day 8
6.09 pm
lee haru

the old bookstore

after nearly 2 hours of walking
we finally arrive in front of what looks like
an old bookstore with a large sign
faded from time
the sign on the door says "open"

"are we here yet?"
i ask out of curiosity

jeongguk nods
he pushes the door
and we step into the store
the satisfying smell of
dust and paper fills my nostrils
and i take a deep long breath
oh how i miss this

a lady with a wide smile comes into view
she looks like she's in her late 50s
her hair greyed, wrinkles on her face
a sparkle behind her old eyes
"why dear
didn't you say you'd be back a little late today?"
she addresses jeongguk heartily

i look up at jeongguk
who is smiling back at her as well
"ahjumma"
he starts smoothly
"can you do me a favour?"

the kind lady turns to me
and as if she already knows what he's
going to ask of her, she says,
"a place for this young lady to stay?
of course dear
i have plenty of rooms to share"

i smile sheepishly and jeongguk thanks her

after telling me to make myself at home
the lady goes behind some bookshelves
leaving me and jeongguk alone
in the middle of dozens of racks
hanging on the walls
stacked and arranged neatly with books
there are even some sprawled out on the ground
the covers dark and dirty

jeongguk walks over to the door
and turns the sign around
closing down the store for the day

he leads me upstairs to a narrow hallway
stops at the end
and pushes the door open to
reveal a tiny room, neat and comfy
there's a mattress sprawled out on the floor
on it sits a pillow and a blanket

"mine's just next door
the kitchen and the bathroom's that way
we're going to have to share"
jeongguk chuckles
"i'll leave you to it?
give you some time to readjust"

i take a nice warm bath, wash my hair
for the first time in a few days
got changed into a pair of soft pajamas
that the old lady was nice enough to give
they're a little oversized
but if it's clean clothes i don't mind at all

i wonder where she gets these
it looks awfully pretty

i head over to the kitchen
mouth gaping in awe
as i walk down the hallways
there's pretty carvings on
some parts of the walls
various paintings framed up
to decorate the halls
it makes me feel all warm and cozy

as we have dinner together
i find out that this isn't the first time
jeongguk has lived here with her
he'd found this place awhile back
when he first left seoul
and he merely came back again when
he decided to explore cheongju

the lady was very friendly
when she asked what
i was doing all the way here
jeongguk noticed my hesitance
and told her that
i was just looking for something

looking for something
looking for myself

after filling my stomach with bowls of ramen
i return to my room to check out
the things i still have in my bag with me
there's my notebook, my bucketlist
my purse with some money
a few snacks, and a plain tee

my phone is gone
i left it back at the abandoned buildings
before the police chase
as well as most of my clothes
there's no way i can go back there
without getting caught

the door to my room cracks open slightly
and jeongguk pops into view
he has a phone in his hand
"here" he says, as if reading my thoughts
"figured that you were going to need it
you said you left behind most of your stuff"

"thanks," i say, and he shakes his head

"it's one of ahjumma's spares, thank her instead?"

"i will"

jeongguk nods and looks around the room
"comfy enough for you?
i can go find some more blankets if you want"

"no, no, it's perfect
see?" i pat the mattress i'm sitting on
"looks like i owe you a lot for keeping me company"

jeongguk raises a brow
"friends don't owe each other
after all it's the least i can do to help you"

when he leaves
i fall back onto the soft mattress
and close my eyes
letting the sound of
drowned out beethoven
playing from the speakers downstairs
lull to me to sleep