"Jung! Would you hurry up and stock the shelves? I need help up here!"

Wooyoung poked his head around the corner and saw his boss trying to deal with a long line of people waiting to check books.

He sighed and set the books in his arm down and went up to help him. It earned him a grateful smile and they worked to get everyone checked out and taken care of.

"Young man, can you point me in the direction of the romance novels?" An older lady asked, tugging at his sleeve.

He had to hold himself back from 'awwing' at the old lady for wanting to read something like that as he led her directly to the section she wanted. "It's right here, Ma'am. Is there something in particular you were looking for?"

She shuffled forward, barely picking her feel off the ground as she looked over the shelves. Wooyoung smiled at the way she kept her bag clutched close to her chest. "No I'm just going to browse, thanks honey." She said without looking at him.

Wooyoung still bowed to be polite and returned to where he had been returning books to their proper homes.

He had been working at the library for a couple of weeks now and he loved every second of it. There was something about holding someone else's treasure in his hands that brought a smile to his face. There was so much time and dedication put into each one of these books. And each one held their own special story.

It wasn't the most glorious job in the city, but it was enough for now. Sure, he was living paycheck to paycheck, but he was happy for the time being. That's what was most important to him. He needed happiness right now more than anything.

He couldn't go back to the way things were...

"Where is your historical fiction?" A man asked, walking over to him.

"Next section over, two rows down." Wooyoung said as he tried to juggle the books in his hand.

He got a nod in thanks and was left to finish his work.

At the end of his shift, Wooyoung made sure all of his things were in place before clocking out and stepping outside.

The library was in a nice suburb. He could see the main city on the horizon which made for some beautiful sunrises. And to the west was a lot of open land, farms and such, that made for a nice contrast.

The suburb he lived in had everything he needed, so he only made trips into the city if he wanted to spend the day there or do something different.

The afternoon sun felt good on his tanned skin, and Wooyoung smiled as he looked up at the clear blue sky. The only thing that was missing right now was the beach, but that was a small sacrifice he was willing to take to start over.

After taking a deep breath, Wooyoung turned and started walking to the local market to pick up a few things for dinner. He wanted something filling and hardy, but once he checked his bank account, he resigned himself to the fact that he would be having a ramen dinner tonight. Once he got paid in a couple of days then he could have a nicer meal for one or two nights maybe.

He hummed to himself as he scanned the shelf, trying to decide on what flavor he wanted. Something spicy sounded good.

The bell at the front of the door dinged and he overheard a conversation up front while making his decision. "Ah! I was started to wonder if you'd be late."

"Sorry, my tractor stalled today so I needed to get it fixed. But I've got everything you asked for."

"Well you know the deal, go pick out something on us. Thank you so much for getting this here. We really appreciate you."

"The pleasure is all mine."

Wooyoung glanced up to see a flash of blonde hair vanish around the corner.

That was the other thing he liked about living here. Everyone was always so nice.

After picking out the ramen he wanted, he stepped around the corner to get something to sweet. He could afford that at least. Slowly, he scanned the shelves, then decided on just a soda and reached out to grab one.

Someone else had gone for the same one and their hands bumped into each other.

"Sorry." Wooyoung said, quickly withdrawing his hand.

"No, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." The other responded, taking a step back.

Wooyoung looked up and felt a small knot form in his stomach. The boy standing across from him was incredibly attractive. He had gently eyes and a soft smile that accented his prominent cheeks. And his shoulders and arms... It was obvious that he had to be in some kind of manual labor because damn...

The taller's smile grew a little as he leaned over to grab the soda, then handed it to Wooyoung. "This is the one you wanted, right?"

All he could do was nod for a moment, then he cleared his throat. "Y-Yeah. Thanks."

"I haven't seen you in here before, are you new?"

Wooyoung nodded again. "Yeah I just moved here a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh, that would make sense then. I'm Jongho." The boy held out his hand, which Wooyoung shook slowly. "I'm a farmer out west and I provide this store and a few others with some of their produce."

"Wooyoung. I don't do anything close to that important." He responded with a nervous laugh.

The pair of them started walking to the front counter on their own, like it was natural. "I'm sure that's not true. Every job is important."

Wooyoung found himself blushing under the other's gaze. This was all new to him. But he had to remind himself that this is why he moved here. He needed to discover who he really was.

"I work at a library down the street from here. Just something temporary until I can find something more stable." Wooyoung set his things on the counter and looked down at his shoes.

"That library is great, I love going in there." Jongho said, also setting his things down.

Wooyoung barely registered the beeps going on in the background as he peeked up at the farmer. "Yeah, it's a nice building. The staff seems nice too. I haven't really had the chance to meet a lot of people here yet. Honestly, I'm still unpacking." He said with a nervous laugh. Why was he saying this to a complete stranger?

"It can take time." Jongho turned and picked up Wooyoung's things and handed them to him before walking toward the door. "I'm glad I ran into you today. Hang in there and maybe I'll see you at the library." Jongho winked at him before heading over to a large, dusty truck.

Wooyoung found himself watching the way he walked and enjoying the way his jeans hugged him...

It was then that he realized he hadn't paid for his things.

He spun around and walked back to the counter. "I'm so sorry," He said to the lady standing behind it. "I walked out without paying."

"No you didn't. Jongho took care of it for you." She said with a kind smile. "We give him store credit every month instead of paying him for his deliveries, so he just used that. Such a nice young man, being willing to work with us like that." She walked away, leaving Wooyoung to stage out the window at where Jongho's truck used to be.

A smile tugged at his lips as he left the store and walked the several blocks it would take him to get home.

With his limited income, he couldn't afford a car, so walking or taking the bus was his only option.

That, and his mostly ramen diet, meant that Wooyoung was definitely thinner than what was classified as healthy. But it was the only choice he had right now.

Someday he'd have enough money to provide for himself. Maybe he wouldn't even have got work anymore. He started to fantasize about having a personal driver and closets full of fancy clothes, of having butlers and a penthouse suite.

Then he laughed.

Like he would every have the chance at living in a penthouse.

It sure would be nice though. To live in a completely different world.

Living with next to nothing made him miss what he had before he moved here, but that life was dead to him now. Not after what happened.

No, he was happy sitting on his used couch, in his worn down apartment, staring out the window into the courtyard below, sipping on his cheap ramen.

Well, mostly happy, but he would take what he could get.

Wooyoung glanced around his apartment, wishing he could spruce it up a little. It was a simple, one bedroom with a small bathroom, small kitchen, and small living room. The walls were bare and an awful off-cream color.

His couch was a ratty one that he had picked up on some corner and pushed for a couple of blocks, then had to wrestle up the stairs by himself. But it was free of charge. He spent hours cleaning it with the vacuum he bought at the local thrift store just to feel a little more comfortable with sitting in it.

The kitchen was empty too. He had just a few pots and pans, and plates and some utensils, all picked up at that same thrift store.

And his bed... Another thrift store purchase and the only thing he had been willing to spend a little more on. He couldn't afford a frame though, so his mattress just sat on the floor.

His comment about unpacking hadn't been entirely truthful, but it still held more truth to it than he'd care to admit to a stranger.

Wooyoung was still living out of his suitcase. He had hung a few things up in the closet when he had managed to scrounge hangers from trash cans, but the rest was kept in the one suitcase he brought with him from home.

There had been nothing there that meant a lot to him, so his clothes and a few other essentials were all that he'd brought.

He sighed and took another mouthful of ramen.

Time. All he needed was time, and he could start slowly putting his life back together.

His pocket vibrated and he pulled out his phone.

His parent's phone number flashed on the screen and Wooyoung immediately declined the call. He was honestly surprised that they hadn't shut of his phone, but then again, they'd have no way to try and contact him and pester him.

When would they get the message that he wasn't interested in talking to them anymore?

After what they did, he had no intention of ever talking to them again.

That's why he had left in the middle of the night. He left a note for them, one small courtesy, stating that he was leaving and he didn't want them to come looking for him.

They obviously ignored it.

His phone ran again and Wooyoung just rolled his eyes.

One day they would get the message.

All they probably wanted to do was try to convince him to come home and fulfill their plan for him.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. That's never going to happen." Wooyoung muttered to himself as he rinsed out the ramen brown and set it off to the side.

He saved everything that he could, not knowing if it would come in handy later. And the ramen bowls did make good soup bowls, or even cereal bowls.

Once he was done with dinner, Wooyoung made his way to his bedroom and got settled into bed after pulling off his jeans and placing them neatly on a hanger to wear again another day. The less he had to spend on laundry, the better.

He chewed on his bottom lip as he looked through a stack of books in the corner, then picked one out with a smile. It was a fantasy/adventure book that he never grew tired of reading, so after climbing under his covers and fluffing his pillow, Wooyoung turned it open to his bookmarked page and let himself get lost in the words until he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

And for some reason, he found himself dreaming about living on a ranch that night with a mysterious, no-faced man.