Your POV

Your taxi pulls up to the curb near the restaurant the two of you were meeting at, you pay the driver and leave the car. Your hearts a mess, beating anxiously as you step forward toward the door of the restaurant, you can smell seasoned grilled meat just outside it’s doors making your mouth water. As you enter the place the door makes a jingle and you look around, much to your surprise you find it doesn’t appear to be one of those expensive looking places but still there is a man standing behind something that looks like a podium with a booklet setting on it. You approach the man and he asks how many people are joining you. You tell the man you’re meeting someone there and he nods. He doesn’t take your name but gestures you to follow him through the restaurant you silently follow. One thing you notice is that the place doesn’t appear busy, though you spot a young looking group sitting by one of the large windows. Some of them look up as you walk by, you feel anxious under their gazes and ignore their hushed whispers. Luckily, the man has seated you far away from the group and you thank him. He doesn’t take an order from you which is fine since you wouldn’t know what to order anyway, you figured you’d let Baekhyun do the ordering.

You take out your phone and sit it on the table in front of you and wait there quietly. It’s several minutes later when you hear the sound of the door jingling signalling that there is another customer who has entered the place and you look up but you hate that you can’t see the person. You bit your lip anxiously and keep your eyes forward, hoping that Baekhyun has arrived. Soon enough you find Baekhyun walking through the restaurant following the man who had brought you to your table. You can’t stop from grinning, you noticed how casual he looked and you were glad you hadn’t dressed up. He is lead to your table and his eyes are fixated on you once he sees you.

He greets you with a sweet smile. “Annyeong~!” Baekhyun takes a seat next to you, your heart flutters at how close he is to you.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” you greet him back.

He pulls his mask down from his mouth, it hangs below his chin and you get a better look at him. His signature eye makeup is applied so nicely.

“You look nice,” he comments.

It makes you blush but you thank him. There is a waiter who walks over to the table with a menu in his hands and he gives it to Baekhyun. He looks it over then looks at you. “I know it’s your first time here, are you okay with me ordering a few things for you to try?”

You are actually thankful he offered. “Please go ahead.”

He smiles and starts ordering several different types of meat. “Can we get some Bulgogi, Galbi, Samgyeopsal and a side order of Pajeori? And can you make it without cucumbers please?”

You smile when he tells the waiter to not include cucumbers because you knew how he hated them.

The waiter writes down the order. “Of course, and what would you like for drinks?”

Baekhyun looks over the menu on the back side that has a list of various drinks. He just orders two sodas and the waiter takes the menu then leaves the table, leaving you and Baekhyun alone.

“I didn’t figure you would want to drink Soju or anything with alcohol in it.” He states.

You shake your head. “No I’m not much of a drinker.”

He smiles at you. “Me neither.”

So many things were running through your mind, what should you ask him? You did wonder if he had any trouble getting to the restaurant so that’s the first thing you asked. “Did you have to come up with a good story to the others before you left the dorm?”

“Not really but I think Chanyeol is suspicious,” he rolls his eyes.

You let out a laugh thinking about his best friend. “I bet he is.”

“Yeah but don’t worry about him. Let’s talk about you,” he starts to say. The waiter interrupts by bringing you two drinks, gives you two a bow then walks away again.

You wonder why he would want to talk about you but you listen as he continues once the waiter is gone. “What did you do before coming to Korea?”

You began to explain how you worked at a department store for awhile to save up the money to eventually visit the country.

“Did you like that sort of job?” He asked.

You shrugged. “It was alright, not exactly one I would continue working at as a full time thing. The pay was okay, above minimum wage especially for it being part time work.”

He nodded. “What about college, did you ever go to one?”

After graduating high school you had taken a year off to decide what you wanted to do which you explained to him. “I did try to take several classes at a local community college but the work was difficult so I ended up quitting a couple months later.” It wasn’t a good experience that you liked to think back on.

“I can understand that. Have you thought about what you want to do after you go back?” He asked.

You weren’t sure but you knew that the manager at the department store had said before you had left that you were always welcome back and you were considering that. “Oh, I don’t know I may just go back to working at the store since I know I’m guaranteed a job there if I ever want it.”

“It’s good that you have that option to go back working at the place then.” He stated. “Where were you staying while you worked? I don’t know how much those jobs pay there but a part time job probably wasn’t enough to pay rent and save up to come here right?”

It was true the paid amount you received wouldn’t have been enough for you to have an apartment on your own. “Yeah it wasn’t enough but luckily my grandmother allowed me to stay with her while I worked and saved up, I would also give her some money too out of my pay and helped her when I could, I’m very thankful for her.”

“Oh~ tell me about your grandmother. I’m very close with mine as well.” You were glad that he seemed very interested in your life.

You began to talk about your grandmother and how she was always like a mother figure to you. “She’s always been there for me when other people weren’t. I love her very much, she’s really the kindest person I know.”

“She sounds so nice by the way you talk about her, I wish I could meet her. Does she know about EXO?” He asked.

She didn’t know much only by you talking about the group. “A little, she hasn’t heard any of the music or know of your names really but she knows that you’re my favorite group.”

Baekhyun stuck out his bottom lip to form a pout that you thought was adorable. “Aw that’s too bad but I know not everyone likes our type of music.”

The waiter had made his way over to your table with a long tray in his hands, on the tray was cuts of various uncooked meats along with a plate of the Pajeori minus the cucumbers. There was a cooker in the middle of your table that would be used to cook the meat which Baekhyun had switched on when he had started asking you questions.

The two of you thanked the waiter and he left after a bow. Baekhyun began putting some cuts of the meat on the cooker and the air around you was warm and the smell of meat filled your nose making you hungry.

As the two of you waited Baekhyun had kept up with his questions but the next one he had asked had shocked you by his bluntness. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Out of all things he could ask you were surprised that he’d ask about that but you decide to answer anyway. “Uh, no I don’t.”

The corner of Baekhyun’s mouth raises up into a tiny little smirk. “Interesting~ I’m surprised.”

“Why’s that?” You ask, grabbing your drink to take a sip.