Chapter 177. Will You Marry Me? (3)

Lee-Seob fiddled with his phone, hesitating to make a call. If she refused to see him, or worse, decided to avoid him entirely, that would be troublesome. Sitting there with his name on the waiting list, he realized he was starting to feel a bit hungry. Now that he thought about it, he had skipped dinner last night and had barely eaten anything today—just a bottle of water and half an iced Americano.

From the entrance, he could catch the smell of the restaurant: the rich scent of sizzling oil from pancakes, the steamy aroma of freshly steamed dumplings, and the sweet yet spicy fragrance of buckwheat noodle seasoning. The moment he took in the scents, his hunger and thirst grew stronger. But he had no interest in vending machine drinks, so he simply remained seated in the waiting area.

As he waited, more and more customers started gathering in front of the restaurant.

The woman raised her voice at a driver who had just parked in the same spot Lee-Seob had attempted to use earlier. Since she wasn’t walking up to them but rather shouting from a distance, it was almost deafening.

‘Damn, she’s got a strong voice.’

And it wasn’t just for scolding; even when checking the number of people in a group, she practically hollered. After making sure the car was moving, she pulled out her spiral notebook and called out a name loudly.

“Kim Mijin…! Mr. Kim Mijin!”

She shouted toward where some people were waiting. After glancing at the seated customers and seeing no response, she marked a check and moved on to the next name.

“Lee Junghwan!”

This time, a family of three seated in front of Lee-Seob quickly stood up.

“Please move to the indoor waiting area.”

The couple sitting right next to Lee-Seob moved up to the front seats. However, Lee-Seob remained seated.

Sitting on a sun-heated chair was already unpleasant, but now he had to sit on a seat that had been warmed by someone else’s body heat…

“Sir! Sir!”

Not realizing she was calling him, Lee-Seob reacted slowly. The impatient woman waved him over.

“Come sit here. The people standing in the back need seats.”

He complied, though irritation flared inside him.

‘Seriously, what kind of customer service is this? Isn’t friendliness supposed to be key?’

“Excuse me, ma’am.”

Lee-Seob called out quietly.

“Yes, you’ll be called in after two more turns. Just wait another five minutes.”

“That’s not it. I was just hoping you could lower your voice a little. It’s not good for your throat, and I have slightly sensitive hearing. The noise, combined with the sunlight, gives me a headache…”

He rambled on, mainly because the woman’s expression was so bewildered.

‘What in the world is this guy talking about?’

Her raised eyebrows and flared nostrils made her thoughts clear.

Just then, someone emerged from the restaurant carrying a tray filled with cups.

“Auntie, you’re too loud. The customer has a point.”

The young lady who spoke had a warm, articulate voice—a triple-A grade in service. Dressed in a neat apron and with her hair tied back tidily, she smiled kindly.

“Have some sweet pumpkin sikhye. Sorry for keeping you waiting in the heat.”

She handed out chilled sweet pumpkin sikhye with floating ice flakes to the waiting customers. The cool drink eased both Lee-Seob’s brewing headache and the auntie’s lingering frustration. Meanwhile, another group was ushered inside.

The auntie turned to the couple who had just sat beside Lee-Seob and asked in a softer tone,

“When’s your due date?”

That’s when he noticed—the woman was pregnant.

“Two months from now.”

“So when summer ends and the cool breeze starts. How nice.”

“I’ve loved this place since my early pregnancy. I kept coming even when I had morning sickness.”

“I remember you. Good to see you again. Babies born after eating here always turn out great.”

Suddenly, the auntie beamed and started chatting.

“You know this family, right? Four siblings. The twins are national ice-skating champions… it was big news when they made it. The eldest daughter is a deputy director of the TK Group… Do you know the science institute across the street? She was the top student there, valedictorian in university, and top scorer in her entrance exams… Being at the top isn’t just a coincidence in this family… Even the second daughter topped her teacher certification exam.”

“My mother always tells me to eat here.”

The woman added curiously,

“The one who brought out the sikhye earlier—is she the second daughter? I’ve seen her before. She’s really pretty, so I remember her.”

‘Oh?’

Lee-Seob’s eyes widened.

‘Damn, I should’ve paid more attention. She did look a bit like Minkyung…’

“Yeah. She’s an elementary school teacher. She’s gorgeous, right? Ever since she was little, boys lined up for her. She has a boyfriend. He’s a government worker— passed the civil service exam. They’d be perfect for a newlywed life in Sejong City, but she prefers to wait until her older sister gets married. However, the eldest probably won’t get married anytime soon. Work is her priority right now.”

Lee-Seob’s ears perked up at the mention of Minkyung’s marriage.

“The eldest daughter is in Seoul, right? I’ve heard a lot about her, but I haven’t met her in person.”

“No, she’s in the China branch now. But she’s on vacation, so she’s home. She was doing some work this morning and said she’d help out at the restaurant around lunchtime. She should be inside now. You’ll see her.”

Just then, the door opened, and Minkyung’s younger sister peeked out.

“Auntie, call in the next customer.”

The auntie flipped through her notebook and pointed at Lee-Seob.

“It’s your turn.”