Jongdae screeched.

He had zoned out for about half a second - enough time for him to slip on a coin that had fallen on the ground and tumble down to the ground. To make it worse, everyone saw.

Some people gasped, other simply turned around; the restaurant wasn't large by any means.

Jongdae squeezed his eyes shut as he sat on the ground, the palm of his right hand stinging from breaking his fall. He felt eyes on him, too many eyes. His face was burning, and he wanted to cry on the spot.

"Crap," he whispered to himself, pursing his lips and taking deep breaths through his nose. Breathe, Jongdae. Remember your exercises.

"Hey man," a deep voice said, melting the otherwise tense atmosphere after what seemed like hours, "you okay?"

Jongdae opened one eye and saw a rather tall young man standing above him, a worried look adorning his face. Jongdae didn't meet the stranger's eyes as he replied, "yeah."

The stranger's gaze softened, and almost immediately did he offer a hand to Jongdae. Confused for a moment, he just stared - however, it didn't take him long to realize what the stranger was offering. Internally thankful, he grabbed the tall man's hand, and he pulled poor Jongdae off the floor with ease.

"Thanks," Jongdae said quietly, brushing off his black shirt and slacks, "but sorry. I... zoned out, I guess..."

"No problem," the stranger replied kindly, "that fall looked pretty bad."

Jongdae shrugged slightly and shook his head gently. "I should really get back to work," he said a few seconds later, adjusting his collar, "thanks again."

The stranger didn't reply, but he simply smiled.

Jongdae's heart pounded a little harder.

Jongdae groaned obnoxiously the moment he got through the door of his apartment.

"Good evening to you too," Minseok, Jongdae's roommate and best friend, answered lightheartedly, "long day at work?"

"You don't even know," he replied quietly, mouth forming a small frown as he let himself fall onto the couch.

"What happened?" Minseok asked curiously, walking into their living room and taking a seat on the edge of the sofa where Jongdae's feet didn't reach.

"I fell at work today," he replied in a near whisper, tears almost forming in his eyes, "everyone saw."

Minseok's took a deep breath as he scooted himself closer to his younger roommate, whose breaths were short and faint. "Oh... Come here, come here..."

Jongdae suffered from severe social anxiety - how he managed to work as a waiter in a small restaurant amazed everyone, really. He could do his job, but only his job - take orders, bring food and drinks, and bring the bill. He was completely incompetent in the small talk department, but the reason his boss still kept him on staff all these years was because all the regulars absolutely adored him - he was petite, polite, and "cute as a button". His boss took note of all his positive reviews, so he continued to work with Jongdae on how to be a bit more sociable with unfamiliar customers.

That didn't mean that Jongdae had it all figured out. Some days were better than others. Some days, he could get through a whole 9 hour shift and feel great. Other days, he would slip off into the staff room and have a nervous breakdown because a customer snapped at him. Despite his condition and somewhat unpredictable personality, everyone still loved him, cared for him, and continued trying to help and support him, for which he was extremely grateful.

Today was just a bad day, Minseok thought to himself as he held Jongdae, who was now crying softly.

"Shh, your shift's over," he lulled softly, rubbing the younger's tummy, "you're here with me now. Breathe, Jongdae."

Jongdae took a few minutes to calm himself down. Once he stopped crying, he suffered a few minutes of hiccups.

"So, Jongdae, what happened again?" Minseok asked softly once his best friend quieted down.

"I fell," the latter mumbled in reply, "hard. Everyone stopped and stared."

The elder hummed in reply. "Did anyone help you at all?"

Jongdae nodded. "Some nice guy did. He looked like he was our age or something. I-I don't know."

"Well, there's one good thing that came out of that otherwise bad situation," Minseok said, his voice a bit more chipper.

Jongdae nodded but didn't reply. He was nice.

*buzz*

Jongdae's phone vibrated, the sound echoing throughout his small room. He looked up from the novel he was reading, eyebrows raised slightly. Who could that be? He tentatively opened his phone to see a Facebook message notification. Curious, he clicked on the link and was greeted with a warm, well, greeting.

Park Chanyeol: Hello!

Park Chanyeol? Who was that? The name didn't sound familiar at all.

Kim Jongdae: Hi, who is this?

No more than 5 seconds passed before another message popped up.

Park Chanyeol: Haha, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm the guy who helped you up during your shift. How is your hand? ☺

Jongdae could barely believe his eyes. Was this guy seriously checking up on him? Why would he? More importantly, how exactly did this Park Chanyeol find his name?

Kim Jongdae: Better, thanks... I'm just not sure how you found out my name or why you messaged me.

Was Jongdae being too harsh to the guy who helped him avoid a panic attack during the middle of his shift? Maybe... But this seemed a bit strange, to say the least.

Park Chanyeol: I saw that you were still Employee of the Month last month in that little corner almost no one goes to.. I just, you know, wanted to check up, since your hand looked pretty bad.. Sorry for creeping you out, man.

Jongdae sighed lightly. Go easy on the guy, Jongdae. You'll probably never see him again.

Kim Jongdae: Sorry, didn't mean to seem so callous. I'm just a bit private, is all. I am doing much better, thank you. Today was just a rough day, you know?

Park Chanyeol: I feel it, man. I nearly got hit by a car before coming to your restaurant...

Kim Jongdae: Oh man, well, you survived.. that's all that matters.

Park Chanyeol: Yeah, I guess. Life is just not on my side at the moment.

Kim Jongdae: Life is never on my side, really.

Park Chanyeol: Especially today, amiright? LOL

Kim Jongdae: ...

Park Chanyeol: Sorry... I don't always think about what I say before I do. Didn't mean to offend.

Kim Jongdae: No problem, man, and you're totally right. I'm just kinda a killjoy sometimes, so it's not you.

Park Chanyeol: You're not a killjoy...

Kim Jongdae: You don't even know me, lol.

Park Chanyeol: Maybe not yet. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'd like to get to know you better. You seem pretty chill.

Kim Jongdae: You...wanna get to know me? After you saw me make a complete fool of myself?

Park Chanyeol: LOL I do that everyday, so don't even worry about what I think. I am 110% idiot ☺

Kim Jongdae: I doubt that. You were very kind and helpful to me today, which I greatly appreciated. I don't think I really properly thanked you for what you did...

Park Chanyeol: Oh, don't worry about it! I'm always here to help ☺

Kim Jongdae: I'll keep that in mind~

Neither Jongdae nor Chanyeol replied for a few moments. It wasn't until he looked away did Jongdae receive another message.

Park Chanyeol: Do you work tomorrow?

Kim Jongdae: Yeah, unfortunately. Solid 11-7. I'm dreading it :(

Park Chanyeol: Maybe I can meet you there when you get off... Just so we can more properly introduce ourselves. Am I being too pushy?

Jongdae couldn't help but smile. Someone actually wanted to be his friend. So much for "never seeing him again".

Kim Jongdae: No problem by me. I can't get you the employee discount yet, that'll be later on if you decide to stick around ☺

Jongdae then stared in horror at what he typed. The smiley face was the icing on the cake of disaster. Luckily, however, Chanyeol didn't seem to mind at all.

Park Chanyeol: I'll definitely make sure to, then ☺

Kim Jongdae: Great! Well, I have to actually go now. It's getting late, and I have work tomorrow...

Park Chanyeol: Alright, you get some sleep. Maybe I'll see you around?

Kim Jongdae: Maybe, haha. Goodnight!

Park Chanyeol: Night ✌️

Jongdae couldn't help but smile broadly to himself. On one hand, this Park Chanyeol seemed to be a bit of a handful, but on the other hand, he was very kind and a good distraction. Jongdae clicked out of the messages window and noticed that he had a new notification. He clicked it and grinned.

Park Chanyeol would like to be your friend! Confirm | Not Now

Jongdae smiled and clicked 'confirm'. He sat for a moment before deciding to click on his new 'friend's' profile. The first thing he saw on the page was Chanyeol's profile picture. The photo had nearly 200 likes and about 15 comments.

This guy must be super popular! Who is the other guy in the photo?

Jongdae continued to browse through Chanyeol's photos before landing on one that made him smile again. 218 likes, 32 comments. The caption read:

"just got accepted into Yonsei!! celebration party woot woot! #smile ☺"

"He goes to Yonsei?" Jongdae mumbled to himself, eyes wide. He's smart, too.

"Who goes to Yonsei?" a tired sounding voice asked suddenly. Jongdae jumped and looked over to his door to see a very sleepy looking Minseok, eyes half closed.

"N-no one, hyung!" Jongdae squeaked out, shutting his laptop a bit harder than he probably should have.

"Huh," Minseok replied, yawning loudly, "because you were cheesing pretty hardcore a minute ago."

"You've been watching me?" the younger exclaimed, biting his lip. This is awkward.

"Kinda. You were pretty boring otherwise. Who were you looking at? It wasn't that Yunho guy again, was it?"

"No! It wasn't Yun- hey! That was years ago, drop it!"

Jongdae's face was burning at this point, and all he wanted to do was crawl in a hole. He knew, however, that Minseok truly was only teasing, and that he meant no malice.

"Uh huh, right," the latter replied lazily, "well I'm heading to bed now. Sweet dreams, Dae."

"Night, hyung!"

Minseok chuckled quietly before closing his roommate's door. Jongdae sighed happily.

Jongdae slumped down into a chair the moment he entered the small employees' room at 7:15. Today had been an extremely long day at work - with crying babies, unsatisfied customers, and some lousy tips, he was ready to head home.

"Man, table 8 was cursed today," one of Jongdae's coworkers and friends, Kris, grumbled as he slumped into another seat. Jongdae nodded.

"So was table 2," he replied quietly as he (finally) took off his apron, "they would not shut up. It was super awkward."

"I wish my tables would actually talk," Kris exclaimed, resting his head on his arms, "I try to make smalltalk and they just, you know, ignore me."

"One day, if we get people like that, we should trade," Jongdae suggested, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Ditto," Kris replied, raising a thumbs up.

A moment of silence passed before Jongdae's and Kris's manager, Luhan, poked his head into the door.

"Yo, Jongdae, there's someone outside looking for you," he said, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Huh?" Jongdae replied dumbly, eyes wide. Who could be waiting for me?

"Tall, big ears, brown hair? Sound familiar?"

"Not really."

"Well, just get out there when you can. I told him you could be a few minutes. Anyway, I gotta get back to deal with the es at the Cursed Table."

Jongdae and Kris chuckled. "8?"

Luhan gave them a sickly sarcastic smile before heading out and closing the door.

"I knew it was cursed!"

Jongdae sighed as he exited the employees' room around 7:30. He had changed out of his uniform and into some more comfortable clothing - khaki shorts and a nice t-shirt - since the summer weather has finally arrived.

He was still curious if that one person was still there waiting for him. Who could possibly be waiting for him? All his family lived out of town, and Luhan's description of the guy didn't match any of his friends.

"See you, Kris hyung," he said to his coworker, smiling softly, "good luck with table 2."

"Thanks man. Are we still on for Friday at my place? Bring Minseok too. He needs some fresh air," Kris replied softly.

"Yeah, we'll be there," the younger replied happily.

"Great, see you guys then!"

Jongdae nodded and continued on his way into the actual restaurant. He looked around before Luhan came up to him and said in a hushed voice, "he's sitting at table 6. Guy's been there for over an hour. Be nice to him." With a quick smile and a wink, Luhan was off. Face slightly flushed for no apparent reason, Jongdae took a few deep breaths before slowly walking over to table 6. It's okay, Jongdae. Just breathe.

The moment Jongdae saw who was at table 6, he froze.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out, covering his mouth the moment he said that because it was the guy who helped him yesterday and what was his name??

"Hey there," the guy replied sheepishly, a nervous smile on his face, "how are you?"

Jongdae couldn't really respond because of the shock he was in. "Uhh..."

There was an admittedly awkward silence before Jongdae managed to whisper, "I... di-didn't think you would actually come..."

"Right, about that," the guy said sheepishly, looking down bashfully, "I...wasn’t actually sure... I was down in the area to pick up my mom's dry cleaning, and I saw your restaurant from the window and was like, oh, that Kim Jongdae works there, I said I would visit him, so yeah. Here I am."

Jongdae couldn't stop the small smile that graced his lips. "I see."

Another short silence ensued before the mystery guy continued, "well, let me introduce myself properly. My name is Park Chanyeol-" Chanyeol! I knew it was Chan-something!. "-am 22 years old! I love playing the guitar, petting cats, and eating delicious food!"

Jongdae's smile grew, and a feeling of new found confidence took over. "I-I’m Kim Jongdae, and I'm also 22 years old. I.. I like playing the piano, reading fantasy novels, and playing with kittens. Who doesn't love kittens?"

Chanyeol grinned from ear to ear. "That's the most I've heard you speak since we met."

Jongdae's ears reddened as he replied quietly, "S-sorry... I...I'm just super...introverted."

Chanyeol had enough courtesy to look slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know.."

"It's okay," Jongdae replied, waving it off, "just... at talking sometimes. All the time. Ugh."

"Well, I'm really good at talking... Too good, some people say," Chanyeol chuckled, making Jongdae smile again, "so maybe I can help you in that department?"

The latter nodded eagerly.

"I'd like that."

Chanyeol, who Jongdae learned was just a few months younger than himself, could definitely talk, there was no doubt about that. The two had decided to head to an actual cafe to grab something cool to drink. Chanyeol opted for a strawberry milkshake, while Jongdae decided to get an iced coffee with a pump of vanilla.

"My best friend, Minseok hyung, would have a if he saw me drinking this," Jongdae chuckled quietly, nodding to his drink, "he doesn't believe in iced coffee. Thinks it's an abomination."

"Let me guess," Chanyeol replied, "he's the guy who orders hot black coffee without sugar or cream."

"Bingo," the elder replied, a small smile adorning his lips.

"Is that the same Minseok in your profile picture?" Chanyeol asked curiously. Jongdae nodded. "He's the one."

"Where did you guys meet?"

"At school. We were roommates our freshman year and, you know... things just hit off from there."

"Oh, okay! Where do you go to school?"

Jongdae took a deep breath. Chanyeol wasn't kidding when he said that he could talk.

"Korea University," he replied proudly, "studying linguistics, English, and international studies."

Chanyeol's eyes narrowed suddenly, and it took Jongdae a few seconds to realize why. He's from Yonsei.

"Technically, you're my enemy," the younger said quietly, a sly smile adorning his lips.

"Ah, right. The Korea-Yonsei rivalry," Jongdae replied warmly, "and those joint games, which we destroyed you in last year. 5-0!"

"Hmpf," Chanyeol grumbled, "at least I got to participate. I almost scored a goal in the football match."

"I did football too," Jongdae replied softly, "lost a bet. Nearly scored a goal too."

The two stayed silent for a moment, eyeing each other curiously.

"I also remember," Jongdae continued quietly, "I...I stopped a guy from scoring a goal."

"Wait a second!" Chanyeol exclaimed loudly, quickly covering his mouth upon seeing glares from other customers, "you were that one guy!"

"What guy?" the elder asked quietly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"That guy. The one who stopped me from scoring my goal. The one who slide tackled me and got carded for it." Chanyeol stared incredulously.

"H-holy crap," Jongdae breathed in disbelief, simply staring before shaking his head. It couldn't be.

"W-wait. I remember...after that, we had a time-out because of that pers- your...injury."

Chanyeol pursed his lips and nodded along with Jongdae's words. "I have a mini scar on the back of my leg from that..."

The two stared at each other with matching astounded gazes in a semi-tense silence.

"So it was you," the younger breathed, eyes staring directly into Jongdae's. The latter, an uneasy and guilty feeling overtaking him, looked away in shame.

"I... I'm s-sorry," he whispered, pursing his lips, "I never meant to... to hurt you."

"No worries!" Chanyeol replied nonchalantly, waving off the comment, "the past's the past. You did what you had to do. Plus, scars look pretty cool if you ask me."

"Yeah," was all Jongdae could say.

The two spent the next hour or so talking - Chanyeol e