After paying off his debts, Lee Heewoo’s steps as he commuted to the soup restaurant for several days were light. Of course, it was partly thanks to the accumulated stamina from working fewer hours than before, but more than anything, the greatest factor was being able to sleep with his legs stretched out now that his emotional debt had been reduced.
“Oh, Heewoo came? Perfect timing. The kkakdugi ran out, so refill it for me.”
At the boss’s errand that fell before he could even take off his coat, Heewoo hurriedly took off his padding and put it inside, then came back out. Then he began filling the side dish containers set outside with generous amounts of kkakdugi using tongs with a wide mouth.
The loan shark’s attitude when he paid off his debt a few days ago still bothered him, but nevertheless, Heewoo tried to conduct himself with composure. He was no longer a debtor, and even if the loan shark found out he was a Guide, it wouldn’t be a problem. He’d paid off all his remaining debts, so for what reason would the loan shark harm him? If that happened, he could now confidently report to the police.
Around the time the large side dish container was almost completely filled with kkakdugi, the boss called Heewoo.
“Heewoo. Heewoo!”
“Yes, ah, yes?”
“Why are you so spaced out? Take this to table 2.”
At the boss’s call, Heewoo, who barely came to his senses, transferred two bowls of sizzling soup onto the serving tray. When he pushed the tray and went out to the hall, he saw table 2 where two people, a man and a woman, were sitting in the fairly bustling restaurant. It was when he was carefully setting down the earthenware pots in front of the man and woman.
Ding-a-ling…
A familiar bell sound rang. It meant a new customer had entered, but Heewoo, who was moving the earthenware pots, couldn’t turn his eyes and only spoke.
“Welcome.”
He greeted them quietly and organized the tray, but for some reason the atmosphere was subtle. The eyes of the customers in front of him were directed behind Heewoo, toward where the customer who had just entered was standing. It wasn’t just the man and woman in front of him whose gazes were drawn. All the customers in the restaurant were looking toward the door.
In the subtly sunken atmosphere, Heewoo also slowly turned around and looked at the customers who had entered a moment ago. Then he saw an outfit that had become quite familiar. It was the distinctive jumpsuit that Espers were said to wear. One Esper and one civilian standing beside themโa total of two people stood in front of the door.
Since it was a jumpsuit that had been officially shown on the news before, most ordinary people now knew that those wearing those clothes were Espers. Of course, since Heichi didn’t wear that jumpsuit, there were many people who didn’t know he was an Esper even when he passed by.
Separate from the concentrated gazes, Heewoo tried to greet the customers with a calm attitude. It was when Heewoo, who had approached them, was about to ask exactly how many were in their party.
“Two…”
“Ah, get out, get out.”
Suddenly the boss, who had been in the kitchen, burst out. The boss waved one hand and spoke as if telling the Esper and the person beside them to go outside.
“We’re not doing business.”
“What?”
When there were so many people eating inside the restaurant, suddenly they weren’t doing businessโHeewoo also looked at the boss with a puzzled face. The person next to the Esper, who appeared to be a Guide, was also looking at the boss with an incredulous expression. Nevertheless, the boss didn’t care.
“I said we don’t have soup to give you, so get out.”
“Ha, really…”
“Why? This is a soup restaurant, so why is there no soup?”
The Esper seemed not to understand this situation at all. Probably only the Guide beside them seemed to understand the situation, and they left the restaurant with angry steps, openly showing their displeasure. The Esper also tilted their head and soon followed that Guide out.
After driving them out, the boss, who had somehow become triumphant, placed hands on hips and muttered as if for everyone to hear.
“I can’t sell my soup to filthy Espers and Guide bastards. As if there’s nowhere else to go, how dare they come to my restaurant…”
The muttering voice was quite loud, so not only Heewoo but all the customers nearby heard what the boss said. Even though Heewoo felt the atmosphere wasn’t very good, the boss repeated the same words as if nothing was wrong. Most of it was saying that they terribly hated Espers and Guides.
As the atmosphere flowed strangely, several customers who were finishing their meals hurriedly put down their utensils and got up from their seats. Heewoo stood in the middle of the restaurant and glanced at the boss muttering with an angry face, then headed to the register. As soon as the payment was finished, customers left in a line.
Heewoo, who had known the boss didn’t have good feelings toward Espers and Guides but didn’t know they hated them enough to drive out customers who came, closed his lips. He was worried about what would happen if they found out he was a Guide. Since he hadn’t been working at the soup restaurant for very long, it seemed more than likely he’d be fired immediately.
“Ugh, filthy bastards. As if there’s nowhere else to leech off.”
Even after all the customers left, the boss kept stomping around, expressing anger about something that made them so mad. Heewoo, who at first had been scared of being found out as a Guide, now began to worry whether something had happened to the boss. Heewoo, who was wiping utensils, read the situation and carefully asked.
“Boss, did something happen…?”
“…What happened, what. It’s not something for Heewoo to worry about, so never mind.”
The boss often treated Heewoo like a child and acted as if there was nothing to say, and it seemed to be that kind of situation this time too. Heewoo, who didn’t gain much, also didn’t speak to the boss anymore and organized the wiped utensils one by one. Soon it would be 4 PM, time to get off work.
“Heewoo, you also hate Guides and stuff like that, right?”
“Yes, y-yes…?”
“Espers and Guides. You hate things like that, right?”
“…”
He tried to pass it off as if he’d misheard, but the boss persistently demanded an answer. It was almost as if they were trying to verify Heewoo’s ideology. Heewoo, who hesitated, nodded his head just slightly enough that the movement couldn’t be seen, answering ambiguously. In his true heart, he was a Guide himself, so how could he hate Espers and Guides?
“I thought so.”
At Heewoo’s answer, the boss smiled with satisfaction. That boss seemed strange somehow, but in the end, the shift change time approached without being able to ask in more detail. Heewoo, who took off his apron, went inside and came out with his things.
“Heewoo, take care.”
“Yes… Thank you.”
“Don’t get any strange ideas.”
“…Pardon?”
“No, never mind. Take care.”
Looking at the boss who was particularly strange today, Heewoo bowed at the waist and went outside. Then he saw a familiar face. It was Heichi.
“D-did you wait long? It must be cold…”
Heewoo reached out toward Heichi with an apologetic face. Though it was still a lukewarm temperature hand, perhaps because it had been exposed outside for quite a while, the temperature was lower than usual. Heewoo blew hoo hoo breath on that hand and held it tightly with his own hands.
Still, after going to the jjimjilbang, skinship had become more natural than before. Thanks to that, the two literally held hands whenever they had time, and Heewoo wasn’t uncomfortable with it anymore. Rather, after precisely recognizing that contact with him kept him alive, he was eager to touch him first.
It was when they were walking hand in hand toward Cafe Bonita like that. An alarm rang from Heewoo’s phone that he’d put in his pocket and a text arrived.
๐ถโ๏ธ ๐
Sender: Cafe Bonita Owner
Heewoo, I have to go to a funeral home today, so I’ll be taking the day off. ๐๐ Sorry for telling you suddenly
Upon receiving the text, Heewoo showed a slightly flustered and disappointed expression. He was already anxious because his income had decreased a lot recently, and now a day off. Just as he was sighing, one more text arrived.
๐ถโ๏ธ ๐
Sender: Cafe Bonita Owner
I’ll include today’s hourly wage, so rest well and see you tomorrow! ๐๐
Heewoo’s complexion brightened as he finished checking his phone. Heichi, who had been sneaking glances at Heewoo’s screen from beside him, asked.
“Today there’s no more part-time work?”
“Right…! The boss said she’s taking the day off today.”
At those words, Heichi pulled the hand he was holding with Heewoo and changed the direction they were going. As they turned onto a different road instead of toward Bonita, Heewoo looked up at Heichi with a puzzled face.
“Today I’ll buy you something delicious.”
“Huh… You will, Heichi?”
“You bought for me before, didn’t you, Mr. Lee Heewoo?”
The two people’s clasped hands slipped into a coat pocket. Though the two had quite a height difference, throughout the walk Heichi continued their gentle conversation while keeping his gaze fixed on Heewoo as if there was no problem.
“What’s the menu?”
“It’s called sushi, do you know it? It’s food with fish on top of rice gripped into a round shape.”
“I know! I-I haven’t tried it though…”
Since most of Heewoo’s experiences with new food were from school meals, he hadn’t really tried food that didn’t appear in school meals. Sushi was one of them. When Heewoo spoke as if embarrassed, Heichi gripped his hand a bit tighter and said.
“I also haven’t tried it.”
Those words felt warm for no reason. Heichi probably hadn’t eaten sushi not because he lacked money like Heewoo, but he was being considerate so that Heewoo, who hadn’t tried it because of poverty, wouldn’t be embarrassed. Heewoo’s face flushed red with slight embarrassment and pleasant fluttering.
Heewoo thought he wished only days like today would continue. Peaceful days where trivial happiness continued. And he hoped Heichi would be by his side.
“So today, at the restaurant… …huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
Heewoo, who had been chattering away gathering the relatively interesting things that had happened today, suddenly closed his lips. It was because Heichi’s complexion, which was unusually quiet today, seemed strange somehow.
“Heichi.”
However, what Heewoo found strange wasn’t just his complexion.
“Why…”
Behind his back, a familiar intangible energy was undulating.
