episode_0045

“Eggs… saying they’re not mine… that I bought them from the mart, that they’re not organic… it’s true…”

“…”

“Why does this rubber stuck under my nails keep trying to come off… huung… without it, I can’t touch my smartphone… you damn idiots, saying I can’t do delivery work…”

“…You’ve been through a lot all this time. Here, have a tissue.”

“Huuk… Thank you, unnie.”

Pat!!!

As she brought the tissue to her face, the harpy, who had been sobbing, paused for a moment and blew her nose.

It seemed like she might calm down like this, but the harpy began wailing again, burying her tear and snot-covered face in her wings.

“No way… is it reasonable to meet that ex while doing deliveries… saying he fell in love at first sight and confessed… what the f*ck is this sh*t…”

“Uh, um, well…”

“I want to be happy too…! I want to meet a normal guy and live happily ever after…! Why isn’t there a man who sees me for who I am!!!”

Flap flap –

Perhaps due to the accumulated frustration, the harpy vented her anger by flapping her wings.

Feathers scattered in all directions, creating a somewhat awkward situation, but I still left the harpy alone.

One could say she was a peculiar customer, but compared to the other peculiar customers I had met over the past two months, she fell into the category of cute oddities.

Being a bartender exposes you to a myriad of human characters, just as you encounter various odd customers when dealing with late-night drinkers.

There are kind customers who show you the meals they had for lunch and dinner to help decide on a late-night snack menu.

Or those who, unaware of their alcohol tolerance or out of unnecessary pride, drink boldly only to end up in the emergency room after passing out.

Or those who suddenly possess the spirit of a warrior, rampage courageously, then get subdued and taken away by the police.

Well… while I’ve certainly encountered more extraordinary odd customers, even though she cried her heart out and buried her face in her wings when caught staring, the harpy couldn’t be considered anything less than an oddity, right?

Since she belongs to a different species, I may not fully understand the distress the harpy feels, but I can definitely empathize with that suffocating and frustrating feeling she experienced upon becoming a different species.

With a bitter smile, as I sincerely comforted her, it didn’t take long for the harpy’s crying to gradually subside.

Having poured out her frustration with all her might, could she be falling asleep now?

Watching her silently, having just stopped crying and sniffled, the harpy looked at me with a weary face, expressing envy.

“…Bartender unnie, are you a different species?”

“Yes, I’m a vampire.”

“A vampire… I envy you. If only I were a vampire instead of a harpy… I…”

Thud.

Before she could finish speaking, she collapsed onto the table with a thump, leaving her sentence hanging in the air.

Her friend, quietly waiting beside her, supported the harpy and apologetically offered me an apology.

“I’m sorry, unnie… You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? I never expected my friend to pass out after just one Kahlua Milk.”

“…No, it’s fine. It was quite enjoyable seeing a species like a harpy for the first time. Come again next time. I’ll recommend a non-alcoholic cocktail for you then.”

“Yes! We owe you a lot for a short while. Thank you, unnie!”

Seemingly engaging in some form of exercise, the guest swiftly scooped up the harpy and disappeared from the cocktail bar.

As I slowly tidied up the place where the guests had left, I began to ponder the words the harpy had just spoken.

“Envy…”

What exactly was enviable about vampires?

No matter how much I thought about it, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly enviable about them.

“Perhaps they said that because they don’t know much about vampires?”

If they said it knowing full well, it would be deceitful.

However, since it was said in a state close to rudeness, the intention was likely not to deceive but rather to genuinely express envy.

Even the harpies, known as a deceitful species, are envious… Could it be that vampires are not an inferior species but rather an awesome one?

After letting out a sardonic laugh, I finished tidying up the table and quickly began writing a post on the community to spread the rumor that I envied the harpies.

[It’s not shameful to be worse than a vampire.]

Author: Gaebokchi

I met a harpy for the first time today and heard them say they were envious, kekeke

I’m not sure what they’re envious of, but anyway, they seem envious, yeah

Listen up, guys…

Vampires are more awesome than you think…

This was proven by the young harpy for real

If you disagree, prove me wrong.

1 like 13 dislikes

– Nah, nah, how did a vampire even meet a harpy? Their active hours are completely different

– Harpy teachers, please come out and refute this

They’re probably in Dreamland right now… They might not be able to refute it?

– If they didn’t specify what they were envious of, maybe it was just a polite remark? How pitiful must they have seemed…

That’s it

That’s right

Harpy being a deceitful species is true… How can they even have such kind hearts;;

– Please hide! So embarrassing! I’m embarrassed for everyone!

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“…Damn it, seriously, guys!”

The harpy envied me?!

Why doesn’t anyone believe it!!!

—–

With no problematic guests and relatively fewer visitors compared to before the holiday, I managed to get through the day quite smoothly.

Having not faced much trouble due to weaknesses, I thought it was a lucky day that had come after a while.

Shoosh – !

As soon as it was time to leave work, the pouring rain started, forcing me to revise that thought.

“…I’m pretty sure the weather forecast today didn’t mention rain.”

When I checked earlier, the expected precipitation probability was around 30 percent.

Although there might be some clouds, they said there wouldn’t be any rain, so I believed them wholeheartedly and didn’t bring any gear.

I never imagined getting blindsided like this.

I could understand light rain, but failing to predict heavy rain crosses the line, seriously.

Thinking it would be a quite challenging journey home, I stood by the window, watching the rain and rolling my feet back and forth.

Seemingly borrowing from the boss, Jaehyuk slowly approached me with a large umbrella in hand.

“Why didn’t you prepare to leave? Not planning to go home today?”

“…You know, vampires can’t cross running water. The outside is filled with flowing water, how am I supposed to go home?”

“So, are you planning to stay here overnight?”

“I can’t think of a way to get home, so I’ll just spend the night at the bar.”

Just looking at the flowing water down the slope didn’t provide any answers.

Sighing, I was about to ask the boss for permission to stay at the cocktail bar when he suggested something unexpected.

“Try transforming into a bat for now.”

“Huh? A bat?”

“I saw it when I was looking up vampire characteristics before. They can cross running water if they ride on a mode of transportation.”

“So?”

“Bats can hang upside down, right? What if you hang on the umbrella handle and go?”

“Are you a genius?”

Hearing his words gave me hope that I could make it through the heavy rain and head home, so I immediately transformed into a bat and hung onto him.

And just as Jaehyuk said.

By boarding the mode of transportation (umbrella), I was able to cross the running water!

“Squeak!”

Although the method was quite ridiculous, I didn’t care about such things at all.

I could finally go home!

Normally, I would have had to work until the next day feeling sticky and uncomfortable due to not being able to shower and the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

Thanks to Jaehyuk’s ingenious solution, there was no need for that.

Feeling a swelling sense of happiness, I expressed my gratitude to Jaehyuk.

“Thank you.”

“…For what?”

“Just, everything.”

In truth, I wanted to list all the things I had received help with so far, but when it came time to speak, only a few came to mind.

…Wouldn’t it be better to express gratitude vaguely rather than risk leaving something out and causing disappointment?

And so, suppressing feelings of embarrassment for the first time in a long while, I sincerely thanked my friend… but he just chuckled and burst into laughter.

“Why are you being so cheesy, man. Did you eat something bad today?”

“…Never mind, why would I say anything to you.”

Anyway, it seemed like someone had swapped out my sensitivity. Always ruining such good atmospheres.

After exhaling deeply, signifying I had nothing more to say, I turned away, but he tapped me on the shoulder and started talking.

“By the way, how are you going to handle the rainy season? If you can’t cross flowing water without help, let alone getting home, even getting to work will be difficult, right?”

“Uh… that’s true?”

A month and a half, maybe two until the rainy season arrives.

Until now, I could manage with just a drizzle, relying on boots and a raincoat, but during the rainy season, I wouldn’t be able to do anything like today.

What should I do? Lost in thought for a moment, Jaehyuk continued nonchalantly.

“I heard that the rainy season is starting early this year, around mid-June. But if it starts in mid-June, that’s right when your semester ends.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Unless a sharp solution arises, during the rainy season, if you want to commute by bus, like today, you’ll need someone else’s help. In simpler terms, if you move out to a new place right after your semester ends, it could be impossible to commute for a few days or even weeks.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Why go on so long-windedly to make a point?

Frowning, I asked, and Jaehyuk avoided my gaze and answered the question.

“…Let’s extend our cohabitation until mid-July. You can commute, which is good for you, and I won’t have any unexpected overnight stays, which is good for me. Honestly, this benefits both of us.”

“It’s a reasonable suggestion. Not a bad idea.”

But still…

What is this feeling that suggests there might be some ulterior motive mixed into the proposal?

Probably just my imagination, right?