Angel Smile 194 Scene 194
Jay's Pub & Bistro.
Just like every night, the shop was bustling with people. The bistro was a popular place amongst locals due to the cheap, affordable food and the cheap, affordable alcohol.
The owner was a Korean-American who came back to South Korea to open his own store after achieving success in the US.
He was also one of the main reasons why locals liked to frequent his place. He was in his early thirties, and good looking. On top of that, he had an approachable and charismatic personality, making others feel comfortable around him.
If there was one flaw about him, it was that he was forever alone. It was not that he couldn't get a significant other, but it was because he treated everyone equally, regardless if he was dating them or not. It made his partner jealous, and oftentimes he was. .h.i.t with the lines: "Are we even dating?! Why are you treating those people so nicely?! Are you cheating on me?!"
And that very person was currently standing behind the counter, scanning the bustling place with a large grin on his face. Tonight was a full house, and there was even a line of people waiting to be seated outside!
He casted a deep, joyous gaze at a certain girl sitting by the window. It was hard to pinpoint her age due to the dim lighting of the store, but even the lighting could not stop people from noticing her attractiveness.
She was stirring her mocktail—which the store owner, Mr. Jay, had personally made for her—with a straw, a hand propping up her chin as she zoned off. Perhaps it was because it was getting late, but she seemed somewhat tired and sleepy.
Her languid demeanour caused many people to be curious about her. Did she get stood up, they wondered. Those who were interested in the girl would inevitably enter the store, hoping to catch another glimpse of the beauty.
"Owner, table 3 wants a refill."
"Owner?"
"Owner!"
Mr. Jay was jolted out of his daze by the sound of one of his servers' voice.
"Ah? Ah, yeah. I'll get right to it," he absentmindedly grabbed the beer gla.s.ses on the tray that his server had brought back, filling it up with beer from the tap.
After doing that, he glanced at the vintage-styled grandfather clock he had used as decorations. The clock's needles pointed to a time that was fifteen minutes away from midnight.
He glanced back around the place. It seemed as if there was no end to the customers as his staff moved here and there, trying to serve everyone at the same time.
Feeling pity for his poor staff, he decided to call it a night.
"Gun—Gun!" He called out to the nearest employee to him.
The busy boy abruptly stopped to look at his boss, "Yes, Owner?"
"Go hang the 'we're closed' sign and tell the people waiting outside that we're not accepting anymore customers."
"Yes, sir." The young man dutifully executed his task. However, after he finished it, his eyes also lingered on the lonesome beauty sitting by the window. Of course, Mr. Jay knew perfectly well why Gun's eyes were stuck to the girl.
Gun had always been a model employee, but he had been oddly distracted the whole night, his eyes often drifting towards the girl every once in a while, as if to confirm her presence. Though Gun did not make any terrible mistakes, the fact that he was not paying attention during work hours was not a good thing.
However, Mr. Jay could not find the heart to scold him. He was the one who brought the pretty little G.o.ddess of fortune with him, after all.
Once the store had 'chased out' the last of their customers, the four employees who were forced to work hard could finally heave a sigh of relief.
"Store Owner, we better get some bonuses for tonight," the only female employee complained.
"Yes, yes~" Mr. Jay replied as he happily counted the bills in the cash register. For the first time since the grand opening of his pub & bistro, the till was filled to the brim.
He turned to Gun, who was sweeping the floor, and then to Yeo Ri, who was helping him by wiping the tables.
"I would have loved to hire your sister as our store's poster girl, but too bad she's still a minor," he told Gun while chuckling.
Gun sent him a withering look, "Owner, please don't speak nonsense. Even if Yeo Ri is of age, I wouldn't let her work here."
"Ouch, are you insulting my baby?" Mr. Jay made a faux-hurt expression, putting his hand over his heart.
"Mr. Owner, don't listen to Gun-oppa. If you need an extra worker, please don't hesitate to contact me," Yeo Ri rolled her eyes at her brother before flashing a crafty smile at Mr. Jay.
"Lee Yeo Ri, don't you dare—!" Gun frowned. He stopped with the sweeping, sending a narrowed-eyes look to his sister.
Yeo Ri's words and Gun's reaction sent Mr. Jay into a guffaw, and even the other employees who were helping with the store's closing smiled.
Yeo Ri was only half-kidding, but seeing Gun's stubborn response, she couldn't help but pout, "Why? Oppa can work, Hyuk-oppa can work, but I can't? Double standards!"
"You have modelling. Isn't that more than enough?"
"..." Yeo Ri pursed her lips in silence. Instead of answering him, she turned away, angrily wiping the table.
Modelling was hard sometimes, but she barely counted it as a job. She was only doing it for the short-term anyways, so she wanted to find something else to do after her dream-like contract period ends. Since she didn't want to go back to school, she wanted to find a job to help Gun with the expenses. However, Gun was adamant about not letting her work. It was frustrating.
"Yeo Ri-ah?"
Gun was perplexed. He had no idea what he had done to make Yeo Ri upset for the second time that day.
He turned to his boss and coworkers, looking as if he was seeking an answer from them. Unfortunately, they merely offered him a wry smile and shrugs, as well as shaking heads.
Afterwards, it took him a whole day and night to coax Yeo Ri into a better mood again.