Chapter Text
“Shh…be quiet.”
Wonwoo knew today wasn’t his day from the moment he twisted his ankle when he got out of bed in the morning, or maybe it was the fact that due to the rainy weather, he was swamped in delivery orders.
But it never crossed his mind he would end up in an alley, at ten at night, with someone behind him covering his mouth to keep him quiet while they both witnessed a street fight.
He didn’t know why he didn’t move, he could only hear the noise of his racing heart in his ears. He was breathing hard after having run just a few moments ago, and the hand on his mouth was pressing him against whoever was restraining him.
He was frightened as he heard the person swearing right by his ear—despite the situation, it looked like Wonwoo was the only one who was freaking out. He knew first hand that things in his neighborhood had gotten complicated ever since that group of extortioners came to town. His family could barely stay afloat thanks to their small restaurant, but having to split their profits because of the insane threats by those idiots was taking them to the limit.
“It’s done. Get out of here,” the voice behind him ordered, releasing him and pushing him out of the alley.
His intention of looking back at them vanished when he heard someone yell from afar ‘Don’t let him escape!’. Wonwoo thought the robber had succeeded in taking his motorcycle, but he felt his soul coming back to his body when he saw it a few meters ahead. He didn’t even care it was on the ground—he just picked it up and hopped on to head home.
Wonwoo was completely drenched, with a bruised leg and excruciating pain in his nape. The thief had smacked him with something to get him off the motorcycle, causing him to lose his balance.
He didn’t want to worry his parents or his brother, so he tried to act as normal as possible when he entered the restaurant and saw them cleaning the place. They didn’t stop him when they saw him soaking wet so he immediately went upstairs, where they lived.
It seemed that the last customer didn’t call to ask what had happened with their order, and a part of Wonwoo was grateful for it. Even so, he sent a message explaining the situation and offering an apology and a refund.
I’m sorry to hear that, are you ok? You should go to the police.
Wonwoo scoffed at the suggestion. It wasn’t the first time he was harassed and each time he had gone to the cops asking for help, but they never did anything, no matter the amount of reports they received from the neighbors. And as soon as the bad guys realized Wonwoo was one of the people accusing them, they got even more ruthless. He didn’t want to bring even more problems to his family.
Thanks. I’ll think about it.
He lied out of politeness to continue the conversation, since he needed to make the refund.
It had been such a stressful day in many ways. He just wanted to take a hot shower and go to sleep, hoping that tomorrow would be a bit better than today.
A few days went by, and normalcy began to peek through the window. His leg and head were getting better but he had to beg the neighbor’s doctor to not mention what he went through to his family.
After he got out of the doctor's office, he went back to the restaurant to continue with his deliveries but he then saw someone poking around the kitchen windows. Wonwoo approached him to ask what he was looking for at his establishment.
“Hey, did you lose anything?”
When the man turned around, Wonwoo noticed he was young and, to his surprise, also looked incredibly handsome despite the black mask that covered half his face. His round, black eyes—barely visible behind a fringe—stared back at him intensely for a minute.
“Oh…you work here? I was looking for the delivery boy,” he said with a tired voice. The bags under his eyes confirmed he really was.
“It’s me,” Wonwoo answered, a bit puzzled.
“We spoke a few days ago, you couldn’t deliver my order and you offered me a refund, but I haven’t gotten it yet and I really need that money,” the man explained with embarrassment.
Wonwoo widened his eyes in surprise. He recalled the messages but…had he been so reckless to forget about the refund? He should’ve texted to remind him!
“I…” he started, “I’m really sorry. You didn’t have to come all the way here. I’ll transfer you the money right away.” He pulled out his phone but the man reached out and placed his hand over the screen, making Wonwoo look up.
“That’s why I came here. Could you possibly do me a favor and give it to me in cash?”
Their eyes met for a few seconds until he realized what he was doing and abruptly looked away. Wonwoo wasn’t used to strangers getting so close to him but he felt lost in a limbo in that instant. That man had something that really caught his attention, something hidden in the sparkle of his eyes…he couldn’t explain it.
“Sure…just give me a minute.”
Wonwoo tried to focus on the matter at hand and, when he checked the chat again to confirm the amount he needed to refund he realized that the last messages were deleted. He kept his curiosity to himself, finally giving the guy who was still waiting in front of him his money back.
“I know this wasn’t a good first impression,” Wonwoo said, “but if you ever feel like ordering from our restaurant again, I promise to deliver it no matter what.”
“I’d like that,” the man said, smiling so hard his eyes looked like crescent moons. “Although it’s a bit complicated. I’ve been getting home late after finishing work and it’s hard to find many places open at this hour.”
“Night shift?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
Wonwoo felt guilty. That time there were so many things going on in his head that he didn’t even text the man about not being able to deliver his order, and if he got home so late, he surely didn’t have dinner that night.
“Let me know if you want to order anything again. You can reach me on the same number we spoke before,” Wonwoo told him, “I usually sleep late and there isn’t any traffic at night so it could be easier to make the delivery. Although it usually has an extra cost, I could make an exception for you.” He pulled out a business card from his pocket, with all the information of the restaurant and gave it to the man. “The kitchen closes early so I'm sorry if the food is already cold when it’s delivered.”
“Jeon Wonwoo…” the man whispered as he read the card. “It’s not a problem, really, I appreciate it. I’ll see you soon then.” He bowed his head and bid him goodbye before taking his leave.
He still had a long shift ahead of him, but Wonwoo couldn’t get those big eyes and familiar voice out of his mind.