“No, I was joking.”
“But you worked so hard today.”
“I won’t deny that, but drinking was a disaster I brought upon myself, so….”
“…How much did you drink yesterday?”
“Two bottles of soju and two cans of beer. …Not two bottles, one and a half.”
“…Mm. At your friend’s house?”
“Yes.”
Cha Hyunwoo opened and closed his mouth as if he had something to say. Is he going to lecture me? It’s okay to speak comfortably.
“Do you have something to say?”
“What?”
“You seem like you have something to say.”
At my words, Cha Hyunwoo hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a troubled expression.
“No, it’s really nothing….”
“Yes. But?”
“…Did you stay over at your friend’s place yesterday?”
“Ah, yes.”
The question was bland. Like earlier, my condition today seemed really bad. Though considering how much I drank yesterday, it was close to a miracle that I came in for opening shift.
“Am I in bad shape today?”
“No?”
Cha Hyunwoo’s eyes widened slightly. He emphasized again that it wasn’t like that at all, as if that absolutely wasn’t his intention, and Cha Hyunwoo looked particularly gentle. He seemed to have a gentle personality originally anyway.
“You asked if I stayed at my friend’s place.”
“…Mm, because you’re wearing the same clothes as when I saw you last night.”
Cha Hyunwoo’s ears turned red as if embarrassed. Cha Hyunwoo was the type whose face and ears easily flushed when embarrassed, so I could roughly figure out what he was thinking. Right now, he’s probably thinking about pointing out my clothes, right? Anyway, he seemed to have a good eye. Eun Haejin’s clothes were just basic black tees with nothing particularly special, yet he still recognized them.
I was about to just shrug it off when a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
…Wait, do I smell?
Come to think of it, I did shower at Eun Haejin’s place yesterday, but this morning, despite waking up after drinking, I used my hangover as an excuse and barely managed to wash my face and brush my teeth before rushing out. Only now coming to my senses, I stepped back hesitantly. This must have been how Cha Hyunwoo felt yesterday.
“…Hyun-ssi?”
“Do I smell like alcohol?”
“What? No?”
“Ah, I actually did shower yesterday, but I drank and didn’t shower today…. I’m sorry. I didn’t have the mental capacity to shower this morning because of my hangover.”
“It really doesn’t smell, so it’s okay.”
Cha Hyunwoo was the type who would say it doesn’t smell even if it actually did.
“…You don’t happen to have any deodorizer, do you?”
“I don’t have deodorizer, but I have perfume. But you really don’t smell like anything.”
“Perfume while making coffee is a bit….”
I lifted my uniform to smell it, but only coffee scent came out. That was fortunate, but once I became aware of it, I had the illusion that alcohol smell was faintly rising from my body.
It seemed like I’d waste all my time smelling myself, so I changed the subject.
“Boss, about the double wage today, it’s really okay, so can’t you just buy me a meal next time instead?”
I made the suggestion first because it seemed like Cha Hyunwoo would really give me double wage plus a bonus. This way, I could more comfortably accept someone else’s money.
“…When?”
“Not today. If I drink today too, I might die.”
“You’re going to drink?”
“Ah, do you not drink?”
Considering how he exercises and stuff, he might be the type who manages himself well. Of course, when guys eat together, alcohol is a one-plus-one option, so I hadn’t considered it.
“No? I do.”
Fortunately, Cha Hyunwoo didn’t seem to be the non-drinking type, as the answer came immediately.
“Then let’s drink too. Originally, alcohol should come with food. How about we set it for a day when we’re both off the next day?”
At my words, Cha Hyunwoo nodded. If I jokingly suggested an expensive restaurant, Cha Hyunwoo was the type who would take it seriously and make a reservation. I should just ask him to buy me some meat.
Anyway, I had exactly one hour left in my shift today. No matter what happened after that hour, I planned to go straight home and crash.
“Ah, but Boss, can I borrow your perfume later? When I go home?”
“Yes. But do you have plans after work?”
“No. But it’s just bothering me. And I’m curious what perfume you use too.”
“Ah…. You can borrow it.”
“But you’re not wearing perfume right now, right?”
“Right. I don’t spray it during shifts.”
“Aha.”
I imagined Cha Hyunwoo’s perfume in my head. I’m not deeply knowledgeable about perfumes, but for some reason, my bias was that he’d use a subtle scent. Something like laundry smell or just something light… Floral scents would suit him well too.
“Then I’ll be heading off.”
During that one hour, because of customers who came in diligently, I put on a miraculous show of making almost six drinks per minute, and then it was time to leave. Unbelievably, as my clock-out time approached, I could see customers gradually thinning out.
“You really worked hard today. I’ll buy you something delicious next time.”
“Sounds good. But I really eat a lot.”
“You can eat a lot! Ah, and it’s in my locker. The perfume.”
“Yep. Thank you. See you tomorrow.”
I went back into the staff break room, quickly changed out of my uniform, and opened Cha Hyunwoo’s locker. Next to the neatly folded clothes in the locker was a perfume.
“Oh.”
Even at a glance, it was obvious that Cha Hyunwoo’s perfume wasn’t something bought on a whim. It was a brand that even I, who had no interest in perfumes, recognized. This looks really expensive…. Is it really okay to spray this?
As soon as I opened the cap to smell the perfume, all my previous biases about Cha Hyunwoo’s perfume scent were instantly bleached away.
“Wow. The scent is really strong.”
The black perfume bottle had the word “leather” written on it. The word before it didn’t seem to be English, and I could only make out the latter word, but leather means… like actual leather, right?
“Wow…. Boss is bold.”
Only then did I realize that while his personality and eyes were gentle, Cha Hyunwoo himself didn’t look gentle. At first, I thought the perfume didn’t match his image, but rather, it seemed to suit his appearance quite well.
Just because the corners of his eyes droop a bit doesn’t mean he looks gentle. Having someone like Eun Haejin nearby must have made my objectivity about gentle faces drop a bit.
I sprayed Cha Hyunwoo’s perfume on my wrist and once near my neck. When I flapped my clothes, the strong perfume scent definitely wafted up.
“Smells like a handsome man. A handsome man.”
Muttering, I folded my uniform without crumpling it and put it in the locker, then slung my bag over my shoulder.
“Boss, I’m really leaving now.”
“Great work!”
I was about to just leave, but I approached Cha Hyunwoo and grinned.
“Boss, your perfume is unexpected. Smells like a handsome man.”
I playfully flapped my clothes to make the perfume scent waft, then bowed before Cha Hyunwoo could say anything and left the cafe.
On my way home, I habitually checked my phone and saw four texts lined up. The sender was the same for all of them. Jung Yoonseo.
I had completely forgotten that I’d hurriedly sent just the four characters “yesterday coffee” before my shift started earlier.
What if Jung Yoonseo thinks I’m a rude crazy bastard?
You’re the student who got coffee spilled on them at the cafe yesterday, right?
…Mm. Please check and reply.
If you leave your laptop with me, I’ll ask them to try recovering it. And of course, I’ll replace it with a new one.
You must be busy. Check this and contact me.
The messages came at almost one-hour intervals. I hurriedly sent a text.
Yes, that’s me.
Ugh, at this point, am I cursed with typos?
That’s me.
I was in a rush this morning for my part-time job.
I didn’t mean to send just those four characters.
I’m really sorry. I’m not a rude bastard with no manners…
Please contact me when you see this.
Please.
After firing off the texts and arriving home to put down my bag, my phone rang with perfect timing.
I thought you sent it by mistake. But when there was no answer, I wondered if you were upset?
Then shall we meet today so you can give me the laptop? I’ll come to where you are. Where do you live?
I checked Jung Yoonseo’s text and thought for a moment before sending just my neighborhood.
Should we meet somewhere around there?
At Jung Yoonseo’s text, I looked up a cafe nearby with parking and sent the cafe name. Jung Yoonseo will probably come by car anyway.
I’ll wait here.
A reply came right away.
I think I can arrive around 7.
Is he planning to come right after work?
Okay. You can be a bit late.
I grant tardiness privileges limited to office workers.
I had definitely been determined to sleep as soon as I got home, but as expected, life doesn’t flow the way you want. Still, the cafe wasn’t far on foot, so it seemed fine to sleep for about three hours and wake up.
