Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Regular Who's Visited Since Opening Day, a Fan of Chocolate Drinks and Kua Pie
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The regular customer who'd been stopping by the cafe since opening day, a fan of chocolate drinks and kua pie.
To think that very regular was the Esper who'd been with me during the supermarket robbery just a few weeks ago.
"Uh, so..."
What was his name again...? Seo... something like that.
I'd jotted down the name I'd heard back then in my phone's notes app right away, but that phone had already been reset and returned to Ju Yeon-woo.
"Seo... Lee Hyun-ssi...?"
As I mumbled the name that popped into my head, trailing off uncertainly, the man grimaced fiercely and reached out to ruffle my hair roughly.
"Seo Yun-ho. Lee Hyun... damn it, call me that one more time."
"Ah, right. Seo Yun-ho-ssi. Wow, I was really shocked. Who would've thought my cafe regular was an SNS celebrity..."
"You don't look all that shocked."
"I'm always like this."
"Well, you didn't freak out back then either..."
The man, Seo Yun-ho, raised one eyebrow. He fell silent for a moment, as if lost in thought.
"...Hold on. SNS celebrity? You figured out I'm Seo Yun-ho, the Esper from 'Hebe' guild?"
"I don't know much about guilds, but are you famous there too?"
Seo Yun-ho gave me a strange look at my question, like he knew something I didn't.
"You didn't know I was a big deal?"
"Yeah, I heard from a friend that you're super famous on SNS for recommending desserts."
"And you're super grateful about it?"
"Of course I am. You've been coming steadily since I first opened, and you've even promoted it for me."
"..."
"I didn't mention it earlier, but I realized you were the account owner because of the ribbon on the cookies in your photo. I'd run out of stickers and wrapped them with a ribbon instead."
"...Ribbon?"
"Yes."
Seo Yun-ho's lips twitched. His face screamed frustration, like he had something to say but didn't know how to put it.
That's when I pieced together how this misunderstanding had happened.
I'd wondered why he'd suddenly taken off his hat and mask to show his face—he must've thought I'd recognized him as an Esper.
And that glare when he first came into the cafe? It was probably just surprise at running into someone he knew.
With our little confusions cleared up, I faced him with a much more relaxed expression.
Famous Esper or not, a customer was a customer. Nothing changed.
Still, I had to bring this up. I pulled out the jam cookie box I'd prepared as thanks for his SNS shoutouts and called to him.
"Seo Yun-ho-ssi."
"What."
I tried to soften my smile a bit to make my words less sharp.
"I've been wondering since earlier—why the casual speech?"
But it seemed to backfire. I could see his expression hardening.
"...How old are you?"
"Twenty-five, but... age isn't the point right now, is it?"
"Same age. Drop the formalities."
"Sure."
"..."
"So, your order? Packaging it up like usual?"
Seo Yun-ho stared at me like he'd lost the will to speak. At least he wasn't mad—he clearly knew he'd started it.
He stood there looking utterly baffled for a while, but when I stepped away to make his drink, he plopped down at a seat near the counter.
"You... what's your name?"
"Kim Yu-jeong."
Since he'd told me his, I answered casually. But hearing my name, Seo Yun-ho's eyes widened in surprise.
"...Kim Yu-jeong? That's really your name?"
"...? Unlike you, I'm not famous or anything."
"Hey, you know Yeon Woo-jin?"
I stopped what I was doing and looked at Seo Yun-ho. Irritation aside, I couldn't figure out why that name had come up.
"Who in this country doesn't?"
"You don't know him personally?"
"If one-sided awareness counts as knowing, then sure."
Seo Yun-ho shut his mouth, looking conflicted. His expression shifted rapidly.
His serious frown softened into something wistful.
...What? Is there something going on?
I tensed up too, waiting for his response.
"No... but thinking about it, it's ridiculous. You know Yeon Woo-jin but not me?"
Seo Yun-ho furrowed his brow, looking deeply aggrieved.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After that, Seo Yun-ho kept showing up periodically during the quieter hours.
He grumbled as much as ever, but my desserts must've been to his liking.
Maybe because we were speaking casually now, our conversations had picked up, and we were getting along decently. He was pretty surprised when I explained the benefits of kua fruit desserts.
He didn't seem to dislike me all that much.
His default expression was a scowl, but the more I got to know him, the more harmless and straightforward he seemed. I'd never met someone whose likes and dislikes showed so clearly on his face.
He always came with a mask and hat hiding his face, so I'd wondered just how famous he was. When I asked Han Se-young about him, she confirmed he was a big deal.
An A-rank Esper with fire abilities.
He was notoriously on bad terms with Messiah Guild's master, Yeon Woo-jin, which made me feel a bit of kinship. But then she mentioned he was the one who'd burned down an entire forest during last summer's poison bee incident, and that kinship went right back out the window.
Of course, I knew Esper destruction wasn't always something to condemn—unless it was intentional.
Han Se-young had explained it to me plenty of times, since I didn't know much about this world.
Especially when it came to Espers going into 'rampage'—it sparked all sorts of conflicting opinions.
Gratitude and pity.
Understanding and blame.
Rampages were generally said to be preventable with timely guiding, but it wasn't always that simple.
There were congenital matching rates, overusing abilities to the point of exhausting all prior guiding, interference from other abilities, and more.
And Espers overusing their powers was usually because of gates.
They used their abilities to protect the world, pushing past their limits and triggering rampages.
To prevent greater damage, they accepted smaller losses.
Under that logic, the backlash had lessened considerably.
Generous compensation probably helped too, but public opinion had really shifted after the horrific hell of the Red Gate a few years back.
Still, criticism lingered. Debating what's reasonable was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was another.
I was the same way.
Having suffered from Yeon Woo-jin's past actions, I always got reflexively angry hearing about that stuff.
Anyway, when I suddenly asked about the Esper Seo Yun-ho, Han Se-young perked up big time.
「But why are you suddenly asking about him, Yu-jeong? Gotten interested in Espers?」
She'd always nagged me to register as an Awakener and try matching with an Esper at least once, so maybe it was a natural reaction.
「Nothing big. Turns out he's a regular at my cafe.」
「What?! Seo Yun-ho's your regular?! How?!」
「He's the owner of that famous dessert account you told me about.」
「...What? That mad dog Seo Yun-ho?」
Han Se-young muttered that it didn't add up.
Anyway, I'd gotten plenty of info, so I asked her next how to find a good part-timer.
Help was urgently needed.
Unlike my initial expectation of a short-lived boom, customers had been steadily trickling in.
When she asked what kind I wanted, I laid it out.
「Hardworking, super clean without cutting corners on chores, good personality for dealing with customers, tight-lipped, familiar with making drinks, easygoing looks since some customers hesitate to chat with my stern face, and around my age since we'll be working together.」
「...Yu-jeong, do you actually not want to hire anyone?」
「What are you talking about? I'm desperate here.」
「How are you gonna find a dream part-timer like that...」
Han Se-young sighed deeply but said she'd look into it.
That conversation was just yesterday—
On a scorching Monday afternoon, the sand glittering under the blazing sun.
Well, I couldn't be sure about the weather or time, given the place, but anyway.
"Say that again?"
"...Pardon?"
"How many years of cafe experience?"
"Ah... about five years."
"Do you like cleaning?"
"I can't stand leaving dirt alone."
Jackpot. A part-timer who matched perfectly.
She'd stuck with one place for years, and she was 24—just a year younger than me.
Her face looked incredibly kind, and she smiled brightly even at my sudden questions, so her personality seemed great too.
"You're job hunting, right? Want to try working at my cafe? I'll make the benefits as good as I can."
The prospective hire smiled back.
"Sounds great to me! If it's close to home, I'll bring my resume right over."
But the smile soon faded wistfully from her lips. Staring blankly into space, she added softly,
"If I can just get out of here..."
Tell me about it. I'd finally found a part-timer I liked, but who knew when we'd get out.
The interview was a success. The problem was...
"...Uh, Min-ji-ssi, I think we need to run. She just made eye contact with us."
"Aaah!!"
The interview location was inside a dungeon.