Chapter 24. Lee Jaeheon (4)

The cold shift in Haeda’s tone made Seontae immediately zip it. He turned back to his usual routine, snapping pictures of the café for social media.

Maybe it was the rain, but the place was packed. When the weather was good, people came to enjoy it. When it was bad, they came for comfort. Whatever the reason, business was booming.

Eunkyo scanned the nearly full café and noticed a white SUV pulling up in front of the building. Large and boxy, she immediately recognized it as Lee Jaeheon’s.

He stepped out without an umbrella and entered the café, casually shaking off rainwater under the awning. Seeing this, Eunkyo grabbed a mop and stood ready.

They weren’t strangers anymore. She’d decided that if they crossed paths again, she’d try to talk things through properly.

She watched him approach with a slightly tense expression.

“Oh? Jaeheon oppa! Over here!”

All eyes in the café turned toward the customer by the window who had stood up and was waving.

Eunkyo’s eyes briefly met Jaeheon’s. He gave her a small nod in greeting and walked straight over to the table where two women were sitting. Taking a seat beside one of them, he folded his long eyes into a soft smile.

It was a kind, gentle expression she’d never seen before—and it caught her so off guard that a short, incredulous scoff escaped her lips.

“Ah, I knew it. I could tell he was waiting for someone earlier. Isn’t he the guy with the studio downstairs?”

“Was he?”

Eunkyo answered indifferently and picked up the mop, erasing the traces of Jaeheon’s entrance. As she passed their table naturally, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed hers.

“Hello.”

So shameless—Jaeheon greeted her with a completely neutral face. Aware of the curious eyes now trained on her, Eunkyo gave a brief nod. Then she walked toward the counter, only for him to follow her.

“One iced Americano, please. Takeout.”

Eunkyo reached out to take his card, but another hand blocked it halfway.

“One free drink a day, remember? You’re the tenant. Just go sit down, I’ll bring it over.”

“You really don’t need to. You already installed the air conditioner.”

Jaeheon’s mouth curled slightly as he glanced sideways at Haeda with a strangely cold look.

“That’s just something a landlord should do. I see drinks as an employee benefit.”

Neither of them was backing down—one refusing to accept the drink for free, the other refusing payment. Unable to understand the strange tension between the two, Eunkyo stepped in.

“I’ll process the payment. But I’ll throw in a free slice of cake. You can give it to your girlfriend.“

She pushed past Kim Haeda and reached for the card, but Jaeheon, frowning, smoothly pulled his fingers back, folding them over the card.

“What did you say?”

“Hmm? I said I’d include a slice of cake.”

“No, the other part.”

“Oh… ‘girlfriend.’ They’ve been here a while. Ordered drinks twice while waiting for you. I figured they’d appreciate some cake.”

Jaeheon stared silently at her lips, then let out a dry laugh and handed over his card. Without saying another word, he returned to his seat.

Eunkyo nudged Kim Haeda’s side, shaking her head in disbelief, and said offhandedly,

“The third guy you sent me—he seemed like the best of the bunch. But is he actually a decent person?”

“As a friend, sure. For dating… not so sure. You really want me to set it up?”

“Yeah… might as well meet him. He might not even like me anyway.”

“Got it. I’ll arrange something.”

For no clear reason, she felt annoyed. So after making the coffee, she deliberately picked the prettiest slice of cake and carried it over to Jaeheon’s table.

As she set it down, his eyes lifted to hers—his gaze turning cold for a split second.

“Wow, thank you! Oppa, I’m gonna dig in!”

“After we eat, can we see your studio? Please?”

“Hey, don’t be rude, he might be busy…”

The girl smiled prettily as she trailed off, casting a glance to read Jaeheon’s mood.

She was probably in her early twenties—the kind of age that looked pretty from the front, from the back, even upside down. For some reason, Eunkyo felt a sharp tug in her chest and silently picked up the mop again.

“Let’s go. I’ll show you the studio.”

Jaeheon picked up his untouched coffee and stood. His guests eagerly followed behind him.

Unlike him, who left the store with a strangely cold expression, they were all so polite—even bowed as they left—and neatly cleaned up their table. They were the kind of kids who were flawless in every way, perfectly put-together and pretty.