♪ stand by me

“Aejin, can you handle table number four for me? I really have to go!” Byunghyun asked as he whizzed by and rushed into the bathroom. The door was slammed shut before Aejin could even stand. As she climbed to her feet, she chuckled and shook her head. She wiped her hands off on her apron and then closed the dishwasher so that it may start its cleaning process of all the sordid plates, cups and utensils.

“I guess nature calls.” She laughed before making her way out onto the floor to serve the customers Byunghyun couldn’t find the time to cater to. Her eyes were scanning the room and then they soon widened when she found a familiar face beaming brightly at her. Aejin felt her heart stop as she swallowed down the pool of saliva which had formed in in less than five seconds.

She felt like she had been frozen and stood as stiff as a statue in her spot. “Hey, what are you doing?” Chanjo muttered from behind as he nudged her forward. Aejin clumsily stumbled over her own feet before she awkwardly cleared and wrapped a strand of hair which had managed to escape her elastic behind her ear. With heavy and anxious steps, she approached the table she had no choice but to tend to now.

When she arrived, she didn’t know what to say as he got up and smiled at her. “Hey,” he greeted sweetly before placing peck on her cheek. The small action caused her body to catch on fire, figuratively speaking of course. Unknowingly, Aejin had her hands clenched into nervous fists as Suho withdrew. “I thought I’d pay you a surprise visit.”

“See, I knew there was a reason for him picking this place!” Tao grinned, making his presence known to the young woman who was even more stunned to discover the other four customers were all friends of Suho, whom she had already met. At his comment, her face flushed even more as she cast her gaze down to the floor.

“As if you hadn’t paid a visit to the girl you were crushing on at her workplace,” Chen scoffed sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. Then he looked at Aejin and sent her a small smile. “It’s very nice meeting you again, Aejin-sshi.” His welcoming and comfortable words gave her the courage to raise her head and meet all their eyes.  

“It’s nice seeing you again as well, Chen-sshi.” She replied, giving him a slight nod with her head.

“Why are we all still being so formal?!” Tao whined. “I mean can’t we just drop all the honorifics already? Noona is like family to us now!” At his statement, not one person but two people this time were beet-red as they shyly glanced at each other. When their eyes met, they instantly tore their gazes away from the other only to stare at something rather random that they definitely lacked interest in.

“Yah, Huang Zitao, can’t you have a little more respect? She’s older than us.” Sehun hissed, sending the addressed party a stern look of disapproval.

“That’s why I called her noona, duh.” Tao defended back with his chin stuck up into the air. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind, would you noona?” Next, he turned to Aejin and plastered on the most adorable aegyo he could pull off.

“E-eh?” Stuttered a more than baffled Aejin. She glanced up and did nothing but blink at him. There was no reaction whatsoever and his pouty lips quickly molted into a frown as he bunched up his eyebrows at her.

“Whoa,” Baekhyun gaped. “You didn’t even react to Tao’s aegyo? Girls go crazy every time he does it.”

Aejin tilted her head to the side and altered her glances between Tao and Baekhyun. Finally, her eyes were set back on Tao as she scratched her head. “You were trying to use aegyo? I didn’t notice.” She admitted honestly.  

“I think you’ve got yourself a keeper here, Joonmyun-ah.” Chen grinned approvingly as the other guys, with the exception of Tao, joined in agreement.

“I know,” Suho whispered softly with the corner of his lips twitched upwards.

“Um so what would you guys like to order?” Aejin as