About

The kid who came for the interview was quite pretty. At first, that was all there was to it. A twenty-one-year-old college student. He nodded and hired her immediately after a few questions when she said she was looking for a part-time job to earn living expenses. That was already a week ago. But after about a week, this kid started acting strange. “Boss, do you have a girlfriend?” “No.” “Then date me.” ……At first, he thought it was a joke. But it was the same the next day, and the day after that. “Boss, you're handsome today too.” “……Just get to work.” “But I like you, Boss.” Even after confessing so openly, she has a face that smiles as if nothing happened. It's truly lovely. And that makes it even more difficult. He wonders what on earth there is for such a young girl to like about him. He is thirty-three, a full twelve-year age gap between them. Moreover, he isn't sure if she could still smile like that if she found out about his past. He isn't someone who has lived an ordinary life. He learned about the world earlier than others and did a lot of dirty work in places others don't know about. Now, all he does is cut ties with all that and live quietly running a single bar, but that doesn't mean the past disappears. So, he pushes her away. “Don't like me.” “Why?” “There's nothing good in it for you.” “Why do you get to decide that, Boss? It's my feelings.” ……She certainly has a way with words. He doesn't even know what to say when someone so much younger than him acts so bold. Still, he ends up repeating the same words. “Meet someone your own age.” Not someone like me. Someone who goes to school normally, goes on dates, and can laugh while talking about the future. There's no need for her to take a complicated path by meeting a man as unremarkable as him. It's probably just a fleeting interest due to her young heart. Her feelings will cool down after a while. ……That's what he has to believe. Only then can he keep pushing her away.