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Jisung encounters the tucked-away vinyl store unintentionally. It’s situated next to a soup rice shop that is even smaller, with faded flyers plastered on it. There is no signboard, just a chipped-off painting of a vinyl with the words “LP STORE” painted on right above it.
It’s drizzling lightly, but it isn’t gloomy outside. Jisung has his hood pulled up, trying to shield himself from the droplets. He took the other way home from school just to walk while listening to music on his wired earphones a while longer. The door is propped open slightly with the help of a cat sculpture that catches Jisung’s eyes. A tree full of pinkish blossoms looms over on the right side of the store. He decides to walk in amidst the sunshower.
As soon as he steps in, he notices the distinct scent—warm wood, patchouli, and something subtly floral he can’t quite pinpoint. The sunlight hits the wooden shelves beautifully, and there’s a soft melody playing on the record player in the corner. Jisung is startled by a cat moving against his leg to jump and settle itself on the windowsill.
He finally sees the guy behind the counter, which is surprising in itself; he was expecting an old man in his place. He has tan skin, a full-sleeved striped tee-shirt with chipped black nail polish on his hands, and wavy brown hair slightly tousled. His face is warm with moles scattered on it, and his eyes look memorable.
The guy—Haechan, as his name tag says—looks like he’s profiling Jisung, so he tugs the wire of his earphones self-consciously. He wonders if he just has a habit of staring at all his customers this way and chuckles nervously.
“So are you looking for anything specific or just looking around?” Haechan asks, finally breaking the silence. There’s zero hint of awkwardness in his voice.
Jisung answers too fast, “Just looking around.” A lie. He would like to look at some original soundtracks from old movies or something that would suit the theme of “Sound & Memories,” one of his assignments.
“Okay,” Haechan replies, coolly. “First time in this store?” he asks, already knowing the answer to it. He’s the only employee here, and he would’ve remembered him.
“Yes,” Jisung replies, “Never really entered this street before.”
Haechan hums, “Most people don’t.”
Jisung looks back to observe the scene better; it’s still drizzling, and the tree outside shimmers due to the raindrops. The dappled sunlight creates a pretty mosaic on the floor of the entrance of the shop. The vinyls have handwritten tags instead, and the cat is still resting on the ledge. It seems like a place revealed to wandering people lost in their thoughts during days that are mellow-weathered.
“Your cat is cute,” Jisung blurts out almost mindlessly.
“Not mine. But she definitely knows this place better than I do.” Haechan says.
“What’s she called?’
“Oh right, I never actually asked her.” Haechan replies, seriously.
Jisung smiles immediately. “Right. You could call her Jiji since she’s a black cat.”
Haechan nods thoughtfully. “Like from Kiki’s Delivery Service?”
“Yes!”
“Bet. I love Ghibli.” Haechan answers, pleased.
“I will look around a bit now…” Jisung announces.
“Wait, are you a film student?” Haechan asks, stopping him.
“That obvious?” Jisung places one arm behind his head nervously.
“You have a DSLR slung across your body and a Seoul Arts tote bag.” Haechan answers matter-of-factly.
“Oh, right.” Jisung answers. “Well, now that you know that… could you show me where the OSTs are… and anything that would suit a short film themed ‘Sound & Memories’?”
“OSTs are a bit behind the modern classical shelf right there and…” Haechan pauses to contemplate what would suit his short film and then speaks again, “Ambient piano and instrumental jazz ballads are close to each other…there.” He points a bit further away from the shelf he talked about earlier.
“Thanks…” Jisung replies, “Do you have any specific recommendations for the film?” He asks hesitantly.
“Hm,” Haechan thinks for a while before continuing. “Someday” by Akira Kosemura and "Turn Away and Return" by Hammock? You know what, you check the OSTs out, and I’ll write down a few of them for you here till then.”
Jisung nods gratefully and walks towards the shelves; he observes a few other records whose covers catch his eye. The melody has changed now; it’s more impactful than the last one, and it sounds like something people would listen to while falling in love.
Haechan takes out an old receipt from the drawer and starts listing. He observes Jisung from the back while he taps his pen repeatedly on the desk to decide on more tracks. He decides to add one that he plays when he misses his mom; after all, it matches the theme, right?
Jisung is already intently looking through the OST shelf when Haechan appears next to him and taps his shoulder. Jisung flinches and lets out an embarrassed chuckle when he realises it’s just him.
Haechan hands him the receipt. “I added one that I play when I miss my mom.” He says with a small smile.
Jisung goes through the list; most of them seem to be lesser-known. He makes a mental note to listen to all of them when he reaches home. “Thank you, it matches the theme. I’ll make sure to listen to them when I get home.”
Haechan helps him pick out the vinyls; after Jisung tucks in the paper in the pocket of his hoodie cautiously, he ends up picking an Oasis vinyl for himself.
While Jisung’s leaving, Haechan asks, “Will you let me watch the film once you’re done?”
Jisung laughs lightly, “If I end up liking how it turns out, then sure.”
Haechan's eyes turn mischievous. “I will be the judge of that.”
Then they both laugh softly. It’s no longer drizzling outside, and the sun outside is a little less soft. Jisung slips one strap of his tote bag down to make sure he didn’t miss anything and takes his digital camera out once he notices it inside.
“Thanks again, Haechan.” He says.
Haechan smiles. “Come back, okay?”
And like that, Haechan is back behind the counter; he looks like he never moved, and he fits in just so well. Jisung steps further back to get the entire shop in frame, including Haechan, and when he notices, he makes peace signs with both his hands. Jisung clicks the button and hopes he could somehow store the aroma too. They wave to each other as Jisung walks away, and the entire way home the same melody of the record in the corner plays in Jisung’s mind, and instead of it bothering him, he strangely feels at ease. He thinks of the cat and how he likes that she doesn’t belong to anyone. He also thinks of the boy behind the counter and whether he’ll remember him when he visits again, whether he meant it when he asked to watch the finished film.
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The second time, Jisung chooses the street with more intention. It’s not drizzling this time around; the weather is still soft and reminiscent of his first visit. The sunlight sieving through is stronger, creating a beautiful contrast. He can’t help but smile at the cat who is already on the windowsill. She’s like the shop’s personal beckoning cat, good fortune indeed. Haechan doesn’t visibly notice him when he enters; he looks busy counting labels behind the counter, his eyebrows furrowed almost adorably. He only looks up once Jisung’s directly in front of him.
“You’re here again?” Haechan asks as the corners of his mouth tilt upwards.
“Yes, me again.” Jisung replies with a nod.
“Is it for your film? ‘Sound & Memories’, one?”
Jisung blinks, caught by surprise. “You remember? I thought I could film a few shots right here…”
Haechan looks scandalised as he puts both his hands over his chest dramatically, “You’re here to film…me?!”
Jisung’s eyes go wide, and he stutters over his words, “No! I am here to film the place, but if you don’t give me permission, I won’t…”
Haechan laughs lightly, enjoying Jisung’s panicked reaction. “You can film me too if needed; I was just messing.”
Jisung lets out a sigh of relief and has half a mind to glare at him, but he doesn’t.
“Make sure to get Jiji; she’s the real star.” Haechan says, eyes averted towards the cat stretching comfortably, basking in sunlight. She does look perfect to capture like this.
So Jisung does; he moves to film her by the window, the rays catching her fur gorgeously. A slow yet bright track plays in the back, which sounds more like entering someone else’s memories, and in a way that’s what it is—this must be something familiar that’s etched in Haechan’s mind.
After a while, he moves to film the shelves of records, which Haechan is organising. He’s wearing a short-sleeved maroon and grey t-shirt today, so more of his arms are exposed. Jisung brings his arms into shot as Haechan sorts the vinyls with practised ease.
When Jisung finally clicks the camera shut, Haechan says, “You could’ve kept recording; I would give a smile just like this, see,” and then smiles big, with all his teeth on display. Jisung laughs and shakes his head. “Maybe next time?”
Donghyuck’s smile turns genuine. “Yeah, next time.”
Before Jisung can leave again, Donghyuck stops him with urgency evident in his voice, “I forgot to get your name the last time you were here…”
Jisung turns around and smiles sheepishly. “Right. It’s Jisung.” He answers, extending his free hand nervously.
“Haechan.” He says, shaking Jisung’s hands. “I know it’s already on my name tag.”
Jisung chuckles, “See you soon.”
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Jisung has been frequenting the shop for the last few weeks, but today he has come to film the outside. It’s the start of autumn now. The change of season will be nice to capture; besides, he hasn't filmed the surroundings yet. He seems to have been fixated on filming the interior. The trees around have started shedding their leaves slowly, still not enough to hear a satisfying crunch under your feet when you walk. It’s better this way, a subtle transition so it appears smoother.
He stops in front of the record shop and looks at Haechan through the glass; Jiji is snuggled against one of his arms as Haechan converses with someone on the phone. He debates stepping inside but decides to not interrupt Haechan’s phone call.
He is setting up his camera and equipment when the door that was ajar opens even more. He gets a whiff of what smells like pure autumn zest to him. Cinnamon, orange and the usual woody scent.
“You can’t live without me these days, huh?” Haechan asks, voice teasing, yet there’s an air of expectancy in his voice.
Jisung turns around, schooling his expression into something annoyed. Haechan stands there leaning lightly against the glass as he takes a sip of what seems to be hot chocolate, judging by its trace right above his upper lip. Jisung tries not to chuckle and maintain his prior expression. “I told you I would come to take a few shots of the exterior.”
Haechan moves closer to him, pushing himself off the frame. “Is Jisungie really interested in the exterior… or is he interested in me?”
Jisung hopes to god his ears aren’t red. “What?”
“I don’t know; you seem to linger around a lot since that day. Is it really about the film?” Haechan asks challengingly, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Jisung feels his heartbeat quicken slightly; he tries to look away, but he can’t when Haechan’s eyes are painfully trained on him. “No, you—”
Haechan breaks into a grin, clearly relishing in seeing Jisung squirming. “You can’t handle it, can you?”
Jisung furrows his eyebrows. First he toys with him, and now he’s challenging him? But he still isn’t sure what to say to that, so he simply turns around and starts adjusting his camera to focus on the scene better. He hears Haechan take a step back – he assumes. “Whatever it might be,” He says, and Jisung can hear the cocky smile in his voice, if that’s even possible. “Good luck, and keep an eye on Jiji till you’re here.”
Jisung wants to tell him to stop messing with him, but he doesn't; he just nods and extends his hand upwards, showing a thumbs-up.
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Today, Jisung’s back from classes too late, and unfortunately, it’s been raining non-stop; the road is glistening under the dim orange street light. The door isn’t propped open today; the cat figurine is pushed to the corner with no duty. He struggles to close the dripping umbrella and finally manages to stick it in the stand. He’s greeted by old jazz playing from the record.
Haechan is hunched, trying to fix a turntable. He has an extra desk lamp over it, and his lips are jutted out in concentration.
“Hello again, Jisungie.” He greets without looking up at him, too occupied with dissembling.
Jisung checks to make sure the camera around his neck isn’t affected by the rain as he asks, “What are you doing there?”
Haechan taps the needle. “It keeps skipping; I mean, it’s ancient…”
Jisung sets his camera facing the counter. “May I film?”
“You will, anyway.” Haechan answers with a tsk; it’s not unkind, he never is.
“That’s right.” Jisung confirms and sets the frame.
The record catches the light well from the lamp, and you can see the slightest of trembles on Haechan’s hand while trying to fix it; the curve of his cheek is prominent. Then, the needle finally catches, and the music starts distantly and then expands into something clear. Then it’s borderline pouring outside, but they seem to be shielded away from the outside world like this, feeling a sense of growing warmth.
“I should start charging you rent.” Haechan says. Count on him to ruin a moment.
“Why?”
“Because you’re here more than all my regulars, like, combined.” Haechan comments.
“That’s not true; besides, I am not here aimlessly.” Jisung defends.
“Do you even have a life?” Haechan asks, teasingly.
Jisung has learned to ignore these by now; Haechan feeds off his reactions, and he doesn’t want to give him the gratification.
“Do you watch back half the stuff you film?” Haechan asks, genuinely.
“Always,” Jisung answers, “I kinda have to.”
Haechan nods; he believes him. By now he can see Jisung’s quite sincere about most things; it’s quite admirable even.
“Are you done now then?” Haechan asks.
“For now, yes.”
“That’s good; I prefer working without being filmed for some sort of a documentary, you know?” Haechan jokes.
“Right, because that happens just so often…” Jisung replies, chuckling.
And before he can stop himself, he blurts out, “You looked really pretty under the lamplight, you know?”
Haechan stills for a second, barely noticeable. Then he laughs softly, “Yeah? Then you should film me like that more often…”
Jisung’s glad it’s dark as he turns around, slightly flushed. He doesn’t even film his face, ever. “I’ll get going, hyung.”
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Jisung comes over with the USB on a cloudy day; you can smell the impending rain. He had been up late making last-minute edits, and he has already replayed it twice this morning; he keeps finding flaws that he doubts anyone else other than him will pay attention to. But the finished product is nice and fits the theme; he would never praise himself too much, but it’s worth acknowledging.
Haechan’s humming under his breath behind the counter. Jisung hesitantly slides the drive across him.
“Is this the… film?” Haechan asks, curiously.
“Yes,” Jisung answers, nervously. “Since you wanted to watch it when it’s done…”
One corner of Haechan’s mouth twitches upwards. “Oh, you bet I will. Be ready if I diss you.”
Jisung smiles, a bit relieved. “Fair, since I filmed you for so long.”
After closing, Haechan stays to set his laptop up to watch the short film. There’s no music to drown his thoughts so he can give his undivided attention to it.
It starts off with scenes of the shop — the old windchime, the sunlight dancing on the entrance of the shop, Jiji basking in the warmth, the rows of vinyls illuminated in a way Haechan, who finds the place monotonous, finds a way to appreciate, and the condensed window while it rains outside. All the while, the tracks he picked himself play in the background like they aren’t edited over the clips but were playing while he filmed.
Then it’s just him, scenes of him behind the same counter, fixing the turntable, feeding Jiji, sorting vinyls, fingers brushing against the spines, writing away on his notepad; there's the occasional whisper of his own voice.
None of it is very well polished; it’s quite raw and far from flawless. He’s the subject in most frames, and it’s odd to see this is how he’s saved in Jisung’s memories. It’s odd to see himself through Jisung’s eyes—lenses—at all.
He can’t really move once the screen fades to black and the credits are rolling; his own name is there too along with Jiji’s. He doesn’t even have it in himself to smile at that. He feels exposed; he doesn’t feel embarrassed, but he feels too aware of how deliberately Jisung has been seeing him. It’s strange—he doubts he has seen himself so intentionally before.
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It’s been two days since Haechan watched the film. He hasn’t heard back from him at all; even his own message asking him if he liked it has been left on delivered.
Jisung can’t help but think of the possibilities—was the film too bad? Did it cross a boundary? Did he just make Haechan feel uneasy ?
Or maybe he’s just busy; after all, it's just been two days. He has to be overthinking.
But then days stretch into weeks; it’s been three weeks since Haechan last watched it, and it’s just been radio silence since then. It was getting unbearable; he knew nothing happened to him because he could still view his Spotify activity from when they had swapped accounts.
Jisung feels anxiety fill him. Was Haechan upset at him then? It hurts to be ignored by someone who he got close to seemingly easily, although he supposes he hadn’t left him with much of a choice. Was Jisung just an unwelcome stranger in his life all along? Now that Jisung has apparently seemed to have messed up, will Haechan never reach out again?
His heart sinks at the last thought; he realises he has been getting used to Haechan more than he probably should have been. He clutches his chest and squeezes his eyes shut as he hopes his worries drift away as the night grows darker.
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A few days later, Jisung’s phone buzzes, and he checks it hurriedly, as he has been doing lately; just when he was about to give up hope, he sees that there’s finally a text back from Haechan.
“I owe you an explanation, can you come and meet me?”
Jisung’s heart beats rapidly in his chest; he responded, but at what cost? He was scared to hear his explanation, but he would have to go anyway.
They decided to meet at a park near Jisung’s college, so Jisung reached there, hands cold. He had half-expected Haechan to not show up even though he had been the one to ask. But Haechan was sitting on the bench already, posture tense.
Jisung hovers around before awkwardly sitting down; a packed silence follows as neither of them speaks up. Jisung thinks it would only be right if Haechan breaks it; he was too nervous to speak anyway.
Haechan did break the silence. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he says as he looks downwards, “ignored you.”
Jisung felt a lump in his throat. “You shouldn’t have. Even if you did, you should’ve stopped weeks ago.”
Haechan’s expression turns pained. “I know. I am sorry I—I was unsure about what I felt and what to say to you, and I know that’s not a solid explanation, but it’s just that I was scared you saw me in a way I myself didn’t.”
“I didn’t mean to overstep; I wanted you to trust me.” Jisung replies, his heart clenching.
“I was scared,” Haechan admits. “I guess I wasn’t ready to let anyone in just yet.”
Jisung’s eyes soften at that, and he carefully reaches out to take Haechan’s hand in his, slightly sweaty probably due to nerves. He runs his thumb over his knuckles.
Haechan looks down at their hands and back up at Jisung; he looks so vulnerable like this. Jisung feels his chest constricting further. “I was scared of losing you before I even had the chance to have you.”
Jisung feels hope rise in himself again. “You didn’t lose me, hyung.”
Haechan smiles, relieved as he relaxes on the bench. “Will you let me try again?”
Jisung nods, breaking out in a bigger smile as his heart feels so, so full. “Yes, we can go slow this time.”
Haechan’s smile blooms brighter to mirror the younger’s, “We could go on a date.”
Jisung squeezes his hand gently. “I like that; we can discuss it.”
Haechan lets his head drop on Jisung’s shoulder, and Jisung feels warmth spread over his body even amidst the chilly air. He wraps one arm around Haechan to pull him closer, using the cold as an excuse.
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The cosy scent of coffee and freshly baked bread fills Jisung’s nostrils as soon as he steps into the café; his eyes immediately fall on Haechan sitting on a table by the window. He looks uncharacteristically shy, and Jisung can’t help but be endeared by it.
Jisung slides into the seat across from him, handing him a bouquet of sunflowers he picked up on the way.
Haechan’s heart flutters as he accepts it and places it on his side of the table.
They order their respective drinks, a black coffee and a latte. Haechan warns Jisung that he gets sort of sleepy due to caffeine, but Jisung doesn’t mind him feeling comfortable; he can drop him off if he’s too tired. They order a slice of honey cake, and Jisung lets Haechan get the last bite despite being younger.
They fall into a comfortable silence soon. Jisung extends his arm over the table, and Haechan reaches out to interlace their fingers. He stares in awe once he realises just how much bigger Jisung’s hands are than his and can’t help but blush. Jisung shoots a cocky look his way, and he shakes his head, retracting his hand with a teasing smile.
Jisung chuckles, but then speaks with genuineness evident in his voice, “I am glad you reached back to me.”
Haechan’s smile falters at that, “Me too.”
Jisung notices his change in his expression and says, “Hey, I am just happy we are here right now.”
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The soft chime of the door sounds again as they exit the café, this time together. The air is cool outside, and Jisung instinctively reaches to fix the scarf around Haechan’s neck. Haechan instead tugs at his jacket’s sleeves, and Jisung knows him enough to know what he wants; he pulls him closer by the waist, albeit shyly.
They stand there for a while, processing their time at the café and how comfortable and right it had felt. Haechan can feel Jisung’s heartbeat against his ear as he’s pressed against his chest; he chuckles lightly to himself; it matches his own.
Jisung looks down at his eyes and then drops his gaze lower to his lips, as if asking for permission silently. Haechan smiles approvingly, hoping he gets his reply across.
Jisung leans in, finally, breath forming little clouds in the air. The kiss is extremely soft at first, something more like a peck, but then it turns sure gradually, Jisung taking the lead to explore Haechan’s warm mouth as if that’s the only thing keeping him warm in this weather. They kiss until it’s too hard to breathe in this crisp air.
When they pull back, Jisung rests his forehead against Haechan’s, pecking the corner of his mouth once. He takes in the sight of Donghyuck with his cheeks rosy for more reasons than one; he reminds himself to commit it to memory.
Jisung whispers, inches away from him, “I think that was kind of perfect.”
Haechan smiles, eyes blurry due to the cold. “Yes, I think so too.”
Jisung chuckles just to wrap his arms around him. “It’s cold; let’s head home.”
“Yours?”
Jisung’s taken aback, but his house is closer anyway; he’s flushed when he replies, “Sure.”