Chapter 10: Meeting (1)

“Hoo…”

I exhaled with a stretch after arriving at the cafe for work.

Despite the world having changed, daily life was eerily normal.

I wondered if this could truly be called a blessing; no monsters had appeared in Seoul since the last incident.

They had appeared in other regions, not Seoul, but from the perspective of the Republic of Korea, often called the Seoul Republic, it didn’t seem to be a major issue.

Aside from the heroes who had been in Seoul being dispatched to other regions, not much else had changed.

Though people in the provinces were dying.

Well, they weren’t just standing by; the heroes originally stationed in Seoul were dispatched nationwide, so it didn’t seem to be viewed entirely negatively.

After all, Seoul had an excessive concentration of heroes.

A slight reduction in numbers wasn’t a big problem.

“Haa… I’m so anxious these days, I can barely live… How about you, Doyoon?”

“Well, I heard no monsters have appeared in Seoul since the last incident.”

“That’s precisely the problem! Think about it. It would be one thing if they kept appearing, but they’re not showing up in Seoul, only elsewhere. Isn’t that strange?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I mean, what if it’s this quiet now, only for an incredibly strong monster to suddenly appear later? What if a super strong monster shows up when we’re completely unprepared?”

“That’s just baseless talk…”

“That’s true, but… well, for safety, it’s better if they don’t appear at all… and the current situation is certainly better… I’m just feeling anxious.”

I understood what she meant.

It was likely her way of saying that it was less unsettling for weak monsters to appear daily than to live in fear of when they might show up.

Moreover, monsters were appearing in the provinces but not at all in Seoul, which made her anxious, wondering if there was a reason behind it.

It was purely a matter of feeling, not an indication that the situation here was actually better.

Still, I didn’t quite get it.

“Oh right, do you happen to know this person?”

“Stop bringing up strange things and just go home.”

“No, no, this is really important!”

What was it now…

I sighed inwardly and looked at the phone screen she held out.

On the screen, a video played, showing a familiar-looking man subduing a villain.

‘That’s me.’

When was this even filmed?

“They say he’s famous these days, like a hero who hides his identity. They say he doesn’t answer if you ask him. Doesn’t he look incredibly handsome just from his appearance? Oh, of course, Doyoon, you’re handsome too.”

“Ah, yes…”

I had no idea what she was trying to say…

Had this person always been so talkative?

“Doyoon, it seems like you don’t have many interests, do you?”

“Perhaps it’s because living day to day is difficult.”

“If it’s hard, want to marry your noona? Your noona will support you~”

“Uh…”

Was this person serious…?

“Hmm… Oh! Is it already this late? I should probably get going!”

“Ah, yes… Goodbye.”

“See you next time~”

Saying that, she hastily rushed out of the cafe.

What was that?

She wasn’t like that before. Had she changed since gaining superpowers…?

Was she someone who could even crack jokes like that?

“…”

I looked around the bustling cafe and thought.

Were there really so many people crowded into this small cafe?

Lately, the cafe seemed to have an unusually large number of customers.

When I worked at a cafe before coming to this world, there weren’t this many people…

Because of that, I had more work to do these days, which was a bit disappointing.

It wasn’t that I wanted to slack off and get paid, but surely having less work was better than having a lot, right?

“He’s really handsome…”

“Wow, look at his body…”

“What kind of workout do you need to get a body like that…?”

Given how many gazes I felt, it seemed my appearance had improved quite a bit.

Perhaps the increase in customers at the cafe was due to my looks.

Though it felt like overconfidence.

‘Stat Cheat…’

I don’t know what I would have done without this.

If I had come to this world without it, I might have died within a day, unable to do anything.

“I wish there were fewer people…”

Dealing with everyone is a lot of work…

*Jingle-jingle.*

“Welcome…”

“!”

Long green hair.

My eyes met with a familiar-looking woman wearing casual clothes, different from before.

She was wearing sunglasses, but it was impossible not to recognize her.

‘…Kinesis?’

Why was this woman here?

****

“…”

“…”

We stood frozen, facing each other.

It seemed she also realized that I had recognized her identity.

After a moment of hesitation, she carefully opened her mouth.

“Um… First, I want to say I didn’t come here on purpose. I just came into a nearby cafe, and I didn’t realize it was the same cafe I visited last time.”

“I don’t really care.”

“…”

Actually, I cared a lot.

‘I did wonder when she’d come…’

A month had passed since that day, and she hadn’t come, so I was living without much thought.

I certainly didn’t expect her to show up so suddenly after a month.

However, judging by what she said, it didn’t seem like she came all this way to find me; it looked like a genuine coincidence.

Even knowing that she knew I worked here, it was hard to simply believe her claim of a coincidental meeting.

That’s because if she had no interest in me, it would be entirely plausible, but considering she left while still suspecting me…

More importantly, given my activities over the past month, it would be a headache if she suspected I was the person from the rumors.

She could try to link me to it, but since there’s no evidence, I don’t need to worry for now.

“There’s a kiosk, please place your order there.”

“Yes.”

Well, judging by her clothes, it seemed like she was off duty today…

More importantly, if she was suspicious, I figured she would ask directly.

Of course, I didn’t intend to answer everything obediently if she asked, but surely a hero wouldn’t secretly investigate and threaten me, right?

Doing something like that would disqualify her as a hero.

Since she was known for her diligent work and many good deeds, I had even more faith that she wouldn’t do such a thing.

‘Her expression seemed complicated, though.’

She seemed to have a lot to say to me, but perhaps due to the current situation, she just held it in.

Still, she seemed like someone who knew how to separate public and private matters.

Well, that much was enough.

Honestly, it was better than her suddenly shouting for me to reveal my identity here.

As I waited quietly, she eventually finished her order and returned to her seat from the kiosk.

I checked to see what order had come in.

‘Ugh…’

A parfait…

This is tough to make.

Normally, there wouldn’t be so many people in the cafe, so even if it was hard to make, it wouldn’t be impossible, but when someone orders a parfait during a busy period, nothing makes me angrier.

At those times, it’s truly despair-inducing.

When orders are piling up and you’re held up making a parfait, you can’t help but get angry…

Still, most customers had already finished ordering, so I had some leeway; there was no reason I couldn’t make it.

I put my heart and soul into making it.

“Enjoy your meal.”

I went to her seat, placed it down, then returned and secretly observed her, pretending not to.

What I saw was her uncharacteristically happy expression as she scooped up the parfait.

It was hidden by her sunglasses, so an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to tell, but with my much-improved eyesight compared to normal people, I could see everything.

‘She liked things like this, huh.’

I learned the taste of Hero K.

Not that it was a taste I particularly wanted to know.

‘I didn’t know she could make an expression like that.’

She is pretty.

I understand why she’s so popular.

Though the aspects I understood and the reasons people liked her seemed to be a bit different.

Putting everything else aside, seeing her purely enjoy the parfait I made so deliciously made me feel good, not bad.

After all, my original profession and dream was to be a barista.

After finishing, most people would leave the tray at their table, but she put it back on the tray and brought it over to me.

“I enjoyed it very much.”

No, there was no need to even say goodbye…

She’s surprisingly quirky.

“Can I come again next time?”

It wasn’t something a customer would usually ask a part-timer, but she was probably asking this because of what happened last time.

Well… as for me, as long as she didn’t bring up that incident, it didn’t really matter.

“Yes, well… as long as it doesn’t cause any problems.”

“Thank you.”

Smiling sweetly, as if satisfied with my answer, she immediately left the cafe.

I watched the spot where she disappeared for a moment, then looked at the remnants of her meal.

It’s a tall glass, so it’s going to be a pain to clean.