#soulsfull

[parkduris]

his smile grows, head shaking almost. "there's no need to thank me!" he says, a firm nod leaving his head. truth be told, duri did quite like going into stores and really just browsing. there was something about seeing what was new or what was around in a store, especially if the store really did seem interesting. though, he's not quite sure how often he had managed to wander into a department store, if he's being honest. though, he did always like looking at the home stuff - even if he did go and look at the luxury stuff each time too, always deciding that maybe it looks a bit weird on him. it seemed his thoughts really were, well, something else.

he nodded his head as he listened his smile growing a bit more. his eyes looked around for a moment, just to see if there were any air fryers close by to them, just to see what was there. "that would be great!" he says, as he looks back upon imogen. "i think i might have to do a little more research into the brand, just to see their reviews!" he said with a nod. "and maybe look into recipes or see what recipes i can turn into air fryer recipes!" he said, before chuckling softly. "i'm sure it'll probably be helpful on the days that i want something at home, but don't feel like fully cooking at the stove or something!"

❝ 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒, ❞ imogen grinned, ducking her head. the method had worked so far, but with idling days, it was easier and easier for her mind to drift back to the pixels on her phone. and so she'd taken to going outside, using her eyes on actual objects and people in front of her, to pull her attention from the device. which, in turn, led her to browsing the aisle at stores, where the deterrent was having to find her way home with her spoils. then, the rule became whatever she could fit in her pockets, she could take home. at the risk of looking like a very high-profile shoplifter, of course.

the mention of her favorite kitchen appliance brought a rumble to her stomach, making her put her hands on her belly as a flush swept over her cheeks. ❝ well, if that isn't evidence enough, i kind of love it. you can practically making anything in it. awful for my diet, but with all that good food, it's hard to care about anything. i'd be happy to recommend you a brand, if you wanted to pick one up for yourself, too ! ❞ but probably best not to encourage an impulse buy, lest she make herself out to be some sort of hypocrite. ❝ or, at least, if you'd like to do your own research instead. ❞

[harinz]

she takes a moment to remember ( reminisce ) what getting her first tattoo had entailed. she had started off small: just a little heart design with wings. and she remembers expecting a lot of pain, what with the constant horror stories from her friends that were meant to deter her from making such an altering decision. but it really hadn't been that bad—if anything, the absolute vice grip her accompanying friend had had on her hand served as a perfect distraction. clearly, it's the kind of pain she handles well enough. "i'm sure it can't be too bad," she says with her cheek in her palm, returning to scrolling through her regular artist's instagram feed. "you think i'd have four of these already if i wasn't good with pain?" stopping on a simple star design, she drops her phone on the table and moves the screen up against imogen's arm with an impish smile. "don't you think this would look cute on you?"

❝ 𝐁𝐔𝐓 ... don't those hurt ... ? ❞ that's not a real deterrent by any means. it's just that her childhood years were spent with stern talking-to's and the ever-present threat of ❛ if you get a tattoo, i'm disowning you ❜ or if you get a tattoo, ❛ i'll take a cheese grater to you. ❜ she didn't think her parents would actually do it. it's just that years of stigma are hard to remove. imogen can understand and appreciate them as a form of artistic expression. the idea of applying it to herself is a little more far-fetched. she's been known to toe the line with temporary tattoos applied with a sticker and a wet cotton ball, and for now it seems to be enough rebellion for her. far be it from her to stop anyone else, though. ❝ like, that area, i mean. especially when you're thin. ❞

[parkduris]

a happy chuckle leaves his lips, nodding his head. "my uncle and aunt who i grew up own a café! so, they told me a lot about what goes into the barista certification when i was going to work on going for it! but, i never got the chance, especially because i did all my other certifications. but, then i went viral and got cast," he said, a giggle leaving his lips now as he shook his head. "ah, it ends up not being that scary once you get into touching the expensive equipment! you really get the hang of it!" duri was sure to reassure, his smile growing a bit more. "it still must of been cool working the register in the café though! i know i had a lot of fun working register in my uncle and aunt's café when i would do it!" he said, excitedly nodding. everything had felt like it was just yesterday, yet it was so many years ago. time was something that moved so quickly, it seems.

he nodded his head as he listened. honestly, that was a really smart way to go about it, just so you weren't immediately buying something, then feeling some buyer's remorse once you finally got your hands on it. "that's really smart! i never thought of it like that, i think i'll start using that now," he said, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "it's always so easy to just press purchase on something, instead of waiting. sometimes, i think they get you when they tell you there's only so many left too, just to get you to buy it right then and there!" he added on, nodding firmly. a soft laugh leaves duri's lips, hand going over his mouth for a moment. "how's the air fryer? i've thought about one... but i just always really enjoy cooking over the stove."

𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 trills from behind closed lips, a bright ❛ hmm ! ❜ noise as imogen perks up. ❝ no way, that sounds sooo cool ! i bet they test you on all sorts of stuff like how to pull the perfect shot of espresso and whatnot. i did, like, a summer helping out at this tiny café in my home town. but they just had me on the register, haha. couldn't have me touching any of the expensive equipment ! ❞ that time seems so far from her now, the little imogen from a tiny town of a little more than two thousand. it's odd to think of them as the same person. and maybe they're not. maybe that's for the best.

❝ ugh, right ?? it's like... shoving it right in your face, at this point. my trick now is to put stuff in the cart but to never hit check-out until the next day. if i still want it, i can get it, but if i don't, then i just take it out guilt-free. ❞ her hand dips into her pocket to pull out a phone to show him, thumb flying across the screen as she accesses her saved videos. folders to categorize them probably indicates some kind of problem, but again ---- a problem for another day. ❝ honestly, i'm like... whatever the usual prey for anglerfish is. you just dangle a light in front of me and i'm gawking at it. but recently, i've been indoctrinated into the cult of the air fryer... ❞

[parkduris]

he always tried to be careful with his own spending. it wasn't like he actually needed to be careful, since a decent amount of it comes into his bank account. but, he almost doesn't like spending a lot on himself, which is why he'll always go thrifting and stuff like that when he doesn't want to spend as much. maybe he worries too much about bills, for really no reason, and he just needs to allow himself to spend a little more on himself. if anything, he always spends more on others because that's just something that he likes to do at the end of the day. maybe he should buy this fancy coffee machine, since he does like having coffee at home too - plus, he always enjoyed guests, so it would be easier for duri to have that too. but, he still wasn't entirely sure - just like he had put back everything he managed to pick up in the clothing section.

duri nods his head, a quick, excited chuckle leaving his lips. "i do! i learned when i was younger! and i had almost gone for my barista certification, but i never did because then i got scouted by secret garden," he says, another quick chuckle to follow. truth be told, duri is rather good in the kitchen, holding a lot of different types of kitchen skills. it's something that he likes a lot, truth be told. he nodded his head, chuckling softly. "me too! it's even worse now because tiktok has the tiktok shop, so it's so much easier to get the products now," another giggle leaves his lips. "i've gotten so many cleaning products and gadgets from tiktok, also the cooking products... ah, it's a lot," he says. now those things are what he'll spend money on, rather than the things in the place the two were currently standing in. something about it just made him much more willing to do so. "what ones get you the most?"

𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 her hair out of her face, she drops her chin in two quick, sharp bobs. if only you knew the half of it, she thought but didn't say aloud. did it make her uncouth ? make her origins, of not having much now ballooned up into having too much, too obvious ? he wouldn't judge her for it, she knew. duri was too kind, too sweet. but growing up in a rural community where most everyone knew each other didn't create the sense of camaraderie most would assume. not when she didn't fit into the cookie cutter wasp mold. being that close to everyone just meant that they knew how to get her where it hurt most. it was a little different here, but not by too much. imogen knew how to be careful.

❝ oooh, does that mean you know how to do, like, latte art and stuff ? ❞ most of her experience with it is kitschy instagram stuff, but as an art form, it's still quite expensive. her fingers found the rod of a milk aerator, brows furrowed as she picked it up and then glanced over to the similar-looking emulsifier just a few products down. ❝ i don't actually watch that much tv, ❞ she admitted. ❝ but i always get pulled into rabbit holes on my for you page or on youtube. ❞ just plaster the word review in all caps in the title and she's there. ❝ all those i bought x so you don't have to videos always get to me. what about you ? ❞

[parkduris]

duri couldn't help but chuckle slightly, before nodding his head. "ah, it's so hard to not buy things, right?" he says, his smile growing a bit more. "i have way too many books... and house plants," he says, before another chuckle leaves his lips afterward. not to mention, duri has a lot of 'cute' things he likes to collect too. though, the things that he does have, they're all neatly organized and have their places; making everything look rather nice, he thinks. he's definitely someone who's much of a maximalist, in some capacity, than a minimalist. it was just nice having color and the things that you like, right? at least, park duri believed so.

"coffee machines!" he said, before eyes look upon it once more. "i was thinking about getting this fancy one... i really like coffee, and i know how to make a lot of cool, fancy drinks because i grew up in a café!" he says, a giggle leaving his lips for a moment. his finger tips press a few of the buttons on the machine, just to get a feel for it. "but, i'm still undecided!" he added on, before giving a firm nod. his eyes look over upon the machine, before a soft laugh would leave his lips. "really? that doesn't sound very good!" he says. "i'd rather just boil the water myself on the stove top! but, i do understand that it could possibly help someone else!" he said, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "there are a few items like that, i think! where it promises one thing and then in the end, it doesn't actually work out." he says. "do you like the home shopping networks? i feel like they always have cool things on on there!"

❝ 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 window shopping. it's the only thing i can handle or else i'd have to call a moving company to help me with everything i've bought. ❞ the admission is self-deprecating, punctuated with a drooping head, hair falling in a curtain over part of her face before she brushes it back with a giggle of her own. some people wouldn't be so quick to laugh it off, some might acknowledge that they have a problem. but what is she doing now if not acknowledging and managing it ? she's practicing discipline in the realm outside of the practice room. and not to pat herself on the back too much, but at least she hasn't been going crazy with online shopping. there are ways to enable her, and she's been slowly trimming them away. she should be proud.

❝ what appliances are you looking at ? ❞ imogen asks, taking the warm greeting as permission to come closer. her hands are clasped plaintively behind her back as she turns to examine the shelf, squinting at the various assortments of doohickeys lined neatly in a row. ❝ oh, i saw someone try this egg cooker. it takes forever, and even then it doesn't actually softboil the egg so much as turn it into some weird unappetizing jello. ❞ perhaps she was doing well in curtailing her shopping addiction, but the urge to be helpful to someone else was just one she could never ignore.

[parkduris]

duri was basically in his own zone, eyes looking over the various different items. sometimes he forgets that he manages to talk to himself, something that oddly moves his thought process along sometimes. though, a lot of the time, he'll manage to actively talk himself out of something reasonable whenever he did such a thing. maybe that's an event that occurring in this very moment. then again, he couldn't even be able to tell that he's doing such a thing, just another thing he might talk himself out of. like the item that he was currently holding, which went right back on the rack because the color just didn't look too right against himself - at least, he thought so. maybe he was just good at saving money and that's what the whole thing was about; not that he really needed to save money, but it was always nice, wasn't it? nonetheless, he seemingly just shakes it off, not worrying too much about it. nonetheless, he'd rather go over to the cookware section, the place he really likes the most.

a familiar voice comes upon his ears, almost startling him in a sense. he turns his head to look upon who it was with that usual soft smile. that's when he'd turn his whole body, "oh! hello sunbae!" duri says, before he's bowing towards the other. he giggles, something he could never help, before he's shaking his head. "ah, not really! i was looking over in the clothing and thought about treating myself to something luxury, but i didn't think any of the clothes i was looking at really suited me..." he explains, a small shrug leaving his lips. perhaps, that's why he left most of the luxury items to the skincare, cologne, and accessories instead. "and i thought, maybe something in the cookware might pique my interest!" he says, another giggle leaving lips. "what about you?"

𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 is the only way she can describe her bi-weekly shopping trips. it's therapeutic, taking things and putting them in her cart with the simple reasoning that she liked them, but the issue arose when she made her way back home and realized that she would also need a place to put her new acquisitions. so imogen was attempting something new, watching someone else shop instead of doing it on her own. most of the time, strangers don't take kindly to people observing them in their natural habitats, but sometimes there's a dim recognition on their faces when they meet her eyes. unfortunately, that's also her cue to jet, lest some overzealous gossip decide to spread word that myworld's imogen is a creeper. she could play it off like zoning out, but that excuse would only work for so long.

so when imogen finds duri, she double-takes, winding back around the aisle to make sure she hadn't been mistaking someone else for him. ❝ oh, hey! ❞ she says, hoping she sounds as casual as she's trying to seem. imogen doesn't approach duri immediately, instead waiting for some sort of beckoning gesture before making her way over. in truth, it had been a split-second glance she easily could've missed, intending to head over to the cookware aisle to satiate her desire to pick up an espresso machine and then put it back on the shelf. not that she could really be trusted to do so, if it looked cute enough. ❝ funny seeing you here! looking for anything in particular ? ❞