- Eun-Sung's POV -

Saturday 11:55 AM

 

The bright morning sun shone through my little window as I yawned and then sat up.

Ugh...sore..

My foot is sore.....

AND WHOSE'S FAULT IS THIS?? Frustrated, I quickly got up from my bed only to find myself lying flat on my face at the foot of my bed.

Sigh.. I didn't know that it would hurt this badly...I sat down on the carpet and started rubbing my poor little foot. There was a hint of red around the bruise that had formed overnight. I skipped brushing my teeth and slowly made my way down the stairs by sliding on my .

At least there was no school today~

But when I got to the door of the refridgerator, I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to pull out a hot pad and heat it up or whether I was supposed to find an ice pack to use on my foot.

"Mooooom!" I yelled to get her attention. Maybe she could tell me what to do.

No answer.

"Heeey!! MOOOOOM? Are you theeeere? Daaaadd? Hellooooooo?" There was a chilling silence in the house as I heard my voice echo back to me.

Strange. My parents were always at home. If not, they would have made a huge fuss about it if they were going to leave the house.

Sighing, I decided to just go to the living room after retrieving the ice pack because I was too lazy to heat up the hot pad. Figures.

I was home alone for the first time in a while, but at least it was during the morning, right? The sunny sky made everything seem so cheerful...but also a little nostalgic at the same time because I was alone.

Ahhg..noo.. Don't think of these things right now. I shook the thoughts away and concentrated on being happy.

"Oh, icing my foot, cooling my foot, as happy as I can be~" I started singing to myself. Not. So not happy. How can I be happy when my foot is now all swollen and bruised because of that annoying devil?

In my mind, I kept imagining different scenarios in which the devil was falling into y traps and was growing so much facial hair that he looked like a caveman. Hahahaha If only it was real... I laughed to myself.

*Riing riiing* Oh, my parents? I smiled and picked up my phone. "Hey, Omma- Huh? Oh, Kai? .. OH riiight! Sorry I forgot. I'll be ready in ten minutes and I'll meet you at- ...You'll pick me up?..ah.. okay. Sure. See you in five minutes!." I hung up.

How did he even know my address? I don't remember giving it to him...Only my email and phone number.

Whatever, forget it. At least I don't have to waste money for a bus ride, right?

~

Before I knew it, I started dressing up nicely, in contrast to my usual dess patterns.

Hair...Top...Skirt? Wait-

No no no..! This isn't right! What the heck am I thinking here? Annoyed at myself, I pulled off all the stuff that I had just put on and wiped off my cherry colored lipstick as well.

We're just going to a job interview together. Okay, Eun-Sung? Not a date! He has nothing to do with you anyways and you don't even like him either. Also, it's not like we even chose each other for partners, we were just assigned together because Rat-Jung forced a partner change on us. Get real, you.

I closed all my drawers shut and randomly chose a formal looking top and bottom to wear.

I was about to go outside to wait for Kai, but he rang the doorbell first instead.

Oh no! I don't want him to see my house like this! It's a total mess in here! Eeek!

I frantically ran about the room while stuffing things into their rightful places and tried to restore the room until it was at least decent looking. Underwear? What the heck is it doing on my sofa? I frowned and tossed it aside.

There are so many things here! I swear, whoever used this place last is so irresponsible! I shoved a handful of junk off of the living room sofa and straightened up the silver-colored pillow.

"Diing doong" I heard the bell ring once again.

"Waiiit!!" I screamed at the door, "Just a second!"

I hurriedly began to take out a broom to sweep the useless soda cans and peanut shells scattered across the floor into a small blue dust pan.

Then, I ran across the room to straighten out the table cloth that was draped messily across the mini living room table.

I scanned the room for any other major disturbances, but was happy to find none.

"Okay! I'm done now!" I screamed at the door again and hurried to open it.

I was sweating as if I just ran a marathon, but I hoped that he wouldn't notice.

"Oh..Annyeong, Kai." I said awkwardly as I opened the door wide enough to just let my eyes peek through. I hoped to squeeze through the door while creating a space between me and the door that was as narrow as possible in order to prevent him from getting a glimpse of the inside of my still messy house.

"Hey, Eun-Sung ah!" He happily smiled at me after breaking out of his position against my front wall.

"Alright, I'm ready now so let's go." I started to close my door and looked in the direction of his car.

"Wait! Wait! Not so fast!" Kai held up two plastic bags with take-out in them and practically shoved them in my face to look at. "Look what I bought us! You didn't eat yet, right? I'ts only 12:20 so you probably didn't."

Kai looked at me with with shining eyes.

"Err...No?" I said slowly. I hadn't had the time to do so yet. I was too busy taking care of my foot.

"That's great! So let's eat now! I hope you like chinese food." He said as he proceeded to open my front door.

"AH! Nononono! You can't!" I blocked the door with my whole body.

"Why not? You don't like chinese food?" Kai asked with a small pout.

"No! ..It's not that.." I said as I looked around for an excuse.

"Then is it because..you don't want to eat with me?" Kai made a hurtful expression on his face.

"No! No! I'ts definetely not that! I do want to eat with you!" I blurted out.

"Then what's the problem here? Let's go in and eat!" Kai said as he reached for the knob again with a grin on his face.

"There's...My house is...There are rats in there right now so I wouldn't want you to accidently step in a trap!" I fibbed.

Kai's expression changed again, and now he looked dissapointed.

"But I really really wanted to see the inside your house...and your room.." he said while looking longingly at my door. S-Stop it! You're making me feel so guilty!

"Ah...Sure! But next time okay? I really don't think you would want to go in there right now." I ushered him away from the steps. "How about we go to the park to eat? It's pretty close by."

"Fine.. Let's do that then." Kai said as he followed me to the park.

Kai patted off the imaginary dust for me before I sat down and somehow... it made me feel embarrassed. "Thanks." I mumbled.

"Huh? What did you say?" Kai looked at me as he sat down next to me on the bench.

"I said 'thank you' for helping me dust my seat." I told him awkwardly, but a little more clearly.

"Couldn't hear you. What did you just say?" Kai asked again.

"Uhm.. Thank you!" I said more loudly. I could feel my face heat up from saying it so many times.

"Can you repeat that?" Kai asked yet again, but this time with a playful grin on his face.

"Y-yah! Were you making fun of me? I'm not going to eat with you." I harumphed while crossing my arms. That cheeky little..

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry alright? Let's eat now hmm?" I could see Kai making that fake pouty face at me again out of the corner of my eyes.

"Hmmph!"

He started opening the food without me and I could smell the delicious aroma of the dimsum that was still quite warm. Smells so goood!

"Are you sure you don't want any? This fried shrimp is super crispy and delicious~" He waved the food around my face with his pair of wooden chopsticks.

"Om-nomnom" Kai pretended to eat the shrimp. Ahh~~ I want it.....

"By the way, there's only one shrimp." He told me as he really started putting it in his mouth now.

"Nuuuuuuu!!" I frantically turned to his direction and tried to snatch the shrimp from him.

*Crunch*

Too late?

I unconsciously made a disappionted face.

"Hey, look..I was just kidding okay?" Kai oppened the other box and poked one out for me to eat.

"Oh.." I felt so dumb for not realizing his joke earlier.

`

Yumm.. I felt like I was in heaven. This thing tasted too good!

"You really are too gulible. You really believed everything I said.", Kai chuckled in amusement.

"You are so mean...It's not my fault you had to lie to me.." I defended.

"Are you thirsty? I bought us some drinks too." Kai said while searching his bag and evetually bringing out a can of grass jelly drink.

"Uhm.." Kai hesitated.

"Hm?" I asked, not knowing what he was nervous about.

"I..only bought one..I don't know what happened.." Kai said to me worriedly.

"Yeah, right. I won't fall for your trick again!" I said as I looked around for the other can.

"No, really this time. I accidentally bought only one." He looked at me seriously this time, "Sorry.."

"Seriously?..Well, that's okay. I'll drink it all then. You'll just go with nothing." I told him teasingly.

"But we're both thirsty." He argued back.

"Fine, you can have it then. Since you bought it."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because!"

"Because what?"

"Because we'll share it!"

"Bec- What?!" I was shocked.

"Let's share the drink, okay? We're friends right?" Kai looked back and forth between me and the drink longingly.

"F-fine! L-lets just share it then." I stuttered at him. Ackk! I just can't say no to that pleading face!

"Whoo hoo!" Kai smiled and took the first sip after he opened the can.

"Here. You next!" He offered it eagerly. What was the big deal? It was just a drink...

I was about to take a sip from the can (while Kai was intently staring at me), but I finally noticed that this was a grass jelly drink. Hello? How was I supposed to be able to drink the delicious pieces of jelly stuck at the bottom if I didn't have a straw?

"Er...Do you happen to have a straw? I wanted to drink the jellies at the bottom." I told him.

Kai looked a little dejected but he reached over into the plastic bag and handed me a straw.

"Thanks!" I was happy now that I could reach the jello convienently. I took long gulps and then proceeded to eat again.

*Stab* *Plop!* *Stab* *Plop!*

"Arggh! Why won't this slippery thing stay? Did I add too much soy sauce?" I stabbed my chopsticks into the smooth white shrimp noodle thing in frustration, but it still wouldn't stay.

"So it turns out that you don't even know how to use chopsticks?" Kai laughed, "Don't tell me that you were stabbing the foods with them the whole time."

"I-..wuh..?" I wasn't sure what his problem was. Wasn't this how it was done?

"Hand them over. I'll teach you how." Kai reached for my chopsticks, "My chinese friend, Kris, taught me how to do it properly."

I reluctantly handed them over. I just wanted to eat...

"Pfft!! Omo! You didn't even snap them before you used them to eat?" Kai bursted out laughing at my mistake.

"Don't laugh at me! It's not my problem that I only use forks and spoons in the house. My parents think that chopsticks are too dangerous." I retorted.

"Okay. Then I'll teach you now." He unstuck the bit of food stuck to my chopsticks and handed them back after snapping them for me.

"First, hold the upper stick in between your thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger..like you're holding a pencil" Kai began demonstrating with his own pair of chopsticks.

I copied exactly what he did.

"Good. Now stick the other one through, but rest the stick on your ring finger." Kai continued.

"Uhh..." I did something but I felt like it was completely wrong.

"Ha ha ha! Not like that!" Kai adjusted my fingers carefully, "There. Now you've got it!"

"Thanks.." I awkwardly told him.

I tried to pick up the slippery food again, but my grip felt wobbly.

"Ahhhh~Open wide!" Kai easily picked up the piece that I was trying to get and held it near my mouth.

Unsure, I opened my mouth slowly and moved my head near the piece.

"Just kidding!" Kai evilly moved the food to his own mouth and ate it happily, "Yum-yum!"

"Jeez, why did I even think-" I mumbled to myself and attempted to pick up a different food.

"Yah, you're not mad, are you?" Kai paid his attention to me again, "Want help?"

"No! I'll do it myself." I was determined to show him what I was made of.

I tried picking up the food with my wobbly grip again.

"Go, Eun-Sung! Go, Eun-Sung!" I heard him cheer me on.

"Shh!! I need to concentrate on this!" I interrupted his cheer and resumed my concentration.

"Go Eun-Sung! Go Eun-Sung!" Kai whispered quietly now, but in my ear.

I mentally gave myself a facepalm.

~

"Almost...almost....Yes!" I cheered wildly and stuffed the yellow shao mai into my mouth.

Kai also cheered happily along with me and we hugged joyfully in the heat of the moment.

"I got it!!" I shouted freely. "You got it!!" Kai shouted back at me.

His arms were tightly wrapped around my waist, and my arms were wrapped around his neck.

"Yeaahhhh!" we screamed in unison while jumping up and down.

It was only until seconds later when I realized what position we were in.

"Ahemm.." I cleared my throat awkwardly.

Kai was still hugging me and he was about to spin me in a circle.

"Kai!" I said.

"Huh?" He replied back instinctively. He was still dazed from the happiness.

"Um.. get off..people are looking.." I looked behind me and saw an old man staring at us.

"Oh!" Kai suddenly realized and let go of me.

We finished up the last of our food quickly in awkward silence.

"Uh..I-I'll go and throw away the trash." I quickly got up and threw away all the garbage into the nearby trash can.

When I passed by the old man, he smiled at me knowingly. Umm.. ok? What is he thinking?

"Eun-Sung ah, let's go now!" Kai called, "I'll bring your stuff so just wait there for a second." Kai picked up all of our belongings and hurried to catch up with me.

When Kai passed by the old man, I heard the old man ask him, "Girlfriend?".

I chuckled to myself. Of course not..I don't even deserve to be.

"Yes!" Kai shouted back at the old man. What??

I was in total shock and disbelief.

I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to hide in a deep pit in Africa or something, where nobody would be able to find me.

I turned around to see the old man taking out a camera while shouting at us, "Want take picture together?"

It seems that it frightened Kai also, because soon enough, we were running away together, both screaming at the top of our lungs.

When we got back to my house, I turned around to check whether the old man had followed us or not. Phew! Not there!

The awkwardness was gone now, thanks to that thrilling chase. Kai was also panting hard next to me.

"Hahaha! Why are we always running away together?" he asked with a huge smile plastered onto his face.

"Haha! Yeah..." I recalled the angry librarian from school. But then I remembered. "Wait- Why did you answer 'yes' to that old man?" I questioned him.

"Oh..uh.." Kai struggled, "Girl..friend. A friend that is a girl right?" "Because you are a girl and you are also my friend! That makes sense doesn't it?" Kai concluded.

"Ah...I guess so." I thought about it. Good thing I didn't get the wrong idea. And what he said does make sense..

"Great!" Kai pulled me towards his shiny black car and unlocked the front door. Then, he opened the door to the passenger seat and gestured for me to get in.

"Right.." I sat down into the leather seat and put on my seat belt.

We drove to the busier parts of the city where there were more stores along the road.

"Aha! There's the place where I thought would be a good place to try! The restaurant just opened and I saw a sign on the window that they were hiring new workers!" Kai said as he nodded his head in the direction of a store that was just barely noticable. It was located in such a discreet corner that I would never have noticed it if nobody ever pointed it out to me.

We got out of his car after he parked, and he didn't forget to open the door for me like a real gentleman. Ack..! What is he up to?

I looked around and took in the designs of the beautiful traditional eatery. How could I have overlooked this amazing place every time my parents drove by? The two doors were made of a polished wood, and had intricately carved designs in the center of each one. The shop sign was made of a magenta colored cloth and hung just above the door frame. The letters were in a big, bold, white font that looked nice against the magenta background.

I could also notice the intelligently placed potted plants just outside the door. It fit in just right with the atmosphere of the store. This eatery seemed like a nice place to work.

"Hello there! I saw that you guys were hiring!" Kai said as we carefully stepped into the store. "We came here to try out for one of those jobs. My name is Kai, and this is Eun-Sung. " Kai indicated at me and him.

"Oh my! Welcome!" The shop owner and his wife greeted us and ushered us into their shop, "We are the Lee's, and of course, we are still hiring!"

The shop owner's wife told us that she was glad to have us here because they had been so worried that people wouldn't be able to spot their shop amongst the many other fancy ones along the block.

"Not many requirements." The owner told us, "You just have to be dedicated workers and be willing to memorize this menu!" he said while holding out a brown leather-bound menu.

"Okay, sounds good." I said.

"I'm definitely in!" chimed Kai.

"We'll talk about the details later, but let me first show you two the basics arou

nd here. I'm afraid that I might have to ask of you guys to begin working here starting this night, due to our already belated schedule. The shift begins at 6:00 PM and ends at 8:30 PM." he said.

"Sure." Kai nodded.

"I'm okay with that too." I agreed.

~

5:40 PM

 

"Today is going to be the first official opening of our eatery! So work hard, okay Eun-Sung ssi and Jong-In ssi? Since this is the first workday for you two, I only expect you guys to do the serving and taking orders. Owner Lee will take care of the money. If they ask for reccomendations, just show them this special menu." Mrs. Lee told us excitedly.

"Yes, ma'am!" we both bowed to her. We were standing side by side in our matching green aprons with the store's logo with the store's catch phrase right under.

*Clang* *Clang* rang the bell hanging from the frame of the door.

"Ah..Customers! Let's go greet them, Kai!" I said as I rushed to the door. Kai stood on one side of the door while I stood opposite of him.

"Welcome to Lee's Joyful Dine!" we greeted the customers in unison while putting on our brightest smiles. Then we bowed down respectfully at a 90° angle.

"Wow, smells nice in here!" I heard a voice say.

"Can we eat now? I just can't wait!" someone else said. "No, be patient." I heard another voice reply.

Sounds...familiar?

I  started feeling weird chills down my spine as I carefully peeked up from my bow. No..It can't be...Not here!

I looked up and saw Onew and the rest of Shinee. Then, I met eyes.... with the devil himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Hi guys.. sorry I didn't update for a little while. I was being kind of lazy.. But someone kindly asked for an update, so I just decided to hurry up and finish up the chapter and post it. Enjoy~