Chapter 8

[MoonBucks Café || 11:45 a.m.]

Katsumi and Subin arrived by car at the café where Yejoon works. While Subin's car was parked in the parking lot next to the café, Katsumi noticed another car that looked extremely familiar to her.

That black BMW with the chicken ornamentation inside was an exact replica of their vehicle. Did Namgyu invite her twin? And, if so, did Kento accept his invitation? Because it will be a surprise if he does.

Kento never leaves the house unless it is for business or family reasons. If it's not that, he'll stay at home, either playing video games, resting, going to their personal gym, or doing his hobbies.

As they entered the café, they noticed Namgyu and Kento. When Namgyu saw Katsumi with Subin, he began to feel bad about what he had done to her. He expected Katsumi to ignore him, and their time together would be awkward because he assumed she carried a grudge against him. But he was mistaken.

When Katsumi noticed him, she smiled broadly and waved to both of them. He returned the smile, relieved.

"Are we on time?" Subin inquired, and Namgyu informed them that Jiwoon had yet to come. But the more he waited, the more nervous he became. He had no idea what to do or how to defend himself and his friends. But he is aware that he is not alone in this.

"Right now, we can just relax; the pastries here are delicious!" Namgyu exclaimed.

So Subin and Katsumi walk over to the cashier and order a variety of snacks and drinks for both of them. Although, there weren't numerous pastries to select from, all of which looked absolutely delicious.

After deciding on their lunch, Subin and Namgyu leave the twins at the table and go to the toilet.

"I'm surprised you'd join us, bro," Katsumi remarked.

"We're friends, Katsumi. Watch what you're saying, or at the very least speak Japanese if you're going to talk about something personal," Kento responded in his native language.

Katsumi let out a sigh. When she's with her brother, she completely forgets that they were pretending to be strangers and instead were pretending to be friends. It's something she's currently working on, and she needs to get used to it quickly, or else if they get caught, nothing good will come of it.

"Sorry."

"In any case, did you get the email from mom and dad?"

"No, I had no idea they sent a message; is it important?"

"It's just a bunch of affectionate words and more money being sent; they already miss us."

Katsumi suddenly misses her parents after hearing about them. Although this was the life she desired, it was strange not to be able to continue working. not carrying any weapons in case a member of her family's enemy group was pursuing her.

But it's amusing to her that the joy of having an enemy hasn't faded away. In her new one, she has Jiwoon, and instead of guns defending her, she is the weapon used to protect someone else she cares about: her friends.

She flinched in surprise when a cool substance brushed her cheek. It was Yejoon with the drink that she ordered.

"Your order is ready, Ms. Arioka," he said as he continued to place everything on the table.

"Thanks, Yejoon."

"Happy to serve."

"How long will your shift last?"

"At 8 p.m., you're not going to wait for me, are you?"

"Anything to protect my friends from Jiwoon."

"It's the afternoon; won't you have lunch?" Kento inquired.

"Thank you for your concern, Kento, but I had my lunch break an hour ago."

Yejoon bowed and went about his business. Katsumi grew to admire the child as she watched him serve the clients and take their orders. Customer service isn't an easy job, and in her opinion, it's the most difficult. Dealing with customers who have varied personalities, whether good or unpleasant, is a very tiring profession. Katsumi was the polar opposite of someone with a lot of patience; that's why she thinks this way.

Another thing Katsumi discovered was that Yejoon begins his workday at 6 a.m. And the truth is, it took her almost an hour to travel to Moonbucks Café from her house, and Yejoon lives quite far away. That means he has to get up an hour or two earlier to get ready and go to work on time.

All of this he does for his family, Yejoon, is the epitome of a hardworking individual, all for the sake of his loving family's survival.

Two hours had passed; Namgyu and Subin had returned, and this time Kento and Katsumi were in the restroom. Just as Katsumi is about to leave, she notices Jiwoon and his friends bullying her friends.

Customers were compelled to leave due to the negative energy emanating from them. And things weren't looking good from Katsumi's point of view. Namgyu and the others were afraid, but they maintained a brave face.

Jiwoon suddenly grabbed Namgyu's shirt and yanked him up. What surprised Katsumi even more was that the staff was refusing to assist them. They aren't even assisting their coworker, who is visibly uncomfortable in this situation.

Before things got out of hand, Katsumi dashed over to them, yanked Namgyu away from Jiwoon, and gave him a gentle push. Katsumi expected an angry stare, but instead got an insulting chuckle. To Jiwoon, Katsumi being tough for her pals was adorable.

"Not a bad push!" he exclaims. "But still, not enough to beat me."

"Is that supposed to be a challenge?"

Katsumi was furious and irritated with Jiwoon's personality at that point. And you could tell by her intimidating glare and heavy tone of voice as she took a small step forward. She was prepared to fight the boy, but Subin stopped her before she could.

"You know I liked you from the beginning, and I still do, but because you chose them, you'll have to suffer like they do."

Her blood was boiling. Being angered only by looking at someone's face, using violence to assert dominance, Katsumi hadn't felt these emotions in a long time, and she hadn't expected to in her supposedly new life. A new existence that was intended to be much healthier.

Namgyu observed Katsumi's desire to punch him. So, before the girl made a scene, he held her hand, capturing her attention.

"Hold your anger back, Katsumi; this is not the place to fight; keep that in mind."

Katsumi is aware of this. She understands she shouldn't feel the need to resort to violence to solve their problem. Jiwoon, on the other hand, was provoking her to do so with his words and annoying expressions.

Jiwoon couldn't help but giggle when he saw Namgyu acting tough in public. To him, it was hilarious.

"How cute! Now our Gyu is acting tough!"

This time, all four of them returned his stare. They were tired of Jiwoon treating them like they weren't humans, and they weren't going to obey or fear him any longer.

Nabi unexpectedly entered the café with an older man, most likely in his forties. Nabi smirked triumphantly when she saw Katsumi with the others. She turned to the man she'd come with and said, "Daddy, she's the one I was talking about; she's the one who bullied me in front of a lot of people."

Nabi pointed to Katsumi, who was noticeably perplexed. Katsumi? Bullying Nabi? Of course, Nabi had the audacity to lie and pervert reality. Any bully would do something like this to avoid getting in trouble.

"Is that so?"

The man approached Katsumi while Jiwoon moved aside to allow him to get a better look at her. But Katsumi stood up, demonstrating that she was not terrified of the man. Why sulk and be terrified of them when she and her companions didn't do anything that Nabi accused them of?

"Young lady, my daughter told me everything about what you said to her, and I can get you suspended, or worse, expelled, for doing such a thing!"

Katsumi didn't think it was surprising that the man's daughter would deceive her. But it seemed incomprehensible that she had been accused of such a thing.

The old guy then notices that there are no more customers in the café, only them and the staff. "Why are there no customers?" he asked.

"We were just hanging out here chatting and minding our own business, Mr. Kim, when these three came in and attacked us," Jiwoon lied. "Then, all of a sudden, one of the workers here joined in too! Isn't this unfair, Mr.Kim?"

Katsumi and the boys were enraged by this. They were suddenly depicted as the bad people in this case, despite the fact that they were the ones harassing and disturbing their peace.

"Wait a minute! It was them who attacked us! That's bullshit!"

"Hey, young lady! It isn't appropriate for you to curse at such a young age! Didn't your parents ever teach you basic etiquette?"

"With all due respect, Sir Kim," Namgyu argued, "she was just defending us by the lies your daughter accuses my friends and I of doing, and I should let you know that your daughter curses more than my friend."

"Non-sense! Nabi is far too innocent to curse."

"Innocent, my ass," Katsumi grumbled, rolling her eyes.

But when the old man heard what she said, he was taken aback yet again by Katsumi's attitude.

"If that's how you're acting, fine; you're all banned from this café, including you, Mr.Min Yejoon."

"You can't do that," Katsumi said emphatically.

"I own this café, and I can do whatever I want."

Yejoon was taken aback; he had never expected this to be his last day at work. Who knew that their bully owned the Moonbucks café? It was like getting yourself into trouble. But no one knew, and no one was expecting this twist.

Yejoon began to panic.

"Please, sir, I really need this job; I'm the only member of my family who can provide for them."

"You should have thought about the consequences before you did such awful things to my daughter."

"But, sir—!"

"My decision is final. Have a good day," the old guy says as he walks out of the café, leaving everybody stunned.

Jiwoon and Nabi bowed at the man as he walked away, but soon he was gone, their fake manner shifted, and they began laughing at their enemies' bleak expressions.

As Katsumi took deep breaths, the temptation to punch and use violence against them was swiftly suppressed. She had to remember that her actions would not only land her in more difficulty but also put her friends at risk.

"Having fun, Jiwoon, Nabi?" Katsumi inquired as they continued to chuckle.

"Well, yeah! You thought you could get away with it!" Jiwoon laughed.

Katsumi took another deep breath, holding her rage in and attempting to calm her erupting volcano of patience.

"Don't think that this is the end."

"And who will come to their aid? You? Who is as poor as Yejoon?" Jiwoon questioned as Nabi drew a file from her bag and threw it on the table next to Katsumi.

She sneers.

"I pity your poor ass." Nabi giggled and returned to her crew, leaving Katsumi to pick up the bulky files and view them.

They appear to have looked into Katsumi's background. Who would have thought someone could do something like this? She didn't think anyone would, but her parents were right. Nobody can be trusted.

Her genuine identity, however, was forged with Aunt Emi's assistance, and the incorrect information about her life was researched. Except for her date of birth.

According to the report, Katsumi was born into a poor family, and the main reason she moved to South Korea was because her uncle resides here, and he is the only family member she has.

Even though everything in the articles was fabricated, the idea that these people would look into her identity is unsettling. What would have occurred if her parents hadn't decided to create a false identity for her before coming here? Her "normal" life would be over in an instant.

As Katsumi continued to read, Kento seized the full file from her and ripped it in half. The file was a thick stack, and instead of being intimidated by his strength, Nabi was impressed.

Kento scowled at Nabi and Jiwoon, not impressed with them or what they had done to his companions. It may not appear so, but he genuinely cares about them.

Jiwoon threatened, "What's with that look, dummy?"

Kento remained silent and turned to face his friends.

"Let's go."

He took his and Yejoon's luggage and walked out of the café. The others followed him out, leaving Jiwoon and his friends alone, sneering at their successful mission to exert power over their foe.

Katsumi was the last to depart, but she wasn't content for some reason. As her friends made their way to the parking lot, she returned and grabbed a plastic bottle of ketchup. She quickly flung it at Jiwoon and rushed away.

She heard the man crying her name as she ran away, but the girl couldn't care less. Katsumi was overjoyed; she had gotten her petty revenge, although in a small way.

She picked up speed as she returned to her friends, who were following Kento to the parking lot.

"Where do we go now?" Yejoon wondered. "I can't go back home; my mom can't find out about this."

"We could waste time at my place," Kento said.

Katsumi didn't agree with the suggestion, but she couldn't admit she didn't. She didn't want to explain why, and she wasn't particularly good at making up reasons. Instead, she followed her companions and went with the flow.

Kento's gaze met Katsumi's as he opened his car door. That's when he realized he'd forgotten about his secret and quickly regretted his idea. But there was nothing he could do; Yejoon and Namgyu were already in his car, and Subin was preparing his own.

The twins could already guess the questions they'd be asked once they arrived, and they hoped there wouldn't be too many.