The Tip of Summer’s Tongue
여름의 혀끝
Synopsis
※ Please note that this work is set in a fictionalized version of South Korea in the year of 2005, and any resemblance to real people, places, companies, or events is coincidental.
Two years ago, after his father’s accident, Danyoung lost everything in an instant and, against his will, ended up at the dabang, . The work isn’t hard, thanks to the few customers who visit the coffee shop, but life is tight when trying to cover the growing interest on his debt.
Dabang (다방): A traditional Korean tea room or coffee shop, distinct from modern cafes. In the past, and in fiction, they are sometimes depicted as seedy places or fronts for illegal activities.
The problem is that even if he wants to find another job, the loan company won’t let him. Danyoung can only guess that the dabang he’s tied to is no ordinary place.
Then one day, a man who seems to both fit and not fit in at the dabang barges into …
“What are you doing?”
“……”
“Why are you just standing there like a little pipsqueak? Are you blind?”
From that day on, the man starts showing up at whenever he feels like it.