➼ restaurant

@✿ h. jisung yeonhee chuckles at jisung's response, "there's still good there, having someone you like working with is good! i work with different people each shoot so sometimes its tense or sometimes its super fun. i don't get to know until i get on set!"

"well, i'm glad someone thinks my way of life is not too boring!" yeonhee shook her head, smile still on her face at jisung's suggestion of her becoming his life coach "i have my bad habits too, so maybe not a life coach... let's stick to friends, i can still help you help you out as a friend! and i think there's stuff from your life i'd wanna learn too." yeonhee hummed, "cooking the basics is still really good! that's one less thing you order from outside and one more part of your meal you take control of!"

yeonhee tilted her head at jisung's response, a bit curious to why he seemed so bashful about his achievements and what he did. it did seem consistent with his personality but yeonhee found what he did admirable and something super cool. "i can see what you're talking about but i think you should also be proud about what you've achieved! i couldn't imagine coming up with my own webtoon and even having it to be top 5 in the romance section! you know how many people people read that section - from young teens to working people! it's really cool!" furrowing her eyebrows, she looked at jisung intently "i also read a lot from the romance section so... i'm pretty sure i've must have seen it but... you have to give me a hint!"

@✿ k. yeonhee "wow, your job sure does come with its perks!" jisung quipped, "i guess my job's perk is the lovely publisher i have, but i can't really think of much else..."

as yeonhee spoke more in detail about her healthy lifestyle, jisung couldn't help but look at her with more admiration. "i don't really have any 'long days' per se since i can stop whenever i want, so it makes you putting in the effort to eat healthy so much more commendable to me!" he praised. "honestly, i'd love to have you as a life coach or something. hearing you makes me want to start cooking my meals from tomorrow onwards!" he laughed, though his light-hearted comment was definitely overflowing with sincerity. "i know the basics, like cooking rice, but that's about as far as it gets. so i would love it if you could impart some of your knowledge, teacher!"

"well, i guess staying home /is/ another perk of my job!" he chuckled, though that perk had been starting to wear off these days, especially now when he realised how much he had been missing out while he was cooped up at home. at yeonhee's question, jisung felt his ears flare up. laughing nervously, he said, "well, i hope not! that'd be pretty embarrassing. not that i'm not proud of my works, but they're all pretty mushy and stuff, so it's kinda awkward for someone to /know/ that it's me writing all these." not wanting yeonhee to feel too bad, jisung did decide to indulge her slightly. "but... one of my novels did reach the top 5 in the romance section for a few weeks, so you /might/ have read it. who knows!"

@✿ h. jisung "it is! sometimes they let me choose a couple to take home with me so i guess my closet is always expanding. but i don't mind!" yeonhee chuckled softly.

yeonhee nodded in understanding with jisung's lifestyle. "no i totally understand that. i used to not cook at all and i struggled with that too. was so much easier to eat out, especially after a long day. but i felt like i also wasn't eating balanced and it was so easy to keep on eating junk because it was just easier to get!" yeonhee looked over at jisung , "it was after i started cooking i felt like i had much more control of this stuff and was able to make it work to make me feel better! if you want, i could teach you a few things?" looking over to the resturant staff, she nodded, "same for me please!" she stated and passed the bowl over when prompted.

"oh! that's so cool... i read a lot of web novels when there's free time on set honestly." yeonhee admitted. "plus staying cozy at home is so nice!" yeonhee wondered aloud, "i wonder if i've read anything of yours?"

@✿ k. yeonhee jisung listened to yeonhee talking about her day, nodding along as proof of his attention, even as he was picking out some more ingredients. "ooh, sounds interesting!" he commented. "must be cool to see some of the new clothes before they even come out."

"wow, the self-discipline you have!" jisung said in admiration as yeonhee described her eating habits. "i try to have a balanced diet, like having vegetables and protein and all that, but sometimes it's difficult to control the portions since i don't really cook much at home." jisung continued talking as he led the way to the counter with their filled bowls. "i guess i'm the opposite then; i should balance my trying new restaurants with cooking for myself sometime," he laughed. as yeonhee asked about his job, jisung put their conversation on hold for a while as he passed their bowls to the restaurant staff. "malatang, less spicy, please. with two bowls of rice as well!" he said, looking to yeonhee for confirmation.

"well, i write web novels for a living, mostly rom-com, sometimes fantasy-ish? but usually something light, not too into the heavy stuff," jisung explained regarding his job. "it's a pretty fun job, since i get to do what i like and i can do it all from the comfort from my home."

@✿ h. jisung touched with jisung's words, yeonhee grinned as she nodded enthusiastically to his reply. "i'll trust my fellow member of the anti tripping club with a good food experience!"

yeonhee let out a soft chuckle as she watched jisung fondly pick up more veggies to eat. "oh! yes, meat sounds so good." she replied, following him to the next section, following jisung's lead and getting some chicken into her own bowl after jisung. "i was just doing a shoot, it was for this small boutique updating their catalogue for the season change. nothing big!" yeonhee explained in response to jisung's question, moving to put some beef slices into her bowl as well. "hmm, well i think part of it has to do with the modelling as well, but i think i'd still try to be a little health conscious even if i did something else? i like the way i feel when i eat healthy but i know my limits and i know if i'm too harsh with myself it'll ultimately lead to me feeling worse in general! so that's why i try and cook for myself and stuff but balance it with trying new places, like we're doing now!" yeonhee hummed, looking over at jisung she smiled. "will you tell me more about what you do?"

@✿ p. luke [ text to: luke :) ]
— No worries at all!! It's taking a while for me to get dressed, so I can definitely wait. Take all the time you need <3

/I can't help the smile that grows even wider on my face, ears and the apples of my cheeks already reddening due to my growing excitement. It's only been a week since the last time I seen you, but being without you always feels like it's been much longer. Of course, those days apart have been filled with work and sweet text messages back and forth, but nothing is like seeing you in person. The thought of seeing your smile alone is enough to send large waves of butterflies to my stomach, and send my head spinning just from the sweet nickname you've given me. I've decided on a half up, half down hairstyle today, jet black hair on full display rather than my usual look. I struggled even longer to find an outfit that I felt made me look okay, mentally berating myself over the last 5 outfits I thought didn't fit the vibe. Finally, I settled on something simple; black jeans, a white tee, and a black leather jacket to match. It's when I finish sliding on my sneakers that I feel my phone vibrate again, smiling immediately just from seeing your name.

[ text to: luke :) ]

— Okay! Take your time and drive safe. Will have a kiss waiting for you. :>

@✿ k. yeonhee hearing that it was yeonhee's first time at a malatang restaurant, jisung immediately puffed out his chest and responded, "no problem! you can trust this foodie to make sure your first taste of malatang is a good one!" he watched as yeonhee picked a bit of each and every vegetable and nodded. "sounds like a good idea!"

"that sounds really healthy!" jisung said in admiration. "i should really do that too..." he laughed sheepishly. "in fact, i'll get some more greens!" he hastily picked up some of the vegetables that he wasn't the biggest fan of but didn't mind eating. "since you're hungry, we should get more ingredients! let's get some meat too," jisung said, pulling yeonhee along to the meat section of the shelf. "what did you do at work today?" he asked as he began piling some chicken in his metal bowl. "i've always been curious about your job! is the watching what you eat part of the job too, or is it more of a personal health thing?"

@✿ l. felix /Work seems to take a little longer than I anticipated so I shoot you a text to let you know I need just a bit more time./

[text to: Goldy-lix]
-- My Sunshine, I'm running a little late. Just need an extra 30 to wrap everything up then I'm coming straight to you!!

/Immediately my phone is set aside, focusing my attention back onto the work before me, determined to power through it so I can have my weekend off- more time that can be spent with you. I'm tired though, and my eyes are dry and stressed, evident by the redness in them. I've been staring at these damn documents for DAYS now and everything in my being is absolutely over it. There's no better remedy than you though. Your energy is contagious even when you're not around. Just from the thought of your pending reply makes me smile and render me hopeless. I have to catch myself and power through this but it's not that easy to shake my longing for you out this tired mind of mine- all i can do is laugh quietly at myself for being so ridiculously involved./

/Somehow I manage to crank through my work with a distracted mind. I've gone over by roughly five minutes so I shoot you another texts while I rush to pack my things together and scitter into the car./

[Text to: Goldy-lix]
--OMW!! Be there in 20!

@✿ h. jisung following jisung excitedly, she nodded carefully as he passed her a bowl - mumbling out a quick thanks. "the basics sound good to me!" she laughed softly hearing jisung's set preferences, "i see, i'll have to remember that for the future! i've never been to a malatang restaurant so i feel like i should follow your lead on this." she replied as she decided to just get a bit of everything, after all veggies were sure to fill her up. "i'll just try... a bit of everything!" using the tongs, she just got a few leaves of every veggie available, skipping only a few that she really had no interest in.

she looked at jisung with a sheepish grin, "i feel as i somewhat need to watch what i eat - so i try to incorporate a lot of veggies and stuff in what i eat? i try to be balanced! plus i'm kinda hungry after work-"

@✿ k. yeonhee jisung burst out in laughter as he watched yeonhee strike a pose. "real recognise real; cool recognise cool," he said, grinning.

as they were seated, jisung said, "well, we are spoilt for choice with all these ingredients available!" leaving his tote bag at the seat, he gestured for yeonhee to follow him as he walked towards the shelf of ingredients. he picked up two metal bowls, passing one to yeonhee. "malatang is basically build-your-own-soup, so just choose the ingredients that you like! let's start with the basics, shall we?" scanning the row of vegetables, jisung asked, "what type of greens do you like?" using his tongs, he pointed at the broccoli. "to be honest, i'm not too big on the leafy ones, so i'll probably get these little guys instead," he laughed.

@✿ h. jisung laughing at jisung's sweet statement, she mocked posed against the wall like she did earlier at one of her shoots in front of him. "i guess i can be cool too... we're just two cool people on yourstruly then!" she replied before pushing herself off the wall and fixing her skirt.

following behind jisung excitedly, she peeked from behind him after entering the establishment and her eyes seemed to sparkle as she saw the aesthetic wall of ingredients and the fragrance of the food in the resturant. "we totally are!" she replied excitedly. as the waiter approached to seat them, yeonhee was the one to tell them they needed two seats which they were promptly led to. "i'm so excited, i have no idea what to order-"

@✿ k. yeonhee jisung felt his ears heat up hearing yeonhee's compliment. his online presence was carefully curated and hearing that his real-life self was cooler was something he hadn't expected. "no, you're the cool one! one look and i could tell you were the model girl on yourstruly!" he said, returning the favour.

jisung giggled seeing yeonhee stick out her tongue. she was just as animated in real life as she was through text. "yes, my mouth was watering just from looking at the photos in the reviews," he sighed, recalling the mesmerising red broth he had seen. "as ready as you are! let's go!" jisung said, already leading the way and pushing the door open. at the sight of the shelf of ingredients spanning across the whole wall, he instinctively let out a gasp. "we're definitely gonna be eating good tonight!"

@✿ h. jisung doing a small hop right in front of jisung when they met, she grinned at jisung's statement. "it's good to see you too! you look cooler in person!" she expressed, and she wasn't lying. yeonhee felt that he had a good vibe around him and that immediately made yeonhee feel light.

sticking out her tongue mimicking how she'd probably look after having overly spicy food. "not really but also, i'm excited! i looked up this place earlier and the reviews looked so good!" she chuckled after. yeonhee gestured to the door. "how about you, are you ready for your tastebuds to experience this?"

@✿ k. yeonhee reading the text from yeonhee, jisung's heart rate quickened. how he should act, what he should say, jisung's head was suddenly flooded with thoughts. however, he barely had time to ponder all these questions before he heard his name being called. turning his head around to the direction of the voice, he saw the face that he had only seen on his phone screen up till then. hearing yeonhee call out his name as if he was a long-time friend made jisung break out into a grin, washing away his worries.

"yeonhee!" jisung replied, mirroring her enthusiasm. he did a quick wave and took a few steps towards her, closing the distance between the two. "hi, good to see you in real life!" taking a closer look at yeonhee, jisung confirmed that this was the model he had seen on her instagram; she definitely looked the part. jisung gestured towards the restaurant beside them and with a small laugh, he asked, "well, are you ready to put your taste buds to the test?"

@✿ h. jisung yeonhee hummed to herself as she made her way from the bus stop to the agreed upon destination. she had been pretty excited to meet jisung and introduce him to the wonders of mousse cake - also because she had been craving it for a while. but also, despite not being good at spicy food, she always liked trying it. hearing her phone text sound go of she checked her phone as she turned the corner.

[ text to: jisung from anti tripping club ]
- nice!!
- im about a block away!

speeding up she quickened her steps before seeing the familiar face standing by the restaurant. with no fear she called out “jisung!!”

@✿ k. yeonhee jisung fiddled with his phone as he waited outside the malatang restaurant, switching between scrolling through random reels on instagram and the chatroom on yourstruly. however, his mind could not seem to absorb any of the information presented in a single reel, nor could it properly process the conversations going on. after all, it was his first time going out with a friend in a long while, plus it was his first time actually meeting someone from yourstruly. after deciding it was now a socially acceptable time to shoot a text (read: seven minutes before the meeting time they settled on), jisung pressed the "send" button.

[ text to: yeonhee the SWIPER ]
- i've reached!!!
- am outside the restaurant rn :D

@✿ j. chaeyeon even with the almost excessive way he seems to exude joy, all it was undoubtedly genuine. while he was absentminded a lot of times, he never faked his emotions, believing people should see him as he was. the unwavering grin still spread across his face, he practically perks up when the other seems to visibly get more comfortable with him, eyes witnessing the way her nimble fingers tuck her silken strands behind her ear that distracts him for just a fraction of a section. "only korean? that won't do! there's a ton of cuisines you need to try, chae. like mexican, japanese, indian, chinese— i'll take you to all he places," he responds with determination, a nod just to self assure him as he leans over the table closer to her to take a peek at the menu. he lifts his head when her soft voice utters the compliment — their faces just a few inches apart from his previous shift — and carefully takes in her features. "thank you," he says quietly in return to match her tone, a stretch away from how he usually speaks. "ah, just a normal one. i could take you to the track after if you wanna see my own little personal lightning mcqueen!"

@✿ l. yangyang with his exuberant nature, it's pretty much obvious to chaeyeon that the yangyang she talks to on a daily basis is the same guy who now occupies the seat that was vacated across from her few seconds ago. she likes this discovery - finds herself smiling even wider and it being far less crooked than the one she was sporting earlier. with the nod of her head, she shifts on her seat to face him, tucking her hair behind her ear then taking the menu that the waitress handed to her before tending to the other customers of the food place. "i've only eaten korean cuisine since my mom believes it would make me live longer. i still order fast food once in a while. and i might've had a wrap before but the memory and the taste has become a fuzzy memory to me." with that long-winded explanation, she tries to catch her breath, face flushed. "and, um - you look amazing, too," she adds quietly, hesitant and demure by the casual compliment. "did you drive some supercar tonight or just a normal one?"

@✿ j. chaeyeon there's a slight skip in his step as he makes his way down the street, excitement creeping up from the little fluttery feeling in his abdomen and branching out to the rest of his body. he's always loved meeting new people, but with how busy he's been with training, it meant less time for parties and hangouts. as an extrovert, it only made him all the more restless. of course, that wasn't the only reason he was excited. the two particularly seemed to hit it off in the chatroom, and yangyang was looking forward to actually seeing her and speaking instead of typing on his phone. to say he had anything planned would be a lie. everything about him were likely to be labelled as spontaneous, and this time was no different. hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket, he fluidly navigates through the crowd and stumbles into the well lit establishment, the scent of spiced meats quickly invading his odor receptors. a quick scan of the scattered customers and his eyes land on her well dressed form, his mouth curling up into his signature grin before he hurries over like a moth to a flame. "hi!! the lot wasn't too crowded. you look amazing, by the way. really pretty! you've for real never had turkish food before?" he sputters out in practically one breath, blinding smile still plastered on his visage as he settles himself across from her.

@✿ l. yangyang her heart skipped a mile away out of her chest when she received his last text, curiosity urging her to look outside the glass windows of the shop to catch a glimpse of him. she's still nervous, though, so she frets over herself instead, smoothing the skirt of her dress and then combing the ends of her dark tresses in record time. this would be the second time she's going to meet a member of yours truly and yangyang, being one of those people that she'd grown fond of in such a short time, was someone she'd been eager to know more about. his line of work fascinated her - so interested with the danger it poses to their person and how that still becomes an adrenaline for them to pick up their speed. she has a mental list of questions for him, and she plans to ask him about it whether she's occupied by a wrap, a turkish dessert or a glass of alcohol in hand. no food will deter her with her mission. when she hears the shop's front door creak open, however, dread washes over her - one that she's learned to mask with a disarming smile from years of practice. and it's with this same smile did she greet him when he came over to her, standing before her in his blinding glory. "hi. i'm glad you found a place to park your car that fast."