Gender-Reversed Maid Cafe
Monday morning arrived after the weekend.
In front of the first-floor shoe lockers, where cool air lingered.
It was the moment Yu Jiwon, who had come to school early, flung open her locker door.
Clatter—!!
"Kyaa…!"
Dozens of thumbtacks, cunningly piled in the gap of her locker door, poured down as if they'd been waiting, scattering across Jiwon's instep and the hallway floor.
Startled, Jiwon stumbled back with a short scream.
"Pfft… puhahaha! Her scream was hilarious. Damn, shoulda filmed it~"
"Doeun, did you see her face? She was totally spaced out lol."
From the hallway corner, Kim Doeun and her gang, arms crossed and watching from hiding, burst into open mockery.
"……."
Jiwon bit her lip hard.
Instead of retorting or getting angry, she silently crouched down and began picking up the scattered thumbtacks one by one.
She knew better than anyone that reacting here would just make her their prey.
After roughly clearing the floor, as she reached deep into her messy locker to tidy it—
"Ow…."
A few unseen thumbtacks pierced the unguarded tips of Jiwon's fingers.
Pain struck without warning.
"Puhahaha, you see that?"
"Epic… she's such an idiot~ Falling for that?"
Jiwon clenched her fist to hide the beading blood and ignored the jeers stabbing her back as she headed to the nurse's office.
The same time, in the silent student council president's office, empty of people.
Baek Haeun sat at the head of the large conference table, sorting budget plans and booth proposals for the upcoming Haeun High festival.
Shuffle—
Scribble—
The room filled with the sound of turning pages, until Haeun's hand suddenly froze in midair.
"Lee Woojin…."
Staring blankly into space with empty eyes, murmuring his name, Haeun soon furrowed her brow and shook her head sharply.
The moment she refocused on the documents and gripped her pen to banish stray thoughts—
Bang—!!
"Whoa! So this is the student council president's office? Epic, it's huge!"
An uninvited guest burst in noisily without knocking, flinging the door wide.
Han Sera, who had lost the student council president election but become vice president.
"…What do you want."
Haeun asked coldly, like ice, without lifting her eyes from the papers.
"I'm technically the vice president, y'know? Need any help? If not, want me to call in some labor? You know our Nyan Rave's new song slayed, right? Hit number one on the monthly chart…!"
"Don't know. Don't need anything. Just don't be loud."
At Haeun's sharp cutoff, Sera pouted and flopped onto the sofa.
"Ugh, what~ Total buzzkill..!"
Bored, Sera pulled out her smartphone and started scrolling Nyansta.
Then she suddenly giggled at the screen.
"Ah…! She liked my post… hehe."
"…What."
"Oh~ It's this idol senior I super admire! She's so cool and sings great…. Planning to confess when I graduate… Ah, eep!!"
Sera clamped her mouth with both hands after blurting her secret.
But Haeun ignored the romance gossip, silently flipping papers.
Awkward, Sera cleared her throat and abruptly changed topics.
"Oh, right! By the way, I saw Lee Woojin in Hongdae over the weekend?"
"…Huh?"
Haeun's pen halted abruptly on the paper at the three syllables from Sera's mouth.
"He seemed kinda weird? Weren't you two like, flirting or dating?"
"Where… did you see him."
"I was shooting at this new bakery in Hongdae. And Woojin was…."
Throb—
Suddenly, a vicious headache tore through Haeun's mind; she pressed her temple with one hand.
Her breath caught.
"Not… that."
Haeun asked again in a low, sunken voice.
"So… who was he with."
At Haeun's icy demeanor, Sera rolled her eyes.
"Uh… seemed like a fan? Name was… Yu Jiwon? Yeah, Yu Jiwon…?"
"….Yu Jiwon.."
Haeun's hand slowly lowered from enduring the pain, and she resumed sorting papers with an expressionless face.
"…Got it."
Her utterly flat, quiet reaction—
"What…? You knew?"
Sera probed cautiously, and Haeun replied with unshaken calm.
"Whether I knew is secondary. It's none of my business."
"Whoa… what. So Lee Woojin cheated on you or something?!"
At Sera's filterless fussing, Haeun slammed the paper stack on the desk and spat coldly.
"…Get out."
"Huh?"
"I'm tired. Leave."
Even Sera, usually whiny, shrank under the thick killing intent radiating from Haeun and bolted up from the sofa.
"Ah… okay, got it. I'll come back later…."
Creeak—
Click.
Sera fled the office, and the door shut.
"……."
Silence filled the student council president's office.
Haeun leaned back in her chair, her head turning slowly.
Her gaze fixed on the firmly closed door handle.
Over her empty eyes, layers of icy hatred piled up.
"Yu Jiwon…."
Morning hallway, as homeroom neared.
Yu Jiwon, bandaged hand fidgeting after treatment at the nurse's office, headed to class—and ran into Lee Woojin coming up through the first-floor main entrance.
"……."
Jiwon hurriedly hid her injured hand behind her back and forced a smile.
"Hi… Woojin…?"
"Yeah. Hi."
As if Jiwon's smile meant nothing, Woojin brushed past with a curt reply.
Staring at his cold shoulder, Jiwon clenched her hidden hand.
"Woojin. What'd you do… on Sunday…?"
Jiwon's cautious question.
But Woojin answered irritably without glancing back.
"Just, y'know. Read at home."
"…I see."
Jiwon swallowed bitterness and quietly followed his broad back to class, ignored.
Slide—
The moment we entered the front door almost together, rowdy voices hit our ears like they'd been waiting.
"Ooh~ Hey, Lee Woojin! Yu Jiwon!"
Kang Minjae, bursting with pointless morning energy.
"What kept you two so late? Don't tell me…"
"No way~ Morning action…? You guys really…?"
The guys drummed desks, snickering.
I suppressed rising annoyance and smirked casually.
"..Not what you pervs are thinking."
Even my ironclad denial didn't stop the teasing.
Because Jiwon, following me in, blushed and ducked her head to her seat.
"Kuh! Your girl's super shy, huh?"
"Yo, Woojin, go easy in the morning!"
'…Shy my ass.. You idiots have no clue how vicious she is.'
I scoffed inwardly.
With her pitiful act, the kids had no choice but to buy it.
Hiding my real thoughts, I smiled amiably and set my bag at my desk.
That's when I noticed it.
In the center of the blackboard, huge creepy writing.
Our Class Festival Theme: Gender-Reversed Maid Cafe♥
"……?"
I doubted my eyes.
Rubbed them thinking I was still sleepy, but the blackboard text stayed the same.
I smacked Minjae's back, who was strutting in front of me.
"Yo. What's that…?"
"Oh~ that? Our class festival booth concept!"
Minjae beamed proudly, gums flashing.
"You know, like in manga or anime sometimes. Girls in cool butler suits, guys in frilly maid outfits serving—gender-reversed cafe! Dope, right?"
"……What?"
My brain blanked like I'd been bludgeoned.
The guys… in skirts, frilly maid dresses? Me?
"No, fuck…. Is this for real?"
I barely swallowed the curse.
"Su…sure… sounds fun.. No one opposed? You really voted for this?"
"Yup! Guys lose rock-paper-scissors, girls all voted yes. My idea, killer right?"
Minjae slung his arm over my shoulder, laughing heartily.
I barely masked my rotting expression, twitching my lips up forcibly.
"Y-yeah… sounds… fun. Ahaha…."
'Kang Minjae…… you psycho. Should I just kill him.'
As I imagined throttling him, forehead in hand—
"……."
The classroom racket, like a bustling market, froze instantly as if doused with water.
Kids by the back door parted like the Red Sea.
At the end of the path, Baek Haeun entered the front door, clipboard in hand, footsteps silent.
Student council president and our class president.
At Haeun's appearance, kids held their breath, watching her eyes.
She was making rounds to approve festival booth plans for next week.
Last stop: our class.
Haeun walked to the teacher's desk, looked up at the blackboard.
Gender-Reversed Maid Cafe
Confirming the bizarre phrase, Haeun's head turned very slowly toward me, gaze sweeping from head to toe, obsessive.
"……."
Jet-black, empty eyes.
Her piercing stare tangled with mine in the air.
Cold sweat inwardly, but clinging to faint hope that student council prez Haeun would veto this insane plan, I forced a relaxed smile.
'Haeun. You won't approve that trash idea… right?'
Did she read my desperate eyes?
Haeun stared at my smile, then nodded slightly at the blackboard.
Turning to leave, she drove the nail in with eerily calm, dry voice.
"This… is it?"
Bam.
Front door shut, Haeun vanished down the hall.
"Yoo-hoo!! Class prez approved!!! Maid cafe time!!!!"
Kang Minjae and the guys cheered wildly.
Amid the chaos, I stood dazed, staring at the closed door, jaw slack.
"Uh…?"
"No way… Haeun…? You're kidding?"
Like hearing hallucinations, doubting my ears, blinking repeatedly.
Finally, harsh reality struck like lightning into the arrogant perfectionist's skull, who thought everything was in his palm.
'…Shit. This is really fucked.'