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3.

Seokjin walked the lanes. Took a coffee from a small cafe and sat on the table outside. Observed people walking and going on about their lives…. Each of them had a different story for him. A human interest creative nonfiction piece. He could see the shop seller in front selling chicken and corn cobbes. He could see the grand shop beside that selling clothes, the shopkeeper an affluent man sitting at the desk overseeing his business. The working people out for lunch from nearby offices. Some dressed very well and some wore fakes trying hard to merge in. Some genuine, some fake - laughing, sad, tensed people. All shades of gender and age, going on with their lives. If he focussed on them he could make out their life story. A young boy with his sports bag looking eager to reach somewhere. His face, young and cute, yet his eyes betraying a knowledge far beyond his years. The old lady sitting opposite to him nursing her milkshake and checking her lipstick and make up potentially waiting for her date to show up. A man wearing slightly feminine clothes exuding confidence sitting among people and yet when no was looking letting the insecurities break on his forehead. A young father worried but smiling and happy as soon as he hugged his young child, taking her into his lap and smiling at his young wife. The office colleagues sitting on the other end of the road laughing and eating, probably bitching about their superiors. If he closed his eyes, he could see all their lives as individual different lines of one great art piece. He could imagine the strands of their lives like neon lights. Or like different layers of an image making it one whole. He could talk to anyone of them and he would get a story. Every life was worth writing about if one looked at it closely, Jin had realized in his long career of writing features. So many strands of people to choose from… so many stories… even if he spent his entire life, he could not write them all. He felt like he was in art class, mixing different paints, oils and crayons making one great masterpiece that he would call life, at the end.

But he was running out of time, he needed to choose one. And yet he wasn't satisfied, anyone could write a story. But it was not THE story that he was looking for. Everything was too normal in this environment. Nothing stood out. As if propelled by an instinct too great for him to shrug off, he walked around a bit and left the main square. He walked along to one of the lesser populated streets adjoining the market. Still the vibe was the same. He kept walking. Jin looked ahead and as soon as his eyes landed on the bookshop, Seokjin was attracted to it. Unknowing to him, on instinct, his feet took him to the shop. The bookstore didn't seem like a new shop but neither was it very old. Jin entered and the stillness inside was an exact contrast to the chaos of outside. He couldn't help but reflect that the chaos outside was also symbolic of his own life and this strange stillness and calm exactly what he needed.

'Hello! How may I help you?' a voice from the back of the store entered Jin's ears. Jin was pleasantly surprised. The voice was authoritative yet friendly, aged yet young, strong yet melodious.

'Hey, I just wanted to look around.' Jin found himself saying out of habit and looked up to see a young man of almost his age, sorting some books at the end of the shop. Jin felt like he had intruded on a worshipper's prayer. As if he had thrown a pebble in a calm sea just by his presence. Little did he know how strong the ripples of this pebble were or how calm the sea.

'Please feel free.' the man dressed smartly replied and went back to stocking his books. Jin was left alone. He saw books differentiated by sections. He went to the Fiction section. He worked in news and consumed nonfiction enough. Jin kept looking at different books and could see a pattern. Unlike other bookstores that stocked only bigger publishers and bestsellers, this shop had a lot of books from small, independent publishers too. Books which looked very promising and he had never come across. Whoever stocked them knew a good story from a bad one, this was for sure. Jin was intrigued. He respected this faceless person who chose the books because they were doing more than just their job. The books were fabulous and though Jin was an occasional reader, he could not help but be fascinated by the books.

'You have a great collection.' Jin said when he saw the guy coming to the front. He must have been done with his stocking, Jin thought.

'Ahh! Thank you. That is so lovely to hear.' the meticulously clean guy replied.

'I am here hyung!' called out a voice from the front. Jin turned and saw the young boy he had seen earlier with the sporting gear smiling at the guy.

'I am sorry. My younger brother doesn't understand that bookshops should be quiet.' chimed in the man, who by the looks of it Jin now assumed to be the owner even though he looked too young to own the store.

'Sorry!' the boy with the sporting gear whisper shouted at both of them as if used to being told off by his older brother.

'It's okay. I don't like silence too much either.' Jin said, smiling at the younger boy.

'I would like to take these please.' Jin continued and handed his books to the young man who immediately started billing.

'I have never come across your store before. I must say, I might become a regular here.' Jin continued putting on his extrovert personality.

'Yes! Most people don't venture out of the main square. Our location acts as a deterrent.' the owner smiled.

'I see!' Jin smiled.

'May I know the name for billing please?' the man said.

'Kim Seokjin' Jin replied, 'though it's not fair, is it… you know my name and I still don't know the name of the man who has put together this wonderful collection.'

Jin detected a hint of blush and red taint on the cheeks of the owner as he strutted out a name, 'Kim Namjoon.'

'Beautiful name befitting a beautiful brain.' Jin smiled and saw Namjoon getting embarrassed by the compliments. Usually, Jin would stop the moment he realized he had made someone uncomfortable but seeing Namjoon squirm at his compliments amused him in an innocent way. Jin looked closely. Namjoon was handsome, not muscular but well built. He seemed to have great taste and manners. Surely, this man would be used to compliments from his admirers…

'Shall I bag them for you?' the younger boy asked.

'Yes please.' smiled Jin.

'It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance Namjoon and…' Jin said.

'Jungkook…' the younger boy supplied.

'Jungkook.' Jin said, putting on his best smile.

He took his books and exited the store. He roamed around, hailed a taxi, and went to his apartment. He called in the cleaners and ordered food. It was late evening. In two hours, his house was squeaky clean. He had filed a story from his previous rendezvous and sat at his sofa.

'Kim Namjoon… Interesting man!'