By Zephyria 
Walking his usual commute with a vacant expression, Haon caught a glimpse of his profile in a building’s glass window and lightly touched his stomach. To others, he still looked thin, but to Haon, it felt as though his belly had protruded a bit.
Did I gain weight? He felt a bit heavier, likely thanks to the hearty dinner the man had prepared for him last night. He felt as if he had gained at least 2kg.
“Jeong Haon! You’re here!”
As soon as he opened the door to the pub, Tae-hwi, who had arrived earlier than usual, greeted him. Tae-hwi rushed toward the entrance and scanned the outside with hawk-like eyes, searching intently for something. His expectant face soon filled with disappointment.
“What? He didn’t drop you off today.”
What Tae-hwi was looking for was the man’s car. Since the man had dropped Haon off last time and had even come to pick him up very late, Tae-hwi had naturally assumed he would come today as well.
“Is it already over? You’re not seeing him anymore?”
Haon merely gave a small nod of greeting to the visibly disappointed Tae-hwi. He was lost in thought and hadn’t properly heard what Tae-hwi said.
“Is it really over?”
“What is?”
Thinking Haon was avoiding the question, Tae-hwi shrugged and headed toward the storage room. Because Haon’s expression was unusually dim today, Tae-hwi couldn’t press him for details.
What a waste. He felt as regretful as if he had missed out on the man himself. The image of the car he had caught a glimpse of last week kept flickering before his eyes. If he had seen the man’s face, he would have been devastated by the loss even though it wasn’t his own business.
“Uh… hello.”
As Haon picked up a broom to sweep the floor, he locked eyes with Hyung-cheol, a kitchen staff member. Hyung-cheol was just entering the kitchen and tying his apron. Haon had heard that his father passed away last Sunday. Contrary to Haon’s worries, Hyung-cheol seemed exactly the same as usual.
“Haon, give me that basket over there.”
“This one?”
“Yeah.”
As Haon handed over the red basket he pointed to, he tried his best to avoid looking at Hyung-cheol. Haon was aware that he had a habit of staring at people occasionally. In the countryside, the subjects of his stares were animals or plants like cows and trees, so it wasn’t an issue, but in Seoul, he needed to be careful.
“Haon—! Help me out!”
Just then, Tae-hwi called out to Haon from the storage room. When Haon rushed over, Tae-hwi, holding a box of hand towels, pointed with his chin toward another box that had fallen on the floor. It seemed that while trying to take out the top box, the one beneath it had fallen as well.
“Are you hurt?”
“It almost hit me in the face.”
Haon immediately lifted the box back up and checked Tae-hwi’s face. Because items were crammed into the narrow storage room, it wasn’t uncommon for part-timers to get hurt while trying to pull out heavy boxes.
“No, I said it almost hit me. It didn’t.”
“Still, didn’t it graze you? Let me see.”
Tae-hwi chuckled as Haon approached the trivial matter with such seriousness, and then he cautiously brought up the topic. He had tried not to ask, but his curiosity was unbearable.
“How did it end?”
“Pardon?”
“Tell me. Why did you break up with the Lamborghini?”
“Lambo… rghini? What is that?”
Because Tae-hwi had whispered, Haon hadn’t heard him clearly. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have known what it meant.
Tae-hwi frowned, wondering if Haon was playing a joke, and finished taking the hand towels out of the box.
“The car you arrived in. I’m asking why things didn’t work out with the man who picked you up last week.”
“Ah, it’s not like that.”
Haon shook his head while helping take out the hand towels. There was no such thing as “working out” or not in the relationship between him and the man. After pondering how to explain it, he conveyed it as simply as possible.
“I’ve… started working as a live-in housekeeper at his home.”
A live-in housekeeper? Surprised by the unexpected news, Tae-hwi let out a deep sigh. His expression wasn’t one of pity, but of envy.
“Then what? You’re living together? With the Lamborghini?”
Haon thought explaining it as a live-in housekeeper would kill the interest, but Tae-hwi’s eyes instead sparkled with excitement. He let out a series of exclamations, clapped his hands, and even gave a big thumbs-up.
“What does he do for a living? What’s the house like? Is it huge? Where does he live? Surely he’s not a car-poor?”
Tae-hwi poured out questions like a machine gun and marveled before even hearing the answers. He made a huge fuss, saying that since the man employed a live-in housekeeper, he must be a wealthy man of a different caliber.
Regrettably, Haon couldn’t give the excited Tae-hwi any proper answers. Despite spending a week together, all he knew about the man was his name. Even that, he had never actually spoken aloud.
“Then what about his job? You don’t know that either?”
Haon gave a vague nod and began restocking the hand towels he had brought from the storage.
“That’s suspicious. Why hide his profession? Is he someone who does scary things? Like a gangster or something?”
“No, I just didn’t ask.”
Fearing that the man might be misunderstood as a strange person, Haon emphasized that he wasn’t hiding it. Tae-hwi looked puzzled.
“Why wouldn’t you ask? You can at least ask the job of the person paying your salary.”
“Uh… it felt a bit awkward to ask suddenly.”
If it were Tae-hwi, he would have asked on the first day, but Haon couldn’t. He was extremely cautious about asking for a job, let alone a name.
“What’s awkward about it? Just ask. Rich people love it when you ask about them.”
“Kang Tae-hwi, stop chatting and sweep the floor first.”
Hyung-cheol, calling out specifically to Tae-hwi, gestured with his chin toward the hall. Haon, who had been in the conversation with him, answered “Yes” instead and grabbed the broom. Tae-hwi pouted but followed Haon’s lead and began cleaning the floor.
After that, the conversation didn’t continue because customers arrived. For Haon, who felt unusually drained today, this was a welcome turn of events.
“Huh?”
Someone blocked the path of Haon, who was carrying a heavy tray. Haon, who had been walking with his eyes fixed on the tray to prevent the food from shifting, looked up with a startled expression.
“You’re the serving part-timer, right?”
A man blocking Haon’s path spoke to him with a pleased expression. Haon, who had shrunk back at the man’s large build, soon narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the strangely familiar face.
“Kitchen staff…?”
As Haon tilted his head, searching through uncertain memories, the man’s expression brightened further.
“That’s right! The kitchen rookie!”
Relieved that Haon remembered him, the man tidied his messy hair. He was holding a motorcycle helmet, having just entered the shop.
“I wondered when I saw your back. I didn’t expect to see you again! This is really amazing.”
His voice, continuing to ramble, was still booming. Hearing that loud voice made the faint memory gradually become clear.
He was the kitchen rookie at the hotel restaurant where Haon had worked. The image of him busily running around every early morning, carrying heavy ingredients on his shoulders, suddenly came to mind.
“Do you work here?”
“Yes, ah, but one moment please!”
After asking for the kitchen rookie’s understanding, Haon delivered the food first. Because he had held the heavy tray for a long time, his arms were gradually starting to shake.
“Don’t mind me and just work! I live near here, so I come often!”
Explaining that he had come to pick up a drunken friend, he hoisted the unconscious customer over his shoulder and waved his hand vigorously. Seeing the atmosphere of the shop with the call bells ringing incessantly, he gave up on further conversation with Haon and promised to meet again next time.
“I’ll come again!”
Since Haon was also glad to see him, he nodded with a touch of regret. To meet by chance like this—he felt once again that the world was truly small.
“Jeong Haon, come here.”
Just then, the owner sitting at the counter gestured to Haon. Haon rushed over, anxious, wondering if he was being scolded for having a brief conversation with a customer.
“Are you sick somewhere?”
However, the reason the owner called Haon was entirely different.
“No, I’m not sick.”
“Then why are you so lifeless?”
The owner had been watching Haon closely all day. Although he was smiling as usual, there was a strange shadow over his expression. The owner had been observing him, worried that the frail lad might collapse.
“Are you sure you’re not sick?”
“Yes, I’m not.”
“If you’re not feeling well, tell me in advance. It’s a headache if you get hurt while working.”
Haon nodded in acknowledgment and went back to deliver food.
Do I look sick?
He was a bit low on energy, but he wasn’t sick. His limbs were fine, and he had no headache. There was just one thing weighing on his mind.
“Please enjoy your meal.”
He forced a brighter smile and swallowed a sigh inwardly. Even though it was really nothing, he continued to feel uneasy. Despite trying not to care, the events of last night kept coming back to him, and his expression sank even when he was conscious of it.