🥂　↳ restaurant merlot

Miyeon tilted her head as she looked over when he interjected with an offer of the appetizer. “I…Hyunbin…” She took a deep breath and sighed, looking everywhere else for a moment in mild, gentle annoyance and thought. He was always so concerned about her – even now when she’s never felt more alive in her life (or so she thinks). Why couldn’t he just – see that? Did it still seem like she was struggling as much as she did back then?

Had she not changed at all?

“Fine.” She sighs and gazes over at him with a small smile, ultimately giving in. She promised herself she’d be nicer, grateful and appreciative. Especially to Hyunbin. Especially to him.

“The bruschetta sounds fine, as long as you get the garlic bread, too.” She says as she glances over the menu in her hands, pressing her lips together. “So, you don’t want to talk about work? What’s wrong with work? You used to be so excited to talk about it.” She mentions before she looks up at him, her eyes roaming over his features cautiously and intently.

“Wound up? Well, I –”

Miyeon stopped and looked at him silently, her expression turning soft and blank. That damned voice, the way he looked at her and those words. Those god forsaken words that always managed to penetrate the walls that kept the internal chaos at bay, where it was dormant, quiet and easier to deal with.

“I’m not bottling anything up.” She laughs somewhat uncomfortably, her hand raising as she brushes a lock of hair behind her ear. A lie. It was a bold-faced lie. She was bottling up. Again. It was always like this. This pattern of behavior between them. Miyeon always refused to speak up at her feelings, thus, pushing them aside until something makes her snap. Only for it all to pile on Hyunbin to pick up the pieces.

Goddamn, how does he put up with her? After all this time? All the she put him through.

There’s a silence that looms over them for a moment, her laugh dying down. She glides her fingernails along the matte surface of the menu, the lettering reflecting with it’s golden surface rather absentmindedly. “Nothing just…” she waves her hand about as if to dismiss it. She always hated explaining herself, it made her feel inept and weak.

“The past was creeping up, is all. The modeling stuff.” She murmurs, shifting in her seat uncomfortably even when she was sitting on the most comfortable chair in the restaurant.

@cho miyeon the way she grumbled his name tickled his ears. he loved it when she said it like that. it was the most honest sound to slip her lips since she sat down. it taunted him to more, but he shouldn't. they were just friends now and he would treat her as a friend would. ( note: he would absolutely tease his friends ) hyunbin desperately wanted to negate the lingering tension that lie between them, and even if they couldn't return to what they once were, he didn't want her to push him away. he wanted to be by her side and support her even if it meant they were just friends and nothing more.

if she took a step back, he'd take a step forward. she was always so bad at saying what she meant to say unless hyunbin backed her into a corner. truth be told, it irritated him to play mind games like this, but when it came to miyeon, he could find himself forgive her endlessly. he'd take the lead every time if he needed to, all she'd have to do is follow.

he glanced at her fingers as she thanked him with her voice small. he wanted to reach out, hold her hand, distract her away from the busy work she had that was so important it took her away from their conversation. he pursed his lips in a pout. she's supposed to be eating right now, not working, but it wasn't his place to stop her from doing so.

hyunbin ignored her words about just the entree, he was going to order an appetizer to share anyway - miyeon had always denied being hungry and taken bites out of his food (godmodding), he learned to order more than he could eat so he could share. he smiled and thanked the waitress as she filled miyeon's glass, waiting a beat following her departure to turn his attention to the menu, his finger tracing over the appetizers. "well, im hungry, but i can't finish an appetizer on my own, so you'll have to help me," he rejected her statement to have just an entree, "how does the bruschetta with the sampler platter sound?" he glanced once again at how gaunt she looked from her skipping meals. he'd have to trick her out to eat more often, fatten her up, so he could have peace of mind knowing she'd had the time to have a meal. not that he didn't have the same issue of skipping meals to work either. it'd be good for the both of them. it /had/ been good for the both of them, so what harm could it do to bring it back?

she took a sip of wine and hyunbin watched as her expression soften and he sighed a sigh of relief watching her slowly unwind. where else would she be able to loosen up like this if not with him? he pressed his lips together in small smile as he browsed the menu, replying, "it's been well, there are a few items of detail I'd like to report to you, but I'd rather save it for work," hinting that he didn't want this dinner to be about him nor his job, and he didn't mean to but beneath the table, his toes traced the side of her shoe as he asked, "but tell me about how things have been with you, what's gotten you so wound up?" he caught himself feeling a little too intimate and retracted his foot, leaning back in his chair and looking at miyeon with a bittersweet gaze, reminding her with the drawl of his sweet deep voice, "it's not good to keep it all bottled in."

@ji hyunbin Miyeon's body nearly got pulled over by his little stunt, making the table jolt with a soft thud and a gentle glassy clatter. "Ugh, bin." she grumbled as she caught gazes with neighboring customers and gave her mayoral smile before looking away, a wave of soft annoyance on her face -- there was not bite to it. She had always been so annoyed by mostly everything.

For a moment, her gaze is observing his features, trying to gage his emotions, his feelings and his intentions. Something she's had a pretty good knack for. Especially if someone wasn't being truthful to how they feel, their words not matching their expressions. Perhaps it was an instinct or perhaps it was tactic inherited by her parents. Her parents, there she goes again, thinking about them. Why couldn't she be her own person? Learn new things and leave the old tactics behind? Why was her past still lingering onto her?

Like hyunbin. Why did he care still so much about her? Why was he always trying to check up on her? After what she did -- it was something she couldn't solve, couldn't get away from. If she strayed far, he'd always managed to find his way to her. Why, why, why?

"Well, no, not really. I don't really have the time nor the luxury to eat three meals a day." she breathes as she places the napkin upon her lap -- the wealthy trait bleeding through. "I'm lucky if I can get one meal in. But I'm fine with a simple entreé." she finally looks away as she glances at her phone beside her, unable to look at him for very long. Miyeon inhaled sharply, allowing herself to relax and at least be a little more friendly and -- grateful. "Thanks bin, you really didn't have to do all this. I was just fine with texting...or maybe even calling." she says a little softer this time, her finger tracing the screen of her phone.

"Miss, your wine." the waitress interrupted as Miyeon gave a tight-lipped grin and nodded, watching as the wine gently splashed into her glass.

"Thank you." she murmurs as the waitress pulls away.

The glass was lifted as she swirled the wine, taking a gentle whiff -- having learned such a thing from the many events she attended to at the winery. A sip was all it tool for her muscles to relax, the flavor of the malbec lingering before her voice cuts through. "How's the adveritising going?"

@cho miyeon he missed her. he tried not to show it, but he did. there was longing in his eyes as he draped her coat over her chair, trying to mask it with a wry smile as he returned to his seat across from her. breathe, hyunbin, don't forget to breathe. he gazed at her fatigued expression, the way her eyes sunk in from lack of sleep, looking gaunt as if she'd missed a few too many meals (godmodding). truth be told, he had hardly heard what she had ordered over the sweet song of her voice, but snapped himself out of his trance with a brief comment, "nice choice."

tiresome... that seemed the least of it from the look on her face, but he wouldn't pry until she was able to loosen up with a drink or two. he gave her a knowing nod and proceeded to answer her question, "well, you know, the usual," with a soft, nostalgic chuckle as he gazed down at the table, seeming to look past it, privately smiling at how she must have already known what he was up to - there was hardly anything new with him.

rather intimately, he kicked his feet beneath the table and captured her foot between his, giving her a quick jolt as he pushed the restaurant menu toward her. "you look like you've lost weight, have you been eating well lately?" he asked, trying to sound like a friend, but failing so, "feel free to order as much as you want tonight, it's my treat."

@ji hyunbin The expression on her face twists slightly as he greets her so...formally. "Miss mayor?" she questions softly as she carefully takes a seat. Her hands raise to brush her hair behind her ears before she glances up at the waitress who wordlessly, expectantly awaits her order. "Ah, I'll just have the 2012 Wienert Malbec if you have it." she says softly as she watches the waitress nod and takes her leave.

Glancing over at Hyunbin, she adjusts herself in her seat before tilting her head slightly. "It's been...tiresome. And yours? Been working hard?" she asks.

@cho miyeon Warm candlelight flickered over Hyunbin's sculpted features as he sat at his table for two, awaiting Miyeon's arrival as he was already sipping on a deep merlot. His lips kissed the glass as he noticed the anxious mayor arriving just on time, eliciting a smile on his lips. He raised his hand to catch her attention, but it seemed he caught the attention of a waitress first. "Could you lead the mayor on by my table?" He asked with an innocent smile, wiping his fingers over his cloth napkin before setting it on the table and pulling out the chair before him. As the waitress led Miyeon to him, Hyunbin put his hand out to receive her coat and bag, making good on the little promise he made over text as he asked her, in person, "How has your day been, miss mayor?"

@ji hyunbin Reluctance and hesitation weighed her down when she arrived at the restaurant. The constant need to look at her phone to see if Hyunbin arrived never ceased to stop. She was nervous, but she knew she couldn't stay away for too long. "." she murmurs to herself as she leans back in her seat, her hand raising as her fingertips glides across her lips. What was the worst that could happen? It's just a small meet up to catch up. Miyeon's stomach turned as her eyes glanced the surroundings, seemingly awaiting his arrival.

@rico kim Doyoon let the taller man guide him to the restaurant. It was his first time at this particular place. He glanced around with a curious expression as they were led inside and he sat down at the table, glancing at the menu and ordering some spicy chicken ramen and a glass of water. “Thank you!” he let out and bowed his head at the waiter.

@park doyoon As soon as the door was securely locked, Rico led Doyoon to a nearby restaurant where he heard was serving ramen, hoping that the ramen would be good otherwise he would come home with a dissatisfied palate. The door was held opened by a waiter once they arrived. As they entered, Rico thanked the waiter then went over to their designated table as directed by the said waiter. He didn't have to look through the menu when the ramen he wanted was on the front of the menu, "one please," a chicken miso ramen was pointed, "and a glass of cold lime juice," turning towards the other, Rico smiled, "what would you like?"

@cho miyeon Jungkook let out a small chuckle feeling a bit breathless as he felt Miyeon's body colliding with his own, as her arms came to wrap his neck he let his arms come to wrap around her slim frame in a light hug. "Which question should I start with?" There was a hint of laughter in Jungkook's voice as he let go of Miyeon letting his hands stay in hers while he spoke, his gaze conveying the same excitement of seeing a friend from the past. "I got here maybe a day or so ago?" a rather sheepish chuckle escaped Jungkook as he gave the female's hands a gentle squeeze in return. "I'm sorry for not telling you but honestly I wasn't sure how to contact you. I had your phone number but I wasn't sure if it was the same one?" he muttered it really had been too long since they lost contact or at least it felt that way.

“I got tattoos.” He repeated while chuckling as he look down at her, his head lolling to the side slightly. “A lot has changed Miy well it seems like a lot has changed. More than just tattoos which my hand tattoos aren’t my only tattoos.” He clarified as he glanced down at the tattoos on his hand before bringing my his gaze back to her with a grin now on his lips. “What about you? Any tattoos I should know about?” His brows playfully went up and down as he look down at her only to take a small look around at their surroundings. “What were you doing though? Were you looking for something?” He asked while now looking at the female in curiosity vaguely remembering how she was seemed to be looking around for something although if he remembered correctly it had something to do with soup.

@jeon jungkook Miyeon was absolutely flabbergasted! Her childhood friend --- standing right before her. It was like the years between hadn't passed at all. The only thing that changed was their heights and the slight maturity of their features. She takes a few steps towards the entrance to meet him halfway and when he stood before her, she smiled big and chuckled incredulously. "I..." she stops and looks him up from head to toe, still unable to comprehend that it was him.

"Gosh, it really has been so long. Too long!" she breathes as she lurches forward, throwing her arms around his neck loosely in a firm, gentle and warm hug. Her hand pats his back carefully before pulling back, her hands sliding down into his hands. "What are you doing here? I mean -- How did you get here? When did you get here? Why didn't you say anything!" she bombarded him excitedly with questions before she squeezes his hands, curious to know what had been going on with his life.

For a split second, she glanced down and saw his hands covered in tattoos. Miyeon gasped with intrigue and awe. "Oh my god, you got tattoos." She whispers to him, tilting her head up to gaze up at him with the scrunch of her nose.

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@cho miyeon The restaurant was rather lively with a good portion of the small restaurant having it's tables filled with chattering locals. Jungkook found it quite nice how lively the atmosphere was and best of all how the attention was off him which wasn't the case living in the big city. His gaze however was settled on his phone as he scrolled through his feed just wanting to keep up on what was going on in the entertainment industry.

In front of him sat a glass of wine he had been indulging in he really couldn't deny that the wine Wineport had to offer was really one of the best out there. He was rather proud knowing that he came from this small town a town with such friendly people and amazing wine. Next to the glass of wine sat a bowl of soup, the restaurant's soup special of the day which was very amazing there was so much depth in the soup while also comforting in a way.

However as if it was fate Jungkook lifted his gaze, his eyes growing in size while his brows furrowed at the familiar figure of a female. The familiar face bringing back so many memories for him from childhood he would of laughed had he not been so shocked to see someone from his past. His lips quickly grew into a grin as his gaze followed her lips as she seemed to exclaim his name.

"Miyeon?!" He shouted only to let his gaze quickly come to the restaurant not at all surprised to find eyes looking back at him. He quickly excused himself with a bow as he shot up from his seat afraid that Miyeon would maybe disappear, making sure to take his phone with him before jogging outside of the restaurant to where Miyeon was, a bright smile quickly settling on Jungkook's lips as his gaze met her, his eyes lighting up. "It's really you oh my god it's been so long!" He exclaimed as he stood in front of her taking in her appearance as joy filled him tempted to hug her however unsure if it would be acceptable.

@jeon jungkook "Sherry! You spoiled brat, where are you?" Miyeon huffed deeply as she placed her hands on her hips and gazed around for a moment. The breeze blows past her in a ghostly manner, pushing her bangs back while a look of gentle annoyance etches upon her face. Miyeon wasn't a bad dog owner. No --- quite the opposite. Sherry was a beagle dog, a puppy when she adopted her from a rescue and had been treating her like a princess since.

Spoiled? Sure. Deserved? Of course.

But because of Sherry's love of free food, pets and hugs, she was suceptible to being "dognapped". Lifting her hand, Miyeon scratches her eyebrow in defeat before she turns around to face the Restaurant Merlot. Her eyes scanned over the words painted on the window. Raising her brows, she hummed and nodded. "Special soup of the day..." she says, becoming distracted from the search, interested in what the establishment had to offer.

The growl of her stomach shook her insides and as she tilts her head, murmuring to herself; catches the gaze of someone familiar. At first, she couldn't tell who it was. Her eyes blinked, just as round as his. To make sure he was actually staring at her through the window, she looks over her shoulder then looks back at him. "Huh." she scoffs softly before her eyes squint.

That couldn't be ---

"Jungkook!?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening further as her hand covers . A dear old childhood friend, someone she though she'd never see again, sitting just on the otherside of the window.

@sammy kim Instead of being upset by the foreseen rejection, the older male conveys his praise with a smile and a slight nod of his head, "a man with integrity. Forgive me for seemingly forcing you to accept the deal, Mr. Kim," he paused when a waiter served his drink, a smile and a 'thank you' are given in response before continuing, "actually I've wanted to donate a sum of money earlier but I left my cheque," tattooed hand reach for the inner pocket of his coat, where a ten million won cheque folded in half is presented, "it's not much but I hope it can be of help," the cheque is placed on the counter before Sammy, "and I wasn't testing you either, should you thought about it."

And before Sammy could possibly reject the donation, Rico added, "I've been doing this for other small businessnes as well so please don't feel indebted and please accept it. It's a part of my SCR. I hope I can meet the owners one of these days," a few sips of wine was enjoyed. Gentle gaze then darted towards the other's face, wanting to have a better look since he didn't get the chance earlier at the bakery.

@rico kim Sammy had smiled briefly at the other was he approached him to join him at the bar. "No no. I haven't been here long." He said as he watched the other carefully until he began to speak again. He had decided to just listen this time until he couldn't hide the face he had made at the man's suggestion. "I-- Listen, sir, I appreciate your sudden interest in me, but I--" He tried to think of a way to make sure his rejection was firm. He smiled a little as he looked down at his drink.

"Here is what I think would be a better idea. Support the current bakery." He glanced at Rico to gauge his reaction. "Let's be realistic here, sir. You have no interest in an actual bakery. You just want to make more money. Why waste money for someone who clearly doesn't care about baking? Support a local business instead. Support the bakery." Sammy may have gotten a bit heated and his face flushed a little. "Sorry... I went on a tangent..."

@sammy kim Persuasion isn't Rico's strong suit, especially in business. But that isn't going to stop him from trying with a different approach. Earlier, he met a promising, good looking man at a bakery, whom happened to want to own, not just any bakery, but the one he works at, for himself. When the owner refused, Rico made a generous offer which was to get him his own bakery. The refusal was expected but Rico pondered if he could use a different tactic.

As the older male approached the other, a smile adorned his face, hand brushing the right side of his bangs back, only for it to fall back into place, "I hope I didn't make you wait that long, Mr. Kim," his tone apologetic. A hand raised for a waiter, and an order of a glass of wine is placed, "I'd like to apologize for asking you to come and meet me. I'd like for you to hear me out Mr. Kim and I'll make it quick," he pushes his glasses back when it tilted down, "what if I opened up a bakery with you as the manager?"

@rico kim Why did he agree to another meeting? Why the hell was the older man so god damn attractive? Good looking men will always be his weakness. He groaned a little as he just knew this meeting was going to be all about the business proposal again. The entire scenario can just play in his head. The older man was very persistent though. What was his name again? Reese? Ricky? He sighed a little as he shook his head at the fact he forgot the man's name.

The bartender placing down the wine glass Sammy had just ordered. He glanced around as he awaited for the other to come. Checking his phone to see the time. "Just say you aren't interested and head home to sleep..." He said as he mumbled to himself as he tried to formulate his rejection.