FIFTEEN YEARS LATER"h.e.l.lo, welcome to Bianchi. My name is Yoona and I"ll be your waitress for today. To start off, what would you like to drink?"
Despite her aching legs, Yoona kept a pretty smile on her face. Her long, brown hair was tied in a neat pony tail. She wore a simple white blouse, a black skirt, and an ap.r.o.n with the restaurant"s logo.
Every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sat.u.r.day, she spent the dinner time working as a waitress for a high-end Italian restaurant called Bianchi. The restaurant was placed right in the middle of the busy city, surrounded by business buildings and at walking distance from her university. Although the job was tiring, dealing with rich customers all night long, the pay was very good. She needed the money for the different expenses she had as a university student. Not only did she have tuition and school expenses to pay for, but she also lived away from home. Though her apartment was small and measly, rent was expensive and costs for meals added up. Without a job, she wouldn"t have been able to survive.
Of course, she could always ask money from her mother, but it was an option she would never take. Her mother worked hard running a small restaurant by the seaside for fifteen years. The struggles they went through were tremendous after her mother was fired from her previous job. She couldn"t ask for money so easily.
This was why she worked hard. Although it was tiring, to get the tips, she never faltered to stay positive. She needed the extra money.
Today Yoona was serving a couple. She guessed that it was their anniversary of some sort. There was a gift on the table, the bag printed with the logo of a designer brand. One that Yoona wouldn"t dare to think of purchasing.
The girlfriend was wearing an expensive, baby blue dress. Her hair was above her shoulders, the edges styled to curl in. The makeup on her face was quite thick, particularly the glittery eye-shadow underneath her eyes to accentuate her aegyo-sal [1].
Her boyfriend on the other hand was wearing a simple white collared shirt with his hair gelled into a pompadour. His back was leaned against the chair, in a lazed manner with his legs spread under the table. There was an arrogant aura around him. Yoona made a note to be careful around this man.
The slight peeks did not go unnoticed. She had caught his interest.
It was not an uncommon sight. With her pure snow skin, round, double-lidded eyes, and rose, plump lips; she was quite the beauty.
In fact, in her university, Yoona was well-known for her looks. Many of the students would sneak around her cla.s.srooms to take a peek. After experiencing these gazes of admiration for years, it was hard to not know she was a looker. Although she didn"t like the unwanted attention, she was thankful that her visuals allowed her to have an advantage at her job. Compared to the other waitresses and waiters, she got a significant high margin in tips.
"Babe, what do you want?" The girl asked. Her voice was slightly high-pitch in a cutesy manner.
The boyfriend looked at the drinks menu. His long fingers traced down the sheet before stopping at one of the drink items. He looked up to Yoona with mischievous eyes. "I"ll have two cups of red wine please. The most expensive one."
Yoona slightly bowed her head, acting indifferent by his pricey purchase. The word "expensive" was emphasize as if he was flaunting his wealth. His actions did not go unnoticed but she wasn"t easily manipulated to waver from it. "Alright. I shall come back with your drink and if you need anything else or if you would like to order the food please let me know."
She walked away, her facade continuing as she walked to the bar area. Without searching, her eyes immediately moved to the far right corner where the red wines were. After a year of working, she knew the placement of the drinks like the back of her hand. She grabbed the red wine alongside two cups and an opener.
Her friend, Eunha, playfully b.u.mped her hips against hers. Just light enough to make sure, Yoona wouldn"t drop the items from her hands.
Eunha was a close friend. Yoona met her at the job when she first started. Although everyone else was pretty friendly, it was Eunha who showed her around the ropes and helped her adapt to the job. With her witt and positive personality, they instantly became close. Unlike Yoona, Eunha was totally boy-crazy but in a endearing way. Eunha was a small girl, around 5"2, and styled her caramel hair in a light bob.
Eunha"s eyes trailed down to the wine. "So who bought the drink? Must be a rich fellow."
"Table two," Yoona answered. Her eyes examined the gla.s.s to make sure it was clean. As a waitress she had to make sure everything given to the customers was perfect. "The rich couple sitting in the corner."
Eunha subtly eyed the two. A giggle escaped her lips. "Not bad not bad. The guy is quite good-looking."
"Oh G.o.d."
Although she didn"t agree with Eunha"s statement, Yoona couldn"t help but laugh along with her friend"s cheekiness. The boyfriend wasn"t completely unbearable to look at. He was, in fact, quite handsome, if one liked the greasy, arrogant type. But it was definitely not what Yoona looked for in her men.
Eunha flipped her short hair. "Do you want to switch tables? The guy looks like a total tool. I bet if I just shook my hips a little and pumped up my chest, I would get a number by the end of the night," she joked. Since the manager was at the bar as well, Yoona made sure to kept her laughter inside. She didn"t want to get in trouble.
"I wish we could switch," she replied. Though subtle, it was clear that the male was interested in her. She had enough experience to tell. Either tonight would end in a very, large tip or a disaster of a night if his girlfriend noticed. Yoona prayed that the later wouldn"t happen.
If only they could switch tables.
"Good luck," Eunha said. "Who knows. If everything ends well, maybe you"ll end up with a sugar daddy."
Of course, their conversation was purely comical with no serious undertone. Eunha always liked joking around about guys while serving. It was one of the only reasons to why Yoona stuck to this tiring job. Besides, both of them knew Yoona would never go for another guy. Especially since she already had a perfect boyfriend.
One that was good-looking, rich, and kind. He treated her like a princess. There was no need to bother for anyone else.
"You"re crazy," she replied before walking out. While exiting, Eunha jokingly smacked her b.u.t.t, quietly enough so that n.o.body could notice.
Yoona shook her head. One day Eunha"s jokes were going to get her into trouble.
Once she arrived to her customer"s table, she placed their gla.s.ses beside of them. A continuous smile lingered on her face. "Here are your drinks."
The girlfriend did not reply with a thanks while the boyfriend sent her one alongside a charming smile. Probably one that brought girls to frenzy.
"Are you ready to order?" Yoona asked carefully.
The girlfriend looked up. "Are you ready babe?"
"Of course," the boyfriend answered. He leaned forward. "You order first."
"I would like a..."
As the girlfriend was busy ordering from the menu, Yoona could feel the boyfriend eye her up and down. Annoyance rose up in her body but she continued to stay calm as she ignored him. Seriously, why was the girlfriend sticking with this tool? She couldn"t understand.
"A linguine with lobster please," she finalized.
Yoona nodded while writing down the order into a wad of paper. She silently cheered in her head. The more expensive the meal, the greater the tip. That fifteen percent was going to be hers. The meal added with the red wine, plus the boyfriends meal was going to be a hefty check.
"And you?" She asked the boyfriend.
He pointed to the white truffle fettuccine. "This and an appetizer of basil, tomato mussels please."
She quickly wrote their orders and bowed slightly. "Is that all for tonight?"
When they answered yes, she proceeded to take the menus. When the boyfriend was handing over the menu, his hand slightly grazed hers. When she looked up to meet his eyes, they flickered with l.u.s.t. It was intentional.
Keeping the disgust inside of her, she didn"t respond to the touch and left.
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[1] Aegyo-sal is the fatty deposits under the eyes.