My Part-Timer Is Kind of Cute
This morning, something had been on my mind.
Yoo Harin was quieter than usual, her energy dialed way down. Any other day, she would have sidled up beside me to pick a fight or tease me for no reason at all, but today she was almost unnaturally silent. I even pulled her aside outside the bathroom to ask about it — only for her to insist she was fine.
...Well, if she says she's fine, that's a relief.
I wondered if I'd worried over nothing. After all, she'd gone right back to her usual self afterward.
With that thought, I finished up the dishes.
Doeun, who had been making drinks, came over and spoke up hesitantly.
"...Manager?"
"Yes?"
"Would this be done like this...?"
Doeun edged closer and held out a cup.
"Let me see..."
I inspected the drink and nodded.
"Yes, you did great."
"...Really?"
"Really. It's nearly perfect at this point."
"...Thank you."
Doeun smiled, small and shy.
Just yesterday she hadn't been able to hold my gaze for even a second. Perhaps the talk we'd shared had helped a little — she was improving bit by bit. She still looked nervous whenever a customer approached, but at least she no longer froze up completely, tongue-tied and panicking like she had yesterday.
Keep this up, and she'll be just fine.
Just then—
Jingle~
"Oppa! Hi!"
Seoa came bounding in with her familiar voice.
"Welcome."
"Doesn't look too busy today, does it~?"
"Yeah, it's been pretty slow."
Seoa did a lap of the cafe with her eyes, and then she spotted Doeun standing at the counter.
"...Huh?"
"Oh, right."
I introduced Doeun as naturally as I could.
"This is Doeun — she just started as our new part-timer."
"...Hello."
Doeun dipped her head, a touch of nervousness on her face.
"Hi there!"
Seoa studied her for a moment, then broke into a radiant smile.
"I'm Seoa! Yoo Seoa."
"...Ah, I'm, um... Ha Doeun..."
"I'm the owner's little sister!"
"...Oh."
Doeun looked slightly flustered.
Seoa kept staring at her, then suddenly leaned her whole body toward the counter.
"How old are you?"
"...Um—"
"If it's only a year or two between us, can I call you unnie?"
"...Uhh, that is..."
Worried that Doeun was about to short-circuit on the spot, I cut into the conversation.
"Seoa, don't grill someone you just met."
"Oops."
Seoa hastily straightened back up.
"...No, it's fine, really."
Doeun answered in a voice that was barely audible.
Seoa regarded her for a moment longer, then smiled sweetly again.
"So once we're closer, I can call you unnie, right?"
"...Huh?"
"Seoa."
"Yessir. I'll be quiet now."
But even as she said it, the corners of her mouth were curling upward.
She really was Harin's little sister, through and through.
"Should I get you your usual?"
"Yes! Chocolate frappe for me again today, please!"
"You got it."
I pulled out a cup and started making her drink. The whole time, Seoa kept sneaking glances at Doeun beside the counter.
"Hmmmm...!"
Then, once the drink was finished, Seoa did not go off to her usual corner seat. Instead, she set her bag down in the seat directly in front of the counter.
"Hm? Sitting there today?"
"...Yep! I'm going to study here today!"
"You always study way over there, though."
"I feel like I'll focus better here today."
"Is that right?"
Whatever. Probably nothing to it, I thought, and turned my attention back to work. Doeun quietly went about her own tasks, and I kept teaching her this and that whenever I found a spare moment.
A little later, a customer came in, and I turned to Doeun.
"Doeun, I'll be right here next to you — would you like to try taking the order yourself?"
"Yes...!"
"No need to push yourself too hard, though."
"...Understood."
Doeun took a small, deep breath and stepped up to the counter.
Seoa's eyes narrowed as she watched the whole scene unfold.
"Hmmm...?"
"...?"
The moment I glanced her way, Seoa popped a straw into her mouth with a perfectly innocent face — but her gaze stayed glued to us the entire time.
I decided it meant nothing and turned back to Doeun.
"...W-welcome in."
Her voice was still quiet, but she was looking the customer properly in the eye. It was a clear improvement over yesterday, and pride brought a smile to my face before I knew it.
"Hmmmm!?"
Another strange sound drifted over from Seoa. Curiosity finally got the better of me.
"Why do you keep going 'hmmm'?"
"...Oh, n-no, it's just... you seem really sweet to that lady, Oppa."
"She's an employee. Of course I should be good to her."
Well — technically she wasn't an official employee yet, but my mind had already tilted firmly in that direction.
"...Tsk. Dangerous, that is."
"Huh? What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing at all!"
Seoa shook her head in a hurry.
"I should get to studying now!"
"...?"
It was a little odd, but if she said she was going to study, there was no reason to stop her. And so Seoa began her studying from a seat a little closer than usual, while I threw myself back into cafe work.
Some time later, Harin returned to the counter, having finished the inventory count.
"Hey, what gives, Yoo Seoa. Here again?"
"..."
"Now she's flat-out ignoring me. Unbelievable."
Seoa kept her eyes fixed on her workbook, perfectly unbothered.
And so a peaceful morning slipped by at Cafe Fluffy.
The morning hours drifted by, and it was a little past lunchtime when—
Jingle~
"Hello there~"
"Welcome."
Seoyoon walked into the cafe with her familiar greeting, both hands loaded with yet another huge paper box.
"This week's delivery~"
"Thanks for coming all this way — you can set it down right here."
"Sure thing~"
Seoyoon lowered the box in front of the counter and cast a glance around the shop. The moment she spotted Harin, her face lit up.
"Harin! Or should I say 'Boss' now? Hehe."
"Seoyoon Noona! It's been ages!"
"My, look at you — even prettier than before~"
"Ehehe, thank you!"
Harin squared her shoulders and grinned, preening for no particular reason.
"How's the boss gig treating you?"
"Wonderfully, of course!"
"Really, now?"
"...Probably?"
The two of them were still trading laughs when Doeun returned from the bathroom, heading back toward the counter — and her eyes met Seoyoon's.
"Oh?"
Seoyoon looked her over.
"We have a new face here, don't we?"
"Ah, right."
I introduced Doeun just as naturally as before.
"This is the new part-timer we just hired."
"...Hello, I'm Ha Doeun."
Doeun bowed at the waist.
"Oh my~ I'm Kang Seoyoon."
Seoyoon gave her a quick once-over, then beamed from ear to ear.
"Wherever did you find such a pretty little thing~?"
"...Sorry?"
"Such a lovely face, and such a gentle air about her."
"...Ah, thank you."
Caught off guard by the shower of compliments, Doeun ducked her head, at a complete loss for what to do with herself.
Seoyoon sidled up close beside me.
"She suits the cafe, doesn't she?"
"Doesn't she just?"
I nodded. She truly did. I'd felt it from the very first moment we met — Doeun fit the cafe's atmosphere like a glove.
"...Hooo~?"
Seoyoon flashed me a knowing smile.
"...? What's with that look?"
"Oh, nothing at all~ Hehe."
What is with everyone acting strange today?
Musing on that, I opened the box.
Hm?
There were a few more pastries packed inside than usual.
"It's a bit more than usual today?"
"Ah, that?"
Seoyoon replied without missing a beat.
"I threw in a little extra for you and Harin to eat."
"We're allowed to eat it?"
"Of course~"
"Thank you very much."
"You two sell so much of our bread — I'm the one who should be thanking you."
Seoyoon tossed me a wink. Then her gaze swung over to Doeun.
"Well, since Doeun's here, we'll just have to set some aside for her too."
"Ah, I... couldn't possibly..."
Doeun waved her hands in flustered denial.
"Oh, 'couldn't' nothing~"
Seoyoon plucked a pastry from the box as she spoke.
"When you work together, you eat together. That's how it goes."
"..."
"So no feeling awkward about it, all right?"
"...Thank you."
Doeun bowed her head, careful and sincere.
"Think nothing of it."
Seoyoon smiled warmly.
As expected of her — years of experience had made her a natural at handling people.
...Honestly, she handles Doeun better than I do.
"Well then, I'd better be off~"
As she turned to leave, I handed her a cup of grapefruit tea.
"This is the only thing you ever order, isn't it?"
"Oh my."
Seoyoon's eyes went round.
"Oh, you really didn't have to~"
"It didn't feel right to just take and take."
Seoyoon looked at the grapefruit tea in my hands, a soft smile touching her lips.
"Hehe, then I'll enjoy every sip."
"Get home safe."
"Mm. See you next week~"
Seoyoon waved and stepped out of the cafe.
Jingle~
The door swung shut, and quiet settled over the cafe once more.
"All right, you two — pick out whatever you like."
The words had barely left my mouth when Harin's eyes lit up, and she snatched up a salt bread roll as though she'd been waiting for this all morning.
"Isn't that a little too fast?"
"The faster you choose, the better. That's just good sense."
"Says who?"
"Says me."
"..."
I sighed and turned to Doeun.
"Doeun, you should take whatever you like, too."
Doeun eyed the bag for a moment, then gingerly picked up a single croissant.
"...Then... I'll take this one..."
Doeun cradled the croissant ever so carefully in her hands. Watching her, Harin chimed in.
"Doeun, feel free to take it easy and pick whatever you want!"
"...Okay."
"And if you work here, you get food like this all the time."
"Hey, don't go getting her hopes up."
"It's literally true, though."
Even as she said it, Harin had somehow already torn open the wrapper and taken a big bite of her salt bread.
"Mmm~ So good!"
"...Chew slowly, would you."
"Mmph-mmph-mmph."
"Good grief... What will the customers think, seeing the boss like this?"
"There aren't any customers right now."
I pointed at Seoa, seated right in front of the counter.
"There's Seoa, isn't there?"
"Mmph, she doethn't count ath a cubtomer."
"...Finish eating before you talk."
"I'm telling you, she's not a customer."
"...Ha."
I laughed in spite of myself — and watching us, even Doeun couldn't hold back a small giggle of her own.