Couple's Cafe
Park Suchil, who was watching our basketball game, shouted at the top of his lungs even with his shoulder broken.
“Damn it, what the hell are you doing?!”
It wasn’t just cheering or giving advice.
He was cursing.
The unbearable pain, the killing aura he’d never felt before, the pride he’d been stomped on in front of me and Song Yura. And the bet he’d bet everything on, now in one-sided defeat.
It felt like watching a human addicted to gambling lose everything.
“Shit, if it were me, I’d have made that shot. Just standing there blankly, doing nothing? No, just push! Push! You can just block it with your body at that distance. Where the hell did you put your size? Trying to join the circus?”
Even I, who wasn’t on good terms with Park Suchil, frowned at his words, but how much would those guys feel if they were putting in that much effort, sweating and drenched in sweat, to the point of straining their bodies.
Still, once in a while, you had to suppress that feeling, which was social etiquette from upper-lower relationships and the patience most people lacked, stealing their health.
“We’re really giving our all. Please don’t be like that.”
“There’s no push. Your body is like a solid rock. And even with the screen set up, you slip away like a ghost. What are we supposed to do?”
If it was Park Suchil from before, he might have nodded at their words, understanding them kindly and comforting them.
But the current Park Suchil was clearly not in his right mind.
No, precisely, it was that he had lost his sanity to hide his true self, and his real nature was showing.
“If you can’t block it with strength, use that big height to block! Do you have to dunk every time? Just block it a little! If you can’t break through, just shoot right from the start! Is your skill that bad that you can’t make a shot from that distance?”
“......”
“......”
If he could play basketball with his mouth, Park Suchil would already be the number one rookie in the NBA, wouldn’t he?
Eventually, due to endless mouth basketball and Park Suchil subtly ignoring and belittling people, not only the people playing basketball but even those watching from the side reached their limit.
“If you can do that well, try it yourself.”
“What?”
“You can clearly see they’re trying their best, but you have to say that to people who are working hard?”
“No, I...”
Whoosh whoosh.
When Park Suchil finally realized the surrounding atmosphere was weird, it was already too late.
“Crack!”
I wondered if I even needed to count the score.
“Ten to zero for Master’s victory!”
“......”
Because Song Yura, who was watching, didn’t care about the atmosphere and cheered with a bright smile, most people stared blankly at her.
“Eh...”
Watching Song Yura, whose face turned red with embarrassment, I clicked my tongue and stepped forward.
“I won the bet. Then, apologize to Song Yura. For hurting her wrist and shoulder, and even more for throwing out those dirty words with that filthy mouth. What? It doesn’t matter if it’s two or three of us, right?”
Park Suchil, who didn’t expect me to blurt it all out, turned pale and stammered.
“Ah, no, that, that is! I, I mean...”
“Apologize. There are probably many people who have a grudge against you besides me.”
I said while looking at the people who had turned into enemies from my teammates.
“Or, not just the shoulder, but break the wrist too so you can come to your senses?”
“Hiiik! S-sorry. I-I’ll apologize! I was wrong!”
...Truly, that damned pride. How could he be so shameless even in this moment, after living as the eldest son for so long.
‘Indeed, talking to trash is just a waste of time.’
If it weren’t for the time I had to endure, I wouldn’t have bothered with this conversation that left nothing behind.
I could have just kicked that mouth.
“It’s not about apologizing to me, it’s about apologizing to Yura, right? And an apology in casual speech doesn’t feel sincere?”
Park Suchil is the kind of person who only understands after being told this much.
“...I’m sorry.”
Now that’s enough.
I thought Song Yura would be satisfied and turned my head, but then saw her stiff expression and was dumbfounded.
Even after I made him apologize directly, what was that expression.
“......”
Song Yura stared at Park Suchil with complex eyes for a moment, then quietly bowed her head to me.
“Thank you.”
I couldn’t understand the voice that had lost all its energy.
What was the problem this time?
(Sigh, this is complicated... Karina didn’t want this, right?)
Anyway, at least my connection with Park Suchil ended here.
Unless today, I wouldn’t come all the way to this distant recovery place from home.
“Let’s go to a cafe.”
“Yes, Master.”
Before we could turn our backs, voices from behind belittling Park Suchil could be heard, but to me now, none of it mattered.
“Damn it...”
Right next to me, Song Yura glanced at me, sighed alone, and kept her expression bad while slumping her shoulders.
She was a woman that annoyed me from beginning to end, just like always.
“Cross your arms, look straight ahead, and smile. It has to look natural. If you see my face like this, I’ll be the bad guy.”
“Eh? But Master told me not to smile unless necessary.”
“You said it was a mistake.”
“But the person who said it isn’t someone to be taken lightly.”
This was making me incredibly frustrated in a different way.
Was Song Yura originally like this?
No.
In my memory, even if Song Yura apologized to me or became a slave, she wouldn’t show this kind of face.
Had I really given her such intense fear that she changed?
‘But with Park Suchil, it wasn’t the case.’
The more I thought, the more my head got complicated for no reason.
(Ha, there’s a good line from Karina. Try using it. It can reverse the atmosphere of this situation 180 degrees and give you a fun time.)
‘What is it? Tell me.’
I made Song Yura a slave because I was comfortable and she was in pain. It wasn’t to make me uncomfortable.
(Now, from now on, Karina will speak without changing a single word and you must follow immediately. If not, something really big might happen.)
It was a bit uncomfortable, but there was no choice.
I told Karina I would, and since I was the type who couldn’t refuse a promise.
“Yo.”
“Yo.”
“What? Master, did you call?”
“......”
Hurry up!
(The reason I told you not to smile was nothing special.)
“The reason I told you not to smile was nothing special.”
I might have been careless here because it was so normal. No, since I had made a promise, I couldn’t stop anyway.
Halfway giving up, I fell into Karina’s trap.
(You just didn’t want to show your smiling face to other people. Got it? Then, while saying that, now walk forward briskly a few steps, coolly!)
“To other people, your smiling...”
...The sound is loud, you bitch.
‘Do you want to flip it, Karina.’
(Oh my, you made a promise! Our ability user doesn’t usually keep what he says, right? Or is your word so light that you can’t even keep this much?)
Crack.
I clenched my fist so hard that my nails dug into my palm and opened my mouth.
“...I just didn’t want to show my smiling face to other people. If you understood, you can smile, so don’t just stand there like a mouse in water, and follow properly.”
(Oh my? It seems like an upgrade from what Karina said.)
(Truly, our ability user has a cute side.)
My face was burning, so I had no choice but to distance myself from Song Yura. Thanks to that, I had to follow Karina’s instructions as is.
“Pitter-patter!”
Song Yura, who had suddenly run up next to me, hugged my arm with a friendly smile more than ever.
“Okay, Master. From now on, I won’t stand there like a mouse in water. It means I’ll serve Master diligently without any gaps, right?”
“I don’t think that’s... no.”
This should be enough.
I nodded my head and followed Song Yura’s guidance to the cafe that had become popular lately, which had a couple’s room available.
It wasn’t as spacious as a room cafe used as a secret escape for many people, but the partitions clearly separated it, and there was a TV, so it was a space where you could watch movies if needed.
“When you decide on the drink, just pick up the phone here and order. You must keep the one drink per person, and the usage time is one hour. Originally, two hours was okay, but since customers are crowded right now.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Song Yura stared blankly at the hardworking part-time worker, then nodded slightly. What was she thinking with that stone that didn’t even turn properly.
“What are you doing?”
“...Um, I wanted to start working part-time from today, so I was thinking about what it feels like to work well. Unfortunately, I’ve never done part-time work before.”
“You could have just used my money, so you wouldn’t have needed to work.”
Even if not, for first-year university students, many hadn’t done part-time work.
But I deliberately mocked Song Yura.
“R-right. Like a leech that doesn’t know conscience, Master took the money I worked hard for and spent it without a second thought. At that time, money seemed so ridiculous, but now that I’m in the position where I have to earn it... It’s really scary.”
Looking at Song Yura’s gloomy reaction, I thought even if she wasn’t happy, she wouldn’t be dirty.
I was still thinking I wanted to see her unhappy rather than happy.
But... why was my feeling so dirty.
“More than that, are you going to keep doing that?”
I tried to change the subject by bringing up the conversation I wanted to have.
“What?”
“...Um, will you keep calling me Master in front of other people too?”
Damn it, I was dying of embarrassment just mentioning the word Master with my own mouth. Song Yura, you called me that well.
Even her attitude was completely that of my loyal servant, wasn’t it.
So, everyone was staring with strange eyes.
“But I think I need to set my mind first by having a firm attitude. If I act in front of others, I’m scared that this guilt might fade.”
“......”
“So, Master!”
Lower your voice a bit!
“Please, allow me to do this even in front of other people. Please.”
I was about to get angry, so I pressed my forehead and nodded.
“Do as you like.”
“Creak!”
At that moment, the part-time worker’s visit caused me to almost jump in place.
“Two strawberry smoothies, please. But, sir, didn’t you hear any cute sounds like calling ‘Master!’ around here?”
“......”
“Ah, if you didn’t hear, it’s fine. Lately, not only room cafes but also in this narrow space, a lot of chaotic things have been happening. It’s really troublesome for the cafe and the part-time worker, so please be careful.”
“...Yes, I understand.”
“Then, enjoy your time again. If you need anything, just order anytime.”
We couldn’t lift our heads until the part-time worker left.
Only Karina was holding her stomach and laughing loudly.