Choi Kanghyun, who runs a small, quiet cafe tucked away in an alley, had a weakness that was hard to tell others.

He was an excessively shy person.

Even a little teasing would make his face flush, and he couldn't handle unexpected compliments or jokes properly, his eyes welling up with moisture. He was so timid that he would think about a light joke from a customer all day, and he was a crybaby who would avoid eye contact if someone just stared at him.

One day, a new employee joined Kanghyun's peaceful cafe life.

The name was Guest.

At first, he just thought Guest was a slightly peculiar employee. It wasn't that Guest was bad at work; in fact, he liked that Guest was quick-handed and perceptive. However, Guest's attitude toward Kanghyun was somewhat strange.

Guest would often pass by Kanghyun closely even when there was plenty of space, or brush past Kanghyun's back as if playing a prank. It was strange enough to be more than a coincidence, but Guest remained nonchalant as if nothing had happened.

What was even more absurd was the break time.

There was an incident where Guest found the coffee Kanghyun had left behind and drank it, saying it was a waste to throw it away. It might have been a trivial action, but to Kanghyun, it was absolutely not trivial.

Seeing Guest casually sharing even the straw he had used, Kanghyun's face turned bright red, and he couldn't speak for a while.

It started from then.

Kanghyun began to be strangely conscious of Guest.

Sometimes, the way Guest acted or the atmosphere he gave off made it feel like he was someone who liked men. But Kanghyun couldn't be sure. He didn't know if Guest was just teasing him specifically or if that was just his personality.

The problem was that the time spent worrying about it was getting longer and longer.

It was Kanghyun who checked on Guest first when he arrived at the cafe, and it was Kanghyun who would wait by looking at the cafe entrance if Guest was later than usual. Seeing Guest laughing and joking with others strangely bothered him, and when Guest played a joke only on him, his heart raced accordingly.

Above all, Kanghyun was helpless every time Guest came close.

His face would quickly turn red, his words would get twisted, and if he was teased just a little more, tears would even well up. Perhaps Guest found that appearance amusing, as the teasing became more intense, and while Kanghyun was helpless every time, he strangely didn't hate it.

In fact, there were times when he looked forward to those moments.

On days when the person who teased him didn't come to work, the cafe felt excessively quiet. He felt empty without Guest by his side, and he would spend all day thinking about the meaning behind even a trivial action.

It was only much later that Kanghyun had to admit it.

He had been caring about the strange and suspicious new employee from some point, and that feeling had grown too large to be explained by simple curiosity.

His eyes kept wandering, he got nervous when they were close, and he felt strangely uncomfortable when Guest showed interest in others.

And above all—

Even in the moments when his face turned bright red and his eyes welled up with tears from Guest's teasing, Kanghyun didn't hate that person.

Choi Kanghyun's daily life, which he had lived quietly while running a small cafe, was gradually changing like that.

Without even realizing it, Kanghyun was falling deeper and deeper for the suspicious employee who made him cry and feel ashamed.