Chapter 57
“Alcohol and salt?”
Appalled, Sylvie raised her voice.
However, her outrage was momentary. Thinking the bartender had dared to tamper with her drink, anger welled up inside her.
“How dare you look down on me?”
Sylvie slammed the bar counter and shouted.
“I’ve never heard of a salty drink. Pulling such a prank, do you know who I am?”
“We got some good salt in recently. Look, the crystals are so clean.”
Cutting off Sylvie’s indignant outcry, the bartender excitedly held out a box filled with salt. As she said, it was filled with pretty, round salt crystals.
Taken aback by her confident reaction, Sylvie was slightly surprised.
‘People usually cower when I get angry.’
Even the talking mirror she had kept for ages would shrink back if Sylvie raised her voice. Everyone did. They found her sharp features intimidating.
Can’t spit in a smiling face, or something like that. As her anger subsided, Sylvie asked curiously,
“What’s so good about this salt?”
“It has a clean taste, and the sensation when it touches the customer’s lips is nice too.”
The bartender’s enthusiastic explanation left Sylvie at a loss for words.
She seemed like someone difficult to argue with.
One might get unwittingly drawn into her pace.
“The sour taste of lime and the saltiness will make the margarita sweet.”
“Margarita?”
“Yes, that’s the name of the cocktail I’ll serve you.”
While explaining, the bartender poured two drinks into a large glass and squeezed in lime juice. But that wasn’t all, she even added maple syrup.
‘She’s putting in all sorts of things.’
Sylvie’s distrust resurfaced, but she decided to see what the bartender would present.
“Here is the ‘Margarita’ for you.”
Finally, the bartender set the glass down in front of Sylvie.
The rounded glass contained a peridot-like luminous liquid.
The salt densely coating the rim sparkled like scattered jewels.
‘This is neither wine nor champagne.’
Peculiar yet beautiful, the drink was appealing to Sylvie.
‘Well then.’
Sylvie elegantly tilted the glass.
The tart flavor mingled with saltiness delighted her palate.
‘Is this saltiness from the salt?’
With each sip, sweetness blossomed in her mouth as the maple syrup asserted its presence.
Though combining various tastes, they felt remarkably natural as one.
“Do you sense an earthy aroma amid the lime scent?”
“Yes, I fully preserved the taste and aroma of the tequila.”
“Tequila?”
“It’s a spirit distilled from the sap of the agave plant, a type of cactus.”
From a cactus?
It was strange, Sylvie thought, but she finished the Margarita.
“This saltiness blends surprisingly well.”
“Exactly, some even lick salt off their wrists while drinking tequila.”
“Licking salt off the wrist? That’s a vulgar way to drink.”
Imagining the scene, Sylvie frowned.
“There are diverse ways to enjoy alcohol.”
The bartender lightly responded. As their conversation flowed amicably, Sylvie broached the main topic.
“Do you get many customers?”
“I’m grateful to have quite a few visitors.”
“Any good-looking men?”
“Evaluating customers would be rude, but…”
The bartender hesitated in thought before concluding with a wink,
“There are beautiful female customers!”
Beautiful?
Sylvie’s lips curved into a smile. She enjoyed this kind of flirtatious banter.
Had Cedric not been involved, she would have happily enjoyed the drinks.
To regain her composure amid wavering emotions, Sylvie firmly set down her glass.
“So, is that how you seduced my boyfriend?”
“Pardon?”
“Speak plainly. How much do you want?”
Though Sylvie asked menacingly as a warning, the bartender only blinked without answering.
“How much will it take? To leave him. I’ll say it once, never again.”
Sylvie added with a stern tone.
“Don’t meet my boyfriend.”
“Who is your boyfriend? I have no idea…”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“Oh, could it be… Johan?”
“Who’s that?”
“Then Chris?”
“My, you really are bold.”
Sylvie let out a laugh and took out Cedric’s portrait from her handbag. With his deep brown hair and blue eyes, he was the most handsome man in her eyes, even if others called him ordinary.
“This person……”
The bartender, alternating between looking at the portrait and Sylvie, exclaimed with a horrified expression.
“This squid is your boyfriend? Really?”
“Squid?”
“Ah, my apologies. Uh, it’s a misunderstanding. I’m not interested in that person over there.”
The bartender firmly said with a frown.
“I’m interested in you, not that guy.”
“Ha, you seduced him in this way……”
“If you want, I’ll write a statement! If he ever shows up, I’ll beat him up and chase him away!”
“What?”
“Or should I tie him up? Which one would you prefer? Just say the word!”
The bartender shouted with a desperate look on her face. She didn’t seem to be lying.
“You’re interested in me?”
“Yes! So how about another drink? I haven’t yet provided the value of that silver coin.”
It was as if… The bartender seemed more interested in Sylvie than Cedric.
‘Was it a misunderstanding?’
Perhaps Cedric had falsely accused the bartender to get out of trouble?
‘This woman, she’s not afraid of me.’
Doesn’t her face flush whenever our eyes meet? The bartender didn’t seem like she needed to lie to Sylvie.
Then the one who lied was, rather…
‘Cedric again.’
The belief she had forcibly built up with ‘if’ and ‘maybe’ came crashing down.
A feeling of disappointment and emptiness welled up in her chest, making her feel gloomy.
This place happened to be a tavern. Sylvie decided to drown her hollow heart with alcohol.
“…Yeah. Give me another one.”
🫧
Once, I heard something like this from a senior bartender.
“Hey, Lee Sena. See that person over there?”
“Yes?”
In the direction the senior gestured secretly, there was a woman with an innocent look.
“She’s my muse.”
“A muse? A bartender also has a muse?”
I asked in puzzlement. I had often heard of artists having muses, but…..
“I thought the same. But whenever that customer comes in, ideas just explode out of me like a volcanic eruption. Isn’t that reason enough to call her a muse? Hahaha.”
At the time, I didn’t understand.
I just thought.
‘I guess that’s his type. How cringy to call her a muse.’
However, when I came downstairs after being woken up early by some old lady and saw an unfamiliar woman, I realized at that moment that she was my muse.
Her wavy red hair cascaded down to her waist like waves.
The black dress clung tightly to her body, revealing her slender figure.
‘And she even has tears mole in the corners of her eyes.’
Her arrogantly upturned eyes gave her a fierce look.
Like a poisonous butterfly, splendid and fearsome, you could say?
While I was in awe, all sorts of cocktail ideas surged in my mind like a volcano erupting, just as the senior had described. Bang.
‘I have to keep this woman here.’
Ordinarily, I would have turned away customers before opening hours, but I seated this stunning lady at the bar counter.
However, this customer had the outrageous misunderstanding that I had seduced Cedric.
Yet even more outrageous was the fact that this stunning lady’s boyfriend was the very Cedric who had been flirting with me.
‘Unbelievable.’
I felt sorry for the lovely lady. Why would she meet a man like him? I wish he were at least handsome or had a good personality.
But it seems he’s even cheating.
I thought as I prepared cocktails for the gloomy customer.
‘Unnie, don’t date that man!’
🥂
⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ Translator Note ₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆
A Margarita with salt is a classic variation of the popular cocktail, enhancing its flavor profile. The salt is typically applied to the rim of the glass, creating a contrast that accentuates the drink’s tangy and sweet notes. The saltiness complements the tartness of the lime juice and the sweetness of the orange liqueur, while also balancing the bold flavor of the tequila. To prepare a salted rim, the glass is first moistened with a lime wedge and then dipped in coarse salt. This simple addition transforms the drinking experience, making each sip of the Margarita even more refreshing and flavorful..
🥂
Thank you for reading! ♡
