my silly kpop non-idols au

Sunggyu's Bargains (💙SUJU)

Special Appearances: Sunggyu (Infinite) and Sungjong (Infinite)
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Leeteuk squinted into the distance, the setting sun casting a warm glow across the barren landscape. He leaned against the side of the van, feeling the cool metal against his skin as the engine ticked softly. The group had been driving for hours, their laughter and chatter now reduced to a comfortable silence. The van looked out of place here, a splash of color in the dusty surroundings.

"Look over there," Heechul pointed, his finger a line to the horizon. "It's like a mirage, but it's real!"

They all turned to see a shop standing solitary amidst the dusty road, its neon sign flickering to life as if responding to their gaze. "Sunggyu's Bargains" it read, a beacon of hope in the fading light. It was a peculiar sight, almost out of place in the desolate area they were passing through. The shop was a small, squat building with peeling paint and a rickety wooden porch that looked like it had seen better days. Yet, there was something about it that drew them in.

With a unanimous nod, they climbed out of the van, their sneakers crunching against the gravel as they approached the store. The doorbell jingled merrily as Leeteuk pushed the door open, and they stepped inside, a blast of cool air-conditioning hitting them like a welcome embrace. The scent of aged paper and a hint of something sweet filled their nostrils, mingling with the faint odor of dust. The floorboards creaked underfoot, adding to the shop's rustic charm.

Behind the counter, a 35-year-old man looked up from a book he was reading, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiled. "Welcome to Sunggyu's Bargains," he said, his voice warm and familiar. It took a moment for the realization to sink in—this was Sunggyu, the legendary leader of Infinite, the very group they had all idolized in their youth. The sight of him here, in this remote shop, was as surreal as the shop's sudden appearance. His hair, once a vibrant shade of red, had faded to a soft auburn, but the charisma that had once filled stadiums was still palpable in the tiny space.

The shelves stretched on for what seemed like miles, stocked with everything imaginable. There were rows of vinyl records, the covers faded but the music within them surely timeless. DVDs of obscure films and TV shows lined another wall, their plastic cases glinting under the dim lights. A glass case displayed a collection of antique watches, their hands frozen in time. Yet another corner was dedicated to rare comic books, their pages yellowed but the artwork as vivid as ever. The group exchanged astonished looks as they wandered through the aisles, each member drawn to their own peculiar find.

Siwon, ever the organized one, pulled out a crumpled shopping list from his pocket, scanning the items with a furrowed brow. The others chuckled, knowing that they had stopped for a whim and not for supplies. He looked around, his eyes landing on a shelf of vintage toys. "Guys, I think we should stick together," he said, his voice echoing in the vast emptiness of the shop.

But Kyuhyun had already been drawn to the back, where a classic vintage alarm clock sat perched on a dusty shelf. Its face was a perfect circle, the numbers etched into the metal in a font that spoke of another era. The hands were frozen at 12:03, as if the clock had decided that was the exact moment to stop ticking. He reached out a hand, feeling the dust dance off the cool metal as he touched it. The clock was heavy, with a satisfying weight to it.

As he examined his find, he heard a faint sound from the back of the store—the rustle of fabric, a muffled cough. Curiosity piqued, he wandered down an aisle filled with forgotten knickknacks and stumbled upon a sight that made his heart skip a beat. There, standing with his back to them all, was Sungjong, the youngest member of Infinite. Or at least, it looked like him. His hair was longer, his clothes shabbier, but the unmistakable outline of his frame was there.