By Zephyria 
As official summer began, Eun-ha became even more listless. Some days he felt so gloomy that he didn’t want to leave the house at all, but he didn’t abandon his daily routine. He forced himself to wake up in the morning, go to work, and water the plants.
But there was one unusual thing…
“……”
It was morning, and the cafe was quite full with customers because it was exam season. Eun-ha, leaning against the counter stool, looked at the group of seats over there with a somewhat dumbfounded expression. At the end of his gaze was Gu Hae-bin. He was sitting at a table in a lazy posture, not hiding his characteristic swagger.
That might not have been a problem in itself. If the back of the head visible across from him wasn’t Yeon-jun. Eun-ha’s eyes, looking at the bizarre combination, gradually became filled with bewilderment.
Why those two were like that went back three days. The day after Eun-ha was suddenly interrogated by Gu Hae-bin. He came to the cafe again. At a time when he would usually be lazing around on the terrace with Yeon-jun.
Gu Hae-bin, spotting Eun-ha and making him wear a troubled expression, cleared his throat meaningfully, and then smiled kindly and greeted Yeon-jun. “Hi?” Yeon-jun looked up at him with his characteristic indifferent expression and greeted him, “Hello,” just like the day before. It was at that moment.
Jeong-ho appeared, saying that he would have to watch the counter for a while. It was recently that he had a lot more to do in the mornings as exam season approached. Eun-ha, hesitating in the three-way confrontation, was glared at by Gu Hae-bin, who urged him to leave quickly, and left his spot. He wondered if he could leave the two of them like this, but then thought there wouldn’t be any problems and moved on. Because they didn’t know each other well. He assumed they would be spending time separately.
About 20 minutes later, after busily finishing the piled-up work, he came back up to the second floor and saw that they were still on the terrace. His old friend, and the college student who kept following him around, saying he liked him. The two of them being in the same space brought a somewhat incongruous feeling.
Eun-ha was puzzled because they were talking to each other. At first, he thought there was some kind of conflict. They were expressionless as they talked, and an unusual aura emanated from them. Both of them had unpleasant expressions, with no clear winner. One felt prickly, while the other felt like a snake.
Did something happen? He was about to approach.
‘If you want to win Lee Eun-ha’s favor, you’d better treat me well. Don’t look at me so scary.’
‘I didn’t look at you scary.’
‘You are now. Your eyes are too scary.’
‘It’s because of how I look, Hyung.’
Hyung? Then Gu Hae-bin revealed an intrigued smile. Yeon-jun gave him an interested look. A face focused only on his purpose.
‘Tell me about winning favor.’
What was said while he was away? Eun-ha, pausing, watched the scene ahead with half bewilderment and half doubt, while more conversation that he couldn’t hear well took place. What are they talking about so much? Just as he was about to approach, Jeong-ho came again with a hurried face, and Eun-ha, held back, had no choice but to turn away. While he was watching the counter, Yeon-jun left the cafe, citing school.
‘What were you talking about with Yeon-jun?’
After finishing work, he asked Gu Hae-bin, who was still there, but he didn’t give a clear answer. With a pensive look, he just hummed a melody he had heard somewhere.
That was what happened the day before yesterday, which he couldn’t understand, and yesterday, Gu Hae-bin, who had also come to the cafe, hung out with Yeon-jun while Eun-ha was watching the counter.
And it was only yesterday that he became certain. That he was at the center of the two of them suddenly hanging out so much and forming something similar to a bond.
It was absurd. Especially since he could roughly guess Gu Hae-bin’s intentions, who seemed to have taken the initiative in the relationship, which made it even more absurd. But he couldn’t take any other action. Complaining about why he suddenly came to the cafe every day didn’t work. If he had to say, Gu Hae-bin would show his face more often every summer. Knowing that that time was a difficult period for Eun-ha.
And so it was now. One person who had started squatting in the cafe, and another who had just graduated from high school, next to him, not knowing what kind of blueprint they were drawing up.
It was a bizarre combination, even when he looked at it again. Eun-ha, watching them disapprovingly, noticed a customer leaving nearby and roughly picked up a dishcloth and started walking. As he got closer, he could vaguely hear their voices. So then Lee Eun-ha… He couldn’t help but ask.
“What are you talking about?”
“About when you were in high school and were courted by twins at the same time.”
“…Are you crazy?”
Eun-ha let out a hollow laugh. Why are you telling him that?
“…Did that really happen, Hyung?”
Yeon-jun looked up at him and asked. With eyes that had become somewhat opaque.
It did happen. In the beginning of his second year of high school, he became friends with twins he met in the same class. Park Hyun-ji and Kim Seon-woo were assigned to the same class, and he was the only one who was separated, and because that class happened to be at opposite ends of the school, he ended up spending more and more time with the twins on campus. They ate lunch together, spent time together during breaks, went to the store together, and even created a separate group chat to contact each other.
And, as twins, with perfectly matching tastes, they soon both fell in love with Eun-ha.
That turned into a very big ordeal for Eun-ha.
Receiving affection from multiple people at the same time might not be a problem in itself. Because they are usually independent individuals. Even if they know each other, it would usually end with a light battle of nerves or jealousy, and it would be rare for a situation to arise where they truly clashed. Fighting like dogs with rivals over one person… Such dramatic love triangles were only material for dramas.
But the problem was that they were twin siblings. They were constantly fighting with each other at every opportunity, even if it wasn’t about Eun-ha.
Eun-ha, unintentionally caught in the middle as the target, had to spend a very tiring year. He was endlessly caught up in blatant and childish fights, such as being grabbed by each arm by them and pulled forcefully. Just recalling it made him feel exhausted.
Gu Hae-bin, who learned about the situation from about halfway through, laughed whenever Eun-ha was in trouble because of it. One person was dying of anxiety, while the other was watching the fire from across the river, carefree.