「Forget about that coffee.」
A voice that slides smoothly toward the eardrums.
The same voice that lulls me to sleep every night like ASMR— there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize it.
Song Hyunsoo’s hands, which had been rinsing a cocktail glass, pause mid-motion.
As if drawn by an invisible force, his head turns.
The TV mounted on the ceiling above the bar counter is playing an advertisement.
A man’s face, with unusually clean-cut features, fills the screen in a close-up.
Facial structure so flawless it withstands even the most unforgiving camera angles.
And when paired with that husky, distinctive voice, the man exudes an almost mystical aura.
His long, slightly upturned eyes glimmer with a delicate melancholy, cold at first glance yet undeniably captivating.
The camera pulls back slightly, and the man reaches out toward the lens as if to someone beyond it, speaking.
“From now on, only drink NUBO.”
I don’t even know what that is, but suddenly, it feels like the only thing I should be drinking.
The man gripping the coffee can— his fingers long and elegant— is none other than…
“Oh? It’s Yoon Jooho. Long time no see.”
The bar manager, who had just returned from a quick errand, glances up at the TV and speaks as if he’s personally acquainted with the man on screen.
His tone suggests they might even be friends.
Hyunsoo, who had been staring at the TV in a daze, quickly snaps back to reality and resumes washing the glass.
“Look, Manager. Yoon Jooho changed his hairstyle— it’s insane.”
Chaeyoung, the part-timer who only works weekends, keeps her eyes glued to the TV as she speaks, not even glancing at the manager.
The manager, having taken off his jumper and draped it over the counter, joins the staff in staring at the screen.
“He’s not promoting that usual coffee anymore?”
“It’s a new product called NUBO.”
“Wow… I mean, objectively, the guy’s got the face. Seriously, even after 30 years, I wouldn’t get tired of looking at him.”
When Jeongho, a floor staff member two years younger than Hyunsoo, marvels at Yoon Jooho’s flawless visuals, the manager snorts.
“Jeongho, you’re 26. How have you been looking at that face for 30 years? I’m the one who’s actually been seeing him since his debut— a full 30 years.”
“Manager, old photos and videos of Yoon Jooho pop up in my algorithm all the time.”
“Algorithm?”
“Yeah. Honestly, we’ve probably seen his face more than you have.”
Chaeyoung nods in agreement.
The manager still looks unconvinced.
“Sure, he’s good-looking. But isn’t he a little too pretty?”
“Huh? Yoon Jooho?”
Chaeyoung frowns, clearly disagreeing.
“A man should have a strong jawline, something rugged.”
“He’s just… insanely—no, perfectly handsome.”
“Yoon Jooho’s 32 now. Just wait a few years—he’ll age hard.”
“That will literally never happen to Yoon Jooho.”
Chaeyoung pouts as if the manager had insulted her boyfriend.
Ignoring her displeasure, the manager turns to the small mirror on the wall behind the counter, tilting his head at different angles.
“Chaeyoung, what’s that hairstyle called, anyway? A perm? If I go to the salon, what should I ask for?”
“Manager, it’s not about the hairstyle.”
“Why not? People always say I look younger than my age. Look at this—from a 45-degree angle, don’t I kinda resemble Yoon Jooho?”
“Whaaat? No way! I mean, you’re not bad-looking, Manager, but comparing yourself to Yoon Jooho is just… shameless.”
“……”
Chaeyoung, who had been speaking without a filter, finally notices the manager’s sharp gaze and awkwardly clamps her mouth shut.
By then, Yoon Jooho had long since disappeared from the TV screen.
Having finished the dishes, Hyunsoo unties the apron around his waist.
“I’m going on break now.”
“Ah, Hyunsoo! Can you move these three beer crates first?”
“Right now? I was about to go on break.”
The manager glances at the wall clock, then back at Hyunsoo with a look that says, Is that a problem?
“You’re the strongest one here. Move them, then take your break— perfect timing. Do me this favor, yeah?”
Favor? You’d have to give me a choice for it to be a favor.
Jeongho, who had been watching the exchange, steps in to help.
“I’ll join you too, hyung.”
“No, Jungho-ssi, please check the inventory inside the store.”
But he was stopped by the manager.
Song Hyunsoo, who had been debating whether to say something, clicked his tongue and walked away.
Song Hyunsoo worked as a bartender at ‘Jessica,’ a bar in Daehakro.
The new manager, who had joined ‘Jessica’ last month, claiming to be a distant relative of the owner, looked the part but knew nothing about running a bar.
Strangely, though, he seemed to have it out for Hyunsoo, constantly picking on him.
“Oppa, I think the manager is just jealous because you’re good-looking. He only acts like that with handsome guys. Just ignore him.”
Chaeyoung had once comforted him like that.
And sadly, her guess seemed to be right.
Hyunsoo slipped out through the back door via the kitchen and grumbled as he grabbed the padlock on the warehouse.
Am I some kind of Cinderella?
Is it my fault that I’m the best-looking guy at ‘Jessica’?
Okay, fine, whatever.
But what?
That I look like Yoon Jooho from a 45-degree angle?
Are you out of your mind?
I don’t look even a speck like him even from 45 kilometers away!
Ugh, it’s freezing— why won’t this damn lock open?
The combination lock refused to cooperate about four out of ten times.
Eventually, Hyunsoo forced it open with half-strength.
The warehouse was dark, but he didn’t even need to turn on the lights— he knew the layout like the back of his hand.
He neatly stacked beer boxes for easy carrying and lifted three at once.
When he first started working at ‘Jessica,’ carrying two boxes at once would make his back ache.
But now, three boxes were nothing.
Whiskey, brandy, vodka, rum, gin, cognac, tequila…
Besides beer, the warehouse was filled with heavy glass bottles of liquor.
Hauling those boxes every day had naturally sharpened his skills and built his muscles.
After stacking the three beer boxes under the bar counter and returning the empty ones to the warehouse, Hyunsoo finally got a break.
His body was heated from the exertion, but he craved a cigarette more than water.
As soon as he slipped his arms into his jacket, he rummaged through the pockets.
But the cigarette pack in his hand felt suspiciously light.
Ah… I smoked the last one on my way to work.
He clicked his tongue and crumpled the empty pack.
Calculating the days left until payday and his remaining bank balance, he shuffled toward the convenience store.
After paying the gas bill, I’ve got 9,700 won left… 9,700 won…
Man, this month’s gonna be tight.
But if he passed the in-person audition scheduled for next week, he’d be fine.
The role came with a contract fee of at least five million won.
As if he had already landed the part, Hyunsoo’s steps lightened.
There was a saying among unknown actors: You have to send out your profile a hundred times just to get one callback.
After a year of diligently distributing his profile, Hyunsoo realized the saying wasn’t an exaggeration.
But as they say, no pain, no gain.
After bouncing between minor roles and extra work, he finally got a call for an in-person audition— and for a fairly significant role at that.
Though it was a supporting role, it was substantial— the younger brother of the protagonist.
Plus, it was a project by a renowned director known for artistic, classic melodramas.
If he got cast, this could finally be the end of his life as an unknown actor.
“Aah, my ears are gonna fall off. It’s early December— why is it so cold? How much worse is it gonna get?”
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and cupped them over his ears, quickening his pace.
Unlike the quiet ‘Jessica,’ the convenience store was crowded.
The checkout line stretched long between the aisles.
Hyunsoo smoothly took his place at the end.
Right in front of him, a couple stood arm in arm, giggling with their foreheads pressed together.
“Oh! It’s Yoon Jooho!”
Hyunsoo, who had been absentmindedly staring at the toothbrushes, underwear, and cotton swabs on display, reflexively turned his head at the name.
The girl in the couple was pointing toward the checkout counter.
A promotional display hung from the ceiling—
It was Yoon Jooho from that new coffee ad he had seen earlier.