That boy - or man that looks like a boy. His cute, puffy cheeks and eyes that sparkled every time he took his lunch out of his bag. His adorable, flawless face with soft-looking, milky skin that resembled what he ate everyday for lunch: baozis. I swear that I have never seen him eat anything else other than those buns for lunch. Everyday, I would be on my lunch break and turn to the desk beside me only to see him, with eyes sparkling at the sight of the fluffy baozi that he’d pull out of his Pororo lunch box.

Kim Minseok was the boy’s name. His unit was placed next to mine when he started working here after being transferred here from another branch. It’s been two years since we’ve worked together and we were coming to an end with our second project. Over the years, we’ve become close friends but I never got to ask anything about what he’s been eating. This bothered me so much that I finally decided to ask about it. Well it seemed more like complaining.

“Yah, Minseok-sshi.” I started. He lifted his head from the food that he was hunching over.

“I told you not to use honorifics.” He said and went back to eating.

“Yah!” I called again, getting his attention.

“What?” He asked with a bit of irritation. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked about the buns at this time, but it’s too late now.

“Why do you always eat those things every day?” I complained and pointed at the spherical food he held that was wrapped in waxed paper. “I don’t understand why you like them so much. Don’t you ever get tired of eating the same thing all the time? They should taste bland and flavorless shouldn’t they?” I asked, with narrowed eyes at the fluffy white thing.

If someone else saw me looking at it, they’d probably think I was judging it. Well, I kind of was. Then I heard him gasp. I looked up at the chubby cheeked boy who had his hand over his heart and lips shaped into an “O” for an exaggeration. I looked at him weirdly.

 

“How could you ever think of such a thing? My glorious, milky, smooth spheres? Never! The soft, silky texture and mouthwatering lusciousness never fails to please anyone’s taste buds! You have no idea what you’re talking about!” I wasn’t sure if he was talking about the baozis or the puffy things on his face. Well it’s not like I was paying attention anyway due to his cheeks puffing around as he spoke. It seemed as if he stopped talking when I realized that he was now protectively holding the white bun close to his chest.

I ignored the action and made one of my own, leaning forward so our faces were right in front of each other. He was leaning back in order to distance himself from me until he was now leaning back in his office chair in quite an awkward position. His face reddened as his eyes narrowed to focus on my relatively close face. I cocked my head to the side and blew a breath of air between my tightly pressed lips making him flinch. He reacted weirdly to my actions that of how he normally would have. What makes it any more different than the other times I did this?

“What- what are you doing ah?” He said tensely. His breath smelled like pork. It smelled nice.

I giggled and replied by slowly lifting my hand and poking his left cheek. “If they really are worth eating everyday, I might believe you. But I need to try them first.” I smiled and looked down at the baozi he held in his hands. I was about to take a bite but he put his hand on my forehead and pushed me away.

“You are not going to eat my baozi.” He said firmly and spun around so the back of his chair was facing me.

 

~ ~ ~

 

After the day I attempted to try Minseok’s precious baozi, I decided to forget about the baozi issue and let it go for a while. I minimized my tabs and rolled my eyes as I sighed after I seeing the picture set as my desktop: Minseok and another Baozi. “Screw this. I’m not letting it go.” I thought to myself and spun around in my chair with an unamused expression to see him with the same pair of eyes that sparkled at the Pororo lunch box. Every lunch hour. Every. Lunch. Hour.

“Minseok. Why?” I asked as I pointed to my desktop.

“A little thing to brighten your day!” Once again, I was confused whether he was speaking of the food or himself. Honestly, I preferred him instead of the pork-filled bun. Yes, I chose a person over food.

“Did you do this when I went to the washroom during coffee break?” I asked.

He nodded in response before cutely taking a bite out of the bun. I rolled my eyes and sighed exasperatedly. I think I’ve finally had enough with seeing that fluffy white bun. I thought that Minseok eating it everyday would drive him insane, but I was the one going insane.

“That thing. I’m tired of seeing it everyday! Why can’t you just get something else to eat?! I swear that if all of them got thrown into the fiery pits of hell, I would make a celebration party!” I exploded.

Minseok was shocked with eyes wide open. He sat frozen, staring at me with a mortified look on his face. All was still as I shifted my eyes around the room looking for anyone’s reaction to my rage over baozis, but no one was there except for Minseok. The silence was broken once he swallowed. There was a bite of bread in his mouth even when I was raging at him. I looked back at him silently begging that he wouldn’t be upset with me but he was smiling sweetly.

“Are you jealous?” He asked. What in the world is he talking about? YES! Yes I was jealous! I never thought that I would be jealous of a pork-filled-bun, but it always had his attention and he was always excited to see it everyday instead of seeing me. “Are you jealous that I got to eat a baozi everyday and you didn’t?” He asked. I froze and felt my internal disappointment laughing at me. Has he not realized that it’s the baozis that are pissing me off and not him? Of course little Minseok wouldn’t understand.

“But it’s okay!” He spoke. “I have something for you!”

I made a face before answering. “What is it, Minseok?”

“I…” He said with a grin as he slowly reached into his Pororo lunch box, “made one specially for you!” Minseok said excitedly and pulled out a cute, baby blue and brown-checkered paper box. I looked at it blankly and slowly lifted my hands to take it out of his hands.

“Thanks.” I said with a half-hearted smile and turned around to face my monitor.

I was no longer hungry and decided that I wouldn’t eat lunch today. I’ve never felt my hopes being as crushed as they were in years. Then again, I shouldn’t have expected this much from him, right? I placed the box next to the keyboard and went back to work, opening the windows to cover the picture of him and the baozi. Then I heard him speak from behind me.

“Aren’t you going to eat it?” He asked.

“I’ll have it later.” I replied, sounding like a tired mother. I was tired after all.

“But I was looking forward to seeing your face after trying it.” He said. I stopped working and stared at my hands on the keyboard. He was looking forward to seeing me? “I was thinking a lot about you when I made it. I wanted to make you happy at lunch today.” He was thinking about me? “Will you please try it?” He asked.

I sighed in response and took the box in my hands, “Okay.” I replied before opening it. The box was warm and aroma of the pork inside poured out of the box. It smelled mouthwatering indeed. I took the soft white bun and delicately peeled the paper off with my fingertips. Only after I took a bite did I realize how delicious the buns were to Minseok.

“This is delicious.” I mumbled before taking another bite.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

“Minseok,” I said as I spun around in my chair. He was already looking at me. “Why do you like these so much?” I asked and took another bite out of the undeniable deliciousness. It took him a few seconds before he could answer. I assumed that he was contemplating whether he should tell me or not.

“I guess I should tell you now that it’s been two years.” He said and took a deep breath before he started, “On the day I was moved to this branch, I was worried about almost everything. Whether I would be able to adapt to this workplace or if I would have a hard time with my co-workers. So before I went to work that day, I stopped by this shop to have breakfast and after I bought one of these,” he gestured to the bun in his hand, “This old guy could see how worried I was and told me not to worry. He said that I would…” he hesitated before continuing. “He said that I’d meet someone special that day. He said that I’d meet a wonderful woman that would care a lot about me and she’d be my perfect woman.” He laughed hesitantly and scratched the back of his head. “Before that day, I was never much of a fan of these buns but after that, I felt that if I kept eating them, that woman might realize what she meant to me.”

I smiled sweetly at how honest he was being to me. I was so touched that he was this determined to eat the same thing for lunch everyday just for the sake of one person. That woman that he was waiting for is really lucky despite how ridiculous the idea was. Then my smile faltered. I envied her a little knowing that she meant so much to him. I want to let this go because I know that this will only hurt me but know I can’t. I should just wish the best for them.

“I hope she’ll find out soon.” I smiled sadly, hoping that he wouldn’t notice.

“Me too,” He smiled then suddenly became serious, “But I don’t think just doing this is good enough.”

I giggled, “Neither do I. Then what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to just come out and tell her.” He answered. I paused and cocked my head to the side with a questioning look.

“You’re just going to walk up to some lady and tell her that you think she’s your perfect woman?” I asked. He nodded once and held my hands causing me to look up at him. Then his eyes caught mine. His breathtaking eyes that were such a deep brown that I got lost in them and found myself unable to look away. In other words, I was speechless.

“I think you’re my prefect woman.” He said and continued to stare back at me.

I stayed still and my eyes were finally able to tear away from his, my sight slowly falling to his lips, then the pit of his neck, then his chest and now his knees. Like anyone would expect out of someone being confessed to, I didn’t know what to say. I had no idea that I was that woman. I was the reason why he ate all those baozis? It was my stupidity that made him eat the same thing everyday and in return, I was annoying myself? I had nothing else to say to say to myself. All I knew was that I was ridiculously ridiculous.

“Th-thank you.” I replied.

That’s it? That’s all I could say? Wait! There was more. I also smiled like an idiot. I’ve waited for so long for him. He even waited for a long time for me and in response to his confession I said “thank you”? Am I the most wonderful person on earth or what? For the moment I had thought I’d terribly embarrassed myself in front of him, I was wrong.

“You’re welcome.” He replied.

I looked back up to see him smiling sweetly causing me to blush and smile as well. He lifted his baozi that he held in his lap to my lips and I looked at it for a moment wondering what I was supposed to do until I took a bite out of it.

“Today, you may eat my baozi.” He said and lightly pecked me on the lips. 

 

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HAAAAAAY GUYS! It's been a while and I regret it a LOT. So I'm not sure if I'm high or not, but I feel really talkative. I will try not to talk much although I probably am right now okayI'llstop. Hope you guys liked it and I WILL HAVE MY "COMEBACK" SOON SO KEEP HOLDING ON.

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~Sandra ^__^

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