The female lead was simply overjoyed to have customers at all — she went straight to the kitchen and got to work heating up milk, stirring in cocoa powder with great enthusiasm.
And then she went ahead and served each of the teenagers sitting around the table a cup.
“Um, excuse me… how much is it?”
“You’re my first customers to come by today, so I’d like to give it to you for free as a thank-you.”
“Oh, thank you so much!”
The teenagers beamed and expressed their gratitude.
“Take your time.”
The warm, cheerful atmosphere was as cozy as the steam curling up from the hot cocoa.
Aria! If you keep giving things away like that, what’s left for you?! You’re running at a loss!!
I was the only one on the verge of clutching the back of my neck in frustration. What was the point of dragging four people all the way here!
That’s right. She was a female lead bold enough to run away in the dead of night with her dowry in hand, sharp enough to open a shop all on her own… but she had a surprisingly careless streak.
“Come back again sometime.”
“Myamaang, myaaaa! Myaang-myaang myaaaa-myaang!”
You lot — that wasn’t free! Each of you go bring two more people, eight total, and bring them here!
I screamed myself hoarse at the freeloading taste-testers. One of the teenagers looked at me with eyes gone a little dewy.
“Roro’s crying so much…. Must be sad to say goodbye to us.”
“Goodbye! Bye-bye, Roro!”
“We’ll come back tomorrow!”
Pay for what you ate first!
The freeloaders turned out to be surprisingly decent kids.
They kept coming back the next day, and the day after that — loyal as ever. They weren’t exactly ordering one drink each, splitting a single cup between two of them — but hey, paying something was better than nothing.
It seemed the female lead’s rich, thick cocoa had won them over.
One of the teenagers brought their grandmother along one day, and the moment the grandmother stepped into the shop, she took to it immediately.
“To think a teahouse like this has opened in our village — thank you for telling me, Peter.”
“It’s nothing, Grandma. Hehe.”
Delicious tea and a cozy atmosphere, a kind owner, and a cat — Aria’s Teahouse.
Word must have spread, because a fair number of customers had started making their way to this tucked-away little corner. Thanks to that, it was only ten days after I’d arrived that I got to eat meat for the first time.
I wasn’t sure exactly what prices were like around here, but as long as five customers came in a day, it was enough to at least sustain themselves on chicken.
Anyway, I only went outside to do customer outreach on the days when there were truly no customers at all — the rest of the time, I planted myself in the shop too.
Not that I was doing nothing, of course.
Ding-a-ling.
At the sound of the shop door opening, I sprang to my feet and headed toward it.
A VIP customer had arrived! Grandma Bonnie, who had been coming in every afternoon, was carrying a lovely knitting bag in her hand today as well.
“Myaak!”
Welcome!
I stood up on two legs to meet Grandma Bonnie’s eyes, and she burst into laughter like a little girl.
“Ho ho ho, Roro. Are you saying hello?”
“Myaang!”
“Oh, what a good boy. Such a good boy.”
She patted my back gently with her wrinkled hands. I led the way and guided her to the seat she sat in every day.
“Hello. The weather is just lovely today, isn’t it.”
“Ho ho, isn’t it just?”
Aria came out from the kitchen and greeted Grandma Bonnie warmly. They exchanged a few pleasant words in the cheerful atmosphere, and then Aria hurried back to the kitchen to prepare the tea.
Grandma Bonnie rummaged around and took out her knitting things. I sprawled out beside her and watched the ball of yarn slowly shrink.
“Staying by my side again today?”
“Myaung.”
“What a well-mannered cat. Not running around at all….”
“Myaung, myaaaa.”
Running around indoors would scatter fur everywhere. I’m a cat with manners.
I looked up and answered as Grandma Bonnie gazed at me with fond eyes.
“Hmph, Roro never comes to us.”
“Roro. Won’t you come over here too?”
At the next table, a boy and a girl who had come in holding their mother’s hands were staring at me with devoted eyes. I pretended not to hear and just lay there, ears twitching.
Little kids are too much of a bother. Ever since one of them yanked my tail, I’d been on edge around them.
Honestly, teenagers are a bother too. Imagine enormous giants five times your size making a ruckus around you. It’s overwhelming and draining.
Grandmother customers, on the other hand — the absolute best. They sit quietly, knit, and leave. With Grandma nearby, the teenagers and little kids leave me alone too, so there was no better refuge.
Of course, if I really wanted to rest in peace, I could always escape upstairs to the second floor — but….
“Your flower tea is ready. It’s very hot, so let it cool a bit before you drink.”
“Ho ho, thank you. The flowers are so pretty.”
I couldn’t very well go upstairs to rest on my own while the female lead was down here running the shop. Someone had to keep an eye on the floor too.
“Roro, come to the kitchen if you get hungry.”
“Maong.”
When I answered, Aria reached over and stroked my head. My ears folded halfway down, then slowly opened again.
I watched Aria disappear into the kitchen and opened my mouth in a wide yawn.
Aria’s Teahouse usually closed at seven in the evening. By the time the sun began to set, the customers would head home on their own.
Today as well, once all the guests had gone, Aria set about tidying up the shop. I hovered around her, pestering her to hurry up and go upstairs already.
“Yaang-yang-yang-yang myayang! Myaang-mya!”
Stop cleaning and let’s clock out! Clock out! Why are you scrubbing so hard!
“Heh, so chatty today. Are you hungry?”
Aria laughed — a nice sound.
Ding-a-ling.
Just then, the teahouse door opened. Aria turned around in surprise at the sudden sound. I leaped lightly up onto a table and fixed my gaze on the door.
The first thing I noticed was the hair — the color of straw.
A tall but thin frame that looked shabby for it, and a face with unusually prominent cheekbones.
“Are you closed?”
I know this character. I’ve seen him in the webtoon.
“No, not yet. Please have a seat wherever you like.”
Aria greeted him with a kind smile.
The man wandered around, looking the place over, then sat himself down without a shred of self-awareness at a table that was visibly just wiped clean and gleaming.
“What’s on the menu?”
The man smirked. Up close, his greasy hair was plastered against his forehead and sideburns.
…Yeah, that’s the one. For the love of — go wash yourself.
In the early part of the webtoon, there’s one piece of trash who pesters the female lead. Not even a proper villain, just a one-time extra — but the sheer unpleasantness this guy gave off had stuck with me so long that I still remembered him clearly.
If I’d known this bastard was showing up today, I would’ve closed early!
In the webtoon, since everything was centered on the female lead and male lead, the other minor characters were only ever given a single line of description in a little text box.
And the description for this one went like this:
[At some point… he became a customer who would show up without warning, late at night.]
Wait — this guy was already appearing? Before the male lead, even? He must have bothered the female lead for quite a lot longer than I’d realized.
“…has a refreshing flavor. Lavender tea helps ease insomnia, so it’s nice to have before bed too.”
When the man asked about the menu, Aria went through each tea and explained it to him one by one.
All the while, the man stared openly at Aria’s face and started letting his gaze travel over her figure. Aria was too busy explaining the menu to notice — but I was right there, and I could see exactly where this bastard’s eyes were going.
I jumped up onto the table. The moment I blocked his line of sight, the man’s face twisted in annoyance.
“What’s with this cat.”
The man waved his hand aggressively to shoo me away, and Aria quickly scooped me up into her arms.
“This is our shop cat. So, what would you like to order?”
“What’s your name?”
The man asked out of nowhere, and a subtle shift crossed Aria’s expression.
“Roro.”
“Not the cat — you. What’s your name.”
“…I’m Aria.”
“What a beautiful name. Aria. I’m Bill. Heh heh.”
“Right. As for your order—”
“You’re not married, are you? Looks like you’re always running the place alone.”
“…No, I’m married. My husband left me this shop.”
Since some people found it strange for a young woman to be living alone, the female lead had taken to telling people she was a widow.
Most people, upon hearing that, would feel sorry for her or apologetic, and would stop asking uncomfortable questions — but:
“Ah, so your husband died young? Right?”
“…….”
This one is something else.
“Do you live here?”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean — there’s an upper floor too.”
Aria shook her head.
“No, I live somewhere else.”
Her voice sounded friendly enough on the surface, but Aria had clearly sensed something off — there was a stiffness to her tone now.
“Will you be ordering something?”
“…Oh, uh, the lavender tea? One of those, please.”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.”
Aria moved quickly into the kitchen. I followed right alongside her, mewling away.
Aria. That guy is bad news — be careful.
Of course, Aria couldn’t understand a word I said, and answered warmly: “Are you hungry? Just a little longer — as soon as that customer leaves, I’ll get you your food right away.”
While Aria steeped the tea, the man’s eyes stayed fixed on the kitchen the entire time.
In case he tried to come in, I stood guard in front of the kitchen entrance, on full alert. Thankfully, he stayed put in his seat.
“Here is your order. Let it cool before you drink.”
Aria served the tea and returned to the kitchen.
…Drink up and get out already.
I climbed up onto the tall counter in front of the kitchen and glared at him with narrowed eyes.
He didn’t take so much as a single sip of the tea he’d ordered — he just stared fixedly at the kitchen, his gaze relentless, as if searching for Aria.
After a long wait during which Aria never came back out, the man rose from his seat, leaving the cold lavender tea behind. He placed a coin on the table and walked out.
