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.

––✱ 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.

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.

#writer meets reader; lhg & kji

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.

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.

#night shifts; lmy & kji

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.

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

( 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!

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.

#writer meets reader; lhg & kji

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.

#night shifts; lmy & kji

#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. 

#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.

#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.