#me probably if theres an empty seat at our table at a restaurant ever

[finally-figured-it-out]

On this post I am putting my longest and most banger tags

[iamsonyeondone]

roommate // lee seokmin

☆+｡･fluffy!!

☆+｡･2.5k words

everyone knew who seokmin was

and when i meant everyone, i literally meant anyone who's seen him at least once

because he just has that really contagious smile and aura that's refreshing in this day and age

the ladies who run the stalls near the restaurant he works at always makes sure to drop by and give him a large tip

or the little kids who pass by whenever their done with school would always greet him

he exudes such a positive and calming aura that attracts people

and his boss is so glad he hired him because business has been booming ever since

seokmin was only looking for a part time job to help him pay his student loans and general living expenses

but even when he's nearly done with paying it off, he wouldnt mind working there for another extra few years

because maybe theres a certain someone who frequents the restaurant alot

who am i kidding?? of course its you

the person who always drops by and orders a fixed menu

sometimes you would try something different when there was occasion you wanted to celebrate

like that one time when seokmin took your order and it was unexpectedly different and asked you about it

"i just got a promotion for my job so i figured it would be nice to treat myself a little,"

and your smile sends him blushing because its full of genuine happiness

so seokmin sneaked in a dessert on the house because its not treating yourself if theres no dessert

(although the boss would have happily complied if seokmin just told him about it since you're a regular)

but one thing seokmin realizes is that you never really go there on a date, or at least thats what he knows

whenever he has a shift and you come by, youre either alone, with a bunch of friends or with family

he's never really seen you be intimate with someone at one of their tables

and maybe he's relieved to know that

that you're possibly single and that he isnt discreetly flirting with a taken person

and his way of discreetly flirting is doing little thank you doodles on your receipt or complimenting on your look that day

other than that he's never had the guts to do anything else

because you're a regular and he's only seen you at his workplace

but all of that changes when you settle for an order thats a little too much for a table of one

and that forced smile tells everything

"you sure you can finish it up? its more than i can even finish myself" seokmin attempted at a little joke while you chuckle softly

"im not sure, but i guess I'll try,"

and seokmin's heartbroken just by looking at your furrowed brows and your lips curling into a frown

and something just clicks within him to do something, anything

"maybe you would want to order takeout instead? and maybe let me take you out too?"

it was the cringiest line he had ever spoken, and his best friend jeonghan would probably agree

but you turn to him and giggle, a little surprised at his forwardness

"that sounds nice, but dont you have work?"

"im clocking out in about ten minutes, and thats when your food should be ready so is it uhhh,, a-"

"its a date then,"

when he sees your smile tugging more at each side, a small weight lifts off of his shoulders

and he's more than relieved to know that his attempt at taking you out on a date wasnt rejected

you told him you would wait for him at one of the nearby cafes

and when he walks in with your take out in hand, seeing you with a deeper frown while you stared into your glass of water

seokmin made it his mission to cheer you up by the end of the night, or at least as long as the date goes

"r-ready?" seokmin stuttered, wiggling the plastic bag in his other hand

you gave him a smile and a nod, walking side by side as the both of you walked out of the cafe

"sorry if this is a little intruding but is anything wrong? you dont have to answer if you dont want to," seokmin asked you, worry coating his every word

"maybe being kicked out of my apartment was the thing that happened," you chuckled sarcastically, taking another deep breath

his eyes grew wide, apologising profusely if he had gone a little too far

"you dont have to apologize all the time seokmin, it wasnt your fault," you reassured him, giving him a small smile

"but im sure youre upset, and making you upset on... on our date wasnt something i had in mind," he mumbled, scratching the nape of his neck

this time, your giggles were lighter and less forced

"then what exactly did you have in mind?" you raised a brow

without another word, seokmin glimmers with his wide contagious grin, asking for your hand before jogging to the park nearby

the both of you were panting by the time you guys reached the peaceful park, laughter filling the calm space

"did you plan on giving me exercise or?" you laughed, your hands resting on your knees while seokmin placed a small mat onto the grass

"not really. i wanted to hear you laugh and somehow succeeded," and maybe your heart skips a little from the way he smiles at you

and you blush lightly at his words, taking a seat next to him while he laid out the food

"i made sure to order your regular order in case you had a change in mind. because you never really order this- not that i stalk you or anything, you just come by the restaurant alot,”

“thank you seokmin,” 

for the rest of the day, you dont even realize the plastered smile on your face, or the worries you had been panicking over a moment ago

all you could think about was seokmin’s antics and his contagious smile

the sun eventually sets, leaving the both of you to head home

and then it clicked

“wait, do you have anywhere else to sleep for the night?” seokmin asked while the both of you walked through the park, towards the exit

“my family lives in another state and my friends already has a full house of roommates. i guess i can sleep in a motel for the time being,” you shrugged, as if it was an obvious answer

“why dont you... why dont you sleep over at my place. I live 10 minutes away from the restaurant and i have a guest room so you dont have to worry about it,” he suggested out of complete sincerity, only worry for what lurks along the motel allies

“that sounds nice but i cant let you help me more than i deserve-”

“but you do deserve more than this, so why dont you just stay at my place for one night? its only me anyways so you dont have to worry about any roommates, " he smiled

and that twinkling in his eyes, nearly pushes you to agree with him without hesitating

"I'll think about it. in the mean time, i should probably pack up my stuff,"

"i can-"

"thank you seokmin, and give me your number just in case,"

you took out a ballpoint pen from your pocket, handing it to him to write down his digits on your palm

and after a minute of stifling your giggles from the tickling sensation on your hand, you thank him once more before jogging off towards your apartment

although you didnt think you'll see each other so soon

as you stood at the end of a stairway that led to his apartment, you fiddled with your duffle bag on your shoulder, wondering if sleeping over his place was a good idea

its not like the both of you talked on a regular basis, and you only see him every week or so

so what made you feel like sleeping over at this cute waiter's house was any different than a stranger's?

at the sound of the swinging glass door from behind you, you turned your heel to face seokmin

but he was now dressed in his pajamas - an oversized graphic tshirt hanging from his shoulders and a pair of the fluffiest pants you've ever seen

"sorry it took so long, i didnt think you would call so soon so i needed to clean up a few things," he nervously chuckled

yet he was quick to offer his help with your things, mainly to avoid the awkward atmosphere that seemed to follow

after the small talk in the lift and eventually entering his home, you actually expected the decent cleanliness of his home

the decor was kept minimal yet sentimental but you did see some clothes trying to spill from beneath the couch

it didnt feel good to make him feel embarrassed after his rushed attempt so you swallowed your giggles

"the guest room is on the left and,, just make yourself feel at home. there's some drinks in the fridge and the toilet is across so if there's anything else you need, just knock my door," he reassured you before taking your duffle bag and placing it in your temporary room

although you had no idea how long you would stay over

a week at most?

oh boy were you wrong

the beginning of living with seokmin was filled with so much awkwardness

from seokmin catching a glimpse of you and your dripping hair while you came out of the toilet, to finding your undergarments in the washing machine

seokmin was nearly flustered 24/7 after finding your underwear and couldnt face you for 3 days straight

but things still progressed and the both of you began to be more comfortable among each other

seokmin cooking for you in the mornings before he started his shift while you repayed his kindness by cooking him dinner

soon the both of you could lay back on the couch together without having to nervously glance at the other or find a way to avoid the awkward silence

and by the time the both of you could be in a room without the tension, a whole week passed

and somehow finding a new apartment hadn't filled your mind during then

or maybe you were avoiding it because 1) you didnt have enough to pay for the deposit fee AND pay for rent after that and 2) with every day that passed, you felt more at home being seokmin's temporary roommate

And also because seokmin is getting so much cuter by the day

But when he asked you about your current search

And your left with having to stare at him with a blank face, your mouth gaping from the sudden unwanted question

Before you could come up with a lame excuse, seokmin reassured you that it was fine not to rush things 

“i like your company anyway, its better than coming home to an empty house and no food,” he chuckled

“but you can cook by yourself just fine, if not, even better than i could do,” you pointed out 

seokmin thinks for a moment but chooses to just shrug it off as he began cleaning up the dirty dishes in the sink

your chest doesnt feel as heavy with guilt, knowing that he didnt mind having you in his home

but how long will this last?

after an especially tiring day of work, back aching and eyes sore, you flop down onto the couch with a loud sigh

but you didnt expect seokmin to pop out from the hallway, thinking that he was still at the restaurant to clean up after his shift

“you sighed really loud i could hear you from my room,” he chuckled, attempting to lighten the tension as he entered the kitchen “something bothering you?”

you stared at the white ceiling as if it held some kind of magical power to relieve you from your exhaustion

“its just that i had to do a heck ton of work today plus that colleague i told you about was being a total asshat too,” you groan, thinking about the extra work you had to finish up which was in fact not yours

“want some instant noodles to cheer you up?” he spoke louder from the kitchen as you shouted back with a relieved ‘yes’

the two of you end up at the dining table, slurping on the noodles seokmin called the Power Up Set

“slow down yn! you’re gonna choke if you keep inhaling it like that,” he chuckled, with a wide grin on his face

“but its super good! and i might have skipped out on lunch,” you sheepishly confessed, knowing the worry-filled questions that were to come your way

“you’re gonna fall sick if you dont take care of yourself. i told you i could send you takeaway if you were too busy,” he nagged, forgetting his own ball of noodles

while you on the other hand gave all your attention to your now soup bowl

“dont make me remind you about the gastric pains you got from not eating breakfast with me,” he glared

“but seokmin,,,,” you groaned 

“what’s your mother going to say when i dont keep up to my promise of taking care of you?????”

and youre not sure why but a sudden choice of words even take yourself aback

“then i can just move out and find an apartment asap,” 

maybe it had always been lingering at the back of your mind, that your presence in his life was becoming a burden for him

but when you look back at him and its not his usual teasing smile

it felt like maybe he did really want you to move out

“im done with dinner, im going to sle-”

“you’re going to move already?”

sounded like he looked forward to it, you thought to yourself

“but then who’s going to watch the final season with me?”

wait what

“who’s going to help me cook dinner and give me the best hugs when the day is too tiring? who’s going to help me laze around when its cleaning day? i never thought i would ever have the time to admit this but i really like you, yn. and your presence here amplified it so much i have no idea what to do with mys-”

you cut him off by squishing his cheeks, for him to look right back at you so that you could check if seokmin was just trying to cheer you up

but roommates dont say that they like you to cheer you up, do they?

“are you going to slap me or kiss me i-”

“just hush already,” 

your lips collided with his, making your knees weak from the contact while he wrapped his arms around your waist

once the both of you pulled away, seokmin began laughing so loud out of happiness, nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck

“so does that mean i can still laze around during cleaning day?”

“of course not, i was just trying to tempt you, you adorable dork,”

[fabllama02]

I suddenly had the urge to write, when i finally stepped out of my house to go out. Of course, we did go out a few thousand times. But that was usually for a business matter, like school activities, visiting hometown. This had been a quite busy year lately. Exams are waiting around the corner and your not sure if you’re ready to accept your fate just yet. You want to try new things, writing was one of mine, i want to create a blog, especially to post whatever beautiful vomits i could make. It had been hard, but i did it because i want to and that kept me going.

We passed a few more buildings and saw a more smaller restaurant that were slowly improving itself. I didn’t feel much, just the soft chatter between my parents as i sat myself at the backseat. I’ve always preferred to sit at the back on the left side beside the window. I want to see the outside view of the world with my earphones on. I currently dont have those right now, seems they have mysteriously disappeared. Now, as i stare out the window with the soft chatter in the background, i’ve never felt more relaxed. Exams are no longer in mind as i stared at the cloudless sky, just like my thoughts; empty.

Soon, bigger roads were starting to show and more cars filled up the gap. Not as many and not as little, just right on a slow Saturday night. I recalled the shops that passes by in my line of sight and wondered why most of them were closed. In my opinion shops would have more customers if it would still be open at night. At this topic, i remembered the conversation i had with my father, long years past.

“Father?” Asked me, hints of childlishness lingers in the voice of an 11 year old.

“Yes, what is it?” His eyes focused on the front but the question was pointed to me.

With the childlish idea of a child who seemingly had never been tarnished, spoke, “Why does the shops always close at night?”

Father smiled with all the gentleness and sweetness of a parent, “Well, to get their rest of course! Shop owners needed their sleep to continue their work early tomorrow.”

I looked down and did a pout, just the small tucked bottom of the lip, “but, why?” I looked outside, seeing all the beauty that glows in the night starry sky. “It would look more pretty and bright..”

Father just smiled and let my mind wonder.

Looking back at it, my opinion would never change even as i grew up. More and more perspective i woud see and opened up my mind a little bit more as years passed by. But still, that small image of the bright shops with colourful lights that lit up the dark night would always linger.

In small ways, i would still be a child at heart.

Traffic lights passes by; green, orange and red. Finally, the faraway image of a tall building shows up and my head tilted up at the tall sight. Wow. Beautiful. I gapped like a fish. I can’t help it. Sure, i saw the sight plenty of times, but i just cant seem to just. Just. Its still beautiful and mesmerizing to see no matter.

This part is the bigger part of the city; the more busier and modern part. I just saw a residental area, filled with square shaped houses. Painted with black and white colour, tall glasses glinted back reflections of the interior. Wow. How many times do i have to say this. At the sight of these beautiful designs and architecture, i can’t help the small feeling that grows in me, proudness that i felt for my country grew. Despite its troubles in politics and such, the city itself would never stop improving.

I gapped in awe, lights would reflect off my glasses. My eyes probably looked too wide, like a kid that found the biggest toyshop, ever.

Still, as much as i loved and adore these parts, the small introverted part of me would prefer the much quiet areas. Like my home, theres not too much shops, not too much customers and not too much lights. Its more of an office area, which isnt that busy actually. I loved the bigger and modern yet the quiet and peaceful areas. I am a lover of both bigger and smaller parts. Both are needed in my parts of life. I don’t want to spend my life cooped up in a room yet i don’t want to spend too much of my energy being in a big city. I loved the lights that fills up the night sky yet i loved the originality of the moon’s beam and stars. Yes, both. Both is good.

Similar to this topic, matters of choosing a car to sit in would be similar. My eldest brother bought a new car; beautiful, sleek and white. Modern at its finest. I saw the three of my brothers entered the new car and i want in too, but i looked at the other car. Passengers are my parents and my fourth brother. I followed my walking instincts and surprisingly chose the latter. My fourth brother looked scandalised before saying, “If you choose to stay here, i will go to other car then!” Immediately sprinting out and running towards the white car with unimaginable speed; no doubt wanting to be there from the start. I guess his mind thought that giving me a seat there would be nice, a more of a gentleman thing to do.

I sighed as i relaxed againts the old leathers. No offense but sitting there with all of my brothers? No thanks. I mean, i love my brothers, but the thought of sitting with them and engaging myself in awkward conversations would be a pain. Its not that we hate each other, no we don’t. Its just that… Finally able to spend time with your family after a long trip of studying overseas for 10 years or having college or university needs to attend to, its just hard to find time with your family again. This year, this year is finally that year. My eldest brother had finished his studying and so did my third brother, currently settling themsleves with official jobs. The second one is in his last year and is making it his best. The fourth is still studying, far away from home i might add, but is on his holiday break. And lastly, me, finally out here with open mind and all the awareness of a teenager. I did spend time with them in the past but all of that are just blurry childhood memories that im abviously not living in anymore. I’ve grown, had gotten myself into more situations and had learned a lot of stuff. I am generally a shy girl, even mere so in public. Especially with my family, but lately, i’ve shown improvement myself. I tend to speak more, i made the effort to smile and joke more around their presence. I want to shove down those shy personality and show them what a real person i can be. I want to fill my brother’s holiday break with fun and jokes and happiness they could remember when they go back to their daily routines. Because sometimes, we would fight and they would went back to their routines right after a fight. And we realized that the distance between us grow more and more bigger if we leave it like that behind, until the next time we meet. I hate that. So, i stopped being so quiet and tried to be more open. All of them are different persons with different personas, i made the effort to understand them all. People probably didn’t know but im very empathatic, i know when they’re angry, annoyed or any kind of emotions. The slight shift of stiff shoulders down to the bright smiles that they would send. I recognize it all. Which is why small communications, small gifts and small interactions always meant bigger to me, more than anything you could ever think of. I always made the effort, but sometimes i could be tired too.

I watched more and more buildings and amazing structures pass. Before finally entering the right shop corner and the place here was amazing. The building’s structures would always amaze me. The place is bright with white pristine walls and clean roads with fancy new and old cars parking at the side. My father said something about “the place being very big yet quiet and had this serene and calm atmosphere”. He’s right tho. It is calm compared to the other similar places that i’ve been.

We got out and start our hunt, looking for the right restaurant to eat. We stood at the communal area of the shop corner, walking by with endless compliments about the place being “so pretty” and “so fancy” like “wow, look at that lake over there”. We’re not the only excited family to enter the place it seems. Childrens run by with their parents carrying a toddler of a 4 years old. Cousins, nephews and families alike would smile and laugh; looking at the other with their knowing smiles. The place feels so comforting and alive at night, im letting myself being bathed into these comforting presence of others with a soft inhale.

We walked past a few more restaurants and shops while chattering idly and laughing at silly jokes. Not minding a bit about other presence being in the same room. We have our own bubble.

We found a restaurant, an arabic cuisine. My mother’s favourites. The restaurant was near the lake. We could see it from where we stood by the restaurant’s entrance. Making a choice to sit outside or inside, we chose outside. Father said “we could feel the outside a bit more if we do!” The walkway at thelakeside however, had these beautiful small lighting-up cars (or is that bycicle?) that drive themselves around the lake. A car even turned Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You on. I immediately fell in love. Humming myself to the song, i sat down at the very end of the long table. (I discovered the song from a meme, thats why i love it)

We placed our orders and waited for the foods to arrive. Conversations broke out and i find myself tapping on the screen to write more and more of this situation. We waited longer and i realized that my ekdest brither is missing, turnign to my mom i asked, “where’s bro?” And she nods shrugs and looked around. After awhile, i noticed that he must’ve been taking pictures with his phone. Damn photography instincts. I made a mental note to ask for his photos later. What. He took beautiful pictures.

Orders are starting to arrive at our table and they began to eat. Only mine had yet to arrive. (Along with my eldest brother, but i didnt notice that yet.) I whispered, “i think i have been forgotten by the waiter.” to my mother as i stole her meat. She laughs at that and slides the plate a little more to my side. “You can steal my grilled meat later when it arrives.” She laughs even more. I dipped the meat into the chili sauce and moans at the spicyness. I mentioned that i liked eating more spicy foods now.

I sipped at my Banana and Milk and recieved a crepe with stuffings on the inside from my father. I accepted it and ate it. At first it was fine, until i bite the green chili. That sunavabiscuit- i sipped the banana milk like my life depended on it. My family stared, amused at the sight of the banana milk being consumed out of sheer will. “You should really save that for later when you meal arrives.” I look scandalised at the comment before pushing the drink away. It took not even a second before the burn in my tongue starts to rekindle back to life and the slurping begins. My family is forever amused and i am not. I looked at my father with this image of a betrayed young lady, and mumbles, “i am betrayed…” He laughs, eyes twinkling in laughter, and asked softly “Why? Is it too spicy?” I squint harder, “Green chilies are my enemies.” He looked shocked before looking back at the stuffing, “huh, you’re right there are green chillies in here.” Though the eyes never stopped twinkling. I have never doubted a sentence so hard in my life. Liking more spicy foods now, tch, yeah right.

More comments and jokes being passed around the table, the plates are starting to look empty of food. The waiter finally arrived with two plates. One for me and the other for my eldest brother. What a coincidence that we both ordered grilled meats. Only he ordered beef and mine was chicken. My hunger and impatient shows through the way i gobbled up the food in my mouth, set of utensils being ignored. The only excuse being, “I don’t need these.”

Amused glances now and then, what is this, the Amusement Park? My mother stole a piece of the meat and i looked at her with betrayal, “You stole it.” She laughs and said, “You stole my meat earlier, you know.” I looked at her through my squinting eyes, “From what i recall, i asked at least more nicer than you did and you let me.” She laughs even more at that.

Our meals finished and i ended up sharing it with my father, i don’t really eat the Roti. I searched for a bowl of soup left on the table and found one, only a quarter left. I poured it over the dry meat and ate it. Much better. My father saw this and looked around the table before reaching for a bowl of more soup. He poured it at my chicken and i’ve never been more in love. We continued eating, him commenting about how the chili sauce tasting really weird. I agreed saying that “It tasted more like it came out of a bottle from a convenience store.” My mother looked confused, reaching in for a taste and i shielded the the sauce, “Don’t mom, its really really weird, you do NOT want to taste it.” She just reaches in for the garlics and ate it.

The meals finally finished and i got up to wash my hand. At the entrance of the door it says ‘pull’ when i was about to push. Daring me to do otherwise. I groaned out a, “Fine, i will pull.” and walked in. “Even if the push woulda been the same…” I grumbled.

I walked out to the table and sat down. I immediately saw people holding comes of ice cream and i got up. “Mom, are those free ice creams? Can i get them?” My mother shrugs and lets me buy it if i want to. I went around the table and instead of the ice cream stand, i walked to my eldest brother instead. “Bro,” he hums a “What do you want human?” I looked at the ice cream stand seriously, “Are thos eice creams free?” He laughed when he looked up, “Sis, nothign in thsi world is free, its a fact.” Nonetheless i still looked at the ice cream stand in determination. “Im gonna check it out.” I started walking and he said to stop and i did. “You want to buy them?” I nodded. “If its not free..” He took out his wallet and handed me some money, “Go buy it with this.” I took it and turned back to the ice cream stand, mumbling again, “if its not free..”

I eneded up ordering the biggest one.

Walked back to the table and shoves the ice cream at my third brother’s face and says smugly with so much pride, “Don’t be jealous.” He looked at the ice cream, mouth agape. “Woah, dude. Share some with me man.” I extend it to him but he refused, “Nah, nevermind, im too full.” I shrugges and continued licking as my mother and my brother continues to take pictures as they comment about the ice cream.

Later on, when we walked back to our cars. My excitement immediately replaces itself with sorrow and sadness. This is it. I walked a bit more slower. Its over. I looked down on the ground. The nights over and we’ll be back to our daily routines. I sighed and watched my family chats idly with each other. Smiles broke out and laughters were heard. I smiled softly at the image. I liked watching moments liek this from afar. I don’t care if im not in the picture, just watching them is enough for me. I sighed.

I just… I wished this night would stay a bit longer. Its a normal night out, really. But, seriously, to me. Its more than that.

I just… Really want this moment to stay.

I looked up and remembers that moments dont always last forever, the world would always move on.

So i took the moments and cherish them in my heart. As small as it may seem to others. I looked at the cheery smiles on their faces. It means a whole lot to me.

I thought, “Hey, maybe the lost earphone wasn’t so bad after all…”

(I know, its long. But who cares. shrugs i sure dont.)