I Got Closer to the Part-Timer
Late in the afternoon, as the day wound down, Yoo Harin came groaning out of the bathroom, having just finished scrubbing it spotless.
"Ugh... I'm dying."
"Two more whole weeks of this! Two!"
"Well, whose fault is it for showing up late?" I said, waving a hand at her as if to say, what can you do.
"Now then, honored Boss, sir — we humbly request your presence at the sink."
"...Hey!"
"Kidding, kidding."
"That is not funny at all!"
Watching her stomp around as she put the rag away, I felt a laugh bubble up for no good reason.
Then it struck me that this, too, was a problem. I could leave the cleaning to Harin through the end of the month, sure — but who was going to handle it after that?
'...Hm. I'd rather not do it myself again.'
What excuse could I possibly come up with to put the mop back in Harin's hands?
'Or, better yet — maybe she'll just happen to show up late one more time.'
I was entertaining that thought while sorting through the inventory when—
"...I'll have that ready for you in just a moment."
Having finished serving a customer at the counter, Ms. Doeun let out a small sigh.
"...Phew."
"You did great."
"Wah!?"
Ms. Doeun spun around, jumping clean out of her skin.
She startled even more adorably than I'd expected.
"Oh... I, um... that is..."
"You've gotten so much better than before, you know?"
"...Really?"
Ms. Doeun's eyes went wide, and the corners of her mouth lifted, just slightly.
Seeing that, I had to chuckle.
"Yes. At this rate, you'd be just fine even without me."
"Oh—! But... but that won't do...!"
"Sorry?"
"...Ah."
Flustered in a way I'd rarely seen, Ms. Doeun hurried to explain.
"No, that's not what I meant... It's just, I don't think I could manage on my own without you yet, Manager."
By the time the words were out, a faint color had crept into her cheeks.
"Ah... right, of course. I'll stay right here beside you until you've got the hang of things."
"...Okay."
Ms. Doeun answered softly, then turned back toward the counter — her steps looking lighter than they had a moment ago.
'One day, and she's come this far.'
Just yesterday she hadn't been able to hold my gaze for even a second. Now she sometimes spoke to me first, apologized far less, and even smiled when I praised her. Her voice was still small, but she was putting in steady, honest effort.
Closing time crept up before I knew it. The last customer left, and the only one remaining in the cafe was Seoa.
Just then Harin ambled over, done wiping down the tables.
"Haah..."
"What."
"Today was brutal too..."
"And yet this morning it was 'I love having nothing to do.'"
"People change. It's only natural."
"So I take it you can come in even earlier tomorrow, then."
"That is a completely different issue."
"...Ugh."
Consistent to a fault, that one.
While we busied ourselves with closing prep, Harin struck up a conversation with Ms. Doeun.
"Oh, that reminds me — where's home for you, Ms. Doeun?"
"I'm in... Joeun Villa..."
"Oh! I live in the villa block right next to it!"
Harin pressed on, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Then we must've seen each other around all the time without even knowing!"
"...Ahaha."
Ms. Doeun laughed awkwardly.
"It's less than a ten-minute walk from there to here, so we've probably crossed paths a hundred ti—"
Harin's words stopped dead.
"...Huh?"
She tilted her head.
"Hold on."
And then, slowly, she turned to look at me.
"Hey."
"What."
"Don't you live in Joeun Villa too?"
"Yeah."
"..."
Harin's eyes darted between me and Ms. Doeun.
"The two of you live in the same villa...?"
"Yep."
"...What?"
"We're even on the same floor. Her place is right next door to mine."
Harin's expression froze solid.
"The two of you?"
"Yep."
"Same villa?"
"Yep."
"Same floor...?"
"That's what I keep saying."
"...Haaah?"
A thoroughly dumbfounded sound slid out of Harin's mouth, and I tilted my head at her.
"What's got you so shocked?"
"No, it's just..."
For a long while, Harin's gaze bounced back and forth between me and Ms. Doeun. Then, as if some thought had finally landed, she clamped her mouth shut.
"...It's nothing."
"It's obviously something."
"I said it's nothing!"
"Weirdo."
Just then, Seoa — finished with her studying — tugged out her earbuds and came trotting over.
"All done with studying?"
"Yep! That's a wrap on today's grind!"
"Good work."
"Hehe."
Seoa beamed with pride — then noticed Harin, who still looked like her soul had left her body.
"Um..."
"Hm?"
"What's wrong with her?"
"Beats me."
"Hmmm?"
Seoa stared hard at Harin's face. Then she seized both her sister's cheeks and shook them.
"Hey~ snap out of it~"
"...Huh!? Wha... what."
Only then did Harin return to the land of the living.
"Wh-what is it?"
"Why're you spacing out like that? We've got to get home."
"...Oh! Right! Home! Yes...!"
Normally, Harin clocked out around the time Seoa finished her academy classes or wrapped up studying. If it were up to me, I'd have happily kept her working until closing. But on days when Seoa's classes or study sessions ran late, sending her home alone felt unsafe — so from day one, I'd been the one to suggest the arrangement to her. Back then, she'd absolutely loved it, beaming brighter than anyone.
So what was with her today?
"...Do I have to stay until closing after all?"
"What?"
"N-nothing!"
She waved her hands in frantic denial.
"Okay then, oppa! We're heading out!"
"Alright. Get home safe."
"We will!"
Seoa pushed the door open first.
Ding-a-ling~
"Go on."
"...Uh, right! We're off! See you tomorrow too, Ms. Doeun!"
"...Take care getting home."
Harin waved, and Ms. Doeun returned a small wave of her own.
Ding-a-ling~
"...The two of you... same... the same..."
Muttering like that to the very end, Harin finally left the cafe too.
Once the closing work was done, I locked up the cafe and we stepped outside together.
"Another long one — good work today, Ms. Doeun."
"You as well, Manager... thank you for everything."
We traded our usual goodbyes and were about to head home when it hit me: we were headed the exact same way. And so, quite naturally, we fell into step side by side.
Night had made the streets far quieter than in the daytime. The only sounds were the occasional passing car and the crunch of snow underfoot. Ms. Doeun walked beside me at a careful remove, and I, mindful of that, matched her pace. Neither of us said a word, yet strangely, it wasn't awkward at all.
Then I caught her opening her mouth several times as if to speak, only to stop herself each time.
"...Was there something you wanted to say?"
"Oh — no, nothing."
"Really?"
"...Yes."
That was her answer, but she'd been sneaking glances my way for a while now.
We walked on like that for some time before a memory surfaced — the first time I'd read her resume.
"Oh, that's right. Ms. Doeun."
"...Yes?"
"I go to Hankuk University too."
Ms. Doeun's eyes went round.
"...Really?"
"Mm. That's why I was so surprised when I first looked at your resume."
"...Oh."
Ms. Doeun hesitated for a beat.
"Then... how old are you, Manager?"
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Twenty-three."
"...!"
Shocked yet again. I'd honestly lost count of how many times I'd seen that look today.
"What is it?"
"Nothing... it's just."
After a moment of studying my face, Ms. Doeun spoke carefully.
"It's just... I find it amazing, someone your age running a cafe."
"Ah, well, that's—"
Still smiling, I explained how the old owners had ended up entrusting the cafe to me and moving on. "And then, on my very first day, the girl who's supposed to be the boss showed up late, if you can believe it."
"...Pfft."
Ms. Doeun let out a small laugh.
"...She sounds like a really fun person, your boss."
"Right?"
"Yes."
A small smile spread across her face. Then, a little while later—
"...I want to get closer."
"Sorry?"
"With the boss... and with... with you too, Manager."
Hearing that, I regarded Ms. Doeun quietly for a moment. This was someone who, on her first day, couldn't even meet my eyes. Perhaps the reassurance I'd offered her then had helped more than I'd realized.
'And now she's the one saying things like that first.'
"You will get closer."
I replied with a light smile.
"...Do you really think I can?"
"I do."
Ms. Doeun nodded — but the doubt hadn't quite left her face. So after a moment's thought, I made a proposal.
"Then how about we start by changing what you call me?"
"What I call you?"
"Yes. 'Manager' all the time puts up a wall between us, you know?"
"..."
"And we do go to the same school. How about 'senior'?"
I added that last part half in jest.
"...'Senior'... me?"
Ms. Doeun seemed to turn the idea over at length.
"...Hmmmm."
Then, clasping her hands tightly together, she opened her mouth with great care.
"...Senior... sir."
"Drop the 'sir.'"
"...Huh?"
"Just 'senior.'"
"...That might be a little difficult."
"You're the one who wanted to get closer."
"..."
Ms. Doeun wore the look of someone thoroughly cornered.
"...Understood."
Then, as if steeling her resolve, she curled her hands into loose fists.
"...Senior."
"Yes?"
"..."
Ears flushed red, Ms. Doeun turned her face away.
"Looking forward to working with you, junior."
"...Yes."
Amid the awkward hush that followed, Ms. Doeun spoke up again.
"Then... Senior?"
"Yes?"
"Could you speak casually with me too...?"
"..."
This time it was my turn to hesitate. Come to think of it, I'd been keeping up the polite, formal tone with her this whole time — manager and part-timer, that unspoken hierarchy had let me hold a comfortable distance without even noticing. But now Ms. Doeun was the one closing that distance, of her own accord.
'Well. It's not like I have a reason to refuse.'
"...Then I'll drop the formalities from now on."
"...Okay."
"Doeun."
"...!"
'Huh. That felt oddly giddy.'
Doeun stopped in her tracks for a moment.
"What is it?"
"N-nothing."
Head bowed, Doeun's ears had gone scarlet all over again.
"...It's just."
"Hm?"
"It's more... embarrassing than I expected."
I snorted a laugh.
"Then you'll just have to get used to it."
"...Yes."
The two of us started walking side by side once more.
Compared to a moment ago, the distance between us felt just the tiniest bit smaller.