I had been in work for over two months and I still hadn’t really done anything of great value. I didn’t go to see mr Choi, I felt like my conversation would just bore him and that he was only being nice when he told me to pop in any time, as if it’s something he says often to people. He seemed like a really nice person, very genuine and very up front but still, nice people can lie can’t they? Me? I usually say things exactly the way they are, I can never be bothered with lying. What’s the point in adding endless amount of effort into going around an explanation either to not hurt someone or to keep you being caught? Something you will always find is that everyone usually finds out everything in the end. It’s like people have this basic instinct that they can see right through you, or they get a kind of feeling as if they know that what the person has just told them is hiding what they really should have.

I was in university on Monday mornings, and it was the class I disliked the most, mainly because the lecturer would always talk to us as if we were ten years old but always gave us so much homework to do, each week it would be a mountain of work but I never missed handing in something for his class; his voice went right through my head and gave me a migraine when he shouts. Every day after that class I would hear my class mates come out in a mood because of how much they didn’t like the class “it’s so boring” “he doesn’t know what he’s talking about” “more homework?? Seriously?” in my mind I felt the same but I never voiced my opinion or anger. I would just leave and get ready to start my long shift at work.

It had been a good day today, I managed to leave early because I done all my work before 5pm and I had only been in from 2pm, I got to say I was pretty proud of myself. I smiled at my boss and thanked him for letting me leave early and told him that I look forward to returning to work tomorrow. I hadn’t had a good day like this since I started working there so it put me in a nice mood, I didn’t feel so depressing as I usually felt, I would smile when I walked towards the elevator and bowed and greeted each person who walked by me. A sense of achievement can always put our brain into perspective by the looks of it, it can lift us up a little even when we are usually always the sad sap.

As I walked into the elevator it stopped as someone had pressed the button to get in quickly

“oooh~ almost missed that there haha, hope you don’t mind”

It was Mr Choi. He looked like he had been running, I felt a little bad for not waiting for him but I didn’t actually here him shout to hold the lift fotr him to get in or I would have been happy to

“no I don’t mind at all, what floor?”

“grou- oh it’s already been pressed, are you going someone to pick some other paper work off?”

“No, I actually done all my work before schedule so the boss in my department said I could leave early today”

He smiled at me lightly then put his hand on my shoulder, shaking it a little he said “well done!”

Taking his hands off my shoulder he still continued to smile at me, then continuing with “so do you have anything planned with your few hours extra off?”

I shook my head, I would probably just go home or pop round to see my parents, but even that was a bad idea, I was in a good mood. I didn’t want to ruin it with having to hear about my brother coming back and I couldn’t go dancing “no I don’t think so, just home really, might study for class if I feel up to it”

“how do you feel if we go out for an early dinner? Or would you find that weird? I mean you have only met me once or twice but I don’t have anything to do and I’m starving, plus I got my pay check through and fancy going for a good meal, how about it? My treat? A congratulations for you doing well today?”

At first I was going to decline him, it would be a little weird, didn’t he have a girlfriend to take out for stuff like that? He’s a handsome, young, smart and well off man; girls would throw themselves at someone like that but instead I decided to accept his offer. I was also starving and could go with a good meal.

“great! I know a nice place that’s not that far away from here, they have the best pork and it’s quite quiet, how about that?”

I nodded and then followed him out of the evaluator.

I started to regret my choice to go from the moment I nodded, well at first anyway, I know that my conversations were never that excited because I didn’t have much to talk about and I seem to bore people easily with my lazy way of trying to be interesting, as you may have noticed; I don’t really sound that enthusiastic a lot of the time and don’t go out my way to sound like some philosopher, I’m just a mere human being; nothing exciting, but back on topic, I was trying to think of things that I could tell him over dinner, maybe stories from my childhood? No. there wasn’t anything that fun to talk about, just normal kid stuff, what about when I started school or high school? No, still nothing that fun to talk about, uni? Work? My family? Friends? None seemed like anything that was worth talking about. I just hoped to myself that he would do most of the talking, it seemed like he has more to say than I do anyway.

When we got to the restaurant; which was stunning in colour and decoration for the record, we were seated, as Minho had said before; there wasn’t that many people there, a couple sitting at a small table near the back, obviously not wanting to be disturbed, drinking wine and looking like they were having a nice time, enjoying each other’s company. There was an older man, must have been in his mid-forties sitting alone, drinking coffee while eating some of the vegetables left over from his side dishes, he didn’t look too upset about sitting alone; not like he had been meaning to have a meal with someone but instead that he decided to eat alone. And there was two young girls, probably just a year or so younger than myself, eating ramen while giggling about something that had happened in their class or about a boy, I’m not sure I don’t know what girls really talk about, it seems like a complicated subject; women, something I will never understand, a woman’s mind, what they think and what they do, so I never question it. They were really pretty girls, both had long hair, one had a red bow in which looked really nice with her black hair, it suited the contrast and made it really noticeable, enough to compliment. The other girl had a thin hairband in which had a little hello kitty design on it; it made her style look really cute. While my thoughts wondered I seem to have forgotten to look where I was going and ended up walking into a chair tripped over it, as I was about to fall to the ground I felt a warmth, an arm went around me and caught me before I managed to hit the floor. Without any hesitation when I stopped falling I was pulled back up. I was in so much shock, I had already accepted the fact I was going to hit the ground and know I will have to face the embarrassment but instead I was saved.

“are you okay? You need to watch where you are going haha that would have been a really sore face you would have had if you actually went down”

Minho still had this hand on my shoulder while he was talking to me and then as he went to let go he ever so slightly rubbed his fingers into my suit jacket as to comfort me.

I straightened up and fixed my jacket so it would sit normally and not crinkled and went over to the table that Minho was sitting at.

“thanks for that, I wasn’t looking where I was going, sorry”

Minho laughed and then took a drink of his water

“that’s okay, as long as you’re not hurt then it’s fine, wouldn’t want you coming into work with a big black eye now would be? People thinking you’ve gotten into fights haha”

I took a sip of my water to clear my throat, for some reason I could feel my face grow really warm, I was probably still embarrassed by the fact that I almost fell over and then got saved by another male, I should have to the fall like a man. Will it’s happened now, might as well try and eat quickly so I can leave.

We ordered pork and some side dishes, I hasn’t had a Korean barbeque in a while, my mum usually tried to make American dishes so that she could learn when my brother came back, my brother was never fond of Korean dishes unless it was ramen or kimchi, other than that he would usually go out with friends and get something like a beef burger with a salad or fried chicken. He was so fussy with food so my mum has been slaving herself trying to make the food he does like. My brother is a good man, he’s just a fussy man and my mum likes to fuss over him, she doesn’t fuss over me that much anymore. I think she finally understood that I didn’t like it and I liked to worry about myself other than others doing so. But back to dinner. Minho was right, the pork was incredible, I wish I could have eaten a lot more but I couldn’t manage another bite, I was totally full.

“ahhh that was so good, I wont be able to eat for many years because of how much I just ate”

“haha I told you this place was the best for pork, I usually come here when I’ve had a bad day at work or don’t feel up to being around other people, take a quiet table and then eat as much pork until I’m too full to care about my troubles”

I sat up after Minho finished what he was saying, does that mean that he had a bad day and that’s why he wanted to go here? I wanted to ask but I refrained myself, I didn’t want to invade his privacy, if he wanted me to know he would have told me by now wouldn’t he?

“ah my father has been getting on my back all day, it seems I’m not all that good at remembering when I’m meant to phone s clients but we all forget once in a while don’t we” I nodded, of course we are human, we do forget things, it’s natural isn’t it? Minho sighed then continued “I guess people get frustrated when others forget, when we remember something but someone else has prioritize something like we have it makes us mad. Why must we remember while others don’t? that’s what all humans think isn’t it?” again I nodded “I understand my fathers anger but at the same time I guess it is also human to be angry at people being disappointed in us for something that makes us human… ahh look at me I’m rambling, I’m sorry, I just find it east to talk to you, even though I’m not sure the reason, I am happy that you at least listen, thank you”

He then waved his hand in the air to ask for the bill, a curve formed on the side of my lip, I was half smiling. I had a great day at work and then excluding almost falling over; I had a great dinner and was thanked for just opening my ears and listening to someone about how they were feeling.

When I got home I was feeling amazing, I even phoned my mum to tell her I had a good day, she seemed to surprised by me calling, I usually only ever text because I can never be bothered with questions. I watched a little television before starting my revision for my test I had coming up in a few days.

Laying in bed I found myself touching my shoulder where Minho had rubbed and shook them both times today, to congratulate me and to comfort me. “he seems like a really nice person” I said out loud. “out of everyone at work he’s the only one that talks to me like a human being, in fact he’s one of the only people that actually talks to me in general, he finds me interesting and somehow finds me comforting to talk to even if I don’t say anything and I only listen”

I could feel myself falling asleep and tried to gain the strength to pull myself up and take myself to bed, but instead I laid my head on my books and closed my eyes then fell into a deep sleep.