art || vkook || discontinued

weekday shifts

jungguk is exhausted. if he has to deal with one more person complaining about the price of paint he swears he’s going to scream. as much as he loves the quaint little art shop and appreciates the pay he’s given, he always leaves his shifts with sore feet and an irritated mind.

“one more hour.” jungguk sighs, glancing around the empty store. he leans against the counter in front of him, letting his head drop into his arms. weekday shifts are always hell for the boy. there are hardly ever customers during the day, and if he so much as glances at his phone his manager comes out from the back room and tells him off. he’s close to dozing off when the bell that hangs above the entrance rings, signaling the arrival of a guest. “hi, welcome to choi’s art supply. let me know if you need any help.”

jungguk huffs when, as usual, his greeting is ignored. however, he keeps an eye on this particular customer. something feels off about the newcomer to him. he was only able to get a slight glimpse of the kid’s face due to the hood pulled up over her head. using the cameras situated near the register he watches the girl move quickly around the store, groaning as he watches her pocket a few tubes of paint. following protocol, he maneuvers around the counter, approaching her with a fake smile on his face.

“do you need help finding anything today?” he does his best to sound kind.

“no.” jungguk resists the urge to roll his eyes at her attitude.

“okay, well, let me know if you do, i’ll be at the register towards the front of the store.” he makes his way back to his previous position with long strides, eyes not leaving the screens mounted on the wall. he grows increasingly frustrated when the girl does nothing but watch him walk away before continuing to wander the shop.

the hooded girl doesn’t pick up anything else as she goes, giving jungguk a sign as to what is coming. his bored gaze follows her through the aisles and back to the door of the shop. he stops her just as she’s about to step outside. “miss, you have to pay for the paint.”

“i don’t know what you’re talking about.” she sneers at him.

“we have cameras all around the shop. i saw you put paint in your pockets.” the girl looks down at her feet, deciding not to respond to jungguk. “look, i’m not gonna call the police or anything, just, either pay for the stuff or put it back and we can both get on with our days.”

“i don’t have any money.” her voice comes out in a whisper.

“then you’ll have to put them back, or just give ‘em to me and i’ll do it for you.” jungguk is about to receive a reply when the door swings open, revealing a new customer. the dark-haired employee opens his mouth to greet the guest but stops himself when he sees a familiar face.

“ggukie!” taehyung yells out as soon as he notices the boy, a wide smile forming on his lips. “i didn’t know you worked here.”

“uh, yeah, one second, tae. i need to finish dealing with this.” jungguk turns back to the girl without waiting for an answer. he raises an eyebrow at her, waiting for the paints to be handed over.

“i really need these, though…”

“if i could give them to you, i would, but i don’t want to lose my job, so, please, just-” taehyung cuts jungguk off before he can complete his statement.

“i can pay for whatever it is.” the girl’s head snaps up, her eyes sparkling. “just let me grab a few things and i’ll take care of it.”

jungguk’s bewildered gaze follows the older man as he moves further into the store. he can’t get his head around why someone would ever feel the need to be so kind all the time. there’s a bounce to taehyung’s step as he pulls items off the shelves, tucking them under his arms. jungguk watches taehyung the entire time he’s gathering his supplies, and even when the older is all but skipping back up to the front.