โโ dreamland ( @osmanthus19 )
winter weather always seems to bring along with it opportunity, especially nearing the christmas season. of course, the holidays are one of the busiest times of the year, especially when you're an artist. there's always a high demand for good quality, hand crafted goods this time of year, meaning that the hwang family has a lot of work to do during the last few months of the year, including fronting a booth at one of hongdae's art markets.
it's currently bada's weekend off and despite the irony of it all she intends to spend it at the very place she's been working at for the past few weeks. to be fair, there's plenty of things to do that she hasn't been able to experience. there's a couple of stalls that piqued her interest, and of course she can only resist the various aromas of food wafting around her for so long.
but despite the bright lights and the hustle and bustle around her, the cold still manages to creep in. bada shivers, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets trying to keep warm. she shifts her weight from one foot to the other as she anxiously waits for a certain someone's arrival. once she sees him approaching her, however, a smile makes its way on her face and she takes one of her hands out of her pocket to wave him over.
"for a minute there i thought you weren't going to make it," she teases him once he's within earshot. "i'm not going to lie, i think i'm starving right now." bada laughs. "maybe we get some food first? we can walk around with it while we check out all the stalls?"
"Sorry I was running late!"
It's not like him to be late, but sometimes shifts ran late, and they ended up with him doing this big old show of racing to the meeting spot. There's something about timeliness, and rushing. Tardiness and feeling pressured are two things he absolutely deplores, and that's what was happening, despite there not being anything pressing for time right now. He looks at his watch, and then back at Bada. Does she ever get mad? Well, yes she does, but hopefully not at his expense or due to something he did. "I hate that the person taking over my shift is always late. Why is it impossible trying to find proper colleagues nowadays?" It's not like he even worked retail. He was an IT technician, but not the cool kind where they write programs, or make games. He's the 'hi, my monitor isn't working, can you help me?' type. And unfortunately he worked at a branch that offered 24/7 service assistance to hotels which meant that his cover-off had to be there before he could sign off for the day.
"I don't know if its a myth or not, that starving yourself all day will make you get full faster. But I didn't get a chance to eat much earlier today sooooo--- better make our money's worth in food today. And then we can walk it off," Danny says as he rubs at his stomach, "I wonder if there's going to be new vendors from last year, or if they're all going to be the same? Speaking of, I'm pretty sure the last time I was here at this market was... with you last year? Or was it two years ago?" The amount of time they spent together was starting to blend together a lot, and not in the way where he couldn't count the memories but where Danny figured that if there was an event they were both available for, they were going to attend with one another. "Is there a particular dish you want the most? I can keep a lookout for it."
โoh!โ she exclaims, eyes widening. โno, itโs no trouble. really.โ bada reassures him. โi was just teasing you, iโm sorry,โ she tells him, worried that he thought she was genuinely upset at his tardiness.
โwerenโt you telling me not too long ago they were supposed to hire some more people?โ she frowns as she asks the question. โiโm sorry you have to deal with that, i canโt imagine itโs fun,โ bada says with a sigh before they start walking towards the market. truthfully, she doesnโt know what itโs like to have an unreliable colleague. sheโs never worked retail or food-service, instead deciding to go into business with her family. though her parents would have supported her choice regardless, she enjoys making art and wouldnโt have it any other way.
โcan i be honest?โ she looks up at him as they walk. โiโm not sure when the last time it was that we attended together. i know iโm here every year,โ bada chuckles. โbut i canโt remember if i had any spare time to walk the market. if i did, though, you would have been invited.โ
badaโs eyes leave his face and she stares off at the stalls surrounding them, trying to see if anything catches her eyes. โas i get older, i feel like time is just racing by; the years blurring together.โ she sighs but shakes her head right after. โbut letโs not dwell on that, not the right time,โ she says with a short laugh.
โi want fish cakes for sure,โ she gets back on topic. โbut i donโt think that will be enough to fill me up. is there anything in particular that you want to eat?โ bada asks him.
