Chapter 1: Prologue

As of lately, new customers started visiting our bar. A crowd of men and women assumed to be the same age as me, who our boss referred to as the “real deal.”

 

“Those people are the real deal.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I meant this.”

 

Boss made a coin-like shape with his fingers, hanging his thumb and meeting the tip of his fingers. He also added to pulling out a red carpet as a joke, to emphasize what he meant. I didn’t even understand if he was half-joking so I chuckled lightly at his remark. It was probably because I never saw our bar frequented by people who pretended to be rich.

 

A good mile away from the bustle of the expensive downtown area, in a relatively quiet narrow basement was situated our bar. It was managed by Seongwook hyung’s elegant tastes and his extensive connection with people. Previously, he was the type to spend a lot of money and now his customers, who visited our cafe, were mostly alike.

 

Seongwook, the youngest of a slightly well-off family, used to live without a care, suddenly got bored, as he had nothing interesting to do and decided to open up a bar to give himself a job. Even though he had remarked that it was only to kill time, it was obvious he worked hard on the job. From the extravagant interior, professional bartenders, and the rare liquor he bought, it all expressed how enthusiastic he was about the job.  It was only a matter of time before the bar got famous thanks to Seongwook hyung’s acquaintances’ word-of-mouth.

 

The special guests were the same as the ones Seongwook Hyung usually had. Although it was the first time, the clean-cut man wearing glasses had visited our bar with Seongwook hyung’s acquaintance. Like what usually occurred with many others before, he must have liked the bar, so he probably planned to drop by often tagging along with the said acquaintance.

 

Even if they were called special guests, those people weren’t especially eye-catching from the perspective of Seongwook hyung or the staff. They didn’t order enough to be drunk nor did they brag about their connections. After talking in moderation, they would leave the bar like any people my age. But what made those people different from me from the other customers was the name that popped up in one of their conversations.

 

“So is Jang Yoonsung back in Korean or not?”

 

The woman who looked exceptionally good with the red lipstick smeared on her lips asked impatiently. I almost dropped the glass in my hand as my ears perked up at the name that came without warning. The man bothered by the rattling noise of the glass darted his eyes from my hand to the woman and replied.

 

“I told you he came.”

 

“But why didn’t he contact us once?”

 

She asked again, as if she was annoyed.

 

“He must be busy.”

 

The man answered again, in brief. The conversation encompassing the topic of Yoonsung ended there. They quickly segwayed into another topic however I was the only one brooding over that particular name over and over again.

 

Even if I persuaded myself that the mentioned name was a common name, my trembling heart didn’t have any intention of calming down.

 

From the 20s to early 30s. People who usually visited our cafe were around that age range and were from well-off families. Among them, with a similar background, the youngest of his family Jongmin was very curious. He asked a trivial question and if it had been any other day, I would have ignored it. But this time I perked up my ears as Seongwook hyung took his time answering Jongmin.

 

“Is he a 2nd generation chaebol?”

 

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“He can be.”

 

Unsatisfied with the answer, Park Jongmin asked again impatiently. Seongwook then said yes.

 

The Yoonsung I knew was that kind of person. What was the probability that the special guest and Jang Yoosung, who was also the same age as mine, were two different people? I decided to brush it off even though the conclusion was apparent. But I couldn’t help but feel restless on the day, the special guests were determined to visit.

 

That day was a similar day too. The skies were gloomy and it had been raining since the evening. The special guests were rather late and they settled themselves around a wide table.

 

Along with the tune of the music, the familiar name rang in my ears. I could hear it clearly. It was a disorienting day and I made several mistakes throughout my shift because I simply couldn’t get a grip of myself.

 

“Hakyung, what’s wrong with you today? Is something the matter?”

 

“It’s nothing. Sorry.”

 

“It’s fine. You can go out and wipe the floor there. It’s muddy again.”

 

Seongwook hyung didn’t nag at me and instead handed me the mop. In my opinion, it was better than wiping in between the tables. From the front door of the bar to the steep staircase, it was muddy again even though it was cleaned several times before.

 

Ah, that was why I really despised rainy days. There were many things to do and think about in those days.

 

While I was scouring my preoccupied mind, I started to wipe the floor. As if on cue, while I moped around the floor, a guest arrived.

 

The guest who was standing at the entrance, tapped his umbrella a few times. I waited from afar,  for the guest to leave so that I could clean the floor after. The guest who climbed down the stairs was uncommonly tall. No, he was tall as he always was. He still had that impassive face when he pursed his lips.

 

As if I was possessed, I couldn’t take my eyes off the man walking towards me. As the raindrops ricocheted off my shoulders like those unforgettable memories, I unconsciously smiled.

 

The man gazed at me with an indifferent expression painted on his face… I only realized then. I finally met Jang Yoosung.

 

I played this scenario several times in my head. What would Jang Yoosung say to me if he met me again? He wouldn’t be happy to meet me, right? No, he might have forgotten me already or wouldn’t be able to recognize me.

 

Jang Yoosung scrutinized me and then asked.

 

“Do you know me?”

 

Even the rude tone he spoke in, was still the same. Whether or not Jang Yoonsung recognized me, I planned to give that one answer as I always rehearsed.

 

“…No.”

 

I also don’t know you.

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