76 – Part 2 complete
One of the things I learned while on the phone with Yoo-jung while I was at the base was that she had recently moved.
Did I say we were moving to a different place, not the studio we used to live in?
To be honest, that neighborhood doesn’t have many streetlights, and people don’t go around that often. Every time she returned from her vacation, she was anxious to leave Yoo-jung alone, but hearing that she moved house like this put her heart at ease.
As she moved house, she said that she was working at a place other than the logistics center, but Yoo-jeong was working at a nearby cafe.
Café. In my head, I imagined Yoo-jung working at her cafe.
I think working in a place like that would be suitable for Yujeong.
Yes. If you are asked to choose between a distribution center and a cafe, I would recommend the cafe.
To be honest, they make the same boxes every day there, or they spend tens of hours printing barcodes and assembling boxes, but compared to that, do cafes make money while having fun…?
…I’ve never worked at a cafe, so I don’t know. It’s a cafe though. I’m not going to be an owl who works at night and sleeps during the day.
I was relieved when I heard that Yoojung was working at a cafe. Because, it’s a fact that I’ve felt after working for several months.
The distribution center is really a place where 50,000 people come from all over the country, so there might be strange people or bad people among them.
I was always anxious because I thought that such a person and Yoo-jung would be wrongly connected or that something like that would happen. To be honest, when I first started working, I had trouble with blonde tanned bullies.
So I was always anxious, like leaving a baby by the river, but I thought that working at a cafe would be more helpful to Yoo-jung’s personal life, even though I would earn less than working at a distribution center.
Actually, wouldn’t it be better to make Americano and cafe latte rather than quickly folding something like a box?
The town Yoojung moved into was different from the orphanage we were originally in… But it was better than I thought.
There is a subway station nearby, McDonald’s, Burger Queen, and franchises like that – all of them are good,
– Land..! Earth..! Earth..!
There were several large cranes and tall barriers spread out.
Before I went on vacation, I looked into the city where Yoojung lives. She pushes away the underdeveloped neighborhood and redevelops it or something…?
A large shopping center was built, a park was built, and several government buildings were moved, so there were construction boards all over the city.
As a result, a lot of dust was blown away, and life seemed a bit unsatisfying. Maybe that’s why Yoo-jung was able to get her room without any hesitation.
It’s not good to live right now, but I have to think about it later.
While looking at the map printed in the army, I arrived at the cafe where Yoo-jeong works.
It’s a small cafe, but there are a few small benches where you can drink coffee outside- I also liked that there are fluffy sofas inside.
There is a cafe on the 1st floor, and there are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors, but now only the 1st floor is being used as a cafe.
Listening to Yu-jeong, it was only a month or two since this building was built, and the upper floors were all vacant.
“Hello! …Oh Yoo Seon-ah..!!”
When I opened the cafe door and went inside, Yoo-jeong, who was guarding the cash register with a slightly tired expression, approached me in a bright color.
It was a bit cold outside. It was warm inside because the heater was on.
Yoojeong was wearing a black apron over a white T-shirt.
“Wow! Dressed like that, you look like a barista!”
“…Really…?…Actually, it’s only been 3 months since I started working… But I can do anything…! What do you want to drink…? I’ll make it for you!”
“..Uh..? Can I just make it for you..?”
“Well, it’s 5,000 won anyway. I can buy you this much…”
“…Then I…Just caffe latte. Is it iced by any chance?”
“Of course. Café Latte Ice”
Yujeong skillfully tapped her POS machine, put her card in, and did her checkout.
-Crackling…
The receipt came out, and again-Yoo-jeong pulled it out and kept it somewhere.
“Today I told the boss, I said I was going home early- sit there and rest!”
I took a look at the cafe where Yoojung works.
Certainly, when I was working at the distribution center, I worked in a place with a lot of dust and poor ventilation- I liked the cafe because the environment was pleasant.
When there are no customers like now, you can sit and relax on the fluffy sofa. Also- I can listen to my cell phone or songs. Are the conditions better than expected?
“Now that you’re a sergeant…? Then what about your vacation?”
“I don’t know, I think I’ll be out for over 3 months…?”
“Originally. Have you been around that long?”
“It’s not normal…? My case is a special case”
“Wow… Then I can do something like a part-time job.”
“I’m going to do that anyway. I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do after I’m discharged, but I think I’ll have to buy a cell phone first. Then I’ll buy some clothes. Also- I have a lot of things to do.”
“…Ah. A cell phone.. Yes, you still don’t have a cell phone. I read the news these days that even soldiers can use cell phones. I heard something like that…”
“In a way, it’s fortunate. Everyone but me doesn’t have a cell phone. …But isn’t this life bad? When will I be able to read books and go to church like this? I think it’s better not to have me.”
“…Hey~ Maybe it’s because you’re a sergeant, can you read books and play while inside the unit? Time flies- In the past, you always frowned at me after drinking because you were working alone. Time flies~”
“I don’t think I’m going dirty… Ah! By the way, how about work..? Worth it..?”
“Oh… Don’t say it, I don’t know why I drink so much coffee in the morning and during lunchtime. Caffeine addiction. Caffeine addiction. I think I brewed over 100 cups of Americano this morning.”
“Are you doing that alone?”
“There is a boss, but I don’t know if this person opened the cafe because he really likes coffee, or to make money. Or if he just opened the cafe because he had nothing to do. He seemed to have no idea.”
“…You’re just someone who works without thinking…”
“Still, people are kind, they give me a lot of hourly wages- and they also buy me delicious food”
“…How much is your hourly wage?”
“I usually get 20,000 won per hour..?”
“..20,000 Won..? Hourly wages..?”
“Because I open it at 11 am and prepare to go home at 6- I work about 7 hours a day…?”
“Wow, isn’t that 140,000 won? You get a lot! At the distribution center, I only paid 100,000 won even if I worked all night!”
“…If you work once in the morning, you’ll get that word right?”
-Jingle!
“Yoojung, I’m here..! It was very difficult..? Are you hungry?”
“It’s okay!”
The door opened and a person who appeared to be the owner of the cafe entered.
Overall, he was a person who did not fit in with the atmosphere of this cafe.
I am in my 50s. It was an old woman. Since I’m the owner of a cafe, I thought I was in my 30s, sensitive to fashion and having some money.
“Yoojung-ah, I heard you have something to do today..? Yes, get off work.. Get off work..! Yes, clean up later, okay..?”
The cafe owner seemed to be very fond of Yoo-jung.
Just by looking at her- I could feel that she was looking at Yoo-jung with eyes dripping with tears.
“…Yoo Seon, then let’s go home”
“.. Huh? This is Yoo-jung’s boyfriend..?”
“That… Hello”
“Okay hello”
I could feel the cafe owner looking me up and down. Maybe it’s because he’s still in his military uniform… Maybe he’s staring at me…
“Are you a soldier?”
“Yes..? Yes!”
“Are you a sergeant?”
“…Isn’t it?”
“Are you thinking of working part-time at a cafe after being discharged?”
From noble mtl dot com
“Yes..? No.. It is a bit difficult for me to work now as I have a few months left until I am discharged…”
“…Yeah.. Then there’s nothing I can do about it. Yes, Yoo-jung will go home, and I won’t be able to do business without Yoo-jeong- I’ll have to take a break.”
What… That’s just about to close the cafe right away…?
“…Then see you next time!”
What the hell is that boss doing?
I walked home with Yu-jeong.
“You are a bit unique”
“I’m not a bad person though!”
“…Yeah. Then that’s it…”
The new house Yu-jeong said she had found was an apartment. I thought it was a studio..? Apartment…?
“Wow…You live here…?”
“Huh..? Uh… Lucky!”
Following Yoo-jeong, I got on the elevator and went upstairs. Then Yoojung opened the lock and was able to look inside the apartment.
“…. For now, the only thing I have is a house- I’ll buy a washing machine, a TV, a computer, and everything else later..!”
For now, a bed. There is only a refrigerator… A vacuum cleaner, and that kind of stuff – maybe it’s because there aren’t a few pieces of furniture, so it looks spacious.
There are three rooms excluding the living room. There was a large bathtub in the bathroom.
“…There are two bathrooms, right..?!”
There is another bathroom in the back of the room, but there was a booth for shower only.
This is Yoojung’s bedroom, so there was a bed and a closet.
“You see, I have only one body”
“…Wow. How did you get a house like this…? How much is the monthly rent…? It looks like it’s going to be very expensive… You’re charging 20,000 won per hour, aren’t you overdoing it?”
No matter how much the hourly wage is 20,000 won, it seems like it would be a lot of money to buy a house with this level of average.
Isn’t it overspending? I was worried about that. Even in the studio, the two of us lived well.
“…Jagaya”
“..Uh..?”
“This is my house. My house in my name”
“…Can you do that..?”
“No no… That’s why- we don’t have anything- the government provided support. Permanent rental housing..? That’s what it feels like..!”
She was surprised because Yoo-jung said so seriously that she thought she had bought a house like this with the money she earned from a part-time job.
No. Yes, how much have house prices gone up these days? How does Yoo-jung arrange this by herself?
By the way, these days, the country gives a lot of support to children from orphanages.
Unbeknownst to me, the thought that the world has become so much better passed through my head.
“…Ah! Yoo Seon-ah, are you hungry..? Or do you want to wash first..?”
“I’m hungry”
“Okay, then sit over there and rest… I’ll cook for you right away!”
I sat in the living room and looked around Yoo-jung’s house for a while. Something… Something… It’s a house on a different level from the house I lived in before, so I keep seeing it here and there.
It’s a better place than the house I was in before.
I’m going to live here with Yu-jeong during my vacation. What will happen in this house?