By Zephyria 
Long and sharp eyes. A mole under the tail of his eye, further solidifying his overall pointed impression. His slightly curly hair was neatly styled with a slight parting in the front, and he had three piercings only on his left ear.
He had a high nose bridge and an overall shaded appearance, which gave him a subtle aura, especially when he lowered his eyes.
That’s one of the reasons why Eun-ha didn’t like him. He didn’t even need to know the background of a man with such striking and flamboyant good looks to guess what it would be like.
Maybe it was just prejudice…
“Did you hide something here?”
It was then that their eyes suddenly met. In response to the woman’s question, the man inadvertently rolled his eyes towards the counter.
Even though he was the one who looked, he subtly stiffened his gaze. As if he hadn’t expected it.
Soon, he looked back at the woman naturally, as if nothing had happened. Eun-ha, who had been watching them to pass the time, felt that same dislike again.
He had seen many people sizing him up and throwing subtle signals, but this was the first time someone had quietly sized him up for a month.
He wondered what his intentions were, feeling both fresh and, on the other hand, annoyed and uncomfortable, as if something was scratching at the corner of his mind. It was like a mosquito that wouldn’t try to suck his blood, but just buzzed around him, irritating him but impossible to catch.
Yes. That was exactly how it was. That was Eun-ha’s dissatisfaction with the man, which had been steadily building up for almost a month.
“I just… didn’t want to be at school during my free periods.”
He internally retorted at the voice that followed. A lie. The man never missed a day at the cafe, even on Fridays when he didn’t seem to have classes, and on weekends when he didn’t have to go to school.
However, he thought that the conversation that followed might not be a complete fabrication.
“…Ah. I get it. Because of that crazy bastard Kim Young-min?”
“Well. No swearing.”
“How can I not swear? Aren’t you upset? I would have been so pissed off that I would have cried.”
“Still.”
“Still, you say.”
The man slightly curved the corners of his eyes as if to appease her at the scolding tone. It was a weak and bland smile. The woman slammed the table with her fist, as if frustrated. She went on and on with words of concern. From what he could gather, there seemed to have been some kind of conflict at school.
“Kim Young-min is Kim Young-min, but I’m honestly a little upset with Hyun-ju too. He’s keeping his mouth shut. I understand he doesn’t want to be the topic of conversation, but it’s only made things difficult for you. No. No, that’s not all. His reputation has just become dogshit…”
So, probably a man-woman problem.
A love triangle. His college days flashed through his mind. It was a familiar topic that often erupted everywhere.
The man replied quietly, almost inaudibly.
“It’ll die down. It’s not true, after all.”
“This isn’t something you can afford to take so lightly. Aren’t you angry?”
“I’m just a little tired.”
“Then you should actively explain yourself. Why are you staying still?”
“Because that seems like it would be more tiring.”
“…Ugh, really.”
Thanks to the woman who was raising her voice as if she was the one who was wronged, he could hear the content itself well, but he couldn’t grasp exactly what was going on, so his interest gradually waned. The voices became blurred and flowed out of one ear.
On the other hand, Jeong-ho, whom he discovered while turning his head, looked intrigued. He didn’t openly look at them, but he could immediately feel that his ears were perked up like a rabbit. It was obvious that his mind was elsewhere as he prepared the drinks for the takeout customers.
Eun-ha, who was leaning against the tall stool, chuckled. Then, he glared at Jeong-ho’s slow and sluggish movements and made a stern expression.
He tapped the tip of his shoe against Jeong-ho’s foot as if asking what he was doing. Jeong-ho, startled, turned around, realized the situation, and immediately made an awkward expression.
“That’s… CEO.”
“Yeah. Make it fast.”
“Yes.”
He answered and quickly prepared the drinks. He found his deliberately ingratiating manner cute. Eun-ha generally felt that way when he looked at Jeong-ho. Fresh, cute, and he couldn’t hate him no matter what he did. He was twenty-one years old. Seven years younger than him.
It was the same when he treated other part-timers. He wasn’t particularly generous or friendly to others, and he had lived a life far from kindness or generosity, but he had come to treat people younger than him a little differently. It seemed to be happening more and more as the years went by.
Even if they did the same thing, he would take it more leniently, thinking that they were still young.
“……”
Yes. That’s generally the case.
Eun-ha glanced at the man who was the exception to that rule. He was still dealing with the woman who was frustrated with his situation. Without being greatly shaken at all.
That was his basic stance. What should he say… he always had a calm feeling without dramatic changes in expression. An overall subdued atmosphere. As if he was emotionally closed off.
To put it nicely, he was well-centered, and from Eun-ha’s biased point of view—he seemed to have a lot of experience already.
He seemed to be unfairly involved in a very noisy conflict, but he was so detached and indifferent.
‘I guess he’s been through a lot of similar things…’
He couldn’t help but think that.
That’s why he didn’t seem so cute. That handsome face that he saw every day, the gaze that he met every chance he got, the fingertips that occasionally touched his when he paid.
He only felt stuffy, uneasy, annoying, and wondered how long he would keep doing this. It was a talent if he could only give such negative feelings.
Roughly twenty-three or twenty-four years old.
He stared blankly at the man who still had a slightly youthful look, then turned his gaze away. There were no customers today. He was about to turn on his phone and fiddle with it.
“Yeon-jun. I think it’s because you don’t know much yet…”
Eun-ha’s pupils, which had been loosely relaxed, suddenly became clear. He blinked. It was the first time he had heard the man’s name.
Yeon-jun. Yeon-jun, huh. He savored the name that evoked a soft impression a few times, and scanned the man who was nothing but flashy a few times. He tilted his head slightly as he alternated between the two.
Ban Hwi-hyeol…? It seemed like a name like that would suit him better.
Well. It didn’t matter anyway. Just as Eun-ha, who had briefly sparkled, was about to look at his phone again.
“It’s really okay. No matter what anyone says. You know I’m innocent, Sunbae.”
“……”
“That’s enough for me.”
It was a terribly gentle and affectionate tone. Eun-ha, who was momentarily surprised because it was so ticklish to hear, quickly lowered the hand holding his phone again.
He narrowed his eyes with a ‘what is this’ expression. He was a little dumbfounded.
Then, he became even more dumbfounded when he saw Jeong-ho, who had caught his eye at the edge of his vision, also had a subtly blurred face, as if he had received a similar impression.
Even more so after witnessing the woman, who had heard the man’s words, casually tucking her hair behind her ear and clearing her throat.
‘Right. Just now… wasn’t that too obvious of a flirt?’
“…Geez. How can your expectations of sufficiency be so low?”
“Are they low?”
“If not? Are you saying it’s okay if everyone except me badmouths you, or what?”
“Well-. It’s just- I know Sunbae is defending me in many ways. I think a lot of misunderstandings have been cleared up thanks to you… So.”
It meant thank you. Eun-ha slowly looked at the man who was adding in a refreshing tone with a relaxed tone with a very cold face.
It was a moment when his prejudice became even more solidified.