"Ordinary people are too blind to see the beauty of the dark."

Jisoo's eyes never left the grandfather clock that occupied most of the beige wall opposite to the counter. Just another plain day at her part-time job with five cups of coffee, three homework assignments and zero customers.

Customers. That was something Jisoo wondered if the store had ever had before. She had been working part-time at this convenience store, located in a somewhat desolate setting, for about six months now, but she could scarcely recall selling anything at all during her time here.

Even queerer was the fact that despite the store being not very well off, there has never been a decrement in the amount inscribed on her paychecks at the end of each month. The store was treated to timely maintenance and timely stock replacements even though the last stock was never sold out.

The convenience store could not possibly support a decent living for its owner. If anything, it was just a liability, making the owner wasting a fortune on its upkeep. Jisoo had often shrugged off these observations with the solace that customers were rare in those particular hours of the day, as that was the only fitting elucidation.

Her eyes were still glued to the incessantly ornate clock. Five minutes till her shift ends. She started shoving her assignments that she had been completing to kill the time into her backpack. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and paced about the counter, eager for the remaining three minutes to pass.

Jisoo was sending out a few pending texts, when she heard the door chime open behind her.

"Took you long enough." She turned around expecting to see Lia, the person in charge for the next few hours, but instead was met with a guy in a grey hoodie.

The guy had a rather towering height, an antithesis to her petite frame. The guy was conspicuously making an effort to hide his face, but being the great human-studier Jisoo is, she saw him right through that hood. Jisoo didn't have to see his face to tell that there was something off about him. When she said 'off', she meant that something recklessly dark was lurking about his vicinity. Jisoo did not use the term 'dark' frequently, as she was one the very few unfortunates, who was subjected to its ingenuous definition.

Jisoo would not consider the local gangsters who picked up petty fights as someone she should be intimidated of. But this guy is not someone who should be approached with casualties. His demeanor screamed 'Beware!'. Jisoo would not be surprised if she ever finds that he has done something as barbaric as murder.

The stranger's visit struck her like a lightning bolt. Quick, yet stupefying. Jisoo's observant and stern brown orbs never left him, as he invited himself to the store. He walked straight up to a shelf, grabbed some cup noodles. He started advancing towards the counter, but never did his hooded gaze fall on Jisoo. He started checking out the products on his own. Before Jisoo could protest, he slammed a couple dollars on the glass counter.

'Better not to meddle with him' she thought.

With that, he was gone in the blink of an eye.

Seeing him up close, Jisoo was even more resolute about the fact of him being a criminal.

All those psychology lessons could not have gone into the trash.

No, she did not study psychology at some school or institute. Textbooks cannot teach you psychology. The courses are sometimes so profession-based, that they have very little to do with the real world. You could read every book on psychology and still not know the first thing about people if you do not know how to look through them.

True psychology is darker. Something that the common population cannot withstand. But alas, ordinary people are too blind to see the beauty of the dark. They do not possess what it takes to shake hands with the shadows, to reach out to the tranquility and solace the dark offers.

Jisoo was jolted awake from these mental orations when Lia hollered into the store.

"Sorry Jisoo. I'm really late today. You know, I'm terrible with the clock," Lia decorated her confession with a chuckle which came out a bit awkward.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Jisoo's lips.

"I'll be on my way now."

"Don't turn up at dark alleys! It's already pretty dark" Lia continued to bleat after her. 

A/N: The first few chapters will not be very eventful. I still don't have the progression laid out in front of me. The dark themes will be conspicuous from the next chapters.