Chapter 25

In the end, Gyu-yeon yielded again. Naru could go outside for the first time in a while. He could breathe fresh air at home thanks to the purifier, but the outside had a different kind of freshness he liked.

Like a puppy let loose in a flowerbed, Naru—who had been running around—was held firmly by Gyu-yeon’s hand. He could run at home, but outside amid traffic Gyu-yeon had to keep him close so he wouldn’t get hit.

“Stay still, will you.”

“Gyu-yeon has arrived at the cafe. Cafe Destny.”

“It’s Destiny.”

“Ah, so that’s how you read it.”

Destiny, Destiny, Destiny.

Naru, repeating the shop name Gyu-yeon had told him several times, proudly pushed the door open. The cafe was crowded today too. Maybe because it was spacious, even when busy it still felt pleasantly unhurried.

Seo-yeon, handing a latte to a customer, waved cheerfully at Naru. The owner was Gyu-yeon, but she greeted Naru more enthusiastically. Gyu-yeon, who had a bit of a stickler streak, was oddly generous in these moments. Whether someone greeted him or not didn’t bother him—he was sly enough not to care.

“It’s been a while since you’ve been here?”

“Hello.”

“We have freshly made tarts. I’ll get this one for you!”

They’d arrived at a good time. Seo-yeon fussed and pointed at a just-out-of-the-oven blueberry tart. Naru stood on tiptoe to peer at the steaming pastries. The densely packed purple berries made his mouth water.

Gyu-yeon scowled openly as he tugged Naru along. He’d been wary because Seo-yeon had been acting friendly toward Naru for a while. He didn’t know why he felt on guard—how silly.

“Why would you buy that? I’ll handle it, so go arrange the display.”

“You could buy it for him. That’s harsh, boss. The tart just came out so you have to give it to him.”

“You, do you even like him or something?”

“Oh my…”

Gyu-yeon, pointing at Naru with his chin, gave a hollow laugh. Even though he should have waved his hands to deny it, Seo-yeon’s knowing smile as she covered her mouth annoyed him in a strange way.

If Naru had been conspiring with her, Gyu-yeon might have gotten angry. But Naru showed no interest in Seo-yeon at all. He knew Seo-yeon was nice, but right now his mind was fully on the many desserts.

“What’s that?”

“Red bean butter pretzel.”

“Looks delicious.”

Naru gave Gyu-yeon a pleading look asking to be allowed to eat it. The look was so persistent that Gyu-yeon told him to help himself, and Naru slipped toward the display without looking back.

Gyu-yeon decided to finish some annoying tasks before the interviewee arrived. He handed canelés to the patissiers who’d been baking all day inside, and they nodded approvingly. No matter that he was the owner, having his skills acknowledged by excellent patissiers was gratifying.

“It’s good. You can definitely taste deep flavor, and the texture is very nice.”

“Then let’s include this next month, and I’ve sent the recipe on Messenger, so please refer to it.”

After finishing his conversation with the staff, Gyu-yeon rubbed his forehead. Naru, who had filled a tray with bread, sat at a corner table and stamped his feet. It was cute and funny how he kept rhythm on his toes as if he were excited.

Had Seo-yeon already made him a drink? Beside the tray was a bubble tea filled to overflowing with tapioca pearls. It looked like she hadn’t skimped on the ingredients.

Gyu-yeon, sitting cross-legged at the table next to Naru, opened his work diary and watched him eat. Just as Naru bit into the red bean butter pretzel, he tilted his head and scooped some red bean paste with a small spoon, offering it to Gyu-yeon.

“What’s this?”

“Eat.”

“You’re passing it to me because you don’t want the red bean now, huh, ugh!”

Naru shoved the red bean paste into Gyu-yeon’s mouth and smiled in satisfaction. He bit into the pretzel with only butter left and finally tasted Naru’s preference.

Gyu-yeon, face contorted as if about to curse, wrote a note at the edge of the diary.

Add butter pretzel to the menu.

The scrawled words were full of affection. If Naru had seen them he would have been overjoyed.

Ding.

The shop door opened and a slim man walked in. Seo-yeon, who had been about to greet him thinking he was a customer, heard something and clapped while laughing.

“Ah, is he here for the interview?”

“Interview?”

“I need to talk for a bit, so just eat quietly over there.”

“Who is he?”

Gyu-yeon raised his hand in advance to warn Naru not to butt in. The man who’d been looking around while talking with Seo-yeon spotted Gyu-yeon and bowed. He looked gentle and cute, and his polite greeting left a good first impression.

On the other hand, Naru switched to alert mode. He was suspicious that a stranger he’d never seen before was acting friendly toward Gyu-yeon.

“Hello, boss. I’m Jeong Do-min, who was scheduled for the interview today.”

“Please sit comfortably.”

Phase one passed. Do-min greeted with even more polite wording than Naru. Gyu-yeon also used honorifics and was friendly toward him. Naru wasn’t used to seeing Gyu-yeon speak like that, so he decided to watch a bit longer.

“I’ve seen your experience on your resume, so you don’t have to tell me.”

“Ah, I see. You’re very thorough. I really want to work here. I mean it.”

“Why does it have to be here specifically?”

Do-min was affable and chatty. His open smile and clear statement of intent were impressive—a demeanor that would be well received anywhere. But Gyu-yeon deliberately revealed his personality and asked probing questions.

All employees at Cafe Destiny went through a rough screening. When he first opened the dessert cafe and hired staff, Gyu-yeon had the miserable experience of two people quitting within two weeks. They’d all left hurt by his blunt words.

Since then he made a point of revealing his rough personality during interviews. If someone couldn’t handle it, they would choose not to work here; if they felt fine, they’d happily come.

“Actually, I really love the desserts here. When I asked before, you said you were serious about developing new menu items, and that’s when I realized—I really want to work under a boss like that.”

Do-min was audacious. Normally people stumble with this question, but he answered smoothly as if prepared in advance.

“Sounds good. I think your personality will suit mine…”

Muttering and nodding roughly, Gyu-yeon flipped through his diary. Naru, nibbling bread nearby and perking up his ears, frowned.

“Sounds good? Personality will suit yours?”

It was the first time he’d heard Gyu-yeon say someone was ‘good.’ Even Naru hadn’t properly heard him say that. And that squirrel-like man got to hear it. He felt jealous.

Grrr. Rrrr.

Naru growled low enough for only Gyu-yeon to hear, clenching his hands and trembling. As a result the salt bread he was holding shrank and warped into an odd shape.

Startled by the sound, Gyu-yeon glanced over and sucked in a breath. Naru glared as he bit into the now-shrunken salt bread. His gentle expression had edged fierce from how menacingly he stared.

‘Hey, why are you like this all of a sudden. Be quiet. Quiet.’

Gyu-yeon silently mouthed a warning and broke into a cold sweat. He should be lowering his eyes at this point, but Naru was wiggling his bottom as if he might pounce any moment.

Gyu-yeon kept a close watch on Naru’s behavior throughout his conversation with Do-min, tense in case he might leap up and sabotage things.

“I’d like you to start working from next Monday if that’s okay. Is that fine?”

“Yes, that would be wonderful. If I can work with the boss, I’d be fine starting as soon as tomorrow.”

Grrr. Grrrrr.

Start next Monday? Naru raised his volume and began to growl louder. This time it seemed Do-min heard too.

“Ahem!”

Gyu-yeon deliberately cleared his throat to give Naru a look. He was signaling him to hold on just a little longer since they were almost done.

Do-min scanned the surroundings with a smile. He thought Gyu-yeon had stopped concentrating on him at some point, and at the edge of his gaze was Naru. When their eyes met, they exchanged an odd look.

Naru glared discreetly at Do-min, and Do-min pretended to smile while never averting his gaze.

He’s a top player! That person is a top player. Annoying. His vibe is kind of like mine, and his eyes are a bit catlike? The cat I hate most in the world.

“Ah…!”

“I knew you’d cause some trouble, seriously.”

“Ah, this wasn’t on purpose.”

While desperately staring down Do-min, Naru accidentally spilled his bubble tea. It was an accident he hadn’t planned. Yes, it was definitely unexpected.

Actually, it worked out great!

Gyu-yeon’s attention snapped to Naru. He helped him sit up so his clothes wouldn’t get soaked and called Seo-yeon, brushing his clothes with one hand.

Naru, dazed by the gesture, sneered at Do-min as if to say he’d won.

“Oh, is it your younger sibling, boss? Oh no. I’ll go get some tissues!”

“Sibling…?”

Do-min approached, feigning surprise, spoke in a fresh tone, and ran to the counter. Gyu-yeon and Naru stiffened at being called siblings. Gyu-yeon thought Do-min simply had poor eyesight, but Naru sensed an underlying meaning and frowned.

Before long Do-min returned with tissues and kindly wiped Naru’s clothes. Seo-yeon quickly wrung out a mop and started cleaning the floor.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay! We’ll clean it up quickly so don’t feel too bad. Would you like another bubble tea?”

“No, no. It’s fine.”

Seo-yeon smiled as she cleaned the floor. Meanwhile, Do-min rubbed Naru’s hand with a tissue.

“It splashed here too. Your sibling seems a bit clumsy. So cute.”

“Give me a tissue. I can wipe it off him.”

“I can wipe it for you, but the boss really takes good care of his sibling.”

“He’s not my sibling, so stop jumping to conclusions.”

Gyu-yeon snapped in his characteristically blunt tone and took the tissue from Do-min’s hand. Despite Gyu-yeon’s coldness, Do-min didn’t lose his smile. He was truly Naru’s formidable rival.

Gyu-yeon used the tissue he’d taken to neatly wipe Naru’s hand. It was nice that he looked after him like that, but Do-min’s presence irritated him and kept his expression tight.

He was somewhat displeased. Like the cat in the countryside that used to steal my food. Not terribly bad, but annoying—like the boss cat of an alley that gets under your skin.

As Naru ground his teeth, Gyu-yeon—worried about his wet clothes—looked at him with puzzled eyes.

“Is there anywhere else that’s wet?”

“I want to change my clothes……”

With an unnecessarily wistful look that tugged at Gyu-yeon’s sympathy, Naru grabbed his coat and said he wanted to go home. Gyu-yeon, falling for Naru’s small scheme, quickly sorted things out.

First, he told Seo-yeon that Do-min would be coming to work and instructed her to teach him well starting Monday. New employee training was always Seo-yeon’s responsibility.

“Then start coming to work next Monday. We’ll handle minor things by text.”

“Are you heading in now?”

“It’s a bit urgent.”

The interview ended somewhat inconclusively. Do-min got the job at the dessert cafe he’d dreamed of, but he couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.

Gyu-yeon prioritized taking care of Naru. The days were getting colder, and if he caught a cold from wearing wet clothes, it would be Gyu-yeon himself who’d have to deal with the trouble.

If he got sick, Gyu-yeon would have to make porridge at his side and give him medicine and all that—it’s a hassle, so he took care of him. This wasn’t worry.

Gyu-yeon, doing a bit of self-hypnosis, took Naru out with him. Naru, glued to his side, slowly turned his head and stared blankly at the standing Do-min.

As expected, something’s suspicious. There’s a smell.

Do-min’s face, sharp yet round, was strangely pinched. Naru deliberately made a sour face in response.

I don’t like you. Don’t get near Gyu-yeon. Yu Gyu-yeon is my owner.

Had Naru’s telepathy gotten through? Do-min, quietly looking at Gyu-yeon’s back, arrogantly raised an eyebrow. The two of them, wary of each other, looked like an enemy dog and cat.