PP Chapter 15

While Won was pondering, Seobin replied while leaning his arms on the chair.

“To be precise…… You, well, are moderately kind as always, but I think Peach likes you a lot. He follows you around just like a baby chick imprinted on the first person it saw after being born.”

The way he spoke with eyes that clearly found it exciting was quite annoying.

Won, twitching his thick eyebrows, poked Seobin’s forehead and muttered.

“He’s just a kid I happened to meet.”

A kid? Isn’t Peach nineteen? If he’s nineteen, he’s not exactly a kid.”

“What do you mean it isn’t? At that age, he is a kid.”

“Aha, yessir. I’ve heard the words of Mr. Seonu Won, who has only dated older noonnas, loud and clear. Now, I need to prepare for my next appointment, so I’d appreciate it if you left.”

Seobin put on a business-like smile and politely extended both hands toward the door.

Lightly swatting those hands away, just enough not to hurt, Won gathered his jacket and belongings.

​Contrary to acting like he was going to kick him out right that second, Seobin actually watched Won until he left.

True to being one of the biggest chain smokers in a guild full of people who didn’t just like games, alcohol, and cigarettes, but genuinely loved them, Seobin already had a cigarette in his hand.

​Lighting the cigarette with a practiced hand, Seobin gave Won a little wave.

“Contact me if you want to get work done. If it’s your call, hyung, late-night sessions are totally okay!”

“Yeah, see you later.”

“‘See you later,’ he says! Ah, that’s so damn cringy.”

Smirking at Seobin, who accepted his farewell while sneering at it, Won leisurely began to walk.

​The bag slung loosely over one shoulder swayed with every step. Taking out the earphones he had shoved in his pocket and putting them in his ears, Won turned on the playlist he usually listened to.

After taking the bus for about five stops, Won soon walked down the familiar path and arrived at the cafe.

​When he went into the staff-only room, threw on his apron, and came out, the part-timer from the previous shift greeted him.

“I heard you’re quitting today. I heard from the manager.”

“Yes, I’ve been called by the nation.”

At the words he said with a playful wink, the part-timer, whose name he couldn’t even remember, burst into laughter.

Won didn’t think it was particularly funny, but he laughed along so she wouldn’t feel awkward.

It was when the previous shift part-timer had left and Won, left alone, was tightening his slightly loosened waist tie. The sound of the door opening was heard.

Won, snapping his head up, shouted with a full smile on his face.

“Hello, welcome to Cafe Zero Z—well, look who it is. It’s Dohwa.”

When he winked, implying ‘Are you here again today?’, Dohwa trudged toward him with a somewhat dejected face.

Won was a bit surprised, wondering why the kid who would normally rush over and chatter about all sorts of things was acting like this.

Stepping out from behind the bar, Won naturally sat next to Dohwa and propped his chin on his hand.

“What’s wrong? Did you fight with your parents again?”

“No……”

“Then, did you fight with a friend?”

“What kind of kid do you think I am? That all I do is fight?”

Strongly asserting that he wasn’t a child only lasted a moment. Returning to his sullen state, Dohwa gently bumped his forehead against the table and muttered.

“Because you won’t play with me, Hyung…… You’re always dumping me on the guild members. There isn’t much time left until your enlistment…… Really, there’s not much time left, so how can you be like this? Shouldn’t you play with me more since there’s barely any time left? I know very well that you’re good at free-range, but I honestly don’t really like the free-range style. I don’t have much of an ego, so I like it when someone holds onto me tightly.”

Since he just quietly watched to see how far he would go, words poured endlessly from the small mouth out of nowhere.

​Won let out a low exclamation of awe at the words, which were, without fail, utterly absurd.

In all his life, this was the first time a man had told him, another man, to pay more attention to him.

Hearing words he’d only heard a few times from girlfriends coming from a guy he knew felt incredibly strange.

And putting aside how fascinating and bizarre it was, Won also had a rebuttal.

“I don’t pay attention to you?”

“Yes……”

“I pay a ton of attention to you, Yeo Dohwa.”

At the clear words that sounded like nothing but the truth, Dohwa, who had been pouting while lying down, raised his head.

“……Liar…… Total lies……”

“Total lies……”

At the expression he had never heard before, Won’s face momentarily looked like he was at a loss for words.

Dohwa’s nose crinkled as he took that expression as an affirmation.

His small nostrils flared with anger, and his pink lips parted, revealing white, sharp teeth.

Dohwa looked like a puppy with a wrinkled nose from growling, and even though Won knew the situation didn’t call for it, he laughed a little.

“Are you laughing? Am I funny to you, Hyung? I’m asking if I’m funny. I’m being serious right now. Ha, how did I end up in this mess, trying to get close to a yeomisae*.”

At the genuinely lamenting voice, Won tapped the table and laughed.

​Until Dohwa momentarily forgot he was angry and made a bewildered expression.

“Ah! Stop laughing!”

“Ahahaha, haha, ah, I’m going crazy.”

Muttering like a sigh in a low voice, Won lightly shook his head.

Laughter fell drop by drop from his beautifully curved lips.

It was only when the fallen laughter seemed to pool on the floor that Won finally opened his mouth.

“What can I do. You’re a guy, Dohwa. I have a disease where I’ll die if I get close to guys, so I can’t get any closer to you than necessary.”

“Ha, then why do you even talk to me.”

“Because you’re pretty. There’s no sin in being pretty.”

He said it with a fairly serious face as if to show he was sincere, but there was no need for a long explanation.

It was the most nonsensical philosophy in the world.

“Hyung, you’re really annoying.”

“How many times have I heard you say I’m annoying now?”

“Really, really annoying.”

“Hmm, well, for today, that’s the second time.”

“Go away!”

“Even speaking harshly to a part-timer. You’re being a troublesome customer. If you keep this up, I’m telling the owner.”

The words he said seriously while crossing his arms were nonsense not even worth listening to. It was almost a waste of a face that could rival most idols.

They say those who have it are even worse; the old folks really didn’t say a single wrong thing.

“Ah, sorry. Just a second.”

Won tossed the words at Dohwa and headed toward the counter. A customer was already standing in front of it.

Left alone, Dohwa pouted with a dissatisfied face, felt upset, and then pouted again repeatedly.

​Watching from a distance as Dohwa amused himself just fine, Won handed the customer their drink, made a peach yogurt smoothie, and returned to Dohwa’s side.

A pale hand, revealed under shirt sleeves rolled up just enough to show the round wrist bone, placed the drink down in front of Dohwa.