Overworked?
Lee Siyeon closed the Cube door behind her and sank to the floor right in front of it. She looked around, head swiveling as though searching for something. Her eyes caught on the black bow tie resting on the distant table.
“Uwaaah… I’m really, really an idiot, aren’t I? How could I forget something like that…?”
She shot to her feet and dashed for the table, snatching up the tie before hunting around for the full-length mirror.
“I heard footsteps on the stairs and rushed out without thinking…”
Of course Minwoo was only human. It wasn’t strange for him to have a few close friends. That was normal.
“Haaaa… Seriously… Why am I like this…?”
But of all people, that friend just had to be…
“She was really pretty…”
She hadn’t minded the physical contact at all. If anything, she’d teased him comfortably.
“…We definitely held hands, right?”
She stood in front of the mirror, lifting the tie to her collar. Yet an odd emptiness bloomed in her chest. It wasn’t the tie. When she looked down, the open white shirt revealed her bare skin underneath. It was anything but neat and proper.
“Ah, ugh… I forgot to button the lower ones too…”
Her face burned. She fumbled with the buttons, starting from the bottom and working upward in a hurry. Her hands shook. The buttons refused to cooperate. The image of Seong Hana—neat, intellectual, composed—kept flashing through her mind.
“Why am I acting like this today? What am I even doing…?”
Head still bowed, she managed one more button. At the same time, one of her worries eased.
“Haaa… I kept snapping at him without realizing it…”
Another button.
“I cut Oppa off mid-sentence… and I keep shutting the door like that every time I come in…”
No matter how carefully she aligned each button, her heart refused to settle.
“Ughhh… What do I do now? Oppa must be so angry…”
This brunch café had a way of soothing the mind. The bright wood-tone interior felt instantly comforting. The air carried a sweet yet tranquil aroma of coffee beans. Beyond the counter you could just make out the savory scent of bread baking. Servers wove between tables with plates in both hands that immediately drew the eye: a vibrant salad bursting with herb-scented vegetables and generous ricotta cheese, and, on the other, freshly baked bread arranged on a flat wooden platter beside a perfect spoon of butter.
(Look at that salad… It looks so good…)
(Ha… What should I do? Maybe I should just say something…?)
(No, no… Not after I got so irritated earlier…)
Just watching made me hungry even though I hadn’t been before. I felt a little peckish. Wait—what time was it?
I slipped my phone out and checked.
1:21 PM.
The time that would make anyone feel a pang of guilt stared back at me. Any normal person would be starving by now. I’d been so absorbed in going over the item list with Hana that I hadn’t noticed we’d long passed the hour for a casual coffee. We probably needed something more substantial than just drinks.
I reached for the menu on the table. At the same moment, the server’s voice confirmed the order.
“One iced Americano with an extra shot, two cold brew lattes, Kenya AA beans—correct?”
“Uh, ah. Yes.”
“What size would you like?”
“All venti, please.”
“Understood. Will there be anything else?”
“Just a moment. Siyeon?”
(…)
“Siyeon~”
(H-how… ?)
She swallowed nervously and answered in a tiny whisper, as though breathing the words directly into my ear. I hadn’t heard the Cube door open, but I knew. I could sense her peeking it open and tiptoeing out.
Picturing the scene made the corner of my mouth lift.
“Siyeon…? Sorry, what was that—would the customer like to add anything?”
“Oh, right. Could you wait just a second?”
I tapped the wireless earphone in my ear, making sure the server could see.
“It’ll only take a moment.”
“Ah, I see. Please take your time.”
The odd look the server had been giving me instantly turned understanding. Magic, indeed. Slip this little piece of enchanted metal into your ear and no one bats an eye no matter what you mutter to yourself. It felt like wielding an artifact handed down by an archmage.
It had been the same at the hospital that first day. People kept staring at me like I was crazy because I kept talking to myself. With the earphones, that worry was gone.
Still… when I thought about it, I really was having conversations with a voice that existed only inside my head. So in a way… I guess the symptoms were similar to those people after all?
I tilted my head and picked up the menu.
“How about a platter, Siyeon? There are lots of set menus too.”
(…Um… ugh… Oppa… that, um…)
Her voice had grown strangely shy. Actually, from earlier on, Siyeon’s ticklish little breaths had been brushing against my ear the whole time. It was oddly addictive.
That was how I knew she had slipped out of the Cube, yet I had stayed quiet on purpose. A shy, cute office-girl voice like this was rare. Maybe I could listen just a little longer…?
(…Ugh… so, um…)
(…Haa… sooo… thaaat…)
(…U-um, by any chance… ughhh…)
Listening to her like this when she thought she was alone suddenly felt strangely intimate.
(…You’re not… angry… are you?)
Huh? Of course not.
“Not at all?”
(Really…? Even after I slammed the door… and glared at you…?)
“Yes. I’m perfectly fine, so don’t worry. You see the line behind us, right? We need to order quickly.”
I answered with a soft smile. The wait at this café was no joke; I could already feel the prickling stares from the people behind us multiplying.
(Oh… you really aren’t…)
“I’ll show you the menu. Hurry. There are so many delicious options.”
I opened the menu wide. Sandwiches of every kind, customizable platters, cheese-loaded paninis that made your mouth water, fist-sized meatballs—beautifully plated dishes filled the page.
(Wow…)
Her adorable reaction came with an audible gulp.
(Oppa, um… a-actually there was something I saw earlier…)
(If it’s okay… could I… pick just one menu?)
(Just one. Please? Just one…)
“O-of course. Go ahead.”
The new tone in her voice made me clear my throat. It sounded like she was clinging to my arm and begging. Seriously… why were there so many first-time voices from her today?
“Then let’s keep the mains simple—panini and sandwich…”
(I want the roasted chicken salad!)
“Oho. Salad. Good choice.”
(…Can I add avocado?)
“Of course.”
(Nice!)
“Then that’s what we’ll order.”
(Yes! Thank you, Oppa!)
(Uuu… I’m so excited…)
Her lively voice rang out. Even while I closed the menu and placed the order with the server, her bright laughter kept spilling over. Siyeon really was prettiest when she smiled.
“Let’s head back up, Siyeon.”
(Yesss~)
“Your order is ready.”
“Please set it here.”
A generous salad packed with avocado, onion, mushrooms, roasted chicken, olives, and crisp vegetables. A panini set neatly quartered, stuffed with ham and cheese. A plump sandwich that begged to be eaten with both hands, nestled in a small rattan basket. When the coffees were added, I finally understood why people chased pretty cafés just to take pictures for their feeds.
“Oppa, why did you order so much…?”
“Yeah… now that it’s here, it does look like a lot.”
(Oppa… I’m hungry.)
“I was just going to have coffee…”
“It’s already past one. You need to eat lunch too.”
(Right, right… lunch is important… hurry…)
“Ah… it’s already this late. Thank you for always looking out for me. I’ll eat well.”
Seong Hana lifted the corners of her mouth slightly and picked up a sandwich.
“Then I’ll dig in too~”
I placed a piece of panini on my plate.
(Me! Me!! The salad!!)
Right. Siyeon must be starving too. I should put the salad into the inventory for her quickly.
“Oh. How did you know I like avocado salad…”
—Stab.
Hana drove her fork into the salad. At the same moment, the salad vanished into the inventory.
“....”
“....”
(Haaa… Look at this refreshing salad…)
(Hello…? Roasted chicken salad…? Big sis will… big sis will take good care of you, okay…? You just have to stay still, right?)
“Oppa…?”
“Y-yeah, Hana…”
(Oppa… the fork… hurry… I don’t think I can leave any of this salad alive…)
“Should we… split the bill…?”
“That’s not what I—”
(Fork! Now!)
Wait a second. If someone else saw Siyeon’s things disappearing into the inventory, wouldn’t that look strange?
“U-um… Oppa, you’re really…”
“Hana?”
(Huh?)
Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? Hana’s head suddenly lolled weakly from side to side. I’d only caught a glimpse earlier, but her dark circles had been deep. Her voice sounded completely drained.
“…Suddenly… out of nowhere…”
—Thud.
She face-planted onto the table, fork still clutched in her hand.
“Eh?”
(Eh?)
Worried, I reached out to her. Did she have some hidden condition? Or was it overwork…?
“Hana… you’re not dead, are you…?”
(O-oppa, that person looks really sick.)
Wait, it couldn’t be overwork. Hana was a self-healing ability user.
“No, why are you suddenly shoving salad into the inventory like that?”
Hana suddenly bolted upright.
Oh, for fuck’s sake… She was just messing with me.
“Hana… you scared me…”
(Wait, zombie?)
But what was going on? I was sure I’d seen dark circles. Yet when she lifted her head, she looked perfectly fine. Was she really just playing around?
“No, it’s just… I’m not… exactly… upset… or anything…”
—Thump.
She slammed her forehead onto the table again.
“H-hey!”
(Ugh… that must hurt…)
Hana clutched her head and looked up once more. This time she frowned as if she herself found it strange, glancing at me uneasily.
“…O-oppa…?”
“Hey, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Your dark circles look like—”
It was bizarre. Now she looked like she hadn’t slept in three days, skeletal and exhausted. A person’s biorhythm wasn’t a seismograph… How could her condition swing so wildly in seconds?
“I… don’t know either… This has never… happened before…”
—Thud!
Her words trailed off as she toppled sideways, head clipping the corner of the table on the way down.
(Eek! Blood, blood…!!)
She was dead. Ninety-nine percent.
(She’s not dead! Call an ambulance right now!!!)