Petty Not Pretty (HueningKaiXReader They/Them Pronouns)

11

  Discomfort. If I could describe what I felt in this moment in one word, it would be discomfort. The shiny black dress shoes hurt my feet and the uniform was incredibly uncomfortable. The way I had to stand and walk was purely uncomfortable. I was just uncomfortable.

The guidance councillor had found an apprenticeship for me almost immediately. She called me down to her office the day after I applied for an apprenticeship. The apprenticeship was for a really fancy restaurant in town. It was very professional, not like some big chain restaurant. I went to meet with the head chef that day. It was a short and brief meeting because he was a busy man. I was just glad he agreed to meet me at all.

  "Now as you know, this is a very sophisticated establishment. We serve a lot of important individuals daily. That's why I can't have you cook during working hours. What I can do, is keep you on staff and train you after work ends until you're ready to be a kitchen porter. Does that sound good?" He asked.

"That sounds amazing. Thank you so much sir," I thanked.

"Now, our dishwashing station is fully staffed but we are a few servers short. How does being a server sound?" He asked.

"That sounds perfect," I responded.

"Come here tomorrow after school ends and we'll get you trained and in a uniform, and then we'll work out a schedule. Does that work for you?" He asked again.

"Yeah, that works for me. Thank you so much for this. I won't let you down. I'll work hard," I told him.

"You better. Now take these forms and fill them out with your parents and bring them back when you come again tomorrow," he said, handing me a few consent sheets and basically forms saying that if I got hurt, my parents couldn't sue the restaurant, etc.

"Yes, I will."

"Hey," he said strictly. I was startled. Had I done something wrong already? "That's 'Yes Chef.' to you," he said, a small smile creeping up on his face.

"Yes chef," I repeated.

"This is amazing. I've always wanted to have an apprentice," he laughed heartily.

"I won't let you down, chef," I assured.

"Okay, okay, you scamper on home. Get some rest. You're gonna need it," he chuckled.

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

When I went to school the next day, I could hardly contain my excitement. I don't think the smile left my face all day and when I sat down for lunch, of course, I was interrogated.

"What's with that goofy smile?" Did you see Kai?" Taehyun asked.

"What? No," I denied immediately.

"Then what's got you so happy?" Beomgyu asked, leaning forward.

"I got an apprenticeship with that really nice restaurant on the other side of town," I told them.

"Really?! That place is like, so sophisticated!" Yeonjun practically yelled.

"I'm gonna be trained for culinary work after work hours and I'm gonna be a wait staff until he thinks I'm ready to be a kitchen porter," I said excitedly. I was practically bouncing in my chair.

"That's really cool! You know how fancy that place is? It's practically the fanciest place within a hundred miles of here. My parents talk about it all the time," Soobin said, astonished.

"I'm so excited," I admitted.

"Have you told Kai yet?" Yeonjun asked seriously.

"This is face to face news. Not over the phone news," I told them.