Almost, But Not Quite

From morning till evening, Go Minyoung works part-time at a café. At night, he tutors to make ends meet.

He’s on a break from university, doing everything he can to support his grandmother, living a busy but relatively peaceful life.

That is—until an unexpected “villain” appears.

“This is too bitter.”

“Sorry?”

“I said, it’s bitter.”

The man who grumbled that even five pumps of syrup couldn’t sweeten his Americano came back the next day… as the “Strawberry Smoothie Guy,” buying the same drink every day.

“Today, I want to try something different.”

“What would you like?”

“Strawberry smoothie.”

“…Ha.”

From giving the wrong rewards number on purpose, to inserting his card the wrong way, to just standing at the counter for no reason— he teased Minyoung every time with playful mischief.

And at some point, the man who’d always annoyed him started gently knocking on Minyoung’s heart.

“Go Minyoung. Don’t forget.”

“…”

“You’re the one who kissed me first.”

Before he even realized it, Minyoung’s first love had quietly begun.