Book And Cofee, please

Upon her return, Vania noticed that the café had already lit its nighttime illuminations. The effect aimed to be enchanting to attract young customers at night, and it worked. Most of the customers were young couples, students, or even teenagers. The latter wanted to take advantage of the book day; they had come in large numbers for that. Well, more to immortalize moments for their social media, but at least it benefited the café. Vania returned to her post, where Minseok had generously replaced her for her unexpected departure. Of course, once she was back, Minseok wanted to know more about what had happened with Geoul.

"So, what happened with Geoul?"

It's true, Minseok had to know him too since her boyfriend was one of his friends. Not very talkative, Vania gave a small smile and replied,

"Oh, nothing serious, just a misunderstanding."

"I see," Minseok said, not really understanding what that meant. And especially that Vania didn't want to make any more statements about it, that was the problem. Anyway, I hope it's resolved?

"Yes, it's okay now. Thank you, and sorry again."

"Don't worry, it's my pleasure. By the way, eonni, you don't need to be formal with me. Let's be friends from now on," Minseok suggested cheerfully.

"Okay, thank you very much."

"You're welcome," she said before returning to her real position as a waitress.

Vania felt a warmth in her heart; Minseok's kindness made her smile. Mrs. Atachi hadn't lied to her when she said she would feel good in this place; the day had lived up to all its promises. Certainly, some customers were more courteous than others, but the young woman was accustomed to it, even from her previous job. But, you could count on a satisfied child's smile or a compliment to forget a previous discomfort.

But just as things were going well, the situation turned into a commotion because of a small group of overly insistent and unruly students. The three young boys asked the librarian for advice, but while Vania was trying to help them, one of them touched her hair.

"Are you sure we've never seen each other somewhere?" he asked.

Vania clenched her fists and put on a falsely conciliatory face.

"No, I don't think so, sir. Otherwise, I would have remembered," she replied calmly.

"True, I'm not someone easily forgotten once you've passed underneath," the young man replied, causing his friends' excitement. "Yet your little angelic face tells me something, really."

"Yeah, she looks familiar to me too. Aren't you a model or something?", asked the another guy.

Vania realized that these three had no interest in novels or books; no, they were there for a completely different kind of entertainment. They were literally undressing her with their eyes, and the one on her left didn't hesitate to stare at her chest. The young woman sighed internally, praying that her lack of reaction would make them leave. But the more she remained silent, the more the boys persisted in their harassment. One of them tried to grab the young woman by the forearm, and reflexively, Vania freed herself from the grip. The look she gave the young man at that moment scared him a bit, but after that, his misogynistic side took over again, convinced that this little thing could only do that, nothing more.

"Wow! The lady is a tigress," he said.

"Yeah, she almost bit you, be careful, man!"

They laughed again. The third with them seemed a bit uncomfortable; he must have found the joke abusive. This one tried to intervene on behalf of Vania, but his friends weren't listening. "What, we're joking! And she's not angry, right?" said one.

The one who seemed to be the leader leaned towards Vania, and of course, disgusted, Vania stepped back further behind the counter. He read the nameplate attached to Vania's dress, then smiled and said,

"So, Va-Vania-ssi, do you want to join us for a drink after your shift?"

"Yeah, we want to get to know you better. You know, I really feel like I've seen your pretty face somewhere; you can refresh my memory."

It is certain that they really had no interest in where they could have seen this pretty face; the few images of the young woman's uncovered face should no longer exist now, three years later. The story was remembered, the features were blurred in the minds.

"I'm sorry, but that's not possible."

"Why?" the young man asked, falsely disappointed.

Obviously, they didn't plan to leave on their own. Vania was starting to get annoyed by their disgusting presence; she felt her personal space shaken in the worst way. Moreover, this fake smile was starting to tire her face, so she smoothed it out to reveal her dark face. The game was over, and these customers were no longer customers. Vania stepped forward, then placed both hands on the counter. Her eyes were devoid of any life, of any humanity. The three naturally stepped back, outraged.

"I'll give you five seconds to turn around, or I might remind you where you've seen me. But... irony, you won't be there to read about it, because it will be about you."

The third; the one in the background, had a kind of revelation. The image came back to him, the face came back to his mind. And undoubtedly, the same thing happened to the other two. More concerned about what would come next, he turned on his heels and left without waiting for his friends. The other followed him, but the leader couldn't accept the idea of leaving with his tail between his legs because of that. He faced Vania, and this time, she confronted him without the slightest apprehension. Suddenly, a masculine voice interfered, pushing the young man to step back.

Yoonjae happened to leave his office, drowned in paperwork, to come and see how the café was doing. Sometimes, like tonight, when the café was crowded, he would lend a hand in the room. Well, he stayed more in supervision than in service, but at least he served a little. The young man inquired about the situation. And as he scanned the room with his eyes, he noticed that Minseok had returned to her position. He stopped the young woman and asked her,

"Is Vania-ssi back?"

Minseok could read impatience on his face; he must have been waiting for her.

"Yes, she's back."

Vania occupied the second level of the café, from there you could see the library; you could only see the counter by going upstairs. That explained why these boys had acted like this, out of sight. Yoonjae couldn't hide that he had come out to watch for her return, so he hurried up the stairs to find the young woman. But upon his arrival, Yoonjae came across a more than tense atmosphere. Instinctively, Yoonjae reacted to defuse the situation.

"Ah, jagiya! I was just... Oh, I see you're busy with a customer. I'll come back later?"

Vania didn't take her eyes off the young man and replied to Yoonjae,

"No, jagiya, it's not necessary. The gentleman was just about to leave; I'm listening to you."

It sounded more like a threat than anything else, but he decided to obey because now he was at a disadvantage. In his eyes, Vania could read: Remember me well, because we will meet again. But the young woman didn't seem intimidated; on the contrary. The young man left the counter and left, passing in front of Yoonjae. He looked at the manager and whispered to him before going down,

"You're right; your girlfriend is a real sweetheart."

Yoonjae immediately frowned, and wanted to follow the customer, but Vania held him back.

"Yoonjae-ssi, it's not necessary."

The one downstairs continued to provoke him with his gaze, but Yoonjae chose to listen to the young woman's voice. He came to her, worried.

"Do you know him? What happened?"

Vania could finally breathe, happy to have kept her calm long enough. Fortunately, Yoonjae had arrived; she was about to crack.

"No, I don't know him. It's just kids trying to make themselves interesting, nothing malicious."

"Nothing malicious," Yoonjae said surprised. "You were inches away from having books thrown in your face; who knows what would have happened if no one had come up? I'm going to have a camera installed here, by the way."

Yoonjae scanned the place to choose the right spot to install the camera; apparently, he wasn't just saying empty words.

"Thank you, Yoonjae-ssi," Vania suddenly announced. "You saved my life; I don't know how I would have managed without your intervention."

Yoonjae lowered his eyes to her. The young man contemplated this radiant face and began to think about what Nori had said a few hours earlier. It might be that "love at first sight" exists, and he might be understanding what that expression means. He retraced his steps, near the counter.

"Vania-ssi?"

"Yes?"

"Would you consider working here permanently?" he asked.

Vania scoffed, thinking it was another joke coming from the great heartbreaker. She responded with,

"The café and Yoonjae-ssi's presence are both pleasant, but I'm sorry to refuse. I already have a job, and I like it even more."

But the glow in Yoonjae's eyes indicated his seriousness; Vania was surprised that he was really making her this offer. So, the young woman reiterated more calmly,

"Yoonjae-ssi, I love my job as a librarian. Thank you for the offer, but no."

"I'm not asking you to quit your librarian position," the young man advanced. "I'm asking you to be a librarian, in the café."

In the allusion, Yoonjae was not only talking about the professional aspect, but Vania paid little attention to it. She saw, however, the advantage of this proposition; it would provide a second source of income for the bookstore.

"Yes, I like the idea," Vania admitted. "But you have to discuss it with the manager first, right?"

Yoonjae laughed weakly.

"Well, let's say my father sometimes trusts me to run the company."

Vania hid her surprise; she had thought it was a false impression of déjà vu, but the features she had distinguished between them were truthful—Mr. Jumyong was indeed Yoonjae's father.

"Yes, I just need a yes from you, and I'll take care of the rest."

"I'll discuss it with Mr. and Mrs. Atachi first," the young woman replied, still undecided about this seemingly spontaneous proposition.

Yoonjae put his finger delicately on Vania's hand, on the scar. Surprisingly, the gesture didn't trigger any particular reaction from the young woman. Normally, Vania didn't like contact with that area. Maybe because he caught her off guard, but even so, the sensation was not irritating. Yoonjae gently tapped the scar and told her,

"When I say 'everything,' I mean everything. So, I want to know first if you agree to that. The others will follow your choice, including me. So?"

Ji Yoonjae was apparently more embarrassing than Baek Geoul; these two seemed to have the gift of putting the young woman in uncomfortable positions. Vania finally withdrew and returned,

"I accept on one condition, or it's a no."

"If the condition requires me to stay away from you during working hours, then say no."

Vania couldn't help but laugh; it seemed that the rumors about him were true. After a short reflection, although her decision had been made for a while, the librarian nodded.

"It's a yes?"

Yoonjae wanted to hear it in her own voice. Because that meant that the condition would not hold, and Vania saw no problem with it.

"Yes."

Yoonjae seemed happy, too happy for a simple hiring.

"Thank you," he added enthusiastically.

"For what ?"

"Thank you for agreeing to marry me in a few years or maybe less than that."

Vania chuckled with a, "Very funny, if you continue, I'm going to file a harassment complaint, boss."