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For the past several weeks, Jeno had been visiting a quaint bookstore at the edge of town. He had always loved the smell of books. Seeing as he had just moved to the town, it was customary for him to find a cozy bookstore where he could spend his days.
The smell of the books wasn’t the only reason he kept returning to the new location.
The bell dinged as Jeno opened the door of the small shop.
“Good morning Jeno,” the raven-haired boy behind the counter smiled.
“Morning Jaemin!” Jeno smiled back, “Have you received any new shipments this week?”
Jaemin frowned, “Not any of the books you usually would be looking for.”
“That’s alright,” Jeno tapped the counter with his fingers lightly, “I have some work to do anyways, so I might as well have some company while I do it.”
Jaemin flashed Jeno a radiant smile before the latter went to find his usual spot cozied in a corner near the sales counter.
A few hours passed by this Jeno working before an excitable Jaemin appeared in front of him.
“Jeno,” Jaemin started, “I just finished my shift. Why don’t we do something together?”
Jeno was always someone who was up for spontaneity, “Sure!” He put his laptop in his bag before he slung it over his shoulder, “Where are we off to?”
“Oh you’ll see!” Jaemin giggled before taking Jeno’s hand, leading him to the back of the store.
As they neared the wall filled to the brim with shelves, Jaemin let go of Jeno’s hand and started searching for a book. Once he found it, his eyes lit up and he lifted the book off the shelf. Before he could even crack the book open, the shelf started moving.
“What?” Jeno looked shocked at the magic that had seemingly been taking place in front of him.
Jaemin simply shushed Jeno before placing the book on a nearby shelf and taking Jeno’s hand once again.
There was a staircase in the hidden room that seemed to go on forever. When they finally reached the end, there was a dark hallway with a grandiose door at the end.
“Jaemin, you’re not going to kill me right,” Jeno teased. The first time that Jeno had come into the shop, Jaemin was working the counter. Jeno had thought that the boy was quite cute and so he started chatting with the other. During that day, the two had become fast friends with flirtation underlying their friendship.
“Oh yes, I’m your spooky murderer!” Jaemin pretended to be a ghost for a moment before looking back at the door, “In all seriousness though, this is one of my favorite places to go. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.”
Jeno was confused by the other’s statement until the boy started dragging him closer to the door. When they got to it, Jaemin pulled a key out of his pocket and entered it into the lock. The lock clicked and the door started to open.
What the entrance led to was something that Jeno had never seen in his life. There were trees, bushes, and a colorful sky underneath a bookstore .
For a moment Jeno thought it was all fake. There was no reason for there to be a fake outdoors under a tiny bookstore.
Jaemin tugged on Jeno’s hand motioning him to stop thinking and follow him.
When they stepped through the doorway, things got even more surreal for Jeno. The door they had come from virtually disappeared, and Jaemin’s hair color was changing.
Jeno’s eyes went wide as he saw the boy who had previously been dawning black hair moments ago, now with orange hair on his head. “What is this place?”
Jaemin smiled brightly at Jeno, “This is practically my second home.”
The boy with the orange hair didn’t say much after that, as he took Jeno to explore the place that he called home.