STRANGER; 낯선 사람 - taekook; vmin

3. norwegian wood

"You look so tiny", I giggled.

"Shut up. Get home safe."

I've learned in my youth that I shouldn't be so quick to judge people, even if they do bad things or act a certain way, I should listen to them before making a decision. I would learn that I, myself, was capable of doing bad things even though I didn't mean it. To look at myself in the mirror and recognize someone capable of doing certain things brought me shame, but only time can show a better understanding of oneself and I was yet to learn that bad things done with good intentions, were bad things still.

He noticed I had changed my hair, served me drinks, asked me about myself and called me Sunbaenim. Jungkook had done nothing wrong and yet I placed myself below him and made excuses to dislike him because he made me feel insecure just by existing and being confident with who he is. I cursed at the wind for days on end, trying to figure out a cure to low self-esteem so I could be truly happy.

I thought of never going out with Jimin's friends again because I had made a fool of myself in front of them and it was an unpleasant situation, dealing with ten Law students at once. And so I made two promises to myself that semester: to not get involved with good looking, long-legged noonas and to not hang out with Law students by myself. If a next time were to happen, I would bring back up, someone to talk to while they mingle amongst themselves.

It was the end of October and the weather had never been so nice in South Korea, with the beautiful leaves turned red and orange as Autumn reached, coating the streets with nature's grandiose red velvet carpet. I was still working at the bookshop and I was planning to keep that job as much as possible, for it was perfect for a Literature student to hang around bookshops for money. They loved that about me because I really knew how to sell a book - or as they used to say, give advice about books -, and I loved to be there, so everyone was winning. My co-worker wasn't exactly the nicest and most capable person in the world, but she was decent. I could swear she hadn't read one single book in the past year, making it perfectly clear that she hated reading. Must be a terrible life working with what you hate - not that I loved reading theoretical academic texts about Shakespeare either, I'm no better than her. I just chose something that involved what I could do best.

The bookstore was a small independent place just one bus away from my house, so I became intimate with the owner and the one other book advisor who didn't read any books. Kim Mi-soo was her name and she made me promise I wouldn't reveal her secret to our boss - she was honestly quite a scary noona, so I did as I was told.

She was organizing a few newly arrived books on the shelf as I talked about a random movie I had seen on TV that weekend, the highlight of my Saturday night, when the bell rang indicating that there was a client entering the store. I turned around with a bright smile on my face, just to have it removed by the person walking in. My stomach dropped from embarrassment, that strange feeling of insecurity and self-hatred taking over me.

Jungkook walked in like a cat, knowing exactly where he stepped without making a sound, looking around with genuine interest and reading the title of every book he came across. His big eyes and long sleeves remained the same, touching the books he was interested in reading the counter-cover. I approached him slowly and carefully, he almost didn't realise I was there. When his eyes met mine, I bowed.

"Welcome", I said formally.

"Sunbae", he acknowledged me with a friendly smile. "No need to use honorifics."

Jungkook wasn't wearing black that day. The white in his hooded shirt made his face pop out a lot more, he seemed happier with a different color on him. His black hair was waved and going all the way down to his jaw where long silver earrings completed the modern look. He was a good looking fella, no way to deny that. I self-consciously fixed my ugly uniform.

"Do you need any help?" I asked him politely, struggling to keep eye contact. I looked at the book he had in his hands. "Do you like Sci-Fi?"

"Ah, yes- but I was looking for an easy read, though", he looked at the thick copy of Dune, by Frank Herbert, in his hand.

"This one- This one is fairly easy, but it's extremely long. You see that brick in your hand? There's eight other sequels", I laughed once he showed disappointment. "It's not bad, but it's a slow read."

"So what do you recommend, Taehyung-ssi?" Jungkook put the book down and looked around one more time. He had an aura around him that I was yet to figure out what was it about him that made me feel nervous. His confidence in every move was disarming, every word carefully thought of.

I gave it a thought, searched through my mind and the depths of that bookstore. "There's this one by Haruki Murakami", I took the book out of the shelf and revealed a beautiful pair of eyes on the cover. "Norwegian Wood, have you heard of it? It's about a guy navigating through life and dealing with losses."

"Of course you wouldn't recommend a Western author", he smiled as his eyes laid upon the Japanese woman on the cover. It made me question one more time what his political opinions were and most importantly, what sort of judgement he has of me. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What does that mean?" I asked, taking offense. I am not a xenophobe for defending my country from yet another invasion.

"About President Kim's plan", his face went serious again. "That time at the bar, don't you remember?"

"Of course", we stood quiet for a few moments. "Anyhow, it's a great book- I recommend it."

I bowed my head and walked away from him with a serious look on my face, completely done with that conversation and his insinuations. At the other side of the store, Kim Mi-soo still organized books diligently. I looked at the clock on the wall and let her know that I was to leave soon.

"Excuse me", Jungkook said behind me. I looked at him. "I want to buy this book."

He had the Haruki Murakami in his hands that were partly covered by his shirt. I bit my inner cheeks to hide a smirk and walked to the balcony to make the transaction. He did not use cash to pay for the book, which was something you'd rarely see in South Korea at that time. Only the bourgeoisie got to enjoy that gadget, and many people wouldn't trust their money with it.

"Uh-", he tried to say something after I wrapped his book but stopped himself. It was the first time I'd seen him nervous, it was amusing to watch him scratch the nape of his neck, making his newly curled hair messy. "There's this thing in my house this weekend. My parents are out, so I'm having a few friends over. Do you want to come? Jimin is coming."

"Ah-", I tightened my lips at the thought of another Law students gathering. But for some reason, I still wanted to come, so I kept the promise I made to myself. "Can I bring someone?"

"Sure", he showed me a toothless smile and took a pen out of the counter to write his address. "Saturday at eight o'clock."

Jungkook and I said our goodbyes and I looked down at the paper, trying to recognize the address. Gangnam-gu. A part of town down the Han River where people like me had no business going.

"Shibal", I cursed under my breath as I learned where he lived and thought to myself, who could I bring if my only friend was already attending?

"Noona", I called out the easiest option. "What are you doing tomorrow at eight o'clock?"

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* Definitions of the words in the Korean language in the comments.

Hi guys! I'm Stephanie, the author. Nice speaking to you for the first time

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