Chapter 383
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 383
A few days later, in a meeting room at WH Entertainment.
【My Kid's Real Experience Part-time Job Site!】
The moment I sat down, I stared at Lee Ji-hyeon, who was already shoving a PPT onto the projector screen.
"What is this?"
Wasn't a self-produced part-time job content a bit too cliché?
"Is this content actually okay? Haven't we done quite a few part-time jobs already?"
"We-well, usually idols don't work at a fish market... so the vibe won't overlap... and the side of yourselves the fans want to see is a bit different."
She wasn't exactly wrong, so I leaned back deep into my chair, signaling her to continue.
Lee Ji-hyeon flipped to the next slide.
"I suppose my own preferences couldn't be entirely excluded while planning, but I realized The Dawn has rarely filmed typical self-produced content. I’m reflecting on that."
"Aha..."
Lee Ji-hyeon clapped her hands lightly to gather the members' attention and continued with a brief explanation. To summarize: they would film a "part-time job" content at a cafe, something the fans had been hoping to see.
"Me, me, me! I really want to do it!!"
The first one to cast a vote in favor of the plan was Jeong Da-jun. If it meant escaping the hellish year-end stage rehearsals, he looked ready to jump at the chance even if he had to be a human wind tube dancer in front of a BBQ joint.
"Shall we divide the roles then?"
Through a random draw, they would split into two teams: two "Shop" members to work at the cafe located inside the WH Entertainment building, and three "Delivery" members to personally deliver drinks to the staff.
As I went to check my slip of paper, Kim Seong-hyeon, who hadn't even opened his own yet, peeked at mine.
"Ah, Seo Ho-yun is the cafe."
He then proceeded to check Seong Ji-won, Kang Yi-chae, and Jeong Da-jun in order before pressing a palm to his forehead.
"…I’ll just volunteer for the cafe side."
Apparently, it seemed to him that none of the others had any business being near a cafe counter.
I thought the actual filming would be pushed to a later date, but Lee Ji-hyeon had no intention of letting a rare gap in our schedule go to waste. She immediately had the members change into white shirts and half-wrap aprons and started the cameras.
"Have you ever worked a part-time job?"
"No."
"Right, forget it..."
I had done short-term winter break teaching assistant jobs and tutoring, but there would be no record of that in this world. Unaware of this, Kim Seong-hyeon shook his head and herded me toward the register.
While I learned how to use the POS system from a cafe employee, Kim Seong-hyeon was learning how to make drinks from the owner. Perhaps he had experience working in a cafe before, as he understood everything perfectly after just a brief explanation.
"We are now open!"
Lee Ji-hyeon shouted after finishing the briefing for the delivery team.
As the curtain that had been intentionally blocking the view was pulled back, WH Entertainment employees swarmed in an instant. I greeted them and began taking orders, but then I noticed Seong Ji-won, Jeong Da-jun, and Kang Yi-chae huddled in a corner, whispering to each other.
Then, with his chin held high, Jeong Da-jun walked over with long strides and slyly took a spot at the end of the line.
Watching the maknae finally reach the front, I recited the line I had memorized.
"…Yes, customer. May I take your order?"
"Oh, I—! Huh?! I only have a thousand won. Wait a sec!"
After frantically rummaging through both pockets, Jeong Da-jun asked the people behind him for their patience and ran over to Seong Ji-won to whine. Holding a crumpled thousand-won bill in one hand and a crisp five-thousand-won bill in the other, he returned to the counter and shouted.
"Me, me, me! Hello! I! Give me a hot Iced Americano! A hot Iced Americano!"
"Customer, do you know what 'Iced Americano' means?"
"A hot and cold Americano!"
"…Do you know how to speak Korean?"
"Hurry, hurry! I said give me a piping hot Iced Americano!"
Seeing Jeong Da-jun enter full tantrum mode, I glanced at Kim Seong-hyeon, who was rinsing a blender in the back. As if reading my mind, the leader caught my drift, filled the portafilter with finely ground beans from the grinder, locked it into the machine, and extracted the coffee.
Kim Seong-hyeon filled a cup with ice and water, added the two freshly pulled shots of espresso, and handed the finished drink to me.
In front of Jeong Da-jun, I popped the cap of a marker with my teeth, wrote something on the side of the transparent cup, and held it out.
"Ho-yun hyung, what's the point of marking it 'HOT'! There's ice floating all over the place!"
"I wrote it because you're so hot."
"Ugh...!"
Jeong Da-jun, who looked ready to stomp around like an elephant in a fit of rage, suddenly looked pleased and retreated, stammering.
Next up was Seong Ji-won. When I tilted my head for him to order, Ji-won reflexively flashed a smile.
"Uh... for me. A vanilla latte without the vanilla syrup, and—"
"Right, one regular latte."
"—and your number. Haha."
"Ji-won, I'm going to get angry."
"Ah, right, sorry..."
Clicking my tongue inwardly at the sight of Seong Ji-won looking dejected over nothing, I scribbled my number on the corner of the receipt and tossed it to him. Seong Ji-won blinked as he caught it, then with a bright expression, he ran over to Kim Seong-hyeon to brag. I saw Kim Seong-hyeon respond with a look of utter confusion, asking why he was so happy to have something he already had.
‘That’s Seong Ji-won handled.’
I shifted my gaze toward the last one, keeping my guard up.
This was because Kang Yi-chae was leaning against a wall, watching the scene with an expression that said he was very displeased with the situation. Slowly pushing off the wall and walking over, he scanned me from head to toe before curling his lips into a smirk.
"Oho, this cafe is quite nice."
Kang Yi-chae spoke with a greasy smile.
"Theeen, for meee, I'll have a White Mocha Shake base with half the java chips blended in and the other half on top, five pumps of mocha syrup, and four pumps of hazelnut syrup... Oh, wait! No, make it three pumps of hazelnut syrup. My tastes have changed sliiiightly recently~."
"…How will you be paying?"
"Card."
Pulling out a character coin purse that he had been forced to buy by Jeong Da-jun during our trip to Japan, he pulled a card out and smirked.
Just as I was about to relay the suspicious order to Kim Seong-hyeon with a grimace,
"Order up. One White Mocha Sha—..."
"Ehey~."
Kang Yi-chae leaned his upper body over the counter as if he were about to climb over it and grabbed my arm.
"Not that big hyung over there. I want the hyung who took the order to make it~."
"Customer, you cannot designate a specific employee to prepare your drink."
"Ho-yun hyung, you should know how hard it is to make the things you usually drink."
This nuisance, seriously. Glancing at the staff members stationed here and there filming diligently, I ground my teeth and mentally flipped him off before trudging over to Kim Seong-hyeon.
"……Mr. Seo Ho-yun, who can do everything, what exactly are you doing right now?"
Kim Seong-hyeon let out a deep sigh as he watched me struggle even though I was holding a portafilter that just needed to be locked into the machine.
"Showing off my human side."
"You and your excuses..."
Somehow or another, I managed to finish the drink exactly as Kang Yi-chae had ordered. Though Kim Seong-hyeon did 90% of the work. I was about to add the whipped cream as a finishing touch, but nothing came out. I shook it and pressed the button, only for it to finally explode, splattering cream all over my hands and face.
"Here is your drink."
Thud!
When I set the cup down with a scowl, looking like Santa Claus, Kang Yi-chae—who had been snickering with the maknae while watching my struggle—spoke nonchalantly.
"You have it, hyung."
"What?"
"Maybe it's because my life is so bitter, but even an Americano is sweet enough for me."
Damn it, then is my life a pink cotton candy dream?
While I downed the cold coffee, which had turned lukewarm because it took so long to make, Kang Yi-chae picked up the steaming Americano Kim Seong-hyeon had put out and leisurely disappeared with Jeong Da-jun and Seong Ji-won.
I stared at the spot where they had vanished, chanting to myself like a mantra that we were filming, when Kim Seong-hyeon nudged me with his elbow.
"Hey, you think Kang Yi-chae would ever drink something like that? You're the only one who drinks stuff this sweet."
He then snatched the empty cup from my hand and walked toward the sink.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and turned back to take the next order, but a stir broke out among the staff, and soon a familiar voice reached my ears.
"Hello, what are you filming? Oh, Seo Ho-yun-ssi?"
The person who emerged through the crowd was Chae Jeong-woo.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm working a part-time job."
"A part-time job?"
Chae Jeong-woo chuckled as if it were amusing. Just as Kim Seong-hyeon, who noticed him a beat late, hurriedly ripped off his red rubber gloves and bowed ninety degrees in greeting, the other Black Call members began to appear one by one.
"Wow~, it's Seo Ho-yun-ssi?"
"Ooh, our Kim Seong-hyeo~ni is here too. How've you been?"
Even for WH Entertainment employees, just one member of Black Call would be enough to make them steal a glance, but with four of them—Chae Jeong-woo, Jeon Sae-young, Lee Beom-hyun, and Lee Han-ju—swarming the place, even the people who had stopped by as customers backed away a few steps as if a barrier had been erected.
"But... uh, where is Ju Woo-seong sunbae-nim?"
Kim Seong-hyeon, a devoted follower of Ju Woo-seong, cautiously looked around and asked in a small voice.
"Ah, the practice room. Once Woo-seong hyung shuts himself in there, he usually doesn't come out. Says it's a hassle."
At Jeon Sae-young's answer, the corners of Kim Seong-hyeon's eyebrows drooped slightly. I was about to change the subject to lighten the mood when Chae Jeong-woo suddenly held up his phone.
"…What are you doing?"
"Filming a fancam."
At this point?
I wanted to say something, but as a junior with no power, I could only furrow my brow slightly before smoothing it out.
In the meantime, Jeon Sae-young, who had been stroking his chin while scanning the menu, chimed in with a sly tone.
"Handsome hyung-nim, what's good here? Give us a recommendation."
"The bottled water is excellent."
"Ahaha, what a joker."
It was as if the entire staff had gathered to see Black Call; the crowd of onlookers was growing thicker. It was obvious that once they left, orders would come flooding in like a tide.
I sincerely hoped they would show some group-order etiquette and unify their choice to a single menu item, but Jeon Sae-young, Lee Beom-hyun, and Lee Han-ju, who had been chatting away, each ordered a different drink that was difficult and time-consuming to make.
Chae Jeong-woo, who had been typing a text on his phone, paused for a moment and said,
"I'll just have a hot chamomile tea."
At least Chae Jeong-woo has a conscience.
"Yes, I'll take your payment."
"By the way, when does your shift end? How about a drink afterward~?"
"I plan on never clocking out."
They seemed past the age where they'd laugh at a rolling leaf, but the Black Call members burst into laughter.
Just then, Chae Jeong-woo leaned over to whisper in Lee Han-ju's ear. Lee Han-ju's eyes widened, and he nodded before draping an arm over Jeon Sae-young's shoulder with a mischievous smile.
"If you pick the most handsome member among us, we'll pay with that person's card!"
Working a part-time job is freaking exhausting...
It was clear that picking the wrong person would lead straight to disaster, so as I was contemplating how to escape this situation, Lee Beom-hyun spoke up urgently before I could.
"No, Sae-young, Han-ju! Calm down! This is a question that could put Seo Ho-yun-ssi in a difficult spot! We're filming, too."
Whoa. A guy with his head on straight—
"How about the person you respect the most among us instead?"
—never mind.
I didn't know him well, but Lee Beom-hyun was also a member of Black Call, which meant he was no ordinary character.
"Ooh! That's good!"
"I like it, I agree! It's absolutely perfect~."
Just go, you bastards.
I'm already tired enough.
As the flood of orders thinned out because of Black Call, Kim Seong-hyeon, who had no intention or will to stop them from bothering his "respected seniors," openly set himself up next to me to watch and smirk.
"What are you doing, Seo Ho-yun? You have to pick quickly."
Four cards were lined up in a row on the counter.
I pretended to play along, waving my hand back and forth over them. Then, I just picked one at random.
"Oh~~!"
"Woooow~!!"
At the same time, Lee Beom-hyun's face turned beet red, and exclamations erupted from the other Black Call members.
"Daaaamn, as expected of Lee Beom-hyun hyung-nim~."
It must have been Lee Beom-hyun's card.
Lee Han-ju clapped noisily and made a fuss.
"Seo Ho-yun-ssi says he respects our Beom-hyun the most~. In our whole company~."
"Seo Ho-yun-ssi, ah, I had no idea..."
Jeon Sae-young and Chae Jeong-woo joined in, adding to the reaction.
If there had been a pair of scissors in front of me, I would have cut all those black cards into pieces and thrown them on the floor.
But the best way to deal with nuisances was to send them away as quietly and quickly as possible.
I pushed a sigh back down my throat and let it slide calmly.
"Yes, please wait over—"
No, I tried to let it slide.
The moment I took the card to finish the transaction,
"WAIT!!!"
Slam!
A figure burst through the crowd and collapsed over the counter, breathing heavily.
"Huff, cough, huff..."
The person who looked up was Ju Woo-seong, his hair completely disheveled from dance practice.
"I can't believe these guys were trying to drink... syr-syrup-filled drinks without me..."
He just almost swore, didn't he?
While the Black Call members snickered and laughed openly, Ju Woo-seong glared at them petulantly, pushed Lee Beom-hyun's card away, and pulled a card from his own wallet to hold it out.
Then, meeting my eyes, he spoke each word slowly and with emphasis.
"You know whose card you're supposed to pick, right?"
Fuck, can't I just pay with my own card?