Kanji's Rules of Love: Rule 3

"Uhh…"

They were standing outside a modest Asian restaurant. Minho had called up all the upscale restaurants he knew for a dinner reservation but to his horror, everything was full. They could not even accommodate the most influential man in the country due to the sudden influx of foreign guests thanks to several government seminars taking place all over the country.

After failing to get a reservation for the hundredth time, Gayoon spoke up. "Why don't we go to my usual spot? The food is great there!"

Her usual spot turned out to be a streetside local food shop. It was situated right outside the downtown marketplace. It was a small shack and probably offered cheap food. The very thought of what sort of food the place might serve was making Minho cringe a little from the inside.

"Are you sure you want to eat here?" Minho frowned.

"The food is amazing here!" Gayoon exclaimed. "I'm sure you've never tasted anything this good before!"

Looking at the shack's hygiene practice, he wondered if it would turn out to be his last meal. But there were no other restaurants which were accommodating his request at that hour and there was little choice. Gayoon was no doubt getting hungry and tired.

"Let's go," she said. 

"Wait!" 

She paused in her steps. Minho stored over to her, taking off his blazer and handing it to her.

"Wear this," he said. 

"Why?" 

"Just wear it!" he said, sounding a little annoyed. Gayoon was confused but took the blazer and wore it over her shoulders. I'm not feeling cold though, she thought. 

Minho glanced at some of the men behind them who were ogling at Gayoon. The woman did not realize that her dress was attracting attention from the lechers around her. Minho was not worried about any pervert misbehaving with her, knowing fully well that she could probably take down a guy twice her size. 

He just did not want to end up paying the medical bills for the guy she would beat up.

They entered the shop and to Minho's surprise, it did not look as shabby as it did from the outside. It was small but cozy. The tables were kept clean and tidy while the customers were less too. There were no shady looking people but rather quite ordinary citizens who were enjoying a good meal with their family and friends.

"This place is owned by a widow of a police officer," Gayon told him. "Her husband was very well respected around here. After he passed away, a few of us helped her to build this restaurant. Since then, it has become a sort of a hub for us to hang out at. Which is why you won't see any hooligans hanging around here."

"You come here a lot?" Minho asked as they took a seat.

"Yeah, Taejoon and I stop by whenever we're nearby," Gayoon chatted. "Ahjumma here serves the best beef rib soup!"

"Taejoon?" Minho asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your partner?"

"Yeah," Gayoon replied. 

"You two are close?"

"We are," she nodded. "We've been partners for the past five years. He's a very capable detective."

She did not realize Minho's face was beginning to form a scowl.

"You seem to hang a lot around him," he remarked.

"We're partners!" Gayoon stated. "Of course I spend a lot of time with him. He's one of those people who truly appreciate my capability as a detective."

Minho could not understand why but he was feeling inexplicably irritated by this Taejoon. It seemed that the guy was a little too friendly with Gayoon.

"Let's order," he said shortly. Gayoon blinked at his change in tone but could not figure out what was going on in his head. 

Before she could ask, a friendly looking woman in her mid forties approached them.

"Gayoon!" she exclaimed. "You're here! And who is this?"

"Soojin ahjumma!" Gayoon greeted. She stood up and bowed. "This is Hwang Minho."

She pointed at Minho, who slightly bowed as well. Soojin bowed back and smiled. Her eyes twinkled at the pair who seemed like they were on a date. She was going to ask Gayoon more about this man later.

"What would you guys like to order?" Soojin asked politely, handing them the menu.

"A salad for me," Minho said.

"That's it?" Gayoon asked. "That's not gonna fill up your stomach!"

"I don't eat much," Minho said.

"But the beef rib soup is amazing here!" Gayoon insisted. "Try it! Please?"

She pleaded at him with her large eyes, looking like a puppy trying to appease its master. Minho averted her eyes, trying not to give in but Gayoon only craned her neck to force him to see her.

"Oh come on!" she begged. "It'll look weird if I eat all the food while you eat close to nothing!"

"How much are you planning to eat?" he asked in horror.

"A lot!"

Minho was mortified. Was her stomach a dumpster of some kind?

"Ahjumma, bring a salad and beef rib stew for him," Gayoon ordered. "As for me. I want a large bowl of beef ramyun, a bowl of beef rib stew, two plates of takoyaki with sticky rice, mashed potatoes and your special rice pudding."

Minho stared at her in astonishment. Was she really going to eat all that? Judging by her tiny frame, one could never guess she ate that much.

"We have a pay first rule here," Soojin informed him. 

Minho took out his credit card. "Pay it with this," he shrugged. 

Soojin stared at it. "Uhh…" she began. "We don't take cards here. Only cash."

Minho stared at her. No cards? But he always used cards!

"Err…" 

Gayoon realized his dilemma. Being the high profile businessman he was, he would never carry cash nor visit places which took cash. People like him always relied on cards.

"I'll pay the bill!" she offered.

"No-" Minho began to say but she cut through.

"Relax!" she shrugged. "I'm a regular here. I always carry change. This dinner is on me, alright? Think of it as a token of appreciation for helping us out with the Shawn case."

She smiled at him and took out her purse to pay Soojin. The latter suppressed a snicker as Minho looked like a million bricks fell on him.

Rule 3: Error 101.