“Hello and welcome to Slurps!” You looked up, intrigued by the voice speaking. The name of the hole in the wall had attracted your attention earlier when you were wandering around the college town, looking for a place to frequent in your next four years. And now the deep-voiced man behind your counter definitely piqued your interest.

            He was wearing a beanie, barely covering his head of ruffled dark hair. On top of his red and black flannel, he wore an apron that fit snug against his torso. There was a golden name tag glinting off his left and you squinted to look. Yongguk. The cute guy’s name was Yongguk.

            Yongguk was smiling widely at you, with crinkles against his eyes and you couldn’t help but take a step closer to the counter as you finally looked above him to read the menu. The place boasted itself to be a traditional ramen restaurant, but with a twist.

            You couldn’t help but giggle as you looked back at Yongguk. “‘Traditional ramen’, you say? And how does that conclude to ramen in a packet?”

            When he gave you a gummy smile back, it set your heart ablaze. “Come on! Before ramen became a thing among foodies, don’t tell me you didn’t think ramen was one of those curly squares in a foil packaging, with tiny packets of seasoning and too much MSG.”

            His deep voice pitched higher when he was excited, you noticed, and couldn’t help but want to hear it some more. “And so why exactly would people come here when they can just eat in the comfort of their home?”

            “Surely for my company,” he eyed you and flashed you a quick quirk of his lips. This flustered you. You hadn’t thought your flirting was quite that obvious. “But also because we use the purest ingredients to go with the ramen and I toss out the MSG bombs.”

            It was a sleepy Saturday morning. Half the campus was probably still asleep, nursing whatever hangover was bound to attack them. In the time you were there, nobody has come in. “So, does this place ever get busy?”

            “Yep! Usually Sundays or after classes. The rush after the 4pm class before the 6pm night class is usually the worst. Students are impatient and they tend to come in droves.”

            “So I chose the right time to come I guess.”

            Yongguk smiled brightly. “Yeah. It was getting so quiet, I would have started talking to myself to relieve the boredom.”

            Again, even a simple comment like that was enough to elicit a smile from you. You cleared your throat. “Maybe I should make my order first?”

            “Oops, sorry about that. I got too carried away showcasing my companionship, I forgot you probably came in here mainly for the food.” He grinned sheepishly and gestured at the menu. “So have you made your choice?”

            “What exactly is the Bang Bomb?”

            At that one, Yongguk blushed a little. “That one is actually my special concoction. Bang’s my last name,” he explained. “It’s made with kimchi and jalapeno and a little dash of curry for the creaminess. And there’s an option of putting in an egg and cheese. If you really asked for it, I’d throw in some hot Cheetos too.”

            You stared at him incredulously at the final ingredient and he shrugged. “Tastes amazing, and a little bit like kimchi, if you asked me.”

            “Okay, sold.”

            There was no kitchen. Everything was done at the bar behind the counter. Yongguk gave you a small bow. “One Bang Bomb coming right up!”

            He reached below the counter and brought out three packets of ramen. “Would you prefer Samyang, Paldo, or the ever popular Shin?”

            You couldn’t help but give him another laugh. “I suppose since you asked, I can’t help but be basic and stick with the childhood favorite.”

            “Shin it is!”

            You watched him roll up his sleeves and place the water on boil. “Do you prefer your noodles slightly harder or softer?”

            “Softer.”

            His nose automatically wrinkled. “Oh no, you’re one of the softies.”

            “Yeah, at least this means my noodles won’t feel like I’m eating crackers.”

            “Better crackers than limp and soggy clumps of carbs,” he muttered.

            “Bang Yongguk, are you insulting a customer?”

            Immediately, he snapped his legs together and gave you a mock salute. “No, Ma’am. I’m sorry, Ma’am.” He had a serious expression on for all of two seconds before cracking up and sliding the squares into the water. “But in all seriousness, I’ll give you semi-hard just so you can see how good that texture is with the richness of the curry and the spice.”

            Soon the air smiled of preserved noodles, curry and the tangy spice of kimchi. You watched him twirl the noodles expertly, his wrists flicking easily with the turn of his chopsticks. He sprinkled some cheese over and then said, “One moment.”

            This time, he pushed aside the curtains and stepped to the back. You waited curiously and then burst into laughter when he came out holding a familiar orange and red bag with flames on it. “You wouldn’t!”

            “Oh yes I would. And you didn’t even need to ask. Trust me. It’ll taste so good, you’ll come asking me to sprinkle you some more.” And so you could only watch helplessly as he did as promised and gave you a generous amount of hot Cheetos. “Please take a seat.” He pointed at the table nearest to him and came around the counter to place the bowl gently in front of you.

            Yongguk didn’t leave. Instead, he placed his hands behind his back and waited, watching you as you blew tentatively on the noodles. You took in a slurp, and were met with the perfect concoction of all the flavors he had guaranteed you would taste. When you felt brave enough, you even picked up a Cheetos with your chopsticks and nodded in appreciation.

            “See? I told you,” he whispered proudly, grinning from ear to ear.

            Yongguk pointed at the chair in front of you. “May I?” When you nodded, he sat down and placed his face in his hands, smiling handsomely as you continued eating.

            “So do you own this place?”

            “My uncle does. I’m also a student at the university. I just happen to hold multiple shifts at the ramen shop as well.”

            “Oh, what year are you?”

            “I took a gap year, so this is my sophomore year. Are you new? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

            “Transferred. So I’ve been spending the first weekend looking for hang out spots.”

            Yongguk smiled shyly. “Well, I really hope this can become one of them.”

            You looked him right in the eye as you replied. “Are you kidding me? This has now become the spot. Especially when there’s a cute ramen boy making up his recipes.” The light in his eyes lit up as he doubled over in laughter. He wheezed and shook his head.

            “Wow, and here I thought I was a good flirt.”

Happy Birthday to Yongguk, our leader and angel ♥

This was inspired by Roffy from so long ago