Breakfast at Cromwell's [OPEN]

Over the past few months, Kyu-Sik found that the title 'apprentice' actually meant a lot of things. He was a sewing slave, a cutting machine, a coffee maid, a personal shopper, and, only every now and then, a delivery boy. More and more it became obvious that he was just the multi-purpose help to do everything his boss didn't want to hire another person to do, or that his boss didn't want to do himself. It wasn't something the young man was about to complain about. As exhausting as they were sometimes, his responsibilities were something he welcomed. The variety of duties kept him busy throughout the day, and he much preferred that over sitting behind a counter with nothing to do. Better to stay on the move rather than wallow in his own listlessness.

This day's particular morning began with being called in early to make a quick delivery. While deliveries weren't usually something that the shop offered, they would sometimes happen if a customer was important enough. Saying 'no' to an older patron was just something that couldn't be done. Personally, Kyu-Sik thought that if someone was willing to travel such a distance to visit one specific tailor, then they could at least make the arrangements for their suit to be picked up. Some of the older clients were important businessmen of sorts, and he was certain they had assistants themselves for errands like that. However, it wasn't his place to make comments. He simply quietly did his duty.

There were benefits from the situation. He came in an hour early, and his boss had promised him an extra half an hour at lunch break if he returned from the delivery within the hour. It wasn't the fairest of trades, as more often than not he worked through his usual break anyway. However, if he worked quickly enough then he'd have time to finish his latest knitting project. A commissioned sweater for a morbidly obese cat.

The delivery was completed as quickly as always. It wasn't the first time Kyu-Sik had to venture over to his destination. He knew a good route and a trip that normally took twenty-to-thirty minutes only took him fifteen. That left him with a good chunk of time leftover before he really had to be back at work. Usually, the thought to stop anywhere wouldn't even cross his mind. However, he did check his watch when his eyes passed by a bookstore. There was plenty of time left, and it wasn't like he was far from the shop. He did want to go hunting for knitting patterns after work. Perhaps he'd save himself time in the long run if he just took a quick peek in a bookstore now.

It was the logical decision. The young man readjusted the messenger-style bag he carried over his shoulder and stepped inside. He was a bit... disappointed at first. The store looked recently renovated, but not quite to the point that he was going to instantly walk into an aisle and find what he needed. In fact, he glanced back at the door just to make sure that the store was open. It was. The positive note was that the area was also small enough to quickly spot someone who could assist him.

"Excuse me…" Kyu-Sik began, taking a few more steps over to the busy man. "Do you have anything like knitting magazines or books?"

MADE BY PEBBLE OF BTN

That wasn't quite the immediate reaction he was expected. He watched the almost comedic head bump as a silent and slightly confused onlooker. Though Kyu-Sik wanted to ask the man if he was alright, he couldn't help but remember that there was a bell at the door. His entrance couldn't have been that much of a surprise, could it have? However, he let the curious thought slide by, giving a gracious nod when the man went to go check in the stock room.

The young man was beginning to believe that he was in the wrong sort of bookstore. He took a few steps to inspect what was on the shelves. It wasn't a bad place and it was a very interesting selection at a brief glance. Small, but pleasant enough had he been looking for anything else. He was careful not push anything out of place as he walked around the corner to check out the other shelves. He did enjoy to read while knitting and it had been awhile since he had a good book. Although he had been checking his watch every now and then, he patiently allowed himself to pick up a few books to glance over.

He wasn't really optimistic about what the man would return with, so he was mildly surprised when the man did return with the articles. He carefully took them to browse. It only took a quick skimming of the material to see something at least close to what he was looking for. It was older, but it was intriguing enough. The price of it couldn't be that much, so he didn't bother asking.

"I'll take this, actually. Thank you," he replied, handing the rest back to the man and giving another grateful nod. "Is this place new, by the way?" Judging by the building as a whole it couldn't have been that new. However, he didn't keep track of every shop located downtown. Perhaps it was a new business moving into an older space.

MADE BY PEBBLE OF BTN

Only three dollars. Kyu-Sik didn't need to look through it more at that moment to know that the price was fair. After all, he had been willing to pay three times that for something similar when he first started the very brief hunt. And with that in mind… he took another quick look at his watch and then back at the shelves that surrounded them. Another book. There was time and it was even more in budget to find something to actually read then. It was just a matter of finding the right genre… Maybe mystery?

He allowed himself to take a few steps away, letting his eyes wander along the shelves. However, he kept an ear on what the man was telling him in response to his original question. "At least now I know where to go if I ever have a sock go missing." It was indeed an actual joke from him despite his flat tone. He would've offered the man a half-smile in the reassurance that he wasn't intending to be rude or sarcastic, but he didn't feel like it was something he had to prove. He was more busy reading over titles.

From the sound of it, though, the man that Kyu-Sik was speaking with was not the owner. Or at least not the store's original owner. That could be assumed from the looks of the man, too, if the store was at least forty. That did help put the current state into better perspective. Something old just getting a facelift. Hm. Well, it didn't have anything to do with him outside of curiosity, so it could be left at that.

"What would you recommend for recreational reading?" Hopefully the search for something to read would be easier with a request broad enough. "I don't really have any major preference, but perhaps something in mystery?"

MADE BY PEBBLE OF BTN

An ever so slight half-smile was return at the man's reply to his joke. Kyu-Sik knew he wasn't the best at delivering them, but it was amusing to get such a literal response. He didn't think that the man actually took him literally. At least he hoped not. However, he did appreciate the ability to return one flat joke with something that literal. However, as the man continued to talk, the literal responses did continue. At that point he wasn't sure if the man was being sarcastic or if he just generally misunderstood by taking words too literally himself. Obviously he was going to pick up a book and read it, otherwise what point in there was purchasing one. It had to have been a joke. Right?

Either way, the young man was certain that the store's owner had to have meant well by what he was saying. Suggestions were made after the fact, and not a terrible one. Assumptions were correct in that he had in fact read the Holmes series, and Kyu-Sik was familiar with Poirot. He had read many more Miss Marple books than he had Poirot, but he wasn't sure if Agatha Christie was really what he had in mind.

The final name caught his attention. P. D. James. It was unfamiliar, and thus it was the one that stood out to him. The idea of having to drudge through a third of a book made it all that more appealing. He had read dreadful things in high school for his A.P. classes, and to him that meant a tedious mental challenge. 'Tedious' would have been his middle name had his parents believed in middle names. He was one of the few that found that sort of terrible thing preferable to the alternative.

"I'm not familiar with P. D. James, but I wouldn't mind giving the author a try. Is there a particular title I would start with?"

MADE BY PEBBLE OF BTN

The more the man continued, the more Kyu-Sik became skeptical of how this was really going to end. He had been suggested an author and then told that he might have to wait for it. Well, this was becoming a bit more complicated than he would've liked. Still, he was already this far in and the other was just trying to be helpful. Kyu-Sik gave a slight defeated sigh, but rather than say he wasn't interested and walk out he just nodded. He was intrigued enough to give in.

However, he did have a job of his own to get back to as well, and he was not intrigued enough to waste any more time there. He reached into his satchel to pull out two things. One, his wallet. Two, a small notebook complete with a small pen tucked into its rings. With his wallet and the article he was already buying tucked under his arm, he used the notebook to write down his name, email address, and phone number. The book store was close enough to work that it wouldn't really be a hassle to come back should the man actually find anything suitable. It couldn't hurt so long as it didn't turn into a barrage of spam advertisements, but he doubted that would happen with a smaller business.

"Here's my contact information then," he spoke as he handed the slip of paper over to Elliot. "I don't do much talking on the phone, but you can text me or send an email if anything does pop up."

Then came the second part of their transaction, and the part for which he had wandered inside in the first place. The small bit regarding his knitting. If he remembered correctly, the price was three dollars. He shuffled the things around in his hands to pull out the exact amount, and he handed that over as well. "I should hurry back to work now, but thank you for your time. Good luck with all of this." That was fair enough. He knew from watching his parents that being the owner of a smaller business wasn't always easy, and it was always good to support the locals. Even if the local businesses weren't in the same neighborhood.

MADE BY PEBBLE OF BTN