Bitter Coffee and Unwanted Company
The morning cafe was dominated by the fragrant aroma of coffee. Gazing out the window with sunglasses on, I took a sip of the bitter brew and felt the hangover from yesterday ease just a little. The fresh air outside was pleasant for a change, but unfortunately, the person sitting across from me was enough to erase that feeling entirely.
“You don’t take syrup in yours?”
“It makes me gain weight.”
…Kang Juhyuk. The same man who had done every kind of terrible thing to me just yesterday.
“…Juhyuk, let me have a sip of your iced americano too.”
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
Of course, the only reason the scene didn’t look completely wrong was because my sister had come along. Hinami had been sprawled out sleeping, so we couldn’t bring her, and even if she had been awake it would have been awkward. After all, it would look like the younger sister tagging along on her older sister’s date—or like two sisters going out while the brother-in-law played bodyguard. Either way, I didn’t like it, but it was still better than sipping coffee alone with him.
Not that I had bowed my head and begged him because I was scared to go out alone. The manager had quieted down by now, and I didn’t think it was dangerous enough that I couldn’t walk around on a bright morning. I had even planned to pack my things and head back upstairs today. Still… I couldn’t refuse when he called me out while wearing that kind face. Refusing would have been the same as forcing him to drop the mask.
Even Kang Juhyuk wouldn’t do anything openly strange in broad daylight, and even if the cafe wasn’t crowded, there were still people around. I didn’t feel scared of him here. Besides, my sister was with us—whether she helped or not. I just hoped time would pass peacefully while I sipped my coffee and enjoyed the fresh air.
…Honestly, staying cooped up inside was fine for a day or two, but I was starting to feel like I was going to die of boredom.
“…Excuse me, over here.”
“…?”
While I was lost in thought, a decent-looking man approached and spoke to me hesitantly.
“Ah, are you Seo Jia by any chance? You look so much like her…”
“…”
I was wearing sunglasses, but I hadn’t put on a mask to drink coffee, and I wasn’t wearing a hat indoors either. It made sense that a few people might recognize me. It wasn’t a situation where being recognized mattered anyway. Still—
“…Or maybe not? Then…”
“You’re right.”
This guy didn’t seem like a fan so much as someone trying to get my number… No, maybe I was just being overly sensitive. Disappointed in myself for no longer being able to accept even a fan’s goodwill at face value, I took off my sunglasses, set them on the table, and held out my hand slightly.
“Oh, really? Then could I get an autograph…”
“Sure. I’ll sign for you.”
Contrary to my suspicions, the man in front of me looked genuinely happy as he rummaged through his pockets and handed me a sticky note and a pen. I scribbled the autograph I had grown used to even after my break, asked for his name, wrote it underneath, and handed it back.
“Thank you. I’m actually a huge fan, and I saw someone who looked so much like you… even the mole under your lip was the same. So I wondered if it might be you.”
“…Yes.”
“So, um, the two people in front of you—are they… acquaintances?”
“My older sister. …And the one next to her is her boyfriend.”
“Ah… I see. Well, enjoy your time with your family. Thanks for the autograph.”
Even though he looked about Juhyuk’s age, my fan bowed politely to a much younger idol, clutching the autograph like a treasure as he smiled and returned to his seat.
…On any other day, this would have been an ordinary fan service that left me neither happy nor unhappy. But for some reason, the sight of my fan looking so pleased because of me lingered in my mind. He wasn’t anyone special—just an ordinary citizen you could meet on any street.
“You’re popular.”
“…Are you mocking me?”
“No, it was a compliment.”
He looked at me with that strange expression and spoke in a clearly sarcastic tone, even if his voice wasn’t mocking. My sister, who was clinging to his side, also stayed silent but gave me an odd look.
…This was truly disgusting. Juhyuk was a disgusting person to begin with, so that was one thing, but what the hell was my sister’s problem?
The surface-level reason had been “Your sister said she wanted to have a cup of coffee at a cafe but was scared to go alone, so let’s all go together.” Was she that angry about having her lovey-dovey holiday time with her boyfriend stolen for a little while? They lived together and were attached at the hip every single day. Seeing her show such wariness toward me over something so small made me think she would explode and try to kill me the moment I told her what happened yesterday.
…Of course, she couldn’t say a word against Juhyuk.
“Juhyuk, now that I think about it, remember that time before?”
“Yeah.”
“When we stopped by a cafe after work and you went to order for a second, that guy who tried to get my number—do you remember him?”
“I remember the story, but I don’t know who the guy was. I never saw him.”
“No, I just thought they looked similar. That guy and the one from earlier.”
“Really?”
…No, scratch that. It wasn’t that I couldn’t talk back to Juhyuk—it was that I felt like I could list ten reasons why he should kill me right now. I didn’t even understand why my sister had to hate me in the first place, and more than anything, I was the victim in my relationship with Juhyuk too. Even without dragging Juhyuk into it, my sister already resented me just for being popular. My relationship with Hinami had clearly been ruined by him, but the sisterly bond had already been shattered before he ever appeared. If anything, after he moved into my sister’s place, our relationship had improved enough that she would look after me when I was sick. The reason it had gone back to being worse than before was obvious.
“Ah, but that guy might have been a little taller.”
“Taller than me?”
“If he was taller than you, you wouldn’t say ‘a little,’ you idiot.”
…Inferiority complex. My sister would never admit it even if she died and came back to life. It was inevitable for an incompetent older sister to feel inferior to her younger sister, and I didn’t care what she thought of me as long as she didn’t do anything too crazy. The real headache right now was… the fact that her boyfriend was showing way too much interest in me. My sister had already noticed to some extent. That was probably why she was being even more guarded.
…The moment he tried to hug me, she might actually stab me with a knife. At least the current version of my sister was several times more extreme than the manager ever was.
“Ah, Yeeun. Have you ever had guys pretending to be fans hit on you?”
“There were… probably a lot. But I don’t think so. In the first place, when I wear a mask, people don’t recognize me easily.”
“Really? That’s a relief. It would be annoying if a lot of those types clung to you.”
“…Yeah.”
Faced with my sister suddenly acting friendly and talking to me, I twisted my tongue to give the most agreeable answer I could. In reality, whether I wore a mask or a bank robber’s balaclava, there had been countless men trying to hit on me. But telling her “Yeah, I get hit on all the time!” wouldn’t get me anything.
Seeming satisfied with my lukewarm response, my sister made a different kind of strange face and clung to him again.
“Ah, should I start wearing a mask too when I go out?”
“No need.”
“What do you mean, no need? Guys don’t hit on me when I’m with you, but when I’m alone they try to get my number one by one if I’m bored. You know that, right?”
“Of course I know. I can tell just by watching you work at the gym sometimes.”
“Then why are you saying ‘no need’ when you already know?”
“…Would wearing a mask really stop guys from hitting on you?”
“…”
Watching Juhyuk skillfully boost my sister’s ego with his words, I clicked my tongue and barely stopped myself, instead sucking on the dregs of my coffee through the straw. Even though I knew exactly what that ridiculous man was thinking, how could my sister feel “affection” for him and act cute? Hinami was one thing—she had always been like that. But the “sister” I had known for over twenty years acting this way was impossible to understand.
She had clearly seen the worst of him. His coercive, almost rapey sexual harassment. His twisted fetish that grew more excited the more shame he inflicted. A face that wasn’t even particularly handsome. And he didn’t have that much money either.
…A man who had nothing going for him except his body and voice. Wasn’t that exactly the type of person my sister hated the most? Whether it was men or women, she had always disliked people who relied on their bodies. She used to say that male and female idols who leaned too hard into sex appeal weren’t appealing, and she had extreme hatred for female cam streamers too.
“Well… anyway. Yeeun. You said you were going back upstairs starting today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you said you didn’t have any schedules for a while except going back and forth to the agency.”
“…Yeah.”
“So you don’t have any plans this weekend?”
“…Probably not.”
“If you have nothing to do, want to come here? I got invited to cosplay and have an extra ticket.”
How had she changed so much that she was willing to show her face in public and wear those revealing game outfits?
“Why would I go there…”
“You like this game, don’t you? I saw you playing it on Hinami’s Instagram.”
“…”
“It’ll be fine since there’ll be a lot of people. If you’re really scared, you can come with Hinami. I already gave her a ticket too.”
She had become so broken that she could proudly consider going half-naked to be praised by otakus and have her photo taken.
“Haeun, where’s my ticket?”
“What the hell are you talking about? You’re my manager.”
“In our house, the word ‘manager’ means stalker bastard.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why you’re my manager.”
“…”
I couldn’t understand any of it, but since the ticket my sister handed me wasn’t at fault, I accepted it. Not because I wanted to go, but because if I didn’t, Hinami would probably wander around alone… and I had a feeling Juhyuk would enjoy putting her in danger again. I really had no choice.