curiositysoo:
The whole morning was going to the dogs.
Kyungsoo woke up to find out he overslept and only had 40 minutes to get ready and open the shop down on the first floor. He rushed through his morning routine, taking the quickest shower he had ever taken in his entire life and struggling into his button up and slacks while he tripped down the stairs to maybe make some tea before it got really busy.
He managed to make it to the kitchen with 10 minutes to spare and he set the kettle to boil while he fed the cat, unlocked the front door, and changed the ‘CLOSED’ sign to 'OPEN’.
“Here’s to hoping the rest of the day goes smoothly.” He mutters to himself as he takes his place behind the cash register, tea in hand.
About 16 minutes after opening, tourists start to trickle in and the phone starts ringing with people asking about specific pieces he might have. It gets so busy that Kyungsoo hardly has a chance to breathe. Interestingly enough, everyone seems to leave around the same time, making the house go from noisy to deadly quiet in a matter of seconds.
Its almost 11:40 when Kyungsoo hears the front door open again. He sets down the book he was reading and plasters a sincere smile on his face. Just as he’s about to greet the new customer, he realizes that they have already said something.
“Hello sir.” he called out, leaning a bit to peer at what looks like a rather handsome young man. “Welcome to The Cabinet. My name is Kyungsoo. How may I help you today?”
Soon after he’s spoken, he receives a reply. He hears the man’s voice before he sees him, but when he does, he is startled by the dissonance between the man’s presence and his outward appearance. He looks so unassuming, like any other mild-mannered twentysomething shopkeep. But to eyes with the capability of seeing beyond that, he is overwhelming. Bewildering. He wears the weight of many years, many lifetimes, but that doesn’t make sense.
Woohyun gathers his composure before long. “Yes, well, I’m looking for a table. An end table, specifically, though I suppose anything similar would suffice. As long as it’s not too large. I don’t have a lot of space.”
He lets his eyes roam around the room, trying to look the part of a curious shopper, trying to ignore the many questions springing half-formed to his mind. There are many items to choose from -- more than he could ever want, let alone pay for -- and he’s sure the man has something that would work.
He’s less sure that he’ll be able to hang around long enough to figure out what is so strange about this man, this Kyungsoo. He’s usually so sure in his read of a person, even upon first meeting. He’s never met someone who confused him so.
