— park&go market.

@✽ jongin k. It probably looked silly to others how intent her stare was toward the selection before her. Hyunjung paid no mind, thoroughly weighing her options. If she paid too much attention to those looking at her, she would find herself in a staring match with a man beside her that she was confident she wouldn’t lose.

Could he stop?

It wasn’t for long, but she felt his gaze on her like a laser through her skin. She didn’t look back, not giving him the attention he probably wanted. She didn’t know everyone here, so she couldn’t guess who it was by the silhouette in her peripheral, but they probably knew her. She wondered if he was waiting for her to make the first move or if he was trying to place her name.

Definitely, the latter, since when he did speak, she turned her head. She didn’t have any earphones in and had no reason to act like she was ignoring him, so she gritted her teeth and looked in his general direction. She caught his figure and understood why he looked at her without saying anything for so long.

He was so distinctly familiar, Hyunjung almost felt frustrated by her stint in memory. Maybe she could act like they didn’t know each other, despite the feeling in her gut that she knew him. It would make things a little easier for her just to bow her head and say something along the lines of “That’s okay. It happens.” and go about her evening as if nothing happened, spending all night thinking about him. Just as she tightened her fist, ready to laugh it off as she would to any other stranger, her words stumbled out of before her brain could genuinely process them.

“Jongin?” The name rang through her head like a head cold. The name almost felt sour coming from her lips. Jongin wasn’t a person to her; he was a figure of what Dandelion used to be to her. What she wanted it to be when she came back. She hadn’t seen him in so long. She began to wonder if he was just a figment of her imagination. “Ah— Uhm… You’re Jongin, right?”

There was no turning back now. She had to commit. She wanted a friend here in Dandelion, after all.

@✽ seojoon p.⁰²²⁴²⁰²³ ‘Maybe he was a model or something, visiting Dandelion for some random shoot.’ she thought to herself, as she walked away from the tall and gorgeous stranger, feeling her back figuratively ache as she knew she lost an opportunity to flirt with him and get his number. Not that she really could anyway, her flirting skills weren’t as top tier as some of the women in this town. She continued walking, her pace getting slower as she, clearly annoyed with herself, gently knocked her bottle of soju at the center of her forehead. As if that action would bring the hot guy back to her.

She sped forward, running back to the police station, the stranger’s visual etched in her mind. Maybe she’d see him again eventually, this was quite a small town and maybe he wasn’t a passing visitor. She could only hope for the best and bring up that they had bumped into each other on accident in their possible second meeting.

@✽ jiwon k. seojoon himself after being bumped by someone was about to retaliate before he stopped himself at the sight of pretty woman in front of him. he didn't expect in this south korea — in fact dandelion itself have this kind of beautiful woman around. ah maybe he should do some explorations after this but why do so — when this girl in front of him already picked his interest. seojoon quickly shakes his head and smiles back in returns, he crouches down to help her with her stuffs and looks at her. "no no, it's alright. pls be careful yeah miss?" said him as he bows his head slightly as he went into the convenience store and bought his drink there.

and when he went out from the convenience store, he saw that girl again with her back facing him. actually he wants to approach her for her number but he just didn't want to embarrased himself if she rejecting the ideas. he heaves a soft sighs and smiles thinly as he know he doesn't deserve this girl at all. he's a criminal and that's a fact. seojoon watches her back silhouette before he turned his body around , walking back to his parked car. he doesn't even know her name but it's okay , her beautiful face remained in his memory.

@✽ seojoon p. Jiwon sighed, standing in the ice cream section of the convenience store, her head throbbing from the headache she’d been having all day. It genuinely did not help that a small, snobby group of male co-workers that she had (who called themselves the ugliest group name ever, “Alpha Boyz”) ordered her to go out and buy them some ice cream and ramen for the station. It was as if they weren’t all on the same level at their jobs, she was even higher than a couple of them in their workplace hierarchy. The only difference is that some of them were born wealthy and that they were men. She grabbed a handful of melon ice pops, shoving them into the basket with the ramen packets and trudging off to the cashier, who was dead silent as they noticed Jiwon standing in quiet anger for about 10 minutes in the back.

After the cashier rung up her items, she quickly added a bottle of soju for herself. She was using the police chief’s credit card and not her own money, but she still hated being bossed around. The words some of her fellow policemen said to her played in her head. ‘C’mon baby girl, just a quick trip.’ ‘Girls love doing this for guys, you know.’ She grabbed her plastic bag, mimicking their stupid words with a clear, soft mocking tone. She didn’t even realize as she sped walk to the door that someone was passing her way. She was halfway out the store when she basically crashed into this taller guy, causing her to curse and drop all of her just-bought items.

“Yah, watch where you’re g–” she was about to snap at him as she picked up her food, but she cut herself off when she saw /him./ She stood up straighter, her soju in one hand and the other foods in the now-wrinkled bag. Maybe she was hallucinating a little bit, or maybe it was because the stranger was abnormally handsome and tall, just her type, but she could definitely hear some trumpets and see flowers blasting out from behind him when they made eye contact. “Sorry, that was my fault–” she blurted out.

@✽ jiwon k. Seojoon heaves a soft sigh after hearing the task that has been ordered by the elder through his text message. Of course, Seojoon was in debt to the elder for giving him his accommodations ever since he was young, and he even got adopted from the orphanage by the elder since the latter was really fond of him. He parks his car on the side of the road and leans his head against the seat. Just when will this fate change? Can he manage to change his own fate from being a henchman of the elder to being a normal city guy? sounds impossible for him to leap his own fate. He shuts his eyes for a few seconds before briefly opening them after hearing a knock on the window. It was a little boy. 

Seojoon heaves as he opens the car's door and looks at the young kid. "What do you want?" He asked him, a bit annoyed. "Ahjussi, do you know this is not a parking area?" "Why do you even park your car here?" asked the young kid innocently. Seojoon was about to retaliate before he noticed his mistakes, but he didn't want to admit that as he cleared his throat and looked around. "Yeah, I just stopped my car here for a while. I will get going, okay?" You're so annoying. Grow up well and be a police after this I guess?" He scoffed and got into his car and drove away. 

He drove until he reached the convenience store, where he parked his car (for real) at the parking box. This time, he's confident that he's parked in the right place. He got out of his car and locked them as he entered the convenience store to buy a drink. After having an argument with a small child earlier, he was exhausted. (Not to mention that the killing tasks that the elder ordered him to do after this exhaust him even more.) 

@✽ yeosang k. “Well..” the Chinese male huffed as he pulled on the door, making sure it was locked before turning towards the male. “Is that what you wanna hear then? Fine, you’re attractive, but don’t let that fill up your ego.. you’re also a smartass..” he muttered the last part in mandarin, snorting softly to himself as he leaned against the window. “Mmm.. okay..” renjun zipped his jacket up at the air got colder, arms folding over his chest as he sighed. “Stressful though.. was tempted to go back to China not to long ago in all honesty. But I’ve decided to push through it.” The sky was empty tonight, save for a few stars twinkling in the distance. It was quiet, most people home from work and classes by now. Oh how he wished he could be home in bed already. “What about you? You said you’re back now?” Renjun turned to stare at the male, brow slightly cocked. “How’s it been so far? Anything change, or does it all seem like old times?”

@✽ gyuri p. "Lady listen here, I might have slipped them candy bars into my pocket because I couldn't carry anything else, wait... what? You saw me but ? " she looked up and looked around, noticing the security cameras, she waved a little at them before handing the other the candy bars. " BUT then you would have seen the snacks fall on the floor,WHICH is evident enough that I couldn't carry any more , so to accuse me of stealing is wrong of you indeed." Obviously Gahyeon was not going without a fight, but also what she spoke was the truth, there is no way she could have possibly carried anything more without sticking them into her pockets.
Picking up another candy bar, she opened it right infront of the lady, took a bite and then pulled out a huge wad of cash, this time she stared at the floor and mumbles. "Right here, is proof I had plans of paying, but you never would beleive me."

@✽ gahyeon l. an impending headache was coming in full force as gyuri had to listen to the girl’s poor excuse of an answer. if there was one thing that annoyed her more than anything, it was when people feigned ignorance when they /clearly/ did something wrong. “where did i get that- you have got to be kidding me,” she exasperated, glaring even harder at the other. “i literally saw you slip not just one but two candy bars into your pocket! speaking of which…” she all but stormed up to the younger girl, sticking out her right hand, palms up. “quit this clueless act—it’s not cute—and give me those candy bars /now/.” this wasn’t a request, it was a demand. perhaps gyuri was being a tad harsh; however, her tolerance for BS was at an all-time low today. “do this and /maybe/ i won’t ban you from the store.”

@✽ renjun h. "you implied it when you said that you weren't surprised that i was a stripper." yeosang hummed with a smile and moved outside to stand against the wall, opening the pack and quickly lighting himself a cigarette. he made sure that his implants were turned to a good volume that wasn't too loud before blowing out the smoke up in the air so it wouldn't get in renjun's face. "how are you liking dandelion so far?"

@✽ soojin l. Subin chuckled softly, nodding in agreement as his cheeks flushed up. It was only now that the full ordeal of this all was settling in. Was he really fighting with a woman over a thing of banana milk? Did he really not let this woman have the milk? He wanted to slap himself, knowing his mother would be scolding him for hours if she knew what had just happened. He extended his own hand out as well, shaking in silent agreement as he sent the woman a flustered smile. “Oh believe me, the last thing I want is a repeat of this.. I’d much rather our next run in to be filled with zero arguing.” He followed into the line to pay for his own snacks and drink, pulling out his wallet as he smiled over at the cashier. He paid, waving goodbye to her before realizing- he didn’t even get her name. How was he supposed to repay her? He quickly grabbed his bag, speed walking out as he tried to find her with no luck. He sighed out, making a mental note of what she looked like- he could easily mark her out in a crowd, he’d just have to remember to be on the lookout for her.

@✽ yeosang k. A surprised scoff left the males lips, cheeks burning as he stared up at the man. He rolled his eyes, slowly glancing away as he let his body shrink in embarrassment. “I didn’t say you were hot, mister..” his words slowly died down as he watched the guy grabbed the cigarettes. “Hm?” The question didnt fully register in his brain for a second, brows slightly furrowed together before letting out a soft ‘oh!’ He looked back at the clock before looking around the practically empty store. It wasn’t like there were costumers waiting and the store was going to be closing in a couple minutes anyways. Besides, it wasn’t every day an attractive costumer as,s if they can talk to you. “Um.. sure! Let me just, lock the doors..” he grabbed the keys and his jacket, slipping it on before locking the doors.

@✽ gyuri p. Pulling away from the glass and seeing the mark she left behind made her sigh, it truely was unintentional, and what little make up she wore today probably did look splotchy now. "Oh great, really , this stuff was not meant to transfer." Pulling out a disinfectant wipe, she carefully wipes away the makeup in hopes to clean it. "Of course if it stains , I will clean it thoroughly. I cannot trust, that this unnie will have my head on a stick later."

With a sigh, she stuck another small candy bar into her pocket, making the most of what she could do , while crouching down to pick up the toppled snacks. Getting startled at the ladies voice made her fall to the floor, look up at her and stutters for a moment, trying to figure out what her excuse was , only to blurt out whatever came to her mind first. "Oh nothing?" Breaking eye contact , she became timid, which for Gahyeon was very out of the ordinary for her, considering she was , in a sense..tough. "Back down? Shop lifting?" She repeated the ladies words back at her , once again making eye contact in confusion. "Wh...where did you get that idea from lady?" She blankly stared at Gyuri, curiously at her, intimidated but curious.

@✽ gahyeon l. it had been a relatively dull day at the store. most of the customers had been trickling in and out, minding their own business as they got whatever they needed. keyword: /most/. one had her face pressed up against the outside of the store’s window. it was odd behavior, and quite frankly, a bit annoying since she’d have to wipe away whatever makeup smears got on the glass.

curious about how things would play out, gyuri pretended to keep herself busy, turning her back from the front. little did anyone know that she had the feed of the security cameras on her phone. she raised an eyebrow as she watched the young woman tiptoe into the snack section and pile up one unhealthy snack after another. her attempt at a five-finger discount wasn’t lost on her either. spinning around, gyuri made her way over just in time to watch the pile of snacks topple over. honestly, she would’ve laughed at the comically panicked look on the young woman’s face if she wasn’t so annoyed. “just what the hell are you doing?” she demanded, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “if this is a sad attempt at shoplifting, i suggest you back down since this /isn’t/ going to work out in your favor.”

@✽ renjun h. yeosang laughed at renjun's response and ran a hand through his shaggy black hair, rubbing at his temple where his birthmark was. "you don't have to apologise, i get it. i mean, i know i'm hot." he winked at renjun before grabbing the pack of cigarette and started tapping it against the palm of his hand, humming softly. "i need to have a smoke, wanna come outside with me? i like talking to you anymore."

@✽ subin j. Did she hope that the other would eventually let her keep the drink?yes. Did she expect him to do so? No. As a child Soojin always gets what she wants without effort but since she wanted to stand on her own feet, she has to learn how to have social and life skills. Clearly, pouting and acting cute wouldn't give her much. Her will to change her way of life has been tested todaybanana milk incident with this guy. She turned her head back towards the male as she listens to what the other has to say. "Well, I hope the next time we meet, we won't be fighting over a drink." She laughed softly trying to lighten up the mood. But okay, deal. She extends her arm and taps the male's forearm before finally leaving the aisle so she can pay for her drink. "See you around" she waved her drink as she walked towards the cashier.

@✽ hyunjung k. Red Adidas sweatpants with the classic two white strips on each leg, a gray Nike zip up jacket with a hole on the cuff, plus his olive green Canada Goose bomber made him the poster child of warmth in this cold Dandelion winter. Had it not been for the weather, Crocs with socks in sports mode would had been the way to go, instead of this he wore his black nike trainers. However, it was not enough as he pulled down on his black beanie that could nearly cover his eyes with another tug or two. In each arm though he had a treat or two for himself, two bottles of soju and a can of beer in the left while the right contained some rice balls and gummies. All he needed was a bag of chips, a change up of texture in his snacks.

A damn shame that Flaming Hot Cheetos were lacking in the town, a guilty pleasure of his when he was overseas, he slowly walked down the short aisle to see what would meet his wants tonight. His eyes flickered onto each bag there, almost too intently for such a search. Before he could finish his mini stroll, someone was in his way. It was not just anyone, no a much more familiar face beyond the usual social media posts he would see.

“Hyunjung?” he asked without much thought. In that moment, Jongin crooked his head slightly to ensure that he said the right name. Years had passed, they were not the little preschoolers screaming their heads during another reenactment of star trek. Despite their memories together that would typically make him greet an old time friend, it was those same reasons that his cheeks felt a certain heat to them. Immediately he pulled off his beanie to shove into his jacket pocket, zipping up the bomber too. Rather it only highlighted his holiday color theme and his messy hair. Now he stumbled over his words, “I mean… sorry to interrupt. I just wanted those chips, but you look like an old classmate of mine.”

@✽ yeosang k. The Chinese males eyes followed the others hands, watching him run a hand through his hair before noticing the few strands that slipped out. The male looked like he had definitely gone through a long night, the eyeliner under his eyes smudged by what renjun assumed was either from rubbing his eyes or just from sweat. His thoughts were broken when he heard the words come out of the male. A stripper??? There were strippers in dandelion? His eyes widened as he let out a weak ‘Ah’. “That makes sense.” He paused for a moment, replaying his words in his head before he was stumbling out a response. “Not- not like makes sense negative wise! God, I don’t know what I meant. I’m sorry..” he quietly cursed himself in his mother tongue, cheeks red with shame.

@✽ renjun h. *I walk back upfront from the back to restock some things behind the counter as I start to think that today was a little slow for our usual Tuesday. I shrug it off as I continue to work before my break*

@✽ gyuri p. Sticking her face against the glass of the window, Gahyeon scanned the store, contemplatinf on what she needed and what she wanted, but once again she found herself staring at the snack section for a moment before letting her gaze trail to the one lady who was working there. "Oh god, it's her, there is no way I can get away with it, well.. it will be worth a try."

Waiting for the Lady to turn her back, Gahyeon sneaked into the store and tiptoed her way straight to the snack section , taking as much as she could, including sticking smaller candy into her pocket, looking around occasionally, before getting lost in her thoughts before watching her pile of snacks topple over. "Oh , well good job I suppose, Gahyeon, but like maybe it was too much of a challenge to discount on this much , you don't even know her well enough, only the yelling when people ask for discounts." She ended up tutting and just stood in the middle of the store, not knowing what to do now , just hoping she would not get caught.

@✽ renjun h. yeosang grinned widely and tucked his wallet away before taking the change and putting it into his pocket, running another hand through his hair and letting the hood drop from his head. his black hair was a little messy, a few of the tiny braids he had in slowly unravelling out, and the eyeliner around his eyes was faint but smudged as though it was hard to get it off. "oh, i'm a stripper." he answered without a hint of shame in his deep voice, stratching at his chest and inadvertently pushing the zipper further down.

@✽ yeosang k. “Ah.. um, right..” The sudden compliment left him flustered, ears turning a matching pink shade with his cheeks as he stuttered a bit. He squinted his eyes a bit, leaning forward to look over the ID before humming in satisfaction. Before grabbing the money, his eyes caught the glitter that was on the dollar bills. “Did you get this from a party or something? Don’t usually get handed sparkly money too often.” He joked, awkwardly laughing before sinking back into his seat. A quiet ‘never mind’ was mumbled out as he placed the cash into the register, grabbing the change owed back to the sparkly stranger. “Oh?” He handed back the change, staring up at the male with the faintest bit of confusion. Every costumer was honestly interesting to him, but this guy? Renjun had never been so curious before . “Well, looks like we’re in the slightest bit of similar positions.. I’ve been here for.. not even a year yet! But I hope things have been going well since your return.”

@✽ soojin l. “Well I wanted it too! Came here and knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted it..” his brows remained furrowed, pout deeming on his lips as his glare intensified just the slightest. Was he being immature? 100% he was. Did he care? Also yes. But was he going to just let go of the drink that easily? Of course not! He didn’t have a chance to continue arguing as he watched her shake her head, he stared, a bit confused at the action before he was handed back the drink. What? He stared down at the milk before looking over at her, cocking a brow as he watched her pink a new drink out. God, why did he have to have a conscience? He could feel the guilt creeping up already, eyes still stuck on the woman before he cleared his throat. “Just so you know. My fingers touched it first or whatever.. but tell you what- if I ever bump into you again, I’ll treat you okay? I’ll get you a months worth of banana milk, promise.” He sent an awkward half smile, clutching the milk just a bit tighter than before.

@✽ renjun h. "i can handle a higher price, promise handsome." yeosang grinned widely and held up his id card before opening his wallet to count out his thousand won bills, trying to pick the ones that had the least amount of glitter on them before holding them out for renjun to take. "ah, manners are...not something i really grew up with. it's a long story, but i only came back to town last year and i'm tryna get by."

@✽ christian y. 2:30am. for some reason, gyuri was still up at this ungodly hour, looking over the convenience store that was /clearly/ dead. the last customer had drunkenly stumbled over an hour ago, consuming an unhealthy amount of instant ramen and kindly leaving her a huge mess to clean up. let’s just say gyuri was completely over it. it wouldn’t hurt to close early for one night, right?

feeling energized with the prospect of going home, she swiftly prepared to close out the store. she managed to count the cash in the register, double-check the inventory, and even cleaned up a stray puddle of who knows what all within thirty minutes. she was about to turn off the neon open sign when she heard the tell-tale chime of the front door opening. too tired to keep up any pleasantries, she glared at the unwanted customer. “sir, can’t you see that we’re about to close? come back later.”

@✽ jongin k. The door into the convenience store clicked as Hyunjung walked inside, securing the purse slung over her shoulder as she gave a brief nod to the clerk. He probably knew her, somehow, someway. Whether by face or just by name, her gossiping aunt always made people sure to know that her brother, disgraced as he may be to the Kim family name, had a daughter who worked as an accountant. Hyunjung wasn’t sure how she talked about her now, bragging about her wealthy and successful niece or as a failure who freeloaded in their family house. Hyunjung wanted to listen in on one conversation at least or know who had what impression on her.

Those who did know her, at least her 5-year-old self, she avoided. Hyunjung didn’t have the time for that “You’ve grown up!” or the “What are you doing now, back here?” and those were just polite responses. The hillbillies of Dandelion always welcomed her with open arms, only to further the gossip once she stepped away. She wondered, at times, maybe she should be upfront with those who knew her and tell them what she was there for— but then she’d get the rumour of being too proud.

She couldn’t win.

Well, at the very least, she could get a bag of chips for tonight. If she wasn’t going to have any friends here, so be it, it’s not like she wanted to share this bag with anyone, anyway.

@✽ subin j. "Because this is the reason why I am here, I want to have this." She asserts as she shook the banana milk infront of him. When she looked back at the unwilling guy, she noticed that he somehow looked tiredㅡ exhausted to be exact. He must have had a rough day, she thought. She studied his features for a while and shook her head at his demeanor. Knowing that she doesn't have much time left to argue with the other person, she opted to give in. So with a heavy shoulder and a deep resigned sigh, she conceded and handed back the banana milk to him. "You're lucky, I am in hurry.. but trully, I had it first but fine you can have it." she affirmed with a gentle nod. With that, she turned her back and took another drink from the rack

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@✽ soojin l. His brows furrowed, mouth parting in slight shock at the words. He turned to face the owner of the voice, huffing a bit. “You literally weren’t?! I was here before you, hell, I was in this whole shop before you!” His argument quickly got cut off as the woman snatched the drink. He muttered out a soft ‘what the ?’ before he started rushing towards the woman again, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hey! I had my hand on that drink first fair and square! So that-“ he pointed to the drink that was currently in the woman’s hand with a slight frown, “-actually belongs to me.” He placed his basket clad hand on his hip slightly, cocking a brow as he gestured towards the other drink options. “You have like a million other options to pick from! Why don’t you just grab a peach milk or something?”

@✽ subin j. Soojin shifted her attention on the wall clock as its long hand hits the number 12. In thirty minutes her class will finally begin. She straightened her body and finished her morning stretches not long after. With only a few more minutes left before her first yoga session starts, Soojin took her chance on getting a quick energy fix; "something sweet", she mumbled as she started walking out. Lucky for her, a convenience store is situated just across her studio. It was one of those days where she's particularly craving for a certain drink, she just couldn't fathom what. Conscious of her time, she heads straight towards the drinks aisle and scans every row of juice and milk she would possibly buy. She didn't bother to take a basket since her only goal is to look for that one item. Her eyes immediately fixated on the only small yellow colored box of banana milk standing on the shelf. She immediately grabbed the milk but before she could do so, another hand swiftly pushed hers away. Annoyed, she looked up and eyes the other person. "wth? I was literally grabbing it first. you weren't here before." she hurriedly snatched the banana milk back from the guy, "so this is mine, bye"

@✽ soojin l. A tired sigh left Subin’s lips as he entered into the convenience store, the jingling bells indicating he has just came in. He had just finished filming a scene today, a more dramatic cut that had taken around six hours for the director to be happy with it. He wasn’t even mad, in all honesty he had asked a few times himself for a reshoot so that the clip would be perfect. He was simply just worn out and low on energy. He definitely needed to start bringing more snacks onto set or else he’d continue to leave shaky and with a headache. He grabbed a basket, eyeing all the different snacks and drinks as he carefully selected a few. Just some candies and a sandwich and.. maybe he should grab some ramen as well. He continued to stuff his basket, his stomach controlling his spending before he caught eye of the drink milks available. Man, he hadn’t enjoyed those in a hot minute, having always opted for coffees and energy drinks. He stared at the selection, eyes growing wider. Peach? No.. apple? Tempting, but not now. Banana? He stared at the yellow packaged drink, shrugging a bit to himself before deciding on it. As his hand reached for the drink, another hand came as well. He furrowed his brows a bit before trying to shoo off the hand. “Hey, my hand touched it first- it’s mine.”