A warm smile greeted Dravin as Siena opened her apartment door.
"Dravin… what's up?"
"How'd it go? Is your electricity fixed?"
Siena looked weary, her heavy-lidded eyes suggested she was exhausted from tidying up.
"I bought some beef rib soup earlier. Do you want to eat with me?"
Her face lit up, and the way she pressed her lips together told Dravin she was trying to resist the temptation.
"I bought two portions because I knew you'd be tired after cleaning. Come on, I insist." Dravin offered a playful smile, stepping toward his door. He knew Siena would be shy if he didn't press the issue.
"W–wait…" Siena yelped, running inside her apartment, then returning with a bowl of boiled sweet potatoes. "I boiled these earlier. Do you want some? I feel bad always being the one who receives."
Dravin smirked. "Sure. Come on. We can eat those as dessert later."
Once they were inside Dravin's apartment, he quickly moved his belongings off the kitchen table, with Siena helping.
"Are you a photographer?" Her question came as she spotted the box of camera gear.
"Used to be," Dravin said simply, smiling. He then moved to the stove to ladle the rib soup into two serving bowls.
The earthy aroma of nutmeg and cardamom wafted from the steam as he scooped the broth.
He placed four pieces of beef ribs in each bowl, followed by small diced potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes.
Now he began to understand why the rib soup stall was so popular.
The thick, marrow-rich broth, seasoned with aromatic spices, could easily feel heavy and cloying.
However, the acidic juice from the diced tomato balanced that heaviness, lending a fresh taste.
This would make excellent, heart-warming comfort food.I should definitely add it to his menu later.
He carried the bowls over one by one and sat across from Siena, who was peeling the sweet potatoes.
"Let's eat while it's hot," Dravin invited.
"Where did you buy it?"
"That stall is packed in the block near my studio. But after all this time, I only got to try it on my last day there," Dravin explained.
"Are you quitting?" Siena blurted out.
Dravin just nodded, sipping his soup. Siena followed suit, beginning to eat. He wondered how he should go about offering the job.
"I'm stopping being a family photographer because I want to try a new business. I'm going to open my own restaurant."
"Whoa… That's cool." She beamed with excitement. "No wonder your cooking is good. Did you study? Or is it a talent? Where will you open it?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Of course I'm— Let's just say I found my hidden talent." He almost said he was a Le Cordon Bleu graduate. "It will be located at the Amethyst block, right in front of Red Leaf University."
Dravin continued eating, belatedly noticing that Siena's expression had turned serious, bordering on shocked.
"Am—Amethyst? Ah… you must be well off, then." She flinched. "Ah, I mean… I didn't mean to judge you for living in this two-rate apartment like me. Ah… I'm sorry… I… Ugh… What am I even saying? Sorry, Dravin…"
"I got a sponsor," he clarified. "And you didn't misjudge me. I'm not well off. Let's just say I've been having a run of good luck lately." He forced a smile, making it seem genuinely accepting of his lucky fate.
The anxiety on Siena's face eased into relief, and then she smiled.
"Congratulations, Dravin. I'm really happy to hear that."
"That being said, do you want to work with me? You said you're looking for a job. I need a restaurant manager and a cashier. Your business administration background seems like a good fit."
"Huh? How did you know I majored in business administration?"
The air thickened. Siena's question nearly made Dravin choke. Shit. I let that slip.
"Huh? Didn't you tell me?" Dravin dodged the question.
"Huh? Did I? When?"
"This morning, when you were talking about your grandmother. You mentioned that business administration majors have trouble finding work."
Siena's eyes darted, confused. Dravin used the fact that she had mentioned having trouble finding work.
"Really? I only remember saying I had trouble finding a job."
Hmm… She might be clumsy, but her memory is good, Dravin mused inwardly.
"Maybe you didn't realize you said it because you were so excited talking about your grandmother."
Siena didn't answer and continued swirling her soup.
Dravin felt a prick of guilt for manipulating her memory.
But the fact that Siena was still contemplating meant she wasn't easily fooled, either.
Not too bad. The only thing too bad here is that Dravin is just that good at manipulating people.
"But whatever, how do you say? Are you in?"
"Is… is that okay?"
"What wouldn't be okay? I'm offering you the job because I genuinely think you're a good fit."
"I… I'm… Uh... A manager-cashier is the face of the restaurant. I'm… you know, I'm not pretty. And I'm not good at talking, either. I—"
"Sorry to say, but I am the face of the restaurant, and I'll be doing most of the talking and representing the place. I chose you because I need someone I know that I can trust. It's harder to find someone trustworthy than someone to doll up. If you accept this job, you can invite your grandma sooner. You can even invite her to our opening party and eat there together. How? Sounds good, right?"
Dravin laughed internally; this situation was absurd. This had to be the first time an employer had to sell himself just to persuade an employee.
Siena bit her lower lip, then took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll join you. Thank you, and please take care of me, Boss." She gave a slight bow to Dravin.
"Call me Chef!" He commanded proudly.
They shook hands, smiling with mutual relief and joy.
Several minutes passed with the clinking of spoons against bowls as Dravin and Siena heartily finished their rib soups.
Dravin continued discussing her job description with Siena and soliciting her opinions on efficient cash register systems for a restaurant.
Siena lamented that the cash register machines on the market in District 6 didn't have the feature to immediately integrate with customer member data to apply discounts.
Dravin meticulously noted Siena's opinion so he could enter the prompt into ShopaLyfe later.
After they were finished and Dravin cleared the dirty dishes to the sink, Siena was ready to leave.
"Ah, Siena, wait," Dravin called just before she closed his door.
"Yes?"
"You're cute."
"Huh?" She blushed.
"That was my first impression when we met in front of the supermarket. I think you're fine as is. Just have some confidence in yourself." He smiled widely at her before continuing to wash the dirty dishes.
The door closed, followed by Dravin's smirk. He was certain Siena's face was now as red as a boiled crab.