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THE DRAGON'S BREATH Chinese resturant was something out of a movie scene. Instead of regular lighting, dark red lightbulbs were used and they casted a blood red tint over everything. Scrolls written in Chinese were hung up against walls along with portraits of ancient emporers and candles sat at every table. A giant koi fish waterfall was at the entrance, next to the cash register where a smiling Buddha was crossing his legs. It looked like the perfect place for characters on the movie screen to plot a murder while a girl with a short bob smokes a cigarette or undercover cops barge in and start to fight a mafia leader and his minions. During his shift, Jeongguk always made up different scenarios in his head that could possibly happen if he were in a movie or show even if his boss yelled at him in Cantonese because he was taking too long to clean up tables for incoming customers. Jeongguk didn't care, he was a busy man and liked using his imagination whenever he could.
Jeongguk loved working at the restaurant. His pay was nothing too special, but he still managed to take care of himself and Kodi. Besides, it doubled as school girls and boys left him thoughtful tips along with their phone numbers scribbled down on napkins with soy sauce stains. There were four other workers besides him, so things ran smoothly and they all kept small talk with him except for Franny. She developed a crush on him when she accidentally walked into the worker's lockeroom while he was changing into their uniform, which was just a black shirt with a red dragon imprinted on it and black jeans. Jeongguk was shirtless and she stood in the doorway gawking at his back and the, ironically, dragon tattoo draping down his skin. Since then, Franny made him lunch and fresh egg rolls, cleaned up tables for him, and one time on White day, she brang him chocolate covered strawberries, which Kodi got to before Jeongguk could. Franny even offered to take care of Kodi while he was working, but that job already belonged to Jeongguk's boss Madam Liu who already set up a play area for Kodi in her office; she wouldn't even let Franny go near Kodi.
"You know the drill, kid. Behave and be polite to Madam Liu." Jeongguk squeezes Kodi's hand as they walk down the busy street, nearing to Dragon's Breath. The wind picked up and Kodi used his free hand to brush his hair away. "I always do! Madam Liu can't get mad at me anyway, she lets me call her grandma." He chuckles and Jeongguk grips his hand harder as Kodi jumps over a puddle from the rain that took place last night; Kodi crawled into Jeongguk's bed because he got scared of the thunder that struck near his window, and his dad woke up to long hair peaking out of his sheets. Jeongguk smiles at Kodi's statement; it made sense. Madam Liu knew Jeongguk since he was 16 and visited the hospital when Kodi was born. After Soraleft, Madam Liu started coming over to Jeongguk's house to teach him how to change diapers and make a milk bottle, so, Madam Liu was kind of Jeongguk's second mother as well. She loved him, she just didn't show it so much especially during business hours. She saw both Jeongguk and Kodi grow up, which is why they were so attached to her and vice versa. Grandma Liu was perfect.
