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“Did you know that the bunny character is actually a yellow radish in a bunny costume?” Minjee asks me when we’re almost at the front. “Its name is Muzi because it’s short for Danmuji, like the word for pickled yellow radish!”
I give the statue a horrified look. Thenot-bunny stares back at me with a wide grin.
“This is why I have trust issues,” I say.
Minjee laughs. “You’re so ridiculous.”
When it’s our turn to take pictures, we leave our masks on for obvious reasons. But even with our masks on, we still manage to take a few cute selfies together.
“We should post these later to tell people we were here,” Minjee says. “The store will appreciate the shout-out!”
I nod. One perk of us both being girls is that posting pictures from our dates won’t cause a riot like photos of Bryan and me did. If anything, everyone would probably think we’re just friends and say we’re cute. Heteronormativity is annoying, but at least we getsomethinggood out of it.
“There’s also a café at the very top of the store,” Minjee says when we’re done exploring the first floor. “We can eat something there.”
I was hoping we could keep this date relatively private, but when we reach the second floor, a girl approaches us and asks, “Excuse me, are you two Jin Hana and Park Minjee? I’m a die-hard fan ofFated Destinyand am so excited for this week’s episodes. Can I have your autographs?”
And that’s enough to attract the attention of a few other people around us. Minjee and I stop to meet the fans, and the handful rapidly becomes a whole crowd.
“Minjee! Minjee!” shouts a guy, while a girl yells, “Hana!”
Minjee and I share a look.
“Your call,” she says. “I’ll do whatever you want to do.”
I nod, and then slowly, I take off my face mask. Minjee does the same, flashing the crowd a brilliant smile.
“Hey, everyone,” she says with a bow, instantly launching into celebrity mode. “I hope all of you are having a good day.”
I bow, too, and match her smile. “Thank you for watching our show! Your support means the world to us.”
“Are you friends in real life?” asks one of the girls in the crowd.
“It’s so cool how you hang out in real life even when you’re enemies in the show!” exclaims a guy.
I have to laugh at that one. If only they knew the truth.
But after that, things are relatively chill compared to the other times I got recognized out in public. Some people come up and ask for a selfie or an autograph here and there, but everyone eventually goes back to shopping, giving us space as we continue going through the store.
I breathe a sigh of relief. Interacting with fans doesn’t scare me as much as it used to, but it’s still nice to be able to spend some uninterrupted time with my girlfriend.
The café on the top floor turns out to be a themed café dedicated to Ryan, my favorite Kakao Friends character. Ryan is a cartoon lion who looks more like a bear with his round face and short tail but is still really cute. I always found his name really hilarious since it’s so close in pronunciation to theEnglish word “lion.” Everything from the drinks to the macarons in the café have his face on them.
After much debate, Minjee and I order Ryan-shaped macarons and mango slushy drinks. By then, we have a small group following us, and the barista offers to give us the food on the house. Minjee and I both shake our heads.
“We prefer to pay for ourselves, thank you,” I say.
I only refused because I don’t like taking free stuff, but the moment I say that, everyone around us cheers.
“You’re so cool, Hana!” says one of the girls.
I decide to just go with it. “Thanks!”
Minjee and I sit down at one of the tables with our food. The spots around us fill up instantly, and although Minjee and I can’t talk about things as freely as we want to in such a crowded area, it’s nice to be able to casually hang out in public.
The sweet, fruity drinks and sugary treats put us in a really good mood, and we’re smiling and laughing when we leave the store. By then, it’s around ten p.m., and the streets are filled to maximum capacity, so full of people that Minjee and I have to hold hands to stay together. Despite how cramped things are, a thrill goes down my spine. I’m glad the streets are busy enough for us to blend in.
“Hey,” Minjee says after a few blocks. “Let’s stop by a convenience store. The food was good but kinda too sweet for me. I could use a bottle of water.”
