BYB 4

Chapter 4

Cha Wonchul, the owner of and Jiwoo’s father, was also running a convenience store nearby. However, the night part-time worker quit suddenly recently, leaving him stuck at the convenience store. To make matters worse, he strained his waist and could no longer do the kitchen work, which required a lot of strength.

Minhyuk only came on weekends, so Jiwoo was in a situation where she had to work alone on weekdays. Since she really needed someone to work with, Jiwoo eventually posted a paper that read on the door.

However, there was no news for several days.

Even so, Jiwoo prepared for business energetically by herself.

After doing this life to some extent, her life as a reporter felt as distant as a dream. Did I really have a reality like that? If it weren’t for Ahn Inseok, her senior at work who called occasionally to ask how she was doing, she might have insisted it was a dream.

—[Cha Jiwoo! Don’t get other thoughts. I will clear your name somehow and make sure you get your job back, so just trust me and wait. Okay?]

She had no thought of going back to work right now, but even so, she was deeply thankful for her senior’s heart.

While chopping cabbage, the man who suddenly appeared, ordered tteokbokki, and disappeared popped into her mind out of nowhere. Honestly speaking, she thought her heart fluttered a little bit. But she wanted to forget everything. When she remembered the tteokbokki they left behind and threw away, that flutter turned into annoyance instead.

Why did you order it if you weren’t even going to eat it? There are too many people in the world who think nothing of throwing away food. And after doing that, what did he say?

—The tteokbokki is delicious. Let me see you again soon.

What an absurd man. See who again? Don’t ever come back.

Right as she was chopping cabbage like she was in a fight because an unknown anger flared up—

Jingle.

The front door opened, and someone walked inside.

“We aren’t ready to open yet…” “I came for an interview.”

A heavy presence she had felt before overwhelmed the space.

As she quickly put down her knife, patted her apron, and stood up, a low and nicely echoing voice brushed past her ear. Surprised, Jiwoo raised her head to check the other person. It was that man.

“!”

Curiosity rose in both of the man’s eyes. The man looked back and forth between the cabbage and Jiwoo, then wrinkled the bridge of his nose and smiled softly. My goodness. Why? Why do they keep bumping into each other?

The man, who shrugged his shoulders, walked inside the shop, scanned the inside once, and came over to the table where Jiwoo was sitting. Then, he sat across from her without permission. The man fluttered the paper he was holding in his hand and set it down on the table.

“I took this off.”

It was the paper with written on it.

“Because I’m going to work here anyway.”

Jiwoo, who was staring at the paper blankly, raised her gaze again to look at the man. Only then could she see the man’s appearance properly. Unlike a few days ago, the man was not wearing a suit. He was wearing strange training clothes. An awkward color that was neither green nor blue. Looking at it, it looked just like a cheap tracksuit from a street market.

Even so, it was a bit absurd that his presence was still the same.

“Didn’t you come as a customer a few days ago? Leaving all the food behind.” “I did.” “You are suddenly saying you’ll work at our shop?” “Yes, I plan to. What should I call you?” “I’m the manager.”

Jiwoo answered in surprise. The man nodded his head and answered as if letting out a sigh.

“Alright. Manager, when should I start coming?”

Sitting sideways in his chair and tapping his leg, he spoke, absurdly enough, as if he were the interviewer. Even though he was wearing a cheap tracksuit.

“Didn’t you have a job? Back then in Seoul, for sure…” “I had one, but I don’t now.”

The man answered with an annoyed frown. Jiwoo thought for a moment, then used her quick wit to open her mouth fast.

“Oh no. But we already hired someone.”

She didn’t want to get mixed up with the man. She couldn’t know the exact reason, but she hated that her heart felt uncomfortable every time she saw him, and his attitude of leaving food behind was also disappointing.

“An employee?” “Yes. You’re one step late.”

Still, isn’t this pretty good quick wit? Jiwoo praised herself and smiled in high spirits. Wherever the man got a job, as long as it wasn’t her shop, it was fine.

“No way.”

However, the man laughed. He slowly folded the paper in half.

“A moment ago, the owner was leaving and told you to hire an employee quickly. Listening to it, the owner was your dad?” “H-How did you…!” “Family business. Nice.”

Looking at the man who kept letting out chuckles as if something was so funny, Jiwoo’s expression turned pale and stiff. How on earth did he hear that? How long had he been standing there?

Remembering her dad’s voice, which was way too loud and booming to insist he heard wrong, made her want to shut her eyes tight.

• Jiwoo! Remember what your dad said! It’s hard for your dad, so hire an employee quickly! It’s urgent!

It was like advertising it to the whole neighborhood…

Jiwoo, who couldn’t think of another excuse, bit her lip inside and swallowed her embarrassment. Her desire not to get mixed up with an arrogant-looking man played a part, but looking at it objectively, the man really didn’t look like he fit this place at all.

He has eyes that look like he has never bowed his head in his entire life, and he’s going to serve? He looks like he would boss the customers around!

Thinking of an excuse to reject him, Jiwoo opened her mouth.

“What field were you originally in?” “Uh…”

The man, who was confident all along, stuttered for a moment and let out a shallow sigh.

“Let’s say it’s similar to here. It’s the food-related field.” “Food? Did you make food?” “Not that.”

When Jiwoo asked in earnest, the man stared at Jiwoo blankly and smiled as if he was in a difficult spot.

“I just… sold things moderately. Things like bean sprouts and tofu.” “You were wearing a suit.” “Yes. I sold them wearing that.”

The man looked at the corner behind Jiwoo and laughed foolishly.

Jiwoo turned her head along his gaze. In that spot, there were only ingredients bought today stacked up, such as ‘Songhwa Washed Bean Sprouts’ and ‘Songhwa Firm Tofu’. Jiwoo, who couldn’t find any hint that the man could laugh at, frowned for no reason.

“Why are you laughing?” “No, well. I was just thinking about what I sold.”

The man waved his hand and motioned for her to pass over it. Sitting with his legs crossed in tracksuit clothes and laughing foolishly, the man almost looked like a neighborhood thug. Jiwoo did not smooth her frown and asked again.

“Can you cook a little?” “Cooking…” “Yes. If it gets busy while serving, you have to cook, too. Is that possible?” “I’m the type to learn anything fast.” “What dishes can you make?”

The man’s eyebrows twitched finely.

“If you order me to do it, I’ll do it all.” “What menu item are you confident in?” “I learn quickly.” “Ah.” “…” “So you don’t have anything you’re particularly good at?”

Jiwoo pointed out the main point and cheered inside.

“Oh dear, what a shame. It’s really disappointing after you made a hard walk here, but it doesn’t match the direction we want…” “What direction.”

Suddenly, the man chuckled and laughed.

Jiwoo, who had no way of knowing that Song Eunho was an interviewer who had seen countless new recruit interviews, had her cheeks turn red at his plain ridicule.

“Talking like you’ve heard it somewhere.” “W-What did you say?”

The man, with a crooked smile on his lips, sat down closer to the table and tilted his head sideways. At his smile, which looked like he saw right through her, her heart fluttered.

“Why are you trying not to use me? Let’s hear it.” “!” “To work in a beer pub of this scale, I am actually a person with way too much talent. You are not someone who should refuse me.” “What did you say?” “Is it perhaps because it’s too burdensome? Fearing it will be hard to match my annual salary?”

What is he saying…?

“No, it’s not that.” “I’ll match it for you as much as possible.” “No, no! It’s not that!”

Jiwoo waved her hand several times in front of the man’s eyes to voice her opinion. Then, the man who was smiling faintly narrowed his brows and hardened his expression.

“Then what is it?” “If you can’t cook, have you ever tried serving? We want an experienced person.” “I told you I sold bean sprouts.”

How on earth did he sell bean sprouts? Aren’t bean sprouts just displayed in the supermarket?

It felt like they understood each other, yet didn’t understand each other at all. Although they exchanged words, the meaning felt completely different, so her chest felt frustrated.

“Not that! At a pub! Or even a customer service job!” “There’s no way I’ve done something like that. How dare Songhwa’s second son… I mean, I was too busy living, so I couldn’t try it.”

The man, who finished speaking with a strange ending, cleared his throat repeatedly and made a fuss. Jiwoo narrowed her eyes and tried hard to judge the man.

He’s a strange person.

When they first met, he looked like a person from a completely different world, but now, maybe because of his clothes, he looked more ordinary than back then. Still, compared to normal people, he was someone who stood out considerably. It wasn’t his appearance, but the impression the person himself gave off. Should she call it an aura? Anyway, there was something hard to explain.

Just as he said, it was true that he looked like a person who was too good to work in a beer pub. Why did a person like this want to work in a beer pub?

Right then, the man smiled brightly and added:

“Hire me. People buy more when they see a handsome face.”