20 – 20.
With the existence of the Primordial Stone revealed, the world underwent a drastic change.
Starting with the United States, numerous countries began to show their ambitions in earnest to find other Primordial Stones.
The Tower Capture Project, which had been immersed in stagnation due to the burden of danger and enormous costs worldwide, regained its vitality.
As a result, the positions of the awakened individuals and the occupations related to them, regardless of their rank, saw a significant increase in the ability to enter the tower…
But that was their story alone.
It was a matter that had little to do with an ordinary person like me.
“May I take your order?”
“I’ll have an iced Americano, please.”
Having become an adult, I started working part-time at a small private café near my house.
Usually, people worked part-time a lot to earn money for college before entering.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into the college I wanted.
At that time, there was still the option of taking the college entrance exam, but I didn’t even have the time to prepare for it in the first place.
So, since things turned out this way, I immediately got a part-time job with the thought of working hard and saving money.
“Money is truly the best.”
And so, before I knew it, I had completely adapted to the café job and was calmly serving customers.
Ding. The paper hanging on the door rang, and someone called out a familiar name.
“Yoochan. Are you busy right now?”
It was the boss.
“Have you arrived?”
The boss, a woman in her late thirties who had a lot of money for her age, didn’t have any extravagant gestures and occasionally gave pocket money. She seemed like a generous person.
With luxury items adorning her body and expensive foreign cars she always rode in, it made me wonder if running a cafe wasn’t just a hobby for her.
“Did we have any customers?”
“There were some just now, but they were all take-out orders.”
“Really? Were there any issues while I was gone?”
The boss took a look around the empty store and settled in on one side.
I quickly brought her a glass of refreshing water with a lemon slice floating in it.
“Thanks to you, there were no problems today either.”
As I smiled, showing a capitalist smile, the boss also wore a satisfied expression as she rummaged through her bag.
“Can you close the door for me?”
“Sure.”
Receiving the boss’s signal, I quickly locked the door and pulled down the blinds.
Finally, the boss took out an e-cigarette from her bag, turned her head as if feeling a slight discomfort, and gestured to me with a flick of her fingers.
“I’ll be relying on you again today.”
“I’ll wash my hands and be right there.”
“Okay.”
The smoking owner used to smoke frequently inside the store.
Of course, it was illegal, so he would just close the shop and smoke comfortably.
“Is this the leisure of a hobbyist in business?”
At first, I couldn’t adapt to such behavior, but after experiencing it a few more times, I gradually got used to it.
Above all, when she smoked, she would pat my shoulder…
“Mmm…there. Ah, that’s good.”
“Are you okay?”
“Ah…perfect. A little stronger. Mmhm. That’s it.”
After that, the allowance I received was very generous.
“Ah, our Yoochan keeps getting better every time. Here, for your meal.”
“Thank you.”
Even my disgust became a financial therapy.
“With this, I can have chicken and beer with Ryowon tonight.”
With that, I would pocket a substantial allowance and resume business, occasionally serving customers who came by.
As the time to leave work approached.
“Oh, this is a big problem…”
Suddenly, the owner, who was fiddling with his phone, began muttering to himself.
“Where can I find someone…”
It seemed as if he wanted me to hear it.
It seemed like he needed someone from another store.
“…Pretend you didn’t hear. Pretend.”
I had a scheduled meeting with Hanyeo-won after a long time, so I pretended to ignore her words while pretending to wipe off the dust.
“Hey, Yoochan. Can you come over here for a moment?”
But there was a limit to how much I could ignore her.
“Why? What’s up?”
“Do you have any plans for tonight?”
“Yes, I’m meeting a friend today.”
“Oh, really? What about tomorrow?”
“Um…”
I thought I smoothly transitioned, but unfortunately, I had no plans for tomorrow.
“I don’t have anything tomorrow… What’s the matter?”
“Is that so?”
The boss chuckled and shook his head.
“Well, a sudden problem occurred at the store I manage. Can you sit down for a moment?”
“Um… Okay.”
I sat down abruptly and was able to hear a few things from the boss.
As expected, it was a story about an employee suddenly having a flat tire at the store she was managing…
“So, I thought maybe you could help.”
“Oh… Me?”
“I’ll pay you properly. Of course, it’ll be in cash on the same day. How about it? The work is really easy.”
Cash payment on the same day.
I, slightly shaken by the story, decided to listen to the explanation first.
“What kind of job is it?”
And.
“It’s just a room bar. You drink with the customers and take their orders. Something like that.”
“…Really?”
I doubted my ears for a moment.
‘Drinking with customers in a room?’
It was clearly an adult entertainment establishment.
“Oh my. You didn’t know? I run a bar.”
“Ah… It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
The boss couldn’t hide his surprise and chuckled as if finding me cute.
Then, naturally, he started to persuade me while showing me pictures of the establishment on his phone.
“Just sit down like this, play the tambourine for the girls, and just pour drinks.”
The room in the picture looked more luxurious and sophisticated than I had imagined, but the abundance of side dishes and alcohol on the table exuded a sense of heaviness.
“You can easily earn a lot of tips too. The customers are all upper-class and well-mannered. And there’s an incentive too. Our basic salary is quite high compared to other places.”
“…Ah… I see…”
“How much does Yu-chan make right now?”
“…120…”
“Well, if you come to work tomorrow, I’ll add 30 more and make it 150. Oh, tips and incentives are separate. It’s not easy to make 150 as a daily wage anywhere else, you know?”
My monthly salary is 120, but if I work just one day, it’s 150. And on top of that, there’s an additional payment.
“Does this even make sense?”
Thud. No matter how composed I was, I couldn’t believe my ears.
“So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?”
The boss, sensing my hesitation, smiled gently and subtly urged me.
And I…
*
“So, what did you say?”
Hanryowon, drinking beer, asked with a serious expression.
I calmly responded, picking up a French fry with a fork.
“I declined the boss’s offer.”
“I… really… was so surprised!”
Hanryowon finally let out a sigh as if she had been holding her breath and sent me a teasing glance.
“Did you think I would go along with it?”
As she playfully laughed and asked, she furrowed her eyebrows and started lecturing.
“Just because you talked as if I would definitely go. You fool!”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Thud. She retaliated by hitting my shoulder with the cushion she had given me, and then she grabbed her can with a dissatisfied expression.
“How cute.”
It’s hard to say if it’s because of the impact or the thrill of teasing, but it was enjoyable.
“Anyway. I found it a bit strange, so I just decided to let it go.”
“You did well! Ever since you started patting her on the shoulder and giving her pocket money, I knew something was up. That woman, she’s not in her right mind.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Clank! I clinked my beer can and took a refreshing sip.
Phew. Hanryeowon, who had been exhaling a satisfied breath, gently put down the can and suddenly glanced at me before cautiously bringing up the topic.
“…But, did you hear about that?”
“What thing?”
“Mayeonseo… I heard she went to the United States this time?”
It was none other than a story about Mayeonseo.
“Oh… that. I heard about it.”
I couldn’t help but know about that story.
Mayeonseo, who had become an S-class awakened individual early on, hadn’t shown any particular activity, but suddenly used her citizenship to move to the United States.
She said she was joining the Dream Team for conquering the Tower and the Primordial Stone.
As a result, the country was in an uproar due to the talent drain.
Thanks to that, I was able to hear news about her too.
…Anyway. I was relieved that she seemed to be doing well.
“But why are you bringing up that story?”
I looked at Hanryeowon while sipping my beer.
“Well, um…”
And then she started to speak, dragging her words and unnecessarily speaking cautiously.
“He’s also living his life now… Don’t you think you should live your life too?”
Briefly. Our eyes met.
Somehow, I felt like I knew what she wanted to say, so I quietly turned my gaze away, avoiding her question.
“I’m already living well, so…”
But Han Ryu-won persisted, stubbornly continuing the topic.
“Besides that. Don’t you think you should find a new connection too?”
“It’s not bad being alone.”
“You’re not going to live alone until you die, are you? Are you really not going to have a relationship for the rest of your life?”
“It’s not like that. I just don’t have any plans for now.”
“How long are you planning to not have any plans…!”
“…I don’t know.”
As I continued to evade her questions, Han Ryu-won finally spoke with a serious expression, as if she was truly angry.
“Think about the person waiting by your side…!”
In an instant, a heavy silence filled the house.
“…You’re drunk. Let’s just stop here.”
I tried to change the subject and end the conversation over drinks.
However.
“Gang Yoo-chan!”
As if she had grabbed me, she came closer and abruptly pushed her face towards mine.
“Do you know how much I’ve been enduring? Do you know how lonely I am every night?”
“Ryeowon.”
“People at school always ask me! Why don’t you date guys? Is it because you don’t want to? I want to date like everyone else!”
I had nothing to say, so I just scratched my messy hair.
The real Ryeowon, who had become a college student, had blossomed her beauty to the fullest.
Brown hair that reached below her chin, cute bangs that lightly covered her forehead, and an adorable appearance like a puppy.
Skin as white as snow and a perfect body with an impeccable ratio that couldn’t be surpassed.
It was surprising that she still didn’t have a boyfriend.
…Well, maybe 90% of that surprise is because of my involvement.
“You… really…!”
Ryeowon, whose face turned red, couldn’t continue her words and tightly closed her eyes, shouting.
“Don’t I look appealing!?”
I, who was at a loss for words, stared at her silently.
She, with tears welling up in her eyes as if she felt unjust, grabbed my hand and pressed it against her chest.
“Hey, hey!”
Squeak. The familiar firm texture of underwear that I haven’t felt in a long time wrapped around my fingertips.
“Well, it’s… firm.”
Startled by the unexpected sensation, I quickly pulled my hand away and tried to calm her down.
“Ryeowon. You’re really drunk right now…”
From Noble mtl dot com
In that moment.
“Ah…”
She began to shed tears.
“Hey, hey. Don’t cry. Why are you crying again?”
“You idiot. Sniff. It’s all because of you! Sob…”
“Oh, dear…”
I gently embraced her to comfort her.
“I’m sorry. Hm? Tears, stop.”
“Sniff… I don’t know. This fool… Hic…”
However, she had been quite sad all this time and couldn’t stop crying.
While feeling sorry for her and wanting to reach out my hand, I hesitated.
It was a lame excuse, but the end of my first relationship was so bad that I couldn’t bring myself to start a new one.
Perhaps it was because the relationship of ‘lovers’ itself felt too unstable.
So even though I noticed her feelings, I couldn’t give her a clear answer.
It was entirely my fault.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sniff…”
“Even if you go to someone else, I have nothing to say about it.”
“Are you kidding?!”
“I mean it.”
Receiving a sharp glare, I softly brushed it off with a faint smile and quietly cradled her head.
She, who had been quietly nestled in my arms for a while, suddenly stopped crying.
“…Yoochan….”
She asked cautiously.
“…You said you didn’t want to date….”
“Yeah.”
“…Then, can’t we just like each other without dating?”
“……Huh?”
I felt a hand grabbing onto the hem of my clothes.
She cautiously raised her head, her face a mess, and whispered softly as our eyes met.
“I… I’m okay even if I’m not your girlfriend.”
“Uh…”
Slightly flustered, I rolled my eyes around and quickly pondered my response.
“That’s too irresponsible….”
And just as I was about to come up with a carefully organized answer.
“…Mmm!”
She covered my lips.