The Stall Owner

He worked diligently and quietly, cutting down various meats for other menu items and stocking his small fridge with drinks. It wasn't until four after lunch that he finished his work and was finally ready to start his business. By then, everyone else was ready and opened up.

"Where are my keys?" he thought.

Patting his pockets down, he felt Liu Yang's business card and took it out, retrieving his keys from another pocket. He glanced at it but thought little of the card, putting it under the counter.

"Alright, time to get to work. It's the weekend so let's make the best of it!"

He put on a cap to keep his hair out of the way and waited patiently, checking over his wares and making sure everything was working.

And his stall officially opened.

Right out of the gate, it had become busy in moments as customers came up to him.

"Let me get two beef skewers! Make it spicy too!"

"You got it!"

"Oooh, you do grilled chicken wings? Can I get two orders to go?"

"Sure!"

"Owner! I'd like a beer and five lamb skewers! A small plate of salted peanuts too!"

"Okay!"

Each order was met with a quick response as he manned the stall by himself, skillfully turning the skewers and watching over his kitchen. He managed orders for take- out and those dining in front of him.

The sound of happy voices and laughter as everyone enjoyed themselves put him in a good mood.

"Oh wow, It's almost ten. That was pretty fast."

Wang Li glanced at the time before looking out into the street, there was a constant stream of people walking through the market. Compared to before, there were fewer customers but there were still plenty of them.

"Is that the stall? That guy working by himself?"

From afar, the three friends looked at his stall with interest.

"Yes, it's crowded and popular, can we just go now?"

Liu Yang turned just a quarter of the way only to be turned back by her two friends.

"No, no, we're here now so we're going to eat here. You can't back out of this one."

Rou Ming looked at her firmly as she and Hua Lee each grabbed Liu Yang by the arm and walked to the stall.

Coming closer, Hua Lee's eyes closed in on Wang Li's face as she found him a bit strange.

"Where have I seen him before?" she thought.

Wang Li bent down and grabbed another box of skewers, standing up to find the three women seated by the counter. Of the three, Liu Yang was there although, she tried her best to avoid his look.

"Welcome! Here's a menu, please take your time!"

He chuckled inwardly while welcoming them, long noticing her behavior.

"I guess, she's still embarrassed from earlier", he thought.

Rou Ming looked at Hua Lee before glancing over to Liu Yang

"What do you want to order from here, Hua Lee?"

"I don't know... Maybe some of the meat skewers? What do you think, Liu Yang? You come here more than us, why don't you order for us too!"

The two women looked at her, still trying her best not to make eye contact with Wang Li.

"Agh, those two planned it all along!" she cursed herself for being too weak.

Looking up, she looked at her friends and could almost see the sneers behind their smiles. In that moment, she knew she was defeated here. Letting out a long and heavy sigh she called out to Wang Li, ordering without having to look at the menu.

"The Skewer King Platter with the peppers and salt, two orders of the chicken wings, one spicy and one normal, and three beers... please."

"Coming right up!"

Wang Li acknowledged the order and started preparing it, taking out three beers for them first.

Her order was quick as she sounded dejected with each word that came out of her mouth. Not even Rou Ming and Hua Lee would have expected her to order so quickly. Liu Yang didn't even pause to think.

They looked at the menu, reading through the items and muttered to each other in a bit of shock.

"It's here! The Skewer King Platter, the fried peppers, the chicken wings..."

"Just how often does she come here?"

Putting the menu down, they looked over at Liu Yang who saw their faces.

"What?"

She was too focused on avoiding eye contact to really hear what they said. Her two friends were silent, shaking their heads and quietly waiting for the food.

Meanwhile, Wang Li had already begun frying the chicken wings and peppers. On his side of the counter, he took out a large metal dish and placed it beside the grill, where he put in four of every type of skewer he had.

He worked almost too well, even taking on smaller orders while he dealt with this.

The first to be done were the peppers which he placed on a simple plate alongside a small bowl of salt. Following it was the fried chicken wings, one seasoned with salt and pepper, the other covered in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce.

"Wow, so quick. Come on, Liu Yang, you keep raving about the wings, go eat one!"

Trying to break the awkward atmosphere, Hua Lee grabbed a wing and began to eat while pushing the plate to her friend. Liu Yang gave her a look before taking one of the wings and eating it clean in one bite and taking a swig of her beer.

"I hate you two so much."

Hua Lee and Rou Ming looked at her with a grin.

"I mean it doesn't look like the owner even cared about earlier."

"Yeah, you don't have to avoid your favorite stall now!"

"Hmph, fine, fine."

Liu Yang looked at them with a pouty face while grabbing a pepper to bite. While those three reconciled over food, Wang Li glanced over to them while finishing up the Skewer King Platter, a metal dish with ninety- nine skewers piled high.

"There you go!"

He placed it in front of them and went back to work.

Four hours passed by in a flash as the three friends drank and talked to each other. By then it was two past midnight and Wang Li's stall only had these three left. The night market had grown calmer as only a few people wandered about.

"Ahhhh! I'm so glad! I don't have to avoid the stall! I'm so sorry, mister! I hope you're still okay with me eating here!"

Liu Yang cried out towards Wang Li as she drank her eighth bottle of beer. Her two friends only grinned at her with their third bottle in hand.

"God, she's such a drunkard!"

"Kind of makes you wonder if she's going to find someone yet."

Hua Lee and Rou Ming gave each other helpless looks before glancing over to Wang Li, who smiled at this.

"She's more or less one of my regulars. Besides, it's not as if people haven't passed out on my stall. It must be rough for you two", he chuckled, looking at the two.

"Ah never! It's like this every weekend. She gets drunk and we take her back."

Rou Ming responded, waving her hand as if to dismiss the comment.

"Is it now?" he smiled, looking at Liu Yang before cleaning up his stall.

However, Hua Lee looked at him, her eyes seemed to spark as she took another look of his face.

"You... Have I seen you before?" she asked.

He stopped and turned around to them, there was a look of surprise on his face.

"Wait a minute... Wang Li?"