Chapter 04
Her dismissive tone and expression made it clear that Jangmi didn’t believe a word he said.
But he didn’t feel like proving who he really was to some country cafe girl he’d never see again—it seemed too pathetic.
“Please make me another coffee. I already paid generously earlier.”
“Sure, whatever.”
Taking his extra order, Jangmi started making another coffee.
She ground the beans and took down a gold-rimmed cupping glass from the top shelf.
It was Yeongran’s favorite cup, only brought out for VIP customers.
Even though she thought Kwon Woo was a con artist, he’d paid 50,000 won, so she considered him a VIP of sorts.
Her movements pouring water and ice over the brewed espresso were noticeably slower than when she’d made one for Seonho earlier, but nevertheless, she finished the coffee.
Jangmi placed the finished coffee on a tray and headed to the table where Kwon Woo was sitting.
Her wet chest was slightly bothering her, but she raised the tray high to cover that area.
As Jangmi approached with the tray, Kwon Woo’s gaze instinctively drifted toward her.
It wasn’t intentional.
It was just that his eye level, while sitting, was exactly at her chest height.
Looking again, the lace underwear visible through the damp fabric seemed intensely provocative.
As someone carrying the Taesan name, he’d faced countless temptations, but he’d never once given them a proper glance. Yet absurdly, just seeing a bit of lingerie through wet fabric made his heart pound.
“……”
Unknowingly, Kwon Woo’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
He knew he should look away, but his instincts held him captive.
Noticing the deepening intensity in Kwon Woo’s gaze, Jangmi quickly set down the cup and used the tray to cover her chest.
‘He’s looking again, this old man. Get your eyes off me!’
Seeing his Adam’s apple bob, and then the tendons in his hand stand out as he propped his chin with increased tension, Jangmi spoke in an annoyed voice.
“…Your coffee!”
Startled by Jangmi’s sharp voice, Kwon Woo snapped back to his senses.
He hastily averted his gaze, which had instinctively been fixed on her chest.
What on earth was he doing? He wasn’t some stray dog drooling over prey.
He’d looked away, but his racing heartbeat didn’t easily calm down.
‘Is my type really a country cafe cashier?’
Even he found it absurd, and a dry, disbelieving laugh escaped his lips.
Misinterpreting his scoff, Jangmi gave him a contemptuous, pitying look.
‘For a con artist, he has good taste.’
Cursing him with her eyes, Jangmi turned around irritably.
But with the visual stimulus gone, this time it was his sense of smell that got him.
The refreshing scent he’d been faintly picking up since earlier brushed past the tip of his nose.
It wasn’t overpowering, yet it was sweet—the kind of scent that would make his eyelids close if he were at home.
‘What brand is this? How does it suit my taste so perfectly?’
Kwon Woo asked abruptly, addressing the back of Jangmi’s head as she turned away.
“What perfume do you wear?”
“I don’t wear that stuff.”
She doesn’t wear perfume, yet she smells this good?
The scent emanating from Jangmi was refreshing and natural—the kind of smell you’d get from a forest after rain or sun-dried blankets. The kind he’d never encountered before.
In fact, ever since entering the cafe, Kwon Woo had been feeling an strangely overwhelming drowsiness.
He normally suffered from severe insomnia and rarely fell asleep easily, but Jangmi’s unique body odor seemed to bring on sleep like a miracle.
“You don’t wear it? I can still smell a scent coming from you.”
At his words, Jangmi tilted her head, thought for a moment, then brought her hand to her nose and said,
“Oh, are you talking about this?”
Jangmi muttered to herself.
“What brand of perfume is it?”
If he could get that scent, he felt like he could sleep well without suffering from insomnia in the future.
So, intending to place a bulk order immediately, he asked what product it was.
But the answer that came back was utterly absurd.
“It’s the scent of laundry soap. Made from recycled waste cooking oil.”
“…Laundry soap?”
“I was about to wash my hands, but the soap ran out, so I used the laundry soap instead.”
The scent that had captivated the great Cha Kwon Woo wasn’t a luxury diffuser, but cheap laundry soap from a country cafe bathroom?!
Had sitting in this shabby rural cafe made his taste cheap as well?
“Ha……”
It was truly one absurdity after another.
Kwon Woo let out a short sigh.
“Why are you making that face? Is the laundry soap smell that strong?”
Far from being strong, it was sweeter than any scent in the world.
Misinterpreting his reaction, Jangmi took a step closer, and he felt as if his body was being pulled deeper into the chair.
“…No, it’s not.”
Like a witch’s magical scent, his eyelids began to grow heavier and heavier.
“It’s nice… that smell.”
Why is he like that? No matter how nice the laundry soap smell is, it’s still laundry soap.
Jangmi let out a laugh and turned back to the counter.
—
A few hours later.
Jangmi propped her chin on her hand and stared in disbelief at the man who was sprawled over the table, sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world.
Wow, he really sleeps well.
She’d assumed he’d just doze off for a bit and wake up.
But no. An hour passed, then two, and the man was still in a deep slumber as if he were in his own home.
Jangmi crossed her arms and watched Kwon Woo, who was leaning back on the sofa asleep, and speculated.
It’s hot, so he must have been running around a lot lately trying to pull off his scams.
Wearing that kind of outfit in this heat must be tiring.
Guess running scams in a heatwave is quite an extreme job too.
With that body, that face… he could have succeeded as an actor. Why does he live that way with those looks?
What a waste of a handsome face. What a waste.
Just as Jangmi was clicking her tongue, the cafe door opened and a familiar voice rang through the hall.
“Oh my, it’s crazy, crazy! The weather is just killing people, I tell you!”
The person who entered, exuding flashy attire and the strong smell of makeup, was none other than Na Yeongran, the owner of this Eunhasu Cafe.
Her appearance, having gone to a nearby orchard to work for wages, didn’t look like someone who’d just been picking peaches.
A bold leopard-print blouse that looked like it had been transplanted straight from the African savannah, a chunky pearl necklace, and hair that was puffed up to the max with hair rollers.
An intensely flashy outfit.
It was hard to believe she was the biological mother of her daughter, whose only morning routine was barely managing to wash her face. They were polar opposites.
To Jangmi, Yeongran’s appearance was nothing new.
“You’re back?”
“Were there any customers?”
“There. One person.”
Jangmi gestured with her chin toward Kwon Woo.
Yeongran’s gaze followed.
“He doesn’t look like he’s from around here. Why is he sleeping here?”
“He said he came to see you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. He’s been camped out waiting since earlier, and now he’s sound asleep like that.”
“…Is that so? Who is he to come looking for me?”
Yeongran carefully examined the sleeping Kwon Woo.
Jangmi warned Yeongran.
“He seems like a con artist to me, so no matter what he says, just say you’re not interested and send him packing.”
“A con artist? He oozes class, doesn’t look like one to me.”
Yeongran’s eyes, fixed on Kwon Woo, grew sharper.
“You can always tell if he’s a con artist or not after a few words.”
Yeongran’s heels clicked as she approached the table where Kwon Woo was.
She pulled out the chair opposite him, who was still wandering in dreamland, and sat down with a thud.
“Hey, wake up. If you’re going to sprawl out in someone else’s place of business, go sleep at home.”
Yeongran banged on the table to wake him.
At the sound, Kwon Woo, who had been in such a deep sleep that he wouldn’t have noticed if someone carried him off, slowly lifted his eyelids.
‘Did I… fall asleep just now?’
It had been a long time since he’d felt such a refreshing sleep.
He couldn’t believe he’d slept so soundly sitting on an old, worn-out cafe sofa, not in his own bedroom, which was equipped with the best sleeping environment.
How was this possible?
His head felt clear from the deep sleep he’d had in a long time, and he looked at the middle-aged woman who had woken him.
Her flashy getup didn’t look like someone who did farm work in the countryside.
Kwon Woo looked at the middle-aged woman, who was sitting with her arms crossed, her lips painted as red as if she’d bitten a rat, and spoke.
“Who… are you?”
“I’m the owner here. Of Jangmi… no, of Eunhasu Cafe. I heard you were waiting to see me?”
“Ah…”
The visual was far more… intense than he’d expected.
