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Chapter 16
At Lynette’s words, Sian cleared his throat and quickly let go of the arms that had been holding her. He then slipped her notebook and pen into her bag and carried it himself.
“Let’s get out of here quickly.”
When Sian held out his hand, Lynette took it. Holding his hand—so warm it was almost hot—she moved her steps, avoiding the men. That was when she noticed something.
It looked like the wooden club Sian had been holding earlier. Something red was smeared across the sturdy wood. He certainly hadn’t spread ketchup on it while she had her eyes closed and ears covered for a moment.
But Lynette, pretending not to notice, chose to overlook it. Instead, she led him to Attraction to express her gratitude.
“This is the only way I can repay you right now, Sian.”
“I only did what I had to. But… as expected, drinking your coffee makes all the worries of the world disappear.”
Sian drank the coffee Lynette had made and exhaled in relief.
From what had just happened, Lynette realized that he was someone capable of fending off men who recklessly tried to attack her.
From that day on, the way she looked at her mysterious regular—whose name she only knew as Sian—began to change little by little.
❅
It had been raining endlessly, as if the monsoon season had arrived. Naturally, the number of customers had dropped. The amount of coffee being drunk far outweighed the amount being sold.
“Whew… I failed again.”
Sharon sighed, lowering her head after failing another latte art attempt.
“You can’t succeed on the first try. By the way, is Mason not coming today?”
Her stomach had started to ache after drinking all the lattes she failed at making, so she looked for Mason to finish them for her.
“No, he couldn’t sleep all night. He finally dozed off just when I was leaving for work.”
Every time Sharon got off work, she immersed herself in practicing coffee. Mason always evaluated the taste. But no matter how much she tried, the coffee never tasted like Lynette’s. After drinking so much coffee his stomach hurt, Mason ended up staying awake all night and only managed to fall asleep in the late morning.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“But why is it that even though I roast the beans at home the same way Lynette does, the flavor just doesn’t come out the same?”
She had purchased the beans from the same store Lynette used, roasted them herself, and ground them. The ingredients were the same, but the taste was strangely different from what she drank at Attraction.
“Well, of course—it isn’t just about skill with your hands. There’s another secret.”
“Another secret? What do you mean… ah, I’m sorry. That must be Lynette’s own secret. I was being thoughtless asking so bluntly.”
Sharon was a genuinely good person—too good-hearted for her own good.
Every popular restaurant had its own secret seasoning. Even if countless people begged to learn it, the recipe was rarely revealed. Sharon felt a little embarrassed for asking Lynette so casually for her secret.
“When I was preparing for Attraction, I visited every teahouse I could find. I also bought all sorts of tea leaves from different shops and kept experimenting at home.”
“Of course you did. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have looked for an easy answer to something that came from so much trial and error.”
Lynette chuckled lightly at Sharon’s sincerity.
“The truth is… those beans you bought? They aren’t just a single type.”
“What? They’re not just one kind…?”
“I blended them. Even beans from the same country taste different depending on the region.”
“I—I didn’t know that… Mason told me that the coffee in his town only ever uses a single bean type.”
Sharon’s eyes widened like lanterns, and Lynette only shrugged.
“These are from Ollia—quite acidic. These are from Liander—fruity, with a lot of sweetness. And this one…”
As Lynette showed and explained the beans, Sharon eagerly took notes, desperate not to miss a word of such precious information.
By the time her wrist ached from writing, Sharon nodded fervently at the mention that Lynette still continued to experiment to make even better coffee.
“This blend, in the right ratios, is what we sell here at Attraction. The ratio is…”
When Lynette revealed the secret ratio—something she should never have told—Sharon’s mouth dropped open.
“Are you really okay with telling me this?”
“Well, you’ll be opening your café elsewhere anyway. Just don’t share it with anyone else. And one day, make something even tastier and treat me, okay?”
“Yes! Of course! Oh, wow, Lynette—you really are the best. You’re amazing! Mason always said you were such a wonderful person.”
Sharon let out a cheer and literally jumped for joy. But the moment a customer came in, she transformed back into her proper, polite self, taking the order as if nothing had happened.
It was just the price Lynette paid for slightly nudging Sharon’s life onto a new path. Once Sharon left here someday, they likely wouldn’t see each other again.
After preparing another cup of coffee and placing it on the counter, Sharon quickly served it, then devoted her spare time to practicing the latte art Lynette had taught her.
❅
After wasting countless cups of latte, Sharon finally managed to make something decent and grinned brightly.
“I made the coffee the way you taught me, and Mason said it was really delicious!”
“So that’s why you were late today. I see.”
“Oh, no, that’s not it… I mean, it’s just…”
Blushing furiously, Sharon fidgeted with her fingers while Lynette gave her a teasing smile.
“You two look great together. Like coffee and cookies—a perfect match.”
As Lynette nibbled on a cookie with her coffee and spoke, Sharon ducked her head, her face red as an apple.
“Since Mason liked it too, how about you brew the coffee today?”
“Me? Am I really allowed to do that?”
“Of course. If you make the coffee, I can just relax.”
“I’ll do it! Absolutely!”
Sharon’s radiant smile was heartwarming.
But when actual customers arrived, Sharon stiffened up like a jointed doll. Having never brewed coffee for a customer before, she was clearly nervous, taking several deep breaths.
“Sharon, don’t be nervous. Just do it like you would for Mason.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After finally serving a single cup of Sepiano, Sharon peeked inside anxiously to see the customer’s reaction.
“The coffee here always tastes the same. That’s why I like it. What about you, Lily?”
“Yes, I think so too. It’s fragrant, rich, and delicious.”
Hearing the customers’ words, Sharon clenched her fists and smiled silently in joy.
“From now on, I think I can leave the brewing to Sharon and go out without worries.”
“Yes! Please leave Attraction to me!”
Beaming with confidence, Sharon looked every bit the eager little sister, even though they were the same age. Lynette nodded approvingly.
“In that case, you’d better practice your latte art diligently. That way, you’ll be loved no matter where you go.”
“The only love I need is from Mason.”
It was clear she still didn’t know Mason’s true identity. At most, she only knew he was from Sepia. Smiling dreamily, Sharon continued her practice.
“Are you only planning to sell coffee and milk tea? There are still a lot of people who can’t drink coffee.”
“I’ve been thinking about adding a few more things—some warm lattes and refreshing teas.”
So Lynette went to the fruit shop and bought pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and lemons. She boiled the pumpkin and sweet potatoes, strained them, and simmered them with milk. The lemons she sliced and marinated in honey.
“My goodness… Lynette, you’re a genius! This is so sweet and delicious. It could even replace a meal!”
After tasting the pumpkin latte and sweet potato latte, Sharon marveled at how Lynette could come up with new drinks so easily. Of course, Lynette couldn’t exactly confess that this world was just the setting of a web novel and that she used to be a barista.
A few days later, the honeyed lemon was mixed into cold water, creating a sweet and refreshing drink. It was also delightful as a hot tea.
Once these non-coffee drinks were added, people who couldn’t drink coffee began coming to Attraction as well.
“This is so thick, you could almost call it soup.”
People were charmed by the pumpkin latte, which used all of the pumpkin except the seeds and skin. Even the coffee grounds Lynette gave out as free sachets for use as air fresheners became popular—some even came just to ask for them.
“This is the new diet trend. One of these keeps you so full, you can skip a meal.”
“It’s true. I had just one cup and was too full to eat more. I think I even lost some weight.”
Unexpectedly, the pumpkin and sweet potato lattes became popular as diet drinks. Some even brought kettles to buy large amounts to take home.
“Since the pumpkin and sweet potatoes can be boiled ahead of time, it’s surprisingly simple to make.”
After watching Lynette make them once, Sharon was soon able to replicate them herself.
“Mason keeps asking if there are any new menu items and tells me to learn them right away if there are.”
Sharon beamed as she spoke, while Lynette only shrugged and smiled, working hard until the last customer left.
“I may need to hire another employee soon.”
“It is getting busier. Hohoho!”
It was true. Though there were still slow days, the busy ones were increasing.
After closing for the day and sending Sharon home, Lynette was resting in a chair when someone came in.
“Oh! Would you like a cup of coffee?”
It was Allen, the man who collected food waste from Attraction to feed to his pigs. But today, he shook his head.
“That’s not it. Lately, I’ve noticed the food waste hasn’t been staying in the container—it’s been scattered all around.”
“Ah… animals must have gotten into it. I’ll make sure to keep the lid closed from now on.”
Nodding at his warning, Lynette realized hungry animals must have been rummaging for food. She promised to be more careful and left work a bit later than usual that night.
❅
The days continued as usual. Lynette preferred the routine, ordinary days over ones filled with dramatic incidents.
“Sian, what will you have today?”
“A latte. Could you draw a puppy this time?”
As always, Sian came around the same time and left just before closing. Today was no different.
It was a normal day—except Sharon seemed unusually hesitant, as if she had something to say but couldn’t bring herself to say it. Lynette finally asked first.
“Sharon, is something wrong? If you have something to say, just say it. I feel like I’m going to suffocate waiting.”
At Lynette’s question, Sharon let out a long sigh and finally managed to speak.
“I… Mason and I are going to Sepia. So… I’ll have to quit here. I’m sorry, Lynette…”
