An Infatuation of Sorts
A/N: Please note that this is an Alternative Universe (AU) story. The characters do not belong to me, but the story does. This is a work of fiction; any similarities to real life situations is completely coincidental.
Inspiration song on replay: Deok Hwan – I'm Going To Meet You Now (Queen In Hyun's Man OST)
...
It's just not meant to be.
The thought flashed through Ga Eul's mind as she shifted in her seat for the umpteenth time, while observing the ebb and flow of commuters pulsing through the subway station.
She looked at the digital clock on the information screen and realised she'd been sitting there for a good 20 minutes, just... waiting. A great way to spend her Saturday afternoon. She was the only constant in that space; many of the other commuters had already gotten on their respective trains, or had long left for their next destination.
But she... she was just there. Just waiting.
Ga Eul felt her palms dampening uncharacteristically from the subconscious nervousness, and she blew against them lightly in hopes of drying them somewhat. What is she expecting from this? Even Ga Eul didn't know. All she wanted at the point was a glance; a fleeting moment for her heart to flutter in excitement.
The sixth train that hour had arrived, and as the train doors opened and passengers started streaming out, Ga Eul tried to look out for the person she had in mind. She scanned the crowd, hopeful for that person to stride past her.
...
Six months before...
"Let's try this new 'all-you-can-eat' barbeque place, Ga Eul-ah. I've heard really good reviews about it!"
Ga Eul pouted at her best friend, who was too busy looking at the menu outside to really care what she thought.
"Jandi-yah," she whined, "I'm not a big eater, you know that. And it's just us girls! How much could we possibly eat!"
"Mmm, the LA galbi sounds good, and the chicken bulgogi as well..."
"Yah! Geum Jandi!" Ga Eul shook her distracted companion out of her food fantasy, "You're not listening to me."
"I'm not listening to you if I am the one paying for dinner!" Jandi grinned, poking her best friend in the arm, "And look, this place is so near where you live! I can't believe you haven't even been here before. C'mon," Jandi began to drag Ga Eul into the restaurant, even before she could protest, "I'm hungry, and time's a'wasting!"
The ladies entered the partly-full restaurant and their expressions were literally at both ends of the spectrum, with Jandi greatly anticipating the sumptuous meal that would be taking place, and Ga Eul looking a little unsure of herself. She looked around at the other customers heartily tucking into their food, while conversing with their companions, drinking a variety of alcohol, and barbecuing the meat at their very own tables.
Ga Eul sighed and shuddered. She really didn't want to leave smelling like charred meat. That was one of her extreme pet peeves.
"Hi, welcome. Just the two of you?"
Her thoughts were disrupted by a soothing voice by her side, and she realised that one of the waiters was standing right by her, with a soft smile. She was immediately struck by how delicately good-looking he was, with eyes that curved like crescent moons when he smiled. He was just slightly taller than her, medium build, dressed in a blue polo t-shirt, bermudas, and sneakers. Most of the staff were dressed similarly, though most wore jeans.
Ga Eul straightened up and nodded back, as Jandi promptly requested for 'a good seat with better ventilation', in her usual direct fashion.
As the cute waiter led them to their seats, Ga Eul sneaked a glance at him. Maybe, she might have a good dinner after all.
/.../
"Oh man," Jandi sighed, patting her stomach, after finishing dinner, "I am soooo full, Ga Eul! I can't believe we went through three portions of LA galbi! Good job, you-who-didn't-want-to-eat-at-a-barbecue-joint, you!"
Ga Eul cleared her throat and reached for her water cup. "It was actually pretty good," she admitted, downing her water, "I guess I couldn't stop eating it too."
"I knew you'd get into it eventually!" Jandi laughed, as she picked up some kimchi with her chopsticks, and popped it into her mouth, "But now I think I need some major exercise after this... we need to go walk around the neighbourhood! All 3km of it!"
Ga Eul tuned out her best friend as she scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the cute waiter again. He had walked up and down the aisle of tables during their meal, occasionally stopping to help clear plates, or scrape charred remnants off the grills.
She thought about how her mouth went slightly dry when he approached their table to clean their grill. As Jandi rattled on about her boyfriend, Goo Jun Pyo, and his latest antics, she bit her lip, part trying to concentrate on the conversation, part wanting to start a conversation with him, but not being able to do so. As he finished, he bowed politely and moved on to the next table. Ga Eul was disappointed that she couldn't get a word in. But what could she have possibly said?
"I'm going to get more water," Ga Eul announced abruptly, startling Jandi in mid-speech, "Do you want any?"
"Ah... no, I'm good," Jandi replied, eyeing her nervous friend, "Is something wrong? You look worried. The smell will wash off, y'know."
Ga Eul coughed as she caught a whiff of the next table's cooking meat. "No, no, I'm okay, Jandi," she insisted weakly, mustering a smile as she grasped her empty cup, "I'm going over now. I'll be back."
She shuffled quickly to the food area, which displayed an array of uncooked meats, cooked sides like pancakes, spicy rice cakes and japchae (vegetables with sweet potato noodles), pumpkin porridge and bean paste soup. As she reached the area, she noticed an empty plate that once held watermelon slices, but it looked like it had all run out.
Ga Eul contemplated asking the waiter for a refill, but she didn't want to trouble him; after all, it was closing time and most of the staff were already busy cleaning tables. But her stomach also felt slightly uncomfortable from the excessive consumption of meat. Maybe a little fruit would cool her down.
Just then, the cute waiter emerged from the kitchen, and she caught his eye.
"Yes, is there anything I can do?" he asked politely, as he approached her.
"Ah yes," Ga Eul replied, a little more gently than usual, "I was wondering if there will be more watermelon? It's run out."
The cute waiter looked over and shook his head, "It always runs out so fast, the watermelon. I'll get the kitchen to cut another right away," he replied, giving Ga Eul that heartmelt smile. With a nod, he turned to retrieve the empty steel plate, and headed back into the kitchen.
Ga Eul nodded back at him, and went to get more water as she was supposed to, secretly smiling to herself.
...
As the doors closed and the train gradually took its leave, Ga Eul wondered why she was so obsessed with seeing the cute waiter. Yes, he was cute and her heart never failed to somersault at the sight of him, but then... what? It's not like anything more could happen.
She didn't know if anything more could happen.
...
5 months before...
"...oh! Another good meal here. See, Ga Eul? I knew you wouldn't be able to resist coming back to this barbeque place!"
Ga Eul smiled at Jandi, as she continued to drink her seaweed soup, not saying anything.
"But this is a good place to celebrate Ga Eul getting her teaching certificate!" their friend, Jae Kyung added cheerily, reaching for the last piece of kimbap, "We can eat as much as we want, and have a good time! Right, Goo Jun Pyo?"
The only male at the table and Jandi's boyfriend, Jun Pyo, looked up in mid-chew and nodded, before continuing his expedition around the table of leftovers.
Ga Eul laughed at Jun Pyo's expression, and quietly observed her girlfriends chatting animatedly at the table. She was really glad that she was able to enjoy another good meal with her friends, to celebrate this achievement of hers.
Not wanting to interrupt the conversation taking place at that point, she got up and headed over to the food area, wanting to get some watermelon. However, the desired fruit seemed to elude her once more. She sighed and shook her head. There was just no affinity.
She looked around, hoping to find the cute waiter (whose eyes lit up in recognition when she walked into the restaurant earlier, despite not visiting in over a month). Instead, a skinnier, longer haired waiter came over instead and asked her what she needed.
"Watermelon, please," she replied, politely.
"Oh, I'm sorry, we're out of watermelon now," he replied somewhat apologetically, his words sounding a little garbled, "We just cut our last one."
Ga Eul's smile waned a little upon hearing that. "Ah, that's okay then. Thank you for your help."
"Wait... you have been here before, haven't you?" the long-haired waiter asked tentatively.
"Yes I have," Ga Eul replied, brightening up slightly, "We're here again to celebrate, because I just got my teaching certificate."
"Oh, congratulations!" the waiter exclaimed, wiping his hands on his apron.
Ga Eul bowed and thanked him. Just then, the cute waiter appeared from behind the long-haired waiter. Ga Eul perked up with a small wave to him.
"I've just gotten my teaching certificate!" she announced to the cute waiter, a big grin crossing her face.
The cute waiter looked uncertainly at Ga Eul, to the other waiter, and back at her.
"Ah, I see," he replied coolly, "You will have to pay the bill now, please."
Ga Eul was quite taken aback by the cute waiter's lack of a response, but figured he was just doing his job, especially since it was so close to closing time. She nodded, trying not to show her disappointment, and headed back to the table to let the gang know.
After they had paid and were about to leave, the long-haired waiter called Ga Eul from another table he was clearing up.
"Excuse me," he said to her, in front of the others, "How old are you?"
"I'm... 22," Ga Eul replied, a little reluctantly.
"Ah, 22," the long-haired waiter replied, as he continued placing dirty plates in the dish trolley. He cleared his throat before continuing, looking up at her, hope reflected in his eyes, "Maybe we could text each other sometime?"
This direct, very awkward request caught Ga Eul completely off guard, and she didn't quite know what to say, until Jandi jumped in.
"Excuse me, sir," the fiesty best friend said loudly in an icy voice, "But it's rather unprofessional of you to ask a customer for her number, don't you think? And she doesn't have any interest in you, so back off!"
"Hey, this is between me and the lady," the long-haired waiter replied indignantly, the previously hopeful look in his eyes switching to a steelier one, as he glared at Jandi, "Don't interrup-"
"Yah! Song Jung Ho!" a brash, female voice shrieked from the payment counter, "Why are you so rude to the customer? Apologise to her at once!"
Ga Eul leaned over and saw the very cross looking lady boss shooting daggers over their way, but evidently, it wasn't to them.
"Sorry," Jung Ho muttered, and pushed the dish trolley past them, into the kitchen. She saw the lady boss leave the counter in despair, quickly following her employee to the kitchen.
"Yah... what is this kind of attitude?" Jandi huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Let's go, guys, I'm not ever coming back here again."
"Hey, cool down, babe," Jun Pyo cooed softly, putting an arm around his upset girlfriend, "He didn't mean any harm, he just wanted to get to know Ga Eul. Nothing wrong with that. Don't make a scene..."
Jandi snapped her head to look incredulously at her boyfriend. "What do you mean there was nothing wrong? Did you see how he looked at her? The cheek of that man..."
Ga Eul shifted uncomfortably where she was standing, wanting very much to just leave.
"Ga Eul-ah," Jae Kyung whispered, taking her hand and leading her to the exit, "Let's go, okay?"
Just as the group was about to leave, a voice caught their attention.
"Sorry, everyone," the cute waiter said, bowing profusely as he approached them, "I'm sorry for my senior's behaviour. It was uncalled for."
Ga Eul's heart skipped a beat when he came up to her.
"Here," he said, handing her a piece of paper, "My boss wanted me to pass you this. It's a 20% discount coupon for your next visit. Valid till the end of the year. I hope you'll come back again."
Ga Eul received the piece of paper gingerly. She looked up and gave him a small smile.
"I guess I will be back," she replied shyly.
Before he could say anything more, a loud voice bellowed from the back of the dining area.
"Yah! Yi Jeong! I need help here!" the voice of a frustrated Jung Ho yelled.
"Coming!" Yi Jeong replied firmly, and with a bow, he dashed off to help his senior in the kitchen.
Yi Jeong, Ga Eul thought to herself as the group left the restaurant, At least I know his name.
...
Knowing his name was one thing; but when that was all Ga Eul knew, then maybe things weren't progressing so well after all. It was harder for her to really attempt to do anything else, especially after the extremely awkward episode with Jung Ho. If she hadn't been so nice as to have talked to him, he wouldn't have made that proposition to text her, and Jandi wouldn't have thrown that fit on her behalf in the restaurant... if all that didn't happen, then maybe things wouldn't be so awkward.
Because the fact that things are so awkward, Ga Eul sighed, it makes it so much harder for me to get to know Yi Jeong.
She wasn't going to do anything out of the ordinary; after all, it wasn't like her to make the first move. But somehow, with him, she wanted to try.
...
3 months before...
Ga Eul emerged from the subway station via the lift located nearest to her home, finally glad to be on the way back. It was a long day at work, and preparing for her class the next day took longer than expected.
She had been teaching art to kindergarteners for about a month now, and while it was slightly challenging for her, she enjoyed the energy that she got from her young charges. They were full of spunk, full of surprises, and full of childish charm.
Pulling out her cell phone as she walked along the pavement towards her apartment block, she saw that she'd received a message from Jandi.
Emergency! the message said, I'm going on a date with Goo Jun Pyo tomorrow and I have nothing to wear!
Ga Eul chuckled to herself. Her best friend was never without her dramatic flair.
You bought a new dress last week, remember! she typed in reply, When we went to Hongdae for coffee?
I had to wear that for my chiropractic presentation! came the frantic, immediate response, You're not going to wear that long-sleeved Victorian blouse of yours anytime soon, are you?
Ga Eul looked down at what she was wearing that day, and smiled.
I'll pass you the green dress that you like, instead. She quickly typed in reply.
As she put her phone to sleep, another message popped up on the screen.
You're a lifesaver, Chu Ga Eul!
The lifesaver shook her head with a smile. Her best friend really was quite the character.
She continued her walk back to her block, passing a bus stop and an overhead bridge, when she noticed a group of guys walking in her direction. Ga Eul had always been slightly unnerved by big groups of guys, and hoped they'd walk quickly by.
As they came closer, she noticed two familiar figures in the group talking amongst themselves: Jung Ho, the awkward guy who had tried to ask her for her number, and Yi Jeong, the cute waiter with the nice voice.
Ga Eul bit her lip, took in a deep breath, and continued walking.
The group came closer, and Ga Eul could hear the laughter in the group getting louder. She tried pretending to look busy, but she also wanted to see if she could catch Yi Jeong's eye.
Unfortunately, Jung Ho was the closest to her, and was the first to spot her as they walked past. He greeted her loudly and flippantly as he breezed past, and the others in the group noticed her as well.
Yi Jeong, who was standing to the left of Jung Ho, caught Ga Eul's eye, and grinned at her.
Ga Eul greeted the group back, passed them quickly, and proceeded to grin widely to herself for the rest of the walk home.
...
After that unplanned meeting, Ga Eul would try to synchronise her time such that if she were to return home late, it would be around the time that the staff from the restaurant knocked off. She was subsequently successful twice; although she didn't see them the first time, and the second, they were so deep in conversation that they didn't notice her until Jung Ho walked past her (again).
One night, as she was on her way to the supermarket, she happened to spot Yi Jeong, Jung Ho, and another waiter in front of her, walking towards the subway station. Her steps quickened when she realised that, while maintaining a considerable distance, her mind racing to work out exactly what to do.
Ga Eul decided on espionage; not something that she was good at, but figured it was worth a shot. She tailed them all the way to the lift she'd usually take down to the subway, but just like in any movie, the targets got into the lift earlier and had begun to descend downwards, just as the heroine reached it.
Once down at the subway, she continued to tail the three guys all the way to one of the subway lines, trying as much to stay out of sight as possible, yet trying to make sure Yi Jeong was still in view. The three men stood in line at one of the doors, deep in conversation, not spotting Ga Eul at all.
As the train arrived, she hastily got on, hoping to spot the guys again in the neighbouring cabin. But to her surprise, only the third waiter was in the cabin, waving back to the other two guys at the platform, just as the train doors closed.
The train began making its gradual departure from the station. Ga Eul strained her eyes through the moving cabin to try to find Yi Jeong, but the rapid, flickering movement made her eyes hurt.
She closed her eyes, standing rooted to where she was, in complete disbelief that he was so close, yet so far.
...
1 month before...
"Thanks for coming back with me, Jae Kyung unnie," Ga Eul said to her friend gratefully, "I can't tell Jandi that I'm coming here, she'd flip for sure."
"And even more so if she knew you had a crush on the waiter!"Jae Kyung hissed, as she flipped some pork belly onto the grill, "You're so sneaky! How on earth did this happen?"
Ga Eul laughed as she stirred her ginseng chicken soup. "I have no idea. It's just... weird, y'know? Just weird."
"Well, he is cute," Jae Kyung teased, "I guess I can't fault you there."
Looking around the crowded restaurant, it appeared to Ga Eul that the barbecue place was increasing in popularity. When the duo arrived without a reservation, a somewhat curt Jung Ho informed them that they were expecting more customers later in the evening, and if it was okay with them, they had to leave by 8pm. It didn't bother the ladies, especially since the fiery Jandi wasn't with them, and so they agreed to his request.
By 7.50pm, however, it didn't seem like they would be able to finish the plates of food on their table by the stipulated time. Ga Eul decided to ask for a bit more grace, and so she approached Yi Jeong at the counter to enquire.
"Why yes," he replied, somewhat taken aback, "Of course, please stay as long as you want. You're most welcome to."
With Yi Jeong's assurance, the ladies continued tucking into their feast of barbequed meats and other sides, while catching up on the latest news and gossip.
By 9pm, they were both ready to surrender. Thankfully, Jung Ho had left them alone during dinner, and it didn't seem like they would be chased out from the restaurant anytime soon.
"That TV screen behind you is terribly distracting," Jae Kyung said sheepishly, nodding in the direction of the newly installed flat-screen television that was playing the latest Korean pop music videos, "That explains the momentary lapses in conversation earlier."
Ga Eul turned to look at the screen, which was playing the last bits of the latest girl group hit. Then, it switched to the index screen, revealing the titles of songs in the playlist.
"I'm just going to check what's on the playlist," she told Jae Kyung, who waved her away in between gulps of cold barley tea.
Walking to where the TV screen was, a curious Ga Eul scanned the list for songs that she wanted to listen to, but didn't see anything she liked.
Suddenly, the list started scrolling down on its own, and she realised that Yi Jeong was standing right next to her, remote control in hand, directed at the screen.
"Oh hi," she greeted politely, "I was just curious about the playlist."
Yi Jeong nodded back at her and continued scrolling through the list.
"What do you do?" he suddenly asked, his eyes still on the screen, "I mean, I heard you're a teacher, but that in itself holds a variety of possibilities."
Ga Eul turned to him, surprised at the question.
"I... I teach art at the kindergarten level," she replied.
"Ah... that sounds interesting," he murmured, looking at her momentarily, and then turning back to the screen.
Ga Eul didn't want the conversation to end there.
"How long have you been working here?" she asked.
Yi Jeong turned back to look at her, his brow furrowed. "Hmm, I can't quite recall. I think it's been... nine months? Nine months."
"Ah... I see," Ga Eul continued, "Are you a student?"
"I'm not studying at the moment," Yi Jeong replied, "But I would like to go to university."
Ga Eul let the conversation fade into silence, after the obligatory reponse.
The couple stood side-by-side for a beat, as Yi Jeong continued scrolling through the (very long) list of songs.
"What would you like to listen to?" he asked, breaking the silence between them.
Ga Eul continued looking through the list of songs, and perked up when she saw a song she liked from one of her current favourite dramas. "Could you play 'I'm Going To Meet You Now', please?"
"Sure thing," Yi Jeong said, scrolling to the song and selecting it. "All done."
Ga Eul thanked him politely and skipped back to the table, enjoying both the song, and the moment she had just shared with Yi Jeong.
...
The last time Ga Eul saw Yi Jeong, was just the week before. She had passed by the barbecue place with a colleague on the pretext of showing her the menu, since the colleague had never eaten there. They chose to eat elsewhere on that street, mostly because Ga Eul had already eaten there within the week, and that she didn't want to seem too obvious and too... desperate.
As the two women stood at the barbecue place's glass window, Ga Eul tried to point out her favourite meats on the menu as best as she could, while simultaneously and subtly looking out for Yi Jeong. She spotted him briefly at the refrigerator, dressed in the usual blue polo and a pair of jeans (he looked better in them, in her opinion), getting drinks for customers. Soon, he moved out of view, but reappeared soon after, sans drinks.
Ga Eul's colleague asked her a question about the student discount, and just as she was answering her, Yi Jeong walked over to the payment counter, which was by the door. She quickly averted her eyes back to the poster, unsure if he had seen her. When she looked up again, his back was to her, near the door, and he appeared to be looking around the restaurant. After a few moments, he walked to the direction of a table that had called for his attention.
That night, a confused Ga Eul called Jae Kyung up and related the story to her.
"Unnie, if you saw someone you knew," Ga Eul ranted, while brushing her hair, sounding very unlike her, "Wouldn't you go up to that person to say hi, or even wave? If Yi Jeong saw me through the window, why didn't he come up to say hi?"
"Maybe he didn't want to disturb you," Jae Kyung replied in a faux sagely voice, "He saw that you had company, and he didn't want to interrupt. He was trying to be polite. Not that he has to try very hard."
Ga Eul sighed and slammed the hair brush down onto her dressing table. She heard a shriek on the other end.
"What was that?!" Jae Kyung yelped, her voice shaking, "That gave me a shock!"
"Oh, sorry," Ga Eul said sheepishly, "That was just my hair brush."
"Girl," Jae Kyung clucked her tongue, "You have got it so bad, it isn't funny."
Ga Eul buried her head in her arms, while cradling the phone in between her right ear and shoulder. Jae Kyung was right. She felt like she was going mad.
...
"Hi."
Ga Eul's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. She opened her eyes, allowed it to adjust to the light... and there he was, standing right before her with his heartmelt smile.
"Oh... h-hi. Are you on the way to the restaurant?"
Yi Jeong nodded. "It's the only reason I'd be here. How about you? I was walking by and noticed your colourful top," he said, referring to the multi-coloured poncho she was wearing that day. "It's an odd place to take a nap, don't you think?"
Ga Eul smiled uneasily, while still looking up at him. She grabbed her things and rose to her feet quickly. "Ah... I-I was just thinking about something, that's all."
"Sorry if I interrupted you. Are you waiting for someone?"
You. I'm waiting for you.
"Umm, I was but... my friend couldn't make it at the last minute. S-so I was just... calming myself down. I don't like being stood up, you know."
Yi Jeong shook his head in sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay," Ga Eul shrugged nonchalantly, "It happens. I guess I'll be going back home... so we're going the same way."
Yi Jeong's face brightened. "Great, I could use some company, despite it being a short walk."
The couple started to walk to the escalator, which led them up to the upper floor of the subway station. Ga Eul got on first, with Yi Jeong following behind.
"By the way, I've never officially introduced myself," Ga Eul said, feeling a spurt of confidence rush through her, while on the escalator, "I'm Chu Ga Eul."
Yi Jeong smiled, looking up at her. "I know," he replied, "I've seen your name on your credit card."
Ga Eul giggled. "Of course. You received my payment most of the time."
"My name is So Yi Jeong. It's nice to finally meet you, Ga Eul ssi."
"It's nice to meet you too, Yi Jeong ssi," Ga Eul replied as she stepped off the escalator. Elated at the fact that she could finally say his name out loud, to him, words continued to flow from her mouth quicker than her brain could process them.
"I've always wanted to talk to you more outside of the restaurant, but I just never got to."
That confession made Yi Jeong blush slightly, and Ga Eul couldn't believe she had just said that. To him. She cringed inwardly as they approached the lift, unsure of what he was going to say next.
"Really? I'm glad you did," he admitted shyly, pressing the 'up' button at the lift before looking her way, "I was wondering if I'd see you again at some point."
Ga Eul's eyes widened in surprise. The lift arrived and the doors opened.
...
Ga Eul felt a sharp nudge against her shoulder, and her eyes sprung open, just as the train doors in front of her opened too. She turned to glare at the person who had knocked into her without apologizing, but all she saw was an elderly man's hunched back, his long coat sweeping the subway floor as he limped away.
Sighing, she stretched a little to get the tension out of her body, and her eyes searched for the time. More than an hour had passed since Ga Eul first sat at the subway, hoping to get a glimpse of Yi Jeong on his way to work the evening shift.
Maybe she had timed it wrongly; maybe he went earlier than she thought. Ga Eul felt a slight indignance bubble up within her, as she recalled her previously failed attempt to spot him at the train station after closing time. She couldn't have gotten it wrong twice in a row! It was just too much to handle.
Ga Eul collected herself and stood to her feet dejectedly, adjusting her multi-coloured poncho as she did so. As she walked to the escalator and got on it, she turned and looked longly back at the platform, hoping she would get a glimpse of Yi Jeong somewhere.
But evidently, she thought to herself sadly, facing forward again as the escalator made its ascent to the real world, it's just not meant to be.