Cafe Dalteulak
I own exactly two pairs of shoes: a pair of white sneakers and a pair of black loafers. Every day, I alternate between them, coordinating my outfit to match whichever I'm wearing. I don't have an extensive wardrobe, so I mix and match as best I can. Today was a white sneaker day, and I always make sure to clean my shoes the evening before wearing them. Standing in front of the entryway mirror, I gave my clothes one final check and slipped my foot into the shoe.
"Ah?"
The moment my foot slid inside, I stepped on something hard, a sharp prick of pain shooting up through my sole. I had definitely checked inside them yesterday. Clatter, rattle. Turning the sneaker upside down and shaking it out, half a dozen small plastic pieces spilled across the tile. The other shoe was the exact same. What on earth... Lego bricks? Colorful little plastic blocks scattered messily across the entryway floor.
The culprit, naturally, was Yeo-eun noona. Why in the world had she shoved Lego bricks into my shoes? Was she sulking because I told her yesterday to stop messing around and go do her work? I couldn't fathom her reasoning. Whatever the cause, annoyance flared hot in my chest. She was holding me back right when I needed to head out for work. Quickly scooping up the stray pieces, I marched upstairs toward her room.
Click, creak. I threw the door wide open without bothering to knock. Sure enough, sitting on the display shelf beside her bed was a Lego spaceship missing an entire corner wing. Any lingering shred of doubt evaporated. Setting the salvaged bricks down on the nightstand, I raised my hand.
Smack!
As usual, she had kicked her duvet onto the floor and was fast asleep. Even lying flat on her stomach, her shapely bottom curved upward in an inviting mound, and I brought my open palm down right across it.
"Mmrph..."
I had put quite a bit of force into the swing, but it barely seemed to register. Half-asleep, she just lazily scratched at the stung cheek. Seeing her so unaffected only grated on my nerves more.
"Phew."
I turned to leave, but stopped in my tracks and marched straight back to the bed. I slapped her rear once more, harder this time.
"Aah! That stings...!"
If I weren't on the clock, I would have tormented her a good deal longer. Annoying as she was, I still picked up the fallen duvet, draped it back over her shoulders, and slipped out of the room. It did cross my mind as odd that she had actually gone to sleep fully dressed for once, but I didn't dwell on it. At the time, I completely failed to notice the tiny indicator light glowing quietly on the desk across from her bed.
Despite the morning's petty incident, I made it to work on time. With each passing day, Cafe Dalteulak was drawing an increasingly packed crowd.
"One iced Americano ready for pickup. Please enjoy."
"Um... Mr. Part-Timer? Aren't you doing that today?"
"Pardon? Doing what?"
"You know... telling me to hang in there."
"Ah. Hang in there today, and have a wonderful day!"
She was an office worker in a crisp business suit who had visited the cafe every single morning since my very first day. Taking her cue, I flashed her a warm, bright smile. Her face flushed a sudden, brilliant red; she stammered out a reciprocal cheer for me to hang in there too, then spun on her heel and hurried out.
"Boss, we've got two iced lattes up."
"Got it~"
The espresso machine whirred and hissed without pause. Morning rush hour was pure chaos. Moving about the cramped kitchen space, I deliberately brushed against Boss's body every chance I got. Today, she had arrived wearing a form-fitting knit dress that clung tightly to every curve. Reaching for the shot glasses she had just extracted, I pivoted my hips, letting the back of my free hand lightly graze the swell of her rear.
"One hot Americano ready."
"Thank you. Um... me too."
The next customer hesitated after taking her paper cup, fidgeting in place.
"Hang in there, and have a wonderful day!"
"Hehe. I'll definitely come back tomorrow!"
Wearing an easy smile, I delivered the same cheerful greeting. The customer, a fresh face I hadn't seen before, beamed from ear to ear as she stepped outside. Apparently, that was the magic phrase. I figured I might as well make it my standard sign-off from now on. It wasn't difficult, and having customers linger awkwardly during the peak morning rush caused far more trouble.
"Pardon me for a second."
Stepping right beside Boss as she washed dishes, I wiped down the counter with a cloth. In times like this, speed was everything, so bumping shoulders or brushing bare forearms against each other under the guise of an accidental graze looked entirely natural. At first, she used to flinch every time our skin made contact, but now she remained quiet and receptive. It wasn't that she didn't notice; if anything, she seemed to subtly crave it. The dead giveaway was her stance: instead of standing flush against the sink, she stood half a step back, positioning herself so that any movement I made would inevitably bring our bodies into contact.
"Ah, I'm sorry."
"No, no. My fault."
I let my upper arm nudge softly against her bust. A delicate blush crept over Boss's cheeks. Women in this world really blushed far too easily.
Clink, rattle. As the extraction finished, I set aside the rag and washed my hands. I poured fresh milk into a plastic cup, shoveled in an ice scoop, topped it with rich espresso, snapped on the lid at the pickup counter, and prepared to hand it over.
"Ah."
Perhaps I had been focusing a bit too much on Boss. I made an uncharacteristic blunder: with the customer watching intently across the counter, I accidentally dipped the tip of my finger straight into the coffee.
"It's fine! Just give it to me as is."
"No, no. I'll remake it right away."
"Really, it's totally fine! Give me that one. You just washed your hands a second ago anyway."
"Still, I couldn't possibly... It won't take long at all."
Usually, even while waiting, customers would scroll through their phones. But this one seemed to have been staring unblinkingly at me the entire time. In the parlance of this world, I had been busy pulling all kinds of Wolfish Behavior on Boss. I'd have to be more careful.
"Just give me that one. Please, don't remake it, I want that cup."
"Excuse me? Are you sure?"
"Yes. Hurry, please."
Was she running out of time? Since she insisted so stubbornly, I had no choice but to hand over the coffee I had just dipped my finger into.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Um... ahem."
"Ah, hang in there today, and have a wonderful day!"
"Yes! Keep fighting too, Mr. Part-Timer!"
I gave it to her thinking she was late for work, but seeing how she stood there basking in the moment before finally leaving, she apparently hadn't been in that much of a rush after all.
The chaotic morning rush finally subsided. Without pausing, I immediately began tidying up the cafe floor.
"Jeongseo, take a short break before doing that."
"I'm fine. You take a rest, Boss."
Boss, who had just sat down on a chair, pushed herself back up and started helping with the cleaning. It felt distinctly like she was walking on eggshells around me.
"It's not like you're an interactive NPC or something."
"Pardon?"
"There can't be many part-timers whose customers pester them as much as yours do."
I made eye contact and smiled warmly while chatting with every customer. Not a single person ever just coolly grabbed their coffee and walked away.
"I think everyone's just really kind."
"Is that so? They certainly weren't like that with me."
Boss let out an incredulous scoff. I knew full well what she meant, but I put on an innocent, clueless expression. In truth, I hadn't run into a single unreasonable customer yet.
"Oh? Boss, there's something on your skirt back there."
"Really? Where?"
Boss was bent over at the waist picking up something that had fallen beneath a table. The knit fabric stretched taut over her hips, accentuating the voluptuous contours of her rear. As I appreciated the view from behind, I happened to spot a dark smudge.
"I can't see it."
Boss stood up and twisted her torso around, struggling to see the stain. As she tugged at the hem of her dress, a glimpse of pale thigh peeked into view.
"Let me get it off for you."
The floor was nearly finished anyway. Stepping up behind Boss, I squatted down.
"Uh, wait? I can just go to the restroom and..."
"Just a moment."
Anchoring her dress with one hand, I rubbed the fabric covering her buttocks with the other. In truth, it was just a splash of plain water. I rubbed at it with my thumb, then gave it a few firm pats with my whole palm.
Gulp.
"All done. Looks like it was just water."
"Yeah... thanks."
Boss remained frozen stiff as an icicle until I stood back up. An awkward, electrified tension rippled through the air between us, breaking through the easy rapport we had established since the welcome party. And frankly, I rather enjoyed this mood. There was a palpable sexual tension thrumming beneath the surface.
Chime.
"Delivery!"
The charged atmosphere evaporated in an instant. The cafe door swung open, and a woman in a blue utility vest stepped inside.
"Welcome."
"Ah, yes! Should I set it down here?"
I greeted her on reflex. The courier, who had her cap pulled low, perked up the moment she heard my voice and strode right in. Coming all the way over to where I stood, she placed the parcel neatly to one side—even though she had initially looked ready to dump it by the door and dash.
"Thank you so much. Take care out there!"
At my parting words, the courier flashed a goofy, lovesick grin before heading out, casting one last glance over her shoulder as she opened the door.
"Boss, looks like it's here."
"Fast as expected."
Boss scurried over with a utility knife to slice open the cardboard box. Standing beside her under the pretense of helping, I drank in the view of her unguarded cleavage. High on the upper slope of her left breast sat a tiny mole, no larger than a pinky fingernail.
"Should we have you try it on to see if the size fits?"
"Sure. But it looks like there's only one in here—mine?"
Yesterday, while discussing cafe operations, Boss had tossed out a suggestion: why not wear uniforms and name tags? Sitting in the living room, we had immediately browsed through a few options and placed an order, and the parcel had arrived in just one day. It was an outfit chosen unanimously by Aunt Seook and Boss.
"Ah... now that I think about it, I don't really need to wear one. I'll just wear the name tag."
"It was pretty expensive, wasn't it? We should have picked something cheaper."
"No, no~ It's not that! I just thought it would look best if only you wore it, Jeongseo."
The issue was that the outfit they had selected was outrageously expensive for a part-timer's uniform. Still, since I wasn't the one who picked it, I decided to let it drop. It felt slightly burdensome being the only one dressed in uniform after she had suggested matching, but so be it.
"I'll go change into it and come right out, then."
Taking the plastic-wrapped garment, I headed toward the back storage room. Peeling away the plastic wrapper in the dim storage space, a brilliant idea flashed in my mind.
If the Wolfish Behavior I had directed at Boss up until now had been quick jabs, then it was about time I threw a proper straight right.