( @wonsikko helped me out ! )
he never complained about the endless hours of work. to be honest, complain was never a word that appeared in his vocabulary - and god, there is a litany of things about which reef could complain, if he so desired: the countless hours he’s spent studying through the years, the extensive coursework he completes daily, the seemingly ceaseless hours of work at a restaurant that hardly appreciates him piled on top of an exponentially growing pile of assignments, the passing of his parents, the general poverty in which he lives. but each day is greeted with a smile.
it’s a gift, really, that he’s able to not simply overcome such adversity, but translate it into something beneficial - that he’s able to take the reigns, to transform his life, shaping it into one greeted by blessings (in disguise, of course) rather than one greeted by tragedy.
despite poor management. it’s often that at least one of the parties reef serves gives him a rather generous tip. he’s human - and what human wouldn’t be thrilled to find a large sum waiting as a reward for “service with the brightest of smiles.” it’s enough to put him in a good mood - well, more so than he already was in. is he ever in a bad mood? (not really.) - that manifests itself in the form of a pep in his step, walking the scenic route home, and blissful beats from earphones.
it all comes to a screeching - or rather, a thudding - halt when he collides with the other male. one of those embarrassing, front to front collisions that he (un)surprisingly has experienced a few times before this. “i’m so sor-- oh, wonsi--” in the same moment that he’s recognized, reef spots a few unsightly bruises. without further ado, and despite the protests of ‘i’m fine,’ and ‘it’s just from work,’ reef has managed to, ironically enough, wrestle wonsik into a nearby alley, using whatever he can find in his own jacket pockets to attempt to nurse him back to health.
“you’re most certainly not fine.. let me take care of you just this once!” he dabs at a few centimeters of reddened skin that had likely recently stopped bleeding, lips curved into a knowing - yet bright - smile. “you can spend every day of your life taking care of yourself, you know.. especially when there’s someone more than willing to do it for you.”