Chapter 56. The Sound Youth Makes When It Drowns (12)

One chaotic day after another passed. Eunkyo sighed as she looked at the blister forming under the bandage Jaeheon had applied. Seeing this, Haeda called for Seontae.

“Seontae, sorry to bother you, but can you run to the pharmacy and get some burn bandages?”

Kim Seontae was especially scatterbrained today. He kept staring at his phone with a frustrated look or zoning out altogether.

Maybe he hadn’t even heard Haeda properly, because he scratched his head, started walking, and bumped into a customer.

“Oh my gosh!”

“I’m so sorry! Really, are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s fine.”

Haeda quickly escorted the customer out, covering for Seontae, who was acting like a bolt had come loose. Then he returned to give Seontae his signature scolding.

“What’s going on with you today? Something wrong? You’ve messed up a bunch of orders and broken, like, how many dishes?”

“I’m sorry, boss.”

“Haa… You usually do so well, that’s why all the mistakes stand out even more. If something’s bothering you, just go home. We’ll finish up here.”

“No, I’m fine, really…”

“Go home. Don’t end up causing an accident.”

Looking dejected, Seontae reluctantly packed his bag and left.

“Seontae, hang in there. Everyone has off days. Don’t be too hard on him.”

“That’s how accidents happen. What if he ends up getting burned like you?”

“Still…”

Eunkyo went out herself to see Seontae off. Then she returned, closed the café door, and joined Haeda in brainstorming a notice for the customers.

Kim Haeda had declared they were closing the café for a full two weeks. His reasoning? It was university break anyway, and they hadn’t taken a real vacation in years thanks to this damn café.

Now that she thought about it, today was the end of the campus festival. It had only been a day, but the fact that Lee Jaeheon hadn’t shown up lingered in her mind.

“Write, ‘Escaping for two weeks. Please enjoy your coffee next door,’” Eunkyo said dryly.

Haeda popped the cap off the marker with his teeth and shouted.

“You call yourself a writer? That’s the best you’ve got?”

“Hey, not all writers are full of clever ideas all the time. Sometimes your brain feels like it’s gonna explode, and then—bam! Something hits you.”

“Ohhh, you mean that ‘divine inspiration’ thing you were talking about?”

“Yeah. The divine spark of writing, given only to those who work hard.”

“Whatever. Just make it sound a little more… vacation-y, will you?”

Haeda handed her the pen. Eunkyo stared at the blank paper, thinking.

But no matter how much she thought about it, the simplest and most direct message seemed best if they didn’t want to waste anyone’s time.

“Honestly, nothing beats being straightforward.”

“Haa… Should we just write, ‘We’re on vacation’?”

“Yeah. I think that’s best.”

Hunched over the table, she scribbled down the dates and a big note: ‘Taking a break!’

As Haeda blew on the ink to dry it, smiling and saying at least it wasn’t a fake vacation, a voice called out from the entrance.

“Hey, are you closed already?”

Both of them turned their heads at the cheerful voice.

“Oh? Seungjoo hyung?”

“Closed early today? Hello, Eunkyo.”

With his jacket draped over one arm, Park Seungjoo smiled brightly and bowed politely to Eunkyo. She awkwardly stood and returned the greeting with a shy smile.

“Hello.”

“But what brings you here at this hour? Isn’t this teardown time?”

Haeda walked to the door to post the notice, calling out the question. Seungjoo, now seated across from Eunkyo, kept his eyes on her as he replied.

“Yeah, I left it to the crew and came out for a quick bite. Thought of you guys. The students helped a lot with the early teardown, so it’s going smoothly.”

His gaze was inexplicably intense—enough to make anyone uncomfortable. Eunkyo subtly avoided eye contact.

“If you haven’t eaten yet, let’s go together. Haeda, dinner’s on me. Let’s go.”

“Ah…”

While cutting tape and sticking up the notice, Haeda glanced at Eunkyo’s expression. Reading the room quickly, Seungjoo pulled out a pair of tickets and slid them toward her.

“A gift. Bring someone who shares your taste. If you want to thank me, let me buy you dinner.”

“Me? Oh, but shouldn’t I be the one buying?”

“Honestly, I think our chance to get closer has passed. But I still want to have dinner with you.”

It felt different. When she lifted her eyes, she saw how completely unlike Lee Dohyun he was. The tickets were for a jazz performance—an invitation-only event. As she scanned the details, she realized it was at a famous jazz club in Cheongdam, offering drinks, food, and live music.

It was exactly the kind of cultured evening she’d once dreamed of experiencing. And now, with those rare, expensive tickets sitting in front of her, she sat there like someone afraid to disturb a sacred offering. Haeda suddenly grabbed her arm and tugged her up.

“What’s the big deal about having one meal? Come on, just give the man his dinner. Hyung, I didn’t take you for the persistent type.”

“You think becoming a CEO at this age is easy? Still, this works out. Let’s go.”

As if being swept along, Eunkyo stood and gently pressed down on her peeling burn bandage.