“Um, Hyun-ssi, is the size by any chance…?”
“Ah…”
“Ah, I’m really sorry! I’ll go outside!”
Cha Hyunwoo floundered and then slammed the door shut. No, it’s really fine though. It was a bit funny how he closed the door as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. Although Lee Hyun’s body was on the thinner side compared to Kang Seojin, it had well-defined muscles in the right places, making it a decent body to look at. Although it wasn’t as broadly muscular as Cha Hyunwoo’s, it wasn’t something that couldn’t be seen.
I changed clothes without much concern and came back out.
“The size fits well.”
Only then did Cha Hyunwoo turn his head to look at me. I know Cha Hyunwoo is two years older than Lee Hyun, but he’s way too mild-mannered. Getting all upset like that just from seeing a part-timer’s bare body while running a business.
…Of course, it would be a different story if I were a woman. Hmm… thinking about it that way, it makes sense.
“Hyun-ssi…. I should have knocked before entering. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s really fine. You didn’t even see properly and left, right?”
I answered with a joke mixed in, but rather than the atmosphere lightening, it seemed to become even more rigid. Thinking we’d get more awkward at this rate, I quickly turned my attention elsewhere.
“Where’s the recipe book?”
“…Ah, here!”
Cha Hyunwoo handed me a thick recipe book. Looking through the recipe book, it was definitely a franchise, so there were many items. Still, the recipes weren’t difficult and most were variations of ones I’d made before, so it seemed like I could memorize them quickly.
“Where do you keep the lemon base?”
“Ah, that’s stored in the refrigerator down here. The spare is in that cupboard over there.”
I asked about things I was curious about and walked around here and there, learning the locations of items. When I tapped on the POS system, it wasn’t much different from what I’d used before. After looking through the store opening manual and closing manual, an hour had passed quickly.
“I’ll open now.”
“Yes.”
“Since it’s your first day today, ask anytime if you don’t know something. Though you seem like you’ll do well.”
I nodded at Cha Hyunwoo’s words. After opening, customers started coming in one by one.
“One strawberry yogurt smoothie, one green grape ade, four iced Americanos, one hot Americano, one iced café latte with an extra shot—is that correct?”
“Yes. Ah, and I’ll accumulate points.”
“Yes. Could you show me the barcode?”
“Here.”
“Yes, then I’ll help you with payment. Please insert your card in the front.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. We’ll call you by your order number.”
An hour after opening, customers started coming in endlessly. I was curious how Cha Hyunwoo had managed to handle this alone until now.
“Um, this…”
“Yes?”
A girl who looked a bit younger than Lee Hyun handed me a note. The note had a phone number written on it.
“Could you give this to the owner?”
“…Ah. Yes.”
So it wasn’t that Cha Hyunwoo’s hands were insanely fast, but that he had a face that offset complaints even when drinks came out late. I put the note in my apron pocket for now and took the next customer’s order. When orders briefly stopped, I helped Cha Hyunwoo, who was making drinks nonstop, churning out beverages.
“It’s really busy. Owner-nim, you need to make two more grapefruit ades.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you. The grapefruit syrup is…”
“Here. We’re out of sparkling water, right? I’ll get it.”
For three hours, it felt like we’d become a drink-making factory. The peak time when people flocked in like crazy only finally calmed down briefly after lunchtime ended.
“Good work. Want to take a 30-minute break?”
“…Yes.”
I nodded with a slightly overwhelmed face. Should I have looked for a café with a less handsome owner? Regret briefly crossed my mind, but what could I do? Saying GG after just one day of work didn’t suit my disposition.
I took off just my apron and hat and went outside the café. Not having eaten breakfast and moving busily for three hours, I was incredibly hungry. I was thinking of just buying some simple kimbap.
I went to a kimbap shop and got two rolls of pork cutlet kimbap wrapped up. How could I heartlessly buy only mine? On my way back to the café, I suddenly saw a familiar face.
Eun Haejin was at a window seat of another franchise café across from the kimbap shop, glaring at his laptop with two Americanos in front of him. He clearly pulled an all-nighter. Well, doing interview preparation and graduation thesis at the same time wouldn’t be easy.
From the look of it, with no food and just two Americanos sitting there, it seemed he’d just poured coffee into an empty stomach, and at this rate his stomach would be completely ruined. After a moment’s consideration, I decided to meddle once as a friend.
“May I help you with your order?”
“One sandwich, please.”
“Are you eating here?”
“Yes.”
The sandwich I ordered was an already-made product, so it came out quickly. I took the sandwich and plopped it down at Eun Haejin’s table.
“What’s this?”
“What do you mean what? Did you pull an all-nighter?”
“…Why are you here?”
“I’m working part-time near here, and I saw you on my way to buy food.”
“Food?”
Instead of answering Eun Haejin’s question, I shook the kimbap bag hanging on my wrist.
“Then what’s this?”
Eun Haejin asked, glaring at the sandwich.
“That’s your food.”
“What?”
“If you just pour coffee without eating, your stomach will be ruined. Eat this while you work. I’m leaving?”
“It’s fine. Take it back. I’m anyway—”
“It doesn’t have tomatoes.”
I know well that Eun Haejin can’t eat tomatoes. He fought with Jung Yoonseo over that in the novel. To be precise, they fought because he didn’t say he couldn’t eat them.
I winked playfully and got up from my seat.
“Hyung-a is leaving.”
“What? Hey!”
“Our Haejin, fighting! Hyung is rooting for you.”
Taking advantage of Eun Haejin staring blankly, I quickly left. I needed to go into the café now so I could stuff down the kimbap and work for the remaining two hours.
In the meantime, some customers had come to the café. Still, this much seemed manageable for Cha Hyunwoo alone, as he was skillfully taking orders. I greeted Cha Hyunwoo lightly with eye contact and slipped into the staff break room.
I unwrapped the packaged kimbap and put a piece in my mouth, chewing thoughtfully. I didn’t have expectations since I just bought it from any random place, but it tastes pretty good. I put three pieces at a time in my mouth, chewed and swallowed, quickly emptied one roll, then put on my apron and hat again, grabbed the remaining roll, and went inside the bar area.
“Did you eat something?”
Cha Hyunwoo, who had just finished making drinks and was doing a cash register reconciliation, asked.
“Yes. I ate kimbap. By any chance, is there anything you can’t eat among pork cutlet, egg, imitation crab, burdock root, carrot, and spinach?”
“No? But why?”
After watching Cha Hyunwoo counting money for a moment, I picked up a roll of kimbap and brought it near Cha Hyunwoo’s mouth.
“That’s good then. I bought it on my own, so I was worried there might be something you couldn’t eat.”
“Huh?”
Taking advantage of when Cha Hyunwoo slightly opened his mouth to make a flustered sound, I quickly stuffed the kimbap into his mouth. Cha Hyunwoo, who had unwittingly received the kimbap, looked at me bewilderedly.
I didn’t care and held up another piece of kimbap, waiting.
“You bought some for me too?”
“How could I heartlessly buy only mine? There’s loyalty.”
“Thank you. How much was it? I’ll pay you.”
“Owner-nim can repay me with something more delicious later.”
Only after feeding him another piece of kimbap did I hand over the chopsticks to Cha Hyunwoo.
“I’ll watch the counter for a moment, so go finish eating.”
“…I hired a good part-timer.”
“Of course.”
I grinned and retorted at Cha Hyunwoo’s words.
***
Two weeks had passed since I started working at Cha Hyunwoo’s café. In other words, Eun Haejin’s interview was coming up soon. Since that day we coincidentally ran into each other at the café, Eun Haejin had sent messages asking to meet briefly, but I’d somewhat ignored Eun Haejin’s contacts, saying I was busy with my part-time job.
Of course, there was also the hope that Eun Haejin would focus on the interview.
Do well on your interview today. Tell me about it after it’s over. You’ll pass.
Still, since it’s interview day, I should at least do this much. After sending the message, a reply came back shortly after.
If you don’t answer after the interview ends, you’re dead.
It was a brutal reply.
