noveldepot Chapter 11 The Matter of 5 Yuan
Chapter 11 The Matter of 5 Yuan
Su Yu was cleaning the oden machine when the doorbell rang.
"Welcome." He didn't look up. The footsteps stopped at the cashier.
"They've come to pay back the money."
It was Cai Xiubin. She was wearing a gray hoodie, her hair in a low ponytail, holding an iced Americano in one hand and two five-hundred-yuan coins in the other. Su Yu tossed the rag into the sink and leaned against the counter to watch her.
"Just leave it there."
"You're not accepting it?"
"Take it. But I don't have any hands to hold it right now, so you can keep it for now."
She paused for a moment, then clenched the coin back into her hand. Su Yu stared at the dark circles under her eyes. "Went to another audition?"
"Um."
"Did you pass?"
She didn't speak. Su Yu didn't ask any more questions. She leaned on the counter, her face buried in her arms, her hair slipping down her shoulders.
"Su Yu." Her voice was muffled.
"Um."
Am I not suited to be an actor?
Su Yu wrung out the rag, flipped it over, and continued wiping the counter. "You've only tried four times. Try forty times first."
She looked up, her hair pressed against her forehead, leaving an imprint. Her lips twitched, but she didn't laugh, nor did she cry.
"My name is Cai Xiubin."
"I know."
"When did you find out?"
"When you told me that last time..."
"Then why didn't you call me by my name?"
"I forgot."
She stared at him for two seconds, then smiled. This time it was a genuine smile, her eyes curving into crescents. She straightened up, tossed the melted iced Americano into the trash can, untied the hair tie from her wrist, and tied her hair up.
"Come sit for a while before your next audition," Su Yu said.
Why?
"Sitting for a while makes you feel better, and when you're in a good mood, it's easier to pass the audition."
"Are you a fortune teller?"
"I don't do fortune telling, I just love to observe things randomly."
She smiled, opened the door, and glanced back at him. "Then I'm leaving."
"Um."
Shirley arrived in the afternoon. She wore a floral print mini-skirt, had long, curly hair cascading down her shoulders, and her makeup was impeccable. She carried an enormous takeout bag, which she slammed onto the cashier's counter as soon as she entered, making a clattering sound.
"Su Yu".
"Another food delivery? We haven't even finished the box from last time."
Shirley rolled her eyes: "What do you mean 'last time'! My mom made it herself, I'm just bringing you some on my way!"
"Your mom can make a full Korean set meal?"
"My mom can do everything!" Her ears turned bright red.
Su Yu didn't expose him, but opened the bag and glanced inside. Nine-fold slope, stewed pork ribs, ginseng chicken soup. "Thanks."
Shirley leaned over the counter and whispered, "Don't overthink it, it's just on my way."
"Going from Gangnam-gu to Dongdaemun? You live in Gangbuk-gu."
She choked, took off her sunglasses, and glared at him: "Are you deliberately going against me today?"
No, I performed as usual today.
She grabbed a pen and threw it at him. Su Yu didn't even look up; he caught it. She threw an orange next, and he caught that too. Then she threw his sunglasses, and he caught those as well.
"How did you react so quickly?"
"You threw quite accurately. Did you practice javelin before becoming an idol?"
"I've trained in action scenes!" she said angrily.
She leaned closer, her perfume wafting over, her eyes fixed on me: "Come with me this weekend, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
"I can't forget what I promised."
"What are you wearing?" She looked him up and down in his work clothes, wrinkling her nose. "Wearing this? People will think I've brought a bodyguard."
"Isn't having a bodyguard good? It makes you look high-status."
"I don't care about status, I want you to suffer." She stared into his eyes. "White T-shirt, you hear me?"
Her ears turned bright red as she said this. Su Yu smiled smugly: "Okay."
She walked to the door, placed her hand on the doorknob, and suddenly turned around: "Who was that woman who came to return the money this morning?"
"You saw it?"
I saw her as I was passing by. She was short and had a ponytail.
"Here to pay back the water bill."
"You'd make a special trip for five hundred yuan?"
"Um."
Shirley nodded, asked no more questions, and left.
I got off work at 8 p.m. and my phone vibrated as soon as I stepped out the door.
What was the name of that woman today?
Su Yu: I don't know, I didn't ask.
[Why didn't you ask my name after chatting for so long?]
Su Yu: You've talked to me so many times, but I've never asked for your full name.
An eye-rolling emoji. Another comment: "Is she pretty?"
Okay.
You also told me it was alright?
Yeah, you're alright too.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then a long string of "hahaha" appeared. Su Yu's lips curled into a smile.
Another one: [Who's prettier, me or her?]
Su Yu stared at the screen. A death trap question. He typed two words: "Different."
What's different?
She is the moon, you are the sun. How can you compare?
A few seconds later, a voice message popped up. Shirley's voice was both amused and sweet: "Fine, you know how to talk."
Su Yu tucked his phone into his pocket and went back to the semi-basement. The streetlights cast long shadows, and he looked down at his hands. He caught the pen, the orange, and the sunglasses—his movements were more than twice as fast as last week. Back in the still-leaking room, he stood in front of the sink and looked in the mirror. His eye bags were gone, his jawline was sharp, and his skin was glowing white. Before, he was just good-looking; now, he was the kind of good-looking that made people unable to look away.
The phone lit up again.
Goodnight, Oppa.
Su Yu replied "Goodnight," then thought for a moment and typed another line: "I'll treat you to oden tomorrow."
You said it! You can't go back on your word!
Su Yu: I said it.
A smiley face.