he was paying attention to her words. “You know me and Sejeong are not gonna be by your side the whole time.”

Minchan couldn’t hold back the sigh leaving his lips, eyes distant as he stared at the empty spot in front of him. “I know. Sejeong-noona also got an offer to attend that prestigious art institute but I know she’s putting it off because of me.”

“It’s because we love you.”

“I know,” he answered, mustering a small smile. “I love you guys too and I really appreciate all your help. I just wish we had more time together.”

“Hey, we’ll still come visit from time to time,” Haebin tried to cheer him up, poking his shoulder until a more genuine smile graced his lips. “Besides, it’s not like I’m leaving tomorrow, we still have some time left.” And that pulled a chuckle out of him, arms circling the older girl for a hug.

Just as they pulled back, a knock came from the door as Sejeong peeked her head in. She scrutinized their faces for a few seconds before nudging her head to the other side of the door. “If you two are done with all this sappy talk, mind helping me out front?”

“We weren’t being sappy,” Haebin retorted with a playful roll of her eyes, already making her way to the door. Before she closed the door, she turned around to face him and said, “Don’t forget, we still need to find my replacement.”

He rolled her eyes but he couldn’t hide the affection in his tone as he retorted back, “Fine, whatever, I will.” Once he was alone, he took the time to recollect himself, calm his nerves and overthinking mind, before walking out the door and helped man the counter.

Minchan was ringing up a customer’s purchase when he heard the bell at the front door ringing, signalling a new customer’s arrival. It wouldn’t usually distract him from the task at hand but when he heard Sejeong’s delighted holler, he couldn’t help but lift his head in curiosity. His eyes lit up in recognition when he spied the familiar blonde hair and dimpled cheeks right before he was ambushed by the older girl. He shook his head in amusement but finished up the transaction with the man in front of him with a polite smile.

“Sejeong, leave the poor boy alone,” he heard Haebin scolding the other from the shelf she was reorganizing. “At this rate, you’ll probably scare him away.”

Sejeong had only rolled her eyes but reluctantly let the blushing boy go. “Oh please, if he was scared of me, he wouldn’t be coming here every other week, right Hoyoung?” He couldn’t help the small chuckle as the blonde guy - Hoyoung - only mumbled an excuse and escaped to the back of the shop.

“I don’t understand why you like to tease him so much,” he had asked as Sejeong walked over to the counter. “Do you like him or something?” A loud crash was heard from where Hoyoung had disappeared to and Minchan had to stifle the giggle threatening to escape his mouth as Sejeong levelled him with an unimpressed look.

In his defense, they tend to joke about this a lot. Hoyoung was probably their youngest regular to date, an attractive young man with good manners and personality to boot. He hadn’t had the chance to really get to know the other boy but everytime he came by, it’s usually Sejeong that assisted him. It slowly became a source of amusement to him seeing their dynamic, one dramatic and outspoken while the other tended to shy away from the attention.

“It’s not like that,” Sejeong countered, voice purposefully raised before she toned it back down as she continued, “I just see him like my little brother. He’s your age, you know. You two would probably be good friends if you leave that office of yours once in a while.”

“Uh-huh.”

“...And he’d probably be a great coworker too.”

Minchan paused before sending a pointed look at the other girl who was making an effort to not meet his eyes. “Noona, what did you tell him?”

“Tell him what? I haven’t told him anything,” she answered coyly, looking up at him with innocent eyes. At the deadpan look, she relented, “He mentioned he was looking for a part-time job, so I said he could always work with us.”

Minchan let out a deep groan, hiding his face into his hands. “Noona, why?”

Sejeong, in her defense, seemed ready for the question. “Why not? He’s a good kid, all of us like him, and you need to find a replacement for Haebin-unnie in the next week or so. I’m basically helping you out here!”

“Noona-”

“I’m just worried about you.” Minchan was startled into silence as Sejeong gave him a pursed smile. “I haven’t seen you away from this place to have fun and hangout with friends. I thought if Hoyoung joined us, he could be your friend and pull you out of your shell a little.”

And he couldn’t really counter that. “But I have you guys.”

“I love you too but you need someone your age, not us old ladies.”

“Speak for yourself,” Haebin interjected, sticking her tongue out to the younger girl as she walked over to them and effectively lifting the mood up again. She hip-checked the other playfully and threw an arm over his shoulder, giving him a meaningful smile. “But she does have a point. Even if she should’ve discussed the plan with us first,” Sejeong let out an affronted huff which went ignored by Haebin but pulled a slight chuckle from him. “It wouldn’t hurt to have him around more. Why don’t you ask Hoyoung yourself?”

“Ask me what?”

The three of them jolted at the additional voice. Turning around, Minchan found Hoyoung looking at them suspiciously, though he seemed to shrink a little at the force of their stares. Sejeong must’ve noticed because she was quick to pull the other girl to the backroom, citing she needed help to carry the new batch of books or something of the like, leaving the two boys in awkward silence.

“So,” he awkwardly started, pointing towards the pile of books in the other’s hands. It was enough to break the other from their stupor and Hoyoung was quick to place his items on the counter.

As Minchan started scanning each book, Hoyoung took the chance to ask, eyes sparkling with curiosity, “Did you have something you wanted to ask me?”

It made him hesitate for a second, mulling over his choices, before he decided to take a leap of faith. “Yes, actually. Do you want to hangout this weekend?”

The silence stretched a little too long for Minchan’s liking but before he could chicken out and take back his words, the blonde replied with a playful smirk, “Are you asking me out or something?” The reply surprised him so much, it pulled a startled laugh out of him and both of them fell into a fit of laughter. “I’m kidding, but I’d love to take you up on that offer though.”

Of course, his cousins chose this time to walk back into the room, taking in the sight of the two. “Did he say yes to the job?”

Hoyoung raised his eyebrow questioningly. “Job?” but Minchan just shook his head; that was a conversation for another time.

»——————◦•♛•◦——————«

As much as he hated to admit it, his cousins were right. After the first hangout, the two had become a close knit pair of friends. They balanced each other perfectly and, once Hoyoung agreed to help out with the store, they made a really good team. After both his cousins left to pursue their own dreams, the two of them had more or less come up with a system that worked for them where Hoyoung tended to the logistics and organization of the store while Minchan took to dealing with the sales and customer services.

“Hey, Channie,” Minchan looked up from the papers he was rifling through to meet Hoyoung’s figure leaning against the door. “I was gonna do a bit of an inventory check while the store’s empty. Think you can man the counter for a while?”

He hummed in agreement, already pushing himself up to his feet. “Sure, I needed a break anyway and stretch my legs.” True to his words, the place was bare from any soul except for him. Not one to let an opportunity like this pass, he decided to jump over the counter and saunter between the shelves, pulling a book or two that caught his eyes. So lost into the book he picked up, he almost missed the jingle of the bell and the figure walking in with hesitant steps.

“Welcome to Wabi-Sabi ,” he greeted cheerfully, immediately getting the customer’s attention. He was a new face, one he doesn’t recognize or recall off the top of his head. “How can I help you?”

“Umm, do you have any books about art?” he asked, wincing at how awkward he sounded. Minchan, however, took it in stride, used to customers who weren’t too familiar with the settings of second-hand bookstores.

“We have a few art-related books over to the left if you want to check them out. Or do you have something more specific you’re looking for?”

“That’s fine, I’m just looking for some inspiration.”

“Well, just holler if you need any help, I should be at the counter unless my partner takes over,” he informed the raven-haired man, pointing towards the wooden countertop near the front. When he received a nod, he finally turned around and made his way back to the counter, the book still in his hand. He was hoping to get a few pages in before he had to don his customer service smile again.

A couple of pages later, the raven-haired returned with a few books tucked between his chest and arms. “You’ve got quite a collection,” he complimented as he placed the books down on the countertop. “Wish I had known about this place a lot sooner.”

“Oh? And how did you find out about this place?” he inquired, keeping the light conversation going as he went over his task. He wouldn’t consider himself a narcissist but it was always nice to hear people praising the product of his hard work.

The customer hummed, eyes roaming the premise while he waited with his hands across his chest. “A family friend mentioned this place, actually. I’ve been meaning to come by earlier but class projects and assignments had been on my ass the whole week.”

“A visual art student?”

“Fine arts, yeah.”

They were interrupted when the door to the backroom opened and Hoyoung walked out, eyes glued to the clipboard in his hand. “Minchan, do you know where the extra stationeries is? I can’t find them in the usual spot.”

“It depends on what you’re looking for. The price tags ran out so you might need to open a new one,” he answered distractedly, placing the books in a paper bag. He was about to offer the bag to the raven-haired but paused when he saw the man distracted with something else.

Hoyoung, still oblivious to his surroundings, nodded his head and made to turn back into the room. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I was looking for. Thanks-”

“Bae Hoyoung.”

Minchan felt like time had slowed as he watched curiously the way Hoyoung froze in his step and the grin slowly spreading on the stranger’s face. “It’s you, isn’t it, Bae Hoyoung?”

With a speed he didn’t know his friend had in him, Hoyoung disappeared through the back door with a rapid jabbering of ‘ You got the wrong person ’, ‘ I have no idea who you are ’ and ‘ I’m busy so I gotta go, bye! ’. Minchan could only blink his eyes owlishly at the closed door, still confused with what just happened. When he turned towards the raven-haired customer, the man was still grinning, though it had dampened into a fond smile, eyes still glued to the door.

“So,” he started, pushing the bag across the counter and catching the other’s attention. “You know Hoyoung?”

The man could only chuckle, handing over his card. “Yeah, I know him. Though he seems adamant we’ve never met before. Guess I’ll have to come by often.” He gathered all his stuff and bid him goodbye with a quick salute, disappearing into the busy street outside.

He heard the back door squeak open and Hoyoung asking with a tiny voice, “Is he gone?”

Instead of answering the question, he turned towards the other with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. “Is there something I should know about, Bae Hoyoung?” The other only answered with a loud suffering groan.

True to his words, the raven-haired did return, almost a week later. Hoyoung had been a ball of anxiety leading up to that day, eyes snapping to the front door every time the bell rang. So, when the bell rang and the mystery friend walked through the entrance, he all but dived to the ground and huddled behind the counter.

Minchan could only spare a disappointed glare at his friend before he greeted the newcomer with his best customer service smile. “Hello, mystery friend.” He ignored the punch on his shin as said mystery friend gave him an amused smile.

“He’s still keeping mum?”

“Not a thing,” he shook his head in mock disappointment, wincing slightly when a harder punch landed on his calf.

The raven-haired hummed in thought, leaning over the counter until Minchan knew he could see the crown of his friend’s head. Hoyoung must’ve known because he was deathly still, not raising his head at all.

“I’m hurt, Hoyoung. Is this how you treat an old friend?”

“There’s a reason I don’t tell you where I work, hyung,” Hoyoung gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Oh yeah?” A mischievous smirk bloomed on the other’s face and it was enough warning for Minchan to take a few steps back. “And why’s that, Squirrel?”

In a blink of an eye, Hoyoung had jumped up and scrambled to pull the older stranger into a chokehold over the counter, face as red as cherry, while the other only laughed and swatted the hands away from him. Concluding that they weren’t about to kill each other, at least for now, he decided to leave the two alone and went to assist Grandma Yoo at the cooking aisle.

“Lee Dongheon,” he had introduced himself later, as the three of them went out for dinner. “Our families were neighbours when we were younger before his family had to move.”

Minchan grinned, probably a little bigger to be natural. “So does that mean you have some embarrassing stories about Hoyoungie?” He couldn’t contain the laughter bursting past his lips at the loud groan the aforementioned boy let out.

“I know this is karma for all the time I made fun of your childhood stories but it’s not my fault Haebin-noona and Sejeong-noona were willing to share!” he whined, pushing the slightly hysteric boy off him and glaring at his old friend when he joined the other. “This is why I didn’t want you here!”

“Oh, but where’s the fun in that, Squirrel?”

Dongheon probably deserved the bruising punch he received.

»——————◦•♛•◦——————«

He heard them before he could even see them.

Looking up from the book he was flipping through, he watched as Dongheon entered the establishment with two familiar young men right on his heels. They seemed to be in a heated discussion that didn’t seem to cease even when they reached the counter, except for one.

“Hey, hyung,” the boy with the dual-coloured hair greeted him, flashing him one of his contagious smiles.

Minchan smiled back, already placing the book to the side. “Hi, Yeonho. What’s the topic for today?”

“Last I paid attention, Yongseung and Dongheon hyung were talking about different art styles across different media so we might be going down that rabbit hole,” Yeonho explained with a shrug, eyes looking a little lost when he glanced back at the two still deep in discourse. “Though, I still have no idea what they’re talking about.”

“Well that hadn’t stopped either of you before,” he teased, remembering the first time he had met the pair. Minchan was helping a young mother picking out a birthday present for her daughter when he heard loud bickering as the front door opened. Slightly worried, he excused himself and made his way to the storefront. He was left to man the shop alone for the day after Hoyoung called in sick that morning and he was not in the mood to break up another argument. He paused, however, when he registered their conversation.

“Look, most people went for stir fried sausages, braised beef or even doenjang stew as their top side dish but you went for seasoned pickled radish?”

“Is it wrong that I love my mom’s seasoned pickled radish so much?”

“No, it’s called being biased.”

“The whole list is biased, what do you want from me?!”

Minchan was torn between feeling confused and amused, so instead, he cleared his throat to announce his presence. “Umm, can I help you two with something?” he started once the two ceased their bickering and snapped their heads at him.

“Oh, right,” the blonde one muttered, as if just realizing where they were. “We're just gonna look around. Sorry if we were making too much noise.”

“It’s fine,” he waved the apology away with a small amused smile. “Knock yourself out, I’ll be by the fiction aisle if you two need anything.”

“We’ll be fine, I think-”

Before he could finish his sentence though, his friend interrupted him, “Actually, maybe you can help us.” He was staring at him with such an intense look that it made him worry for a minute before he asked, “If you had to choose between the best side dish you’ve ever had from a restaurant or your mom’s homemade ones, which one would you go for?”

Minchan was dumbfounded while the other looked done with his friend. “Ju Yeonho.”

“What? This is a serious question!”

The blonde only rolled his eyes before pulling his friend away by the scruff of his neck, going back to bickering, though this time keeping their volume down, and leaving Minchan wondering what had just happened.

To be honest, he didn’t think he’d be seeing the duo again after they left the first time empty-handed but then he saw them again the next week, then the week after and the week after that until they were pretty much a regular there. And every time they walked through the door, they seemed to be either talking or arguing over the most random of topics and things. He remembered Hoyoung sending him an incredulous look when he caught the tail’s end of their conversation about jellyfishes having no brains.

“Do I even wanna know?” he had whispered to him behind the counter, eyes never leaving the two arguing by the crime section, but Minchan only shook his head with a suppressed grin.

The two - Yeonho and Yongseung - had slowly become another source of Minchan’s amusement, able to boost his mood whenever they’re around, but it wasn’t only him. Hoyoung, as much as he scolds them whenever they get too rowdy and loud and acting like they’re a thorn in his side, he doesn’t miss the smiles he tried to hide as the two tried to charm their way out of trouble or whenever they were just being silly. Even Dongheon had taken a liking to them whenever their paths crossed. Minchan would sometimes see him join their conversations or he’d manage to bribe the two to help annoy the hell out of Hoyoung.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when someone called out his name. Looking up, he could see Yeonho snickering while Dongheon and Yongseung were looking at him as if he was a prey. He already knew what was about to happen.

“No.”

“But you don’t even know what we were gonna ask,” Dongheon grumbled but Minchan could see the edges of his lips trembling to lift. Yongseung, on the other hand, didn’t even bother to pretend, his smirk proudly displayed on his lips.

“I don’t even need to hear it to know I’d rather stay out of it.”

“Aww, come on, hyung. We just need someone to give the final verdict to our little debate,” Yongseung tacked on, running his hand through his now brown hair. “Yeonho and Hoyoung hyung are close to one of us so their choices could be biased. You, on the other hand, are the perfect neutral person.”

Minchan gave both of them an unimpressed look but decided to humour them. “And what is this little debate even about exactly?”

“Which animal makes the perfect pets for artists; birds or an iguana?”

It was silent for a while before Minchan let out a loud scoff of disbelief while Yeonho laughed out loud, attracting curious glances from some of the other customers. He only bowed to them apologetically before turning towards his friends with the most deadpanned look he could muster. 

“You guys are idiots.”

»——————◦•♛•◦——————«

He still remembered the first time he met Gyehyeon. He was making a last minute round of the shop before they closed for the night when he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. Hidden in the alcove between the two shelves near the back wall, a figure was fast asleep, head leaning against the hardwood and a book left open on his lap.

“Not again,” Hoyoung’s voice made him jumped a little as he brushed past him to shake the stranger awake. “Hey, you need to wake up, we’re closing soon.”

It took a few tries but soon the boy was jumping to his feet and rushed out the front entrance, bowing apologetically to the two of them all the way. He continued to watch as the young man paused outside the closed door to check his phone before walking down the pavement until he could no longer see him through the window.

Hoyoung was rearranging one of the shelves up front when Minchan approached him, head full of thoughts. “Hey, who was that guy?”

“Who?”

“That boy just now.”

“Oh, him,” Hoyoung hummed in thought and then shrugged. “I don’t really know but he’s been coming by often lately and loitering around for hours. I just leave him be since he’s not really doing anything wrong or in anyone’s way anyway. It’s the first time he stayed this long though.” He placed the last book back in its place and gave him a questioning stare. “Why’d you ask?”

It was a good question. Minchan wasn’t sure of the answer for that either so he just shrugged in response. “Just curious, I guess.” And they left it at that, flicking the lights off and locking all the doors before going their separate ways back home.

Since then, Minchan seemed to notice the boy’s presence a lot more. He knew that he doesn’t seem to keep to a fixed schedule like Dongheon and the twins does; he would sometimes see him trudging through the door in the morning, bumped into him in the non-fiction section after lunch hours or see his dozing figure at the same alcove as the sun began to set. He had also noticed the dark bags under his eyes and the fatigue lining his every movement every time he was around.

Rushed footsteps had him looking up from his phone to see the boy stumbling around the corner of one of the shelves, looking around disoriented and clutching his denim jacket in his hand. The shop was quiet and void of any customers and Hoyoung, closing time already came and passed a few hours ago. He watched him look around before his eyes landed on him, perched on the counter with his mouth curved into a small smile, before he greeted him languidly, “Hey, hope you had a good sleep.”

“I… yeah, I guess.” He hesitantly answered, eyes fleeting nervously between him and the night view outside the window. “Why didn’t you just wake me up?”

Minchan shrugged, suddenly finding his shoes a lot more interesting. “You seemed like you needed it.” The silence that followed was almost unbearably awkward, both boys staring at each other tentatively.

It was the other who broke the silence first, rocking on the heel of his feet, probably itching to escape the embarrassing situation. “Well thanks, I guess. I should probably get going, sorry for taking your time.”

He could’ve let him go then, leave him on his merry way and finish closing up so that he could return to his apartment. But something made him hesitate. Instead, he proposed, “Why don’t we go get dinner together.” The incredulous stare he received was understandable, he was still a stranger to him afterall, if not an owner of a shop he visited frequently at best. So, he quickly added, “You don’t have to agree if you don’t want to. I thought it’d be nice to have one together and I know you haven’t had anything to eat since you came in before noon.”

“...Sure.”

Minchan almost questioned if he heard right but the other was already staring back at him with a small, if not a little hesitant, smile. Guess there was just something about that night that made them both a little bit braver.

“He’s been looking a lot better these days,” Hoyoung had sidled up to him one morning as the two watch Gyehyeon conversing with Yongseung by the display table. Minchan smiled and nodded, noticing the changes as well. He had been smiling a lot lately and he was more open to talk with the other patrons than seeking seclusion in his little nook like he used to.

“He just needed a friend to talk to. Apparently he and his roommate had a falling out and since he’s new around here, he doesn’t really have any close friends to ask for a place to crash. So, he’s been spending most of his time in classes and out of the apartment, only coming back when he’s sure the other’s either out or asleep.”

Hoyoung hummed in understanding. “That must’ve been hard for him. Good thing he has you now.”

Minchan raised his eyebrow at the implication in his best friend’s tone. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh nothing,” he sing-songed, trying to play the innocent card. “I just noticed how much you care and worry about him, ever since you first found out about him. Kinda reminds me of Dongheon hyung when he took the twins under his wings.”

It took a minute for the words to sink in but when he finally understood the insinuation , his eyes widened like saucers. “Wait, you mean-”

“You’ve practically adopted him, Channie. Congrats!”

Before he could let himself fully spiral down that rabbit hole, a call of his name had him looking up to see Gyehyeon approaching him with a small smile, eyes flickering between the two behind the counter before resting on him. Hoyoung took the hint and made himself busy with the cash register.

“Hey,” Gyehyeon greeted, hands playing with the straps of his backpack. “So I finally took your advice and sat down with my roommate. We more or less made up.”

“That’s good to hear.” Minchan tilted his head, knowing there was something else he wanted to say. “But?”

A more rueful smile played on the other’s face then. “We’re still a little tense around each other, so I thought it’d be best if I move out and find a new place instead, have a fresh start.”

The both of them fell into silence, the redhead gauging his reaction while Minchan only eyed him back. After a few seconds, he finally broke into a smile and watched as the other let out the breath he unconsciously held.

“I’m proud of you,” and oh god, he really was sounding like Dongheon, wasn’t he? “Have you found a new place yet?”

Gyehyeon shook his head. “I’m still apartment hunting. I’m meeting a few landlords in an hour or so, so hopefully I’ll find one soon.”

Minchan absentmindedly nodded though the gears in his head were cranking hard over an idea. “What if you don’t go to those meetings today?” At the other’s perplexed look, he quickly tacked in, “What if you stayed at my apartment instead?”

He watched as Gyehyeon blinked at him, stunned, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see Hoyoung also silently judging him. “Hyung, you’ve already done so much for me. I can’t ask you to do that too.”

“Why not, my place has more than enough space for two people and you need a place to stay as soon as possible.”

“Even so, I’d still need to consider how far the apartment is from my uni. And what about the rent?”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that, I can handle the rent for the both of us.”

The other looked scandalized at the suggestion, sputtering over his words. “Wha- hyung, no. You can’t do that, you’ve already done so much for me. How am I supposed to repay you back?”

“You don’t have t-”

“I want to.” And his voice brooked no arguments.

Suddenly, a tiny metaphorical light bulb lit up at the back of his head. “Well…”

In the next few weeks, Minchan found himself a new roommate and a new addition to the team.

»——————◦•♛•◦——————«

“Welcome to Wabi-Sabi bookstore, a place where the right book will find you.”

Minchan rolled his eyes while Hoyoung snickered as they watched the 00-liners greeting the newcomers by the entrance with polite bows and friendly smiles plastered across their faces. Thankfully, they were regulars that were used to the duo's shenanigans.

“One of these days, they’re gonna scare away a new customer and we’ll be stuck with them for the rest of our career,” Hoyoung whispered conspiratorially, lips pulled into a mischievious smirk, as they watched them leave the customer to their own devices.

“Maybe that’s their plan all along,” he played along, winking at Dongheon when the older threw a curious look their way from across the room. Hoyoung had only laughed before he moved to help the new arrivals, leaving him to fiddle with the register to pass the time. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Gyehyeon busying himself restocking the front shelves. It was mostly a practice for him to get used to the layout of the shop at this point, familiarizing himself with the organization.

“Welcome to- Oh, you’re a new face.” Minchan’s ear perked at that, lifting his head to have a look for himself. True to Yeonho’s word, the young boy that had just stepped foot into the shop definitely seemed like a new visitor, all hesitant steps and curious stares at the establishment. He seemed to be a bit timid too, if the way he shrank under the rapid succession of questions from the excited duo was anything to go by.

“Knock it off, you two,” he chastised as he walked over to the group, effectively diverting the attention off the relieved-looking boy. “Why don’t you go pick on Dongheon hyung or something instead?”

“But this is more fun though,” Yongseung replied cheekily. “Besides, Dongheon hyung’s in his old man mood today.”

“You know, I can hear all of you perfectly fine from here,” Dongheon’s voice piped up from where he was sitting a few feet away, his sketchbook opened in his lap and fiddling with the pencil in his hand. He was trying to keep a deadpanned look on his face, but the crinkle around his eyes gave away his amusement. “Say it to my face, you cowards.”

“I am saying it to your face, hyung.” Yongseung laughed as he dodged the flying pencil thrown his way, Yeonho joining in with the teasing soon after.

Shaking his head at his friend’s antics, he decided to pull the confused newcomer away from the chaos and deeper into the store. “Sorry about them, so what are you looking for here?”

“Well,” he started, scratching the tip of his nose nervously. “My grandma’s birthday is coming up so I’m looking for a birthday gift for her. Mom mentioned she loves to come here a lot, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

“Oh, what’s your grandma’s name?”

“I heard the neighbour's kids calling her Grandma Yoo.” Minchan suddenly paused in his steps, causing the blue-haired boy to look at him worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

 “You’re Grandma Yoo’s grandson?”

“Uh, I guess. Do you know her well?”

Minchan let out a mirthful laugh that probably raised more questions than answers for the other. “Oh I know her very well, she basically mothers everyone in this place, employees and customers alike. She’s always going on about her favourite grandson whenever she’s here.”

His explanation brought a little colour to his cheeks and a fond smile on his face. “Sounds like her.”

Minchan hummed, pulling the other down a different aisle. “She also mentioned you were still studying in Busan. What brings you all the way out here?”

“My family’s planning to move back here actually, to be closer to Grandma. She technically doesn’t know I’m here yet, so I’m hoping to surprise her with a little present as well.”

Minchan couldn’t help but smile at the thoughtful gesture. He could see why the old lady adored her grandson so much. “Well then, I could show you some of the books she’s been eyeing and we can go from there.” And that's just what they did. They were busy browsing through some baking books when a familiar name being called out had both of them looking up in alarm.

“Grandma Yoo, fancy seeing you here today.”

“I can hear you just fine, young man, no need to shout my name for the whole world to hear,” they heard the old woman chide playfully, patting Yongseung’s cheeks affectionately. 

“Oh no,” the young boy muttered, face turning pale when Minchan chanced a look at him. “She doesn’t know I’m back yet, if she sees me, it’ll ruin the surprise.”

He wasn’t about to let that happen either, so he did the first thing that came to his mind. He quickly pushed the other behind another shelving unit, keeping just out of sight from the entrance. He was hoping he could sneak the other out of the shop unnoticed and with little calamity as plausible but what he didn’t account for was Gyehyeon being behind said unit, causing them to collide and sending the books in his hands falling with a loud crash.

Unfortunately, the commotion had gained them a few attention, including the old lady slowly making her way over with the twins. Frantically looking between the approaching figures and the young boy scrambling off a confused Gyehyeon on the floor, he ducked behind the cover of the bookshelf to push the two to the other end.

“Gyehyeon, I need you to sneak him out the front door as soon as possible. Make sure Grandma Yoo doesn’t see or recognize him at all.”

“What?”

“Just do it, I’ll explain later,” he hissed, before he turned to meet Grandma Yoo with a strained smile. “Hey Grandma Yoo, it’s good to see you again.”

“Good to see you too, Channie,” she answered, brows furrowed at the mess in front of her. “Everything alright here, sweetheart?”

“Oh yeah, I just bumped into the bookshelf while I was reorganizing. You know, clumsy old me,” he chuckled awkwardly, hands wringing his wrist anxiously while ignoring the confused look from Yeonho and Yongseung. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Gyehyeon and the other boy slowly creeping across the room towards the front door. “Are you here to find some more books for your collection? I can show you some.”

“Oh no, that’s alright, dearie,” she assured him, picking up a few of the fallen books before the three boys could stop her, hastily joining her on the ground. “My daughter told me she was visiting tonight so I need to get back home soon to welcome them. I was just stopping by to see how all of you are doing. It’s too bad Kangminie couldn’t join them, you would’ve loved him.”

“I’m sure I would,” he assured her, sparing a glance at the boy peeking from behind the shelves on his front right as he stood up.

“Well,” the old woman stood up soon after, passing the remaining books to Yeonho and dusting her skirt. “I should be off. Tell Hoyoung and Gyehyeon I said hi, will you?” She made to turn back towards the front door and Minchan’s eyes widened when he saw the boy - Kangmin - and Gyehyeon coming out of their hiding at the same time.

“Wait!” In a panic, he accidentally shouted, effectively gaining everyone’s attention again. Kangmin, once he saw his grandmother, dived back behind the shelf while Gyehyeon stared at him quizzically, slowly retreating back with Kangmin. Grandma Yoo, bless her beautiful heart, only looked worriedly at his sudden outburst.

“What is it, dearie?”

“I just… wanted to say thank you for stopping by!” he stammered out, ignoring the meaningful look Yongseung was sending him when he finally understood the situation. “Hope you’ll enjoy the time with your family, Grandma Yoo.”

“Of course I will, thank you, Channie.”

They bid her farewell then and Minchan could finally let out a relieved sigh as the old woman disappeared down the road. When he turned around, almost all of his friends were looking at him, probably wanting an explanation of what just transpired but Kangmin peeked around his hiding spot and asked in a small voice, “Is she gone?”

And Minchan couldn’t help but laugh at how absurd the whole situation was.

»——————◦•♛•◦——————«

Minchan was just leaving his office when he paused just outside the door.

The setting sun had casted soft rays of light from the window onto the group of boys huddled around the counter. From where he stood, he could see Yeonho throwing his head back in laughter at something Hoyoung had said, Yongseung giggling by his side on the countertop, legs swinging off the sides. Hoyoung himself was smiling smugly at his accomplishment, leaning forward on his elbow from behind the counter. Across from him, Gyehyeon was using Dongheon as a human shield, much to the eldest's complaints as he was manhandled by the younger, trying to escape from the affection monster that was their youngest member. Kangmin, to his credit, didn’t seem perturbed, instead he surged forward to pin both men against the counter, giving him a golden opportunity to kiss the both of them on the cheek, stirring up another round of disgusted screeches and complaints.

And looking at all of them like this, unfiltered and unrestrained, it filled him with a feeling of pure happiness. Somehow, someway, six individuals found their way to his measly old bookstore and burrowed their way into his heart. Sometimes he wondered what would’ve happened if their paths never crossed, would he ever experience the same emotion, felt like he finally belonged?

“Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna join us?,” a voice pulled Minchan out of his thoughts. When he looked up, Hoyoung was already looking at him with an impish smile, and he was suddenly reminded of the first time they met. The others had turned their attention to him as well, all sporting grins and smiles, and he couldn’t help but mirror them. Shutting the door closed, he joined the others and accepted all the hair ruffles and back pats that were showered on him.

They were far from a perfect group of friends - each has their own faults and flaws, their own vices and problems - but they’re perfect in all of their imperfections in his eyes. They were his paradise, just like the bookstore was for his grandfather, and that’s all that mattered to him.