Chapter 59
“He wasn’t like this before! There must have been some nasty woman who turned him this way.”
“Let’s say there was such a woman. But if your boyfriend can’t get his act together and keeps seeing other women?”
“…I’ll get rid of those women too.”
“How long are you going to keep repeating that?”
I replied in a soft voice.
At this point, it would be best to end the relationship and break up. Being obsessed with destroying the people your lover is seeing is an unhealthy attachment.
This kind of clinging will only end up consuming you from within.
“Let me be honest with you. Not as a bartender, but as a fellow woman.”
I looked straight at the customer as I continued speaking.
“Unnie, don’t see that man anymore. He’s no good. He’s a really bad guy.”
“…He was my everything. I loved him with my whole life.”
The customer painfully spat out each word.
The weight of her emotions, fully revealed, made it hard to breathe.
It’s hard and miserable, yet she can’t even bring herself to curse the person she once loved.
‘She has to believe the wicked one was the woman who seduced her lover, so she can still dream of a happy future with him someday.’
But that’s just an illusion. I felt it was a pity for this wonderful unnie to be trapped in that futile belief, wasting away her precious time.
“What do you know?”
“I know he made you cry.”
I didn’t back down despite her aggressive reaction.
‘I’m not usually the type to meddle in others’ affairs.’
But seeing this wonderful Unnie, who looks so dignified, crying so pitifully tugged at my heart.
She seems like someone who can’t open up unless she’s drunk.
“You should find someone who cherishes you and loves you instead. A relationship where you’re the only one clinging on and giving isn’t a healthy one.”
“……”
The customer, whose lips had only been trembling, wiped at her eyes with her fingers. I handed her a warm wet towel.
She snatched it and thoroughly wiped her face.
Her makeup was smeared, but she looked more refreshed than when she was crying and screaming earlier.
‘That’s right. Sometimes, you need to vent your feelings. Keeping it all bottled up will make you sick.’
As she took a deep breath, the customer seemed to calm down, straightening her posture and tidying her hair.
Maybe she would get angry at me for being presumptuous.
‘So what if she does?’
If she says anything, I’ll just hear her out and let it go.
It’s true that I acted presumptuously towards the customer.
As I was thinking that,
“You’re the first person to think about me this deeply.”
“Pardon?”
“No one else has ever been honest with me. Everyone just walked on eggshells around me. It’s not like I didn’t think the same thoughts as you. It’s just…”
The customer smiled bitterly as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Then, as she fixed her makeup, she continued speaking.
“Maybe I just wanted to escape reality. Believing that someone was disrupting my love, and if I got rid of that person, everything would go back to how it was.”
She did her makeup skillfully, her face returning to how it looked when I first met her.
“What’s your name?”
The customer, having regained her composure, leaned her chin on her hand and gazed at me alluringly.
She was still stunningly beautiful.
“My name is Sena.”
“Sena…Don’t date men. Hah, those bastards act like they’ll give you the world when they love you, but then easily abandon you.”
The customer expressed her bitterness as she tossed her hair back.
‘She’s still not completely sober.’
I thought to myself as I side-eyed the customer.
But at least now she’s identified the right target for her resentment.
That will probably make it easier for her to get closure on the relationship.
“Answer?”
“Yes, ma’am. I will.”
I smiled and replied. The customer looked satisfied as she smiled back.
“You calling me ‘ma’am’ makes me feel distant. I’m Sylviette. Call me Sylvie, it’s my nickname.”
“You’re allowing me to use your nickname? I’m honored.”
“Cute. It feels like I’ve gained a little sister. I’m an only child, you see.”
“I see.”
I responded casually, but Sylvia squinted with a subtle smile and asked,
“Would you like to be mine?”
“Yes.”
I boldly covered Sylvie’s hand with mine as I answered. She widened her eyes in surprise, then let out a low chuckle.
Does this mean I’ve succeeded in charming this wonderful Unnie? Right?
<Notice> The reputation of the ‘Milky Way Lounge’ cocktail bar has increased by 50. (Total: 5,850)
But this wonderful Unnie, who exuded a protagonist-like aura, didn’t seem to be the main character of this story.
‘What is this? This ambiguous number.’
The rising reputation suggests she’s not just an extra, but maybe a supporting role at most?
Well, it didn’t really matter either way. To me, she was a special muse.
‘I hope she comes by often from now on.’
🫧
I mixed freshly squeezed apple juice and elderflower cordial with apple brandy, pouring it into a champagne flute.
‘I’ll float some red wine on top.’
Using the density difference between the liquids to create layers, the floating technique made a red band stand out against the golden liquid, cradling the essence of spring.
‘Garnish with thinly sliced apples.’
A smile bloomed on my face as I put the finishing touches on the cocktail with delicate handiwork.
Perhaps it’s because my muse, Sylvie Unnie, has such an elegant image? Most of the cocktail ideas that came to mind featured wine or champagne as the highlight.
“Should I make a more dessert-style cocktail too? Sylvie Unnie did enjoy the slightly frozen crème de cassis with orange… Ah! I could incorporate strawberries into a sherbet-style drink!”
Have I ever enjoyed making cocktails this much since falling into this strange world?
Not only that, but I, who usually prefer classic recipes, am boldly trying new things.
My energy is overflowing, just like when I first encountered cocktails.
‘Is this the muse effect?’
However, being so engrossed in recipe research means I still dislike working, letting out a sigh in secret every time the door opens.
Creak.
To be honest, even now…
“Welcome, uh…?”
My voice faltered as I greeted the customer with my business smile.
The customer who entered was extremely… unique.
I stared blankly, giving her a once-over. At first glance, she was just a pretty girl.
Except her sleek golden hair was trailing along the floor. Thankfully, I had cleaned thoroughly, or her hair would have been a mess…
‘Ah, she must have dragged it in from outside.’
Her hair was utterly disheveled. Leaves were stuck here and there, it was multi-colored as if dipped in paint, and even had a few small branches tangled in.
“Woah! Where is this place? I sneaked out for a bit and found somewhere I hadn’t seen before!”
The customer looked around curiously.
“It’s a bar. We mix liquors with other ingredients to make special cocktails.”
“Ah, alcohol! I know alcohol.”
The woman hopped energetically to the bar and sat down. She rummaged through her pockets and then made a face as if she’d forgotten something.
“Oh no, I came empty-handed….”
That’s when,
Clink.
From the long, voluminous mess of hair that filled the bar, a silver coin rolled out.
“See, I have some luck after all?”
The customer giggled as she picked up the silver coin and placed it on the bar counter.
<Notice> You have received 50 coins.
“Please give me a drink!”
I silently stared at the customer. She seemed a bit younger than me, but was ambiguously adult-like or not. How to put it… Those bright, innocent eyes especially.
So I asked to be sure.
“Excuse me, but how old are you this year?”
“I’m an adult. Twenty-two!”
The customer grinned and held up two fingers with both hands.
“I asked just in case. What kind of drinks do you like?”
“Hmm, pretty and unique ones! But I don’t like really sweet stuff. Surprising, right?”
A somewhat abstract order, but with a clear preference.
“There’s nothing surprising about that. Everyone has different tastes.”
I replied nonchalantly. The heaviest drinker I ever saw was a quiet old lady. You can never judge someone’s drinking capacity by their appearance.
‘This is perfect. I just thought of a cocktail that suits her….’
Light, but not overly sweet.
🥂
Thank you for reading! ♡
