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Every day’s the same for Kai, but it’s not like it’s a bad thing.
After all, it was his decision to leave his corporate job and use his savings to put up a small bookstore at the far corner of the town. The Little Read, as he named it, is quaint and comforting, with three bookshelves reaching the ceiling situated on each wall of the shop and a row of low shelves that acted as chairs against the wall on the same side of the door. Each shelf is full of books sorted by genre, littered with assorted trinkets and knick-knacks.
When one enters, they’re welcomed by the mixed scents of faint lavender and aging paper, as well as the sound of ventilation whirring quietly and books being returned neatly back to shelves. Anyone can stay any time and read what they want. If they wish to borrow and take home a book they liked, Kai and an occasional helper are more than happy to check it out for them and send them and their new friend off with a happy smile.
Not a lot of people know of The Little Read, sure, but it was Kai’s own happy place and so is a few others’. For just that, he feels happy and content.
He smiled at the small-framed, old woman standing in front of his counter with a thin book in hand.
“Are you sure you won’t need your magnifying glass, Gramma Choi?”
The old woman smiled back, a touch of sadness present. “No need this time, my dear. Someone has volunteered to read to me back at the home. This may be my last visit here for a while.”
Mrs. Choi reached a hand out, which Kai took wholly and covered with both of his.
“You be good here, alright? You get lonely pretty easily and I’m unhappy to leave you by your lonesome.”
Kai chuckled at the reprimand. “Gramma, you’re making it sound like a sad child and not a fully grown man who owns this very bookstore.”
“I know,” Mrs. Choi gripped his hand tighter. “But it doesn’t mean you won’t feel lonely with one less person visiting here and you. Gramma Choi just needs to rest for a bit, so you keep your big hands busy running this haven until I return, okay?”
It was then that Kai made an extra effort to keep the smile on his face and not tear up in front of this sweet old lady. Mrs. Choi has been one of The Little Read’s most consistent patrons and has cared for Kai so much that she herself insisted that he calls her Gramma. As someone who’s lived alone for the longest time, having Gramma Choi around has been Kai’s big source of comfort.
And now she has to leave for a while, and he’ll have one less person to see to brighten up his day.
Kai smiled a bit wider. “Don’t worry, Gramma. I promise you, this bookstore will be as happy, if not happier, when you return.”
“And you?”
“Huh?”
“You, my boy,” Mrs. Choi pleaded, “will you be happier when I return too?”
Kai’s eyes widened a bit and let out a hearty laugh. “Yes, Gramma. I promise, I’ll be happier when you return.” He gripped the woman’s hands tighter. “So you rest your heart out, alright? Take care of your health. When you feel better, you can always find me here.”
After a few more reassurances, Mrs. Choi finally had the heart to bid Kai farewell. As his duty and as his heart allowed, he sent her off with the happiest smile.
“Thank you for your business, and come back soon!” He said with a bow. As he raised his head, he caught sight of a silhouette turned to his direction from an alley across the bookstore. When he smiled in greeting, the silhouette turned around and ran away.
Kai tilted his head in confusion before returning to his post and going about his day.
—
It started off subtle a couple of days after that.
The first was when Kai was dusting the shelves as the store closes. He found a small, folded piece of red paper tucked into the pages of In the Heart of the Fire. Curious since he doesn’t remember anyone taking an interest in the series it belonged in, Kai unfolded the paper with a gentle interest.
Hello, Mr. Keeper of Great Stories! I saw this book in here freshly, placed so I read it. Oh my goodnes! This is an amayzing story! Everything made my heart go dum-dum-dum! It made me more interestd in actions stories like this. Your books here are all great! ◡̈
Kai smiled at the note, written with a few misspellings and in uneven, chunky letters. For someone who reads and manages publications on the daily, he found the handwritten note sweet and endearing. He didn’t recall recommending the book or series to anyone since most of his patrons preferred romance novels, so he found it nice to know that there was someone who took an interest in his secret favorite.
The next note came in a small ripped piece of red paper (but in a different shade), folded in between the pages of Photographing the Dead.
Sir Kairo! (I tried to peek at your nametag, hope I got it right) I love this book even more! I like how sinister the killer is, and oh!! When the Main Character did that thing that shooked the entire village, I was too! The series is wonderful so far, I’m happy I get to read here in your bookstore!!! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و
Kai grinned at the note. It was almost as if he can hear an enthusiastic voice behind the exclamation marks. The note-writer’s admiration was surely vicarious; it made Kai want to reread the books to relive and share the joy with the anonymous admirer.
As time went on, so did the red notes. They were always tucked in the books of the same author; after the reader was done with the series where the notes started, they moved on to the next series. Sometimes, they were short and seemingly hurried, (“This one ended so suddenly, but I liked it over all!!”, “I knew the murderer was the doctor all this time!”) other times they were detailed and written in smaller font so the details and emotions were all spelled out.
One thing remained consistent in every note—the reader would always thank and compliment Kai.
Your book selection is Amazing, Sir! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
Thank you always for making my life more colorful with your books!!!
You deserve to be happy as much as your stories (and you) make me (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
Soon enough, Kai found himself looking forward to the notes. His days shifted from routinary and quiet to ones with little bursts of sunshine when he finds them in his beloved books. He marveled at how much the reader reminded him of the power of stories to connect to people and change their lives (even the reader’s spelling and syntax errors have greatly lessened to almost none).
Then, his thoughts wandered to the person behind the notes. Who was the reader? Who among his patrons would be someone who clearly and deeply felt the stories they encounter in the shelves? Who would have this much penchant for excessive punctuations and emojis?
The thing was, while not a lot of people visit The Little Read often, they come in a wide age range, and Kai has a bad habit of not remembering faces well since he’s more used to seeing letters on pages than faces on people.
“You know, Kai, you’re really generations late to like a person who writes you love letters. Are you a grandpa in a boy’s body?” teased Pax, his best friend, after he mentioned the reader and the handwritten notes.
“Okay, first off, they’re not love letters, Pax. Second, isn’t it sweet how the reader do their best to write everything down, their thoughts and emotions?” Kai rebutted but with a smile on his face. “It’s thoughtful and charming, and it makes my work at the shop worthwhile.”
Paxton only rolled his eyes in response. “Just get a dating app, man.”
But Kai thought, why go to a dating app when I can first find out who my enthusiastic reader is?
Thus began his mission.
—
Kai did his best to move past his bad habit of not associating faces to names (Gramma Choi was an exception, as well as the handful of elderly people in the store’s patron list, because they all insisted he call them by a specific nickname). So he paid closer attention to the customers in the succeeding days, specifically the ones roaming the shelf of action novels.
It even came to a point that he’d squint his eyes in suspicion at the customers as they have their books checked out. Paxton laughed in his face when Kai told him about it later.
Was it the young woman with large eyeglasses that seemed to almost kiss the books as she reads? Was it the middle-aged man who circles around the other aisles and snatches a book that Kai knew was bordering adult fiction?
Confused even more at how elusive the reader is, Kai approached the shelf himself only to find another red note tucked into Fear Nothing.
Your smile is extra wide today, good sir! It looks great on you! The books are also happier and the store is much much brighter! (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)
Kai was so shocked that he suddenly felt shy and warm. He whipped his head around to search for the reader among the customers that day. One gentleman was engrossed in writing something on the table. A group of teenage girls were gushing in whispers over a romance comic they were holding together. An elderly lady was walking towards the counter to get a book checked out.
Now even more piqued at the very mysterious—and now very forward—reader, Kai decided to respond to the note. He peeled a blank sheet from his notepad and wrote:
Hello Dear Reader,
Your words always bring a smile to my face. Thank you for the notes and the appreciation, the stories are happy to be loved.
- Kai
Kai placed the note in between the pages of the author’s new release that he thought the reader might enjoy, with a little smile on his lips and a little hope in his chest.
—
Days later, Kai’s reply remained untouched. The notes stopped appearing too, leaving him feeling defeated.
—
A week later, all seven days with no word from the mystery reader, Kai was sifting through the books in the action aisle when he found a red note tucked between the pages of Devoted:
I still can’t believe I got a reply from you! I had to leave the store early because my heart went ching-ching-kachow-fly-fly-kick! Thank you for responding to me! I know my spellings are always wrong (╥﹏╥)
Kai smiled at the honesty and rawness of the message, as well as how he realized he missed seeing those chunky letters on a red paper. Feeling a bit braver, he took on a different approach with communicating with his penpal.
One time, he drew a knife and a scared emoji on a sticky note and placed it before the chapter with a particularly gross murder scene. Another time, he slipped a bookmark in a book that he thought the reader might read next—the quote on the bookmark and a ‘Thank you! ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜’ was written in a red paper a few days later, as if in confirmation.
When the reader asked for romantic thriller recommendations, Kai gave hints through icons and emojis; he was pleasantly surprised when there were red notes tucked in all the correct books. Is it possible to feel so light, now that he feels a bit closer to the reader?
—
One weekend, The Little Read was bustling with patrons. A particularly timid-looking young man tripped near the counter in front of Kai, sending the six romantic thrillers in his hands flying and falling to the floor.
He rushed to help the man whose face whitened in aghast.
“Hey, you okay?” Kai gently asked as he knelt to pick up the books. A moment later, he found a pair of hands—quite smaller compared to his large ones—rushing to fold the opened books and get the rest.
“I-I’m so so sorry! Agh, of all the days this can happen—!”
As Kai was handing the books to the man, he noticed a folded red paper peeking out of Where the Truth Lives. It looked too familiar.
Oh!
When he looked up, Kai was met with panicked brown eyes and a mouth shaped to a wide O. The man tried to reach for the pile of books in a hurry, but Kai’s hands were quicker to pull the pile back and get the note out.
What was what he said his heart did last time?
Kai’s heart did a ching-ching-kachow-fly-fly-kick! of its own as he unfolded the note, excited to see chunky letters once again:
This book is one of the best ones I’ve read!!!! I knew the director faked his own death! I love the female doctor so so much, she’s crazy strong-willed and good! ( ˶°ㅁ°)
Is this really the final installment of this series?? I want to read more! Thank you so much for the recommendation!!! ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)
Kai turned his attention back to the young man and really looked at him. He had wide doe eyes that looked like they wanted to cry, crimson cheeks and tips of ears, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a fitted white shirt. Despite the lean and muscular physique, he looked smaller with his petite hands and flustered expression.
Cute.
“You’re…the one writing the notes?” Kai asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
The man looked down and nodded sheepishly. “Y-yeah, I hope that’s okay…”
Before Kai could respond, the man continued. “It’s just…the bookstore made me happy…wait no!” The man interrupted himself and put his hands—tiny, tiny hands—up and flailed them. “It still does! I’m always happy here! What I meant was this place is a happy place for me! Agh, I—“
“Alright, let’s start from the beginning, yeah?” Kai reached out a hand and smiled at the man. “I’m Kai.”
The man looked at Kai’s outstretched hand and met it with his, making the size difference all the more visible. “I’m…June.”
Adorable.
—
The exchange of notes continued over the next few weeks, but this time they were accompanied by shy smiles and small talks by the counter or in front of one of the shelves. Sometimes, June would linger in the bookstore and sit on one of the lower shelves by the door. He would steal glances towards the counter where Kai was smiling shyly and looking down at the books he’s putting labels on, trying hard not to stare back or else break the magic the atmosphere shared.
When one of them felt a bit braver to approach the other, they would talk at length—mostly gushing about thriller novels and breaking stories down. One slip of the tongue from June revealed that he really was deliberately hiding at times just to observe how Kai “arranged the sparkly stories”.
Kai smiled, not in surprise, but in wonder at how June thought he wasn’t so obvious.
—
One day, Kai was busy fixing the trinkets on one of the shelves when he heard a familiar voice booming as soon as the door to the bookstore closed.
“Kai, my dear!”
Kai whipped his head in excitement.
“Gramma!”
Mrs. Choi was walking happily to the counter, one hand wrapped around the right arm of…
“You know June?”
“Know him? I’ve been pushing him to get to know you and keep you company for me!”
Kai looked at June in confusion and surprise.
“Wait! I can explain!”
Before June could begin, Mrs. Choi had interrupted him.
“Remember the person I said would read to me while I couldn’t visit here? This is him!” Mrs. Choi pinched June’s arm before continuing. “I asked him to borrow romance novels from here for me, but he kept on reading me actions and thrillers! He said he loved them so much and will make me change my mind about them. Good thing he reads stories very well! Did he tell you he’s a voice actor and an aspiring writer?” Mrs. Choi asked with a smug.
“Gramma, I haven’t told him that yet!”
“Oh right! Because you were planning to ask him ou—“
“Gramma!” June turned to face Mrs. Choi with the same aghast expression as he had when Kai found about his identity.
Heh. Cute.
It was only then that Kai noticed the black envelope on June’s left hand. June followed Kai’s stare, eyes widened as if he forgot he was holding something at all.
“Oh!”
Mrs. Choi was also surprised at the envelope.
“Oh! There you go Junie, you go on ahead.” Mrs. Choi tapped June’s arm before walking slowly away from them to converse with one of the patrons.
Kai and June’s eyes followed her retreating figure before looking back at each other. Kai smiled first.
“Well. Junie?” He asked teasingly while putting out a hand, palms up.
June looked at him, then jutted out his lower lip in a pout. “Gramma is the only one allowed to call me that, because she insisted,” he said as he handed the black envelope.
Kai’s heart was beating loud as he opened the envelope, revealing a red paper neatly folded inside. The shift from tucking notes in books to handing enveloped letters was surprising, but not unwelcome and unpleasant.
Quite the opposite, actually.
Dear Kai,
I was supposed to just hand this to you with a brave and cool face, but there might be a change of plans so I might just awkwardly hand this to you. I’m sorry. (つ╥﹏╥)つ
Either way, I wanna let you know that The Little Read is a big sanctuary for me (hehe, get it? little, big) You’re also a big reason why I like being here…the biggest, honestly. Your aura is always just bright and sparkly, more sparkly than the books, and most days I’m more drawn to you. ⋆.˚✮✮˚.⋆ I hope the books don’t get mad!! But knowing that the books love you, I’m sure they won’t. They might be more drawn to you too.
Okay, so here’s the thing. I want to bask more in the light of your company and listen to you talk more about the fictional world, and maybe your real one too. So I wanna say…do you wanna grab coffee with me? Sometime? Maybe? (˶˃ᆺ˂˶)
Hopeful and scared to know the answer,
June
Kai looked up at June and smiled wide at the expression he saw. “To be fair, you look very brave and very cool right now.”
June’s scrunched eyebrows straightened—did he know he scrunched them or was it unconscious, Kai found it too cute to care—and shot up. He grinned his bunny-like smile.
“Oh really?”
“Yes, really.”
Silence stretched between them.
What was once Kai’s routinary days will only turn brighter and happier from here on.
“And yes, I would love to grab coffee with you, Mr. Future Writer.”