(believe me) the sun always shines on t.v. // 2hong

one.

SIDE A / TRACK 1 : kyoto song — the cure

a silver bell tinkles merrily above jinhong's head as he pushes the door open, hot summer sun beating down on the sidewalk behind him. he thinks he can hear the quiet sizzle of his sweat evaporating as it drips to the floor. tss, tss, tss.

the three fans working away in various corners of the shop make jinhong stall in the doorway, arms outstretched and eyes closed, while cool air washes over his skin. the cashier laughs quietly at him. jinhong grins, sheepish, and walks further in.

"welcome," the cashier says. "if you need any help, i'm here."

the cashier, jinhong discovers, has a very nice smile. it catches him off guard, a little (a lot). jinhong tears his eyes away from the cute boy with the cute smile, albeit with some difficulty, and turns toward the rest of the store: shelves upon shelves of records in every genre, by every artist imaginable. jinhong didn't even know they made this much music—much less that it was all available for purchase, starting at the low price of $14.99! los angeles, he thinks, is truly full of surprises.

jinhong walks down one of the aisles, fingertips trailing over the tops of the records. the worn paper whispers softly under his touch, years of queen and bowie and all the legends he's grown up with. he thumbs through the albums absentmindedly, not paying much attention to the names.

all he's thinking of is the cashier's stunning smile, the way his eyes curved behind wire-frame glasses, the tan of his skin against the cold white of his t-shirt. because, y'know, damn.

"looking for anything?" asks the cashier. jinhong jumps in surprise and puts a hand on his chest (be still, my beating heart, he thinks).

"uh," jinhong says, eloquent as always. "not really. do you have any recommendations?"

when cashier boy's eyes light up at the question, jinhong high fives himself for being so composed. damn, i'm smooth.

cashier boy leads jinhong to the back of the store, the section labelled foreign releases, and pulls out a record so quickly jinhong's convinced that he's memorized its exact position. the cover is dark and disconcerting, the head on the door and the cure seemingly scribbled on in pale blue.

"this is one of the best albums of the year," the cashier gushes. "the cure are pretty unknown here in the states, but i swear their music is some of the best i've ever heard."

cashier boy continues, gesturing adorably with his hands, and jinhong thinks he wants to see this boy talk about music forever.

"if you're that excited about it," jinhong starts (acceptable). "i'll buy it." (sorry, what now?)

the cashier smiles and jinhong thinks he's never made a better decision in his life.

(before he leaves, jinhong asks for the boy's name.

"hongseob," he says, lips curving prettily around each syllable. "hongseob shim."

jinhong grins, says, "i'm jinhong," and pushes the door open. the jingle of the bell is almost as light as his heart feels.)