The Whipped Cream Catastrophe
The vibrating bell rang out.
I had known from the start that there was no avoiding going up to the 1st Barracks quarters.
I mean, wasn't I the one who was supposed to be the one getting fed? I had to do this myself anyway.
I quickly pulled my hips back and headed to collect the drinks.
"Ah! Th-that!"
The small female part-timer bowed her head slightly. Maybe she had arrived early? She seemed to have an unusually strong service mindset.
I looked at the tray placed in front of her. Our drinks and food were laid out on it.
"Is this correct? Um..."
My brows furrowed a little. The whipped cream piled high on top.
I mean, it's weird to say something like that about something people eat, but it gave off a similar feeling to some barf monster from a manga.
"U-um... Is there some kind of problem?"
"Ah! N-no! I wasn't thinking anything gross at all!"
"Gr-gross... you say?"
Whoa, what a refreshing slip of the tongue!
As I had said before, I used to only drink Americano. If I had to call it sweet coffee, it was just the canned coffee from the convenience store. Anyone would think that when they see something like this!
...I decided to stop making excuses for myself and quickly grabbed the tray. It would be late, but I figured I'd get a lecture anyway.
"Thank you."
"H-hey! Over here!"
"Yes?"
"Th-that! Could you tell me your Stargram ID!? You're so pretty... and your appearance is just like my onee-san! I want to ask how to manage it!"
"Manage...?"
"Y-yes! Ah! I know you're an Awakener, but even so..."
Pretty. The praise had definitely been given, but something felt off. It was good, but not that good, and the corners of my mouth only lifted halfway.
Since I had at least been praised, I gave a shallow bow and grabbed the tray.
"H-hey! Y-you..."
"Ah, sorry. I don't have an ID."
"Th-that..."
The part-timer was making a dejected face, but what could I do? It was the truth.
I carried the two parfait drinks upstairs. Han Jihye was staring at her phone.
"What are you looking at...?"
"Kuk-kuk, still not used to it? As soon as Hee-jin said she wants to chat, it was full-on barking and wild excitement."
"Hee-jin...?"
"Whoa, you even chatted with Hee-jin? She's so cool! You weren't around today."
...Ah, I see?
"U-um... Besides that, this looks really tasty! Wow, expensive things are really different! I'll drink it well!"
While my mind spun from one mistake to the next, I tried to change the subject.
"Oh, really?"
Luckily, Han Jihye didn't seem to want to dig deeper.
After swallowing my words, she rested her heavy chest on the table and picked up her share of the drink.
Then, suck. She took a sip with the straw and let out a "Kyu~!" reaction as if it was refreshing.
What? It wasn't actually sweet? It was just cool. Then it would be easy to drink.
I quickly took a sip after her.
"Ack!"
S-sweet! It's way too sweet!
"Super sweet? It's a proper sugar rush! Kuhu..."
Agh! The unexpected sugar explosion made my head spin... but I wasn't dizzy.
Somehow, I felt like it tasted pretty good.
Originally I didn't like sweet things much, so this change in taste surprised me. A burst of dopamine flooded my mind, and I took another sip.
...What is this! It's amazing! I could eat it all day!
"It looks delicious. Don't worry and just drink it freely. There's an Awakener perk here. Even if you eat a ton, your body stays the same."
Of course, there were exceptions here.
After saying that, Han Jihye lifted her chest a bit. Since no one was around, it was fine, but if someone had been watching, they would definitely have been staring.
It was an overwhelming proposal regardless of her personality. That overwhelming mass carried an irresistible power that made both men and women instinctively look.
"Ah, so... are we going?"
"Going where? You just got used to it, didn't you?"
Was she being provocative again? But I knew that after she started the conversation, no biting remarks came back.
So, screw it. I just fired back.
"Yeah! I'm still not used to it!"
Silence.
It was a bone-deep silence.
Looking back, the childish, gross thing I had said just now didn't match this appearance at all.
How mismatched? It was like a stylish career woman suddenly jumping from her seat and making a V with both hands?
I couldn't see my own face in the mirror, but it was easy to guess it would be quite a sight.
Han Jihye seemed to be feeling the same, blinking rapidly.
"S-sorry..."
"Ah, it's fine. No need to apologize. I was just a little grossed out?"
Suck. Han Jihye took another sip and spoke in a teasing tone. Whether she was serious or not, she only blinked and didn't do anything else, making it hard to tell.
"Gross...!"
She had a real playful, no-holds-barred vibe. Kuk-kuk...
After laughing, Han Jihye took a big bite of the croissant. Now I understood it was just a joke.
It was just that people themselves were cheeky and I couldn't figure out what they were thinking. No matter what she did or said later, this superior-inferior relationship wasn't going to change.
It was pointless, so I ate the croissant to pass the time.
Whoosh. I took a huge bite.
"Ew, such a lady."
"Hm? You're already used to it."
"Your eating expression matches your eyes. Even so, not spilling is quite impressive?"
I had spilled a few times while eating, but then I got scolded so many times by the hard-work grandpa types that I automatically fixed it.
"Got scolded a lot."
"Scolded? Ah, back when? When Mom and Dad were still alive?"
The same position as when parents aren't around, she could fire back without reservation. Since I had already gotten past that sadness a long time ago, I didn't react sensitively.
"No, when I was doing hard labor. After I awakened, I worked the part-timer job together with it."
"...Hard labor? You just awakened a few months ago."
"About three months?"
"Really? You had to have taken the Awakener training too. If you had the training, doesn't that mean you continued it until right before coming to this unit?"
"Right? It was tough. Really."
"...Then you did hard labor without awakening?"
Right. So it was exhausting when I followed around. When I came home, I was dead tired, and I went out early in the morning, so my little sister was getting slapped on the back asking me to talk a little, you know?
"Really, how did you survive?"
Han Jihye showed pure curiosity.
Since there was no need to hide it, I showed her the photo album.
After all, from when I was a man until now, I hadn't cared about photos. There were no photos of my old appearance.
As I scrolled through the almost empty album, the photo I had wanted to show came up after a while.
"This is it."
"...What? A lung?"
"Lung? It's the place where my sister and I used to live."
"This place?"
"Yeah."
When I nodded, Han Jihye's eyes widened a little. She could make that kind of expression?
"Ah, um... um..."
Then she awkwardly twisted her head and brought the straw to her mouth as if choosing her words.
"Ah, damn... straws."
I vented my frustration at the stubborn straw and spoke in a voice as if crawling closer.
"It must have been hard."
"Hard, you say?"
"Hey, what are you listening to all that for? It's embarrassing."
"I already heard everything? If you knew, don't poke at it too much from now on."
"What?"
"What? You keep poking at me all the time. My heart was in my throat every single time."
"No, what do you mean don't poke from now on?"
Huh?
"Wasn't it the right flow? Make a nice atmosphere and say 'Let's stay well from now on'?"
"What nonsense? Hey, back then it was hard, but now it's smooth sailing, right? My little sister said she lives there too? And you said your earnings will go straight into my little sister's account. Then now her account balance must have made her eyes spin."
Never! Absolutely never! I exposed my past so carelessly and now I'm more exposed!
...Han Jihye added that after a moment's thought and lightly clapped her hands.
"You contacted my little sister recently, didn't you? That's what this is about, right?"
"Ah, that? I haven't seen it?"
"Still? Even back then, why don't you receive contacts from your sister? You lived together and got along so well, you should have called and replied right away, right?"
"No..."
I glanced at my phone.
I loosened the lock a little.
Over 50 messages. There were only three people who sent messages: advertisement 1, advertisement 2, and my sister.
Seo Hayan. My sister's proportion was overwhelming.
Thankfully, she had at least replied with a short 'Yeah' in the middle, but if she hadn't, it would have been 300+ messages.
"There was a little... no, a lot of clingy tendency, so I kept a slight distance."
"I wasn't curious to begin with."
Then why did you ask me about it!!!!!
I replaced the disbelief with a sigh and spat it out.
Later... no, tomorrow I need to contact my sister. I should think up an excuse for leaving just a text message.
Kuu, I let out a groan and took a small sip of my drink.
To lightly wet my mouth—
"Sigh..."
"You little bastard! You got excited in front of your senior and ate sweet things to loosen up!"
It seemed my heart had loosened up completely from that sugar lump I hadn't even looked at before. My distant spirit came crashing back.
"S-sorry!"
"Kuk-kuk-kuk..."
How many times had I been scolded now? My own self who got caught in the same joke so easily looked simple.
I thought the sandwich and sweet drink would fill my stomach, but surprisingly, after eating everything, my stomach was full. It seemed my stomach itself was giving satisfaction from the sweets.
I checked that there was space on the other side to put the tray down and stood up from my seat, but just as I was about to, the small part-timer who had come up found us and came running over in a hurry.
Was it the manager? Was she here to ask about the taste?
"Ah! Did you enjoy it?"
"Y-yes? Yes. Is the manager here?"
"Yes? No? I'm the part-timer!"
The part-timer asking satisfaction from the customer like this? If it's the manager's order, shake your carrot! Hurry!
"You work really hard. It was delicious."
"Yes! Th-that! Y-you added a little more cream...! Normally you shouldn't...!"
"Oh, really? When I came alone, there was no such service."
"That's!"
When a small person expressed it largely, it was fun to watch. Like seeing a Pomeranian wagging its tail.
The part-timer looked at me hesitantly.
I thought my heart would thump... but my mind was as calm as a still lake. I had already decided to marry for money. Breaking that resolve was almost impossible.
...I decided to think that way.
"You said you don't have a Stargram ID, but if it's okay, could you give me your number...?"
"Whoa, a woman asking for a number? Our Harang will have something to tell when she returns!"
"Ha-rang... Ha-rang...?"
"That's her name. It's a bit unique, right? Easy to remember."
"Ah, yes. Um..."
Suddenly my reaction turned strange. The reaction I had been worrying about while deciding to give my number disappeared completely.
Even though I had spent peaceful time at the cafe, time didn't pass long.
Maybe because I left early? The day felt a little longer.