Chapter 43
“What does that mean? Tell me clearly. The system didn’t bring me here, I came here myself?”
“That’s right.”
“How did I?”
“Well, I can’t tell you that.”
The boy tightly closed his mouth. It seemed he wouldn’t answer any more questions.
“…..”
Feeling overwhelmed, I lowered my gaze as there seemed to be no way out.
Then suddenly the boy exclaimed “Ah!” and clapped his hands, as if remembering an important fact he had forgotten.
What is it? I raised my head and met the boy’s gaze.
“I’m Stark. Call me Shu. Nice to meet you, Sena Noona.”
As if the seriousness from before had never happened, Shu smiled brightly and reached out his hand to me. I did not take his hand.
“That’s too much. I didn’t expect you to welcome me, but you don’t need to be this cold…..”
Seeing his dejected face, I felt sorry for no reason.
‘Right. It’s meaningless to vent my frustrations on Shu.’
What did I do to a kid who looks several years younger than me? It was an immature act.
Thinking that, my complicated feelings calmed down.
“If I accept this quest, I can prepare the rest of the money?”
“Yes. Until then, I’ll take advantage of you… ah no… I’ll help you!”
“I know you just blurted out your true feelings.”
I pinched Shu’s cheek. His soft cheek stretched out nicely.
“Owwww!”
When I let go, Shu rubbed his reddened cheek with his hand.
“No violence!”
“Should I try the other cheek to see if it stretches well too?”
“No, stop! My cheeks are precious.”
Shu hurriedly backed away and continued speaking.
“Noona, if you do well on this job, I’ll remodel the store nicely.”
So he’s dangling a carrot since the whip wasn’t enough?
This run-down bar desperately needed remodeling. Chris had worked on the urgent parts, but it was at a level where it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed immediately.
This piqued my interest a bit. The motivation that had hit rock bottom started to slowly raise its head again.
“How?”
“Well, you see… Noona, you were envious when we went to the resort, right?”
“The resort? Ah, the place where I made 200 cocktails. I was envious. It was big, stylish and sophisticated.”
It even had a stage for performances and a private beach. If I had opened a bar at a place like that, maybe I would have regained my lost motivation.
“This is a ‘shabby cocktail bar’. I’ll give you a chance to turn Milky Way Lounge into a great bar.”
“Huh? Not just remodeling, but changing the store entirely?”
“Yes! You can relocate the store.”
Shu answered brightly.
This piqued my interest a bit. The store was already too small to accommodate many customers.
And honestly, I knew rationally as well.
‘I only have a few hundred coins left.’
If I give up right before the finish line after coming this far, my efforts over the past month would be for nothing.
In the end, I accepted the quest.
“Then let’s go!”
Shu scampered over and opened the door. Beyond it, a hazy fog lay over the space.
What kind of dimension is this?
I followed Shu and stepped into the unfamiliar dimension. The sensation under my feet was quite spongy.
‘It feels like I’m walking on clouds.’
I worried my feet might sink in, but fortunately, the ground was solid.
“Where is this place?”
“This is a rather special dimension.”
Shu gestured for me to follow as he continued speaking.
“To put it simply, an Oriental-style world? It might not be unfamiliar to you, Noona.”
“If it’s Korean-style, then Korean-style. If it’s Chinese-style, then Chinese-style. Why Oriental-style?”
“It’s mixed. Ah, this is perfect timing. Look over there.”
I looked in the direction Shu pointed. I saw several hanok-style traditional Korean houses, similar to ones I had seen on a school trip to Gyeongju.
“And over there too.”
Following Shu’s index finger, I turned my head to see what looked like a Buddhist temple building. But it had a subtly unfamiliar style, like it was from a different cultural sphere.
“This is where retired gods live.”
“Does the Crane customer live here too? Since you said gods.”
“He’s still on active duty……”
Shu, answering my question, suddenly made an ‘oops’ face and covered his mouth with both hands.
“I’m not supposed to reveal too much! You’ll have to investigate the rest yourself, Noona.”
“You should at least tell me clearly what I have to do here.”
“Ah, I’ll send you a notification about that.”
Ding!
<Notice> Operate a daily cocktail bar!
Customers will pay coins proportional to their satisfaction.
Ah, I thought there might be some special quest, but it’s just manual labor.
“As expected, the old sailor was right…”
“I knew it would be like working on a fishing boat……”
“But the people here are polite and wealthy. Go Noona, fighting!”
Shu slyly tried to take advantage of me like Chris, but he had already moved far away.
Well, since I’ve come this far.
“Let me give it a try.”
After all, cocktails are my specialty, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
This area was a wide open space like a park. Wooden tables and chairs were gathered for people to rest.
“Summon cocktail crafting kit.”
I claimed one table and took out cocktail tools, glasses, and liquor bottles one by one to prepare for business.
As I finished setting up, I felt an odd gaze upon me.
Could it be a customer? I raised my head expectantly, but froze in place.
‘A, a monster?!’
A huge beast that looked like a lion with horns on its head was staring at me.
Its entire body covered in scales looked terrifying, but its expression……
‘Is it smiling?’
With my tension relieved, I stared back intently, and its appearance seemed strangely familiar. A sense of deja vu? Ah, I definitely saw it somewhere before……
“Ah!”
Right, I remembered. I saw it in front of Gwanghwamun Gate at Gyeongbukgung Palace.
“A haetae?”
A mythical creature said to judge good and evil.
Encountering Haechi, regarded as a guardian against disasters, was unexpected.
“Excuse me, hello? Haetae-nim.”
Realizing its identity put my mind at ease. I may be a bit lazy, but I’m certainly not evil.
The haetae watching me opened its mouth and then—
“!”
Lick.
It licked me with its huge tongue.
‘Why is this Haetae acting like a big puppy?’
I carefully petted the haetae’s head.
“How cute…ah!”
The haetae suddenly charged at me, nearly knocking me over. Its expression of affection was rather intense.
“Sheesh. Please be gentle.”
When I lightly pushed it away, the haetae obediently retreated.
One step back, the haetae showed interest in the liquor bottles on the table.
“Do you perhaps like alcohol?”
“Grung?”
“Then how about a drink? If you let me know your preferred taste, I’ll make a cocktail perfectly suited for you.”
“Grung?”
The haetae looked at me intently. It seemed to understand me, but couldn’t communicate back.
In that case, I just need to make an inoffensive cocktail that doesn’t lean too heavily toward any one flavor.
I put ice, white rum, pineapple juice, and coconut cream into a blender and blended them together.
Drawn by the whirring sound, a gumiho out for a stroll perked up her ears and came over.
With the fox ears protruding from her head and lush tail, she looks like an ordinary fox spirit, except her tail has nine tails.
“What are you making right now?”
“It’s a beverage made by mixing liquor with other ingredients. It’s called a cocktail.”
“Could you make me one too? The same as your friend over there.”
“Sure. Just give me a moment please.”
I smiled and replied.
‘They all seem friendly. This should be over quickly.’
It was off to a good start. After the haetae, the gumiho lined up, and other strolling spirits also started to take notice.
‘I should serve it in dishes rather than glasses so it’s easier for them to drink.’
I poured the creamy, slushie-like liquid into a dish and set it down in front of the haetae.
“This is a ‘Pina Colada’. Please try it.”
The haetae lapped up the dish with its tongue, as if it had been waiting.
I hurriedly made another Pina Colada for the gumiho to drink.
“Here you go, Gumiho-nim.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Of course, hers was served in a proper round glass suited for a Pina Colada, unlike the haetae.
The gumiho inspected the glass from all angles and even smelled it before finally taking a sip.
The Pina Colada has a refreshingly sweet and tart taste with the distinctive aroma of rum, making it an alluringly cocktail-like drink without being too strong.
‘She’s bound to like it……’
However, the haetae’s lapping motions, which started vigorous enough to wash the dish, gradually slowed down.
“Ummm……”
The gumiho even had a slightly uncomfortable look after just one sip.
In the end, the haetae left nearly half of it behind, left a coin on the table, and walked away.
“Oh… It didn’t suit your taste?”
“Ah! I just remembered an urgent matter. I’ll come back next time.”
“Huh? Sure.”
The gumiho also left a coin on the table and disappeared hurriedly, leaving her almost full glass behind.
<Notice> You have received 2 coins!
Both the haetae and gumiho left one coin each.
‘It said the coins are proportional to their satisfaction.’
So this means they were not satisfied.
“…..”
The customers I’ve met so far readily accepted my cocktails.
Of course, there were minor issues sometimes. Like when someone with a low alcohol tolerance struggled after forcing down a high-proof cocktail, or demanded a different drink because it didn’t suit their taste —but those cases were not uncommon.
‘But even those customers were happy once they found a cocktail suited to their taste.’
This was the first time my cocktails had been outright rejected.
In the modern world and since coming to this other world.
“View dimension details.”
<Notice> This feature is restricted without payment.
I guess I have no choice then.
“I’ll have to investigate personally.”
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⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ Translator Note ₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆
A Piña Colada is a classic tropical cocktail that is creamy, sweet, and full of pineapple and coconut flavors, making it a popular choice, especially in warm weather and beach settings. Known for its rich, tropical flavors and creamy texture, it’s the perfect choice for a refreshing and indulgent drink.
🥂
Thank you for reading! ♡
