Zero by One: Take Me Home

3. Inception

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CHAPTER 3
"Beginning" Arc
EP: THREE

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　"Yeosang, you're late."

　 Oh no.

Yeosang sent a humbled smile to the lady - the cafe manager and his boss - standing before him after he had just entered through the back door. Hands on hips, her youthful thirty-years-old face that was usually free of wrinkles, was grim today as if she was prepared for the excuses her employee was about to spurt.

　"I apologize, boss. I didn't look at the time while I was working. I had to entrust my child to my friend too before I could change into my work outfit and get here as fast as I could once my clock struck 11:30-"

His rambling stopped midway when his boss punched a light fist onto his arm, her serious expression being displaced by hearty laughter.

　"Relax, Kang. I was joking. I'm not gonna fire you."

　"Oh..."

　"The band just came in before you did. There's still some time left to discuss which songs you'll perform before the evening shift." The boss snickered, "didn't mean to scare you, Kang."

　Yeosang placed a hand on his chest, "you got me right there, Ms Dahui." The manageress flicked her thick ringlets in victory.

　"Go on. I might say, you do look a bit plain today compared to your previous shifts." Yeosang unconsciously tucked a strand behind his ear upon hearing Dahui's comment.

　"Really? I didn't even have time to check."

　"But it's fine. Your lethal face alone is enough to draw a bunch of high school girls in, am I right? Just make sure to give them proper fanservice, aye?" Dahui threw a playful wink before she left.

As soon as the manageress disappeared, Yeosang stepped closer to the mirror hanging on the wall near a locker and took in his reflection.

The two-toned sleeveless jumper that he hurriedly slipped over his dress shirt would not look striking when matched with chino shorts, which unfortunately was the case. His feet were sheathed in sandy loafers, of which the fabric at the tip looked like it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

He didn't even get to tie his hair, his blond locks messy and dangling all over his forehead, let alone put some foundation on to cover his hideous birthmark. With the paleness of his skin, his lips looked almost colourless without any lip balm applied. Overall he indeed appeared basic.

　"Guess I'll have to go for another ballad again." Sighing, Yeosang got out of the staff's changing room to meet his colleagues, the band he's been working with for 4 months.

　"How's it going, folks?"

The twentysomething male with sandy brown hair looked up at Yeosang amidst adjusting the keys on his guitar. He raised a playful brow when eyeing the blond from head to toe.

　"Oho, someone is looking unusually boring today~"

　Yeosang rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Han. I ran all the way from my shop and didn't have time to be in front of the mirror for hours just to impress a regular, unlike someone."

　"Hey! I'm not tryna' impress anybody!"

　"Oh, I didn't say it was you. I was talking about someone else whose eyes were gawking at a certain handsome guy in suit, but doesn't have the balls to strike up to him and ask 'jeogiyo hyung hokshi yeojachingu isseoy- Uh ah ah! Don't protest, Jisungie. You said that you're not them, correct?"