Markhyuck Oneshots

One More Day - Pt. 1

(Aug. 26)
3:00 pm

[2 hours from closing time]

The days are so long and lifeless here. Each minute seemed an hour, and each hour, I died more inside. Each day when I had to be here for nine hours standing behind a cash register to meet barely an average of 0-3 customers, I felt my love for comic books and the classics die along with the newer generation's. Thank the comic store gods that this torture would only last for my summer break and the summer was almost over.

Yay, can't wait for school.......

My eyes flickered to the neon open sign on the shop's glass door. Were people blind? Why do we never have customers?

Huffing in frustration, I fell into the chair underneath the register. The seating caused my face to be hidden from customers as the counter was higher than my head. My boss, Taeil, would constantly nag about me sitting here and hiding myself and I'd constantly want to reply that there were not even any customers to hide from. But unfortunately for my deteriorating brain cells, I liked the pay I received for doing almost nothing each day. So, I'd bear through the endless and boring days for this last week. Even though, it seemed it wouldn't end.

[10 minutes from closing time]

In the process of dozing off, I hear the jingle of the door as it opened. I raised my head from how it arched over the back of the chair and wiped the corners of my mouth just in case. Shooting up from the seat, I scanned the store in haste.

.....no one?

"Hello?" My voice filled with uncertainty, I called out into the seeming absence of the store. Just a few seconds later, a face popped from behind a rack.

"Welcome and can I help you?" I tried to be cheerful to the boy. I quickly observed him from the little I could see. He had dyed his hair grey, unless he naturally greyed young, he had cute round cheeks and sported the most unapologetically golden skin in Korea.

He was cute, to say the least.

Then.......he opened his mouth.

"Nahhh, I know what I'm doing." The simple words came off harsh and terse from his lips, cutting deep for no reason. Or maybe it was the way the customer made a quick disapproving scan of my body before disappearing behind the rack again. I followed him in disappearing, sitting in my chair once again.

Good for you, mister. You know comics. Well so do I, kid. What are you? 11. I mocked him safely, behind the protection of the counter and waited for him to be finished.

Finally, exceeding the closing time, the customer approached the cash register with a stack of old comics. He placed them down gently. His eyes that were filled with care in handling the sacred books, quickly changed as they looked to mine.

I faltered at the fierceness of his gaze. My eyes dropped to pick up the comics and scan them in silence.

I saw him eye my name card. "M-Mark?" The boy said extremely slowly.

"Well, people don't usually stutter when they say it but okay." I was trying to be smug, to make up for basically losing our unspoken staring contest just a few seconds before.

"Good job Mark." He claps, sarcasm practically dripping from his lips. "You wanna cookie for the mediocrity in that 'comeback'?" His eyes roll, before settling on me again. The stare was intimidating, it made me feel small and inferior to the obviously younger boy.

"Excuse me, rude customer. If you roll your eyes at me, maybe we could take it outside because my work day is finished and I have plenty of time." I attempted to be only half as intimidating as the glare I was still receiving from the boy, but it only came out flat and weak. My voice lacked vigour, and basically any type of strength.