UR Chapter 73

Chapter 73

The flower language of the year’s end was overtime.

Two hours before closing, the assistant manager came in and informed the staff that they would have to work late. Everyone groaned and booed, pulling faces as if they’d bitten sand. They understood that the shop was busy during the holiday season, but the expressions of the staff, each with their own plans, darkened.

Ah, I have plans. Do they expect me to spend Christmas alone? Who announces overtime without manners just two hours before closing? Some of the louder employees complained, annoyed at being told so late, but the assistant manager didn’t care.

First, the reason was that the flow of customers hadn’t stopped. Second, the store would be closed for a week starting tomorrow, so they should work hard and serve as many customers as possible in the remaining business days. But the only people who cared about sales were the manager, the assistant manager, and the owner, so for the rest of the employees it was nothing but an unwelcome disruption to their schedules. Everyone just stomped their feet in frustration.

Was it really that busy?

Listening to the murmuring, I-bom craned his neck with a tray in hand. How crowded could it be? But through the glass window fogged with steam, the view was packed tight with people huddled together in line.

The head chef patted I-bom’s shoulder. Maybe it was because he was worried about the way I-bom had been staring off blankly, or maybe he thought his behavior had been strange lately. He told him to endure it, that it was the end of the year so he must have a date planned, but still—when a store was this busy in a recession, you should stay as long as you could. A senior’s advice.

Did he look like he was about to quit? He didn’t have the money to quit—if they told him to leave, he’d probably cling to their legs and beg. I-bom nodded.

“Good work, everyone—”

The flashy neon sign turned off, and with a rattling sound, the shutter came down. At the same time, the Happy Bunny staff poured out as if they had been waiting for the signal. Their steps were light.

“Wow, there were really a lot of customers today.”

Somi rolled her neck, stiff from the long shift, and let out a tired sigh. Then she turned to I-bom, who was walking beside her.

“What are you doing during the vacation, oppa?”

“Huh? Vacation? What vacation?”

I-bom looked at her in surprise, as if he’d never heard the word before. Somi frowned slightly. She’d noticed him sighing quietly and looking distracted for the past few days, but could it be that he didn’t even know the shop would be closed? She asked seriously.

“Oppa, you do know the store’s on vacation for a week starting tomorrow, right? You’re not going to show up tomorrow by mistake, are you?”

“Ah, I… remembered.”

It wasn’t the kind of face one made when talking about a pleasant vacation. Somi looked at him with half-lidded eyes. His thoughts weren’t written on his face, but maybe because his face was naturally clear and open, the shadows on it stood out all the more.

Bzzz, bzzzz—

“…You’ve been really weird lately.”

I-bom was just opening his mouth to say something to the suspicious Somi when a long vibration came from his back pocket.

“Oppa, I think your phone’s ringing.”

“Huh?”

At her words, I-bom reached into his pocket and took out his phone. The screen lit up—it wasn’t a call, but a message. In a fleeting glance, he saw the name “Kang Soo-hyun” on the display.

“Uh… looks like I got a message…”

He twisted his body to keep Somi from seeing the screen.

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz—

Messages kept arriving in quick succession.

[I-bom-ah ㅠㅠ]

[Are you okay? Still feeling bad?]

“…What is this.”

When he had been so quick to lash out, why was he now asking how I-bom felt? He read the messages again, his face stiff.

“…What the heck.”

The last time they had spoken, they had argued over the phone before hanging up.

Remembering that moment made his heart pound like a drum, but since he was standing next to Somi, he forced himself to act calm as he tapped the envelope icon. He hesitated over whether to reply to Soo-hyun’s flood of messages.

[About earlier, I’m sorry for speaking so harshly. I guess I was just too shocked and upset. I don’t remember it well thoughㅎ]

[I really didn’t do it on purpose. You know that, right? I’m not a bad guyㅎ]

[If the person you had that proxy blind date with asks about me, please say something nice! Tell them I’m not a weirdo.]

[Ah, right! I heard you even got scolded by your convenience store manager because of us? I forgot to tell him last time—I’ll be sure to mention itㅎㅎ]

[Anyway, I really didn’t do it on purpose, so I hope you’re not upset anymore!]

[It wasn’t intentional (sob sob)]

“…Ha.”

When he was angry, he was furious. Now, he was sending a bunch of excuse-filled messages claiming it wasn’t on purpose, complete with crying emoticons.

[I apologized, so you have to cheer up now~]

Then a moment later, he sent a gift coupon. It was for a 1,000-won pack of vitamin gummies from the convenience store—an unpopular product that was always on promotion because it didn’t sell well. I-bom stared at the screen, reading the gift message from Soo-hyun with a stony face.

[Web Message]

I-bom-ah, sorry for getting mad, you must’ve been upset 😭😭 Please cheer up and accept my gift^^

*Coupon No.: 75489**21
*Valid until: ~xxxx. xx. xx.
*Product Name: Double Cat Style Vitamin
*Redeem at: Happy Convenience Store
*Quantity: 1
*How to use / Unavailable stores / Refund policy: giftco.br/happymin

“Why? Who’s sending you that many messages, oppa? If they have that much to say, they should just call.”

“…Just an older guy I know.”

I-bom hovered over the reply button. The words “Then why did you get mad at me in the first place?” lingered on the tip of his tongue, but it felt awkward to be the one to bring it up.

He let out a short sigh and sent a message.

[Ah… yes, I’m fine. I was a bit surprised, though.]
[Thanks for the vitamins.]

How many people in the world could actually lose their temper anywhere they liked?

Ten million won wasn’t a small amount for someone in their early twenties. Some might say, “That’s easy money,” but for someone like I-bom—living in an unstable, part-time job situation—it was a sum you could neither earn nor even encounter easily. He didn’t want to blow things up by exaggerating his anger. First, he needed to track down the older brother who wasn’t answering his calls.

[Anyway, I’m older than you, but I don’t think I acted very mature. You must have been taken aback when I swore at you on the phone, right? I don’t normally swear much, but I guess spending time with your brother makes me use curse words jokingly more oftenㅎ That’s how guys get close, you know. We’ve been hanging out since we were kids, so I didn’t realize. Actually, you’re the sensitive type, so I guess I avoided swearing because you’d make it obvious you didn’t like it?ㅋㅋ Anyway, I think I was a bit wrong earlier. Of course, if you had spoken nicely, I don’t think we would’ve fought… ah, that’s just my opinion, so don’t take it the wrong wayㅠ]

“Really? Sounds like this older guy has a strange personality. But if he’s going to say all that, wouldn’t it be faster just to call…?”

Being cursed at over the phone wasn’t pleasant, but since he was at least making an effort to apologize, it was better to end things on a good note. As I-bom smiled awkwardly and put his phone away, Somi stretched her arms high above her head.

“Ughhh—ah, I’m so tired. I’m going to the ski resort with friends starting tomorrow… I’m exhausted already.”

Still stretching, Somi grabbed her wrist and twisted it until it cracked, wincing slightly.

“What about you, oppa? If you’ve got nothing to do, want to come to the ski resort with us? One of my friends said you were cute. If you’re interested, you could meet her naturally.”

“…A friend?”

“Yeah. She’s really pretty. She was in the same acting major as me, and she’s even come to Happy Bunny a few times. Don’t you remember?”

I-bom tried to recall the customers who had come to see Somi. She was the outgoing type, so plenty of friends dropped by the shop. He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression.

“Thanks, but… sorry. I don’t think I know who she is.”

“Well, can’t be helped. My classmates have probably come here at least ten times, so remembering any of them would be the real surprise. So what will you do during the break?”

“I’ll probably… look for a short-term part-time job.”

He adjusted his bag strap as he spoke. Whenever he was deep in thought or worried, he had a habit of fidgeting with the knotted end of his bag strap. The end was so frayed from constant touching that it looked like it might sprout a hole.

“I need to pay you back the money I borrowed.”

“Oh, right.”

“I heard Coupang’s logistics center is hiring for overnight short-term work. They say if you apply in the evening, you can start that very night. The pay’s good too.”

“I forgot about that.”

Somi slapped her thigh as if the memory had just returned.

“What if you forget you lent me money? What if I run off without paying you back?”

“Ah, it’s only 300,000 won.”

Even for a university student, it was a lot, but her tone made it clear she didn’t want to burden him over it. Guilt pricked at I-bom’s chest.

“A ski trip sounds fun. Have a good time. As for your friend… introduce her to someone better.”

Somi hesitated for a moment, glancing sideways at him. Then she brought her hands together and whispered so no one else could hear.

“…Oppa. The money you borrowed from me is one thing.”

“Yeah.”

“But the rest of that money issue… has that been sorted out?”

“Uh… not yet.”

If he were to explain, it wouldn’t be a story that ended in a day—it would have to start with the complicated relationship between his father and grandmother. But I-bom only shook his head.

Would the endless cycle of his brother getting into trouble, falling into debt, and him paying it off ever end? It wasn’t just about the amount owed. The biggest problem was his grandmother always siding with his brother, leaving the burden on him. The bitterness in his mouth came from the knowledge that getting angry wouldn’t change anything.

“You can pay me back later, really. I just hope it all works out.”

A clean, non-intrusive answer—neither advice nor interference.

“…Yeah.”

He was simply grateful for her words.

“Oh—what’s that? Whoa, oppa! Look! Over there!”

Somi, who had been about to pat him on the shoulder for encouragement, suddenly pointed urgently.