Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Quest
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I woke up as the new Chang-woo last Wednesday. Today is Wednesday, so it's been exactly one week.
It was a short time, but more than enough to realize the perks of being handsome.
Just how much has happened in a single week?
I've already earned over 25 million won.
I'm starting to get a faint idea of why celebrities make so much money.
I've only lived as Lee Chang-woo for just one week.
Every day is thrilling. It's stimulating and exciting.
I feel sorry for the original Chang-woo, who took everything for granted from birth and never got to savor this feeling.
I'll have to make good use of the legacy he left behind.
But wow, women really do live on a constant diet of coffee and cake.
"Is it okay for things to be this easy...?"
"Huh? What is?"
"It's nothing. Nothing at all."
Is it really okay for life to be this easy?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ They say words have power.
Just because I bragged a little about how easy life was, an unexpected quest like this pops up.
Hwang Ah-young, the G-cup girl I made out with, showed up with her friends.
"Three iced Americanos, please."
"Hey, I was going to get a Frappuccino..."
"Just get the damn iced Americano."
"Then what about the cake..."
"You'll eat whatever the handsome employee here picks out for you. That's the rule here."
Having easily asserted her dominance over her two friends, Hwang Ah-young smiled brightly at me.
"Six pieces of any cake, please."
"...Thank you."
As I took the card from her, she nonchalantly made a point to touch my hand.
✦ Character Profile ✦ Name: Hwang Ah-young
Age: 24
Stats: 166cm, 50kg, G-Cup
Base Libido: B
Affection Towards Me: S
Her chest was magnificent, no matter how many times I saw it.
She was wearing a tank top as if to show them off, making them stand out even more.
The few male customers in the cafe were already getting dizzy staring at Hwang Ah-young.
Among all the women I know in Lee Chang-woo's circle, she had the best chest, bar none.
As for faces, it goes without saying that Jung Hye-na was overwhelmingly superior.
Taking her card back, Hwang Ah-young grinned playfully.
"By any chance, could I get your number?"
"Uh, I'm not allowed to do that at work."
"Well, if you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime."
Hwang Ah-young led her two friends, Kim Ju-ri and Seo Yu-min—the same ones from before—to a table.
They somehow managed to snag an empty spot.
"Do you know her? It seemed like it."
The owner's sister, Gong Ji-hyun, asked, glancing disapprovingly at Hwang Ah-young's table.
There's no point in lying about something like this.
It'll just come back to bite me later.
"Yeah. I guess she came to support the business."
"You two seemed pretty close. What's your relationship?"
"We just... know each other, more or less?"
The kind of relationship where she suddenly ambushed me with a kiss in the middle of the sidewalk on a Friday night while I was on a date with another woman.
If I said that, they obviously wouldn't believe...
No. They might actually believe it.
This face lends credibility to even the most outrageous soap opera plot.
"I don't think so. It didn't seem like that kind of relationship."
"Yeah, yeah. She used to like me."
"Seemed more like the present tense to me."
"That's not my problem."
Gong Ji-hyun kept prying.
This is starting to make me nervous.
I remembered what the owner had told me on the first day.
He said he hoped his sister wouldn't make things uncomfortable for me.
"You didn't date her, did you?"
This time, it was the most senior staff member, Ha Seong-hee, who asked.
I gave a light shrug.
"At least, I don't have any memory of that."
"Ooh."
"But that woman, the way she looks at Chang-woo oppa is intense. That's definitely not the look of someone with a one-sided crush."
"It felt more like they'd been on a few dates."
"Are you really not involved at all... no, I mean. Do you really have no feelings for her?"
They weren't like this with Choi Ji-soo. Why the sudden explosion of interest in Hwang Ah-young?
I don't think it's because of the difference in chest size.
Is it because of the difference in their vibes?
Choi Ji-soo does have a rather strong image.
Hwang Ah-young seems a bit ditzy and clumsy, which makes her seem more approachable.
Hwang Ah-young: Chang-woo ♥♥♥♥
Hwang Ah-young: You're not mad that I came without telling you, are you? ㅠㅠ
Hwang Ah-young: I just came because I missed you ♥♥♥
Hwang Ah-young: I'll just sit quietly, have my coffee, and then leave ♥♥
As I was looking at my phone, I felt a stare and turned my head.
My eyes met Hwang Ah-young's.
Right, I made a promise. That I wouldn't ignore your messages.
This is the first time she's texted me since we parted ways.
It's definitely not because she's occupying a table in the cafe that provides my livelihood.
Me: Just don't interfere with my work.
Hwang Ah-young: Okay ♥♥♥♥
Hwang Ah-young: I'm on the pill, so I'm safe ♥♥
Hwang Ah-young: So, when are you free...? ♥♥ >♥<
Yesterday, Choi Ji-soo came by pressuring me about her period, and today, it's you.
Hwang Ah-young gazed at me endlessly.
Her mouth was making conversation with her friends every now and then.
But her eyes followed me the entire time.
I know that look. Those are the eyes of someone in love.
Because that's how I used to be.
In a way, Hwang Ah-young's feelings seem the most similar to my own in my past life.
That's part of the reason why I feel uncomfortable being too harsh with her.
Me: I'll let you know when I need you. Otherwise, just stay put.
I tried to make the message sound as much like Lee Chang-woo as possible.
Still, my old virgin instincts unconsciously dulled the razor's edge as much as possible.
Hwang Ah-young: Okay ♥♥♥
Hwang Ah-young: <Photo> <Photo> <Photo> <Photo>
Ah, opening these here would be a disaster.
I quickly put my phone away.
I'll have to appreciate them in the bathroom later.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The owner returned, looking quite exhausted.
"Did everything get sorted out?"
"A real pain in the ass latched on tight. Ugh, it was like he was rabid. His eyes were crazy, drooling and barking nonstop."
"So what happens now?"
"What do you think? I have to hire a lawyer. Just when I thought I was about to make some real money, something like this happens to drain it all away. It's like clockwork."
"Is it that serious?"
"I'm just saying it's expensive to hire a good lawyer. You don't get all the legal fees back even if you win the case."
As the owner grumbled and scanned the cafe, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Whoa, who's that at table 13? She's insane."
"Oppa, I'm going to tell my sister."
"No, this is a perfectly natural reaction for any man. Is she even Korean?"
"She's Chang-woo's friend, apparently."
"Really?"
"It's obvious she has a one-sided crush on him."
The owner suddenly whipped his head around to look at me.
His gaze was kind of scary.
"Hey, does that friend of yours have a job? Or is she just hanging out?"
"Hyung, no way. I won't be able to concentrate."
"Ah, well, can't be helped then. What a shame. If you worked the counter during the day and she took over at night, our sales would easily double."
A slender body, but with a G-cup chest.
And wearing that tank top to show off her assets, she was definitely capturing everyone's attention.
It wasn't just the men; even the women were staring at Hwang Ah-young with jealousy.
And it seemed like she was enjoying the attention.
Oh, right. I almost forgot.
Me: Hwang Ah-young is at the cafe. So creepy.
Jung Hye-na: Gasp!!!! Is she causing any trouble for the cafe???
Me: I think your advice from last time worked.
Me: She said she'd just sit quietly and drink her coffee.
Me: But she keeps staring, and it's a bit much. Feels like her gaze is going to burn a hole through my face ;;;
Jung Hye-na: That's a relief......♡
Jung Hye-na: I get off work on time today......♡
Me: I'm scared she'll follow me.
Me: I'm going straight home. You should come home too.
Jung Hye-na: Okay.....!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ At Hwang Ah-young's table.
Kim Ju-ri and Seo Yu-min sipped their coffees, continuously expressing their amazement.
"The great Lee Chang-woo working at a cafe. Global warming must finally be bringing about the end of the world."
"With that face, why is he working in a place like this? It's not like a cafe part-timer makes much."
"Who knows. This place suddenly got super popular, right? I heard sales jumped dozens of times after Chang-woo started. Maybe they're giving him a big bonus or something?"
"That could be it. Chang-woo can't stand being on the losing end of a deal. He'd throw a massive fit."
"But watching Chang-woo talk with the other employees, he doesn't seem like himself. He's like a different person."
"Right? I was thinking the same thing."
"He's changed so suddenly. And him speaking German the other day was so cool."
Clank!
Hwang Ah-young set her cup down a little roughly.
She looked back and forth between her two friends and growled lowly.
"Get the hearts out of your eyes when you look at Chang-woo. Or I'll gouge them out myself."
"Hey, we can't even look at him?"
"It's not like Chang-woo would even notice Kim Ju-ri anyway. Ah-young, with a body like yours, what are you so worried about?"
"Seo Yu-min, why are you dissing my face again? I get told I'm pretty all the time, you know."
"Yeah, well, in Chang-woo's eyes, you and I are both just squids."
"You're lucky, Ah-young. At least he sees you as a person—no, as a woman."
Hwang Ah-young's mood improved, and she lifted her shoulders in a haughty display.
The movement emphasized the sway of her chest, and the eyes of the men stealing glances went wide.
"But Ah-young, I took a day off because you insisted. We're not just going to sit around in a cafe like this all day, are we?"
"Why not?"
"Hey, don't make me waste my precious day off like this."
"What are friends for? If I occupied a four-person table by myself all day, it would hurt the business. The owner would start to see Chang-woo in a bad light, too."
"That owner has been smiling every time he looks at Chang-woo."
"Let him be. He's probably having a nice dream."
Kim Ju-ri and Seo Yu-min sipped their coffee through their straws and looked around the cafe.
The tables had been completely full since they arrived.
The four-person tables were occupied by at least three people each.
The few tables with only one or two people were, without exception, occupied by men.
The female customers ranged from teenagers to women in their fifties.
The middle-aged women in their forties and fifties were whispering amongst themselves while stealing glances at Lee Chang-woo.
'How shameless.'
'I'm never going to get old like that.'
'But since they're wealthy Gangnam madams, they definitely...'
The table turnover rate was disastrously low.
Once seated, everyone was desperate not to leave.
However, the order turnover rate was extremely high.
The female customers would finish their coffee and food as quickly as possible and then go back to the counter to order again.
It was their chance to see Lee Chang-woo up close one more time.
When it was time to order, everyone at a table would get up and move together without exception.
There were no female customers who had come just to chat and kill time.
Everyone was desperate to somehow make eye contact with Lee Chang-woo, to exchange even a single word with him.
These were people who would normally nurse a single cup of coffee for two hours before leaving.
Now, they were downing a drink every twenty minutes.
Since drinking only coffee was tough, some women had resolved to just chug bottled drinks instead.
Meanwhile, there were also customers who kept getting takeout orders.
It was an excuse to check for empty seats and to see Lee Chang-woo right in front of them.
"This place is doing really well."
"At this rate, the owner could probably buy the whole building."
"What if the landlord kicks the owner out and takes over the cafe himself?"
"Whoa, that could actually happen."
"I heard it's common these days for landlords to kick out successful businesses and take over. The owner here must be worried about that."
Hwang Ah-young deliberately swayed in her tank top and spoke with a smug air.
"If I were the landlord, I wouldn't do something so stupid. I'd kick out the cafe owner and entrust the place to Chang-woo."
"But Chang-woo can't afford the deposit for a place like this. You'd need at least 500 million won, right?"
"I can just give it to him. What's the problem?"
"How would the landlord know that there's a line of women waiting to fund Chang-woo?"
"If the landlord were smart, he'd give him the cafe without a deposit. In exchange for a percentage of the profits. Right?"
"Ah-young, you get really smart when it comes to Chang-woo."
"She's also the dumbest when it comes to Chang-woo."
"Wanna die?"