The late afternoon sun shined through the windows of the secondhand bookshop, painting its interiors with various hues of orange and red. Inside, the modest shop that was filled to the brim with worn out books of all sizes and colours and genres. Chinsun sighed in satisfaction, inhaling the scent of used books that she loved so much as she walked around the counter located next to the entrance. Sitting down on the long bench next to the counter, Chinsun sipped on the freshly brewed tea. Next to her was an elderly lady dressed in a lilac hanbok, smiling gently to herself as she observed the amber tinge of the tea glistening against the sunshine.

“This tea is lovely Chinsun darling.”

“Thank you Granny Im.” Chinsun smiled, taking a sip of the tea. “It’s Chelsea breakfast from London. Aunt sent it a few days ago. Are you sure you don’t want any milk in your tea though?”

“Drinking tea with milk was not a thing back in my days, so I just can’t get used to the taste,” Granny Im chuckled. “So your aunt is in London now? So far away.”

“Actually she should have landed in Turkey this morning,” Chinsun hummed, looking to her right as she tried to recall her aunt’s schedule. “I’ve given up trying to keep up with her itinerary though. Easier to just wait patiently for the packages she sends. I hope to get some Turkish coffee this time.”

“Your aunt has always been a free spirit. Jeju is just too small to contain her. Nothing could hold her down, not even this old shop,” Granny Im sighed. “Though this shop is nowhere near as old as me.”

“What are you saying Granny Im?” Chinsun gasped dramatically. “You are still very young. You’ve got a long road ahead of you.”

“Such a sweet mouth,” Granny Im chuckled, her laughter bringing a sense of comfort and familiarity to Chinsun. “Your parents would be very proud of you. You have taken great care of this shop over the years. Other girls your age would be in university right now. Instead you have committed yourself to guard the books here.”

Tracing a finger along the rim of her teacup, a bittersweet smile etched its way across Chinsun’s face.

“Growing up I spent all my free here, it felt only natural to devote my life to this humble shop after finishing high school,” Chinsun stated with a calm voice. “Plus, I like being here, and I’m glad aunt trusted me enough to look after it.”

“Why are you blabbering to yourself again? Stop doing that. That’s why you don’t have friends other than me,” a cheerful voice quipped, disrupting the magical and nostalgic atmosphere that filled the bookstore. “I bet it’s because you spend too much time with books.”

Looking up from her tea, Chinsun stared blankly at the intruder who was no other than her childhood friend  two years her senior: Kim Jongdae.

“Seoul has changed him,” Granny Im commented as she stood up, though her lips curled into an affectionate smile nonetheless.

“Nah, he’s still an obnoxious little troll,” Chinsun mumbled under her breath. “And he still can’t see… But it’s probably for the better.”

The oblivious male made himself comfortable and sat down on the bench with a loud ‘plop’ sound. Noticing the untouched cup of tea in front of him, Jongdae’s smile widened as he pointed at the drink.

“Is that for me? Thanks.”

Chinsun immediately swatted his hand away and promptly collected Granny Im’s cup, heading behind the counter towards the door that led to the small kitchenette.

“It’s cold, I’ll pour you a new one.”

“That cup will go to waste though.” Jongdae frowned. “I don’t mind it cold, today’s quite hot anyway.”

“I shall take my leave then Chinsun darling.” Granny Im smiled gently at the girl from the doorframe as she started to fade. “Have fun with Jongdae. You really should spend more time with humans.”

The sound of the door chime that could only be heard by Chinsun echoed in the air, signalling that Granny Im had indeed left the bookshop. Then remembering that Jongdae was still there, Chinsun poured out Granny Im’s tea and returned with a new cup for Jongdae.

“Kim Jongdae, how many times do I have to tell you. Don’t give in to gluttony and eat anything and everything you see,” Chinsun huffed. “You’ll damage your body.”

“I’m an adult, of course I know better than to eat random food,” Jongdae exclaimed in defence.

Chinsun rolled her eyes in response. She was really referring to something much more specific. She recalled the time a very young Jongdae got hungry and ate the food from the altar that was meant as an offering for his grandfather. Grandpa Kim was a very traditional and strict old man, so he viewed Jongdae’s actions as one of major misdeed and disrespect. Much to Jongdae’s shock — though completely unsurprising to Chinsun — Jongdae woke up the next day feeling pain on his , and when he checked, he had a hand-shaped bruise on his right cheek.

“Just don’t cause trouble,” Chinsun sighed in resignation.

“I’ve been back a couple of months already and everything’s been running smoothly,” Jongdae claimed with pride. “I may have been away for university for 4 years, but I haven’t forgotten the Kim family ways.”

“You mean you have only been back a couple of months, so had no time to cause trouble yet,” Chinsun corrected. “Let’s see how much longer you’ll last, and whether the Seoul city life has weakened your soul.”

“Sheesh you sound just like Jongin. Give me a break,” Jongdae scoffed while clicking his tongue. “We run a funeral home, it’s all pretty straight forward.”

“That’s because your trustworthy cousin has done all the heavy lifting and set the pathway nicely for you to take over the family business,” Chinsun hummed. “He’s coming back today isn’t he?”

“I’ll never understand you choosing to stay in this old bookshop and Jongin deciding to immediately start working at the funeral home. I was so excited in Seoul, waiting for you guys to join me! Way to disappoint me.” Jongdae rolled his eyes. “And why does he get to go on business trips anyway? Actually, why are there business trips? Aren’t funerals supposed to be local stuff?” 

“Jongin’s been doing this for longer than you, that’s why,” Chinsun replied calmly in a rehearsed manner. “And… though it’s not too common, some people have very specific requirements for funerals that can only be fulfilled by Kim Funeral Home.”

Jongdae gave Chinsun an unconvinced look, however he did not care to divulge further in discussing about the family business and the macabre topic of funerals. Thus, he shrugged his shoulders and happily moved on to t