Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 122

The café “Terre Tuirée” was designed from the beginning to differentiate itself from regular cafés by striving for a sense of mystique and luxurious atmosphere.

Thus, it paid considerable attention to employee training and other minor details from the start, opting to hire staff as formal employees rather than through part-time recruitment.

Currently, there were three full-time employees in the café named “Terre Tuirée”: Seo Ji-hye, Park Jun-seok, and Kim Min-woo.

Each of them had at least two to four years of experience working at the café.

As they prepared to open the café like any other day, they were suddenly delighted by the manager’s announcement that someone was renting the café for the day.

Renting the café was a very rare occurrence. While it was said that the space could be rented out, very few actually used it.

It was a highly uncommon event, maybe once a year at most; practically, one could say it was nonexistent.

The café usually didn’t operate as a rental space due to a lack of regular customers, and its clientele during both weekdays and weekends was quite solid, making the rental prices far from cheap.

So they wondered who on earth would rent it.

“…No way, really? Joan of Arc?”

“Is it true? Min-woo?”

Ji-hye and Jun-seok looked at Min-woo with incredulity in their voices.

Min-woo, who had earlier guided Eun-ha and Serin to their designated seats on the second floor, grinned.

“Yeah. Really, as soon as I got to the café, I went up, so you guys probably didn’t see me since I guided them myself. Wow, but even from a brief glance, I could feel some kind of aura from that person, you know? I thought I was being overly excited like seeing a celebrity, but it was real?”

Min-woo spoke in a boastful manner as if telling a heroic tale, while Ji-hye and Jun-seok’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Oh, then is there any way to… get an autograph or something?”

As Ji-hye spoke eagerly, Jun-seok shook his head slightly.

“They rented the café for personal privacy purposes… If we approach, they might feel burdened.”

As Jun-seok said this, he continued speaking with a puzzled tone.

“By the way, isn’t Joan of Arc on a break and not playing in any matches right now? What’s she doing in a café?”

Ji-hye, a huge fan of Joan of Arc who knew her schedule, looked at Jun-seok in disbelief.

“Come on, you silly, she’s probably here to relax since she’s on break! Just seeing how she expressed her struggles in an interview means she’s managing her mental state, so she probably just wanted a change of scenery.”

“Uh… Is that so?”

As they bickered softly, Min-woo added.

“Also, I should mention, she didn’t come alone; she was with someone, and it wasn’t a man but a woman… That woman was extremely stunning too. Is she a sponsor or a model for the same advertisement? She seemed to be that type; you know how people tend to hang out with similar people, and that phrase popped into my mind as soon as I saw them.”

“Ah. Min-woo, talking like that makes me even more curious.”

“If she’s meeting with Ms. Eun-ha alone, that woman has to be quite a notable person or something, right?”

Jun-seok sighed in disappointment while Ji-hye showed her continued curiosity.

“Hmm… I don’t know about being notable, but her hair color was uniquely silver. Her face also looked like she was mixed… In any case, she’s probably someone prominent overseas. This is all I can share, though. While I hope this doesn’t happen, don’t try to approach the second floor aside from your orders or calls; if Joan of Arc or the silver-haired woman were to complain, the café’s image could get smashed in an instant.”

The person who rented the café was none other than the famous player known as Joan of Arc.

It’s said that even commercials shot by notable idol groups or celebrities cannot compare to the overwhelming popularity and status of the player herself.

Thus, if even the slightest controversy were to arise, the café’s reputation built over years could deteriorate drastically in an instant.

“Tsk… It’s really disappointing that I can’t even see Joan of Arc’s face despite being so close.”

“Min-woo oppa! Can I go whenever an order or call comes in!?”

Suddenly, Ji-hye, playfully trying to charm Min-woo, made him smile brightly.

“Uh, no.”

When would there be another chance to see Joan of Arc in person like this?

In fact, Min-woo was also a fan of Joan of Arc.

…

Min-woo, who had stopped by the staircase leading to the second floor with a serving cart filled with numerous desserts, let out a small sigh without realizing it.

“…How am I supposed to carry all of this?”

“Right? Min-woo oppa.”

Even Ji-hye, who had followed him excitedly to support Min-woo through the many orders, let out a small sigh, unlike her initial enthusiasm.

If he had to individually load each dessert onto a tray and carry them to the second floor, he would need to make several trips. Just thinking about that made her feel a bit dizzy.

There was no way he could pull the serving cart up to the second floor.

“Hey, oppa, what if Joan of Arc is meeting with someone who isn’t a model but maybe some famous overseas mukbang YouTuber? I mean, two people wouldn’t order this much, right?”

“Hmm… If she looked like that and was a mukbang YouTuber, I feel like she would’ve hit a million subscribers long ago.”

As Min-woo answered that, he recalled the appearance of the silver-haired woman who accompanied Joan of Arc. No matter how he considered it, she was truly ideally beautiful.

If she were indeed a mukbang YouTuber with that look, he thought he would have known by now, but he soon finished contemplating how to carry everything and said as he stepped onto the stairs.

“I’ll make the back-and-forth trips to carry the desserts, so Ji-hye, you just… hand over the desserts and drinks in the proper order at a mid-point.”

“Oppa, do you think you can manage by yourself?”

“If I keep going back and forth, it should work out; in the end, you should come up once to help set the food so you can at least see Joan of Arc’s face.”

At Min-woo’s words, which he said without her realizing he was caring for her, Ji-hye chuckled.

***

Squeak!

With the sound of a table scraping against the floor, the table was soon joined together.

And there was the sight of a male employee neatly setting up the ordered desserts.

“There were so many menu items that I couldn’t bring them all at once. I will bring them over in order and arrange the rest accordingly.”

After saying this, Serin, who was quietly watching the employee go back and forth multiple times, wondered just how much Eun-ha had ordered.

Then, at the end, as another employee clad in the same uniform came up with desserts, they began finishing the setup of the desserts on the table.

This employee could be seen watching Eun-ha with fervent admiration, clearly a fan.

However, she still didn’t speak first.

Only through her eyes and expressions.

“…”

Each time she glanced at Ms. Eun-ha, her lips curled up ever so slightly, almost giving away her excitement, but that only made Serin speak up in concern.

She appeared so earnest in her admiration.

“I think that employee seems to be a fan of Ms. Eun-ha.”

“…My fan?”

“Yes, that employee seems to really like Ms. Eun-ha.”

As Eun-ha turned her head slightly towards Serin’s words, she looked at Ji-hye with an emotionless expression, unlike the way she looked at Serin.

Yet, even with that indifferent expression, Ji-hye, having completed the setup of desserts and drinks, began to tremble without realizing it.

“…Could I possibly get an autograph?”

In response to Eun-ha’s gaze, Ji-hye cautiously spoke up, at which Min-woo, realizing it was a poor timing, quickly poked Ji-hye’s side and opened his mouth.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“No, it’s okay. Since she seems to be my fan, I’ll sign for her.”

Eun-ha shook her head slightly in response to Min-woo’s words. Since Serin had pointed it out, it was clear she didn’t want to show a refusal in front of her fan, who was eagerly watching her.

She aimed to leave a good image by showing acknowledgment even in minor aspects.

To Eun-ha’s response, Ji-hye, still smiling brightly despite being poked in the side, steadily presented a prepared card.

Upon seeing the card, Serin couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“Wow.”

The luxurious 2030 ACK logo was printed on the front of the card, and the outside of the card featured a picture that was none other than Eun-ha softly kissing a championship trophy, looking incredibly beautiful.

‘Is this what it’s like to be a celebrity?’

Although I had been aware of Joan of Arc’s popularity from various articles and fan mentions in communities, seeing a fan holding a fan card with Eun-ha’s photo made it clear to me just how popular she truly was.

It felt truly as if I were looking at a celebrity.

‘No, I doubt even celebrities have fans with such cards.’

And considering this card was prepared in advance, it seemed as if the fan always carried it around; I couldn’t help but wonder how much she liked Joan of Arc to do that.

At Serin’s admiration, Eun-ha, slightly startled, finished signing the fan card and handed it back to Ji-hye.

“…Oh, what should I do!”

Receiving the fan card Eun-ha passed as if it were a treasure, Ji-hye’s face beamed with pure joy as she expressed her gratitude.

“Ah, I am truly a fan of Ms. Eun-ha. But I never thought I would receive an autograph like this. I knew you had announced your break lately, and I really hope you can rest well and return safely for the season! I actually went to watch a TSJ match live! So to see Ms. Eun-ha up close like this today is such an honor and… Oh, really… I’m so nervous I’m stumbling over my words, but you look so beautiful in person too!!”

As Ji-hye quickly spilled her emotions, Eun-ha simply nodded slightly in response.

It seemed like she was familiar with such fervent fans, and Eun-ha’s indifferent attitude left Serin feeling somewhat bewildered.

The fan was so passionately affectionate, yet,

‘Is that all?’

The image of Joan of Arc seen on shows or matches now felt different as if her emotional display was minimal.

“Well then. We’ve completed the setup, so we’ll be on our way. I hope you both enjoy your time.”

With a rather awkward smile, Min-woo led the excited Ji-hye by the arm, bowed his head lightly, and left.

As they were dragged away, the employee’s gaze was still glued on Eun-ha with admiration.

Maybe their previous behavior was considered ordinary; such thoughts crossed my mind.

Immediately after they disappeared, the colorful array of desserts spread across the table caught my eye.

The elegantly stacked, vintage plates were neatly arranged in the tray, showcasing desserts layered like art, alongside various waffles that adorned the tray like decorative pieces.

Among them were apple pies, apple strudels, and pancakes decorated with various chocolates.

It almost felt as if there were too many kinds of desserts ordered.

Lost in thought about which one to try first, suddenly…

Sliding.

At that moment, a plate was presented before me.

Amidst the beautifully plated desserts, a well-sliced apple pie was visible.

At this, Serin looked at Eun-ha.

Receiving that gaze, Eun-ha, who had initially looked at Serin shyly, now seemed a bit more relaxed, delivering a small smile.

“Serin, you should try the apple pie first.”