A Quiet Evening After the Rush
The evening air in the cafe had finally loosened up after the brief commotion swept through. Not all the customers had come just to see me, of course, but the ones who'd been blatantly holding up their phones to snap photos or videos—most of them had cleared out by now.
A small stir came from the door.
"Whoa, it was packed."
"All girls..."
Familiar voices. I looked up to see Seo Jae-hyun and Ji Hyun-soo, with U Hana and Lee Seol trailing behind. The four of them piled into the cafe.
I greeted them from behind the counter, and Jae-hyun burst out laughing the moment he spotted me.
"You look kinda out of place... but it suits you."
Hyun-soo chuckled beside him.
"Become a barista."
"Nah, play a barista in a drama."
"...Enough chit-chat. Pick what you want."
I tossed the words out casually, and Jae-hyun kept giggling as he peered at the menu.
That's when the manager noona peeked out from the back.
"Hi~ You guys must be Min-woo's friends."
She greeted them brightly, then gave my back a light shove.
"Go hang out with your friends."
"No, it's fine. They're just here to mess around on their own. Not much left anyway—I'll finish up."
I waved off the manager noona's insistence on letting me slack off and took their orders from Jae-hyun.
A bit later, Jae-hyun's crew settled into a corner table, tucked away from prying eyes as much as possible.
I loaded their drinks and desserts onto a tray and brought them over. The second I set it down, Jae-hyun piped up dramatically.
"Whoa, what an honor. You brought it yourself?"
Across from him, Lee Seol was pressed against the wall, with U Hana beside her.
They glanced up at me but didn't say much—just a quick nod.
...The vibe felt oddly cautious, like they were watching their step.
Maybe they were staying quiet to avoid drawing stares.
I eyed them for a second before heading back to the counter. The manager noona sidled up and asked slyly,
"Who's that U Hana girl in the group?"
"The one with black hair."
"......She's stunning. She said she wanted to work here, right?"
"Yeah. But last time, you said no without parental permission..."
The manager noona propped her chin on her hand, pondering, then said,
"Guess we should at least talk to her. Can I get her number?"
"Sure, here."
I nodded without hesitation. U Hana had said she'd love to work here if she could.
After that, the remaining time flew by faster than expected. Evening customers thinned out, and I handed off to the next-shift part-timer around then.
The next part-timer was surprised to see the manager noona still there.
"Why are you still here?"
"Doing close tonight."
"So we'll do it together?"
"Yep. Happy?"
"...Yeah."
I wrapped up my shift and headed straight to my friends' table.
As I approached, Jae-hyun looked up first.
"Done already?"
His tone was way more natural now. With fewer customers, he figured no need to pretend we didn't know each other.
I went to slide into the seat next to him, but Lee Seol suddenly grabbed my arm.
"Sit here."
She pulled me to the spot beside U Hana.
"...Huh? Okay."
Caught off guard, I sat down anyway.
I snuck a peek at U Hana's face—it wasn't great.
'...Wasn't she smiling just a second ago?'
The mood had seemed fine before I sat. Was it because of me?
Meanwhile, Jae-hyun tapped the table.
"Start with an explanation."
"Explanation for what?"
"How'd you fool us so perfectly and become an actor? Spill the reason."
Before I could respond, Hyun-soo next to Jae-hyun jumped in.
"Not fooled— just didn't tell us. Honestly, weren't all those times you turned down hanging out because of this?"
His tone felt kinda protective.
Jae-hyun shot back,
"Oh, come on, who doesn't know that? If not now, when do I get to roast Lee Min-woo?"
Then Lee Seol spoke up.
"Why didn't you tell Hana? We wouldn't get it, but she deserved to know, right?"
"... ."
"You met up with her over break, but not us."
My first thought: ...Why's U Hana coming up here?
It felt as random as when she'd yanked my arm earlier.
I paused, then answered,
"Embarrassed if I told you and it flopped."
Jae-hyun reacted instantly.
"Ooh... honest. I respect it."
He seemed to sense the awkwardness too and was trying to smooth things over.
Conversation flowed back to normal after that, though Lee Seol kept bringing up U Hana now and then.
Then, out of nowhere, U Hana beside me grabbed Lee Seol's arm and shot up.
"Gonna talk to her real quick."
Her voice was casual, but her face was nearly blank. When U Hana got like that, she came off ice-cold, like zero emotions.
Lee Seol got dragged up without a word, and they headed out the cafe door.
I stared at the closed door for a moment, then asked the guys,
"What was that about?"
Jae-hyun and Hyun-soo exchanged glances and shrugged in unison.
"Beats us."
Didn't seem like a lie.
A little later, they came back. U Hana looked relieved, while Lee Seol was super sulky.
...She got chewed out. Obvious to anyone.
"What'd you talk about?"
U Hana sat back beside me, her dark mood vanishing like a lie as she asked brightly. Lee Seol quietly took her spot next to U Hana.
Things stayed chill after that, chatting like usual until we left the cafe.
"So when can we see Lee Min-woo now?"
"After school starts?"
"Don't forget—you definitely said you'd play soccer with us next time."
"Yeah, I'll make time."
We walked together until we naturally split. Jae-hyun, Hyun-soo, and Lee Seol headed one way since they lived nearby; U Hana and I shared the path a bit longer before parting.
Our footsteps and the soft rustle of our padded jackets were all that broke the silence. Suddenly, U Hana spoke up like something had just hit her. Her breath fogged faintly in the winter air.
"The clothes I borrowed last time... they're all washed. When should I return them?"
"Anytime before school starts—you know where I live."
"Cool?"
"Yeah."
She buried her mouth in her jacket collar and let out a small laugh.
"Sweet. ...Heh. Miss Da-kyung already."
"When'd you get so close?"
"Followed each other online too."
Then she asked cautiously,
"You weren't uncomfortable today, right?"
"......Not really?"
"Okay?"
I knew she meant her talk with Lee Seol, but I shook my head, and she dropped it.
Sure, it almost got awkward, but she'd pulled Lee Seol out before that, and nothing else happened.
We chatted as we walked, and soon the fork in the road approached. Time to split.
That's when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out on instinct and checked the screen.
A message from Lee Seol.
I looked up right away. Perfect timing—we were just about to part.
She'd been watching me check my phone, and when I lifted my head, our eyes met. She just smiled.
"I'm off?"
"Yeah, see ya."
I let U Hana go first, then glanced back at my phone.
I replied that I got it and looked up—U Hana, who I'd thought had left, was standing there quietly.
"...You scared me."
"Spooked?"
U Hana widened her eyes like she was the surprised one.
"Nah... just checking on the cafe gig."
"Oh, right. She said normally no, but after seeing you, wants to talk."
"For real? So I wait for her call?"
"Just in case—here's her number."
I gave her the contact, and U Hana waved as she finally headed off.
"For real now. If I come back, I'm a ghost, okay?"
"What are you, in elementary school?"
"You jumped earlier. Anyway, bye~"
I watched her disappear around the corner, then turned and walked the opposite way. At the spot where we'd split from Jae-hyun's group earlier, Lee Seol was waiting, shoulders slightly hunched against the cold.
As I got close, she looked up at the sound.
Her eyes narrowed the second she saw me.
"How far'd you go?"
"What's with the secret summon?"
"Not secret... Sounds weird if I say it like that."
She cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ahem."
After a couple fake coughs and some eye-rolling, she spoke up stiffly.
"Uh... sorry."
"For what?"
"Today. For acting weird and killing the vibe. My bad."
I got what she meant right away. Probably about keep mentioning U Hana at the cafe.
"So you really got scolded when you went out with her?"
"Not scolded... more like we talked."
Then she suddenly ruffled her hair roughly.
"Argh, why do I keep messing up around you?"
"...Gonna make it up to me later somehow?"
Lee Seol perked up.
"Yeah, say it. What?"
"Kidding. But wild—you pulled the exact same stunt I did. I've taken the hit a few times, so we're even."
"Oh...... right. So now you get how awkward I felt."
"That's how it works, huh."
"Yeah. Suddenly not sorry anymore. Funny bringing up Hana."
"Uh......"
Lee Seol looked at me and snorted.
"Scared ya. Thought we'd actually fight?"
"Nah. Just worried about your friendship."
"Ugh."
She laughed in exasperation.
"Not backing down at all."
She lightly punched my chest with her fist. The thick coat dulled it completely.
With that whole mess over... the air got awkwardly thick.
"But uh... you were good at acting."
"For real? Thanks."
"My help count for anything?"
"A ton."
"Like, a lot a ton......"
"Yeah, a lot a ton."
It was true—her help had been huge. No denying it.
But seeing her fish for confirmation made me uneasy.
......What does she wanna hear?
"Anything else?"
"Nah, that's it."
Lee Seol shook her head like it was no big deal.
......Just wants some acknowledgment?
She kicked at the ground with her toe, then spoke again.
"Once school's back, we won't even talk like this."
"Why not?"
"Gotta be careful. Image to manage now."
Right—her parents were actors. She probably knew this stuff way better than me, growing up as a famous actor's kid.
"Dunno. Kinda looking forward to it."
"The superstar's glamorous school life?"
"Did that freshman year—kinda over it."
"Ooh...... getting cheeky now?"
Obviously joking, since I knew sophomore year would be eventful.
"Kinda reminds me of that role now."
"Kim Yul?"
"Yeah. Show me?"
"Serious?"
"Nah."
"You showed me last time."
"Huh?"
"You said it was cringy, don't."
"Oh... uh? Did I? Dunno."
Total play-pretend...
But this pointless back-and-forth meant we'd run out of things to say.
I got why she couldn't leave after apologizing—the awkwardness—but it was time.
I pulled my hands from my jacket pockets.
"Go home."
"Yeah, heading out. Bai."
She waved loosely and turned, but paused and spun back.
"Oh, wanna come to the play?"
"Huh? How'd you know?"
"Hana mentioned it. We're going too. She didn't tell you?"
"Nope."
The Yeoul theater club's winter break performance.
I'd mentioned it offhand to U Hana that rainy day we bumped into each other.
......No chance to bring it up after?
"Might not be able to go freely though."
"Know a guy."
Ah, right—Lee Seol had surprisingly wide connections. Pretty chill personality too.
U Hana was similar, just softer and sweeter.
"Let's go together. ......Oh. Weird going with two girls? That's why Hana didn't say."
I thought for a sec.
"Nah, should be fine. Not a huge crowd anyway."
True story.
Just teachers, a few kids during break, and invited friends for the show.
I said casually,
"See it together."
(Lee Seol Illust)
