UPCOMING: LOVE LOOKS GOOD ON YOU
✭ 18+
you never expected the mysterious boy who walked around the bookstore mindlessly, looking completely out of place among the shelves of well loved novels, to return so soon… or at all. despite your obvious differences, he keeps coming back. each visit pulls you further out of your comfort zone until you find yourself at a crossroads… are you willing to step into his chaotic life or you’d rather stay safely in between the pages of your books?
FULL FIC || EXTRAS || PLAYLIST
pairing: non-idol!jooyeon x fem!reader | streetfighter!jooyeon x bookseller!reader
genre: smut w/ plot, angst, slice of life | bad boy x good girl trope | featuring: gaon as the café guy ; o.de as jooyeon’s close friend
general warnings: corruption kink, jooyeon has red flags (but nothing too serious), many descriptions of wounds and bruises, jealousy, possessive language/behaviour, occasional aggression (not towards reader), dumbification and degradation during sex
status: finished! || part two: in progress…
est word count — 20k+ || preview word count — 1.5k
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Mornings at the bookstore always start the same way.
The soft click of the key turning in the lock, the bell ringing at your presence. The quiet shuffling of your feet across the wooden floors. The aroma of your first coffee for the day mingling with the faint scent of books. The quickening rhythm of the city slipping through the glass windows along with golden patches of sunlight where the packed shelves stand in neat towering rows.
It’s something you had grown used to, a comforting routine you cannot imagine unfolding in a different way.
You flip the bookstore’s sign to Open and take another sip of your coffee.
Just another day at work. Another day of unpacking books, arranging displays, and helping customers find the right story - nothing out of the ordinary. Those are your favorite activities to do.
And yet, your mind is drifting elsewhere.
More in particular, back to the day when a stranger, looking completely out of place among the books, wandered into the store. He didn’t stay long, but he stayed long enough to catch your attention; to make you want to take another secret glimpse of his unfamiliar face as you were dealing with two customers at the front desk.
He stayed long enough to leave an impression - and to make you immediately recognise him the second time he returned. Dark brown hair, slightly messy, but enhancing his attractiveness. Sharp, distinct face. Slim figure with broad shoulders. Bold flickering gaze. You can’t mistake him, even his aura makes the air inside the store shift the moment he walks in.
The first time he just walked around mindlessly; hands casually resting inside his pockets as he scanned the shelves, looking like someone who’s killing time than searching for a book. He didn’t pick up anything nor did he ask you questions.
The second time, he stood in front of the non-fiction section for a little bit longer. You tried to keep yourself busy, but every time his black leather jacket interrupted the silence with a muffled noise, your eyes flickered to his direction on the instant. Wanting to find out what led somebody like him here made you curious of every small movement of his. You continued to follow his figure discreetly until you were foolishly pretending to be completing tasks on the computer.
It was an innocent curiosity.
That’s what you keep telling yourself, but why did it felt like you got caught when he came up at the front desk that day, and told you the things he did? With hands still hidden in his pockets and head tilted to the side as if he was the one analysing you, not you - him.
You replay the conversation in your head, word for word, because you haven’t forgotten a single bit from it, and the same heat you felt in that moment rises to your face again.
“Aren’t you supposed to ask if I’m looking for a book?”
To be honest, you were surprised to hear such melodious voice. Perhaps, based on his sharp features and edgy clothes, you expected a more coarse tone, but eventually as you kept talking more, you realised it fits him perfectly.
“I… I thought you were in the middle of reading something so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“But you didn’t ask me the other day either.”
“I had customers who were purchasing books and you left too quickly.”
“Right, right, that makes sense. I was starting to think that I intimidate you.” He flashed his brows at you with intrigue. His expression remained casual as a flirtatious smirk settled subtly on his lips. “Or that you just like staring at me.”
“Keeping an eye on our customers while they’re browsing is a part of my job.”
After that response, his smile widened.
No other stranger has ever smiled at you so comfortably like that before.
Based on his body language as he stepped closer it seemed like he was entertained by your answers.
“When it comes to us… I think it’s me keeping an eye on you.”
You were at loss for words.
Keeping an eye on you? A guy like him? You like to think that you do possess a decent, acceptable amount of self-confidence, but one week later - you still can’t come up with a reason why he would be interested in someone like you.
You didn’t ask why. Instead, you tried to play it casual, dismissing his comment by asking if he was searching for a specific title or an author. That’s what he was waiting for, right?
He laughed - to which you weren’t surprised.
You know how to spot a reader; someone with passion for literature, someone who prefers getting lost in a fictional world rather than in the overwhelming reality.
He is not one of them.
Lee Jooyeon is not a reader.
Truthfully, you doubt he's ever held a book open for longer than two minutes in his life. He’s the type of person who prefers entirely different sensations - to be outside, lost in thick crowds, banging rock music, alcohol and smoke, places where things happen all at once and they happen loud.
He did not tell you all of that himself, but it’s not hard to guess.
On his third visit is when you learned his name. That’s when you also seen him last.
Lee Jooyeon - it suits his face perfectly just like the way his voice perfectly matches his lips.
“So why books?”
“I grew up a reader.” You slightly shrugged shoulders; to you that explains everything, but Jooyeon who was having a difficult time understanding you, was staring at you silently, expecting to hear more. “This is my favorite place to be.”
“Aren’t you too young to stay here all day? I thought only old people work in bookstores and libraries.”
To that, you chuckled, meanwhile, his expression remained the same - calm, as if he were merely stating an obvious fact rather than making conversation.
He was leaning against the front desk, elbows resting on the wood, his body tilted just enough to bring him closer. Close enough that you could see the sharp angles of his face - the strong cut of his jawline, the high curve of his cheekbones, and the sensual shape of his lips as they moved; close enough that you found yourself staring a little too often.
You remember the adrenaline rush tightening in your stomach from the closeness so clearly, it’s still lingering. It wasn’t fear, nor discomfort, just an unfamiliar thrill that caught you off guard. But you didn’t pull back. Nothing was stopping you from doing it, you simply didn’t mind.
You’re just not used to feeling like this… like you’re standing at the edge of something unpredictable, something a little reckless. You’re not the kind of person who seeks out such adrenaline rushes.
“I don’t know, it’s too quiet.” Jooyeon murmured after a brief pause - a pause that had you struggling to look away from him; at that moment his eyes were fixed on the glass door, watching the people walking by on the street. “Time must pass too damn slowly here. I’d hate it.”
And that’s when you knew for sure.
He is the opposite side of the coin.
After that, you finally asked him what he did for a living. He said he worked at a bar but didn’t mention which one. You could have pressed for details, but you didn’t. Not because you weren’t curious, but because you didn’t want to seem noisy, like the type to show up unannounced, to dig too deep into a life he wasn’t quite willing to share yet. So instead, you shifted the subject, asking him how he spent his free time - something easy, something casual. Pretty much, the things he already knows about you, - but he didn’t really respond to that either, not directly, anyway.
Once again, he brought the focus back on you without you even realising it. Eventually, you’ll notice he does that a lot.
“Depends,” his voice was thoughtful as something darker was dancing in his eyes, “I’d like to spend some of it with you though.”
Your breath caught for a split second.
“Here?”
A smirk, that at this point, was getting familiar to you, creeped onto his lips as he shrugged shoulders. But his voice sounded serious as he said:
“As long as the cameras don’t catch us.”
It must’ve been written all over your face - how caught off guard you were, how you struggled to form a response. You didn’t want to push him away, but you didn’t know how to handle someone like him either; someone who said things so boldly, so effortlessly, making you question whether he was serious or simply teasing. And last, but not least - because you refuse to disobey the rules and ethics of your job.
Before you could answer, the bell above the door chimed, and a customer walked in.
Undeniably, you were relieved.
Of course, Jooyeon noticed. The smirk appeared again.
“Maybe next time.”
That’s what he said before leaving - the day you learned each other’s names. Exactly five days ago.
And now?
Now, you can’t stop looking at the door.
No matter what task you’re trying to complete - sorting through deliveries, rearranging shelves, wiping down the counter, - you find yourself glancing up at the entrance. Just like you did yesterday.
And the day before that.