Arcus // ATEEZ ✔

epilogue: enchanting encounters

The flickering streetlights give the scene a more sinister feeling as their shoes squelch on the wet road after a rainy day. Their wary eyes flick around to see the empty road from the sidewalk they are on. He shrieks when there's a flicker of movement from the corner of his eyes, while she tightens her grip around his arm when he gives off another shout.

Serim slaps his shoulder and grumbles, "Can you stop shouting everytime? You're making me scared too."

"How can I not?" Seonghwa makes a face that looks like he's about to cry. "This is too scary and I regret giving my agreement to come here."

She pinches his cheeks as he whimpers. "Nothing is going to happen, oh my gosh. The worst thing that's going to happen is probably seeing a ghost with no head-"

"A ghost?!" he exclaims before his body jerks when he senses another movement from the corner of his eyes. "Can we go home?" He shakes his shoulders as he pouts.

"If you're scared by this alone, how did you even come here? You said that the shop was somewhere around here."

"In my defence, at that time it was noon and the weather was really nice and sunny. Not a gloomy, damp night like this. This feels like we're walking straight into a horror movie."

"Come on, the faster we go to the shop, the faster we can go back home. "I just want to see where you actually got the book you bought for Jinju. Stop whining, I'll make some strawberry smoothies tonight and we can watch your favourite Disney movie."

"Really?" His eyes light up even under the dim light and his expression changes so quick. "Then let's go and see where the shop is." He marches forward as Serim clings on to him, dragged to wherever he's taking her.

Right after both of them had their dinner, they went back to their apartment and out of habit, she had checked the pages of Jinju's book. Not believing in what she's seeing, she called over Seonghwa and both of them stared at the newly-written message on the book. Closing back the book in a hurry, she immediately told him that she wanted to see where he had bought the book from. She's curious of the origins of the book that's mystical to them, having no explanation as to how their logical minds could put it.

Now they're treading a path that seems to lead them somewhere eerie, and the surrounding doesn't help as the sky looks as dark as it can get. They steel themselves anyway, as Seonghwa tries to remember the layout of the neighbourhood while pinpointing the location of the shop from his memories. When he's sure that the shop is where they are, he stops and Serim follows suit.

Confused, she asks, "Are we here?" She looks around because she can't see any stationery shops. The alley only serves them a row of shops made up of cafes, a laundromat, an office for a travelling company, some convenience stores and a boutique. "I don't see any stationery shops."

"I'm pretty sure it was here," Seonghwa mentions as he moves in front of a cafe and points to the sign. "I remember that it was here because it was right next to this Crescent Cafe. The shop was kind of..." he searches for a word, "pushed in, so you might not see it at first glance. I almost missed it that day. But now there's only an office. It was..." he stops right at the border where the cafe and office are separated and gestures to it, "exactly here. I just... don't remember the exact name of the stationery shop."

"You mean it has been replaced by the office?"

"No, no," he shakes his head fervently. "What I meant is, the shop was in the middle of the cafe and the office. The shop seemed narrow from the front, but when I entered the array of things sold there was massive."

Serim tilts her head, a slight look of disbelief on her before she slowly says, "We can ask anyone at the cafe about the shop. Maybe the shop moved and they used the space to expand their own cafe."