Chapter 10: A Man Full of Contradictions

“That can’t be.”

“‘That can’t be’?

The fact that you’ve been single all this time is what’s stranger.”

Bae Jun-ho was currently Seon Woo-min’s closest friend, almost his only friend and acquaintance, but Woo-min hadn’t revealed his sexual orientation even to him.

His “ordinary person cosplay” wasn’t limited just to his hobby obsessions.

That didn’t mean Woo-min felt guilty or thought it was dishonorable that he liked men.

Bae Jun-ho also wasn’t so narrow-minded as to not understand, but even if he didn’t, Woo-min thought it couldn’t be helped.

It was just that Seon Woo-min found it troublesome.

The act of answering the various questions that would be fired at him after revealing his sexual identity, or expending energy on explanations that didn’t need to be made.

“But why were you smiling alone?

What is it?

Let me in on it.”

Bae Jun-ho looked at Seon Woo-min as if it were something significant.

Woo-min, who mostly wore a blank expression with little emotional variation except for the slight upturn of his lips when serving customers—that Woo-min, who female employees complained was no fun and radiated coldness as a personal acquaintance even though he was fine as a senior coworker—had been smiling alone while setting up the water dispenser.

That smile was different from his customer-service smile.

To exaggerate a bit, it was the kind of smile that naturally appears when thinking of someone you have a crush on or are in a flirty phase with.

“Ah, what is it?

Tell me.”

“There’s really nothing specific to tell.”

The one and only reason Seon Woo-min had been able to stay in a good mood from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning until now, having finished preparing the café for opening, was the message from Crispy!!!MungBeanPancake.

That powerful single sentence kept circling in Woo-min’s mind.

‘Ah, of course it’s Mung Bean!’

‘Ah, of course it’s Mung Bean!’

‘Ah, of course it’s Mung Bean!’

‘Ah, of course it’s Mung Bean!’

‘Ah, of course it’s Mung Bean!’…

‘Of course it’s Mung Bean.’

It was the first time he had heard such words since his hobby obsession began, which spanned almost his entire life.

Mung Bean had always been someone’s second or third favorite.

Even he himself, upon seeing the nickname, had concluded there was no way they could be a Mung Bean fan.

Seon Woo-min was as happy as if he himself had become Mung Bean.

He felt that even if the owner was in a high-strung bad mood today, or any troublesome customer came, he would be able to accept it all generously.

“Hey, hey, Woo-min.”

As Woo-min was blending several types of beans while carefully checking the gram amounts, Bae Jun-ho poked him.

Beyond the show window he was pointing at, a customer was approaching.

It was the pierced man, who was often a topic of conversation even for Bae Jun-ho.

“Welcome.”

At Seon Woo-min’s bright smile, Lee Do-kyung, who had been about to step through the entrance, stopped short and checked the signboard to make sure this was indeed ‘Baekseok Coffee Rosters.’

Hwang Un-jae, following behind, buried his face in Do-kyung’s back and muttered “Aish,” rubbing his nose.

“Between tomato juice and kiwi juice which… just give me a kiwi juice and an iced americano.”

Even though Bae Jun-ho was standing right there at the POS taking orders, Lee Do-kyung kept staring blankly only at Woo-min as he ordered.

“The default beans for the americano have been changed to a more acidic blend.

Would you like to try it?

Or should I make it with the old one?”

“Hey, hey, what’ll you do?”

Still keeping his eyes fixed on Woo-min, Lee Do-kyung nudged Hwang Un-jae with his elbow.

“Huh?

I’ll try the new one, I guess.”

“And I’d like to buy some beans.”

Lee Do-kyung casually picked up a pack of beans from the display shelf next to the aquarium and held it out to Seon Woo-min.

Woo-min, who had been wiping a tamper with a dry cloth, widened his eyes.

“I’d like thirty of these, please.”

“Ah, yes.

Certainly.”

Taking out a paper bag in place of Bae Jun-ho, who was handling the orders, Seon Woo-min started packing the bean packs but then paused, looking troubled.

“Sir, the 200-gram ones you mentioned, we don’t even have twenty in stock.

Let me go ask the owner and come back.”

“Okay.”

Lee Do-kyung watched Woo-min’s back as he hurried into the roasting room, his heart pounding.

After a moment, the owner approached with Seon Woo-min, pushing up his glasses, and apologized, explaining that it would take some time to roast enough beans to fulfill the requested quantity.

“Well, that’s fine.

Take your time.”

“Sir, if I may ask.”

Glancing at Lee Do-kyung, the owner carefully patted the bean pack as if it were a living creature.

“Are you going to leave these and drink them later?

They have expiration dates, you know.”

“No.

They’re gifts for acquaintances.

Because that staff member over there makes such delicious pour-overs.

Good enough that it’d be a shame to drink alone.”

Lee Do-kyung gestured with his chin toward Seon Woo-min, who was standing next to the owner.

Woo-min, who had been blankly spacing out, was flustered but soon smiled faintly as a sign of gratitude.

“Yes, that he is.

He’s a barista with good senses.

Our Manager Woo-min checks the daily blend flavor and gives feedback, then the factory roasters actively reflect that and roast the beans.

As you know, our green beans are also very high quality…”

The owner, giving a lengthy answer to a question not asked, kept bragging, seemingly pleased with the praise of his beloved employee.

Seon Woo-min felt suspicious.

Did the pierced man even like coffee?

He would come into the café and, without being asked, immediately press the fruit juice button on the POS screen.

Even trying not to jump to conclusions, the pierced man’s words and actions inevitably felt like those of a seasoned player.

The type who was skilled at approaching someone and shaking their heart, an expert in this area—a ‘fisherman.’

How many people must have passed through his hands to get to that point?

Whether considering him as a person or as a romantic partner, a man like that was hard to trust.

The type who prioritized desire over sincerity.

The moment his own desire was satisfied, he would unilaterally flip the switch on their mutual relationship.

Narrowing his eyes, Seon Woo-min watched the pierced man talking to the owner.

Still, his voice alone was impressive.

Looking only at his face, a frivolous and fidgety demeanor would suit him, but unexpectedly, his low voice resonated from his chest, pressing down on the air heavily.

If his voice were recorded and sold separately, Woo-min might consider buying it.

“Don’t you have ADHD?

Ah, you’re so f*cking restless.”

“…Lady, what?”

Lee Do-kyung, who had been looking at his phone from the time they were on their way to the café until now, except when ordering drinks, reluctantly lifted his eyes.

Hwang Un-jae shook his head and opened his laptop cover.

“Hey, never mind.

About that fix you made.

They say items are dropping near walls, but sometimes the player can’t acquire them?”

“Hmm.

Maybe because they’re placed too high?”

“Yeah.

They said the height adjustment might need to be redone.

Hwang Un-hyung messed with something, but it seems like he can’t fix it.”

Lee Do-kyung fell into thought.

Then he would need to set the drop location lower or add a new function so the player automatically absorbs items within a certain distance…

He didn’t want to do it before even starting.

“Hey.

Let’s take a break.”

“Have you done any work so far?”

“I was talking to you.

My brain is tired.”

“You crazy?”

As the two exchanged silly banter, Seon Woo-min approached with a tray.

Usually, he gave customers a vibration buzzer, but when the café was quiet, he sometimes served directly.

On the pierced man’s phone screen, visible because his back was turned, short-form videos, stock trends, weather, games, and KakaoTalk messenger windows were flashing by frantically.

His thumb, busily swiping and dismissing things, held a tungsten wedding band ring that gleamed a deep black.

“Your drinks are ready.”

“Yes.”

Lee Do-kyung immediately pocketed his phone—which seemed clearly attached to his palm and moving as one with it—and the sub-phone on the table.

Hwang Un-jae put away his laptop.

“Oh, this isn’t what we ordered.”

Hwang Un-jae pointed to the slice cake Seon Woo-min was placing on the table.

“The owner sends this to thank you for buying so many beans.

Also, one pack of beans comes with a complimentary americano.

I’ll make you a separate coupon, so you can use it by deducting thirty cups.”

Seon Woo-min placed the coupon on the table and added.

“I don’t really need that.”

Woo-min, who had been about to nod and turn away, paused.

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t have to go this far.

I’ll just buy my coffee with my own money.”

The pierced man tapped the coupon with his finger.

He even seemed annoyed by this kind of service.

It was a completely opposite atmosphere from when he had directly pointed out Seon Woo-min as a good employee.

“Um, alright.

We’ll bring the beans as soon as they’re ready.”

Briefly wondering how to respond, Seon Woo-min took the coupon and the empty tray and turned away.

As he headed toward the counter, the pungent cologne scent that had lingered at the tip of his nose gradually faded.

Why is he acting like that?

What kind of person is he?

He’s completely unpredictable.

As a regular at Baekseok Coffee, he should have grinned and been happy if given a coupon, but he wouldn’t accept it.

No, it wasn’t just not accepting; he grimaced and told him to take it away.

He’d seen customers asking for freebies, but a customer refusing one was a first.

And where was the man who had been praising him in front of the owner and joking around?

What was with this arrogant, cold expression?

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