* * *
Suddenly, Kim Chanyi coughed violently. His skin became even paler.
He looked like a sickly pretty boy from a shoujo manga.
“Are you a benevolent magpie? I can’t even remember. You want to stick around to repay a debt of gratitude?”
“Yes.”
Kim Chanyi seemed resolute.
I couldn’t understand him.
Such a debt doesn’t need to be repaid.
“Hyunoh. Can’t I stay by your side for just a month as a trial? I won’t bother you.”
“And if I still don’t like it after a month?”
“Then I’ll disappear right in front of you. I won’t even pass by the BBQ place. I promise.”
“I can’t promise to treat you well. I’ll probably treat you like I do now.”
“That’s fine. You can treat me badly. Just don’t tell me to leave.”
Kim Chanyi grabbed my hand. I couldn’t shake him off.
I felt like I was getting dragged into something.
Like Alice following the white rabbit with a pocket watch into a strange world, I found it hard to refuse Kim Chanyi’s words.
Am I being too soft-hearted?
Maybe not.
Anyone would probably soften up if they faced Kim Chanyi with his pleading, rabbit-like face.
He has this undeniable charm, almost like a superpower.
Did Alice know she’d end up in trouble if she followed the white rabbit?
She probably just got enchanted and followed it.
Just like me…
“Hyunoh, I’ll try my best to be a comfortable friend.”
“…Just for one month.”
I must be falling under the spell of this frail, sickly boy. Damn it.
***
I stared blankly at the ceiling of the shop.
The hum of the large fan filled the air.
The dark meat restaurant was empty, except for me.
I decided to sleep on the long bench on the second floor.
I kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Maybe it was because it was my first night sleeping in the shop, or perhaps because I had just seen Kim Chanyi a little while ago.
“I’ll try my best to be a comfortable friend.”
In the end, I gave in to Kim Chanyi’s pale, innocent face and his words.
“Hyunoh, you’ll be my friend, right?”
I couldn’t ignore those rabbit-like eyes. Before I knew it, we had exchanged phone numbers.
It feels so uneasy. Is this really okay?
Kim Chanyi told me to forget about his confession, but how could I?
It’s not that easy.
Lying alone, away from Kim Chanyi’s influence, suddenly filled me with regret.
Right after parting ways with Kim Chanyi, he had messaged me.
“Hyunoh, thanks for coming today. If you ever want to stay at my place, just let me know.”
My empty contact list now had the name Kim Chanyi added to it.
I didn’t reply.
I had my own principles.
They had been carefully constructed over five years.
Avoid deep relationships with others and live detached.
That way, I wouldn’t compare myself to others.
If I don’t compare, I can’t gauge the extent of my own misery.
I’m worried my principles might waver.
Even now, before I visited Kim Chanyi’s place, I was content with escaping my tiny room and sleeping in the shop.
But now, suddenly, there’s a new option: Kim Chanyi’s luxurious apartment.
With such a superior alternative, my satisfaction with the shop has significantly decreased.
The bench is narrow, and the air is stuffy.
I’ll probably wake up with a sore shoulder or back.
Of course, it’s better than my tiny room, but Kim Chanyi’s place was so cool and fresh… and so spacious…
Naturally, my thoughts drift towards Kim Chanyi.
It’s not a good sign.
I turned to my side and squeezed my eyes shut.
I had agreed to act like we weren’t old classmates and be his friend for a month, but I had no intention of getting close to him.
I’ll maintain a proper distance. Minimize contact.
Then it’ll be fine, right?
I’ll stay in this temporary relationship.
This time, I won’t let myself get weak because of Kim Chanyi.
I mean it.
***
The next morning, as expected, my left shoulder was stiff.
Probably because I slept tensely in an unfamiliar place.
I wasn’t feeling great.
“Hyunoh.”
“Don’t call me.”
I grumbled as I answered Kim Chanyi.
I was cleaning the floor after closing the shop.
Kim Chanyi, who hadn’t shown up at the shop for a while, had returned.
Just yesterday, he seemed like he was about to die, but now he was perfectly fine.
He had been sick for nearly a week.
What on earth happened?
The boss was very welcoming towards Kim Chanyi.
He even brought gifts in both hands to thank her for the vegetable porridge.
No wonder she’d favor him. Kim Chanyi is quite likable in appearance.
Even Yoona, who never talked to Kim Chanyi, welcomed him.
See? Kim Chanyi has some kind of charm, almost like a superpower.
Elevated from a regular customer to a cherished acquaintance of the boss, Kim Chanyi stayed in a corner of the shop all day.
“Aren’t you leaving? The shop’s closed.”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Okay, then.”
Kim Chanyi obediently nodded and closed his mouth.
His compliance made me feel even more uneasy. I scrubbed the floor harder.
As I was scrubbing, the boss came out of the kitchen.
“Hyunoh, how’s your shoulder? Want another patch?”
Kim Chanyi, who had been quietly watching, widened his eyes and looked at me with a worried expression that felt burdensome.
“Oh, it’s fine.”
I lied.
“Will you sleep at the shop again? Isn’t the bench narrow?”
The bench at the shop was a bit too narrow for me to lie down comfortably. I had to curl up to sleep.
“Yes, a little. Can I bring a blanket?”
“I don’t mind, but didn’t Chanyi say there’s an extra room at his place? Why not stay there?”
I glared at Kim Chanyi from the corner of my eye.
When did he talk about that?
Kim Chanyi smiled innocently as if he didn’t know anything.
“No, I’d rather stay at the shop.”
I firmly replied.
* * *
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