Work Text:
You felt the sunlight hit your eyes and wake you up. Morning had come with a raging headache and sweats. You had worked too late last night, again, and the tiredness that you bore for too long had caught up and made you sick. You sat up from the mattress on the floor.
Your phone began to ring: your alarm. Waking up before it rang was normal for you, just a ray of sunshine could wake you up. You got up and headed to the bathroom. The room swayed until you steadied yourself holding on to the sink. You had dark circles under your eyes and your hair was a mess. But you had no time to rest on your fate, work was in an hour and you had to make yourself pretty.
As a waitress during the day and a barmaid at night, the day was long, and appearances were important. You brushed your hair and styled it like everyday; a simple braid. You did your makeup, hiding your tired eyes and put on your uniform. You also took some ibuprofen for you headache.
You left your tiny apartment. You wouldn't miss it for sure but, it was the only place cheap enough in Seoul for you. With the bills for your grandma's hospital and saving up for your studies, living in a nice place was secondary.
You headed to the subway, and in only 20 minutes, you were outside work. Abby met you at the door for opening. He was your best friend from work, and Jinu’s, your boss, most trusted employee.
“Heyyy, sleep well?” Abby asked you.
“You could say that,” you giggled over a sigh. “Are there a lot of reservations today?”
Abby took his clipboard and looked it over, “Only one! The restaurant was fully booked by some kpop group, from 12 to 15.”
“Oh that's nice, so we'll serve them,” you felt relieved, the day would be easy.
You only served a few tables until 11:30, when the restaurant was cleared. Jinu came over and gave instructions so everything would be perfect for the famous guests. You saw the black car arrive outside and three girls come out. You remember seeing them on posters and ads. They were Huntrix, a kpop group.
But it wasn't them who caught your eyes. A smaller man followed them out, carrying a box and a notebook. He probably wasn't attractive to most people, but his chubby face and bubbly eyes made your heart skip a beat. He was probably the group's manager, as he sat with the three girls and began explaining something.
Abby went over to get their drink orders and give them menus. Jinu also welcomed them and presented the menu. You felt a pounding in your head, the medicine you'd taken had lost its effect. As you were about to go to the bathroom, Abby came over and pushed a tray with drinks in your hands. You looked at him bewildered, this was his job, not yours. He pointed outside with an apologetic look. His boyfriend was out there, waiting for him.
“Fine,” you whispered, letting your friend have his break early.
You walked over to the table, catching wisps of the conversation. Something about a new comeback? It was none of your business, and the ringing in your ears made it hard to listen. You put on a smile before talking.
“Who had a martini?”
“Me, thank you,” answered the black haired girl, who looked way too energetic.
“The coke’s mine, thanks,” said the punk girl before you could ask.
“And the lemonade twist?”
“Here, thank you,” the last girl responded, sounding stoic and cold.
That meant the last drink was for their manager, the cute guy. You walked around the squared table, feeling lightheaded. You blinked once, trying to keep your appearance charming, but the walls shifted around you. Before you could realize it, your feet tangled and you pitched forward, the last beverage spilling all over the man.
“Oh my gosh I am so sorry!” You scrambled to apologize, getting up to clean up.
You frantically grabbed some napkins and began wiping at the man's shirt, before realizing you stepped out of boundaries. Jinu entered to look at the mess.
“Y/N, take 5,” he frowned at you.
You bowed your head and walked to the bathroom. You filled your hand with water and splashed your face. You had messed up, again, and in front of wealthy customers. Jinu definitely wouldn't keep you as his employee now. If you lost this job, finding a new one could take a while, and with only one salary, you'd fall behind on payment.
You tightened your grip on the sink, trying to regulate your breathing. Your phone vibrated in your pocket. A text from your boss: “take the rest of the week off.” It read. You sighed with relief. That meant you probably weren't out the door just yet.
There was a knock on the door, “can I come in?” A gentle voice asked from the other side.
You didn't recognize it. After taking a moment to place your hair and still look presentable, you went to open the door.
You stood frozen once you saw it was the group's manager. Before you could begin apologizing again, he spoke.
“Hold on, I'm not mad about getting wet. I just wanted to say that it's okay and I know it was an accident.”
You stare at him wide-eyed. Anyone else would've yelled at you.
“...Thank you,” you manage to say.
He makes a thumbs up and leaves with a sly smile. You stand there, dumbfounded. Then realize you forgot to ask for his name! Now you probably would never see the kpop group's manager again…
Still, you searched Huntrix on Google for the info. To your surprise, it was mentioned! Bobby, that was the guy's name. Again, your spirits were down, how could you ever have a chance with such an important person.
The events of the day had left your afternoon empty. As much as you wanted to rest, you made your way to the hospital. You chatted with your grandmother, which lifted your spirits, and probably hers too.
As you left the room, a nurse approached you.
“Miss y/n, about your grandmother's disease..” she seemed uncomfortable, which made you think of the worst.
“Yes, what is it?”
“The medicine we gave her was recently removed from the market, it's illegal to make due to some bad reactions people had. The new medicine is more expensive…”
You keep your composure, as much as you want to lash out at the nurse, it's not her fault, “how much is it?”
“200 dollars a month.”
“Send me the bill, I want her to have the right treatment,” your say through a sigh.
You bid your grandmother goodbye before returning to your apartment. It's not the confort you want, but it's best to rest before heading to your second job.
In terms of vibes, being a bartender was more fun than a server, but there were still some nights you had trouble with clients. You also a few friends who made your work shift go by faster. Romance and Baby knew how to take care of creepy old men and they made the best drinks in the whole club. You still had much to learn from them, even if you'd worked there for 3 years already.
But now, with the more expensive treatment for your grandma, you would probably have to work more.
As you lay on the floor mattress, you thoughts spiraled back to a certain manager. Although you were embarrassed from the accident, you remembered Bobby's kind looks.