Chapter 77

Min Chae-yeon was bewildered.

"Uh... Why are we here?"

I parked the car in an empty spot and said to Min Chae-yeon,

"I'll make you some cold brew."

"......What?"

"I wanted to make you some cold brew today."

"......But why did you come here?"

"To show you the new place."

Yesterday, I had just received a message from the landlord saying that all the furniture had been removed. I had been dying to come here ever since I received the text.

"......Is this where you moved to, Oppa?"

"Yep."

But my first visitor turned out to be Min Chae-yeon.

It was a pleasant surprise.

"Let's go up. I'll make it quickly."

Click—

I opened the driver's side door and walked over.

Instead of Seoul Forest,

Saint Han River Forest, 37th floor.

My first home, a new haven.

But I wasn't alone today.

"Go in first. You can wear your shoes inside."

"......Can I go in first?"

"Of course."

"Hehe."

Min Chae-yeon giggled and ran in.

Clack, clack, clack— The sound of her strap sandals echoed cheerfully down the hallway.

'She looks like a puppy in a new home.'

I followed her, taking steps.

I occasionally opened the doors to check the condition.

It was too empty to feel like a lived-in home.

Too clean to feel like a construction site.

But it wasn't a bad feeling.

But then,

"Kyaa!"

A sudden scream came from the living room, and I rushed over.

"What's wrong?"

"Oppa! The view here is insane!"

Ah... That's what it was.

Min Chae-yeon was standing with her palms pressed against the living room window.

"The view here... It's unbelievable... It's so good..."

"Right? Isn't it amazing?"

"Yes, it's not just amazing. It's insane."

"You can see Seoul Forest on the right."

"Seoul Forest? Wow, really?"

"Go check it out. I'll make the coffee quickly."

"Okay!"

Clack, clack, clack—

I watched her run and then walked to the island table.

The shiny marble table.

I took out the things I had brought.

Cold brew concentrate, glass, ice, water.

And Syril 1901.

'Why did I bring this? Thanks anyway.'

I brought my wrist to my nose and smelled the lingering fragrance.

Maybe because time had passed, the freshness had faded, leaving only a faint, sweet scent.

'Ah, it's good... Is this happiness?'

Everything felt like it was falling into place.

The important meeting went well.

The house contract was going smoothly.

The fragrance was wonderful, and...

Click— While putting ice in the glass,

I glanced at Min Chae-yeon's back, standing close to the window.

'She said she likes Seoul Forest.'

But something was off.

Her eyes, reflected in the glass, weren't looking down.

They were at the same height as mine, seemingly looking at me through the glass.

If it were the usual Min Chae-yeon, she would have turned her head away quickly, but not today.

I couldn't take my eyes off her silhouette and stared at her.

"......"

"......"

For a while, we exchanged glances.

Click—

I picked up the ice again and spoke.

"What are you looking at, not even looking at Seoul Forest?"

"Whatever I look at is my choice, isn't it?"

The unexpected answer.

An ice cube slipped out of the tongs and rolled on the island table.

"That's... true."

"Who knows when I'll get to see it again."

Her voice was a bit pouting.

"Then, should we see each other more often?"

Min Chae-yeon finally turned her head.

Her eyes, now as big as a rabbit's.

"No, that's not what I meant... Yes."

"But you've never been the one to suggest we meet, right? You only see me when I contact you."

"That's... because Oppa is very busy."

"No, I'm not busy at all."

"Really?"

"I'm so bored. No one plays with me."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

Min Chae-yeon avoided my gaze.

I walked over with two glasses of cold brew.

"Can you sit here? Shall we sit?"

"......Yes, I'd like to."

The two-foot-wide window sill.

We sat facing each other diagonally.

A precarious distance where our knees and toes almost touched.

I handed her a glass.

"Maybe this suits you better than our cafe's Americano?"

"Really?"

"You hardly drink anything with acidity unless you're tasting."

"Oh... You remembered."

"This one has mild acidity, so it should be fine. Try it."

"Okay, I'll drink it well!"

Click, click—

Min Chae-yeon took a sip and smiled brightly.

"It's delicious! I thought I'd keep messing up. It's going to be a huge hit, isn't it? I already have over ten thousand followers."

"Right, it's really amazing."

"Ah, Oppa, you should have taken over the Mangwon cafe."

"Why?"

"If I had lent you money back then, I could have gotten some shares, right?"

"Look at you? You look innocent, but you're actually quite shrewd."

"Hehe, that's right."

We chuckled and sipped our coffee, while tiny people moved around in the green Seoul Forest.

"Ah, Oppa, I have something to show you."

"What?"

"The other people coming to the influencer party. Wouldn't it be easier for Oppa to know who's coming?"

"Right."

The more things went smoothly, the more cautious one became.

I was already worried. What if something went wrong while asking various influencers to promote it?

Everything could be controversial.

Even non-issues could become controversies in this era.

Min Chae-yeon showed me her phone screen.

There was a channel with 950,000 subscribers.

"Didn't I mention this before? Honeycake Unnie."

"Oh, right!"

A channel focused on food videos and cafe tours.

She was quite meticulous in her reviews, so there was no reason to refuse if we could connect. Our cafe always had confidence in its taste.

"This unnie is also coming to the party."

"Wow."

"And..."

Min Chae-yeon scrolled through the screen and showed it to me again.

"This unnie only does Instagram, but she has over a million followers. She might be the highest among non-celebrities, right?"

"Really?"

Min Chae-yeon and Yoo Si-sung both had around 100,000 followers.

Over a million followers.

I was curious, so I looked, and she had a face that could rival an actress.

"Isn't she beautiful? Even as a woman, I'm envious of her beauty."

What? What are you talking about?

"She is beautiful, but you're much more beautiful."

"......What?"

At the same time, the phone screen in front of me trembled and disappeared.

"What? Where did it go?"

When I looked at Min Chae-yeon,

Her face was bright red.

I was just being honest...

It was a bit awkward.

"......Chae-yeon, you know you're beautiful, right?"

"No, I don't."

Min Chae-yeon turned her head.

She pressed the glass to her cheek.

Maybe because of the dark coffee color or the cold glass, her flushed cheeks stood out even more.

"You don't know? You really didn't know?"

"No..."

Really? Then I'll tell you.

"You're much more beautiful. You're on a different level. How should I put it... You're delicate and mysterious, yet also cute like a child. Sometimes you're strangely... Anyway! Your proportions are much better. And also..."

"Ah! Stop it, Oppa!"

Min Chae-yeon shouted.

But her eyes were smiling.

What? Do you like it or not?

Anyway.

"Anyway, that's what I meant."

I took a sip of coffee.

But Min Chae-yeon spoke again.

"......And also, what?"

"Huh?"

"Your proportions are good, and also..."

Ah, I was a bit embarrassed and hesitated for a moment.

But since you're curious, I'll tell you.

"You're lovable as a person. You're not just pretty."

"......Me?"

"Yep."

Min Chae-yeon pulled her knees up and buried her head.

I was also embarrassed and took a shot of cold brew. It was bitter.

Then, Min Chae-yeon spoke shyly.

"Thank you. For saying that..."

"It's just the truth, you know."

Feeling a bit awkward,

I quickly changed the topic.

"So, how's work going? Are you enjoying it?"

Min Chae-yeon slowly raised her head and said,

"Yes, I'm enjoying it. The perfume ambassador shoot was really fun."

"Really? What was fun about it?"

"Um... It might look like just taking photos to others."

Her voice was serious.

"But the subtle muscle movements, the slightly different moods I create, they all come out completely different in the final result."

"Just a slight change in gaze can make a big difference, right?"

"Exactly!"

Min Chae-yeon smiled brightly and continued,

"And I can't see the results in real-time during the shoot. I send a message and can only check later... It's really exciting and makes my heart race every time. I wonder how it turned out this time."

"Ah, that's the fun of it."

I thought