MYFL | Chapter 2.4

Even when told to go in, Beomchan stood his ground. His expression was full of hesitation, as if there was something he wanted to say. Seungjae looked at him curiously before speaking.

“What is it?”

His expression, his question—it was as if he was urging Beomchan to just say whatever was on his mind. But that only made Beomchan press his lips together harder. He held back the words that were threatening to spill out. The longer he kept quiet, the longer he could stay here, looking at Seungjae.

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“…Nothing. I’ll head up now. Don’t be too late. Drive safe at night.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

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Turning away from him felt unbearably heavy. As Beomchan climbed the stairs, he glanced through the commercial building’s window and saw the faint light flicker below.

He didn’t know whether that light would turn off quickly, just like the words Seungjae had casually thrown out, or if it would stay on for a long time.

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But that wasn’t any of his concern anymore.

Or at least, it shouldn’t be.

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⋆˚🐾˖°

Holding Woojoo’s hand, Beomchan walked into the café as if it were second nature. The small bell above the door chimed with a bright, cheerful sound. Seungjae glanced toward the entrance. The moment he spotted them, he stepped out from behind the counter with a welcoming expression, and Woojoo immediately leaped into his arms as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.

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“Abuji.”

“Did you see your friends off properly?”

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Seungjae lifted Woojoo with ease. Woojoo rested his cheek against Seungjae’s shoulder and gave a small nod. At the dojang, Woojoo had already adapted well and was showing a surprisingly confident side, but the moment he stood in front of Seungjae, he turned back into a little baby. Well, that’s normal for his age, Beomchan thought. But then, he recalled how he had passionately reassured Seungjae about how well Woojoo was doing and felt a little embarrassed.

“Drink something before you go.”

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Seungjae calmed Woojoo down and set him back on the ground, then turned to Beomchan. As usual, Beomchan ordered an iced Americano and took a seat with Woojoo at an empty table. The reason he always ordered an Americano, despite not being able to drink coffee, was simple—it was the cheapest item on the menu.

Seungjae never let him pay, no matter what. At first, Beomchan thought it would just be a one-time thing, so he had accepted it without much thought. But before he knew it, he had lost the right moment to refuse, and now he just kept taking it.

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Not that he would have said anything, even if that weren’t the reason. Telling someone who loved coffee enough to open a café that he couldn’t drink the stuff? That wasn’t something he could say. To other people, sure. But for some reason, not to Seungjae.

Losing a little sleep over it is no big deal. By now, he was used to the way his heart pounded uncontrollably around him.

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Across from him, Woojoo pulled a sketchbook out of his bag and spread it out on the table. Beomchan watched him scribbling freely on the paper before his gaze naturally shifted toward the counter. There was a face he hadn’t seen before.

At one point, Beomchan had suggested that Seungjae hire some help, considering how he had been running the café alone since its opening. Seungjae had mentioned that his cousin, who lived nearby, was taking a break from school and would be working here until returning. That must be her. She looked noticeably younger than Seungjae.

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Not long after, Seungjae approached with an iced Americano, a glass of orange juice for Woojoo, and two slices of cake. He wasn’t alone—the woman was with him. Beomchan gave a small nod and started to stand up.

“This is Hong Yeonji, the cousin I mentioned before.”

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“Oh, hello.”

“Hi! So you’re Woojoo’s taekwondo instructor! I saw you a few times last week whenever I stopped by the café. I kept wondering who you were.”

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Every time she came by? Beomchan mentally counted. Do I really stop by that often?

Morning workouts, dropping the kids off, coming by after work… Since the café was conveniently located, he always found himself passing by. And even if it wasn’t, there was another reason he kept ending up here.

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Even though he had promised himself to stop. His head kept warning him, but his body refused to listen.

“I’m planning to hire one or two more people once things settle down. Yeonji has a lot of experience working in cafés, so I’m actually learning from her. She’s also handling all the café’s social media.”

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“Social media?”

“Yeah.”

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So that’s why the café seemed busier than last week.

“If you post pictures of Oppa, I bet the number of customers will skyrocket,” Yeonji said excitedly, turning to Beomchan for agreement. “A lot of places use good-looking staff as part of their marketing. Don’t you think it’d work?”

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But instead of agreeing, Beomchan’s expression darkened in an instant.

“Well… I’m not sure…”

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Seungjae’s pictures getting posted online? Just imagining it made his stomach churn. Yeonji was probably right—customer traffic would definitely increase. But that also meant more people coming just to see Seungjae. People who would flirt with him. People who would try to get close to him.

That cannot happen.

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He wanted to shut the idea down immediately, to argue that it was ridiculous. But from a business perspective, Yeonji had a point. If the goal was to bring in more customers, using Seungjae’s face as marketing wasn’t a bad idea.

Beomchan was caught in the middle, unable to say anything. Fortunately, Seungjae cut in with an exasperated look.

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“I already said I’m not doing that.”

He had never opened the café to get rich, and if business picked up too much, it would be difficult to manage with the current staff.

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Yeonji sighed in disappointment, but Beomchan felt immense relief.

Just then, a group of college students entered the café. Yeonji left first, and Seungjae, after telling Beomchan to take his time finishing, headed back behind the counter.

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The moment they were gone, Beomchan grabbed his phone. He opened his SNS app and typed “cafe 225” into the search bar. At the top of the results, he found an account that seemed to belong to the café.

Clicking on the profile, he saw that the profile picture was the café’s logo. For a place that hadn’t been open long, there were already quite a few posts—photos of the interior, daily coffee specials announced through story updates, and pictures of new menu items and desserts. Here and there, some images even showed Seungjae’s hands as he prepared coffee.

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Good thing he didn’t listen to Yeonji’s suggestion. Even just his hands looked good—if his face were included, things would get out of control.

He scrolled through the tagged posts. Most were aesthetic shots of coffee and desserts on tables, or people taking pictures of themselves at the café.

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Then, one particular post caught his eye—not because of the photo, but because of the caption beneath it.

”…The sajangnim is delicious, and the coffee is handsome?”

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Beomchan’s forehead scrunched up. Seriously? If you came here for coffee, just drink your damn coffee and leave. What’s wrong with these people, hitting on a married man? Should I report this?

The comments were even worse.

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“I need to go see the sajangnim.”
“Where is this place?”
“Any pictures of him?”

At least no one had secretly taken photos of Seungjae yet, but with this level of interest, it was only a matter of time before someone did.

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Scowling, Beomchan slammed his phone down onto the table. Across from him, Woojoo remained oblivious, fully focused on his drawing.

Beomchan turned slightly and glanced toward the counter.

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Seungjae was smiling brightly, chatting with the new customers.

Why does it look like they all have ulterior motives? Maybe it was just the timing—seeing those comments right before this—but suddenly, it seemed like every single one of them was interested in Seungjae. And why was he smiling like that? With that face, even people who weren’t interested would start paying attention.

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Beomchan got up, picking up his empty glass and cake plate along with the tray. He wanted to stay a little longer and watch for any suspicious people, but he had another class to teach.

“Woojoo, I’m heading out. Have a great weekend. See you on Monday.”

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“Okay!”

The college students grabbed their takeaway cups and exited the café. Beomchan approached the counter with his tray.

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Yeonji was holding up her phone in an odd pose, apparently taking photos—probably for SNS. Judging by the angle, it seemed like she was snapping a side-profile shot of Seungjae as he plated a slice of cake.

She’s not showing his face, right?

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As he set the tray down, he subtly peeked over Yeonji’s shoulder. Just as he did, she stopped taking photos and opened her gallery to check the results.

Beomchan’s face twisted immediately.

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His face was in the shot. And it looked really good.

He wanted to say something but held back, fuming silently.

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Meanwhile, looking pleased, Yeonji showed the photo to Seungjae—probably seeking his approval before posting it.

“Take this one out,” Seungjae said, pointing directly at the very photo that had made Beomchan panic earlier.

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Yeonji looked disappointed, but Seungjae was firm. Only then did Beomchan finally relax. He set the tray down properly, but just then, Yeonji suddenly turned toward him and pointed at the very same picture.

“Want me to send it to you?”

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“…To me?”

“Yeah.”

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“…Why?”

Even though Seungjae could hear everything from this close distance, he simply smiled without commenting.

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“You seem like you want it,” Yeonji said bluntly.

“… …”

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She stared him down, waiting for an answer—clearly unwilling to let it go.

Feeling cornered, Beomchan eventually turned away to avoid her gaze.

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“I’m fine. What are you even…? Anyway, Teacher, I’ll get going. I have class.”

“Alright.”

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Beomchan hurriedly said his goodbyes and practically ran out of the café.

His face was burning red.

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⋆˚🐾˖°

After Beomchan left, the café door closed behind him. As the chime above the door faded into silence, Seungjae spoke to Yeonji.

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“Don’t tease him too much.”

“How is he that obvious?”

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Yeonji murmured as she watched Beomchan’s retreating figure disappear beyond the glass window.

“It’s not like that.”

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“Oh, please. If anyone’s the worst here, it’s you.”

Yeonji shot Seungjae a sharp glare.

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There was no way he didn’t notice. It was way too obvious—even to her. If he was pretending not to know just because Beomchan hadn’t confessed outright, that would at least be somewhat understandable. But to Yeonji, it didn’t seem like he was even giving him the chance to confess in the first place.

The proof? The ring is still sitting on his finger, even after his divorce.

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“Why are you still wearing that thing?”

She pointed at Seungjae’s left hand with her chin.

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