episode_0027

27.

“Doji, please explain. Your eyes are sparkling from the alcohol, yet you claim not to feel any loss of reason or pain. Why do you look perfectly fine? Hurry up and get sick.”

“I’ll need an explanation. I was sure you were drunk and out of it. Your appearance and face seem fine. It’s frustrating…”

“Are you okay, Jinwoo? Did you get into any trouble? Are you hurt anywhere? You said you were tired earlier; are you feeling better now?”

Despite some difficult-to-ignore comments interspersed throughout, they decided to cut Doji some slack after seeing Park Ayoung’s sincere concern.

“Well~ Both I and the chairman were worried about you~ The grateful look is reserved for Ayoung only. Is this favoritism or a different kind of discrimination?”

“If you’re telling someone who hasn’t been hurt to get hurt and feeling thankful towards someone who has regained their appetite, does that mean you’re being held hostage by the person who tells you to hurt yourself?”

“Well, wouldn’t it depend on who the other person is? What if it were a black-haired short-haired girl versus a blonde ponytailed girl? If you granted their wishes while confessing your feelings?”

“…”

“‘I’ll give you my flesh! Become a fire punch!’ Or perhaps, ‘Sob sob, I offer sympathy for my diminishing value.’ Something like that.”

“This is getting out of hand… I can’t help but refrain from saying something really harsh because of you…”

“Hehe!”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment!?”

She swiftly threw the handkerchief that had been on the table.

Thud – the handkerchief landed squarely on his nose. Isubin chuckled as she sniffed it, her eyes showing a hint of relaxation.

It felt like she had ingested an excessive amount of white, mood-enhancing powder. Why is my body so mysterious…?

After swallowing a sigh internally, Han Hyojin and Park Ayoung urged him.

“So, why don’t you explain quickly? Why are you dressed up as a fancy bartender working here?”

“Right. The clothes are stylish and luxurious… How about we take a picture together after work…? Oh, no, just explain quickly!”

Yeah… I’ll take a picture with you later.

Nodding slightly, before reminiscing about the past.

“But working here isn’t a crime, right? Why are you interrogating me like this…?”

“Maybe you’re selling yourself to rich girls who look wealthy. Worried Ayoung today is Vice President Park Ayoung…”

Hanhoyjin’s teasing lips were promptly silenced by Park Ayoung’s right hand. Then, speaking in place of the silenced Hanhoyjin.

“In fact, we found a business card dropped by Jinwoo, and it had a bar written on it… So we were worried if you were involved in something dangerous or a case.”

“Oh. A business card… That would be worrisome if you saw that… Sorry for causing worry, and thank you for coming to find it.”

In response to the gratitude, Han Hyojin shot a disdainful look at Park Ayoung.

“Uh… It’s nothing special…”

Park Ayoung awkwardly replied. His pupils shook as if pricked by his conscience.

Although it was a suspicious reaction, they decided there might be hidden stories behind it.

“Well then, let me explain now.”

To explain the whole story of this incident, it was necessary to go back to last night.

***

“Is it legal for students to work in a bar?”

“If it’s a real bar, then it’s illegal.”

“…?”

“This isn’t a bar; it’s a cafe with a bar interior, understand? What’s wrong with you? I told you over the phone early this morning, did you already forget?”

“That wasn’t part of the conversation.”

“It was!”

“Shall I disclose the call content? Sitpal. Noona, did you drink last night and don’t have a girlfriend? Got a new friend? How am I doing? That’s all I asked.”

Kim Seolha’s mouth shut abruptly.

As expected, the call recording was on Hanseol’s phone.

After a brief pause, Kim Seolha finally played dumb.

“It wasn’t me.”

– You didn’t get a girlfriend…?

“Delete it…”

– Hey! What are you doing!

“Delete it!”

Dodging the charging Kim Seol-ha, she lightly avoided her body.

“If I delete this one thing, will my sister’s past disappear? There are still many recordings left….”

“…”

“Ugh…. Don’t drink and make phone calls. Do it to someone else if you must. Confessing your love over the phone in the middle of the night is really… ”

“I really won’t do it anymore…. I’m sorry….”

“Yes, yes. I won’t do it for the 187th time. You’ve declared it. I’m really looking forward to when you’ll stop.”

Putting away her phone, she returned to the main topic.

“Anyway, this place is a cafe, right? Will I be working here from weekdays to weekends starting this week?”

“Yes.”

“Offering 100,000 won per hour?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that a bit too much? It’s not just a place for customers but also a mosquito-infested place…. Aren’t you the only one at a loss by doing this?”

Kim Seol-ha nibbled on her cigarette and clicked her tongue.

“Well, if there’s light for me, selling well isn’t bad either. Shouldn’t you worry about the creditors too?”

“Honesty is a virtue, that’s my charm.”

“Not wrong.”

She spoke as she lit her cigarette.

“But all these worries are meaningless anyway. No customers? Mosquitoes bothering you? Come on. Even if you resist success, the conditions for success are already there!”

“Oh….”

That was the trend of the 21st century.

One moment, heavily spiced Chinese soup was trending. The next, snacks with sugar-coated fruits were in vogue.

On platforms like YX or TikTok, trends like playing weird songs and shaking the camera wildly swept through.

Yes, cafes were no different.

Set up in a rundown building, call it a sentimental cafe, and customers would come on their own. Just plate ordinary food nicely, and customers would even promote it for you.

Indeed, all the conditions for a successful cafe that Kim Seol-ha mentioned could be attributed to current trends!

“The country is doomed….”

“Where is it doomed? What’s doomed is your situation of working alone. Your situation.”

“I mean the shop is doomed…. No. Let’s work hard.”

“Sure.”

As Kim Seol-ha replied, she exhaled a long puff of smoke and sat on a battered table chair. Leaning forward, she smirked mischievously.

“Since it’s the first day today. Let’s close the shop and practice! Come on, bring in the customers.”

Is this some kind of skit….

A hollow laughter escaped.

“What. What. Why are you laughing?”

“You seem like a very independent person, sister.”

“Is this the same realization as usual?”

“Yes. Customer, what drink would you like?”

I decided to play along.

“Do you have any recommended menu items?”

“Let’s see…. Old Fashioned…? Sex on the Beach? Margarita? Mojito? Hmm…. Why are they all cocktail names?”

“Don’t ruin the atmosphere and just do it roughly.”

“Yes….”

It seemed that even the drink names were set as cocktail names according to the concept.

“I recommend the Margarita.”

“Am I your first love? How touching.”

“Have a Mojito.”

“I didn’t get drunk yet. Should I take off my pants?”

“Let’s change it. Have a Between the Sheets.”

“Oh. Are you implying you want to sleep with me? Wow…. Was serving me a Mojito and then finishing with this your plan….”

This is insane….

“Why are all the drink names like this….”

“Did you choose strange ones?”

“There must have been nothing but strange ones.”

“Caught on?”

“Yes. I’ll change the names. First of all, let’s remove Sex on the Beach. Even if it’s part of the bar concept, students will likely come often, and this is a bit….”

“No way! Absolutely not that one!”

“There’s no such thing as never….”

***

In summary, she ended up working at a cafe similar to a bar after receiving work from an acquaintance, her sister. That sister drives a Bugatti, and her name is Kim Seol-ha.

That should suffice.

Shaking off the reminiscence, she turned her head towards the present.

Two individuals who had heard the heavily modified story both looked like they understood.

“Where is Kim Seol-ha right now?”

Isn’t she here?

“The boss went to work, didn’t he? Besides, the boss is twenty-five years old, so why call her ‘that woman’? Please correct that.”

“She’s working downstairs, so she’s become a servant.”

“She’s more like a housekeeper.”

“Weren’t you the body of our student council before becoming a servant? Don’t change masters over a meat vibe.”

What…?

He shrugged and gestured with his hand.

“I don’t know about that. Everyone, choose your menu.”

“I don’t want to. Why should I do that?”

“Even if the chairman shows displeasure, I wouldn’t know why he’s upset because I’m clueless. All I can do is buy a delicious drink and hope it cheers him up.”

“Hmm…”

“So I suggested it. Will you have it?”

Han Hyo-jin nodded slightly.

“Okay. Check and let me know.”

Before those words could sink in, Lee Soo-bin raised her hand.

“I’ll have this. Blue Hawaii!”

“You chose quickly.”

“Yeah! I’ve been choosing drinks since the atmosphere started getting weird! My animalistic intuition was spot on, right?”

“It’s kind of dog-like.”

“Is that a compliment? Or an insult?”

“Figure it out yourself.”

As they chatted with Lee Soo-bin, this time Han Hyo-jin spoke up.

“I’ll have what you recommend.”

“Sure.”

Park Ah-young cautiously joined in on the chairman’s words.

“Recommend one for me too.”

“Alright. Alright.”

There were two recommendations.

Feeling left out, Lee Soo-bin canceled her Blue Hawaii with a sullen face.

“Please recommend one for me too. And everyone else, except me, should enjoy it, okay!?”

“Wouldn’t that be the case?”

“Wow! You guys are really mean! Nowadays, kids think it’s normal to ostracize me and make me feel like an outsider. What’s up with that!”

Anyway, MZ is all confused.

Ignoring Lee Soo-bin, who seemed to be embodying a 50-year-old nerd, I picked a drink to recommend from the menu for them.

“The chairman gets ‘Dictatorship,’ Ah-young gets ‘Shy Tears,’ and Soo-bin gets ‘Cat’s Grace.’”

“The names are cute… What’s the significance?”

“There is. Dictatorship has a taste that violently encompasses various flavors. Shy Tears is slightly salty and smooth to swallow like tears. Cat’s Grace is not there yet.”

“Why is Cat’s Grace the only one missing?”

“I only thought of those two while developing the menu yesterday. Can Soo-bin think about the meaning while drinking today?”

“Your ability to bluff isn’t bad… But it looks fun! Leave it to me!”

“Sure.”

With a chuckle, I picked up the cocktail shaker.

It sparkled under the orange LED lights.

“Wow! I’ve only seen this in books… Are you going to make our drinks with that?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but this is just for shaking ice and water. We make the drinks by measuring them in a cup.”

“…Huh?”

Park Ah-young made a face that said, “If you’re just shaking water, why did you bring out the shaker?”

I chuckled dryly and revealed the dark truth.

“Emotional cafes require performances… As another owner told me. This is a performance for taking pictures.”

“For pictures… That’s disappointing…”

“Are you ignoring me by saying you’re just shaking water?”

“Yeah.”

Well, then there’s nothing I can do.

Thinking so, I shook the shaker.

They were customers before they were friends, so they needed to witness the performance as well.

Click-click- The sound of ice in the shaker was refreshing. It was so cool that it could chill the hot worries hidden inside.

Han Hyo-jin focused on the sound, observing as if she were looking at an art piece. Park Ah-young took pictures like a diligent parent at a school arts festival.

Lee Soo-bin seemed completely indifferent.

Seeing them in that order made me laugh.

Snicker-

As I chuckled softly, they all sent puzzled looks my way.

“What’s so funny?”

“What’s so fun?”

“What’s so funny?”

Simultaneous questions.

I smiled slyly without answering.

It felt ‘like family.’ The thought was embarrassing to reveal to them…