Chapter 29: Nothing Special Part 2

Yuri noona’s wedding was just a week away.

Originally, the Sunflower Bakery was closed on Wednesdays and open on weekends.

However, since Yuri noona’s wedding was scheduled for the weekend, the bakery decided to close that weekend.

“Because of me, you’re going through all this trouble…”

I mentioned that if I had stayed behind alone, perhaps we wouldn’t have to close the bakery.

But noona immediately shook her head and said,

“No, even if I were here alone, the bakery would still need to close.”

Knowing how much thought she put into her words, I felt embarrassed.

The reason for hiring a part-timer in the first place is clear: either the workload is too much for one person to handle, or the owner wants to take a little break.

This bakery wasn’t one with few customers, but it wasn’t busy to the point that one person couldn’t manage it alone.

That said, it wasn’t something I could handle on my own either.

The bread is baked fresh.

The coffee is brewed on-site.

While I had reached a level where I could manage both tasks, I couldn’t match the taste of the bread and coffee noona made.

“I wanted to try making drip coffee instead of just espresso.”

I once asked her why she hired a part-timer.

From what I saw, she handled almost all the work by herself.

Of course, my presence allowed her some moments to sit down and rest, but I still felt she managed everything capably on her own.

“I also wanted to experiment with different beans for roasting. If the menu involves more labor-intensive items, it’s hard to manage alone.”

She had no plans to expand the store, but there was enough space to accommodate various tools and equipment.

Noona liked coffee, huh?

Perhaps it was a hobby she picked up after becoming a university student.

Or maybe, before that, she just didn’t have the luxury of turning her interest into a hobby.

“Would you like to learn how to make coffee someday?”

“Yes!”

When I enthusiastically answered noona’s question, she chuckled softly.

She probably knew I couldn’t handle bitter coffee well.

Even after that, I tried drinking coffee a few more times, but I always grimaced slightly as it went down.

“Sure, but there’s no need to rush. Start with something manageable at your own pace.”

That’s what noona said.

Even if I only helped with making bread here, it significantly lightened her workload.

Fortunately, I had confidence in my physical strength and endurance, so I could handle any heavy tasks.

After working together with noona for over two weeks, I learned a bit about her current situation.

Noona was still living alone.

However, she no longer lived near her old school.

Now, she lived within walking distance of the bakery.

Luckily, the villa she lived in was on my way back to the subway, so we often walked together after work, chatting briefly about this and that.

She had graduated from university without any issues.

Since she remained a scholarship student until the end, her grades were probably good.

It seemed like she was now living a life where she could do what she wanted, at least to some extent.

I hadn’t been invited to noona’s home yet.

To be honest, even if I were invited, I wasn’t sure I could go.

When we were younger, I had no clue about anything and spent time alone with her often.

But now, it’s different.

At some point, I started liking noona.

Perhaps it was when I entered my teenage years.

Even after realizing my feelings, it never felt awkward or embarrassing to be alone with her at home.

Whenever her parents fought upstairs, we would quickly head outside and wander around.

But now… if I were alone in her house with her, I think my emotions would be all over the place.

Noona probably wouldn’t think anything of it, but I would.

If I were the old me, I might have looked forward to it in a different way.

But now, I’m not the same.

I’m just a fellow part-timer who also happens to be the same gender as her.

Perhaps I’d start thinking about what might have been.

I didn’t know if noona had a boyfriend or not.

From my guess, she didn’t seem to.

I wasn’t sure if she had in the past, but at least now, she didn’t appear to be in contact with any men or take days off for special reasons.

I also didn’t know if she still kept in touch with my mom.

While working, noona never contacted anyone else, so there was no way for me to know.

The last person who came to visit noona at the bakery was her fiancé, Park Hyunseung.

At this point, I started to worry a little.

Not only did it seem like she didn’t have a boyfriend, but she also didn’t seem to meet with friends separately.

—Though it’s not something I could point out.

After all, I was practically in the same boat, with no real friends of my own.

While I was lost in thought, noona was quietly reading a book during a lull in customers.

Then, her phone buzzed on the counter.

“Mm? Oh.”

Noona glanced up from her book, made a small sound, and answered the call.

“Hello, this is Lee Ayoon.”

Soon, I could hear the voice from the other end of the line.

Even if I didn’t want to, my sharp ears picked up every word.

It was a slightly older man’s voice.

“Just wanted to check if you’ll be coming this Wednesday.”

“Oh, yes. Of course, I’ll be there.”

Noona smiled as she nodded at the man’s voice.

“Got it. Thanks, as always.”

“No, it’s something I want to do.”

The two exchanged a bit more conversation, including light pleasantries.

“How’s the bakery?”

“It’s going well,” and so on.

“See you Wednesday, then,” noona said before ending the call.

The call ended with noona saying goodbye like that.

As she placed her smartphone back on the counter, our eyes met.

“Mm? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing…”

The content of the conversation wasn’t anything significant.

Of course, noona must have acquaintances.

The voice of the older man lingered in my mind, but… it could’ve been a professor or someone like that from her university days.

Judging from the tone of their conversation, it didn’t seem suspicious.

Still… no matter how I looked at it, it was hard not to dwell on it.

I was aware that this was odd behavior on my part.

Just like last time, I found myself overthinking whenever noona talked with a man.

…Had I always been this sensitive?

I couldn’t help but be surprised at myself.

“Curious about who I was talking to?”

Noona asked with a smile.

“Ah, well…”

I was curious.

But I couldn’t bring myself to ask outright.

It didn’t feel like we were close enough for me to ask such a thing.

“They’re just someone I’ve known for a long time. We’ve helped each other out in the past.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Well—”

Noona hesitated, letting out a faint bitter laugh.

“Oh, right, I remember now.”

She mumbled to herself and then showed a slightly embarrassed expression.

“That is… um.”

After what seemed like a moment of resolution, she nodded her head as if making up her mind.

What was noona about to say? Was it something that might make me think twice?

While I was bracing myself for something unexpected, noona gently smiled and said,

“Once a month, on my day off, I go to volunteer.”

“Ah.”

“Last time, I told the part-timer I was going ‘out for fun,’ but they ended up tagging along… and a week later, they quit the job.”

She said this while slightly blushing, looking a bit embarrassed as if even talking about it made her shy.

“So that’s how it went…”

Was that what Park Hyunseung mentioned about the ‘weird thing’ that happened last time? If they had followed along only to find themselves dragged into volunteering unexpectedly…

Hmm, while I wanted to sympathize with noona, I could understand why that person might have decided to quit.

Getting roped into volunteering against your will could be frustrating.

Still, I wondered if the timing of that odd incident and the part-timer quitting were just a coincidence.

It felt strange to leave because of that alone, especially when it was their misunderstanding that led them to follow her.

But—

“Why do you feel the need to hide that you’re volunteering?”

I asked out of genuine curiosity.

It wasn’t as if she was doing anything bad.

Was there really a reason to keep something like volunteering a secret?

“Ah, well…”

Noona looked down slightly, her face showing even more embarrassment than before.

“It’s just… if I go around saying I’m volunteering here and there, doesn’t it sound like I’m bragging?”

“Ah.”

Hearing her explanation, I felt convinced.

This person—really.

She was exactly the noona I had always admired so much.