Reality Sinks In

The weekend arrived right on the heels of my guest appearance on Yeo-eun's personal livestream.

I spent both days catching up on housework and studying, never once stepping outside. With Yeo-eun lending a hand, we knocked out a thorough deep cleaning of the apartment. The viewers flooding her chat kept clamoring for me, but I didn't show my face on camera again. Since I had lost precious study hours on Thursday and Friday, I poured in twice the effort and time to make up for it. In the end, I had unintentionally played hard to get with her audience.

As I finished studying and was tidying up my desk, my phone buzzed with a link from Yeo-eun. It was a thread about me. She was in the middle of streaming right now, so I had no idea how she managed to browse the boards and send it over.

As she said, it wasn't difficult. Pulling up her stream on my phone, I saw that she wasn't playing any games. Instead, she was clicking through posts on a web page and chatting with her viewers. It seemed that after becoming a Partner Streamer on Pajijik, she had been granted a dedicated community board to interact with her subscribers. And sure enough, her board was saturated with posts discussing me.

Click.

I snapped a selfie angled so that my computer monitor displaying her stream was clearly in view. The frame captured my face alongside the desk covered in textbooks and notes.

I had taken it with the default camera app, completely unfiltered and unedited. Even so, the composition was solid. Raising my hand just above head height had captured all the necessary context in a single shot.

"Alright, look. I told my little brother to send a selfie."

Her voice filtered through the wall and into my room. On screen, she thrust her phone right up against the webcam until the screen filled the broadcast window.

"He says it's bedtime, so he can't come on. The kid runs on a strict schedule, you know."

"He's literally the poster child for wholesome living, okay? So stop making up weird slander or I'm banning you."

"Ah, the selfie? Well, uh... my brother doesn't take photos very often."

"No, that really is his room! How much more proof do you people need?!"

Monitoring the stream and her board for another minute made it obvious that a few persistent troublemakers remained. They clung to petty absurdities, pressuring her to drag me on camera. Calling a handful of them truly malicious, she swung the ban hammer without hesitation. As for the rest, they just genuinely wanted me to show up.

Leaving that farewell in her public chat rather than sending a private text, I shut down my computer. After finishing my evening routine, I climbed into bed. Faint shouts from the room next door echoed through the wall every now and then as she continued to roast her viewers.

How many people can truly appraise their own looks objectively?

Looking back, perhaps I had underestimated myself. Catching my reflection in the mirror, I had always known I was handsome. The reactions from my mother, Yeo-eun, and the people around me had only reinforced that fact. My takeaway had simply been that my face happened to appeal strongly to the women of this world.

"Have a wonderful day!"

"Thank you, barista... You too, Jeongseo-nim!"

When Monday rolled around and I reported to work at the cafe, the patrons were no different. Customers would purposefully glance down at my nametag just so they could call me by name. Smiles were exchanged back and forth, and more often than not, female guests would turn their heads for a second look on their way out the door. I took all of it in stride as the natural perks of having decent features.

"Hey, watch this. I'm getting his number."

"Don't do it, you crazy bitch."

"Why? Nervous? Scared Jeongseo oppa is gonna fall for me instead?"

"Crazy bitch, stop acting like you're close to Jeongseo-nim. Oppa, my ass."

"Who cares~ We're gonna be close soon enough anyway."

The two high school girls standing in the queue were attempting to keep their voices down, but every word came through loud and clear. The other patrons waiting nearby had surely heard them too.

Is that the type that's popular among girls these days?

The instigator practically radiated confidence. She was tall with a cute face, braving the brisk morning air with bare legs poking out from a radically shortened uniform skirt. Her jacket hung open with effortless carelessness. From my perspective, though, her chest was noticeably flat.

"Excuse me... Jeongseo oppa?"

"Yes, miss. How can I help you?"

When her turn at the counter finally arrived, she didn't hesitate for a second.

"You're totally my type. Could I get your phone number?"

Her blunt audacity didn't phase me, though I wished she would just place her order and keep the line moving.

"I'm afraid not. Are you ready to order?"

"Is that too much pressure? Then what about your Inbyeol handle?"

"I don't have one. May I take your—"

"You don't use Inbyeol? What about other social media? I really just want to be friends."

Beside her, her friend's face had flushed bright red from secondhand embarrassment. Behind them, office workers waiting on their morning caffeine fix were already glaring daggers into the back of her head.

"I don't use any. If you aren't ready to order—"

"Come on, you're lying! How could you have none of them?"

She kept cutting me off without a shred of situational awareness. Clearly, the growing queue behind her didn't register in the slightest.

"Two iced teas, please! Stop it, seriously. You're being so fucking embarrassing right now!"

"Why are you stopping me? Oppa, you really don't have any accounts? That's not true, right? Am I not your type?"

Had I not been on the clock as a cafe employee, I would have set her straight without sugarcoating a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thing. Even if I had social media accounts, there was zero reason to hand them over to a stranger. Couldn't she see the crowd waiting behind her? Had she spared a single thought for how much of a nuisance she was being?

Still, customer service required tact; blunt honesty might hurt sales and cause an unnecessary scene. I swallowed my words and kept my tone utterly flat.

Thankfully, her friend grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the counter before things escalated further.

"Boss, two iced teas."

"On it~"

"Welcome. May I take your order?"

The next customer, an adult woman who had been watching the spectacle with keen interest, stepped up and looked at me. Her eyes held an amused sparkle—almost as if she found the rejection utterly satisfying.

"Oppa! I'll just give you my handle instead, so—"

"Shut up, you maniac! Have a nice day!"

"Let go of me! Come on!"

"If Jeongseo-nim quits because of this, it's on your head! I'm telling everyone at school!"

The girls made a racket right up until the front door swung shut behind them.

And that encounter was merely the opening act.

I had concluded that my appearance was above average, but that assessment fell far short of reality. At work, on the street, and across the internet, incidents throughout the week kept forcing me to recalibrate just how striking this body truly was. To put it bluntly, I was getting an unmistakable taste of true popularity.

Until now, I had simply been fortunate enough to cross paths with gentle, polite individuals first—mature adults capable of exercising restraint and showing basic consideration.

"I figured something like that would happen sooner or later."

The hectic morning rush had finally subsided, giving way to routine cleanup. As the last seated guest departed the cafe, Boss broke the silence from across the counter.

"Honestly, it took longer than I expected."

"What did?"

"Customers hitting on you for your number. Back during your interview, I was dead certain this would be a daily routine."

While I wiped down the stainless ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠steel prep counter, Boss stepped out into the seating area to gather discarded cups and tidy the tables.

"That's why I warned you before, remember? Don't smile so warmly at everyone. Women get the wrong idea."

"Understood."

"Keeping a healthy professional distance with guests works out better in the long run."

"Isn't exceptional friendliness supposed to be a good thing in hospitality, though?"

"In theory, sure. But there's this... delicate line, you know?"

Having finished straightening the seating area, she strolled back behind the counter. Today, she was wearing a white sundress reminiscent of a seaside resort—daringly breezy with a low-cut neckline. Perhaps realizing how much skin it bared, she had draped a light knit cardigan over her shoulders.

"It's hard to put into words. Either way, you handled it well today."

"Thank you. Everything else was fine, but doing that during the rush was pretty irritating."

"Hehe. That's the privilege of youth, I suppose. Part of me is almost envious of how little they care about what others think."

"Is that so?"

As she bent over to dump a basket into the trash bin, her voluptuous pale chest spilled forward into plain view. The parted front of her cardigan hung wide, and she made no effort whatsoever to pull it closed.

"Adults have so many social pressures to navigate, after all."

"Is that really just an age thing?"

"Maybe not entirely... though that girl from earlier definitely had zero brakes."

A teasing smile played across her lips as she kept chatting. I wondered if she even realized how persistently she had been poking at my impulses. With the morning rush having tested my patience more than usual, the urge felt particularly sharp today.

"She must know she's cute, too. What did you think of her, Jeongseo—oops!"

Clatter! Clink! Rattle-clack!

Moving past me in the narrow prep space, her hip grazed the blender pitcher. The freshly washed container and several stainless ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠steel spoons clattered violently across the floor.

"Aigoo. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

She crouched down immediately to gather the fallen utensils. Crouching down opposite her, I reached out to help pick up the rest.

Her panties are white too.

She had dropped into a wide squat without minding her posture. With the generous hem of her sundress flaring open between her parted thighs, her pristine white underwear was laid entirely bare. Looking closely, the distinct vertical indentation of a dokki jaguk was unmistakable against the taut fabric.

"Got them all... Hm? What is it? Do I have something on me?"

Seeing me remain motionless after gathering the spoons, Boss tilted her head with an innocent, puzzled murmur.

"No. I was just admiring your panties, Boss."

"Ah... sorry."

Why was she constantly apologizing? Taking my deadpan confession in stride, she hastily pressed her knees together with a flustered squeak. Reaching out with one hand, I pressed my fingers lightly against the soft juncture between her thighs. A plush, yielding warmth met my fingertips. After pressing and releasing a few times, I pulled my hand away and pushed myself to my feet without lingering.

"Mmh..."

A soft, disappointed whimper slipped from her lips as she reluctantly stood up to follow.

"Break time is almost here, isn't it?"

"Yeah... about five minutes left."

Taking my place at the sink, I began rinsing the dropped items all over again. Her cheeks dusted with a delicate rose tint, Boss rolled up her cardigan sleeves to help.

"I've got this covered. Would you mind flipping the door sign instead?"

"Oh? Right! On it."

Fetching the freshly made 'Break Time' sign, she headed to the front entrance. Though a few minutes remained on the clock, she flipped the sign to face the street and turned the deadbolt.

"I'll head to the office."

"Okay. Um... should I go wait there first?"

"Yes."

I offered no further elaboration. Yet the blush on her face deepened dramatically, her eyes brimming with unmistakable anticipation. Then, turning on her heel, she hurried off toward the restroom rather than the office to freshen up.

My earlier assumption—that I had been lucky enough to meet mature adults who possessed self-restraint?

It seemed I would have to reconsider that entirely.