Safeway Pyongyang // Reader x Countryhumans

First Week

     After work, North Korea and SH had ferried Y/N back to the house. The Countryhuman had offered her minimal praise before leaving, while SH wouldn't stop complimenting her.

     "You're really good at this!" she gushed. "Are you sure you haven't done any acting before?" 

    "Not... exactly." The human dodged the question. "I was in customer service, though. I guess I had to lie about liking the customers."

    SH laughed at that, before suggesting, "Hey, do you want to check out our library? We could find you some easy books to help you learn Korean."

       Y/N kind of wanted to sleep, but knew that a nap now would lead to her being sleepless later. "Okay. But I didn't know you had a- a library."

     "It's a big building- we have lots of rooms," SH said mysteriously, moving for the elevator.

     The library took up almost the entire second floor, full of shelves of different-coloured books that went up to the ceiling. SH noticed Y/N's shock and grinned. "Yeah, it's a lot. We have every single book allowed in the DPRK in here. Including foreign languages."

     "Hello, you two." North Hwanghae raised a hand in greeting from a small sitting area. "Come to read?"

       "Hello, Hwang," SH greeted. "Yeah, we're looking for some children's books for Y/N to read to help learn Korean."

       "Oh!" The glasses-wearing province stood up, carefully book-marking the thick tome that he had been reading. "I know just the ones. Follow me." He took off to the shelves.

      "Hwang is our most academic province," SH explained as they followed him. "He knows our history better than anyone but Korea."

     "Then... why isn't he teaching me?" Y/N asked, quickly adding, "No offense."

        "He would get distracted trying to teach you the etymological roots of the word instead of just how to say it."

       "The history of the word is just as important as it's usage, dear SH," Hwang chided. He grabbed two books from the shelf and brushed them off, before handing them to Y/N. "Here- these are some books that most North Korean children have read. They should be a good starting place."

    Y/N peered at the covers. One was blue with a drawing of a boy holding a knife and a staff, with an orc-like creature looming in the background, and the other was a comic book (mangwha?) with a rooster and a butterfly-man on it.

      "What are they called?" she asked, flipping through the pages.

     'Hm, lots of pictures. Good,' she thought.

     "Don't tell her." SH held up a hand. "She needs to learn on her own."

       Hwang sighed. "You'll have to find out for yourself, Y/N."

      They spent the next hour in the library, chatting with Hwang, mostly about what life was like in America, Y/N keeping her answers mostly negative on purpose, though she actually really couldn't think of any positive things. She could buy a hundred different chip brands if she tried hard enough? Hm, no free healthcare, though. In return, she got a semi-lecture on the history of Kim Il-sung, who had apparently written one of the books currently in her hands. The other was authored by Kim Jong-il, who she also got a lecture on, which was... surprising to say the least. Apparently the former Leaders had had more talents than just liberating the working class.

       'Ding!' The elevator chimed from the hall, and North Pyongan entered the room.

      "Dinner's ready," he said. "Korea said to eat without him."