Too bad, But it's too sweet

➻ “where is it?”

➻ he starts telling him the story and he has to admit he’s very good at it. it’s like he knows when to pause and what tone to use because he’s completely immersed in what he’s telling him, and he’s glad to hear it all ended well in the end. he’s glad they don’t have those expensive things here and that his boss won’t make him fix the dishes and glasses he broke. maybe he will have to pay for them with his paycheck but he’s sure it won’t hurt so much. or maybe he won’t ask him anything, after all, his boss is a really cool man.

➻  “so it was a good lesson, that’s good to know. i usually don’t break things, i don’t know what happened right now”

➻ he extends the tray so he can drop there the pieces, and as he stands up, he bows respectfully.

➻ “thanks you so much, i’m sorry i disturbed your meal”

“Susan-ri. Such a long way away. ” Noeul had sighed. That was the only thing he didn’t like about his work, the long bus ride towards it. Life would be easier if he had his driver’s license but with what money would he buy a car with? And sometimes the ride was quite relaxing when he returned home, how the trees and nature would disappear into bright city lights.

That half smile was still lining his lips as he nodded, humming lightly in agreement. “It can always happen.” That wasn’t what he wanted to say, his mind filled with playful remarks that would fit so much better but sadly kept unsaid.  “We’ll just hope your boss won’t miss the plates.”

Carefully he dropped the pieces on tray, a tad nervous not to end up cutting himself at the end. When all the pieces laid neatly on the tray, he stood up as well. “It’s fine,” Noeul started after the waiter had thanked and apologized to him, continuing shortly after. “It was my pleasure. My friends seem to enjoy themselves without me anyway.” He chuckled lightly after looking past the waiter towards his friends who were eating whilst looking at the two men, one of them mouthing towards him to come back quickly - her hand gesturing to come back over. Noeul just returned his glance towards the waiter, they can wait just a tad bit longer. 

When he rubbed his hands together to brush them off, he felt a slight sting in his palm. ‘Of course’ He thought as his gaze turned to his hands, spotting a small fragment of glass near his ring finger surrounded by a bit of blood. His bottom lip slipped between his teeth, Of course he jinxed himself. “And they need to enjoy themselves for a bit longer, it seems I have jinxed myself with the graceful with shards thing. Ah,” He looked around before landing his eyes back to the waiter. “Where is the bathroom? I think I can get this out with water and a bit of patience.”

“I know, I wasn’t serious, it’s okay” He told him with a laugh, shaking his head because he didn’t mean to make him apologize and feel bad for what he said. Shin didn’t take things too seriously, he considered himself a very chilled and easygoing man, so he hoped he didn’t make him feel awkward or anything since he was actually having a fun time while shopping for sweets and snacks, something he had not expected when he first entered the store.

“My angry bunch just wants food, yet, but a date is easier. I mean, to me it is, at least. After all, depending on what you want from the date you have other ways to impress them” And maybe he sounded like a jerk, but he hadn’t had any meaningful date in years since he didn’t want a relationship. Easy hooks ups were easier for him and most of them didn’t involve preparing a fancy dinner.

“Both, awesome, maybe there was an animal activist trapped so I rescued all of their animals” He followed him to the tables outside when he realized he had not introduced himself “I’m Ryu Shin, it’s nice to meet you”

When the male reassured him that he was just being silly, Noeul had felt slightly embarrassed for taking it so seriously. He didn’t know the man though, so picking up on joking tones wasn’t as easy.

Listening to the man talk, he had raised his eyebrow just slightly. Was he talking about one night stands? Noeul was quite ignorant on the topic, never really having the experience in the dating scene. Hell, his first and only kiss happened five years ago, he dived so far back into the closet that he might as well be in Narnia and even thinking of dating terrified him. “H-Hm. I wouldn’t know- but I guess you’d be right.” He had answered with a light tremble in his voice. Casual intimacy was even further away from his mind. He wasn’t prudish necessarily but it just was never an option for him. And maybe he never wanted it to be an option anyways. 

“Now we are making it too extravagant, it still got to be believable.” He pointed out with a smile as they walked outside, his chin tucking under his scarf when the cooling air had hit him. His eyes glanced up to the man when he introduced himself. “Oh, I totally forgot to introduce- Ah, I’m Noeul. Jeong Noeul, It’s nice to meet you too.”

The way to the tables was illuminated by the street lights that were already shining brightly, a nice gleam of light hanging above them. As they reached the tables, Noeul sat down in  a chair and plopped the plastic bag on the table, his fingers already digging through the items. “These are really nice.” He said whilst holding up a bag of plum flavoured hard candies. “Or for a more savoury taste, these teriyaki chips are the best things, because they are still kinda sweet.” When he noticed most things in his bag were things with a sweet taste to it, he chuckled. “I’m kind of a sweet tooth, which is either a good or bad thing depending on what you like.” 

Going home was Mirae’s second purpose of the night. The doctor only needed to go back to the hospital and to switch from her medical white jacket to her street clothes. Everything was already inside of her locker, including her laptop. There was no reason for her to go back to her office and there was nobody for her to say goodbye to. She only needed to leave. Catching the bus was usually what she used of doing, but her plans would differ a bit tonight. Mirae didn’t want to get herself into the confusion of a crazy bus at this time of the day. She only wanted to get to her comfortable and warm apartment. Therefore, a cab needed to be her salvation for the day.

❝Go for it.❞ Mirae approved with a smile, looking from him to the cashier, who seemed to be busy with something. ❝I may consider that option too. It may not work, but it’s worth a try.❞ The doctor was obviously only joking about this because she surely wasn’t someone with enough courage to fill a complaint. Even if someone had wronged her, she wouldn’t have the heart to mention anything about it. This wasn’t the type of person that she was.

❝But shouldn’t that be a bad thing?❞ Mirae asked him when their conversation naturally switched to the candies once again. The mention of his best friend’s favorite candies actually made her nod her head slowly, even though she really didn’t think that having the same favorite candies as him should be considered something good for him. After all, she was taking them home with her, not him. ❝Oh.❞ Because of his words, her attention went to the window of the convenience store, frowning slightly when she noticed that he was right. The sky was indeed getting darker. This was a pity because she didn’t enjoy the darkness of the night that much.

❝Let’s pay, yes. I can’t wait to get home.❞ She admitted to him, sighing slightly under her breath as she approached the cashier, placing her candies on the counter. Mirae paid for the purchase, stepping back to give him space to also pay for what he was buying.

A small laugh escaped him after he listened to her words. He could only imagine the two of them complaining about something trivial as sweets to the poor convenience store clerk who probably just wanted their shift to end. He had shaken his head when his laugh had died down to a soft few chuckles. “I think we might need to hold on to it though, what if the cashier had a bad day? Ah, this would be the cherry on top. Or, the candies on top.” The joke was awful, but that didn’t stop him from saying it.

He took a step away from the shelves, his hand hovered in the air to signal a so-so gesture. “Kinda?” He began, answering her question. “Well with them being my favourites, I don’t feel that bad just giving them away. But if they were for my friend, ah we’d be here for a while longer.” Noeul had said as a sleepy smile painted his lips.

When she noticed the darkening sky outside and agreed to pay, he followed her towards the cashier.

Noeul hadn’t even thought about what he was going to get after leaving the convenience store, his mind preoccupied with conversation. Only when he waited for the woman to pay for her things his mind drifted to food. ‘Ah, Indian food seems nice.. but I’d have to walk so much.’  He thought, his lips pressing together to form a thinking face. ‘But Chinese doesn’t sound nice right now, pizza maybe? So unhealthy. But this isn’t healthy either. Hm.’ It wasn’t until it was his turn to pay, he snapped out of his thoughts and quickly paid for his items.

He had wished the cashier a nice evening before walking towards the automatic doors with the woman, the cold air hitting him immediately in the face when the doors slid open. When did it become so cold all of a sudden? With one hand holding the plastic bag and the other fixing the scarf around his neck, he turned towards the woman with a smile. “Well, I’m heading that way. Still have a bit of walking to do.” He decided to buy Hwijae’s favourite food, selflessness seemed to be a theme for tonight. “I hope you have a lovely evening, Miss. Goodnight.”

About to walk away, he stopped in his track and turned around to say “Oh, and enjoy your sweets.”. A brighter smile painted his lips, his hand waving the woman goodbye. 

“Not at all.” Even if the other arrived an hour late, she would respond the same way. There would be no way she was going to join the others without him. They were his co-workers and she only felt comfortable with the other. She followed him inside towards the group of people who began to raise their hands to catch their attention. Everyone looked so different without their uniform, so different it was hard to believe they were the same people.

There were a few things Hyunseo is weary about whenever she went out. Whenever she did, it would be with people she knew and understood that she has never drunk before. She has always been against it, but after so many years passing, she feels like hating it is a silly thing to do. However she still never drank and as she sits with her co-workers, she begins to feel nervous because alcohol will be involved.

“You look great, by the way.” She looks at Noeul with a nice maroon dress shirt, very similar to her favorite color. She greeted everyone at the table after sitting down next to Noeul. Everyone had already ordered drinks and she noticed the shot glass in front of her.

It was a smile that decorated his lips when they walked in, the warmth of the building drastically contrasting with the cool air outside. She was sweet, it was a thought that Noeul had when he glanced over to Hyunseo. During the day after the whole triumph in the kitchen, he had wondered if he would be okay getting closer to her. It was a question to himself as he was stirring his tea during coffee break, as he was riding the bus home and even now when he had stared at her for a moment. Since nineteen he had been wary of new relations, hesitant even but it almost felt natural to gravitate towards the girl. 

But again the night was young. His worries should be left to the end of it.

When they found their way over to his co-workers he greeted them kindly before sitting down, his hands nestled nicely on his lap. He already saw the bottles filled with alcohol when arriving at the table, he hadn’t expected anything less - he just wished it wasn’t soju.

Noeul had dabbled into some drinks from time to time but never something strong. He was raised right, when he started coming of age his father always mentioned not to indulge in useless senses but during his rebellious days he did just that, to a lesser extent. He still remembered his first drink, how he had been ridiculed for picking the ‘girly drink’ but he just liked sweet things. And during his last Chuseok with his whole family, he was sipping on maeshilju as they enjoyed dessert together. 

He just never gotten drunk and he would like to keep it that way.

Midway of wetting his lips in anticipation he heard Hyunseo compliment him, his head turning to face her as a hum left his throat. “Hm?” With his tongue slowly retreating back into his mouth, his lips turned into a half smile. “Oh- Thank you. I was debating on navy or maroon.” He almost sounded confident, at ease with the compliment but in reality he just had different ways of reacting when it came to his appearance. Only with specific persons he could turn into blushing mess. 

He looked over Hyunseo for a moment before returning his eyes to her face again. “You look very nice as well.. Black really suits you.” As he gave her the compliment, his smile grew a tad. 

Noeul didn’t notice her nervousness just yet, his head turning away to speak towards the others. “Chef Kim, you haven’t forgotten my favourite drink?” He had asked with respect when he saw two bottles of alcohol placed in the middle of the table, earning a base-y laugh in return. The head chef had mentioned it wasn’t Maehwasu in he would be pouring into his glass but Soju instead, saying it would make a man out of him. The others had laughed as Noeul let out a long sigh, he didn’t want this but he couldn’t disrespect his elder. As he wrapped his fingers of both hands around the glass, the other staff members following suit. He had not looked at Hyunseo just yet.

➻ he can’t help but smile, realizing that this client is a really nice one and that he’s not bothered by his interruption. he’s always afraid of upsetting people because life is much easier when everyone is happy with their own thing, his job is easier and more comfortable when his clients are satisfied with his service. still, he knows he should clean this himself, that there’s no need to bother someone who was enjoying his time with his friends. but he  nods, not able to reject his insistence.

➻ “you do? please be careful, don’t cut yourself”

➻ he looks at the pieces around them and he can only wish that his boss doesn’t make him repair all these dishes. he won’t have time to study and he has a midterm the day after, so his plan involves a long night of studying and homework.

➻ “isn’t that something very expensive though?”

Noeul had noticed the smile, glad the waiter had accepted his offer without that much of a back and forth. 

A smile of his own appeared on his face. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty graceful when it comes to broken pieces.” He had said this with confidence, hoping it didn’t jinx him now. “But yes, but it’s a far different restaurant than here though-”

“It pretty much is. I thought I pretty much ruined the bowl, it looked awful. At least I thought it as awful when I first reassembled it.” Noeul sighed softly, his eyes looking up for a second to think back at that moment. “My teacher said it looked good though.” He almost wanted to lean in slightly to whisper the next part of his sentence, but decided against it. Instead, he paid attention to the shards on the ground. “He said, Noeul, this looks good. I’ll see you tomorrow. And he just let me go.”  He bit his lip to stop himself from smiling but the corners of his mouth curved upwards anyways. “The next day I went to work in the evening I saw a moss green bowl with gold lines stand on top of a shelf with a dainty little flower planted right in the middle of it.”

“He actually finished it off, I would have panicked if I had to work with gold.” He leaned slightly backwards for a moment. “I think he wanted to show it off but to me it’s just a reminder not to break things anymore.”

With his hands full of broken pieces, he wondered where he should place them. He couldn’t just barge into the kitchen, he knew that. In the end he asked “Do I just place these on the tray?”

“It’s okay, I actually do have money to buy food by myself, despite of what this current look says to you” He knew he looked like a mess, but he had been feeling lazy and if he didn’t come out and buy something now, he would take a shower in the station and then feel very, very lazy. But maybe he was giving off the wrong vibe, which is why he decided to add a few more things to share in his basket before going to pay for it so they can sit and start eating. He’s hungry, after all. “We’ll leave enough, I promise, all I really want is some sweets, I am craving, maybe I’m pregnant” He joked with a chuckle.

“Really? Why is that?That’s an odd mix of people, monks and kids?” He couldn’t imagine what he could do to have to feed them both, but maybe his roommate was a monk and he had a kid? That could be a good explanation but Shin wanted to hear his answer since he was sure his imagination wasn’t that good. Maybe reality would surprise him. “I like cooking for myself, and maybe a date or something, but when there’s too much people I feel too pressured” He confessed.

“And a cat, add the kitten, that always makes everyone go wild. Or maybe a puppy, that’s even better” He said between laughs, paying for his food with a chuckle.

Noeul had laughed at the joke but when he caught his money comment, he quickly started talking before cutting himself off.  “Oh, no I didn’t mean-” Though he had noticed Shin’s appearance, he just brushed it off as him coming back from a fire, obviously. And maybe he just had an appetite for snacks after a work day, just like Noeul had. Different work, same outcome.  A sigh left his lips, a tad frustrated that his gesture didn’t come off right. He didn’t want it to seem like he thought the man looked homeless or something. “You don’t look bad, just-” His finger circled his own face. If he was more like himself, he would’ve made a playful comment about it but sadly he had changed a lot. Some people would call it maturing, he would call it missing a piece of himself.

“Ah, I’ll explain later.” It was an odd mixture of people, but both were a dream to work with. Noeul could only imagine what kind of scenarios would put those two demographics together for the male in front of him. He didn’t like suspense, but he didn’t want to end up talking forever in a 7 eleven. When he heard his confession however, he cocked his head.“Understandable.. A lot of mouths to feed is a challenge, but I’d feel more pressured cooking for a date. That is one person you really need to impress- I bet your angry bunch just wants food.” 

His hand covered his mouth when a laugh escaped him. The mental image of the whole scenario was stunning. “Why not both? Add two and we have a news story.” He said with an amused tone in his voice. 

Noeul ended up first at the cashier, paying for his stuff and bowing ever so slightly whilst thanking her. He waited near the door, his fingers twirling around the plastic handles of his bag.

When he agreed to her childish settlement, an even bigger smile cracked across her features. If there was one thing she loved about her work, it was the people there. The employees she had were all so hardworking and lovable and then kids that attended were amazing as well. Each time she saw a coworker or student, it fulled Sarang with an overwhelming sense of pride and satisfaction at the little community and family she created.

“Y’know what?” She said, chewing on the inside of her lip. “Since you’re a good kid and a good cook, I’ll let you have it.” Sarang smiled again, taking back her hand from the sweets. She liked Noeul and appreciated him. In fact, sometimes she saw herself in the younger male and perhaps that had created a small bias towards him. “How about I pay for it for you? I’m buying these for everyone at the center anyways.”

That smile on her face was almost contagious. 

Almost? No, certainly. His smile turned brighter, a sliver of teeth showing between his rosy lips.

But when she talked again, his eyebrows raised ever so slightly. “You are willing to just give them to me? And suggesting to pay for them? No kai bai bo?” Noeul said as he turned to face her more properly. His tone actually sounding slightly disappointed but that quickly faded when the next part of his sentence began. “Ah, what kind of boss do I have? So sweet.”

The compliment registered a bit later in his brain, the bus trip back to the city had made him even drowsier then when he exited his workplace. A belated hue of red decorated his cheeks for a moment, though not very noticeable. He wasn’t that great with compliments, but it was always better getting them from girls than from boys. He turned so nervous getting them from males. 

He cleared his throat ever so slightly, his eyes glancing to the cashier for a moment before returning his gaze to her.  “But I’d rather give them to you, pay for them too, as a sign of a good employee. To match my good cook status.” A chuckle escaped his frame, the hand that was previously a fist now taking the sweets in his hand - his fingers wrapping gently around the package. “And maybe because you already do so much for everyone at the centre, giving up my favourite sweets is the least I could do.”

Hyunseo looked at herself in the mirror, hoping she looked presentable. She wears a black button down dress shirt with black skinny jeans and her favorite black boots. Nightlife wear always made her feel like wearing black, more as a way to blend in with the darkness and not attract unnecessary attention with bright colors. After all, she was only invited for dinner by Noeul and the rest of the kitchen staff and she is more than excited. She rarely goes out and it will help her take her mind off of her worries.

✉ → Noeul: I’m heading out! ✉ → Noeul: It will take 15 minutes for me to get there. ✉ → Noeul: I would appreciate if you wait outside for me. I’ll wait for you too if I arrive earlier than you.

She puts her phone away inside her bag and heads off into the night.

When Hyunseo arrived, she stood by the wall a few feet away from the entrance, waiting for Noeul to arrive. A few of the staff members asked her to join them inside, but she politely declined, knowing well enough that she will be more comfortable if Noeul is around. They have never been that close, but after the long kitchen frenzy from the morning, it was only natural for their bond to grow stronger.

“Noeul!” She smiles at his presence and walks over to him, holding the strap of her bag across her chest. “Everyone is inside already, let’s go.”

Whilst walking through his shared apartment, Noeul started tucking in his maroon coloured dress shirt into his dark pants. He would’ve thrown on something darker but as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he looked quite dashing if he could say so himself. He never really had the chance to dress up nicely, in the kitchen he might get dirty so a white shirt and a black apron was enough to get through the day and when he was out of work, he dressed simple. Nothing extra. 

But this was a celebration, he had a reason to dress up nicely.

As he was fixing the button on his right sleeve, he heard his phone vibrating one, two, three times. His feet made their way towards the kitchen counter where his phone was situated. ‘Ah, Hyunseo’ He thought as he looked at the messages, realizing he should probably slip into his dress shoes soon.

✉ → Hyunseo: Okay, I’ll be there in a flash.

✉ → Hyunseo: And of course, see you soon.

“I’m going now, see you later.” Noeul had called out to his friend,  grabbing his coat and slipping into his shoes. After a quick pat down to see if he had all his necessary items, he left his apartment to enter the chilling air.

Arriving just a few minutes after Hyunseo, he had smiled when he saw her. The night was young and after such a stressful afternoon all he wanted was to sit down in a chair and enjoy good food with great company.

“I didn’t make you wait that long, did I?” He asked when they got in close enough range to each other, his eyebrow raising in question. It would make him feel a bit guilty if she had waited for a while. When she had said the others were already inside, he let a small ‘Ah..’ leave his lips before nodding his head. “Lets go inside then. It’s pretty chilly outside.”