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chapter 3
Fortunately, Yoona arrived on time for her required liberal arts lecture. She glanced around at the other students and then looked down at her own outfit: a black shirt and jeans. The eco bag she had brought was a promotional giveaway from somewhere, but it didn’t feel out of place now.
She thought she should thank Yeongwon again after the lecture, but the professor began fumbling around for some materials. Seizing the opportunity, Yoona quickly pulled out her phone and sent a message.
[If it weren’t for you, I probably would have really stuck out. Thank you, mentor. I’m glad we’re paired together.]
Looking at the chat, Yoona realized that over the past six months, every message exchanged with Yeongwon had been about work. Maybe she had gone a bit overboard; she started to feel some regret—but then a reply came, surprisingly fast considering the class was ongoing. Yoona opened it, curious.
[Do you know where the student cafeteria is? Just go somewhere nearby.]
Suddenly? Yoona tilted her head in confusion. She had the school map from the freshman welcome kit, so she could find it on her own, but something felt off. She hadn’t attended the mentor-mentee orientation, so missing some information could be problematic.
Yoona switched to the freshman group chat and quickly looked for relevant details, but nothing useful came up. Perhaps what Yeongwon knew was discussed in the auditorium before she arrived? She hurriedly typed a message.
[I can find it. But I didn’t receive any notice to meet at the cafeteria. Is something happening there?]
This time, the reply didn’t come immediately. Meanwhile, the professor found the materials and resumed the lecture. Anxious, Yoona fidgeted with her phone.
About five minutes later, Yeongwon’s message arrived.
[Did you leave your lunch break free?]
Lunch break? Only then did it hit her. She had never considered the issue before.
Now that she thought about it, the freshman guide hadn’t mentioned a specific lunch break either. Yoona realized for the first time that college life was different from high school.
She had scheduled all her lectures in the morning and early afternoon to leave time to open the café in the evening. There wasn’t time for a proper breakfast. If this continued, she would skip lunch and barely manage dinner at the café.
She had expected light dinners, but surviving a whole semester on bagels and café work alone would be impossible.
‘When does the course registration change period end…?’
A sigh escaped her. No matter how long she had dreamed of this, opening the café recklessly like this was not the way. Regret now was pointless.
She forgot about replying to Yeongwon and tried to focus on the lecture. Fortunately, the first class was an orientation, so it ended quickly.
As she tried to lift her energy-drained body, her phone vibrated. It was a call from Yeongwon.
“Yes, Yeongwon?”
-
The lecture’s over, right? I’ll check your schedule—come down to the main entrance of the Business Hall.
“Yes…”
How long would she have to trouble Yeongwon with such trivial things? Yoona looked miserable.
Feeling only guilt, Yoona got in the elevator and stared at the printed schedule in her hand. As a freshman, she took more liberal arts classes than her major, so changing her schedule wasn’t a problem. But if she pushed one class back, her café start time would be delayed even further.
It seemed the time had come to finally act on her long-considered decision. Either work night shifts herself or hire another part-time worker for the whole day.
‘Sigh… I was just too eager…’
When she sighed deeply, the elevator reached the first floor. The doors opened, and a flood of students poured out, like beans from a strainer. Yoona was pushed along with them.
Walking with the flow, she spotted Yeongwon standing tall near the main entrance of the Business Hall. Several female students were chattering around him.
“….”
He rarely spoke, nodding briefly with a serious expression, but Yoona thought he seemed popular. Perhaps it was obvious—he was incredibly handsome.
His hair, now longer than when they first met, was swept back casually, giving him the appearance of a model.
As Yoona weaved through the students toward him, Yeongwon turned his head toward her. Their eyes met, and she awkwardly waved with a smile.
“You were already here. I just got here.”
“…The Business Hall is always crowded, let’s go somewhere else.”
He turned away first. Yoona quickly reached out and gently grabbed the edge of his sweatshirt. He tilted his head slightly toward her.
“Um, how about outside? There are lots of benches nearby.”
“…You want to just sit outside?”
“The weather’s nice.”
“…Do as you like.”
Receiving a positive response, Yoona smiled and nodded. Yeongwon then turned sharply.
It would waste too much time making her find a suitable spot while she was already inconveniencing him enough. They needed to be quick.
Despite appearing to walk slowly with long strides, Yeongwon was fast, and Yoona had to jog slightly to keep up.
The female students who had been near Yeongwon followed their movement with their eyes.
“…Who’s that girl? Double major? She’s really pretty.”
“She’s a mature student. They’re mentor and mentee.”
“Wow. Twenty-seven? Doesn’t look like it.”
“Didn’t you see her watch? Diamonds were sparkling.”
“Could she also be from a rich family like Yeongwon?”
As one female student expressed envy, a male student suddenly interjected.
“My previous owner… is a boss…”
Kita muttered softly, and the girls’ expressions turned sour. One particularly sullen girl asked,
“What boss?”
“The owner of Café Yoon. It’s near the office building area.”
The girls looked puzzled, unfamiliar with the name. Then one seemed to recall something and gasped.
“Hey! That’s the dermatologist who appeared on that show! Isn’t it her ex who opened this café?”
“Whoa. Lee Sung-hee? Influencer?”
“Yes! They pretended to be a perfect couple, but last summer they divorced. From season 3, she suddenly left the show. Hana-senpai said she saw Lee Sung-hee’s wife somewhere, and it was Café Yoon!”
“…Insane…”
The girls craned their necks to watch Yoona and Yeongwon walk away.
Last summer, former sergeant Kim Kita, who had poured his life into a girl group, just stood there blankly.
“…Did you schedule your classes around café hours?”
Yeongwon asked, looking at the schedule printed in Yoona’s planner. She nodded, slightly worried.
“I’ve thought about it too. I think it’s best to hire a full-day part-timer…”
“Until you find someone? So you’ll only operate at night?”
“Right? Also, I’m considering adding something like beer to the menu with the changed hours, but I’ll need a license for alcohol sales.”
Café sales weren’t great, as most customers either came alone or survived the morning with just one coffee. Cutting hours in half would be difficult. Most of the money from alimony and settlements was tied up in the café and deposit for the monthly rental, and Yoona was still covering living expenses previously sent to her family during her marriage.
She concluded to manage both for now. However, Yeongwon frowned immediately.
“…You’ll work night shifts while attending school?”
When would she find someone? He could already picture drunk customers bothering the pretty owner. And what if her ex-husband found out she was selling alcohol?
Even in today’s times, nobody would mock a university café for selling alcohol. But from what she overheard, Yoona’s ex-husband was an incredibly rigid, narrow-minded man. Mid-thirties, pitifully clueless.
Why was she worrying about him anyway? She didn’t initiate the divorce.
Yeongwon flinched slightly at the absurdity. Yoona, fidgeting nervously next to him, finally spoke.
“Um… you don’t need to worry about that. I can handle it myself.”
“How can you open a café without any plan…”
Yeongwon’s voice carried irritation. Indeed, he was the one most affected by the café being opened without a plan. Yoona lowered her head like a guilty culprit.
But there was no further scolding. Yeongwon let out a faint sigh and said something else.
“…Try posting a job ad on DingDong Market.”
“…DingDong Market?”
Yoona finally lifted her head slightly. She had thought it was just an app for secondhand sales.
“Yes. I heard it’s the fastest way to find someone.”
“Wow, I didn’t know you could do that too. You really know everything. Amazing.”
“…Just do it.”
“Yes…”
Shrinking in her seat, Yoona pulled out her phone. Even if she was being scolded, she wanted to at least appear as if she was trying.
She fiddled with her phone, avoiding Yeongwon’s gaze, but could feel his sharp eyes on her.
After a brief silence, Yeongwon spoke again.
“Boss.”
“Yes…”
“…I’m not mad.”
“…Huh?”
It was the first time Yoona had heard him say that. Surprised, she looked at Yeongwon with wide eyes.
He stared into the space ahead, running his hand through his hair with a complicated expression.
