Chapter 25
‘Finally, closing time!’
The long business hours ended and daylight returned. Feeling excited, I climbed up the stairs, but Chris followed right behind me.
He even came into my bedroom!
This won’t do. I turned around and blocked Chris’ way.
“I’ll give you a spare blanket, so rest downstairs.”
“I don’t need a blanket.”
Chris brushed past me and entered the bedroom. He quickly scanned the messy room.
“This building is too ramshackle. How would you escape if someone set it on fire?”
“Fire? Who would set it on fire?”
“If you haven’t experienced it yet, you need to be even more careful. Seems you’ve used up all your lifetime’s luck.”
It doesn’t seem like something everyone experiences at some point.
“Plus, there aren’t even any curtains on the windows. Your location is completely exposed. If there’s a sniper, you’d be defenseless and die.”
“What sniper?”
“At the very least, this window needs to be covered. You’d be in plain view if someone climbed up the tree across from it.”
As Chris examined the scenery through the window, he opened my closet and took out one of my dresses.
“B-But that’s my only dress for going out…”
“It’ll serve as a curtain now.”
Chris draped the dress over the window, giving a satisfied smile.
“Is that better?”
“Not yet. That fireplace connects to the chimney, doesn’t it? It’d be dangerous if someone intruded through the chimney.”
“Through such a small chimney?”
“It’s wide enough for you to fit through.”
Chris narrowed his eyes as if gauging the size of the chimney before responding.
I could probably squeeze through if I contorted my body, but why would anyone target someone else’s chimney? Unless they were Santa Claus.
“Cover that window some more. I’m going to set up traps in the fireplace.”
In the end, I was overruled by Chris. After looking around, he grabbed some pencils from the desk and stuck his body into the fireplace.
‘For a paranoid person…’
As I covered the window per his instructions, I stared at Chris in disbelief.
‘He seems to trust me.’
If I attacked Chris right now, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself and would get hit from the start. If I delivered a fatal blow, it would be over just like that.
Well, it’s probably just because he doesn’t see me as an enemy.
“Why go this far…”
“I’m here too.”
“Huh?”
What is he trying to say?
“I don’t know how I ended up here, but I’m here nonetheless. So it wouldn’t be strange if other participants showed up too.”
The sound of him setting up some pencil trap echoed from inside the fireplace.
“They’ll naturally target one’s dwelling first. The defensive battle is lost the moment you allow an intrusion. Letting your guard down is unacceptable.”
Listening to him, it didn’t sound entirely wrong either.
The fact that Chris came over here means there’s a connection. It was only right to be prepared in case someone as violent as Chris appeared again.
“By the way, it’s rude to stare at someone else’s butt like that, you know?”
Ah!
I hadn’t realized it, but Chris’ butt was indeed at the edge of my field of vision.
‘This is unavoidable. He stuck his body into the fireplace to set up traps, so only his lower half is sticking out.’
I hadn’t known he was a beauty whose face drew more attention than his body when facing him directly, but his slim yet toned, well-built muscles were quite prominent over his frame. He had an excellent physique.
“Ah, I wasn’t looking!”
“Then why is your voice trembling?”
“How can you be so sure? Do you have eyes on your butt?”
“I can feel your persistent stare, you know.”
Chris said teasingly as he pulled his body out. Had he already set up the trap? He brushed off the soot clinging to him.
“I really wasn’t…”
“Well, anyway, it looks like you’re more relaxed now.”
Having accomplished his task, Chris waved his hand dismissively and left the room. I followed his retreating back with my gaze, only snapping out of it after the door clicked shut.
“Ah.”
Feeling dazed, I gently patted my cheeks with both hands and lay down on the bed.
Normally I would fall asleep without a thought, but after hearing about arson and snipers, I felt unnecessarily uneasy.
‘This place has the lowest safety rating.’
How could I have lived so carelessly up until now? I was fortunate to have survived unscathed.
An urban legend I once saw online surfaced in my mind, so I pulled the blanket up over my head.
‘He really does think like a final boss.’
At that moment, I heard a creaking sound. It was the noise of someone going down the stairs.
‘I’m getting worked up over nothing.’
It felt strange having someone else in this rundown cocktail bar.
‘Should I have just sent him away?’
No. It was my hard-earned money.
Plus, Chris was still a patient.
Despite my earlier anxiety, I soon felt more at ease. We had taken thorough precautions, after all.
“…….”
My vision slowly blurred. Right. Today was quite long. I had worked hard and been busy dealing with Chris’ nonsense.
As I reviewed the day, the tension melted away and my eyes closed. The night deepened.
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The next day, I focused on training my new part-time worker.
“The side dishes here are delicious! The three-tier setup is fun. Hey, let’s order another cheese, okay?”
“Sheesh. You’re supposed to be drinking, not just eating. Ease up on the snacks.”
I heard the back-and-forth from the table area. A glance showed only fruit peels remained after they finished the sides.
Noticing this, a faint smile crept across my face.
The afternoon sides set was a hit. You could call it the most popular side dish.
And the more side dishes served, the higher the price.
“Chris. In situations like this, tactfully refill the sides, okay? Watch me.”
I gave Chris a knowing look and approached the customers.
“Excuse me. Would you like some more sides? More fruit perhaps?”
“How do you stay in business giving out such nice fruit for free?”
“That’s why I’m telling you, let’s get another cheese plate. Yes, more fruit and some of that white cheese from earlier, please!”
The customer who had been eyeing the cheese jumped in.
“You mean the Brie cheese? Got it, I’ll bring that right out.”
After taking the additional order, I shrugged as I returned.
I artfully sliced the fruit and arranged it on a white plate. The fruit was so fresh that even a bit of plating made it look exquisite enough to draw exclamations.
“What are you thinking? Giving out such expensive fruit for free? You need to engage in a bit of competitive pricing.”
“I have my methods.”
At first glance, it might seem excessive, but since I was getting the fruit for free, it wasn’t a loss for me. Plus, with the additional orders coming in, it was a gain.
‘For the brie cheese, bake it topped with honey, nuts, and thinly sliced apples.’
Just thinking about making it made my mouth water.
I should probably prepare a cheese platter for myself too after we close for the day.
“Thank you for waiting. Here is the baked brie and fruit assortment.”
“You’re so generous! Hey, let’s order another cocktail too since we have all these sides!”
“Well, then….”
I quickly checked the customers’ condition. They were getting a bit tipsy. If they passed that threshold, they’d keep ordering drinks nonstop.
“It’s quite chilly today, so how about a warm cocktail for the third round?”
“Oh? There are warm cocktails too?”
“Yes. I noticed you were having the orange one earlier, so there’s an easy-to-drink orange cocktail.”
“Is that so? Then two of those. I’m looking forward to it.”
I returned promptly and instructed Chris to juice some oranges. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work juicing the oranges.
While prepping fruit was a hassle, freshly squeezed juice was the best.
“Trying to get them drunk? Good, good. When drunk, their money sense goes numb and they’ll order like crazy.”
“What are you talking about? This is their last round.”
I clarified Chris’ misunderstanding as I gently warmed the orange juice.
“Excessive drinking is harmful to the body. Moderation is key.”
“So when are you going to make money? If you’re running a business in this remote place, you must be desperate for cash.”
Chris asked with a confused look.
Milking customers dry of money—it was a wicked idea befitting a final boss.
Before I could even respond, Chris went “Ah” and lightly clapped his hands. A glint flashed in his red eyes, as if he finally understood.
“Building trust first, then planning to strike all at once?”
“No, it’s my rule. Getting drunk is prohibited. Ah, and keep in mind that murder is also prohibited.”
I replied, casting Chris a disapproving glance.
“Why bother drinking if you’re not going to get drunk?”
“It’s my rule. We send customers home before they get drunk.”
After pouring amaretto into glasses with handles, I added the steaming orange juice, with the foam rising.
To enhance the flavor, I lightly stirred it with a cinnamon stick before serving.
More like a beverage than a drink, the ‘Hot Italian’ would help that table sober up before they headed home.
‘That’s just the right amount.’
While alcohol might provide comfort, escape wasn’t an option in my book.
“You’re not much of a businessperson, I see.”
“If they get drunk and vomit on the floor, it’s such a hassle. You have no idea how hard it is to deal with drunks.”
I retorted bluntly and handed the cocktail to Chris, who served it with a smirk.
‘Still, is he getting a bit more used to it now? His serving looks pretty convincing.’
As I watched Chris with a warm smile, he paused at a table on his way back from serving.
It seemed the calm before the storm was over.
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Thank you for reading! ♡
