A week passed, and she was more comfortable with Kwan. The Café where she worked only had two employees, including Killa herself. Three, if it includes the owner or her Boss. Kwan personally showed the good side of him to her not that often. But he cared for her in his own way. He thought that Killa was more innocent than he imagined, and he still believed that Killa was very weird because of her innocence, honesty, and straightforwardness. Because of these reasons, he started to open up his mind to her. And he didn't have to keep his charming looks with her as well as Killa.
And one day, she made a coffee wrong. So, she asked Kwan as always.
"If you don't know how to do it, why didn't you ask Boss?" Kwan gave her an attitude,
"I asked Boss, but he seems...he hates me." Killa felt a bit of doubt
"He hates you? I don't think so." He has been watching them together. Boss seemed different around her, talking more than usual and looking at her differently. Kwan thought that Boss might be interested in her. Perhaps, same as the way he felt for her naiveness, or perhaps more than that, who wouldn't have known. There was a big age gap between them. Boss might see her as innocent yet intelligent in some way, but as a young girl, nothing more.
"Then why does he never speak to me normally? I feel like he doesn't want to talk to me." Killa asked from her heart.
"He's deaf," Kwan said,
'What?' Killa thought. Killa was stunned, "...oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry."
"I didn't tell you?" Kwan said,
'No. It's very important to tell me from the first day,' Killa thought. "No, I feel sorry."
"You don't have to pity him," Kwan said,
"I didn't pity him because of that. I feel sorry because I think that Boss hates me or hates my work, and I'm scared to talk to him." Killa explained while looking sad.
"…Then try to speak to him," Kwan suggested,
'How can I? Maybe he can help me,' Killa thought. "Can you teach me sign language?" Killa asked.
Kwan gave her an attitude again, "...no," He declined.
"Why?" Killa did the begging eyes to him.
'Because—I got a plan...' Kwan thought. "You ask him."
"Why him?" Killa asked,
"Because he's the one you want to communicate with, and he knows best, not me."
"You're pretty but evil." Killa talked back at him.
"I am evil??? You little bratz, I gave you advice, I help you with almost everything, and you call me evil??" Kwan was getting mad. He raised the broom and ran after Killa.
'Shit,' Killa cursed inside her head.
He tried to run over her and swiped the broom at Killa, which Boss saw. Then Boss came in between them immediately. Killa was behind Boss and used his back as a cover.
"Move!" Kwan scolded,
Boss: 'What happened?'
"This little shit called me evil," Kwan said,
Boss: 'Language,' and gave him a scary look at Kwan.
"Fine," Kwan was upset.
"Then why don't you teach me." She asked Kwan behind her Boss' back.
"I told you..." Kwan said,
"He hates me. How can I ask him to teach me?" Killa spoke out.
"He doesn't hate you, fine..." Then Kwan said and curled his lips,
Kwan: 'Boss, do you hate her? She thinks you hate her,'
And then Boss turned to see Killa immediately.
'What's with that look?' Killa thought with eyes wide open after witnessing her boss' gaze "What did you tell him?" She asked Kwan, and the employee smiled mischievously and went away with his broom. "You're an evil prince."
Boss still looked at Killa with a confused face.
"Ah—" She didn't know what to do, so she gave him a cup of coffee that she made wrong to him. Then bowed to him and ran away.
Little Grilled Restaurant
After long weeks had passed, she went to the restaurant with her friends and met her seniors. Killa tried to avoid thinking about her part-time job by having a blast with her drinks and Maki.
"Don't worry; your boss doesn't hate you Maki said, hugging her so tight that it felt like squeezing her.
"How do you know? I misbehaved in front of him...I never felt like this before. I'm gonna cry." Killa burst her feelings out because of the effect of alcohol. And she was being herself with Maki.
'Ha...gonna cry...?' Daiki thought he was sitting opposite her and Maki. He heard her and was surprised because he had never seen her act and be vulnerable like this before.
"Cry!? babyyy, don'ttttt. I'm gonna punch that man for making you cry like this!"
"You can't..." she said in her softest and drowsy tone.
"Why do you gotta be protective of him?" Maki asked,
"He's big..." she said,
'Big?' Daiki was eavesdropping.
"Like this," She was moving both her arms out and expanding her hands to demonstrate
them.
"Pftt!!" And then Daiki spread the drink out of his mouth. 'What…is that?' Daiki thought.
"Yahh!! I'm dirty!" Daiki's friend scolded him.
"Sorry," Daiki said,
"When I'm with him, he's like a big bear." She said,
"Ehhh?" Maki was wondering, confused.
"Huge bear,"
"Haaaa—" Maki made a sound and nodded,
"More like a big bad wolf—No, an alpha lion," Killa said,
'What the hell is she talking about?..' Daiki thought.
"Is he that scary? Someone makes my K scared and stressed like this. He must be special, " Maki wondered.
'Special? How is that special?' Daiki thought,
"I don't know. I just want him to like me." Killa said frankly,
'Like you? like you!?' Daiki thought,
"Killa, did you change your type because of your boss? If he's like a bear, maybe he's cute." Maki was picturing,
"I mean, I did everything he taught me. I just want to be good at the job I do." she kept talking, expressing herself,
"Aww, my K," Maki said,
"I want him to praise me...just once," Killa said, her eyes were tearing up,
"There, there...you're amazing. You're always the best for me...muah!" Maki patted her and kissed her cheek. "Why my babe is so cute..."
Killa walked back to her apartment with her fur coat, embracing her body during the cold night. She passed the Cafe as always.
"Really…" Killa mumbled and sighed.
Chick* (the sound of the lighter)
Killa pulled out her cigarette and put it between both lips, then lit fire. She blew the smoke out, letting it mix with her breath.
"Meow,"
"Ah...Hi, the little cute one," Killa started to smile again,
"Meow," the black cat made the sound, purring against her ankles.
"Do you miss me? I miss you...really miss you," Killa gave the cat a snack. "Hungry? You always seem hungry."
'Is that...Killa? Why does she look so…miserable?' Boss opened the door while holding a bag of trash.
"I gotta go...don't overeat; you're going to explode," Killa said,
Boss had been watching her, feeding the cat, and mumbling with herself. She used the cigarette to write on the light pole. Killa sighed.
'Hm?' Boss thought, curiously. Afterward, she walked away and threw the cigarette in the trash bin. Her Boss walked to pat the cat and looked at the pole.
"He hates me?" he read what she wrote in his head. Then he glanced at the darkness on the pathway ahead, where she was gone.
The next day, she came to the Café and greeted them, changed her clothes, and stayed at her station at the cashier as usual. But what was different from the usual day was the customers and the mood inside the Café.
The Café was primarily decorated in white and earth-tone colors and with minimal style. It was located around the University area, so its customers were university students and those who wanted a normal, easy workplace for studying alone. Usually, there weren't many new people coming to the Café. , so it was quite a quiet place.
But after Killa started working here, new customers visited the café, especially on Saturdays. This place started to get busy and earn a lot of profit.
"Because of her, people come here a lot." Kwan, who has blonde hair and looks like a prince, talked to his Boss. "I admit she's very beautiful. Look, that guy comes here every day just to watch her." He secretly pointed at a guy sitting at the table near the glass window.
Boss didn't say anything, just looked at the guy who glanced at Killa occasionally.
During work, she served coffee to the customers, and everybody's eyes looked right at her. Maybe it was because of the hair color that twinkled every time she walked through the light, the cute cat eyes that looked right at the customers' eyes, or the white uniform compromised her skin.
Killa headed back to the coffee machine, where Boss was at the cashier. He watched her clean the coffee bean dust on the counter, and then Boss walked toward her. Killa turned her face to look at her Boss, wondering as he stepped closer to her, and she halted.
"Your hair is long." And he whispered in her ears.
She was shocked by his deep voice, which ran through her tiny ear, and by the words he had just said to her. "I'll cut it if you don't like it." And she immediately answered.
He was also slightly surprised that she thought that way after watching her lips. "I like it." So he whispered in her ear again, and she blushed.
Killa: 'Thank you.' And she did the basic sign that she had learned by herself
Boss surprised and corrected her.
'Ah, I did it wrong...' Killa thought. She tried to follow and copy the way he moved his hands.
'Heh...she's cute,' Boss complimented her on his head. Then, Boss leaned his face beside her right ear and whispered to her. "I can read lips, too, if you speak slowly."
Killa was startled for a second. 'Shit…my chest,' Killa thought and stopped breathing. She felt his breath on her left ear with his soft, deep voice from his throat. Then, her cheeks turned red with her shyness. She decided to put her chin up, "Thank you, I'll do my best, Boss," she spoke slowly while her eyes looked at him, sparkling.
He was also stunned for a second, and then he flushed a little after watching her lips and looking at her eyes.
One day, Maki, Daiki, and his friends visited the Café. They greeted Killa and sat at the table, except Maki, who walked toward Killa at the cashier.
"Hello, pretty girl," Mak greeted,
"Hmpt, yes, what would you like my pretty customer?"Killa teased her back.
"Can I have a Choco shake for 2 and an Americano for 2, please" Maki ordered,
"Yes, Choco shake for 2 and Americano for 2," Killa repeated the orders. "The total would be 400. Would you pay by cash or card?"
"Can I pay with my heart?" Maki teased,
"That would be a waste for just a drink...But I'll make it from my heart." Killa teased back,
"Aw—" Maki blushed.
'What's up with these two?' Kwan looked at them with an irritated face.
"Hey, is that your boss?" Maki asked,
"Yeah..." Killa softly said, and then she headed to Killa at exactly the time to see the huge dark blue hair that no one really noticed was blue in it.
"Hi," Maki greeted him, but he just looked at Killa and didn't notice Maki at all.
"Boss, "Killa pulled his sleeve. He looked at Killa. This is my friend, Maki." Killa spoke clearly but not too slowly and glanced at Maki.
"Hi," Maki said again while waving her hand. Then Boss bowed himself instead of speaking or waved back. "Err...please take care of my best friend." He read her lips movement. "She might be a little weird, but she does her best to impress you."
"Stop!" Killa shouted at Maki.
"What? I'm helping you here. Mostly, she's good at everything. Just give her some time. She will do her work perfectly, so please don't hate her that much."
'Please, Maki...stop,' Killa thought with embarrassment. "Customer, please wait at the table. I'll be serving you shortly," she hurriedly cut the conversation.
Then Maki went back to her table. Killa avoided Boss' eyes and hoped that he couldn't understand a single word from Maki. While Killa was making drinks, Kwan watched the situation and the mood in the Cafe.
"He likes you...does he?" Kwan asked,
"Who?" Killa was confused,
"That pink hair," Kwan said,
"No way...I was the one who liked him," Killa said,
"What?" He was confused,
"I mean, I liked him in the past." Killa tried to clear the meaning.
"So, that's your type. I thought that Boss is your type."
"Boss?" She turned to look at him, blushed a little, and turned her head back real quick. "I like pretty people just like you...You are very pretty." Killa said truthfully without feeling embarrassed.
"I'm gay," Kwan was shocked and answered her immediately.
"...really? I don't know that...still, you're pretty," she said without running any emotion.
'I know I'm pretty, but...' Kwan thought, touching his hair. "Don't like me."
"Why?" Killa asked,
"Because I'm gay." He started to get awkward.
"So? I don't mind." Killa said and looked innocent.
"What?" He was totally shocked after hearing the words out of her mouth.
"You are very pretty to me. Why can't I like you?" Killa looked at him with curiosity.
'What is this girl? This won't work,' Kwan thought. "Killa...go train your sign with Boss." He pushed her away to their Boss, and she almost fell.
Thud
But Boss caught her in time.
"Sorry, boss," Killa said to him, but he couldn't understand. So, he touched her cheeks gently and lifted her face a bit so he could see her clearly.
"I can't read," He said,
"Ah...I said I'm sorry he pushed me." She spoke with a red face and pointed a finger at Kwan like a baby girl.
Boss turned to glare at him, and then she gently pulled his hands out of her face, and he walked away. He thought that he was not supposed to touch her like that because she was a girl, and he was a little bit embarrassed.
'God...these guys,' Kwan thought and rolled his eyes.