Chapter 16. The Guy Next Door (16)

“You’re just big.”

“Are you sure you’re not just small?”

“I’m not that small.”

It was obvious—Jaeheon was the one who was large. Standing face to face with him was enough to completely block her line of sight, which, in a weird way, had the bonus effect of shielding her from the disgusting faces across the room.

Jaeheon stood there, right in front of her, effectively blocking the rude customers from view until they finished their coffee and left the café in a hurry.

It hadn’t been long—maybe just a few minutes. But the men, unable to bear the awkward tension, rushed out while muttering petty insults on their way.

Was it something about a bratty kid? Or how the coffee tasted like crap? Whatever it was, Jaeheon didn’t take his eyes off Eunkyo.

Only after the glass door closed and a good thirty seconds had passed did he take off the apron and gently hang it around her neck again.

“I didn’t make things worse, did I?”

“Not at all. Thank you.”

Startled by her own nerves, she flinched slightly and reached behind her back to tie the apron’s strings. Jaeheon also reached around to help, and their hands met for a moment.

While she froze in surprise, he remained perfectly calm, threading the tie between her fingers and neatly finishing it with a little bow.

‘Why is he like this?’

She couldn’t breathe. Her heartbeat thudded like it was pressing against her lungs, and a shiver—not unlike a chill—rippled through her.

“You really shouldn’t be here alone.”

“…I hired a part-timer.”

“Oh.”

In her mind flashed the image of the man who had moaned her name a few nights ago, alone, in his studio.

After tying the apron tightly, he straightened up. His gaze dropped slightly, and Eunkyo instinctively tilted her head back to meet it.

“Thanks.”

“Sunbae…”

“…Yeah?”

“Do you have a fever?”

“A fever? No?”

“Then why are you so red?”

He tapped her cheek and smiled. Eunkyo, without thinking, shut her eyes tightly.

‘Stop. My heart’s gonna explode if you keep doing that.’

The words spun inside her mouth, but she swallowed them down. They didn’t digest, though—they just sat in her chest, threatening to come back up.

“What the heck, Jung Eunkyo. What happened?”

Unnoticed, Kim Haeda had returned. Eunkyo finally stepped back a couple of paces and picked up the tray like nothing had happened.

“There were some rude customers. How was the delivery?”

“Huh, same as always. But what do you mean by rude?”

“I don’t even wanna say it. Check the CCTV later.”

“What? Just tell me—”

“You’ll know when you see. Lee Jaeheon helped me. If he hadn’t, I might’ve ended up at the police station today.”

Haeda, glancing between the two of them, suddenly spun around with a wild look in his eye and opened the laptop behind the counter.

Meanwhile, Eunkyo thanked Jaeheon and began tidying up the café.

“Well, I’m gonna go. I’ll be at the studio today—mind if I come up later to borrow a fan, sunbae?”

She nodded while wiping down the tables.

“Sure. But it’s probably hot down there even now.”

“I’ve got stuff to do right away.”

“They said they’re installing the air conditioner this week.”

Just then, Haeda—now reviewing the recorded footage—shot up from his seat and unleashed a barrage of curses.

Curses so foul that any of his old professors would probably faint on the spot. Fuming, he marched over and grabbed Eunkyo by the shoulders.

“You got hit? He threw the card at you?! And you picked it up for him?! You should’ve flung it back in his damn face!”

Covering her ears, Eunkyo let out a half-laugh and shook her head.

“I told you, Lee Jaeheon helped. You saw him.”

“That’s beside the point! Ugh—hey, tenant boy, wait. I’ll make you some coffee to take with you.”

Still fired up, Haeda went behind the counter to brew some coffee, but Jaeheon waved him off.

“I drank it a while ago. Then, sunbae. See you later.”

With that, he slung his bag over his shoulder, opened the door, and disappeared down the stairs to the basement.

Eunkyo, putting down her tray and cloth, pressed a hand to her dizzy forehead.

“Haeda.”

“What.”

Still visibly angry, Haeda looked up with a scowl.

“I think… I should start meeting guys.”

The sudden confession made Haeda scoff in disbelief.

“Where’d that come from? Feeling lonely?”

“No, not that… it’s just… I feel like things are getting a little dangerous.”

“Dangerous how?”

“Don’t dig. Just answer—will you introduce me to someone or not?”

Pouting, Eunkyo tried to play it off as casual. Haeda, who had started typing something on his phone, frowned again.

“Find one yourself. I don’t have any decent guys around to introduce you to.”

“Wow. Rude. Who around me has a bigger network than you?”

“Yeah, it’s my network, not yours. And no, I’ve got nothing. Honestly, I don’t think I can leave you alone anymore. What is it with all the creeps showing up these days?”

Eunkyo rolled her eyes and began doing the dishes, fiddling with her now red ears.

But the shaking inside her still wouldn’t stop. Only after enduring one more battle did they finally close up for the day.