Watches: 2min/983 words/pwp

     Taemin decided to start working to have a bit of his own money in his pockets. So far his parents have been supporting him with anything he needs as long as he does well at university. It isn’t difficult for Taemin to be a pride in his parents’ eyes – he enjoys his time spent listening to lectures, passing exams with flying colours and still managing a healthy social life. The only thing is, he is tired of living on his parents’ budget. That’s why a few weeks ago he decided to start a little half-time job at the nearby shopping mall. It appears he doesn’t have to do that much even – he needs to be polite to the clients that visit the booth, explain to them the latest promotions and offer them little gifts if they are nice enough. It doesn’t take a master’s degree to sell contact lenses. Usually people know what they are coming for – all he has to do is count up the money and wish them a good day. He can’t complain; the job is easy and he gets paid for smiling at the right moments to be honest.

     But sometimes he is bored out of his mind. Technically he is not allowed to use his phone or the laptop provided but he still checks social media on his lap. Sometimes he brings his notebook and attempts to study but it’s difficult to focus when at the same time he has to flash bright smiles at the people, keeping an eye to make sure no one steals anything or no kid breaks another damn stand. On some days he even counts up the supply and checks it with the computer before doing it once more after ten minutes only to find out that, surprisingly, everything is still as it should be.

     People like to ask him about directions even though the information point of the department store is some meters away from his own booth. It often happens that after hours of boredom someone appears in front of him and when his excitement rises and he is ready to greet his client, he hears 'excuse me, where is the nearest toilet?' instead. He wants to be snarky and point at the sign right above his head, but instead he smiles politely and extends his hand in the general direction of the toilets. Older people always ask him about the post office’s location (and then proceed to spend the next 30 minutes talking about their life, their grandchildren, their laundry, the fact that they are divorced or the fact that they carry a gun with themselves everywhere just in case). There are times when Taemin is ready to burst because he is no information point and yet he somehow stays calm every time.

     It’s on one of those very lazy days when there is hardly any people in sight and Taemin has pulled out his fourth crossword from the drawer that a person appears in front of him. He quickly covers the piece of paper with his arm and puts on a bright smile on his face when raising his head quickly but not too quickly so the client doesn’t get scared.

     “Hello, how can I help you?”

     The tall boy looks at him carefully, a bit confused as if he himself doesn't know how Taemin could help him. And isn't he gorgeous, Taemin thinks to himself. He is all lean and tan, with a small face and big eyes that anyone would be jealous of. Those big eyes are staring at Taemin in pure confusion though and the boy considers switching to English in case his client is a foreigner when he finally speaks out.

     “Hi, umm… I was wondering, do you know any place here where I can buy a watch?”

     Taemin just stares at the young man in disbelief. Here he is, finally eager to have his first client of today and it appears that it’s just another one of those people that like asking him instead of the receptionist a few steps away. Another reason why Taemin is taken aback is the fact that the jewelry shop is literally right behind the guy. That’s strange, Taemin thinks to himself when the guy smiles nervously and glances down at his hands. He is rather cute with that shy demeanor and eyes downcast, something that makes Taemin think that maybe, just maybe, the boy isn’t really interested in the watches but in him instead.

     Taemin extends his hand to point at the shop right behind his would-be client with a gentle smile. He can’t help but find the situation simply amusing and he does his very best not to burst into laughter when the boy swiftly turns around with eyes as big as saucers.

     “Oh” is all the boy lets out when turning back to Taemin with a smile so sheepish that he feels sorry. “I didn’t notice. Well, thank you for the help” he nods softly and clears his throat before quickly scurrying away and into the jewelry shop. Taemin finally lets himself giggle behind his hand when trying to see the guy in the shop in front of him. Unfortunately the rows after rows of watches, earrings and necklaces obstructing his view make it nearly impossible to see anything. He manages to catch a few glances from the boy anyway and his cheeks get warmer with every next one. The thought that the boy came up to his booth only to have a chance to talk to him keeps reappearing in his head no matter how hard he tries to focus on counting the red contact lenses cases.

     But when Taemin hears someone coming up to his booth again with a silent ‘hey’ he knows that this “client” may actually want to know a bit more than the location of the nearest watch shop.