Are we friends yet?

Am I hired?

I couldn't stop thinking about a text that I sent to Chanyeol. Simply put, I regretted sending the text that he chose to ignore. Because... of course, who would ditch a girl like Soojung over an insignificant text? And I didn't like the feeling of unnecessary embarrassment.

That was the first time I wanted to be back in time to stop myself from testing the water, trying to find out if Chanyeol would let my text interrupt him and Soojung.

I scratched my head. Why did I want to interrupt them in the first place?

I grabbed my cellphone that I slipped under the pillow and found nothing. Clearly, I wouldn't receive any replies.

"Dinner's ready!" I heard my sister calling and I tidied away my home economics book-- I was stuck on the same page.

When I arrived in the dining room, my parents were talking about a worker that had been absent for almost a week. My sister mentioned about me who could substitute that my father immediately responded that it was a great idea although he knew that I was never interested to help him in the store.

Shoving my ignorance for the issue, I got my phone and decided to text Minseok in hopes to obtain more vacancy information that he probably knew. But I found a text from Chanyeol.

"Phone must be banned in the dinning room." I perfectly understood that this time I couldn't ignore what my father said. I slipped my phone into my pocket no matter how much I wanted to read Chanyeol's reply.

And dinner was typical and I didn't plan to prolong it, so as soon as I finished my meal, I brought my bowl to the kitchen and washed it fast. Still in the kitchen, I read the last text I received, a text from Chanyeol.

Chanyeol: Hello! Are you still expecting a job?

I leaned on the fridge, tracing my actual purpose of sending him a text this afternoon; it wasn't because of the job.

I began to type my reply. In between the words that I typed, I scoffed at myself for overthinking of the text that he finally replied.

It was true that I needed a job but I remembered his dog and I didn't want to look rude for refusing a potential job that he could offer just because of his dog.

How should I let him know that when I sent him a text, I was armed with a motive of interrupting his interaction with Soojung?

Wasting my time to think of a response, I got another text from him.

Chanyeol: If you don't have plans, come to our place tomorrow after school. My mom might want to see you.

~*~

"What did you say?" Miyeon asked, tearing off the snack package and setting it on the desk. We didn't go to the cafeteria and there was Jeong Eunji from the class next door talking to Junmyeon. I could catch how Miyeon looked at them every once in a while.

I felt a light slap on my arm. "What?"

"What did you say to Chanyeol?"

I recalled how I spent too much time to reply his text. "I said ok and he sent me the address. It's called Marcopolo."

"What?!"

For Miyeon's reaction, both Junmyeon and Eunji looked at us. For her sad attempt to interrupt Junmyeon and his friend, I started to think that Miyeon was just hopeless.

I pulled out my phone and reread the last text Chanyeol sent. "Oh, it's Viva Polo," I corrected but Miyeon's attention was for Junmyeon who was laughing with Eunji this time.

I ate the snack, waiting for the right moment to mention that I wasn't so sure to come to Chanyeol's mother's restaurant-- I didn't want to see his dog. However, it was Miyeon who brought it up.