“…….”
No, what are we going to do about this?
I mean, it’s nice to buy the figure, but…
You didn’t seriously buy this just to mess with me, did you?
As someone who once tried collecting figures—well, attempted to at least—I’m not against buying figures, but they’re not exactly ‘toys’ that you can play with.
Especially for the cute girl figures, even if they’re action figures, they aren’t really sturdy and flexible like actual toys. They’re more like things you ‘display’ in a specific pose and admire.
Of course, Alice didn’t buy this with the intention of playing with it.
Besides, this figure didn’t even have movable joints.
“……I bought it for the stream!”
Receiving lukewarm looks, Alice defended herself.
I couldn’t exactly walk around the subway with a giant figure box in hand, so I returned home first. I had lunch once I got back.
I don’t plan on blaming Alice for it, but…
“Are you planning to do an unboxing or something?”
Last time Claire brought up ideas for a horror game, and now Alice is bringing up an unboxing idea?
Of course, Alice’s envisioned content will probably only be about 10 minutes long. If it were a PC or console game, there’d at least be reviews while using the product, but with figures, it’s really just about showing it off.
And that’s precisely why you need to be careful when buying.
The thrill is all about the purchasing, waiting for it to arrive, and unwrapping it. After that, all that’s left is to store it somewhere in the house, and if you didn’t buy something you really liked, you’ll strongly feel, “Why did I buy this?”
In my childhood—when I didn’t know anything about the Chronicles of Aetherna yet—I went through a brief otaku phase and bought a lot of trading figures priced around 10,000 to 20,000 won.
Considering the price, it’s obvious that most of them were of poor quality, and before going to the military, I had a strong moment of clarity and ended up getting rid of them all.
After that, I decided I wouldn’t buy anything unless it was expensive and of good quality. Naturally, I couldn’t afford anything else after buying just one Alice figure.
“……I thought of that when I bought it. Is that not okay?”
Looking at Alice’s expression, it really did seem like she bought it to tease me with an unboxing.
Shouldn’t she show off her figure too? Since I inadvertently made her feel competitive by buying an Alice figure first, it would make for a convincing story.
“I think it’s not a bad idea. But are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“Regret? Why?”
“When I saw the price of the figure earlier, it wasn’t exactly cheap, you know? These decorative items usually end up boring you quickly once you buy them.”
“What do you mean? I plan to take it with me when I go back!”
With those bright eyes, Alice answered that, leaving me speechless.
“……Is that so?”
“Of course! The Imperial Palace has a lot of decorations as well.”
“…….”
Huh.
Wait a minute.
Are you talking about the statues of the past emperors placed throughout the corridors?
“There were full-body representations as well.”
Of course, there were.
There certainly were.
“But weren’t those just depictions of real people? Shouldn’t they be viewed like the portraits hanging in the corridors?”
“Hey, there are mythological figures too. And clearly, carved heroes from local folklore are also placed in towns.”
They do exist!
“So, are you suggesting you’d decorate your room with this?”
“If I’m not going to do that, then why would I spend 140,000 won on it?”
……
Huh.
That’s true.
But dang.
In a place where the concept of otaku doesn’t exist yet, especially in a world where the mass production of such items is nearly impossible, I can’t explain just how unique the concept of otaku is here.
It’s understandable since collecting porcelain from the East, or wine, or even sculptures is seen as a refined hobby of nobles.
……You wouldn’t know that unless you felt it physically in this world.
And it would be nearly impossible to feel that sensibility without visiting related places a few times.
Yeah, that’s true.
“……Alright.”
I stood up.
There are still over six hours left until the broadcast starts.
Getting to the nearest anime place will take much less time than it takes to get to the National Assembly.
If they can’t understand logically, they’ll just have to get it emotionally.
“There’s still plenty of time, do you want to go somewhere together?”
“Where?”
“……It’s a place closely related to the figure we bought today.”
They might even have books related to the Chronicles of Aetherna for sale.
Of course, the ‘connection’ I mentioned doesn’t solely refer to the game franchise.
I meant the overarching otaku culture.
“Where is it?”
Claire, who was listening next to us, asked with sparkling eyes.
Is she really that excited to go out?
After just a few days here, she’s been cooped up at home, and I wonder how she’s coped.
“It’s somewhat like a bookstore but… it specializes in a specific genre of novels and comics. You could say the atmosphere is similar to the place we went today.”
Alice seems to have a rough idea of what kind of place it is, but she doesn’t know the exact location yet.
Well, considering how few days she’s been looking around, she only knows regions like the National Assembly or Yongsan, but nothing about specific shops. People who’ve just become otaku often get surprised to find such places exist in Korea.
“It’s not too far away. Shall we give it a shot?”
“Sounds good!”
Claire exclaimed.
“Well, I’m not against it. What about dinner?”
Alice also got up and added,
“Shall we eat out? There shouldn’t be a shortage of time.”
At those words, Claire’s face lit up.
Alice shrugged her shoulders. Well, it seems they both aren’t strapped for cash yet.
Even if they become tight on money, I plan to cover for them.
But things would change if Alice decides to buy more figures.
*
And then my plans failed miserably.
Thinking back, Hongdae isn’t just a place where otakus gather. In fact, the portion taken up by otakus is minimal, while the rest is just a neighborhood where young people hang out and eat.
I already knew there were many people busking on the streets, and I knew Claire would immediately get distracted by the sights, so I moved straight to my intended destination via the subway passage.
A store filled with comic books, figures, and various character merchandise.
Once I arrived there, I looked at the other two and said,
“What do you think?”
“What do you mean?”
Alice blinked, puzzled by my question.
“How do you feel about the people here?”
“Umm.”
Alice looked around once before replying,
“People absorbed in their hobbies? They all look happy; I think they’re living fun lives doing what they want.”
It seems Alice didn’t have a clue about the problem.
“Yeah, everyone looks happy!”
Indeed.
They do look happy.
Having spent too long with these two, I entirely forgot just how fundamentally righteous they were.
And being righteous also means they view people without prejudice.
Moreover, this place is completely different from the world they originally lived in.
It’s a place where they literally can’t have prejudices. The very concept is drastically different here.
And when you think about it, the stereotypical view of otakus that people usually perceive negatively is surprisingly rare. Most here were wearing clean clothes—
And there were so many women, as if there’s some kind of event happening.
Among them, hardly anyone stood out as an ‘otaku.’
“…….”
Hmm.
Well.
I have no clue.
Let things be as they may.
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