New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 973: A Quick Lunch Break



Reaching the little restaurant didn't take too long, even though time felt like it had slowed to a crawl, with their attentions all enraptured by the local sights.

But, as they reached it and parked the four vans, the locals' attention also suddenly gravitated towards them. It wasn't every day they saw four vans roll up with so many foreigners walking out of them, after all.

As the group almost all felt the weight of the stares, Jin-Sil smiled at them and pushed them forward.

"Ignore them. They see white people often enough that they shouldn't be acting like this. It's probably just the size of the group that makes them curious. Once inside the restaurant, we'll be left in peace."

Pushing them inside, Jin-Sil pushed her way through them and to the reception counter.

"Annyeong. Yeon Jin-Sil-ilaneun ileum-eulo 12myeong yeyaghalyeogo iljjig jeonhwahaess- eoyo. Yeong-eo seobeoleul yocheonghal su issnayo? Uli geulub-eun geoui yeong-eoman sayonghabnida," she spoke, her words flowing rapidly.

The older woman at the counter bowed before gesturing to her right wordlessly.

In moments, the group was brought to a small private room, with enough room to sit sixteen people and then some, where the older woman motioned for them to enter, before bowing and leaving.

"That was almost awkwardly silent..." Alex commented, as he passed before Jin-Sil.

He paused a bit as he entered the room, uncertain what to do next.

Before him was a long rectangular table, but it was only a foot off the ground, with no chairs in sight. In their stead, lots of thick, comfy-looking cushions lay about around the table, and around the room.

"Um... I don't want to sound uncultured, but is this normal?" Alex asked.

Jin-Sil chuckled while Kary snickered at him, passing by him and sitting at the end of the table to the left.

"It's a traditional Soban table. They are low because you are supposed to sit on the ground. The cushions are comfortable enough for seating, and the floors are heated for maximum comfort," she explained, sitting diagonally to Kary.

Violette almost rushed to sit next to Kary, before David sat to Alex's right, his face a disinterested grimace.

"We should hurry up and eat so we can get to the hunt. Remember. The longer we push this back, the higher the risk of local authorities trying to handle it themselves, and all hell breaking loose," he grumbled.

"Hey, we all need food in our stomachs. Fighting on empty stomachs is also a risky factor, David," Alex argued, as he sat under the table.

He was a bit awkward as he did so, eliciting a few chuckles around the table from the others who were more versed in Korean sub-culture, but nothing enough to humiliate him.

Kary seemed the most dignified aside from Jin-Sil, and Alex could tell her eternal love for K- Dramas was paying off here, but he held from commenting on it.

Once everyone was seated, a light knock on the door echoed before a young male server entered, his appearance making the girls around the table raise an eyebrow while the guys shook their heads.

"Good morning, respectful guests," he said, in the most delicate voice Alex had ever heard in a man, as he bowed a little.

"My name is Choi Jun-Seo. I will be your server today. Since it is early lunchtime, is there anything I could get to you to fill the wait until our kitchen is ready to launch a big order? Some drinks? Appetizers maybe?" he asked, looking at them with a courteous smile.

Jin-Sil winked at Kary, whispering to her, "He lives up to his name, I'll say that much, hi hi." Kary became confused for a moment, since she didn't know what the young man's name meant, but, to Jin-Sil's right, Rì-Chū grounded his teeth as he glared at the young man.

Jin-Sil saw this and blushed a bit, realizing he was acting jealous. She refrained from pouring oil over this fire, but couldn't help but throw some discreet glances at their server.

His tall but slim frame was almost effeminate by Western standards, but was all the rage in Asia. And with his pearly white smile and unblemished skin, Alex could only assume he was a wild hit with the young Korean ladies.

Alex was about to say that they were fine with waiting, but David cut him off.

"What's the legal age to drink in South Korea?" he asked, almost roughly.

The young man looked at him, his gaze almost piercing, regardless of his gentle smile, as he answered, "Nineteen, sir. Did you wish to start your meal with some local spirits or beers?" David looked around the table, making a quick count, and grinned.

"Yes. We'll have six local beers to start, and the young ones can grab whatever drink they want."

Jin-Sil clicked her tongue, grimacing at him.

'He could have lied about my age, bastard. I'm almost nineteen...' she thought.

The server scribbled down the beers on his notepad, before looking at the younger ones, starting at Violette, who was closest to the end of the table.

"I know we haven't brought menus yet, young lady, but could I recommend something for you? Would that be okay?" he asked, his smile becoming even gentler.

Violette felt the tip of her ears heat up as her heart skipped a beat. She nodded sheepishly, keeping her mouth shut, lest she bite her tongue and make a fool out of herself.

"Very well. I think you would like something sweet but floral. We have a cherry blossom and byeonggyul fruit cocktail, which I'm sure you'll like. It's lovely, a bit tangy, and has a soft floral aftertaste."

Violette nodded again, accepting his recommendation, before he passed to the next person over.

In barely a minute, he had made recommendations to all the younger ones for drinks, varying from fruit cocktails to local soft drinks, and no one questioned his assumptions.

Once he was done noting everything down, the young man bowed again, and left the room backwards, closing the door behind him.

Alex did a satisfied grimace.

"At least the service was peerless. Putting aside that they sent us Mr. Korea over here, making all the heads spin, I'd say we are off to a good start."