CH 298

I followed Park Jaeyoung to a two-story cafe located in a winding alleyway, which he had pointed out to me earlier.

The cafe was perfect for those looking for a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.

As we entered the cafe, we were greeted by the owner, who appeared to be an acquaintance of Park Jaeyoung.

He informed us that Yoon Jiwoon, whom we were there to meet, was waiting for us on the second floor.

We climbed the stairs and were greeted by a beautiful view through the large glass windows.

The second floor was small but had a relaxed atmosphere due to the open scenery.

Sitting quietly, as if he were part of the landscape, was Yoon Jiwoon.

As soon as he noticed us, he jumped out of his seat.

Up close, I could see that Yoon Jiwoon’s appearance was very different from what I had seen on TV.

He was dressed comfortably and wasn’t wearing any makeup.

I could tell he had aged since I last saw him, but even in his ordinary appearance, there was an undeniable charm that drew people’s attention.

I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the ‘aura of a celebrity’ that I was sensing.

Yoon Jiwoon greeted me with a handshake and introduced himself.

“Thank you very much for accepting the invitation. I’m Yoon Jiwoon.”

“Hello, I’m Lim Sihyeon.”

After a brief exchange of greetings, Yoon Jiwoon’s attention turned to Speranza, who was in my arms.

“Hello.”

“…….”

“You’re the one who sang my song, aren’t you?” Can you tell me your name if you don’t mind?”

He asked her name in a peculiar soft voice. Speranza, who was in my arms, hesitated for a moment before answering with her mouth open.

“……Speranza.”

“Speranza? That’s a really pretty name.”

When Yoon Jiwoon smiled brightly, Speranza turned her head and buried her face in my arms.

In response, Yoon Jiwoon scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.

“Did I pretend to be too close? I haven’t talked much with my kids…….”

“It’s okay. Speranza is usually very shy. She’ll get used to it in a little while, so don’t worry.”

When I said it was okay, Yoon Jiwoon sighed a little with relief. And he turned his eyes away from Speranza and greeted Yerin briefly.

“Please, take a seat.”

We sat around the table where Yoon Jiwoon was originally sitting.

I placed Speranza on my lap instead of on a chair as I believed it would be more comfortable for her.

As we sat down, the cafe owner whom I had met on the first floor approached us with a menu in hand.

“Here’s the menu. You can order slowly.”

“I’d like a light Americano, please.”

“Give me caramel macchiato.”

Yoon Jiwoon and Park Jaeyoung quickly decided on the menu.

“Sihyeon, what are you going to eat?”

“I’ll eat what Speranza wants. It’s a waste to have leftovers.”

In the meantime, Speranza studied the menu that I held with interest. As it was the fox girl’s first time she was seeing a café menu, she looked quite thrilled. This helped ease her shyness and her expression became more relaxed.

“Papa, Papa. What’s this? Ma…… Caron? That’s a weird name.”

When Speranza asked, the owner next to her smiled and explained.

“Macaron is a cookie made by putting various ingredients between two cookies made of meringue. It’s very sweet and delicious.”

“Wow! Then what’s Scone?”

“Scone is…”

Despite Speranza’s continuous questions, the café owner kindly explained the menu to her. Thanks to this, Speranza’s eyes sparkled even more.

“So what are you going to eat, Speranza?”

“Ugh……”

In response to Yerin’s question, Speranza began to appear visibly anxious, as if she were about to make a decision that would change her life.

While it may have been a serious matter for her, everyone present couldn’t help but find it endearing and watched her with amusement.

When Speranza, who couldn’t make a decision, made a tearful face, Yerin, who couldn’t watch it, poked me in the side.

“Can’t we just order everything?”

“No, Speranza doesn’t eat much and would be left with leftovers. Furthermore, we shall be having dinner shortly..”

“What’s wrong with some leftovers? Speranza wants to eat it.”

“It’s not good to waste food.”

Observing our difficulty in making a decision, the café owner kindly offered us an alternative suggestion.

“Then would you like to order one drink each? I’ll prepare desserts for you so that you can try them a little at a time.”

“What? No, that would be too much trouble for you.”

“It’s alright as Yoon Jiwoon is a regular here who brings in a lot of business. We usually give him a lot of discounts.”

Yoon Jiwoon also helped with a small smile.

“Do so, Sihyeon. As much as the service you receive today, I will visit and fill it up.”

“Haha! Then it’s a gain for me.”

It was difficult to refuse them any further when they put it like that.

“Then I’ll gladly accept it.”

The café owner jotted down the remaining order and headed down to the first floor, assuring us that he would prepare it promptly.

An awkward silence hung over the table once the order was placed.

On other occasions, Yerin, who couldn’t stand such silence, would have been the first to speak.

However, today she was following along, so she sat quietly and carefully observed the others. To everyone’s surprise, it was Speranza who broke the silence and initiated a conversation.

“Mister. Are you really Yoon Jiwoon?”

Speranza looked at Yoon Jiwoon with curiosity and asked him a question. Yoon Jiwoon’s face lit up with pleasure as he enjoyed Speranza’s interest.

“That’s right. I’m singer Yoon Jiwoon, though I’m hardly a singer these days…….”

Speranza tilted her head at his answer.

“Are you not singing any more?”

“I didn’t quit singing. But it’s been a while since I released a new song. I’ve been less and less on stage.”

“Then you don’t like singing?”

“No. It’s not that…… Maybe it’s because I used up something inside me.”

“……?”

“I faced many challenges during my long career, but I always found it enjoyable to be a singer. However, one day, singing ceased to be fun.”

Yoon Jiwoon muttered with a blank expression.

“It felt like I had a terminal illness, as if I were a toy that had run out of batteries. Suddenly, singing and performing on stage no longer brought me excitement. It was quite strange, don’t you think?”

He smiled sadly.

Speranza, who had asked the question, continued to tilt her head as if she couldn’t comprehend the answer, but the other three looked at Yoon Jiwoon’s smile with a hint of sorrow.

I could somewhat understand the phrase “Ceased to be fun”.

It felt more like a genuine feeling of exhaustion than just the excuse of getting older, which evoked feelings of sympathy rather than just an excuse.

“But that thought has changed a little recently.”

Yoon Jiwoon opened his mouth with clearer eyes.

“After watching the video of a young girl singing my song, I felt a sense of rekindled passion.”

Everyone’s eyes naturally turned to Speranza, while the young girl looked puzzled.

“So I immediately went to the studio and began working on the song. It wasn’t as simple as I had thought it would be. I must have taken too much time off.”

Yoon Jiwoon looked at me and continued to talk.

“That’s why I asked my company to reach out to Sihyeon. I believed that by meeting Speranza in person, I could fill the void in my heart.”

Yerin, who was listening quietly next to me, suddenly asked a question.

“Did it rekindle your passion?”

Yoon Jiwoon shook his head with a disheartened smile.

“I’m not sure. I had hoped for something magical to happen, but perhaps that was too much to ask for. Nevertheless, I am glad to have met Speranza like this. I am also a fan of the ‘Demon Girls’ channel.”

“Oh! As expected, I also greatly enjoy the ‘Demon Girls’ channel.”

“Hmmm, me too…….”

Yoon Jiwoon, Yerin, and Park Jaeyoung bonded over their shared admiration for the “Demon Girls” channel, and the atmosphere at the table became much more lively as they began to chat.

“Here are your drinks and the complimentary service… Are you talking about “Demon Girls”? As expected, the girl from “Demon Girls”.”

Later, the café owner also joined in and an impromptu “Demon Girls” fan meeting was held.

The table soon became filled with lively conversations and anecdotes about the Demon Girls.

“SIHYEON, when will the next video be uploaded on the Demon Girls channel?”

The others also showed interest in Yoon Jiwoon’s question and participated in the conversation.

“That’s right! Can’t you upload the videos more often? When the cafe is quiet, I often replay the past videos, but it’s so tantalizing.”

“The quality of the video is still a bit lacking, would you like me to introduce you to an expert who could assist you? I know many video experts in the company.”

“Sihyeon, it just occurred to me, these days artists have their own fan cafe, so, why don’t we open an official fan cafe for Demon Girls? If you don’t want to manage it, I can take care of it for you.”

“Uh…… Well…….”

Everyone expressed their fanaticism, regret, and personal greed for the Demon Girls channel. I was unable to respond properly to their high interest.

“Yum! Munch!”

Meanwhile, Speranza smiled happily as she tasted a variety of desserts brought by the café owner as a complimentary service.

“Come again. Thank you very much for the picture.”

The café owner treasured the picture he took with Speranza and saw us off with a joyful expression. In return for the photo, Speranza had a variety of delicious desserts in her hands.

I was worried when I saw Speranza, who received too much.

“Ugh…… I’m afraid she received too many gifts.”

“It’s okay. As I said before, I’ll visit and fill it up, so don’t worry too much. Do you have any other plans after this?”

Yoon Jiwoon inquired about my schedule after this meeting.

“I don’t have…….”

PULL!

Suddenly, Speranza pulled my pants while I was talking.

“Speranza, what’s wrong?”

“Papa… I want to see Yoon Jiwoon sing.”