Love Shot - Exo Mafia AU (1/4)

25

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Kim Yeo-Reom's Pov.

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I made up my mind as I left The Golden Lady, that there was one final person I wanted to visit before going to find a hotel for the night.

I was pleased to see that Día had actually fulfilled her promise. My SUV stood proudly in the parking lot, freshly cleaned, behind Día's bar, the keys already in the ignition.

I slid into the leather seat of the car, excitement pulsing through my body as the car's engine roared with power, the steering wheel comfortable and familiar in my palm.

There were barely any other cars on the streets, which I was grateful for, because the more my mind lingered on the plan I was building in my head, the more nervous I became and the more reluctant I became to go through with it.

My line of thought was broken by a neon sign outside of a Chinese restaurant and a smile formed on my lips as my stomach rumbled. I pulled over to the side quickly, ignoring the fact that I wasn't allowed to do that, and hopped out of my car.

The restaurant wasn't busy, so I hurried over to the counter, grinning from ear to ear as the savoury aroma of food hit me, "Two bowls of black bean noodles, please give us lots of pickled radish on the side. Also, the steamed buns, two of each flavour. Thank you."

The owner yelled back a 'sure' before letting me pay and telling me it would take a few minutes, so I poured myself some water into a plastic up and went to wait outside instead.

I made for the street food stall at the front of the restaurant where an old man stood up instantly as I walked closer, his smile nervous and tired, "Business is slow, isn't it?"

The old man laughed, rubbing his hands together, his gloves carrying more than one hole that had been poorly repaired, "I suppose you could say that, would you like to try something?"

I accepted the toothpick he gave me with a piece of rice cake on the end, "It's delicious," I wiped my hands on a tissue before ordering again, my growling stomach agreeing that more food would not be a problem. "Can I get an extra-large serving of the spicy rice cakes and ten fish cakes, with extra soup?" I asked holding up ten fingers playfully as the old man stared in shock for a minute before stumbling to collect all the food I had asked for.

A wave of empathy hit me; I felt like I understood him a little, I used to count every penny in my pocket but now, I didn't even have to think before spending money wherever I felt like. I guess that was good though because it gave me the choice to spend it in a way that helped someone make a living.

"I'll add some savoury pancakes for free," offered the old man, his hands shaking slightly as he scouped soup into a plastic container.

"No way, I'll pay for those too, I love savoury pancakes. Give me six. How much do I owe you?" I beamed at him as I pulled out my purse.

The old man became even more flustered, "I'll add two corn dogs in for free then. Ten dollars please."

I laughed, trying to argue as the old man handed over the bag after tying it tightly, "Sir, you should charge more. Your food is too good."

He waved me off as I took the bag bowing, his wrinkled face brighter than it had been before, cradling the ten dollars I had given him like it was a bar of gold. Though to him, it could have been.