The soft music fills the café where I work. Students peacefully studying, some chatting, others busy with their own things; families happily eating, couples sweetly enjoying each other’s company... yeah, sure, whatever, lol.

This is the usual scene I witness every time I’m at work. But in this café, there are two kind of cashiers. One handles orders, like drinks or food they want to be served. The other one handles items that customers carry to purchase, like souvenirs or food displayed on the shelves. I’m assigned to the second cashier.

Most of the time, I enjoy my job, especially when I get to handle large amounts of money. It almost feels like all of it is mine—just kidding.

But I’m not a full-timer here. It’s just a part-time job because I’m a graduating student, so I need to hustle harder. The pay here for part-time workers like me is pretty decent.

“Payday is on Saturday!” my coworker whispered excitedly while there were no customers in line.

“I’m so excited! It’s finals week, and the second semester is coming up. I need to settle my balance,” I pouted and shook my head.

“What’s wrong with you? Thinking about stress right away? You should enjoy sometimes. You deserve it after all your hard work,” Jonah whispered, half scolding me.

I was about to reply when customers started lining up at my counter. That’s how it goes here: we talk softly when there are no customers, but as soon as someone lines up, we stop immediately.

As the night came, the customers increased, so Jonah and I couldn’t chat anymore.

Smiling, nodding, sharing small laughs, and brief conversations were what I exchanged with the customers in front of me. This was normal for me, but it still felt satisfying.

I let out a heavy sigh, but no one noticed or saw it. I stared at the floor, lost in thought about the bills I needed to pay.

“Excuse me,” someone said in front of me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I immediately looked up and almost dropped my jaw in shock at who was in front of me.

“S-Sister,” I stuttered, realizing what I said too late.

The woman in front of me widened her eyes and quickly looked around as if checking if anyone heard me. I did the same, scanning the area, and sighed in relief when it seemed like everyone was busy.

She gave me a scrutinizing look, but when she noticed my manager approaching our spot, she smiled sweetly. Then, she handed me the food she wanted to buy. After paying, she hurriedly left the café.

I held onto my knees, shaken by what had just happened, but I decided to brush it off since my shift was almost over.

I continued working, and once my shift ended, I quickly left the café. I let out another deep sigh as I waited for a ride home to my apartment.

I’m used to my job, but today felt particularly exhausting because of what happened.

I spotted a vehicle approaching when someone grabbed my hand and pulled me a bit farther from the café. I didn’t know how to react when I got slapped twice.

“You’re unbelievable! You’re always the one ruining this family. You have such nerve!” she spat angrily—my sister.

“I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry,” I said, bowing my head and biting my lower lip.

“Sorry? What if someone heard you? You’re such an idiot as always!”

She slapped me again, pulling at my hair, but I just let her. My tears rolled down my cheeks.

“Damn you!” she said before turning her back on me and getting into her car.

Once she left, I sat on the ground, crying silently. I stayed like that for a few minutes when someone reached out their hand to me. Even though my eyes were blurry with tears, I could tell it was a man. I accepted his hand without looking at him. He handed me a handkerchief, but I shook my head.

“I insist,” he said.

Biting my lip, I took it without making eye contact and wiped my tears. After making sure I looked presentable, I turned to where he stood, but he was gone.

I frowned, confused, and shook my head. I didn’t want to stress myself out further thinking if it was a ghost or something else.

After waiting for a few minutes, I hailed a taxi to finally head home. While in the cab, I rested my head against the window. Even though the incident earlier was brief, it felt like it drained all my energy.

I glanced at the handkerchief in my hand and smiled. Then, I looked out the window again, staring at the beautiful moon.

“Thank you, whoever you are.”