Chapter 50: A New Alliance and a Cafe Dream

He introduced himself as Park Dong-jun, twenty-eight years old, the same age as Yeowon. He explained he had come to the outskirts in search of a suitable house for a cafe. Initially, Yeowon dismissed it as a lie.

‘A cafe in a neighborhood where cowbells chime?’ he thought, incredulous.

“If there’s a beautiful view and a charming cafe, people will seek it out, no matter how far,” Dong-jun asserted.

Yeowon still struggled to comprehend. In his mind, he pictured a sleek, modern cafe set against a backdrop of rice paddies, with a yellow cow ambling past its entrance. Evidently, his bewilderment was plain to see, for Dong-jun, hands on the steering wheel, chuckled softly.

“Feel free to ask anything you’d like. We still have a long way to go until Inner City,” he offered. “I love to chat; it helps prevent drowsy driving on nights like these.”

Dong-jun was indeed talkative. His pleasant, low-pitched voice possessed an undeniable charm, drawing Yeowon’s ear. Surprisingly, even this aspect of him bore an uncanny resemblance to someone else—a cruel twist of fate.

“So, people come simply because it’s pretty?”

“While everyone’s standard of beauty differs, all humans are instinctively drawn to what they find beautiful. Add delicious coffee and a slice of cake, and distance becomes utterly irrelevant.”

Dong-jun spoke with an earnest sincerity that left no room for doubt. Yeowon asked no further questions, simply accepting his words. A quiet settled between them, perhaps due to the heater, creating a surprisingly tranquil atmosphere.

“……”

The road at night was deserted. Car headlights occasionally swept past, only for the darkness to swiftly reclaim the asphalt. The two men exchanged a few words, though it was largely Dong-jun speaking and Yeowon listening.

Yeowon felt a familiar sense of déjà vu once more. This situation, which should have been unfamiliar, was no longer strange. For some inexplicable reason, his mood sank. He sensed a fleeting glance from the passenger seat.

*Tap-tap*. Long fingers drummed against the steering wheel. Yeowon pretended not to notice the subtle anxiety in Dong-jun’s movements.

Before long, Inner City began to emerge in the distance. The city glowed with a light bright enough to illuminate a corner of the night sky, revealing Grisha’s never-sleeping heart.

Inner City lay nestled beside a river. What would surely be a beautiful blue expanse by day now appeared as a colossal black mass under the cloak of night. As they crossed the grand bridge, Yeowon gazed down. Streetlights shimmered, their reflections dancing on the darkly rippling surface.

Tap. The drumming ceased. Dong-jun, having seemingly reached a decision, made a proposition.

“It seems you have some rather complicated circumstances. If you have nowhere to go, how about taking on a part-time job?”

The bridge ended, and the car plunged into an underpass, where dim, orange lights flickered intermittently.

“We’ll both take a risk. I don’t know much about you, but I won’t pry or ask questions. In return, you’ll work for three months without pay. I’ll provide you with a place to sleep and food,” Dong-jun explained. “I thought the budget was tight when preparing to open the cafe, but I never expected it to go completely over.”

Dong-jun added that the budget was also the reason he had specifically sought out a location in the outskirts.

“There’s a spot in Inner City that I absolutely love, but if I set up a cafe there, I’d have to do it alone without any staff. And honestly, I’m not confident I could manage that.”

‘So, please, help me.’

The man offered a weary smile as he spoke. It was then that Yeowon truly took in his temporary companion, the one who had picked him up on that rural road. He was a man with a gentle demeanor, not strikingly handsome, but likely often told he had a kind and mild appearance.

“……”

‘Simply put, a face that wouldn’t survive an hour in the Demon Realm.’ As if sensing Yeowon’s thoughts, Dong-jun rubbed the back of his neck, a look of embarrassment on his face.

“My friends often tell me I’m too trusting. I even once got scammed into subscribing to a cult newspaper.”

‘How about it? Worried, aren’t you? Want to take care of me?’ Such an expression was clearly evident. Yeowon, however, focused on a different point.

“What makes you think I’d trust such a person enough to work for free?”

Dong-jun immediately changed his tune.

“That was all back in my college days. I’m quite dependable now.”

‘Truly dependable people don’t proclaim themselves dependable.’ Yeowon’s icy gaze prompted Dong-jun to confess, looking as if he might break out in a cold sweat.

“I’m sorry. Saying I’m weak was a lie. Believe it or not, I’m an A-rank Hunter. Of course, A-ranks are so common in Grisha that I’m not particularly famous.”

This was unexpected. Yeowon knew Grisha had many Hunters, but at this rate, it seemed half the people walking the streets might be Hunters. Regardless, if he truly was a Hunter, then their paths diverged here.

While not every Hunter was necessarily connected to Sagyeol, Yeowon’s current predicament demanded he avoid even the slightest possibility.

“Huh? Ack! That’s dangerous! Don’t pull the door handle!”

The door, locked by the car’s speed, wouldn’t open. *Thump, thump*. He tried a few more times to no avail. Yeowon stared at Dong-jun with cold eyes. ‘Stop the car. Or I’ll break it.’ Though unsaid, the words echoed in Dong-jun’s ears.

“Ah, don’t do that. At least think about it for a moment, please.”

Dong-jun, now in a desperate position, let out a pained groan.

“Once the cafe is stable, I’ll pay you all your back wages.”

“……”

“Right. Want to see the cafe spot I picked out? You can decide after you see it.”

“No, thank you—”

The steering wheel sharply swerved. Yeowon quickly clamped his mouth shut, narrowly avoiding biting his tongue or the inside of his cheek.

The car sped through the city as if in a race. They arrived at a corner of a lakeside park, illuminated by streetlights. Perhaps due to the deep night, the empty building, its windows taped with X-marks, exuded a gloomy aura. Even the ‘FOR SALE’ sign seemed ominous.

The man, however, gazed at the building with a desperate expression, one that eerily resembled Sagyeol’s when he looked at Yeowon.

“If you help me, I can quit being a Hunter and open a cafe here.”

Quitting his life as a Hunter. That, it seemed, was the man’s true objective.

“It’s been my long-cherished dream.”

A fervent desire to achieve something. Yeowon had such things too. Yet, they differed greatly from this man’s. So vastly different, in fact, that comparing them felt pitiful. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say he had no such dreams at all.

Snow silently fell, leaving traces on his shoulders and the crown of his head. Watching it, Yeowon mused that he seemed drawn to what he lacked.

“You said you wouldn’t ask anything?”

Dong-jun nodded. Yeowon, preparing for a lengthy explanation, mentally organized his thoughts.

“I’m… being hunted. My pursuer is someone with immense power in Grisha.”

“Then you’ll need a good hiding place. Wouldn’t a small cafe be perfect?”

The answer was direct, devoid of any hesitation. Yeowon sighed. He had thought he was standing firm, but it now seemed he had been swayed by this man all along.

Still, it was too late to back out. Yeowon grasped Dong-jun’s outstretched hand. From that day forward, he resided in Dong-jun’s home.

He didn’t just idle his time away. He accompanied Dong-jun to select materials and decor, and helped clean after the remodeling, doing his best in every way he could.

“You’ll need a new name to work at the cafe,” Dong-jun remarked, leaning against a mop handle, hands clasped over it. Yeowon, diligently wiping a table with a rag, turned to him with a look that clearly asked, ‘What nonsense is this man spouting now?’

“You’re on the run, right? So you can’t use your real name. Let’s make a name tag with a nickname just for the cafe. If we call it a concept, no one will think it’s strange.”

At some point, Dong-jun had naturally started speaking informally. Yeowon simply let it be. But Dong-jun, eyes wide, insisted with absurd stubbornness that since they were the same age, if he spoke informally, Yeowon should too. Too bothered to argue, Yeowon reluctantly agreed.

“…You just want to do that, don’t you?”

“Nonsense. This is purely for your benefit.”

‘At least try to look less eager when you say that,’ Yeowon’s gaze implied. However, Dong-jun, already accustomed to Yeowon’s murderous aura, was completely unfazed. He cheerfully ignored the comment and continued to chatter.

“I’ve picked out a few options. The cafe name is Ifrit, right? That means an ancient spirit, and there are four more: Marid, Shaitan, Jinn, Jann. Pick one.”

‘He’s decided,’ Yeowon thought. The sheer determination that Dong-jun would simply pick one and have a name tag made if he refused was palpable. Yeowon chose ‘Jinn,’ the most unassuming option.

“Hmm. But Jinn is plural, so to be proper, it should be Jinni, I think… What do you say? Want to be a genie from a lamp?”

“……”

“It’s a joke, so please don’t look at me like that.”

Despite his words, Dong-jun himself used his real name, claiming it was a manager’s privilege. Once again, Yeowon cast a look of unadulterated contempt.