Chapter 4:‘At the Café’
Thanks to my cheeky remark, I earned a bruise the size of a finger on my side. Rubbing the sore spot, I glared at my girlfriend.
“… Well, who told you to say something like that?”
“And now you’re talking back when you’re clearly in the wrong?”
“… Sorry.”
At her apology, I let out a small sigh.
“Alright. Anyway, from now on, get my permission before watching dramas.”
“Seriously? You’re not joking?”
“Yeah! You’re making pointless worries over things you saw in dramas.”
My firm expression made her pout, but she nodded in agreement.
“Fine… if that’s what you want…”
Clearly, my girlfriend, who was hooked on dramas more than most aunties, wasn’t too thrilled about my decision.
“Do you even know how long we’ve been together?”
“Of course I do. It’s been ten years…”
“Right? And I was your first, and you were my first.”
“Hey! Don’t say that out loud in public…!”
In a panic, she quickly covered my mouth, but I pushed her hand away and kept talking.
“And yet, after ten years, you’re doubting the guy you’ve been with just because of some stuff you saw in a drama? Even you must realize you deserve a scolding for that, right?”
As I stared into her eyes, she tried to avoid my gaze, her pupils quivering like an earthquake.
‘Do you think I’ll let you off that easily?’
Cupping her cheeks in my hands, I made sure she couldn’t escape my gaze.
Unable to look away, her pupils trembled even more fiercely.
“You know you were wrong, right? You know you deserve a scolding, don’t you?”
“Y-yeah…”
Unable to withstand my pressure any longer, her pout disappeared, and she muttered her admission.
With her cheeks still in my hands, she looked at me with a soft expression, and I couldn’t help but lean in closer.
As I drew near, she reflexively closed her eyes slightly.
“Ah, granny… I miss you so much… I wonder how you’re doing up there…”
“Eek!”
A voice from behind startled us both, snapping us back to reality. My girlfriend, in her shock, quickly swatted my hands away and fanned her blushing face.
Though I wanted to say something to the old man who had ruined the moment, his melancholic expression stopped me.
“Answer your phoooneee— answer your phoooneee—”
Just then, my phone rang loudly, further preventing me from confronting the old man.
[010-****-****]
“Who could this be?”
“Is it a number you know?”
“No.”
The number flashing on my phone was unfamiliar. While I didn’t memorize everyone’s phone numbers, there weren’t many people I didn’t know who would contact me.
Still, I couldn’t just ignore the call. Since I had recently quit my job, there could be something important related to that.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is this Mr. Shin Su-hwan? This is Rekka Daily.”
The voice on the other end was far from what I had expected.
‘Rekka Daily? Isn’t that one of those tabloid rags?’
Rekka Daily was a well-known third-rate tabloid, famous on the internet for being filled with half-fake news and the rest being advertisements.
“What do you want?”
“Oh, it’s nothing major… We just heard that you recently awakened the ability to communicate with animals?”
“… How do you know that?”
“Ah, that’s a trade secret. So, would you be available for a quick interview?”
“My interviews are also trade secrets. And just so you know, writing fiction instead of facts won’t end well for you. Bye now.”
Before the caller could say anything further, I hung up. To prevent any further calls, I quickly blocked the number.
“Who was it?”
“Some guy from Rekka Daily. Apparently, they already know I’ve awakened my power.”
“… Should we go back inside?”
She looked furious, staring daggers at the city hall.
There was only one place that could’ve leaked both my power and my phone number.
No doubt, they were making a quick buck selling information on newly awakened special abilities under the table.
But I didn’t really care about that. Instead, I calmly tried to reassure her.
“It’s fine. It’s not like this wouldn’t have gotten out sooner or later, anyway.”
It was no exaggeration to say that it was only a matter of time before news about my Animal Communicating superpower spread.
From the start, only a few people around the world had this ability, so it was inevitable that the media would get excited about the fact that a Korean possessed it.
Verified or not, the media would just rush to write an exclusive story filled with national pride. Even if the ability turned out to be mediocre, it would be forgotten as long as I never mentioned it again, so for them, it was a risk-free deal.
Besides, for me, this situation was actually welcome.
“…Why?”
“You already know what I’m planning to do from now on.”
“Oh.”
Ha-eun’s eyes widened slightly, showing a dazed expression at my words.
She looked adorable, but I knew better than to say that out loud, or I’d surely get pinched again.
Instead, I took a moment to organize my thoughts so I wouldn’t blurt anything out and then spoke.
“This is actually better. Getting famous right from the start comes with benefits. Especially if you’re planning to make a living off popularity, like me.”
“That’s true.”
Ha-eun nodded, agreeing with my words.
For someone like me, who was planning to earn income through platforms like MyTube, public attention was a valuable asset.
Riiiiing. Riiiiing.
“Another call?”
Just as our conversation was wrapping up, my phone rang again. I smirked and switched it to silent mode.
“Not answering?”
“It could be that guy calling from a different number. I’ll wait a bit and then break the news through a reputable outlet, not some third-rate tabloid.”
Even if it wasn’t a major network, I had to at least give an interview to a first-rate media outlet.
Doing an interview with a third-rate tabloid would just lead to misquotes and rumors spreading. It was better not to deal with them at all.
“Let’s go grab some coffee.”
Ha-eun nodded at my suggestion and stood up.
For us, going out for coffee could only mean one place.
It was the café that embodied Ha-eun’s entire 20s, the one she built from the ground up. Of course, her parents had supported her, but still, it was hers.
Anyway, unless we were traveling out of town, it was an unspoken rule that we’d always have coffee at her café.
“Ah! Boss! And boss’s boyfriend! Hello!”
As we returned to Ha-eun’s café by bus, we were greeted by Yeong-ji, the café’s barista.
By the way, she always called me “boss’s boyfriend,” a long title I still hadn’t gotten used to.
“Anything happen?”
“Nope! No customers today!”
“…Isn’t that a problem?”
“Hehe, is it?”
Although Yeong-ji acted a little airheaded at times, I had to admit her coffee-making skills were top-notch. In fact, she was one of the reasons I didn’t drink coffee anywhere else.
“I’ll have a hot Americano. What about you, Su-hwan?”
“I’ll take an iced one, even if I freeze to death!”
At my reply, Yeong-ji smiled brightly and nodded.
“One hot Americano, one iced! That’ll be 5,000 won!”
“Uh, I’m the owner, you know?”
“Hehe.”
Yeong-ji grinned and reset the order on the register.
Ha-eun found her antics cute, chuckling as she picked a table and sat down.
Soon, the sound of clinking cups echoed as Yeong-ji quickly brewed our coffee and returned with three cups, taking a seat with us as well.
“Mind if I join? You’re not having a secret couple talk, are you? If so, I’d be super lonely and sad since I don’t have a boyfriend!”
She placed three cups of coffee on the table and looked at us with sparkling eyes.
“It’s up to Ha-eun.”
“We’re not talking about anything secret, so it’s fine. But you know what to do if customers come, right?”
“Yay!”
With Ha-eun’s approval, Yeong-ji threw her hands up in celebration, then grabbed a few snacks from the display case.
“Seems like you’re demolishing all the café’s snacks, huh?”
“Boss said I could eat them! Right, boss?”
Yeong-ji clung to Ha-eun, playfully asking for confirmation.
With her petite frame and natural cuteness, Ha-eun just smiled and nodded as if she found it endearing.
“But boss’s boyfriend, aren’t you supposed to be at work? It’s Tuesday! Are you on vacation?”
“Oh, I quit my job.”
“Really? Why? Did someone bully you?”
“Like boss, like employee, huh…”
Seeing how Yeong-ji treated me like a child, just like Ha-eun did, I rubbed my face in frustration.
Amused by the situation, Ha-eun chuckled softly and explained that I had quit to pursue my new superpower career.
“Wow! You can talk to animals? That’s amazing!”
Since she often watched animal-related videos with Ha-eun during slow café hours, it wasn’t surprising that Yeong-ji liked animals.
“I’ll show you someday. Although, I’m the only one doing the talking.”
“Hehe, I’ll look forward to it!”
Grinning, Yeong-ji happily sipped her coffee like a chipmunk, nibbling at her straw.
Ha-eun found her so cute that she started feeding her snacks one by one.
With her cheeks puffed up, smiling happily, Yeong-ji suddenly clapped her hands and blurted something out.
“Mmmwh we mwake pewt waffe?”
But her mouth was so full of snacks that no one could understand a word.
“How about you finish eating before you talk? I didn’t catch any of that.”
At my suggestion, Yeong-ji widened her eyes and rapidly chewed.
After swallowing everything in one go, she shut her eyes tightly and spoke.
“Let’s turn our café into a pet café!”
“Pet café?”
“Yes! Like a dog café or cat café where you can interact with animals! Wouldn’t that be super cute?”
Though she was simply expressing her own desires, Ha-eun’s eyes sparkled at the idea.
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