The Hidden Treasure

~4~

Hyejin stepped off the bus with a small bouquet of flowers and walked the few blocks to her shop. She pulled the keys to the lock out of her pocket and opened the door. Closing it behind her, she moved to the middle of the room and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

This was her favorite smell.

Some people might call it, "musty old book," but she called it the smell of her dearest friends. The smell of adventure, and the smell of romance and mystery. It was glorious to her nose.

She put her things away, hanging her jacket and bag on a hook in the small office room. Turning on some piano music by George Gershwin and then grabbing the broom and dustpan, she began to make her way meticulously around the room, sweeping away any traces of dust.

She danced around the room and then surveyed her work. Everything was now parkly and clean. She straightened the tables and chairs, placing a fresh flower in each small vase on the tables.

She looked over at the corner reading spot. The large overstuffed chair was her absolute favorite. She would always give her customers preference over the spot, but if no one was in, it was not unusual to find her curled up in the large chair with a book in hand.

She ran her hands over the chair and decided she had a few minutes to sit. She thought about what Jinjoo had told her about the mystery guest. He had sat here and read his book and she couldn't blame him for choosing this spot.  It was like being hugged while reading a story.

Hyejin sighed contentedly, and as her eyes scanned the floor to ceiling shelves covered in books of all sorts, she began to think of how she became like this.

"Ahhh, finally my daughter picks up a book that she isn't required to read. Surely the end of the world is near!"

"Dad!"

"Sorry, sweet girl. It's just, I've never seen you pick up an actual book that wasn't required by one of your teachers. What brought on this change?" Her father patted her head and went to sit in his favorite overstuffed chair in the corner. Behind him stood several book shelves overflowing with books shoved into every nook and cranny.

Hyejin sighed and flopped down on the couch. "I dunno. There's this kid at school."

Her father's eyes lit up. "Is it a boy?"

Hyejin laughed and nodded. "Yes. But I'm not interested in him, Dad. He is an arrogant jerk."

"Why? Is he really that bad?"

"Yes. The worst. He is the one who always beats my scores during exams. I can't ever seem to catch up to him." Her voice was tight and irritated. Even talking about how he was always ahead of her in the grades department just irked her to the extreme.

Her fear chuckled and closed his book he was reading. "Oh? And how does this...how did you put it? Arrogant jerk? Yes, how does this arrogant jerk always beat my super intelligent daughter? Surely he must cheat." Her father hid his mouth behind his hand in an effort to hide his smirk. His daughter was truly annoyed and she had always been a bit competitive. He understood how difficult this must be for her to always be coming in second place.

"The thing is, I don't think he does! However, I think he gave away his secret a while back. He said he reads a lot of books. He called them hidden treasures. He sort of reminds me of you now that I think about it." Hyejin eyed the shelves of books behind her father. Her father was an avid reader himself. Every night after dinner, he would spend at least thirty minutes, and sometimes more, in his chair, reading some old book.