Me, You, and The Cafe

There was one thing that made Winter feel comfortable working at that vintage-concept cafe. Of course, it was because of the regular customer who often came every afternoon! Almost every afternoon, the tall customer would come, ordering his favorite drink—Chocolate Frappe. For some reason, the man often visited the cafe. As far as Winter knew, the man always came alone, then opened his laptop and busied himself typing something on his black laptop—while occasionally sipping the drink he ordered.

Winter could clearly see the man's activities even from the pantry. Because she looked at her regular customer so often, Winter had even been scolded by several coworkers for being seen as not serious about her work. One of them was Giselle, the narrow-eyed woman who often accidentally caught Winter watching her customer from afar.

However, for the past three days, Winter no longer saw her regular customer coming to the cafe. Even when she waited until late at night, the man never showed up. Winter began to wonder, where did her regular customer go? Could it be that he had found a new cafe—that's why he no longer came here? That question swirled in her mind.

At exactly 5 PM, Winter was sitting idly in the pantry chair, daydreaming about various things. Suddenly, the cafe door bell rang—indicating a new customer had arrived. Startled, she quickly looked up. Just as she had hoped this time—her favorite customer had returned.

"G-good afternoon! Welcome to Milky Way Cafe!" Winter enthusiastically gave her best greeting to her regular customer. Not forgetting, she also flashed a sweet smile toward the tall man. "Is there anything I can help you with, Sir?"

"Chocolate Frappe and macaroon." The man answered quickly, immediately handing over a bill to Winter . "Keep the change. And please deliver it to my table," he said, prompting Winter to nod gently.

This time, Winter couldn't hide her happy feelings. Even while she was busy preparing the order for the man, Winter kept smiling nonstop, which made Giselle —one of her coworkers—furrow her brows in confusion. But in the next second, Giselle understood why Winter had been beaming with joy since earlier. "Your regular customer is back, huh?" she suddenly chimed in.

"Yes." Winter nodded briefly, then busied herself preparing the macaroon ordered by her customer. After finishing the drink, she prepared a tray, then placed the small plate along with the drink glass on it. "Giselle, please deliver this to his table."

Giselle immediately shook her head. "No way. You deliver it yourself. Didn't he ask you to bring it earlier anyway?"

"Eh?" Winter looked confused.

However, Giselle quickly pushed her shoulder, forcing her out of the pantry. Left with no choice, Winter had to deliver the man's order herself.

It wasn't hard to find the customer's table. As usual, the man always chose the table by the cafe's large glass window, facing the city street directly. He was busy with his laptop again.

*Hah, how can Winter get to know him better if he's always busy with work every time he comes?*

"Excuse me, Sir. Here's your order." Winter placed the small plate of macaroon and the Chocolate Frappe beside the man's laptop. She bowed slightly and smiled faintly. "If you need any help or anything else, please call the staff in the pantry. Thank y—"

"Wait a moment." Winter 's steps halted when the man suddenly called out softly. Startled, the girl turned around with a confused frown. "If you don't mind, could you keep me company while I finish my work?"

Suddenly, Winter froze.

*Hey, what kind of offer is that? Am I dreaming right now?*

This man—asking her to accompany him? This was seriously like hitting the jackpot!

"Eh? W-what?"

*How stupid*,

Even at a moment like this Winter still managed to act nervous.

*Stupid Winter !*

"Accompany me. Can you?" The man asked again to make sure. "Just some light conversation. It feels... uncomfortable always spending time alone to finish my work every day. But if you mind, it's okay."

Now Winter was confused about what to answer. On one hand, this was a golden opportunity she shouldn't waste. *Oh come on! When else would her regular customer invite her to chat?*

"What about my job? I don't mean to be rude. It's just... I'm afraid Mr. Lee will get angry if I neglect my work."

The man smiled slightly. "No need to worry. I know your manager. He's one of my good friends too." There was a short pause. "Lee Soo Hyuk, right? He was my university friend back then. The reason I often visit this cafe is actually because I want to meet him. It's just that I don't have the right timing. So... I'm always alone here."

Winter seemed to think for a moment. After debating with her brain and heart for quite a while, the girl finally nodded lightly. Half-nervously, she pulled out the chair beside the man and sat down, staring at the cars passing by on the street.

"It seems like you visit this cafe very often, Sir. Why?" Winter decided to start the conversation so it wouldn't feel awkward. Hearing the question, the man beside her glanced at her briefly before returning his focus to the laptop screen. "Do you... really want to meet Mr. Lee?"

"Not really. I—just like this place. For some reason." He took a sip of his drink, then pushed the plate of macaroons toward Winter . "Take some if you want. And—don't be too formal. Just call me by name."