Chapter 3: The Rider and the Stare

The man tilted their head, seemingly confused by Seo Yeon-ho’s reply. They were wearing a mask, but the subtle movement of the muscles around their eyes allowed Seo Yeon-ho to discern their expression.

“So, my interference wasn’t unwarranted?”

“Ah! Yes, that’s right. I was curious why Owner Yang wasn’t here. Thank you for letting me know.”

“There’s no need for thanks. It’s good for us both to know.”

‘What, they’re a kind person.’

Seo Yeon-ho felt a pang of regret for having so quickly judged the man as overly sensitive, simply because they had kept their face hidden. Perhaps they had a skin condition and wished to conceal their face, or perhaps they were simply embarrassed about not having washed it.

Seo Yeon-ho considered it a blessing that their own face rarely betrayed their thoughts or emotions.

The man spoke again, their tone amiable and gentle.

“Do you often come here for deliveries?”

“Yes, it’s been that way recently. I wasn’t originally assigned to this area.”

“I see. I haven’t known about this shop for long myself.”

Contrary to their first impression, the man possessed an incredibly outgoing personality. Seo Yeon-ho felt as though they had struck up a conversation with a small-talk-loving Californian. It wasn’t that Seo Yeon-ho disliked the man speaking to them; rather, this kind of situation was new, making it both curious and amusing.

“But how did you know I come here often for pickups?”

“I took a guess, seeing as you knew the owner’s last name.”

The man pointed to a Moonlight Flower business card on the counter, their eyes crinkling in a smile.

‘That person’s eye color is incredibly bright. It doesn’t look like they’re wearing colored contacts. Is their natural eye pigment light, like a foreigner’s?’

Seo Yeon-ho was certain that the man’s eye color was natural, not enhanced by lenses. Having worn many colored contacts during their idol days, Seo Yeon-ho could definitively distinguish between eyes with and without them.

‘But why are they staring at me so intently?’

Just as Seo Yeon-ho was about to ask the man if something was on their face, the owner of Moonlight Flower emerged from the kitchen.

“Oh, young rider. You’re here already?”

“Hello, Owner Yang. Has there been a problem in the baking room?”

“Yes. A problem… has arisen.”

Owner Yang let out a deep sigh and pressed a hand to their forehead.

“Well, I put the cookie dough in the oven during prep, but I forgot to turn it on. So, I was wondering, could you wait just fifteen minutes until the cookies are baked? If you have other deliveries, you can go do those first. I’ve already called the customer to apologize for the delay.”

“I’ll wait. Moonlight is the only call I have right now.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Then, have this while you wait. It’s a bribe for the inconvenience.”

Owner Yang offered Seo Yeon-ho a hot milk tea. Seo Yeon-ho accepted it with both hands, expressing gratitude, but hesitated to drink the contents.

Having been sweating outside, they felt that drinking something hot now would only make them warmer.

‘I wish they’d given me something cold.’

Owner Yang, being generous, would have gladly swapped it for a cold drink if asked. However, Seo Yeon-ho lacked the audacity to make such a request.

While Seo Yeon-ho idly fiddled with the milk tea lid, Owner Yang turned to attend to the store’s only other customer.

“I apologize for the long wait. Have you decided what you’d like to order?”

“No. I’d like a little more time to decide. Is that alright?”

“Of course. Please take your time. It seems this is your first visit to our shop; may I offer some recommendations? Our most popular item with in-store customers is…”

“No need for explanations. I was introduced to this place, so I generally know what’s on the menu.”

The man cut Owner Yang off. While their tone was the same as before, it felt strangely sharp and dry compared to when they had spoken with Seo Yeon-ho. It was as if they were annoyed by an interruption.

Had Owner Yang’s unsolicited advice been that bothersome, given they hadn’t chosen a menu item yet?

The man seemed to glance at the menu for a moment, then rolled their eyes to steal a look at Seo Yeon-ho.

‘Are they really looking at me? Why do they keep staring? It doesn’t seem like they have anything to say to me. I don’t know where to put my gaze.’

Seo Yeon-ho felt burdened by the man’s silent, intense stare.

‘If I tell them not to stare, will the atmosphere become awkward? Besides, it’ll just make me seem self-conscious.’

It was then that Seo Yeon-ho decided it would be better to simply pretend not to notice the man’s gaze and look away first.

“Young rider, why aren’t you drinking that? Don’t you like milk tea?”

“Me? I love it.”

“Then drink it quickly. It gets a bit fishy tasting when it cools. You should enjoy it when it’s at its best.”

It was only natural for any cafe owner to want to see people enjoying their shop’s drinks. Seo Yeon-ho couldn’t betray Owner Yang’s goodwill and expectations.

‘I’ll be less hot if I take off my helmet and jacket.’

Seo Yeon-ho unbuckled their helmet with one hand, then removed their outer jacket.

They decided to remove not just their jacket, but their helmet as well, since the most heat accumulated inside it. Ordinarily, for safety reasons, they never took off their helmet except when eating. Donning and doffing the helmet every time they got on and off the scooter was cumbersome, and there was always the risk of forgetting to put it back on before riding again.

However, since they had to wait for over ten minutes, it seemed more comfortable to take it off. Not only was it hot, but the helmet’s weight was also considerable.

“Young rider, your ears are quite adorned! How many earrings do you have? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven!”

Owner Yang’s eyes widened significantly at the sight of Seo Yeon-ho’s piercings. It seemed they hadn’t realized Seo Yeon-ho had piercings because of the helmet.

“Young rider, all that bling makes you look just like an idol.”

Unable to reveal that they had, in fact, been an idol, Seo Yeon-ho awkwardly touched the remnants of their former profession. Before their debut—no, even before joining their previous agency—Seo Yeon-ho had never been fond of wearing accessories. However, being an idol required a certain flashy image, so they ended up getting multiple piercings, both by choice and by necessity. At first, it had been genuinely uncomfortable for a long time, but after being forced to wear them out of necessity, Seo Yeon-ho had reached a point where taking the piercings out now felt strangely empty. It was also their nature not to easily discard things once acquired.

“Is that a tattoo on your arm?”

Seo Yeon-ho’s face fell in alarm as they quickly covered the inside of their arm. But it was useless; Owner Yang had already seen it.

‘I completely forgot I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.’

Seo Yeon-ho sighed at their own foolishness.

While piercings might be accepted as a sign of individuality, many people were wary of tattoos. Moreover, Seo Yeon-ho’s tattoo wasn’t a small piece of lettering; its design was large and elaborate, covering the entire inner surface of their arm. To avoid exposing it, Seo Yeon-ho had worked in long sleeves even during summer for a while. If the older riders from the agency hadn’t advised them to wear cooling sleeves in summer, Seo Yeon-ho might have collapsed from heatstroke the previous year.

“Why are you so flustered? I have no prejudice against tattoos. These days, many young people get them, and I’ve even thought about getting one myself. But what did you get etched on your arm, young rider?”

“…A guardian deity statue.”

“A guardian deity statue? Like the stone carvings at Seokguram Grotto?”

“Yes.”

Owner Yang seemed poised to ask why Seo Yeon-ho had gotten a guardian deity statue, but the man tapped the counter, calling Owner Yang’s attention, forcing them to stop their personal questions.

“Owner, I’d like to order.”

“Yes, what would you like?”

“One Hop Lemon Tea.”

“Alright, one Hop Lemon Tea. Will that be for here or to go?”

The man didn’t answer, instead turning to look at Seo Yeon-ho. Their gaze, however, was as frigid as a thin sheet of ice.

There was only one reason for the person who had been so amiable just moments ago to suddenly change their expression so drastically.

Seo Yeon-ho bit down hard on their lip.

It was the faint contempt one showed when encountering a pathetic thug.

Seo Yeon-ho often—no, quite frequently—received such looks while working deliveries. The combination of piercings and tattoos made them an easy target for prejudiced stares. And when that was coupled with the profession of a rider, people casually lumped Seo Yeon-ho into the ‘thug’ category.

They never even considered that their actions were narrow-minded. How was it any different from being wary of someone asking if you knew ‘the Way’ on the street? While there might be a few exceptions, giving up a classification method that was over 90 percent accurate because of those exceptions was simply too inefficient, so went their logic.

Though offended by the sudden contempt, Seo Yeon-ho didn’t think the man was particularly evil. Owner Yang, despite speaking as if they were open-minded, probably held similar thoughts to the man. ‘Looks like an idol’? That was merely a polite way of saying ‘looks like a neighborhood thug’. Of course, there was a big difference between openly expressing one’s thoughts and not.

‘I also judged that person poorly based on their first impression, so I have no right to speak.’

Seo Yeon-ho knew well how to deal with people who looked down on them. They simply treated that person as if they didn’t exist. It wouldn’t be easy if they shared acquaintances or had to interact for work, but this man was someone they would never encounter again once they left.

‘A young boomer.’

Seo Yeon-ho took a sip of the milk tea, which was scalding hot, and turned their back on the man. They slowly walked around, examining the cafe’s plants. The man’s piercing gaze lingered, but Seo Yeon-ho pretended not to notice.

The man’s gaze finally lifted from the back of Seo Yeon-ho’s head only after Owner Yang pressed them for an answer about whether they would dine in or take out.

“Customer? Will you be dining in?”

“No, I’ll take it to go.”

The man, for some unknown reason, placed their card down with a thud, making a loud sound.