It was a quiet Wednesday evening when Lee Jihoon stepped into the usual café just a short walk from his apartment. The bell above the door chimed its familiar tune, a soft ding-ding that was always a little too slow, a little too offbeat—but it had become part of the café's charm.
Inside, the place smelled like freshly ground coffee beans and caramel syrup. The warm lighting gave the wooden furniture a golden glow, and faint music—an old acoustic playlist—played gently from the speakers above. A couple sat near the back sharing a slice of cake. A university student typed furiously on a laptop near the window, surrounded by open books and a cold brew.
Jihoon stepped in with a slow breath and a small smile. This was his safe space.
The barista, a tall young man with dyed blue hair and mismatched socks peeking out from under rolled-up pants, greeted him with a nod.
"The usual?" he asked.
"Yeah. Iced Americano," Jihoon replied. "Make it with two shots today."
"Rough week?"
Jihoon gave a tired chuckle. "Just a long one."
While the barista prepared his drink, Jihoon moved toward the pickup counter and leaned lightly on the wood, letting his eyes drift to the bulletin board behind the drink station.
It was cluttered, in the best way—layers of colorful sticky notes, napkin doodles, old photographs, and messages left behind by strangers. Some were funny ("Remember me, I spilled coffee here in 2021"), others surprisingly deep ("If you're reading this, keep going. You're stronger than you think.").
He never added a note of his own, but he loved standing there, reading little pieces of other people's lives.
"Americano, two shots!"
He turned, took the drink with a polite bow, and moved toward the napkin stand to grab a straw and a sleeve. That's when he noticed it.
To the far end of the counter, on a small tray table for to-go orders, was a cup holder. The familiar cardboard kind with two slots. In one of them sat a hot latte, steam still drifting lazily from the tiny sip hole in the lid.
The other slot was empty.
Taped to the cup holder was a small sticky note, handwritten in blue ink:
"For Halmeoni. Be right back."
Jihoon blinked.
He looked around the café. No one was near the cup. No one seemed to be waiting for it. The barista was wiping down the machine, and the customers were lost in their own bubbles.
He sat down near the window, sipping his Americano, but his eyes kept returning to that lone latte sitting patiently on the counter.
Five minutes passed. Then ten. Still, no one came to claim it.
Jihoon eventually stood up and walked over to the barista.
"Hey," he asked, nodding toward the cup. "That drink—someone left it there a while ago. Do you know who it's for?"
The barista looked over and nodded. "Yeah. A teenage girl came in earlier. She ordered two drinks—one for herself, one for her grandmother. She said her grandma was across the street in a building, and she needed help getting her downstairs. Told me she'd be right back."
Jihoon's brow furrowed. "That was a while ago."
"I know," the barista said, looking concerned now. "I thought she'd be back sooner."
Jihoon walked back to his seat. He glanced again at the cup—the lid now glistening with condensation, the steam fading more with each passing moment.
He stood again. Walked to the cup holder. Rested his fingers against the latte cup.
Still warm… but cooling fast.
Ding!
[New Kindness Challenge]
Protect someone's small act of love before it cools away.
Reward: 37,000 KRW
Jihoon stared at the message. Then he picked up the cup holder and made his way to the door.
As the bell rang behind him, he stepped into the evening air.
The sky was beginning to darken, fading into a rich navy blue. The lights of street signs flickered on one by one. Jihoon stood near the entrance, scanning the street in both directions.
Then he saw them.
Across the road, a teenage girl in a yellow cardigan was helping an elderly woman—her halmeoni—descend the stairs of a small clinic building. The grandmother held her granddaughter's hand tightly, her steps careful and slow.
They moved with patience.
Jihoon walked toward them.
"Excuse me," he called out softly as he reached the crosswalk.
The girl turned quickly, eyes wide.
"Yes?"
"Are you the one who left a latte at the café?"
Her eyes widened even further, and she let out a breath of relief. "Yes! Oh, I'm so sorry—I didn't think it would take this long. My halmeoni needed more help than I expected, and I didn't want to spill anything while guiding her."
Jihoon smiled and held out the cup holder. "Still warm. Thought I'd help make sure it got to her in one piece."
The grandmother looked at Jihoon and offered a soft, respectful bow. "Thank you, young man," she said in a raspy but kind voice.
The girl took the carrier carefully with both hands. "Thank you so much. I really thought the staff might throw it out."
Jihoon shook his head. "Didn't seem right. It looked like it was waiting for someone important."
The girl smiled, then turned to her grandmother. "Halmeoni loves her evening latte. It's kind of our thing—every time we go to her checkup, we stop by the café after. She says it makes her feel young again."
Jihoon's heart softened at the image.
"Sounds like a beautiful tradition," he said.
The girl nodded. "It is."
Ding!
[Kindness Opportunity Completed!]
Reward: 37,000 KRW
As he turned to leave, Jihoon heard the grandmother softly say, "You're a good boy."
He gave them a small wave before heading back down the street.
His phone buzzed again.
[Daily Kindness Reflection]
"Sometimes, kindness is simply about keeping something warm—for someone who needed it to stay that way."
Jihoon took a long sip from his iced Americano, the last bits of ice clinking inside. It tasted better than usual.
Yeah.
That sounded about right.
One small act at a time.
End of Chapter 47
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