Chapter 2

 

Taeyeon had experienced many annoying people in her life.

 

At school there was no end to the many people who wanted her attention to the point that it even bugged her to say hello and smile but that was the least she could do. Everybody always bragged to their friends and family that ‘the daughter of the Kims’ talked to them.

Not all, but a few teachers were also trying to up to her by offering to let her skip their classes and prodding her to give a good word to her parents about them right before parent teacher interviews occurred.

When she was dating, the guys would always use her name to get to higher up places or would always hint that they were poor so that she would pay for her own half of their dates and sometimes even the whole date at times.

 

 

This time however, she could not figure out what this new co-worker of hers wanted from her and why he was doing what he was currently doing to annoy her.

 

"Will you quit messing up my hair every time you walk past?" She sighed for the millionth time. Running her fingers through her hair, Taeyeon muttered incoherent words trying to fix the strands that weren’t in place.

 

"But the face you make every time I do it is so funny!" Baekhyun chuckled, probably referring to the girl’s rolled eyes and gritted teeth that screamed to him 'I'm done with you' whenever he had to go past the front counter. And that wasn't supposed to be as often as he had been coming by the entire night.

 

Even Chanyeol didn't walk past her this often whenever they worked together.

 

"The diner is dead tonight. I have to pass the time somehow. “I’ve made 9 dishes in total…is it always like this on a weekday?” Baekhyun yawned.

“It really depends, sometimes it can be as busy as a Friday night so It’s never really the same every week.” Taeyeon replied calmly, but then shook her head. “Wait that’s not the point! Quit bothering me you brat!!”

“How will I pass the time then?” Baekhyun fakely pouted as If he was getting his toy taken away from him.

 

“I don’t know, maybe by learning how to cook as fast as all the other chefs and not making the kitchen such a mess?” Taeyeon scoffed.

 

To be honest, she was surprised at how she was able to banter with the guy like this when she only just met him. She definitely was not the type of person who was used to being able to talk back and forth with anyone besides Chanyeol. But this friend of his had bothered her more than she could count and she could not help herself.

 

When he didn’t answer her remark, she raised her eyebrow at him as he just smirked instead.

 

“What?”

 

“You got a bit of a mouth on you huh? So witty.” His smirk grew bigger.

 

Taeyeon’s eyes widened slightly at his description. No one had ever called her anything even similar to the word he just used to identify her.

“If you two are done cat fighting, there’s a pile of things that need to be cleaned.” Chen, the manager came up from behind them, crossing his arms as If scolding his younger siblings.

 

Taeyeon looked around. With only 2 tables seated in the spacious diner, there was not much to do besides tidying up the kitchen.

 

 “Baekhyun, I suggest you help Minseok clean and scrub the saucepans you burnt tonight.”

 

Taeyeon  could only hide her laugh but not her smile when her new coworker’s face turn noticeably red as he nodded in embarrassment before trotting to the kitchen.

 

“I’m sorry If I slacked off tonight, Chen.” She said, bowing to the manager after Baekhyun was gone.

 

“I can see everything that happens around this place and I know you weren’t slacking so you don’t need to apologise.” Chen uncrossed his arms and smiled lightly. “Is Baekhyun bothering you too much?”

 

“Ah, no please don’t worry about it. He was just playing around.” Taeyeon shook her head. She was not so mean as to complain to her manager about trivial things.

 

“Being nice as always.” Chen chuckled. “Luckily for you, Chanyeol doesn’t have to be at the dentist next time so you’ll have him back next week. But it is good to see you interact with someone else besides him that really makes you talk.”

“What do you mean?” Taeyeon tilted her head slightly.

 

“Well, Chanyeol was always your friend even before you came to work here so it’s a given you two talk a lot. It’s not like you don’t get along with the other workers around here but I know you like to keep your conversations short and to the point. That’s why I was surprised at how much you were chatting with Baekhyun tonight. He’s a good kid, just a bit of a brat.”

 

Taeyeon had nothing to say back and just nodded politely.

“I hope you’ll try and open up more.” With that last bit, Chen pat her head and disappeared down the hall, back into his office.

 

Taeyeon stared off after him for a bit, pondering his words.

 

 

It was true, she wouldn’t deny it herself.

 

Due to being so popular and highly spoken of, Taeyeon developed a habit of keeping her conversations as short as possible without trying to be rude. She only ever really talked to Chanyeol since she had no siblings.

 

Most of the other workers from the diner talked to her more than she talked to them, and in group conversations she preferred to listen as opposed to joining in and talking as much as Chanyeol did. Of course, she was interested in getting to know some of them but she was so used to the students and teachers at school who would ask her about her hobbies and what she likes, pretending to be interested but only doing it to get something out of her.

 

So she didn’t want to try anymore.

 

It was still surprising to find out Chen had observed her mannerisms at work and noticed what her personality was like. And although his claim about her getting along with Baekhyun made her cringe, she could sort of understand why he would say that.

 

Throughout the night, she had heard Minseok laughing quite a bit from the kitchen and whenever she turned around, she could see that Baekhyun must’ve made a joke or said something funny, causing the usually quiet chef to crack up at whatever he heard.
 

Several customers said hi to him whenever he was around the front after bothering Taeyeon, mentioning that they were surprised to see him working on a weekday and that it was good to see him again. That was also a surprise, for he had only been working at the diner for as much as a month she knew. The other 2 waitresses even laughed at his jokes aswell and praised him for his funny humour.

 

In a way, it made Taeyeon a little jealous.

 

The guy just seemed to light up the place in general and it made sense why he was Chanyeol’s friend because they were very similar to each other and were such socialites. Taeyeon always wished she could be someone who was considered a mood maker but that was impossible.

 

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After the restaurant closed and everyone had finished cleaning up, all the staff had gone home. Taeyeon had been trusted with the store key and was one of the staff who were able to close up and tonight it was her turn to leave last. After writing off the sales report for the day, she went to turn off all the power and lights after grabbing her bag from the backroom as she usually would.

 

Outside, she locked the front door and turned to her left, jumping slightly when she saw Baekhyun sitting on the bench outside the diner.

 

“What are you still doing here? Everyone left like half an hour ago.” She dipped the keys into the front pocket of her bag.

 

“I was waiting for you duh.” Baekhyun looked at her as If she had asked a really stupid question.

 

“Waiting for me? What for?”

 

“Aren’t you worried about being attacked or anything when it’s so late at night?” Baekhyun gestured her over to sit next him. Taeyeon hesitated for a moment before deciding to join him.

 

“I always close every second Tuesday night so I’m used to this. Plus, I just messaged my driver to come get me and I don’t usually wait long.”

“Anything can happen in the span of a few minutes you know.” Baekhyun didn’t seem very satisfied at her answer. “I’ll wait with you until they get here then.”

“No, that’s not necessary.” Taeyeon shook her head. “How do you get home yourself anyway?”

 

“I take the bus just up there and then I walk. My place isn’t that far from here.” Baekhyun pointed his finger up the road.

 

“Go wait over there then.” Taeyeon pointed her chin in the same direction.

 

“So no one usually waits for you to finish closing the store?” Baekhyun frowned.

 

“No, Chan waits with me but I usually give him a ride home so it’s not like he has a choice anyway.”

 

“Right.” Baekhyun simply nodded.

 

“But um…thankyou.” Taeyeon felt a bit strange for saying it but the fact that she had only met Baekhyun and he was concerned for her wellbeing shouldn’t go unnoticed.

 

“Did you just thank me?” Baekhyun started to laugh. “Daffofil has some manners after all.”

 

“My god, will you quit with the nickname?” She regretted her earlier words. “I am Taeyeon and don’t you forget it.”

“Okay TAEYEON!” Baekhyun emphasised the syllables of her name mockingly. “So what do you like to do anyway?”

“Sorry, I don’t really do small talk.” She replied curtly.

“So you’d rather sit here next to me in silence while I talk nonstop about myself and-“
 

“OKAY FINE Mr. Annoying!” Taeyeon interrupted him, unknowingly slamming to the boy’s mouth to shut him up. She was just as surprised as he was that she just did that.

“My favourite colour is Blue and my hobby is singing and music. I don’t go out that often and my idea of a fun time is being cooped up at home listening to good singing coverists on Youtube and also watching dramas.”

 

She then released her hand from Baekhyun’s mouth and he exaggeratedly gasped for air, making her roll her eyes.

 

"You like to sing?" Baekhyun's eyes suddenly lit up after a bit of silence passed.

 

"Yeah...I've always had a thing for it as a kid."

 

"Do you perform at any shows?" He asked.

 

"A few...but mostly school events I suppose. I'm not qualified to be amazing like some others out there."

 

"Like who?"

 

Taeyeon stared at Baekhyun for a moment, surprised at how invested and interested he was in listening to her talk. For a second she thought maybe… he was aware of who she was but hell, something told her that wasn't the case and to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.

 

"There's this guy on Youtube who covers a lot of songs I love, adding his own little twists and bits to them that it's almost like his own original songs. But he has written a few of his own which are probably my favourite overall.”

“What do you like about his voice?” Baekhyun smiled slightly at how Taeyeon’s face was lighting up as she continued talking.

 

“It’s thrilling every time.” She started to smile as well. “You can feel the emotion in his voice when he sings any type of song, regardless of a ballad or an upbeat song. His technique is so perfect, and I can’t stop listening to how flawlessly and easily he hits all his notes.”

 

“Cute.” Baekhyun commented.

 

Taeyeon covered and fidgeted, realising she had let herself talk more than she usually did.

 

“I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent, my bad.” She composed herself and sat upright.
 

 

“No, you should go on-“

“Ah! My driver’s here.” Taeyeon suddenly stood up. Baekhyun did too, both of them watching her car pull up in front of them.

 

“That’s some car alright.” Baekhyun whistled. “Well, it’s been fun Daffodil.”

 

Taeyeon nodded, watching after his back as he walked in the opposite direction towards the bus stop. Instead of going inside her car, she walked towards Baekhyun’s direction.
 

“Hey Baekhyun.”

 

She froze when he turned around, his eyes curious as to why she stopped him. Taeyeon wasn’t sure what she wanted to say or why she even called out to him.
 

“It….It was nice meeting you, I guess um.... I will see you next week?”

 

“Did you forget?” Baekhyun tilted his head. “I only filled in today for Yeollie. But it was nice to meet you too Daffofil!”

 

He waved enthusiastically, and Taeyeon slowly put her hand up and gave a small wave before heading inside her car.

 

“How was work and school today, Agassi?” Her butler asked from the passenger seat.

“The same, Jiro.” She responded. “Sorry that we had to rush here so soon after the Gala.”
 

“You don’t need to apologise Agassi.” He gestured for the driver to start the car again. “Chanyeol did not close the store with you today?”

 

“No, he had a dentist appointment but it’s okay. His friend Baekhyun waited with me until you both came.” Taeyeon smiled.

Jiro was a handsome middle-aged Japanese man who had been had been working for the Kims for about 7 years where his job was to cater to Taeyeon and organise her schedules which meant he had known her since she was still in Elementary school. Although they weren’t close like friends, Taeyeon trusted Jiro a lot because he always kept his word to her. Taeyeon feared that because her parents were paying him, that he would ultimately listen to their requests, but he had reassured Taeyeon many times that he would do anything in his power to fulfil her wishes, whatever they may be.

“Was my father upset that I had to go to work again?” Taeyeon asked after a while of listening to songs on her phone.

“On the contrary, he was in quite a happy mood and said he’d like to discuss something with you.”

 

“Good.” She nodded.

 

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When their car had arrived at the gates and through to their private car park, Taeyeon could only think about what her father might want to talk to her about. She had honestly been planning on going up to her room and calling Chanyeol to see how his dentist appointment went, and also perhaps…find out more about Baekhyun. It was a shame that their conversation couldn’t go on but she enjoyed the few minutes that it was.

“Thankyou Jiro, Jaehwan.” She bowed to her butler and driver before walking through the front door. Her footsteps became slow as she was about to approach her father’s office. It had been an unexpectedly nice night, and she hoped her father would deliver good news to her, given Jiro’s statement earlier. But she could never be sure.

“Father, you wanted to see me?” She exhaled lightly, opening the door.

 

She stepped into the familiar space, stopping at the very middle of the room.
 

Her father’s chair was facing the window, like it usually was whenever she entered his office. Slowly, he turned around and smiled lightly.

“You are still wearing your work uniform?”


Taeyeon tried not to roll her eyes. Yes, her father did not like the fact that his daughter willingly got a job at a middle-class diner when she did not even need to do any labour work to begin with and her having a part-time job at her age would make the family name look bad.

“Forgive me, father. I rushed straight to your office instead of going to change because Jiro informed me that you wanted to discuss something.”

“Very well. Sit.” The fearsome man, Kim Nam-yoon pointed his chin at the much less expensive chair placed opposite his desk for others to sit on. When Taeyeon did as she was told, he rested his elbows on the table, hands clasped together.

 

“Taeyeon Dear, you know I have reluctantly allowed you to work at that diner with Chanyeol for quite some time now.”

“And I am thankful for that, Father.” Taeyeon nodded.

“However, what would you say If I were to help his family out, and get them to move back to their old home so that you can attend school together again? That way, you wouldn’t have to spend your spare time having to travel to the diner and serve customers. I regret not thinking of this solution earlier.”

 

“That’s not how it works.” Taeyeon crossed her arms. “Father, I’m not stupid enough to not know that you really just don’t want me having a job because I am a Kim. And so what If I have one? It is located in an area where most, If not all people don’t know what I look like regardless and I haven’t run into any problems there at all.”

“I want nothing more than your happiness, my dear. However, you must consider the fact that even though you have not been identified as my daughter at that place, eventually someone will come in and recognise you. I don’t want you to be judged for having a mediocre job such as a waitress.”

Taeyeon cringed at her father’s words.

 

“I like to work there. I’m there three times a week and I really enjoy having the chance to be outside instead of at our many events or here at home. You told me you understood that when mother explained that I do not get along with your business friend’s kids.”

“If I ease your curfews and restrictions, will you resign from that diner for me?” Her father didn’t miss a beat after she spoke. “In addition, I will allow you to bring your dear friend Chanyeol to our home.”

 

 

“...Are you being serious??”

 

Taeyeon eyes widened at disbelief in her father. He was offering such leniency on the strict rules he had made her abide under for quite some time after she stopped dating her last boyfriend. As shallow as his real desire for her to not work was, Taeyeon was almost ready to jump at the opportunity. If not working at the diner meant she could go out later and even invite Chanyeol to hang out at the house then!

 

“Is that a yes, Taeyeon dear?” He brought her out of her thoughts. “On top of resigning, l’ll also tell you that I would not like for you to visit the diner again, even as a customer. You should be present at more upper-class restaurants.”

 

At this last condition, Taeyeon bit her lip slightly because there was someone other than Chanyeol that popped into her head.

 

“I will think about it father. Thankyou.” She turned to leave his office where Jiro was waiting to her to her room.

 

“I’ve had the maid prepare your bath and relaxation time, Agassi. Did you have a good conversation with your father?”

 

“I can’t really say.” She shrugged. “I have a bit of thinking to do. Jiro, please have the chef prepare a little bit of supper for me to enjoy after my bath, will you please?”

 

“Right away.” The man bowed before disappearing down the hall.

 

Taeyeon wasted no time in getting changed out of her clothes and indulging herself in the scented, hot bath that had been prepared. She laid her back on the edge of the marble, softly inhaling and exhaling the smell of the rose and cherry blossom petals that were combined.

 

She sighed softly, staring at the ceiling and wondering why she was feeling a little conflicted.

 

Her father had just basically given her what she wanted from the start when Chanyeol had moved away, why was she not that excited?

 

Why was she suddenly thinking about how she may never see her new co-worker, Baekhyun again and work with him? He had been deemed as super annoying and bothersome in her mind and he was such a loud person.

 

Taeyeon hated obnoxiously loud people but for some reason, she felt like she could make an exception.

 

A tiny blush crept onto her face when she decided that the next day, she would ask Chanyeol about his friend Baekhyun.

 

 

 

Maybe it was time to make one more friend.

 

 

 

A/N: Hey guys! This second chapter is longer than the first and I think I like it better this way! What do you guys think? 

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Thanks for commenting rainbowpanda1804  & schmelly  on my first chapter <3 I hope you guys will leave me a few more so I will feel more motivated to update~ Let me know how you like our lovely characters and personalities <3 See you guys next update!! Happy belated Valentine's Day ^-^

-Kiseki