It can get so frustrating when effort is put into a starter and it never takes off, especially if it’s plotted. If that Mun volunteered to write you that starter, chances are they have done so for countless others and quite likely, you’re not the only one to have done that exact thing to them. 

“what you can do, hyeri, is very, very dangerous…”

“don’t worry, papa. i promise to never hurt anyone. i swear i won’t.”

“i know, darling. but it’s not other people i’m worried about. it’s you.”

His smile never wavers. She apologizes, but he tells her it’s fine, and he’s happy her child is unhurt. Only after she’s gone does he let disappointment show. A soft sigh escapes him, gazing down at the broken table. It had been his mother’s, and her mother’s before her. There is no replacing it.

He sets out the next morning to try anyway. True, his house is small and doesn’t need a lot to fill it, but it has always been sparsely furnished, so that the absence of any one piece quickly becomes inconvenient. He takes the train, watching out the windows as the coast dwindles away and the city in the distance grows closer. He never liked traveling into the heart of Seoul, and today is no different. He gets off a few stops short of the city proper. It might be harder to find what he wants here, but at least he can relax while doing it.

A little while later and he stumbles upon something that has him thanking the gods for his good fortune. At first glance, he’d thought it simply a mansion, albeit an impressive one that held his attention long enough to stop him in his tracks. When he gets closer, he sees the sign. Curiously, this mansion also houses an antique shop. He smiles. His mother would approve.

Kyungsoo woke up to find out he overslept and only had 40 minutes to get ready and open the shop down on the first floor. He rushed through his morning routine, taking the quickest shower he had ever taken in his entire life and struggling into his button up and slacks while he tripped down the stairs to maybe make some tea before it got really busy.

He managed to make it to the kitchen with 10 minutes to spare and he set the kettle to boil while he fed the cat, unlocked the front door, and changed the 'CLOSED' sign to 'OPEN'.

"Here's to hoping the rest of the day goes smoothly." He mutters to himself as he takes his place behind the cash register, tea in hand.

About 16 minutes after opening, tourists start to trickle in and the phone starts ringing with people asking about specific pieces he might have. It gets so busy that Kyungsoo hardly has a chance to breathe. Interestingly enough, everyone seems to leave around the same time, making the house go from noisy to deadly quiet in a matter of seconds.

Its almost 11:40 when Kyungsoo hears the front door open again. He sets down the book he was reading and plasters a sincere smile on his face. Just as he's about to greet the new customer, he realizes that they have already said something.

Soon deciding he could find something of interest in this one (concerning the mythological and metaphysical lore surrounding various trees and plants, only some of which he was familiar with), he closed it again and held it at his side as he turned toward the other sections, drifting over to scan the shelves for words that jumped out at him. He glanced over at the man again, realizing it may be considered rude not to say anything.

There were few forms of indulgence in Taemin’s life but that foggy morning he set out in search of one of them. With a pocket full of bills and loose change he sought out an antique shop he’d recently heard of, hoping to find an interesting old book or two and if he was lucky, some paraphernalia of his craft.