Chapter Text
“Another one bites the dust...” Jaehee muttered as she glanced at the “Closed” sign in the window of the store a few doors down from her cafe. It was a running joke to everyone who had a shop on that block, every store that opened in that location had shuttered within a few months without fail. There was the kitchen supply store; cute, but horribly mismanaged, a pet store that only catered to rare birds that wouldn’t stop squawking all night, and various other concepts that seemed great on paper but fell flat in execution. The last one surprised them though, nearly everyone was sure that the boutique was going to be somewhat successful but here it was, 4 months later, and they had closed shop over the weekend, moving out without even saying “goodbye” to their neighbors.
“Mmm hmmm...” a soft voice hummed in agreement as Jaehee handed one of her signature macchiatos to them.
“Were you even listening, _______?” Jaehee sighed as she looked at her best friend on the block, the owner of the art supplies store right next to the shuttered storefront.
Looking up from the sign _______ smiled and nodded as she took a sip of her favorite of Jaehee’s concoctions before speaking out. “I’m a little annoyed that they didn’t even say goodbye! I even gave their son a few drawing lessons as a “welcome to the neighborhood” gift!” She said with an exaggerated pout before shrugging and turning her back to the store, leaning up against it as she observed everyone else setting up for the day. Signs were being pulled out, racks of merchandise rolled out the door to be put on display, and the general street was buzzing as everyone sleepily started their day. Well, everyone but Jaehee, who opened up at 6 AM every day and was now just settling down from the morning rush.
The two chatted amiably about their weekends before a taxi pulled up right in front of them and the son of their landlord exited, key already in hand as he made his way to the front door.
“Good morning Mr. Han,”
“Morning, Jumin,”
Jaehee and ________ spoke at the same time and the usually stoic man gave them a faint smile before turning his attention back to the door. “Another one gone too soon, hmm?” _________ asked, prying a little to see what happened this time around as Jaehee elbowed her side, eyes widening slightly as if to say “don’t gossip”.
Jumin caught this exchange and sighed, turning to them with his arms crossed, “I’m sure your both curious, especially you, _________, as to what is going on with the choice of stores for this property recently.” Upon seeing the two of them nod, he continued, “While my father is a smart man and has been able to amass a ton of property over the years, he’s not the most adept at choosing shops that will succeed. In two years there have been 8 different stores in here, the shortest one not even being able to complete the first month of their lease.” He appeared to grow a tad more agitated as the three recalled the “bakery” called “Sugar Round” that opened and tried to sell rebought goods, Jaehee helping shut that operation down as soon as possible.
__________ held back a laugh which garnered another disapproving look from Jumin, but he continued on, “I have decided on the next owner of this spot already, and he will be moving in and opening next week.”
“That’s an incredibly quick turnaround, Mr. Han,” Jaehee said, unable to hide the curiosity in her eyes.
With a small shrug Jumin explained, “He has the resources to spruce this place up to fit his vision in the time he wants. He’s also owned several stores before, this is just his return after a brief hiatus.”
“You know a lot about this guy,” _________ said before continuing, “I mean, you probably should, since he’s renting from you, but still, you have a lot of confidence in his ability to launch by then.”
“Well, I do. He is my best friend after all,” Jumin stated matter of factly before he turned back to the door.
“Your best friend?” Jaehee asked quizzically as he sighed, becoming more frustrated with the keychain as he attempted to find the correct key and answer her question.
“Is that odd for me to have a friend?”
_________ jumped in, quickly smoothing things over with a laugh, “I think it’s more about how you’re leasing to a friend, and that you’ve made them sound so mysterious. Several successful shops? Wealthy enough to renovate in a week? Obviously was able to throw down a deposit and then some? I can’t say that I’m not curious as to who this guy is, or really, what this shop is going to be.”
“It’s going to be his studio. He’s a tattoo artist,” Jumin answered without fanfare.
“A tattoo artist??” Jaehee and _______ exclaimed at the same time, Jaehee incredulous while ___________’s eyes glimmered with excitement.
“Yes, he took a break for awhile but is getting back to work and I offered him this location when the former tenants announced they would be leaving. He’s quite famous in the tattoo world, if that’s what you call it,” Jumin said as he finally found the correct key and opened up the door.
“Pretty sure that’s what they call it,” __________ said with a smile as Jaehee stood nervously beside her. “What’s his name?”
“V,” Jumin replied before he looked back at the two women standing in front of the shop. “I do hope you will be kind to him,” he said out of nowhere before he bowed slightly and gave a quick “goodbye”.
The moment the door shut behind him Jaehee turned to ________, eyes wide. “I’ve known Mr. Han for years, and he has never once mentioned having a friend! And to find out that his best friend is a tattoo artist? I have no idea how to process this information, _________!”
“I think it’s pretty neat,” _________ said with a shrug. “Unexpected, of course, but neat all the same. Who would have thought that Jumin would have a famous tattoo artist as a best friend? I’ll have to look up his work!”
“You seem rather excited about this,” Jaehee muttered as she looked at ___________. “Aren’t you worried about your business?”
“Hmm?” ________ asked as she took the last sip of her drink and handed the mug back to Jaehee.
“I mean, aren’t you worried that parents are going to stop bringing kids to your shop for lessons if there’s a tattoo place nearby?” Jaehee had always been a bit more conservative, and she could only begin to imagine the type of person this man was and what he could look like.
________ gave a short wave of her hand and scoffed, “If they’re going to be so judgmental about who works next door I don’t want them. Anyway, he’s a tattoo artist and art is what I’m teaching their children. If anything they should appreciate it!”
Stretching as she stood up and stopped leaning against the building, she turned back to Jaehee and gave a wide grin, “And hey, maybe I can get a new customer. He’ll need to draw out his designs first, after all. Tattoo studios attract artist types, so why would I complain? This could be good for me, I have a great feeling about this.”
Sighing, Jaehee just smiled at her friend and made her way back to her cafe, __________ looking at the closed store before smiling and nodding to herself. It was the first time in ages she was anticipating a new chapter. Turning back to look at the rest of the block, her smile softened as she gazed at her friends and loved ones from over the years, truly happy at the community they had been able to build. And for the first time in years, she was genuinely excited for the new chapter.
V... she could only begin to imagine the meaning of the moniker as she chuckled and unlocked her own door, ready to set up some easels and begin the day with a new wash of color.