My Younger Sister Was My First Love

89. Hero

“What’s going on? What was that just now? Are you proposing?”

I felt like I was staring at a fish that had just been caught.

I had to close my eyes due to the sparkling eyes of my younger sibling, which were shining too brightly.

“No… We’re family, so of course we’ll keep living together.”

“No way, Oppa. Even if we get married at thirty-five, that’s still fifteen years from now. That’s not living together for the rest of our lives.”

Proposing over a meal at home is one thing, but discussing Ince#stuous manga is a whole different story.

No matter how unromantic I am, this was really unbelievable.

“Jihee.”

“Hmm. When calling your wife, shouldn’t you put more affection into it?”

It seemed like Jihee had already planned out our entire life together in her head.

“But wouldn’t it be a loss for you to say something like that?”

“What is it?”

“Are you really satisfied with a proposal like this?”

There wasn’t even a single ordinary ring.

If I were a girl and received a proposal like this, I would have overturned the table and left.

“Ah, that’s right. Then I’ll cancel it. Oppa, prepare again. Put more thought into it. You don’t have to prepare something expensive since you’re a student. Instead, make the words more sincere. If you need to, I can lend you some reference books.”

Not only did I cancel it, but I also added my own requirements.

“I won’t do it.”

“Heh, I was just joking. Actually, this year is busy for me too, so it’s a bit difficult. Preparing for a wedding while attending Korea University is no joke.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her waving her hand.

“Will you tell me some good news if I wait?”

Jihee smiled as if she believed it would happen.

But this time, it was a different story.

Liking something is liking it, after all.

Marriage.

If I thought about getting married for real…….

Let’s take a step back and look at the reality; it felt like a fierce storm was raging on the cliff in front of me.

Mom. Dad.

My friends, including Minju, and the people around me.

The male lead from the comic book I read a little while ago.

IchiKa’s psychological description wasn’t sympathized with for nothing.

“Look.”

I thought it was still too early to give a clear answer.

* * *

The top scorer of the national college entrance exam, Lee Junho!

I was confident in my work related to admissions.

As a teacher, I could solve problems or explain concepts.

In other words, I was a complete novice when it came to things unrelated to studying.

“Junho!”

It was my first day of work at the part-time job.

The boss called me in an hour before opening.

There was a lot to learn on my first day, after all.

“Ah, yes.”

“May I speak informally?”

The boss was older than me, so I didn’t think they would mind.

“Yes, please call me by my name.”

“Alright, Junho! First, let me tell you about our cafe’s operating system and how to manage the goods.”

Unlike my expectation that I would learn how to make coffee right away, I was taught the most basic things first.

How to clean the bathroom.

How to clear the tables.

How to throw away the trash.

“The cookies are over there; just take them out and serve them.”

“Yes, but…… I……”

“Just ask comfortably. It’s better to ask now and get it all done at once, rather than doing it later when the customers arrive and it gets busy.”

“Ah, that…… Do I not make coffee?”

It’s a cafe, after all.

Can I really not make coffee?

“Ah~ you were curious about that? Don’t worry, you won’t be making coffee alone for a while.”

“Really?”

“Why? You want to learn? Anyway, you’ll learn as you go along, but for now, let’s start with the easy tasks! Instead of coffee, you can start serving simple drinks like today.”

The boss took me to the counter and taught me how to prepare various ade and tea types.

“Is that it?”

“Why? Is it too easy?”

“No, that’s not it.”

It’s way too easy, isn’t it?

The workload was at a level that could be described as “piece of cake”.

I’m getting 4,000 won, 5,000 won for doing this, and it’s still okay?

It’s to the point where I’m wondering if it’s okay.

“Usually, if nothing special happens, you’ll be working with me when we open.”

“Yes.”

“There will be times when you’ll overlap with other part-timers in the middle, ah, that’s right.”

The boss clapped his hands, seemingly remembering something.

“I had something I wanted to ask you.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Weren’t you friends with Minju?”

“That’s right.”

“But why did you ask to be put on a different schedule from Minju?”

Well, that’s a story.

Park Minju confessed to me, but I rejected her, and now it’s a bit awkward, so I asked to be put on a different schedule. Plus, I have a younger sister at home who’s addicted to Ince#stuous content, and she has a fit whenever she sees Minju, so I had to prevent that from happening beforehand.

I couldn’t say that, though.

“It seems like friends who stick together will just end up messing around and wasting time, so I thought it would be better to work separately. We’re getting paid, after all.”

It was a hastily prepared excuse, but it was quite nicely packaged.

I’ve developed a knack for making excuses in front of girls, it seems?

“Wow, Junho’s mind is really good, isn’t it? I haven’t met anyone who talks like that among the part-timers I’ve met recently.”

The boss was genuinely impressed, so I

“Ahaha.”

“They all just play on their phones and get scolded for not cleaning.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s not all of them, but there are some friends like that. Minju is really good at her job, though, so I appreciate her a lot.”

Minju is definitely loved by everyone, everywhere.

In the student council, in the academy, in the store…

As someone who vividly remembers Minju’s elementary school days, I was amazed.

“It’s almost time to open. Go flip the sign and open the door.”

“Yes.”

I went outside, flipped the sign on the window to “OPEN”, and came back in.

No one had arrived yet, but I was already nervous, standing in front of the counter.

The first customer came in about 10 minutes later.

It was a man who looked like a office worker, staggering towards the counter.

“I’ll have an iced Americano, large.”

“Yes.”

I took the card and successfully processed the payment according to my prior training.

The beep sound and the rising approval phrase.

The boss watched me do it correctly and then nodded and went to get coffee.

“Thank you!”

The first customer quickly grabbed their coffee and left.

The boss watched the customer walk away with their arms crossed.

“That person comes at this time every day.”

“Are they a regular?”

“Yes. Their office must be around here. I’ve never had a direct conversation with them, but they always come in and rush out with that.”

In reality, all I did was swipe their card, but I felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

It was like acquiring a new skill in a game?

“Do you have a lot of regulars?”

“Yes, quite a few. If you work here for just a week, you’ll get used to seeing them.”

I was like a little kid who had just moved to a new town, and everything was amazing to me.

The work wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.

I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t make the coffee, but most of the tasks could be resolved within the manual that the boss had explained.

“Can I take your order? One iced Americano regular and one large. The large one with an extra shot. And would you like a strawberry smoothie and a chocolate muffin?”

“Yes!”

My first three-person order.

I was a bit nervous, but I could handle it.

It had only been two hours, but I felt like I had accomplished something.

One thing I noticed was that men usually had simple orders.

Most of them came alone and ordered one drink, which was easy to handle.

“Joon-ho.”

“Yes.”

“It’s almost lunchtime, so be careful. Since it’s your first day, customers will start pouring in and it’ll get chaotic. Try to stay calm and avoid mistakes. Got it?”

In other words, the boss round was about to start.

And indeed, as soon as it hit 12:10, the number of customers started to increase exponentially.

People buying sandwiches and coffee to go for lunch.

Groups of people who had already finished their meals and came in for just coffee.

For me, it was like a defense game against an overwhelming number of customers.

“Iced Americano and lemonade for this customer!”

“Basil sandwich and Earl Grey tea are ready!”

“Yes? Straw? Ah, it’s over there.”

“Ah… just a minute? Boss! I…!”

It was hard not to be shocked by the thought of having to go through this hell every day.

As soon as it hit 1 pm, the customers disappeared like ghosts.

The cafe was quiet, like a deserted island.

I felt like my soul had escaped halfway.

“Wow…”

“You did well. It’s not bad for the first day. You didn’t make many mistakes.”

The boss burst out laughing and handed me a glass with ice and water.

“One shot.”

“Thank you.”

What a world.

The water tastes so good.

“From 3 pm, Minju will be coming. I have work, so I need to leave early. Minju can handle everything, so if you have any questions, just ask her.”

“Okay!”

It’s not exactly the same time, but Minju is coming during the overlapping time slot today.

It’s a bit awkward to be left alone with her, but what can I do?

Nothing’s going to happen, anyway.

It’s just a store, after all.

The overlapping time is only two hours, anyway.

Minju arrived 10 minutes before the afternoon time started.

It was 2:50 pm.

“Are you here?”

“Hi, you look tired?”

Minju, wearing a comfortable-looking black T-shirt, slipped into the counter area as soon as she arrived.

“Minju! I’m leaving! Take care of Junho!”

“Okay! Come in, boss!”

The boss really was in a hurry, disappearing quickly after Minju arrived.

“Ah, when are you going home?”

Minju let out a deep sigh as soon as the boss left.

“You just got here.”

“I don’t care if I just got here. There’s no such thing as a good day to work.”

“Yeah.”

“How’s work? Did you learn a lot?”

“Well, I learned how to throw away trash and take out snacks.”

Minju chuckled and took out an ade juice from the refrigerator, pouring it into a glass.

“Can I drink this now?”

“Don’t you know that one drink a day is part of employee welfare? You didn’t drink today, right? I’ll make you one. What do you want to eat?”

I looked at the menu like a customer, and Minju decided to make the same drink for me.

After making my drink, Minju left me alone, saying she’d be right back.

She’ll be back soon.

Being alone was a bit unsettling, but what can I do?

As I stared blankly out the window, I gradually felt uneasy about the crowd of people gathering outside.

No way?

Are they really coming in here?

I’m Junho, a one-day part-timer.

My anxiety was already building up, overwhelmed by the throng of people.

It’s obvious there are more than 10 people.

The uneasy feeling was always right, and the store’s door swung open wide.

“Team leader! I’ll have a strawberry latte!”

“What do you want to drink?”

“Just ah, ah.”

“I don’t like it. I’ll have a vanilla latte.”

The person who looked like the captain, with their arms crossed, took out a silver card from their wallet.

“I’ll have an iced Americano.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, hurry up and order.”

Democracy… when will you come out? Democracy… when will you come out? Democracy… when will you come out? Democracy… when will you come out? Democracy… when will you come out? Democracy… when will you come out?

As it was my first day using the POS system, I had to take my time, one step at a time, to find the menu and puzzles.

The group, which had occupied four tables, was a formidable force.

There were a total of 14 orders.

What should I do first?

Let’s start with the drinks I can make quickly.

In my haste, I ended up carrying three cups at once, and the result was…

-Crash!

The sound of shattering glass drew the customers’ attention.

“I’m sorry!”

It wasn’t me who broke the glass, but I was the one apologizing in a bright tone.

Minju, wearing an apron, handed me a trash can and broom from the cleaning tools cabinet.

“Clean up carefully so you don’t get hurt.”

“What about the orders?”

“I’ll handle them, so you just focus on cleaning up that mess first.”

Minju checked the orders with ease and began making the coffee with a smooth flow.

The drinks piled up in no time.

Minju finished everything in under 10 minutes.

“Are you okay?”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize now. If you’re unlucky, you might have to pay for the cups out of your salary when the boss comes.”

It was the first day, and I had made a mistake, so I felt my confidence shrinking.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s natural to feel mentally drained when you’re receiving a large order on your first day.”

“I know that.”

“You’ll learn as you go.”

Under the counter.

A secret space where customers’ eyes couldn’t reach.

Minju’s hand discreetly grasped my finger.

“It’s like when you taught me how to kiss.”

It was a moment when I felt like the princesses in fairy tales who fall in love with the prince who saves their lives.