TLR 03

Chapter 3 …

‘This woman…’

‘Yes, Executive Director. What is it?’

‘Was she looking at the building like she planned to plant a bomb or something?’

‘Pardon?’

A faint laugh bubbled out of him. Crows of a feather, blood is thicker than water, birds of a feather flock together…

Well, sure. Even if her sister had murdered two people, she might still feel choked up with a sense of unfairness.

Besides, wasn’t her family completely shameless to begin with? It wouldn’t even be surprising if she turned all the blame onto his side and held a bitter grudge.

‘Put a tail on Han Iju’s family.’

‘Understood, sir.’

‘Even that chubby, plump little kid. Starting right this second.’

He didn’t actually think that fair-skinned woman would go through with a bomb attack.

Still, he needed to keep her in the palm of his hand, under constant surveillance.

That way, the second she stepped out of her house to start a one-woman protest, he could have someone stand there holding her picket sign and tell her to go right back inside.

That was how it all began. He kept an eye on her with reasonable caution, treating her like a boil that was bound to burst eventually.

But then, lo and behold—the speed of the Han family’s ruin was extraordinary. It was so dramatic and ever-shifting that he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“And he calls himself a father.”

Junhyuk sneered in a light, casual tone.

Moon Pilyong and Han Shincheol. If those two were the final nominees for ‘Father of the Year,’ who on earth would anyone even vote for?

In the time it took for a single season to change, Lee Seol had moved houses and quietly minded her own business. Now that she had hit rock bottom, her daily routine had stopped changing altogether.

Yet, he kept watching her every single day.

Licking his lips, wondering if there was any new update, or if she might mess up so he could find an angle to step in. And at the end of it all, he never forgot to offer himself an excuse.

This is way more entertaining than a mobile game.

A completely pointless excuse, at that.

[Mom, did you eat dinner?]

Seol sent the message during a rare lull in customers, but there was no reply. She sighed and set her phone down on the corner of the counter.

She alternated bending and straightening her legs, then thumped her fist against her stiff shoulders. Her body felt as heavy as wet cotton.

Tutoring a middle schooler on weekends, working at a bakery on weekday and weekend mornings.

And on weekday afternoons, working a part-time shift until 11:00 PM at a café in a residential apartment complex—that was her life these days.

The clear chime of the door bell rang out.

“Welcome.”

Sometimes as early as 8:00 PM, sometimes as late as 10:00 PM. It was the customer who came to the café every single day.

Seol raised her eyes, following the man as he approached.

Standing at what looked to be easily 6’2″, his suit fit him impeccably, showing off a frame that must have been built with absolute dedication.

Perhaps because of his imposing stature and icy impression, even though she had seen him every day for two months—minus the weekends—she found herself getting needlessly tense every time she looked at him.

“Are you ready to order?”

“An Americano.”

“Would you like that hot or iced?”

“Hot. I’ll have it here.”

It was always the exact same conversation.

“That will be 4,900 won. Do you have a loyalty stamp card?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Would you like me to make one for you?”

“Well…”

The man lowered his voice, already deep, as if muttering to himself.

She had no idea why he had to debate it every single time, especially when he was just going to decline anyway.

He stood there staring at her, pretending to think it over carefully. He had his right hand flat on the counter, leaning into his posture.

Seol took a subtle breath, trying not to let it show. Every time he stood like that, it felt as though he were loosely wrapping his hands around her neck.

“Why not make one? You get a free drink after ten stamps.”

Seol pushed a bit more firmly.

Rather than watching him pretend to deliberate for over a minute again tomorrow and the day after, she wanted to just thrust a card into that vein-bulging hand and send him on his way.

As if he had heard something completely unexpected, the man lowered his head a beat late and let out a faint laugh.

“Fine, then. Make one for me.”

Seol quickly grabbed a card. She stamped it firmly and raised her head, only to find him looking back at her with his smile completely gone.

Under his chilly gaze, Seol couldn’t bring herself to hand the card over and simply fidgeted with it.

She had crossed a line. The signal the man was sending was crystal clear.

“I’m sorry.”

Seol bowed her head slightly.

“Is there really any need to apologize?”

“Then I’ll go ahead and charge 4,900 won.”

“Go ahead.”

She had spoken up for nothing and gained zero for her trouble. Seol finished processing the payment and turned toward the coffee machine.

While the espresso pulled, she turned back around to prepare a cup.

As usual, the man wasn’t sitting at a table; he was standing right in front of the counter, watching her.

No, he’s probably just watching the coffee being made, not me. Seol deliberately corrected her internal thought before picking up the tray.

She couldn’t bring herself to act familiar with him first, nor did she have any desire to, but she actually had met this man before.

‘Do you have a light?’

She had recognized him the very first day he came to the café: he was the man she had briefly spoken to on the street.

His unforgettable looks certainly played a role, but it was mostly due to the impression he had left on her.

Perhaps because of the string of misfortunes that rushed in after meeting the man who looked like the Grim Reaper, Seol occasionally caught herself remembering that moment.

The falling white snow, the chill touching the tip of her nose, the cryptic smile he had worn.

“Here is your coffee.”

“Thank you.”

Contrary to the polite words, his tone was thoroughly arrogant. What kind of job did he have that allowed someone so young to treat people in such a domineering way?

Seol shook her head to clear thoughts of the man out of her mind once again, then began tidying up the back area.

The man always sat at the table closest to the counter, which meant their eyes met quite often.

After wiping down the blender and turning around, her eyes locked with his once more. Seol held his gaze for a brief second before pretending to be busy and looking away.

10:59 PM. The man returned his tray to the counter and left.

Seol stared silently at the tray. There was one more reason why this man caught her attention more than other customers.

He never took a single sip of his coffee. Not only did the volume of the coffee never drop, but the rim of the white mug was always pristine.

The man’s behavior was undeniably strange. But it wasn’t as if he was causing a scene or being a nuisance.

He paid without issue, sat quietly, and left—what right did she have to say anything? Especially when she was just a part-time worker.

Seol decided not to waste any more mental energy on the man and simply focus on doing her job well.

That day started off much like any other—up until about 7:59 PM.

Seol laced her fingers together and stretched her arms forward.

“Seol, your arms are seriously long.”

“Huh? Not really?”

“Look at this. Mine only reach up to here.”

She was standing side by side with the café owner, efficiently stretching out their muscles in the narrow space behind the counter.

The door bell chimed about ten times louder than usual. Naturally, Seol’s eyes darted toward the entrance.

A woman with a black pixie cut—dressed in a crop top that exposed her belly button, a skirt that sat a palm’s width above her knees, and a leopard-print fur coat—came stumbling inside.

“Welcome.”

Seol delivered the standard greeting to the woman, who had somehow managed to wobble her way up to the counter.

Thud. The woman collapsed forward, leaning her weight against the counter.

A heavy stench of alcohol radiated off her, far stronger than usual. It was way too early in the evening to be this plastered.

“Are you ready to order?”

Seol spoke up, silently hoping the woman hadn’t just passed out cold.

Slowly, the woman’s head tilted up. Since her upper body was still slumped against the counter, her eyes glared sharply upward, giving her an intensely fierce look.

Seol forced a mechanical smile and said,

“If you haven’t decided yet, would you like to take a seat and look over the menu?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. If you take a seat, I’ll bring you some water.”

The owner chimed in from the side. Seol nodded a couple of times to signal her agreement.

Silence fell over them. Seol looked down at the woman, who was staring intently back at her, before glancing over at the owner.

“What should we do?”

“It’s a bit tricky.”

When Seol asked in a quiet voice, the owner replied just as quietly. She wasn’t fully asleep, nor was she causing a violent commotion. It wasn’t quite a situation that called for the police.

Thump—

At the sound of a heavy thud, Seol snapped her head around.

In the brief moment she had looked away, the woman had slammed her head onto the counter. Seol gently shook her shoulder, but received no response.

“What the…? Is she sleeping? Like that?”

“Looks like it. Whoa, wait! She’s sliding down!”

The woman was about to collapse onto the floor, prompting Seol to rush out from behind the counter.

Together with the owner, who rushed out right behind her, they supported the woman from both sides and managed to sit her down at a nearby table.

“Looking at her outfit, I can’t even tell if she’s supposed to be cold or hot,” the owner muttered with an exasperated face, looking down at the sprawled-out woman. Seol nodded in agreement.

“If she sleeps it off a bit, wakes up, and leaves on her own feet, great. If she doesn’t wake up, I guess we’ll just have to call the police.”

“Right.”

“Wait, but this is that seat. Should we move her to another table?”

“That seat?”

“You know, the table that guy always sits at.”

It seemed the owner, who usually clocked off a little after 8:00 PM, was also aware of the man who consistently occupied the exact same spot.

When Seol didn’t answer right away, thinking she hadn’t understood, the owner added a quick clarification: “That insanely handsome guy.”

“If someone’s sitting here, he’ll just sit somewhere else.”

“You’d be surprised—customers stop coming for the wildest reasons. Let’s move her. Grab that side.”

The clear chime of the door bell rang out. Both Seol and the owner turned their heads at the same time.

Speak of the devil. The man, making his appearance once again today, bypassed the counter entirely and walked straight toward them.