Wonpil stretches before he rests his chin on the long table, unconsciously pouting. Jinyoung, who's at his bookshop café counter, lands a gaze on his best friend. He exhales a sharp breath as he shakes his head and decides to leave his post for a while to approach the guy lazing around his café.

"Here." The younger slides a book on the table, gaining a surprised and confused look from the older "Read it to kill some time. Why would you want to wait for me to finish work just to let yourself be bored the whole day?"

Wonpil presses his lips together and stares at his best friend, shrugging his shoulder. "I don't have anything to do. And I only have you. Besides, you can just leave anytime and let your workers manage the shop." He pouts

Jinyoung creases his forehead and shakes his head mentally to refrain himself to be swayed by his friend's cuteness.

"You know I want to manage my shop hands-on." He retorts "Just read the book and I'm sure you won't notice the time passing"

Surrendering with another pout, the younger stretches his arm to reach the book. "Another coffee, please", he requests with a beam and the taller rolls his eyes but goes to make another cup of coffee anyway.

Wonpil starts reading and he yawns at the second page. Although he reads some book, he isn't like his best friend who's a total bookworm; no wonder he built a bookshop café for business. There are books for free reading as you stay at the café with a cup of coffee or a plate of pastry but there are also books that are exclusively for sale.

Jinyoung eyes his friend from time to time to check how the other is doing. Fortunately, the older seems immersed in what he's reading. He catches him smile one time and pout the other time.

“Hey, it’s time to go now” Wonpil looks up with a questioning look and sees Jinyoung’s eyebrows raised. He looks around to see the workers tidying up the place already and ready to close the shop.

“Uhh, sorry” He smiles guiltily “I didn’t notice the time”

The taller snickers and shakes his head “Told ya” He beams making his eye wrinkles show “You can bring that home but be sure to take care of that baby”

“Baby…” Wonpil teases as he does a nose scrunch although he understands how much his friend love to take care of his books so much as if they’re his children.

The brown-haired returned to the shop at early noon the next day with a bright and warm smile. “Jinyoungie”, he grins while holding the book he borrowed close to his chest “I finished the book!”

The taller chortles and nods “Guessed you stayed up to finish it.”

Wonpil smiles with his lips pressed together. His black-haired friend then encourages him to find another book to read. He nods eagerly and the other just shakes his head in amusement, being grateful that the former finally finds something he can do during vacation.

The older wanders around the place as his fingers travel on the shelves. What shall I read next? He pouts as he thinks of going at the farthest shelf. There might be a treasure at the corner; like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

While the black-haired tends to a newly arrived costumer, Wonpil fixes his eyes on the third row of the shelf, tapping his index finger on every book it passes. Pressing his lips together, he tilts his head as he puts his index at the top of a book, trying to hook it out. Seeing another book hidden behind it, he creases his forehead.

Why is this book here? He studies the whole shelf to find a space between books, trying to figure out where it’s supposed to be placed. Did a costumer purposely hide it to read it next time?  He protrudes his lips as he tilts some books to get the one hidden behind them.

His palm grazes the hard cover of the volume. Inlusio Fit Vera? He tilts his head with a querying mind.

“Piri?” Wonpil jumps in surprise as the younger appears beside him. The latter eyes the book that the older is holding and his eyes subtly widens in surprise. He gulps trying to compose himself. “Don’t read that, Pil.” He his lower lip before biting it as he reaches the book to take it from his friend.

The brown-haired furrows his forehead in query but shrugs it off. He pouts and drops his shoulders as he sighs. “I was just in the mood to read. Guess I’ll try reading some other time.”

“Come, I’ll get you your favorite”, Jinyoung offers “Tteokbokki? Ramen? Rolled egg on sushi?”

Wonpil playfully lands a fist on his friend’s chest “You don’t sell those.” The younger just let out a soft giggle and asks the question again. The former choses rolled egg on sushi so the owner of the shop asks a worker to buy them some.

“How was the book?”

“Hmm. It was great. I enjoyed the adventure but I kind of want to read a bit more different one—like the one you made me read 2 years ago. Between the Lines?”

“Oh that book? That’s a really good one. I loved that, too.” Jinyoung looks to his upper left trying to remember something “It was about Delilah, a girl who spends her time reading a book, and Oliver, the character in that story, who feels trapped by his predetermined written existence, wasn’t it?” The older nods with eyes sparkling as he remembers the story “Have you experienced experiential crossing?”

“You mean, having hallucinations about the book I’m reading? Like seeing or hearing the characters?”

“Uhm... Something like that”

Wonpil tilts his head a bit as he tries to think “Hmm. I haven’t so far. How about you? I won’t be surprised if you have. You’re such a bookworm”

The younger just shrugs before he beams at the worker who just entered the shop. “Oh, there goes our rolled egg on sushi.” He gets the food from his employee and utters his thanks before looking back at Wonpil “I can recall some books of that form. I’ll try checking them later if they’re available. I remember people bought some and I think I let a friend borrow one, too.”

“Oh, I’ll just borrow Between the Lines again, then.”

He can’t seem to sleep even when the moon is already up for several hours. He shifts on his bed numerous times before he decides to reach for the book he borrowed. Might as well read to kill time. But no matter how many times he flips the pages, he understands nothing. His eyes are fixed on the book but his mind wanders somewhere else. He sits up and sighs, mind travels back to when he was at his best friend’s shop hours before.

Why did he not want me to read that certain book? He furrows his eyebrows while biting his lip. It’s so not like him to not let me read a book and not tell me a reason. He’d usually be excited talking about books. What’s with that book?

As if a light bulb appears at the top of his head, he reaches for the third drawer of his table beside his bed. Sorry, Nyoung. He hastily grabs the key that he was trying to find and dashes out of his room.

It’s just a couple of minutes before three am. He hides his hands at the pocket of his hoodie as he cautiously walks toward the shop. Yes, he has a spare key and the café is just five blocks away from his aunt’s house. Biting his lip, feeling guilty, he carefully opens the store’s glass door. He breathes softly as he heedfully takes a step inside. Taking a gulp, he looks around the place and tries to remember where the taller guy hid the volume.

He rifles through the counter and every shelf but there is no trace of the book. Pacing toward the stairs, a door at the corner catches his attention. I never saw this door before. It’s almost hidden. It’s below the second story deck of the café; behind the wide shelf leaning on the wall. It’s almost unnoticeable if not for the door knob sticking out beside the rack. Letting go of the handrail, he walks away from the stairs to amble towards the entrance.

He shifts the rack away from the wall. Letting his palm and fingers hug the handle, he swallows as he gathers up some courage to turn and open the portal. When it is finally unclosed, he steps inside with doubts and hesitation. Marching a little more, the scent of the wood welcomes him. His jaw drops in amusement as a comfortable sensation starts to linger on him. His eyes wander at every corner of the space. Trunks of an unfamiliar tree serve as the pillar and an aquarium-like container with glowing articles, which seem like fireflies, act as walls with vines and leaves traveling on its surface. Branches from the foreign tree function as shelves and books with vintage covers are arranged meticulously on them. At the right side not too far from the entrance, two single couches facing each other and a cut trunk serving as the table between them can be found. The tome he’s been trying to find is lying on it.

His exploration of the area is being cut by the object he’s been looking for. So this is really Jinyoung’s secret room? He hides it even from me? He tries to shrug the hint of pain from his chest off as he strides closer to the table.

Inlusio Fit Vera. He felt the wind sweeps and caresses his flesh. Weird. This place is close and has no opening. Trying not to mind again, he takes a seat and flips the book.

He starts perusing every leaf of the tome as if chewing a food carefully before swallowing. The book talks about beings trapped in a world of what seems falsehood and fantasy to humans but as a matter of fact exists. Just what I was looking for. He nods as he continues to read the fourth page.

As he reads the second paragraph, a shadow passes toward the aisle between the ledges. Is anyone else around? He carefully puts the book down on the table as he stands up and starts walking vigilantly toward the shelves. He creases his forehead as he looks around and sees no one. Was that my imagination? He pouts and slightly shrugs as he turns back to continue reading, but a paper lying on the floor catches his attention.

A drawing? His eyebrows furrow as he studies the picture on the paper that he just picked up. It has an almost fading image, which seems to be colored by watercolor, of a young man with a brushed up dark blonde hair with black growing from the roots. He has a pair of tiny soft eyes behind the large square glasses, and seems to have a long and narrow nose. His plump lips slightly parted from each other looks pulpy. On his right ear, a small cross earing is dangling.

He returns to his seat with the sheet in his right hand. He settles the paper between the last page and the cover of the book he’s reading.

“Iluvir?” He utters as his fingers graze on the words printed on every leaf. He sighs as he sympathizes with the characters of the book, the Iluvirs. The beings confined in a predestined world and ones who do not exist in the human world—like characters in novels and films.

‘How infuriating it is to know your life’s a lie; that you’re not a driver of your being but a player of one’s game?’ His chest tightens as he reads the sentiment of the character. After exhaling another sigh, Wonpil murmurs his wish.

“I hope you’d be free.”

Jinyoung pulls Wonpil from his bed the next morning and the latter falls on his face. “What?” He groans and whines. The younger just pulls him up and tells him to get ready for another day.

“Why are you so sleepy? Were you up all night writing music?” The black-haired asks looking serious “Your aunt has already left and called me saying you wouldn’t wake up no matter how she shook you. Did you perhaps stay up reading a book?”

“H-huh?” The older feels his blood rushes up and his eyes becoming hot “U-uhh…” His eyes land on the table beside his bed and find the spare key lying on it.

“You already read Between the Lines but you still stayed up reading it?”

“Uhh…” He gulps “Well, I was hooked. Now leave the room so I can prepare myself” He hurriedly pushes his friend out of his bedroom and shuts the door. He hastily takes the key and hides it in the drawer.

Jinyoung goes straight to the counter right after he enters the café while Wonpil sleepily strides toward his usual table. He yawns before he rests his chin and arms on the furniture. Ugh, I just had two hours of sleep.

He turns his head and lets his right face meet the table and with the new angle, a figure makes his heart leap. Where did I see this guy? He’s a new costumer but he seems familiar.

“Who are you looking at? Are you checking someone out?” He jumps in surprise at his friend’s voice and sudden appearance beside him. Now he’s seated properly. The younger tries to trace the brown-haired’s line of vision. Wonpil is pretty sure that his friend’s expression changed—he seems surprise and alarmed—subtly but not subtle enough for him. He knows his friend too well. “Who or what were you staring at?”

The older’s eyebrow raised and eyed the familiar frame seated near the glass walls. He’s still there with a book in hand. He pushes back his square-framed glasses and Wonpil’s eyes continue to study the form. Where did I see you?

“Earth to Pil”, Jinyoung waves a hand in front of him “Mark and I are going out for lunch. You wanna come?”

The black-haired looks at the counter and sees Mark, his best friend’s boyfriend, leaning on it. The latter salutes as a greeting, he nods and smiles back at him. “I’m fine here. Just bring me take outs” He looks back at his friend.

Jinyoung nods and lets his gaze pass the spot where Wonpil was looking at earlier. As the former leaves the place with his lover, Wonpil looks back at the young man and his eyes are fix on the little cross hanging on his right ear. The latter turns and for a second, their gazes meet. As if electricity travels through their vision, Wonpil feels shivers down his spine.

The said form stands up and walks below the second-story deck. Wonpil loses him when the young man enters an aisle. His forehead wrinkles and he decides to stand and follow the structure.

Arriving at the spot, the guy is nowhere to be found. But what surprises him more is that the door behind the shelf is also gone.