reflector

There's really nothing I can do at this point. I'm not even sure what I want to do. I don't even know what to feel. jongin // 22 // free spirit

[strsj]

––✱ order { sj+ji }

(( jonginstr )) Some of his friends from high school hit the bar right away after their coming of age day. Yet Seiji never really liked going to the bar to drink. He liked a more casual setting of his home. Drinking canned beers on his balcony with the wind blowing his hair and his feet dangling from the space between the fences. Or perhaps under the kotatsu in winter times where he could just rest his chin and the rest of his body on the table. And such, whenever he did find his feet guiding him to Cueva Azul, it’s usually for the coffee the master served so well. Yet lately, the master’s been so old and tired, eaten away by age, that he mostly only showed up every once in a while. He still went though. Because he trusted the master and he’d only hire and leave if he knew his apprentice was up for the task. The soft chiming of the bells. His feet entering the pub. He nodded at young man he had become acquainted with in the last few months. Or had it been a year? He’s not quite sure. His grasp on time had always been a bit loose “Hey, Jongin.” He offered a friendly smile and a wave, his other hand still holding the bag of fruits that the owner had ordered as usual. “Do you want me to put this in the back?” He asked, finger pointing towards the bag of fruits.

[jonginstr-blog]

It was necessary for Jongin to socialize and communicate with people while on this job, as a bartender. Whether it be drunk, sad customers or sales associates of the owner, Jongin tried his best to seem kind, at least. The bar was empty, especially because of the odd time and the odd day. 6:37 PM on a Wednesday. Who would come for a casual drink at 6:37 PM on a Wednesday? He kept his lips shut as he wiped the glasses, as if they were going to be on use today, he thought to himself.

Soon, the chime of the bells at the door jingled softly as Jongin looked up. It was Seiji, Jongin believed. He was the kind fruit vendor that sold probably the best fruits Jongin had ever tasted. Bending slightly at the waist, Jongin bowed at him. "I believe so," he replied in a soft voice, giving a faint smile to end his reply.

[jonginstr-blog]

#writer meets reader; lhg & kji

[jonginstr-blog]

Jongin was more than ecstatic upon discovering that the one dollar bookshelf was restocked. He immediately walked over to the said bookshelf and ran his gaze over the perfectly shelved novels and their worn spines. After glancing side to side for any danger figures, he carefully picked out a novel, using his long, slim fingers to pry out the rather torn book. It was indeed ancient, judging by its faded cover, browned pages, and deteriorating spine. However, Jongin believed that it was these kinds of books that held the best stories. With a new (or old) novel in hand, Jongin leaned against the bookshelf and opened it up to the first page.

A chapter into the novel, Jongin sensed a presence nearby. He quickly picked his head up and fixed his gaze on the man that silently communicated with him. The employee tensed up as he cleared his throat and acknowledged the stranger. “Are there any novels you are looking for? I could help,” Jongin managed to say, mentally telling himself that he was an employee, not a customer. Later, he even forced a smile, which was incredibly awkward that even he was aware of it.

[strhonggi]

Feeling himself growing a bit shy, Honggi managed a tight-lipped smile before shaking his head quickly at the other’s question, dropping his gaze to instead focus himself on skimming the book titles on the shelf. The small lapse of silence that followed let it sink in that perhaps he was rude for not verbally responding to the offer for help, though, so with some hesitation he found himself answering softly, “No, thank you, I was just… just browsing.” The dollar shelf was usually a mixed variety, as any and every genre could be put up so long as it was discounted, and sometimes he quite liked the fact that he didn’t know exactly what his options were until he took the time to browse around.

One thing that easily caught his eye was an old, slightly tattered copy of The Little Prince, clearly used and attempting to be re-sold. Unable to resist, he picked it up and started to flip through the pages to make sure they were all intact, and he was pleased to see they were; nothing had been ripped out, so despite its condition, it was perfectly readable. Immediately, that was tucked under an arm as he would undoubtedly be purchasing it, eagerly skimming the rows of books to see what other treasures there might be.

[jonginstr-blog]

With an understanding nod, Jongin started to back away from the customer and go back to "cleaning" the bookshelves. However, Jongin's curiosity got the best of him. He kept an eye on the customer, curious as to which book he was going to choose. The customer was also looking at the dollar shelf, which made Jongin raise a brow. There are a few who go there and Jongin makes up one of them. For a moment, he felt a jolt of excitement wash over him to find out that he wasn't the only one that treasure ancient novels. Oh, how he wished that he had the courage to go up and talk to the customer!

The Little Prince was the novel of choice for the customer. A classic that Jongin absolutely loved, ever since he was a child. He had spent his lonely childhood days reading this novel, jumping into the fantasy within, escaping from the reality he was facing. Jongin secretly wished that the customer would stay to read for a while and perhaps he would muster hp some courage to talk to him about his choices. He had to. He couldn't stay friendless and alone forever.

[jonginstr-blog]

#night shifts; lmy & kji

[jonginstr-blog]

A little yawn slipped out of Jongin’s mouth as he brought his hand up to use as a cover. As he was about to return to his glass cleaning, a hand extended towards his nametag and tilted it. He tensed up and set the glass down slowly as he looked up. The hand belonged to a rather familiar face, but Jongin couldn’t exactly pinpoint who she was. All he could do was nod slowly and stare. “I’m good, thank you. You?” he managed to say after vigorously searching for replies in his thoughts. He proceeded to set down the wiping cloth and take her order. Again, with a small nod and a wordless acknowledgement, he turned around to take out a chilled bottle of vodka for the order.

After placing a lime wheel on the rim of the cocktail glass, he gently placed it on top of a napkin in front of her. He extended his arms out to side and placed them on the counter as he took a hard glance at her, trying to remember her name. His brows furrowed slightly as he tried to match the pieces that would formulate her name in his brain. It seems that he needed a drink also, to clear this clutter in his brain.

[strminyoung]

It was evident that her forward greeting had taken the other by surprise and he seemed momentarily at a loss for what to say in response, but Min only smiled warmly and slid herself onto the stool beside where she stood, perching there and leaning her body forward so she was hunched over the bar and propped with her elbows. Dropping her gaze to the glass that was soon placed in front of her, she nodded her thanks and picked it up for a sip, easily taking out the money needed to pay for her drink and sliding it across the surface towards him while she hummed a tuneless sound and peered into her glass at the deep pink liquid.

As she looked up again, she caught his gaze and smiled, able to tell by his stare that he was still trying to place a name to her face. Free hand laying over her chest to gesture to herself, she informed him simply, “Min. I’m Min.” A longer sip was taken from her drink before she set it back down onto the napkin, tapping her fingertips against the bar and eyeing the boy for a long moment before finally deciding that it was safe to continue making conversation, “You don’t talk much, do you? What got you into the bartending profession, then? It’s a pretty social job, don’t you think?”

[jonginstr-blog]

She was still nameless in his memories. However, she was familiar; he just had a bad memory. All he could do was stare at her as he slowly wiped the glasses, trying hard to put a name to her.

"Min. I'm Min." That's right. Min was her name. He couldn't help but to be embarrassed for not remember her name; it was three letters. Furrowing his brows slightly, he averted his gaze towards his hands, rather apologetically. A pause in their conversation, well, her one-sided conversation, was issued as her fingernails tapped on the counter to fill in the silence. He took in a short, heavy breath to speak, but was relieved when she broke the silence instead.

No, I'm not the talkative type, he thought. To her, though, he simply shook his head as he looked up at her and gave her a faint smile. That was all, he, Kim Jongin, could do. He continued to wipe the glasses without a word before opening his mouth to speak. "I didn't have much choices," he managed to say in a low voice. "It's hard for me," he ended his reply there. I apologize for forgetting your name, he thought once again. Of course, he kept that to himself.

[jonginstr-blog]

Back from vacation!! Please reblog or like this if I owe you a reply and/or starter! I need to get back on my rping

[jonginstr-blog]

( ooc;;

I'm going on a family vacation for the whole week and I'm unsure about their wifi situation, so when I get there, I'll try to be as active as I can!

[kai-tholic]

[jonginstr-blog]

#writer meets reader; lhg & kji

[strhonggi]

jonginstr:

Sipping on his morning coffee with a book in hand, Jongin was enjoying his morning, as always. He set his mug down and picked up his toast, decorated by a spread of jam, and bit into it. After a few chews, he washed it down with another sip of his coffee. Upon finishing his breakfast, he started to get ready for another day at the bookstore. He hoped that the one dollar bookshelf was restocked, so that he could take a look at it and pick out something interesting.

After his shower, he dressed casually, slipping into a pair of black jeans and a simple white t shirt. He wore his usual pair of black Converses and went on his way to work. It’s weird how Jongin feels like a customer, rather than an employee at the bookstore; maybe it’s because he spends most of his time reading there instead of organizing. He often sees customers reading an interesting novel and wants to ask them about it, but his damned personality prohibits him from doing so. 

Soon enough, he arrived at the bookstore, embracing the smell of the books, both old and new. He walked to the counter and picked up his employee card and hung it around his neck. “Kim Jongin,” it says in black font, with the words “sales associate” under his name, in a smaller font. Immediately, his footsteps took him towards the one dollar bookshelf, in search for old books in need for someone to read them.

The morning air felt nice, the sun hadn’t risen fully and brought sweltering heat with it, so for the time being it was cool out and the slight breeze was refreshing as Honggi approached the book store. He’d gotten an early start, something he often did after a sleepless night, and buying a coffee then roaming around the book store was one of his favorite ways to kill time before he was due in for work. Already, he had a caramel macchiato in hand, the hot beverage really not suiting the season, but he never could kick the habit of preferring his coffee drinks to be just below scalding regardless of how cold or warm the outside weather was.

Sipping from the cup as he perused the rows of shelves, there was an obvious pause in his step as he noticed the display clearly marked for new releases and best sellers, a look of longing crossing his expression for a few fleeting seconds; one day, something he’d written would be there, he hoped. Some days it felt like some pipe dream he would never achieve, but other times he would have a flood of inspiration with his writing and feel that the special something he needed was just out of his reach. Sooner or later, he reasoned, he would have a breakthrough. Until then, though, he would still be the quiet, inconspicuous daycare worker who wrote alone in his apartment late at night.

Patting the pocket where his wallet was kept, he took a moment to debate whether or not he had the cash on him to justify buying a couple books, but he was short on money this month and wasn’t certain it would be excusable. Heading towards the shelf that contained the discount books, he decided to try there for something more affordable, his steps at first quick with purpose but gradually slowing down as he drew nearer and saw an employee already standing there. Not speaking a verbal greeting, he upnodded to the other male and smiled faintly, averting his gaze to start skimming over book titles.

[jonginstr-blog]

Jongin was more than ecstatic upon discovering that the one dollar bookshelf was restocked. He immediately walked over to the said bookshelf and ran his gaze over the perfectly shelved novels and their worn spines. After glancing side to side for any danger figures, he carefully picked out a novel, using his long, slim fingers to pry out the rather torn book. It was indeed ancient, judging by its faded cover, browned pages, and deteriorating spine. However, Jongin believed that it was these kinds of books that held the best stories. With a new (or old) novel in hand, Jongin leaned against the bookshelf and opened it up to the first page.

A chapter into the novel, Jongin sensed a presence nearby. He quickly picked his head up and fixed his gaze on the man that silently communicated with him. The employee tensed up as he cleared his throat and acknowledged the stranger. "Are there any novels you are looking for? I could help," Jongin managed to say, mentally telling himself that he was an employee, not a customer. Later, he even forced a smile, which was incredibly awkward that even he was aware of it.

[jonginstr-blog]

#night shifts; lmy & kji

[strminyoung]

jonginstr:

The rattling sound of keys echoed down the empty halls. With a small sigh, Jongin twisted the doorknob open and entered his safe haven–his home. Why was he so tired today? He thought about the possible causes of this fatigue he was suffering. The time he went to bed: eleven pm, as usual. His breakfast: a cup of coffee, an egg, sunny side up, and a buttered toast. Nothing unusual. He yawned softly as he plopped down onto his couch and looked around. As expected, there was nothing but this familiar silence and his soft breaths. Soon, the ticking of the wall clock caught his attention and he averted his gaze to it. It was six in the afternoon, three hours before his night shift at the local pub. He thought about how he should manipulate those three hours and all he could think of was a novel and a nap. With quiet footsteps, he walked over to his bedroom, grabbed his favorite novel at the moment, and settled in his bed.

It was 8:34 PM, the summer skies were darkening and the neighborhood was coming alive. Jongin woke up, his novel face down next to him on the page he was reading. He reached over for his phone and checked the time. Breathing a small breath of relief, he got up and rubbed his eyes. He took a shower, got dressed in his usual monochromatic clothing, and checked the time. 8:48 PM. He walked out of his comfort zone to the night streets for his night shift, mentally preparing to converse with customers, who were practically strangers. Talking was not his forte, but the stories his customers ranted about were quite interesting and all he had to do was listen, nod, and smile. It was entertaining, actually. 

It was 8:54 PM when he arrived at the back door of the pub. He entered it, officially marking the start of his night shift. He pinned on his name tag, printed “Kai” in a black font on a goldish base. From now to the end of his shift, he was Kai. He went behind the bar counter and began to wipe the glasses, waiting for customers.

There were many things Min could probably have been doing on a Saturday night that was more productive than going out to the pub, but she’d had a relatively long week and the idea of wasting a perfectly good weekend by focusing on her studies or doing chores around her home sounded like a tragic loss. So, despite feeling the urge to nap once she arrived home from work, she instead decided to have a little night out to treat herself and unwind that way. Even just a drink and some casual socializing for a couple hours was better than staying inside, that was her belief. By the time she had freshened her makeup and changed into a more acceptable choice of clothing, night had already fallen, and it was nearly 9 in the evening when she walked into the pub, having taken the trek herself on foot so she didn’t have to drive home later if she decided on a second drink.

Instinctively, she kept an eye out for the female bartender she usually saw, and while mildly disappointed that she was nowhere to be seen, she easily recovered and brightened once more as she saw who was in fact working on this particular night. She never did get many words out of him, but he was familiar and not entirely repelled by her attempts to make conversation, so as usual she didn’t hesitate to bound up to the bar where he stood cleaning glasses. She never was a shy one anyway, but with certain people, her bubbly nature seemed amplified; and oddly, it was more with the quieter people. Perhaps it was a need to overcompensate for the quiet on their end.

“Hello there,” she greeted warmly, before she reached out to touch the boy’s nametag, tilting it her way to read the nickname as if seeking to refresh her memory. “… Kai.” She remembered him, but initiating contact was part of her usual, overly-friendly routine. “How are you tonight, hun?” Fixing him with a smile, she glanced up and down the bar, seeing it was surprisingly not as crowded as one would expect on a Saturday night. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back to him, deciding it was perfectly fine to go ahead and order, “Can I get a cosmo, please?”

[jonginstr-blog]

A little yawn slipped out of Jongin's mouth as he brought his hand up to use as a cover. As he was about to return to his glass cleaning, a hand extended towards his nametag and tilted it. He tensed up and set the glass down slowly as he looked up. The hand belonged to a rather familiar face, but Jongin couldn't exactly pinpoint who she was. All he could do was nod slowly and stare. "I'm good, thank you. You?" he managed to say after vigorously searching for replies in his thoughts. He proceeded to set down the wiping cloth and take her order. Again, with a small nod and a wordless acknowledgement, he turned around to take out a chilled bottle of vodka for the order.

After placing a lime wheel on the rim of the cocktail glass, he gently placed it on top of a napkin in front of her. He extended his arms out to side and placed them on the counter as he took a hard glance at her, trying to remember her name. His brows furrowed slightly as he tried to match the pieces that would formulate her name in his brain. It seems that he needed a drink also, to clear this clutter in his brain.

[jonginstr-blog]

#sticky notes; hzt & kji

strzitao

It was another day at work at Jongin’s favorite place, next in line after his home, of course. Jongin stood amongst the bookshelves, secretly reading his novel, when he was supposed to be organizing the books that lost their places. He slightly leaned against one of the bookshelves, falling deeper into his novel. From time to time, Jongin would look up and around to make sure his manager nor his fellow employees caught him like this. Eventually, he landed with his bottom on the carpet floor, fully immersed into the novel. 

After some time, Jongin closed his novel and headed for the counter, to avoid any suspicions against him. He wouldn’t know what to do if he were to be fired from here, so preventing that was the best way to go. With his elbow on the counter, he placed his chin on his hand and watched as customers entered the bookstore and settled down in a corner to read. Jongin kept a watchful eye on the books the customers picked up to add on to his mental “to-be-read” list. With a soft smile, Jongin scanned book after book and greeted each customer on their way out. 

As he scanned their books, Jongin secretly wished he could spark up a conversation with the customers, talking about their purchases and all. How do people do this? This was a question that Jongin couldn’t find the answer to, no matter the amount of books he reads. 

[jonginstr-blog]

#writer meets reader; lhg & kji

strhonggi

Sipping on his morning coffee with a book in hand, Jongin was enjoying his morning, as always. He set his mug down and picked up his toast, decorated by a spread of jam, and bit into it. After a few chews, he washed it down with another sip of his coffee. Upon finishing his breakfast, he started to get ready for another day at the bookstore. He hoped that the one dollar bookshelf was restocked, so that he could take a look at it and pick out something interesting.

After his shower, he dressed casually, slipping into a pair of black jeans and a simple white t shirt. He wore his usual pair of black Converses and went on his way to work. It’s weird how Jongin feels like a customer, rather than an employee at the bookstore; maybe it’s because he spends most of his time reading there instead of organizing. He often sees customers reading an interesting novel and wants to ask them about it, but his damned personality prohibits him from doing so. 

Soon enough, he arrived at the bookstore, embracing the smell of the books, both old and new. He walked to the counter and picked up his employee card and hung it around his neck. “Kim Jongin,” it says in black font, with the words “sales associate” under his name, in a smaller font. Immediately, his footsteps took him towards the one dollar bookshelf, in search for old books in need for someone to read them.

[jonginstr-blog]

#night shifts; lmy & kji

strminyoung

The rattling sound of keys echoed down the empty halls. With a small sigh, Jongin twisted the doorknob open and entered his safe haven–his home. Why was he so tired today? He thought about the possible causes of this fatigue he was suffering. The time he went to bed: eleven pm, as usual. His breakfast: a cup of coffee, an egg, sunny side up, and a buttered toast. Nothing unusual. He yawned softly as he plopped down onto his couch and looked around. As expected, there was nothing but this familiar silence and his soft breaths. Soon, the ticking of the wall clock caught his attention and he averted his gaze to it. It was six in the afternoon, three hours before his night shift at the local pub. He thought about how he should manipulate those three hours and all he could think of was a novel and a nap. With quiet footsteps, he walked over to his bedroom, grabbed his favorite novel at the moment, and settled in his bed.

It was 8:34 PM, the summer skies were darkening and the neighborhood was coming alive. Jongin woke up, his novel face down next to him on the page he was reading. He reached over for his phone and checked the time. Breathing a small breath of relief, he got up and rubbed his eyes. He took a shower, got dressed in his usual monochromatic clothing, and checked the time. 8:48 PM. He walked out of his comfort zone to the night streets for his night shift, mentally preparing to converse with customers, who were practically strangers. Talking was not his forte, but the stories his customers ranted about were quite interesting and all he had to do was listen, nod, and smile. It was entertaining, actually. 

It was 8:54 PM when he arrived at the back door of the pub. He entered it, officially marking the start of his night shift. He pinned on his name tag, printed “Kai” in a black font on a goldish base. From now to the end of his shift, he was Kai. He went behind the bar counter and began to wipe the glasses, waiting for customers.