With all the years that Jiyong has been alive, he’d never fully understand the lengths people went to to get what they wanted. It began as an idle thought, holding no real meaning at the time as he tried to keep his main focus on the buildings around him. He’d be damned if he ever came across what he was actually looking for, but the likelihood was half and those odds where something he’d have to work with if he was going to keep himself alive for much longer. The streets seemed surprisingly empty for such a nice day and despite lack of people Jiyong could have sworn he was being followed. Predictable, but it seemed he had less time than he thought.
As he made his way down the vacancy of the street Jiyong couldn’t help the feeling of a gaze burning into the back of his neck. Normally being stared at wasn’t such a rare occurrence however he doubted whoever was watching him was just a simple interested passerby. No, he had reason to believe whoever it was was out to kill him. It had started with the slight feeling of being watched every now and then, usually blending in with the crowd and putting that feeling to rest was easy, but now it had escalated to near death experiences that had become far too frequent for his liking. More than random happenstance.
It wasn’t safe for him, though having just moved for over the hundredth time he couldn’t quite pack up and leave again just yet. Even if he wanted to it was nothing that his funds would permit, so he’d have to find someone to help him stay safe for the time being. As luck would have it he had managed to catch wind of a bookshop keeper in the area that fit the description of an old friend of his to a tee. Hopefully it was the right guy, and even more so that he’d recognize him and be willing to help him despite him leaving without word all that time ago.
The quiet but steady fall of footsteps behind him alerted him to the fact that company was closer than he would have liked and in an instant he was off, making haste down the road as fast as his feet could take him. The minute he saw the store he made a bee-line for it and hurried inside. Once inside he allowed himself a sigh of relief and a few deep breath’s while scanning the store for a familiar figure. It took only a moment to spot him behind the desk at the front and he could not have been happier to see his old friend. Elation would have to wait though, he had managed to get ahead but they’d be upon him any time now, he had to hurry.
Pushing off from the doorway he quickly made his way over the the taller male behind the desk and hastily spat out what he needed to say. “Seunghyun! Um long time no see. Look I don’t know if you remember who I am but I don’t have much time for introductions. There are some people trying to kill me and I need your help.” He bit down on his lip and anxiously passed a few glances at the door. “I need a place to hide, like deathly need. So if you could maybe find it in your heart to help me out here I’d be really grateful.”
Relaxation is something that Seunghyun rarely finds time for these days, so, naturally, a smile tugs at the corners of his lips when he realizes that he's going to be finished with today's work a bit early. New customers had been popping up out of the blue lately, and he had been working a lot harder than usual to please them all in hopes of gaining a few more regulars.
Money isn't really anything the elder is concerned about, because the profits from his books allow him to live comfortably, but he must admit, a little extra money is a nice bonus and more customers allow him to have just that. Maybe he would treat himself to a few new books and a nice dinner tomorrow as a sort of pat on the back for a job well done.
With a relieved sigh, Seunghyun neatly tucks the last book from his final box into a perfectly sized space on the shelf and steps back to make sure everything is in order. "Good work... You did well." He whispers to himself with a slight chuckle as he picks up the empty book boxes by their flaps. He then carries them over to a space by the door with a few more and stacks them on top of one another. He flips his open sign over to closed while he's there, because there's no sense in making a second trip later after he goes upstairs. He doesn't lock the door yet though, since he's got some trash to carry out before he heads up to his apartment on the second floor.
Within a couple of steps, he's at his desk and searching for the stack of papers he'd set aside as trash earlier in the day. Though, this task does prove to be a bit hard, since his desk is a bit cluttered and papers are spread out all over the surface. It's as this moment, as his hands rapidly search through stacks of paper, that he thinks he should probably put the two filing cabinets upstairs to use.
His train of thought is interrupted by the soft jingling of the bells on his door, but he doesn't look up. Instead, he continues to sort through his papers and simply talks to whoever just entered his store. "I'm closing up shop for tonight, but I'll be more than happy to check you out if you can find what you need quickly. However, if you are intending to rob me, I am afraid that you will find that task to be harder than expected, and you will receive a rather rude awakening rather than any sort of money."
Slowly, he turns on his heels and straightens up the papers on his desk, before glancing up at the man rushing over to his desk. Seunghyun's eyes widen and he jumps a bit in surprise of who stands in front of him. "Jiyong?" Why, he hadn't seen him since he ran off years ago. What could he possibly be doing here at this time of night? So many questions surface in his mind, but he's not sure he has time to ask them all right now, maybe not ever.
Judging by the tone in his voice, he's in trouble, so this little reunion will have to wait. "I'll help. Find a place to hide in here. Go upstairs if you need and hide there. There shouldn't be any shortage of places to hide, but you need to tell me what I am about to encounter, because I'm not sure if I need to face them head on or hide too."
