TATMFL - 4

Raon, frozen in place, and the customer, who alternated between looking at her in confusion, made Changwoo tilt his head for a moment. He then moved to the counter to take the order.

It seemed to him that Raon was in no state to take the order.

And then...

“Ah...”

When Changwoo finally recognized the customer’s face, he froze for an entirely different reason than Raon did.

The man’s face was so handsome that Changwoo forgot how to breathe for a moment, and the smile on his face was all too charming.

“I’ll have an iced Americano, please.”

The man’s voice was low and pleasant as well!

“Ah, y-yes. 4,300 won.”

Changwoo fumbled as he took the card and inserted it into the reader, glancing sideways at Raon.

He thought it was understandable that she would freeze in surprise after seeing such a face.

But for Raon, her face seemed to show more than just the shock of seeing a handsome man—it looked like she had seen something she shouldn’t.

‘Why is that?’

Raon, unaware of how Changwoo was looking at her, swallowed nervously and clenched her trembling hands. Her fingertips felt cold.

The soft, casual tone of the man’s voice seemed like something typical of men—calm, not teasing or mocking.

Raon, trying to steady her racing heart, cautiously scanned the man from top to bottom.

Beneath his half-parted bangs, the man’s sharp gaze, focused on his phone, caught her attention.

He was wearing the same black sweater as the night before, and over it, a black coat that gave off a composed aura, unlike the unsettling energy he had the previous night.

Changwoo finished the transaction, handing Raon the card, receipt, and a vibrating bell.

As Raon took it and turned her head, her eyes met the man’s at that very moment.

“…!”

Raon’s shoulders twitched, her body reacting almost imperceptibly.

The man’s neatly arranged left eyebrow gently raised in surprise at that moment.

At the same time, his lips curled into a smooth smile, and his eyes narrowed playfully. Raon’s eyelids fluttered, a brief shudder running through her.

But it was only for a moment. The man tilted his head slightly, and the brief glance they shared drifted away.

“…”

Raon instinctively knew.

Just as she recognized him, he recognized her too. The meaningful smile he gave her confirmed it.

However, it didn’t seem like he had specifically come to find her. The fleeting surprise in his expression suggested that their encounter was entirely unplanned. It appeared he hadn’t even known she was here until that moment.

As she mechanically pressed the button on the grinder, Raon slowly closed her eyes and opened them again.

Once she realized that the man likely had no real interest in her, her tense nerves seemed to ease, just a little.

At that moment, Changwoo returned with a glass of ice and asked, “Do you know him?”

“…No?”

“Then why are you so flustered?”

“Me? No way.”

As Raon placed the finished iced Americano on the counter, she let out a small sigh. She had gotten unnecessarily tense just from calling the vibrating bell.

It was as though the man, who had been sitting by the window, was waiting for the moment. He stood up.

His long legs took big strides toward her.

As he came closer, the slim but firm build beneath his coat became visible, and Raon realized he was even taller and more imposing up close. The vibrating bell in his hand looked almost like a toy in his large hand.

With her practiced customer service smile, Raon offered the tray, hoping her nervousness wouldn’t show.

“Here’s your drink.”

The man responded with a warm smile.

And then he spoke. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a simple thank-you.

“Hey. We meet again.”

“…”

Raon froze, taking the vibrating bell from him, her hand faltering.

When she slowly looked up, the man had slightly pushed the tray aside and was casually leaning against the counter table.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

The man smiled brightly while gazing at her, his eyes unwavering.

Raon, clearly taken aback by his recognition, hesitated. The man leaned in, asking with a teasing tone.

“Oh, just to check... you’re not going to say you don’t remember me, right?”

His tone was light and playful, with the clear assumption that she would remember him.

Feeling Changwoo’s gaze shift toward her, Raon instinctively took a step back.

She sighed and replied quietly.

“I remember.”

She didn’t want to act like she didn’t know him just to receive unnecessary attention.

As if satisfied with her response, the man nodded approvingly.

“See? I’ve got a face that’s hard to forget. I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t remembered me.”

With a casual shrug, he picked up the tray and winked at her.

His words were breezy and fresh.

“Enjoy your drink.”

“…”

Raon, watching his retreating back, staggered slightly and leaned against the counter.

Despite trying to appear calm, beads of cold sweat were forming on her forehead.

As she reached for a glass of cold water to calm her throat, she caught Changwoo eyeing her sideways, his posture leaning toward her.

“You said you didn’t know him.”

But it seemed like Changwoo wasn’t asking for an answer, as he quickly followed up with another question.

“He’s an alpha, right?”

Recalling Jian’s reaction to the pheromones that had clung to her this morning, Raon reluctantly nodded.

“Probably.”

“Is he a celebrity?”

“…”

“I often wonder, what must life be like for someone with that kind of face?”

Changwoo’s words, laced with admiration, envy, and even a hint of regret, made Raon scratch the tip of her nose in silence.

If he knew how charming his smile had been under the streetlight, he wouldn’t be so nonchalantly passing judgment.

Raon rubbed her cold fingers together in nervousness as she watched the man.

Since all attention in the café had been directed at him the moment he walked in, adding her presence wouldn’t have caused much of a stir.

Even the man, deeply immersed in his phone, didn’t seem bothered by the curious glances coming from all directions.

Well, it made sense.

A man who knew his face wasn’t easily forgotten would surely be accustomed to the envious looks he received from others.

Raon continued rubbing her chest where her heart was still racing, desperately trying to suppress the sigh that was about to escape.

And then, suddenly...

‘...Why is he still here?’

While Changwoo was briefly away, Raon leaned against the island table and thought about it.

‘Does he still have something to do in this area?’

This was a university neighborhood, teeming with students.

It was unlikely that a debt collector had snuck in here, and it was even less likely that someone with his aristocratic looks would be living in such a shabby one-room apartment complex.

Raon paused, pondering a sudden thought.

...Though it was unlikely.

“Could he be a student here?”

With his youthful appearance, it seemed a plausible idea. Raon muttered to herself just as the door jingled open, making her attempt to shift her gaze away from him.

But as if on cue, the man looked up, and their eyes met.

She could’ve pretended it was just a coincidence and turned away, but she couldn’t do that.

She was caught in his gaze, which was now focused on her with his chin resting on his hand.

Raon felt a chill run down her spine as the intensity of his stare seemed to freeze her. Just as she was about to step back, his gaze broke off, and he smiled.

Raon quickly turned away.

A customer was waiting for her at the counter.

“I’m sorry. I’ll help with your order.”

While processing the payment, Raon, without realizing it, found herself glancing at the man.

His gaze had already returned to his phone.

The café closed at 10 p.m.

After locking up the shop and making sure everything was secure, Raon checked the time—it was 10:23 p.m. The alumni meeting must have been in full swing by now.

“Ha...”

She let out a sigh, watching the mist form in the air as she blinked tiredly.

She had spoken too soon when she said it was a slow night.

After the break, a rush of customers kept Raon and Changwoo busy for almost two hours, not having a chance to exchange a single word.

When things finally calmed down, she absentmindedly glanced out the window, thinking of the man, but someone else had taken his place.

With that thought, Raon buttoned her coat and pulled out her phone.

“I should let them know I won’t be going to the alumni meeting.”

As she muttered, she shook her head at the six missed calls from Jian. At just the right moment, her phone rang.

It was Jian.

Raon tapped the call button, and the loud music from the other side nearly blasted her eardrums.

Then came the booming voice on the other end.

—Where are you?! Are you done?

It seemed like Jian had raised her voice because of the noise inside the café.

Raon quickly pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment to let her eardrum recover from the sudden ringing, then pressed it back to her ear and replied.

“I’m done, but I’m not going there. I’m tired.”

As she rubbed her heavy eyelids and spoke, Jian’s voice burst through the receiver immediately.

Amidst the noise, Raon couldn’t make out a single word Jian was saying.

Half-heartedly holding the phone to her ear as if a wall had formed around her, Raon froze in her tracks when she heard a name shouted out clearly through the noise.

—Hyesung came here to see you at this hour, and if you don’t come...

The name was so sharp and clear, as if it had been driven directly into her ears.

Frowning, unsure if she had heard it wrong, Raon asked again.

“Who?”

—Hyesung! This guy secretly came back from his last vacation today! So I called him right away!

After that, Jian’s voice faded with more chatter, and the surrounding noise grew distant.

By the time Raon snapped back to reality, the call had already ended.

“...”

Ji Hyesung.

Just hearing those three syllables made her chest feel tight, like she had something stuck in her throat.

“Ha.”

With a quiet sigh, Raon turned her body as if there were no other choice.

Her direction was toward Ji Hyesung.

Where her first love awaited.