The lunch rush at Moonbean Café was always chaotic. Steam hissed from the espresso machine, milk frothed loudly, and the smell of roasted coffee beans filled the small shop. Ha-rin quickly moved behind the counter, balancing two trays of drinks.
"Caramel latte!" she called and a university student waved from the corner table.
"Over here!". She shouted. Ha-rin swiftly headed over to the customer while Min-ji lazily leaned against the counter, scrolling through her phone.
"You know," she said casually, "if you get that job at the fancy foundation, I'll have to find another café to annoy."
Ha-rin chuckled, placing a drink on the counter. "You'll still come here."
"True." Min-ji grinned.
"Your sister makes the best pastries in the neighborhood." Soo-jin scoffed from the kitchen.
"I heard that." She giggled.
Just then, the café door chimed and a tall young man stepped inside. His presence involuntarily drew their attention. He wore a simple dark coat and a baseball cap which was pulled slightly lower over his face.
At first glance, he looked like any other office worker stopping by for coffee but his aura felt different and his gaze, suspicious. His eyes carefully scanned through the café. Quiet and observing everything.
He turned out to be Lee Hyun-woo. One of Kang Jae-min's most trusted assistants. He approached the counter. "One Americano," he said, not giving out any reason for the ladies to suspect him.
Ha-rin nodded. "Hot or iced?"
"Hot."
With his request in mind, she began preparing the drink. Hyun-woo's silent gaze remained focused on her, as if his very life depended on. He didn't want to miss out on anything.
The CEO's request had been simple. Visit the café where she works and observe her. At first, he had assumed it was just a routine background check. But now that he saw her, his notion immediately changed. She looked ordinary with just simple clothes and hair tied casually behind her head.
Nothing stood out, no sign of wealth or hidden connections. Just a normal young woman working in a small café. Ha-rin placed the cup on the counter, her lips lined in a faint smile.
"Here you go." She mumbled. But right as she slid the coffee toward him, the sleeve of her sweater slipped slightly down her wrist. And there, he noticed something glimmer.
A small silver pendant resting against her collarbone. Hyun-woo's gaze instinctively paused. The pendant was shaped like a delicate crescent moon and old-fashioned. Almost like an antique, he figured.
Without drawing her attention, he took the coffee. "Thank you." He said, before turning away. But glanced once more at the pendant. Something about it looked familiar, he thought.
Evening soon came rushing and inside the Moonlight Cultural Foundation, he stood in wait. Hyun-woo entered the executive office. Kang Jae-min was standing near the window, reviewing some documents on his tablet.
"You went?" Jae-min asked without looking up.
"Yes."
"And?"
"Nothing unusual," Hyun-woo replied as he placed the coffee receipt on the desk. "She works there as a part-timer. Her sister owns the café."
Jae-min slightly nodded. "Her behavior?"
"Normal and friendly with customers. No suspicious connections whatsoever, but." he briefly hesitated which made him look up at him. "There is one thing."
"What's that?" He asked in an instant.
"A pendant."
"A pendant?" Jae-min repeated and he nodded.
"A silver crescent moon pendant. It looked old."
Jae-min's eyes narrowed. "A family heirloom perhaps?"
"Possibly." Hyun-woo thought carefully before continuing. "But something about it felt familiar."
He immediately placed down the tablet on hearing that. "Explain." He sounded in interest.
"I believe I may have seen a similar design before," Hyun-woo said.
"Where?"
Hyun-woo's voice grew quieter. "In the artifact archives."
For the first time that evening, Kang Jae-min's expression changed. "The Joseon collection?" He asked, his mind lost in thought. He couldn't believe how a girl like that would have such an artifact.
"Yes." He announced. "Specifically, the records related to the guard's daughter portrait.
Silence soon filled the room and Jae-min was extremely still. A strange unease stirred up again and again in his chest. "Bring me the archive file," he said.
Hyun-woo bowed. "I'll retrieve it immediately."
Meanwhile, the café was ready to close for the night. Exhausted and all worked out, Ha-rin stretched out her arms tiredly. "My feet are going to fall off." She cried and Soo-jin laughed.
"That's what happens when you complain about working ten minutes." She said, wiping off the counter.
"You two work too hard." Min-ji added, grabbing another pastry from the display case.
"You ate half the pastries," Soo-jin replied dryly.
"That's emotional support." Ha-rin laughed.
As she lifted her arms to tie her hair again, the silver pendant around her neck swung gently and Min-ji noticed it. "You still wear that thing every day?" She asked which made her look down at it. The crescent moon pendant rested softly against her chest.
"Of course."
"Your mother gave it to you, right?" Min-ji asked and she nodded.
"She said it belonged to someone in our family a long time ago."
Soo-jin added casually, "Mom always said it was lucky."
Min-ji squinted at it. "It looks really old."
She smiled faintly. "Even so, I like it." She didn't know why, but the pendant had always made her feel strangely safe. Like a quiet presence watching over her.
Outside the café window, the moon slowly rose into the night sky, soft and silent.
After what felt like an endless wait, Hyun-woo returned with his request. He placed down the thick folder on desk. In it were ancient documents and photographs filled. Jae-min slowly opened it, and page after page it detailed the events of the Joseon palace coup.
Then, he suddenly stopped. There was a small sketch attached to the guard's daughter's portrait. A simple drawing of an object found among the recovered artifacts.
A crescent moon pendant, so much identical. His fingers spontaneously fingers on the page and Hyun-woo carefully spoke up. "The pendant recovered from the palace ruins disappeared centuries ago."
Jae-min's voice was quiet. "Lost?"
"Most likely stolen or misplaced during the collapse of the royal archives."
Jae-min stared at the sketch over and over again. It was definitely the same pendant without thought. And now finding it around the neck of a girl Yoon Ha-rin rose a lot of questions and uncertainties.
Is there another twist to the story? This, he wished to know.