His fists clenched until his knuckles ached.
He was angry.
Not necessarily at anyone. It was an anger that was mostly directed at himself. For being so weak. For being unable to carve out his own path, because of his father.
Shortly after they left Ryu Taesik's office, Minho's father dropped him off on the school grounds, mumbling something about how he better not ruin his plans.
And Minho?
He had gone straight home, to his "low-life apartment", as his father liked to call it. To his annoyance, Mirae was still there, sprawled on his couch, hair messy. She had slept the night at his place, her loud snoring keeping him up for majority of the night.
Hwan Mirae was one of his fellow coursemates, also studying law, and she had tried multiple times to get him to sleep with her. Minho wouldn't, but she was a very good kisser, and had an amazing body.
He forced her out of his apartment, resorting to calling her insults just so she would leave.
With a scowl, she walked away, grumbling that all rich people were the same. And honestly? Minho didn't care to debunk her assumptions.
He just wanted to sleep. To let his mind be at rest, even if it was only temporarily.
And he did.
Minho woke up at 6:02pm, his stomach betraying him with a loud growl. After all that rage, he was just…hungry. He brooded over whether to just order food online, prepare some for himself, or just go to Goyung Garden.
Yesterday had been his first visit there, and the meal had surprisingly pleased him. A love for food was one of the few traits Minho had inherited from his mother, and one he had nurtured in secret.
It was never easy to satisfy his taste, but to his shock, Goyung Garden had managed to amaze him. And that girl… the one with the mask… who was she?
Minho would find out.
He took a quick shower before slipping into an oversized tshirt, some sweatpants, and slides. Afterwards, He locked up his apartment, shoving the key into his pocket.
~
Upon arriving at Goyung Garden, he was pleased to immediately encounter the strange girl with the nose mask. He noticed the brief widening of her eyes at his arrival, before she quickly regained her composure and welcomed him.
"Welcome back! Did you enjoy the bulgogi and bibimbap from yesterday?" Haeun asked, beads of sweat already forming on her skin. She had prayed he wouldn't return, and if he discovered she worked here, who knew how much teasing and embarrassment he would subject her to?
"Yes, I did." He drew out his response, still wondering why she looked so familiar even though he couldn't see her face.
"I won't be staying long today. I just want the same amount of bibimbap as yesterday. Same price, ₩11,000?" he asked, his gaze sending prickles beneath her skin.
"Yes, sir. Alright then. She will handle your payment," Haeun said, pointing at Eunchae, who was busy calculating, "while I get your meal ready. I won't take long."
"That's fine. Take as much time as you need," Minho said, sliding into the corner table. His attention shifted to the men gathered around another table, noisily chattering away and clinking soju cups.
The noise was infuriating, and Minho gritted his teeth. Suddenly, one of them turned to him, snot leaking from his nose. The sight almost made Minho vomit.
"Wait…" he snorted. "I know you. You're my….ex boyfriend."
What?
Before Minho could react, the man staggered to his feet and stumbled toward him, reeking of alcohol. His steps were uneven, his breath heavy with soju. Then, with no warning, he fell against Minho, nearly knocking the chair over.
"Why…why did you break my heart, huh?" the drunk man slurred, his hand grabbing Minho's shoulder as if clinging to dear life. "You…you're such a fine, handsome man… I loved you, you know? And still you broke my heart."
Minho's jaw clenched hard, and his knuckles itched to strike. But instead, he shoved the man off roughly. "Ajusshi," Minho snapped, voice filled with disgust. "I'm not your girlfriend, or boyfriend. Get off me."
The table of men erupted into laughter, their drunken cackles filling the room. "Oho! Did you hear that? Ajusshi got rejected!" one of them howled, pounding the table.
The drunk man, however, was unfortunately not finished. He clambered back up, wobbling on his feet, and reached for Minho again. "No, no, don't be like that, my love. Come back to me—"
This time, Minho pushed him harder, sending him stumbling back against his own table. The laughter continued, some amused, others jeering.
Minho felt his insides throb with rage. How were they even comfortable doing this? Getting drunk to this point outside the comfort of your space?
Disgusting.
Then, from the group, a younger man stood up. Unlike the others, his eyes were clearer, and his movements were steady. Minho realized he wasn't drunk.
The young man reached out and grabbed the drunk man's arm firmly. "Hyung, please it's enough. Sit down," he said, his tone calm. He glanced at Minho, bowing slightly. "Sorry about him. He had too much."
Minho gave no reply to the man. He only narrowed his eyes before leaning back into his chair, his patience wearing thin.
It was at that moment Haeun approached, a food bag in her hands, her baseball cap pulled low and her mask in place. The moment she saw the scene, she bit back a nervous laugh, but a giggle escaped anyway.
Seo Minho, getting frustrated by a drunk man!
Minho's head turned sharply toward the waitress that had giggled at him. His glare was enough to make the amusement in her throat freeze, and she placed the bag in front of him, trying to act as though nothing had happened.
He stood abruptly, brushing past her as though she were invisible. Without another word, he walked to the counter, pulling out his black card and tapping it carelessly on the machine. Eunchae's eyes widened, following every movement, her gaze glued to his face like he was some celebrity, which to Haeun, he was. Minho ignored her completely, sliding the receipt back without a glance.
"What time do you close?" Minho asked the waitress with the nose mask as he returned to where his food had placed.
She fumbled over her words. "Err… well… sir… we close at 9pm. 10pm on some days."
"Hmm." Minho thought to himself. He wanted to wait and speak with the waitress after they closed, and since he currently didn't have anything better to do, he made his decision.
"I will eat this here."