Chapter 17
She had expected this day would come eventually, but it seemed Sharon was leaving sooner than she had thought. Even so, Linette didn’t say anything to her—she only held Sharon’s hand tightly.
“You’re not just moving to another city, but to another country. Still, Sharon, whether here or there, it’s the same continent. We’re still connected.”
“Linette…”
“I’ve never been there myself, so I can’t say much, but it’s still a place where people live. You’ll manage. You’ll be able to adapt, Sharon.”
At Linette’s words, tears welled up in Sharon’s eyes. Before Linette could even wipe them away, Sharon threw her arms around her in a tight hug. Today, her shoulders felt especially damp.
“Th-thank you so much for saying that. Hhh….”
Stepping into the unknown was stressful enough on its own, but Sharon was following the man she loved. Linette couldn’t bring herself to hold her back. After all, Sharon was finally leaving for Sepia with Mason, just as the original story had intended.
“Even if things get hard there, Sharon, you’ll be able to get through it. Why? Because you were my employee. You’ve memorized everything I’ve taught you by now, right?”
“Sniff… yes…”
“I hope you’ll be able to open a wonderful shop there.”
She sincerely hoped Sharon would become the Crown Princess of that empire. Since the original story was incomplete, Linette didn’t know what would happen to Sharon after she and Mason left for the Sepia Empire.
“This is your pay for the work you’ve done so far. And this is an early wedding gift.”
Linette quickly opened the safe and pressed money into her hands.
“I don’t need to take this. I’m leaving with something far greater than money—I’ve learned so much from you. If anything, I should be the one giving something back.”
“No, people should always give and receive properly. So, take it. Besides, every wife should keep at least a little money hidden away from her husband.”
Sharon knew it was enough money to live off for a long time, but Linette pretended not to notice and pushed it into her hands. At that, Sharon broke into sobs.
“I… I really wanted to stay here…”
“There’s nothing to be done. So, could you smile for me on your way out? Don’t cry. And please, become a splendid coffee master.”
“Hwaaaaahhh—!”
After Sharon left, sobbing as if her whole world had collapsed, Linette once again had to prepare the café alone. Fortunately, Katrine often finished housework early and came to help, so it wasn’t too overwhelming.
❅
“Did your employee quit?”
“Or is it someone new now?”
For weeks after Sharon’s departure, customers continued asking after her. That made it hard for Linette to forget her.
“They say you might not notice someone when they arrive, but you do when they’re gone… I guess it’s true.”
Work became heavier without Sharon, whose rhythm had always matched Linette’s perfectly. In the dim shop, she debated whether to hire someone new or continue on her own. With such managerial worries on her mind, she closed up late that night.
Thunk—
Just as she was heading home, where Katrine was waiting, she heard something heavy bump against a rock. Frowning, Linette tilted her head and walked around to the side of the shop. There, beside the food waste bin, the lid she had closed tightly was rolling on the ground. Someone was rummaging through it.
At first she thought it was a large dog. But when she squinted, she saw small hands digging through the scraps.
“Hey! You—what are you doing there?”
Flinch—
At her voice, the little figure froze, then tried to dash away—but Linette caught the child easily by the scruff. The child struggled but soon went limp.
“What were you doing there…?”
“I-I’m sorry. I was just too hungry… I won’t come here again, please forgive me just this once.”
Linette gasped when she saw what the child held in their hands: pumpkin rinds.
She always scraped pumpkin clean to use for lattes, throwing away only the skin with a little flesh still clinging. The texture wasn’t good for drinks, so she discarded it. And now, this child was clutching those scraps and trembling.
“Are you hungry?”
“Sniff…”
Looking at the crying child who couldn’t even answer, Linette’s chest tightened. How could she scold someone just for digging through trash?
“I-I won’t come back again. Please, just this once…”
“What about your parents? Why are you digging through garbage here?”
“T-they’re gone. They… passed away. So, they’re not here.”
For a child with no parents, the world was unbearably cruel.
Wearing rags, the little girl begged not to be hit—she must have been beaten before while scavenging elsewhere.
“What good would it do me to hit you? Forget it, just wait here.”
Letting go of the girl, Linette rushed inside to grab leftover cookies. But when she returned, the child was already gone.
“Tch. I just wanted to do a good deed for once…”
With no choice, she headed home.
A few days later, she brought Cheese (her pet) to the shop. The cat perked up and scratched at the back door.
“There’s nothing out there for you to eat. Sit still, I’ll close up soon.”
After finishing the day’s accounting, she tried to head out, but Cheese darted around to the side of the shop. Linette followed, intending to grab him—only to freeze.
It was the same child. Despite swearing never to return, hunger had driven her back, and she was frantically rummaging through the trash.
Linette hurried back inside, grabbed some food, and held it out.
“Here, take this and eat. It’s just leftovers I was giving out today.”
The sweet, nutty smell of cookies filled the air. The child’s stomach growled loudly before her eyes could even blink.
Grrrrumble—
Ashamed, she hid her belly. Linette pressed the cookies into her hand and deliberately turned away.
“Cheese, come here. Don’t hang around there forever.”
Calling the cat, Linette left without looking back.
Even after she was gone, the girl didn’t eat right away. She stared at the cookies, as if entranced, then clutched them and ran.
She returned to a shabby house in the back alley, where a boy sat in the dark.
“Angelo?”
“Angela, sis!”
The little boy greeted her with a bright smile.
“You must be really hungry.”
“It’s okay. You’re hungry too, aren’t you?”
Two years ago, after they had moved here, their parents were killed instantly when stones collapsed during the city wall’s construction. Overnight, the siblings became orphans. They had gone door to door begging for food, but in a starving world, no one shared.
So Angelo had resorted to digging through trash. But one day he was caught, beaten, and injured his leg while fleeing. He still couldn’t move properly. Since then, Angela had been going out alone to scavenge.
“Look, today I got something different.”
“What’s that? Huh? Is that a cookie? I saw the neighbor kid eat one once… Did you steal this?”
“No, I was digging through trash, and the shop owner gave it to me. Remember? I told you—she caught me before, but didn’t scold me.”
Angelo tilted his head at the sight of the perfectly intact cookie.
“Can I really eat this, sis?”
“Of course. Hurry, eat it. I already ate on the way home.”
Angela lied, giving all the cookies to her brother, then watched him from a distance. As Angelo crunched happily, saliva pooled in her own mouth.
Crunch, crunch—
The sound of the cookie breaking in his mouth was like heavenly bells. She swallowed hard as her little brother, six years younger than her, smiled blissfully.
“Sis, this is so good. I’ve never tasted anything like it!”
“R-right. Eat a lot.”
She had never eaten a cookie herself, so she couldn’t even imagine the taste.
After a while, Angelo suddenly set his piece down.
“Why? Eat more, there’s still some left.”
“I’m full, sis. You eat the rest. My stomach’s too full to hold any more.”
He had filled his belly with air to trick her. Rubbing his stomach, he insisted. Only then did Angela eat the leftover cookie—and it really was delicious.
“It’s really good, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… feels like the first time I’ve ever tasted something like this.”
Even when their parents were alive, they had never eaten anything like cookies. Despite both parents working, making ends meet had been a struggle.
And in just a few months, they would be forced out of this house too. Their father had borrowed money, and there was no way for the siblings to repay it. Nobody would hire children.
Angela and Angelo felt deep gratitude toward Linette, who had fed them when they had nothing.
“Sis, remember what Mom and Dad always said? That if you receive something, you must give it back.”
“Yeah, I know. So let’s not think about anything tonight and just sleep well.”
For the first time in a long while, they didn’t fall asleep clutching empty stomachs. Holding each other’s grubby hands, the siblings drifted into deep slumber.
❅
Yawning, Linette walked home late after running errands. She was tired from rising early and visiting other places.
“Guess I’m past my prime. I used to work from dawn to dusk and never feel this worn out.”
Though she was only twenty, Linette was already learning the difference between youth and adulthood.
Carrying her shopping basket, she stepped into Anderson’s bakery.
“Oh my! Welcome!”
Anderson, who had gotten used to her frequent visits, greeted her warmly.
“The same amount as usual, please.”
“Looks like you ran out faster than expected this time.”
Indeed, she had given her leftover cookies to that little girl yesterday, leaving none for today. One perk of being a regular was the extra treats Anderson always slipped in. Today again, he added more cookies and asked her to come by often.
“I wonder if that child will come back again.”
Linette knew there were countless children like her in this country, but seeing one with her own eyes had been heartbreaking.
“I’d better sweep the front. Must’ve been windy last night.”
Noticing leaves scattered on the street, Linette hurried toward her shop—only to stop short. It wasn’t evening but morning, and yet, there was that same child. She was gathering leaves with her bare hands, without even a broom.
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
Hearing Linette’s voice, Angela looked up with a bright smile.
“Mom and Dad always said to repay what you receive… So I’m cleaning outside to pay back for the cookie I ate yesterday.”
