moon-yeongjun

[moon-yeongjun]

Now see, this was more like it! See, why hadn't other sheriffs responded like this to Jun's very reasonable requests? (Demands. They had been demands). But no, he was treated like some kind of villain instead, like wanting a cleaner, safer, more structured town was a crime against magicks and mundus alike!

Tom Harrington hadn't been so bad. But he still talked to Jun a bit patronizingly.

Jun liked Max's grave demeanor. He understood!

And so Jun smiled at Max. "Ah, thank you! That sounds like a perfect timeline, very efficient. It will give me time to gather even more evidence for you!" Jun said cheerfully.

@trackedbymaximus

It's Only Business || Moonton

[moon-yeongjun]

Ah, to lose a treasured member of the Moon Market team always felt very bittersweet. Granted-- there had not been many members of the Moon Market throughout the years, considering Yeong-seok's resistance to hiring basically anyone outside of family for so long. But still, people had come and go. Jun had to expected it, yes? Rare was the person who wanted to work at a grocery store forever. He always expected Milo might move onto something else but...

Moving across the ocean to America! Wah, that was something else!

Jun thought the entire idea was an exercise in futility. Pip Seville would probably end up back in Swynlake within two to three years, if Jun were to guess, considering he was foolish enough to pursue a low-paying job like acting of all things.

But ah well, in the meantime, Jun would have to say goodbye to Milo. It would be quite the loss.

Jun opened the door when Milo arrived on time, prompt as always (something that Jun quite liked about him!) He smiled, eyebrows jumping in delight to see he had not come empty-handed.

"Ehhh? What's all this! You didn't have to bring anything! Come, come in," said Jun warmly, ushering Milo inside.

@plutothe-pup

The Departed || Moon Dog

[moon-yeongjun]

Potential follow up?! Why, there simply HAD to be follow up! Jun had already complained about these stones before and was he listened to? No, he was not! He had hoped that having the ear of the new Sheriff would get something done, but here Max was talking about "potential" follow-up. Bah!

Jun frowned deeply, narrowing his eyes at those offensive stones. How long would it really take to replace them, eh? Or did they think they'd have to replace the whole street?!

Well, if that's what they had to do, that's what they had to do!

"Oh yes, I will CC you on everything, trust me. I've already complained about this and it was ignored!" Jun reminded Max. "So whatever I can do to get it addressed promptly. Just you wait, someone is going to break their ankle!"

@trackedbymaximus

It's Only Business || Moonton

[moon-yeongjun]

"Pfft-- I am fine!" said Jun and then proceeded to run into another set of tables.

Behind him, the nice pub lady threw up her hands.

Jun just chuckled, then stayed in place-- waving back and forth like a tall piece of wheat in the field-- until Judy finally came over and put his arm around her shoulder. Jun kept chuckling as though this was a very funny thing, like they were playing a game! And it felt like one, eh? Judy, his younger cousin, always loved such games of pretend when they were children. She fancied herself the doctor or the firefighter-- always the hero, never the victim.

Jun, meanwhile, played to the whims of his younger siblings and so he was whatever they told him to be: prone victim, evil villain, innocent bystander. Jun assumed this was still his duty and so, okay, okay, he'd let Judy lead him away to wherever they were going...

"Wait, wait, the car keys!" Jun fumbled around for them. "I left them in the booth!"

They were not in the booth-- they were safely in his pocket.

@officer-judy-moon

Emergency Contact || Jun and Judy

[moon-yeongjun]

The Right Time || Jun/Pepa

Summary: After Lo tells Jun that her family will be split apart, Jun realizes he has one last shot to ask Pepa and Felix a very important question...

@letitrain-letitsnow-letitgo

****

JUN: 

Jun’s head had been spinning for the past twenty-four hours, ever since Lo told him the news about Cami and Pepa. Both of them gone— in just one week! He had this terrible, sinking feeling it was not for such an innocent reason either. He couldn’t imagine what might break the Madrigal family in two, but as much as he wanted to ask, Jun knew now was certainly not the time.

So what could he do? What could he do? The question multiplied over and over with no real answer in sight until at last Jun woke with a yelp, sitting up in his bed at 3am in the morning as he realized all at once what he must do.

Before it was too late, he must ask Lo to marry him. He had to do it now. This week. Before her family was split, and there was no telling when Lo might see them again.

And so Jun scrambled, frantically finding coverage for the market and then asking Pepa and Felix to meet. It was undoubtedly an odd email from him, but thankfully, Pepa reacted quickly. She had her own loose ends to tie up before she left Swynlake! After confirming, he hustled over to Casita while school was in, so Lo was not around.

By the time he arrived, Jun’s palms had already started sweating. So were his armpits. Good thing he was wearing a cardigan, eh? (This was probably one of the reasons he was sweating, but Jun hated to show his arms.)

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice!” Jun said as soon as Pepa opened the door and ushered him in. His voice broke embarrassingly on the first word, like he hadn’t used it all day, and he blushed already.

****

[Read here!]

[moon-yeongjun]

Jun was blushing so hard, he might as well be moonlighting as a tomato.

But he still managed to sneak his hand across to grasp Dolores's very tenderly. In fact, he might even like to kiss her... even though they were in public and everything!

But well, that was how Lo made him feel. He became braver with her. And more willing to bend all his rules.

"Yes, I think there would be. We're very lucky." Then, he paused, and added. "I'm very lucky, Lo. I hope you know that I know that."

@haveyoumet-dolores

The Next Chapter {Juno}

[moon-yeongjun]

"Oh, of course!" Jun lied.

But Jun, you see, he didn't know it was a lie! He simply was utterly convinced of his private reality. In his mind, people had absolutely complained, because Jun had complained. He had tripped over them, so surely some other people had tripped over them. And he'd seen a mother struggle with her stroller over some of the cobblestones, and though she didn't complain, well, could you blame her? She was a young mother, very busy, she had no time to march down to Town hall to file a report! But think about what could have happened, hm? The stroller could have tipped over. A baby could have been hurt!

So Jun was simply acting as the voice of the people.

This was his duty.

"I've heard it all the time! You know how dangerous it is too for some of my customers-- they leave here with arms and arms full of groceries, so they can't look where they are going. Why, just the other day, a poor woman tripped and dropped her gallon of milk! It could have split open and gone everywhere!"

The implication here was that it did not split open, and so no harm done.

No no! Not to Jun! There was so much harm, and he had an itemized list, down to the times of each incident! In fact--

"If you want, I can get you the footage for the security cameras! You can see for yourself!"

@trackedbymaximus

It's Only Business || Moonton

[moon-yeongjun]

HOT COWBOYS IN YOUR AREA!!!!

[moon-yeongjun]

"Ehhhhhhhh? You don't drink?!" exclaimed Jun.

For the record, Jun did know this about his cousin. In his sober mind, he admired it greatly for Judy. As a man who technically had a medical license, he knew the dangers and poisons of alcohol! Really, anyone who learned too much about alcohol ought to turn away from the stuff. Perhaps if he'd been a practicing doctor, he too would not drink...

Bah, no he would have absolutely still drunk alcohol. Doctors were very big hypocrites. And for Jun, drinking reminded him of his abeoji. Moon Yeong-seok ended every day with a beer. Jun still had that image of him in his mind-- sitting down and cracking off the top, letting out a tired, but satisfied sigh. To drink at the end of a long work day was a rite of passage-- a sign that you were a proper grown-up and a good man.

Of course, Moon Yeong-seok never got drunk like this.

Ah, Abeoji! How disappointed are you in your sons this time? Jun thought to himself ruefully, then started chuckling out of nowhere.

"Ahhhhhh, I'm coming! I'm coming!" Jun continued to giggle rather hysterically. He got up, took a few stumbling steps forward, and crashed into another table.

@officer-judy-moon

Emergency Contact || Jun and Judy

[moon-yeongjun]

Oh ho ho. Maximus should not have asked such a question if he did not want a complete list of concerns, questions, and suggestions! Jun Moon had never been empty of them, even when at his most upset. In fact, Jun's brain always kicked into overdrive during his darkest periods. He'd think about anything but his actual problems.

And with a brother going to court for trying to steal a precious necklace, well! He needed plenty to distract himself.

"Ah, well I'm glad you asked! In fact, come with me! I have a few loose cobblestones to show you outside, they are certain to cause people to trip! I've already put a complaint in with Town Hall-- two weeks again. Two weeks! I've heard nothing! Come, come," Jun ushered Maximus out of his office. "Perhaps you can convince them to take it seriously. These old cobblestone are certain to break a leg one day!"

@trackedbymaximus

It's Only Business || Moonton

[moon-yeongjun]

Tomorrow.

Oh, such a loathsome word! Jun hated how there was always a tomorrow. Tomorrow after tomorrow after blasted tomorrow, unforgiving and unrelenting. Jun barely wrestled though most of his days as it was! How could he possibly continue to do so with this added weight?

He sighed and ran his Bean right off another platform on purpose. He watched it go spinning and failing as it cheered in his ear.

See, if only he could be like this Bean, who also had unrelenting tomorrows. It could fall and fall but always respawned, never worse off.

"It just feels like too much this time," he confessed into the mic. "I wish my appa was here."

@haveyoumet-dolores

Daily Challenges || Juno

[moon-yeongjun]

Yah, such big and heavy words! At the same time though, Jun realized this flip-flopping feeling wasn't entirely nerves. Instead, it was like a rollercoaster... that anticipatory climb to the very top, the blood rushing in your ears, just waiting for release.

Normally, Jun would never describe his relationship with Lo in those terms. He liked that they had a very calm and steady relationship instead. She was still, above all else, his best friend.

But that excitement was what made love, love. Wasn't that true? Well, Jun didn't know! But that would be his guess.

"Oh, yes, I think-- after all the, ah, proper steps are taken--"

Engagement, a wedding, a honeymoon...!

"Then I'd be ready. Though naturally we'd still have to talk about all sorts of things, especially considering your work and all. Though it is nice we both have such supportive, close families, to ah, help out, when we... when we do start a family."

@haveyoumet-dolores

The Next Chapter {Juno}

[moon-yeongjun]

Jun blinked and Judy arrived.

Or that is how it felt to his very wet, foggy brain! This was both the reward and curse of alcohol, he supposed. It made everything go by very fast, and so time's cruelty had a much lighter hand. And oh, who cared? Jun was not even thinking about how he'd feel the next day, about how he still had to wake up at his normal time to open the market, and how he needed to let in the distributors and stock the store, and how life was going to go on. It didn't really feel that way. Or rather, it felt like something should change because tomorrow his brother was going to a courthouse, and that was very much not normal!

So on one hand, he wished time would slow all the way down.

On the other hand, he didn't care.

"Eh? Judyyyy!" Jun crowed, seeing his cousin. He slapped the table. "Come! We can have a drink, on me. You want soju...?"

The poor owner of the pub sighed long. "He's your responsibility now." She gestured to Jun, who did not pick up the movement.

@officer-judy-moon

Emergency Contact || Jun and Judy

[moon-yeongjun]

Oh, well then! Maximus took his suggestion in stride. And why wouldn't he, hm? Jun considered himself an expert when it came to all things small business, and that included difficult schedules. It was no easy feat to make those schedules, you know, and also achieve work-life balance! But that was all part of the life a person signed up for when they decided they wanted to own their own business.

Anyhow, Jun smiled, pleased with his excellent suggestion and the Sheriff's no-nonsense attitude.

"Of course! If you want, I'm happy to send out a survey for the dates and all that in my next newsletter. I release one weekly!" said Jun, puffing out his chest. He was proud of the resources he provided to his community, eh?

@trackedbymaximus

It's Only Business || Moonton

[moon-yeongjun]

Now, normally Jun would not have to drive very far to get a decent drink at all, hm! But since the Hunted Deer went kaput, his options for good alcohol were

1. Pixie's, bah!;

2. [name redacted], but that coffee shoppe rarely showed itself to Jun, and good riddance;

3. The Court of Miracles, which had very overpriced drinks with shady business practices, let's just all be honest with ourselves!

So, the night before Tae was set to show up for his first court hearing, Jun fled Swynlake. He drove his puttering old truck all the way to the outskirts of NTO, where there was a pub for him. He settled himself in one booth-- and then the hours disappeared underneath him as he let the alcohol flow! Until it was much later than he realized, and he had passed out in the booth, drooling on his arm, and the owner was shaking him awake and yelling in his ear about calling someone? Bah, let him sleep!

Through his drunken haze, he heard the mean bar lady yammering on his phone.

"Yes, you were on his speed dial, 'in case of emergency!'" gabbed the lady. "Can you please pick this loaf up, eh? I got a bar to close!"

@officer-judy-moon

Emergency Contact || Jun and Judy

[moon-yeongjun]

Live in Seongu

[moon-yeongjun]

"Yes, exactly! Food is a surefire way to win over people's hearts," agreed Jun. "If you'd like, I could reach out to the Blue Oven or... well, I suppose the food situation depends on when this little shindig takes place! A morning or brunch or evening event, and all that," said Jun.

Then he continued: "Hmm, mornings actually can be a bit busy for many of us... you know, we do the Saturday Clean-Up! Then Sunday, people are often busy at church. Some businesses don't open until around 11 on the weekdays, but for others, like Hatter's and myself, mornings are our busiest times."

Now this was a pickle! What was the best time for all the owners, Jun wondered.

"Perhaps... Sunday night? Even the Market closes early on Sundays."

@trackedbymaximus

It's Only Business || Moonton