Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 13: How Old Are You, Anyway?

Once he’d adjusted to school life to a certain degree, Ha Giyeon began making moves to earn money.

First, he started by selling secondhand items.

“It should be here somewhere... Found it!”

He retrieved a phone from his desk drawer. To be precise, it was the one /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ he used back in middle school. Not the latest model, but still a device some people continued to use.

He placed the phone on his desk and enthusiastically began taking photos. The first secret to selling secondhand goods was a well-taken product photo. No matter how crappy the item, if the photo was good, someone would come to buy it. It was a tip he’d learned from a hyung he’d worked with before his regression.

Especially for electronics, you had to take extra care to list any cracks or scratches in detail.

“Phew... this should do.”

After pouring his soul and passion into the photos and listing, he posted the ad.

While waiting for replies, Giyeon slipped the phone into his pocket with satisfaction and got ready to head out. Today was his part-time job interview—he couldn’t be late.

He straightened his school uniform in front of the mirror, threw on his outerwear, and headed toward the front entrance. He’d just stepped off the last stair when the inner door of the front hallway opened, and Ha Dohoon walked in. As always, right behind him were Kwon Jongseok and Choi Mujin. Kwon Jongseok was the first to make eye contact, eyes widening slightly as he spoke.

“Giyeon, you’re out early?”

They all lit up when they saw him descending the stairs. Giyeon, avoiding their burdensome gazes, lowered his head in greeting. Ha Dohoon scanned him up and down with an expression that clearly found him displeasing.

“Going out?”

“Yeah.”

“Where?”

“......”

“I asked, where are you going?”

Giyeon kept his mouth shut and rolled his eyes. Why the hell was he suddenly so nosy? It’s not like he’d ever cared before. With a curt “just for a walk,” he brushed past them and headed for the front door.

But then—grab. Choi Mujin caught his shoulder.

“You’ve been eating lunch alone, huh?”

“......?”

“Must suck not even having a friend to eat with. Pretty pathetic, huh?”

He’d just thrown out the first thing that came to mind to stop Giyeon from passing him, and didn’t regret it afterward. It was all true, anyway.

In fact, he was curious to see how Giyeon would react.

“It’s not like I really care...”

“Seeing you eating alone makes hyung feel kinda bad, you know? If you ask nicely, we might even let you eat with us.”

Kwon Jongseok cut him off, looking at Giyeon with a face full of pity as he made an offer that no one expected. The ones most surprised weren’t Giyeon—but Ha Dohoon and Choi Mujin. Of all people, Kwon Jongseok was the one suggesting they eat together? He was the one who cared most about appearances—this kind of comment didn’t suit him at all.

And did he seriously say “hyungs”?

“What the hell are you even talking about? Why would I—”

Choi Mujin scrunched his face like he was looking at a lunatic, glaring at Kwon Jongseok. But at the same time, he stole subtle glances at Giyeon.

“Uh, I...”

“Ha Giyeon.”

Just as he was about to say something, it was Ha Dohoon who cut in again. Giyeon gave up on opening his mouth and looked at him.

“You...”

“......?”

Ha Dohoon had called out to him so deliberately, but then failed to follow up. Clicking his tongue in frustration, he tousled his hair and stared silently at Giyeon. Giyeon tilted his head, not understanding the look in his eyes. What the hell was he even trying to say?

‘Is he telling me not to talk to them?’

He knew without it being said.

Looked like Dohoon just wanted to give him another warning.

‘I really need to go already.’

Pointless conversations were wasting his time. Giyeon shrugged off Choi Mujin’s hand and gave a small nod toward Ha Dohoon.

“Don’t worry. I won’t talk to you guys at school.”

“What?”

“And how old are you that you can’t even eat alone...”

Letting out a sigh, Giyeon stepped out the front door. Click—the door shut behind him, and the three were left staring blankly at the space where he’d just stood.

“What the f—”

Choi Mujin barely managed to get a word out, unable to fully form his sentence. It took them a while to comprehend what Giyeon had just said. Ha Giyeon, the same kid who had cried and begged all through middle school to eat lunch with them...

“Can eat alone now?”

“What the hell...”

Kwon Jongseok gave a baffled laugh, while Ha Dohoon clenched his fists tightly.

He’s changed.

The eyes once overflowing with affection were completely gone. All that remained was a look of annoyance, cold and uninterested.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t even a big deal. All they had to do was ignore him the same way. As time passed, the one who’d end up missing something—at home or at school—would be Ha Giyeon, not them.

“Eventually...”

Eventually, he’d come back. Ha Giyeon wouldn’t be able to let go of him in the end—that, Ha Dohoon was sure of.

And yet...

Why does this feel so uneasy?

He didn’t know the source of the unease, couldn’t pinpoint why his chest ached like this.

He couldn’t accept it, so Ha Dohoon shoved that rising emotion deep down and ignored it.

***

A specialty coffee shop an hour away by bus from home.

Among all the part-time jobs that didn’t match his criteria or outright rejected him, this was the only place that had called back. Today, Ha Giyeon had come here for his interview.

“Hope I get it.”

Before regression, he’d worked at various coffee chains. Each one had different menus and it always took a long time to learn everything. But this particular brand? He’d worked at a different branch before. That’s why he wanted this job even more. He could pick it up quickly, and it was just far enough from home. Any farther, and transportation costs would’ve been a problem.

“At this distance, I probably won’t run into anyone from school either.”

He exhaled and opened the door.

“Welcome!”

“Hello. I’m Ha Giyeon—the one who called about the part-time job.”

“Oh! Ha Giyeon! Come on in. Have a seat over here.”

The young woman at the counter gestured him over. He sat down and waited nervously.

Phew...

He worried they might reject him for looking too timid or unqualified.

The woman said something to another part-timer she’d been working with, then walked over to Giyeon.

“You came earlier than expected. I’m Kim Jeongyeon, the manager. Did you have any trouble getting here?”

He blinked in surprise. To be honest, she looked like a college student—he’d assumed she was just another part-timer.

“Are you really seventeen, Giyeon?”

“Yes. Here’s the application and parental consent form.”

“Oh wow, you even brought a filled-out application?”

She laughed brightly, clearly surprised. Probably no one else who’d applied had done that.

As she glanced at the paperwork, she subtly sized Giyeon up. No matter how experienced someone was, this was still a customer-facing job—appearance mattered most.

“He’s got a gentle face.”

Kind-looking, approachable—good traits for handling customers. No experience, but he seemed like the type who’d quietly and quickly learn once taught. Not overly confident or off-putting.

Looked like someone who’d diligently handle his tasks, like the part-timer working right now.

But appearances can be deceiving.

There were plenty of people who seemed fine at first but ended up constantly late or quit after one run-in with a difficult customer. Especially students—they’d often leave after just a few weeks, saying they couldn’t balance work and school.

All of her past hires had been like that.

“Hmmm...”

The manager set the paperwork down and looked straight at Giyeon now. He blinked once at her gaze, then smiled softly.

“...!”

Her eyes widened. She could feel it.

That service smile that would charm any customer! His gentle face lit up beautifully when he smiled.

“Isn’t this the exact kind of face we need right now?”

The current part-timer was handsome but rarely smiled. It wasn’t a huge problem, but the moment she saw Giyeon’s smile, it was like being struck by lightning.

That smile would definitely work.

“You’re hired.”

“...Sorry?”

Giyeon blinked in confusion. She’d barely glanced at the application before locking eyes with him and, looking stunned, declared he was hired.

Well, from his perspective, that was great.

“Thank god I didn’t get caught.”

Trying to calm his racing heart, Giyeon subtly watched her reaction. In truth, the “parental consent form” he submitted had been filled out by himself. If she called his mother, it’d be exposed—but with a form in hand, she probably wouldn’t make a call right away.

Selfish or not, even if it came out later, he had to keep quiet for now. He needed the money.

“Th-thank you so much.”

“Want to start training this weekend?”

“If possible, I’d like to start sooner... even today?”

“Today? Hmm...”

The eagerness was good, but she’d seen plenty of kids burn out and quit when they rushed in too fast. Still, he did say he wanted to learn quickly, and it was a slow time of day.

“Alright, I’ll give you a quick tour and go over some basics.”

“I’ll do my best.” ƒreewebɳovel.com

The manager stood up and glanced over the application again.

“You go to Hwaguk High? That’s kind of far. Aren’t there jobs closer to school?”

“Oh, there weren’t any nearby. The distance is fine.”

“Hm... well, lucky for us! Actually, the guy working right now also goes to Hwaguk High.”

Giyeon’s face instantly stiffened. He quickly fixed his expression, but inside, a wave of anxiety surged. Of all the coffee shops out there, why this one had a Hwaguk student working there—he had no idea. He’d picked this place specifically because it was far from school.

What if the guy knew Ha Dohoon? His lips tightened nervously.

“Let me introduce you to the guy you’ll be working with.”

Giyeon followed her toward the counter.

“Suhyeon, this is the new trainee starting today.”

“...Hello. I’m Ha Giyeon.”

He bowed politely, keeping himself composed. Whether this guy knew his hyungs or not, this was a workplace. He couldn’t afford to care. Earning money came first.

“......”

“...?”

No reply came, so Giyeon slowly straightened up—and blinked in disbelief.

That face looks familiar...

The guy who met his eyes was also staring right back at him.

“Hm? Suhyeon, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

“...I’m Son Suhyeon.”

The moment he said his name, Giyeon’s eyes widened in shock. He muttered without thinking:

“Gym uniform...”

“......”

“You two go to the same school. Do you know each other?”

Yeah, technically they did. They’d swapped uniforms. They’d eaten lunch together.

But that was all. Aside from uniforms and cafeteria stuff, they’d barely spoken. He hesitated, unsure if saying they “knew each other” would annoy Suhyeon. His lips moved but no words came out.

Suhyeon answered for him.

“We know each other.”

“Oh, then it won’t be awkward!”

No, it definitely would be awkward. In fact, it was more awkward because they only vaguely knew each other. Both of them avoided eye contact like it was their job.

“Suhyeon, make sure to show him the ropes, okay?”

“...Sure.”

Was it really okay to work here?