Once Upon a Time in Jade Palace
One
"Happy Birthday, Oh Sehunnnnn!" Chanyeol hollered as Sehun was tossed into the back of Chanyeol's beat-up van by Baekhyun and Joonmyun. Sehun looked up and groaned as the rest piled in, shoving each other and giggling about the successful birthday kidnapping.
"Was dragging me out of bed really necessary?" Sehun rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. "It's only noon."
"That's when normal people eat lunch." Baekhyun pressed, ruffling his hair. "I don't know why you were still sleeping, weirdo."
Sehun turned to him. "It's Saturday and it's my birthday. I wanted to sleep." The other five boys in the car shook their heads in response. Chanyeol flashed a mischeivious smile before turning on the radio and turning it up until the car shook with the sound of rap music, the last thing Sehun wanted to hear as he struggled to fully wake himself up.
"So, since this is around the time people usually eat..." Chanyeol parked the car and turned to him, batting his eyelashes and flashing a large and obnoxious smile. "What would you like to eat, little Hunnie?"
"Your face." Sehun growled, looking outside. "You know I'm not picky."
Jongin saw this opportunity coming and smirked at Sehun. "How about 'Jade Palace'? Since we know how much you love it." He mentioned the little Chinese restaurant Sehun had always hated even though he had never eaten there before. Sehun was obsessed with perfection, and while the food at the place was incredible, Sehun refused to set foot in a place with bullet holes in the side.
"No. That's not even funny." Sehun's eyes widened. "I wouldn't eat there if you paid me."
"I don't understand why you hate it so much. You've never even eaten there. You're being an asshole." Joonmyun shot Sehun a glare, his bottom lip sticking out as he gestured to the small and weathered shack that smelled stongly of chili peppers and chow mein, "Jade Palace." The other boys in the car nodded, Chanyeol gushing about how much he loved the fried rice.
"Just look at it." Sehun pouted right back at him. "They can't even make the place look presentable, meaning the food is probably disgusting." He turned back to the run-down building and froze immediately, his eyes on the tan, dark haired boy in the window. He wiped down the tables with headphones stuck in his ears, mouthing the words as he dragged the rag around the table. His muscles flexed under his white button-down as he scrubbed at a certain spot. Sehun decided that just maybe this restaurant would be worth a shot.
A tiny smile twitched the corner of Baekhyun's lips as the other's eyes widened just a little bit. He knew just what he was looking at.
"Ah, on second thought... how bad could it be?" Sehun squeaked and scratched the back of his neck as the guy looked up from the table and laughed at something another employee said. Sehun's heart fluttered at the sight of his smile. "Yes, we're definitely going to try it!" He grabbed Joonmyun's wrist and tugged him out of the car, motioning for everyone else to follow.
Chanyeol nudged Baekhyun, the two snickering to each other as Sehun speed-walked inside, running head on into the waiter he had just been admiring. Sehun stared at him dumbly, taking in the angular features and dark-rimmed eyes. The waiter smiled warmly and nodded, inching past him to get outside to help another one of the employees. Sehun breathed a small sigh, watching as he ran to the other.
Kyungsoo let out a loud laugh. "Suddenly it's not so bad, is it, Sehun?"
"Shut up!" Sehun hissed as a baby-faced man strolled up to them, holding a few menus. He introduced himself as Luhan and led them to a booth, going through the specials as he passed out menus.
"Hey, um, Luhan." Chanyeol spoke up, his nose crinkling as it usually did when he was about to "fuck shit up."
"Yes?" Luhan looked at him with his doe eyes as he took the drink orders.
"My buddy Sehun here would like to order that." He pointed over to the waiter Sehun was so infatuated with. If looks could kill, Chanyeol would have died instantly from the glare Sehun gave him.
Luhan chuckled at the comment. "Ah, that's Zitao. If you speak Chinese, feel free to talk to him. He speaks no Korean whatsoever, but he's friendly." He winked before jogging to the kitchen to fetch the sodas and teas and whatever else everyone ordered.
Once he was out of earshot, Sehun turned to Chanyeol and punched him hard in the shoulder. "Park Chanyeol, you asshole!" He yelled over the laughter that erupted from all of his "friends". He was too busy whining at his friends to notice Zitao standing at the edge of the table with the tray of drinks with a confused look on his face.
"Was dragging me out of bed really necessary?" Sehun rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. "It's only noon."
"That's when normal people eat lunch." Baekhyun pressed, ruffling his hair. "I don't know why you were still sleeping, weirdo."
Sehun turned to him. "It's Saturday and it's my birthday. I wanted to sleep." The other five boys in the car shook their heads in response. Chanyeol flashed a mischeivious smile before turning on the radio and turning it up until the car shook with the sound of rap music, the last thing Sehun wanted to hear as he struggled to fully wake himself up.
"So, since this is around the time people usually eat..." Chanyeol parked the car and turned to him, batting his eyelashes and flashing a large and obnoxious smile. "What would you like to eat, little Hunnie?"
"Your face." Sehun growled, looking outside. "You know I'm not picky."
Jongin saw this opportunity coming and smirked at Sehun. "How about 'Jade Palace'? Since we know how much you love it." He mentioned the little Chinese restaurant Sehun had always hated even though he had never eaten there before. Sehun was obsessed with perfection, and while the food at the place was incredible, Sehun refused to set foot in a place with bullet holes in the side.
"No. That's not even funny." Sehun's eyes widened. "I wouldn't eat there if you paid me."
"I don't understand why you hate it so much. You've never even eaten there. You're being an asshole." Joonmyun shot Sehun a glare, his bottom lip sticking out as he gestured to the small and weathered shack that smelled stongly of chili peppers and chow mein, "Jade Palace." The other boys in the car nodded, Chanyeol gushing about how much he loved the fried rice.
"Just look at it." Sehun pouted right back at him. "They can't even make the place look presentable, meaning the food is probably disgusting." He turned back to the run-down building and froze immediately, his eyes on the tan, dark haired boy in the window. He wiped down the tables with headphones stuck in his ears, mouthing the words as he dragged the rag around the table. His muscles flexed under his white button-down as he scrubbed at a certain spot. Sehun decided that just maybe this restaurant would be worth a shot.
A tiny smile twitched the corner of Baekhyun's lips as the other's eyes widened just a little bit. He knew just what he was looking at.
"Ah, on second thought... how bad could it be?" Sehun squeaked and scratched the back of his neck as the guy looked up from the table and laughed at something another employee said. Sehun's heart fluttered at the sight of his smile. "Yes, we're definitely going to try it!" He grabbed Joonmyun's wrist and tugged him out of the car, motioning for everyone else to follow.
Chanyeol nudged Baekhyun, the two snickering to each other as Sehun speed-walked inside, running head on into the waiter he had just been admiring. Sehun stared at him dumbly, taking in the angular features and dark-rimmed eyes. The waiter smiled warmly and nodded, inching past him to get outside to help another one of the employees. Sehun breathed a small sigh, watching as he ran to the other.
Kyungsoo let out a loud laugh. "Suddenly it's not so bad, is it, Sehun?"
"Shut up!" Sehun hissed as a baby-faced man strolled up to them, holding a few menus. He introduced himself as Luhan and led them to a booth, going through the specials as he passed out menus.
"Hey, um, Luhan." Chanyeol spoke up, his nose crinkling as it usually did when he was about to "fuck shit up."
"Yes?" Luhan looked at him with his doe eyes as he took the drink orders.
"My buddy Sehun here would like to order that." He pointed over to the waiter Sehun was so infatuated with. If looks could kill, Chanyeol would have died instantly from the glare Sehun gave him.
Luhan chuckled at the comment. "Ah, that's Zitao. If you speak Chinese, feel free to talk to him. He speaks no Korean whatsoever, but he's friendly." He winked before jogging to the kitchen to fetch the sodas and teas and whatever else everyone ordered.
Once he was out of earshot, Sehun turned to Chanyeol and punched him hard in the shoulder. "Park Chanyeol, you asshole!" He yelled over the laughter that erupted from all of his "friends". He was too busy whining at his friends to notice Zitao standing at the edge of the table with the tray of drinks with a confused look on his face.