❛ ↺ convenience store

@j. heejin A laughter bubbled in the back of his throat, his whole body trembling as he began wheezing, as if Heejin getting stuck inside a washing machine was the funniest thing he would ever live to see in his life. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and with every word Heejin said he would only laugh harder, sounding more like a mixture of a plastic squeaky chicken and lawn mower than a human being. He was laughing so hard the phone in his hand slipped, hitting his friend square in the forehead before falling on the floor, probably cracking, but for some reason that only made him guffaw even harder.

“Shut up loser, you will make it out of here, and maybe even in one piece!” He was sure hoping he wouldn’t have to resort to plan B, which was grabbing a kitchen knife and chopping Heejin out of the metal trap. Luckily, Taehyung’s guns aren’t all for show — swimming club had its perks — and with a bit of a struggle he eventually managed to haul his friend out of the washing machine. “For your information, you’re supposed to take off your clothes before you put them in the washing machine,” he scolded all while squatting down to pick up his phone again, shoving it in Heejin’s face for a close up of her snotty nose before closing it and shoving it back in his pocket, after uploading the whole footage on Snapchat, of course.

He pinched Heejin’s frowning eyebrows in a literal attempt to turn her frown upside down, but in the end she ended up looking more like an angry bird with how red she was. “Oh my, looks like you mixed the white clothes with the colorful ones! You got all red-” he emphasized his words by squishing the girl’s cheeks with both hands. Yeah definitely angry bird. Snotty angry bird. She shoved him away in return and Taehyung gleefully snickered. “I was playing hide and seek with you! And then you suddenly disappeared so I went looking for you, the next thing I know you’re stuck in a washing machine- why were you in it anyway?” he babbled, throwing a curious glance at the appliance as if wondering perhaps the sophomore found a pirate chest in there, because why else would she go in there?

“... ...” he mumbled under his breath, not quite following Heejin as she was throwing her tantrum. And okay, maybe she really wasn’t fat, but it was too funny to make her believe she was. “I’m sorry for leaving you bestie,” he said as he wrapped his arms around his very sweaty best friend, voice as dramatic it could be, practically dripping with sarcasm. After releasing his friend from the bone crushing hug he was immediately accused of eating cheetos and so it was his turn to sweat.

“So umm, like, yeah, I got hungry while watching you—” he reasoned, completely unfazed as Heejin sniffed his fingers, clearly it wasn’t the first time he got sniffed by her. At her words his eyes turned into crescents, hinting on the mischievous ideas he had in mind. “That’s right my friend, I so happened to forget my wallet at home today,” He pulled his finger away from Heejin only to pinch the hem of his jacket as he wiggled his eyebrows. “And miraculously I’m wearing a jacket in the middle of July, I sure do wonder why... so, since we are both starving, we really have no choice but to...” Taehyung paused to wink while taking out a box of choco pie he somehow managed to stuff into his trusty jacket. “So, what would you like to borrow from the store today? I’ve been eyeing that samgak kimbap, they have a new flavor I heard.”

Doing as he said, Taehyung sprung into action, marching towards the snacks aisle. “Let's get this bread.” This time he made sure to turn around every now and then to ensure Heejin was still tagging along, the last thing he needed was to lose her again in this giant store. Thinking of it, Heejin was a lot like those missing socks, swollen alive by evil washing machine— oh god, Taehyung was a genius, that’s why Heejin got stuck in a washing machine in the first place.

Heejin is a sock.

@k. taehyung heejin waited, upside down, in that washing machine for five minutes and those five minutes were the longest five minutes of her life. asking jeon heejin to stay still and wait is like asking water to turn into an oompa loompa. to add onto it, the chance that someone would find her is low since people don't visit the appliance section often. she sighed as she stared at the dark metal in front of her in silence. there was absolutely no signs of people around her after that one old lady left heejin in the dust. maybe she shouldn't have eaten that donut from the faculty lounge earlier. perhaps if she was a bit skinner, she could've wriggled herself
out easily.

heejin felt bad for whoever wanted to check the washing machine out because they can't since a not-so-smart girl decided to look for her friend in there. imagine how awkward it would be to politely ask a college student to get out of the washing machine so that they can examine it. it's a wonder how she can possibly be responsible for a swim team, let alone herself.

her stomach (she named it bear) loudly growled, the noise echoing throughout the washing machine drum. man, she could really go for some honey butter
chips or any type of food. fruit sounds nice.

suddenly, a familiar voice spoke. was it taehyung? or is it just the result from the brain damage caused by all the blood that has rushed to heejin's head? "hey!" she called out and as if he read her mind from two seconds ago, taehyung shoved a pineapple on a stick into heejin's mouth. miraculously not choking on it, she ate it quick before spitting the toothpick out somewhere in the drum. her stomach grumbled again—it wasn't enough. "oh my gosh! tae, i was looking all over for you!" heejin cried out, not noticing that the male had his hand out to help her. she sniffled as tears filled her eyes. "i-i'm sorry bestie. i don't think i can make it out of this." heejin said as she desperately held back her tears. who is going give him moral support when he has indigestion? who's going to accidentally knock his drink off of tables for him? the thought was too painful to bear. heejin shifted her eyes elsewhere and finally, she saw his hand. "oh—" she grabbed taehyung's hand and with some struggle, is pulled up and out of the washing machine.

she stared at her best friend for a few seconds, her eyebrows knitted together and her whole face tinted fire hydrant red. she wiped her wet cheeks and eyes, mumbling under her breath about how "hot" it was and that she sweat (cried) while in the machine. big girls don't cry. "so, where were you pooface?" heejin sulked before she grabbed taehyung's face with her hand and pushed it back. "and how dare you call me fat when i just saw a - and got stuck in a washing machine just for you!" she crossed her arms and tapped her foot, trying to stay mad at her best friend. but it's no use, she really can't get mad at taehyung—even if he burned her plushie collection, she would probably forgive him within fifteen minutes.

heejin's stomach growled for the nth time and instantly reminded the sophomore of her hunger. she needed to eat. soon. after squinting at her friend's kinda dirty shirt, she noticed a suspicious orange stain. he definitely did not get into a makeout session with ernie from sesame street. without warning, she grabbed his right hand and sniffed his fingers (like a dog). just as she expected, the smell of cheetos hit her nose and the orange stain was easily determined as the result of cheeto dust. so basically, her best friend had cheetos and didn't share with her? and there was definitely no cheetos up to try as free samples in the supermarket today, so how on earth was he able to get some? "you ate cheetos? how? we don't even have any money." she asked him, letting go of his hand.

aha! wait a minute, they almost never pay for the snacks that they eat. silly goose, she shouldn't be worried about money then. unconsciously, the corners of heejin's lips started to up into a mischievous smile. the images of a fun grand theft snack flashed in her mind. "never mind, i think i know now." she nudged his arm with her pointy elbow. "say, i'm actually starving right now, how about you?"

@h. momo To much surprise, he found himself giving the girl a small hug. "Ah, yeah. It was a pleasure to meet you momo. Have a good night tonight! Be safe." Eojin stood in the doorway and watched as the girl left, his eyes tracing her back as she moved further and further away. It was nice, having company for once. With a firm press of his lips, he then turned and began walking home to his own apartment.

@j. eojin “correct, it’s momo,” she said with excitement in her voice. she grasp onto her phone again and looks at her newly contact, her cheeky simper widens before she inserts her phone back into her pocket. “well, this is goodbye.” she uses her free hand to give the tall male figure a half hug, “it was a pleasure to meet you and thank you again!” she chuckles pulling away from the hug and walking out the doors to her place.

@h. momo Lifting his hand, he took hold of her phone and began inserting his number. It'd been a while since he last gave someone his contacts, but it was refreshing to know that he still held some social capability. "Will do- you said your name was Momo, right?" With his gaze focused on the screen, he finished with his full name, "Joo Eojin". Then, he handed it back to her with a small simper.

@j. eojin “hmm okay,” she slides the bag over to her wrist. “aaa yes, go ahead and rest.” she fishes out her phone and hands it to him, “here,” momo patiently wait for him to input his number. it was nice to know that she had somebody to lean on for comfort and support. “and you can text or call me whenever you’re bored or honestly anytime,” she chuckles.

@h. momo “Smoking is... something I do when I’m stressed. But other than that, don’t worry about it.” Turning around, Eojin sends the girl a momentary, handsome smile. He was quick to hand her the bag once she motioned for it, his own items coincidentally separated into the other. “I’d actually love to join you but, I think I’d best head home tonight. I can give you my number though? Maybe you can text or call me whenever you need someone to talk to?”

@j. eojin she nods, biting her lower tier. of course she was still going to go ahead and repay him in the future. for now she repaid him a soft simper plastered onto her lips. “smoke enough?” she mumbles to herself repeating it. “i hope you’re not smoking a lot, eojin. plans? probably stay at home and watch stuff on netflix, you can come — but if you’re feeling sleepy then go ahead and rest. my place is at a4-102,” she pulls out her hand towards him wanting her bag of drinks.

@j. heejin Majority of people sees supermarkets as nothing more than a giant store to shop in for groceries — but no, if you were to ask Taehyung he would laugh in your face, clutching his stomach and wiping a fake tear or two. People tend to always see things as they are, they fail to see the potential hiding within the well air conditioned, spacious store; the perfect place to play hide and seek in summer. And while a key rule of playing hide and seek is arguably letting the other person you’re playing it in the first place — Taehyung never gave a flying about rules in the first place. So hide and seek it is.

Heejin was too busy having a staring contest with a box of tissues to notice Taehyung slinking away from the cleaning supplies aisle. He was quick on his feet, laughing as he sprinted between grumpy looking adults who clearly didn’t appreciate having a rowdy junior ruin their peaceful shopping. He stopped running once he got to the end of the aisle, grabbing a bag of chips off one of the shelves and shamelessly ripped it open and began munching on the potato snack as he silently kept an eye on Heejin. After what felt like 3 years, 4 months and 27 days she finally put the tissue box down and looked around her, only to find Taehyung was missing. He evilly chuckled to himself, trailing after her as she wandered around the supermarket screaming his name like a hungry goat bleating for its mother.

Speechless, he watched as his best friend bravely pushed open the men’s bathroom door only to come out running seconds later — he could only shake his head, imaging what horror sights his poor friend just had to see because of him. “I’m sorry Heejin, but hide and seek is more important than your eyes,” he mumbled his apology to the thin air, only praying she won’t harm herself any further in her attempt to find her best friend. He wasn't too sure how long he had been running away from her, but the moment he took his eyes off her for a split of a second, she vanished. Uh oh.

Oily, cheetos crumbs covered fingers were eagerly clean and then brushed on his already not-so-clean t-shirt, he threw the then empty bag into a random passerby's cart. And well, it wasn’t like he ever had the intention to pay for it anyway, won’t hurt anyone. Then somewhat cleaner, he was fired up and ready to go. Finally, it was his turn to find Heejin!

“Hey stupid where are you?” His question drew the attention of nearly everyone in the store — seeing as Taehyung was twice as loud as the music playing in the background — save for the person it was meant for. But then again, what fun would it be if she answered anyway? He began his little journey around the supermarket, all the while wondering to himself ‘If I was Heejin, where would I be?’ The first option that came to mind was, of course, the kid’s aisle. Nearly every visit of theirs to the store would end up with Heejin diving into the pile of dolls and refusing to get out until Taehyung bought her a plushie. Or maybe that was just one of Taehyung’s weirdly realistic dreams. He shoved his head in every single basket, only to be met with another disappointment.

It was only after he had spent nearly 10 minutes running around — getting distracted whenever a stand with free samples came around — that he realized that wait, Heejin didn’t even know they were playing hide and seek, she probably wasn’t even hiding. Taehyung was an idiot, but hey, at least he was a good looking idiot. With one pineapple cube on a stick in his hand, he finally stumbled upon the right aisle. It was completely empty of people so he nearly missed the barely noticeable legs sticking out of one of the washing machines in line. Taehyung would recognize those mismatched socks everywhere. With his phone already opened on Snapchat — prepared to document his friend in her most miserable state, as a true best friend would do. “Heejin...” he said, unable to hold back his laughter, his phone shaking uncontrollably in his hand; the sole reason his snaps are always shaky. “Are you stuck— oh god, I told you you got fat lately...” He shoved the pineapple on a stick in , and then offered his then free hand to help her out — there was no way he was going to put down the camera.

@h. momo “Dont feel bad. I really dont mind.” Upon getting the final price, Eojin hands a few bills over to the cashier— mind distracted by the transaction. He hardly noticed her question, but it was then that he realized she was watching. Smoking was so normal to him he forgot it wasn’t normal to strangers. “I smoke enough,” was his answer to her question. When the transaction finished, he took the receipt and bag from the cashier with a small thank you. “What are your plans after this?”

@j. eojin “oh, but i feel bad.” she fiddles around with her fingers, watching him pay for everything. then seeing a pack of cigarettes being scanned, so he smokes. she was genuinely curious so she asked him, “do you smoke often?” she glances up at him, raising one of her brows. her grin faltering, smoking wasn’t bad — but smoking daily isn’t good for the lungs.

@h. momo “No need to pay me back. Don’t worry about a few dollars.” Eojin takes the basket, only to place it onto the counter top in front of the cashier. Pulling out his wallet, he silently gestures towards the pack of cigarettes in the back. “Well, I’m probably going to go home and sleep. It’s been a busy day after all. Bartending is a little exhausting.”

@j. eojin “hmm, three,” she struggling holds up three fingers as she hold her drinks. momo noticing eojin holding out a basket, so she places her drinks into the lad’s basket. her brows perked up, “i’ll pay you next time.” she follows him like as if she was his shadow, going up to the front with him. her orbs shifted back at him, “not that i could think of. any plans after this?”

@h. momo “Your roommates? How many do you have?” Taking hold of a basket, Eojin turns to observe Momo in curiosity. He slips all his items in, casually holding the carrier out for her to place her own drinks in. “I can pay for the items, since you’re here.” He soon turns around to head towarda the front- though stopping midway. “Do you want anything else?”

@j. eojin she nods whilst humming at his words, she averts her attention back at him. her orbs observed the items he grabbed, so this is what every boy needs? “oh- i was actually going to buy some drinks for my roommates,” her tiers stretched into a grin. momo walks over to the refrigerated drinks, attentively scanning each and every refrigerator. she grabs a strawberry milk, a coffee, and a energy drink. rushing back to eojin with full hands. “i’m ready!” she exclaimed.

@h. momo “‘Boy stuff’ is ‘boy stuff,’” Eojin scans through the aisles, walking ahead of momo to search for the items in need. He casually picks up a small box, a deoderant, a pack of dental floss, two extra boxes of toothpaste, and a few energy drinks from the drink aisle. “Are you searching to buy anything here yourself?”

stepping into the building, momo tags behind eojin. “so what’s this ‘boy stuff’ you were talking earlier?” she briefly glances up at him, before touching everything on her side, scanning its appearance. she was hoping that they had a few drinks she wanted to get for her roommates.

striding in with wide springy steps, hoseok glides through the doors, unaffected by the time as he idly noted the other customer in the store. he was planning to restock his drinks, maybe get a couple snacks along the way before he shut himself away from the world for a couple hours. "what should we have today?"

Pinching at the fabric of my jeans, I walk into the convenient store— head turning back and forth immediately to absorb the surroundings.
Hm.

@k. taehyung the girl stared hard at the two tissue boxes. in her right hand was a rectangular box with a floral print and in her other, a square box with peppa pig all over it. the fact that both boxes produce the same size and shape of tissue completely baffled heejin's mind. wouldn't a square box produce a square tissue and a rectangular box, a rectangle? how much engineering has went into tissue boxes in the first place? heejin quietly sighed, momentarily scratching the side of her head with the corner of the square tissue box. she examined the two boxes further, and quickly realizes that the rectangular box has another difference with the other.
"plus lotion? how the heck do you put lotion in tissue without ruining it or making it soggy?" heejin groaned in frustration. her head already hurt from asking herself too many unnecessary questions, maybe she can relay this one to her best friend. he always has an answer to her brilliantly dumb questions (even if it's not the right answer, it's still an answer).
turning around, heejin continued to stare down at the tissue boxes. peppa pig stared back at her dead in the eye. that smug smile on her big pink head, those menacing skinny little arms, the stupid tiny nostrils on her nose, her aggravating weak chin. heejin hated peppa pig. and weak chins.
"tae, how do they put lotion in tissues without making them soggy?" she asked. no response. "tae?" she called out before finally looking up to see absolutely no one there except for an old lady checking out the brawny paper towel man's chest. "kim taehyung?" heejin called out once more, this time, loudly. "shut up you idiot! i'm trying to think!" the old lady angrily yelled back at heejin, throwing an unused diaper from her purse at her head. "no no no. i can't lose someone in this huge supermarket—" she panicked, completely ignoring the fact that she just took a diaper to the face. dropping the tissue boxes (the peppa pig one a little harder), heejin ran over to the dog food section.
"taehyung?" she pushed aside a can of fish food. nothing. she began to check every single aisle. "tae?" she grabs a random soup can from a can pyramid, the entire arrangement falling to the ground. nope. "taehyung where are you?" heejin growls in a screamo voice, listening as she knocked on a watermelon. not there either. "hey punk!" she sticks her head in the ice cream section's freezer. cold, but he is not there. after probably ten minutes, heejin started to lose energy. looking for your bestie while hollering out for him and trying to avoid every single product with peppa pig is tiring. maybe he's taking a dump?
without a second thought, heejin busted down the men's bathroom door (accidentally swung the door open too fast)."taehyung!" she stuck her head into the bathroom, only to be met with an interesting gurgly shriek from a man with a where his— oh no, that's just a really tiny , peeing into a urinal. "sorry!" she yelled back, closing the door, immediately shutting her eyes and wishing she could take out her eyes and throughly wash them in bleach.
with most hope lost and with a new scarring image permanently in her brain, heejin dragged herself over to the appliance section. opening a top-loading washing machine, she lazily slung herself inside, her lower half dangling outside the machine. "kim taehyung, are you here?" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "i guess he's not here either." heejin shrugged, causing herself to slip deeper into the washing machine. her head touched the bottom of the washing vessel thingy-ma-jig. with a grunt, heejin attempted to bring out her arms in order to push herself out of the washer, but it's no use. her arms are pinned to her side. "help!" she called out, wiggling her feet around in the air. "no can do, "a familiar old lady voice replied back to her. "you didn't give me back my item that i threw at you." after an "hmph-good-for-you hum, the sound of the elder's footsteps grew distant. jeon heejin is officially stuck inside a washing machine.

@c. hansol traipsing her way over to the microwaves, she raised an eyebrow at his predicament, gaping . "true," she released a small laugh at how clumsy prone he was, before nudging his arm. "i'll carry it, don't worry. but, let's also get some snacks in case," she motioned towards the gummy bear bag that hung, ushering him to grab it for her with the bowl occupying her, giving him a grin.

@m. mina the expression on her face made him smile in return, she was so adorable and giddy over something so simple. he handed her the bowl before glancing over at the microwaves. "i just realized the flaw in our plan, are we walking to the river with a bowl of hot noodle soup..because knowing me, i'm going to drop it." he questioned, before walking towards the snack section.

@c. hansol "aw," she peeked over the aisle to present the latter with a pout in response to him missing his meal before resuming on a quest. udon, udon, she was beginning to crave it after seeing all the noodle brands stacked upon shelves. though she hadn't checked the whole store, she was getting hopeless with a frown adorning her visage. turning towards hansol, her face lit in utmost happiness as she made grabby hands towards the bowl. "i was just looking for that -- you know me too well,"

@m. mina "i think..i got home in the afternoon after my test, and i passed out on my bed for a while." he answered, walking in the direction of the instant ramen section. as his eyes scanned the selections, he looked over at mina with another small smile. this was essentially their first real..date? though if you considered snacking on high sodium, preservative rich food, a date. he made his choice and grabbed a shin ramyun, the classic, but one of his favorites. he then grabbed a instant udon bowl before presenting it to mina. "this one was your favorite right?"

@c. hansol "if you're lucky," with a joking tone accenting her words, she gave him a cheeky grin as he then took ahead of her wrist in a hurried manner for food. the double doors automatically swung open and they were hit with an aroma of microwavable foods and snacks. she was quick on her feet to trail behind him with tiny steps before mindlessly heading into an aisle without a goal. "didn't eat the whole day? why not, babe?" she called out, nonchalantly utilizing the given nickname with ease.

@m. mina as a set of hands covered his eyes, he couldn't help but jump slightly in place. though he was looking for her, he wasn't expecting her to sneak up on him.
"is this where i get killed?" he presents a small satirical chuckle before nudging her hands away, turning back to look at the girl. "come on, i'm really hungry." he nagged, grabbing her wrist gently before pulling her inside the store. inside, his hungry stomach was given an array of options. ramen, sandwiches, he didn't know.

@c. hansol with a white hoodie as a choice, it was difficult for someone to not spot her within the clouded night. knowing so, she took a detour to sneak her way behind the building, slowly inching in purpose of an element of surprise. tiptoeing her way closer towards hansol with readied hands, she covered his line of sight, a smile full of diablerie apparent. "guess who?"

@m. mina heaven knows what time it was, hansol was preoccupied with one thing in mind: food. he hadn't eaten since morning and it was now pitch black outside. as he made his way towards the 7-eleven by his apartment, he whipped out his phone to check any new messages. he grinned upon reading her text, before waiting outside the store for her.