c h a p t e r 7
Gyeoul sat idly on one of the store's benches, plotting more ways to escape the place. It would have been fine if the person that dragged her there entertained her even for a moment but she two hours had already passed and Minho had done nothing but ignore her presence.
If he was getting annoyed with her already, he wasn't showing any signs.
Gyeoul's convinced she was though. And if not, it somehow made things worse.
He could literally get rid of her by just unlocking his car from where he was stationed. It baffled her that he wasn't willing to do even that.
"I'm hungry." She announced, glaring at the figure behind the counter. "I could just buy something since I am in a convenience store but some jerk has my wallet hostage." She raised her voice, making sure it reached the receiver. "Just putting that out there." She added as an attempt to guilt the boy.
Minho's eyes never left the screen of his phone. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're asking me out on a date." He deadpanned.
Gyeoul –not so subtly– slammed her head on the table, finally accepting her fate.
"How many more hours until your shift ends?" She whined.
"Three."
The girl let out an inhumane screech.
She considered walking home. But then quickly decided against it since she knew to herself she would not last five minutes.
She was not exactly lying when she said she was hungry. It was nearing ten in the evening and she had not eaten anything yet. She was beginning to regret declining Seoyun's offer for dinner.
She settled on clutching her stomach as she cursed the villain endlessly inside her head. For the mean time, she killed the time by playing with her phone.
"What's your favourite food?" Minho's voice broke the half hour silence.
Gyeoul spared him a glance, wondering if it was his way of making conversation.
"Chicken." She answered shortly, going back to her phone.
The boy snorted at this.
Is he seriously shaming me for having chicken as a favourite food?
The girl was convinced that he thought of chicken as peasant food.
•••
The fourth ding of the bell that signalled another customer was enough to make Gyeoul go mad. Her brain was practically deteriorating by the fifth ding. She wondered how many dings it will take to finally kill her.
At the sixth ding, a boy with long blonde haired entered the store. The visuals of the said boy was enough to revive her back to life.
"Hyunjin." Minho called out.
Gyeoul's eyes shamelessly followed the tall figure as it skipped towards Minho. "Hello!" It greeted, obviously happy.
The lighter blonde was not able to hear their conversation due to the distance. Not that she was complaining since she was satisfied with ogling at the blonde model.
"This is the first time you asked for a favour." Hyunjin gasped dramatically.
Minho rolled his eyes as he took off his vest. "Whatever."
"What's the emergency?" The blonde asked as he took the vest, shrugging it over his own shoulders.
"A poultry one." He answered, sparing a look at the still ogling girl on the bench.
"What?"
"Just man the counter, would you?" Minho hissed as if he wasn't the one asking for favours.
Hyunjin merely laughed at his friend's snippiness. "I'd just like to say that I have never handled a cash register before." He said as they switched places.
"Well then figure it out."
"Maybe I could call Miso for help." Hyunjin giggled.
•••
Gyeoul quickly clicked her seatbelt in place before looking out the window to catch a last glimpse at the blonde stranger.
"Don't even think about it. He's in high school." Minho sneered at the girl's attempt in taking a better view. Naturally, he quickly drove off.
Gyeoul pursed her lips, finally sitting properly. "That's fine. I like younger men." She decided not to indulge his words.
She was definitely not into younger men. She simply enjoyed admiring beautiful people.
The one driving scoffed. "He has a girlfriend."
She feigned disappointment. "Now that's another story." She sighed dramatically with a small pout.
Minho scoffed once more.
"Anyway, was he the one in charge for the next shift? Don't you have two more hours left?" Gyeoul inquired.
She was only mildly surprised when –yet again– she received no answer.
"You're taking 'no texting and driving' to a whole new fucking level." She mumbled, completely forgetting the fact that he was still her boss.
He did not seem to mind though so it was all good. Right? Whatever. His shift ending meant that he was finally driving back to the dorms so she let this thought comfort her. Clinging onto that information as if it was the only thing keeping her from choking the person next to her. Maybe she would once the car finally stopped since the last thing she wanted was for the designated driver to die with her as a passenger.
But as the car halted for the second time that night, she realised she could not push through with her plan since the devil driver did not park in front of their dorms. He parked in front of a restaurant. A chicken restaurant.
Ji-Hoon's Chicken
Before she could ask, Minho had already went out the car, walked over to her side, and opened the door. "Get out." He said again.
This time, Gyeoul made sure to take her purse, and stepped out with a grunt. "Don't tell me you have another shift." She mewled out.
"No. I'm hungry." He said expressionless before spinning around to enter the restaurant. "You're welcome to join." He called out to Gyeoul's unmoving state.
The girl was in absolute distress. She wanted nothing more but to put as much distance between them as soon as the universe could allow it but how could she when the chicken statue out front was literally calling her name? The damn chicken was mocking her but she could not find it in her to hate it. The scent of freshly fried chicken beckoning her to dive in? Sounds so unhealthily good.
Inevitably, she followed him inside.
"Welcome!" A man behind the register greeted as the two entered. "Oh! Minho! Back already?" He exclaimed, surprised.
"You've been here?" Gyeoul found herself asking.
The unnamed man approached them with an easy smile. "Yeah. He was just here this afternoon." He answered the girl's question
"No. I wasn't." Minho quickly intervened.
"What? Yeah, you were."
"No, I wasn't."
"You were with Miso and you even-"
"Seungcheol. Shut up." Minho deadpanned before grabbing Gyeoul by the back of the collar as he dragged her to a nearby seat. The girl had no time to react and was already sat down.
Talk about romantic.
Seungcheol stood there confused as he questioned his sanity. "Maybe it was yesterday." He mumbled, scratching his head before going back to work.
Gyeoul fixed her– Minho's coat, adjusting the collars. "Who's Miso? Your girlfriend?" She pried, attempting to extract at least a few information about him.
Minho cringed. "No. She's the blonde-freak-you-were drooling-over's girlfriend." He rolled his eyes.
The girl nodded in understanding before picking up the menu in front of them. Her eyes welled with tears as she scanned the numerous flavours they offered.
"I thought you hated chicken." She said, not tearing her eyes from the list.
Minho rested his chin on his palm, waiting lazily for the girl in front of him to order. "Where'd you get that idea?" He asked, entertained at the way her eyes practically sparkled upon laying her eyes on the chicken pictures.
"I don't know. You snorted when I told you that chicken was my favourite food." She shrugged.
The truth was, Minho was in the restaurant earlier that day. He was forced to eat a whole box of chicken alone that after finishing it, he swore to himself to never go near the damn animal for at least another week. Maybe even a whole month. Or else he would shit feathers.
It was a wonder to him why the hell he was back there not even eight hours later.
"I actually love it."
•••
"You're paying." The devil said.
Gyeoul's expression screamed murder. Her tongue found its way on the roof of her mouth in annoyance. She recalled his words "you're welcome to join" and does that not usually mean that people who offer means that they pay?
Anyway, she did not really expect for him to pay for her. At most she thought that they would split the bill but upon hearing him literally demand for her to pay? She wanted to poke his eyes with the chicken bones.
She decided it was not worth fighting for since as a matter of fact, he did not even eat that much. He said he was hungry but he barely even had three bones on his plate.
"Fine." She drawled out.
"Pour me some water." Minho gestured to the water station across the room.
Gyeoul glared openly. "What is it with you asking people to pour you water?"
"You broke my headlights. Should I send you the repair bill instead?"
That was enough to get her on her feet.
Muttering under her breath, she cursed Minho for the nth time that day. She considered mixing vinegar in the water but like any of her other plans, decided against it since she would much like her bank account unharmed.
As she spun around to walk back to their table, she was appalled to see it empty.
"That little-"
She looked out the window to see the car still parked up front. She already had her wallet with her and could just take the bus home but seeing that he still hasn't left made her let out a sigh of relief.
Maybe he was only half a devil.
She marched her way towards the counter, asking for the bill.
"It's already paid for."
Okay. Maybe one-fourth of a devil.
(a/n: hello everYone !!! i just dyed my hair pastel pink !!! i love it !!!!! i hope everyone is safe !!! ilysm !!! ps. please check out my last message on my board thank you)