Handsome Guys Are Rarer Than Pretty Girls (2)
"...It's quieter than I expected."
I woke up, checked Insta, and saw my followers had grown a lot, with plenty of likes on my posts.
But if you asked whether these numbers were enough to call me an influencer, the answer was a resounding no. They fell laughably short.
"They start treating you like an influencer at around 10,000 followers, I think."
With just 120 followers right now, I had a long way to go.
"I'll set Insta aside for now... and focus on finding a part-time job first."
Money was the most urgent issue. I didn't have a big nest egg saved up.
All I had was 300,000 won—pocket money my parents had stuffed into my hands so I wouldn't starve.
To become a composer, I needed at least a computer and a DAW (music editing software), which meant shelling out no less than 1.5 million won.
"...Gotta figure out the computer first."
I could use a free DAW for now. Sure, the virtual instruments weren't even close to the paid version, but at least I could make music.
"A cafe job would be the best fit for my skills... wonder if there's one out there?"
Back in my previous life at the orphanage, I'd taken barista training. The director, wanting to teach us something useful before we aged out and went independent, had helped me get my barista certification.
"But I don't have it now."
That was my past life. Here and now, I didn't have the certification.
I was combing through job sites, picking out promising gigs, when...
"...20,000 won an hour?"
An ad offering an hourly wage of 20,000 won. It was so outrageous, I had to rub my eyes.
"Whoa, but the requirements are stacked."
...A high-end Gangnam cafe job. They used premium beans and all that.
"Barista certification required, too."
What to do? By the time I got certified and applied, it'd be too late. Certification took at least three weeks.
But the pay was too good to pass up just for that.
"This place is pretty famous on Insta, too."
The cafe's Insta account had a solid 30,000 followers. Posting there would be a huge boost for my own account.
"Might as well go for it."
What good is a handsome face if you don't use it? That's what it's for.
From the cafe's perspective, hiring one good-looking part-timer would skyrocket sales. They'd love it.
I submitted my application, spent the day working on tracks at a PC bang, and the next day...
"...It actually worked."
Seeing the "application accepted" notice, I felt a mix of bewilderment and thrill.
This is the handsome guy life.
* * *
"......"
"......"
It was 11 a.m., a slow time for the cafe. Inside Cafe Monolog, the air was chillingly tense, like something out of a bad drama.
...How did it come to this?
Owner Choi Mina stared blankly at the young man before her.
Right, at first, she hadn't thought much of it.
Monolog offered an ultra-premium 20,000-won hourly wage, so applications flooded in. Plenty had stellar resumes, too.
Among them, one guy had zero experience. Zero certification.
But his ID photo? It screamed, "Is this even allowed to be this handsome?"
She'd called him in just to see his face. No intention of hiring—until then.
But...
"Should I call you Jisul...?"
"Call me whatever's comfortable."
"...No certification, no prior jobs. And you're a minor."
"Yep."
Damn, he's ridiculously hot.
When someone's that good-looking, everything changes.
If this guy had even a sliver of cafe experience—or knew how to brew coffee—she'd train him herself.
Building from zero to a hundred is tough. Just give me a ten.
But teaching someone with zero experience on the job? Nearly impossible.
If I let him go, I'll regret it forever.
Still, passing on that face felt like an unforgivable mistake. Just parking him out front would be marketing gold.
"Ahem...! Your application says you have coffee-brewing experience. Drip coffee and machine, both."
"That's right."
"...Can you really do it? Brew a cup for yourself right now?"
Halfway decent is all I need. Halfway.
All Choi Mina wanted was basics. Know the steps for drip, know the machine. Details, she'd handle.
She led the way, guiding Jeong Jisul.
"If you don't know the beans..."
"No, I'll make two. One for you, boss."
Jisul moved with practiced ease. You had to know every machine's role to flow like that.
...No certification, my ass.
Mina had her doubts, but...
*Slurp.*
...Not bad at all? Timing's spot on, too.
After tasting Jisul's coffee, her doubts vanished.
A guy this handsome who could actually brew? No question.
"Let's do the contract. Hourly wage... probation till you get certified, 20,000 won. We can bump it later."
First come, first served.
"...But we're not just handing out raises. We rely heavy on SNS marketing. Your face might end up on our posts. That's factored in."
"Ah, then can I ask for one thing?"
Of course.
A guy who brews well and looks like that? He'd negotiate, naturally.
"...Go ahead."
As long as it's not weird...
"Uh... when my face goes on the cafe Insta, could you tag my account?"
"......"
...Not what she expected at all.
She'd braced for some outrageous demand from a kid treating the contract like toilet paper.
"Of course. I'll even tag you on posts without your face. Sit back down... got the paperwork?"
"Yep."
"Hand it over... let's get the employment contract done."
* * *
"Finally, no more PC bangs."
March 1st. Three weeks into the job, I grabbed my first paycheck and bought a computer right away.
Even after, I had plenty left over, so I snagged a DAW too.
"Didn't expect the exact same DAW from my past life."
One month, four tracks done. Pure speed-wise, I could've cranked out ten, but free-program limits on virtual instruments slowed me way down.
"Still, I've got tons of ideas jotted down."
For some reason, melodies kept flooding in. Felt like songs from my past life, but no—they were all original.
"Is this the power of musical talent?"
Were genius composers from my past life living in a world like this? Ideas sprouting from every sight and sound on a walk.
And it didn't end there.
"Tomorrow's the day."
Characters from the webtoon I'd never meet in this life? Tomorrow, I'd see them.
I was enrolling at Haeyul High School, where they went.
And hopefully, it wouldn't stop at "seeing" them.
"Two out of three are in entertainment."
They might even kickstart my composing debut.
"Better build some connections."
Top priority: Kwon Dain, future actress.
But not for her—her parents. Dad's ordinary, but mom? Seong Haein, era-defining superstar singer.
Getting her to hear one track? Massive opportunity.
So, get close if possible.
"...But not too obvious, or it'll backfire."
Plan to befriend Dain was set, but how? Still undecided.
She grew up around celebs; my face alone might not cut it.
"What kind of people did Dain like...?"
I closed my eyes, racking my brain. Last read the original over ten years ago—details fuzzy.
Finally, an answer hit.
"...Screwed."
Terrible conclusion.
Dain shut out anyone fixated on her background. She was from elite stock.
And me...?
...That's exactly why I'm approaching her.
* * *
Same time, Cafe Monolog.
"Mina, I'm here."
"Oh, you're here?"
10 p.m. was closing time, but Mondays were different. Landlord meetups—cheap rent on this Gangnam goldmine land—happened weekly on Mondays.
"Business good?"
"You bet! You know it! Our sales MVP!"
"That kid's that hot? You only talk about him whenever you see me."
"I showed you pics last time... oh, you were busy and left early."
"Yeah. Got any?"
"Yep. On the cafe SNS, and his own Insta."
"Hm..."
Seong Haein quickly found Jisul's ID via the cafe's SNS, scrolled his posts, and nodded approvingly.
"Not bad. How's he in person?"
"...That's raw, no filter."
"...Looks exactly like the photo?"
"Yeah, and better in real life. Maybe 'cause he's young, photos don't do him justice... super tall, too."
Haein shifted from staring at Mina to her phone.
"Followers... around 5,000? Decent for a high schooler. Was he famous before?"
"Thought so at first, but no. Account's just a month old."
Haein chatted with Mina while browsing Jisul's profile. Then...
Makes music too?
She found his composing account.
"He does music?"
"Yeah, wants to make music."
"Idol? Singer?"
"Not sure about that..."
"Makes sense. To you, he's just part-timer #1."
"Well... a very pretty part-timer #1!"
Haein chuckled at Mina's joke, asked her to kill the cafe music, and played Jisul's tracks.
Hip-hop beat filled the air.
Aspiring hip-hop producer, huh. Not bad.
First track: solid boom bap, drum-focused classic.
Second boom bap? Trap? Jazz? Rage?
Impressed by the first, she queued the second.
...Band track.
Worlds apart from the first, slamming her ears.
After 30 seconds, she hit the third.
Ballad.
Another 30 seconds on the third, then the last.
Pop? Male idol vibe...
Haein's brow furrowed—not anger, deep thought.
Composers versatile across genres? Plenty.
"Mina, how old is he?"
"Just started high school this year."
"I'll leave you my card. If he's interested... nah, I'll contact him myself."
But a "young and handsome" one?
Worth a poke.
"Hm... Mina, he working tomorrow?"
"Every day."
"Sorry, but can you open at 10 tomorrow?"
"Sure."
Haein replayed the second track, her favorite.
If he'd made it solo, no help...
Worth nurturing.