── ✧ ˙ running through the stars .ᐟ

"it's fine! my fault, really." he had completely forgotten about some of his picks when the other's tone of voice made him freeze. oh no. oliver slowly looked up and his eyes found the title: love from scratch. his face turned as pink as the cover in embarrassment and he found himself trying to sheepishly chuckle away the feeling. "yeah, i— i heard it was a cute read, actually? the cover looks corny as hell, i know. young adult romance books are just... really unrealistic, obviously." but they always had a happy ending no matter what, and that's what he was looking for right now with his own love life in shambles. it was his way of coping. he finished stacking up the remaining books and cleared his throat. "have you read it?" he tried. "or any y.a. fiction? what do you usually read?" he assumed she did, seeing as she was in the library as well.

the book held in her hand was definitely one the cheesy titles she came across when they got the order in a few weeks back. though, she was surprised to find that he was one of the people to be reading these kind of books. "i bet it is," she nodded her head with a soft smile, adding the book to the pile of ten books that he had before she looked over at him with a soft smile appearing along her lips. "no - i like more action than the slice of life in my reads. i think the last one i read was the cruel prince, by holly black?" she pointed out as she grabbed the title from thought. "i wanted to start on the series and it seems pretty good so far."

clara didn't necessarily understand what her sister did for a living, funnily enough something to do with preservation as well, but she knew it involved being careful, so she followed her instruction and scooted away from the machine with a nod. "you got it. and no, surprisingly not." arms now crossed, her eyes scanned the materials on the table with a vague curiosity before finding esther once more. if she didn't know about the town drama, that meant clara was going to be the first one to tell her; she didn't know if she liked that or not. "just people being stupid. you know guy, right? the one who runs the auto place?" her eyes cut to the door to make sure there would be no additional audience. "according to him, the 'roads are leading no where.'" with air quotes and all, she scoffed. "at least that's what people are saying. which, whatever. if he wants to have a breakdown then he's free to. but people keep repeating it, and they're starting to say he's right, and it's driving me nuts. feels like i'm the only sane one around here anymore."

there was something about the way that the two reconnected that always made her skin crawl - not out of spite, but more so of an anxious feeling. esther gave an appreciative smile when her older sister scooted away from the machine further before she went back to work - the letter itself was written in sepia ink, the cursive looping quite neatly across the page. it was postmarked and pressed with a wax seal, giving her some indication that it was from somewhere in the late 1800s in her given opinion. some small wormholes were near the fold along with some black speaks in the margin, which could only mean ink corrosion or mold to which she made a quick note of. hearing that the attic wasn't raided again this time was a surprise to say the least, but hearing what came after was a bit weird in itself when she lifted her head to look at clara. her brows furrowed a little. "..what the fuck does that mean?" she asked in disbelief - looking among the room as she tried to think of it before her sister's words caught her attention. unless guy had gotten into some drugs where he's hallucinating - why would people be agreeing with him? "that doesn't make any sense to me - have they tried to leave too? i mean, guy isn't really someone that likes to lie for attention.. but what he's saying doesn't make sense either." she admitted, taking a soft camel hair brush to dust away the loose debris from the back of the document with tender care. "do you.. think he got into something that he shouldn't have, like.. drugs or something?"

This all seemed like it was crazy at least until Andrew saw it for himself. But of course he knew Guy wasn't someone that just made things up out of the blue. And much like everyone before he seen it for himself, he thought maybe Guy was just going crazy or something. But clearly Guy had been right. He owed him a drink the next time he came in. "It's Andrew." He answered her when he heard her call out. Once the door opened, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her. Noticing her damp hair and relaxed looked, he liked it. "I have, at first it was just gossip. But I tried it." He told her. Those blue hues looking into hers. "I swear we can't get out of town. It like makes a big circle I swear it." One thing that Andrew had never done was lie to her and he wasn't about to start now. "If you want, we can take a drive out there this way you can see it for yourself. I'll buy you some dinner." He offered, with a small smile resting on his lips. Hoping she either believed him or would come with him to see it for herself. "What do you say, take a chance?" He questioned, offering his hand out to her.

her gaze searched his hazel hues momentarily before her brows twitched slightly in understanding what he was telling her. when she felt her smile falter some in listening to him, she had to understand that this was someone didn't have any reason to lie too. so, with knowing that he's tried to get out of town himself and that the roads seem like one big loop - she couldn't help to feel more curious about this. she wanted to see it for herself instead of dismissing everyone else because of how crazy it sounded - just didn't seem fair on her part to do so. she made a slight face before she released a soft breath, crossing her arms against her ribcage as she searched his gaze once more. "...alright, but only because you're promising to get some cheeseburgers and fries." she mentioned with a soft smirk, turning slightly from him to grab the keys from a small bowl on top of a small entry table next to her door before she took his hand with ease. after toeing on her green crocs, she headed out the door and made sure the door was locked before she hurried along his side with their joint hands toward his car with a bright smile. "i have one condition -" she mentioned when releasing his hand to head over to the passenger's side to get in first. "i want more than just fries with that burger." she looked over at him, tugging the seatbelt on with a warm smile.

having heard it first from her older sister was not something she was expecting her day to go on with. the town was just buzzing with the news by the time she came out of that little room in the back of the library - the employees trying to discuss about it with her. she wasn't really too sure on what her stance on all of it was because on one hand, guy wasn't someone who made shit up on the fly for attention and on the other, it's possible that guy got into something he shouldn't have. maybe the people were right and he's not doing okay on that possibility? whatever the case may be - she was back home after her shift had ended with a quick shower to shake off the day from her. though, the idea still crept in the back of her mind on.. what if he was right? can they really not leave? at the sudden knocks upon her door, she was in the kitchen to prepare something to eat when she turned off the stove and headed for the front door. "yeah, who is it?" she called out, waiting for an answer before her smile grew in hearing who it was - opening the door after unlocking the locks to shoot him a quick smile. "what's up? .. have you heard about the hot gos' around town?" she raised a brow when leaning into the edge of her door a bit, slightly damp hair still on display as she couldn't help to smirk a little at her own tone. dressed in an old baggy t-shirt and sweatpants with white ankle socks on her feet - she went for more comfy than anything else tonight.

esther had been tucked away in the back of the library in the room where most couldn't access unless for employees to guide them there. gloved fingers were at work when she reached for the next bundle of letters wrapped in soft linen tape. the low hum of the dehumidifier tucked in the corner along with a blotting cloth sat upon the table, the parchment was brittle at the edges, using the first sheet to unroll as a corner flaked off onto her glove. she paused momentarily before she released a soft sigh in retort. "too dry," she murmured, narrowing her gaze as she reached for a small hygrometer beside of her to jot down the current humidity level before she heard the door open. her head lifted in time to see one of the employees and then came her sister, causing her to raise a brow at the first statement. what was she on about this time? she let out another soft sigh before she shook her head to answer at the question of her being busy, pointing toward the dehumidifier that sat on the corner on the table. "stay away from that and we should be fine." she resumed the task at hand, sliding the broken fragment into a labeled envelope for safekeeping. for the question at hand, her brows furrowed some as she had been busy for the most part and tucked away in this small room since this morning. "no - what's been going on? let me guess - someone's raided the attic again?"

there was a stack of weathered correspondence from the 1880s upon the table in the library's special collections room. the sun filtered through the high arches of the windows when she used gloves to handle the top letter with care, softly lifting from the top of the stack by its corners with an aim toward the light. the paper was thin, yellowed with age and very tiny little holes were in the upper corners. she let out a soft sigh as the bottom edge where the fibers begun to feather, almost soft like the edges of a dead leaf. "might need a polyester sleeve.." she murmured, setting the letter down before removing the gloves to set them upon the table. after trying to look for some sleeves for a little while, she had decided to leave the room in better search for them when she came around the corner to run into someone - letting out a soft gasp in shock. "i didn't mean to.. i didn't see you when.." she shook her head, leaning to help him with his books before one stood out in particular. her smile grew as she was almost as curious when she lifted her head to look over at him. "is this.. what i think it is?" she inquired, since he didn't seem like someone who would enjoy reading a book like this.

Or send hc + two words and I’ll try and come up with one that links those two things together!

✍️ WRITING HAND — what is one thing you wish you were better at? this can be a tactical skill, social skill, hobby, etc.

instant messenger — if it's not already taken, what is your muse's go-to username?

LEE JUN-YOUNG as GEUM SEONG-JE in WEAK HERO CLASS 2 - Episode 8