episode_0009
by admin#9
‘… It was my favorite umbrella.’
Although I was told to come to the store if I wanted to return it, I didn’t really expect them to come back to return it.
What I did was simply self-satisfaction. It was just an act to appease my uncomfortable feelings.
If he had been a truly kind and gentle person, he would have tried to give the girl a little more practical help.
If it were him…
“… .”
Is it because the weather is like this?
Negative thoughts keep flooding my mind.
‘No way. Funny idea. Funny idea.’
Funny…
“President… It’s strange. The ground is moving. I think there was an earthquake… !”
“Pfft.”
Then suddenly, I remembered what happened yesterday and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“I guess I should finish organizing the store… .”
.
And after a while, when I finished cleaning up the store, I fell into a deep dilemma.
“… Oh no.”
How do I get home?
Because I gave away the umbrella I brought to the store, I don’t have one to use.
That means, if you don’t make it through the rain, you’re stuck in the store…
‘Didn’t you say it would stop before dinner?’
Now that I look at it, the sound of the rain coming from outside seems to have gotten a little weaker.
There’s nothing I can do. I have no choice but to kill time here until the rain stops.
‘Where is the TV remote…’
Ah. I found it. It was right next to me.
Beep.
The CRT TV, which had been installed to deliberately create a vintage feel, turned on feebly.
[Talent Kim Eun-woo’s daily life…]
The first screen that appeared was showing an observational entertainment show, a recently popular format.
‘… I don’t really care how other people eat and live.’
pass.
[You are my companion~]
‘I’m a bit sick of trot.’
pass.
After that, I was flipping through the channels to see if there was anything to watch, and eventually I changed the channel to a news channel.
When you’re feeling lost, the best thing to do is just watch the news.
“… .”
The news reported various topics such as recent entertainment news, incidents and accidents from around the world, and political news.
At that time, I was just staring blankly with my chin resting on my hand while watching that news.
[Here’s the news. On the 7th, hero Yoon Seol caused controversy by causing injuries due to excessive suppression during the Shinjin Bank villain attack incident…]
Some interesting news has been delivered.
‘So you looked upset?’
It felt a little strange to see a name that was now familiar to me mentioned in the news.
What should I say, I guess I felt a bit more intimate with myself through all that hardship yesterday.
I don’t think this is Stockholm Syndrome or anything.
[… In relation to this, Hero Yoon Seol held a press conference to explain, and reporter Kim Mi-young will tell you what the public opinion is about this.]
The screen then switched to a slightly venomous… no, sharp-looking female reporter questioning a citizen.
[This press conference by Yoon Seol? Of course I watched it. It was like she was crying crocodile tears. As far as I know, Yoon Seol is considered one of the top heroes in the ice world… Honestly, I wonder if it was due to carelessness or pride. I feel like that kind of atmosphere is subtly expressed even during the press conference…]
They say they randomly selected a pedestrian wandering along the street… A citizen who answered in a somewhat strangely organized manner.
‘Arai.’
Boom.
I turned off the TV without listening to the citizen’s interview until the end.
“I, I. I don’t think so… .”
… Something feels off. It’s like listening to someone I know gossiping.
‘hmm?’
Then suddenly, I realized that the sound of rain coming from outside had stopped.
“What? When did it stop?”
It’s fortunate that it stopped earlier than expected…
‘In the end, he never came to return the umbrella.’
Tiring
Just as I was thinking that, I heard someone opening the store door.
Afterwards, I turned my head towards the sound and what I saw was,
“… I came to return your umbrella.”
It was a schoolgirl, completely soaking wet, holding an umbrella that looked familiar.
***
“… .”
I approached the girl, handed her an umbrella, and observed her naturally.
‘… The condition is not good.’
Her lips, which were originally pink, had turned blue, and her soaking wet body was shaking slightly as if it was having a hard time enduring the cold.
“First, come inside. I’ll give you some warm milk. Warm up your body and go.”
“… Okay.”
“Quickly.”
I couldn’t bear to leave that girl alone, so I brought her into the store.
“… .”
The girl looked a little hesitant, but fortunately, she entered the store obediently.
I guided her to the bar table and started searching through the cupboards where I kept my miscellaneous items.
‘Where was the blanket… Ah. I found it.’
I prepared this in case some guests were cold because of the air conditioning, but I never thought it would be used in a situation like this.
“This is covered. And wait a minute. I’ll warm up some milk and give it to you.”
I forced the blanket over the girl and put the mug of milk in the microwave.
“… .”
Wheeing. The microwave oven is spinning while making a noise.
After a while, the rich smell of milk spread faintly throughout the surroundings.
I carefully took the milk out of the microwave and handed it to the girl who looked a little taken aback.
“It’s hot, so drink slowly.”
“… .”
The girl stared at the mug I handed her for a moment,
Bow
And he bowed his head slightly to me.
‘… I feel a sense of accomplishment.’
It was a welcome change from his rough reaction when we first spoke.
After that, the girl seemed to feel the warmth of the cup and started drinking milk little by little.
Glance. Glance.
Every time I take a sip, it’s like he’s secretly watching me…
‘…like a cat.’
It’s not that I don’t want to watch that scene a little longer… but I think it would be better to leave.
“Drink all of that and let your body warm up a bit before you go.”
“… .”
After that, I left the girl there and opened the door to the break room/warehouse.
‘Ugh, that smells musty.’
The break room/warehouse in the corner of the store is a space that was left over from when the first cocktail bar was built.
I made it in case the store prospers and I need to hire employees…
“Will the day ever come when I can hire employees… .”
For now, it is in a remote state, and in the end, it can be said that it is just being used as a logistics warehouse.
… You should catch me later and clean up.
‘Not for now.’
However, it is not a place where people cannot be present at all.
If you look carefully, you’ll find some space to rest.
‘Those boxes look useful.’
Chacha.
I moved the boxes around to make a makeshift bed and lay down on it.
“Sigh… .”
Yawning is a reflex that occurs when lying down.
Should I take a nap or take a nap?
‘Then I guess you’ll just go out on your own.’
Thinking like that, I went to sleep.
***
“… What happened?”
That day was the day the results of the guy’s hero qualification exam were announced.
Woojin and I went to the guy’s house and asked about the test results.
“Let’s go get a drink. Ugh. I guess I’ll just be a bartender.”
I could roughly guess the result by looking at the guy who was mocking himself.
“Yeah, I see. Well, Hero, he always gets cursed at on TV. He doesn’t look that good. Just drink today and forget about it.”
“Yeah, man… I feel gloomy, but I’ll pay today. Let’s go.”
Honestly, anyone could tell that he was trying to raise his tension forcibly, but I couldn’t find the right words to comfort him… What did I say?
maybe…
“It’ll be better next time.”
Did you say the same, somewhat irresponsible words?
or not,
“That’s enough. Just give up.”
I think that’s what he said, or maybe he said something a little more conventional and comforting.
Certainly, what remains in my memory to this day is the face of the guy who heard me…
“Thank you, Dohan.”
It looked a bit sad─
.
.
.
“… Ah.”
My head is spinning. I think I had a dream… .
‘Why was I sleeping here… Ah.’
I was sleeping so soundly that I was dreaming, even though I just closed my eyes for a bit.
Looking at my watch, I think I slept for about two hours.
‘Is it slowly going away?’
Thinking about that, I did some quick stretching and left the warehouse, and what I saw was…
“… .”
It was the sight of a girl sleeping soundly, covered with a blanket.
‘I guess he slept too.’
He must have been very tired because he was sleeping without any awareness of the world.
“Phew… Phew… .”
A girl with a relaxed expression and breathing sound as if she was having a good dream.
‘What should I do? Should I wake him up?’
Outside, the rain has completely stopped and the sun is just peeking out.
It doesn’t seem like there would be a big problem if I sent it out now, but… This kid is sleeping so comfortably that I feel bad about waking him up.
Gulp.
As I was debating whether or not to wake the girl, an alarm sounded from inside my stomach.
‘I did have a bit of a sloppy lunch… .’
It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since I had lunch, but I moved around a lot today and even slept, so it seems like it’s already been digested.
“What should I make to eat?”
If there is a smell of food, that child may naturally wake up.
‘then…’
Although it may not seem like a food that fits well in a cocktail bar, there is one food that is perfect for the current situation.
A dish that smells amazing and is easy to make in this moment.
That’s right…
“I feel like eating Jjajang Ramen today for some reason… I’m glad I bought it at the convenience store.”
It was the legendary Jjapa X-tea, a food that would cause a chain reaction of orders to skyrocket just from the smell of it when one customer ordered it at a PC room.
.
.
.
“♫”
As I was humming a tune while boiling ramen, the girl woke up, stirring as expected.
“… .”
A girl who looks a little dazed after waking up from sleep.
I served her some Jjapaghetti, arranged so that it was easy to eat.
“… What are you doing?”
“I cooked too much ramen… Please eat some.”
She answers my questions somewhat harshly.
But her body is honest, and her gaze is fixed on Jjapaghetti.
“Why should I do that… ”
Gulp.
Just then, a somewhat embarrassing sound rang out. The timing was perfect.
“Ahh… .”
“You really don’t eat it?”
Was the growling sound embarrassing?
Even at a glance, her face was clearly red.
“Oh, I’ll eat… .”
─In the end, he accepted the chopsticks I offered.
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