open and closed and clopen

[newphew]

WHO: hunter and other people
WHAT: mom says it's my turn to make a catchall
WHERE: everywhere all at once
WHEN: what if i use this for the whole ass year
WARNINGS: bad jokes

Comments

in my defense they're the same height and i assume the same general amount of ripped

[newphew]

[ jinwoo truly is gracious, giving hunter the out like that. hunter does not hesitate to take it, though his cheeks and ears turn red with embarrassment due to the mix-up. ]

[ but if jinwoo is going to pretend it didn't happen, so is hunter! ]

.... I have heard of a toy store that's been increasingly popular. Like, selling out of everything popular. Squeezemalvas? I think it's called something like that.

[ sure enough, there's a massive crowd some ways away-- gathered at a particular spot. ]

they are, but i'm still laughing. he'll tell yuwon about this once they meet.

[cosmarchy]

[ His eyes gaze towards the shop that Hunter has pointed out. The huge crowd is concering, if only because many of them are acting like getting toys is a life or death situation. ]

Let's check that place out.

[ He makes his way over, long strides taking him to the front of the shop. There's a long line of people waiting to go inside at this point. Someone even tries to tell him not the cut in line, but he only gives that person a withering stare. ]

... I wonder if what they're selling is really all that, or if it's something else.

[ Because it has to be something else. The window display doesn't look anything out of the ordinary, but what does he know? He's not the target audience for this stuff. ]

I'm so glad

[newphew]

[ is this brainwashing at play, or is this just normal customer behavior? a mystery. ]

[ a mystery they are about to dig into, as hunter looks similarly similarly disturbed as he follows behind jin woo. there's quite a height difference between the two, so hunter has to almost jog to keep up, but it seems like hunter is used to that ]

It has the be something else. No one cares this much about toys.

[ hunter you sweet summer child ]

[cosmarchy]

You'd be surprised.

[ Not that Jinwoo is someone who gets this serious over toys, but he's from Korea. Sometimes, it is that serious. Not that they're here to dissect that since they'd just rather find out if this is all thanks to the weird ads.

First, he takes stock of what's sold out. Pretty figurines, a few infamous plushies. Things that aren't that too weird to be popular. However, as he keeps looking, he finds... stranger items. Toys that are just outright bizarre, like who in their mind would buy it kind of thing? Some have only the display picture left, while others still have a few boxes.

Take your pick. ]

Would you buy any of this?

[newphew]

Seriously?

[ poor naive hunter has never been to walmart during black friday. or any kind of store, really. it shows ]

[ hilariously, these weird toys look like something straight out of the boiling isles, so hunter doesn't pay them much mind. he walks over to this one. ]

... Humans made this? Huh. Well, they look normal to me.

[ he is a really bad judge of this ]

[ he stares at the shark, intrigued, then.... clears his throat. looks away too quickly, with the tips of his ears red ]

No! Of course not. I don't play with toys.

[ jinwoo surely meant it in the context of their little mission, if these toys are truly that endearing or whether something's more sinister at play.... but hunter is a loser teenage boy who is easily embarrassed. ]

[ (the answer is yes) ]

[cosmarchy]

[ Unluckily for Hunter, Jinwoo has been observing his reactions all this time, so when he sees the way he's looking at the shark, he picks it up from the shelf. ]

Did you want this?

[ There's a man looking their way, eyes narrowed as if upset Jinwoo took the last shark. Too bad for him, but Jinwoo got it first, so by the unspoken rules of life, this is his now. Unless Hunter wants nothing to do with it. ]

Or should I give it to that guy?

[ He knows this isn't part of the mission, but still. ]

[newphew]

[ jinwoo is indeed wise to hunter's shenanigans. the tips of his ears get red, but he clears his throat ]

No, of course not. He can have it.

[ his body language does show a little bit of regret, but he's going to keep up this pretense. after all, he is a soldier!! soldiers don't need toys!! ]

Let's continue with the mission.

[cosmarchy]

Something tells me that's not what you really want to happen. You sure?

[ Before they continue on with the mission, that is. Does Hunter really want to give this shark away? Jinwoo is dangling it in front of him. ]

[newphew]

[ a very long moment passes, and then, finally, almost too quiet for jinwoo to hear: ]

I want it.

[ he finally relented and admitted it.... ]

[cosmarchy]

[ It would be easy to miss, but Jinwoo was waiting for it. ]

Alright. Let's go get it, then.

[ Now the toy is tucked under his arm while he surveys the rest of the place. Maybe there are other clues that might point them towards what they're looking for, but at least Hunter will get to have a souvenir later on. ]

I don't know if there's anything here. We should try another store.

[ Time to go pay for the shark. ]

[newphew]

[ jinwoo is so patient with hunter's tsun ass ]

[ it's true, hunter now has a new souvenir from this important mission. whatever the reason for the popularity of these bizarre toys, they seem to be popular of their own merit. which, for once, hunter actually understands, because that's the kind of toy horrors that exist in the boiling isles. ]

... Thanks.

[ also mumbled, as he is embarrassed. but as they head to the counter to pay, hunter nods ]

I know of another one on this block. They're competitors, so there might be something there.

[cosmarchy]

[ Once the toy is paid for, Jinwoo deposits it in Hunter's arms before ruffling his hair. Sorry, he can't help it. ]

You might be onto something. If this store is doing well by its own merit, then I wouldn't be surprised if their competitors resorted to tricks so that they can keep up.

[ He gestures for Hunter to lead the way, following after him soon enough. They're on the lookout for any shoppers acting suspiciously, eager to spend all their money on the next nonsensical thing. ]

Are the downtime missions usually like this, by the way? Low stakes and all.

[ At least, he assumes this one is pretty low stakes. ]