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Waiting tables, as anyone who has done so before will tell you, is rather difficult.
You have to smile at rude, entitled customers knowing they probably won’t even tip you for it. You have to balance numerous plates on your arms and deal with customers who change their orders every time you walk past their table again. You have to carry four drinks full to the brim and not spill any, and if you do, you’re yelled at. You have to endure creepy customers hitting on you and tipping you extra because they think it means something.
Jungkook can do all that and more.
He hasn’t worked at the crowded restaurant not far from the Busan Station for long, but he already has a reputation as the best waiter around. Their regular customers smile extra big when they get him. They know he’ll have things out on time, he’ll never spill anything, and he remembers even the most complicated orders. Restaurant manager Sandara likes him so much, she put his picture up on the bulletin board tacked up in the back of the restaurant, where regular customers (and special ones) have their pictures and signatures with little notes. Their restaurant doesn’t do the whole “employee of the month” thing that some of the others do, but she made an exception for him. She even brags about him to Sooyoung, who manages the restaurant two blocks away. They have something of a competitive streak against each other.
He’s especially good in stark comparison to Jaehyo, who breaks plates and spills drinks weekly. Sandara lets it go every time because she’s soft, barely even docking broken dishes from his paycheck. He’ll apologize so sincerely and promise he won’t do it again, so she’ll sigh and let it go.
“It’s not his fault he’s clumsy,” she always says.
(Jungkook thinks it’s not so much that he’s clumsy, but rather he just doesn’t pay attention.)
Jungkook is fairly proud of his reputation, and he works hard to maintain it. He has bragging rights and gets to snicker at Jaehyo behind his hand when a mishap occurs. Jaehyo always threatens to spit in his soup when he asks the chef, Taecyeon, to make him some during his breaks, but he wouldn’t actually do it. He’s all talk. And even if he tries, Taecyeon wouldn’t let him. Taecyeon’s soft on Jungkook.
But then a boy with an unbelievably bright eye smile walks into the restaurant, and Jungkook’s reputation goes to shit.
1.
Jungkook stands behind the register, organizing a shelf of the laminated menus they hand out to every table. Somewhere behind him, he hears Taecyeon curse. A meal gone wrong, probably, although wrong for Taecyeon means a pinch less salt than he intended. He's the only one who ever notices. Once, he asked Jungkook to sample a dish that tasted better than anything Jungkook had eaten in weeks; Taecyeon said it was the worst dish he'd made all month.
The chime above the entrance jingles. Jungkook looks up, ready with his customary greeting, when he freezes. His mouth opens but the words have a much harder time coming out.
The boy who walks in has tangerine orange hair parted in the middle, and the fact that it's a good look on him really says something. The button down he has left open over a black shirt is pale pink, and it only makes his hair pop. He's pretty. Really pretty. Like the kind of pretty that makes you want to stop and stare and write sappy poetry, not that Jungkook would ever do that. The stopping and the staring, maybe, but not the poetry.
(Okay, well, there was that one time in middle school when he had a crush on a girl a grade above him, and—never mind.)
Orange-haired boy walks in with a girl who has the cutest laugh and a big smile. He hits her shoulder when she says something, only bringing more laughter. He's grinning at her, a smile that lights up his whole face.
"Table for two, please," she says when they step up to the counter.
Jungkook fumbles the stack of menus.
They scatter all over the floor below him, peeking out from the sides of the counter.
"Sorry!" he exclaims, dropping to his knees to gather them quickly. Heat rushes to his face. He has them cleared up in hardly a minute and hops to his feet, holding two. "Um, right this way. Sorry."
He seats them at a wooden table off to the side and places the menus before them. "Could I get you something to drink?"
"Water, please," says the orange-haired boy.
"Soju," says the girl.
"No," the boy says immediately, turning a glare on her. "No soju. I'm not dealing with your drunk ass, noona."
"Don't be a baby, Jimin."
Jimin. It's cute. He's cute. Jungkook shuffles his feet awkwardly.
"I want soju," the girl says, again.
This time Jimin turns to Jungkook. "Eunji noona is a menace when she's drunk. If you don't want a disturbance in your restaurant, I would highly recommend not letting her near the alcohol." He says it rather sweetly. He even bats his eyelashes a little, or maybe Jungkook is imagining it.
"I'll, um, bring two waters." Jungkook ducks his head and beelines straight for the kitchen. He refrains from looking back, even though he kind of wants to.
"Did you drop the menus?" Jaehyo accuses as soon as he enters. "I found one under the counter."
"Remember yesterday when you broke a mug?"
"That's not the point. The point is Golden Waiter Jeon Jungkook dropped all the menus today, and I'm going to milk this until I die."
"I can arrange for that to happen pretty quickly." Jungkook fishes two clean glasses from the drying rack and fills them with water.
"No arguing in my damn kitchen." Taecyeon bangs a spoon on the counter.
"Looks like your golden reign won't last for long," Jaehyo singsongs on his way out, Jungkook close on his heels.
"We'll see about that."
Jungkook marches toward Eunji and Jimin's table with a determined look on his face, and he doesn't mess up for the rest of the evening.
2.
Jimin comes back.
Jungkook's strike-free days end.
It happens like this.
On a busy night, Jimin comes for dinner alone. He orders jajangmyeon and soju. A lot of soju. Unexpectedly, he drinks a lot of it before Jungkook even brings the jajangmyeon out—and that's probably what causes the accident.
The thing is, Jimin's even prettier when he's drunk. His cheeks get all flushed and sweat drips down his collarbone and Jungkook really, really wants to know how far that flush goes. Not to mention he's much more talkative. Every time Jungkook makes a round, he says something.
"Thank you so much, Jungkook-ssi."
(Jungkook almost forgets he's wearing a name tag. For a split second, he wonders how the hell Jimin knows his name. He thinks about fate.
Then he remembers the tag.)
"Jungkook-ssi, do you go to school near here?"
"Jungkook-ssi, you must be really busy. You're doing such a good job."
"I like your shoes, Jungkook-ssi."
Jungkook is less well-versed in the art of flirting than he should be at the age of twenty, but even to his untrained eye, it kind of seems like Jimin's flirting. It's probably the soju, Jungkook tells himself as he brings a plate of meat to another table. Passing by, Jaehyo raises an eyebrow at him, eyes flicking to Jimin's table. Jungkook shrugs.
When the jajangmyeon is ready, Jungkook finally carries the bowl over to Jimin. He's careful but quick with his steps like always.
"Wow, that looks really good," Jimin says, perking up from where he had leaned his head against the table. Now that Jungkook thinks about it, Jimin looks kind of sad. That might explain the soju.
"Your girlfriend couldn't make it?" Jungkook blurts out before he can stop himself.
Okay, so he's really, really bad at flirting. And subtlety. And... all of this, actually, if he's honest.
Jimin's brows furrow, his lips downturned cutely. "Girlfriend? Oh, Eunji noona? She's just my friend."
"Oh."
He would be lying if he didn't admit to the relief that flutters in his chest. He moves to set the bowl on the table.
Jimin leans toward him, expression thoughtful. "Jungkook-ssi, has anyone ever told you how pretty your eyes are?"
Jungkook's clammy fingers take their toll. It happens in slow motion: the bowl turns over in the air, Jungkook's hands reach for it and slip again, and it slams into the table's edge. The noodles splatter onto the floor, staining Jungkook's shoes with sauce. Neighboring tables grow quiet to stare. The bowl falls away from the noodles, a nasty crack right down its curve.
In all one hundred and twenty-one days Jungkook has worked at the busy little restaurant, he has never, ever broken a dish.
Jungkook looks up at Jimin.
Jimin giggles.
(Somewhere in the distance, Jungkook can hear Jaehyo's raucous laughter.)
3.
"Ask him for his number."
"Fuck off."
"Ask him for his number."
"Do you know what 'shut the fuck up' means? Because I've said it three times already."
"I'll do it for you."
Jungkook lunges for Jaehyo, wrestling him into a headlock. "Don't you dare."
"Does our Jungkookie have a crush on someone?" That's Sandara, entering the kitchen with a calculating look on her face.
If Jaehyo is relentless, then Sandara is even worse.
"Nope," Jungkook says, just as Jaehyo shouts, "A huge one!"
"My sources tell me he flirted with Jungkook the whole time he was last here," Taecyeon chimes in, busy at the stove.
"Your sources are Jaehyo hyung," Jungkook says.
"You should tell him," Sandara encourages. "I'm sure he'll like you back. You're so cute."
"Noona," Jungkook mutters bashfully, avoiding the hand that comes out to pinch his cheek.
"Anyway, stop dawdling. We're understaffed. Kyungri missed her train stop, so she'll be late."
"Go get 'em, tiger," Jaehyo says, pushing Jungkook through the swinging kitchen doors.
"But he's at your table—"
"Cover me, I have to pee."
Jaehyo winks. Jungkook groans.
Jimin is back with Eunji again. She's talking animatedly, drawing a laugh from Jimin every now and then. Jungkook approaches their table with reluctant steps. As soon as Eunji sees him, eyes flickering to his name tag, she brightens.
"Hi, Jungkook-ssi. Two waters, please. No soju for us." Her teasing glance lands on Jimin.
He doesn't look up at Jungkook once, cheeks pink and fingers fiddling with his napkin. He has tiny fingers, stocky and cute. Everything about him is cute, but sometimes he’s kind of sexy. Jungkook doesn't know how to deal with that. His flush grows to match Jimin's.
"Got it," he says, and returns to the kitchen to pour two glasses.
Of course, a meeting with Jimin can't pass free of incident. No matter that Jungkook is extra careful this time, measuring his steps and clutching the glasses tightly. No matter that he's absolutely sure he won't mess anything up this time. Because three steps from the table, Jimin finally looks up.
His eyes flicker to meet Jungkook's, then flicker away just as fast, blush rising higher. But the brief moment of contact is all Jungkook needs. Suddenly, the condensation covering one of the glasses intensifies. His fingers slip. The glass falls, smashes, and shatters pieces everywhere. Water splashes the feet of a nearby table's customers.
Briefly, he wonders if he’s cursed.
"I'm so sorry," Jungkook cries, dropping into a crouch. He fumbles with the napkins strapped to his apron and hands them to the customers, using another to gather the glass.
"Hey, careful." It's Jimin, kneeling in front of him. "You'll hurt yourself."
He's made a scene. Jungkook's eyes burn.
"Hold on," Jimin says.
He leaps up and away, returning a moment later with Jaehyo, who has a broom in hand.
"You okay?" Jaehyo says gently. "Don't worry about the mess. I'll take care of it. Just get their orders."
"Right," Jungkook murmurs.
He steels himself, willing the embarrassment to fade. He doesn't do this. Jeon Jungkook is the Golden Waiter. Sandara has his picture on the bulletin board. He's never messed anything up.
"I'm sorry," he tells Jimin and Eunji. "I'm not—I'm not like this, usually."
"It's okay," Eunji says. "I used to wait tables at this really high-class restaurant. One time, I shattered a whole bottle of the most expensive wine they owned."
Jungkook's eyes widen. "What happened?"
"I got fired." She shrugs. "I hated that place, anyway."
"I used to work at a dress shop," Jimin adds. "The kind of place that sold evening dresses. I spilled soda on the hem of a dress, so I took it home to wash it, but I only made it worse."
His voice is soothing, high and lilting. Jungkook could probably listen to it forever.
"Did you have to pay for it?"
"Yup. My whole paycheck."
"So don't worry," Eunji says. "It happens."
Jungkook smiles. He feels lighter already.
+1
The fourth time Jimin comes, it's alone. He doesn't order soju. Jungkook chats with him amiably when he seats him. It's not as awkward as before, even if Jimin's pretty smile still makes him nervous. When Jungkook brings the water, he doesn't spill it. He doesn't drop the food, either. In fact, Jimin's entire visit passes with enviable smoothness, even if Jaehyo watches like a hawk in the hopes that he can be the first to laugh when Jungkook drops something.
In the end, it's Jimin who causes the accident.
Jimin still has a full glass of water when Jungkook brings him the check. It's now or never, Jungkook tells himself, standing there awkwardly even after he places the check on the table. He can't bank on Jimin coming to the restaurant forever. And there's something in the way Jimin looks at him that speaks of reciprocal feelings.
"Um—Jimin hyung—"
Jimin looks up, waiting.
The words tumble from his mouth in a desperate rush. "I just wanted to know if you'd maybe want to go on a date with me one day."
Jimin jerks. His elbow slams into the glass of water, sending it skidding off the table. It falls, cracks but doesn't shatter, and soaks the hem of Jungkook's pants.
"I'm so sorry!" Jimin wails, red to his ears.
He makes to drop down, but Jungkook grabs his wrist before he can. "It's okay. I got it."
"Yes," Jimin says.
Jungkook pauses where he has bent over to pick up the glass. "Huh?"
"Yes, I want to go on a date with you one day. Preferably a day that's soon."
Jungkook's red. Jimin's redder.
"Maybe a place with no food," Jimin adds.
"No dishes to shatter."
"Or menus to spill."
"Maybe we can go to the park."
"That sounds romantic."
"It's a date?"
"It's a date."
Jimin smiles, and Jungkook's heart flutters.
(He wonders if it'll ever stop doing that.)