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Chapter Text

Jian leant her head against the truck's window and watched as tree after tree vanished behind them. Even though she was reluctant let it show, she was happy that they were moving. The people back at her old high-school often talked about her behind her back, making up rumours about her parents' deaths and gossiping about how she used to have aphasia. They would never use the correct word though, they'd say that she just wouldn't talk, or worse: that she was stupid. Her brow furrowed as her mind was flooded by unpleasant memories. Hopefully, things would be different at the new school.

She glanced over at her uncle out of the corner of her eye, not moving her head from where it rested. He had been silent for most of the drive, only occasionally asking if she wanted to put the air-conditioning on or stop by a gas station.

It was always impossible to tell what he was thinking; when he'd announced that they were going to move house a few weeks ago, it had seemed really out of character for him, but then again, she had no idea what was 'in character' for him. Jian had been living with her uncle for nine years now and she still didn't know basic things about him, like what his favourite colour was, what music he liked, where he had disappeared to for the almost eight years before her parents died.

To be honest, she wasn't particularly interested in finding out the answers to those questions anyway. She planned to move out and live on her own as soon as she could, her uncle's overprotectiveness was messing with her personal life.
She'd lost her only friend, Minsook, because of him, her tutor had quit because of him, and he'd scared Junmyeon away. Sure, he'd explained that he was doing his duty as her legal guardian, he'd said that Minsook had tried to steal his watch and that the tutor was later arrested for molestation, but she just wished he could've acted more subtle about it.
Maybe if he'd confronted Minsook about the watch instead of staring at her for ten minutes, then she wouldn't have thought Jian's uncle was a creep. Maybe he should've talked to Jian about how he didnt trust her tutor, instead of embarrassing her.

As she turned back to looked out of the truck window, she felt her eyes start to water. She jerked her head slightly, causing her hair fall freely from where it had been tucked behind her ear, hiding her face. 

-

After another hour of driving, Jinman spoke,
"That's the house", he nodded in the direction of a small house in the distance.
Jian sighed, "You said we were moving to a village, there's nothing else here, just that house and a bunch of trees" she exclaimed, exasperated. She had been looking forward to the idea of a relatively normal life, but it looked like they didn't even have neighbours. The picture that she had painted of her new life was already starting to crack and fade.

"This is a village, the house is just on the outskirts of it. It's only a thirty minute walk", Jinman justified.

Jian pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head slightly, she knew there was no point in arguing, this was where they would live now and that wouldn't change. 

-

Jinman parked the truck on their new driveway and then pushed the driver's side door open to collect his bags from the back.

Jian trailed behind, shutting the passenger's side door with force. Not quite enough for it to qualify as slamming the door; but still, the loud noise caused her uncle to look back over his shoulder, shooting her a disapproving look. Jian huffed as he turned and entered the new house, hopefully she could find a job here quickly so that she could continue earning money to move out...

Begrudgingly, she approached the house, heading straight for the staircase. As she went, she heard Jinman call after her, saying that she could choose whichever room she wanted.

She dumped her bags at the top of the staircase and slowly peered her head around each of the doors, checking out her options. There were only two rooms, so it wasn't a difficult choice. The rooms were virtually the same, the only difference being that one had a window with a beautiful view of the village and the sea in the distance, whereas the other's view was just a road and some trees.

-

Jian started to unpack her belongings. Luckily, the room already had some basic furniture; there was a plain looking bedframe and mattress accommodating the corner of the room to her right, a small desk and chair sat in another corner with the window located on the same wall, and a wooden wardrobe was fixed to the adjacent wall. She made a mental note that she'd have to ask Jinman to put up some shelves and get a chest of drawers, since there wasn't much storage. 

Once Jian had opened the wardrobe, she realised that she'd also have to ask Jinman to buy some clothes hangers. She groaned as she shut the wardrobe, it seemed that most of her things would have to live in the suitcase for now.

-

Jian quickly made her bed, she struggled a little to get the mattress cover to comply, but eventually succeeded. When the job was done, she slumped into the bed and unlocked her phone, deciding to check for any information on the village- 'Angok', she remembered Jinman had told her its name.

It seemed like a nice place. Jian skimmed over the village in google maps. Apparently there was a library, a few small restaurants, and a grocery shop, among a few other things. At least she'd have some things to do in the week before school would start, she didn't want to be trapped in the house all day.

For a while, she'd been learning Muay Thai from Pasin in her free time. However, after he had disappeared, the hours that she used to spend practicing with him, she now spent bored.
She still trained regularly. The note that Pasin had left motivated her to do so, even when she felt tired. 'Jian, you're not a slug anymore'.
She didn't wan't to lose the skills that she had worked so hard to master, so stuck to her weekly regimen.

For a while now, Jian had been trying to think of a new hobby to occupy herself with. Before they had moved here, she had spent the extra free time taking up longer shifts at work to try to earn some extra money. But she doubted that there would be many jobs for hire here, with it being such a small village. Honestly, she worried that she may struggle to even find one job, let alone two like she used to work.

Maybe she could try cooking, but she'd rather be out of the house. There was gardening, but that just didn't particularly interest her... She looked back over the map of the town on her phone, her eyes landing on the library.
That was another option. Jian remembered that she had always used to enjoy reading when she was younger, especially when she had aphasia. She hadn't read much recently, since school and work had taken over her schedule. So maybe this was a good opportunity for her to pick up a book again.

-

Jinman strolled up the stairs, briefly checking that the hand rail was secure as he went. Then he entered the room that had an open door, he figured that Jian must've chosen the other.

He left his suitcase on the desk and lay on the bare mattress, already feeling regret start to sink it's teeth into him, beginning to gnaw away. Maybe it was a bad idea to move here. He knew that he'd done what he could to try to ensure their safety; he'd researched the village and it's history, and chosen a house with the most up-to-date security. Yet, he still felt anxiety twisting and turning in his stomach.

Jinman ran a hand through his hair, his fingers gently parting the dark strands before letting them fall back down. They should be safe, there had been no sign of Babylon searching for him in the last nine years since he'd retired as a mercenary. If chance was on his side, then they may even be long gone by now. After all, being a mercenary wasn't exactly safe.

He sighed as he sat up, he should go downstairs and start their dinner, he remembered packing some ingredients in one of the bags.

-

Jian trudged down the stairs a few minutes after Jinman had shouted that dinner was ready. If she was lucky, then he might have nearly finished eating by now, he had always eaten quickly, shoveling food into his mouth as though he was afraid of letting his guard down for long enough to actually enjoy the meal.

When she arrived at the kitchen, she grabbed a bowl and started to dish up her dinner. As she sat at the table, there was a clatter as Jinman set his chopsticks in his now empty bowl, before standing and carrying the dishes to the sink. Leaving Jian to eat in silence, just as she'd hoped.

"I'm going to go for a run in the morning", Jinman announced while he began to clean the dishes, glancing over his shoulder at Jian.
"What? You're okay with me being in the house on my own?", Jian questioned, her surprise showing on her face.
She watched as her uncle only nodded, focusing his attention on the dishes again.
"What if someone breaks in though?", Jian teased sarcastically, a little confused at her uncle's sudden change in mentality. 
"It'll be fine, no one will break in", was Jinman's flat response.

He had meant for the statement to shut the conversation down and with it, the thought of anyone breaking in. But, the comment had already nurtured a seed of worry that had been sat, dormant, in Jinman's brain. 'What if someone breaks in'. He tried to brush it off, to block the fear from inhabiting his mind, but he was unsuccessful.

When Jinman had decided they should move, he had reasoned that no one was after them anymore, that Babylon was a distant memory. He found comfort in the fact that they hadn't been disturbed by his past for years. Yet dread still found it's way into his thoughts, creeping through the cracks of his carefully crafted mental blockade. It was as though it always had a secret entryway into Jinman's mind that he could never find and seal off, regardless of how much effort he put into searching.

"Can you get some clothes hangers. There's none in the wardrobe." Jian's voice dragged his attention back to reality.
Jinman slowly nodded as he pried the plastic dish washing gloves off his hands. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice he'd finished cleaning the dishes. 
"And some shelves.", Jian added, "Oh, and-".
Her request was interrupted by Jinman tossing a notepad and pen onto the table,
"Just make a list, I'll go shopping tomorrow".

-

The next morning Jinman woke up at six to the sound of his phone alarm. He yawned before rolling onto his back and rubbing his eyes.

He got ready for his run and exited the house, making sure to double check that he'd locked the door behind himself, saving the image of the locked door in his mind.

-

As Jinman jogged along the pebbled, uneven road, he observed the scenery; tall trees in various vibrant shades of green were dotted along the roadside, decorating the land. He liked nature. The endless cycle of living and dying, everything being interconnected. It brought him peace to think about returning to nature one day, after all, it seemed far less horrible than going to hell... 

Gradually he picked up his pace, now steadily running along the edge of the road.

Within fifteen minutes, he was at the edge of the village. His eyes drifted over to the sea in the distance. The faint smell of saltwater was present even from where he stood.
He watched the soft reflection of the sunrise as it swayed and rippled on the surface of the waves.

Initially, he had been hoping to run along the sea front today, however he needed to buy some things from the town and he didn't want to leave Jian for too long. So he settled for admiring the sea from afar for now.

Chapter Text

Jian quickly shoved her stationery and books into her rucksack and then hurried down the stairs, almost tripping as she did.

She stumbled into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl out of the cupboard and hastily pouring some cereal for her breakfast.

In her peripheral, she noticed her uncle poking his head around the door frame. She chose to ignore him, annoyed that he hadn't woken her up when her alarm had clearly failed to do so. Leaving her with only forty minutes until school started.

"I made you some lunch", Jinman commented and pointed towards the fridge, "You should take it with you.". With that, he retreated from the doorway.

"Thanks.", Jian mumbled between rushed mouthfuls of cereal. She didn't really care if he'd heard her or not, still frustrated that she was going to be late on her first day.

She left her bowl next the the sink, the spoon clattering harshly as she set it down with slightly too much force. Then she quickly went to the front door, shutting it behind her with a audible clunk, hearing a muffled goodbye from her uncle as she left.

-

Jian practically ran the entire distance to school, only walking for the last few metres to catch her breath a little before she entered. Luckily she was only a couple of minutes late, there were still crowds of other students milling around on their way to their first lessons, so she didn't feel especially out of place.

Realising that unlike the other students, she had no idea where she was going, she quickly checked her phone for the classroom number that had been sent to her. She glanced around before noticing a group of girls.

"Excuse me...", Jian approached them nervously. The girls all turned to look at her, making her feel as though she had just entered a stage and all of the spotlights were aimed at her.

The displeased expressions that formed on each of the girls faces didn't help at all. Jian could feel her confidence plummet as she asked them if they knew the location of the classroom that she was looking for, stumbling over her words as she forced them up from her dry throat and out past her trembling lips.

"Oh, it's just over there.", one of the girls pointed to the west side of the building. Then her friend smiled and nodded, adding on,
"It's the second floor, a few doors from the staircase".

"Thanks", Jian mumbled gratefully, then turned to the direction they'd pointed.

After she'd walked to the door of the building, she turned back to the girls, seeing that they'd left. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She doubted that those girls were being honest, she'd been picked on at school long enough to know when people were trying to mess with her. The way that they looked at each other as if they knew something she didn't, the way they smiled in an unnatural, sickeningly sweet way.

Jian turned on her heel, deciding that she'd just have to find the class herself. Knowing the type of people those girls were they probably pointed her as far away from the actual location as possible, so she decided to start her search on the east side of the school.

-

As it turns out, Jian was correct in her assumption. She tutted to herself, admittedly a little disappointed that she had been right; a part of her was hoping that she was just being paranoid.

Luckily, her teacher was forgiving of her lateness and happily introduced her to the class before pointing to an empty seat by the window for Jian to occupy.

-

Jian's first day at the new school passed slowly, the hours seeming to drag on. No one bothered to talk to her. She supposed that was at least better that people being rude towards her or going out of their way to avoid her.

The walk home was refreshing. After a long day of sitting slouched over a desk, her legs finally had chance to stretch as she strolled. She hadn't had any time to admire the scenery that morning but now that she wasn't in a hurry, she breathed in the crisp air and made a point to notice the many different wild flowers that were scattered among the blades of grass.

As she continued her journey, she saw a woman in the distance, it seemed that she was heading in Jian's direction. The woman got closer and Jian was able to see her better, she seemed cheerful, firmly holding a crocheted, strawberry-patterned tote bag to keep it from slipping off her shoulder and she walking with a slight bounce to her step.

She sent Jian a kind smile as she passed, prompting Jian to look away, realising she'd been staring. Maybe the people here were nice after all, most people would have probably glared at her, had they caught her so much as looking in their direction...

-

A faint creek of the old wooden door announced that Yeoreum had entered the library. She smiled and waved to Jiyoung and Daebeom as she approached.

She paused infront of Daebeom,
"Is your knee okay?", she failed to mask the concern in her voice.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, it's nothing", Daebeom smiled reassuringly, yet Yeoreum didn't seem convinced,
"Are you sure? That was a pretty bad fall...".

Jiyoung chimed in upon hearing that, tilting her head towards the two, "a fall?".

"It's fine, really, just a graze, I just tripped on our run yesterday", Daebeom explained, feeling a little flustered due to everyone making a fuss.
It looked like Jiyoung was about to speak again when the door creaked open once again, saving Daebeom from an interrogation.

"Hi", Bom greeted the trio, "what's going on?".

Yeoreum, sensing that Daebeom felt uncomfortable with being the topic of conversation, was the first to speak.
"Nothing, I was just saying hi to our librarians", she joked, waving away Bom's curiosity before changing the topic,
"How was your first day back?".

They went to their usual table to continue their conversation, Bom ranting about her day while Yeoreum nodded.

"There's a new girl in my class, she must've moved here over the break, I don't remember seeing her before.", Bom remarked, some time into there conversation.

"Ooo, Does she seem nice?", Yeoreum asked eagerly, excited at the idea of Bom making a new friend.

Bom shrugged, "I mean, I guess– I haven't spoken to her...".

"Aw, Bom, you should saw hi to her, maybe you'd get along", Yeoreum encouraged. Seeing Bom let out an defeated sigh in response, she added trying to lighten the mood,
"You weren't so sure about me at first, but now you don't think I'm so bad".

Bom huffed out a laugh, "You're my best friend...", she corrected Yeoreum and then shrugged again.
"Okay, I guess I'll say hi if I get chance", she offered reluctantly.

-

When Jian arrived at home she could hear a loud thudding sound from upstairs.

"What the hell..." she muttered under her breath as she wandered towards the staircase.
As she approached the noise, she saw that Jinman was putting up a shelf in here room like she'd requested the week before. 

Instead of staying in and trying to ignore the deafening clatter, Jian decided to walk back into the village. She hadn't had chance to look around much last week due to the chaos of moving into a new house, unpacking, shopping, etc. So she figured that now was as good a time as any to explore.

-

There were a few restaurants along the road side. Each with a small gathering of customers chatting away. The smell of freshly cooked meals wafted past her.

The roads were mostly quiet as she continued her stroll. The absence of the constant hum of cars allowed her to hear birds singing in the distance and the gentle rustle of the breeze weaving through branches.

She stopped walking when the peaceful sounds of nature were drowned out by a group of children shouting. When she looked over to see the source of the noise, there was a group of boys, maybe around seven or eight years old, playing football. Among them was a man who Jian guessed to be in his late twenties.

She smiled a little at the sight. They seemed like they were having fun. It warmed her heart to see the children playing, their laughter echoing throughout the small area. Jian remembered her own childhood. She definitely hadn't gotten to spend it like that. With the bullying, her aphasia, and amnesia, it was difficult for her to remember a time when she had laughed like that as a child.

A woman calling out to the group disrupting their game and Jian's reminiscing,

"Boys...", she started but then seemed to change her mind, turning to the man instead,
"Daebeom, your knee is hurt. If you hit it, the scab could break and it'll take longer to heal. You shouldn't have let them drag you out here.".

To Jian's ears, the woman sounded stern, annoyed at the man: Daebeom. However, he just smiled and said something in response. Jian was too far to hear what he'd said as he had spoken so softly, but she presumed he must've dismissed the woman's concerns. Because after that she had just shrugged, sending Daebeom a look that seemed to say something along the lines of 'you do whatever you want then, I tried to talk some sense into you', and then vanished behind the doors to the library.

For a few seconds, Jian debated on following after the woman, since she had been planning to visit the library for the past week. Maybe she could look at what the range of books they had was like while she was here. But the library doors opening once again cut off her train of thought.

Two people stepped out of the library, both waving at Daebeom and the group of children, who now seemed to be leaving.

Jian looked closer, her eyes widening slightly when she recognised the woman that she had passed on her way home from school.

The woman seemed to recognise her too because she smiled and waved. Jian shyly waved back as her eyes trailed to the girl next to her. She seemed around about her age and they were both wearing the same uniform. The girl had short chin length hair accompanied by bangs that were similar to Jian's own.

Jian was about to leave, assuming that Jinman was probably done with putting the shelf up by now, when the woman nudged the girl next to her. After a few more nudges and a little bit of whispering, the girl hesitantly started to approach Jian, her eyes fixed on the floor rather than infront of her.

When the girl was stood a few feet away from Jian, she looked up,
"Hi, I'm Bom.".

Bom was nervously fidgeting with the strap of her bag. Her head twitched to look in the direction of the woman who was now happily talking to Daebeom, the two of them occasionally looking in Jian and Bom's direction.

Bom's head flipped back around to face Jian when she introduced herself in return,
"Hi, I'm Jian.".

Bom just nodded in response, looking like she just wanted to get out of the situation as soon as possible.

"Is she your friend", Jian pointedly glanced over at the woman.
Bom breathed in through her nose, pursing her lips as she turned to face the woman again,
"Yeah...".

The lack of response didn't really give Jian much to work with, so she rocked back and forth a little on the balls of her feet, biting the flesh of the inside of her cheeks as she tried to think of something else to say.

Luckily for her, Bom spoke again after a few minutes,
"She just moved here around half a year ago... You're also new, aren't you?".

"Yeah, I moved in with my uncle last week", Jian nodded.
Bom turned back to face her when she heard that, a hint of understanding on her face,
"You live with your uncle?".

"Yeah, since I was eight.", Jian explained, slightly unsure how much she should tell Bom. The girl seemed normal and trustable, but she knew her uncle would freak out if she said too much about her past; he was always worrying over nothing.

Bom nodded and they fell into silence again.

"Did you want to visit the library?", Bom mumbled.
"Huh...", it took Jian a second to make out what she'd said, "Oh! Yeah, I haven't been to one in a while.".

Bom's face stayed blank but she nodded and moved her hand to signal that Jian should follow her, "I can show you around a bit... There's not much to see, but yeah...".

-

Yeoreum watched as the two girls entered the library,

"That girl's new. She's in Bom's school, so I suggested she talk to her, it would be good for her to have more friends her own age."

Daebeom smiled as the library door swung shut,
"I'm glad she has you.".
The rest of his sentence was left unsaid; the number of things he could list being too many to say. He knew that Yeoreum would understand what he'd meant anyway, she usually did.

Yeoreum returned his smile, going quiet for a few minutes unsure what to say in return.
"I don't know much about her yet, but I think she lives in that house just outside the village. I saw her walking home from school earlier...", she settled on changing the subject instead.

-

Jian arrived at home around an hour after stopping by the library. Her and Bom had gotten along quite well after they had warmed up to each other a bit. Bom's tour of the library had concluded quite quickly, but they'd hung around to look for some books that Jian could borrow for a while afterwards.

Occasionally, they would laugh when they found an author's name that they thought was particularly funny, or Bom would stop to recommend her a book that Yeoreum had previously recommended to her.

She was in a good mood when she entered the kitchen, almost forgetting that she had been annoyed at her uncle that morning.

"Where did you go to after school?", Jinman asked, not in an accusatory or annoyed way, but just wanting to keep track of things.

"Why do you need to know?", Jian lifted an eyebrow as she started to gather some snacks to take to her room.

She didn't recieve an answer, only hearing an exasperated sigh as Jinman left the kitchen. She tutted, side eyeing the doorway. Why did he have to know where she went to? It's not like she was going to be abducted or anything in such a small village. She knew how to protect herself anyway, her Muay Thai skills had earned Pasin's approval and she obviously wouldn't do anything stupid. He should know that. He'd raised her for nine years, why didn't he trust her?

-

It was still quite dark outside when Jinman woke up the next day. The rays of morning sun just barely starting to emerge over the horizon. His footsteps were quiet, almost silent, as he wandered around the house, getting ready for the day.

The last thing he did before he left to start his morning run was prepare a dinner for Jian and leave it in the fridge, he wasn't sure if she'd have time to make one herself. Then he quickly scrawled a note to leave on the fridge. 'Just gone out for a run, will be back by 7:00'.

He clicked the lid back onto the pen and left it on the wooden countertop, looking over the kitchen one final time to check that the stove was off and the windows were shut. He nodded to himself in affirmation before heading to the entryway to slip on his running shoes.

-

The loose gravel on the road leading to the seafront crunched under the soles of Jinman's shoes as he jogged, causing a few birds that had been hopping around in the grass nearby to flee. When he passed by the village the empty streets were only illuminated by a few weak streetlights and the soft glow of the early morning sun.

The sea looked even more beautiful than it had previously as he got closer. Glimmers of golden sunlight danced across the surface, creating patterns amid the gentle waves. Jinman slowed his pace when he finally reached the road that went along the sea front.

After walking for a while he stopped to sit on the wall of the road, swinging his legs over so that they would dangle down on the other side. The faint lull of the tide and the smell of the salty breeze were calming, making him feel at ease.

He must have sat like that for a while, slightly kicking his legs as he watched the waves wash up along the shore below. The sound of someone rapidly approaching brought him back to his senses, bringing to a halt his steady rhythm of deep breaths and his swinging legs.
When he turned, he saw a man running along the road.

He watched the man for a few seconds as he jogged. The man seemed to be a bit shorter than him, with brown wavy hair that was long enough to almost completely cover his ears. Warm sunlight reflected in his brown eyes, making them shine a beautiful shade of gold.

Jinman noticed that although his eye's seemed kind at a first glance, there was something else there. He couldn't tell what it was just yet, but he could tell that there must be more to the man than meets the eye. His eyes narrowed scrutinisingly as he tried to figure him out.

The man noticed Jinman as he jogged by.  Seemingly a little surprised by Jinman's presence, his steady pace faltering for a few seconds, blinking his eyes a few times before regaining his rythm.

He offered Jinman a small smile and a wave as he continued his run, vanishing into the distance.

Chapter Text

Jian had woken up on time today, having been sure to set her phone alarm the night before and to check that her phone was definitely not on silent.
She took her time getting ready for the day, eventually going to eat her breakfast at seven o'clock.

Upon entering the kitchen, she spotted a note left on the fridge, presumably by her uncle: 'Just gone out for a run, will be back by 7:00'. She shrugged as she began to eat, why should she care where he is.
She pulled the fridge door open, seeing a small bag labelled 'lunch for school'. It surprised her a little, but she packed it into her school bag regardless, being grateful that Jinman had saved her from having to make a lunch for herself.

She tapped her phone, checking the time, 7:09. Even though she didn't think her uncle was someone that she ought to worry about—he seemed like he could look after himself just fine—she did think it was strange that he wasn't back by the time he'd said...

Jinman was usually organised. He was the sort of person who was rarely late without offering some sort of warning or explanation beforehand. Jian could recall one time when he had gone out to the shops, telling her that he'd be back by 5:30, yet he called a few minutes before to inform her that he'd be an extra five minutes, as if a difference of five minutes was especially important– as if Jian cared. She had asked him why he'd bothered and he had responded by starting on some lecture, 'Listen up Jian, it's important for people that are important to you to know where you are, then if something happens to you, they'll know'.

The front door opened just as Jian had finished cleaning her dishes. She turned to look in the direction of the sound, just to double check that it was infact her uncle. No-one else had a key, but her uncle had raised her to be on guard for unexpected situations, so it was hardwired in her brain to check who had entered the house.

Jinman nodded at her as he entered, shutting the door behind him. Ignoring him, Jian walked over to grab her school bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She sighed in frustration as she stopped to look at Jinman who hadn't moved from infront of the door

"Move. I don't want to be late again today", Jian mumbled, stepping to move around him.
"School starts at eight, doesn't it?", Jinman moved out of the way to let Jian get to the door, he looked a bit puzzled by Jian's sudden punctuality.
"Yeah...", she thought about leaving her answer at that, but then thought it would be better to elaborate slightly, not wanting Jinman to worry and interfere,
"I'm meeting with a friend.".

Jinman's confusion didn't fade, but before he could question her, Jian had left, locking the door behind her with a somewhat aggressive click.

-

Jian slowly approached the library, beginning to feel a little bit nervous. Yesterday, Bom had suggested that they meet at the library so they could walk into school together, but now that Jian was here, she was worried that Bom might've forgotten or may have never actually meant it in the first place.

Her worries were soothed when she caught sight of Bom waiting on one of the benches outside the library. Jian was just about to call out to her when she noticed a boy sat with Bom. He was fairly tall with a nondescript haircut. Nothing about him really stood out to her, other than the wide smile he had on his face as he looked at Bom.
She couldn't remember the other girl mentioning him yesterday, but they seemed to be getting along fine– though Bom seemed to be trying her best to hide that she enjoyed his company.

"Hi", Jian quietly alerted Bom of her presence.
"Oh!", Bom smiled at Jian as she approached,
"Jian, this is Jaehoon. I didn't want him to come with me but he's a bit clingy", Bom didn't look anywhere near as annoyed as she sounded.

"Ah... Is he your boyfriend?", Jian asked, that was her best guess. She had considered that they could just be friends but the way they looked at each other didn't really scream 'friends' to her.

The question caused Bom's eyebrows to raise as she blushed slightly. In contrast, Jaehoon beamed next to her, his eyes sparkling as though he'd just been given the best complement that anyone could offer.
Bom looked at the ground, obviously wanting to avoid the question. However, Jaehoon answered for her nodding happily and taking Bom's hand in his own.

Jian smiled,
"That's sweet", she wasn't really sure what else to say, but she hoped to have made Bom feel at least a little less shy about it.

"It's nice to meet you", Jaehoon extended his other hand, the one that wasn't holding Bom's, to Jian and waited for her to shake it.
"It's nice to meet you too.", Jian returned the gesture politely.

-

Jian's second day of school went much better than the first, at lunch she spent her time with Bom and Jaehoon, almost forgetting to eat her food, having been so caught up in their conversation. Luckily they had been able to avoid the group of girls from the previous day. Bom had confided that they had caused problems for her in the past too, which had made Jian feel a bit less self-conscious about them messing with her.

"Do you want to go to the library with us?", Bom offered as they walked out of the school gates, "I don't think you got chance to borrow any books yesterday".
"Oh, I would, but I should really start looking for a job...", Jian scuffed her shoes along the gravel, watching as a few stray pieces tumbled towards the grassy banks of the pavement.

"Ah... Does your uncle not make much money?", Jaehoon asked curiously, earning a harsh elbow jab and stern look from Bom.
Jian laughed a little at the two's antics,
"No, we have enough. I just want to move out as soon as possible, I can't stand him."
Bom gave a small hum in understanding, nodding before turning to face Jian, pausing her steps,
"We'll see you tomorrow then? We can meet at the library again, like today".

Jian smiled at them both as Jaehoon nodded in agreement woth Bom's suggestion,
"Of course".
"Then we'll see you tomorrow.", Bom waved as she began to head in the opposite direction to Jian, Jaehoon following after her.

-

The library was almost silent when Daebeom heard the bell on the door ring as it opened. Looking up, he smiled at Bom and Jaehoon as they walked over to their usual seats before returning his attention to his work. For a few months now, he had been working with the mathematics professor from the Netherlands while also continuing his part-time job as a librarian. His schedule was definitely busier now, but he didn't mind it so much.

Currently, he was gently applying glue to some pages, repairing a small pile of damaged books that had accumulated over a few weeks. Books rarely got badly damaged, since they were rarely borrowed, so it wasn't an enormous job. Still, Jiyoung often asked that he do it, as she found the repetitive nature of the task to be tiring.
Daebeom didn't mind– in fact, he found it somewhat therapeutic, methodically placing each page in its correct position and lightly tapping the book closed to secure them in place.

The sound of steps approaching drew his attention away from the books, carefully placing the glue down  so that it wouldn't spill, as he shifted his gaze.

"Can I borrow these?", Bom had placed a few books down on the table, surprising Daebeom slightly. Bom didn't usually take books out on loan, preferring to use the library as a quiet space to draw rather than to read. Not that Daebeom minded, of course.

After quickly blinking his eyes a couple of times, Daebeom nodded and headed over to his librarian desk.

As he scanned the books, Bom seemed to shift uncomfortably.
"I know we're not supposed to borrow for other people, but I have a friend who's too busy to stop by. She'll look after them though...", Bom mumbled an explanation that Daebeom hadn't asked for. Daebeom figured that she must feel guilty about breaking the library's rules.

Hoping to reassure her that it was fine, he nodded and smiled as he handed over the small stack of books. He didn't mind if Bom let her friend read them, and luckily Jiyoung wasn't here to enforce the rule.
Hardly anyone borrowed from the library as things were, so why would he go out of his way to stop the books from being read, that's what they were there for.

"Is it the new girl from the other day?", Daebeom asked softly, recalling that Yeoreum had told him about the newcomers the day before.
"Yeah, I'm sure she'll stop by when she can, she's busy trying to find a job right now though", Bom explained as she carefully loaded the books into her bag.
"Ah, there probably aren't many around here...", Daebeom pondered, a small frown on his face.
Bom made a sound of acknowledgement,
"Haneul had a job for a few weeks before Yeoreum moved in with us, but it was a bit far from here."

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud yawn from across the library. Jaehoon was stretching his arms up, presumably he had fallen asleep and had only just woken up.
Bom tutted, feigning annoyance at him as she walked back to their table.

-

The library returned to it's familiar quietness after that. It stayed that way for around an hour or so, until Jaehoon had completed all of the homework he had and Bom had ran out of ideas to sketch. She knew that Yeoreum would probably be wondering where she'd gone if she stayed too long anyway.

As the duo went to leave Daebeom spoke,
"Your friend, she could work here. That's if she wants to...".

Jiyoung had been trying to train someone in using the library's system a few weeks ago, but had given up due to the man's lack of enthusiasm for the job. She hadn't mentioned looking for anyone new, but Daebeom doubted it would cause any problems.

"Really? I'll let her know tomorrow, thanks Daebeom", Bom smiled as her and Jaehoon left the library, leaving Daebeom to continue repairing the last few books that remained on his table.

While he did so, his mind wandered back to that morning. The man he'd seen sat at the sea front wasn't familiar to him, he must have been new to the village, most likely Bom's new friend's uncle, as he hadn't heard of any other new people as of recent.

The man had looked uncomfortable at Daebeom's presence, maybe he preferred being alone– Daebeom could relate to that. His dark hair looked soft as it danced in the breeze, falling infront of his face. Daebeom had always been good at noticing small details, it was just something his eyes did. In the man's case, he'd noticed a small scar on his right cheekbone. The warm rays of light from the sunrise had highlighted it, casting a soft orange hue across his sharp cheekbones.

The man's guarded gaze had made Daebeom feel some amount of discomfort, it felt like the man was staring into his soul, searching for any sort of threat.

Of course, Daebeom had still been polite despite that, smiling at the man and giving a small wave as he jogged past.
Daebeom didn't know anything about the man, maybe he hadn't intended for his stare to come across so cold. It wouldn't do him any good to worry about it or make judgements either way, so he shifted his attention back to focus fully on his current task, as mundane as it may seem.

-

Dejected, Jian sat down at the kitchen table, slowly eating a bowl of bibimbap. Her jaw moved almost mechanically, chewing each bite.

Unfortunately, her job search hadn't shown much promise. Most of the restaurants in the village seemed to be family businesses and weren't looking to hire, and there weren't any listings available to browse online.

"How was school?".

Jian didn't bother to look up at the sound of Jinman's voice. She took her time to finish chewing her current bite of food before answering,
"Fine".
Just as she continued to eat, she heard a tired sigh, causing her to feel a little guilty– it wasn't her uncle's fault that she couldn't find a job. Well maybe it was somewhat, after all, he'd decided to move here, and if she thought about it, she wouldn't need a job if it wasn't for him getting on her nerves. Still, it didn't seem like he was doing it for the reason of making her miserable, that's just how he was...

"Thanks for making me a lunch", she mumbled, still not looking up. The only sign that he'd even heard her was a short halt in his footsteps before they continued as he left the room.

-

The next day Jian met with Bom and Jaehoon to walk with them to school again. She smiled as Bom waved to her,
"Jian, did you manage to find a job yesterday?".
"Oh, no...", Jian laughed a little awkwardly, "there's not many options around here are there?".
Jaehoon nodded, turning to Bom as though waiting for her to speak.

"Daebeom said that you could work at the library if you'd like", Bom said as they began their walk.
"Oh, that's really kind", Jian smiled at the offer, "I'll stop by after school to ask, I need to get a library card anyway". Jian had been a little surprised since she hadn't seen any advertisements for a job at the library, but she wasn't complaining.

-

After the school day was over, the three of them walked into the library, Jaehoon and Bom heading over to sit at their usual table while Jian meandered through a few aisles of book shelves, searching for Daebeom.

Eventually she spotted him, putting some books away quietly. They hadn't spoken before, but from what she'd gathered, Daebeom seemed kind. That didn't stop her from feeling nervous though.

"Excuse me", Jian spoke quietly as she stood at the end of the row of bookshelves.
Daebeom looked up at her and smiled, but didn't say anything. Jian could recall that Bom had mentioned he was quite reserved when it came to speaking, so Jian didn't take any offence to it.

"Bom told me that you said I might be able to work here?", she felt a little awkward asking, worried that Daebeom might've changed his mind.
Fortunately, Daebeom nodded and began to walk past her to his desk, where he retrieved a pen and a form, handing them to Jian.

-

The next morning, when Jinman went running along the seafront, he saw the same man again. This time he isn't caught off-guard though, as he hadn't stopped for a rest like yesterday. He'd decided not to– he was lucky that nothing had happened last time...

The man gave the same sweet smile that he'd given him the day before as he passed, something about it made Jinman smile back. It was only a small, curt smile of acknowledgement, but Jinman hoped it had come across as a polite greeting rather than a forced formality. 

Chapter Text

Jian started work at the library the next week. She could only work on weekends, since she had school during the week, but she supposed that it was better than nothing. When she had offered to work after school, Jiyoung had told her its best for her to focus on her studies and rest a little. Even though she knew that the woman was right, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Her palms began to feel clammy as she went to open the door. She took a steady breath in, wiping hands on her jeans, before slowly pushing the door open. The small bell above the door rang as she did so, causing Jiyoung, to turn.

"Ah, hello." Jiyoung sounded a little skeptical, but Jian tried to not let it get to her, nodding in response, not trusting her voice to remain steady.
"Here, I'll show you how to record the borrowed books", Jiyoung gestured towards the desk that would usually be occupied by Daebeom,
"This job can seem a bit slow at times, so you need to really want to work here to push through".
Jian nodded again, unsure what to say to that. She didn't exactly want to work in a library specifically, however, she did want to work in general. Jiyoung didn't need to know the fine details anyway, things would be fine as long as she showed that she was capable of doing the tasks assigned to her.

-

The man that Daebeom had jogged past last week had become part of his morning routine in a way. He would wake up, get ready, go for his jog and smile to him as they crossed paths.

They still hadn't spoken a word to each other, but Daebeom found himself looking forward their breif encounters. He wasn't one hundred percent sure why that was. Maybe because he found the man's smile was reassuring in a way. Or possibly because of the way his soft-looking hair bounced as he jogged, the warm light from the sunrise reflecting across the strands. Or–

Daebeom shook his head. Did he really need a reason? Could he not just let himself look forward to something without delving into the exact reasoning and philosophy behind it? 

The next part of his routine was arriving at the library. It was a Saturday today, so his shift started later than usual, allowing him to enjoy a leisurely walk through the village beforehand.

As he neared the library, he could see Jiyoung's car in the parking lot, the sight reminding him that Jian would be starting work today. He could only hope that she and Jiyoung would get along well, or at least that Jiyoung would be more amiable towards the teenager than she had been towards Yeoreum at first.
Daebeom knew that she often meant well, they had known each other for years after all, however her looking out for him could often lead to her being overly judgmental about newcomers.

The ring of the bell as he eased the library's door open interrupted whatever conversation Jiyoung and Jian had been having, instead dragging their attention to him.

He silently smiled and nodded at the two before heading over to the small wheeled cart of books that needed to be reshelved.
Behind him, he could hear their faint talking, presumably about their work. He couldn't hear them clearly over the roll of the cart's wheels along the wooden tiled floor and the occasional click when they went over an uneven tile edge.

-

Jian arrived home from school sooner than Jinman had expected on the next Tuesday. He had grown accustomed to her hanging around the library with her friend for an hour before begrudgingly making her way back along the grass-lined roads.

"You're home early", he pulled himself up from the couch, following the noise of Jian's footsteps to the kitchen. Her face looked more irate than usual, what's even more out of the ordinary is that it didn't seem to be due to Jinman's presence.

"Are you okay?"

Jian's only indication that she'd heard her uncle was a small shrug. Aside from that, she continued her usual routine, grabbing some snacks, planning to reside to her room for a while.

"Did something happen at school?"

Jian groaned, turning on her heal to face Jinman,
"It's not a big deal, don't worry about it." Then she turned once again, her hair swishing behind her as she stomped away.

-

Jinman's question was answered later that afternoon via a telephone call from Jian's school. Apparently she had gotten into a fight with a group of girls, so was suspended for the remainder of the week.

Jinman knew he should be annoyed with Jian, but he felt that she probably had a reasonable excuse for what had happened; Jian wasn't the sort of child who would start fights needlessly. So, against his better judgement, Jinman went to ask Jian again what had happened, hoping that she'd be willing to explain this time.

-

Jian was slumped over her desk, a book in hand.

"What happened today?", Jinman cautiously entered her room, "They said you got into a fight."

Jian turned, slightly annoyed by the faint layer of concern in her uncle's voice, but more so at the reminder of her suspension.

"It's fine, like I said. It was just a group of girls that were picking on Bom, so I sorted it out. They're fine anyway, I don't think it's fair they suspended me when it's their fault for not taking the bullying seriously to begin with", as she rounded off her mini rant, she realised how loud she had been talking, having let her anger get the better of her.

She sheepishly huffed as she returned to her book, her eyes skimming the page to find where she had left off.

"I'm glad you're looking out for your friend, but try to stay out of trouble, okay?", Jinman let himself show a fraction of a small fond smile. Jian was right that the school should've dealt with the issue before now, but regardless, that didn't mean that her chosen method of resolving the problem was a good choice.

"Yeah, whatever...", Jian shrugged off the comment, not really caring to hear her uncle's opinion.

"What are you going to do for the week?", Jinman prodded, trying to lighten the mood. He glanced around Jian's room observing how she'd decorated it, "Do you want any more books to read?"

Jian shrugged, shaking her head, "Maybe, but i can get them myself, can't I? I'm not suspended from the library." She shot a displeased look over her shoulder, "Unless you're gonna try to ground me?"

Jinman pulled his lips into a line, "I probably should..."

"What?", Jian fully turned her head this time, her eyes wide as she stared at her uncle, "Why? I'll just be bored sitting in my room all day."

Jinman sighed as brought his hand up to lazily rub at his eyelid, "Jeong Jian, in life, even actions that are undertaken with good intentions can have consequences, it may not may not be fair, but we must continue our lives despite that." Jinman found himself thinking of his brother again, how he and his wife—Jian's parents—had been killed, that had never been his intention but it was a consequence and he would live with it, with the guilt and the anxiety of looking after their child as well.

"No, come on...", Jian complained, moving her hand away from her book causing it to close, the page she was at being lost amidst all the others. She groaned in frustration, throwing her hands up slightly, "Okay, whatever, fine."

An awkward silence hung in the air for a painfully long minute where Jian flicked through her book in search of her page and Jinman struggled to find a way to continue their conversation, debating if Jian really needed to be grounded. In the end, he decided to give up for now—Jian had made it clear that she wasn't interested in talking—so he nodded at her one last time as a goodbye (not that Jian was even looking at him to see it) and left, closing the door behind him.

-

Bom and Jian seemed to have become closer after Jian's suspension. Whenever he walked by Jian's door he could hear them talking on the phone and whenever she emerged to retrieve food from the kitchen he could see her fingers rapidly tapping away.

On one of these occasions she stopped typing, glancing into the living room where Jinman was sat.

"Can you return some books to the library?"

Jinman muted the television as he turned to face her.

"They're due to be returned today, but obviously I can't go", Jian explained with an undisguised bitterness in her voice. To say Jinman was hurt by her subtle hostility would be an overstatement, but he did feel an amount of guilt.

"Sure."

-

Once Jian had retrieved the two books from her room and unceremoniously dumped them onto the couch next time her uncle with a loud 'thump', he had set off to the library.

The walk was peaceful, accompanied by the soft brush of wind through grass, and the occasional sound of a particularly loud wave crashing into the shore some distance away.

His peace was only interrupted when he passed by the sound of a bird chirping. It didn't take long for him to find the source of the distressed noise– a small bird with its brown feathers twisted in disarray.

Jinman knelt down to get a closer look at it, confirming his suspicions that the bird was injured. Naturally, Jinman didn't have much experience caring for birds, or animals in general– with being a mercenary, he had avoided taking in a pet for what he felt where obvious reasons. However, in his freetime he had watched what would probably sound like an excessive number of animal documentaries. If he scraped at the back of his mind, buried beneath all the unpleasent memories and combat knowledge, he could remember a few basics, like how to hold a bird without scaring it.

-

When Jinman reached the library, he struggled to open the door with his hands occupied by the nervous bird. It was the sort of old door that you needed to pull the handle on.

Jinman sighed, hesitantly looking down at the shaking bird, weighing up his options.

Just before he committed to setting the bird down onto the rough gravel that had likely grown hot in the summer sun, he heard the soft crunch of footsteps approaching.

When he turned, his eyes met the same soft brown irises that he saw every morning on his runs. He watched as the those eyes then lowered to focus on the small bird in Jinman's hands, a subtle frown replacing his kind smile.

"I was just on my way to return some books for my neice, but there was this bird", he lifted his hands slightly as though there could be some other bird that he would be referring to, "It looks like it needs help, I don't know if there's a vet near here?"

The man nodded slowly, opening the door for Jinman to walk in, using his hand to beckon him to follow.

Jiyoung looked up when they entered, "Daebeom?", her eyes landed on Jinman then the small creature in his hands, "What's that? A bird?"

Daebeom stepped back a little to allow Jiyoung to look at it.

"He said he found it on his way here", Daebeom offered a quiet explanation directed to the other librarian, if Jinman's ears weren't so finely attuned from his years as a mercenary he was sure he wouldn't have been able to make out his words.

"Hmm, I don't know much about birds... the nearest vet is quite far, in the next town over. There used to be one here but they closed a few years back", Jiyoung pursed her lips, resting her hand on her chin, "You were on your way here when you found it?"

"Yeah, I have some books to return for my neice."

While Jinman retrieved the aforementioned books from his bag, Daebeom found his way back to his desk.

"What's your neices name?", Jiyoung loaded up the log on her computer.

"Jeong Jian."

"Ah, your Jian's uncle? Is she okay?"

Jinman only nodded, not feeling that it was necessary to say anything else.

Jiyoung didn't seem particularly interested, but pried further upon seeing Daebeom's concerned glance, she knew he'd been worried since she'd said she couldn't work that weekend. "Bom said she got into a fight at school, was she hurt?"

"She's fine", Jinman nodded, turning to look around the library while Jiyoung recorded the books, "Could I borrow a book?"

When he looked back for a response, Daebeom simply nodded, before returning to whatever he had been working on.

-

Not wanting to drive as far as the neighbouring town, Jinman opted to find a book that might offer advice as to how he could help the bird– if all else failed, he'd have to just search the Internet.

The library was neat and evidently well cared for. There was little to no dust scattered atop the books, and as Jinman's eyes drifted across the rows of spines he never noticed anything misplaced, making it easy to find what he was searching for.

Eventually, he settled on two books that looked at least somewhat useful– he was sure that he'd be able to help the bird with those along with the plentiful first aid supplies stored away in his house.

-

"Did you find everything okay?" Jiyoung barely glanced up from her work as Jinman approached, books and bird in hand.

"Yes."

Jiyoung nodded and went to move some things in preparation to scan the books, but was pulled out of her routine when Daebeom reached across to take them, scanner in hand. Bewildered at how out of character that was for her co-librarian, she found herself staring blankly, observing the silent interaction between the two– Daebeom logging the books and creating an account for Jinman on the library's system, followed by both men giving small smiles and nods before Jinman left.

"What was that about?"

Daebeom turned to her, a trace of confusion on his face, "what do you mean noona?"

Jiyoung rolled her eyes, feeling fatigue from the day starting to catch up to her. "You know," she huffed and gestured at the air where Jinman had previously been stood, "Do you know him or something?"

"Ah..." Daebeom smiled a little, his earlier confusion fading away, "I pass him sometimes on my morning jogs is all."

"How come you've never mentioned him before?", Jiyoung was pouting a little, clearly hurt by what she perceived as her friend being closed off.

Daebeom shrugged, standing to file some books away. "I didn't think it was important, and you're often busy with your work...", he trailed off as he picked up the pile.

"Still–", Jiyoung pressed, "we're friends aren't we?"

Daebeom turned to face her properly then, the corners of his lips turning up into a small smile as he nodded, quietly adding on, "Of course."