"So you have no day-offs?" I asked in disbelief after learning that he had been working every day for the past 5 years ever since he left his mom in a nursing home. He had one fulltime job at the café and a part-time as a waiter in a bar and a cashier in a convenience store. In fact, in a couple of hours, he needs to go to his next work.

His dad died when he was young and his mom had a 5 years ago and after that, it hasn't been easy for Chanyeol. He couldn't afford the nursing home so he had to take 3 jobs. He's too ashamed to ask their relatives for financial support or help especially when they'll be taking care of an adult so he had no choice but to leave his mom in a nursing home. Plus, his mom had mild dementia so leaving her at home is not possible for him.

"Yep... work has always been my priority and I learned to live like that. Having one job feels weird to me." He chuckled. 

Somehow, I feel bad about eating a lot tonight. It's not like we dined in a fancy restaurant. We were chatting on a way to some restaurant but a boy passed us whose eating street food. He brought me to a pojangmancha since he couldn't believe I hadn't tried eating street food.  And surprisingly, everything we ordered was delicious, especially with soju. 

"I wanted to get a better paying job but what can I get when I didn't even finish high school. The bar I wait in pays good but it only opens up at night and all the tips I get still aren't enough for both of us. So... 3 jobs it is." 

I stared at his unwavering smile despite how his story went. It's as if he's so used to it that no matter how hard it is, it's no longer bothering him. And that smile says a lot about his personality.

"I..." I started but trailed off for a few seconds followed by a soft sigh, "I don't know what to say to that. I mean, I feel like I've been lazy my whole life after hearing that. I thought I was busy but now I think I'm very fortunate to be busy only because of school. My parents provide my needs even the things I want." 

He then pours me a shot before asking, "You're not feeling bad for me, are you? I didn't tell you that because I want your pity." 

"Is it bad to feel bad for you? I mean, your situation is very unfortunate." I retorted with a pout on my lower lip.

"I bet others had it worse. I told you about me so you'd work harder not so you'd feel bad for me." He replied as he now pours onto his own shot glass before lifting it up. We then had a toast and drunk in one go.

Noticing the empty plate of the eggroll, he quickly called the ajhumma running the store to order some more. "No, I'm all good." I protested politely. 

But then, he smirked, "Please, Chaeyoung. You eat half of the roll in just 5 minutes. I know you fell in love with the egg roll at first taste. I even think you can stuff the whole roll in your mouth in 5 minutes." He chuckles before telling the ajhumma to proceed with his order.

After this, we talked about school, why I wanted to take law and he actually frowned while maintaining that unwavering smile when he found out my dad chose it for me. Then, it goes to the things we both had in common and the things we both hated. I was having fun chatting with him and the conversation goes naturally until I realize how late it had been. 

When it came to payment, he was gracious enough to handle the whole bill like a g