you had your head buried on the crook of his neck. his fingers drew simple shapes on your back under your shirt, his other hand wrapped around the back of your thigh. you were lying completely on top of him, sandwiched between his body and the heavy blanket that protected you both from the winter's cold.

you had been on the edge of consciousness for the past hour or two, falling asleep briefly and waking up a few minutes later. mingi's breathing lulled you, made you feel safe enough not to care about your state – how, where, who you were.

you were this moment and you were him and he was you.

"'re you awake?" he croaked, voice unused, the end of the sentence turning into a whisper.

"mhm." you shifted, fingertips caressing his scalp. he hugged you closer somehow, arm wrapped around your waist.

"i'm falling asleep…" he drawled. you smiled against his skin, unable to bring yourself to do more. he also kept it at that, only humming a little when you sighed blissfully.

you dreamed of eachother.

You were sitting in the dining room tuning out the boys trying to stay focused as they started to talk about what to eat for dinner when a whining voice draws you back, ‘’Noo! We can’t order pizza again, we had that last time!’’ Wooyoung says.

‘’I agree, we should order some fried chicken’’ Hongjoong says, to which everyone starts to agree with that.

‘’Chicken Chicken’’ Yeosang sings in a small voice which makes you giggle and put a hand over your mouth. While they start to order different menu items you get up to sit on the couch since there isn’t going to be any more studying.

The living room is quieter since nobody is in there and you find peace in the quiet, putting your head back and closing your eyes for a moment. It is only a few minutes later that you feel the weight of someone else sitting next to you. Opening your eyes, you turn your head and see that it’s San. Immediately your heart starts to beat a little faster because he’s sitting so close to you.

‘’Mmm the quiet is nice, isn’t it?’’ San says without turning to look at you, he looks straight ahead before turning to you with a gentle look on his face. You softy nod your head in agreement and smile at him before allowing your body to lean against him ever so slightly.

You like everyone in your friend group, they were all the funniest but kindest people you have ever been friends with but one person you like a bit differently. A few years ago you were paired up with Seonghwa and Mingi in a group project and since then you became very close with them. After the project was over they suggested you meet their other friends so you could become close with them and hang out as a group. The first time you met San you instantly thought he was attractive and by the fifth time you saw him you knew you had feelings for him. Except here you are years later still hiding away your feelings and pining over the boy you like the most.

San shifted a bit to reach something into his pocket and you leaned off him to straighten yourself up and grab the remote. Hoping that looking for something to watch will distract your mind away from thoughts about him.You notice San was getting out chapstick from his pocket and can’t help but look at his lips while he applies it.

San notices you looking and says, ‘’Do you want some?’’.

Startled because he caught you staring you nod, ‘’Oh yeah, if you don’t mind’’. He hummed before giving you a smirk and pouted his lips at you. Confused because you didn’t understand what he was doing you ask what’s wrong.

‘’I’m offering you chapstick y/n’’ he says and pouts out his lips again.

“What’re you talking about’’ your face starts to heat up and you turn away hoping that he doesn’t notice you blushing. A hand comes up to the side of your face to turn you towards San and he’s smiling at you.

He keeps his hand on your face and his thumb is lightly rubbing your chin and brushing against your lower lip sometimes. ‘’Don’t you want some chapstick y/n?’’.

‘’San c’mon’’ you whine and try to pull away feeling even more shy and nervous that San really means that he wants you to kiss him for chapstick. His hand wraps around the back of your neck trying to pull your face closer to his while leaning in to kiss you.

A pair of gasps and giggles interrupt what is happening between you and San. Yunho and Wooyoung are at the living room entrance looking playfully shocked at what is happening.

‘’Oh! Oh! I can’t believe what I am seeing!’’ Wooyoung says while he clutches onto Yunho's arm and giggles.

‘’This is so…scandalous!’’ Yunho gasps and you turn even redder while covering your face from embarrassment.

San groans but his hand doesn’t leave the back of your neck, ‘’Nothing scandalous is going on you guys!’’

‘’You are trying to force y/n for a kiss! Poor innocent sweet y/n!’’ Yunho exclaims and Wooyoung nods his head before agreeing and pointing to San, claiming that he’s a perv. Jongho comes up behind them with a shocked looked and yells at San.

‘’I was only offering them some chapstick!’’ San argues, which only makes the two boys gasp harder and yell that San is being a perv to you. This makes you feel so embarrassed but also laugh because of how funny they were acting.

Softly you say, ‘’San…’’ and when he turns to look at you, you see the amusement in his eyes but he also looks so lovingly at you in his eyes. All the emotions you have been bottling up feel like they are going to burst out so you take those emotions and use them to be brave for a second. Quickly you move your face to San’s and give him a kiss on the lips, more a peck than a kiss.

‘’There…now let’s stop making so much noise…’’ you mumble and turn away focusing on the TV, ignoring the loud gasps and exclamations from the boys. The hand on your neck tightens for a second before loosening and moving to lay across your shoulders.

Turning one over reveals pages with gold engravings and a pale blue ribbon stitched into the spine to serve as a place marker. The pages have small, densely spaced type and brown blotches all over them.

The title of this particular book is "Pure." What a great title, isn't it? You pick up a larger book with lovely watercolours of South African flora and fauna from the nineteenth century. There is a photo of some lovely blue blooms that have opened, but are now dying in the crevices. It's a beautiful blue.

Conveniently, there’s an armchair right next to the bookcase so you sink into it. It’s rather raggedy, and the stuffing is coming out in some places, but it’s surprisingly comfortable. At your feet, there’s a small cupboard containing vintage magazines. Perhaps you could just sit here a while, while the rain pitter patters in the background, immuring you with all this ancient literature, allowing yourself to slip for at least a short time into its magical world.

You are in front of one of the many grandfather clocks the shop has. It ticks steadily and decisively, just like a single raindrop that keeps dropping into a metal pale. observing the clock's workings, which are visible via the glass front. The chimes of the clock have a grimy sound to them. Glancing down and away from the clock, you see a small dog.

This is Minnie, Hongjoong’s miniature wire-haired dachshund.

She has round, shining eyes and a little whispy beard. She appears to be a serious, but very friendly dog, and an excellent judge of character. She has already determined that you are someone deserving of respect. She bobs her head, sniffs your shoes, and then lumbers off to her basket a short distance away. She climbs inside and makes three complete turns before sitting down and gazing affectionately at you. She likes customers that come into the store, but she has decided that she likes you in particular.

There’s so much to look at in here. You might just want to stay there for a moment, gazing around you and soaking up the atmosphere in this rain haven. Objects of various kinds are displayed all over the walls. You notice a grandfather clock ticking as you scan the room and notice a mid-century coffee table. A magnificent collection of feathered hats are suspended from an art nouveau hat stand. A tattered, aged-looking antique mantlepiece mirror and a dappled-gray rocking horse with a crimson saddle and a long, silvery mane. As you approach the hat stand, you reach out to lightly touch its brass arms. They are cool to the touch and have a small sphere on each end.

Upon it there hangs a blue sculpted hat, with a gold brim designed to be worn at a tilt. A feathered plume, tied presumably to match the hat, is soft and slightly grainy to the touch, held in place by a rhinestone pin - it too is draped over the hat stand. How philosophical these objects appear, gathered here against the flow of time and undoubtedly without any thought for the weather. Some date back more than a century. And yet, here they are, eager for a fresh start in life. starting from the instant they first encounter that particular someone who is moved enough to take them home.

In a dimly lit corner of Rainday Antiques, stands a writing desk, covered with a blanket on which are laid out numerous, smaller items. One of these is a box of old photographs and postcards. As you leave through, you glimpse vintage postcards of European cities and snow-capped mountains, black and white beaches, interesting rock formations and a donkey in a straw hat.

Men dressed in cricket whites might be seen in group photos. Family uncomfortably gathered for an embarrassing snapshot. cartoons of terriers, kittens in baskets, and a set of a Spaniel that is obviously well-loved. Some have scrawled, largely eligible, handwriting on the back. You flip over a Dutch postcard that features a windmill. "I'm having a great time here despite the weather. It's raining heavily as I write this after just returning from a walk that we took. I appreciate the books. With love" All of these memories were previously someone else's property, but they are now potentially yours. The amusing thing about memories is that they are quite flexible.

The smell of your damp umbrella seeping into the stand by the door is mixed with that of old books and radiators, with a faint hint of something fresh. The darker areas of the business are occasionally illuminated by the lights of a passing car that occasionally streaks through the glass. You can see a magnificent holding screen in one area, as well as a row of leather-bound books. Japanese landscapes, including homes with distinctively pointed roofs and oblong trees, are embroidered onto its silk sheets. Overlooking a river is a bridge. The rain seems to pick in speed as the automobile passes before returning to its regular rhythm, creating a loud sigh in the process.

You could stay here all night just breathing in and looking at things. Thinking about their stories.

In one corner of the store, you’ll find a glass cabinet filled with crockery. If you take a closer look, you’ll be able to inspect a striking art deco piece with sharp triangles for handles, patterned with bright geometric squares, in orange and black.

A small case lined with velvet sits next to it, containing a collection of teaspoons with ornamental handles. You can almost imagine the ambience of a long-ago tea party. A conversation punctuated by the delicate clinking of teaspoons on porcelain and ambienced, like tonight, by the comforting sound of rain on the windows.

If you asked Hongjoong, he’d tell you that every antique has a story to tell. He likes to say that he never takes anything for his store unless there’s a fantastic tale behind it. It’s a bit of a lie, though. If he likes something enough, he’ll just go ahead and make up a story about it, such as this vintage little toy car, which he says used to belong to a member of a famous boy band or public figure. He hasn’t got any paperwork to prove it, unfortunately. But then again, there’s nothing to disprove it either.

The car is bright, emerald green, slightly rusting at the edges. But in its hayday, it would surely have been the perfect vehicle for a young prince or princess to take about a turn in the royal garden. It has a long bonnet, but the rest of the car is all seat. There’s a large steering wheel sticking up in the center of the car so that driving it might feel like driving a mini tractor. It’s open-top, though. There’s no roof at all so it’d be no use on a night like tonight.

The rain outside seems to be coming down even harder, but the atmosphere inside of the store remains peaceful and unchanging. Every so often, Hongjoong lets out a small “mmm” as if to express some sense of profound relaxation, and the pages of his unwieldly newspaper rustles as he turns them. Every now and then he regards you, from moment to moment, over the top of his half-moon spectacles, to check you’re not in need of anything before returning to his reading.

You move around the store quietly, occasionally picking up something and turning it over in your hands. Sometimes, you return to the raggedy armchair to rest, and contemplate your surroundings.

Each time you look around, something new catches your eye; a model ship, perhaps? Or a movie poster from the golden age of cinema, maybe a blonde teddy bear wearing a bow-tie? Whatever it is, you gaze at it for some time, wondering: 'Where has it been? Who owned it before? Has it lived a long life with many different owners? Has it travelled the world? Or has it been treasured faithfully by one person until now? And what journey might it be about to embark on next?'

"have you found what you're looking for?" Hongjoong places his book down lightly, his thumb holding his place. You hadn't noticed before, but Hongjoong had a ring on his thumb. It glistened slightly in the dim light of the shop. It appeared to cast a rainbow onto the wood of the desk.

"not yet" you'd reply "I'm still browsing a little"

A light smile decorates Hongjoong's face at your response, and he nods "let me know if you need anything" he says, and he returns to his book.

Moving further along the shelving, you notice a line of crystal bells. Overtaken by curiosity, you pick them up one at a time, holding them to your left ear to listen to the delicate chimes they would sound. You decided that this would be one of your purchases, picking up the one you deemed most beautiful and delicate sounding and walk to place it on the front desk.

"anything else?" Hongjoong would ask, his eyes lifting from the adventures in his book, this time using a long metal bookmark to save his place. He gazes at you warmly, picking up the crystal bell to wrap it in bubble wrap. The bell makes another delicate chime as he does.

"I think I'll keep looking... if that's alright" you respond. Hongjoong nods his head once, this time a small chuckle escapes his lips. Once again, he returns to his book.

A little way further into the shop there are some small brooch pins, all of varying shapes and sizes. Some have faces on them, some look like butterflies, there's even one with some tiny detailed scenery painted onto it. You pick this one up in your hand and carry it with you - this will be your second purchase.

There is just one more shelf in the shop, this one has some glass flowers the size of your ring finger laid out on it. Bluebells, Snowdrops, Lilies and Lupines, they are all delicately coloured in light shades of blue, green, purple and white. A small note on the shelf reads 'glass flowers, two for the price of one, will look lovely as a centrepiece'

You decide the Lupine and the Bluebell flowers are more to your taste and pick them up gently from their places. You have a lovely little vase to display them in at home. They will look lovely on your dining room table.

Hongjoong has already placed his book down, you notice he only has a few pages left to read. He has just finished wrapping your bell in bubble wrap and has prepared a small cardboard bag to place your items in.

"I'll have these as well, please" you place your new found items in front of Hongjoong. He furrows his eyebrows softly and lifts first the glass flowers to his eye level, twiling them between his fingertips and then the brooch, adjusting his glasses as though they could magnify the detail more. He smiles again and places the brooch in the bag, then wraps the flowers in bubble wrap as he had the bell.

"You have a delicate taste in antiques" He says, handing you the bag. You take it gently from his, a slight glow taking place across your cheeks.

"and you have a wondrous taste in books" you respond. Hongjoong bites the inside of his lips, perhaps slightly taken by your attentive response.

"perhaps we could discuss it over coffee some time?" he questions, his hand funding it's way to the back of his neck in slight embarrassment at his words.

"perhaps so" you say, feeling slightly bashful yourself. You see Hongjoong take a piece of paper and a pencil from the edge of his desk, he writes an address down on it.

Sunrise Cafe,

Saturday 14:35

Hongjoong xxx-xxx-xxx

He hands you the paper and you bow as you leave, taking your umbrella from the stand by the door, stepping out once again in to the rain.

If you've ever spent a rainy evening travelling down a quiet street looking for shelter, you'll understand what a blessing it is to come across a location like Rainday Antiques. It comes into view halfway between two houses. The lovely store with two large windows on either side of the entryway. The place has a dreamlike feel since the windows are divided into square panes and the glass in between the metal bars is just a little bit wavy. It has a warm atmosphere about it and the shop keeper Hongjoong is perhaps the kindest person you would ever hope to meet.