Tuesdays weren’t meant to be that crowded. Maybe a full seat by the bar and three to five full tables on the floor and that was it. But it had been Halloween, a Western festivity that somehow made its way to Hong Kong. Siwan wasn’t complaining though. In a few hours, he made bank with just tips and all he did was reach top-shelf gin and shake up some mint julep. There were a lot of couples too and that meant Siwan was off the hook when it came to making small talk. Not that he hated it, but if another guy made another lewd joke at one of their waitresses, Siwan would be in jail for grave assault.
He clocked out 15 minutes earlier, already spotting Heng and his skinny tie. It was his ‘signature look’, but if the floor manager caught him not adhering to bar policies, he would probably be kicked out. Siwan decided to change his shirt on the way, calculating the time he would get there if he took the train versus a cab. He didn’t want to be late; it wasn’t a job interview but it wouldn’t make a good impression. He gambled with a cab, pushing his head out of a soft sweater. He probably smelled like alcohol and smoke after his shift and Siwan shook his hair out, mumbling a soft apology to the cab driver as he rubbed alcogel on his wrists and hands. Honestly, he would do his neck too, but he wasn’t sure if that was safe.
Siwan was late either way, arriving 10 minutes later. His face was full of apologies once again, squinting through the change of lighting from the dark cab to the pleasantly-lighted interior of the café. There was a group of students by the entrance and Siwan smiled to himself, wondering what it would feel like to be part of something like that, but he pushed the thoughts away once he spotted who he was looking for.
“Hello,” he greeted in Cantonese, hand resting on the back of the chair across the other. “Sorry I was late, I got held up at the intersection,” he switched back to Korean, unsure if his new friend would be more comfortable with that. “Im Siwan.” Extending his right hand, Siwan’s smile stretching wider.
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He clocked out 15 minutes earlier, already spotting Heng and his skinny tie. It was his ‘signature look’, but if the floor manager caught him not adhering to bar policies, he would probably be kicked out. Siwan decided to change his shirt on the way, calculating the time he would get there if he took the train versus a cab. He didn’t want to be late; it wasn’t a job interview but it wouldn’t make a good impression. He gambled with a cab, pushing his head out of a soft sweater. He probably smelled like alcohol and smoke after his shift and Siwan shook his hair out, mumbling a soft apology to the cab driver as he rubbed alcogel on his wrists and hands. Honestly, he would do his neck too, but he wasn’t sure if that was safe.
Siwan was late either way, arriving 10 minutes later. His face was full of apologies once again, squinting through the change of lighting from the dark cab to the pleasantly-lighted interior of the café. There was a group of students by the entrance and Siwan smiled to himself, wondering what it would feel like to be part of something like that, but he pushed the thoughts away once he spotted who he was looking for.
“Hello,” he greeted in Cantonese, hand resting on the back of the chair across the other. “Sorry I was late, I got held up at the intersection,” he switched back to Korean, unsure if his new friend would be more comfortable with that. “Im Siwan.” Extending his right hand, Siwan’s smile stretching wider.