According to Mrs. Atachi, the SS café organized a book day for its customers every year. This time, instead of attending themselves, the couple decided to send their young employee, Vania. Although Vania didn't fully understand the purpose of her presence after delivering the books to the café, the owners seemed to appreciate her being there, so she decided to stay among them.
People of all ages, backgrounds, and diverse tastes approached the stand to order a book. Some sat around a coffee to enjoy their finds, while others came and went immediately. Customers who didn't know Vania were pleasantly surprised to see a new person at Mr. and Mrs. Atachi's stand. After ten years of supervising this lively and exhausting day, the regulars took a little break.
To thank her, some customers offered cakes or cookies to the young woman, and her modesty was not enough to dissuade them. She was so kind, so pleasant. Children stared at her cleverly before finally smiling, charmed by her adorable face. Vania managed the stand without pressure and with optimal rigor.
In the afternoon, the café took a break. A waitress then came to invite Vania to enjoy the break with them, at the request of the person in charge. Although the latter had not yet introduced himself to the young woman, his gesture touched her nonetheless. Vania accepted and could take part in the lunch organized for the employees on this sunny day.
Several employees were the same age as or even older than Vania. It had been an eternity since she had been immersed in such an atmosphere. The young woman chose to be as discreet as possible to fully enjoy it. Each one told a short episode of their life, funny, embarrassing, improbable, but above all human. Vania felt the sensation of being a normal human being. No sidelong glances, no unpleasant remarks, no "But it's you, isn't it?" No. Today, she was a normal young woman quietly enjoying a beautiful day in good company.
Suddenly, distracted by their stories, Vania had to make room for a newcomer. She turned her head, finally noticing the new presence. The group also noticed him, and they immediately stood up to greet him. The good-natured atmosphere quickly disappeared as soon as he entered the table, and he complained about it.
"Well! I'll look like a tyrant if you get so crinkled when you see me," said the young man. "Go on, continue, pretend I'm not here."
Easier said than done, especially since they were mostly sharing office anecdotes. It was obvious that in the presence of their employer, the conversation became heavier. Vania chuckled, calling out to the young man next to her.
"Ah! You must be Miss Ella, the new librarian at Atachi's. Nice to meet you; I'm the manager of this establishment, Ji Yoonjae."
"Nice to meet you, you can call me Vania. Mr. and Mrs. Atachi told me a lot about you," added Vania, shaking his hand.
In truth, Vania didn't expect this Ji Yoonjae to be so young. The young man was impeccably dressed in a black suit, a radiant face full of life and youth, a flattering smile, and a particularly charming and captivating gaze. Vania tried to maintain eye contact, but she lost against this angelic face, embarrassment taking hold of her. Of course, she tried to escape, but at that moment, Yoonjae pulled on her hand to draw her attention.
"What's the matter?" asked the young woman, a little troubled by this sudden proximity.
"I would like to know one thing," Yoonjae began. "Did Mr. and Mrs. Atachi praise me, or the opposite?"
Vania thought for a moment, thinking back to their discussion the night before. She looked at the others around her; they seemed to be waiting for the answer too.
"Well... They said I should keep my distance because you are a 'player,' according to them."
The employees hid their laughter; everyone said that, and Yoonjae no longer tried to deny it.
"I see, charming! At least I don't need to introduce myself anymore," the young man joked.
"Sorry," Vania submitted timidly.
But he smiled at her and said, "You don't have to worry; I'll do my best to let you form your own opinion of me."
The table buzzed, and the one at the end of the table hiccuped: "And it starts again, another date for a new breakup..." Obviously, the old couple wasn't the only one to have formed an opinion on this young man. Mrs. Atachi had told Vania that she should not pay attention to his sweet words, as that's all he knew how to say. He's a good boy, but he's quite sneaky, she had warned.
"I advise you not to take it to heart, Vania," commented one of her colleagues. "It's like that when it's a new face and they don't work here."
This one seemed to be the oldest of all, including the manager himself. He must have known Mr. Ji quite personally to say it with such ease, and the latter did not seem at all upset by his statement.
"But no, what are you saying? And if the gentleman had a crush," Nori, another younger employee, laughed. "Love is seen everywhere and nowhere at the same time, so don't judge too quickly."
"Don't listen to them, Vania," another one whispered to her, not very discreetly. "He's the most handsome and romantic one at this table; try your luck."
"Yah!"
"It's true," the ladies shouted.
They couldn't have made a worse new topic of discussion around this table, but at least the atmosphere had returned to a good one. The debate ignited the table, and everyone indulged with joy. They even omitted the beginning's speech filter, as if Vania gave them a certain ease despite their boss's presence. Vania forgot about her hand, still firmly held by Yoonjae, and he didn't complain at all.
Today, for once, Geoul's group of friends proposed a lucrative activity. Well, the one who wanted to go mainly wanted to see his girlfriend more than anything else, but in any case, the detour benefited everyone. A fairly popular café in the area was organizing a book day, and the group deigned to participate for once. Because of Geoul's sudden departure during their last meeting, Geoul's girlfriend was still giving him the cold shoulder. So, the young man set himself the goal of winning her back today, in this calm and romantic place. Unfortunately, circumstances completely changed his plans.
When the group arrived, the café was on break for the afternoon, and the employees were sitting in the sun, enjoying the beautiful weather and a good lunch. Jondae spotted his partner in the group, and he wanted to join her, but Geoul dissuaded him; he would probably embarrass her in front of his other colleagues.
"Come on, I'm just saying hello! Do you have any idea how much I missed her today?" Jondae exclaimed desperately.
"Leave her alone a bit," Geoul teased. "You'll disgust her by being on her back all the time like that!"
"What, me! I would never disgust my Minseok. Besides, what do you know, huh?"
"Enough to know that you're annoying," Geoul laughed.
"Yah, you..."
The group started to play around, attracting the attention of others nearby. The employees turned to them, amused. Finally, Minseok recognized her better half, and she called out to him. Uncovered, Geoul and his friends ended up joining them. But as they approached, Geoul's pace became faster than the others. His expression became stern, and he rushed to the table. Vania didn't even have time to realize what was happening when a hand seemingly appeared out of nowhere and firmly grasped hers.
Geoul literally pulled her out of the table, surprising everyone, including his own friends. Vania and he looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
"Do you know each other?" Nori hesitated, breaking the awkward silence.
Neither of them answered. Geoul seemed upset, and Vania, bewildered. Suddenly, one of Geoul's friends exclaimed:
"But I know you two! You're uh... the girl."
Before the whole sentence could leave his lips, Geoul grabbed a bun and shoved it deep into his mouth to prevent him from finishing. He cast one last cold glance at this man, then, without warning anyone, not even Vania herself, he left with her as far away as possible.
Perplexed, the people left at the table didn't know where to put themselves or what to say. In an attempt to lighten the mood, even though it seemed impossible at this point, Minseok invited the group to settle in the café, as after all, the hour had passed. Once seated, Jondae exclaimed, "Is this serious? Is he leaving with another girl in front of everyone?"
"Did you see that? Geoul just slipped away with that girl from the bookstore." After the visit to that famous bookstore, Jaekhyun had noticed a change in his friend, and evidently, it wasn't just an impression.
"No, seriously? Aeri is going to be furious," Bum murmured, Aeri's friend. Up until now, Aeri had been surprisingly silent. No genuine expression revealed her thoughts; she was still in shock. Not indulging in the americanos offered by the house, Aeri preferred to keep her distance by flipping through the pages of some books from the small library improvised by the café. She could still hear them, and her cheeks flushed with anger, her eyes flared as she thought back to the scene through their words.
"Oh really? Why? Do they already have problems?" the person next to her continued.
"Well, you know how she is. She doesn't like him hanging out with other girls, especially in public. Plus, there was the incident at the club when he left without notice. Eonni was really angry, but she told me he would do everything to make up for it today," Bum added, watching her friend closely.
"Yeah, right! Running off like Romeo and Juliet with the librarian," Jaekhyun bitterly joked, earning a dark look from the concerned party. He immediately fell silent, not wanting to bear Geoul's punishment in his place.
"Oh oh, it smells like a storm," the second girl added.
"He should have been more careful. Aeri doesn't joke about that."
"This girl is sure to be the topic of discussion tonight. Poor my eonni," Bum commented desperately.
"And poor hyeong. He really doesn't understand how to handle this, huh?" Jondae chimed in, much less sympathetic.
"Guys, I feel like it's going to be quite a show when they come back."
"I hope he has a good explanation. Otherwise, he's in hot water," Jondae acknowledged as he continued to ponder whether it was indeed the person he thought it was. This face, he had seen it somewhere before; he was sure of it.