Karina is practically skipping her way out of the house, taking long strides with a spring in her step as she explores the outside for the first time. Because she’s almost always summoned in buildings, she doesn’t really get to go out and see the sun, so the experience is new for her, but rather than being anxious about it, she feels nothing but unadulterated excitement. 

Minjeong watches on observantly, though she has to walk a little faster than her regular stroll to keep up with the enthusiasm. 

When the two reach a crossing Minjeong takes Karina’s hand tightly and teaches her about traffic signs and when to cross. As they continue their stroll on the sidewalk, Karina glances over at the main roads in awe and the vehicles that zoom past them.

Noticing Karina’s fascination, Minjeong speaks up. 

“Those are cars. We drive them to make travelling more convenient.”

“Why are we not in a car?”

“The shopping mall is close, so it would probably take more time to park it than just to walk.”

Karina nods in acknowledgement. “Okay.”

"What's that?" Karina asks, pointing to a small swing set in the distance.

“Oh, that? That’s a park. I used to go there after school-”

Before Minjeong could begin reminiscing about her adolescence, she felt herself being pulled to the side.

“Holy !” The demon screams as she tries to back the two of them away. “What is that thing doing here!”

“What thing?” Minjeong asks, looking around. Maybe this is some demon thing that she can’t see, but aside from the pigeon, there really is nothing there. 

Oh. Karina is talking about the pigeon. A shaky finger tries to get it to move back, but it seems to be immune to her powers. Minjeong has never seen Karina so scared before. 

Rolling her eyes, she steps in front of the demon and stomps loudly on the floor, sending the pigeon flying.

Karina looks at her like she's the reincarnation of god, as if she is the single most powerful thing on the entire planet.

“Minjeong, how did you do that?” 

“Karina, that’s a ing pigeon. It’s just some stupid bird that we domesticated like thousands of years ago.”

“No, no Minjeong, that's not a bird! That thing came from my world! A monster of chaos with the intent to consume the universe! But when it arrived, something about the atmosphere or something crushed it into one of those things! What did you call it? Pi-Pi…”

“Pigeon, Karina. It’s called a pigeon.”

“Terrifying creatures.” She mutters under her breath. 

“Well, as long as it's a pigeon, it’s basically harmless. It’s like the rat of the sky.”

Karina still looks visibly spooked, looking around for other pigeons that might jump out and attack them. 

Minjeong just rolls her eyes. “Okay you big baby, we can try out the park another time.”

“B-But what if there are more pigeons?” She asks shakily.

“I’ll scare them away for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” Minjeong replies with an amused smirk. “But you have to promise not to freak out every time you see one.”

Karina pouts, looking slightly embarrassed, but she nods in agreement. “Fine, but only because you're here with me.”

𓆩♡𓆪

Minjeong realises that Karina maybe wasn’t ready for the straight sensory disco party that is a mall. A multi-floored complex with just about anything you could imagine- it was like Karina was a kid in a candy store, and her sugar high was hitting FAST.

What started out as a simple task to get a frying pan turned into a tour of a department store, which then turned into an explanation about seven or so kitchen appliances and their functions.

No Karina, that’s not a magic wand, that's a whisk.

That makes coffee. Helps humans stay awake. 

That’s a blender, chops up stuff very fine and can turn it to liquid. 

Karina listened intently to every explanation, eager to learn more about even the smallest of things. Minjeong should find it annoying having to explain everything, but for some reason, she didn’t. 

After a peruse around the small store, Minjeong picks out a pan to replace the old one and she realises that the demon she’s responsible for is nowhere to be seen. After looking around, she finds Karina, staring wide-eyed at some LED televisions.

“Isn’t it cruel that they trapped that man in there doing the same thing over and over again? You humans can be so sadistic!”

“Karina, there isn’t a man in there. That’s a video. It was recorded so we can watch it when it’s broadcasted.”

“So there isn’t just a guy in there?”

“No, no there isn't.”

“Oh good, that’s a relief.” And with that, she spins on her toes and mindlessly b-lines towards another direction. 

Minjeong realises it's going to be a long day. 

The queue for the checkout wasn’t too long, but Minjeong found herself slipping out her phone to start mindlessly scrolling on her phone, flicking through Instagram and TikTok.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a phone. It's kind of like the television you saw earlier, but it fits in your pocket.”

Karina looks on, fascinated. 

Minjeong presses around on her screen, opening up the YouTube app and tapping on the search bar.

She passes the device to the demon, who awkwardly holds it in her hands. 

“You can ask for what you want to see and it will show up.” The human informs, pressing on the speech-to-text function. 

“Pretty girls” 

Ice Spice & Rema’s Pretty Girl starts blasting out of Minjeong’s phone and she makes an effort to turn down the volume, trying not to make a scene.

“Oh, what’s this?”

“It’s a music video.”

Karina watches on silently for a full minute, the screen reflects on the shiny surface of her eyes. 

“This is fascinating, but it’s not what I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting?”

“Videos of you.”

Minjeong’s cheeks burn and her face turns into a scowl, “Don’t flirt.” She says, pushing Karina on the shoulder. 

Karina can only laugh. “Okay, sorry, sorry. It’s in my nature!”

Minjeong tries to hide the blooming smile on her face, but it's difficult. Luckily for her, they’re next in line so this conversation doesn’t have to continue any longer. 

Karina watches closely as Minjeong hands the items to the cashier, who packages the pan into a paper bag. Minjeong then passes a black card, which is swiped and then returned.

As they’re walking out of the store, Karina takes the bag from Minjeong, even without her asking. 

“What was that black thing?”

“That was my card. I used it to pay for the stuff.”

“Oh right, you can’t just take things right. You need like a contract for that.”

“I guess you can say that. This card is like the ultimate contract. No limit. If you want something let me know and I can buy it for you.”

The demon flashes a wide grin. “Okay, that sounds fun!”

𓆩♡𓆪

After a full hour, they finally make their way to another store. It was the one that Minjeong had been half dreading (only half Minjeong? I wonder why that's the case), that being the undergarment store. 

“Wow, these girls are pretty.” The demon comments.

The walls were adorned with posters of models showcasing the latest collections, their confident poses accentuating the products.

We must stay focused sisters, we must stay focused! She just had to pick out a few essentials, but it was difficult because she didn’t know Karina’s size.

Karina, on the other hand, seemed genuinely intrigued. She walked up to a display of bras, examining the intricate lacework and beading. "These are quite beautiful," she commented, holding up a hot pink piece to the light. "Is this what humans wear beneath their clothing?"

Minjeong nodded, trying to keep her voice steady. "Yes, they're designed to provide support and, well, sometimes they're just for aesthetics."

Karina raised an eyebrow, picking up a matching set of bra and . "And these? They seem... minimalist."

Minjeong coughs and chokes, avoiding eye contact. "They're lingerie. Some people wear them to feel confident or for special occasions."

"Special occasions? Like summoning demons?"

Minjeong laughed, shaking her head. "No, not like summoning demons.”

Karina smirks. “Shame. Would have been nice to see you in them.”

Minjeong’s mouth opens. Then closes. Then it opens again. 

“I-”

Nope. Not worth it. She just shuts up and continues with the mission. The sooner it’s done, the sooner she can get out.

Minjeong picks out a few basic bras for Karina to try in a range of different sizes to see which one suits the best, shooing her off to the changing rooms, but after ten or so odd minutes, she doesn’t come out.

“You okay in there Karina?”

“I can’t get it to close.” The demon whines.

Minjeong takes a deep breath, because a part of her already knows what's going to happen. "Do you need help?" she asks hesitantly, already dreading the answer.

"Yes, please," Karina replies, her voice dripping with frustration.

Reluctantly, Minjeong approaches the changing room door. "I’m coming in.”

Minjeong pushes open the door to find Karina struggling with the clasps of a bra. Are backs supposed to be y? Is this what Justin Timberlake was talking about because holy hel-

Minjeong shakes her head. Focus! Stupid gay brain. Stupid y back. Stupid Kim Minjeong. She chastises herself. 

Minjeong carefully claps the garment together.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed about finding it difficult the first few times. Once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty simple.”

“And if I stay with you for a while, I can only assume it gets easier.” The demon turns around and replies with a smile. 

Minjeong’s heart gets caught in , suddenly remembering the close proximity between the two of them in the cramped changing room. Clearing , Minjeong points to the pile of bras. "Try the rest on. We need to find the perfect fit."

Karina nods.

“I’ll be outside, but you can call me in if you need help.” She exits the changing room and tries to catch her breath. 

Karina calls for help for every other bra, but Minjeong doesn’t mind. They end up finding the right size for her and leave with a set for every day of the week. 

The cashier wraps up the garments in thin tissue paper and places them into bags, and once again, the human pays with her black card. Even though Minjeong still isn’t carrying anything, Karina has no issue in taking the new bags into her hands.

“Do you feel kind of weird?” The demon asks out of the blue.

“Hm?”

“My head feels a little funny, I don’t know?”

“Maybe you’re just overwhelmed by all the new stuff. Would you like to go home?”

“No, no. I want to stay. I want to stay. But I’ll let you know if it gets bad, okay?”

Minjeong nods. They continued their adventure to the mall, getting into a clothing store where Minjeong asked Karina to get anything she might want. They take a few trips to the changing rooms and Minjeong quickly finds that Karina has a good eye for fashion. She was kind of expecting the randomiser function from the sims, but instead, it seemed like Karina had a good idea of colour theory and proportions. After a couple of hours, they left with another three bags full of shopping there, but Minjeong didn’t mind, especially not when she once again, didn’t need to carry anything. 

Minjeong notices Karina shifting around a lot more, wincing as she shakes her head, but she still refuses to go home, insisting that she’s okay. Minjeong’s concern is growing, but Karina gave her word that she would tell her when it's too much, and clearly, she was having way too much fun. 

The two found their way to the bookstore, a place that Minjeong had become quite familiar with. Karina became quickly engrossed in the colourful artwork and titles of the books.

“Those ones are mine,” Minjeong says, her finger leading the way.

Right at the centre of the fantasy section was a whole stand just for her series. 

Karina picks up the thick novels, her eyes showing her amazement as she looks over the covers. “You wrote these?”

“That’s right!” She says proudly. “They’re my life’s work. I dropped out of high school to start writing those.”

“Woah!” The demon exclaims, reading some of the information provided by the bookstore. “You have the best-selling fantasy series in South Korea? That’s amazing Minjeong!” 

Minjeong poses and flicks her hair, enjoying the praise. “Thank you, thank you.” 

If that didn’t her ego enough, shortly after, a young woman came and patted Minjeong on the back. 

“Can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m so sorry to disturb you, but are you Winter Kim?”

Minjeong gives a s