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Chapter 3
Luckily, Yoon-ah made it to her required liberal arts lecture on time. She glanced around at the other students before lowering her eyes to her own outfit.
A black shirt, jeans, and a plain eco-bag she had gotten as a promotional freebie from somewhere.
But for the first time, she didn’t feel out of place.
As the professor fumbled around searching for some materials, Yoon-ah seized the chance to pull out her phone and send a quick message.
[If it weren’t for you, Yeong-won, I would’ve totally stood out today. Thank you, Mentor. I’m glad we got paired together.]
Scrolling back, she realized every single message they’d exchanged over the past six months had been strictly about work.
Maybe she’d gone too far? Just as she began to regret it, a reply came almost immediately.
Considering he was in class, the speed of his response startled her.
[Do you know where the student cafeteria is? Just head to the closest one.]
“…What?”
That was sudden. Yoon-ah tilted her head in confusion. She did have a campus map from her freshman welcome kit, so finding the cafeteria wouldn’t be hard. But why was he bringing this up now? Had she missed some announcement at the mentoring orientation she couldn’t attend?
Frantic, she searched the freshman group chat for related notices—nothing.
If Yeong-won knew about it, maybe it was mentioned before she arrived? She quickly typed a reply.
[I can find my way. But I never got any notice about meeting at the cafeteria. Is something happening there?]
This time, no immediate answer. The professor resumed the lecture, and Yoon-ah could only fidget with her phone, distracted.
Five minutes later, another message arrived.
[You didn’t block off your lunch hour, did you?]
“…Lunch hour?”
Only then did it hit her. She hadn’t thought about it at all.
In the freshman guidebook, there was no such thing as a “designated lunch break.” That’s when Yoon-ah realized: university wasn’t high school.
Since she needed to open the café in the evenings, she had crammed all her lectures into mornings and early afternoons. But that left no time for a proper breakfast, and now… she’d be skipping lunch too, running the café late into the night.
Sure, she’d expected her dinners to be simple. But if she lived on bagels all day, then tried to study and run the café, she’d collapse.
“When’s the deadline for course registration changes again…?”
A sigh escaped her. She had pursued her dream so recklessly, opening the café without thinking it through. Now what good was regret?
She became so lost in thought she forgot to reply to Yeong-won at all. Thankfully, it was only an orientation session, so the lecture wrapped up early.
Dragging her heavy body upright, she felt her phone vibrate.
A call—from Yeong-won.
“Hello, Yeong-won.”
—Lecture’s over, right? Bring your timetable. I’ll take a look. Meet me at the main entrance of the business building.
“…Alright.”
Yoon-ah grimaced. How much longer was she going to trouble him with petty things like this?
Inside the elevator, clutching her printed timetable, she weighed her options. Most of her credits were in general education anyway, so rearranging wasn’t impossible. But if she pushed things later, her café opening would be delayed even more.
It was time to make a real decision—either switch to evening operations or hire another full-time worker.
“…I was too eager… way too eager.”
When the elevator reached the first floor, the doors opened onto a flood of students. Swept along by the crowd, she spotted Yeong-won waiting near the main entrance.
A cluster of female students surrounded him, chattering excitedly.
Yoon-ah blinked. He wasn’t saying much—just short nods, barely a word here and there—but the sight made one thing clear.
He’s popular.
Of course he would be. He was stunning. His hair, now grown longer since the first time they met, had been carelessly brushed back, giving him the air of a model.
As Yoon-ah approached, their eyes met. She waved sheepishly, smiling.
“You’re already here. I came as fast as I could.”
“…The business building is always crowded. Let’s go somewhere else.”
He turned abruptly. Startled, Yoon-ah reached out and caught the edge of his sweatshirt. He looked back, tilting his head slightly.
“What about outside? There are plenty of benches.”
“…You want to just sit outside?”
“The weather’s nice.”
“…Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Relieved, Yoon-ah’s eyes curved into a bright smile. He spun on his heel, striding ahead with long, unhurried but impossibly quick steps. She had to half-run to keep up.
Behind them, the female students whispered.
“Who’s that girl? Double major? She’s gorgeous.”
“No, she’s the returning student. They say she and Yeong-won are mentor-mentee.”
“What? Twenty-seven? She doesn’t look it.”
“Didn’t you see her watch? Diamonds everywhere.”
“You think she’s rich like him?”
Just then, a male student blurted out dramatically,
“My former master… is the café owner!”
The girls turned to him, unimpressed.
“What café owner?”
“Café Yoon. Near the officetels.”
Some shook their heads—never heard of it. But one suddenly gasped.
“Wait! Isn’t that the place opened by the ex-wife of that dermatologist from Young Professional?”
“You mean Lee Sung-hee? The influencer?”
“Yeah! They pretended to be the perfect couple, then suddenly divorced last summer, remember? She disappeared from season three after that. Someone said they spotted her at Café Yoon.”
“…No way.”
The girls craned their necks to catch another glimpse of Yoon-ah walking beside Yeong-won.
Meanwhile, only one person stood stunned—former sergeant Kim Ki-tae, who had once poured his heart into idol fandoms, staring blankly at nothing.
Looking over her timetable, Yeong-won frowned.
“…You packed everything together because of the café?”
Yoon-ah nodded, nervous.
“I thought about it. It might be better to hire another full-timer.”
“And until then? Just open in the evenings?”
“I guess so. I’ve even been considering adding beer to the menu… if I can get a liquor license.”
Truthfully, the café’s sales weren’t great. Customers often lingered for hours on a single coffee, if they came at all. Cutting hours in half would be devastating. Most of her divorce settlement was tied up in the café and her rental deposit, and she still sent monthly support to her parents.
Her plan was to juggle everything. But Yeong-won’s brows immediately knit together.
“…You’re going to run a night café while attending school?”
His mind painted the scene—drunken customers pestering a pretty divorcée behind the counter. Worse, what if her ex-husband heard she was “selling alcohol”? That narrow-minded man would never let it go.
Why am I even worrying about him? Yeong-won caught himself. She’s the one who divorced him, not me.
The absurdity made his jaw twitch. Beside him, Yoon-ah fidgeted nervously, finally whispering,
“Um… Yeong-won, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll manage.”
He muttered, irritated,
“How could you open a café with no plan at all…”
She ducked her head like a guilty child. After all, it was true—the biggest victim of her rash decision was Yeong-won, stuck cleaning up her mess.
But he didn’t scold her further. Instead, after a long sigh, he said,
“…Try posting a job on Dingdong Market. A hiring ad.”
“…Dingdong Market?”
She looked up. Wasn’t that just a second-hand trading app?
“Yes. I heard it’s the fastest way.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that! You really do know everything. You’re amazing.”
“…Just try it.”
“O-okay…”
She pulled out her phone, pretending to type. His sharp gaze pressed down on her, making her shrink even further.
After a silence, his voice came again, quieter this time.
“Boss.”
“…Yes?”
“…I wasn’t angry.”
“…What?”
It was the first time she’d ever heard those words from him. Slowly, Yoon-ah lifted her round eyes to him.
He didn’t look at her. Staring into empty space, Yeong-won ran a hand through his hair, his expression troubled.
