LOVE 03
22:34
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liquor stores weren't common in the area i lived in, so customer traffic was consistently busy. the company had overstaffed shifts, so thankfully i found myself working even less than i wanted to. every shift left me smelling like a brewery, but then that was to be expected.
a festival in the capital drew business away from all 5 of my jobs that week, which prolonged my exhaustion from school. opting to work and study simultaneously would kill me before long. during the early afternoon, swarms of young adults had purchased shelves worth of soju and cheongju; since then, the shop had been deserted with the occasional customer.
the chime of the bell above the entrace door rang through the store, causing me to stand erect at the cash machine. of course somebody would walk in 5 minutes until the end of my shift, it seemed commonplace now. knowing my luck, they would take hours to pick one bottle of the plainest rice wine.
in my conscious anticipation to greet the customer, i noticed my left shoe had untied. after checking the customer wasn't turning the corner of an aisle, i ducked beneath the counter to retie my shoe. above me, i heard the smooth glide of glass bottles against the wooden counter, and the synchronised clinking of their bodies. cautious of hitting my head on the counter like i had done many times before, i raised myself from my crouch and looked at the purchase before me; three bottles of sansachun and another two of soju for good measure.
when i acknowledged the customer, i found it hard to believe that it could be yoongi. i still wasn't completely sure if that was his name, but i was more than certain that the coincidence surrounding our meetings was beyond unbelievable.
i looked between his baseball cap and mask. something was wrong; he looked.. different, "can i see your id?" i asked, certain he was more than old enough to buy all of this. he slid his card from his wallet and handed it to me; instinctively, he removed his cap and mask to present his entire face, "min yoongi?"
when we made eye contact, i couldn't draw my attention away from the puffiness of his face. the glisten of absorbed tear streams on his cheeks were enhanced by the bright lighting above us; his bloodshot eyes squinted in the exposure, "are you okay?"
"fine," the half-smile he faked was not in the slightest part similar to the gummy grin he had displayed in the coffee shop. i had to question whether this really was the same person, "how much is it?"
i processed his question slowly, "it's on me," i offered. i couldn't afford to waste my money of what he wanted to purchase, but judging by his state, i felt as though i were committing fraud, "i'll get it for you."
"you don't need to do that. seriously, how much?"
i leaned over to my right, ignoring his question. i took a brown paper bag from the hook and placed it on the counter. a pen sat to the side of the cash register; i swiped it from its place and clicked it open. yoongi continued to prompt me on how much the alcohol would cost.
i wrote my number on the side of the bag before placing the bottles delicately inside, "i don't know what happened but you aren't okay. call me if you need anything," i smiled, handing him the bag and his id card. he ran his hand through his ruffled, blond hair, evidently still taken aback by my actions, "just look after yourself."
"thanks. i appreciate it," he said, before exiting the store. strangely, i got the feeling yoongi wasn't completely in touch with his emotions, but i knew he meant what he said.
