Juice Pouch

Train to Chuncheon

It wasn't a bomb that ended the world as Jongin knew it, but a balm. The Super Sparkle Sun Balm SPF 1500 PAV+++++++++ (known popularly as SSSB), to be specific. Priced at a very reasonable 9,800 won and offering the most advanced UVA, UVB, and UVNP filters imaginable, it represented a major leap forward in sun protection.

The development was enabled by the drastic loosening of cosmetics regulations, first in the United States and then abroad. Vampire lobbyists, easily disguised as common corporate blood-suckers, had infiltrated key agencies that had blocked the release of more sophisticated, stronger sunscreens for years. In the confusion of the recent regime change, nobody had bothered to discover why certain sunscreen filters had been kept off the market despite stacks of evidence demonstrating their efficacy and safety. With the final, complete dismantling of cosmetics regulations in late 2017, SSSB was launched by Adoré Atlantic just before the Pyeongchang Olympics, and the global vampire takeover began.

That's what Jongin would come to understand in the days and months after the takeover. At the moment it happened, he was merely trying to buy a hot dog on a train while balancing his baby in one arm and reaching for his wallet with the other.

"Can you nuke this bottle?" Jongin asked, nodding to the counter where it sat. "Well, after I shake it a bit more to mix the powder and water better."

"Train rules say no," said the cafe car attendant, pointing to a curling sticker on the microwave that listed the items that couldn't be microwaved in exhaustive detail. "Nursing is better for babies anyway."

"Trust me, I'd nurse him if I could, but it's not happening, so can you warm up his bottle so he can eat?" asked Jongin, slapping down a ten thousand won note at last.

"I suppose I could put the bottle in the microwave in place of a hot dog if you bought another and accidentally slipped the payment for it into that there tip jar," said the attendant, nodding to the jar currently holding a few coins.

Jongin sighed. "That's my last ten thousand in cash, thanks, but whatever, one more dog."

A loud voice behind him rang out. "The business class cafe car is closed right now, can I just quickly buy a Hite tallboy?"

Jongin turned to the rich asshole trying to jump the line, placing his large hand over his baby's head instinctively. He gave the guy a judgey look, up and down, and then turned back to the counter.

"Sorry, I'm kind of in a rush I'm sure you understand," said the pushy guy behind him.

Jongin turned back to silently give the guy another pass full of judgement. He was shorter with a handsome, but babyish face and large eyes. Beyond that, he just looked fucking cool, if a bit strange. His longish red wine hair had a precise undercut and waved slightly as if it had been professionally styled. He wore a striped dark suit with some sort of fancy tie that was held in place by a gold ornamental pin. A bit editorial for a train from Pyeongchang to Seoul, but if the dude wanted to turn the cafe car that either smelled like Fritos or feet (possibly both) into a Gucci spread, good for him.

That didn't mean that Jongin understood about the need for line jumping.

"Sorry to keep you from your beer, my kid is hungry," said Jongin. "I'm sure you understand."

The man looked at the baby with more curiosity than Jongin expected.

"What's his name?" asked the man.

Here Jongin faced a decision. He could give his baby's real name — but why? He could be a sex offender or...rich...kind of fabulous...shaman who would run back to the silence of the business class car to curse Baekhyun by name. No way to know, better to lie.