“Um, table for two, please.”

A voice called out from the entrance, the soft jingles made by the wind chime attached to the door ringing melodiously as the customers entered.

“Yeol, direct them!” My mother hollered from the cashier. “Omma is busy counting money over here!”

I pursed my lips, hand swinging the slightly wet towel onto my shoulder as I pushed myself off the counter where I had been leaning for the past ten minutes. Of all days that I could actually return home to help out at the restaurant, it had to be the day where I’m the only waiter on shift for the entire day.

Just my luck, seriously.

Fortunately, business was slow. Not a single soul occupied a chair in the large space.

Mother isn’t pleased.

Keeping my eyes low, I grudgingly walked over to the two persons standing at the entrance; a girl and a boy. The girl seemed patient, her hands clutching tightly onto the boy’s arm; the boy had an annoyed look on his face, as though he didn’t want to be here at all. Mentally sighing, I approached them and to my surprise, I realised something.

“Table for… Woah, you’re tall!”

The girl tried to bite back a snigger, but she failed terribly. The boy immediately turned to her, and began spouting out words in a language which I couldn’t quite comprehend. She replied in the same language, multitasking as she alternated between laughing and speaking, her lips always tugged upwards in a seemingly permanent grin. There was something… oddly adorable about that. Her hand patted the boy’s arm and he let out a loud raspberry, his arms folding themselves across his chest. He didn’t look amused.

“Table… for two?”

I tore my eyes away from the boy whose height rivalled mine. I don’t meet tall guys everyday, and Oh Sehun that brat doesn’t count (neither does Kris-hyung), so I was fairly surprised to see one right in front of me. I’m excited, frankly.

The girl nodded and I bowed slightly in politeness, my feet bringing me towards the designated table. She had to tug on the boy’s arm, exerting some force to drag him over to the table. She pressed his shoulders down, his buttocks reluctantly plopping themselves onto the chair as she took her seat opposite him. I handed them a menu each but was rejected by the boy who pushed it away. His eyes glared at me and I unconsciously backed away, a tinge of fear seeping into me as I directed my attention to the girl instead.

“Your order, Miss?”

She glanced up at me and I was taken aback by the depth of her eyes. They reflected the soft light emanated by the lamp hanging above the table, enabling me to see how chocolatey brown they are. Oh dear. I blinked, and blinked again. Mentally slapping myself on the cheeks, I willed myself to snap out of whatever daze I was getting myself into, and to focus on the job I had been tasked to do.

“Can I have five minutes? I’ll call for you once I’m done deciding.” An apologetic expression formed on her face, a hand reaching up to her face and she timidly saluted me. “I’m sorry!”

Hul, that’s so cute.

Wait. What the hell?

“S-Sure,” I backed away, stumbling backwards and almost crashing into the neighbouring table. My eyes darted to her, hoping she hadn’t seen my foolish movement. The girl had her eyes on the menu, muttering under her breath as they flitted from left to right. Thank God. I was about to slink off when a pointedly loud snicker came from the other chair.

I trailed my eyes up the furniture, nervousness growing within me as they continued upwards before finally resting on a face. A smug face. The boy’s smug face. He was smirking, his eyes mocking me as they swept up and down my body. In that moment, the boy reminded me so much of the other tall brat Huang Zitao who always seemed to be in perpetual over-confident mode.

I had always wanted to punch him in the face.

My fist clenched, and I swear I would have thrown myself at the boy if not for a voice who gently called out to me, instantly calming me down and I regained my sanity. She called me once again and as though I was bewitched, I subconsciously turned to her.

“I’m ready to order, Chanyeol-sshi.”

My name never sounded so pretty.

“Yeol, you’re going to make her uncomfortable.”

I tilted my head towards the voice, face falling the instance my eyes registered the identity of the person who had sidled up next to me at the cashier counter. Averting my eyes back to the girl, who was currently twirling her spaghetti with her fork and spoon (into a neat bunch, no less), I blatantly ignored my mother.

“She’s going to have holes on her face if you keep staring, my dear son.” A finger prodded my cheek and I swatted it away with a tch. “She’s too busy eating and talking to the boy to notice me, my dear mother.”

I felt her wizened eyes leaving me, probably directing them to the table where our only customers sat. The boy was talking to the girl, occasional laughs erupting but instead of infecting me with their happiness, they only caused pangs of unknown emotion to resonate within my chest. I rubbed at it, all the while not taking my gaze off the girl.

“I wonder who’s the boy to her though,” My mother mused. “Boyfriend, or friend?”

“Well, I’ll never find out, will I?” I sulked, hands cupping my face as I pushed out my lower lip. “She doesn’t seem to recognise me.”

There was a pregnant pause.

“How could anyone not know of Park Chanyeol from EXO!?” My mother shrieked, the shrill of her words echoing within the restaurant. Two pairs of eyes snapped towards us, and I could feel the heat of embarrassment rushing to my cheeks. Thanks alot, omma.

Thanks. A. Lot.