In the evening, at the part-time job where K worked,
K's eyes twitched with an annoyed smile as he took orders from the counter.
"What would you like, ma'am?" he asked.
"Well... heh-heh..." Aurora forced a smile, knowing they were troubling him.
Amber leaned closer and whispered into Aurora's ear, "So, it was real when you said you knew where he was going?"
K's irritation showed as he interjected sharply, "If you're just here to waste my time whispering to yourselves, you can use the door behind you. It's called an exit, if you know what I mean."
"Just one veggie burger and a cold drink, please," Aurora said nervously.
"One full-course meal, please—the large one," Amber added.
"Anything else?" K asked, trying to keep his cool.
Amber peeked from behind Aurora and teased, "Don't you need to smile more when taking orders?"
K gave them a sharp, irritated glare that made them flinch.
Suddenly, someone smacked K on the head.
"What was that for? Stupid manager!" K exclaimed, rubbing his head.
"You need to satisfy the customers' needs. If you keep giving them that..." Evy said, trailing off as her attention shifted. She noticed a couple loudly expressing their love and disturbing others.
She quietly stomped over to their table and said, "Could you both shut the hell up? You're disturbing the peace. Either be quiet or leave."
Frightened by Evy's stern tone, the couple quickly left.
She turned back and muttered, "Geez, today's kids have no manners at all."
Then, with a sudden, almost comically shy blush rising on her cheeks but still keeping her cool and firm tone, Evy called out, "K, come here. We... uh, need to talk."
K snapped back angrily, "Are you stupid? Why should I talk to you when you look like an old perverted hag?"
Amber looked shocked and pointed at Evy. "Is that...?"
"She's deeply attached to K," Aurora explained.
Evy walked over and smiled at Aurora. "Nice to meet you again."
Aurora smiled back. "And you are?"
Evy's gaze sharpened. Amber nervously bowed and introduced herself.
"Ni... nice to meet you, boss! My name's Amber, I'm 17, born in August, and I..." She stumbled over the details of her introduction.
"Oh, so you're a new friend of his!" Evy's eyes gleamed.
"They're not my friends!" K shouted, embarrassed.
"Well, today you're both lucky. To celebrate K's new friend, everything you order is free," Evy said, then turned to K, "One hot chocolate for me."
They sat at a table, chatting lightly about school and life, before the main topic started.
"So, Aurora, how do we ask him?" Amber asked.
"How should I know? You wanted to find out, so I brought you here," Aurora replied.
Evy looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
Aurora explained the entire situation.
"What! He accepted it?" Evy exclaimed.
"Calm down," Amber warned, "or he'll get suspicious."
K brought their orders and as he was about to leave, Evy caught his wrist, eyes softening with emotion.
"What?" K asked, confused and annoyed.
The others averted their eyes.
"Why... why did you accept it?" Evy asked, voice trembling slightly, a mix of concern and vulnerability breaking through her cool façade.
"Accepted what?" K replied.
"The confession," she said.
"You both!" K shouted angrily, then calmed down as he explained why.
"I just don't want anyone's peaceful life ruined by others. That's why I accepted her confession, even if it was forced," K said.
Amber nodded. "So, you worried about her?"
"I'm not worried about her! You're misunderstanding," K said, embarrassed.
"That's called caring," Aurora said softly.
Evy smiled, relieved. "So you still like me?"
"I don't like you!" K shouted.
"Then you hate me?" she asked sadly.
"No, I just... Geez, you're annoying," K muttered, standing up and leaving.
"He really is soft, isn't he?" Evy said.
"No, you're wrong," Aurora replied.
"Yes, you are," Amber agreed.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash—broken glass.
A kid had accidentally collided with K.
"That's not right," Amber stood up, but Evy stopped her.
"Wait and see," she whispered.
K silently picked up the glass shards, swept the floor, and carefully cleaned the kid's clothes with a handkerchief.
Maybe he's not so bad after all. They all thoght
He went to the cash counter, created the bill, and handed it to the kid's parents.
"What? Why is it double? Does it include damage charges?" the kid's mother asked in surprise.
Maybe K was still the same old K, after all. They all thought
After Aurora and Amber left and the store was about to close, K handed the bill to the manager, reminding her to sign it since it would be included in the employer's allowance. As the manager glanced at the total, her eyes widened in shock. Then, in an overly dramatic tone, she exclaimed, "It's over nine thousand!"