Mr. Moon's Market

"Alright, whoever took my glasses will be happy to know that I stumbled my way around for fifteen minutes before I could get to the right door, so please, return them." She had a bit of trouble keeping her voice firm yet pleasant and tried her best to blink back the angry tears that had started to sting her eyes. "Please return them at once and there will be no repercussions." Not that she'd be able to see whoever returned them in the first place.

Weekly, Jun probably visited Town Hall at least... two to three times. He liked to clean up the flyer display and otherwise pick up new petition forms or leave feedback/comments for the mayor in the suggestion box. It was part of his routine.

And so here he was again, when poor Dawn Bellwether, apparently, had been the victim of a cruel prank!

"Oh dear!" explained Jun. "How absolutely rude of them, Miss Bellwether. I can help you look or get back to your desk, if you need!"

It was just...quite funny wasn't it? Not that Tod was against protesting, but he did feel there was a certain...self-flagellation that came with trying to protest something as silly as prom.

He understood. Tod was a very big practitioner of self-flagellation.

Still, he had always admired Dr. Moon. He was rarely like this at work. Or, maybe he was, but the interns rarely saw it. If he was squawking about at the hospital, it was usually justified.

"I dunno about jail," Tod said, as someone relatively opposed to prisons in general. "I'm sure she was appropriately fined. And everyone came out more or less alright, so that's good. Hopefully she learned. I'm sorry she disrespected your...protest." It was hard for Tod to hold back another chuckle, but he managed.

(This author does not endorse Jun's opinion.)

Jun merely hmmphed. "I'm not sure she did. She's simply careless. She was the one driving that car with Destiny in it!" Jun pointed out. "She's one of those people who thinks consequences do not impact her!"

Roland was stoked about this! Asian fusion was always bangin and he knew Jun would have personal touches that would make this hit home.

“Japchea!” Roland said nodding his head. “Am I saying that correctly!?” Lining up a bevy of vegetables her nodded along as Jun mentioned Moon Market.

“That’s true about everything in this kitchen matter of fact. All locally sourced. Moon Market has even come to our rescue in a busy Friday night!”

Grabbing a backer of mushrooms in one hand and a bushel of carrots in the other Roland weighed them in his hands. “So I’ve always made sure all our veggies are cut the same size and then cooked separately. So why don’t you tackle the peppers and onions Jun? And I’ll knock out these shrooms and carrots!”

Mise en place was mundane work but not today!

Chop chop chop!

Grabbing his knife Roland took the tops of the carrots off in one wack.

“So tell me Jun how did Moon Market come about?”

Of course, Jun did not find it particularly interesting either. But the process soothed him a little, the closest thing that uptight Jun Moon had to meditation or a yoga practice. He could spend an hour prepping dishes for the cafe, humming old trot tunes to himself, and his blood pressure would settle, like an undisturbed pond.

Now, it comforted him a little too. At least it gave him something to focus on instead of those blasted cameras!

And so chop chop chop went Jun's knife. Chop chop chop!

"Hm? Oh well-- it was my father's idea," said Jun. Ah yes, that had been on the question sheet. Jun was surprised that Roland would want to know, but, well, alright, if that's what the big man wanted!

"He er, he moved from South Korea and opened up the market right there on Main Street, hoping to provide the freshest and most locally sourced produce that he could! And it caught on quickly, especially since he also imported international snacks from different places. People liked the diverse selection."

She sighed and sunk a little more into her pillows as Jun's voice rose, echoing through the hospital room. Destiny winced. Not just because of the volume, but the fact that she didn't want Jun making a scene.

All of the sudden, she just wanted to sleep.

Jun was probably right anyway. Destiny was incapable of not putting herself in horrible and dangerous situations. She couldn't look after herself. Everything that her mother ever said, that Destiny had tried to prove were untrue all year, had, instead, been proven very much right.

Why had Destiny tried to fool herself?

"Okay," Destiny said, "well...thank you." She didn't have anything else to say to that.

It felt like he had done something wrong, despite Destiny telling him thank you. It didn't really sound like a real thank you, did it? She seemed, still, quite upset. Or not like herself.

Had he done something wrong? He hadn't meant to! He had just wanted to make sure Destiny was okay. Why was it that he kept stepping all over Destiny's feelings, like some kind of clumsy ogre who didn't know how to watch where it was going? He opened his mouth like he might apologize, but the words got lodged into his throat.

How could he apologize when he didn't know what he did wrong?

His chest squeezed and he missed Lo.

If Lo were still in town, why, he could call her and talk to her about this! She always listened to him very patiently, all the way through, letting him rant and ramble and "get the hot air out," as she teased him. Then, when he had deflated like a children's balloon, she gently asked him if he wanted her opinion or not.

And he did. He always had! And then Lo untangled all the confusing parts of any social situation for him, and he could see things objectively, or at least, he could see them from one step removed. She helped him understand people. She helped him understand himself.

Without her, he was apparently just a fool.

He looked down at the tiles on the floor, an awkward silence falling over them, until he finally cleared his throat.

"Well. I should let you rest," he said. "I do...hope you feel better."

"I'm gonna hafta now, aren't I?" She smiled brightly up at Jun. "You've definitely sold them on me. And, of course, I'm open to any other suggestions you might have. Seems like you know what you're talkin' about."

"I dare say I do. I've lived in Swynlake almost my entire life," said Jun. "So if you have any other questions, well! I can answer them; you just come down to the Moon Market!"

She had spent her whole life being told what to do. Treated like she was glass. Like she was delicate and fragile and unable to do anything for herself. This accident had taught her that she wasn't those things.

Yes, it had been scary. Yes, she had felt so stupid. And yes, she was in pain. But she had survived it. Even though she didn't heal like a normal mermaid might, she was still on the mend. She wanted people to come to the hospital and bring her flowers and ask if she was okay or if she needed anything.

It seemed, instead, all she was getting was lectures.

From her mother. From her prom date. From Jun.

She felt embarrassed. Scolded like a child. She'd been treated like one her entire life. Mollycoddled and fussed over. But she was a grown woman! Blind or not.

"Because Mrs. de Vil is kind to me. Because no one can predict these sorts of things. Because I wanted to be. And if you're just gonna stand there and question my decisions, you can leave."

Now-- where did that come from?!

Jun was here as a friend! He was here because he was upset! Had he said anything that suggested he wanted to fight with Destiny? Of course not! He was just concerned for her, concerned that she'd not take the concussion seriously and go home too soon, concerned that she was not thinking through who she was associating with. Bah, Cruella couldn't be that kind, certainly! He knew her only as an old, unfriendly, cruel bully!

"I did no such thing! I'm just confused, Destiny!" he squawked. "I care about your well-being, eh? I just don't want you putting yourself in these dangerous situations!"

Roland just wanted him to have some fun! In whatever way Jun does that! Eyes shifting over his buddy he offered that final reassuring smile before tapping his toes in an excited little jig!

"Well hell yeah brother lets get to cookin then!" Roland didn't pay any mind to the cameras and just let them roll.

With nod he waved his hand over the large metal kitchen island that stood in the center of the large industrial restaurant kitchen. "I hope I've got enough prep done for ya Jun! So tell me what recipe did you choose for us to make today? We goin nostalgic or something that just sound bangin!"

Jun followed after Roland, his stomach roiling from nerves. As soon as he arrived at the counter, his knees locked, as did the rest of him. He looked as stiff as he felt, his eyes darting to the camera. He froze like a rabbit staring down the barrel of a rifle.

For several seconds-- which was quite long-- he could not answer Roland's question.

"Uh......."

Right, what exactly had he decided to make...?

Jun cleared his throat, then looked down at the counter, finally, as he rubbed at his own hands in a nervous gesture. "Right! Yes, I-- this is japchae!" Jun said. "It's a delicious and, and, and -- quite easy meal, as long as you have all the ingredients like..."

He grabbed the package in front of him. "Glass noodles! Purchased from the Moon Market! In fact, a-all the ingredients here are all purchased from the market, you know, locally sourced wh-whenever we could."

Couldn't forget to take the opportunity to plug his market!

She had to get this whole thing under control.

"We will determine what's necessary in this incident," Judy said coolly, stepping between Jun and Cruella and staring her cousin down. "Now fill out the paperwork and stop arguing." She glanced back toward the woman, who at least had gone through the trouble of filling out hers. "I've completed mine darling. You'll note that I mentioned how absolutely absurd this all is and by the way..." she leaned past Judy to stare at Jun directly. "Reverse sexism is not a thing. You're a privileged overly mouthy buffoon and good luck trying to get anything from this. Have a pleasant day Officer Moon," Cruella finished before she started off toward the exit.

Honestly, that seemed like the best solution anyway. Separate the two of them officially. "Finish the paperwork Jun and forget about that woman please."

The nerve of that woman!

He let out his breath, but his anger did not go with it. Instead, he scoffed as he turned toward his cousin. "How can I forget about her? She's a downright nuisance, Judy! You mark my words, she's bad for this town!"

Jun began scribbling intensely on the report. In just a few minutes, he had filled it right up, all the way into the margins and everything. One might wonder how Jun wrote so much about a five-minute incident outside of town hall, but he could be very descriptive when he wanted to be!

He thrust the paper toward Judy. "There you are. I hope you and the rest of the police do the right thing here. She needs to face consequences, or she'll harass other people next!"

Cruella--well, he didn't know anything about her. She had seemed like a miserable woman, but not violent. Necessarily. Tod prided himself on catching a vibe. However, he'd not spent much time with Cruella and he tended to try and not base his feelings about someone based on them as patients. You never knew how someone was gonna act in an emergency situation. And you couldn't, really, hold people to it.

Everyone was just trying to survive.

"I see," Tod said, though, he didn't really. Couldn't Jud have scheduled that better? Not that Tod could talk. He was shit at scheduling just about anything.

"She harassed you? Why? Because of your signs? I--thought those were a joke," he said, huffing a laugh as he took a sip of his beer.

But of course, he did not take it personally. Oh so many people were brainwashed by the nonsense that was prom! Look at his cousin! Look at Vixey and Al! Yes, it was a fun event with dressing up and themed snacks, very nice, very nice, but was it really worth all the money that the town poured into it?!

Not at all. Now, if someone wanted to privatize prom, that was a whole other thing!

"I was holding a legitimate protest, and she disrespected me! And really, that's just the start when it comes to her," Jun grumbled. "And like you said, she was driving that bloody car with Destiny in it! Just absolutely terrible. She should probably be in jail right now for how reckless she is."

She smiled a little, when Jun explained how they new each other. It was a fond kind of smile. A knowing kind of smile. Jun had always come off as a proud sort of person to her--and this proved it.

"No breaks," she said. Thankfully. Destiny didn't even want to know what that felt like, considering how she felt already. "I sprained my wrist, just a little, apparently. And yes, I have a concussion...but they did a CT and everything looks okay," she reported.

"I should get to go home tomorrow. Nothing to worry about!" She smiled, though it was a little forced.

But Jun was a worrier. Especially when someone said there was nothing to worry about. Why, that merely summoned everything that could go wrong to the front of Jun's mind, and so as he frowned at Destiny, he thought about that very rare one-out-of-ten scenario where the person suddenly dropped dead because of unseen complications!

"Well, if there was nothing to worry about, you'd already be discharged, now wouldn't you? It's important that you stay under observation for now," said Jun. "And listen to everything that Dr. Mitchell says in preparation for leaving. You don't want to mess about with concussions. They are quite a nasty business!"

He sighed, rubbing his forehead, like he was the one with a throbbing, injured skull.

"I just don't understand why you were in that car in the first place."

"I haven't," she answered easily, eyes lighting up at the mention of something new. "Is it like ramen? That's probably ignorant sounding, huh?"

Because yes, that was very ignorant! Ramyun the same as tteokbokki...bah! But he obviously shouldn't ridicule this potential new customer. At least she recognized that she sounded very foolish, eh? That was better than nothing.

"Not at all," said Jun. "Tteok is rice cake, eh? Very chewy, much thicker than noodles. They're delicious!" he explained. "You should come try some, eh?"

Tod didn't know much about the woman. She had been a victim of Chief's ill-advised joyride. And she had been rather combative with Spinelli at the time. And...she had something to do with Destiny Paras' accident, but Tod didn't know much more than that.

To him, it seemed like the woman just had severely bad luck.

Besides, he'd thought they'd been talking about the farm.

"Has she been bothering the farm or the Market or something?"

Though...that wasn't quite true.

But bah, Jun saw himself as an extension of both the farm and market. So, she was bothering him and that affected everything, didn't it?

"I had to actually go down to the police station the other day to fill out a report and interview about how much she harassed me outside of prom. That took an entire hour of my time! And because of that, I fell behind on filling out orders for my distributors, and then they ran out of one of our most popular items for the international snack aisle! Thankfully, I found another distributor to make up for it, but I was charged a premium! Naturally, I could cover that cost by adjusting how much we sell it for, but why punish my customers, eh? See? It's a domino effect."

For a moment Judy imagined herself somewhere far away, maybe on an island by herself in a lounge chair and with no troubles but that she would have to remember to reapply sunscreen at some point. And then Jun started turning red and yelling and she snapped back into the present like a rubber band that had been stretched and released abruptly.

"Mr. Moon!" Judy exclaimed again. She really couldn't go to the personal when her cousin was putting her in this position. And she could see a spark in Mrs. De Vil's eye, one that definitely didn't promise good things. And that was quickly made clear as the woman opened her mouth again.

"Are you sure? Are you one hundred percent sure that the cameras will show or convince anyone that I, an older woman of 60, could be as forceful as you claim? How could a woman at my age possibly snatch something out of your hands anyway?"

Jun did not realize that this could be seen as a "self-burn."

He glanced at Judy. "Don't you listen to her. You are going to pull the video, aren't you?! I demand it!"

Nobody was going to go without hearing Juns opinion.

"Just follow me in and I will show you the lay of the land."

Heading into the kitchen Roland pointed to a few of the cameras and lights. One in each corner - by the main kitchen area and another by the makeshift dining area in the corner. "See the cameras are just hung there - one by the kitchen and one by the table. They won't be moving and matter of fact they are rolling right now." Roland kicked his feet around and waved his arms dancing a small little gig. "See we don't even have to look at them - we are just going to engage with one another and the cameras are just picking up on what we are doing."

Waving Jun along towards the large walkin cooler doors and the prep station he pointed to everything laid out already. "See we will start here with some prep. Get the dish a started and while its cooking we can chat - then we will move over there." Roland pointed to the set table in the corner near the second camera. "Where we will enjoy the meal and finish up."

Nodding his head he nudged Jun with his elbow. "Plus I gave you those questions a head of time for you to look over! I know what you want to be asked so I won't be catching you off guard buddy! Wouldn't dream of it!"

Oh yes, Roland gave him a walk-through, alright! And a good one too. He pointed out all the important things and explained it thoroughly. But what Jun meant was more of a...ah...rehearsal of sorts-- when he got a script and got to practice absolutely everything at least once without the cameras even on him. They felt like large insects, their lens as big and soulless as bug eyes! Who knew that cameras could be so big, eh?

And why would Jun know that anyway? He thought this was a podcast. A PODCAST!! That was the one with the, the, the audio! Not cameras! Not video footage!

Omo. He rubbed his hands on his trousers again, feeling still nauseous.

"Oh yes, yes-- of course you did. Haha! I've got my answers at the ready!" Jun's voice pitched a little higher as she snapped his fingers, trying to pretend like he wasn't about to break out in buckets of nervous sweat.

(And he did have the questions. And he had prepared answers. But he didn't expect the cameras!)

Judy glanced back to look to see what the woman was doing, and she just caught a glimpse of a smirk before the woman turned toward her own form to fill out. "Ah yes. And I shall simply write that a delusional man tried to ruin a charming little event and tried to attack me with some horrid little poster so I simply had to defend myself and destroy the hideous little thing."

Judy grimaced and stepped toward her cousin, muttering in a low voice, "please do not respond any further. She wants to provoke you."

How could he not respond? She was lying! That horrid woman was LYING in front of his face!

Jun's face turned beet red, his nostrils flaring like he was about to snort smoke and flames. "That is not true and you know it! You know, there are cameras! Remember the cameras! They will review those and see that I did no such thing, and then you will get an additional fee for misrepresenting events!"