The Bakery Cafe's Morning Surprise
Here at the part-time job stand is a young woman by the name of Lee Euna.
Her daily routine as a morning-shift worker at the cafe always began with exhaustion.
To arrive for work at seven in the morning, she had to wake up by half past five. All the careful routines—cleansing the face, bathing, applying makeup—demanded that much time, yet she could never slack off.
After all, her job involved meeting people, and who knew what fateful encounters might await?
‘...Maybe today will be different?’
Of course, such a fateful meeting had never occurred. Those heart-pounding first encounters from dramas simply never happened to this early-rising part-timer.
The only stimulation she could imagine came from the visits of members from the Awakener unit over there.
‘I wonder if she’ll come today...’
After drying her wet hair and neatly arranging it, Lee Euna thought of her.
Occasionally, a stunningly proportioned Awakener would drive up in a bright-red sports car.
Her ideal body type was a little different, but her gaze still couldn’t help drifting over.
‘They say even among Awakeners, appearance divides ranks. If that’s true, she must be at the very top...?’
Lee Euna let out a self-deprecating chuckle at the thought that her hard early-morning shifts were only worthwhile because they waited for this Awakener.
She opened her phone during a brief break in her work.
Unread DMs greeted her, and she wasn’t particularly pleased by the many guests she’d received lately.
In truth, Lee Euna herself wasn’t exactly blessed with beauty, which only made her standards higher.
She tucked the phone away and began preparing the counter. Early-morning customers came in for coffee, some even stopping by to leave a mark on her with a glance...
‘The bakery staff really do come in at dawn.’
Lee Euna looked at the bakery worker kneading bread with dead eyes and shook her head to shake off the fatigue. She couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of those people.
She checked her reflection in the hand mirror and practiced her smile.
She opened the door. Today, there were no customers when she opened, making the place a little quiet.
‘Huh? The sound of a car.’
One sound broke the silence as she idly touched her phone. A low growl, like the exhaust of a beast, echoed from outside.
‘It’s her!’
She jumped up from her seat, checked her hair, and stood behind the counter again, the posture of a woman double-checking her appearance before a date.
But what could she do! This was the greatest joy in her life right now!
‘She’s here!’
With a smile spreading across her face, she prepared to welcome the Awakener.
To her surprise, only one person stepped out of the sports car.
‘Hmm? Two? Who did you bring along? Another squad member?’
A few people had brought members of the same unit. Kim Heejin and some seniors from the other living quarter.
Well, she hadn’t expected much. Even if they were brought along, none had the appearance to outshine Han Jihye. It would probably be the same this time too.
People stepped down from the car.
Next to the seat.
And when Lee Euna saw her,
‘Oh, whoa.’
Her mind went blank without realizing it.
Same gender? Same girl? It didn’t matter... no, because she was a girl, the overwhelming presence made her gaze unable to look away.
She was hidden behind a relaxed, boyish outfit, but most people who saw her probably felt the same.
‘She’s incredibly slender...!’
Yet she wasn’t so thin that it looked unhealthy. It was just the proportions making her appear that way.
Her figure was important, but what truly caught the eye was something else.
‘How can her face and eyes be like that...’
In that small face, those eyes kept her gaze locked, refusing to let go.
Is it decadence? No, that didn’t fit—the energy was far too vibrant.
Wildness? No, she wasn’t fierce enough for that either.
A sharpness like advanced tech, yet an allure that made one want to get closer. Despite being the same gender, her eyes kept drifting toward her.
‘...She’s here... What do I do? She’s definitely going to talk to me...!’
She wasn’t daydreaming! She was a counter part-timer, so she had to speak first!
Han Jihye had a somewhat easy-to-talk-to impression, but the woman beside her was different! Her expression looked too sharp! It wasn’t ordinary at all!
Lee Euna’s first impression of Seo Harang was one of intimidation. Seeing something beautiful and feeling a bit scary were two completely different things.
Two people who had been talking approached. They held two freshly made sandwiches.
“I’ll have... Ameri─”
She was going to drink an Americano? It was more ordinary than expected. At first glance, the image was of someone who would order an espresso in a grande size without hesitation.
But Han Jihye had stopped her, so she was recommending the sweet drink she often ordered. Was it okay?
‘...Then I’ll have that.’
It seemed fine.
After inputting Han Jihye’s order, Lee Euna casually tried to speak up.
“The lady over there is ordering the same... menu?”
She already knew it was the same, but she had to ask just in case! It wasn’t out of curiosity at all!
“Hey.”
“Superhuman. Ah, um.”
The voice.
Good.
Not too high, yet not unpleasant enough to be bad. A faint, tickling tone.
It was a person who perfectly matched the appearance she wanted to become. Where had such a wonderful person come from?
While inputting the order, she heard a startled voice. She’d been using polite speech until now, but it cut off and switched to casual.
“You must be my junior.”
“Yes. She’s quite an interesting friend.”
A laugh slipped out. She’d expected someone rough and hard to deal with, but it turned out there was a lot of open space, so her tension had dissolved without realizing it.
Even after the order was finished, Lee Euna’s attention remained on that side.
She knew as a part-timer she shouldn’t, but she added extra cream to the drink. It was a weak form of goodwill.
‘Did she notice? Honestly, if I said I didn’t, it was just... I could tell her the SNS ID after giving her a hint.’
She called for the reward she was getting by bribery. Seo Harang came down holding the door bell.
And...
“Ah! No! I wasn’t thinking anything weird at all!”
“Weird... you say?”
It wasn’t just a gap—it felt like she had a slightly dazed quality.
That fierce look from just a moment ago now seemed a little cute.
Even though she was taller and more mature-looking than herself, Lee Euna suddenly wanted to take care of her somehow.
She had a slightly twisted thought that a playful reaction would come.
That was why she felt relieved and her heart lightened a little. When she came to her senses, she had unconsciously asked for the SNS ID.
“You’re too pretty... your appearance is exactly like my ideal type!”
She added the words in a hurry, but they were true—no lies.
But the reply was only that there was no ID. Didn’t people use SNS these days? How...!
‘She’s cool...!!’
Infatuation that had its roots built up naturally grew infinitely. Even looking at that dazed side just now, Lee Euna could classify it as pure attraction. The emptiness was separate, but...
Anyway, after she went upstairs, Lee Euna kept glancing at the stairs to the second floor.
The contrast between her inhuman appearance and the human gap was actually a captivating charm.
‘I should clear the trays and try to talk to her one more time...’
Because of Seo Harang’s subtle gap, Lee Euna’s confidence ignited. Like a fan receiving an autograph from a celebrity, she cautiously moved toward the two people.
And the sky rewarded her confidence.
A number recorded in the contact list and the quite rare name ‘Seo Harang’.
“Harang... Seo Harang...”
Lee Euna stared at the seat where Seo Harang had been and repeated the name in her mind. Not long ago, it was a name she heard often.
Without realizing it, she turned on her phone and went into the contact app.
The name of that wonderful older sister named Seo Harang appeared at the top.
‘She’s really the person everyone talks about.’
It was an unintentional thought. Of course, there were many people with the same name.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. Thinking of it as a call from a friend.’
The probability that the person she mentioned was the same person was zero. But perhaps it was a divine sign to make a call once.
She found the name Seo Hayan, who hadn’t been searched for long. It was the last contact three days ago.
‘She seemed a bit dangerous lately.’
Dangerous? What was dangerous?
She sent a text right away without waiting for an answer.
Tick. It was a phone call, not a text that disappeared after sending. Lee Euna was surprised by the unexpected call and picked it up.
(Hello. So it’s really you?)
A simple greeting followed immediately by a question. From the start, it was obvious the latter was the main concern.
“You called after seeing the text, right? No, isn’t it amazing? You and your brother have the same name?”
(Yeah, it’s actually pretty funny.)
The tone didn’t sound funny at all.
‘Nothing’s changed. When it comes to brother-related talk, her attitude completely flips.’
She understood the situation. After going through that, it made sense her brother would act that way.
(So? Where did you see it? I’m really in trouble right now. My brother left home. If I don’t find him soon, I’m really...)
But even considering that, these siblings were too different from others.
Even if it was obsession, it would be fine. Despite having the ability to live on her own, she chose to live under her brother’s protection, like a bird in a cage.
And right now... no, since several months ago, the bird that couldn’t fly had lost the person who took care of her.
The bird that had lost both the target to show affection to and the one to send affection to could only cry out loud.
Even if that’s the case, it’s just the same name. The gender is different after all...
(Still, tell me. At least go find him once.)
Isn’t that...?
It wasn’t a cry; there was a strong intention to go find him herself.
‘If I say it’s not that, it won’t help. Even after saying the gender is different, she acts like this.’
It was clear she would feel relief after meeting once. Lee Euna, who knew this, said nothing else.
“There’s a unit there.”
(A unit?)
“Yeah, the Awakener unit. There’s a unit that gathers Awakeners, right? It’s a place where only female Awakeners are gathered. I heard the person working there is like that.”
(...I see. Thank you.)
She added ‘only female Awakeners are gathered’ just in case, but she didn’t seem particularly bothered.
The call ended.
Lee Euna looked at the cut-off call and stared at Seo Harang’s profile picture. It was a basic profile she’d never touched.
‘Should I just give up easily? It’s the kind of thing that would make someone get angry saying the name is the same.’
That thought disappeared soon after. Because the door opened and customers came in.
...Wait, Seo Harang! Your crazy sister is coming to find you!