Chapter 8: The Cafe, The Drama, and a Familiar Face

Seo Yeon-ho readily accepted Owner Yang’s request because the cafe was conveniently located between the bus stop and his studio apartment. Since it didn’t feel like he was going out of his way, helping out wasn’t a burden.

This wasn’t the first time Owner Yang of Moonlight Cafe had asked Seo Yeon-ho for help with physically demanding odd jobs. Seo Yeon-ho was often enlisted to move tall potted plants from the first floor to the second, or to rearrange the cafe’s furniture.

Though he was essentially doing an employee’s work without pay, he never felt exploited or taken advantage of. This was because Owner Yang would always pack him a generous bag of sandwiches, salads, and cookies after he helped out with cafe chores.

Seo Yeon-ho wasn’t particularly fond of bread. He preferred noodles, and even more so, rice. However, sandwiches and paninis offered the advantage of serving as a convenient meal replacement. Nut bars, too, provided a quick energy boost when he was busy.

Moreover, Seo Yeon-ho only agreed to Owner Yang’s requests when he had free time between his calls. He would firmly decline if he was busy.

Expending a bit of energy during his downtime and receiving food that helped him save on meal expenses was by no means a bad deal.

Furthermore, just the other day, after he casually mentioned that his younger sister lived out of town, Owner Yang packed him an entire apple pie and a cheese tart to send to her. Having received such kindness, Seo Yeon-ho simply couldn’t refuse to help Owner Yang out of good conscience.

****

*Chime.*

“Owner Yang, I’m here. You said the flour sacks were in the parking lot, correct?”

“Seo Yeon-ho oppa, not the parking lot. It’s in the alleyway just outside the back door.”

The head that popped out from behind the counter wasn’t Owner Yang’s, but Jung-eun’s, the part-timer. They had previously used honorifics with each other, but after Seo Yeon-ho helped out at the cafe a few times, they had naturally started speaking more casually.

“Jung-eun? Didn’t you say it wasn’t time for your shift yet?”

“I couldn’t focus on studying at the library. I just came to get some free coffee, but… *sigh*, I must have lost my judgment because I really didn’t want to study.”

Jung-eun let out a deep sigh, as if truly regretting her foolish decision.

“But oppa, where did you go that you’re dressed up in full attire? A blind date, perhaps?”

Seo Yeon-ho, confused by the mention of being “dressed up,” blinked slowly before his mouth formed a small ‘Ah.’ He had only just realized he hadn’t changed out of his clothes from Da Capo.

“It’s not a blind date.”

“Really?”

“Aw, I don’t think so,” Jung-eun muttered, her eyes scanning Seo Yeon-ho with a hint of disbelief.

“No, it’s not. If it were a blind date, I wouldn’t be carrying all this luggage.”

He doubted she would believe him if he said he didn’t have time for introductions. So, he showed her the bags filling both his hands, and Jung-eun quickly understood.

“Hmm, it’s a weekday, so not a wedding. Ah! You must have had an audition.”

“Who? Who had an audition? What kind of audition?”

Owner Yang, wearing gardening gloves as if she’d just finished repotting plants, entered through the back door. Her eyes, initially scanning the cafe, lit up brightly when she spotted Seo Yeon-ho.

“Oh my, dongsaeng, why are you so stylish today? Was it you who had an audition?”

“No, Jung-eun misunderstood.”

Seo Yeon-ho couldn’t understand why the topic of auditions kept coming up. Thinking he should just finish the task he was asked to do and leave quickly, he set his shopping bag and garment bag down by the counter.

“Owner, I’ll go get the flour.”

“Oh goodness, look at me. Dongsaeng, wait a moment!”

Owner Yang took off her gloves and called out to Seo Yeon-ho, stopping him. He thought she might be offering him the gardening gloves, but his guess was wrong.

“Dongsaeng, you don’t need to carry the flour. The supplier’s boss came back in the meantime. They moved everything to the kitchen already.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I’m sorry for making you come all this way for nothing. I should have told you right away when the supplier’s boss arrived, but I don’t know why I’m so scatterbrained these days.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I just stopped by on my way home.”

“Still, I can’t just send you away empty-handed. I’ll make you a refreshing drink, so if you’re not busy, stay and have it. Jung-eun, do you remember what dongsaeng said they liked before?”

“Seo Yeon-ho oppa? Mint chocolate.”

“Right, I’ll make that for you.”

Owner Yang went into the kitchen. Feeling awkward just sitting there while Owner Yang made his drink, Seo Yeon-ho took off his jacket and began sweeping the floor with a broom.

Owner Yang, returning with the drink, gazed at Seo Yeon-ho’s back with ambitious eyes.

“Jung-eun, should we hire a young male part-timer? Don’t you think if we dress him in a cute uniform, our floor sales would really jump?”

“Owner, just sticking a young guy in the cafe won’t necessarily boost sales. You need to pick a young person with the looks and physique to back it up. Oppa, your mint chocolate is ready, come and get it.”

Jung-eun gave Owner Yang a look that clearly said ‘dream on’ before calling Seo Yeon-ho.

“True, finding someone with both the body and face isn’t easy. That customer who came in two weeks ago would be perfect as a part-timer.”

“The one completely covered in sunglasses and a mask? And they ordered hop lemon tea?”

Jung-eun responded as if she knew exactly who Owner Yang was referring to.

“Yes, that person. My goodness, you even remember what they ordered?”

“Of course. You don’t easily see that kind of physique on the peninsula. I bet they’re definitely not an ordinary person.”

“If they come again, I’ll just ask if they’re a celebrity.”

“That’s the problem. They haven’t come back since.”

Jung-eun pouted, then slumped over the counter.

‘Are they talking about that “young boomer”?’

Seo Yeon-ho recalled the face of the man who had infuriated him as much as the jerk from unit 2104. Though his face was completely obscured by sunglasses and a mask, that “young boomer” who had picked a fight with Seo Yeon-ho had left an unusually strong impression.

Seo Yeon-ho sipped his mint chocolate through a thick straw, then tapped the transparent disposable cup.

‘His build was certainly impressive.’

He had a small head, broad shoulders, a thick chest, and impossibly long legs. Yet, it wasn’t merely his physique that had left such a lasting impression on Jung-eun and Owner Yang.

Even completely covered, the man exuded an aura that instinctively made one sense his handsomeness. Despite his considerable years in the broadcasting industry, Seo Yeon-ho had rarely encountered a celebrity who radiated such intense presence.

‘In terms of sheer presence, perhaps he’s on par with Han Tae-young?’

Seo Yeon-ho crinkled his nose as if he’d just heard something ridiculous. Comparing his presence to Han Tae-young’s? He was giving that young boomer far too much credit.

For one, he had never even met Han Tae-young. The very act of trying to compare them was absurd.

As he chewed idly on his straw, Owner Yang called out to Seo Yeon-ho.

“Dongsaeng, I told you before that you look like an idol, didn’t I?”

“Huh? …Oh, right.”

Seo Yeon-ho’s gaze wavered. He didn’t remember clearly, but it did feel like Owner Yang had said something like that shortly after they first started speaking informally.

But why had the topic of idols suddenly come up? He had been so lost in thought that he couldn’t follow the flow of the conversation.

“I’ll have to take that back. Now that I look closely, you have the perfect face for an actor. Don’t you think so, Jung-eun?”

“Hmm… kinda?”

Jung-eun offered a lukewarm affirmation. Though she averted her gaze from Seo Yeon-ho as if feigning disinterest, her hands were nervously twisting and tearing at an innocent napkin.

When she finally glanced up at Seo Yeon-ho, her eyes held a hint of anticipation.

‘What is it?’

Seo Yeon-ho tilted his head, puzzled by Jung-eun’s strange reaction. Owner Yang, too, was looking up at him, her eyes sparkling.

It seemed she was curious how Seo Yeon-ho would react to being told he’d be a good actor.

‘They probably want to see a reaction they’d like.’

In most cases, being told he’d suit an actor would be taken as a compliment, but not for Seo Yeon-ho. Having already been an actor as a child, and then being semi-forced into retirement due to a lack of work, it only stoked his insecurities.

However, since these people weren’t aware of his past, Seo Yeon-ho simply offered an awkward smile.

“What’s with that smile? Dongsaeng, have you never thought about wanting to be an actor?”

Seo Yeon-ho stifled a sigh. He knew Owner Yang was a good person—generous, without grudges, and fiercely loyal to those she considered her own.

However, her persistence in digging even after he’d shown discomfort was truly unsettling.

‘It can’t be helped. Strengths and weaknesses are two sides of the same coin.’

A strength could easily become a weakness. In relationships, it was all too common to suffer precisely because of a quality one initially admired.

For instance, falling for someone because they were kind, only to be tormented when that kindness extended to everyone else.

To steer the conversation away, Seo Yeon-ho brought up a topic he knew would capture Owner Yang’s attention.

“Owner, about that ‘Cold Reading’ poster.”

“Yes? What about it?”

“Why did you put it up in the cafe? I recall you saying you’d tell me the reason once the broadcast started, but I haven’t heard it yet.”

“I didn’t tell you?”

Just as he expected, she took the bait. It was a question posed to change the subject, but he genuinely had been curious.

Owner Yang didn’t seem to be a fan of dramas, so what had sparked such immense interest in ‘Cold Reading’ that she’d even put up a poster?

“You didn’t tell us.”

Jung-eun, apparently having heard nothing either, chimed in from the side. However, unlike Seo Yeon-ho, her expression was rather lackluster, showing no particular curiosity for the reason.

She seemed even more devoid of enthusiasm than when she’d answered the question about Seo Yeon-ho suiting an actor. It was as if she believed her boss had simply developed a late-onset crush on an actor.

“Hehe, Han Tae-young’s drama is going to be filmed at our cafe!”

Jung-eun immediately dropped her listless demeanor and shrieked.

“Here? Filming? No way! Is that really true?”

“Of course it’s true. Have you ever known me to talk nonsense?”

Owner Yang winked and playfully nudged Jung-eun with her shoulder. Jung-eun, still dazed by the fact that her workplace had been chosen as a drama filming location, could only keep exclaiming, “Awesome!”

‘Owner Yang’s cafe is going to be in ‘Cold Reading’?’

Seo Yeon-ho was startled, but for a different reason than Jung-eun. He had watched every episode of ‘Cold Reading’ and even re-runs, yet Moonlight Cafe had never appeared in the drama.

Even if it had briefly flashed on screen, the cafe was so distinctive that he couldn’t possibly have forgotten it.

‘Judging by Owner Yang’s reaction, the filming seems confirmed, but what’s going on? Could my belief that I’d watched ‘Cold Reading’ all be a delusion?’

As Seo Yeon-ho stood bewildered and confused, Jung-eun sent a message on her phone and then asked Owner Yang.

“Owner, when is Han Tae-young coming? Oh my god, what do I do?”

“No. Han Tae-young isn’t coming.”

“He’s not coming? Then what about Shim Ye-ji?”

Owner Yang shook her head, indicating that Shim Ye-ji wouldn’t be coming either. Jung-eun, looking as if her excitement had been cut short, let her phone drop from her hand.

With a heavy sigh, she propped her chin on both hands, just like someone lost in a daydream.

“They say Shim Ye-ji is stunning in person. I really want to see her heavenly proportions just once. I wonder if Han Tae-young will date his co-star again this time.”

“What do you mean Han Tae-young dates his co-stars?”

“Han Tae-young is famous for dating the female lead he’s cast with in every project he takes on. It’s not just movies and dramas; even if they only film a commercial together, there are strong hints of them dating.

Rumors of him being spotted on dates pop up just from brushing shoulders with a woman, so broadcast staff apparently tease him, saying he can’t last an hour without a girlfriend.”

“Oh my, he’s such a pure-hearted guy in dramas, but a playboy in real life. While it’s probably hard not to fall for someone when you’re filming a romance with another beautiful person, it’s a bit disappointing.”

Owner Yang tried to phrase the news of Han Tae-young’s promiscuity as delicately as possible.

“They say he’s like the personification of ‘transfer relationships.’ It sounds nice to call it that, but constantly switching girlfriends without a break—isn’t that just cheating?”

“Yes. Once might be an accident, but doing it every time is intentional. How angry would the person being ‘transferred’ feel if they knew?”

Although the conversation had veered far off topic, Seo Yeon-ho remained focused on the fact that Moonlight Cafe had been chosen as a filming location for ‘Cold Reading’.

‘I must have just missed it, right? …It has to be that way.’

Since Han Tae-young and Shim Ye-ji weren’t coming, it was highly probable that the scenes filmed at Moonlight wouldn’t be critically important to the plot. He had rewatched the drama at the hospital, but he wasn’t an AI; he couldn’t realistically remember every single scene.

His concentration naturally waned during scenes featuring only supporting characters, unlike those with the main leads. However, Seo Yeon-ho still couldn’t shake the feeling that Moonlight Cafe had never appeared in the drama.

Even if his memory was flawed, the alternative was that his entire experience of watching ‘Cold Reading’ was a mere delusion.

He wanted to rewatch the content to confirm. Everything would become clear then. But there was no way to rewatch episodes that hadn’t even been filmed yet.

*Ring!*

While he was racking his brain over the tangled mystery, his rider app rang. He had turned off his delivery settings after the fitting shoot, but it seemed to have reactivated due to his phone’s location routine settings.

Elysium City, Building 101, Unit 2103.

At first, he only saw the apartment building, block, and the first digit of the unit number, intending to pass on the call. But just as he was about to close the app, he realized the last two digits were ’03’, not ’04’.

‘If the customer isn’t that jerk from unit 2104, there’s no reason not to take the call.’

Since he was about to leave Moonlight Cafe anyway, Seo Yeon-ho accepted the call. He didn’t have his scooter with him, but the pickup and destination were only a block apart, almost adjacent. He figured he could complete the delivery on foot within the time limit.