The Store Owner's Story

What is it about books that makes them so magical? Is it words themselves that hide the portals to other worlds? Or is it something much more mundane, like the idea of time poured into the story, from the first idea to the type of design for the cover? For me, it was the magic of knowing how it felt to feel your soul pour into those meaningless letters and giving them life. But I would never feel the joy of seeing others have their faces light up with my words. Instead I owned a small bookstore, called The Book Jar. My pride and joy, I opened it the moment I had saved up enough money, with a loan that I had just now payed off after working for awhile. My shop was small, but plenty cozy, with a bunch of hidden reading nooks. People came here to find their new obsessions, study help and occasionally a new place to just relax at. I was happy to accommodate, for seeing the joy of finding a new read and a place to belong was just as great as writing for me.

My name is Kim Yeong. I turned 29 this year, and have owned this store for around 5 years now. It was just another day when I opened the store, the regulars came and went, but there was someone new today. I knew he was new the moment he walked in, but he seemed to quickly find his place. He bought a book, just a novel that was popular at the time. He smiled gently and walked to find a nook in the store to read his purchase. Eventually when it was time to close the store, he waited until the last moments to leave. Something about him made me curious.

The next day when I opened the store, he was one of the first people to come in. Again, he was the last to leave. This continued for some time, him sometimes buying another book, and other times he would just sit quietly in a chair, looking out a window reading. I didn't mind, he was a quiet guy and never made any disruptions. He looked like the perfect person to be in that corner too, his slender form curdled up made the chair look like it was there just for him. Eventually I just thought of that as his spot. But doesn't he have a job? And thus began my newest adventure in life, right in my bookstore smelling of old and new books. It didn't start with a word, but instead a simple smile.