“One order of Lo Mein and Wonton soup,” Seokjin smiled as he placed the dishes onto the table. The customer thanked him, then helped themselves to some food. Jin walked back into the kitchen to pick up another order.

“Hey Hyosang, I need two bowls of shark fin soup for table six, one bowl of fried rice, and sweet and sour pork for table three. On the double!”

His older brother waved him off with a ladle in his hand. “Got it! Sheesh, you’d think this would be easier if you were in the kitchen.”

Jin chuckled. “Not that again. We’ve been through this before; mom works the register, dad takes care of the bills, I wait tables with Minji, and you cook.” He shrugged, as if not realizing the issue. “What’s wrong with that.”

Hyosang rolled his eyes. “You’re the better cook, Seokjin.”

Jin returned the eye roll and just placed the two bowls of soup onto the tray, then went over to the waiting customers without another word.

Once all the customers left, and the restaurant was closed up for the night, Jin sat down in one of the booths with a happy heaping of congee. He inhales the warm steam wafting from the porridge and sighs. This is what he needs after long hours of working; comfort food and....Jin takes his 3DS out of his pocket. He turns handheld console on and smiles as the Mario Kart theme song starts playing. It doesn’t take too long before he starts clicking away on the DS, controlling his kart in the animated world of Mario.

“Whoo! Yeah, who’s in first place now Yoshi?!”

Minji shook her head as she cleaned the counter. “21, and you’re still playing Mario Kart.”

Seokjin ignored his cousin's remark and continued to focus at the task in hand. He also manages to successfully multitask sipping on some congee, while not being distracted from his game, which still amazes his cousin. After about twenty minutes, Minji and Hyosang are already finished washing the dishes. Hyosang looks at his brother through the kitchen window. “Yo Jin, it’s getting late, I think it’s time for you to-

“No! No! Nooo!” Jin cries out suddenly. Hyosang and Minji watch as Jin’s hand flies up to cover his eyes, the ‘ Game Over’ theme taunting the pretty boy as his cart falls into the river. For the upteempth time.

“Ajumma, you’re son is having another tantrum!” Minji hollers to his mother.

Yerin smiled at her youngest son, then approached him at the booth and quickly snatched the 3DS out of his hands. Much to his dismay.

“Umma, wait I wasn’t finished!”

She held the DS out of his reach, then pointed to the stairs. “Bed now hun, you can go back to racing mushroom people and apes in the morning.”

Seokjin groaned, but stood up and made his way upstairs. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth~!” His mother said in a loud sing-song voice.

“Ummaaaaa!!” Jin was glad he was already at the top of the stairs, otherwise, his family would’ve seen him turn red.

After brushing his teeth (Happy Umma?), Jin threw himself onto his duvet, sinking at least two inches deep, and cuddled the two plush alpacas to his chest. Jin sighed as he looked out his open window, a gentle breeze passes by in his window. His eyelids grow heavy, and before long, he’s already drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

~

“Jin, Jin!” Hyosang pounded his fist on the youngster's door. "Jiiin wake uuup!"

Seokjin pulled the covers over his heads, ignoring the booming voice of his brother. He suddenly heard a loud thumping noise, then-

BOOM

Jin practically fell out of his bed when Hyosang kicked his bedroom door open

“Come on Kim Seokjin, up and at ‘em!”

Jin made a muffled sound, somewhere between a groan and gibberish, then sat up, brown chocolate hair sticking out in every direction. Rubbing his eyes, he glared up at his brother’s grinning face. “Alright, alright, you didn’t have to break my door for that matter!”

Hyosang laughed and ruffled his already messy hair. “C’mon, let’s get you washed up.”

After pulling Jin up on his feet, Hyosang dragged him into the bathroom. Once Jin finished brushing his teeth, he started pushing his brother out of their ensuite. “Ok get out I’m gonna go ahead and take a bath.”

“Wait, I still have to use the bathroom!” His brother whined.

Jin held back a snicker. “Then use the one downstairs, now out!” He slammed the door shut and locked it. Before he could step into the bath, Jin heard his brother shout, “Want me to help you wash your back at least?”

Jin laughed. “Yah you !”

This was what it was like in the Kim’s family restaurant. At least when it came to the brother’s morning routine. If anyone were to watch their continues, yet silly bickering, they would surely find the sight heartwarming.

Jin slipped on the white shirt of his uniform, then checked his reflection to fix his hair. He ran his finger through his bangs and noticed a strand of blonde sticking out. He pouted. He almost forgot that he had that annoying blonde streak in the roots of his hair. With tedious hands, he reached into the drawer and grabbed a small pair of scissors. As he was about to snip off the blonde highlight, he hesitated. Shoving the scissors back into the drawer, he chose to ignore the streak and went downstairs to meet with his family for breakfast.

Once the entire family had finished their morning meal, they got to work on their respective job. Pretty soon, customers started pouring into the Baegopeun Yeou. Sundays were usually their most hectic days. Jin and Minji were busy bustling to customer’s needs while Hyosang was preparing the food. Seokjin had just finished serving his fourth customer, when the door suddenly opened, revealing a man dressed in a business suit. The man removed his shades and examined his surroundings. He adjusted the sleeves of his suit, then took a seat in one of the booths. Jin, Minji, and Hyosang all eyed the man suspiciously. They didn’t usually have guys like him enter their restaurant. Sure, there were always those busy folk who were in a rush and needed a quick meal, but most of the time, they had a lot of regulars. Yerin approached her children and niece, and whispered, “He’s just another customer, I’m sure he won’t be doing any harm.”

“What if he’s an inspector or some guy trying to buy the property?” Minji asked.

Yerin just shook her head. Although, the second option made her timid. Most recently, they haven’t been able to keep up with the bills for some time. Their father had told them that there could possibly a thirty percent chance of foreclosure. Thanks to the kids hard work though, they managed to pay most of their bills. They were still in debt however, the life of the restaurant they had put all their time and money in was hanging on a thin string.

Once again, Yerin just consoled the others to keep them from panicking any further. “Don’t think of the negative, just go do your job.”

“Excuse me, may I please have a menu?”

The four individuals turned around to realize the man had called them over. Jin quickly picked up a menu and made his way over to him. Putting on a charming smile, he handed the man a menu. “Here you are sir, I’m sorry for the wait.”

The man accepted the menu, without looking up at him. “Not a problem.”

“Is there anything you’d like to drink?”

The man looked up this time. Something in his facial expression changed. He stared at Jin for awhile before asking for a glass baijiu.

Jin bowed. “Just so you know, that drink comes with a complimentary side of dim sum if you’d like some.”

The man thought for a moment, then gave him a nod.

Jin bowed again, then returned back into the kitchen to get his drink and appetizer. Before long, Jin push through the swinging doors with a tray of hot steaming dim sum and baijiu. He went up to the man and placed his order on the table. “One glass of baijiu, with a side of dim sum.”

“Much obliged,” the man smiled as he picked up his chopsticks. As he was about to bite, he suddenly looked up at Jin again. His eyes roamed from Jin’s eyes, cheeks, lips, and chin. Seokjin started to grow uncomfortable from the contemplating glare the man was giving him.

“Um, if you’re ready, I can go ahead and take your order now,” Jin said, hoping to break the awkward atmosphere.

Instead, the man’s lips curled into a smile. He opened his mouth and said something that caused the twenty-one year old man to retreat back into the kitchen in a blushing fit. Jin the faucet of the dishwasher in a haste and started dowsing his hot face with water.

“Aish, what did the dude even say that made you so flustered?” Hyosang asked, hovering over his younger brother.”

“HefreakingsaidIwasprettyforaboylikewhatdoesthatevenmean.” Jin spoke in rapid lightspeed as he continued to rub cold water on his face.

“What? You’re gonna have to slow down bro. I did not even understand a word you just said.”

Jin grabbed the towel that was draped next to the sink and dried his face. He turned to his brother with a red blotched face and glassy eyes.

“He told me that for a boy, I had a really pretty face,” he said slowly.

There was a long pause between the two, before Hyosang suddenly bursted out laughing. Jin gaped at his older brother. “Wae?! Why are you laughing when I am in a crisis right now?!”

Hyosang wiped the tears away from his eyes. “I’m laughing, because what he’s saying is true!”

Jin stared at him in confusion. “What do you-”

“Seokjin, I know what he said may have sounded a little weird, but he has a point. You are pretty. Your eyes are pretty, your nose is adorable, and your lips, I’m not being creepy, are irresistible. Don’t go overreacting about it. In fact, embrace it! He just complimented you that’s all.”

Jin’s cheeks only deepened in color. “I-I don’t get it…”

Hyosang patted his brother on the shoulder with a sigh. “Had a feeling you wouldn’t. Look, why don’t I get Minji to take care of mister I-think-you’re-cute, and you can tend to other customers, arraso?”

Jin’s face cracked into a small smile. “Yeah, that’d be great actually.”

Hyosang smiled victoriously. “Yah, Minji-unnie! Time to switch honey!”

~

Closing time finally arrived, much to Jin’s relief. He was just about to make his way upstairs when Minji called him. “Hey Jin, that guy is still waiting for you.”

Jin’s heart dropped. “He’s still there?”

Minji nodded. “He says he’s not gonna leave until you talk with him.”

Jin gulped. Part of him just wanted to run upstairs and pretend he wasn’t there, but another part of him figured it’d be best to just face the music. Let’s just get his over with. With a deep breath, he walked out into the dining area, where he saw the man still sitting at the table since the beginning. He sat down right across from him. “So, what is it you’d like to talk about with me that you had to wait for all the customers to leave?”

The man smirked. “Even when you’re dissatisfied you’re still charming.”

Seokjin prayed that he wasn’t blushing again. “Don’t change the subject. What do you want?”

The man sat up straight in his seat then took out business card and gave it to Jin. “My name is Jung Kibum. I’m an entrepreneur for CeCi magazine, L'oreal, Cover Girl, you name it, and the reason why I am sitting down talking with you Kim Seokjin, is because I would like you to become our next face.

Jin almost choked on the air. “Your-your what?”

“Our next face; a model.”

The brown haired male stared at the man as if he’d grown a second head. He wanted to speak, say something, maybe even yell, but instead he started laughing. “I’m sorry, a model? As in some bone skinned lady who walks the catwalk in stunning outfits and is handed money and flowers by the handful and has to withstand the pressure of public media, that model?”

The man shrugged. “More or less.”

Jin only continued to laugh. “You must be joking. I’m not sure if you can tell, but this,” he gestured to his body in an up and down motion. “Is not model material.”

Kibum rubbed his chin with his finger. “I don’t see how that can be possible. You seem quite lean, not too skinny and not too muscular. You have fair skin, so you probably wouldn’t need any foundation, and your eyes would definitely look more captivating with a little makeup. If I were you I’d accept this offer. It could probably help support that family of yours.

“But, isn’t modeling only for, I don’t know, girls?” Jin persisted.

“No, modeling is suitable for men as well, but with your face I’m pretty sure you could pass for a girl-”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Jin finally bolted from the dining room, up the stairs, then ran inside into the confines of his room. He wrapped himself in his blankets and burrowed into the little cocoon he had created. He was left muffling his curses into his pillow and forcing himself to think that what just happened was just a bad dream.

“Jin honey, it’s umma,” Yerin knocked on her son’s door when he didn’t come downstairs after a good two hours. She opened the door, only to find her son balled up in his blankets in the dark confines of his room. Yerin approached the small lump and sat down on the bed.

“Sweetie, in case you’re wondering, Mr.Jung left.”

Jin finally unravelled himself from his blanket burrito and sat up. “He did?”

He sighed in relief. “Whew, I’m glad he’s gone. I don’t know what that guy was thinking. Can you believe he actually wanted me to be a model?”

“Jin-”

“I don’t even see what the guy saw in me.”

“Honey I-”

“You should know, I’ve never been one to use my looks to my advantage, so he was practically wasting his time on-”

Yerin cupped her son’s cheeks to stop his babbling. “Jin, sweetie, take a breath. Look I understand how surprised you must’ve been when Mr. Jung asked you to be a model, but to be clear he was offering you quite the opportunity.”

Jin didn’t like where his mother was going. “What do you mean?”

Yerin’s facial expression showed a mixture of sympathy, yet guilt, as she released the news to him. “Honey, you know how our little restaurant is struggling now, and it’s just, we need all the extra help we can get.” She paused, before saying, “Your father and I ask Mr. Jung to give you a job.”

Jin’s eyes widened in both shock and horror. “What?! Umma..how-how could you-”

“Seokjin, please try to understand. Your father and I both use the money we earn from this business to go towards your college fund. All of us want nothing more than for you to go to college.” She kissed his forehead. “Community college can’t be your only alternative.”

Jin scoffed. “So that’s it, I’m being forced into doing something that will utterly humiliate me just to earn money?”

“I know it sounds like that. Actually, that’s exactly what it sounds like. I’m sorry hon, but it’s just, drastic times calls for drastic measures. Mr. Jung said that this modeling career is only for magazines. No runways or any sort of that nonsense.”

Yerin took her son’s hands in her own. “It’ll be hard and pressuring, but I know you can do it. You’ve made it this far, I want you to experience something that won’t only save our family, but it could also open up a couple doors for you. Understand?”

At first, there was no reply from Jin, until he slowly nodded. “I-I understand Umma.”

Yerin smiled tenderly, then embraced him. “Whatever happens, I promise you that something good will come out of everything. I’m sure of it.”

Seokjin rested his chin on his mother’s shoulders and let her words sink it. Would it?