After refilling the napkins and utensils at the hall tables, Haon was folding the freshly washed cloths when he let out a silent sigh.
He wasn’t in a good mood.
“I’m telling you, it’s true! Ah, I saw it with my own eyes!”
“Hey, do you even know how much that car costs? Why the hell would he be riding in something like that?”
The hall part-timer, oblivious to Haon’s mood, clutched his chest in frustration as the manager refused to believe him. The kitchen staff and the other part-timers, including the manager, were all brushing off his story like it was nothing.
“Haon! Come on, just tell them yourself!”
The one shouting was Tae-hwi, a part-timer in his mid-twenties. With platinum-dyed hair and a lively personality to match, he was a college student majoring in music—or so he’d said. Since Haon first joined as a temporary hire, Tae-hwi had been friendly toward him.
“What are you even talking about…?”
“Tell us about that car you showed up in! Whose is it, huh?!”
Of all people, it had to be him—the loudest guy in the whole place—who caught sight of Haon getting out of a man’s car. He’d been crossing at the traffic light from a distance when he spotted Haon and rushed over, not trusting his own eyes. Just to make sure it was really him.
“Quit talking nonsense and go sweep the floor.”
The manager was firmly convinced that there was no way Haon would roll up in some expensive foreign car. The other part-timers reacted the same way, dismissively. Haon was starting to feel increasingly irritated by their attitude.
It wasn’t that he had no comeback. He just couldn’t say anything.
“Haon, hyung’s just asking because, you know, I have to ask… what kind of car do you drive?”
Tae-hwi’s eyes sparkled, refusing to let the matter go. Those dark grey eyes of his—so out of place with his platinum hair—looked annoyingly similar to his eyes. And that resemblance only worsened Haon’s mood. The teasing glint in Taehwi’s eyes reminded him too much of that man, and he hated that it did.
“Tae-hwi, the kid doesn’t even own a bike. You really think he’s got a car?”
As Haon turned his back, pretending to be busy folding cloths, the manager chimed in from behind. It wasn’t exactly wrong, but the words still stung. His shoulders slumped even more.
“Well, maybe he does! Haon kinda gives off that secretly-rich vibe, doesn’t he?”
“Who? Him?”
When the manager suddenly leaned in, Haon, startled, ran off holding the neatly folded cloths like an excuse. Watching him flee, Tae-hwi scratched the back of his head and mumbled, “Maybe it really wasn’t Haon…”
That got everyone bursting into laughter.
As soon as Haon left, thankfully, the topic changed. Another part-timer brought up his brand-new motorcycle, and the conversation quickly shifted in that direction.
Haon, now in the kitchen, organized the dishes that had just come out of the dishwasher. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in a small hand mirror stuck to the wall—placed there by one of the hall staff to check their face throughout the shift. He usually never looked into it, but today, his gaze lingered.
‘Do I really look that poor?’
“Jung Haon, hey… are you upset?”
Haon had just wanted a moment alone, but Tae-hwi—his platinum-blond hair tied back tightly—approached and began helping him stack the dishes.
“If I upset you, I’m sorry. I was just surprised seeing you show up in a car like that, that’s all.”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t upset.”
Relieved by the short apology, Haon gave a small shake of his head. It should’ve ended there. But of course, Tae-hwi, ever persistent, brought the car up again.
“But seriously, whose car was it? Family? Don’t tell me it was a friend? A lover?”
It wasn’t family, nor a friend—and it definitely wasn’t a lover.
Unsure how to respond, Haon casually shrugged his shoulders.
“Just someone I know.”
“Someone you know?”
As Haon picked up the stack of plates and tried to move away, Tae-hwi stepped in front of him, blocking his path. His narrow, monolid eyes thinned, giving him a surprisingly sharp expression.
“How do you know that person?”
Lowering his voice, Tae-hwi suddenly snatched the plates from Haon’s hands and pulled him into a corner of the kitchen. Haon followed, clearly startled.
Tae-hwi, though just as slim as Haon and also an Omega, didn’t come off as physically threatening.
“Wait… Did you meet him through an app or something?”
“What app?”
“You know, the kind where people meet—hook up, date, sleep together.”
When Haon looked genuinely confused, Tae-hwi tilted his head and asked again.
“Then how did you meet him? What does he do?”
It was awkward to explain—far too personal. Haon hesitated, caught off guard by Tae-hwi’s relentless curiosity, lips silently parting without sound. Mustering what courage he had, he forced out a question of his own.
“Why are you asking me this?”
Even that much took real effort on Haon’s part.
“Why do you think? It just seems like you got involved with someone sketchy.”
“He’s not a weird person!”
Haon’s eyes widened as he suddenly raised his voice. He hadn’t meant to shout, but it slipped out without thinking.
“You two fighting?”
From a distance, the manager started walking over. Tae-hwi quickly waved his arms and said they were talking about a guy. Though they were both men, since both Haon and Tae-hwi were Omegas, the implication was that they were talking about an Alpha.
The manager clucked his tongue and told them not to fight before heading back to his usual post at the counter. It was about time for customers to start coming in.
“You slept with him.”
“Hyung, why would you even ask something like that…”
Haon gaped at him, glancing nervously over his shoulder to see if anyone had heard. But everyone was busy with their own tasks, paying no attention.
“You did, didn’t you?”
Tae-hwi seemed to take Haon’s silence as confirmation and let out a long sigh.
He patted Haon’s shoulder with the solemnity of a war veteran who’d seen too much.
Even though he was only in his mid-twenties himself.
“Haon, listen to me carefully. As your fellow comrade who’s cursed with the same grueling fate, I’m telling you this with complete sincerity.”
Tae-hwi fired off the words like a machine gun, sounding more serious than Haon had ever seen him before.
Thinking Tae-hwi had completely misunderstood the man and was imagining strange things, Haon prepared to explain himself.
“Hold on tight.”
“…Huh?”
But the reply he got was something he hadn’t expected at all. Tae-hwi grabbed Haon’s shoulders firmly and gave him a solemn warning.
“Remember this. There aren’t many Alphas out there with money and a car who’ll drive you around. And even if there are, they don’t have that kind of car. If he’s not a complete pervert, hold on to him for dear life.”
It seemed he’d jumped to yet another wrong conclusion, but just then, a customer came in, and Haon lost his chance to clear it up. He’d meant to say there was nothing going on between them.
Slurp.
On his way back from a quick bathroom break, Haon pulled out the soy milk the man had given him and took a sip. While sucking on the straw, he fished out his phone from his pocket to check it.
They’d probably start closing up in about an hour. It was a Saturday, but business had been slow, so things would likely wrap early today.
‘Should I text him first?’
Taking slow, deliberate steps, Haon drank the soy milk while letting his pace drag. The man had told him to text, but sending a message like Please come pick me up now felt awkward and needy.
[Are you doing okay at work?]
Just then, a message came from the man.
“Wow.”
Haon’s mouth dropped open. The timing was too perfect. He immediately typed back a reply, relieved that the man had reached out first.
Knowing himself, he would’ve kept overthinking it until the end, then walked home alone without ever sending a message.
[Then coming around 1 is okay, right?]
Haon had said he was doing well and that work might finish early today. The man replied almost instantly.
He hadn’t seemed like someone who carried his phone around the house, so the fast reply caught Haon off guard.
With his lips pursed, Haon replied with Yes, but also made sure to say Don’t come if you’re tired.
Still, the message he got back was: See you later.
‘So… he really is coming.’
Reading over the messages as he walked back into the restaurant, Haon caught sight of his reflection in the glass door. A faint smile had crept onto his face.
It felt awkward, but he was grateful. He felt guilty, but he was also… happy.
When someone treats you well, how could you not like it?
And if the person treating you well happens to be a good person, even more so.
***
“Haon, stop.”
Just as Haon was finishing the closing cleanup, Tae-hwi called out and grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him off into a corner again. His cheekbones looked flushed, as if he was excited, but he seemed to be making an effort to stay calm.
“The car. It’s outside.”
“Already?”
It wasn’t even 1 a.m. yet. Haon glanced toward the door, wondering if the man had already arrived. From where he stood, he couldn’t see the car.
“You’re heading out like that?”
“No, I’m going to take out the recycling first.”
Haon replied as if to reassure him, prompting Tae-hwi to let out a long sigh. Then, without warning, Tae-hwi fetched his bag and started rummaging through it.
Since there were no customers left, the manager had entrusted the store to the kitchen staff and left early. Thanks to that, everyone was taking their time finishing up the closing duties.
Spritz—
All of a sudden, Tae-hwi sprayed something on Haon’s crown like it was mosquito repellent.
Startled, Haon flinched, covering his face and backing away—only to bump into the wall behind him.
“Hold still. What if you smell like sweat? You need to wear something, at least some perfume.”
Ah—it wasn’t bug spray. It was perfume. The sharp scent that first hit him mellowed into something sweet.
Following the spritz, Tae-hwi also dabbed a tinted lip gloss on Haon and gave his hair a quick comb.
“You’re seriously so pretty. No wonder someone with a car like that’s picking you up.”
He looked absolutely thrilled.
He’d kept asking questions about the man throughout the shift, but Haon couldn’t give him any decent answers—because he barely knew anything himself. All Haon knew was that the man was rich, had a nice personality… and was extremely good-looking.
“If he turns out to be some weirdo, call the police right away, okay?”
“Uh, I should take out the recycling…”
“I’ll do it today, so you can do all of it tomorrow. In return, get me some intel. I’m dying to know what kind of job lets someone afford a car worth billions.”
Tae-hwi insisted he at least needed to know the guy’s name and occupation. He gave Haon a sharp pat on the back and then made a point of opening the door for him like he was sending him off on a date.
“Bye, Haon! You did amazing today!”
The unfamiliar voice and exaggerated eye-smile threw Haon off, but he focused on finding the man’s car first.
Sure enough, just as Tae-hwi had said, the man was already there.
He lowered the window from the driver’s side and waved with a long arm.
Haon dashed toward the car as fast as he could.
“Why did you come so early?”
“I just got here. You finished fast, huh?”
“There weren’t many customers today.”
As Haon fastened his seatbelt, he added that today had been the slowest yet. He turned to thank the man for picking him up—but before Haon could finish, the man blinked a few times, then suddenly looked away.
‘What was that about?’
Before pulling out, the man commented that it was probably warm after working, then cracked the window just a little.
Still, he didn’t turn on the AC.
“Did you drink the soy milk?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you.”
“I had mine too.”
Looking straight ahead, not at Haon, the man continued the conversation.
He said he drank two today, raising his long fingers into a peace sign.
His fingers were unbelievably long and slender. And so pale, too—it wouldn’t be surprising if he worked as a hand model.
No. That face would be wasted on just hand modeling.
“Haon-ssi.”
Lost in unnecessary thoughts, Haon lifted his gaze at the sound of the man calling his name.
The man’s long, pale fingers were lightly tapping his phone.
“Can I ask you something?”
