Stalking Diary

Chapter 7

“Me? No way.”

“I heard it was popular, and it is crowded. You look busy.”

“It’s still manageable. When you leave later, tell the owner you came to see me. To save face.”

Joo Kwon-oh winked and giggled. Thankfully, he didn’t curse at me calling me a crazy gay bastard.

“Okay. Is the owner the one wearing that sweater? Oh, since we’re here, recommend us some menu items.”

“What do you want to eat? Drinks?”

“I haven’t eaten yet, so I’ll have a meal. Right. This is Ryu Jeong-ha, my classmate from the painting department.”

“The carrot latte croissant and tomato basil cream soup here are delicious.”

Joo Kwon-oh naturally ignored me and recommended menu items to Bae Yu-rim. His movements while opening the menu and talking seemed very familiar.

Brunch cafe part-timer and Joo Kwon-oh. It was an unexpected combination, but it suited him well.

Even while keeping my head down, I was secretly admiring him from the corner of my eye. It was close to an unconscious habit. I didn’t know I would brighten up this much. It’s hopeless.

“I don’t recommend the mushroom panini.”

Joo Kwon-oh lowered his voice as if it was a secret.

“Is it not good?”

“The ingredients are meager, but it’s too expensive.”

“Then I’ll have what you recommended. Jeong-ha?”

When the attention suddenly turned to me, I froze for a few seconds, already tense.

“Jeong-ha. Are you not very hungry?”

“I’ll have this.”

After a few seconds, I finally came to my senses and pointed to any menu item. But it happened to be the mushroom panini that Joo Kwon-oh had not recommended.

Joo Kwon-oh raised his eyebrows for a moment and wrote down the order.

“Drinks?”

“Two iced Americanos. Jeong-ha only drinks iced Americano too, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You two seem close.”

Joo Kwon-oh muttered just barely audibly. Bae Yu-rim didn’t seem to hear it, but I heard his low voice clearly.

As Joo Kwon-oh’s gaze reached me, heat rushed to my face in an instant.

What on earth does he think of me? He must be cursing me as a shameless bastard inside.

I wanted to explain that I was dragged here by Bae Yu-rim. The problem is that I don’t have the ability to explain it smoothly.

After a moment, Joo Kwon-oh took his eyes off me and tucked the open menu under his arm.

“Alright, wait a bit. If you need anything, feel free to ask.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Bae Yu-rim waved her hand lightly at Joo Kwon-oh as he disappeared towards the kitchen.

Thanks to Joo Kwon-oh being kind to women, I, hidden behind Bae Yu-rim, fortunately avoided being completely shut out. Only then could I lift my head with some relief.

Even as he walked away, Joo Kwon-oh carefully checked if other tables needed anything, or if there was any trash or food on the floor. When a customer called, he immediately ran over and responded skillfully.

Maybe because I had seen him mercilessly trampling on unpleasant men who acted tough, seeing Joo Kwon-oh in a place like this looked particularly fresh.

He was seriously focused on the store work without being lazy or cutting corners. He was kind to customers, quickly refilled empty items, and always moved heavy plates or objects himself. Especially, he never let female part-timers carry heavy loads.

His handsome face was already enough to draw attention, and with his good manners on top of that, the female part-timers were circling around Joo Kwon-oh trying to strike up a conversation.

“Haa, look at that. He looks like a picture even just wiping coffee cups. How great would it be if he modeled?”

“……”

I didn’t answer, but I deeply agreed inside.

“What should I say to persuade him? An attractive line. An attractive line. What could there be?”

Bae Yu-rim’s mind seemed to be full of thoughts on how to make Joo Kwon-oh a model for her practical assignment.

“He doesn’t look easy to persuade…”

I cautiously added my opinion.

“Right. Then should I just beg? I want to at least talk to him a bit, but he looks too busy.”

Bae Yu-rim drooped her shoulders as if disappointed.

The cafe was getting more and more crowded. Naturally, Joo Kwon-oh got busier as the number of people increased.

“Here’s the croissant, soup, panini. And two iced Americanos.”

After about twenty minutes, Joo Kwon-oh brought the food on a large tray full of plates.

“Oh, it smells good. Looks delicious.”

“And this is on the house. We bake these in-store every morning. They sell out quickly, so I saved a few.”

Joo Kwon-oh said, handing over two large almond cookies he had kept in his pocket.

“I’d like to talk more, but I’m too busy. Enjoy your meal.”

He waved and smiled as he greeted Bae Yu-rim. The more he did so, the more visibly anxious Bae Yu-rim became.

“How can I propose modeling? There’s no time to even talk to him.”

At first, I thought Bae Yu-rim was rationally interested in Joo Kwon-oh, but now it seemed she was only interested in him as a subject she wanted to draw. She didn’t seem to have any other kind of attraction.

“If not modeling in person, how about drawing from a photo? You only need to take a photo once, right?”

“I asked about that too, but he flatly refused.”

That’s unexpected. It was surprising that Joo Kwon-oh had firmly rejected Bae Yu-rim’s proposal, as he usually smiled at women and never ignored them, unlike how he treated gay stalkers like me or men who cursed while pretending to be there.

…Or is it because of me? Has he developed a negative perception of being a subject for portraits because of me?

An assumption I didn’t want to acknowledge sprouted in my mind.

I ate the panini with mixed feelings, then got up from my seat.

“I’m going to smoke for a bit.”

“Okay.”

“…Try to talk to him if you get a chance.”

As I stood up, seeing Bae Yu-rim looking completely dispirited, I added a word.

I was already ruined, so it would be good if at least Bae Yu-rim could succeed in recruiting a model.

“Where’s the chance? There isn’t any.”

Bae Yu-rim muttered, shaking her head. It seemed like she might give up on Joo Kwon-oh as a model starting today.

Since there was no separate smoking area in the cafe, I went behind the building and took out my e-cigarette in a corner where trash was gathered.

After checking if there was any liquid left inside and taking a few puffs, my tense head seemed to finally loosen up a bit.

“Haah.”

The stray thoughts I had pushed far away came rushing back belatedly.

Why didn’t I ask Bae Yu-rim where she was going, who she had in mind as a model candidate? I already had the worst image in Joo Kwon-oh’s eyes, and with today’s following him to his part-time job, I became an even stranger and weirder person.

I had planned to work hard on researching for the Culture and Arts Industry and Business Model assignment to recover my image a bit, then politely ask for my notebook back. Now it’s all ruined.

I smoked my cigarette, swallowing my complicated feelings.

Meow.

Just as the liquid in the device was about to run out, I heard a cat’s cry nearby. I reflexively rolled my eyes and put the e-cigarette in my pocket.

Looking closely, a brown cat was rummaging through the pile of garbage in the alley.

Is it hungry?

I stared at the cat for a while, then called out to it, making a “pspsps” sound. The cat opened its eyes wide and walked towards me gracefully.

“That’s right, come here. Hello?”

Glad to see it, I spoke to the cat while moving my fingers towards it. This was a familiar situation for me, as cats often roamed around the Korea University campus.

Its round eyes and the brown spot around its nose were so cute that I unconsciously took out my phone to take a picture. The cat seemed used to this situation, grooming itself elegantly in front of the camera.

“Wow. So cute…”

I got quite excited, as if I had never been troubled. And while talking to myself, I carefully approached the cat and brought my phone close to its face.

Nyaaang! Hiss!

“Ah.”

Suddenly, the calm cat let out a sharp cry and swatted at me.

As a result, my phone fell to the asphalt ground, and my right cheek got scratched.

The claws were so sharp that a stinging sensation spread across my face in an instant.

“You… that’s too much…”

I was dumbfounded, forgetting to pick up my phone and holding my cheek. The cat, as if it had never viciously raised its claws, elegantly sat back on the pile of garbage and started grooming itself.

“That one’s famous for being vicious here. It appeared about a month ago, and its nickname is ‘Thug.'”

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out, waking me from my daze.

I was startled and slowly turned my head towards the source of the sound. Then my eyes met with Joo Kwon-oh, who was leaning against the back door of the cafe, smoking a cigarette.

“……”

Once again, my body froze.