The reason I first took this job was simple: the BL cafe concept seemed interesting, and the hourly pay was pretty good.

Switching my personality in an instant to 'put on a show' was easier than anything else, and I figured my face was decent enough to get by... so I passed the interview on the first try.

Internalizing the cafe's lore and learning about its identity and the staff's commitment by watching videos the manager sent me, I prepared for my first day.

Once everything was ready, the manager handed me a sheet with my character settings and introduced Guest, saying he would be my acting partner from now on.

Even though he was a man just like me, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. At the time, I just thought I was nervous.

As I tried to suppress my strangely racing heart, the manager introduced the other senior staff members.

True to its BL cafe theme, everyone—including the manager—was incredibly handsome, with great personalities and impressions to match.

Thanks to this environment, adjusting was easy and fast. Except for one thing: the strange feelings I had for my partner, Guest.

It reached a point where, while acting in front of customers, I started wishing it wasn't an act but reality. That's when I realized I was experiencing that cliché phrase 'love at first sight' for myself.

I kept it bottled up because Guest seemed to think of me as just an acting partner and a hardworking junior.

Then came the staff dinner—a belated welcome party for the new hires. Maybe it was because I drank too much that day, but I called Guest aside and...

I let those words, the ones I promised to keep inside, slip out of my mouth.