A Korean Boy at a Chinese Restaurant | A Namjin Fanfiction

| Chapter 1 | House of Cards

It was Friday again. 

Jin sighed and wiped down the counter. While everyone else was out enjoying their Fridays, going on dates and watching movies, Jin was one of those poor people who had to spend their Fridays watching everyone else enjoy themselves.

Each Friday seemed to come and go with the enthusiasm of an eager puppy, but Jin didn't even like puppies. He was a cat person.

Pausing in his work, he gazed out the window, watching people bustle past, some pausing to look in at the full tables and expensive traditional decorations. Would he ever be one of them, relaxing after a hard work week and taking his partner on a date?

With a sigh, he got back to work. Work was a necessary sacrifice, and really, it wasn't all that bad. He and his friends, Yoongi and Jimin, shared a three-bedroom apartment. They had all agreed to take a third of the rent each, but while Jimin was a phenomenal dancer and Yoongi's rap career had picked up, Jin was a nobody. And that was why he was working on Friday. Because he needed the money.

Of course, he knew his problem would be solved if he told his roommates about his money problem, but if he was anything, then he was self-reliant and prideful. So that was why they thought he was going out to the movies with his high school friends. 

He wasn't, though. He was working at a small Chinese restaurant. He'd chosen it because he knew that neither Yoongi nor Jimin liked Chinese food and wouldn't be caught dead stepping foot inside. He also chose it because he loved food - any food - and especially loved cooking and serving food to people who really appreciated it.

Maybe he could start a cooking show.

No, who was he kidding? He might say he was 'worldwide handsome' often, but on the inside, he didn't believe that. Who would want to watch him on a cooking show anyway? No one liked him that much, and even if they did, they usually stopped when they found out he was gay.

With another sigh, he flung the washcloth into the sink. Helping out at the restaurant was something he greatly enjoyed, but there were other things he liked to do as well. Right now, he would rather be at home playing Maple story and eating chips than working the loud, Friday evening rush hour.

In a rare moment of idleness, he reflected on his wishes in life - friends, money and peace - and laughed at himself. Only two friends, barely getting by and constantly on the move, he was not anywhere near what he wanted to be.

"Ah, Seokjin-ah," the kind old lady that ran the restaurant croaked. She was the only person apart from Yoongi and Jimin that took him for who he was. She filled a glass with water and took a sip before continuing. "Someone bought out all the seats in the restaurant. Can you make sure to indicate we're closed and empty the restaurant by six?"

"Of course, wonjangnim." He bowed his head respectfully and picked up a writing pad and pen from the counter.

She laughed cheerily before breaking out into coughs. With a few sips of water, her coughing calmed down and she gave Jin a scolding look. "How many times have I told you to call me Eun Du-ssi?"

Jin blushed slightly and looked away. "Oh yes. Sorry, Eun-Du-ssi..."

Shaking her head again, she shooed him away. "You get on with what needs to happen. The quicker we can take all their orders, the quicker this place will empty."

With a little mock salute, he went to the furthest table - going to the furthest table would mean getting the longest orders over first and would limit the possibility of him tripping over and making a mess. It was something that used to happen when he first started working there, but as the years went on, he had gained expertise in cooking and serving with style.