Three waiters watched in disgust as their clients downed yet another bottle of wine.

The dining room was well lit with hanging lights. A small bar stood at the far end of the room, where a small Asian man and two teenagers in uniform stood. Yellow walls accented with simple flower painting gave the whole place a touch of sophistication. Just left of the panoramic windows, that’s when the view started getting ugly.

Approximately twenty men sat around a once white table, spilling wine and shoving food into their mouths. Apparently trying to see who could do it in the most nauseous way possible. One at the end of the table let out a belting laugh revealing his uvula.

Ryeowoook swallowed his bile.  Turning away from the scene in front of him, he noted that although disgusted, his two coworkers seemed fully entranced by the mess.

“It’s like a second tongue.” The brunette boy observed.

“I know. Revolting, isn’t it?”

Shuddering, Ryeowook nodded in agreement.

Katherine gave him a stern look, “You are never allowed to become like that.”

Ryeowook laughed and shook his head, “Oh God, no.”

“Good.” She shot him a look of approval. Turning to the boy behind the bar she stated, “Jonny, you have to promise too.”

Round eyes and mouth agape with fascination, the second waiter continued to stare at the laughing man.

“Jonny!” The teenager earned himself in swift smack in the forehead.

“Ow!” Rubbing his head, the older but shorter sibling shot his sister a death glare, “I can’t help it! They’re like a separate species!”

“Well don’t ignore me for them! People-watching is a team sport.”

“Hey, I graduated high school, all right?  I don’t get the opportunity to observe these ‘things’ in their natural habitat.”

“Oh please! You could find morons like these anywhere on a Friday night. We live on the party island!”

“That’s the point!”

Ryeowook couldn’t help but smile at his juniors’ disjointed banter. His English had improved a lot but not to the extent of understanding the strange dialogue exchanges between the twins. Or maybe his conversational skills were just poor. Both were valid hypotheses.

The patrons began to laugh again. “Ohhh waaiiterr! We would like our desseeeerrrt!”

He rolled his eyes the request of the skinny man’s sing-songy demand. Tonight was one of those rare occasions where he was glad to not perform his music. Although, this was no better.

“I’ll go see if they’re ready in the kitchen.” Ryeowook informed his bickering friends.

He took his time wandering down the hall into the kitchen. Partly because he was exhausted from being treated like a dog all night. Partly because he was not keen on serving people who had been treating him like a dog all night.

Another round of obnoxious laughter erupted from the main room as Ryeowook pushed into the kitchen, slamming the doors shut behind him.

Thanking the heavens it was Friday and that Kat and Jonny were here to lessen the pain of waitering, Ryeowook began to call for the desserts and pulling out a tray. If it were a school night, he would be dealing with twenty arrogant bastards all alone. He had refrained from spitting in their food multiple times tonight just to set a good example for the two part-time waiters.

Checking the clock as an apprentice chef set the desserts on a delivery tray, Ryeowook groaned at the time. Not only had the businessmen outside been eating for three hours, he was going to be too late to call Yoona before she went to classes.

He sighed.

In a way, the Paris time difference was even worse than the Seoul time difference. At least in Seoul only sleep got in the way. Now that she was in her new culinary college, he was always working when she was out of school and she was always in school after he finished working. Long distance relationships were hard.

Ryeowook mulled over his self-pity while lifting the significantly heavier tray and backing out into the dining area.

Kat was in the midst of pouring more wine for the CEO. It seemed they couldn’t pour straight on their own anymore. She shot him a despairing look. Obviously their clientele were beyond tipsy and more alcohol was nothing more than a bad idea.

Ryeowook hurried to her side. “Dessert is here!”

“Finally!” The skinny man barked causing an uproar of laughter.

Kat shot her senior a look.

Ryeowook responded freely with a grimace and gestured for her to take the remaining wine away. Whatever they did now likely wouldn’t matter in the morning.

Swiftly, Ryeowook began dishing out the desserts. Ice cream sundaes, lava cakes, and key lime pie glided from his hands to the demanding diner. And despite their alcohol levels, none of the customers hesitated to start digging in, blessing him with several seconds of muted munching.

Picking up the tray, he moved to the other end of the table. As Ryeowook leaned over to place a fruit tart in front of some guy, he felt a hand trailing down his back.

He jerked around.

The skinny man was staring right at him, large smile distorting his face and hand now on the waiter’s . Ryeowook stifled to urge to freak out when he gave it a squeeze.

Was he seriously being molested right now in front of twenty other people?

Meeting his beady eyes, Ryeowook gave the man a stiff smile and shoved a bowl of chocolate pudding at him.

“Please enjoy your dessert, sir.” Quickly, he attempted to back away, hoping to avoid a scene.

Instead, the skinny ert latched onto his wrist.

“You’re a pretty one, aren’t ya?” He grinned, showing off his tiny, wine-stained teeth.

Ryeowook’s eyes darted around searching for some help. Jonny was nowhere to be found and Katherine was still in the kitchen. The other diners were either immersed in their own drunken conversation or watching amusedly from the corners of their eyes. Creeps.

The man pulled Ryeowook closer. “I see you play piano and serve food. What other services do you provide?”

Swallowing the bile in his throat, Ryeowook looked around desperately. Still no one was around. A thousand scenarios of him whacking a paying guest upside the head whirled through his mind. None of them quite followed the codes of conduct but they all seemed to fit his needs. So, biting his lip, Ryeowook gave the man a tacky grin.

“SIR, IF YOU ARE REFERRING TO UAL SERVICES, I’M AFRAID TO INFORM THAT I AM NOT A E. YOU WILL SIMPLY HAVE TO SATISFY YOURSELF FOR THE NIGHT.”

Inches from his face, Ryeowook’s hollering could have deafened the man.

The skinny little twitch dropped his arm immediately. He jerked his head around as if seeing who had heard the waiter.

Ryeowook smiled to himself. As if it had been possible not to. 

Now everyone at the table was staring at their colleague, including the CEO at the head of the table. Some looked disgusted, most looked stunned.

Cordial expression in place, Ryeowook took a second to revel in the blatant shock written on the ert’s face. Then, giving the table a little bow, he announced, “Please eat fast. We will be closing in five minutes,” before turning and practically sprinting for the kitchen, leaving an arrangement of stunned businessmen sitting around their trash covered table.

_______________________________________________________________________________

‘Yep. That’s Ryeowook.’ The owner of the hotel thought proudly as his small employee’s voice rang throughout the courtyard, revealing the disgusting mind of yet another one of his guests.

He had taught Wookie that trick himself after about the third attempt of ual harassment on his little piano player. Whenever a guest got a little too forceful with, declaring their vulgar behavior to half the island seemed to fend them off. If it didn't, well, it'd be his turn to get forceful.

He chuckled a bit before the somber feeling crept up again. The old man wished his business hadn’t succumbed to serving scum like those sitting in their dining hall but beggars couldn’t be choosers. And according to the doctor, he was definitely a beggar.

Edging towards the hill the once wealthy musician reflected quietly for a moment. Things were really changing.

His mind wandered back to a time when he wasn’t stuck in a wheelchair and scraping to support his vivacious staff; now his only family. When his brother worked their once prospering hotel and he was free to chase his dreams. When things were moving forward. But now, life had come to a standstill and it was affecting everyone in his care.

At least Ryeowook was coping well.

Taking just a moment to look down the hill, Daniel Parker smiled to himself. Self-pity was always trickier to brush off than most other moods, but there was always a way. He gave his wheels a small push and that was all they needed.

“Woooohoooo!!”

The chair dipped downwards and began picking up speed almost immediately.

The manufactured wind whipped past his face lightening the age and releasing his inner child. Though he had no more hair to be blown back, the breeze was still liberating. Like breathing for the first time! Filled with joy, the old man hollered all the way down.

The slope evened out as it reached the parking lot, but his momentum carried him and his wheelchair for a steady path towards the cement pond. Ah, water. He loved swimming.

“Woohoohoo!”

“Mr. Parker!” From his peripheral vision he saw a lanky man running towards him. Perhaps the boy wanted to ride his chair again.

But, no. The boy only wanted to ruin the fun. His head worker threw himself at the wheelchair. Grabbing it from behind , Colin dragged on the handlebars until his boss had been slowed to a complete stop just a few feet from the pond’s edge.

“Are you insane?” Colin yelled and the still laughing man.

“Perhaps” The old man’s eyes twinkled up at him.

“You can’t keep doing this! The chair is not some go-kart you can ride like a five year old! You are seventy-six! You have limits-!” The young man dropped his rant as his adrenaline infused elder began to laugh again. This time even more vigorously.

Huffing, Colin looked back to where their 19-year-old employee was standing by the van; laughing his head off at the spectacle their founder always created. Glancing towards his boss who had lost interest and rolled off to look at the fishes, he came to the same conclusion he always did: There was no difference.

“Jonny!” He snapped, calling the boy out of his hysterics, “Get in the car and drive. You won’t pick them up in time if you don’t leave now!”

“Sir, yes, sir!” The small waiter mimicked a salute as he bounded into the van.

Colin continued to glower at the at the back of the van until it was out of sight.

“Colin, where is Jonny headed?”

The manager sighed, office tension being replaced with the caregiver routine. Walking over he guided his boss’s chair away from the water before he rolled himself into it.

“I told you yesterday. Two new guests are coming. They’re a rather wealthy couple from Korea and it is imperative that we make a good impression on them.”

“Hmmm…” The old man seemed to lose himself in deep thought at this. Tilting his head up to meet Colin’s eyes, Mr. Parker gave the man a rather curious look, “Korea? Won’t that mean they speak Korean? Colin, how are we to impress guests who don’t speak English?”

‘You lived in Korea for ten years.’ Colin wanted to remind him, but held it back. No good arguing with the senile.  “Sir, we have Ryeowook. He’s going to be showing them around while they’re here for ten days”

Mr. Parker’s face immediately brightened at the mention of his most well-loved employee.

“Oh yes! I forgot Ryeowook was from Korea! But ten days…”

Stifling another sigh, since the old man had obviously forgotten that he was the one who hired their guest player from Korea, Colin began steering his boss towards his cottage.

“Ten, ten, ten….”

Face scrunched in concentration, the boss seemed lost in the endless memories he had failed to categorize. Colin noted that he had been becoming much more forgetful lately. Not much of a stretch from before, when the lively visionary hadn’t bothered to remember at all, but now the absentmindedness seemed genuine. He supposed even the best couldn’t hide their age forever.

“Ten days…”

Stopping in front the ramp of a white cottage, the manager began searching for his keys to the door. Still mumbling to himself, Mr. Parker’s head suddenly snapped up.

“Colin, four is less than ten correct?” The old man inquired.

“Indeed it is.” Colin replied distractedly.

“Then Ryeowook can’t work in four days.”

That caught the manager’s attention. He had known Wook was homesick but this was ridiculous! He had told the guests about him and everything and now he decides to leave? God! What the hell was he going to do?

“What? Why? Why can’t he work?”

“I don’t know.”

The elderly man stared back innocently as Colin strained to withhold his frustration.

Taking a few deep breaths, the tall man looked the older in the eye. Very sternly, he stated, “Sir. Wook needs to take this job. Alright? He agreed to a second season and you are overpaying him already. We can’t just pay him for music anymore.”

Pausing for a second, Mr. Parker nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose.”

Sighing, Colin finally dug out a plain key from one of many pockets. As he turned to unlock the door, his boss’s wistful voice drifted from behind.

“But there was something…”

_____________________________

Their driver was way too perky.

This thought ran through Kyuhyun’s mind as he sat slumped in the seat of a minivan, exhausted from 33 hours of breathing canned air in a plane. Exhausted, but wide awake. He wanted nothing more than to take a nap on the way to the hotel, but their chauffeur would not shut up.

“*%@#@^&%^&^**))*&%$^!%$##%%$^^&*&^*&(*(^%&^^%$#$$%#$**###**&&**!”

Kyuhyun wondered if he knew they didn’t speak English.

The older man tried tuning him out by looking out the window. The beach passed by at a laidback pace, waves gleaming in the moonlight. It was almost midnight over here. The time difference was exactly 13 hours. Most people considered thirteen to be an unlucky number but he liked it.

Sighing he looked down.

Seohyun’s head rested lightly on his shoulder. The bags under her eyes indicated her own exhaustion. Despite his subtle annoyance, she had refused to sleep on the plane and instead insisted on completing a budget projection. His futile efforts to start their romance early had only earned him a cramped neck and put himself cranky mood.

His girlfriend stirred just a bit when as they hit a bump, but her breathing remained steady. At least she was able to tune out the boy’s high-pitched chatter. The gentle girl slept peacefully, her expression devoid of the usual stress and obsession that came from being a workaholic.

This calmed his frayed nerves just a bit. If she could relax, he could too.

Carefully, Kyuhyun slipped his hand into hers, fingers intertwining, squeezing gently. He smiled when she squeezed back. Maybe things were going to be better on this island.

Thirty minutes later, the car slowly rolled to a stop in front of a small fenced-in building.  Kyuhyun shook his girlfriend slightly to wake her up. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to carry her, but considering his current state of exhaustion, he just didn’t want to drop her.

“Kyu?” Seohyun murmured sleepily. She was still so sweet.

“We’re here.” He murmured as he helped her out of the car.

Their driver hastily went to grab their bags as the gates closed shut behind them. Kyuhyun took this time to take in their surroundings as Seohyun rubbed some sleep out of her eyes.

The main building was nothing spectacular. Just a white villa though surrounded by tropical trees on either side. A modest stone pond occupied the center of the parking lot, complete with crowds of colorful fish still darting around despite the hour. And even though only one light was on, a row of lampposts lined the iron fence which stretched straight to the beach. The entire place gave off a quiet, calming effect.

Kyuhyun breathed in the warm, fresh air regaining some energy. This place was perfect.

Their chauffeur led them into the building which turned out to be the lobby. Seohyun leaned on his arm the while they passed through the hushed interior. Her weight was a comforting one.

There were no lights but a soft piano piece was being piped in from someplace. Simple lobby furniture was illuminated by the moonlight pouring in from large bay windows. It didn’t stop Kyuhyun from walking into a table.

The employee motioned for them to stay quiet. Rubbing his bruised thigh, Kyuhyun noted the irony.

When they reached the front of the room, their driver slipped behind the front desk, looking for a room key. Kyuhyun could only feel slightly irked by the inefficiency.  At this point, he just wanted a bed.

As they waited, his mind wandered to the music pulsing through the room. He was surprised to realize that, although discreet, it was a captivating piece, pushing and pulling through the movements. It gave the impression of swimming through the ocean; each phrase drawing back at the last possible moment. Passion was strung throughout every dip and curve.

It had been a while since he had bothered with the musical world or music in general. Nothing good ever came out of it. Yet this player still possessed something he’d lost a long time ago. He couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic.

Suddenly, a dull thud and several curse words pierced the air, causing the music to stumble measures before the .

Startled by the sour notes, Kyuhyun jumped back into reality.

The chauffeur pulled out from under the desk, rubbing his head.

Kyuhyun wanted to yell at him for interrupting the piece but found himself speechless by the realization that it had all been live.

A young man, entranced in his music just seconds ago, jerked and turned around, surprised by the presence of other humans.

Kyuhyun’s eyes darted towards the movement.  His gaze fell upon a figure near a back window. Moonlight shone from behind, casting a glow around a petite man sitting at what appeared to be a piano on the windowsill. His silhouette had its head cocked curiously, observing the unfamiliar faces.

Kyuhyun couldn’t figure out if it was his burnt out mind or the mesmerizing effect of the moon on the young man’s profile, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. The shadows kept him from finding the figure’s eyes but he was sure they were staring right back at him.

So they just watched. Looking at the other. For seconds. Minutes. Hours. Kyuhyun lost track of the time. Then the figure finally spoke.

“Jonny?”

Their chauffeur’s head popped up from the front desk. It seemed his name was Jonny.

Kyuhyun thought, eyes never leaving the silhouette.

 “Let’s go.”  Key in hand, their driver picked up the bags and headed for the back doors. Seohyun began to follow him.

Then slowly, Kyuhyun felt himself being lead with away and reluctantly turned from the figure at the piano.

Ryeowook’s eyes trailed after the guest until he was out of sight. 

_______________________________________________________

I'm so sorry for taking so long on this not very good update. OTL

This is the first time I've written a story and trying to plan everything out has been driving me insane. Newfound respect for all authors! Plus, I don't know if my writing is any good which makes me all paranoid to post anything...*Sigh*

Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this chapter and I promise something more interesting will happen next time!