Banharin (1)
"Your grapefruit ade and cheesecake."
"Thanks, Banharin."
Lunchtime. Eunha, who had been scrolling through her smartphone at a cafe table, thanked the server bringing her ordered drink and slice of cake. The server bowed her head slightly and set the items down on the table without a sound.
The subtle fragrance alone lifted her spirits. Eunha nodded in deep satisfaction and took a sip of the grapefruit ade.
This place is good. Gotta come back tomorrow.
"Does it suit your taste?"
"It's delicious. The atmosphere's nice, the staff's pretty... Makes me wanna work here."
She took a bite of the cheesecake and offered sincere praise. But the cold-faced server showed no reaction—instead, she stared at Eunha like she was some weirdo.
"...Would it be amusing if you did that at your own workplace?"
"Not bad at all."
"We give you a vacation, and you come back with a head injury? Might as well stay cooped up at home playing games."
"Home's scary."
"What does that even..."
The server who brought the ade—Eunha's regular customer, filling in at the cafe during her three-day vacation—launched into her nagging. Eunha let it wash over her familiarly as she sipped her grapefruit ade.
This was the cafe where Eunha worked with Eunbangul. The only difference today was that Eunha was here as a customer.
She'd finally gotten paid vacation, but had nowhere else to go. Who could understand the feeling of her supposedly safest home turning into the world's most dangerous place overnight, thanks to those unpredictable "things" that might pop out anytime? Maybe this cafe was her one true sanctuary.
Anyway, being waited on at her own workplace tickled her in a pleasant way. Sitting idle felt wrong somehow—like she should be doing something. The tension made her butt fidget.
She wanted to tie on an apron and dash to the storeroom to check inventory right now. Had Eunbangul sorted all the new stock?
Sigh. I don't wanna go home...
Eunha tapped her smartphone, grumbling inwardly where no one could hear. As a self-proclaimed hidden gem of a small cafe, she was the only customer so far. The TV on the ceiling played the news channel Hunter 24, quietly recapping the day's incidents.
The sweet grapefruit scent from the ice-filled ade wafted lazily like leaves in the breeze. It was such a leisurely lunchtime that yawns came unbidden.
"Yesterday you looked like you'd collapse if touched, but today you seem perfectly fine."
The regular-slash-temp worker approached with her icy expression.
"Thanks to Banharin covering for me. Got some real sleep."
"Someone with a recovery skill shouldn't get hurt so often. Don't tell me it's sleep deprivation again? Forgot collapsing on that walkway four months ago already? Do you ever change, Eunha?"
"Isn't unchanging charm its own appeal?"
"Always talking... As you know, fatigue is the root of all illness. Whatever you do, get enough sleep."
Her words were all spot-on, leaving Eunha without retort as she sipped her ade. Suddenly, it tasted bitter. Should I add salt?
She fished salt packets from her hoodie pocket and sprinkled some into the ade. Eunha gazed quietly at the woman droning on in her flat tone.
The regular who always came in a black suit for coffee. Her model-like limbs were stunningly beautiful, and her emotionless face resembled a pure white mask. Remarkably, her restrained movements made no sound at all—not even a clink when setting down Eunha's ade and cake.
A beauty with a faint presence, opposite her striking looks... The kind who might vanish like a ghost if you looked away. And that cute chick hairpin holding back her bangs created an odd, endearing gap.
We're the same age, but she always uses formal speech, so I end up mixing casual and polite without thinking.
Her name was Banharin. A regular for three years and a company employee at a hunter-related firm—or so she claimed, though she loitered idly every morning before leaving.
"...You've changed quite a bit in just a few days?"
Banharin, who had been observing Eunha's face, spoke up. Her gaze fixed on Eunha's chest, pushing up her hoodie.
"Yesterday with the mask and hat, I wasn't sure, but..."
"A lot's happened."
"Hm... Mind if I touch?"
"Heh heh heh heh~..."
Banharin's hand shot forward, grabbing Eunha's breast. The groping tickled, drawing an involuntary laugh.
Pfft—!
The salt packet spilled. Salty grains poured into the grapefruit ade.
What the hell.
"Ugh heh heh~ No, don't just grab like that! You scared me."
"No bra?"
"Didn't buy one. Not uncomfortable."
"So it's definite—you've become a woman... Honestly, I thought you were one already. What man has such delicate lines and a frail build?"
"There was one. Not anymore."
Banharin spouted nonsense with her utterly impassive face. Eunha still couldn't get used to it after all this time. She slurped the now-salty ade. Surprisingly not bad. New menu item?
"I hear male wrasses turn female. Environment got so bad you chose survival over dignity?"
"Humans aren't fish."
Banharin sidled up silently, hovering annoyingly. With her perpetual blank expression, it was impossible to tell if she was joking, but Eunha could see she enjoyed teasing.
Was this what happened when you got too chummy with regulars? Answering her nonsense had snowballed out of control.
"Harin unni!! Stop bullying my Eunha unni!"
Just then, Eunbangul, sorting dishes in the kitchen, spotted Eunha's plight and rushed over. As the rabbit girl bounded up, Banharin retreated. The girl climbed straight onto Eunha's lap, burying her face in the soft chest.
Eunha, thrilled by the adorable Eunbangul, patted the girl's back soothingly.
"Heh heh... Wow, amazing... So soft... Squishy is the best..."
Her white rabbit ears perked up happily. The motion sent her tawny beret flying. Banharin snatched it midair and set it quietly on the table.
"Eunha unni! Did you come because you missed me? I missed you too—22 hours and 43 minutes apart was too long!"
"Missed you too."
"Eunbangul. Didn't you miss me?"
"Harin unni, butt out!"
The cafe grew lively in an instant. Eunha felt her body and soul heal as she rolled the clingy Eunbangul around playfully.
Thump. Thump.
The rabbit girl's heartbeat against her. Childlike warmth melted Eunha's heart into fluff. She smiled drowsily, doting on the girl.
Eunbangul looked blissfully happy, face buried in her chest. Maybe because of the increased contact.
"Heh heh~ You really are unni now, huh? Can I call you unni?"
"Unni?... Still kinda embarrassing..."
"What else would you call such a pretty unni~?"
"Can't you just use my name?"
Eunbangul gazed up from Eunha's embrace, beaming. Eyes like tar-black voids, reflecting no light. Her round pupils evoked a cloudy night sky—ominous, unsettling, yet surely brimming with the girl's own dazzling galaxy.
Eunha loved those pitch-black eyes. Shy Eunbangul, hiding her radiant stars—they suited her perfectly.
"So, what are your plans from here?"
As Eunha and Eunbangul snuggled, Banharin timed her interruption perfectly.
"Plans for what?"
"Your ID. Gender change means reissuance, but the bureaucracy's a nightmare."
"Oh, yeah? Forgot about that..."
"Even in hunter society full of wild skills, gender swaps are rare. You'll draw unwanted attention."
"R...right? Probably?"
Her brutally practical advice furrowed Eunha's brow. Yeah. A gender change wasn't simple. Could a normie like her waltz into the district office and say, "I'm a woman now, just update the gender on my ID"? What proof? The reason? "Survived death and woke up female"? No one would buy it—and if they did, straight to a lab.
"How about this: Insist you were always female. Your ambiguous looks before? Claim administrative error—it might fly."
"Huh? You think?"
"It'll work, Eunha unni. We believe you."
Not sure what to believe, but it bolstered her. Good was good, right? Her appearance was mostly the same, just the gender flipped. Push it once; if not, find another way.
Hm... Not bad?
Her deliberation was brief. Eunha nodded readily, accepting Banharin's suggestion.
"I love that you're my unni now! Way softer and squishier—makes me wanna stay hugged forever~."
"I'll handle the paperwork error. New ID soon—visit the local welfare office or Hunter Association when contacted."
"Thanks, Banharin."
Grateful for their kindness, she hugged Eunbangul tight. One problem solved—maybe because friends helped. Her heart felt lighter.