Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
KorCam: Reluctance
"So, what do you do for a living?" Yong Soo asked.
"I'm pretty sure that you ask me that every time," Ahmadou said.
"And not once have you answered me. Well? Is it something you're ashamed of? Is it illegal? Is it top secret?"
"You got me. I'm a secret undercover agent. If I have to tell you more, then I'll have to kill you."
Yong Soo just stared at Ahmadou. He had to admire the taller man's ability to lie with a blank face.
"I'm serious," Yong Soo said. "Why won't you tell me? You know what I do, after all."
"You work for a tech company," Ahmadou said. "It's a job you can brag about."
"Aha! So it is something you're ashamed of!"
"If it was something that I was ashamed of, then I would have quit it a long time ago. But as it is, I quite enjoy it. Which reminds me…" Ahmadou glanced at his watch and winced. "I need to get going soon."
He raised his hand to call the waiter. They had gone to a café for lunch. Yong Soo pouted. Even though they had known each other for three months by now, he still knew next to nothing about the other man.
Ahmadou paid for the lunch (he insisted) before he departed. Yong Soo worried his lip before he followed after Ahmadou. While he had been joking, a part of him was worried that Ahmadou was legitimately involved with something illegal. And every time Ahmadou dodged the question, Yong Soo grew more worried.
He followed Ahmadou, glad that the latter had opted to walk. If Ahmadou had opted to take a car or a taxi, then Yong Soo would have been in trouble.
Actually, if he was involved in something illegal and he caught Yong Soo, then he would have been in real trouble. So, until he could be sure, Yong Soo would need to avoid being caught.
After several minutes, they arrived at a building that made Yong Soo shudder, mostly because his twin brother used to spend a lot of time there before he never needed to go there again. Ever. To his surprise, Ahmadou turned towards the building, but not the main entrance. Yong Soo frowned. What was Ahmadou doing at the hospital?
Yong Soo followed after Ahmadou. They went to the side, and then to the back. This place was practically deserted, and Yong Soo shivered. Why were they there?
Ahmadou went to one of the cars parked there and removed a large, black bag. Yong Soo tensed. What could be in the bag, and why the secrecy?
He held his breath as Ahmadou looked around, before he opened the bag. And removed…
What was it?
Yong Soo watched as Ahmadou removed his shoes before he stepped into a brown, fuzzy… was it a costume or something? The shoes came next, and finally, Ahmadou removed a head from the bag. Yong Soo's breath hitched. He recognised the head.
When he used to visit his brother in the hospital, there were a lot of different animal characters that would go around and cheer up the children. They would play with the children, and some of them would perform skits together, and all sorts of things. Yong Soo could still remember all of them, even years later: Kumajiro the bear, Puki the cat, Pochi the dog, Toto the elephant, and so many others.
Ahmadou was Kokolo the lion.
Yong Soo smiled as he watched Ahmadou place the lion head on his own before he wandered into the hospital through a door. His entire demeanour had changed. Yong Soo walked closer and looked for a sign through the door. He nodded when he saw 'paediatric ward' with an arrow.
As Yong Soo walked away, he wondered if he should tell Ahmadou that he had followed him, and what he should say.
…
"Sorry I'm late," Ahmadou said as he arrived at the café a week later. "Things were a bit hectic at work."
Yong Soo nodded.
"I guess the hospital can be a bit hectic," Yong Soo said.
Ahmadou stiffened, and Yong Soo gave a guilty smile.
"I… I kind of followed you last week," Yong Soo said. "So, you're Kokolo?"
"H-how do you know that name?" Ahmadou asked.
"My brother used to be a patient in that hospital, before… Anyway, he loved the different characters. They bring so much joy to the kids and their families. Why would you be ashamed of that?"
"I'm not ashamed of what I do. I just… we sign contracts that we're not allowed to tell anyone about what we do. That way, we keep the magic for the kids. The fewer people that know, the better."
Yong Soo arched his eyebrows, but then he realised that he might have made things difficult for Ahmadou. Well, at least now he knew that he wasn't involved in anything illegal.
The prompt is: 'Person A and B got to know each other a few months ago and became friends. However B, being the tough, mysterious type, hides many things from A, especially their job. Person A fears they might do something dangerous or illegal and decides to find out the truth. They sneak after B to a building on the back of the local hospital. As B starts to unwrap something from the black bag, A gets scared it is a body and B is illegally selling organs or something. In reality it is a costume of a cute animal and B works as an entertainer for ill children.'