BLINDED BY LOVE

SIBLINGS

After work that day, Jennie and Aonn dragged Pon out to eat barbecue.

Seeing that Pon had been down since Sailub scolded him in the afternoon and didn’t have the spirit to play the piano, the two of them decided to cheer him up by taking him out to eat.

Sitting in the barbecue restaurant, holding a large cup of ice-cold cola, Pon drank most of it with a gloomy expression.

“I really didn’t mean it,” he felt a bit wronged, “I know I was wrong, but he should give me a chance to apologize, right? Apart from this incident, I haven’t committed any heinous crimes.”

“That’s just how Sai is,” Jennie flipped the barbecue and picked up a piece of pork belly for him, “Some people just have strong personalities, it’s understandable.”

Pon snorted disdainfully.
“What strong personality, that’s just being rude.”

He thought for a moment, then asked strangely, “You guys have been working with him for so long, how can you stand it? I’m not the first one to have a conflict with him, am I?”

Jennie and Aonn exchanged glances.

Aonn said, “You are indeed the first one. Sai hasn’t been here for long, just a bit earlier than you, about two months. When he first came, the boss gave us a heads-up, saying he didn’t like to socialize with people, so we should bear with him a bit. He’s still quite responsible for his work. Whenever there’s something heavy to do in the shop, it’s usually him doing it. He speaks less, and there haven’t been any conflicts.”

Jennie nodded beside him, confirming Aonn’s point of view. She said, “Once when it was raining and I didn’t have an umbrella, he gave me his. Maybe he’s just in a bad mood today, that’s why he was so harsh on you.”

Pon was shocked. He really hadn’t noticed that Sailub was willing to help others.

He frowned and asked again, “So you mean to say, he’s also a newcomer like me?”

Aonn nodded, “I remember he was brought in directly by the boss. The previous barista had just resigned, and he took over. In fact, not just you, we haven’t said much to him either. We don’t know much about him. And…”

Aonn hesitated as he spoke, unsure if he should share the gossip he wasn’t sure about himself.

He felt like he was talking behind someone’s back.

“And what?” Pon asked curiously.

“Nothing…” Aonn shook his head, ultimately deciding not to say it, “It’s just that he seems to have a good relationship with the boss. They chat occasionally.”

Pon nodded.

He could see that much.

But that was normal. The boss, the one who pays the salary, who wouldn’t chat with them? Maybe they could even get a raise out of it.

He took another big sip of ice-cold cola, still feeling a bit restless.

Sailub’s arm kept flashing in front of him, the intersecting scars, the dark, oppressive tattoos, the bloody thin scars, combined together, making people very uncomfortable.

He had no prejudice against tattoos at all. If it weren’t for the fear of pain, he would have wanted to get one himself.

But the patterns on Sailub’s body did make him feel uncomfortable.

He remembered what Aonn said, that they didn’t even know what Sailub did before, and he muttered to himself, “Maybe he used to be in the underworld before becoming a barista. Look at how fierce he looks, it fits perfectly.”