Written By: MurasakiMasquerade

The street outside the big glass window was filled with cars and people who were on their way to work in the early morning hours of the day. People passed by with cellphones and briefcases in hand at the beginning of a usual day. I observed them as I cleaned tabletops with a dishrag. This is what I do every day at the start of my shift at the Blossomy Restaurant. Right now the restaurant was closed because of the early time of day, but later on it will fill with people as it usually does. I was dressed in my uniform, which was a simple black short-sleeve shirt and black pants, with my hair pulled back as I continued to clean.

“Hyoyeon,” yelled my manager. “It’s time to open.” That was my cue to lift the heavy bucket full of water and carry it to the back, out of sight of customers. This was the start of another usual day with customers coming in, me taking their orders, me bringing them food, and them leaving after paying. And that was how my day was until a certain customer entered. That customer came a little after noon so the restaurant was packed at the time and I was running around while juggling my customers. He was dressed in a black business suit and looked stunningly handsome with gold hair that shined in the light. The hostess of the restaurant seated him and his female companion in my section so naturally I served them. The woman with him was dressed in a black pants and a blue button up silk shirt. She looked very pretty with her dark wavy hair, and she also looked very sophisticated and business like. I was quite frazzled from the business of the restaurant when I approached their table to take their order, but as soon as I saw him I froze. He looked so stunningly handsome I lost my mind. His brown eyes connected with mine and he gave me a smile. At least he was amused by my silence while the woman was irritated.

“Aren’t you going to take our order,” she demanded and the sound of her voice snapped me back to reality. My cheeks felt hot from embarrassment as I stammered my apology out. They ordered their beverages and I sped away from there as fast as possible. My manager gave me a curious look as I nearly tripped into the kitchen. When I returned with their drinks, which made me very nervous, the man and the woman were having a conversation. The woman was leaning towards the man and speaking to him with a firm voice while the man leaned casually in his seat and he did not say a word. When I arrived the man interrupted the woman.

“Please Yoona, we are out for lunch right now,” he said with a slightly irritated look on his handsome face. “Can’t this wait until we return to the office.” Office? They must be coworkers, I thought as I carefully set their beverages on the table. The woman named Yoona then exhaled a large breathe as she leaned back in her seat.

 “Alright Kris, but we need to solve this,” she said giving him a stern looked. The man named Kris then gave her a small smile with relief in his eyes. Neither of them seemed to notice me so I gave a little cough. They both immediately turned to me.

“Are you ready to order your food?” I asked politely with a smile on my face, but nerves were in my stomach as I felt Kris’s eyes on me. I thought I saw a sharp intake of his breath when I smiled, but I think that that was my imagination. I walked towards the kitchen after taking their orders, and I felt that Kris’s eyes were still on me when I turned away, but I probably imagined it. Once their food was ready, I quickly stopped in front of a mirror and checked my appearance. Of course I had to put my hair up with no thought about what it looked like this morning, but there was nothing I could do about it. I carried the tray with carefulness as I always do, but my legs felt weak and shaky as I headed towards Kris and Yoona’s table. I slowly set Yoona’s food in front of her and she politely thanked me once the plates hit the table. Then I turned towards Kris and the sight of his handsome face made my heart beat faster. It was thumping so hard against my chest that I was certain he could hear it. I took the bowl of his soup with shaky hands and I lowered it from the tray slowly. I was so nervous that I could barely control my arms. Then my hand slipped and the bowl came clattering onto the table with the soup spilling all over Kris. Yoona yelped with surprise and the entire restaurant came to a silent hush as I felt all eyes were on me. I froze with my cheeks getting hot.

“Well don’t just stand there, clean it up,” demanded Yoona. Then I immediately set into action as I hastily tried to clean up the mess in front of me. Kris just sat there stunned. I wasn’t quite sure how he was feeling at that moment since I refused to look at him, but I imagine that he is angry. Then I heard laughing. My cheeks grew hotter as I pondered over who might be laughing. Then I realized it was Kris who was laughing. My eyes slowly moved to where Kris sat and I saw his handsome face smiling and laughing. My manager then appeared and she gave Yoona and Kris a deep bow as she apologized for the incident.

 “It is okay,” said Kris as he smiled at my manager. I then realized how close I was to Kris; I could smell his cologne, which smelled amazing. The nearness of him made me feel even more nervous, which didn’t help with cleaning up. Once finished cleaning, I apologized deeply and then left to retrieve a new bowl of soup. Humiliated, I felt tears sting my eyes as I headed for the kitchen. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I grabbed the soup and headed for Kris and Yoona, but my manager stopped me and took the soup from me. She also gave me a good scolding before taking the soup to Kris. I took this as an opportunity to go to the restroom to calm myself down. The restroom was empty, which allowed my tears to run down my cheeks. I have never felt so humiliated before. Once I composed myself, I walked out of the restroom and ran directly into Kris. He just came out of the men’s restroom and smiled once he saw me. I assume he was getting the soup off of him, and he was successful for the most part. There was still a faint outline of where the soup was on his suit, which was probably very expensive. I took this as an opportunity to apologize once more.

“It really isn’t that big of a deal,” he reassured me. “It was accident anyway.” I finally calmed down once I heard those words and was surprised that he wasn’t angry with me. “What is your name?” This question took me by surprise.

“Hyoyeon,” I answered. He then reached out his hand.

“I’m Kris,” he said. I placed my hand in his and then he kissed it. It was a very sweet gestured that almost made me fall over. He then smiled at me. “It is nice to meet you.” He hesitated before releasing my hand, as if he did not want to let it go.

“Nice to meet you too,” I said with a smile.

“What time do you get off?” he asked.

“Four,” I said. “Why?” He gave me a handsome smile.

 “I would like to speak with you again if that is alright,” he said. Butterflies filled my stomach as I could not believe what he was saying.

 “It is alright,” I responded. I then walked with Kris back to his table where Yoona sat eating her food.

 “Are you alright,” she asked Kris with concern on her face.

“I am perfectly fine,” he responded.

“Is there anything else you need?” I asked. Yoona gave me a cold look as she said that they didn’t need anything else. I attended to my other customers and returned to Yoona and Kris to receive their payment. They both rose to leave after paying me. Yoona refused to look at me as she slipped her coat on and left. Kris didn’t follow her and stood in front of me.

“See you at four,” he said. Then he turned away and headed out. I stood there frozen until he was out of sight. Then I went back to my usual day at work. It is funny that after spilling food on a handsome stranger I get asked out on a date instead of yelled at. The rest of my shift slowly crept by as my manager kept a very close eye on me and as anticipation, excitement, and nerves flowed through me. Once my shift ended, I went to the bathroom to check my appearance. Again, I felt very disappointed in myself for not putting more thought into my hair, but there was still nothing I could do about it. Once I convinced myself that my appearance was as good as it was going to get, I walked out the front door and found Kris standing there waiting for me. He was now dressed in a gray suit; he obviously changed because of the soup.

"So, where to?" I asked.

"Why don't we just take a walk at the park," he said while he started walking. I nodded as I fell into step beside him. We walked at a comfortable pace towards the park. "How long have you worked there?" 

"Two years," I responded. At that moment I felt ashamed of my job. I have never felt shame about being a waitress, but standing beside a guy who has a very important job in the business world made me feel ashamed that I was a lowly waitress.

"Do you like it there?" he asked. I peered at him with suspicion.

"I am guessing your real question is if I like being a waitress," I said. He gave a guilty smile.

"I am curious," he said. I sighed before responding.

"I guess being a waitress is just something that I love doing," I said. "I love talking with people and as a waitress I meet new people everyday. It is kind of refreshing." He absorbed my words. "I guess it is my job, but it is also my hobby." 

"And are you always so clumsy." He smiled at me. This comment brought back my humiliation as I recalled the event from earlier today. I felt that he was mocking me so I turned away and crossed my arms.

"I have never spilled food before," I huffed. My anger only seemed to amuse him as I heard him chuckle. 

"I guess I am just special." He hit the nail right on the head. That comment was very accurate since never has there been a person that made me feel like he made me feel today.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"I guess I am lucky that the waitress who spilled soup on me is so beautiful." This made my cheeks get hot and my knees go weak. I stumbled and Kris immediatey put his arms around me to steady me. I felt his breathe and was very aware of his arms around me. We stood for a moment with his arms around me and I loved every second of it. He seemed to not want to let me go and I didn't want him to, but he eventually took his arms away from me and I felt disappointed. "Are you okay?" There was such earnest on his handsome face. Our eyes connected and I felt exhilirated. No one has ever made me feel like this before. 

"Yes, I am fine."

"I think this confirms your clumsyness." His face lit up with his smile and my beathe caught. We walked in silence until we reached the park. The park was not very crowded with trees and benches lining the path. There were a couple big patches of grass where dogs were playing fetch with their owners. Kris and I found a bench in a quiet area and sat down. We asked each other questions about our lives. We asked about each other's family, careers, and friends. We also laughed and enjoyed each other's company. Kris was an amazingly sweet guy and I loved listening to him talk. The sun began to set and I felt that our time together was beginning to close.

"Hyoyeon?" asked Kris.

"Yes?" I replied. 

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked. I was caught off guard by his question and hesitated before answering. Kris seemed to have held his breath because when I told him I didn't have one he exhaled a sigh of relief. We then agreed that we should be heading home. Kris walked me to my building even though I insisted that he shouldn't. When we reached the front door, we stopped walking and face each other. I looked down at my feet unsure what to do, and silence surrounded us.

"Well, goodnight," I said. "Be safe on your way--" Then Kris's hand touched my cheek and I stopped talking. I stared into his brown eyes as his face came closer to mine. Then his lips connected with mine. Exhiliration and excitement flew through me as he kissed me softly. Then our kiss deepened. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around me. Once our kiss ended, Kris just held me in his arms. My head laid on his shoulder as his stong arms held me and I felt happy. We embraced each other outside my building for what seemed like forever, and I knew at that moment that this was the start of something wonderful.