Work Text:
🎀🎀🎀
The first time Ahn Keonho walked into the bookstore, he had absolutely no intention of buying anything.
He had only been looking for somewhere quiet.
It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon, the kind where the sky had been gray since morning and the streets were filled with umbrellas moving in every direction. Keonho had finished everything he needed to do for the day, but going home felt too early, so he wandered around the neighborhood until he found a small bookstore tucked between a café and an old stationery shop.
The sign above the entrance read “Mellows.”
It wasn't particularly big. In fact, it looked like the kind of bookstore most people would walk past without noticing. Warm yellow lights spilled through the windows, illuminating rows of bookshelves and little displays near the entrance.
Keonho pushed the door open.
A tiny bell rang above him.
And that's when he saw him.
Behind the counter sat a boy wearing a cream-colored sweater, his sleeves slightly covering his hands as he read a book. His dark hair fell softly over his forehead, and a pair of thin glasses rested on his nose.
He looked up when he heard the bell.
Their eyes met.
The boy smiled.
“Welcome.”
Keonho forgot what he was doing for approximately three seconds.
“Ah…”
Smooth.
Very smooth.
“Thank you.”
The cashier smiled again before returning to his book.
Keonho walked deeper into the store, pretending that his heart wasn't suddenly beating faster.
He wandered between shelves.
Fiction.
Mystery.
Romance.
History.
Poetry.
He picked up a random book, opened it, stared at the first page, and realized he hadn't processed a single word.
Because every few seconds, his eyes wandered back toward the counter.
The boy was still reading.
Keonho wondered what he was reading.
He wondered what his name was.
He wondered if he always worked here.
He wondered if he smiled like that at everyone.
And, most importantly...
He wondered why he suddenly cared.
After twenty minutes of pretending to browse, Keonho finally picked up the cheapest book he could find.
He brought it to the counter.
The cashier looked up.
“Are you getting this one?”
“Yeah.”
The boy scanned it.
“₩12,000.”
Keonho paid.
The cashier placed the book inside a small paper bag and handed it to him.
“Thank you. Have a nice day.”
Keonho took the bag.
“You too.”
He walked toward the door.
The bell rang again.
He stepped outside.
Rain was still falling.
Keonho stood beneath the bookstore's awning and looked down at the book he had just bought.
He didn't even know what it was about.
He looked back through the window.
The cashier had already returned to his book.
Keonho smiled to himself.
Maybe he'd come back.
🎀🎀🎀
He came back two days later.
This time, he told himself it was because he actually needed a book.
That excuse lasted until he entered the store and realized he had forgotten what book he was supposedly looking for.
The bell rang.
The cashier looked up.
“Oh.”
Keonho froze.
The boy smiled.
“You're back.”
Those two words shouldn't have affected him as much as they did.
But they did.
“You remember me?”
The boy chuckled.
“You bought a book two days ago.”
“Right.”
Of course.
That was a perfectly normal reason to remember someone.
Keonho walked toward the shelves.
He spent thirty minutes browsing.
He eventually picked up another book.
At the counter, the cashier scanned it.
“You like this genre?”
Keonho glanced at the cover.
“Uh…”
He had no idea what genre it was.
“Yeah.”
The cashier laughed softly.
“That's good.”
Keonho looked at him.
“What's your name?”
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
The boy blinked.
“Mine?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.”
He smiled.
“I'm Seonghyeon.”
“Seonghyeon.”
Keonho repeated the name quietly.
“Eom Seonghyeon.”
Keonho smiled.
“I'm Keonho.”
“I know.”
Keonho blinked.
“You know?”
Seonghyeon pointed toward the membership card on the counter.
“You signed up the last time you were here.”
“Oh.”
Right.
Of course.
Keonho suddenly felt embarrassed.
Seonghyeon laughed.
“You look disappointed.”
“No, no.”
Keonho scratched the back of his neck.
“I just thought…”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Seonghyeon smiled.
“Have a good day, Keonho.”
And just like that, Keonho left the bookstore with another book he didn't particularly want.
🎀🎀🎀
The visits became a habit.
Then the habit became a routine.
And eventually, the routine became something Keonho couldn't explain.
Monday.
Wednesday.
Friday.
Sometimes Saturday.
Sometimes three days in a row.
Sometimes he would enter the bookstore, wander around for ten minutes, buy a bookmark, and leave.
Sometimes he'd buy a notebook.
Once, he bought a children's picture book despite not knowing any children.
Another time, he bought a dictionary.
Seonghyeon stared at it.
“You need a dictionary?”
“No.”
“Then why are you buying it?”
Keonho stared at the dictionary.
“I don't know.”
Seonghyeon laughed so hard that he had to cover his mouth.
Keonho couldn't even be embarrassed anymore.
At least he made Seonghyeon laugh.
That was enough.
Eventually, Seonghyeon started recognizing him the moment the bell rang.
“Keonho.”
Sometimes he'd say it before even looking up.
And every single time, Keonho's heart did something stupid.
One evening, Keonho entered the bookstore and found Seonghyeon arranging books behind the counter.
“You're early today.”
Keonho raised an eyebrow.
“You noticed?”
“I always notice.”
The words made Keonho stop.
Seonghyeon looked up.
There was a small pause.
Then he smiled.
“I mean, you're here pretty often.”
“Right.”
Keonho looked away.
His ears felt warm.
He walked toward the shelves.
“You don't have to buy anything, you know.”
Keonho turned around.
“What?”
Seonghyeon shrugged.
“You come here a lot. Sometimes you spend twenty minutes looking at books and leave with a bookmark.”
Keonho stared at him.
Seonghyeon smiled.
“It's okay.”
Keonho laughed awkwardly.
“Maybe I just like bookmarks.”
“Sure.”
“I'm serious.”
“Of course.”
“You don't believe me.”
“Not even a little.”
Keonho laughed.
For some reason, he liked this.
The teasing.
The familiarity.
The fact that Seonghyeon had started talking to him like they were already friends.
Maybe that was dangerous.
Because Keonho was starting to want more.
🎀🎀🎀
One night, the bookstore was unusually quiet.
There were no other customers.
Outside, the streets were almost empty.
Keonho entered as usual.
The bell rang.
Seonghyeon looked up.
“Keonho.”
“Hi.”
“You're here again.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you finally finish all the books you bought?”
Keonho smiled.
“Not exactly.”
“How many have you actually read?”
Keonho thought about it.
“Three.”
Seonghyeon looked at the stack of books Keonho had purchased over the past few weeks.
“Three?”
“Maybe four.”
“You've bought twelve.”
“I know.”
Seonghyeon shook his head.
“You're terrible at this.”
“At what?”
“Buying books.”
Keonho leaned against the counter.
“Maybe I don't come here for the books.”
The words came out before he could stop them.
Silence.
Seonghyeon looked at him.
Keonho's heart practically stopped.
He wanted to take it back.
Instead, Seonghyeon slowly smiled.
“Then what do you come here for?”
Keonho stared at him.
He could have lied.
He could have laughed it off.
He could have said something stupid like, I just like the atmosphere.
But after weeks of pretending, he was tired.
“I come here to see you.”
Seonghyeon's smile disappeared.
Not because he was upset.
Because he looked surprised.
Keonho swallowed.
“I know it's probably weird.”
“It's not.”
“I don't even need anything most of the time.”
“I know.”
“I just…”
He laughed nervously.
“I like talking to you.”
Seonghyeon looked down at the counter.
For several seconds, neither of them said anything.
Then Seonghyeon smiled.
“That's good.”
Keonho blinked.
“What?”
“I like talking to you too.”
Keonho stared at him.
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
Seonghyeon reached underneath the counter and pulled out a small paper bag.
He placed it in front of Keonho.
“What is this?”
“A bookmark.”
Keonho opened the bag.
Inside was a simple handmade bookmark.
A tiny bookstore was drawn on it with a little yellow star above the roof.
Keonho looked at Seonghyeon.
“I made it.”
“You made this?”
Seonghyeon nodded.
“You keep buying bookmarks, so…”
He shrugged.
“I thought you might like one.”
Keonho smiled.
He carefully held it between his fingers.
“I love it.”
“Good.”
Keonho looked at him.
“Can I keep coming here even when I don't buy anything?”
Seonghyeon smiled.
“You don't need permission.”
Keonho laughed.
“Then I'll probably come every day.”
“I know.”
There was something warm in the way Seonghyeon said it.
Something that made Keonho smile.
And maybe the bookstore had never really been about books.
Maybe it had always been about the boy behind the counter.
The boy whose name he had memorized.
The boy whose smile he looked forward to.
The boy who had somehow become the best part of his ordinary days.
Keonho slipped the bookmark carefully into his wallet.
He didn't need another book tonight.
For once, he was perfectly happy leaving the bookstore empty-handed.
Because this time, he had something much better to take home.
A smile.
A handmade bookmark.
And the quiet certainty that tomorrow, when the little bell above the bookstore door rang again, Seonghyeon would look up And he smiled.
“Welcome back, Keonho.”
🎀✨