If I had to guess from the vibes, does that mean he’s even more of a big deal than I thought? Someone who can wipe out humans, then… a god?
My family is the kind of family that serves a god, so it wasn’t like I had no reason to believe it, but the word itself made my skin crawl….
“Yeah. Thank god he changed his mind. Seriously….”
“Yeah. That’s a relief.”
When I smiled and said it brightly, the customers let out long sighs and went back to their seats.
Hmmm. Maybe I should bake a walnut pie to celebrate keeping my job.
*****
Today, too, time flowed by peacefully.
2:40.
3:20.
5:51….
The hours when there usually weren’t any customers.
I’d basically finished cleaning and was getting ready to clock out when I heard the door go DING-A-LING— and automatically popped up, put on my customer-service smile, and greeted them.
Huh? They came a little earlier today.
The owner rushed in, wiping sweat with a handkerchief, and waved at me like, Hurry up and go.
“Go home and rest. You’ve been looking way too tired lately.”
“Yes, I’ll clock out now. You’re the best, Boss Bbiik.”
I said it cheerfully, straightening the apron I’d taken off.
DING-A-LING— the door opened again.
I naturally called out, “Welcome,” and turned around—only to see that man walking into the café.
I glanced at the owner secretly motioning, I’ll handle it, go on, then smiled a little and headed for the staff room to grab my stuff.
I came back out with my beat-up bag and was about to say goodbye to the owner when my eyes met the man’s—he already had his coffee.
Oh. Wow.
Up close, he was seriously tall, and scary-level handsome.
But… I think my timing was bad. If I’d stayed in the staff room a little longer, I could’ve avoided this. He looked like he was about to leave the moment he got his drink, so our paths were probably going to overlap.
“I’m heading out. See you later, Boss Bbiik.”
“Yeah! Get some real rest!”
…Well, actually, what am I worried about? I didn’t do anything wrong.
I almost ducked back inside, then changed my mind.
After giving the owner a bright goodbye, I opened the door and waited for the man.
He took a sip of coffee and smiled. Up close, I noticed he had a dimple on one cheek.
I’ve seen him a few times now and I’m only noticing that?
Well… I’d been too terrified to really look at his face before….
“Um… aren’t you going?”
Even with me holding the door, he just stood there for a while, staring at my face like I was fascinating.
When I gestured outside with my hand, he finally strode over, took the door from me, and nodded like, Go ahead.
Maybe it was because his legs were so long, but he walked insanely fast.
Oh. Manners.
Once I stepped out, he closed the door and immediately turned down the path in front of the café to head wherever he was going.
At that point, pure stubbornness kicked in.
I hustled up—almost jogging—then matched pace beside him.
He looked at me like, Why are you following me?
It didn’t feel like he was annoyed, exactly… but he also definitely wasn’t welcoming me, either.
“Our route’s the same. I’m going this way too.”
No response.
Oh, right. They said this guy really hates humans.
So I guess the only one who’d built up some sense of familiarity was me.
I stopped walking.
This time, he looked at me like, Now what?
I’m starting to get used to that cold smile of his.
I let out a small laugh, met his eyes, and waved him on like, Shoo, shoo.
Then his eyes shifted—very obviously amused.
“I figured you probably don’t want to walk with me. Go on ahead.”
I waved again, smiling.
“Oh—right. If you come by later while I’m there, I’ll give you walnut pie.”
The man looked at me for a moment, then made a vague, whatever kind of gesture and turned away.
No matter what, the person who gives you something tasty is the best.
Who doesn’t make an exception for that?
…Ah. Right. He’s not a person.
Even after he left, I stood there for a long moment, staring at the ground.
Then I lightly tapped the floor with my foot, forced my face bright, and headed home.
*****
Droopy eyes like a puppy, and hair I’d gone to the salon for—just to keep it neat for my part-time job.
Looking at myself in the mirror, the thought that came to mind was that I looked skinny… and small.
I really haven’t been eating lately. Too much on my mind….
My aunt, too. Everything, really.
I sighed, then put on my big round glasses to hide how exhausted and dull my face looked.
I took the egg tarts I’d made while sorting out my thoughts yesterday, packed them into a shopping bag, and nodded to myself.
Yeah. If I’m stressed out, or if I need to organize my thoughts, the best thing I can do is make something.
“See you.”
I muttered it while looking at the family photo sitting beside my blanket.
Then I checked the time, grabbed the shopping bag, and pulled on my sneakers at the shoe rack to head out.
And the moment I straightened up—
A nasty, ominous feeling suddenly crawled through my entire body.
“Ugh….”
Goosebumps exploded over my skin. I frowned and shuddered.
When I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, something fell off it with a soft thud.
What is that?
I tilted my head and picked it up—
“Ah!”
My hand stung, and I reflexively dropped the small yellow slip of paper.
There was something written on it in red, but it was smeared so badly I couldn’t read it.
Like blood….
“What the hell.”
Way to make me feel disgusting before work.
I picked it up, went back inside, ripped it to shreds, and threw it away.
Then I left again.
Maybe because I’d seen something so ominous, my shoulders felt heavy the entire walk to the café, so I patted them. Tap, tap.
DING-A-LING—
“Hello.”
Fifteen minutes before my shift.
I went into the staff room, put on my apron, and came back out—only to find the owner sniffing the air.
Since the owner didn’t have eyebrows, it was hard to tell, but it looked like their face was scrunched up in a frown.
“Boss Bbiik?”
“Hansol. You—did you meet someone? This… something about it… feels bad.”
“Me? Do I look like I’m in a bad mood today…?”
…All I did was put on glasses.
“No, your energy. Mmm. What is this?”
That yellow paper I’d touched flashed through my head.
Wait. Was that some kind of talisman?
“Uh… no. I didn’t meet anyone.”
DING-A-LING—
“Boss Bbiik, I’m he— …Huh? What’s that smell?”
The fish customer came in, sniffing the air—sniff sniff—then drifted closer and closer to me.
“Oh my god, what is this?! Who did you meet? Huh?!”
They widened their eyes, startled, and brushed at my shoulder rapidly.
They talked so fast it practically made me dizzy.
“No, I didn’t meet anyone. Eoun— I mean, you should order first. You have to order.”
“Is that the problem? Good grief.”
…To a customer, isn’t that kind of the problem?
I leaned out from behind the counter, and Eoun grinned as they looked at the menu.
“An Iced Americano. Add three extra shots.”
“Yes. You’re having cookies too, right?”
“Of course! Just thinking about cookies has me excited already.”
I laughed with them as I rang them up, then made the drink.
Between taking orders from regulars and moving nonstop, it was already 3:20.
Cleaning was done, and there were no customers.
After wiping each table one more time, I reached for the oven—planning to make something.
DING-A-LING—
“Welcome—oh. You’re here?”
It was him.
Lord Bihyeon.
Lord Bihyeon walked in, pulling out his wallet, then tilted his head with a soft, amused Hmm?
He stepped closer to me, leaned in—
and sniffed. Quietly. Sniff sniff.
Reflexively, I lifted my arm and sniffed myself the way he had.
Every customer who saw me today has been doing this. What is going on?
Is there such a thing as an “ominous smell”?
“An Iced Americano?”
“Yes, that… and….”
I lit up and shook the bag with the walnut pie in it.
He laughed—only with his mouth—and shrugged.
Then he reached out, and lightly tapped my shoulder.
It felt less like he was patting me… and more like he was brushing something off.
“You should be careful for a while.”
“…What?”
What is this ominous line now?
He looked like he was thinking about something, then stepped back without saying anything else.
Like he’d decided he didn’t need to explain it to me.
Wow. We’ve still seen each other for days now. He could at least—
But honestly, I didn’t even feel that offended.
He can like my cookies and still hate me. Not everyone has to like me.
And the important thing was: I kept this job.
Yeah. Exactly.
I made the drink, then wrapped up a slice of walnut pie and held it out with the coffee.
“I made it less sweet, but… just in case, I only packed one slice. It’ll still be good, though.”
When I said it confidently, he laughed and took it.
“I’ll enjoy it… appropriately?”
Why is that a question…?
“And be careful around cars for a while.”
Looks like he finally decided to tell me.
“Cars? Like… to drink?”
He just smiled, turned around, and left the café.
Cars…?
You mean cars cars?
Am I about to get into an accident?
…Wow.
Now I can’t stop thinking about it.
*****
Thud.
What now?
When I stepped out of my place to go to my shift, there was another weird thing stuck to my door.
This time my hand didn’t sting when I picked it up, but the red itself looked ominous.
I lifted the yellow paper and examined it.
Unlike the first day, the writing hadn’t smeared. I could actually make it out.
Huh?
I don’t know a lot about this stuff, but I’d seen and picked up things here and there.
At the very least, I could kind of recognize what was written on talismans.
Especially if it was a curse.
“What the hell! Why does it smell even stronger today?! Break up with the human you’re seeing. Don’t ever see them again. Cut the tie completely!”
And the moment the owner started yelling at me with a deadly serious face the second I walked into the café, I knew.
That talisman was a cursed talisman.
Yeah, I’d love to cut ties too, but I don’t even know who did this to me—how am I supposed to “break up” with someone I can’t identify?
Panicking, I shook my head, then took a step back like, Calm down.
“Uh… um, but where did all the cookies go?”
“Obviously they’re all gone! Ever since you showed up, Lord Bihyeon’s been stopping by our café more often, and now we’re overflowing with customers. Your cookies did their share, too.”
So it’s like a celebrity effect? Free publicity?
I nodded, then laughed along with the owner for now.
If my cookies were popular, that worked for me.
Yeah. At this point, I really don’t have to worry about getting fired anymore.
“Lord Bihyeon… didn’t come often before?”
“No! It’s his assigned district, so he’d come sometimes. But before you started here, it was more like once a month. He visits all the other shops too—fairly, every so often.”
Ah. So he doesn’t pick one place and stick to it.