Maybe I should start by looking for a part-time job.
After thinking it over, Kang-woo downloaded a job search app and opened it. He wasn’t completely free of worry—what if he ran into someone he knew while out? But he figured that if he applied somewhere near the officetel, it might be fine.
Position: Barista
Pay: 9,700 won per hour
Employment Period: 1 year or longer (negotiable)
Work Days: Weekdays (Mon–Fri)
Work Hours: 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Requirements: Any gender, high school graduate
Ignoring most conditions except the location, Kang-woo seriously browsed through the listings until one posting caught his eye.
They were hiring a café part-timer, and the hourly pay and schedule didn’t look bad. The location was nearby, too.
It seemed perfect to do while Seok-ho was out working. On top of that, applications could be submitted easily by text message.
These days, even part-time workers were usually required to enroll in the four major insurances, which meant handing over personal information. He wasn’t sure if that would be okay.
Still, he figured there was nothing to lose by trying.
After hesitating for a moment, Kang-woo set his jaw and began typing out a message.
***
“Hyung.”
In his drifting sleep, Seok-ho thought Kim Kang-woo was calling for him. But he couldn’t open his eyes.
Over the past few days, he had increased the intensity of his morning workouts. To keep useless thoughts from creeping in, he had chosen to move his body like a madman.
But as the saying went—too much of anything wasn’t good. Pushing his body beyond its usual pace seemed to be harming him instead.
His body, crushed by fatigue, refused to listen. The faint consciousness that had begun to surface slowly sank back down into the dark.
“Seok-ho hyung.”
At that moment, the voice calling him came again.
His heavy eyelids slowly lifted. The blurry focus of his vision gradually returned to normal. Only then did he properly recognize the person in front of him.
The one he had thought was Kim Kang-woo was actually Kwon Jun-seo.
“What’s this? Since when do you take naps on the sofa during business hours, hyung?”
Sitting on the armrest of the sofa, Jun-seo looked down at Seok-ho from above.
Feeling the other’s curious gaze studying him, Seok-ho frowned and slowly sat up, pressing his temples.
Even though he had only briefly dozed off, his condition hadn’t improved at all. His eyes throbbed and his entire body felt heavy.
“Look at this. Came out pretty well, right?”
Jun-seo suddenly shoved his phone in front of him.
When Seok-ho looked at the screen, he saw a photo—his own face while sleeping on the sofa, twisted like someone trapped in a nightmare.
“Why the hell would you take something like that?”
Just as Seok-ho reached out irritably, Jun-seo quickly pulled the phone back. Staring at the picture of Seok-ho, Jun-seo furrowed his brows in imitation and met his eyes.
“Your face is all scrunched up like that. If you’re going to sleep, why not lie comfortably on the bed over there? Why squeeze that huge body of yours onto this tiny sofa?”
Pointing his chin toward the work bed, Jun-seo clicked his tongue. Then his fingers began tapping rapidly on the phone screen. It clearly looked like he was sending messages to someone, and Seok-ho eyed him suspiciously.
“What are you doing?”
“Sending this photo of you sleeping to Cheol-ho hyung. He said he’d give me 50,000 won per rare photo of you.”
Of course.
A sigh slipped out of Seok-ho automatically.
What kind of pervert tells someone to take pictures of another guy? And what kind of idiot actually does it?
A curse rose to his throat, but he decided not to bother. Jun-seo wasn’t the type to stop even if told to.
“Why are you here?”
Instead, Seok-ho asked the real question. Jun-seo stuffed his phone into his coat pocket and plopped down beside him.
“I met a friend around here. Since I was nearby, I thought of you and dropped by.”
“If you dropped by, then leave.”
“I just got here—why would I leave? Hmm. By the way, aren’t you ordering jjajangmyeon today? Seems like about the time you’d start getting hungry.”
Jun-seo asked with barely concealed expectation.
“That sweet-and-sour pork we had last time was seriously good. No pork smell at all—so juicy and tender. I keep thinking about it. Seriously, I even dreamed about it.”
As always, Kwon Jun-seo rambled nonsense without pause. Maybe it was because his nerves were on edge—but today the kid’s voice sounded unusually sharp. It was hard to sit there listening to him chatter endlessly.
“…Fuck. Be quiet. You’re too loud.”
“Huh? Why are you so sensitive today? Are you sick?”
Jun-seo looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Without answering, Seok-ho pressed his eyelids.
For days his head had been throbbing. Now it felt like his skull itself was ringing. His mind was already a mess, and with his body in terrible shape too, he had absolutely no desire to entertain an uninvited guest. Kim Kang-woo alone was enough to make his head spin.
Seok-ho opened his cigarette pack and took one out.
“Whoa, hey! What are you doing? Smoking inside during business hours?”
Startled, Jun-seo scooted away from him, his voice and eyes full of alarm. But Seok-ho didn’t care. He flicked the lighter wheel. Staring at the flame at the tip of the cigarette, he inhaled deeply.
“There’s barely any ventilation in here. How can you smoke inside like that? You should quit for your health. You never listen.”
Grumbling, Jun-seo stood up from the sofa and opened the shop door wide. Then he came back and crossed his arms, looking like he had something to say.
“You know something?”
Seok-ho glanced at him.
“You were the only one who didn’t contact me on the day of my college entrance exam.”
“Why the hell would I contact you?”
With the cigarette hanging between his lips, Seok-ho answered lazily, his words slightly slurred. Despite the cold response, Jun-seo simply shook his head as if used to it.
“This hyung is seriously hopeless. That’s what you say to your cousin? What do you mean ‘why’? Your family member went through the biggest event of his life. Of course you contact him—it’s basic courtesy.”
Jun-seo kept chattering endlessly. The nonstop voice stabbed at Seok-ho’s ears. Without replying, Seok-ho just kept smoking. Even as the long cigarette gradually burned down to a stub, he didn’t say a single word.
“Hey. Are you even listening to me? Seriously, hyung—I’m really disappointed this time.”
Jun-seo continued talking beside him.
“Kwon Jun-seo.”
Only after a long while did Seok-ho finally speak.
He crushed the cigarette out against the table. A blackened circular burn mark appeared on the glass surface.
Seeing that, Jun-seo shrank slightly.
“What? Why are you suddenly lowering your voice like that?”
“Why is every single one of you so damn annoying?”
“It’s because we’re worried about you. Why ask something so obvious?”
“Kwon Jung-yeon, Kwon Cheol-ho, you—can’t you just live like strangers?”
“How could we? We’re family.”
“I’m so damn sick of hearing that word—family.”
Muttering under his breath, Seok-ho suddenly kicked the table hard.
Bang!
The loud crash echoed—and silence immediately followed. The easy smile that had been on Jun-seo’s face vanished completely.
“Who said I wanted to belong to that damn family?”
Seok-ho ground the words out through clenched teeth.
He had never once asked any of them to become his family. They weren’t wanted. To him, the people lingering around him were nothing but nuisances.
“Just—”
Seok-ho looked at Jun-seo coldly.
“Leave me the hell alone and get out.”
Jun-seo stood there silently for a moment, staring at him. Then he spoke.
“Hyung… don’t you think that’s too much?”
The boy who was usually all smiles looked at him differently now.
“Have you ever once treated Cheol-ho hyung or Jung-yeon noona sincerely? Do you know how much they worry about you and care about you? Have you ever once looked back at us?”
His accusing gaze landed squarely on Seok-ho.
“Yeah. You always say it—we’re not related by blood. So what? What’s wrong with that? When people live their lives, they meet all kinds of people. And if you click with someone, even without sharing a drop of blood, you can become family in your hearts and live like that! Does family only count if you share blood?”
“……”
“No one ever blamed you for not being Aunt’s biological son. Not Cheol-ho hyung, not Jung-yeon noona. But you keep bringing up blood ties. Because of that one prejudice, you keep drawing lines—and you’ve never once accepted our affection honestly.”
“……”
“Did we do something wrong to you? We didn’t, did we? Then why do we always have to feel guilty around you? If anything—!”
Jun-seo’s shoulders shook with rough breaths. Then he suddenly stopped, biting down hard on his lip. After swallowing the emotions churning inside him, he spoke again in a calmer voice.
“Please… start paying attention to the people around you.”
His eyes were red.
“Stop doing things that hurt yourself, hyung. Aren’t you embarrassed hearing something like this from me?”
With that, Jun-seo turned around and left the shop. The sound of his footsteps faded beyond the wide-open door.
Only after the presence completely disappeared did Seok-ho toss the crumpled cigarette pack in his hand onto the table. He shut his eyes tightly.
What the hell is wrong with me…
This time, he had no choice but to admit it. He had been overly sensitive. And there was nothing wrong with what Kwon Jun-seo had said.
For some reason, he couldn’t control his emotions. It felt like something inside his head had broken.
His mouth tasted bitter. The place Jun-seo had left behind felt strangely empty.
***
Not long after Kang-woo sent the message, he received a phone call.
They asked if he could come for an interview at 5 p.m. today because they were in a hurry. Without hesitation, Kang-woo said yes. While preparing to go out, he reached for his scarf—then stopped.
It’s an interview. I should look neat.
After adjusting his appearance once more in the mirror, he headed toward the café where the interview would take place.
Fortunately, the atmosphere during the interview wasn’t bad.
The woman who introduced herself as the owner was very friendly. She explained that she had been in a difficult situation because one of the existing part-time workers had suddenly announced they were quitting.
Then she added something that sounded almost like praise—saying Kang-woo had a clean appearance and would probably help attract customers.
