Customer Service and Kimchi Soup

"Lately, we've been running into each other a lot, so I wondered if you had something to say... Am I right?"

Behind the school, now alone with just the two of us. At my friendly service spirit, Baek Eun-seo's mask as the perfect alpha female shattered completely, her face flushing tomato-red.

"Uh, uh...?! Th-that's, I...!"

Too flustered, she stumbled backward, her shoe heel catching on the edge of the raised flower bed.

"Ah!"

With a short scream, her body lurched back dramatically. Aigoo, customer! I let out a brief sigh inside and reflexively reached out, but she barely missed, landing flat on her butt in the dirt.

Of all things, a skirt uniform. The impact hiked up the hem precariously, exposing her pale, smooth thighs in an awkward predicament.

"Eek...!"

Just as tears welled in her eyes from the humiliation and she frantically tried to pull down the skirt—

Flutter—

My uniform vest settled lightly over her knees, perfectly covering ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the exposed skin.

"......Huh?"

She looked up at me with wide, rabbit-like eyes. Now in just my shirt after taking off the vest, I knelt down on one knee to match her eye level. It was the five-star hotelier-level service reflex ingrained in my bones from dealing with countless difficult... no, diverse customers.

"You must have been startled. The ground's dirt, so it's cold—let me cover you with my clothes for now and get up."

No trace of irritation or annoyance, just a soft, gentle voice prioritizing the customer's well-being. Instead of offering my bare hand, I extended my shirt sleeve so she could grab my wrist—thorough 'safe distance manners' to avoid touching a customer's body carelessly.

"Um, hey... you... that PC ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bang...."

Clutching my sleeve gingerly, she stood from the dirt, mumbling in a voice that barely rose above a whisper, her gaze fixed firmly downward. As expected. She'd been fidgeting for days ever since I caught her true 'gloomy otaku loner' self trembling makeup-free in the corner of the PC bang over the weekend.

I fired off the perfect line to preempt any customer complaint.

"If it's about what happened at the PC bang over the weekend, no need to worry at all."

"Huh...?"

"By my professional ethics, customer privacy is kept strictly confidential. I'll keep your personal hobbies and real self as our little secret, so please don't feel anxious and just relax from now on."

I gave a light, polite nod. A clean, mannerly 'relationship severance' declaration: stop the stalking and let's live as strangers.

"No injuries... looks like you're fine, thank goodness. You can return the vest whenever you have time later. Have a good rest of your day, sunbae."

Perfect customer service. Zero grounds for complaints. Any big corporation would snatch me up as a customer service master, right? Sure, manners toward the student council president wouldn't boost my resume one bit, but... Impressed by my own tidy handling, I turned without lingering and headed back to the classroom.

...Wh-what is this kindness?!

I panted, staring at the broad back of the first-year, Han Do-hyun, as he walked away.

I'd thought he'd mock me using my gloomy true self as leverage, grab my weakness, and demand this or that. (Though deep down, I had a tiny bit of expectation too!) But to kneel down, meet my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes, cover my skirt, and carefully offer his wrist so our skin wouldn't touch—this suffocating manners!

And what he'd just said to me.

[I'll keep your real self as our little secret, so please relax.]

Our little secret...?!

That's... that's basically a confession like 'I'll embrace and protect even your true self'! And giving me his uniform vest to cover my knees—this shirt still warm with his body heat and faintly scented with fabric softener.

This had to be high-level flirting, using the uniform as an excuse to meet again!

My face burned. My heart pounded so wildly it felt like it'd leap out of my mouth. Clutching the vest he'd draped over me tightly, I squatted down.

It's certain. That junior... he fell for me at first sight!

Fallen for my perfect, dazzling charisma, he'd built up from the weekend PC bang to here just to catch my eye. Using my secret as a weapon to claim the special 'secret friend' spot with that insane obsession and pure love. Of course... a younger guy who knows an older woman's secrets naturally gets closer, she becomes his noona, noona becomes his girl, and he becomes hubby...

Haa, what a hassle. I'm pretty and perfect, sure, but this straight-ball crush hitting so hard is problematic...

My mouth said it was a hassle, but my cheeks rose uncontrollably to the heavens.

Well... if he's blindly appealing while guarding my secret like that, as sunbae, I could pay a little attention...

My tiring double life at school started feeling a bit fun.

Creak—

The moment I entered the classroom through the back door with light steps, there sat Kang Ha-ri at my desk. She'd plunked an ion drink from the school store right on top and was pouting her lips out a good three inches.

"Hey, Han Do-hyun. Where'd you go?"

As I approached my seat, she whipped her head around to glare at me.

"Huh? Oh, just stepped out for some air."

"Went to the store and your seat's empty, asked Eun-ho and he said you bolted somewhere. Isn't it too much leaving me to run errands alone?"

Watching the mountain-sized girl sulk and grumble, she was the picture of a large breed dog. I sighed inwardly and equipped my natural part-time smile for customer care.

"Sorry, sorry. Stomach suddenly hurt, had to hit the bathroom. You ran all the way—thanks. I'll enjoy it, Kang Ha-ri."

Resigned, I pulled out the gender-reversed world's killer card for guys: the bathroom excuse.

I cracked open the ion drink can she'd bought, flashing a grateful eye smile. Then, I lightly clinked it against the corner of her desk with a mock 'cheers.' Her scowling face melted away in an instant, like it was never there.

"Hmph, f-fine. Next time, tell me before you go somewhere. Got it? It's dangerous..."

"Dangerous how... Anyway, got it."

I nodded contentedly and took a refreshing gulp of the cool drink. Kyaah, nothing beats a beverage after customer service. Relief that I'd survived the day washed over me.

But that peace shattered exactly three seconds later.

Bzzz, ding, dong, dang—

Suddenly, the school intercom blared the regular broadcast alert that the whole school could hear. Soon after, a strangely resolute yet trembling girl's voice flowed from the speakers.

"Pfft—!!"

I nearly spat the ion drink in my mouth all over the back of the head of the kid in front of me.

...Crazy?!

As I choked and coughed, massive alarm bells rang in my head. No way—just finished processing the 'refund(?)' and 'exchange' in the back yard, declaring we'd live as strangers and I'd respect her privacy! Why summon the VIP over the all-school broadcast?! Did she hate that I took the vest as collateral and now she's filing an official complaint?! Was my customer-protection manners seen as crossing the line into improper touch?!

As I reeled in shock at the brutal difficulty of service jobs, my soul nearly fleeing—

"What the?"

Kang Ha-ri, sitting next to me, jumped up with wide eyes.

"Hey, Han Do-hyun! What trouble did you cause? Why's the student council president calling you on day one—what's the deal?"

"No, I just...!"

The whole class's eyes turned to me. Eun-ho wasn't in class, and Jae-min was smirking like it served me right. What's his problem? Still sulking over whatever? What a loser dude...

"...Something happen?"

Kang Ha-ri's eyes sharpened slightly, then she grinned.

"Ha... First thing after election is calling a first-year boy to the student council room... and it's you...? I'm coming too."

"No, why are you following...?"

Oblivious to my insides burning black, the clueless sporty girl slapped my back enthusiastically and took the lead with glee.