episode_0041

“Oh my, boss. I’ll eat well and go.”

“I don’t know if you liked the food.”

“Hey, our boss is really good at it. I’m sorry for making a fuss over the company dinner.”

“You even made a reservation, so this is expected.”

Today’s service is finally over.

The company president, who was the guest with the reservation today, usually drinks quietly and leaves, and at the end, he thanked our president and apologized for being noisy.

He was a generous yet polite person.

“This is a tip.”

“No, it’s okay!”

“I’m sorry for making such a fuss today, so I’m giving it to you. The food was also really delicious.”

The owner waved his hand and repeatedly declined, but the customer insisted on handing over cash as a tip.

Since they were bickering in front of each other, our boss pretended to lose and accepted the tip.

I was cleaning the kitchen anyway.

The deadline came earlier than usual, but the mental energy I expended during that time was extraordinary.

After all, the mind and body are inseparable.

Although he had the body of a warrior, his mentality was worn out, so he felt tired.

If this is how I am, what must it be like for other kids?

Jonghyun hyung was the one who was trying hard to cheer the kids up and clean up, but other than that, he was in a bit of a daze.

Se-yeon also seemed to have lost her mind, and Ha-yeon was completely out of it.

After I finished cleaning up what needed to be done in the kitchen, I went out and helped the serving staff.

“Thank you for your hard work! How was your day?”

The owner, who had finished seeing off the customers, came into the store and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“It’s too hard.”

When Seyun let out a tired sound, the boss smiled bitterly.

“There’s tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and Saturday, and next week, and so on.”

“Euaaah….”

When the part-timers sighed at the same time, the boss waved the tip he had received earlier instead of saying anything.

“Instead, all the tips that come in like this will be given to you as incentives.”

“Really?!”

“There should be compensation commensurate with the amount of effort. If the income is the same, how can you enjoy working?”

“Wow, boss, you’re the best!”

Jonghyun hyung raised the mood by shouting loudly.

It felt similar to the social gathering I had seen earlier, but there was no part-timer who would dislike having a carrot waved in front of them.

Except for me, who doesn’t have much of a crush on money.

Everyone followed Jonghyun hyung’s lead and cheered, using all their strength to clean up after him.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Don’t go somewhere else and go to bed early. You all worked so hard today!”

After finishing smoothly, we all left the store together.

“Aren’t you going, hyung?”

“I’m going to check the schedule with the boss and then go. I’ll go first.”

“Yes-!”

After sending the kids away, Jonghyun walked towards the smoking area.

“I’m so tired~.”

Today, Ha-yeon and I walked home from work together.

Normally I would have been reluctant to do it, but since I had a lot on my mind due to the fight with Yeonseo, I left it alone to vent my thoughts.

By the way, Se-yeon left this time too, saying she had somewhere to go.

I was relieved to see that things had surprisingly quieted down.

Yeah, when one problem is solved, another one pops up.

But this problem was just too difficult to handle.

“Thank you so much for saving me today.”

“You saved me, that’s too grand.”

“That’s right, I almost ate the fish when I fell and almost died when I fell over.”

“I was just behind you.”

“Anyway, it’s common sense to say thank you to my brother, right?”

“That’s right.”

Since it was a well-established opinion, there was nothing more to refute.

I figured that if I continued here I’d just end up looking like a nerd with no self-esteem, so I just said okay.

But Ha-yeon asked me, perhaps concerned that I didn’t have a smiling face.

“Are you having trouble?”

—

During that brief moment when he saved her, Ha-yeon didn’t notice that her eyes were following Jin-hyeon.

But after seeing him in person, I was able to guess Jinhyeon’s small changes and feelings.

So, without realizing it, I ended up saying this.

“Are you having trouble?”

When Jin-Hyeon asked him about his worries about what was really going on and his anxiety about whether he hated being with her, he denied it.

“No.”

“Lies.”

Ha-yeon denied it right away and moved closer.

“You’ve only been giving counseling so far, right? Today, I’m a psychological counselor, Kang Ha-yeon.”

“Haha.”

He laughs lightly.

The laughter was light, but Ha-yeon’s heart swelled as if it would fly.

What is this feeling?

It was a strange feeling for her, who had been used to accepting men who confessed their love rather than being the first to do so.

“Just… I was worried so I gave her some advice, but I guess my tone was too strong. As we kept contradicting each other, the other person’s expression got worse and worse.”

Whose story is this?

Who has had the pleasure of being worried about this person?

With a bit of jealousy, Ha-yeon desperately searches for the target.

“Are you someone you’ve always been close with?”

“It wasn’t bad.”

Sadly, this is where their conversation began to diverge.

People like Jinhyeon who have many emotional wounds are used to hiding them, and even when they do speak honestly, they don’t often use positive expressions, which is why there was conflict.

Even if they had just said that they were really close, Ha-yeon wouldn’t have fallen into that delusion.

“What were you worried about?”

“Worries about the future. They’re all like that.”

This discrepancy gives Ha-yeon a false sense of confidence.

“I want to stand alone, but I’m worried about the hardships I’ll have to go through.”

The false belief that the object of Jinhyeon’s concern might be himself.

If you had been a little more calm and rational, you wouldn’t have made such a ridiculous assumption.

However, Ha-yeon’s feelings were like a flower bud that had just started to sprout, and she was still nourished by the excitement and the greed that she might be looked at.

That’s why Ha-yeon guessed that the reason Jin-hyeon was worried was because of the conversation they had yesterday.

If you’re worried about the future, you’re the only one having a hard time finding a job.

Except for the times I’ve had small talk with Jinhyeon recently on my way home from work, he’s always said that he doesn’t have any friends.

So, Ha-yeon felt both a growing sense of anticipation that the target would be her, and a sense of regret for causing unnecessary worry.

“Anxiety about the future is due to an obsession with the possibility that something might happen that has not actually happened.”

“Really?”

Jinhyeon knew that too, but I just let him say it.

It was intended to comfort me, so there was no need to pour cold water on it.

Without even knowing that, Ha-yeon continued talking earnestly.

“I also heard from people who got jobs that when their anxiety reached its peak, they would unexpectedly get calls from places they never expected. They said that eventually, things would be resolved somehow and all their worries would disappear. Instead, they said that they had to keep trying to move in a better direction.”

therefore,

“If you keep saying nice things to your brother and try to make sure that the other person doesn’t feel any more rejection, it will work out.”

After saying that, I realized.

Isn’t this exactly what Jinhyeon meant when he said that to himself yesterday?

“The more I talk, the more tangled it feels.”

“Well… because they are in the process of trying to resolve it. In the end, they have to resolve it themselves, right? You just have to be there to support them until the end. And you have to ask them directly to see if what you said was true. If you worry and struggle alone, you won’t know anything.”

So, I hope you ask yourself more courageously.

“Direct….”

Jinhyeon, who had been listening to Hayeon’s words, smiled slightly and replied.

“Hayeon is an adult.”

Ha-yeon’s heart pounded even harder at that smile that was not pretentious but rather filled with admiration.

Okay, this feeling.

I quickly avoided him out of embarrassment, but I liked the thrill of his gaze looking at me like that.

“That’s it? I’ll go.”

But it’s so exciting.

Ha-yeon pressed her chest tightly and chose to avoid it for now.

“Thank you yesterday. Thank you today too.”

I mentioned the day before specifically to tell him not to worry too much about himself.

“See you tomorrow!”

He runs away waving his hand without looking back.

He won’t see it.

This face is filled with an inappropriate smile.

Ha-yeon wanted to quickly go home and enjoy the afterglow of the emotions she had just felt.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

I was worried that maybe I hadn’t been wearing much makeup up until now.

Did you wear clothes that were too comfortable?

Still, things will be different starting tomorrow.

Unlike before, when Ha-yeon would dress up to match her outfit on dates with ex-boyfriends she hadn’t even seen for a long time, she decided to dress up just for one guy for the first time.