Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In the middle of a busy day at their office, Yejin caught the attention of her workmates when she shouted...

"IT'S LUNCHTIME!!!"

All eyes in the room are at her along with their parted lips. They're a bit annoyed with how Yejin's voice pitched when she shouted those words.

One of her closest workmates slash her friend who's sitting beside her, slapped her right shoulder.

"Ya! Are you really that hungry, Yejinssi?" Hyojin asked with her curved eyebrows.

Yejin nodded while getting her pink wallet from her Duffel bag. She then motioned to her friend and showed her crescent eyes smile and stands up while shaking Hyojin's left arm.

"Ya! Let's go, faster!!!" Yejin stated and drags her outside their office.

When they got outside the building, Yejin instantly ran beside the street to look for a cab while Hyojin was left behind. Yejin didn't mind her as she knows Hyojin will just follow her right away.

When a cab arrived, Yejin excitedly holds the door handle and signalled her friend to hop in. After they got seated inside, Yejin told the driver straightaway...

"Mang Inasal gangnam branch, ahjussi."

When Hyojin heard it, she shoots a fire gaze to her friend with crossed arms and raised eyebrow...

"Aha! I knew it!!!" Hyojin asserted while slapping Yejin's shoulder who's smiling and giggling.

When they arrived in front of the said restaurant, Yejin holds her friend's wrist and looked directly to her eyes...

"Hyojin-ah, how do I look?" She asked while fixing her dress a little and tucking her hair behind her ears.

Hyojin smiled while crossing her arms and moving her head from side to side as she noticed nervousness on her friend's face. She then holds Yejin's wrist and drags her inside.

When they're standing at the counter area, both of them looked up to the menu to find food of their choice. But when Hyojin noticed that Yejin's eyes are scanning at the dessert list (merienda atbp.), she pinched Yejin's side and whispered to her ear.

"Ya! Don't pretend that you're looking for different food. I know you just want to order PM1."

"Hyoj, can you look around? Is he there?" Yejin whispered back.

The cashier looks at them curiously while smiling and waiting for them to state their orders. Since it's lunchtime, many customers are queuing at their back.

Hyojin looks around trying to find someone while Yejin is still looking at the menu above. When her gaze went to the customers standing behind them, Hyojin bowed her head to an old woman who looks irritated waiting for them to finish ordering. Hyojin then motioned back to the cashier to state their orders without answering Yejin if she finds the person she asked to look for.

"One Palabok and one PM1, please. Oh! And two Iced Tea. Thank you!" Hyojin told the cashier and handed the payment.

Yejin looks at her with eyebrows curved, but she wasn't able to let out words anymore as Hyojin drags her after the cashier gave her the standing queue number.

When they got seated to one of the tables and chairs, Yejin asked her friend again about her question earlier, but she stopped when a waiter stands beside them to place the food they ordered.

"Ouch!" Yejin exclaimed when Hyojin stomped one of her feet. She then bowed down her head to check her foot below the table.

However, Hyojin didn't stop stomping her foot, so she sits straight again ready to give a fire back at her friend. But when she looks back at her, she noticed that Hyojin was pointing at the waiter using her lips.

Yejin immediately motioned to the man beside them and looks at his face. She gulped hard as she felt her heart is beginning to beat fast. She didn't leave her eyes to him, and she wandered from his eyes, his well shaped nose, his lips and down to his adam's apple.

"Ma'am, is there any dirt on my face? Or, do you need anything else?"

"You..."

"Ya! Yejinssi!!!"

Yejin came back to her senses when she heard Hyojin hoarsely whispered her name while pinching her right hand.

"Rice... She said rice... Thank you!" Hyojin said to the man who looks really confused.

After Yejin realized that she unknowingly answered the man earlier, she brought her hands to cover her face. Feeling so ashamed, she took the spoon and fork and started eating the food in front of her.

Errrr! Have you gone nuts, Yejinssi? Aiiish! She cursed at the back of her mind. She wanted to finish her food right away or just be eaten up by the floor right now.

Hyojin laughed at her while also eating the Palabok she ordered...

"Hahaha! Guuurl, if only you could see your face earlier!"

"Shucks... Do you think he heard it?"

"Yes! He heard it loud and clear... Hahaha! You looked like you wanted to eat him and your face blushed so much!"

"Ahhhrg!!!" Yejin grumbled while biting the tip of the fork.

After a minute, Hyojin noticed that her friend's rice was almost finished, so she looks around trying to find a waiter. When she was about to raise her hand, Yejin stomped her foot and says something...

"Ya! Ya! Ya! Don't... It's not him!"

"I know... But are you going to wait until he's—"

"Oh my god... He's there at the next table... Wait, I'll be the one to call him..."

When she sees that he's done putting a cup of rice for the customer on the next table, she immediately raised her hand and calls him...

"Excuse me!!! Rice, please!!!" She almost shouted that the other customers were looking at her.

The man instantly walks towards their table and opened the jar full of rice. Hyojin giggled looking at her friend since she saw her smiling from ear to ear while the waiter is putting a lot of rice on her plate.

"Is that enough, Ma'am?"

Yejin looked up to him while twinkling her eyes. Then, she answered...

"Uh uhm... Yes, for now."

Hyojin bowed down her head while tapping her forehead as she can't contain the embarrassment of what her friend is doing.

When the waiter turns around to go back to his post, his feet stopped from moving when he stepped something on the floor. He then bowed down to get it.

While Yejin is busy and happily chewing her food, Hyojin noticed the waiter getting a pink wallet on the floor. When she realized that it was very familiar, she looks around at their table. She didn't see her friend's wallet!

When she was about to tell her that it looks like it was her wallet that the waiter picked up, she stopped when she noticed Yejin is laughing silently.

The waiter went back to them and handed the wallet to Yejin.

"OW EM JI!" Yejin said in a cute way pretending to be shocked.

"It looks like you dropped it, Ma'am." He said.

"How did you know that it was hers?" Hyojin asked confusedly.

"It was opened when I took it, and I saw her pictu—"

He stopped when Yejin holds her wallet from his hand. One of her fingers touches his skin.

When Hyojin's eyes landed to their hands, he immediately released his holds from her wallet. He then bowed down to them and went back to the kitchen area.

"Ya! I cannot with your moves, guuurl! Are you that desperate? Hahahaha!" Hyojin said unbelievably.

"Yes, guuurl! I asked one of the waiters here yesterday about him, and he said today is his last day."

Hyojin shakes her head from side to side while laughing. Then they continued eating their meals.

After they finished, they went outside the restaurant and took a cab to go back to their office.

When the cab stopped in front of their building, Yejin opened her wallet to get money to pay for their fare.

Hyojin was stunned when she heard Yejin's shouting, so she looked at her...

"Ya!!!!" Yejin shouted excitedly showing her a piece of tissue on her hand with a message from a man's handwriting.

The message:

"Thank you for always having your lunch here. I always look forward seeing you everyday. 0581726262 call me at this number so we can talk about this. See you again soon.

Hyun Bin
- Mr Unli Rice"

Chapter Text

After refusing to join their family dinner, Yejin is currently walking back and forth inside her room while holding her cellphone and biting her right thumb.

She keeps looking at her phone, hesitant to click the call button of the number she just saved a while ago. 'Would it be really okay if I call him now?' She keeps asking herself.

Right after she and Hyojin went back to their office earlier after having lunch in Mang Inasal, she can't keep herself looking at the tissue paper with her crush's message and number.

During the whole three weeks taking her lunch everyday at that restaurant with her friend, sometimes with her other workmates, but alone most of the time, she didn't know that the waiter also noticed her presence as she never tried to approach him until earlier.

They also never had a chance before to cross paths even in the restroom, or everytime she orders in front of the counter, or in the lavatory, or outside the restaurant. Though sometimes he's the one roaming around bringing the jar full of rice, he never tried looking at her and just normally doing his job like the other workers.

Yejin giggled when she began thinking that maybe he also takes glances at her while she's biting the chicken's thigh while twirling the Palabok from her fork, or everytime she raises her hand for extra rice— which she always does. Like, EVERYTIME. 'Eee, that's so embarrassing!!!'

She jumped off to her bed as she can't contain the butterflies in her stomach when she remembered how her heart pump so fast the moment her finger landed on his hand. How it electrifies her whole body when their skins touched each other, how the way he looked at her earlier when she pretended to be shocked when he handed her wallet and how quickly he wrote his message in a tissue paper to put it inside before returning it to her.

Still giggling while slapping her feet and hand above the bed, she stopped when she suddenly heard a baritone voice of a man beside her ear.

She quickly motioned to the other side of her bed, and her eyes widened when she realized that the voice is coming from her unattended phone. Yes, she accidentally clicked his number.

Panicking, she stood up and instantly ended the call. She was stunned. Her heart is beating so fast. A feeling like she was caught doing something wrong behind someone's back.

After seconds, her heart even more pumping rapidly when she heard a text notification from her phone.

A text from Mr Unli Rice.

"Hello. Miss PM1?"

She covered her mouth out of shock. The next thing she knew, she can't stop herself from laughing after she read the word 'PM1'.

'Omo? He even knew my favorite meal combo?' She giggled while still looking at his text message.

Trying to calm herself, she sits straight in her bed and gulped hard before deciding to send a response to him.

"Hi. I'm sorry. I accidentally hit the call button. 😁"

She thought that he won't respond immediately, but to her surprise, he replied just seconds after...

"Are you free tomorrow?"

After she read his message, she covers her mouth again and her eyes widened. It got her shocked as she didn't expect him to make this move as fast as a fox. It even made her think that all along, she's not in a one-sided attraction.

Without hesitation, she responded to him... "Hmm... Maybe?"

"Can we meet up tomorrow somewhere in Yongsan-gu? Like around four in the afternoon?"

It's quite far from her office, but still, she responded "Okay" to his request. Gurl, this is what she's been waiting for! To finally know the man whose she's always seeing like rice every lunchtime. Rice that is pure, yum, and fulfilling. Hahaha! The man of her dreams. Tall, handsome, cute, honest, and he really looks like someone she already loved before. He's making her heart flutter just by seeing him, even far away.

After they ended exchanging messages, Yejin decided to take a bath right away. Out of excitement for tomorrow to meet up with her crush, she wants to have an early beauty rest tonight.

----------------

Yejin is currently at her office table. She's panicking to put powder on her face and tint on her lips. She didn't notice the time that it's already two-thirty pm, and she still needed to travel one hour to Yongsan-gu.

While riding in the taxi, she checked her phone if Mr Unli Rice texted her. Actually, she doesn't have any idea what will happen to their meet-up today. Will he ask me for a dinner date? Owemji. Her mind speaking.

Five minutes before she arrives at their meet-up place, her phone beeped. It's from him.

"Hi. Are you almost near? Just tell the driver to drop you off in Yongsan-gu freedom park."

She smiled, thinking that he looks like he can't wait to see her. Before she responds, she giggled and hits the send button.

After giving the fare to the driver, she fixes her dress first and went outside the taxi. Standing beside the street, she smiled when she saw there's a Mang Inasal branch in Yongsan-gu. It's a newly furnished Mang Inasal branch, and it's just in front of where she stood.

Yejin received a text notification again. Surely, it's Mr Unli Rice Hyun Bin.

"Hi, I saw you. Wait, I'll be outside quickly."

Moments later, she saw him going out from Mang Inasal restaurant, walking closer to her. Damn! Everything in front of her went in slow motion. It looks like the most handsome and hot angel from heaven is approaching her. She gulps hard, her heart is beating so fast. She can't control the excitement she's feeling just seeing his captivating eyes, sharp nose, kissable lips, bulky posture, and oh God, his pointed Adam's apple.

Yejin immediately came back to her senses the moment he arrived in front of her.

"Hi, let's go inside?" Bin said, smiling widely at her.

She nodded and followed him going inside the restaurant. Omo, are we going to have our first date here? She chuckled while having that thought.

When they got inside, Bin signaled her to enter a staff room. She got confused, but she thought that he maybe wanted to talk to her in a private place. Even so, is it okay for her to enter in wherein fact she's not an employee? Disregarding that question, she still followed.

Yejin got more confused when she saw two more people inside the room sitting in a chair at a long table. Then, Bin took a seat beside them.

"Please take a seat, Miss." Said one of the staff.

Her brows curved. Aside from the long table, there's only one chair located in the center. She doesn't know what's currently happening or why she's in this room along with these Mang Inasal staff.

"Umm, wait..." She stammered and looked at Bin. "Can we talk first, Mr Hyun?"

"Ah... Sure!" He then motioned to his other workmates. "Please excuse us."

Bin followed Yejin outside the room, and the moment they stand behind the door, Yejin looked at him straight.

"Wait... Ummm, why are we here? Why I am here? Why did you bring me here?" Yejin asked confusedly.

Bin looked confused as well and rubbed his chin...

"Oh, aren't you here for an interview?"

Her heart dropped. She didn't expect this! It's very different from what she has been imagining. She thought he asked her for a date, but fudge, all along for an interview?

Yejin bowed down and patted her forehead out of embarrassment. She didn't know what she's going to do. She wants to shout out loud for having the wrong idea with this man.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were applying for our hiring position." Bin worded.

"What? What made you think of that? And I thought you were just a waiter." Yejin asked, still embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm actually the newly hired Human Resource Manager. They trained me for almost a month to try every employee's area." Bin admitted and bites his lower lip after.

Yejin turned around, ready to go outside the restaurant when Bin holds her arm...

"Wait... Umm... I'm really sorry. I really thought you wanted to apply for the position since one of your friends told me when you had your lunch yesterday."

"What? Hyojiiiiiiin!?" She exclaimed as she couldn't believe her friend did this to her.

Yejin then proceeded to go out of the restaurant and took her phone from her bag. She looks for a cab and went home disappointed, broken-hearted.

Earlier in the taxi, she keeps calling Hyojin, but she didn't receive any response. When she got home, she tried calling and texting her again.

"Yaaaa! Gurl, answer my call! What did you do? MY GOD!" She sent her friend a text message.

Moments after, she removed her makeup, took a half bath, and changes into her sleeping clothes.

When she's about to turn off the lamp on her bedside table, she heard a text notification from her phone. Instantly, she took it, thinking that finally, her traitor friend responded to her...

Out of shock, she holds her mouth. Her heart is pumping so fast. Her face blushed and her sad emotion instantly wiped away.

A text from Mr Unli Rice:

"Hi, I'm really sorry. I know I'm also at fault for not confirming with you firsthand. I just tried to go along inviting you for the interview thinking and hoping you'll accept the offer. The offer to work with me, closer to me. I'm really sorry, but I hope you'll still give me a chance to set things right. Not as Mr Unli Rice, but for me as myself. Please take care, and hope to see you again soon.

- Hyun Bin"