Chapter 21
As I was pouring the somaek, memories of my early adulthood doing bar tours with friends came flooding back. Since I was known for pouring drinks cleanly without spillage, they always put me in charge of making somaek.
‘That’s right. I remember being so busy making somaek that I couldn’t actually drink myself.’
Days of exchanging sympathetic glances with a friend in charge of grilling meat came flooding back. Those days were all cherished memories.
“Did you see that just now?”
“It happened so fast…”
“The drink went straight into the beer!”
The customers kept blinking in amazement.
I placed three somaek glasses and the standard strawberry side dishes on a tray and brought them to the table of the newly arrived customers.
As I set them down one by one, the customers picked up the somaek glasses and examined them from various angles.
“Hey miss, do we need to mix this ourselves?”
“You can drink it as is.”
I politely replied and immediately returned. Then I startled slightly and lightly slapped my own cheeks with both hands.
“Ah! My apologies. Johan’s order came first.”
I hurriedly prepared the two somaek glasses Johan had ordered and placed them in front of him. However, Johan slid one glass over to me.
“One is for you.”
“Pardon?”
“I’d like to buy you a drink as well.”
Surprised and hesitant, I saw Johan tilt his head slightly.
“Is drinking on the job not permitted?”
“Ah, it’s fine. I can hold my liquor.”
I picked up the beer glass. We looked at each other and drank together.
“This is the first time a customer has bought me a drink.”
“It will happen more often from now on. To the point of annoyance, perhaps.”
“Oh, really?”
“Unless the men here are all blind.”
Johan’s casual remark made my face slightly flush.
What did he mean by that?
“Well, that would be good then. It means more sales….”
Johan, who had been staring at me, smiled faintly and spoke.
“Because it’s delicious here.”
Ah, he was just wishing me good business.
“Johan, you’re my first regular customer.”
“I’m honored. Being the first at anything makes it special. I’ll come by more frequently.”
Johan stood up and walked out. Being so tall, he disappeared from my sight in just a few strides.
<Notice> The reputation of the ‘I don’t know. Stuff like that’ cocktail bar has increased by 300. (Total 2,950)
The wealthy duke’s visit alone was indeed a blessing.
‘I wonder if his scouting offer was sincere.’
Honestly, I had almost forgotten about the offer to become the bartender at the duchy.
What if Johan became the owner of my bar?
‘He would support me generously, no doubt. Instead of this shabby bar, it could become an elegant hotel-style lounge.’
At least he wouldn’t work me to the bone like the managers I’d met so far. Johan was a sensible and reliable person.
‘Still, slacking off might be difficult. How many people are at the duchy?’
As I pondered, Johan’s words came to mind.
“It’s a matter of personal desire. I don’t like sharing what I cherish.”
Wait a minute. Does that mean he wants me to be the bartender not for the duchy, but for himself? Just for Johan?
I tilted my head with a puzzled expression.
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The next day, after sleeping in, I reviewed the business performance.
“Let’s see. The recent revenue has been decent, but it’s all thanks to Johan alone.”
This was the problem. I had become overly reliant on Johan, so the sales were terrible when he didn’t visit.
Although the number of customers was steadily increasing and my upscale strategy was working decently enough to raise cocktail prices, but the 9,800 coin wall was still high.
‘Maybe I should do some market research.’
Thorough market research is the foundation of any business. It was rather overdue on my part.
“Since it’s my day off, I should go out and drink to my heart’s content.”
I felt proud of myself for working even on my day off. I shrugged and prepared to head out.
There was a dimension in the romance fantasy novel that I had set my sights on. It was a story featuring a female protagonist who was a heavy drinker.
‘There was a mention of it being the ‘land of drunkards.’ The beer there is sure to be heavenly.’
Since it would be chilly at night, I put on a coat and opened the door.
Arriving at a street lined with pubs, I looked around in awe.
“Wow!”
I counted roughly seven beer stores with just a quick glance. If I looked into every nook and cranny of the alley, there would be many more.
In such a fiercely competitive area, doing business would be no easy feat. There was bound to be delicious booze—no, many lessons to learn.
With that in mind, I entered the most crowded beer pub, but strangely, I felt eyes on me.
‘What’s going on?’
Just in case, I pulled my hood down lower. As I took a seat at an empty table, a server came over with a menu.
“Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
“What can I get you?”
“Let me see. Beer and……”
While contemplating side dishes, I scanned the other tables. Surprisingly, almost every table had fried chicken.
“Fried chicken, please.”
“Okay, please wait.”
After taking my order, the server headed to the kitchen, carrying a stack of empty plates in both hands.
‘Wow, great balance.’
As I silently admired their skills, I sensed overt stares directed at me.
“A woman alone?”
“And this late at night…..”
What’s with these people? Is it their first time seeing a woman drinking beer alone?
“Excuse me, your food is ready.”
“Thank you.”
Soon, the staff placed a beer and freshly fried chicken on my table before leaving.
“Wow…..”
I completely forgot about the uncomfortable stares, focusing solely on the beer.
The golden liquid with its delicately foamed head looked so alluring. I lifted the heavy beer mug.
‘The glass is freezing cold.’
The glass itself was chilled. Instead of putting ice in the glasses like I do, this place seemed to store the glasses in an ice box.
‘Let me take a sip.’
As the cold beer entered my mouth, my insides felt refreshingly cool. It was dry with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste—very appealing.
‘I should eat the side dish too.’
I took a big bite of the fried chicken, and it was extremely crispy. Seasoned with pepper, the juicy meat was savory yet light.
“This chicken makes me crave more beer. I should take another sip.”
I blew on the hot piece of chicken and took a sip of beer. It felt like the beer was washing away the grease left in my mouth.
After a drink, my mind felt clearer. The blatant stares directed at me came back into focus.
‘Just like my bar, where only men came, it seems difficult for women to visit pubs here.’
If that’s the case, then my direction is set.
‘Alright, I’ll target female customers.’
Calling this the ‘land of drunkards,’ yet only men are at the pubs? I’ll have to come back again to attract female customers.
‘Put up posters, hold cocktail tasting events.’
This is a completely blue ocean, isn’t it?
Feeling satisfied that the market research paid off, I finished the beer and settled the bill. It was time to move on to the second and third rounds.
From light and refreshing lagers to rich, full-bodied ales. Sampling draft beers and bottled beers, the night grew late.
‘What a happy night.’
Pleasantly buzzed, I headed home swinging my arms. If I could just fall asleep like this….
“!”
Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist and slammed me against the wall in one swift motion. It happened so fast that I was too stunned even to resist.
“Wh-Who……”
“What’s your name.”
A chillingly cold voice.
I rolled my eyes slightly to check who it was.
Elegant silver hair like polished silver, and red eyes as crimson as blood.
It was a patient I had previously treated.
“I asked for your name?”
When I didn’t immediately respond, the hand gripping my wrist tightened, as if demanding an answer.
“It’s…Sena.”
“Sena?”
The man muttered my name with a clear tone of displeasure.
“I don’t recognize you. What number are you?”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. What is your participant number?”
What is he even talking about?
His crimson eyes glowed intensely at me. His gaze alone seemed to lower the surrounding temperature.
“I don’t know what you mean by that.”
“You won’t answer?”
“No, I really don’t know.”
“What’s your objective?”
The man grabbed my neck. It was a light grasp for now, but he could easily kill me if he applied more force.
“Why didn’t you just kill me and leave me for dead?”
The crimson eyes scanned me up and down. As unnerving as it felt to have my innermost thoughts bared, I met his gaze straight on without flinching.
I was angry. After spending a fortune to treat this guy, he’s now threatening me? That was my entire savings!
“It was you who came begging me to save you.”
“No matter how much someone begs, people don’t usually help.”
“Normally, people help when someone is injured.”
“Hah, playing the saint now, are we?”
The man mocked.
“So you’re repaying my kindness with hostility? Let go of me. I spent my entire fortune to save you and this is how you treat me?”
I glared defiantly and shouted. In response, the man leaned his face towards mine.
“But it is strange. There’s no way someone as frail-looking as you could have survived.”
The man muttered softly and reached his hand out towards me. His large hand scanned over my body.
“Hey, where do you think you’re touching?!”
“You’re not hiding a single blade on you? How naive.”
After that thug-like remark, the man released me without hesitation.
The tension drained from me and I let out a deep breath. My heart was still pounding rapidly.
“Crazy. Just where is this place……”
The man ruffled his silver hair violently.
When he kept his mouth shut, he looked like a noble. But once he started talking, his crude personality showed.
The man opened a window to check outside, then peeked at the back door, and finally went out the front door before plopping down on the spot.
“No way I ended up in a civilian area. That’s unprecedented. I’m not sure if I still qualify as a participant.”
He sat with his back to me, clutching his head.
I didn’t understand what was happening, but it seemed he had given up on killing me.
‘Just in case, though.’
Preparing for any possibility, I grabbed a hanger as a makeshift weapon and addressed the man.
“Excuse me.”
“Ah, my apologies. I didn’t mean to target a civilian. I won’t kill you.”
The man halfheartedly apologized.
But civilian?
Earlier, he asked about my participant number and pinned me against the wall. Is he from some strange dimension?
Utterly confused, I must have had a bewildered look, because the man furrowed his brows sharply.
“What’s with that stupid expression? What do I gain by killing you?”
“That’s not it. As I said before, I spent my entire savings to save you, you know?”
“So?”
“So pay me back.”
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Thank you for reading! ♡
