“It’s a bit awkward but I came here by myself / Among people who look so happy / I walk the streets and eat good food / Then a day passes” -- B.A.P.; Where Are You? What Are You Doing?

    “Here’s your food, sir.” The plate makes a soft clink as it hits the table, and the man seated there nods and starts to dig in. Daehyun drifts back towards the kitchen and slides behind the counter, eyes wandering over the desserts displayed there. If he was human, he supposed that his mouth would be watering, but since he isn’t, he’s content with just assuming. Even so, his hand wanders towards one of the cakes and a finger extends slowly, taking a swipe of icing off the back. Glancing around quickly (and spying nobody), Daehyun slides it into his mouth, off the icing.

    Nothing. As always, nothing. No taste, no reaction. Daehyun sighs. Annoyance of all annoyances, he couldn’t eat. He had been told so many times that he didn’t need to eat, but he wanted to. The faces on all of the human faces when they ate implied that eating was not only a necessity, but something that also brought joy and interest, and it was something that Daehyun wanted to be a part of. Not being human was bad enough, but androids couldn’t enjoy most of the things that they could. To be honest, he had been created and programmed to work as a waiter, and work as quickly and efficiently as possible, but despite that he couldn’t help but be intrigued by the things around him that he couldn’t do.

The bell over the door jingled and Daehyun’s body moved automatically. “Welcome!” he chirped, bowing and moving from behind the counter. “Party of…?”

The woman that had entered was pretty young, probably in her early 20s. She brushed her hair behind her ear absently. “Just one, please.”

The slightly melancholy tone in her voice didn’t escape Daehyun’s ear, but he merely nodded and guided her to the counter, pulling the chair out for her. It wasn’t his business to pry into, and it wouldn’t yield any benefit for him, either. Humans were notoriously touchy about personal subjects, and Daehyun’s programming was coded to provide as little discomfort to as possible.

“What would you like to drink?” Daehyun folded a pristine white towel over his arm and stood at attention. The woman chewed her lip in thought and Daehyun’s eyes followed that motion. Didn’t it hurt humans to eat their own skin? There were constantly things that he simply could not understand about them.

“A cup of coffee would be nice, please. Cream and sugar too,” she finally replied, nodding her thanks as Daehyun handed her a menu. He shut his eyes briefly, transferring the information directly to the kitchen’s computer, and made his way back to the kitchen counter to wait for her coffee and allow the client to browse the menu in peace. She was chewing on her lip again, he noticed, and he raised a hand to touch the synthetic skin that formed his own lips. Daehyun had been created with some sense of feeling, mostly wired in his fingers so that he could tell the temperature of dishes being served. The woman, perhaps noticing his stare, turned her head to look at him. Daehyun gave her a sweet smile. Her head whipped immediately back to the menu, a red color starting to spread up her face. Daehyun’s features turned into a frown. Weren’t humans supposed to be happy when smiled at? She didn’t look happy, exactly.

Daehyun’s musings were interrupted by the ding of the kitchen bell announcing the coffee was ready. Rearranging his face back into a calm smile, he carried the drink out to the woman’s table and set it down gently. “Coffee for you. Cream and sugar are on your right. Are you ready to order, ma’am?”

She peered at him over the top of the menu. “Is there anything that you would recommend? I just can’t decide…”

“Well, considering that I am merely an android waiter, I cannot recommend anything based on personal preferences, as I do not have any. I can, however, tell you about our daily specials, and our soup of the day, if you’re interested,” Daehyun sighed quietly, beginning to rattle them off by memory. The woman was looking at him with some emotion in her eyes that he couldn’t place, and it was almost unnerving.

“Well. That’s too bad that you miss out on eating...it’s such a nice thing,” she replied softly, after ordering of the of the specials. Daehyun nods stiffly and forwards her order to the kitchen, picking up the menu and making his way back into the corner to wait, standing perfectly upright. This time, Daehyun could feel the woman’s gaze on him instead, and he felt too unnerved to turn his head. She had immediately identified with his issue; most other patrons didn’t care about him, seeing him as only a means to get a faster meal.

The meal came out fast enough, and Daehyun brought it carefully to the woman’s table. Her eyes widened as she saw the steaming food in front of her. “I hope you enjoy,” Daehyun murmured, folding his arm over his midsection and bowing slightly. He was just preparing to turn around and head out when the woman’s voice stopped him.

“So you really can’t eat...anything?” she asked curiously, twirling noodles on a fork. Daehyun swallowed uncomfortably.

“No, nothing. I don’t need food to sustain myself as you humans do, and I have not been coded to have a sense of taste.”

She hummed thoughtfully and looked at him again. “When are you free after work? We could meet up at the train station. I have some ideas that I could test on you…”

Daehyun blinked in shock. No human had ever asked him something so strange before. “That would be impossible, as I “live”, so to speak, in this restaurant. I have never left the premises.”

She covered and the red flush spread over her face again. “Oh my- I’m sorry, of course. I’m so embarrassed...Perhaps another time, then…” she then began muttering to herself as she ate, and Daehyun quietly slipped away from the table. She paid for her bill and left later without saying much else, but Daehyun had the sneaking suspicion that she would be back soon, and that something about his monotonous daily life would soon change.