episode_0002
by admin#2
Thump thump.
She spoke to me as she sat at the bar table, feeling powerless.
“Please give me the strongest drink in this store. Something that will make me completely drunk. So I can’t come to my senses.”
‘hmm…?’
My gaze naturally goes to her.
…I can’t see his face properly because of the hood, but the corners of his eyes seem to be a little red.
‘Did you break up with your boyfriend?’
I don’t know if she has a boyfriend or not, but I don’t think a woman her age would show up at a cocktail bar crying like that.
“… ”
Still, she has been staring blankly into space since she sat down at the bar table.
Why does it look like an incandescent light bulb about to die, as if it could go out at any moment?
“Boss… ?”
‘Oops.’
I was quietly watching her, and eventually our eyes met.
“Ah, hahaha. Where’s the rum…”
I quickly turned to the cupboard behind me, avoiding her eyes that were looking at me strangely.
‘… Phew. Let’s not pay attention.’
I would like to ask what happened, but I might get hit back and say I’m upset if I ask that.
It’s a little annoying.
‘If you stay still, you’ll get halfway there.’
I thought so, and as she said, I reached for the ingredients to make the most potent cocktail in the store…
‘I don’t know.’
…I picked up the fruit juice next to it.
*
“It’s delicious. … But is this alcohol?”
Her eyes widened as she took the drink I offered her. Judging from the way her lips slightly turned up, it seemed like it didn’t taste bad.
It’s delicious, of course. It’s a rum-based cocktail, but fruit juice is used instead of rum.
That is, a drink that is simply a mixture of fruit juice and carbonated beverage.
At least it wasn’t the strongest liquor in the store she was looking for.
“I can’t taste the alcohol at all…”
She looks at me as if I’m strange.
There was a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
After locking eyes with her for a moment, he took a deep breath and spoke.
“… When you’re having a hard time, you should drink something sweet, not alcohol. Alcohol tastes best when you drink it when you’re happy.”
As someone who knows better than anyone that pushing yourself when times are tough only ends up eating away at yourself, I simply couldn’t serve her the cocktail she ordered.
‘That guy did the same thing just now.’
A guy who aimed to become a hero, but was frustrated and ended up becoming a star in the night sky.
I realized too late that what the guy needed was not strong alcohol, but something sweet.
“It’s a service. I’ll give you the strongest drink you want if you drink it all.”
But since you are my first customer, I think this much interference is okay.
“Ugh. What is that.”
She said this with a laugh, as if my words were ridiculous.
After a while, he looked at the glass I held out to him without saying a word,
“… This is really funny.”
Tok, lightly tap the glass with your finger,
“They give you a drink that you didn’t even order. That’s totally weird.”
And he even complained a little…
“… I feel stupid.”
After muttering that, he finally laid down on the table listlessly.
“Haha. I think so too.”
It was too much of a hassle. Even if I hear that…
“No. …I’m talking about that.”
There was a distinct hint of crying in her voice.
“… .”
Lying still with her head buried in her arms, she looks like a delicate deer.
At first glance, she seemed to be sleeping, but her body was shaking slightly.
“Ugh… Black.”
… The soft music playing in the store felt especially sad today.
“… Excuse me. Boss.”
“Yes.”
“I wasn’t crying. I was just lying down because I was too tired. You got it?”
She spoke to me with a blush on her face, as if she was a little embarrassed.
…I decided to keep my swollen eyes a secret.
“Of course.”
“And, that. It’s delicious.”
“… Would you like the cocktail you wanted, something strong?”
“That’s enough. The cocktail the boss gave me was too sweet, so I don’t want to eat anything bitter.”
That was a real relief.
And after some time had passed.
Ododok. She spoke to me while I was chewing on the ice in the glass I had just finished drinking.
“… When did the store open? It was empty the last time I saw it.”
It was a voice that was noticeably brighter than when I first entered the store.
“Is the store open?”
How much time has passed…?
“It’s been about a week.”
Actually, it’s been more than a week, but I intentionally shortened it for fear of being pitied.
“It’s been a week since it opened, but there are so many people at this time…sigh.”
She cut me off as if she had made a slip of the tongue. Her words had already stabbed me in the heart like a dagger.
… it hurt so much.
“Haha.”
In fact, even though quite some time had passed since she came in, the two of us were the only people in the store.
‘I guess I don’t have to say that you’re the first customer.’
Then he might feel even more sorry. I wanted to see that look a little bit, but as a shop owner, I had to refrain from criticizing the customer.
“It’s okay. It’s true that there aren’t many customers. I don’t know why. Haha.”
“That… It’s in a completely out-of-the-way place, and you can’t see inside the store very well because of the curtains. And the sign is even small, so maybe that’s why?”
Her remarks are reminiscent of the 100 won man at the alley market.
It was all true. Honestly, I had no idea how she came into this store.
“… .”
As I was wiping down the glass of her drink because I had nothing else to say, she approached me, speaking hesitantly.
“Hey, boss? You’re not mad, are you?”
“Of course. It’s all true.”
This store was not originally set up to make a lot of money through business. Nevertheless, the reason I opened this store was simply…
“… Actually, opening a store was just a hobby. Being a bartender was my dream.”
“I see. That’s great, boss.”
“Haha. You don’t have to say empty words.”
“No. You’re really cool, boss. You’re doing what you love to do. I’m jealous.”
I thought it was a little funny to hear him say something like that with his swollen eyes, but I also felt a little bitter.
‘What I want to do. So… .’
I couldn’t find the right words to respond to her words. Should I have just said thank you, even if it was just empty words?
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be expecting an answer either, and started drinking again.
“… .”
Silence fell between them again.
The sound of glass being wiped and faint music flowing from old speakers fill the space.
That doesn’t mean the atmosphere was awkward again.
It was a time when the expression “our spaces just overlapped a little bit” would be the most appropriate.
“… I think I should go now. Sorry for taking up so much space. ”
“It’s okay. Anyway, no one came except the guests.”
Hehe. She smiles awkwardly at my words. I wonder if she cares about the fact that I just said there aren’t many people in the store.
‘I didn’t say that with that in mind.’
Even though her hood covered half of her face, the expression on her face was quite cute.
Is it true that pretty people are the best?
“Okay, I’ll come again next time. How much is it?”
“Excluding service, 22,000 won. Guest.”
“Wow. Expensive.”
… Still, the calculations were done thoroughly.
***
After receiving our first customer, word of mouth spread and our store became crowded with customers…
“Isn’t there anything fun on TV?”
… it was not real, and the scenery was still the same.
At this point, even if the store’s prosperity is not the goal, a sense of crisis is bound to be felt.
“… It’s in a completely remote place, and the inside of the store is hard to see because of the curtains. Even the sign is small. Boss… Wouldn’t it be better to promote it a little?”
Her words from earlier flashed through my mind.
Well, you built a store in such a remote place and didn’t even advertise it. Isn’t this basically telling customers not to come?
‘Should I at least put up a signboard…?’
But it’s a bit annoying. I’ll think about it later.
I shifted the responsibility to my future self and unconsciously turned on the television.
“Here’s the news. Hero Yunseol has subdued a group of villains who raided the bank. The villains have reportedly been handed over to the police, and Yunseol is said to have suffered minor injuries.”
It was news of an incident. It seemed that villains were causing frequent incidents and accidents, perhaps because life was tough these days.
“While citizens praised Mr. Yoon Seol’s activities, some criticized the suppression, saying it was excessive. That’s all. Next is the world situation… ”
‘Nothing to say.’
When I see things like that, I think even heroes have a hard time. It’s like trying to save someone with CPR and then suing them for breaking their ribs.
Well, maybe it’s not so strange, considering there are firefighters who are being sued for vandalizing property in burning houses.
But there was one thing that was a little strange.
That’s right, the face of the hero on the screen is familiar.
Blonde hair that was so bright it was dazzling, and blue eyes that the word blue really suits.
‘That guy. I think I’ve seen him somewhere…’
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