My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 80

Ep. 79

I shook off the lingering memories of yesterday as I left the house, heading toward the café that could be considered my first real part-time job.

Of course, I had often helped out at Yunseong’s place, but that felt more like helping a friend. I got paid well, and it was hard work, but Yunseong was always there with me from start to finish, and he was lenient with my mistakes, treating it more like lending a helping hand.

This time, even though it was just a formality, I had a formal interview and signed a labor contract, so it felt very different.

Surely, I wouldn’t fail because I bombed the interview, would I? Or because they didn’t like me? I felt a bit worried. My heart started to race.

About 25 minutes after leaving the house, and after missing the train a few times, I arrived at the station near the café a little later than expected. I’ll have to factor this in when I start commuting.

I glanced around the quiet subway station, which was empty after the lunch rush, and made a call.

“Hello?”

─ Are you here? Where are you?

“I just got off the train. Should I come up?”

─ Come up. Exit 2…

Huiseong hyung’s [older brother or male friend] voice sounded tired and a bit hoarse. Did he have trouble sleeping last night? Anyway, I hung up and hurried my steps. I wasn’t exactly rushing, but I thought it was better to be early than late or right on time.

As I climbed the stairs leading from the station, I saw Huiseong hyung nearby. But he wasn’t alone. Next to him, Huina was staring at him with a very emotionless face.

That expression, which I had never seen before, was a little scary, and I paused for a moment, but Huina noticed me first. At the same time, her expression instantly brightened.

“Yeonhu-yaa~”

-Whack

As if being attached to me yesterday wasn’t enough, she hugged me and rubbed her face against my chest. I hugged her gently and looked at Huiseong hyung.

“Huina came too? Hyung, why do you look so tired?”

“Ha… I’m suffering because I introduced you to a part-time job…”

“Ah…”

“I’m never calling you again…”

He must have been through a lot with Huina because of yesterday’s incident, judging by the dark circles under his eyes. I mentally offered my condolences to hyung and asked Huina.

“Are you going with us?”

“I’ll wait nearby. It doesn’t seem like it will take long, so let’s go on a date when it’s over!”

“Okay. Should we go now? It’s never bad to go early.”

“Yeah… follow me.”

As if suffering from a severe hangover, hyung sighed and swept his hair back. I was a little worried about him, but seeing Huina’s mood when I arrived, it seemed like she had been nagging him until then, so it was hard to say anything. I felt sorry for hyung, but Huina’s feelings came first.

And the timing of yesterday’s call was a bit crazy. It was so perfect, as if she had been watching.

I followed hyung for about 5 minutes from the station and soon arrived at our destination. It wasn’t one of those common franchise cafes I had seen around.

The name was [cafe MELA]

Since it wasn’t a franchise, there weren’t any nearby, and even if there were, it looked a bit expensive, so I probably wouldn’t have come. The overall atmosphere was modern and clean, and the small interior details were pretty, giving it a feel that women would like. Most of the customers inside were women, or couples.

Now that I think about it, I wonder if I would have come here with Huina if there was one nearby. Huina had a favorite café near her house, but we also went to different cafes from time to time.

Standing in front of the café, I swallowed nervously.

“I’ll look around for a bit. Call me when you’re done.”

Huina kissed me on the cheek, telling me to do my best, and then walked away. I wondered if she was going to come in with me, but it would be a bit strange for my girlfriend to come to my interview. And then Huiseong hyung, who seemed relieved, and I went into the café together.

-Ting

“Welcome~ Oh? Huiseong oppa! [term used by a younger woman to address an older male friend or brother]”

As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a staff member. A female employee with long, wavy brown hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a hat greeted hyung with a bright smile.

“Yeah. Is noona [term used by a younger man to address an older female friend or sister] inside?”

“The manager unnie [term used by a younger woman to address an older female friend or sister]? She’s in the office! But is that person behind you our café’s new face?”

“Ah, hello. I’m Han Yeonhu.”

I bowed slightly. But this employee didn’t just accept my greeting; she suddenly stood at attention with a beaming smile, put both hands on her stomach, and…

“Hello.”

She bowed to me at a 90-degree angle. I was so taken aback that I unconsciously…

“Hello.”

I returned the bow at a 90-degree angle. What is this? I was wondering when I heard Huiseong hyung’s voice next to me, sounding exasperated.

“Stop doing that every time a new part-timer comes. What is it, really?”

“Why~ I can get a sense of the person with just one try! He reacted right away, so it feels good! I think he’ll do well!”

“Okay. Let’s just go in.”

“Ah! I haven’t even had a proper conversation yet!”

“Do it later.”

He left those words and strode away. I followed him a little awkwardly. Some of the café customers were looking at us because of the comical conversation, so I was a little embarrassed.

While following hyung, I nodded slightly to another woman at the counter as I passed by.

-Click

I opened the door next to the counter and entered a surprisingly large space. And in front of a computer on the wall, I saw a woman with striking gold bobbed hair, wearing a white shirt and an apron. The face she turned to look at us was quite intellectual. She must be the manager?

“Oh, you’re here early?”

“It’s almost the end of peak time, so I just came. Introduce him. This is the manager.”

“Hello! I’m Han Yeonhu!”

“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Cha Rin.”

She turned her chair and greeted me with a smile. I was a little surprised because she was younger than I expected. I thought the manager would be at least in her late 30s or 40s.

“Shall we have the interview right away? Please sit in this chair. Huiseong, wait outside for a bit.”

“Can I have an Americano?”

“Yeah, 3,000 won [Korean currency].”

“Wow, so stingy.”

“If you help Jia with the mid-shift closing, it’s free!”

“I’m not drinking it…”

With that, Huiseong hyung closed the door and left, leaving only me and the manager in the office. I sat in the chair the manager had pointed to and took out my resume from my bag.

The manager silently took the paper and started talking while looking at the contents.

“Okay, let’s see. I heard a bit from Huiseong? Yeonhu-ssi [honorific title] is twenty years old this year and working while studying for the retake?”

“Yes. The part-time hours you were looking for were exactly what I wanted.”

“That’s good. Um, I would normally ask more serious questions, but since Huiseong introduced you, and these part-time jobs are a gamble anyway~ Asking a lot of questions doesn’t really mean much~”

I knew what she meant. Even at Yunseong’s snack bar, the people seemed so nice during the interview, but when they actually started working, they would often run away after a few days.

“Besides, I heard why Yeonhu-ssi is retaking the exam, so I think I know what kind of person you are.”

“Haha…”

It wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but I felt a little embarrassed by the manager’s tone, which seemed to be subtly praising me.

“So, I’ll trust you and hire you right away. Did you hear about our working hours?”

“Thank you! It’s from 5 PM to 10 PM on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, but I heard it could change.”

“That’s right. That’s the schedule for now, but you might have to come in for lunch shifts sometimes, depending on the shift. Is that okay?”

“What time exactly is lunch?”

“It’s the busiest time, called peak time, and if Yeonhu-ssi comes, the hours are from 11 AM to 4:30 PM. Of course, we’ll only call you after you get used to the work.”

“Is that 5 and a half hours of work?”

“Ah, Huiseong didn’t tell you that. The closing shift is also from 5 PM to 10:30 PM. 30 minutes of that is for meal time.”

“Ah~ Yes, that’s fine!”

“I like your energetic answer. You have a good impression, just like I heard. You must be popular?”

Fortunately, the interview wasn’t as stiff as I had been worried about. It was almost a formality, just like Huiseong hyung said, and thanks to the manager leading the conversation in a casual way, she even gave me some lip service like this.

“I went to an all-boys high school, so I wasn’t really popular…”

“Oh, I don’t think so~ Um, the exact start date and hourly wage are as written in this labor contract… Do you have any questions?”

I skimmed through the labor contract that the manager handed me. I had already heard most of it from Huiseong hyung, so it felt like I was just reconfirming.

“My health certificate has expired; can I give it to you by the start date?”

“Yes, you can give it to me then. I think you know since you’ve done it before, but it takes about a week to get the health certificate after the test, so keep that in mind.”

“Other than that… I’ll work hard.”

“Okay~ Then I’ll explain it again while you fill this out. From here─”

I checked the contents of the labor contract with the manager, listened to the basic explanations, filled out my name and address, and finished signing. I wrote a total of two copies, one for the manager and one for me, and then got up from my seat. We also exchanged phone numbers.

“I’ll contact you again at the end of February. Don’t forget~”

“I understand.”

“Then, shall we go for a drink to celebrate?”

With that, the manager headed out of the office with a light step. It was over so quickly without much happening. It didn’t even take 20 minutes. It felt like she just called me to see my face, and to fill out the labor contract.

As soon as I went out of the office, I saw Huiseong hyung chatting with the other employees at the counter.

“What, is it already over?”

“Yes. Yeonhu-ssi, what would you like to drink?”

“Iced Americano, please.”

I actually like sweet or fruit drinks, but I felt bad asking for something like that when I was getting it for free. I’ll have to share it with Huina.

“Jia-ya, just one Americano~ Ah, did you say hello? She’s helping out today, but Yeonhu-ssi will see her every day from March when he comes to work for the closing shift. The ace of the closing team!”

I bowed deeply again, even though we had already nodded to each other earlier.

“Hello. I’m Han Yeonhu.”

“I’m Yu Jia. Nice to meet you.”

“Nana! I’m Lee Chae-ah! Hello! Nice to meet you! Yoroshiku [Japanese for ‘Nice to meet you’! I’m 23 years old! Same age as Jia!”

“Ah, you don’t need to remember this friend. You’ll probably only see her once a month.”

“That’s too much~”

Lee Chae-ah was the one who bowed to me at a 90-degree angle when I came in, and Yu Jia is the one I’ll be working with in the future. She was a very calm-looking noona [term used by a younger person to address an older female friend or sister]. She wasn’t as friendly as Chae-ah, but she seemed kind, with a subtle smile on her face as she spoke.

Thanks to that, I felt a little relieved. It seemed like the person I would be working with wasn’t a difficult type.

Anyway, I had greeted everyone who was there, and since the start date was quite far away, I prepared to leave after receiving my coffee. But right before I moved, Huiseong hyung asked for another drink.

“Ah, noona. Can I get one more drink?”

“Are you going to drink two cups?”

“No. My sister is nearby. I’m going to give it to her.”

“What, that younger sister who used to come sometimes? Ah! Now that I think about it, I heard you’re dating Yeonhu-ssi?”

The manager brought up the story as if she had forgotten, probably having already heard it from Huiseong hyung, and Chae-ah reacted strongly to those words.

“Huh?! You’re dating oppa’s [term used by a younger woman to address an older male friend or brother] younger sister?! Wow… she’s really pretty!”

Huina is pretty. I answered the exclamation with a smile and grabbed hyung, who was about to approach Jia.

“Hyung, I can share this with Huina.”

“Huh? Then do that.”

“How can you drop such an exciting topic and just leave! I’m curious!”

“You can listen to it later when he comes to work. Then we’re leaving.”

“My working hours don’t overlap!”

“Yeonhu-ssi, see you in March!”

“Yes, I’ll see you then.”

“Goodbye.”

“Unnie [term used by a younger woman to address an older female friend or sister]! Let’s have a company dinner in March! I have to hear the story!”

Leaving behind Chae-ah, who seemed to be in charge of at least two people’s worth of noise, reminding me of Yoonjung noona, I bowed to the manager and Jia once each and left the café.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the successfully completed interview and looked around to see if Huina had returned. It hadn’t taken long, but I had been there for over 30 minutes, so she might have come back.

Sure enough, I saw Huina waiting for us at the end of the café building with a smiling face.

Thanks to the complete release of the tension I had felt all day, until the end of the interview, I felt even happier and approached her in one step.

But.

“Welcome. Did the interview go well? The people I saw before are still there. They’re all pretty, right? They were talking very happily? How was it?”

“……”

She was definitely smiling, but Huina’s words, which were somehow thorny, made my heart start to race in a different way than before.

The real thing starts now.