Minseok was on his way to work, barely having the energy to lift up his feet and walk properly. His head hung low and he had a pained expression on his face, kicking at pebbles that were in his way. Bystanders offered him worried glances, knowing full well something was the matter with this young man due to how he looked, tired and angry. However no one dared to ask him what’s wrong. He hated friday nights and it was hard to drag himself over to the restaurant he worked at. This shift was always mentally and physically draining him and he’d rather avoid working it but the pay was good. He needed it.

This job was the first one that Minseok came across when he moved to Seoul to attend one of the best universities in the country. He was very independent and was raised as such by his parents, so when he moved he had told his family that he wanted to do this on his own. His parents never had much money, and they couldn’t afford much luxury so Minseok insisted on getting a job and pay for his school, apartment and primary needs himself. His mum helped out by sending him a ton of food every once in awhile so that he was able to save a bit of money. He was very mature for a 22 year old, but he also had a lot of worries and stress that someone of his age shouldn’t even be dealing with. However looking at his life, and his decisions he didn’t regret any of it. This job was a necessity, no matter how difficult these friday night shift were. He had to it up and do his job with a smile on his face. With that thought he walked into the restaurant, greeted his colleagues with a smile and went into the back to change into his work attire. When he came back he took a good look around the restaurant. It was something he always did, getting a good look of the customers who were already eating and to take in his surroundings. The restaurant was a good size, with plenty of room for tables and walk space for the waiters, but not being too big that it seemed empty. The interior was bright and chic. The walls were painted a light grey, with a dark grey wooden floor. The space was filled with metallic looking tables with either black or white chairs. The logo, menus and work attire were all in the same shade of purple, giving the necessary color to the restaurant. There was a small bar next to the door to the kitchen. It looked like it was made of the same metallic looking material as the tables and it had a countertop that matched the wooden floor. Minseok always wondered what material it was that made it look like metal. The barstools were also either black or white, matching the rest of the restaurant's interior very well. If you looked closely at the chairs and stools you could see that the fabricant used purple sticking in the fabric of the seats. This was an indication that his boss had specially designed the interior for this restaurant. Minseok loved the look and general feel that the restaurant possessed. It had an american diner feel but without the feel of eating at a cheap establishment. Even though the interior was bright the atmosphere was warm and romantic, perfect for couples to have a romantic (and affordable) meal. Minseok liked those customers the most. He would look at the couples and feel blessed to be in the presence of love. It tugged on his heartstrings and he couldn’t wait for the day he would meet someone who would look at him like he was the most beautiful creature on earth. But today was friday which meant the establishment would be packed with loud, obnoxious and rude teenagers, and he had the honour of serving them. Minseok sighed and tying his apron tighter around his waist before Sehun came running up to him.

Sehun was one of his colleagues, a tall and handsome teen. Some of the groups of girls that were having dinner here came to be waited on my Sehun and would shamelessly flirt with the young boy. At first Minseok couldn’t get along with him well because he suffered from something that was called a resting face and he thought that Sehun wasn’t a nice person to be around. However that changed quickly and now he’s very fond of the younger, taking him out for coffee and taking him under his wing, being a good elder. He thought of Sehun as his younger sibling, someone he needed to take care of, which he happily did. However a few weeks ago Sehun showed he didn’t need any protection. There was a rather rude, handsy female customer that the younger dealt with really well and showed the female that he didn’t like what she was doing and that he wouldn’t hesitate to throw her out of the restaurant. When Minseok heard of that he was proud of his younger friend, and he mentally applauded his actions.

“Hey Minnie, oh it’s so good you’re here. The customers at table 10 have been requesting you wait of them tonight. They’ve been waiting for 15 minutes but have turned down every other waiter who wanted to take their order. It seems like you’re popular” Sehun informed him and chuckled at the last part. Minseok wasn’t the person who’d catch people’s attention. He blended in well with the background and it was exactly the way he liked it. He was surprised that there were customers who requested he’d wait on them. In his two years of working here no one had ever made a request like that. He didn’t even know he had regulars. He quickly thanked Sehun and made his way over to table 10.

His eyes widened when he saw who were occupying said table, a large group of young men around Minseok’s age. There were attending the same university as him, but they weren’t exactly friends. There was Jongin, who was very handsome with beautiful tanned skin and a killer smile that made the girls’ (and some guys’) underwear drop to the floor. Jongdae, who he knew from one of his classes, was a guy with sharp features and eyes that radiated warmth and friendliness. It was too bad that he had a big mouth and liked pulling stupid pranks on those of a lower rank than himself. Next to Jongdae sat Yixing, a guy who was like an angel. Minseok genuinely liked this guy since he was always polite and friendly whenever he came in. Yixing was handsome although he wasn’t portrayed as such at school. To most people he was plain looking but he was blessed with a delicate grace which made him very attractive. Minseok couldn’t help but wonder if he was seeing anyone, and what on earth he was doing with the bane of his existence. Yixing’s best friend just so happens to be Luhan, who was seated next to him, a smile on his pretty, round face.

Minseok would describe him as Mr. Big Shot. Someone so handsome and beautiful he became the most popular guy in school the first time he walked in. Luhan was the son of a well known business man which automatically made him THE guy to love in school. Unfortunately it made him arrogant, rude and giving him the feeling that he was superior to everyone else. Not to mention that he bullied Minseok whenever he saw the opportunity present itself, only because he wasn’t as well off as Luhan, because he had to work hard in order to put himself through school. Not everything was handed to him on a silver platter, neither was he born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Not everyone had that luxury, but to Luhan it seemed to make you a lesser person if you had to fight to live a comfortable life. Minseok thought of turning around and hide, however he quickly thought of the fact that he wasn’t a coward and that he had to face his hardships head on in order to overcome them. Also he wasn’t weak, and running away now would definitely show that to Luhan and his group of friends. With a rather forced smile on his face he approached the table and spoke to the party.

“Good evening, my name is Minseok. May I take your order?”. Yixing was the first one to look up from the menu and smile at him, making Minseok a whole lot more comfortable knowing there was at least one friendly face. He liked Yixing a lot because no matter how rude Luhan was, he would always correct him and speak up, not agreeing with Luhan’s behaviour. Not that it stopped him from harming others though.

“Ah if it isn’t my Seokkie. Babe, come sit here and enjoy dinner with us” Luhan said with a smirk, patting his lap for Minseok to sit on.

“Excuse me sir but unfortunately I have to decline that offer. Things like that are not in my job description. Are you ready to order or should I come back later?” Minseok answered politely but feeling himself tense up when Luhan reached over to grab his wrist. Jongin and Jongdae were laughing at him and encouraging their older friend to pull Minseok on his lap himself.

“Sir I will only ask you this once, would you be so kind to let go of me so I can do my job, otherwise I am inclined to call for my boss” He said firm and steady whilst trying to look tough instead of scared. Seeing Luhan didn’t buy his tough act he sought for help with Yixing, after all he was the only one of the group of friends who had some control over Luhan’s antics. Unfortunately for him Yixing seemed to be in his own little world, not paying attention to what was happening at the table.

“But babe, I thought you had a thing for me?” Luhan asked innocently before he added “Everyone does to be honest” with a smirk on his face which made the others laugh.

Minseok got more and more annoyed with the situation. “Did I ever say I did sir? I can’t recall. Now please let go of me before I will have you thrown out of this establishment for harassing the staff” He said with gritted teeth. Jongin stood up, towering over Minseok with an angry expression.

“Yah, who do you think you are little ! Don’t you dare talk to Luhan like that ever again or I will pound your…”. Jongin threatened but Yixing snapped out of whatever daydream he was in and pulled the younger down into his seat. “That’s enough Jongin! Luhan let go of him right now, and let’s have dinner. Minseok please accept my apologies on behalf of my rude friends” He spoke while bowing his head towards him respectfully.

“Apology accepted sir, thank you. Are you ready to place your orders?” He said and scribbled down whatever they wanted to have and quickly ran to the kitchen. He was relieved to be free from Luhan and his shenanigans for a while but it was only short lived. After all he had to bring them their food later on.

“This is going to be a long night” he sighed.

He saw Sehun rush over to him with a worried look in his eyes. “Minnie are you alright? I overheard what happened and do you want me to take that table for you?”

He put a comforting hand on his colleagues shoulder and offered him a small smile, ensuring that he was alright and that he didn’t need the younger to take his table. “I can handle them, besides it builds character to face one's hardships.” Minseok said. He wanted to handle this on his own, like the strong person he is. Luhan had been targeting him for months but he had never given in, and he didn’t see himself doing that any time soon. He isn’t someone who allows others to boss him around. However he couldn’t help but think there was more to the behaviour that Luhan was showing, and even if he wanted to he couldn’t hate the guy. Minseok was overcome with a newfound determination that allowed him to took the prepared food and drinks, walked to the table and put it in front of the customers with an air of confidence.

“Here you go, enjoy your dinner and call if you need me” he said with a polite smile and left. When he turned around he suddenly felt a sharp sting on his . He turned back around and saw that Luhan was smirking at him.

“You have a nice babe” Luhan said, winked and motioned to grab Minseok’s behind again. He didn’t know what came over him but he quickly responded by grabbing Luhan’s arm and stopping it dead in its tracks.

“Don’t touch me” he hissed and forcefully threw the arm back to Luhan’s side and left the table. He had never had the guts to talk back to Luhan the way he did just now. The guy was just so infuriating and he couldn’t stand it when people inappropriately touched him. He couldn’t help but wonder about what his life would be like at school now that he had thoroughly pissed off the most popular guy.

He had taken a look back to the table. Luhan had a look of admiration on his face, accompanied by a challenging look in his eyes. Jongin was staring daggers at him, and clearly made it known that he wasn’t impressed with Minseok’s behaviour. Jongdae was happily munching on some potatoes and Yixing was throwing him a smile of encouragement. Minseok decided to hold on to that last image and try not to worry about what might happen to him when he enters school on monday.

*****

He casually strolled into the university on monday morning, ready for his first class of the day. He felt good, happy and ready to tackle the amounts of work his professors will throw at him today. He always felt happiest when he was in one of the big lecture halls, being taught new things by inspiring professors. Or when he was in the big library, reading about his favorite subjects or diving into a new field that he had yet to master. Minseok was a shy person, and he prefered to surround himself with knowledge and books rather than obnoxious people and sappy dramas. He focussed on getting good grades, working hard towards his desired future and doing what felt most comfortable to him. Instead of hanging around with his friend, he read about people who were long gone, who achieved great things, discovered the world and who made a change influencing the life they live today. Instead of walking along the streets of Seoul he read about the origin of ancient empires, long lost tribes, old wars and cultures from countries he’ll probably never visit. Minseok might just be the biggest nerd on campus. He wasn’t interested in drinking the night away, to dance to music he didn’t even like or to fuss about whether this guy or girl liked him back. It was something that would provide no use to him academically so he brushed it off and pretended it didn’t exist.

Minseok was fortunate enough to have made a friend on campus. It happened when he was attending one of the football games of their school team. Minseok really enjoyed sports and occasionally went to one of the games if he could pull himself away from his studies. Halfway through the game he was approached by a cheery looking figure, who sat next to him without asking if it was alright.

“Why aren’t you out there playing?” He asked. Minseok almost choked on his spit, spluttering that he didn’t liked to be the centre of attention and that it was the reason he never thought of playing it.

“That is odd, because there’s a fire in your eyes when you watch the players on the field. It is like you belong there as well. I thought you might’ve been injured. I am sorry.” The other apologized, bowing when he stood up. Right when he was about to leave Minseok realised that he didn’t want the other to leave. He was craving a friend and this person talked to him, and seemed like a decent person.

“Don’t go. It’s alright, and yes I suppose that I am passionate about the sport. However I would feel too uncomfortable playing it. I’d rather sit in the library reading, or studying to further my academic career.”  He mentioned without thinking he might give the other the wrong impression. Seriously talking about studying fervently and preferring a library over kicking a ball around on the field was a bold move considering he was surrounded by sport fanatics and jock loving girls.

The others eyes lit up and he quickly sat back down to extend his hand towards Minseok. “I’d rather prefer the library too. I am Junmyeon and it is very nice to meet you….. Uh…” Junmyeon started but realised he didn’t know Minseok’s name. “It’s Minseok. It’s a pleasure to meet you too Junmyeon.” He smiled. After that they spend talking about their likes and it turned out that both men had quite a lot in common. Junmyeon was attending the game to write a piece about it for the school paper since he pursued a career in journalism. In his free time he liked to read about various topics, but also old news articles and biographies or essays about those who made it big in the world of journalism. It turned out that both men put a lot of thought and effort into their future, and we very passionate about what they loved the most. It made them the perfect pair.

Junmyeon is someone who’s friendly to others, who sees the good in people and who cares a lot about the people closest to him. He used to make sure Minseok would always eat breakfast and drink enough water during a study session and would scold him when he didn’t. But Junmyeon was also overly confident sometimes and then it was Minseok who kept him grounded. In a way they complimented each other perfectly. They both appreciated honesty and loyalty within a friendship, and that resulted in being the foundation of theirs. They hardly ever fought and when they did they were both mature enough to see they were wrong, and brave enough to apologize to the other for their faults. But what Minseok loved the most about his relationship with Junmyeon was that he finally felt comfortable around another person, and that he always had someone to turn to when life would bite him in the .

He met up with Junmyeon near his locker and felt relieved that he wasn’t alone in case Luhan and Jongin would be around. Minseok was nervous and Junmyeon picked up on it so he patted the elder’s back and ensured him that everything will be alright.

“But myeonnie, I actually grabbed his hand and threw it back at him. I never stood up for myself that way before and Jongin was ready to slaughter me.” He explained to his friend. He tried his hardest not to be distressed by the whole thing, and it was easy to avoid him by quickly going to his classes and then to the library, but he didn’t want to run and hide like a coward. He was conflicted once again, the boldness from before quickly melting away and making place for insecurity and fear.

“Minseok, you told he how he looked at you. I think that he admired that you stood up for yourself, and if he was mad then wouldn’t he have let that know when he was still in your presence?” Junmyeon calmly explained. Shedding some light on the situation and Minseok had to had it to him that his friend might’ve been right.

“But that doesn’t make me feel any better about Jongin. I know he’s your little brother, and he’s much younger than I am but the guy is still scary as .” Junmyeon burst out laughing when he heard Minseok say this. Jongin was totally harmless and only acted tough to overcompensate for his insecurity and the fact he was actually as fluffy as a stuffed animal. That did put a smile to Minseok’s face and he happily made his way to class, feeling at ease.

*****

He made it through the day without a hitch. He managed to avoid Luhan and any of his friends at uni, he had time in his lectures to finish a huge part of his homework and finished the rest at lunch knowing he had to work at the restaurant. He was on his way to the establishment now, sun shining down on him and making him feel even more happy than he already did. He entered his workplace, greeted his employer and colleagues and got ready for a 5 hours shift. When he came out of the kitchen and made his usual round through the restaurant he saw that Luhan and Jongdae were having dinner at table 10 (again!). When he walked past them neither of the boys looked up, nor tried to make conversation with him. Minseok was relieved that they finally allowed him to have a moment of peace and not torment him like they always do. Although he couldn’t help but feeling that this was just the calmth before a storm, and it might be that it was the biggest one to have ever hit him.

He had to pass table 10 again to serve two lovely girls at table 5 but this time he was holding a tray of drinks, a plate of pasta arrabiata and a hamburger with fries instead of going by empty handed. Minseok’s hunch was right because a foot collided with his, making him trip and fall facedown to the floor. The glasses and plates smashed on the floor breaking into small pieces, cutting his arm in the process, Iced tea was soaking him through and through and pasta was staining his apron and a bit of his white dress shirt. Most customers were shocked and offered Minseok a helping hand before Chanyeol (one of his colleagues) came to his side and ushered him to the back to get himself cleaned up. When Minseok looked at Jongdae and Luhan he saw that they had left the building, but he knew that both of them had been behind this. ‘I suppose that’s the end of the calmth’ he thought when he went into the back to change his attire and treat the cut on his arm.

“Minseok, the two gentlemen at table 10 left a note for you” Chanyeol said when he entered the backroom of the restaurant, a place where staff could change, go to the bathroom and have a break. Minseok took the note with shaking hands and thanked his upbeat, lanky colleague before glancing at the crumpled piece of paper;

Please watch your step next time. I wouldn’t want my beautiful Minseok to get hurt. X Lu

Minseok ripped the paper in a thousand little pieces before throwing it away from him. He knew he was right that those s did this to him. He knew that this wasn’t over, that Luhan wouldn’t quit tormenting him and making his life even more difficult than it already it. What did he do to deserve this kind of thing? It wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t born into a rich family like his, nor wasn’t it his fault that he had to work hard for any kind of success. Luhan wouldn’t know about the struggles and hardship Minseok had to face occasionally. He sometimes wish that Luhan would lose everything in order to learn what it is like to work for money, to fight to sustain yourself and to be on the receiving side of being looked down upon. Minseok wondered if a situation like that would bring out Luhan’s true personality and if he was a better person when the arrogance and superiority was stripped away from him. Even in times of hurt he still wouldn’t be able to think badly of people.

*****

A/N: I decided to devide this up into parts, so here's the first one. I hope that you've enjoyed it and it would help me immensely if I could hear your thoughts on it. Will Luhan be able to start to treat Minseok better? Or would Minseok get confident enough to fight Luhan off?! You'll know in the next part. Have a lovely day ^^