Ae-ra

I slipped behind the door and crouched to listen. I tried hard but they were whispering. Dammit. I got up and walked off to the staff room and sat down across from Manager Seo.

“Why are you always drinking that? What is that anyway?” I asked curiously.

“Its home brewed wine made by my mother. She was really good at this. She’s the one who gave me an idea to start making a living selling drinks. And luckily I inherited her talent. But not her beauty.”

“Hmm. That’s true. Even though you’re only 25, you look super old.” I replied.

She chuckled. “Watch your mouth. You might be wondering one day why you don’t work here anymore.”

“Uhh. Okay. Sorry. But why drink in that bottle? Why is the bottle even shaped like that?”

“I know it looks like a human’s . But my father had been gifted this when he went to Japan. His friend had apparently worked as a bottle manufacturer over there.” She sighed.

“Yeah. The Japs make weird stuff. By the way, you should really stop drinking wine. What if Boss Tae catches you and punishes you? I know she’s your cousin but you two keep work and personal life separate right?”

The old bird suddenly got up from her chair and slammed her palms on to the table.

“She’d never do that. You better keep this in mind, she’s going to hand over the ownership to me. I basically run this café. Not her. So you bow your head down to me and you better do it properly. You’re getting too comfortable here.” She snapped.

“Sorry Manager Seo. I won’t do that again.” I quickly apologized. Woah. That was malice. Does she hate her cousin or what? I looked at the clock. It was closing time. I ushered out the remaining customers and started wiping the tables. With a sigh I sat down in one of the chairs. I took out my phone and went to Naver. I was halfway into typing Shinee 1 of 1 when I saw the article.

“Famous ulzzang found dead in apartment.” Read the article. I scrolled down to read an