On the second day of working at the Teriyaki shop, Onew discovered that Ikki was actually two years younger than him.

His jaw dropped.

"You got into Tokyo University at age 17?!?" Onew started running numbers in his head, wondering how many extra classes she must have taken and passed. 

"Don't worry about it," Ikki gave him another strange look. "If someone like me can get into that university, then it can't be that great."

Onew wasn't very satisfied. He had considered himself to be pretty smart after all, being the first in his class by just studying alone. But here was this girl who had gotten into Tokyo University, one of the top schools in the nation, a whole year earlier than usual? Running a teriyaki shop? What?

Ikki poked her head out from under the thick covers of the teriyaki shop to check on the amount of traffic outside. When she withdrew, her face was less than happy, meaning that rush hour had not started yet. The chicken was going to get cold.

Onew felt the same about that as Ikki did. What a waste.

.

They rarely spoke to each other, but every time they did, Onew noticed something else about Ikki. She was smart. She had good customer sense. She could run after an old man who had not paid his till and would scold him loudly in front of the entire street if she had to. And, somehow, she was just as obsessed about chicken as he was.

"Watch it!" She cautioned him, right after he nearly tripped over a box in the back wall while carrying a plate of fried chicken. "Wait!" She yelled, right before he nearly set it in the fire. And then, "The broom, the broom!" when a rat scurried into the shop looking for scraps of chicken. Onew looked around wildly before seizing the thin, plastic broom out of her hands and thwacking the poor creature all the way to the other side of the street.

Ikki watched it go with an unreadable expression. Onew wondered if she was glad to see the pest go, or sorry that she couldn't eat it. He found himself watching her a little longer than usual, noticing suddenly that she actually had a very clean profile, and stood almost like one of those princesses from the dramas about ancient wars and kingdoms.

Then she sighed and turned around, taking the broom back and setting it against the back of the store. Onew looked out at the street too, and sighed as well. The rat had looked pretty fat.

.

When the customers started arriving in earnest, Onew was surprised by the amount of people Ikki knew.

"This is old man Yaga, who works up in the convinience store but refuses to buy their food. It's a good choice if you ask me," Ikki leaned over and winked at the thin man with a convinience store hat. "That food kills you sooner or later."

"Sure does," the old grandfather replied. "And how have you been, Ikki? Still not going to college?"

Onew left them to their casual conversation to take the orders of the next group of three girls that had come in. All of them were about Ikki's age, but with the clothing and attitude of university students. Two of them had dyed hair, one brown, one with red streaks. They both had heavy makeup and dangling jewlery that flashed and tinkled loudly. Onew glanced at Ikki briefly, but she was busy talking.

"May I take your order please?" He grabbed a pen and a notepad, already knowing the menu by heart. After all, they were all chicken.

One of the girls laughed at him. She was the one with red streaks in her hair. "We don't even have a menu yet, how are we supposed to order?"

"Oh!" Onew felt stupid. He looked around wildly, but could not remember where Ikki had put all the menus. After a few moments, he gave up and said, "Well, the menu is basically -"

He rattled off the entire menu with 26 items and their prices. When he finished, he realized that they hadn't listened to a word he had said.

"Do you think we should get that one?" The brown-haired girl leaned toward the others, pointing at something above Onew's head. Onew looked up, and realized that the menu was actually written on posters hanging from the ceiling of the kitchen area.

Onew burst into a fit of giggles.

The girls all stared at him. Including Ikki. Onew instantly stopped, embarrassed.

What he didn't know was that he actually looked very handsome while giggling. Or rather, he wrapped his arms around his middle, showing off his well-toned frame, and his face broke out into the most charming grin. The three girls all stared at him because they were mesmerized. Ikki, with only the side view, just stared at him because he was acting weird.

She dragged him off to one side, whispering, “Are you okay?”

Fully composed now, Onew nodded, a little touched that she looked so concerned. But then she went on.

“I think the laughing demons may have gotten to you. They are very common here in Tokyo.” She inspected him carefully, ignoring the jealous stares of the university students. “Maybe I should have gotten out those paper charms. They’ll drive away any evil spirits. But you have to wear them all day and get a priest to perform a sutra on you.”

Onew blinked. “I don’t think that will be necessary. Thank you, though.”

He let Ikki handle the costumers for the rest of the hour.

.

Just before he left to go back to his apartment, something happened.

It was right after the morning rush was over, and Onew was helping Ikki clean up the plates and dishes. He was thinking about the practice that would take place as soon as the managers came to wake up the members of SHINee. It had been only a few days since their first concert here in Japan, and yet they were practicing again.

It was going to be fun, he thought, absently catching a plate as it slipped from the wet tabletop. Anything was fun, as long as it involved music and chicken.

"You're humming."

Onew stopped what he was doing and looked at Ikki. This was the first time she had said anything to him without a) shouting, b) spouting religious nonsense, or c) wrangling a deal out of him.

She must have seen the apprehensive look on his face.

"I mean, not that it's weird or anything." She paused in the middle of her work, uncharacteristically lost for words. "It's...nice."

Onew was a little taken back and a little touched as well. He beamed at her, a 100% Onew-style grin that was a silent thank you as well as a proud acknowledgement. This was the first time Ikki had faced his killer smile head on, and the effect it had on her was interesting, to say the least.

She looked away, blushing massively, and then suddenly shoved the next pile of plates into his hands. “Wash those, I’m going outside for a bit.”

Ikki flicked away the curtain, and disappeared from his sight. Onew’s grin remained, but for a different reason now. Ikki was very cute when she blushed, he decided.

Humming again, he turned back to the task of finishing up the dishes, looking forward to coming back the next morning.