It was 3 p.m. now. Right in the middle of the slow hours. Kwon Jisoo had been leaning against the POS machine when the wind chime rang, making her flinch as she blurted out a greeting.
“Welcome!”
Poor bastard. She was basically an answering machine. No matter what she was doing, the moment she heard the sound of a customer entering, “Welcome” just popped out of her mouth automatically. Even I had started doing the same thing, and I’d only been working here for two weeks.
“What the—oh. It’s Yeon Yuri.”
“Yeah. It’s me. I’m here to relieve you.”
“Got it. Wait a bit. If I leave the floor half-cleaned and dump it on you, my oppa will chew me out.”
“…You’re surprisingly diligent.”
Kwon Jisoo wiped the tables with quick swish-swish motions. I headed into the locker room to change into my uniform.
The brown uniform suited me perfectly. It definitely wouldn’t suit Do Jihoon even a little. A laugh slipped out.
“Yeon Yuri. Did you finish changing?”
“Yeah. All changed. I’m coming out.”
I pushed open the locker room door and stepped outside. As I adjusted my clothes, I felt Kwon Jisoo’s blatantly obvious gaze hanging around my temple.
“? What. Got something to say?”
“No. Just thinking again how ridiculously handsome you are.”
“Wow. Thanks.”
“You’d be perfect if you just didn’t open your mouth.”
“What did this bastard just say?”
I was pretty sure I heard her clicking her tongue. But Kwon Jisoo was an omega with quite the temper. I shot her a timid glare before heading to the POS.
“Welcome. This is LIT.”
After Kwon Jisoo got off work and the wind chime rang several times more…
A very familiar situation found its way to me.
“One berry strawberry frappuccino and one iced Americano, please.”
“Yes, I’ve got your order. What size would you like?”
“Large, please. And, um… the frappuccino is for you….”
Two weeks into my part-time job.
I had received seven free drinks and three confessions.
The people around me were all guys who didn’t really care about Yeon Yuri’s pretty appearance. Maybe that was why these kinds of advances felt a little awkward.
The first time someone hit on me, I’d fumbled and apologized, saying I had a boyfriend.
But now?
I had become a professional rejector.
“I don’t have a phone.”
“I’m married.”
“I’m a father.”
If I said things like that, most of them left without another word.
The problem was that the customer left along with them.
In the end, I reached an agreement with Kwon Jisoo’s cousin—who owned the café—that I’d politely refuse people instead, in exchange for slightly higher pay.
To be honest, the pay itself didn’t matter that much.
If it weren’t for my noona.
When I told her I was working part-time at a café, she made me a deal. If I saved up 1.5 million won from my part-time wages, she’d match it 1+1 and give me another 1.5 million.
So the final conclusion was polite words and proper manners.
“I’m sorry, sir. Part-time employees aren’t allowed to accept drinks personally.”
“…Huh? That’s a thing?”
“Yes. I appreciate the interest, but the owner told us not to accept them. I’m sorry.”
I pointed to the warning notice the owner had posted for me.
Frappuccino Guy looked confused but left without making a fuss. That was actually a relatively nice case.
Working this job made me realize one thing.
There were all kinds of people in the world.
“Coffee! Give me coffee!”
“Which coffee would you like?”
“You know. That one. The sweet one.”
Some people would just demand “sweet coffee” out of nowhere.
“Didn’t I clearly say I wanted it to go?”
“But sir, if you look at the receipt here, it says you’re dining in.”
“Then the machine must be broken! I definitely ordered takeout.”
Others threw massive tantrums, insisting the machine was broken.
“……”
“Would you like help ordering, sir?”
“Oh, uh… yes… just a moment….”
And then there were the ones who stood there for several minutes debating their order while a huge line formed behind them.
As the days went by, I realized something.
People really could wear you down.
Every single day, I found myself feeling overwhelmingly grateful toward my parents and my noona, who worked hard to earn money.
But honestly, all those previous troublemakers were still at the cute, harmless level.
The real worst-of-the-worst customers were guys like this.
“Come on, just give me your number.”
“I have a boyfriend.”
“So what if there’s a goalkeeper? Doesn’t mean the ball can’t go in.”
Fuck.
Whether the ball goes in or not when there’s a goalkeeper, basic manners say you should at least move your ugly fucking face out of the way first.
I forced that sentence deep into my heart and smiled.
“I’m sorry. I’m engaged.”
“Engaged? What are you, some drama chaebol? What kind of engagement is that?”
“……”
Yeah, I am a chaebol. What about it?
There were tons of things I wanted to say, but guys like this never listened anyway. So I just shut my mouth.
“Come on. What time do you get off work? I’ll buy you drinks. Let’s go hang out.”
Thinking about Buddha’s philosophy of non-attachment, I let his bullshit go in one ear and out the other.
It wasn’t easy holding my trembling lips—shaking from anger and irritation—inside a polished capitalist smile.
“…Sir. I’m sorry, but there are other customers waiting behind you. Could you please step aside?”
“If you tell me what time you get off.”
“……”
This bastard was ridiculously persistent.
Well. It couldn’t be helped. I felt a little sorry for Do Jihoon, but I’d have to use the final method.
“…I finish at 11. Now would you please move?”
“Yes, yes. Then I’ll wait until then.”
The man finally stepped away from the POS with a greasy smile.
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and continued taking the next orders.
When things got a little quieter, I sent Do Jihoon a KakaoTalk message.
[Doji Doji, another bastard +1 added today. Come pick me up.]
[I think I’m basically a trash collector at this point.]
[♡My Doji♡: Okay. I just go to the front gate, right?]
[Yup yup. You must be tired. Sorry for bothering you.]
[♡My Doji♡: It’s not a bother. See you in a bit. I’ll pick you up when you finish.]
Seeing Do Jihoon’s cute KakaoTalk messages instantly made my shitty mood better.
Ah, so cute.
I pressed my lips against my phone and gave it a bunch of loud kisses.
“Excuse me! I’d like to order!”
“Oh—yes! One moment!”
After that, I kept making drinks for customers and fending off assholes with anus-like mouths for several more exhausting hours.
Before I knew it, the time was approaching 11 p.m.
I looked around with a sliver of hope that the guy might have disappeared.
It was a completely pointless hope.
That bastard was still sitting in the corner of the café, settled in like he owned the place and showing no signs of leaving.
Eventually, I walked up to him.
“Sir. We’re closing now.”
In other words: Get the hell out so we can close.
But I phrased it politely, spinning the words around like a roulette wheel.
“Yes, yes. Then I’ll wait outside.”
“……”
Wow.
I almost swore out loud.
Overlaying Do Jihoon’s face over the guy’s greasy mug in my mind, I forced myself to smile.
As usual, closing was exhausting.
Wiping tables, wiping chairs. Moving tables, sweeping and mopping the floor. Emptying the trash.
And there was the kitchen closing too.
Luckily there was another part-timer on shift. If I had been alone, my body would’ve completely fallen apart.
“We’re all done closing. Good work today, Yuri-ssi.”
“You too, Donghan-ssi. Alright, let’s go home!”
I changed my clothes in the locker room and came back out.
Through the glass door right in front of the locker room—
My alpha, Do Jihoon, was standing there.
He was wearing a white T-shirt with a thin navy linen jacket.
It was the end of June.
Do Jihoon really was sensitive to the cold.
“Baby!”
I deliberately shouted and ran toward him.
Do Jihoon lifted his head and looked at me. He spread his arms and caught me as I ran.
I crashed straight into his embrace.
The scent that was uniquely Do Jihoon’s—like sun-dried blankets—washed over me, and it felt nice.
But outside, it was strangely quiet.
Where did that clingy, clay-like bastard go?
I looked around.
He’d definitely been there until just before I changed clothes, but now he had completely disappeared.
“What the.”
“Yuri. Are you looking for someone?”
“Oh. That bastard I told you about earlier. The crazy guy who said that outdated line about how just because there’s a goalkeeper doesn’t mean the ball can’t go in. I was going to show him us being all lovey-dovey together, but he’s gone.”
“Was he the guy wearing the red hoodie?”
“Yeah. That’s him.”
“That’s a relief. I thought I might’ve chased off the wrong person.”
“…? What do you mean?”
Do Jihoon explained.
While he was waiting for me, some sleazy-looking guy had been staring holes into me.
Given Do Jihoon’s temper, there was no way he’d just sit there and watch that.
Apparently, Do Jihoon had aggressively blasted the alpha with his pheromones.
The guy panicked and ran away.
The situation was so ridiculous that I burst out laughing.
But at the same time, I felt worried.
“Crazy. Are you insane, Jihoon?”
“Insane? Sometimes you just get irritated in the moment while living your life. Don’t you think, Yuri?”
“Well… yeah, but what if that bastard comes back here holding a grudge?”
“……”
