Safeway Pyongyang // Reader x Countryhumans

Golden Lights

      Y/N's first step outside was a nervous one. She wasn't quite sure what to expect- barbed wire, guards on every rooftop, or maybe a line of prisoners being escorted to a labour camp. Sure, she hadn't seen any of those things during her taxi ride, but this was Pyongyang- the capital. She had heard enough horror stories on the news to make her fear the worst.

      The reality was slightly a let-down, considering her macabre predictions- it was just a parking lot. A paved area bordered with some sort of flowering bushes, with a road leading to the larger Kim il-sung Square, which was blocked from their sights by a large building with a tiered roof.

      She didn't have a chance to get a good look, though, as SH was quickly bundling her into one of the sleek black cars that was sitting in the lot. Y/N had seen quite a few cars in her life, but never one of this make. She supposed it was a North Korea exclusive.

      "Do you like it?" SH asked, hopping into the driver's seat after making sure Y/N was safe in the back.

    "It's very... cool-looking," Y/N settled for.

     "Yeah, it's a state model. Only heads of state, and us can drive them, usually. If we speed, the traffic women know to let us by."

       "We're not... speeding, are we?" Y/N asked nervously as they pulled onto the small road running along the side of the main square.

     SH laughed. "No, I'm not the best driver. South Pyongan likes to speed around for no reason, but Korea doesn't like us doing that."

      "If you're not the best at driving, then why are you behind the wheel?"

    "Hey, look!" SH pointed out the window suddenly. "That's the Worker's Party Headquarters! And this is Kim Il-sung Square!"

     Y/N could see both of those tourist sights from her window, and already knew both names, but decided to just keep quiet and tighten her seatbelt a tiny bit more.

     Luckily, the ride was only two blocks- past the Worker's Party Headquarters, whose white sides were covered in climbing ivy, and past a tall building with people coming in and out. On the other side of the road were colourful buildings with walls done up in shades of pale pink, blue and green.

     Instead of traffic lights, women in dark blue uniforms directed traffic, stiff-backed and serious. That seemed like a very anxiety-inducing job- to have the entire flow of people depend on you. Y/N had had trouble telling people that the icecream machine was broken at McDonald's.

      SH must have caught her looking at the scenery because she glanced in the rear view mirror and caught Y/N's (E/C) eyes with her pure white ones. "Don't worry, you'll get a tour of the city soon. I'm sure Korea will take you, once he thinks you're trustworthy enough."

      "Couldn't you take me?" Y/N asked hopefully as they pulled into a large lot behind the tall building.

    "I think... Korea will probably want to take you himself." Y/N figured that SH was trying to be nice- the unspoken implication was 'Korea will want you to go with someone who could easily beat you in a fight.' What Korea didn't know was that if even one of the traffic ladies raised their voice to her, she would simply curl up on the ground and not get up.

       There were several other cars and buses in the parking lot, as well as people going to and fro, who stopped to stare at their car. As soon as the two girls stepped from their vehicle, the eyes were on them. Y/N didn't know how it worked here, but in her home country it was rare to see one of the Statehumans in public, especially outside of their state borders. Somehow, though, she got the feeling that the majority of the stares were directed at her.