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"Dude, 311 called again," Yuqi, a Neverland Chicken employee and Minnie's coworker/best friend/annoying pain in the ass, told her after she hung up the phone. “Isn’t it, like, the third time this week? That’s crazy. How could anyone eat so much chickens in one week?"
"311? Who?" Minnie pretended to forget, embarrassed by the fact that the mention of the 311, or Cho Miyeon, the incredibly beautiful customer at the swanky apartment a few kilometers from the restaurant, sent her heart racing. "You know there are a lot of apartments around here, right?"
"Bitch, don't act as if you don't know who I'm talking about! I saw your grin!”
Minnie quickly changed her expression to neutral. "I don't know what you're talking about."
“Ha, ha, loser. I could see your crush on 311 even from back home!”
"Shut up!"
"You two shut up!" Soyeon, the restaurant's owner, stepped out of the kitchen and snapped at them. "Start making the food right now! I'm busy with another order!"
"Baby, the customer is waiting for this bad girl wannabe, not our chickens. Chill,” Yuqi said.
Soyeon's eyes narrowed, and Minnie wanted to laugh when Yuqi gulped loudly. Cranky Soyeon was not to be messed with. Hell, cranky was underselling it. Soyeon was furious because they were understaffed for the day due to half of the staff being sick from a bad batch of coffee Yunjin (who miraculously was fine) brought in yesterday. She and Ryujin, another driver, were fine because they were out at the time. Yuqi didn't like coffee that much, whereas Soyeon's stomach was made of steel. "And how do you know that, Song Yuqi?"
“Someone is sleeping on the couch tonight,” Minnie sing-songed.
“Shut up! It’s your fault!” Yuqi hissed. "Because 311 specifically asked for her," she told Soyeon.
Soyeon's frown vanished instantly. "Wait, 311? The one that bought a quarter of our stock in just two days?”
Yuqi nodded rapidly, not wanting to anger her boss and girlfriend. "Yeah! She said to send the one with the leather jacket. I wasn't going to let down a big spender, so I said yes. It's not like she asked for something weird. Minnie is the only one who wears it. None of the other drivers are pretentious enough for that.” She snickered. "Okay, maybe Ryujin, but she never delivered there. Who else except Miss Broody Loser?"
"It's cool!" Minnie defended her outfit choice. "And I'm neither broody nor a loser!"
"Not in summer! You're sweating, but you keep it on because you think it makes girls like you!" Yuqi gave her a side-eye. "And you're totally a broody loser, stupid!"
"Hm." Soyeon ignored them both, and Minnie could see her brain churning out ideas in real time. She didn’t double major in music theory and business for nothing. "Unnie, from now on, when 311 calls, I want you to drop everything and deliver to her."
"Seriously? Why?" She didn't want to complain, but she figured she'd be teased less if she put up a token resistance.
“Well, she’s interested in you. If that interest turns into more money, then that’s a good thing, right?”
Minnie stared at her. "Did you just try to whore me out to a customer?"
"I wouldn't put it so crudely…"
“You did! You just implied that!”
"I didn't mean to sleep with her!" Soyeon waved her hand. "Well, I don't care if you do as long as you come to work on time–"
"What?!" Minnie screeched.
"As I was saying," Soyeon ignored her and kept talking, "she's interested in you. I want you to try to keep her interested so she keeps ordering from us. Even if she just wants to see you, it’s not like she ordered the cheapest item. She ordered… Babe, could you see how much she ordered?”
"On it." Yuqi navigated the computer. “Let’s see… On Monday, it was 48,000. On Wednesday, 55,000. Today is 67,000. Holy shit, she’s either a chicken maniac or just insane. Who spend 170,000 won on chicken delivery in three days? That's enough to feed the entire neighborhood."
Soyeon's eyes were gleaming with greed. "And if you keep her interested, she could double her order by next week."
“Before you throw your head back and laugh like an anime villain, am I going to get a cut? You know, because you’re selling me to a customer?”
"Of course." Soyeon's wolfish smile made Minnie take a step back, while Yuqi gasped, smitten. "How's 90:10 sound?"
"I'm getting 90, right?"
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re getting 10.”
"What?!" Minnie glared. "She could be a murderer for all I know and you want me to risk myself for a 10% cut?!"
"Why would a murderer lure you with chicken deliveries? This isn’t a comedy thriller drama.”
“That’s not the point! I just saw her twice in less than five minutes! She could be a psycho and I have to risk my life for pennies?!"
"Wait, is she hot?" Yuqi interrupted.
"Um." Minnie flushed slightly, recalling how beautiful the smiley blonde was. "Yeah."
"Hot and rich." Soyeon rubbed her hands gleefully. "Unnie, seduce her."
"WHAT?!"
"A hot and rich woman is into you and you're telling me you don't want to take advantage of it?"
“You want me to seduce her so she could buy more chickens from us?! Are you insane?!”
“In this economy? Yes." Soyeon nodded solemnly. "In three days, she spent what Yuqi and I paid for our monthly utilities alone and you don't want me to jump at the opportunity?"
Minnie closed her mouth. While it was true that they could use the money, it felt very demeaning. She still had pride.
"I want 50:50." She could, however, demean herself for money. Seoul was incredibly expensive, and pride wasn't going to pay the bills. She should've done her soul-searching somewhere more affordable.
Soyeon tapped her chin. "85:15."
"55:45."
"80:20 and you can keep some more for gas money." Soyeon’s offer was enticing because Minnie used her own motorcycle, a less shitty version of the scooters the restaurant used.
She thought about it quickly. Fuck it, money’s money. It's not as if she offered Miyeon her ass. "Deal." They shook hands and exchanged nods. Friends or not, Soyeon was a businesswoman first and Minnie respected that, even if she might be murdered. But, hey, if she died, she wouldn't have to pay the bills anymore. At least the possible psycho was hot.
"Did you smell that?" Yuqi sniffed the air. The smell of burning chickens was unmistakable, and Yunjin's loud 'Boss, the chickens! Why did you leave them? I'm working on my order; you should've told me to keep an eye on it if you wanted to take a shit!' from the kitchen just confirmed it.
"Damn it!" Soyeon groaned. "This is your fault, unnie."
"What?! Why?!"
"Because I spent too long talking to you." She sighed. “Babe, help Yunjin make her order and also 311’s, I have to redo my current one. I’ll help you after I’m done. Unnie, man the phone while you're waiting. Because I’m in a good mood, I’m not deducting the burned chickens from your salary.”
"Sure, baby!" Yuqi jumped out of the chair and kissed her girlfriend before leaving to go to the kitchen, but not before pointing and laughing at Minnie.
Minnie’s eyes twitched in annoyance. “Are you being generous? It's not even my fault!”
“It’s your fault. And I’m always generous.”
"Then raise my salary."
Soyeon looked at her thoughtfully. "If you succeed in seducing her."
"You promise?"
"I always keep my word."
"One hot chicken mommy, coming up."
“Ugh, it’s so heavy. Is she going to feed the entire apartment or what?” Minnie grumbled to herself in the elevator, adjusting the backpack straps. While she was glad Miyeon spent so much money on their chickens, she didn't understand why. If she had just wanted to see her–not that Minnie was hoping, of course–she could've ordered some side dishes and called it a day. That’s what she would’ve done, at least. Maybe she was just cheap. Soyeon would consider it realistic. But if Miyeon did that, it would’ve saved her shoulders from being sore.
She stepped out of the elevator and looked around the hallway in wonder. She wasn't unfamiliar with wealth because her family in Thailand was quite well-off, but a few years of living in a one-bedroom studio without working elevators made her forget. She wondered why someone living in this kind of apartment would spend so much money on fried chickens. Wouldn't it make more sense for her to spend it on healthy foods instead of artery-clogging (albeit tasty) ones?
Well, whatever. She had a mission to complete.
She stopped in front of unit 311 and exhaled slightly. She might have told Soyeon she was willing to seduce Miyeon, but how the hell would she do that? Miyeon was hot, rich, and probably older. There was no way she didn't have someone already, right? Maybe they were exaggerating it in the first place, giving her too much hope. Sure, Miyeon asked for her, but it could've been for an innocuous reason rather than her wanting to see her. After all, who in their right mind would spend that much money on five minutes of interaction, or even less? She wasn’t even sure Miyeon knew her name.
Damn it. Stupid Yuqi and Soyeon.
She shook her head and cleared her throat. The first step was to deliver the chickens without overthinking about it. "Hello! Delivery!" Minnie said while knocking on the door.
To her surprise, the door opened less than three seconds after she knocked on it. "Finally!" 311, or Cho Miyeon, replied with a smile. "You sure spent some time spacing out."
Minnie froze, hand still raised. "What?"
"CCTV." Miyeon pointed above the door. The red light on the small, mostly unnoticeable camera was blinking as if mocking her.
"Oh." She lowered her hand, embarrassed. So much for seduction. If she didn't spontaneously combust within the next ten seconds, she'd consider it a victory.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes?" Minnie squeaked.
"Are you telling me or asking me?"
"T-telling you." And now she was stuttering. Great. Way to seduce a hot older woman.
"Why are you so awkward today?" Miyeon laughed and for a second, Minnie thought this was what heaven’s choir sounded like. "It's the third time we've met."
“Sure, but you’re a customer and I’m just a driver. It’s not like we’re friends.”
"Then, want to be friends?" Miyeon grinned. "How old are you?"
It had been over two years since she came to Korea, but the way Koreans counted their ages still confused her. It was easier to tell them her birth year. "I was born in 1997."
“Wait, really?! Me too! What month?”
"Um, October."
"I'm January." She smiled. "So, we're the same age, then."
Minnie nodded, too dazed to speak as a result of Miyeon's smile in this vicinity.
“Okay, I think we should put the food down before you pass out. You look pale.”
"I do?"
"Yeah. Let's go inside. You could sit for a while if you like?”
"Um…"
“Wait, you’re probably busy, huh? Sorry. Maybe next time?”
"Can you…" Minnie raised her hand, taken aback by Miyeon's chattiness and beauty. "Can you slow down?"
"Sorry. Am I being too much? People sometimes find me too overwhelming, so…”
“No! Of course not!” Minnie shook her head. "It's just that you're so pretty and–" She quickly closed her mouth with an audible 'click'. Why the hell did she say that in front of the possibly hot psycho?!
"Oh?" Miyeon's eyes twinkled. "You think I'm pretty?"
"Fuck," Minnie mumbled.
"I'll take that as a yes." She grinned.
"Kill me now." Minnie looked up to the ceiling, hoping that any deities in the universe would strike her where she stood, if only to save her from further embarrassment. And she thought she could seduce the beautiful blonde for gas money? God al-fucking-mighty.
“No, don’t die. There’s a reason why I asked you to deliver, you know.”
Minnie looked warily at Miyeon’s smiling face. "Why? Are you going to kill me?”
“Why would I kill you after I asked you to deliver food? That's stupid. Cops could easily find my address from your restaurant. This isn’t a comedy thriller drama, I’m not luring you to my place with chicken delivery to kill you.” Miyeon looked at Minnie like she was dumb. Maybe she was.
Minnie had a déjà vu. "Sorry. I’m just being cautious.”
"And that's good, but asking a high-paying customer that isn't." Miyeon smiled slightly.
"Yeah." She scratched the back of her head, embarrassed. "So, why did you ask for me to deliver?"
"Because you're cute." Minnie blinked as she heard Miyeon's casual confession. "I like a dessert after a heavy meal and you look sweet enough to eat."
Minnie's jaw dropped. "Um, wow. I…"
“Wait, do you like women? If you're straight, I'll back off. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Miyeon smiled sheepishly. “Or even if you like women but aren't comfortable with that. I’ll back off either way. Sorry for assuming.”
"Um, no. I like women. I just didn’t expect that at all.”
"Well, me asking you to deliver food to my place because you're cute makes more sense than me wanting to kill you, right?"
"When you put it that way…"
Miyeon laughed. "You shouldn't watch too much dramas."
“Hey, stranger danger. Anything is possible.”
"True, but it's funny how that's your conclusion rather than me trying to hit on you."
"Sorry."
“That’s okay. By the way, I do need the food. I don’t actually want to lure you with that.”
"Why would you need so many chickens in three days? Are you trying to feed all of your neighbors?”
“It’s a long story, but the short version is I lost a bet with my colleagues. I have to pay for lunch for a month, and none of the restaurants near my office serve good chicken. Believe me, I've tried them all. A friend recommended your restaurant, but because it's too far away from my office, I'm buying it now so I can bring it all tomorrow. Thank God for my car, honestly. I would rather die than to bring so much Tupperware on a bus."
Minnie internally pumped her fist in joy. A month? Does this mean she had a month to see Miyeon every time she ordered from Neverland? "No wonder you spent so much."
"Don't get me wrong, I love your chickens, but I'm not crazy enough to eat it all myself."
"How far is your office? Maybe I could go there so you don't have to carry everything in your car."
"I don't even know your name, and you're already asking where I work? Buy me dinner first."
"That's not what I…" Minnie paused when Miyeon laughed. "Oh. You’re teasing.”
"Duh. What’s your name, by the way? I can’t keep calling you Hot Delivery Girl forever.”
Minnie coughed. Miyeon was so daring, but she couldn't help but be charmed. "It's Nicha, but call me Minnie."
"You're not Korean?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"No, your Korean is excellent. Where did you come from?”
"Thailand."
“Wow, that’s pretty far. What brings you here?”
"If you want to know my backstory, buy me dinner first."
Miyeon laughed. "Fair enough. Maybe we should do it one of these days.”
“What, dinner? Really?"
"Yeah. I told you I want you to deliver because you’re cute. Me asking you out is a logical next step, no?”
"I guess so." Minnie laughed nervously. Miyeon was incredibly beautiful and she enjoyed their banter, but that didn’t mean her boldness didn’t take her aback, charming or not.
"That's okay, right?"
"Yeah. Just, you know, I’ve never met anyone as bold as you before. I’m just surprised.” She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm single and ready to mingle." Minnie wanted to punch herself in the face after finishing the last sentence. Why was she such a loser around hot women?
She was relieved when Miyeon laughed instead of retreating and slamming the door. “Good to know. I hope we can mingle later."
"Uh, sure?"
"Great." Miyeon smiled. "Let me pay, and you can go. I’ve taken enough of your time, I think.”
"Oh." Minnie was disappointed, but Miyeon was right. Soyeon would blow a gasket if she stayed here too long, seduction order or not. Plus, it was just her and Ryujin today, and the younger girl couldn't be in two places at once. "Cash or credit?"
"Cash, like before." Miyeon pulled out an expensive-looking wallet from her jeans. Minnie tried not to look at the bulging credit cards. "Keep the change." She handed Minnie the money.
"Thanks." She stuffed the money in her pocket, too excited about the tip and potential date to count. It was the first time Miyeon told her that, but it was probably because she asked her out a minute before. It wouldn’t look good if you asked your future date for the change, right? “Let me put down the chickens for you, at least? It’s heavy. You ordered even more this time.”
"Some people in other departments asked for it."
"I can't believe you spent what my friends paid for their monthly utilities for lunch."
"They'll reimburse me at the end of the month, so I may as well splurge. And free food is always a great way to make people like you." Miyeon shrugged. "I could get a career boost at work, delicious food, my money back, and a date with the hot delivery girl. It's a win-win for me."
"Huh. So, it’s for office politics?”
"Corporation culture." Miyeon rolled her eyes. “I want to climb the ladder. Is it wrong?”
“No, it’s cool. Ambitious people are amazing. I could never.”
"Not the hustling type?"
"Nah." Minnie refrained from saying more. Miyeon was nice and interesting, but that didn't mean she wanted to tell her everything, at least not before their first date. For all she knew, Miyeon could be a freak, which was slightly better than a psycho murderer, but she still had to keep her guard up, regardless. "Not for me."
"As long as you're happy."
“I am, and more importantly, it paid the bills. My boss and coworkers are nice and the work is fun, believe it or not. I get to see Seoul and get paid for it.”
Miyeon smiled wistfully. "Fun. I miss that.”
"Corpo life makes you bored?"
"Very." Her smile grew slightly bitter. “I have to watch my back from everyone but a small circle of trusted friends at work. It’s intense and definitely not for everyone.”
"Then why do you want to climb the ladder there?"
"I like money and power." She shrugged. "Boredom is a worthy tradeoff."
"Yeah, that's valid."
"Thanks." Miyeon smiled slightly. "You know, I have more fun talking to you in the last ten minutes than to other people in the last ten months." She let out a sigh.
"So, you asked me out because you're bored and want some fun?"
"Well, that's as good a reason as any. It definitely helps that you're hot and I've met you in person. Online dating scares me. I've met too many shady people."
"At least you're honest about it." Minnie chuckled. “And yeah, I agree. I gave up online dating a long time ago. It’s too much.”
"Right? That’s why I jumped at the chance.” Miyeon smiled. "I hope you're not put off by that."
“Not at all. I said yes, remember?” Minnie smiled back. "You're beautiful and intriguing. Why wouldn’t I accept?”
"I'm glad."
"So, when and where…"
“Hmm, I’ll let you know the details. I'll be pretty busy tomorrow."
Minnie couldn’t help but laugh. "You asked me out first but you don't have anything planned yet?"
"Hey, I wasn't even sure if you would accept. I was winging it.” Miyeon grinned brazenly. "But I'm really interested in you. I’ll let you know in two days? I'll order something, and when you come, we can talk about the details."
Shit, she had Saturday off. "Sorry, I'm off tomorrow and the day after."
"I see. Do you have a copy of the receipt?"
"Uh, sure." She handed the paper to Miyeon. Their fingers brushed, and Minnie swears she felt like she was being electrocuted.
"Thanks." Miyeon smiled and took a pen from her shirt's pocket. She jotted something down on the back of the paper and gave it to Minnie. "My number."
“Oh, wow. Thanks." She grinned and tucked the receipt into her pocket.
"Text me." She smiled. "But sorry if I don't reply quickly during the day."
“Yeah, I understand. I also used to work nine to five."
“Oh? You have to tell me more.”
“Next time. I can't reveal everything when we haven't even gone on a date yet."
"Some mystery is good." Miyeon nodded. "From a corporate drone to a delivery driver. Quite a change.”
"For the better." Minnie gave her a half-smile. "Can I put the chickens inside?"
“Right, sorry. Talking to you is fun enough to make me lose track of time. Come in.” Miyeon opened the door wider to allow her in.
"Excuse me." She had to resist the desire to look around. It felt rude and intrusive, even if Miyeon asked her out and let her in. Instead, she chose to focus on the gorgeous apartment owner.
"Just put it there." Miyeon pointed to the desk next to the shoe rack. Minnie cast a discreet glance at the mess that covered the other half of the desk. Bills and brochures; nothing particularly interesting. She wondered what kind of person Miyeon was, aside from being beautiful and insane enough to shell out almost 200,000 won for chicken delivery just to network. Was it too soon to think about? Was it weird to think about it at all?
She placed all of the boxes on the desk and groaned softly while popping her shoulders. She was finally free from the tyranny of the chickens. "Here you go."
"Thanks." Minnie almost jumped with surprise when Miyeon touched her shoulders. “You shouldn’t do that. It’s bad for you.”
"Nagging me already?" Minnie smiled.
"Just looking out for my new friend," Miyeon replied coyly. "Sorry for making you carry that."
"Part of the job." Minnie shrugged. "It's kind of a workout if you think about it."
"I could see that." Miyeon's gaze lingered on Minnie's broad shoulders. "In that case, I'm glad, then."
"Like what you see?"
"Obviously." Her smile turned to a smirk. "I can't wait to see more."
Why, why did she have to work? She could stand in Miyeon’s doorway and flirt with her forever. Fucking capitalism. "Well, you'll have to wait a little longer because I need to get back to work. We're currently understaffed, so as much as I'd like to talk to you more, if I don't return soon, my boss will kick my ass. Literally, because she’s toddler-sized and that’s the highest she could reach.”
"Toddler-sized?" Miyeon laughed. "Maybe you're just tall, ever think of that?"
"Why not both?" Minnie grinned. "See you soon?"
"See you soon."
Minnie waved to Miyeon (coolly, she might add) before turning around to walk out the door. She felt Miyeon's gaze on her back the entire time, and she had to fight the urge to turn back and show off her bare shoulders and more to the other woman, but responsibility and a sense of loyalty called and won over the hot customer. She closed the door behind her and ran into the hallway, whooping and punching the air, forgetting for a moment that Miyeon might've seen her through her CCTV.
She had a date and a raise to look forward to.