Sweetness and Light ✓ || Hueningkai X Reader

Chapter 2

It's a forty five minute walk from Aunt Mary's apartment to Michi's, so the next day, you go up to Santa Monica Boulevard and she buys you a bike. "You'll have to watch out for cars, but they're very good with keeping an eye out for bikers here. Make sure to wear a helmet, I don't want your father getting after me. Oh, and make sure to lock it up at your work, too!"

You nod and head off on the bike for your first day at work. The morning shift is the most quiet, so the owner, a Mr. Hatsuhara, is able to walk you through the basic steps of being a waitperson. You learn how to take down orders, and then when the orders come in, either Holt or one of the other waitresses -- Saya or Hana -- help you carry the bowls, since they are big and sometimes heavy. The restaurant isn't all that big, which means there aren't a lot of tables to cover, but Mr. Hatsuhara ensures that all of the tips are split relatively evenly. "We pull in a lot of tips from the evening crowd," he explains, "and this is my way of beating the system. I only have to pay you a certain amount for minimum wage, but every worker should be given a wage they can live off of. Even high school students."

You almost stop to explain to Mr. Hatsuhara that you're no longer a high school student, that you're looking for your purpose in life. But you clam up and continue onward.

"Hey, sweet pea!" Holt calls out. Sadly, he's caught on to calling you that as well, even though you've told him your real name four or five times. At this point, you've given up, and you've accepted that you'll probably be called sweet pea by everybody in Los Angeles. "Can you cover the front table? I've got a situation that I need to take care of."

You nod and head toward the front, where a long bench of chairs sits against the window so single eaters can watch the passersby. A man is sitting there -- a boy? -- who doesn't look a second out of high school himself. "Hello, can I take your order?" you ask him, but he looks like he's gazing off, looking out over the beach.

Then, he speaks up. "Do you have a purpose in life?"

You almost drop your pad and paper. That's so weird. He's asking you the question that your father has drilled into your head. What do you want to do with your life?

"I don't," you say to him, not quite sure what this has to do with noodles, "but I'm looking for it."

"That's good. I've found mine." He smiles at you. "I think. Can I get the kitsune udon, please?"

You're not even fully sure how to spell that yet, but you do your best and you take the order back. You fill two other orders and then check back in on the boy at the table, bringing him a glass of water. "Can I ask why you asked me that?"

"Oh, I've just been thinking lately. I guess I'm a little homesick."

"Homesick?" This is sounding almost too exactly like you to be true. Have you found your doppelganger?

"Yeah. I'm in LA for the summer, you see."

"Wow, me too! Where did you come from?"

"Seoul -- South Korea. I'm here on a business trip." He laughs. "I wouldn't look like it, right? Why would a little kid be on a business trip? But I'm here, working hard, so I can have a career for the rest of my life. And while I'm looking forward to it, I would give anything to just be home and have my mother's cooking for a few days."

"Wow. How long have you been here?"

"Three weeks. It feels like an eternity."

"That is a long time." You introduce yourself, and then, "but most everybody at this point is calling me 'sweet pea.'"

He laughs. It's infectious. "Sweet pea, huh? That's adorable. Do you like being called that?"

"I do."

"I'm Kai, by the way." He shakes hands with you. "Nice to meet you." And it's then that Holt hollers from the back, with no restraint whatsoever, letting you know that the food is ready. When you bring it out, Kai prepares everything and eats all of it, the seaweed and all. He then puts the chopsticks down and picks up the bowl with both hands, drinking the broth slowly.

"Isn't that...rude?" you ask.

He shakes his head as he puts down the bowl. "You're supposed to slurp. It's polite in Japan."

"Oh. I'm sorry, it's my first day here."

"It's okay." Kai smiles back at you. "You'll learn. Promise."

You run around, taking care of other orders that come in, then take Kai's check and payment. Before he leaves, he taps you on the shoulder. "This was very good. I'll make sure to come back in. Can I ask for you by name?"

"Only if you call me sweet pea," you answer, and you both laugh.

Mr. Hatsuhara lets you go a bit early, before the dinner rush comes in, and you're left wandering the boardwalk on your bike. It's so busy that you have to walk your bike over the boards, but it's electric being around this many people. Sometimes, you've felt like you're the only person, alone in a crowd. But here, it's like everybody is living their lives alongside you, shooting for something new and exciting. The air sparkles with potential.

What are you going to do with your life? Well, the answer for now is to keep working at Michi's Japanese Noodles, and then see where to take things from there.