I Love My Family [Chapter 4]: Shop Til You Drop Part ONE
Mom glanced around at the family. Donghae had a box of pocky in hand and bags under his eyes. Yesung was tentatively prodding a waffle drenched in maple syrup on his plate. He was heartbroken. Again. Kibum was constantly poking a pocky wrapper that had made its way into his glass of orange juice. "What is that? Is it edible? Mom! There's something in my juice." He rattled on and on, unaware that his mother had tuned him out.
Hankyung and Ryeowook remained silent while Kangin and Henry quarreled. Meanwhile, Zhou Mi pointed to her rainbow sheep plushie. "You can be Mr. Rainbow Kyunnie," she explained to Kyuhyun. "I'll be me."
Kangin and Henry's protests grew louder. Kibum kicked his mother's foot from under the table impatiently.
"Mom! Henry said that unicorn is spelled with a y!” Kangin chimed, attempting to grab Mommy Teukie’s attention.
"Yea it is! Listen. You-ni-corn. Younicorn. I'm right!"
"Mommmm! Is this plastic thing edible? I know you can't eat plastic, but it was in my orange juice so I was wondering..." Blah blah blah.
Twitch. Twitch. Mom couldn't take it anymore. "SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!" she demanded. At once, the room fell silent. "Obviously, we haven't gotten much of the outside world," she replied while she gestured to the window. "We're going to the mall today. If you we stay inside for too long, when we go out into the sun, we'll melt. And we don't want that, do we?"
At once, the mood changed. "Awesome!" "Video games, here we come" "I heard there's this HUGE bookstore there" "PLUSHIES!" "Heehee...giiirrrllllsss..." "I need a new wallet. This one is smexy but I need a better one." Everyone chattered excitedly and their voices merged into one. "TO THE MALL!"
-Mommy Teukie's POV-
I gather all my children for a meeting as we step out of the car. "In order for this little trip to be safe, we need to split up into reasonable groups. Those under 12 must be a pair with someone 12 or above. Mimi, Henry, Kangin, and Kibum need to be accompanied at all times. Yesung, take Kangin. Ryeowook, go with them. Hankyung, you're in charge of Henry. Kyuhyun is paired with Kibum, while Zhou Mi is with Donghae. The youngest with the eldest, the second youngest with the second eldest, and so on. Got it?"
Everyone groans in complaint. "What about you, Mom?" Hankyung asks.
I grin. "I'm going by myself." Grandpapa had opted to stay at home. The trip must be too exhausting for his weak limbs. He might stand there staring at the huge water fountain display all day. "Kibum, please don't poke the merchandise. Gary, don't let idiocy get the best of you. Kangin; no temper tantrums and don't hurt the employees. We'll meet at the food court in 2 hours. Good luck, my children."
As we set foot in the store, Kibum nudges his buddy and points to something in the distance. "You thinking what I'm thiking?"
Kyuhyun nods, a faint trace of amusement plastered on his face. "VIDEOGAMES!" they shout in unison before dashing off.
-End of POV-
Hankyung takes Henry's hand. "Where do you want to go?" Henry responded by beckoning to Zhou Mi and Kangin.
"We want to go look at plushies," he said firmly, as if daring anyone to argue. Hankyung had to release a gusty sigh.
"Fine. Make sure their chaperones come too. After we finish, come with me to the bookstore, okay?"
Yesung rolled his eyes due to a thought that invaded his mind: Kangin + toys + anger = RIPPP. He shrugged it off and followed the group. What could go wrong?
He should have known that a question like that should never be asked when you're a part of the Park Family. Why? The question is seldom answered with "Nothing could possibly go wrong." In other words, everything could go wrong.
A tall, Korean employee with glasses and spiky brown hair observed the two boys with curiosity as they entered the store. "Welcome to Games&Things. How may I help you?"
-Kyuhyun's POV-
I squint at the Korean guy's nametag. I could barely decipher the tiny print. D... Da... Wait a minute. A Korean guy whose name starts with Da. GASP. Is he that guy from Big Bang that I sometimes hear Donghae talk about? DAESUNG?
"Daesung?" The word pops out of my mouth before I could stop it. The guy looks at me as if I'd sprouted wings.
"Uhh... no? My name's Danny."
Kibum starts laughing hysterically before dragging me to one of the aisles lined with shelf after shelf of games. "Daesung... that's hilarious." Then, he stops and a confused expression flashes on his face. "Who's Daesung again?"
-End of POV-
-Yesung's POV-
The moment Henry, Zhou Mi, and Kangin led us to the store, I knew this was a bad idea. The moment I caught sight of the pink and glittery banner, I knew I was in trouble. The name of the store was "Rainbow Dreams and Stuffs". Come on! They actually used the word "stuffs"!
It's unhealthy for Henry to like this stuff, being a guy and all. We stride nonchalantly through the glass door. A tiny bell chimes, indicating that we were there. In a flash, we were greeted by two Japanese twins. Both were wearing multi-colored aprons that stated in big, bold lettering: "Rainbow Dreams and Stuffs".
Okay. Being in this shop could really damage my reputation. I ushered Henry, Zhou Mi, and Kangin in and encouraged them to hurry up. The bell rang again, signaling that there was another customer. A familiar voice made me tense. I peeked out from behind a hot pink shelf and saw... Eunhyuk?
What was he doing here? Eunhyuk is one of my friends. Sometimes we play handball or basketball in the park. I couldn't let him see me. This would blemish my record. I hurry to another aisle. The footsteps grow louder. Eunhyuk was coming. I notice a coat rack that displayed various wigs. Well, it's better than nothing. I select one with long, dark hair and don it. Hopefully it would conceal my identity. As calmly as possible, I step over to a product that rests on a shelf. My keys jingle as I take each step.
Eunhyuk turns the corner and approaches me. He pauses to observe the plushie thing beside me. "Awesome hair, dude," he replies, noticing. I attempt to sneak away. I side-step. Jingle. Eunhyuk freezes, clearly recognizing the jingling of my keys.
"Yesung?"
I hesitantly remove the wig and give him a weak grin. "Hey." He faces me with a confused look, one that said "Why were you wearing a wig, man?" I rush ahead to change the subject, as if we weren't standing in the middle of The Land of Rainbows and Unicorns. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting a present for my little sister. She loves this place. Why are you here?"
I flash a lopsided smile. "My siblings wanted to come here."
Eunhyuk nods, understanding. "Oh, okay. I have to hurry. If I don't get home soon, Mom will freak. See you later." With plushie in hand, he travels to the check-out line. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?
-End of POV-