Park Haeun was in serious trouble.
She could hear her manager's horror filled gasp behind her, and she desperately prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her.
Why?
She had spilled Jajangmyeon on an approaching customer, and her eyes widened as they landed on their face.
It was Seo Minho.
THE Seo Minho.
Heir to a conglomerate and one of the richest men in the whole of South Korea.
From what she could make out of frantic squeals of his numerous fangirls, he was in his third year, studying law. Men and women fawned over him alike, due to his charms and financial status.
She had never even crossed paths with him, as she was studying Culinary Arts and they had separate campuses. But now he was here, and her heart pummeled against her chest like a hammer.
Seo Minho's expression was...
Somewhere between amusement and irritation.
His dark brown eyes twinkled and his nostrils flared as he took a look at his outfit. The dark sauce had formed a brutal blotch on his pristine white shirt, and her hands trembled as she placed down the bowl on a table.
"I'm sorry sir. It was a mistake. Please allow me to pay for a new one." She bowed her head and mumbled through her nose mask.
Who was she kidding?
She that had to resort to working part time at a restaurant off school grounds to make more money to take care of herself and her younger brother.
How could she afford something that was probably worth thousands of dollars?
"That won't be necessary. Watch yourself next time." He simply said, and walked past her to get their menu.
Haeun's heart was still flipping when a rough voice cut through. "Where's my food?!" A man most likely in his 50's yelled at the back, and Park Haeun quickly regained her senses, rushing back to the kitchen to get fresh Jajangmyeon for him.
When she came back out with the tray, she walked to where the man was and placed his food on his table.
"I'm sorry for the delay, Ajusshi." She said, bowing slightly and making her way to where Minho stood by the counter.
"Do you offer delivery services?" He asked. Haeun noticed how velvety and deep his voice was, and she swallowed, trying to remain calm.
"Yes, we do."
Seo Minho thought for some seconds, his eyes still trailing the menu, before he nodded his head.
"Good good. You can make up for the shirt by delivering some Bulgogi and... Bibimbap to my place for free. I want it by," he took a glance at his wrist watch, "it's 5pm now, so I'd want it by 6:30. Is that fine?"
"Yes yes." Haeun said. "Your address?"
"Oh yes." Minho nodded, bringing out a pen and a sheet of paper from his small bag.
He scribbled some words on the paper and then handed it to Haeun.
Haeun looked at the address. It was only a 5 minute walk from where she and her brother stayed. She knew girls would pay good money to know where the crown prince of Daehan University stayed and she was almost tempted to exchange the information for some cash.
But she wasn't that type of person.
"Thank you. Once more, I am terribly sorry for the spill." Haeun bowed her head again, and Minho waved it off.
"Why do you wear a nose mask, and a baseball hat? Are you by chance... infected?"
The question made Haeun's brain temporarily blank out before she blinked rapidly.
"Ah, no no. No infections. Perfectly clean!" She rushed out. Minho squinted his eyes at her, before shrugging.
"Alright then. I'll be expecting my food." He said with a flourish and turned around to leave the restaurant.
~
Haeun was already holding the white bags that contained Minho's food, and she was approaching his apartment.
Her manager had given her quite the earful as she prepared his meal. Talk of how she might have scared a potential customer off and that he should sack her.
Manager Shin Dongha was a drama queen as far as Haeun was concerned, and a little apologizing had calmed him down.
12-5 Seonghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Haeun wondered. Why was a rich boy like Seo Minho living in an apartment? She thought he would be living in a castle, or a mansion of some kind.
She racked her head and came up with several theories, but none made sense so she gave up.
Seo Minho.
Word was he was quite the ladies man, and that he had once spent millions of won on a girl.
But Park Haeun was mostly focused on school.
Trying to get by, providing for her and her brother, since their parents were both gone.
They had suddenly disappeared after a trip to Canada, eleven months ago. And they never came back.
No calls.
No texts.
Nothing.
The thought still sent a small ache through her chest, but she had learned to bury it beneath her daily responsibilities.
She got to the door, white, wooden, and she knocked.
2 times.
Shortly after, the door yanked open and the first smell that hit Haeun's nostrils was that of smoke. Cigarettes.
Seo Minho emerged from the house, bare chested. Her eyes trailed down his body, and she noticed he was very muscular, and toned.
Maybe he was a 'gym rat' as people online called them.
"Here's your food." She handed over the bags to him and he took them, his eyes stubbornly planted on her.
"Take off your nose mask." He said quietly, and Haeun thought she heard something else.
"What?" She asked, her pulse quickening.
He stepped closer to her, his sweet and musky cedar cologne wafting into her senses.
"I said, take off your mask." He repeated firmly.
Just then, a girl appeared from inside the house, wearing nothing but a big shirt. She wasn't wearing any shorts, and she flicked her long black hair.
"Come on, Minho. I'm hungry." She drawled, and grabbed him by one of his arms, gently pulling him inside.
Haeun took the opportunity and slipped away, her steps carrying her from the scene.