The Poisoned Proposition
After that, Baek Rahui kept coming without fail. Not a single day went by without her visit. She didn't linger like the usual cafe study crowd, nursing a single iced americano for hours, but she had a habit of pestering me with questions.
"So, what kind of hobbies do you enjoy?"
"Hmm. I like reading books."
"I-I see... That makes sense. I've seen you with books a few times... Then, do you have any favorite foods?"
She was prone to striking up conversations like this, and if the flow continued, there was always the risk of a slip-up. I didn't think Baek Rahui was sharp enough to deliberately fish for mistakes, but the situation still left a bad taste.
Why not just kick her out, then? 'How am I supposed to throw out my only customer...'
Surprisingly enough, that was the reality. A full week had already passed, yet there was still no sign of any other customers. I'd even stocked premium beans without worrying about margins, all for the sake of providing a comfortable space...!
"...You seem to be in a worse mood than usual today?"
Baek Rahui tilted her head as she studied my gloomy expression.
"Is something wrong?"
"...Fewer customers are coming than I expected."
"Aah...."
Baek Rahui's face twisted with guilt.
"You only just opened! People probably don't even know this cafe exists yet."
"...What should I do to let them know?"
"Um... well... promotion? Something like that?"
Promotion... right.
"I did upload a few photos to the map app, at least."
"Could you show me?"
I pulled out my smartphone and opened the map app for her. After quietly examining the photos, she pressed a hand to her forehead.
"...So there are things even you can't do, Sunbae."
"What?"
"It was just to myself."
She crossed her arms in thought and glanced around the cafe. Before long, she spoke up again.
"If you're okay with it, Sunbae, would you mind if I took some photos?"
"Of course."
At my ready agreement, Baek Rahui immediately pulled out her smartphone as if she'd been waiting for the chance.
"Hmm... The composition would work better like this... Ah, could you lower the lighting a bit? For the camera to capture it properly..."
Click, click. The cheerful shutter sounds rang out pleasantly. Baek Rahui even dropped to one knee, angling the lens from a low perspective.
"Wow, this is incredible. Sunbae, look at this. The atmosphere is unreal."
"Can I see?"
On the screen, the dark teal walls framed gently rippling water and warm yellow light spreading across the surface. It looked genuinely atmospheric. No, honestly—it looked good. I stared at Baek Rahui in surprise. Since when did she have this kind of skill?
"Pardon me. College girls are first-rate when it comes to photography, you know."
"...."
"I'll edit these a little and send them over. Ah, for that..."
She hesitated, lips moving uncertainly.
"...I think we'll need to exchange phone numbers... Would that be all right?"
Phone numbers... After a brief pause, I nodded. Sharing a number shouldn't cause any real problems, and even if not today, there would inevitably come a time when we'd need to exchange them anyway.
Once the numbers were swapped, Baek Rahui beamed.
"I'll text you once I'm done editing."
With that, she left the cafe. I checked the time. It was already past nine. Closing time was approaching, but I made no move to clean up. Instead, I brewed two cups of coffee and sat down at an empty table.
Before long, the door opened and a new customer entered.
"Excuse me..."
It was a man in ragged clothes. His appearance spoke of a grueling journey—his outfit was little more than rags, and a foul stench wafted from him even from a distance, as though he hadn't washed in days.
This was what people called a troublemaker. Still, it was fortunate there were no other customers. One wrong move and complaints would have flooded in all at once.
"I'm sorry, sir. We're about to close."
At my words, the man grinned widely.
"Don't worry. I'll leave as soon as I'm done with my business."
"Whatever it is, I'd appreciate it if you made it quick."
"It won't take long."
The man sat across from me. The two iced americanos I'd brewed sat on the table between us.
"Looks like you had a customer earlier."
"Yes. Would you like one?"
"I don't have any money."
"Consider it part of the opening celebration."
"Hoo. So you're a boss who knows how to run a business."
Of course. I leisurely sipped my coffee. There was something special about coffee after a long, exhausting day.
Thud. The man placed a dagger on the table. A blue aura radiated from the blade. A real weapon... no, an artifact used by ability users.
"Since we're both busy, I'll keep this short."
"...."
"What's your relationship with the woman who's been coming in and out of your cafe?"
He meant Baek Rahui.
"We're university sunbae and hoobae."
"Sunbae-hoobae...? Puh, puhahahahaha!"
The man's eyes widened at my answer before he burst into rough laughter. He laughed so hard that tears welled in the corners of his eyes, then wiped them away with the back of his hand.
"Haa... That's really fucking funny."
"...."
"Listen. Just so there's no misunderstanding... That person isn't your hoobae. That bitch is a monster. A real monster."
I listened in silence.
"It's not a metaphor. Truly. Because of that monstrous bitch, most of my colleagues are dead. And now it's my turn."
His voice trembled with fear.
"Sir."
"Yes."
"Instead of saving one life, how about helping me out?"
The man pulled a small glass vial from his coat and slid it across the table. Black liquid sloshed inside.
"It's a poison that temporarily suppresses aura. Tomorrow, when that bitch comes, just put this in her americano."
Hmm... I stroked my chin. Naturally, the offer wasn't worth considering. Still, there were things I needed to ask before ending this conversation. While he still believed I was just an ordinary cafe owner, this was the perfect moment.
"Before that... I feel like I'm shouldering quite a significant risk here."
At my words, the man's eyes sharpened.
"Even so, I'm the chief researcher affiliated with the Hanseong Group."
"...."
"If you cooperate properly, I can promise you appropriate compensation."
I relaxed my expression and smiled softly.
"Of course, that's important. But I can't ignore the risks if something goes wrong. For instance, if word about this incident spreads... that could become quite troublesome, don't you think?"
"Ah, if that's what you're worried about, there's no need. Not a single person knows I'm here."
Good. I closed my eyes and expanded my senses, scanning a five-kilometer radius around the cafe.
'...Nothing.'
The moment I confirmed no one had followed him, I finally set my coffee cup down.
"That's unfortunate."
"Huh...?"
Shrrrrk! The intangible chains binding my body began to unravel. I felt the fragments of immense power sealed deep within the abyss returning to me in full.
"Y-you're an ability user...!"
The man belatedly realized the danger and tried to manifest his aura, reaching for his sword—but at that moment.
Crack.
The upper half of his body vanished. Blood from the severed cross-section hung suspended in the air. I flicked the droplet that had stopped right in front of my nose.
"Consider it karma."
The Prometheus Project had claimed thousands of lives in less than ten years. For someone responsible for that tragedy, this punishment felt almost too mild.
I took another sip of coffee. Just then, my smartphone buzzed.
[Hello Sunbae :> It's Baek Rahui! I realized I got your number earlier but didn't message you separately. You can save this number! I'm texting at closing time since you might be busy!]
It was unnecessarily long...
*
Baek Rahui smiled brightly and rested her hand against her cheek.
"Hehe..."
Looking down at the gallery full of cafe photos, the corners of her mouth curled upward until they nearly reached her ears. It was the first time. She, who had always stood behind Sunbae and only received protection, had finally been able to help him. It was nothing more than taking a few photos and posting a review online, but the fact that Sunbae had trusted her enough to let her do it meant everything.
She had always wanted to share his burdens, always wanted to be useful. Yet Sunbae was someone far greater than someone like her could ever compare to. The helplessness she'd felt in the past—accepting help while being unable to give anything in return—had lingered in her heart like a grudge. But now, things were different.
'I'm helping with Sunbae's daily life.'
For the first time since regressing, Baek Rahui felt genuinely grateful for it.
While scrolling through the gallery, her eyes stopped on one particular photo. It showed Sunbae's side profile, smiling softly as he looked around the cafe.
"Ah..."
It was an expression she'd never seen before. Sunbae, who had always shouldered the collapsing world alone as humanity's final bastion, covered in blood and dust, was now smiling innocently like a child while gazing at the small cafe he'd opened. That sight...
"...Let's talk for a bit, Captain."
At the sudden voice, Baek Rahui looked up. A woman was staring down at her with a sharp, crooked gaze.
"...What about?"
"Don't try to brush it off. Where have you been disappearing to these days?"
Honestly, it would have been harder not to notice. Disappearing for hours at a time every day—how could anyone miss that?
"I can go rest somewhere, can't I? Why are you making such a fuss?"
"If it was just to rest, we wouldn't say anything. But you've been going to the same cafe over and over, right? And every time, you douse yourself in perfume to hide the smell of blood. Plus, you keep stuffing that stiff paper holder into your clothes like it's some kind of treasure."
Seeing her colleague's eyes narrow, Baek Rahui swallowed dryly.
"Tell me, Captain."
"...W-what..."
"The person you're meeting at that cafe—is it that whistleblower?"
"Huh...?"
At her colleague's words, Baek Rahui momentarily lost her voice. From their perspective, it made sense. Every time she'd explained how she knew things, she'd used the excuse of a whistleblower. If she was secretly meeting someone every day while trying to mask the scent of blood, of course they'd assume it was the whistleblower...
"...From your expression, it seems like it is."
"Y-yeah, it is."
In the end, Baek Rahui chose to lie.
"T-the information he provides is extremely classified... Even I had to be extremely careful. I sprayed perfume because I was worried the smell of blood on me would expose his identity."
"As expected! No wonder the Captain was going to such lengths!"
Her colleague clenched her fist, deeply moved.
"Attempting a secret meeting in such a bold place to avoid Hanseong's eyes... The whistleblower you met must be no ordinary expert. The fact that you treasured that holder means there was some kind of code written inside, right?"
"Huh? Uh... yeah. A very important code."
Recalling the words "Iced Americano" that Suhan had written on the holder with a marker, Baek Rahui smiled awkwardly.
"But I'm saying this because I'm worried... Isn't there a chance you'll get caught if you keep meeting in the same place?"
It was something she'd been concerned about recently anyway. Currently, she had trackers following her. There hadn't been any issues so far, but if the tail grew too long, it would eventually be stepped on. She could tear those people apart herself, but she couldn't risk dragging Sunbae—who knew nothing—into danger.
'...Now I need to put some distance between us...'
It was at that moment, when the thought alone made her feel depressed, that her colleague spoke again.
"How about meeting somewhere else next time?"
Baek Rahui's head snapped up.
"Somewhere else...?"
"Yeah. Probably somewhere on the outskirts where Hanseong's eyes don't reach, or a completely secure secret room would be better, right?"
At her colleague's spy-like suggestion, Baek Rahui's imagination took flight. Meeting Shin Suhan somewhere other than the cafe. A quiet outskirts area. Or a secret room where only the two of them could be alone. Meeting there, drinking something other than coffee, having a private conversation not as customer and owner, but in a different kind of relationship.
'...Huh?'
For a moment, Baek Rahui's thoughts came to a halt. No matter how she looked at it, that wasn't a secret meeting at all. It was completely...
'I-it's a date...!'
Baek Rahui's cheeks flushed bright red in an instant.