I'm so confused - Karomir

This was the start of Hyun-Joon's second week in Gaia, and so far, he was liking it quite a lot. England had really fascinated him ever since the first world tour he'd done with his band, when they'd played here and for once had a chance to look at a bit of the country before they had to perform and move on. It happened so rarely when you were on tour, so he was really thankful it had happened, allowing him to see some of the country - and subsequently, had led to him talking to their manager about wanting an apartment in England he could go to next time they had a break, which was right now. It was the longest break he'd ever had from his work, an entire month, and he was damn sure he was going to utilize each and every second of it before he had to go back to their strict schedules. It wasn't anything near something even just resembling being easy, to be in a K-pop band. Not when you got popular, either - the demands from the managers just rose with your popularity, after all.

Not that he was going to complain about it at all - he got to live off of doing what he loved, singing and dancing, and that was more than enough for him! But, of course, he'd encountered a few obstacles while staying in England. First of all, there was the massive culture shock, having grown up in South Korea with their customs, which were so very different from the British ones. Second, there was the language barrier - he was better at English than many others in his band, but he was in no way fluent in it yet, and so, even something as simple as what he was doing right now - grocery shopping - proved a challenge at times. Especially since he was hoping to find stuff he could use for some Korean dishes he was really missing. So, he stood in the section of the supermarket where they'd stuffed all the stuff they had for Asian food in, but still wasn't having any luck so far. Some stuff looked like what he might need, but he didn't know the English words for it, so even though he read everything on the labels... It really didn't help him a lot.

Frustrated, he sighed and put a jar back on the shelf, pulling another off of it, and with great troubles, started reading that label through, hoping he'd finally found what he needed - because he was really missing his jjajjangmyeun! He hadn't had any in ages, seeing as their manager didn't want them to eat it either since it was considered quite unhealthy... But he just needed that comfort food, stat, so he just really hoped this jar was indeed one with chunjang... He already had the noodles, the pork shoulder and vegetables in his basket, so all he really needed, was that!

Le outfit

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A rather confused Karo rolled around in his bed and turned over to look at the clock, and in a split second everything stopped and came back as Karo jumped out of his bed "Fuck.. Fuck.. He's going to kill me... " Karo ran around like a headless chicken to get some clothing on and get to look like a normal human being. He overslept on a day, where he was going to meet with a guy, that had a small model job for him, and now he was running late. Karo checked his phone and saw an unread message from the photographer and began to read, but halfway through, he somehow sighed in relief. The man wouldn't be able to make it, since his wife went into labor with their firstborn. He mumbled something to himself in Polish and threw his phone onto the bed. Somehow he was reliefed that he didn't had to stress around to get ready, but at the same time, he was rather sad about the deal. Karo walked to the kitchen and began to prepare his coffee machine, but as he got along the way, he realized that he didn't have any beans. An irritated huff came from him as he then opened the fridge and sighed "Fuck..." he mumbled as he closed the door to the fridge. He had to go to the supermarket to pick something up to eat and some coffee.

Aisle after aisle he walked to find what he needed, but stopped as he saw a rather confused young man, standing putting things back and forth in his basket. Karo couldn't help but to smile a bit for himself, because he wasn't alone in having trouble in finding stuff. Karo felt drawn to this guy in a weird way, like someone was pulling on him, forcing him to get closer, and before Karo knew, he was standing right beside him "Need help?" he said, offering the young man a warm smile, without being a creep.  Karo didn't even know if he could help this young man, but at least he could try?

Hyun-Joon kept right on looking through the stuff he found, trying to read through the ingredients list. At the very least he could see there was soy beans in this one, which was a good sign, since that was the main ingredient of chunjang. But whether it actually was that, was another thing.... So he'd begun reading the general description, too, when he suddenly heard a voice right behind him.

He turned around and saw another guy, looking to be a bit older than himself, asking if he needed any help. A slight blush showed up on his cheeks, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. This alone probably answered the guy's question, but he got around to answering properly, anyway - though his thick Korean accent also immediately gave away that he was definitely not a native English speaker.

"Oh, uhm. Yeah... I'm not quite sure if this is the stuff I need or not... I mean, it looks like it, but I'm not entirely sure about everything it says on the label..." he said with a small laugh - he was usually pretty good at taking things nice and chill, not really worrying over stuff and always being able to laugh at himself. If he couldn't do that, then life wouldn't be much worth living, now would it? "I don't know if you'd be able to help me, but I'm really just trying to figure out if this is actually chunjang or not... I sort of need it to make the dinner I want..." he then further explained. It would be hard for the guy to help him if he didn't know what exactly he was looking for, after all!

Karo couldn't help it, but to smile at the young man before him, as he scratched the back of his neck. As he began to speak, Karo would try to place the younger mans accent, but couldn't seem to find a hundred procent solution, but somthing Asian. A soft smile would spread across Karo's face and a soft giggle would leave him "I had the same problem as I got here" he said biting his lip slightly, looking at the man beside him.

Karo slightly leaned in, checking the things in his basket and hummed slightly to himself then pulled up his phone "Give me a second" he said googling - Chunjang - trying to see if he had luck. A smile brushed over his face briefly as he clicked a picture of it and looked at the younger man "From what I can read here, they say it can be used as a substitute, unless you want to go to an Asian shop" he said shrugging. Karo didn't really know how this dish was made, but what he saw in his basket, it sure looked like something delicious. Karo thought for a moment if there was any asian shops around here. He concluded that there must be one in town, somewhere...

Well, at least the guy was smiling, so that was good. He was very well aware of his own accent, and so, he tried speaking a little bit slower, just to make it easier for others to understand - thankfully, this guy seemed to understand him just fine. And he wasn't alone with the language issue, either, it seemed! At least, this guy seemed to have been in his shoes some time ago, judging by what he was just told.

He nodded when the guy asked to have a few seconds to check it - meanwhile, Hyun-Joon kept on reading the description, deciding that this was probably the best he could get in here, anyway - and soon, that suspicion was confirmed, as it was suitable for a substitution, but it wasn't quite what he wanted, either.

"Ah... Yeah, I'd really want to avoid just substituting it... I mean... Basically I'm feeling just a little bit... Homesick? Is that what it's called? So anyway, I just wanted to make my favorite dish from back home, and it sort of needs the chunjang... And I haven't been lucky enough to stumble upon an Asian store around here... Do you know if we have one in the area?" that was the logic thing for him to ask, of course - the guy had been here longer than him, at least, or so he thought. In the one week he'd already been here, he himself hadn't stumbled upon any such shop... And seeing as it was his first longer stay in a foreign country, without easy access to Korean food, he was really, really craving it.

Karo shrugged slightly looking at the man before him "It's always better with the reaal deal..." he said slightly smiling at the stranger. He remembered how it was, walking around in the storee, trying to find things for original Polish dishes, but he could only imagine that Asian food, was even more different, unless they wanted substitudes. Karo slightly nodded at him " Homesick? Yeah, I know that feeling" he said, slightly looking into the ground. He would give almost everything he owned, just to get back to Poland again, but he was not sure if his family even wanted to talk to him anymore, which was why, he was staying here in Gaia for now.

Karo thought about it for a moment and bit his lip "Uhm.. I'm not sure. I think there might be one longer down the street" he said shrugging once again. Karo started searcing on his phone, making some faces along the way, raising an eyebrow now and then and smirked to himself as he found something "So... Around ten minutes from here, there'd be a shop.." he smiled.

Hyun-Joon smiled and nodded to the other man's words - because yeah, the real deal was always infinitely better than any substitute. And for making his favorite Korean comfort food? Yeah - if he had a chance at getting the real deal, he was damn sure going to do what he could to get it! Including going to another store in town for it, of course.

As soon as the guy had confirmed that there was indeed an Asian shop nearby, just ten minutes' walk away, a smile lit up Hyun-Joon's face, and in pure reflex, he clasped his hands together in front of himself, giving just a quick nod, really more of a shallow bow as a sort of thanks - he'd grown up with that being the polite way to say thank you to people, after all.

"Thanks you so much! That sounds just about perfect! What's the address?" he then asked, while putting the other stuff back on the shelf so he was just left with the noodles, pork and vegetables in the basket, as he'd been able to get just the right things with that - it was really only that one last ingredient he hadn't been able to get in here.

Karo nearly forgot what he came here for, since his own basket was still without anything in it, but he suddenly woke up as he heard the sound of the young man clapping. Karo slightly giggled at the young man offering him a smile "I can follow you there if you like? I live not far from there, I just need some sweets or something from here" he said as his cheek slightly blushed up. The sweets would be close to the exit, so it would be on their way out of here. Karo didn't want to force it onto him, but Karo wouldn't mind some company on the way home.

Karo would slowly begin to walk towards the exit, but stopped at the end of the aisle, making sure the other one followed him if he wanted to ofcause "I'll buy you something to drink along the way as we walk" he smiled warmly at him, slightly swaying side to side, like he was a girl, trying to act cute towards a man.

The smile from before didn't fade for even one second - not when the guy was as kind as to offer to just walk him there instead of giving him the address. having been here for as short a while as he had, his own sense of direction wasn't really the best in this city yet, so any help at all was very much welcome, especially from one who seemed this kind. So, he nodded, and quickly picked up his own shopping basket before following the guy.

"Oh... Uhm... Thanks," he then said, the blush returning, when the guy offered to buy him something to drink, while looking like he did... So... Cute? You could still say that about a guy, right? At least many of the fans had called Hyun-Joon that, so he guessed he could allow himself to think that about other guys, too. Anyway, it didn't take long before they were at the register - if the guy asked what he wanted to drink, he'd prefer something like 7up or Sprite, but if he didn't ask, he'd just go with whatever. He didn't care all too much about that, he wasn't picky at all.

Soon, the groceries were paid for, and they were outside again. As soon as they were, he corrected his own cap a little, just to make sure he didn't get any sun in his eyes. "Well... You lead the way, then, I guess? Also, since you mentioned you know about the whole being homesick and all... Where are you from?" he then asked, head cocked slightly to the side from his curiosity. "I'm South Korean, by the way." he then said, thinking the guy might be more willing to talk about it if he talked about his own heritage, too.

Karo looked over his shoulder biting his lowerlip as he saw the guy blush. He slightly had to fight the knot forming in his throat, before smiling warmly at the other looking at the soda "So.. Uhm... What do you prefer?" Karo said, still with the soft smile upon his lips, as he walked over to grab a Sprite for himself. Karo was a pleaser in any way possible. He offered the young man a drink, and was soon going to follow him to the asian store, just some minutes away from the marked.

As they got through and had it all paid for, Karo started walking towards the store, listening to the other. Karo's lips, slightly curled into a little smile I'm from Warsawa, in Poland" he said and before he could ask the other, he gave the answer for what was running through Karo's head, about where he was from. Karo seemed to thing for a moment, trying to place South Korea in the map he somehow had in his head and nodded "I've never been there... I bet its just as breautiful as..." he stopped himself as he realised what words nearly came from his mouth. A slight giggle came from him, somehow like a cover.

Hyun-Joon simply let another smile light up his face, and told the guy he'd prefer a Sprite as well, when he saw the guy grabbing one for himself. He thanked him when he got it, and soon, they were walking outside of the store.

He nodded, taking a sip of his soda as the other guy told him he was from Poland. Interesting - that wasn't one of the countries they had visited on the world tour, so he hadn't even seen the place. But he thought he knew where it was - they'd been in Berlin, and Poland bordered Germany, right? At least he thought it was like that.

And the guy didn't have to finish his sentence - Hyun-Joon might be quite oblivious at times, but he wasn't oblivious to people flirting, so even if he guy didn't finish his sentence, it still made the blush reappear, and deepen from the light one it had been before. "Well, uhm, I'm sure Poland is quite worth a visit, too..." he then said,coughing slightly. "Anyway... What's your name? I'm Hyun-Joon," he then said,thinking it was about high time for them to get to know each other's names, too.

Karo felt somehow like a complete idiot, standing here and nearly calling strangers beautiful? As he other began to talk he nodded slightly "In my opinion, no doubt about that... But just don't go to the small towns and such... They're.. Uhm how do I put it" he mumbled the last few words and continued " Lets just say, they're unique" he said with a slight giggle hidden in his voice as he spoke. He looked at the young man and smiled "I'm Karomir... But I'm used to Misha as well" he said, slightly twirling astraw of hair around his finger. He tried keep the name in his thoughts, trying to let himself pronounce that in his head over and over again.

He started walking down the streets towards the Asian shop, making sure Hyun-Joon was following him the entire time, since he had a tendency to walk rather fast " Let me know if you want me to slow down.. It's just a habit for me" he said, slightly biting his loverlip looking at Hyun-Joon with a soft smile.

Hyun-Joon could kind of sense how awkward the other guy felt, so he put up his usual big, bright smile, and clapped the guy a few times on his back, as a way of cheering him up again. "I'll take your word for it, I wouldn't advice any foreigner to go to the Korean countryside anyway, too - better stick to Seoul and the surrounding area," he grinned, and shrugged.

"Karomir? Special name... But well, I guess mine sounds pretty special over here, too. D'you mind if I just call you Karo? It's a bit easier to remember and all that," he then said, the bright smile still very much there, and hard to miss. Without problem, he kept up with the guy. For an Asian guy, Hyun-Joon was luckily rather tall, with pretty long legs, so keeping up with a faster pace wasn't a problem at all, which was why he simply shrugged to Karomir's next words - no need to slow down when he kept up with the speed just fine. And with Karomir leading the way, it didn't take long before the store could be seen in the distance. And since Hyun-Joon was fluent in mandarin Chinese, and that was just the language the signs around the shop was in, the bright smile on his lips widened as he could see, without a doubt, that they got to just the right place for getting the rest of his stuff. They might even have just the right kind of kimchi that he wanted, too!

Karomir felt the guy clapping him a few times on his back, which made his cheeks turn slight red. A soft smile would then spread across his lips "I've never been in Korea, so I'll take your word on it as well" he said with a warm smile.

Karomir slightly laughed "I think both our names are rather special here. Not at all, Karo is a nickname as well" he said still with the slight red cheeks. There was so much tension between them. Not in any bad way, but more like the awkward tension, the slight stranger danger sense that was kicking in, and they both were stuck in that weird situation. Karo looked at Hyun-Joon and tilted his head slightly pretty impressed that he was able to follow in his pace.

Karomir looked at the shop rather clueless and then at Hyun-Joon with a soft smile "Go nuts.. They might have everything you need, and maybe a little more" he said looking at the signs scratching his neck slightly. He didn't know what to do. Should he just leave or? Should he actually walk through the shop together with him. Karo bit his lowerlip slightly, somewhat having a crisis in his own head.

Well, of course Hyun-Joon noticed the guy's blushing - maybe he wasn't all that comfortable with physical contact? Some people didn't really like being touched after all, and maybe he just didn't know how to say it? So, anyway, just to be on the safe side, Hyun-Joon withdrew his hand and kept to the reassuring smile instead. "If you're ever going, I could suggest quite a few places to visit, at the very least," he then chuckled, and shrugged, before they'd reached the store.

"Looks like they might... Hey, you wanna come inside, too? I mean, like, i want to give you something for... Well, really for being this kind, most people wouldn't have shown me the way, just given me an address... Souhm... You can go with me inside, pick out something you like, and I'll pay it for you? How's that sound?" he then said, seeing how awkwardly the guy stood, figuring he probably didn't know what to do right now, and also... Well, he really did want to thank the guy for being so kind to him!