Ch.118Old Fashioned 3

Jisoo stares blankly at the scene before her.

The cake they were supposed to eat together is sprawled across the folding table.

And the culprit of this mess is…

“I, I just…”

With puffy cheeks, I look at her with a flustered expression.

My hands are full of cake pieces.

The cream smeared all over my lips.

Anyone could see I was caught red-handed.

“I was just going to taste it, but then…”

I couldn’t resist the sweet aroma rising from the bread.

With a resigned feeling, I licked the back of my hand.

She carefully approached me.

And without saying anything, she simply embraced me warmly.

A fragrant fruit scent rises from her.

I just stayed in her embrace, afraid the cream on my hands might stain her.

“I’m sorry… I don’t think the medicine has taken effect yet.”

“It’s okay. It’s just a cake…”

She looked down at me warmly.

Seeing her amber eyes up close makes me feel strange.

“You’re cute, like a little sister.”

The strange feeling disappeared instantly with her words.

Little sister…?

I wanted to show her the dependable Dohyun I used to be…

Being treated like some pet makes me feel terrible.

Unaware of my feelings, she reached out to wipe the cream from my cheek.

I didn’t want to allow even that touch, so I quickly turned my head away.

“I’ll wipe it myself…”

This won’t do.

I don’t want to keep showing her this girlish side of me.

I abruptly stood up.

Then I walked leisurely toward the balcony.

“Where are you going?”

“My mouth feels dry after eating just cake.”

I deliberately lowered my voice and spoke calmly.

From now on, I’ll only show her my mature side.

After all, this body is technically an adult.

I opened a box in the corner of the balcony.

Inside were…

Potions I had prepared for emergencies before raiding the laboratory.

Among them were ones I couldn’t use because they lacked offensive power or debuffs.

I grabbed those potions and returned to the living room.

“Let’s have a drink together.”

“Um… I’m fine with that, but Siho, are you okay in your current state?”

“What’s wrong with my state?”

I asked, sniffling.

She glanced at my fox ears.

“You’re a fox.”

“No…!”

My face burns at her blunt statement.

I confidently open the potion while saying:

“I just have fox ears, but my body is that of a perfectly normal adult.”

My fox ears flap from side to side.

Jisoo squints her eyes, clearly not believing me.

“Sure, sure.”

“Really…”

I elegantly poured another potion into a glass.

The golden liquid fills the transparent glass with a subtle glow.

A fragrant almond scent fills the entire house.

<Old Fashioned NO.7>

Grade: ★★★★★

Effect: Instantly recovers 50% HP. Permanently increases Will by 5.

Info: An ultimate Old Fashioned that Siho created after much deliberation during his prime. Using “Johnnie Walker King George” whiskey makes it very expensive.

“Wow… what is this fragrance? It’s so rich…”

“One of my masterpieces.”

I confidently handed the glass to her.

“Here, swirl the glass like this before drinking.”

I swirled the golden drink with an elegant hand motion.

She awkwardly followed my movements.

“How is it? The aroma becomes more intense, right? This is called swirling.”

“Ah…”

“It mixes the oxygen with the alcohol to maximize the aroma, and makes the taste more rich… the richness…”

She smiled at me as I rambled on.

As if she were watching a fox with its nose in the air, pretending to be sophisticated.

Annoyed by that look, I downed my drink boldly.

Since it was made as a potion, the alcohol content had dropped by about 20 degrees, making it smooth to swallow.

“Whew-.”

I furrowed my brow like an old man.

That must have looked pretty manly, right?

“See? I’m perfectly fine.”

“Hmm-.”

She followed my lead and sipped her drink.

With a slightly suspicious look.

Well.

She has reason to be suspicious after I’ve only ever given her 1-2 star Victory Drinks.

But.

This Old Fashioned was made with the skills that earned me praise even at the Academy.

“…”

She pressed her smooth lips tightly together.

Soon her expression completely lost all suspicion and brightened.

“Wow… this is really delicious.”

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

I closed my eyes, savoring her praise.

Yes, I was once a top bartender too-.

“Sweet almond aroma with subtle fruit flavors. Various tastes harmonizing into one.”

Her golden eyes sparkle.

Indeed, as a self-proclaimed wine connoisseur, her taste evaluation is detailed.

“I made it before I lost my abilities.”

“Abilities…?”

“More precisely, before I was captured by Councilor Park and ended up like this.”

“Ah…”

Her expression soon becomes gloomy at the realization that I was ruined because of her.

She puts down the Old Fashioned she was enjoying and places both hands on her knees.

“I’m sorry. Because you tried to save me…”

“It’s okay. I already lost my bartender qualifications when I poisoned that drink.”

I tried to comfort her while drinking my potion.

It was a choice I made myself from the beginning.

I could have forgotten everything and just lived happily with Anna and Jeoksa.

But I wavered the moment I saw her trapped in that glass tube.

“I’m happy to have this chance to bartend again after losing everything.”

Despite my words, she couldn’t shake off her guilt.

Her eyes waver.

She returns to the look she had during the days when we formed a party together.

And she asks.

With a sorrowful voice.

“Why did you go so far to rescue me?”

“What…?”

The buzz from the alcohol completely vanishes at her question.

I can only stare at her blankly.

When I couldn’t give an answer, she leaned her face closer to mine.

And asks with a deeply sad expression.

“Does it have something to do with Dohyun?”

“…”

“Siho, you said you’d tell me everything once we escaped.”

“…”

“Please tell me now…”

Her breath is so close.

Soft skin and brown hair.

I turned my head away and kept my mouth shut.

I don’t know.

What should I say at this point?

I only thought about rescuing her, not whether I’d reveal that I am Dohyun.

What should I…

“—.”

Just as I opened my mouth to speak.

The sound of the front door opening echoes from the hallway.

“J-just a moment…”

Thanks to that, I could postpone my answer for a while.

Who could it be…?

Only the landlady and I know the door code to my place…

While I hesitated.

Someone removes their clicking heels and enters the living room gracefully.

Shining black hair.

Mature perfume scent.

A tall, slender figure opposite to mine.

Jeoksa glances at me with her jacket draped over her shoulder.

Pierced by that gaze, I immediately stood up.

And hurriedly went to take her jacket.

“What’s this, how did you know my house number?”

“Somehow.”

Her red eyes look down at me intently.

Soon the woman mischievously stroked the top of my head.

My fox ears get tousled around.

It makes me dizzy too.

“Cute.”

Her face is redder than usual.

Could she be drunk?

This is bad.

Jeoksa is really scary when she’s drunk…!

“What’s this, did you cut a cake to celebrate the escape?”

She glances down at the folding table with half-closed eyes.

Watching her reaction, I mumbled.

“Mmm…”

Her long fingers touch my round cheek.

She calmly wipes off the cream stuck to me.

She tastes the cream on her finger.

Pleased with the taste, Jeoksa half-closes her eyes.

“What were you two talking about?”

“Just… stories from the past.”

At that, Jeoksa glances at Jisoo.

Though they worked together on the rescue mission, Jisoo still seems uncomfortable around Jeoksa.

She watches the Ranker cautiously with her hands politely folded.

Well… Rankers aren’t exactly approachable figures.

Jeoksa sat comfortably on the living room floor as if it were her own home.

And with her arms crossed, she asks me:

“Stories from the past… That means you knew each other from before?”

A chill runs down my spine at Jeoksa’s persistent questioning.

What should I do… explaining this would make things really complicated.

As if responding to Jeoksa’s question, Jisoo also looks up at me desperately.

Jeoksa looks down at Jisoo with indifferent red eyes.

Tense under that gaze, Jisoo swallows hard.

“Actually, I…”

Two choices spin maddeningly in my head.

I have to choose one of them.

One is to reveal everything and humbly accept their reactions.

The other is to hide it all and suffer alone for the rest of my life.

The entire living room falls silent.

And after much deliberation, I finally opened my mouth.

“I’m Dohyun oppa’s younger sister.”

“…”

I ended up lying again.

I wanted to twist my lips in self-loathing for the lie that came out without thinking.

“I see…”

As if all the puzzle pieces finally fit together, Jisoo smiled bitterly.

But unlike her, Jeoksa’s expression is enigmatic.

“Who’s Dohyun?”

The Ranker’s red eyes pierce through me.

Avoiding that frightening gaze, I lowered my head and mumbled.

“He’s my older brother…”

“I heard Dohyun had a younger sister before, so that was you.”

Jisoo reached out to me with trembling hands.

Soon her soft touch caresses my cheek.

But Jeoksa was still watching that scene with a mysterious look.

As if she knew something.

“…”

Why, why is she like that…

I’ve never told Jeoksa about my family, so she shouldn’t know.

“…”

Jeoksa stood up from her seat for a moment.

“I’m going to smoke a cigarette.”

She headed leisurely toward the balcony.

I anxiously watch her back.

From spending time with Jeoksa, I’ve noticed she always smokes when she has something complicated on her mind.

Could my answer have caused such a ‘headache’ for her?

I hurriedly got up from the floor too.

And followed her with anxious steps.

“Jeoksa…”

She stands indifferently by the railing in her white shirt.

Her pale skin and decadent eyes are so beautiful.

I stared intently at those eyes.

“It’s cold, why did you come out? I’ll be back soon.”

She hurriedly tapped off the cigarette ash.

And as if being considerate of me, she stubbed out the cigarette that was barely half-smoked.

“No, just…”

“Is there something bothering you about what you said?”

She hit my weak spot precisely.

I pressed my lips together, rubbing my elongated canine teeth with my tongue.

“You only had an older sister in your family.”

“So you knew…”

“Seeing how you’re hiding it with lies, you must have a complicated past with that Jisoo girl.”

My heart pounds.

Perhaps Jeoksa already knows everything except my final secret of being Dohyun.

If she finds out I was a man…

Would she still like me this way?

She might find me disgusting like Subject 09 did.

I looked up at her with a gloomy face.

Surely Jeoksa would probe into my dark secret too.

But.

The red eyes that met mine neither demanded truth nor questioned my lies.

She only looked at me with distant eyes full of concern.

“It’s okay, tell me when you feel comfortable.”

“Whatever you were, now you’re just a small, cute bartender.”

Jeoksa stroked the tip of my nose with her finger.

The acrid smell of cigarettes almost made me sneeze.

“…”

“What, are you touched already?”

The Ilshim executive chuckled and tickled my chin.

Disliking being treated like an animal, I turned my head away sharply.

“No, the cigarette smoke was just making my eyes water.”

“Acting tough, are we.”

Jeoksa took off her slippers.

And opening the balcony door, she said:

“Let’s go, Siho.”

“Okay…”

I followed her with lightened steps.

Siho.

Yes, I’m not Dohyun anymore.

I’m just an ordinary bartender named Siho.