OTC Chapter 10

She met Lee Jaeheon again that evening.

It was right after she had finished work, grabbed a quick dinner at a snack bar near the cafe, and returned home.

As Lee Jaeheon descended the stairs and she ascended, they both burst into laughter at the same time.

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“The cafe closed a while ago. I came to borrow a fan, sunbae.”

He was wearing dirt-stained work clothes, a knee-length art apron, and gloves, and the smell of sweat emanated from him.

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“Ah, I went to eat dinner. I’ll get the fan for you. It’s brand new, never used. I got it as a free gift, and I don’t think I’ll ever use it. You can have it.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept it.”

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He followed her up the stairs and sighed, “Whew.” It was a simple action—brushing off some dust—but Eunkyo found herself inexplicably conscious of him.

Perhaps it was because she had finally acknowledged her awkward feelings. The fact that she was attracted to a man several years younger than her, and that she didn’t dislike this attraction, was a big problem.

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But she didn’t want to be a woman oblivious to the situation. Personally, she believed that sexual desire and affection were distinctly different emotions.

She wasn’t sure if what she felt was affection or sexual desire, but she knew it was definitely a dangerous emotion to express carelessly.

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Her explanation was a bit rambling and strange, but that was precisely the state of Jung Eunkyo’s mind right now. at the moment. Nonsense and floating words were mixing together, defying grammar.

Forcing a casual demeanor, she opened the door, took off her shoes, and hurried inside to turn on the lights and the air conditioner. Lee Jaeheon was still waiting outside, not having entered the apartment yet.

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So, as she opened the door to the veranda next to the kitchen, where she kept all sorts of miscellaneous items, she said to Jaeheon,

“Do you want to wait inside? Mosquitoes will come in if I leave the door open.”

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“Ah, I’m a bit dirty.”

“What does a little dirt matter? Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”

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The narrow, long veranda was so crammed with piled-up belongings that it was barely wide enough for one person to pass through. She heard the sound of the front door closing behind her.

Just the sound of the door closing made her nervous. Swallowing hard, Eunkyo struggled to find the fan she had won in a supermarket raffle last year and had stashed away in the storage.

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Then, she heard Lee Jaeheon’s voice from outside the open veranda door.

“Can I help you?”

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Flustered and red-faced from the heat, she turned around and gave an embarrassed smile. Lee Jaeheon’s gaze shifted towards the upper part of the veranda. Then he walked over and stood behind her.

The already cramped veranda felt even smaller with Lee Jaeheon there.

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“You put it up so high. How were you planning to get it down?”

“Ah, was it there?”

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“You didn’t know?”

“I haven’t had a reason to take it down…”

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He took another step closer, and his chest brushed against her back.

As she stumbled forward, he placed his hand on the shelf and wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her.

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“Sorry, are you okay?”

Sweat trickled down her temple. Instead of answering, Eunkyo just nodded vigorously. Then, raising both arms, he effortlessly lifted down the fan box from the top of the shelf. It was a height she would have needed a chair to reach, but it seemed too easy for him.

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“It would be better to walk backward like this, right?”

His words, laced with amusement, poured over her like a sudden rain. As if the paused time was being swept away, she came to her senses and slowly turned around to face Lee Jaeheon’s chest.

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“I’ll watch your back. Just walk backwards.”

Their steps intertwined in one direction. He walked backward, and she walked forward.

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Each time, their bodies brushed against each other, and her forehead bumped against his collarbone. She couldn’t explain why, but she clasped her hands together and prayed silently.

It was a prayer she hadn’t uttered since kindergarten lunchtime.

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Please, make this fluttering stop. 

Please don’t let me be a fool who fantasizes about a younger man’s kindness.

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By the time her nonsensical prayer ended, they had finally reached the veranda door.

“Just to the left is the exit.”

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“Okay. But, sunbae.”

“Yes?”

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She instinctively looked up, and the first thing she saw was his lips curving into a subtle smile in the dim light.

“Are you always this kind? It’s going to be troublesome if you’re like this with everyone.” 

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His teasing tone, laced with what sounded like an accusation, brought her back to reality. Right, she had momentarily forgotten, but this was Lee Jaeheon.

“Neighbors should help each other out. If I… saw you as a man, I wouldn’t have let you in.”

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She deliberately lifted her chin and replied clearly. His eyes, looking down at her, narrowed slightly.

“Ah, neighbors helping each other… I like how that sounds.”

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“Then, shall we go out now? You seem to have worked up a sweat. You can use the bathroom if you need to.”

Why did she say that? 

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Did she stubbornly want to prove, out of spite, that she really didn’t see him as a man?

It was a lie anyway, so why?

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He turned around with the fan box, a strange, troubled smile creasing his brow.

That smile made her heart sink. She felt so embarrassed she wanted to hide in a hole.

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“It’s just… that’s what I meant. Thank you for helping me today… If you need anything, feel free to ask. As a… hubae (junior). Well, I thought it would be okay to do this much.”

She rambled on, making excuses, and justifications piled up.

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Feeling utterly defeated, Eunkyo trudged along, seeing Lee Jaeheon to the door. He put on his shoes, picked up the fan box, and was about to leave when he turned around as if remembering something.

“Ah, I met Sunggeun hyung at school today. He said the recording turned out really well. He’s having a preview screening and invited us to watch it together.”

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“When is it?”

“I don’t know yet. He’ll probably contact us.”

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“Okay. Let’s go together then.”

His eyes, which had been staring intently at her from behind the box, softened. Eunkyo swallowed hard, shuffled into her slippers, and reached for the doorknob.

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He placed his foot against the doorway to stop it from closing and said,

“I’ll come over to shower. I was just thinking about whether I should renovate the shower room in the studio. I might come over every day.”

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“Come over anytime when I’m here. It’s fine.”

Her brain screamed no, but her mouth gave its permission of its own accord.

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His foot, which had been blocking the door, slipped away. Lee Jaeheon nodded his head slightly in farewell and went down the stairs.

Eunkyo stood there blankly, hand on the doorknob, until the sound of his footsteps faded away completely. Then, she let out a deep sigh, rubbing her hand on her forehead.

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Have you lost your mind from the heat, Jung Eunkyo?

The cool air from the air conditioner, which had finally started to work, brushed against her back. As if giving her back a hard slap, reminding her that the heat she felt was all just an illusion.

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─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

“Hello, boss!”

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A few days later, the new part-timer greeted Eunkyo with a bright smile on his first day of work.

“Nice to meet you, Seontae.”

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Kim Seontae, twenty-five years old, had just been discharged from the military and submitted his resume, hoping to earn some living expenses before returning to university.

The fact that he had some experience working at cafes before his military service had earned him extra points. Since they needed to hire someone quickly, someone with experience was preferable to someone they had to train from scratch.

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Eunkyo took out an apron and was checking the list of supplies that had arrived that morning when Seontae, finished with the cleaning, popped his head in.

“Boss, I’m done cleaning. What should I do now?”

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“Oh, really? Then please organize the supplies. I’ll double-check the list, so you just take them to the storage room in the back.”

“Okay! Oh, I posted on social media that I’m working at Haeda, and everyone’s asking about the male owner. He’s really like a celebrity. So, we might get a huge crowd today because of him. Don’t give them any discounts, even if they come.”

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Seontae, who was also very sociable and cheerful, beamed, his dimples appearing on both cheeks as he spoke. The cafe was already famous because of Kim Haeda’s popularity, so this wasn’t particularly surprising.

As Eunkyo checked the supply list and handed items to Seontae, Kim Haeda arrived, looking slightly tired.

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Wearing a linen shirt, slacks, and sunglasses, Haeda walked straight towards Eunkyo.

“Are you seriously going on that blind date?”

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Eunkyo, who was about to greet him, frowned.

“What?”

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“Are you going on that blind date?”

Remembering their conversation from a few days ago, she chuckled lightly and shrugged at Haeda’s sudden question.

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“If you have someone to introduce me to, tell me their name and send me a picture first. I’ll decide after I see it.”

“I’ll send you their KakaoTalk profile.” 

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“Really?”

“Yeah.”

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He ruffled his hair irritably and went into the storage room in the back. He put on the apron hanging there, came back out, and sighed, a faint smell of alcohol clinging to him.

Kim Haeda drank…? 

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And he came to work like this?

“Hey, you’re acting strange. Is something going on?”

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“No.”

“Then why are you in such a state? Are you smoking again? And how late did you drink that I can still smell the alcohol on you? Don’t tell me you drove here like this?!”

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As she bombarded him with questions, surprised and concerned, Haeda pinched her nose and brought his face close to hers.

“I took a taxi. Stop nagging.”

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“Hey, you really don’t look well.”

Eunkyo glared at him, rubbing her sore nose. Then, looking back and forth between her and the part-timer, Haeda said,

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“Can I go upstairs and sleep for a bit? Just for two hours.”

“Just go upstairs and sleep until lunchtime.”

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“I think I will. I can’t even stand the smell of coffee right now.”

“You know the passcode, right?”

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“Yeah.”

“Hurry up and go.”

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She pushed Haeda, who was swaying slightly, towards the stairs. He told Seontae to take good care of things and then made his dramatic exit. Eunkyo and Seontae exchanged bewildered laughs. Explaining that he wasn’t usually like that and that something must have happened, she opened her messenger app.

She scrolled through the accumulated promotional messages, and a profile that hadn’t been there before caught her eye.

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‘Lee Dohyun…?’

He had always had a blank profile. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to delete his number, a lingering trace of their past relationship. And now, there was a picture.

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‘By any chance… did the number change owners?’

Staring blankly at the photo of an unfamiliar, serene beach, she pressed and held the contact, deleting it.

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Today, she deleted one more thing.