#restless_maknae

“Oh man! The street is literally flooded by now.”

Mark rushed into the restaurant, raindrops falling from his wet hair and soaking school uniform. As a result, he splattered a nearby table which was cleaned up by Ten a minute ago.

Ten wryly shot him a smile and tried not to let any profanities fly out of his mouth. Even though it was his sixth time already, cleaning up the tables one by one, he couldn’t stop. He was utterly bored but couldn’t bear the thought of chilling out and not doing anything all day, though it didn’t seem like anyone would come in anytime soon.

It was 4pm, the time when Mark’s shift started but other than the sixteen-year-old part-time employee and the postman earlier in the morning, no one wanted to have a nice meal in their restaurant. Krop-krua was usually a popular place among high schoolers but that day was a bunch of boredom. The constant rain didn’t seem to stop, even for a few seconds and it deterred the frequent customers who always dropped by to have a nice tea or a bowl of khanom chin. On top of that, his parents were away to sign a contract with a new, catering company who would supply their restaurant with fresh vegetables and it was more than a beneficial deal.

“Anyone was brave enough to swim through the city and have a meal here?” Mark inquired with bambi eyes and ruffled his hair to make sure that he gets rid of as much water as he can.

Ten shook his head and his pout was way too disappointed. At times like that, his days seemed like a total waste of time, he felt himself a loser. He was 20, he should have gone to university but his parents needed him in the shop because they couldn’t afford to pay any employees other than Mark and a chef. Mark was an exception as he was their neighbour and needed some pocket money to get more comic books for himself. Plus, he liked spending time with the older guy and teasing him about his non-existent love life or poor Korean vocabulary.

„So, you wanna learn some catchy Korean pick-up lines?” Mark cooed five minutes later as he changed clothes, got an apron on and sat down at a table with Ten whose eyes were staring far ahead. He raised one of his eyebrows in question, pondering whether he was too grumpy that day or Mark was more lively than usual.

„You’re 16 for God’s sake. How do you even know such things?”

„I know what I need to know,” he stated, looking rather offended and even slightly huffed at the older guy’s comment.

„Still no,” he shook his head vaguely, not wanting to hear about anything considering girls or pick-up lines. Of course, his parents finally wanted to get a girlfriend for their son but he managed to talk them out of it. He was perfectly fine by himself and didn’t want to go on blind dates. Love comes in his way when it should, he was certain of that.

„Why?” the younger pouted sadly with which he actually resembled a pleading, little puppy. He always had rather childish features and when he stared at him like that, he couldn’t deny that he was only 16.

„I don’t need them,” he shrugged. “Plus, it’s not like anyone would come in anytime soon, not even a friendly, nice girl around my age,” he let out a heavy sigh while he let his eyes wander at the door. That would be a miracle if someone came in and by poor coincidence, someone who was a genuine, kind girl, who wouldn’t talk only about boy groups.

„You never know,” Mark wiggled his eyebrows, his pitch-black eyes filled with childish joy but the Thai guy merely shrugged his shoulder. It was absolutely unlikely to happen and he didn’t believe in fate or foolish things like that.

“So, how was school?” Ten cleared his throat and tried to broach a more pleasant topic. He didn’t like talking about girls as he wasn’t actually the womanizer type. He had two girlfriends so far but neither of the relationships lasted long and they both ended a pretty long time ago.

Luckily, Mark was such a talkative kid and he was so fond of sharing every detail of how his day went by that he couldn’t wander off for the next 15 minutes. He absent-mindedly sat there, listening to the raindrops falling on the roof of the house and catching up with Mark’s life. His life seemed more interesting than his, so he didn’t mind being distracted for a short spare of time.

When Mark was in the middle of portraying his History teacher, Mr. Kim, the doorbell suddenly rang and the entrance door swung open. Ten was so shocked to notice that the one who was actually standing there wasn’t even a familiar face that even his jaw dropped. They both stared at the sudden visitor and couldn’t even muster a single word.

She stared back at them, looking frustrated at the sight of her drenched clothes, totally wet hair and slightly ravaged suitcase. She was a slim, pretty small girl with long, curly black hair, shiny light brown eyes and tiny freckles. She was wearing a lovely black coat which suited her perfectly and a pair of old-worn Converse shoes.

“Uhm, well, hi,” her anxious and slightly shaky voice filled the utter silence of the place but neither of the boys could recover from the shock which her presence triggered. Noticing their startled expressions, she thought that she was being rude, so she clumsily bowed and made an attempt to shot them a sheepish smile.

“Well, good afternoon,” Ten croaked, still in the state of shock while his eyes were still glued to the girl. Mark slapped his back to make sure that he was still alive but indeed he was and his slap hurt like hell. He only resisted the urge to let out an annoyed grumble because they got a customer. If it wasn’t for her, they would have been in a fierce fight by then.

“Please, take a seat. My name is Mark and I work here as a part-timer. I guarantee that we have the best Thai food in Seoul.”

“Oh, really?” the girl exclaimed with a bit of an accent, cautiously looking around her and observing the interior. “I haven’t noticed that it’s a Thai restaurant,” she admitted nervously and bit her lip as she averted her eyes back to the boys.

Ten almost snorted in annoyance but luckily, his reaction couldn’t be noticed due to Mark’s quick response.

“Never mind,” he shrugged and led her to a wonderfully cleaned table where she could put down her bag and finally sat down. “What can I get for you?”

“I’m freezing, so I’d like something really hot.”

“Why? He’s not hot enough for you?” Mark pointed to Ten who almost cried out in horror. He felt his eyebrows furrowing and his anger boiling up inside him. That kid was seriously too much! “It was just a joke, it was just a joke,” he raised his hands in defeat when his eyes met with the girls’. Her expression was written on her face; her cheeks turned scarlet-red, her tiny freckles almost glowed in the dazzling light of the room and her eyes displayed baleful storms which could attack them in the next minute. Nonetheless, beyond the startled façade, her lips slowly curved into a tiny, shiny smile.

“Please, don’t take him seriously,” Ten shook his head fervently and feigned a chuckle. Mark joined in but their act was more like a comedy than an actual distraction. The girl merely bobbed her head, rather looking confused and embarrassed but didn’t say a single word.

They soon fell into an awkward silence. As the following seconds passed, confidence freely started to ooze out of him. He already thought that the whole situation was disastrous and hoped that further mishaps wouldn’t occur. Well, he was dead wrong.

“Okay, then,” Mark boasted one of his boyish smiles and Ten had to admit that he was actually kind of captivating – as a sixteen-year-old kid could be. “How about a cup of lavender tea and a bowl of khanom chin with spicy Thai curry? You can’t say no to this!” he donned a grin and earned a subtle smile from the girl.

“Oh, well, that sounds nice. I guess I’ll have that. Thank you.”

“Cool!” he clapped his hands in excitement and already made his way to the kitchen when he promised that he would be back in a minute.

Ten was now left alone with the totally wet customer who was nervously biting her lower lip. He also noticed that she was shivering even though she was wearing a black coat and even though it was already the middle of June. He couldn’t help but make his way to the restroom and get a towel for her. When he reached it out to her, her eyes widened but sparkled with gratitude.

“Thank you. I didn’t think that it would rain so heavily,” she shook her head in disbelief and started to blow-dry her hair. Ten had to admit that she looked kind of cute with her drenched curls but didn’t want to think much of it. There were tons of pretty girls out there and beauty could be still deceiving.

“The weather forecast didn’t say so,” he found himself saying the words, although he didn’t even have the intention to start a conversation.

“I know, right?” she giggled. “Nowadays you can’t even believe what the weather forecast says.”

“Of course not. They are liars,” he clicked his tongue and actually made the other one chuckle even more. Her laugh was rather childish but definitely a really sweet melody. Something that he hadn’t heard for a long time.

Mark happened to appear right after this friendly scene and shot him a suspicious smile when he put down the tea cup in front of her. He promised that he would make sure her order will be ready as soon as possible and left without saying more. Ten felt betrayed. That kid really wanted to get them together and let them alone on purpose, he was certain of that. He had known him for quite a long time now, he sometimes shipped him with the customers but never acted like that. It was way too obvious and he couldn’t help but mentally curse himself for being such a considerate guy because he couldn’t leave her alone. He was a man with manners, he knew that it would be rude and didn’t want to do so. She didn’t deserve such behaviour.

“So, are you a part-timer here?” she cleared her throat and Ten only realised then that he was still standing in the middle of the room, looking at the spot from where Mark had left. He managed to pull himself together and actually answer without even the slightest nonchalance in his voice.

“No, I actually work here full-time. My parents own the place.”

“Oh, really?” her eyes widened in surprise. She could get so amazed in such a short spare of time but her reaction wasn’t frustrating at all. It actually set him at ease that someone was interested in his life. “That’s so cool! And can you also cook?” she inquired but he somehow couldn’t mind. It wasn’t confidential information, she could know about it. He wouldn’t mind.

“Just a little. My parents thought me the basics and I know how to prepare some meals but I’m not a professional,” he shrugged because it wasn’t a big surprise. He was the son of a restaurant owner couple, so from a very early age he started to bustle about in the kitchen, watching his parents and helping out whenever he could.

“I really appreciate guys who can cook,” the girl said with awe and gave him an appreciative nod. “I mean, I’m a girl and I sometimes fail to make instant noodles,” she chuckled and Ten couldn’t help but laugh with her. Tenseness immediately drained from his body. It was somehow so easy to talk to her, even if it was only about ordinary stuff like cooking and the terrible Seoul weather. She was definitely someone who could get along well with others and he was thankful that the only customer that day wasn’t a grumpy granny who wanted to have ice cream even though the sign also said that it was a Thai restaurant and they didn’t serve ice cream.

“Are you Korean?” he asked gingerly as he didn’t want to be tactless but her obvious accent was something that he was curious about.

“You think so?” she grinned while putting down the towel on the table after giving up on blow-dying her hair. She didn’t seem to care about the fact that it looked more of a mess than before. “No, I’m actually from Japan. My name is Sakishima Miuna,” she introduced herself and even bowed to be prominently respectful. Ten might have guessed where she had come from but he wasn’t sure that he would hit it dead on. He suddenly felt lucky to have a friend back in Thailand who was actually Japanese and whom he taught the basics of the Thai language and vice versa, so he also gained some Japanese knowledge in the end. Not that he wanted to boast about it but who knows when Miuna asks him to say something in Japanese?

Despite being exceptionally delighted by the thought of such request, he remembered that it was his turn to introduce himself. “I’m Ten, by the way. At least, my friends call me Ten since I’m Thai and nobody would like to memorise my real name,” he pointed out because he knew that it was hard for others to say or remember for his name. As expected, it couldn’t bother the Japanese girl who was eager to know his full name.

“Really? What is it? I’m curious,” she pried and her eyes sparkled like two shining stars on the pitch-black sky. Her enthusiasm was lovely and he found it cute how she could look like a lost puppy with her bambi eyes and innocent features.

“It’s Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul,” he grinned and earned a dumbfounded exclamation from Miuna.

“What?”

“Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul,” his smirk was getting wider and wider because her expression was hilarious. Her eyes were wide open, her jaw literally dropped and the sudden excitement tinted her cheeks pink.

“Oh god, yeah, really, Ten is far better.” she looked at him and when they met each other’s gazes, the two broke into little fists of laughter. After moving to Seoul a year ago due to his parents’ restaurant business, he sometimes felt ashamed of his nationality. He looked out of place and couldn’t even master the language. He struggled a lot with Korean and felt like a wandering soul surrounded with everything that didn’t feel right. There were Korean signs, Korean newspapers and Korean food everywhere. All he got left was the restaurant that still felt like home.

But now talking with this Japanese girl who was more than a good company, he didn’t feel embarrassed that he was Thai. They were both foreigners in the same country and nationality didn’t seem to matter for them. He had to admit that it was a pretty good feeling; like he was finally released after being trapped in a room full of intimidating voices.

“Why don’t you just take a sit?” Miuna inquired and pointed to the chair at the other side of the table. “I don’t bite,” she chattered happily with a beautiful smile which suddenly made Ten so uneasy. When did he last have such feelings for a girl?

“Well, if you don’t mind,” he ran a hand through his raven-black hair and looked at the girl whose smile could light up the restaurant which never seemed so radiant before. Miuna just shook her head in response and watched as he sat down in front of her and though the next few seconds were still a little bit awkward, he soon found solace in the friendly conversation.

The minutes flew by so quickly and the more the clock was ticking back, the more he got to know her better. It turned out that she was in Korea for her scholarship because she was actually studying to be a Japanese teacher for foreigners back at Yokohama and had the chance to spend this semester in Seoul to try herself out. She was actually one year older than Ten but her childish reactions and innocent features didn’t say so. Other than that, she sounded like a really diligent and determined person who would do anything to achieve what she wants. She talked so enthusiastically about spending time with Korean high schoolers and observing classes at a language learning school that he was sure that Miuna would make a prominently good teacher one day.

They didn’t talk only about her, of course. She was an exceptionally curious person and wanted to know plenty of things about Ten. To satisfy her, he shared several childhood stories and funny incidents which he got into after he had moved to Seoul. He talked about working at the restaurant, struggling with Korean vocabulary, spending time with Mark and there were many other things he blurted out. They broach one topic after another; childhood dreams, family stories, moving house, college life, cooking and future plans. She wasn’t sure whether she would like to move abroad and teach foreigners there or stay in Japan and work at a language school but she was certain that this path was the right for her. Ten wasn’t sure either what he would like to do with his life but he promised that he would work hard to improve his Korean skills and maybe open his own restaurant someday.

“If I can’t get into college, you have to promise me that you’ll recruit me!” a cheeky smile was forming on Mark’s lip as he manoeuvred himself to their table to take away Miuna’s empty bowl after he eavesdropped their conversation regarding Ten’s own restaurant. The boy merely snorted at his request but she could only laugh out of amusement. He was sure that she also liked the younger guy as she chattered with him whenever he happened to be in the room. Mark casually walked in and out of the kitchen, leaving them alone or joining them until he busied himself with taking away the dirty dishes and giving Ten smug smirks whenever he walked past him.

“I promise,” he shook his head with an absent-minded smile and watched the younger boy’s excited bouncing back to the kitchen. Miuna had already drunk 3 cups of tea, eaten a bowl of khanom chin with Thai curry and even tried his favourite traditional dessert which was mango with sticky rice. She had eaten well and Ten was full just by looking at her.

“Well, I guess it’s time for me to go now,” Miuna cleared her throat to make sure he doesn’t avert his eyes because she wanted to say a proper goodbye. He couldn’t suppress his disappointment because during the last couple of hours, he totally forgot that she had to go back to the airport and take the next flight back to Yokohama. Originally, her flight was cancelled due to the terrible weather conditions but she got a ticket for the next one which would set off at around midnight. He took a peak at the clock on the wall and realised that it was already 9 o’clock and she had to be there 2 hours before the actual departure. So, she had to bid her goodbye now and leave the restaurant. Leave him.

“Uhm, well,” he muttered nervously because he hadn’t got the slightest idea of what to do. Should they shake hands? Should he wish good luck for her? Or should he act casually like she had been just like any other customer they had? He wasn’t sure, so he remained silent but subconsciously rose from his seat. Miuna had already got to her feet, her fingers toying with the button of her coat.

“Thank you for the dinner! I think it was the best I’ve eaten so far!” she complimented while a blush stained her cheeks and little freckles. Her hair was still a bit messy and looked more like a bird nest but he couldn’t mind it, she was beautiful even despite the current undesirable circumstances. She looked so fragile yet so strong. So feminine yet so childish. She was a living paradox, a mixture of totally different aspects and he realised that he started to like all of them. But whatever, right? She would be gone in the next minute and he wouldn’t see her for the rest of his life. He was appalled by the thought but made his best to conceal it. It shouldn’t have happened, he shouldn’t have liked her in the first place. It could have been easier then.

“I’m glad you liked it!” he bowed and made an attempt to put up a façade of nonchalance. “I hope your studies will go well,” his raspy voice didn’t go unnoticed as his words consumed the odd silence of the room. He would swear that he saw a bittersweet twinkle in Miuna’s chocolate-brown eyes when she handed over the money for the cost of the dinner.

“I hope you will let your dream come true,” she responded and grabbed hold of her suitcase which was decorated with pink cherry blossoms. “Goodbye, Ten,” she added, a rather reluctant smile displaying on her face. Ten had to gulp before he could say anything.

“Goodbye, Miuna,” he waved as she took a step back and started walking away. The doorbell rang joyfully as she was leaving but before she let the door close, she looked back and shot him the most reassuring smile. He couldn’t help but respond with a smile of his own. He didn’t want to though; it was harder than he thought. She was the most genuine and most open-minded girl he has ever met but life didn’t let them enjoy each other’s companies for long. Fate decided otherwise.

“Oh, looks like she’s gone,” Mark appeared beside him, almost making him bounce in surprise. The younger guy looked surprisingly sad and even his observation was followed by a frustrated pout.

“Yeah.”

“Do you already miss her?” he nudged his shoulder while his face slowly dissolved into a teasing smirk. Ten rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“No. She was just another costumer,” he lied and earned a suspicious look from the other one. It wasn’t because he was his neighbour and his only friend that he could read him well, it was because he was exceptionally good at observing.

“Sure. Say that to yourself! But you know, I saw what I saw,” Mark patted his shoulder sympathetically before he started to clean up the table where Miuna had sat. Ten let his eyes wander at the entrance door and the flashback from before was playing in front of his eyes. She was gone. Forever. There was nothing left of her but the memories which they had shared. And the fragrance of her perfume. The words she had said. The sound of her laughter.

 5 years later

 “What an awful rainy day!”

An irritated grumble could be heard even in the excited hustle-bustle at the restaurant. The waitresses and waiters were manoeuvring between the tables and orders were immediately sent to the chef, Lee Taeyong. Ten enjoyed looking at this ordinary scene but the best of all was the fact that it was his. His restaurant with his people.

“Why don’t you try to take an umbrella with you just once in your life?” a wide smile was creeping onto Ten’s face when he heard the familiar voice and turned to welcome its owner.

“If I took an umbrella with me every time it’s raining, there would be no fun in coming here,” Mark grinned as he made his way to the counter where Ten had been waiting for him. He always dropped by to have a meal and a nice little chat with his best friend, so he was expecting him.

“You’re right,” he agreed and welcomed him with one of his trademark smiles. It was still so odd to look at this giant maknae who was once shorter than him and now he was tall as hell. Puberty hit him hard and as he grew taller, his features also changed. He still had that joyful glint in his pitch-black eyes but other than that, he was indeed a young man.

“Anything extraordinary?” Mark asked, his voice deep and laced with curiosity. Ten sometimes felt a bit of sorrow when he looked at him because back then, he was always clinging onto him and adored spending time at their restaurant, no matter how gruff he was. And now, just look at him! He wasn’t so clingy anymore – probably due to college life − but he was there when he needed him and he couldn’t say no to spend his Sunday with his buddy.

“Not really,” he shook his head but a proud grin was evident on his face. He couldn’t be bothered to care about extraordinary things because it meant that there was nothing wrong with the restaurant. Everything went well and even though there were obstacles once in a while, he and his staff managed to overcome any hardships that occurred.

Mark ordered his usual − deep-fried bananas with mango juice − and sat down at a table near the window. Ten soon found himself busied with taking orders and tried to satisfy his customers as much as possible. He had a bit of time to drink some water in the meantime but almost spat it out when he heard a female voice from behind.

“Excuse me,” she cleared her throat. “I’m freezing, so I would like to have something really hot,” she continued and her words forced him to turn around and look at her. There she was; Miuna more radiant and more feminine than ever. She was wearing a white blouse with black jeans and her beloved Converse shoes were replaced by elegant high heels which suited her perfectly. She got a neatly-cut bob hairstyle which was absolutely gorgeous but took him by surprise since he only saw her with long, wavy curls. To sum it up, she was stunning and Ten nearly fainted at the sight of the girl.

“Oh, wow, Miuna!” he got his grip together and tried to act like nothing had happened. He felt in his guts that his acting was horrible. “W-what are you doing here?” he stammered anxiously but the affection is his voice didn’t go unnoticed.

“What do you want to know?” she inquired with a cocky smile. “Why I am here at your restaurant or why I am in Korea?” she raised her eyebrow in question, a chuckle making its way past her lips. Ten had to admit that the sound of her laughter triggered pleasant chills running down his spine. He felt that his heart was immediately encaged, he was under her spell. Again.

“Maybe… both?” he mumbled and although his voice was barely audible, she managed to catch the words and tried to stifle her giggle.

“I went to Krop-krua to have some lunch and when I asked your parents about your whereabouts, they gave me the address of your new restaurant. And I’m here in Korea because I’ve got a job offer and I decided to accept it. Guess what!” she exclaimed, happily clapping her hands together. “I’ll be teaching Japanese for students at a high school and you can see that I’m just so super excited. Will they like me? Will I be a good teacher for them? Will the staff like me?” she chattered without any sign of fear and Ten was relieved that she managed to stay that optimistic, determined girl that she was 5 years ago.

“Wow, congratulations!” his jaw dropped by the wonderful news. “I’m sure you’ll be an amazing teacher!” he reassured her and Miuna gave him a beautiful smile in response. Actually, he didn’t even know which one of them was happier; Miuna who got the job of her dreams or Ten who knew that it meant that they could spend more time together.

“But now tell me everything about what happened with you in the last 5 years! I’m so curious!” she grinned and her affection was beyond words. Her request made his heart leap and he knew that he was already in from the moment she turned up. It was like nothing had happened since they last saw each other. Despite the fact that she was more feminine, she remained just as bubbly and chattered just as enthusiastically as before. He couldn’t say no to her; he asked a waiter to take over his duties and sat down with Miuna at a table not far from Mark’s.

Mark sneaked a glance at them and when he turned back to his plate, a smug smirk was already on his face.

“I’ve told you, buddy. I’ve told you,” he mumbled to himself and silently gloated at his victory. If he hadn’t left them alone on that rainy day 5 years ago, maybe they wouldn’t have become so close. He couldn’t help but smile so damn proudly.

  Additional information:

Krop-krua consists of two Thai words: krop means family + krua means kitchen