lilacs & lotuses | seungkwan x oc x key |

七

After letting the others know about their departure, the three set off unsteadily, Kibum nearly falling down the stairs to the front door of the bar. Luckily, Minhui had caught him by the hood, noticing how his foot was dangerously close to the edge of the step.

"Be careful, if you end up in hospital, it'll be our fault," she warned him, making sure that he had nodded in response before proceeding on with moving down the flight of stairs and out of the door.

The night sky was now pitch black, not even a single star in sight. The neon lights from the high street shops lit up the area, and the smell of barbequed pork was almost divine.

"I want samgyeopsal..." Kibum muttered out, his head drooping down yet still trying to figure out the direction from which the smell was coming from.

Minho (much to Minhui's surprise) didn't immediately reject the proposal and instead looked as if he was contemplating the tempting idea.

"I'm not going to lie... I'm so hungry right now, I could do with a barbeque..Min, do you want to join us?"

With the aroma wafting in from all directions, she agreed, losing all her will to restrain herself from the samgyeopsal that was waiting for her. Following the path of the scent, they arrived in front of a small shop, the windows taped with posters and small pictures.

"This is the place? Are you sure, it looks a bit.. old to say the least,"

Minho shook his head is disapproval, pointing his finger towards the door.

"You know what they say, places like this are always the hidden gems,"

Accepting his response hesitantly, the three made their way through the narrow door one by one.

Inside was a little cleaner, there were red coloured tables as well as stools sitting around and nobody to be seen but it was clear that this place was being used, the scent of sizzling meat strong as well as the warm, homey atmosphere.

"Welcome! Sit down wherever you'd like and order when you're ready!"

A middle aged lady popped from a door Minhui hadn't even noticed. She looked kind and welcoming, a cheerful smile on her face, almost as if she were welcoming family.

Kibum enthusiastically returned a loud, very slightly slurred greeting before Minho sat him on a chair to prevent any more accidents.

They all sat around a small square table with a grill directly in the centre, along with some baskets of lettuce. After ordering an appropriate number of portions for the pork belly, Minho and Minhui returned to their simple conversations, with Kibum often joining in for a little while with an impulsive comment.

"Which department are you in?" Minhui asked the black haired man opposite her as well as gesturing towards the other to answer as well.

Minho replies first, stating that he was with the Liberal Arts department and Kibum second, taking a couple moments to think about it before answering "Performing Arts".

"So what years are you both in?"

"Years?" The man opposite her questioned, puzzled by her question.

"Yeah..? How long have you been here for? I mean I assumed you're sophomores because you attended that party but I could be wrong," After Minho's response, the girl similarly felt a sense of confusion. Did she say something wrong?

"Wait a second, do you not know?" Minho now looked more surprised, his already big eyes even more open, mouth slightly parted. Kibum on the other hand clearly wasn't processing much of the conversation and began clumsily placing the raw meat onto the grill, admiring the sound of oil sizzling.