Warrior

“Mei! Table 4!”

“I’m going!” I called, grabbing my notepad and pen and walking over to the designated table. I smiled at the customers – two men here for a business meeting, judging by the suits they were wearing.

“Hello, my name is Mei and I’ll be your server today,” I introduced in my broken Korean, “Would you like to start off with some drinks?” I took the order and went to the back to get their drinks for them. When I brought them their drinks, they were ready to order. I took their orders, writing it down on my notepad.

“Ok, thank you,” I said, taking my notepad back to the kitchen. It was late afternoon, and the dinner rush would be coming in about an hour. Until then though, I was enjoying the easy run. I went to the line and ripped the piece of paper containing the order off of my notepad.

"Ji!” I called, passing the paper back into the kitchen, “New order!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” I heard Ji call from the kitchen in Chinese. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

“You’ve been complaining ever since I got here this morning. Don’t make me call Lihua,” I told him, referring to the owner/manager/hostess of the small Chinese restaurant where we worked. She always left the restaurant in Ji’s hands until she came in for the dinner rush every night to be the hostess and make sure everything was going smoothly. Ji’s head then came into view from the kitchen. He had a playful smirk on his face.

“Lihua will love to hear all about my awful day,” he sighed as he picked up the piece of paper with the food order on it, “I had a little spat with the delivery boy this morning. Stupid kid couldn’t understand Mandarin!”

“Gee, I wonder why,” I said, sarcasm lacing my voice.

“It probably has to do with the fact that we live in Seoul,” the other chef, Qing, said. He pat Ji on the back, “Now come on, let’s not keep the customers waiting.” Ji rolled his eyes and began washing his hands.

“We don’t have the right beef,” Ji sighed, “And the vegetables aren’t fresh! They’re two days old!”

“I’m sure the customers will survive this one time,” Baoyu, the other waitress, said. She looked around and frowned, “Where’s table two’s order?”

“Almost done,” Qing said from the corner of the kitchen. He then placed five plates on the line and rang the bell, “Order up!”

“I can see that,” Baoyu said, grabbing three of the plates, “Mei, can you help me out?” I nodded and began grabbing the other two plates.

“Try to get yourself in the mood for the dinner rush that’s about to come,” Ji told me. My eyes widened.

“Me?!” I called, “I’m ready! You’re the lazy one here!”

“But I make the best food around,” he retorted, “Although it may not be that good today thanks to the stupid delivery boy.”

“Stop blaming the delivery boy for your lack of skills,” Qing told him. Ji gave him a punch in the shoulder and I laughed at their antics before going out with Baoyu to deliver the food.

It’s been almost five months since I arrived in Korea, and I feel like my life is going great. Rui signed me up for Korean lessons at the school where she teaches Chinese, and it’s really paying off. While I’m nowhere near fluent, I know enough to get around the city of Seoul and survive. Rui has a great apartment, and I’ve just started making enough money to pay for my share of the rent. I was able to find a job almost immediately after arriving in Korea thanks to her, and I absolutely love it.

Sheng’s Authentic Chinese Restaurant is a Chinese cuisine restaurant, named after Lihua’s father, Sheng, who founded the restaurant. One of the great things about this restaurant is that it’s authentic Chinese food, not Koreanized Chinese food like every other “Chinese” restaurant in Korea. Chinese people own and run Sheng’s and almost all of our ingredients are shipped in from China. I haven’t been working here for very long, but I feel like it is my second home, and my family. Lihua is the owner, manager, and dinnertime hostess. During the morning and lunch hours, she stays home to take care of expenses and her family. She’s like a mother to us. Ji and Qing are the chefs (or the fun uncles) and Baoyu (she’s like my older sister) and I work as waitresses. During the dinner rush, which is the restaurant’s busiest time, Jun (the father who nobody dares to cross) helps out in the kitchen, Shengli (the brother who’s constantly teased by the uncles – also Lihua’s eldest son) is the busboy, and Jaeyoon (the only Korean who works here and the bubbly little sister) is the third waitress. I feel proud to work at this restaurant with so many great people who have accepted me with open arms since the day I got the job.

“Order up!” I heard Ji yell as I returned to the line. I looked at the two plates and frowned.

“I think a dish is missing,” I said.

“I got it here,” Qing said, “Give me a minute.” Sure enough, a minute later and the last dish was on the line. I smiled and picked the three dishes up.

“Thanks!” I called, taking the plates to the table where the two men were waiting. I gave them their food and returned to the back to refill their drinks. Once they got their drinks, I walked back to the line and sat down in a chair, making sure I had a view of the table to know when they were done or needed something.

“You look tired,” Ji said, coming out of the kitchen to sit next to me.

“It’s been a long day,” I told him, “And I still have my Korean lessons tonight.”

“Why do you even go to those lessons?” Ji wondered, crossing his legs, “You know enough to get around and work here? Why bother knowing more?”

“I want to be fluent,” I said, “Maybe I can save up enough money to go to college someday and then get a job that’s less stressful.”

Ji held a hand to his heart, “I’m insulted that you find us stressful.”

I smiled and nudged his shoulder, “You know I love working here with you guys, but if I were to get married and have children…”

Ji nodded, “I understand. It might be a little too much for you then.”

“Exactly. I can’t work here forever – no matter how much I want to. I need to prepare for my future.”

“And in the future, I know you’ll be very happy and successful, no matter what you’re doing.” He gave me a pat on the shoulder and I smiled at him.

“Thanks, Ji,” I said. He returned the smile.

“Having a nice break?” a voice asked. I looked up to see Lihua standing there. I stood up and bowed to her.

“Oh, sorry,” I said. She chuckled.

“No need,” she said, patting my back, “Take a rest before the dinner shift.” I smiled at her. She’s so kind and easy-going, but strict when she needed to be. She’s probably the best boss in the world.

“Oh, Lihua,” I said, “Is it ok if I leave around 8:30 tonight? I have my Korean lessons…”

Lihua smiled and nodded her head, “Of course. Baoyu and Jaeyoon can handle the last hour and a half on their own. Shengli can help out too. It’s fine.”

“What can I help out with?” Shengli asked, walking by the line and going right into the kitchen.

“Mei will be leaving early for Korean lessons,” Lihua explained, “So I told her you can fill in.”

Shengli stuck his head out the line and smiled at me, “Sure, it’s no problem.”

“Thanks, Shengli,” I said, ruffling his hair. He leaned back into the kitchen quickly ad fixed his hair. I smiled.

“You might want to check on table 4,” Ji said, pointing at the two men who seemed to be finished with their meal.

“Oh crap,” I said, running out to take care of them. Once they paid their check and left, I saw more people coming into the restaurant and knew that the dinner shift has started.

I could feel my spirits rise with every day that I spent here in South Korea. It was such a beautiful country and the people were so nice and welcoming. Being here has helped me become even stronger since leaving China, and I feel like I am invincible – like a warrior.

I am a warrior, and nothing can bring me down.

Yay! Mei is happy and strong now...or is she? Well, the next chapter will be interesting, I can tell you guys that much. But for now...I hope you like this one! You get to see a bit of Mei's new life here. I had a hard time choosing the song for this, but I felt like it could relate to Mei's feelings right now. Also, yes I know it's another Demi song, but her songs are so effing relatable and...I don't know, I just really really like her, ok?

So yeah, just so you guys know, I'm going away for a bit so I probably won't update for a while (like two weeks or so?). Sowwy! And thanks for reading, subscribing, and commenting! I'm actually really surprised that over 50 people subscribed to this story O_O Thank you so much!!! I'm glad you enjoy it and I hope I don't disapoint you! :) ♥