Man Down (Markiplier x reader)

Chapter 15

I sat down right in front of the older woman, sipping on the cold water bottle that came from the fridge while she opened the lid to the pot. Steam flew out instantly as the beautiful and cozy smell of spicy instant noodles filled the room. Looking inside the pot, mom threw in all of my favourite ingredients including eggs, green onions and cheese. The woman in front of me wasted no time placing some of everything on to my plate and I dug in without hesitation.

"Woah, relax Mark. You're going to mess up your shirt." Mom said while serving herself. I didn't hear anything through my huffing and puffing since I put the food into my mouth when it was still too hot. I grabbed a piece of pickled radish and lettuce, wrapping the lettuce around the radish and stuffing it into my mouth even though there was no space. I couldn't help myself; I didn't eat anything for lunch and the food in front of me was nothing less than delicious. Mom really went out her way to make something so mouthwatering. I'm ever so grateful for her and her skill.

"Eat slowly before you choke." I giggled, swallowing a big lump of food while quickly scooping even more food into my bowl with fast hand movements.

"My bad. I haven't eaten since breakfast." I admitted while staring at the food that was in between my chopsticks, contemplating if I could fit it all into my mouth in one bite. I knew very well that I couldn't, but I still tried it anyways.

"So, how was work? Did you finally decide who you want to be as your right hand woman?" I could only huff. Even when I think about work, my energy is drained.

"It was okay, I guess. I've narrowed it down to two girls - one of them speaks Korean and found out I was Korean even though I never told her." Mom eyes opened wide and her eyebrows raised up. She delighted by the fact, probably seeing that opportunity for me to gain a girlfriend. It ringed her bell even more because of the fact she was Korean. "And there's this other girl: light skin, very smart and funny. I think she'll be the one to work for me." Her facial expressions changed suddenly.

"Well, by the looks of it, the Korean woman is your type. Probably works just like you too."

"But that's the thing - she doesn't." I replied, shoving a piece of lettuce in my mouth. "Although she gets the work done, her work space remains messy, and she can't properly operate most machines in the office. Unlike the other girl." Mom remained unimpressed, adding soup into her rice bowl to then eat it.

"Whatever floats your boat." She said, and I raised an eyebrow.

"What? Is mom getting salty?" I teased, laughing evilly as she looked off to the side. Her lips were pursed out and she started to pick on her food.

"I'm not."

"Yeah you are."

"Mark, I said I'm not. Don't push me." She held back a smile.

"You don't have to lie, I can already tell by your face."

"I'm not salty, you're just reminding me of my younger days, when I was in the exact same spot as you. It's been a long time since I've been to that building, but I know it looks so much more different that it looked like a few years ago."

"Stop it, you sound like a grandma." I laughed when she grabbed her slipper and threatened to hit me across the table.

"Mark, you play too much. You know how much energy and time it took for me to get you where you are? Your collage certification did not help you at all! Fuck outta here with that "grandma" bullshit..." She murmured before giggling like a school girl. "Remember what I told you? How I got up there?" I groaned and rolled my eyes, scooping whatever was left in the pot and placing it in my almost empty rice bowl.