Chapter 18. The Guy Next Door (18)

“Hello, boss!”

A few days later, the new part-timer greeted Eunkyo with a bright smile on his first day of work.

“Nice to meet you, Seontae.”

His name was Kim Seontae. Twenty-five years old. Recently discharged from the military and trying to earn some money before going back to school, he’d submitted his resume on a whim.

He’d even worked part-time at a café before enlisting, which gave him extra points—especially since hiring someone at the last minute was easier when they already knew the ropes. Training someone from scratch was exhausting.

As Eunkyo checked the inventory that had arrived that morning, she handed him an apron. Seontae, having finished cleaning, suddenly popped his head in beside her.

“Boss, I’m done cleaning. What should I do next?”

“Oh, great. Can you help organize the supplies? I’ll double-check the list—just move everything to the back storage room, please.”

“Got it! Oh, by the way—I posted on social media that I got a part-time job at Haeda, and everyone keeps asking about the male boss. They’re like, ‘Your boss is seriously hot, is that true?’ So don’t be surprised if we get swarmed today. And if my friends show up—no discounts, please!”

His cheerful chatter and charming dimples made him instantly likable. With how popular Kim Haeda already was, Eunkyo wasn’t even surprised.

She was still handing supplies to Seontae while checking off the inventory list when Haeda walked in, looking a little worn out.

Linen shirt, slacks, and sunglasses—Haeda came straight over.

“Are you seriously going to go on that blind date?”

Just as Eunkyo was about to greet her, she furrowed her brows.

“What?”

“That blind date. Are you actually doing it?”

Haeda’s sudden question made her think back to a few days ago, and she gave a little shrug and a sheepish smile.

“If you have someone to introduce me to, show me their name and photo first. I’ll decide after that.”

“I’ll send you their profile on KakaoTalk.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Haeda ran a frustrated hand through his hair, then disappeared into the storage room. He came back out wearing an apron and let out a sigh—carrying the faint scent of alcohol.

‘Wait, did Haeda… drink? And then come to work like that?’

“Hey, what’s up with you? Something going on?”

“No.”

“Then why do you look like crap? You’re smoking again, drinking till god knows when… You better not have driven like this!”

Eunkyo scolded him in alarm, but Haeda leaned in, pinched her nose, and muttered,

“I took a cab. Stop nagging.”

“You really don’t look good.”

Rubbing her sore nose, Eunkyo narrowed her eyes at him. Haeda glanced between her and the part-timer and said,

“Mind if I go upstairs and nap for like two hours?”

“Just go now and come back around lunchtime.”

“Yeah, I think I will. I can’t even stand the smell of coffee right now.”

“You know the passcode, right?”

“Yup.”

“Then go.”

She gave Haeda’s back a gentle push as he wobbled away. After telling Seontae to hold down the fort, Haeda made his dramatic exit. Eunkyo and Seontae exchanged amused looks.

“He’s not usually like that,” Eunkyo explained briefly, trying to brush it off. Then she opened her messenger app.

As she scrolled past the pile of unread ads, a profile appeared—one she hadn’t seen in a long time.

‘Lee Dohyun…?’

It was him. Always without a profile picture or status. She hadn’t been able to delete the number, letting it sit there like a leftover piece of regret. But now, all of a sudden, a profile photo appeared.

‘A quiet seaside. An unfamiliar place… Did the owner of this number change, maybe?’

Staring at the peaceful image, she long-pressed the number… and deleted it.

Today, she erased one more thing.