NILWM - 3

He picked up a box of cookies displayed on the counter and placed it in front of Ye-seo.

“This too.”

“Yes? Okay.”

His words were strangely curt, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Ye-seo took the card he offered again, processed the payment, and then immediately extended it back to him.

Han Ju-hyeok stood still for a moment, then finally reached out his hand a little later. But he stopped with his arm extended only to just in front of the counter machine. Ye-seo reflexively stretched her arm further, but due to the distance, she couldn’t reach his hand. Ye-seo blinked in confusion.

It was a rude gesture whose intention was utterly unclear, but Han Ju-hyeok gazed calmly at Ye-seo, as if it were natural for her to come closer. He was so shameless that for a moment, she was genuinely confused if it was indeed natural.

Ye-seo ultimately twisted her body at the counter and placed the card in his hand. The moment their fingers touched, Han Ju-hyeok’s hand remained on the card for a few seconds without taking it. As Ye-seo’s eyes widened, his gaze, as he finally took the card, seemed to briefly sweep over the inside of her right wrist.

“Here... and the cookies too.”

“They’re for takeout.”

“Yes? Oh, right...”

He should have said something sooner. Ye-seo rummaged under the counter, pulled out a small paper bag, and neatly placed the cookies inside. The moment she folded the packaging and placed it on the tray, Han Ju-hyeok spoke again.

“Don’t you have a shopping bag? My bag’s full, I don’t think it’ll fit.”

“It’s 100 won, is that okay...”

“Yes. A shopping bag, please.”

Ye-seo composed her expression, trying not to frown, then carefully unfolded a paper bag and transferred the cookies. Just as she was about to ask for his card again to charge the 100 won, Han Ju-hyeok gestured with his chin towards the steaming mug.

“Drink this first.”

Han Ju-hyeok didn’t even wait for her reply. He took the shopping bag in one hand and the tray with the coffee cup in the other, and went to the corner table. Ye-seo could only stare blankly at his retreating back, unable to say anything.

He sat with his back to her, leaning back in the chair, and brought the cup to his lips. His posture from behind was like a painting, but at the same time, doubts arose. She hadn’t only heard good things about Han Ju-hyeok.

“Honestly, I don’t really like that senior. He’s smart, handsome, and really cool, but somehow... I feel a bit repulsed. He gives off the impression that ‘I’m special, and I chose to be an outsider,’ which is a bit off-putting. He’s also incredibly cold. That’s why quite a few older male students supposedly disliked him.”

“That’s why I like him even more. It’s not an act; his personality seems to be naturally like that. It’s much better than childish classmates or old-man-like seniors, whatever.”

“And even those seniors, after talking smack about Han Ju-hyeok, couldn’t say anything to his face. Even without opening his mouth, his aura is no joke.”

“He is a bit cold. Not much is known about his private life either. The things he wears subtly look like designer brands, but he doesn’t have a car, so he doesn’t seem to be from a rich family either... What’s his true identity?”

But no one ever called him a difficult customer.

Han Ju-hyeok’s behavior just now was quite close to that of a difficult customer. While asking for a shopping bag belatedly could be excused, his king-like demeanor, minimally extending his hand and expecting the card to be brought to him, was certainly hard to understand.

It’s strange. It was as if he wanted to get a closer look at my hand.

Suddenly, she noticed a faint mark on the inside of her wrist. It was a scar from 13 years ago, from the accident in the valley at the amusement park, where she had held onto a child’s hand for dear life and was deeply cut somewhere. At the time, her mother had only cared for her twin brother, paying no attention to her own condition.

Without any antiseptic treatment, a bandage was simply applied, and when it was removed, an unsightly, rough mark had formed. The scar gradually faded with time but never completely disappeared. She was just grateful it was on the inside of her wrist and not easily visible.

“Ye-seo-ssi? If you’re not busy, take this and organize it.”

“Oh, yes, yes!”

The owner came out of the kitchen and placed a box of supplies on the floor. Ye-seo sat on the floor and skillfully organized napkins, straws, disposable cups, etc., putting them into the cabinet. She was rather relieved that she didn’t have time to worry about the only customer in the hall.

When she returned after putting the empty box behind the store, Han Ju-hyeok had already left. The seat he had occupied was empty, and on the counter, only an empty cup, a tray, and a 10,000-won bill remained.

“What is this...? No way, the shopping bag fee?”

Ye-seo rushed out of the store in a daze, but Han Ju-hyeok was nowhere in sight. If it had just been a 1,000-won bill, she would have dismissed it, but a 10,000-won bill was perplexing.

“No... it’s only 100 won by card, why bother? What am I supposed to do with the remaining 9,900 won...?”

Ye-seo sighed heavily, took out 100 won from her coin purse, put it in the counter’s cash drawer, and put the 10,000-won bill in her bag. She figured she could return it to him when the semester started and they met again.

Perhaps he might even drop by the cafe one more time before the semester began.

________________________________________

________________________________________

Ju-hyeok stood briefly in front of the empty counter, then eventually turned away. Carrying a shopping bag in one hand and a laptop bag on one shoulder, his face as he walked back towards the campus was deep in thought.

He was passing a large stone statue when one of the male students walking from behind it tilted his head and looked towards the cafe.

“Oh, Min Ye-seo is over there. Is it her morning shift today? Hey, let’s go buy something.”

“Huh? You said you had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon and wanted to go to S Coffee.”

“We can use that later. Let’s just go see Min Ye-seo’s face during this quiet time. It feels good to see something pretty first thing in the morning.”

As he grinned, another male student clicked his tongue dismissively.

“Ugh, damn it. If you like her so much, why didn’t you get her number? It’s a waste of time trying to get close to her by purposely befriending girls in the business administration department.”

“What can I do? She’s such a complete iron wall. She says she doesn’t have time to meet anyone because she’s helping her parents and working part-time. Her face and body are totally my type... Her height is average, but her face is small and her legs are long, so her proportions are damn good.”

“What good is liking her for a hundred days? Seeing her is all you get.”

“Instead, thanks to lurking around the business administration department, I’ve got connections with girls. I’m actually with Han Gyu-ri these days...”

Ju-hyeok stood there until their chatter completely faded, then turned around. The giggling male students were just opening the cafe door and going inside.

He glared at the door where the men had disappeared for a few seconds longer, then shifted his gaze to the window. He could see Min Ye-seo’s profile as she stood at the counter, taking orders.

A smirk appeared at the corner of Ju-hyeok’s lips. He turned and headed into the campus. By now, his face had returned to being lost in his own thoughts.

________________________________________

________________________________________

The pharmacy’s working hours returned to normal three days before the start of the semester. Ye-seo was on her way to the school library for the studying she hadn’t been able to do after finishing her cafe part-time job. She had a missed call from her mother, Pharmacist Lee.

“Mom, did you call?”

“Yes, Ye-seo. Please come home as early as possible today and prepare dinner for your brother. I have a pharmacy association meeting all day today, but I’ve already made galbi and jjimdak, so all you have to do is put them in a pot and simmer them. Oh, right, I’ve prepped the ingredients for japchae, so please stir-fry that yourself in a pan.”

Pharmacist Lee’s voice was a tone higher than usual. Her gentle tone and perpetually smiling face hadn’t changed since she picked up Jeong-woo from the airport limousine bus two days ago.

Even when they had a car, she had never once come to pick her up or drop her off.

“And whatever’s left, you should eat it all. Someone has to finish it so there’s space in the fridge, right? While Jeong-woo is in Korea, I have to make fresh side dishes every day.”

Eat it all. Finish it off. Her mother always said that to her. “Eat a lot”—she seemed to only ever say that to Jeong-woo.

“Even if there’s rice left in the rice cooker, freeze it and make new rice. Got it?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Ye-seo tried hard to shake off the hurtful memories of the past and obediently replied. As soon as she hung up, she changed her direction from the library to the subway station. Her mother was anxious, worrying about Jeong-woo, fearing he might neglect a single meal, even though he wasn’t a child and could surely take care of himself.

Can’t be helped. It’s only for a few days, as Mom said.

Her attempts to think positively lasted only a moment. As soon as Ye-seo entered the front door, she unconsciously frowned. The smell of leftover food assaulted her nose.

On the dining table, leftover jjajangmyeon and side dishes in disposable containers remained untouched, and snack bags, drink bottles, and fruit peels were scattered throughout the house. Jeong-woo had dragged the PC from Ye-seo’s room into the middle of the living room and was engrossed in gaming. He didn’t even glance at Ye-seo, behaving like an immature middle schooler.

“Min Jeong-woo. What’s wrong with this house? Can’t you clean up a bit while you play?”

“Huh? Oh. Sorry... I’ll do it later. Just a moment, I need to finish this first...”

“If you ordered food, you should clean up. Clean all this up if you want dinner.”

When Ye-seo urged him a few more times, Jeong-woo, seemingly annoyed, flung his mouse. His eyes were full of resentment.

“Ugh, seriously. I said I’d do it later!”

“Mom told me to make dinner, so I came home early on purpose, but what am I supposed to do if you mess up the kitchen like this? Why are all those towels just thrown in front of the washing machine? You still haven’t gotten rid of that habit of taking out a new towel every time you use one?”

“Shit. Why do you always pick on me so much, huh?”

Just then, Jeong-woo’s phone rang. He snatched the phone as if he had found a savior, and whimpered like a child to his mother.

“Mom! Min Ye-seo is really driving me crazy! I had a headache and was sleeping, and I just woke up. Min Ye-seo is yelling at me for not cleaning up lunch, and it’s so annoying. I’m not coming back to Korea anymore. Ugh, I don’t care! I’m never coming back!”

He only looked good on the outside; his words and actions were no different from an elementary school student’s. From the phone, she heard a shout telling her to hand it over immediately. “Take it,” Jeong-woo grunted, then went into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.