ANQ | Chapter 9

“Are you sleeping?”b986457bd6240d7a

“……”5d71699696d4142f

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“You can’t sleep here.”781aff3e79930736

The man didn’t respond. Is he running a fever? Should I wake him up and send him to the hospital?2f2e437e424447bd

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Minyoung, pondering, wiped his hands on his apron and cautiously reached for the man’s forehead.46b2805959970ab8

“Ah.”de833127985f5cbf

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The moment the man opened his eyes wide, Minyoung froze like someone caught doing something wrong. His cupped hand was just about to touch the man’s forehead. Only after making eye contact did Minyoung realize he might have crossed a line.699fc81f9a336b3f

The man was quicker than Minyoung, who was trying to pull back his hand. The man, looking up with weary eyes, pulled Minyoung’s hand to his forehead. Any attempt to withdraw was easily suppressed. How could a sick person be so strong?4dc6991bb6a88ecf

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While Minyoung was 2f7125d0f1 surprised by the da57c6cff9 unexpectedly high temperature, 84e0728b1f the man closed 28e7e12eee his eyes again.1e88686de1e4d40a

“Your forehead is really hot.”3334e56cc6a45952

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“I’m naturally a hot guy.”7a6a3016941a87de

“You must be out of your mind from the fever.”f54b5185161abd92

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“Heh. Go Minyoung, your hands are cool… nice.”69bf0754316ea8d8

The man chuckled and held Minyoung’s wrist. His grip felt even hotter than his forehead.17c664b0d03ff2e9

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“…Go Minyoung. What’s your major?”f54aa2e8f6173b03

“Why do you ask?”7d6f5d8efd2ef77d

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“Are you in med school by any chance?”accc1c026d90424a

“No, I’m not.”97a2dcd16ab747b4

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“Strange. My headache seems to be gone already.”a005774162458b8e

The man’s voice was languid. Healing with just a touch is more like a superpower or a cult leader than a doctor.f274216a7e020226

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Thinking it was nonsense, Minyoung still couldn’t pull his hand away from between the man’s forehead and hand. As if the man’s feverish warmth had transferred, Minyoung’s ears turned red. His breath felt warmer too.ef401c1139278429

♣ • ♣ 388ae59f35 • ♣0a445885cbf74af9

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The music leaking from c458b3913c the earphones of the 7c4ca65264 young male customer standing 041ada2e28 at the counter was d7cd499051 loud. Even in front of 5de261b5aa Minyoung, the man nodded 62d46f09d9 his chin to the 5b3299c6c3 rhythm.e8f78ff8ae8147a2

“Would you like to order?”8dd1ae180be0d92e

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“Americano.”46d726d9cb4b27a6

“Would you like it hot?”9797f650624eec74

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“……”88bf3194f67d38ed

There was no way the man rummaging through his bag could hear Minyoung’s voice. Is it so hard to lower the volume or take out one earphone when talking to someone?ea2695c94a6fb258

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Minyoung stood 0ecaed263e silently, waiting 0dbae3dcb6 for the 34e925e92a man to 620e6125a1 notice him.d7903df96fe68c73

“How would you like your Americano?”39d79ab3aaf9a9ff

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“What?”08c8a66abb7f1bc2

“Would you like it hot?”76929ae90c4ce471

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“Make it iced.”cccf329c3d37bd55

Finally, the man 26a53c6d0c took out his 4da5b0a481 earphones and answered deb8f8cc53 as if it a1d28be072 was a bother. Minyoung prepared the ice 04bdd01aec water and operated the 5851e16db5 machine to brew the 1e3bc3abe9 coffee. While waiting for the b03fa8f491 coffee to be extracted 444a5decf1 into the small cup, a08e029e27 he glanced around the 433664f8fa tables.a174fbce28a211bc

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During the busy morning 17890ca7de shift, the Strawberry Smoothie 1934bb95c5 Man had disappeared without b48647bd47 a word. Did he take his 5d216ebe38 medicine? Did his 9a379c029f fever go b1886afb7d down? The image of a163e0b63e the man with f9d06465e6 his eyes closed bbd031f012 kept coming to 231dbb1552 mind.503038e92f680a3a

Why worry about someone who’s not even a relative or friend? Minyoung blew his bangs with a puff of air as he put the lid on the takeaway cup.d78379a6ebcaeb0e

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The man reappeared the next evening. Unlike the previous morning, he was neatly dressed. Contrary to Minyoung’s expectation that he would line up behind the customers, the man winked at Minyoung and walked past the counter.c2ff2b42b27f2016

Owner Choi, who was a2adc4a17f scooping ice into disposable 3b5e18b317 cups for a delivery 5b0bc2dc62 order, greeted him warmly.36f963844b3ef642

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“Oh, you’re here. Want some coffee?”fc361cca2172c5c9

“I’ll place an order.”99d23892e268d684

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Minyoung barely managed to take his eyes off the man. At least he didn’t look sick, which was a relief.9c008fc4487fd2a0

“I already had some. Oh, hyung, you look better.”9436f9ec273922eb

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“Really? Are you saying I gained weight?”9ca6f26069042aa6

“No way. I’m saying you look younger. Did you eat something good?”c52088fcd37c4d56

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Listening to their 451dfca90a conversation while making c913abcca5 coffee, Minyoung bit 167d242e0c his lower lip. Despite the 2c2b63f53c man frequenting 3bb027ba3f the café 3260b8c135 countless times, 90b8167f14 he had ce55c1a2fd no idea 633f98aabb he was 9cf2212a16 well-acquainted with 36fa25a359 the owner. Their conversation was 7eb504ff34 very familiar. Did I make any 48840b0537 mistakes?c17c5b012c8a8cc5

Minyoung scratched his 297aa2e6ae neck, glancing at 3a076d5ebc the man leaning e1305a34ef on the counter.aa0bed420a678588

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“Vanilla latte and café latte with an extra shot, right?”5451fe6e46c0dcbe

“Yes.”df173e4e6e1e5ed1

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“I’ll help you with the payment. Please insert your card in the front.”17f7bc378e5f593e

Why didn’t the man mention he knew the owner? He was truly unpredictable. Minyoung easily guessed that the person Owner Choi had a rare drinking appointment with today was the man.96dd4ed98b676c3a

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“Wait a moment. My wife is supposed to come, but she’s a bit late?”17910ef7a8c020b9

It was almost Minyoung’s quitting time. Owner Choi, who planned to leave the café to his wife, checked the time and spoke. Minyoung replied.c24a2cd985769130

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“Then should I watch the store? I don’t have tutoring today.”0f864c2da74cf337

“Minyoung, you don’t have class today?”de385c646e0a6908

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“Yes. The grandmother of the family I tutor is having an 80th birthday party.”829d3a69756e05dd

“Really? Then, let’s go together. My wife is going to watch the store anyway, so let’s have a drink together. It’s hard for you to find time, right? Hey, is it okay if our part-timer comes along?”36946edbc59311a3

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“Sure.”a8e50dc52609d6a3

The man, who had been quietly observing their conversation, answered with a smile. He gestured with his index and middle fingers that he’d be outside smoking, then put his hands in his pockets and walked out of the café.60c794d582c69565

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Somehow, Minyoung ended up joining Owner Choi and the man’s drinking session, scratching his neck again.2564c3c7bede637e

The three 4f79576ec0 of them fb8abc9dec left the e9f9d5361b café and 63e6d97f26 found a efbf44fe72 suitable bar 46ac83b86a nearby. Owner Choi, e791b8fbb5 who had d1a877eb1c many connections, d2ef25f804 greeted the f24187caed bar owner 7fa3b9126d as they 5187c2f1e6 entered.d42dbfc8d771f324

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The dim interior was 65a0a3e7ec perfect for an early dbeb890cf3 evening drink.c49c57449bc50ac0

“Minyoung, order whatever you want.”db2415d2c7e35584

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“Okay.”386de650f691d3b0

“So, how do you two know each other?”26d4341e17ee47b9

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“This guy used to come in all the time for strawberry smoothies.”b923d4bff92465e7

The man, who Minyoung thought would sit next to Owner Choi, insisted on squeezing in next to Minyoung. Minyoung, being pushed into the corner by the man’s large frame, answered Owner Choi.6b2c8d87c2c6ae45

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“Huh? Strawberry smoothie? You have a unique taste.”d22d53bd13233599

“You hired a good part-timer, hyung. Go Minyoung makes it so delicious that I think about it every day, even though I never used to drink it.”462188eccac8273d

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Owner Choi and the man seemed to be close friends. The man spoke politely to Owner Choi but wasn’t overly formal.0a14b0d7ad8dbf9c

“Go Minyoung. What should we eat?”1ca24057805517b1

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“Anything’s fine.”35430b1d63bab536

“Our Go Minyoung, you’re not very savvy. When you’re getting treated, you should always choose the most expensive thing.”a914bca08fcc0899

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The man pretended 5be4149481 to whisper behind 442e650e71 the menu, adding 4754b026a4 that the hyung a4d6e782c5 had a lot 9b82363457 of money.b1bdfc5893a7fd1f

“Sure. Minyoung, pick whatever you want. I haven’t been able to treat you to a proper meal yet.”0582f77d6518bfe2

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“It’s because I’ve been busy.”35dfe39ff373fcc6

“Go Minyoung. Should we have beef? And how about shrimp tempura? Should we order some soup too?”e0f6d2aa9a8a97eb

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“Sure. They make good hot pot here.”d95c08f535e62c7a

The man’s pronunciation of “Go Minyoung” started to sound more like “Gom Inyoung” (teddy bear), as if he was doing it on purpose. But Minyoung pretended not to notice and drank some cold water. The man, who was busy choosing from the menu, raised his hand to call a staff member.47e2813c0e745987

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“I didn’t know you two knew each other.”51eb7913a99540fc

“Oh, this guy? He’s a high school junior.”25cdc9bdb0d01d8f

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The man 2fe3dd759c asked the 81ad17a852 staff about 5f72eb6566 the menu. After getting a 359c4ac1f3 detailed explanation, he 5b91390d0f ordered beef dishes, 1111a64250 shrimp tempura, spicy 4ab05fe019 soup, and fruit 0cd8054165 salad all at b4d8017181 once.eb278289234b3379

“And two bottles of soju, cold ones.”df0eabf6c0419144

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“Are you having a 60th birthday party?”343f73c8b1a55fc4

“Come on, hyung, you make good money. I ordered because Go Minyoung wanted it. You have to spend to earn more.”5db4d0ab2b56bdcf

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“Really? But you…”3ec46d420a7a274a

“Here, bring the soju first!”a52045b0b972dcdb

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Since the man f26dc664e7 had come to daa56f013d the café in fc7f47d961 the morning and f27cd2cd5a left before Owner fcdd5156f2 Choi arrived, Minyoung a28010e279 never thought they 16f50f54c9 knew each other. After a round of 289afb7b11 drinks, the conversation shifted 9d096cabd8 to someone else, possibly a7986f67c0 a continuation of a aea31da9f5 discussion they had while c5afe6f965 Minyoung was working.db74eee5fcc0c8e4

“Hey, Kang Taeyun. Isn’t that a bit much?”731bbc8ef3cc5bc1

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The man lightly shook his head and picked up the soju bottle. He poured the first drink for Owner Choi, then for Minyoung, and finally for himself. Minyoung learned the man’s name when he heard Owner Choi call him.932db243f1b2b793

Kang Taeyun. The name, quietly repeated a8ba801194 in his mouth, suited 5b9ac74003 him well.4e41a3bd2faab24a

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“It’s not too much. If it’s something that needs to be done, let’s do it right. Those seniors have been talking nonsense for ages.”af17e657dd53ff47

“They’re immature. Even as they age, they still act the same.”bae0557e3c676edf

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“If they can’t mature at that age, we have to make them realize it. We can’t sit grown adults in a time-out chair to teach them. Right, Go Minyoung?”0b424831d6d83caf

“Yes?”3024d84cc2915354

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“Let’s drink.”5e244c68597eaa29

Taeyun smiled. He left the topic Minyoung couldn’t follow and offered a glass filled to the brim. Owner Choi raised his glass, and finally, Minyoung joined in.38bf040ede5eee01

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“Nice to meet you. Let’s drink until we’re tipsy.”5078321f0d987157

Minyoung laughed at Owner Choi’s jest. It had been a while since he’d had a social drink like this, being busy with life. When Minyoung drank, it was usually just a can of beer after his grandmother went to sleep.0821952865071ca1

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The soju, after 78d66aea2f a long time, a9133d5bae tasted sweet on b4dbb526eb his tongue.fa353f95019f2257

Sometimes Minyoung was the center of conversation, but there were also serious talks between Taeyun and Owner Choi. When Minyoung quietly emptied his glass, Taeyun would naturally refill it, as if he’d been watching him.5761fb5344176003

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While drinking, 8a747ce717 Minyoung checked 59a178c367 his phone 62100306af just in 65e27bcc5f case and bc4b00c89e quickly answered 5f18549a90 an incoming bc72682c23 call.793b9ad2bb908335

“Oh, Grandma. Yeah, I’m eating. How about your dinner? Good job, our Dalja. No, I won’t be too late, so don’t worry and go to sleep first. I won’t drink much. Promise. Yeah, got it. Grandma, make sure to cover up with the blanket. Yeah, okay.”2b245168be70e206

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While Minyoung turned towards f3bb9928d4 the wall to talk 5b9a63a3f3 to his grandmother, Owner f3ff58ad97 Choi asked.5e090fea819724ca

“Minyoung, is your grandma’s health okay?”d1a19eedcd20d08f

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“Yes, she’s doing alright.”aea91dfcd68886d8

“That’s good. Take good care of her. She worked hard raising her grandson. If you need any help, let me know.”3187ff477e442827

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Minyoung nodded at Owner Choi, who knew his family situation well. Hearing his grandmother say she’d go to bed early reassured him, and he relaxed his shoulders.245bdb208ccd5d62