Silent Blue ✦ 2jae (discontinued)

. five .

Youngjae's pace was fast walking to the library on the rainy and humid Sunday. He hadn't planned to make another trip until the following week, but something was pulling him to go— though he knew what it was, he would never admit it.

He carried his backpack, only one item inside of it, and walked quickly with his umbrella slipping out of his fingers. Some part of him was afraid the book might get wet, or ruined in the five minutes it took him to walk across campus. Unfortunately, there was no purely indoor way to make it to the library, but he made it there in jeans that suddenly stuck to his legs. His mind was on the book the whole time.

The door slammed open, unreasonably loudly, but he hadn't realized that it was ten minutes before the library even opened. The new guy stared at him with wide eyes and a sly grin when he noticed Youngjae's rushed and disheveled appearance. His glasses were covered with raindrops, rendering them useless and the boy virtually blind, but he knew trying to dry them would make it worse, so he didn't bother.

"You couldn't wait, huh?" asked the man behind the counter, laughing a little bit while he did some work on the computer.

"Sorry?" Youngjae was confused, staring hopelessly in confusion.

"Ten to eight," he said. "I really shouldn't let you in here, but..."

"Oh!" Youngjae's eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"No, you can stay if you want... If you need anything let me know." Youngjae looked around a bit, forgetting why he ran to the library so early in the morning anyway. It wasn't like he ever considered the library before— the bookstore, if anything. He stood cluelessly until he held onto his backpack instinctively, and remembered.

"Here," he said so quietly, the man with greasy—or gelled... Youngjae couldn't tell—hair didn't know whether he was talking to himself. He took the book from his backpack and handed it back to the man who'd given it to him.

"Ah, thanks." He watched as the man across from him scanned it in and continued with his work. Youngjae didn't really know what to do. He knew he'd planned some elaborate something in his mind, but it went away in the man's presence.

"They never gave you a name tag?" he asked. "It's weird referring to you as the guy who works here on weekends."

"Oh? It's Jaebum," answered the librarian on weekends. He chuckled, "You're probably right about the name tag thing though..." He looked around for some paper to write his name on in shockingly neat, almost computer-like, handwriting. IM JAEBUM was soon hanging from the front pocket of his jacket, clear for Youngjae to see, even with his wet glasses.

"Jaebum," Youngjae said, almost to confirm what he read on the man's chest. Jaebum simply nodded.

"Did you like the book?" he asked, only assuming the student had read it. He knew the look of someone who couldn't put down a good read— Youngjae stumbled in with that face. Youngjae responded with an enthusiastic but closed smile and a nod. "I might read it... I only read a chapter before I gave it to you," he laughed.

"Oh, really?" Youngjae thought he was given the book as a sincere recommendation, but he wasn't so sure then. "Are you familiar with this author?"

"Hm... Not really," Jaebum answered simply. "I've heard many good things about his work, but have never been into horror much."

"Ah." Youngjae continued standing and noticed that his glasses had dried a little in the short time he'd stayed still. "What do you like, then?" he asked genuinely. Jaebum cocked up and eyebrow and looked away from the boy to think on the multitude of books he'd read and loved.

"Well... I don't know if they have it here, but," he began, typing something, "I really like House of the Scorpion. My cousin recommended it when we were kids..." He stared intensely at the computer screen, typing and clicking, typing and clicking until he found something. "Oh! It is here." A look of solemness glinted across his eyes for a moment, but Youngjae wasn't sure. "It's uh... It's about the clone of a drug lord if you're into stuff like that," he laughed subtly, stretching.

"Yeah, sure. I need something to read now anyway." Youngjae's comment brought a smile to the older one's face, which he found quite daunting since he didn't think he said anything particularly amusing. He followed Jaebum to the section of the relatively small library that was full of dystopian novels. Only then, when the two stood in a smaller space together, did Youngjae realize a stench that made his eyes water.

It was a mixture of cigars and alcohol— a smell that he was all too used to but still hated.

"Want me to ring this up for— Oh, are you okay?" he asked, concerned when he noticed the boy's eyes suddenly red and swollen. Was he crying, or was it allergies?

"Ah, yeah," Youngjae chuckled. "My eyes get dry sometimes, it's okay. But yeah!" So, Jaebum smiled and went to prepare the book for Youngjae before he would go running back into the rain.

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© illjae 2017