Before//Book 2//Taehyung

⛰Chapter : 1⛰

⛰Seoul - 7:00pm⛰
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"Can I have....."

I glance at the clock.

"Three double decker hamburgers, four colas...."

My pen scribbles on my paper notebook.

"Three Maccies classic wraps, four portions of chips and a double garlic cheese chip please."

She closes the menu and looks up at me expectantly.

"Would - that - all?" I ask in my broken English.

"Mhm mhm." She nods slightly, looking at me wondering if I should be working here with my limited english.

"Very - lovely." I smile politely as I quickly grab all the menus from the table and trot back to the safety of behind the counter.

I tear the thin paper from the cheap notebook and slide it to the quiet kitchen under the order window.

The restuarant is fully empty except for the family. A mother, father and their two young children. All extremely over weight, a bit greasy looking and flustered.

Hyun Gi sighs as he slips behind the counter beside me, dragging a mop bucket.

"Pitch black outside."
He frowns as he glances out the window. I follow his gaze, observing the dark , starless sky.
"True sign of the winter." I sigh.

"Hah, you can say that again," he hauls the dripping mop out of the filthy bucket and sloshes it over the floor.

"This morning, I seen four shops with Christmas decorations for sale! Its September !" He shudders as he rolls his eyes.

Hyun Gi - My fellow 'Maccies' worker. He's 23 just like me and he too finds himself not in college and scraping the penneys to get by. He's short and chubby and he's my gay bestfriend.

I laugh. "But Christmas is great Hyun Gi! The atmosphere, the food."

"Hah, Christmas is great if you've got money." He points at nothing in particular, one hand on his hip. "And I ain't got none."

I frown. Everything he just said is true and it applies to me evenly.

"Don't let that stop you." I reassure him. I try not to let it effect me but its hard. Seeing all those houses lit up with the brightest lights as I walk home from work. Seeing all the kids playing with their brand new toys knowing mine can't.

The chef door opens and a packed tray of food comes out.
Hyung Gi eyes it up with huge eyes of shock, I giggle at his reactiom.

"F-for four of them?" He whispers to me as he glances at the waiting family.

I nod as I grab the heavy tray.
"F-four? Is that four burgers?"

"Uh-huh, double deckers." I smile as I push the flap open with my hip and slide out.

"Pleaseu-enjoy" I smile as I leave the tray and the bill on the table.

"Is there tomato sauce here?" The mother asks as she inspects the tray.

I feel a cold hand on the back of my bare thigh. Anger and discomfort builds up inside me. A regular occurance. I glance down at the fat father who stares at me intensily as he massages my thigh under the table.

"Yes ma'am." I smile through gritted teeth.

"Mhm." She shoves chips in her mouth.
"Mayonaise?" She asks with her mouth full.