The Outsider Omega Wants to Be Alone! Chapter 7

As if driving a wedge, he completely pushed Choi Jigu’s face back into place. Choi Jigu had no choice but to plop back into his chair. Waving the glasses, he said.

“It’s because you’re pretty. You should go around without your glasses on.”

Unbelievable. Was he going to pay for LASIK or something?

Feeling no worth in replying, he kept his mouth firmly shut and glared at him. Taking the hint, Choi Jigu placed the glasses down on the table.

After putting his glasses back on, he saw that Choi Jigu was resting his chin on his hand. Wearing an expression as if he had lost a country. Was Lee Yuseong putting on his glasses really something worthy of such a face?

“Is telling a guy he’s pretty a compliment?”

Choi Jigu sighed loudly, as if making sure he heard.

“What is this, the Joseon Dynasty? These days, telling a guy he’s pretty is a compliment. And aren’t you an omega?”

“Anyway, I don’t like it.”

Despite Yuseong’s retort, Choi Jigu continued speaking as he pleased.

“You look like some kind of idol or something. Have you ever gotten a business card on the street?”

Lee Yuseong’s face scrunched up like an ugly doll. As it was, his appearance stats had already dropped by 50 with his glasses on, and now with his face crumpled on top of that, the pretty and handsome face seen just moments ago seemed like a dream.

Choi Jigu let out another loud sigh.

“Don’t frown. You’re ugly.”

Having drummed and jingled all by himself about pretty and ugly, Choi Jigu eventually even started grinning.

Lee Yuseong’s expression grew even more grim. His appetite plummeting, he eventually gave up on the udon. No matter how much Lee Yuseong lived by appetite and died by appetite, he didn’t want to eat something he’d already coughed back up again.

For Lee Yuseong, a glutton whose emotions rose and fell by food, to give up on eating. Choi Jigu probably had no idea how huge this was.

“You’re not thinking of taking off your glasses?”

Which is why he kept blabbering on like that.

“I don’t have money for surgery.”

“You could just wear contacts.”

“Doesn’t that cost money too? Besides, wearing contacts damages your corneas.”

“It’s too much of a waste to hide that face behind glasses.”

Why he kept harping on about his face was beyond him. Lee Yuseong had no awareness that his face was good-looking. He had no particular interest in grooming his appearance, and his eyesight had been bad since childhood, so he had always worn glasses that made his eyes look one-third their size.

“I’ve never thought like that.”

“You’re a hot-blooded youth—don’t you have any desire to look good? You’re an omega, right? If you took off your glasses, both men and women would go crazy.”

“A hot-blooded youth… isn’t that expression itself outdated?”

Lee Yuseong pulled his hood, which he had taken off, back over his head. Since the meal was over, there was no reason to keep sitting there.

Yet the single reason Lee Yuseong didn’t leave and continued to be Choi Jigu’s conversation partner was this:

Choi Jigu was still eating. The glutton Lee Yuseong believed it was polite, once you were sharing a meal with someone, not to leave until the other person had finished eating.

“Really? Actually, I live with my grandmother.”

Choi Jigu gave a small laugh. His expression softened noticeably.

‘Looks like he’s lived with his grandmother for a long time.’

He could tell just from his face. He waited for the next words, but unexpectedly, Choi Jigu didn’t speak for a moment. Was this a situation where he should say something? However, Lee Yuseong was not a human equipped with enough social skills to pry into personal matters.

Searching for something to say, he ended up saying something utterly pointless.

“Just hurry up and eat.”

As soon as he said it, he thought it really was a pretty useless thing to say. But Choi Jigu quickly returned to a smiling face. As if he knew Lee Yuseong’s worry. As if he was affirming and embracing it. Then he naturally followed the topic Yuseong had thrown out and answered.

“You’re not eating?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it not good?”

“No, it’s good.”

“Then why aren’t you eating?”

“Hah… You sure have a lot of questions.”

Seeing Lee Yuseong sigh, Choi Jigu kept laughing as if he found something immensely amusing.

Throughout the meal, Choi Jigu was fixated on Lee Yuseong’s face and glasses the entire time. While Yuseong threatened him with “Are you going to give me money?”, “It’s a hassle,” and “Stop talking about that already,” several students came up to say hi to Choi Jigu, acknowledging him. They were all unfamiliar faces.

While Choi Jigu was socializing, Lee Yuseong was caught on a single scene.

Choi Jigu’s face, slowly emerging into clarity within the blurry field of vision after taking off his glasses.

‘You’re really pretty.’

That statement.

In the strange mood, the palm of his hand felt ticklish. It was the very hand that Choi Jigu’s hand had brushed past. Lee Yuseong clasped his hands together and kneaded them. Kneaded, and kneaded.

∞ ∞ ∞

After attending all his lectures, Lee Yuseong moved his steps with a feeling of swallowing bitter medicine. At the end of the cleanest and most well-paved street in the university district, not far from the main gate, a place with a handsome exterior caught the eye.

Cafe & Bar 〈Momento〉

Having walked up right in front of the shop, Lee Yuseong froze with a grimly determined look.

The stylish cafe, with metal lettering written only on the corner of a white sign, was the place run by the problematic boss, and the workplace where Lee Yuseong would officially begin working starting today.

At the same time, it was the place where the suspects of that disgraceful night were gathered.

Yuseong squeezed his eyes shut and repeated to himself.

‘One month. I’m only enduring one month, exactly.’

If he was lucky, he might even be able to find another job within two weeks.

“Hu-haa….”

Cafe Momento was an establishment that operated as a cafe during the day, and served cafe drinks, wine, and cocktails in the evening. From evening on, they also sold side dishes and simple meals to accompany alcohol, so they tended to have more evening customers than daytime ones.

“Um… are you in line?”

Two women asked from over Lee Yuseong’s shoulder. Startled, he quickly stepped aside from the door.

“Ah, no.”

“That’s a relief. Looks like we can go right in.”

The woman said to her companion, pleased. Watching the two of them open the door and enter the shop ahead of him, Lee Yuseong tilted his head.

‘A relief?’

The question was soon resolved.

“Order here, please!”

“Please wait a moment.”

“How long is the wait?”

By 5:30, the inside of the shop was packed.

“It’s hard to give you an exact waiting time. If you write your name on the list, we’ll contact you.”

“Yuseong, take the order for table 9!”

“We ordered drinks 30 minutes ago, but only the food came out.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. Just a moment.”

By 6 o’clock, a long line had formed in front of the shop.

“Aren’t you taking orders?”

“I’m sorry. I’m coming.”

“We arrived first, but the party after us got seated first.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Take the cheese platter to table 10, quickly!”

“Sorry…”

It was truly chaotic beyond belief.

He had thought that seeing ‘them’ would make him awkward, remind him of a hot night, or make him want to run away, but all such thoughts were a luxury. He was on the verge of losing his mind just barely keeping up with the unfamiliar work.

“Yes, I’ll confirm your order. One basil pesto pasta, one eggs in hell. One peach crush, one bottled beer. Is that correct?”

“I’m sorry, the order seems to have gotten tangled in the kitchen. I’ll give you this on the house. I’m truly sorry.”

“The party behind you only had two people, so they got seated at a two-person table first. A four-person table has just opened up, so I’ll seat you right away.”

“Here is the cheese platter you ordered. Enjoy your meal.”

In contrast, Choi Jigu was incredible. He was doing the work of ten. While Lee Yuseong was stammering and floundering, he handled the work skillfully and even soothed the customers’ feelings.

“Huh…”

He was different from how he looked. Truly impressive.

“Table 5!”

A cream pasta topped with a salmon steak came out.

“Ah, yes!”

Thick veins stood out on the hands and forearms of the boss, who was dressed as a chef. His neatly swept-back hair and firmly shut lips, focused on the task at hand, gave him a mature air. He was a completely different person from the one with a bird’s nest on his head that he had seen yesterday morning.