episode_0017

“Jaehyuk.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Can you tell me a bit about the friend who’s coming today? I’m really curious.”

“What’s there to be curious about? Why is my friend so special?”

A week flew by quickly due to a busy schedule. Along with that, the day Jiwoo was supposed to visit the cocktail bar approached in the blink of an eye.

On the day of the field trip, I arrived at work early and eagerly awaited Jiwoo’s arrival.

The boss kept prying about Jiwoo, which was starting to get annoying.

“Special? He’s just a good person who puts up with your complaints whenever he can.”

“…Am I being too harsh in my assessment? I must have some social skills.”

“No, but one thing I know for sure is that my judgment of people is accurate. You’re kind but lack backbone, like that… tsundere type, perhaps?”

“Huh.”

As I chuckled in disbelief, the fox-like guest sipped on his Long Island Iced Tea leisurely and chuckled softly.

“Hehe, it seems like the boss might be right, don’t you think?”

“Where exactly are you looking…?”

“Fox spirits have keen ears. How adorable it is to see you scold upfront and care behind their backs.”

“…”

Lost for words amidst the boss and guest’s banter, I watched the swaying fox tail. Concerned, the boss asked me with a worried tone.

“By the way, bartending isn’t as easy as it seems… Do you think your friend can handle it?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Whatever he does, he excels at it.”

“Isn’t that remarkable talent? Isn’t that something extraordinary?”

“It is, but he doesn’t realize it himself.”

He may claim to be ordinary, but to others, he exudes a subtle air of superiority. Quick to adapt, not one to fall behind, he navigates any situation without earning anyone’s disdain—a person with a thousand talents, a genius.

That was Han Jiwoo.

“He may be clueless about alcohol now, but give him a week, and he’ll adapt and work proficiently, even attracting many customers.”

“Attracting customers? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, you’ll see soon enough. Wait, isn’t he almost here? Look over there.”

Looking towards the entrance, a casually dressed beautiful vampire entered.

Seeing the usually well-dressed Jiwoo, the boss, with a dumbfounded expression, slowly opened his mouth.

“Silver hair, pale skin, beauty, formal attire, bartender…?”

“Yes…?”

“How could you miss such a rare find?!”

Abandoning all pretense, the boss rushed towards Jiwoo in an instant, panting like a pervert. In a fluster, he turned to Jiwoo with a proposal.

“You mentioned he’s a friend of Jaehyuk’s?”

“Yes? Yes, he is, but…?”

“He’s more than welcome. How much would you like to be paid hourly?!”

Wait, boss?

He hasn’t even said he’ll work yet…?

—–

A much warmer welcome than expected.

Sending Jaehyuk a look to explain the situation, he shook his head as if unsure himself.

How did I end up in this situation…?

Feeling bewildered, I took a few steps back, only to see a man calming his excitement with deep breaths.

Sending him a concerned look, I cautiously spoke up.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes? Oh, yes! I got carried away… You must be quite surprised? I’m sorry, truly.”

“No, I was just a bit startled. By the way, who is he?”

I had a rough idea.

From the context of the conversation about Jaehyuk’s friend and urgent matters, it seems that this person is likely the owner of the store.

The employee would never be rude to a customer who came in, no matter who they are.

To be honest, I felt so overwhelmed by the person in front of me that I wanted to run out of the cocktail bar right away.

But when I think about it, isn’t it because of me that the owner decided to open for business today?

Feeling like it would be quite guilty to just turn around and leave, I decided to stay here at least for a while.

“Oh, why did I do that? I’m sorry… I’m late for introductions. My name is Lee Myung-ho, the owner of this establishment.”

“I’m Han Jiwoo. I’ve heard a lot about you from Jaehyuk; he said you’re a good person.”

“Haha… Oh, no need to say that. Jaehyuk is over there. Go talk to him comfortably. Well, I have something to attend to…”

Looking flustered, the owner hurriedly ran out of the store as if fleeing, and I stood in front of where Jaehyuk was, shaking my head.

“Why on earth did the owner react like that to some nonsense I said? I thought I was going to die of embarrassment!”

“No, I really didn’t say anything! I just said he does a good job!”

“Just because of one simple compliment like that?”

“I don’t know, it’s the first time I’ve seen the owner react so strongly. Hey, can you guys tell me if I said anything special?”

Shaking their heads.

Seeing other bartenders earnestly denying it, it seems like it’s true.

Why would he give such an enthusiastic welcome based on what he saw? Lost in thought for a moment, the guy handed me the menu.

“How can I know what to order just by looking at the menu? Just give me something sweet for now.”

“Okay, we did mojitos last time… How about a Piña Colada this time?”

“Even if you say that, I don’t know what that is?”

“It tastes like pineapple at first and ends with a sweet coconut flavor. Just wait a bit.”

After briefly explaining the cocktail he was about to make, he busily started preparing it.

Watching him work, I suddenly felt a soft yet fluffy and pleasant sensation in my hand.

A dangerously pleasant sensation that made my face involuntarily relax.

Quickly pulling my hand away and looking at what had wrapped around my hand, I saw a large, fluffy brown fox tail.

…So the rumors I heard on the community were true; fox-human tails indeed have a very pleasant texture.

For a moment, reminiscing about the amazing feel of the tail, I looked at the owner of the tail with a puzzled expression, and the fox-human smiled broadly, inviting me to converse.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

—–

Engaging in conversation with a different species in real life, not on a community site, was a first for me.

I nervously asked the fox-human, “What’s going on?”

“Haha, no need to be so tense. Just talk to me casually like you were with your friend earlier.”

“That might be difficult. I’m quite shy by nature.”

Sending a cautious gaze, I met the brown fox’s amused eyes.

“Just out of curiosity about the existence of vampires in Korea, I decided to strike up a conversation. I heard living there is incredibly harsh.”

“It’s tough. Koreans themselves are almost like natural enemies to vampires.”

“Judging by your expression, you seem to have been through a lot.”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

Trying to avoid conversation by nibbling on a biscuit-like snack on a small plate, the fox-human, unable to resist, uttered words that couldn’t be ignored.

“People keep approaching you, right? Even if you try to avoid them, they keep coming after you.”

“…!”

“Judging by your expression, it seems like you’re right? But… what should I do about this? If you keep avoiding conversation like this, I won’t be able to help you~”

A teasingly gentle voice.

Turning my head slowly to look at her, the fox spirit swayed her alluring tail and wore a mischievous smile.

“Now you finally grace us with your presence here?”

“Stop fooling around and just tell me. What’s the solution?”

“Do I have to tell you directly?”

Is she really a trickster?

Narrowing my eyes, the fox spirit crossed her arms, looking displeased.

“I’m not that kind of person, you know? How do you see me, exactly?”

“A suspicious fox spirit with a remarkably soft tail.”

“Oh, I see. You’re really observing closely.”

Feigning surprise, she pointed to a cocktail listed on the menu.

“If you buy me a drink, I’ll tell you. Even the method to solve it. How about it? Not a bad deal, right?”

“Kahlua Milk? Is that it?”

“No, why would you drink that? If you want that, go to a convenience store and get some coffee milk. I’ll take this one.”

“…Orgasm?”

“Yes, I always end with that as my nightcap.”

Summoning the bartender to place the order and urging for an answer, the fox spirit smiled meaningfully and spoke up.

“It’s because of allure.”

“…What?”

“Even fox spirits have the same inheritance. ‘Enthralling Humans.’ Perhaps that’s why you’ve been struggling all this time.”

“I thought allure was supposed to be active?”

“It’s passive.”

“Ah.”

She explained it in an easy-to-understand manner.

It was then that I realized why certain things had happened until now.

Why Jaehyuk had proposed cohabitation first.

Why people kept following despite trying to avoid them.

And the reason the boss had welcomed me so warmly earlier.

It was all because of allure.

Asking about the solution, the fox spirit, munching on snacks, replied.

“The solution is simple. In my case, allure disappears when I consume essence, so in your case, it will vanish if you consume blood.”

“…Essence?”

“Oh, please don’t have strange thoughts? I only squeeze one husband… Ahem, let’s move on from this. It’s too off-topic from the main discussion.”

Seemed like quite an intriguing topic.

Expressing regret inwardly, right on cue, a cocktail arrived as the conversation paused.

While subtly catching the scent of the ingredients wafting through, the fox tail brushed against my arm once more.

Truly a narcotic-like softness.

Unable to resist the tantalizing touch of the exquisite tail any longer, I found myself asking the fox spirit.

“Um, excuse me, but if it’s not too much trouble, may I touch it just once?”

“…If you’re already touching while asking, what am I supposed to say?”

Oops.