Chapter 83
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Cow Girl's Accusation
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I wonder if it's because I'm such a loser, or if everyone else feels this way too.
I have no idea. The one thing I'm sure of is that Oh Hana's casual little remarks make my heart tingle.
"No, but seriously."
Oh Hana let out a hollow laugh and fed me a piece of honey bread slathered with whipped cream.
"What's with the sudden nonsense? Oppa, has anyone ever told you your face looks scary?"
"Hmm. Once or twice, maybe?"
Recently, the boss at your cafe said something like that.
"That person's got weird eyes then."
Your cafe manager.
"Honestly, your face isn't scary at all. Don't you think so too? If you had a rough-looking face, why would all those rude customers keep coming to the convenience store?"
Now that she mentioned it, that made sense.
I'd never heard anyone call my face scary in my whole life. If anything, it's more like a total pushover face.
"You've gotten a bit more manly lately, but you still have that friendly look. That's part of why I felt comfortable around you."
"Hmm, yeah. The store manager said something similar about my face."
That's why customers feel at ease coming in.
Jung Hye-jung must have been one of those customers. She probably felt comfortable because my face screams pushover.
"Hmm, then what is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"There were these male part-timers who made eye contact with me earlier. They bolted like rabbits."
"Whoa, that must hurt. Male part-timers? I didn't notice any. Were there guys like that?"
"Probably kitchen staff. The second our eyes met, they dashed into the kitchen."
"Ah."
Even as we chatted lightly like this, I had to keep cramming vanilla lattes, strawberry lattes, and the occasional smoothie into my gut.
Ugh, it's not my imagination—the chill from my stomach is making my head hurt. And now the drinks are mixing inside, giving me this bloated feeling.
"This isn't easy. Not easy at all. Urgh."
"Just two left. Anyway, we only have 40 minutes here."
"Got it... I'm trying."
I tapped my forehead repeatedly and chugged away diligently.
"By the way, did you get what you wanted?"
"Nope. Unfortunately not. What can you do? It's disappointing... but that's what makes the next one even more exciting, right?"
"Your mindset is seriously positive."
Deep down, I felt good that she hadn't gotten what she wanted. It meant no Riki merch in the end.
"It'll come next time..."
I was about to offer some insincere comfort.
"Ah, uh."
The Japanese girls from the line earlier approached us cautiously. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
"Th-this."
My face twisted when I saw the photocard the Japanese girl thrust out in her broken Korean. It was a picture of Hoi and Riki with their arms around each other, grinning like pals.
"Aaah! That's the one I wanted! Thank you, thank you! This, this! Trade! Okay! Thank you!"
"......"
My good mood plummeted in an instant. Should I call this good luck? Or luck that Oh Hana somehow conjured up?
In the end, it was the result of my cosmic-level affinity, so I couldn't complain.
"I, uh, need to hit the bathroom. If I go outside and then have to come back, it'll be a hassle."
"Sure, go ahead. I'm fine."
It's impressive she's totally unfazed after chugging that much. I subtly scanned for the bathroom while pretending to be casual as I stood up. That's when the cow girl entered my view.
'I swear, I'm gonna deck her.'
Her eyes were brimming with murderous intent. Every time she glanced at Oh Hana beaming over her new traded photocard, that killing vibe intensified.
It was scary in a whole different way.
And of all places, the bathroom was right by the cow girl's table. I was half-tempted to just stay seated and head to the arcade restroom instead. But standing up and then sitting back down would be embarrassing, so I strolled to the bathroom like it was no big deal.
[Men's Restroom]
Unlike the line at the women's, the men's was empty. Nothing beats an empty bathroom for peace of mind. The worst part of men's rooms is when someone's peeing right next to you—makes you so uncomfortable you can't even go properly.
'Phew, time's almost up. Still got two drinks left.'
I was emptying my bladder as much as possible when a male voice echoed from what I thought was an empty stall.
"Dude, what do we do?"
"Right? Timing this is impossible. If we butt in now and cause a scene?"
"Should we just bail? The vibe looks intense."
"Argh, no way. Manager hyung's been on us about not showing our faces enough. He said to at least make an appearance like this."
What are they talking about? More importantly, are these two guys huddled in one stall whispering?
Even worse than the guy eating lunch alone in the college bathroom.
'Fucking creepy.'
Is that boys' love or something?
「Splashhhh!」
Whatever it was, it was too awkward to stick around. I finished up forcefully, washed my hands, and headed out. Maybe it's my boosted stamina, but my stream's gotten stronger lately. One day I might blast the urinal off the wall.
...I chuckled at the childish thought, but my expression froze solid.
In the brief moment I was gone, trouble had erupted. And the woman who'd come with me was caught in it.
"Hey! Let go! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Ha! Look at this shameless bitch. What, hit a nerve? Getting all worked up proves it. You stole it, didn't you?!"
What the hell is going on?
The cow girl was gripping Oh Hana's wrist, yelling triumphantly for everyone to hear.
Stole? Oh Hana?
My mind raced to piece it together as my body charged forward on instinct.
"Let's talk after you let go of her arm."
"Ha, look at this guy playing hero for the thief just 'cause he's a man. Why let go? She stole something. What if she runs?"
"I'm not running. Let go first, you b—."
I barely swallowed the curse. Too many eyes on us. If this cow girl was spewing filth, me joining in would just complicate things.
"......"
Our eyes met, and the cow girl flinched involuntarily, shoving Oh Hana's hand away. I quickly pulled Oh Hana behind me and faced the cow girl.
Her eyes burned with venom. I hadn't expected her to go this far. She's completely unhinged.
"Oh, right! You're the one stalking Riki oppa too, aren't you? Following him home, sneaking in to jump him. That was you, right? You look exactly the type."
Is it because she's young? Her rant jumps all over. One second it's theft, next it's stalking.
Honestly, the stalking bit hits harder than the theft. Did someone spot us? Oh Hana tailing Genesis Eleven to their secret pop-up. That would be a real problem.
"You fucking bitch. Think shaking your pretty little face will make oppa fall for you? You're done. I'm calling the cops right now. Get ready."
「Murmur murmur!」
This really drives home how crucial controlling the mood is. With so many already hating on Oh Hana, and this cow girl confidently spewing nonsense, everyone was eating it up as truth.
"A stalker? Wild."
"Stalking with that face? What a waste."
"Maybe she thinks Riki oppa would hit it once, so she's throwing herself at him. Disgusting."
"Our oppa... so pitiful. He's been taking breaks lately from stress."
All sorts of bullshit flying. I could write a novel with just this crap.
Stress breaks? Yeah, right. That guy's just slacking. If anyone's stressed, it's his staff wiping his ass and dealing with his personality.
"......"
I glanced back. Oh Hana's face was pale as a ghost. Tough sight. Her making that expression.
Well, theft aside, "stalker" must have stung a bit.
"It's okay."
I gently stroked her head. Was it from handling so many convenience store assholes? Or just peak rage? Either way, my chest burned hot, but my head was ice cold.
"You're claiming Oh Hana stole because some merch just 'happened' to pop out of her bag, right?"
"Yeah! It came from her bag!"
"That's a bit too cliché."
"...What?"
"Kids pull that prank all the time to screw over someone they hate. Hide expensive stuff or slip it into their bag."
Am I usually this eloquent? Her pupils shook—over 70% sure now.
Actually, no need to test. I knew.
"Let's check the CCTV. It'll sort it out quick. Right?"
"C-CCTV?"
She panicked visibly. If I hadn't scanned for Oh Hana's watcher, I might've missed it too.
Four cameras in subtle corners, covering the whole cafe perfectly.
"N-No need to go that far."
I cut her off.
"We do. Getting accused of theft and stalking out of nowhere? Gotta prove innocence. Time's short anyway—40 minutes. Won't take long."
Her face turned ashen. My earlier hunch was spot on.
"......"
As the cow girl grimaced like she'd eaten shit, the murmurs doubting Oh Hana died down with awkward coughs. No idiots here—they sensed the shift.
I was the one dumbfounded. This witch hunt? Railroading someone without evidence, just on vibe, ruining them?
From the start.
"How did you even know Oh Hana stole? That's what I'm really curious about."
"...W-Well, obviously..."
"You saw her do it? Then CCTV's even more essential."
Her face flushed red, on the verge of tears. Like when Yoon Sua cried before—men are weak to women's tears.
But why?
I felt nothing. If she bawled, it'd just annoy me.
"Oh, and the stalker thing."
I pointed at the two fidgety male part-timers who'd slipped out of the bathroom.
"Wouldn't her group mates know better? Why not ask them directly?"
"Wh-What..."
The cow girl looked where I pointed, eyes widening. Then a gasp erupted.
"J-Jumin oppa and Hoi oppa!"