"We all wanna be someone's someone, with somebody we can't live without."

- Monsta X, Someone's Someone

The bookstore that Minhyuk worked at was in the mall across the road from his apartment, which was extremely convenient whenever he wanted to get some extra sleep following a long night, which was pretty much every night, honestly.

Although his parents had long retired and moved to the other side of the country, he couldn’t bring himself to move out of the dingy apartment of yesteryear, with its flickering lights in the hallway, graffiti-filled walls with the paint chipped off, and the slow-moving elevator that would frequently break down every other week.

On the outside, it was a stark difference in contrast with the other apartments in the area, and Minhyuk had long given up the hope that the town council was going to refurbish it; clearly they were going to wait out the lease before getting all its residents to move out.

He could see his apartment from the bookstore, and could see the road that lay between the apartments and the mall, and he watched the cars drive by lazily. There were few customers today; winter season was not always a good time because everyone either spent the holidays with their families back home, or they stayed indoors. Sometimes the store would have book releases or signings just to get the crowd coming, but that usually depended on the author itself.

They were not in Seoul; they didn’t have the luxury of tourists or regulars.

Although, there was this one girl who would come by every two weeks to just to look at the books on sale or just to walk through the shelves.

Although it had only been a few months, he had served as her cashier a couple of times and had admittedly persuaded her to sign up for a membership, which gave him access to her personal details. They engaged in small talk, although she never usually lingered for more than ten minutes after purchasing.

Baek Seol. That was her name. She was attending the nearby community college, the same as his sister, except that they didn’t know each other.

She was very shy, he had gathered. She didn’t meet his eyes when they talked, and her voice was small and meek, and it was even rarer that he got to see her smile.

She had a brother, and he liked to read, from what she said, but he was in the hospital and was sick. That was why she bought books on his behalf.

The concept was so unfamiliar to him, because his family was so detached and he couldn’t remember the last time he bought a gift for his sister, and she him.

Well, that was what a broken family did to you.

He heard the bell tinkle and turned to the entrance of the bookstore, seeing the girl he was just thinking about.

His face brightened, and he raised his hand in greeting. “Hello!”

The girl peered at him, giving him a short bow, and she quickly disappeared behind the shelves.

He bit his lip before going out of the cashier counter, making sure his shoes were extra loud when he walked towards her, as though he were approaching a cornered animal.

True enough, her head glanced up as he appeared, her eyes wide.

Minhyuk smiled gently. “You’re going to like this month’s sale,” he said to her, pointing to the other side of the bookstore, “We’ve got a bunch of slashes just in time for Christmas season. Buy one get one free. You can buy for yourself too. We’ve got poetry and lots of picture books, I’m sure your brother will appreciate that.”

She blinked. “Okay.”

Minhyuk beamed. “This way,” he said affably, knowing full well that she knew where to go, but relishing the fact that she let him show her anyway, “I like your scarf.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Did you knit it?”

She nodded. “My brother wanted matching scarves.”

He stopped by the bookshelf. “What’s his name?”

She glanced up. “Baek Song Hwan,” she replied.

“Cool. I hope he likes it.”

She bowed. “Thank you.”

“If you need me, I’ll be at the cashier,” he said, spotting his manager coming out of the staff room.

“Thank you.”

He smiled again. “You’re welcome,” he chirped, before walking towards the counter, “Boss, you’re late. Again.”

His manager rolled his eyes, shrugging out of the thick winter coat. “I’m sorry.”

“You know, Mrs Im, at this rate, I’m pretty certain you just say sorry to get me to stop making fun of you being late to every shift. So what is it now? Your husband wanted you to make a cappuccino before you left, and somehow you got held up because he wanted two more?”

“Don’t attack him like that, it’s not my fault he has a caffeine addiction,” she said with an annoyed glare, “Besides, I was late because I went to visit my friend’s daughter and lost track of time. She slipped while they were ice skating and fell and fractured a toe.”

“Sounds nasty.”

“If more kids get injured more often, they will understand the pains of life and stop whining so much when they become adults.”

Minhyuk chuckled, watching her go over the inventory. “She’s here,” he whispered, jerking his head in Seol’s direction. “She’s got this really cute maroon scarf. She knitted it for herself and her brother. You know, the one in the hospital.”

Mrs Im looked up, eyebrows furrowed. “Oh, that girl.”

He nodded. “She looks cute in maroon. Oh, and she’s also wearing really nice lip tint too,” he said dreamily, “Do you think she’s single?”

“You keep asking that question many times. Have you actually ever asked her?”

He blushed. “Nope, why would I do that? Shh, she’s coming over, don’t expose me.”

Baek Seol was there at the bookstore a few days later, looking dishevelled as she entered the bookstore, not even glancing at him before walking straight to the sales shelf.

Minhyuk pressed his lips together, his hand halfway up in greeting, puzzled by the fact that she didn’t acknowledge his presence at the counter.

Maybe she didn’t see me.

He could see her head above the bookshelves, and watched her hand reach up for the top shelf but unable to.

He quickly flitted over. “Here, let me help,” he said, and she shrank back when he appeared, her head bowed as he stood next to her.

“Which one?” he asked.

She pointed to it, and he easily picked it out from the others. “Here,” he said, and she bowed as her fingers wrapped around the poetry book.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice muffled by the maroon scarf that was wrapped around half her face. The other half was obstructed by her fluffy hair, and Minhyuk glanced around the bookstore.

Mrs Im wasn’t here yet.

“Hey, um,” he started, and he caught a glimpse of her eyes through her bangs, peering up at him, “I was wondering, since I’m finishing my shift soon, do you, maybe, um, want to go for a drink?”

She shrank back imperceptibly, and his eyes widened. “No, no, not drink as in, alcohol, but like, coffee, or something.”

He heard the staff room door open and he could feel his heartbeat quicken.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, not looking at him as she hugged The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to her chest. “I need to read to my brother today,” she said, her voice low and measured.

“Of course,” he said, “Family’s more important.”

He felt like a joke saying that.

“Were you from the hospital?”

She nodded.

“The children’s hospital down the road, right?”

She nodded.

“My manager was just visiting there the other day, her friend’s daughter had a fractured toe from ice skating, of all things,” he said with a laugh, before a thought came to his head. “Can I visit your brother? People tell me I’m good at cheering people up.”

She shook her head vigorously. “He can’t have visitors,” she blurted abruptly and a silence fell over them for a few seconds.

Minhyuk bit his lip, not sure what he was supposed to say to that. “Well, I’m sure your presence brings him a lot of comfort. He probably doesn’t need a lot of visitors to be happy.”

She cleared . “Can I pay now?”

Now you’ve done it, Minhyuk. “Yes, sure, this way.”

“You sure her brother’s at the children’s hospital?” Mrs Im asked him one day.

Minhyuk was standing next to the glass window, watching the snow fall distractedly.

Baek Seol hadn’t visited the bookshop since that day, and he wondered whether she was embarrassed by his offer that she was mortified to run into him. Now he was feeling just a little depressed, and the dark skies and snow weren’t really helping.

“Minhyuk.”

“Hmm?” he asked, turning to his manager, who was looking at him with a frown.

“I asked around the nurses the other day about the girl,” she said, placing some receipts on the counter, “She said that there’s no patient with Baek Seol as the sister at the hospital. Are you sure it was the children’s hospital?”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t you say your sister is a doctor there? Why don’t you go ask her?”

Minhyuk made a show of sighing. “Mrs Im. You know my sister barely has time for me with a demanding career as a paediatrician, right?”

“Blood is thicker than money.”

He laughed. “Never heard that one before,” he said with a shrug, before entering the staff room, “I’m going off. Have fun in here all by yourself.”

“Have fun by yourself in your dingy apartment,” came the sarcastic reply, “Go out and find a girlfriend. I don’t know why, of all girls who come to the bookstore, you had to fixate on the one who darts around like a mouse.”

He emerged from the room, covered in his coat, slinging a beanie over his head. “Because, the other girls come here whenever Wonho-hyung during his shift. I’m just here for them to trip over whenever they chase him for pictures,” he said, referring to the other staff member, “I’m going. See you tomorrow.”

“Walk safely.”

“I will,” he said, waving as he walked out.

The air was crispy and cold when he stepped out of the mall, and as he was about to head to the junction crossing, he paused, adjusting his beanie, when he saw her.

Baek Seol, crossing the same junction and walking towards him.

His eyes widened, watching her stride past as she entered the mall. She hadn’t noticed him, and he stood there in shock.

And then he followed her.

up the escalator, he watched carefully as she made her way to the bookstore. He waited at the nearby sunglass shop, pretending to admire the designs on display.

When she left the store, he followed her discreetly, looking at his phone and pretending to walk distractedly when he was a few metres behind her, stopping every now and then at a nearby shop whenever he got too close.

They boarded a bus, and he was sure that the children’s hospital was the other way, but didn’t question it when she kept going.

He started to get anxious when more and more people alighted the bus, until there were maybe like five of them left.

And then there were two. Her, at the front, and him, all the way at the back.

And then suddenly they were on the other side of the town.

Where the cemeteries were.

Uneasiness crept over him, and he began to bite his lip anxiously when the bus stopped and the driver glanced behind.

“I’m sorry for your losses,” he said, and Seol straightened up, as if she wasn’t expecting to be in the bus with another person, before turning behind sharply and locking gazes with him.

Minhyuk, for the first time, felt the force of her stare; there was shock, surprise, recognition, embarrassment, vulnerability, and shame.

She ran out of the bus, and so did he.

“Wait!” Minhyuk cried, as she ran into the cemetery, “Seol, wait!”

He started coughing, the brittle air poking into the back of his throat like icicles. He watched as she ran past the graves, and he coughed as he ran, chest heaving as he chased her.

Fortunately, he used to be in the athletics team back in the day, and when he finally caught up with her, she had already slowed down. Without thinking, he pulled her into an embrace, holding her tight as she struggled against him.

She was sobbing, hiccupping against his chest as she tried to push him away. She said something, anguish evident in her voice, but she couldn’t finish her sentence.

“I’m sorry,” he said, breaking his hold on her, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

She covered her face, sobbing into her scarf as she fell, but he managed to catch her before her knees reached the snow-covered ground.

“Why,” she began again, hiccupping, “Why did he have to go?”

He was about to reply when he caught sight of her hand reaching for a marked tombstone, fingers outstretched as if she were trying to reach out to whoever was under.

Baek Song Hwa, it read.

His heart stilled when he saw the date of death.

Ten years ago?

Seol’s sobs began to soften into sniffles, and she pulled back, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears under her eyes. She still wouldn’t look directly at him, and she used her scarf to wipe away the rest of the tears as she tried to stop herself from crying.

“Song Hwa was the t-top of his class,” she said, hiccupping. “S-Spelling and reading were his f-favorite hobbies.”

He reached for her hand – the one that was not touching the tombstone, and felt it tremble in his touch.

Her lips shook as she spoke. “My parents were b-bringing him to visit me in Seoul at my university, b-but they were hit by a car,” she said, shutting her eyes as her sobs wracked her body, “They died on the spot, but Song Hwa…Song Hwa was in hospital in a c-coma, and I…I read to him. Every day, I read to him, his favorite stories, to bring him back.”

Watching her cry was painful, and Minhyuk felt tears prick his eyes as the girl frantically tried to maintain some semblance of dignity as she held herself in front of him.

“But he d-died. The doctors said that he was too weak, that the injuries were too much,” she said, slapping her hand over as she broke down. “It’s my fault.”

Minhyuk pressed his lips together, pulling her close. “You’re a good sister,” he forced out, despite the heaviness in his chest, “It was not your fault they died.”

She in a deep breath as she leaned against him.

“You’re blaming yourself, and making yourself come here to read to him out of guilt, I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to put yourself through this,” he continued, “It’s been ten years, you can’t blame yourself for an accident you did not cause. They could have been going to the mall or the movies. It wasn’t you.”

“But-”

“I’m sure Song Hwa appreciates the fact that you visit him every day, but you know that he no longer needs to be read to,” he said gently, “He wouldn’t want you to suffer in silence and keep yourself from happiness simply because of his death.”

She looked at him then, finally, and he could see that she knew he was right.

He turned to the grave. “Hello, Song Hwa. I’ll take good care of your sister for you.”

“I’m going, I’m going!”

“At this rate, you’ll be clocking overtime, and you know we don’t have that kind of money to give out just because you want to help!”

Minhyuk popped up behind a bookshelf. “Aww, Mrs Im, how sweet of you to remind me that we’re having a closing down sale.”

“Go home. Or I’ll take a cut of your paycheck.”

The sound of the bell interrupted them, and both turned to the glass doors, seeing their regular customer walk in.

Minhyuk brightened, flitting over and wrapping his arms around her. “Seol, Mrs Im is being a bully again,” he whined, pretending to hide behind her, “Also she said she wouldn’t pay my salary.”

“I absolutely did not!”

He grinned, waving. “I’ll go first,” he said, interlocking his fingers, “I don’t want to keep my girlfriend waiting.”

It had been a month since the day he followed her, and although Seol constantly blushed whenever he made sure to be his charming self, she was getting better at being the receiving end of his constant energy.

As they walked out, hand in hand, Minhyuk turned to her. “What have you been up to?”

She had a faint smile. “Nothing much. I went to the market, and then I went to the mall to get some stuff for my room,” she said, reaching into her satchel, “You wouldn’t believe what I found.”

He beamed. “What?”

She took out a book. “Song Hwa is going to love this, won’t he? He’s always liked space travel.”

Minhyuk’s smile froze on his face.