Ch.144Midori Shower 1

In the slums of Ansan.

There was a small, shabby bar that looked like it could go out of business any day.

The bar’s name: First Love.

A place with few customers and limited space.

Just a modest establishment surviving on the memories of its regulars.

A woman entering the place catches the eye.

A silk dress accentuating her sensual figure.

And a light jacket casually draped over it.

But unlike her mature figure, her face still has a youthful appearance.

With a neat bob haircut and soft, fair skin with peach fuzz on her cheeks.

She climbed the stairs with clicking heels, her small handbag hanging from her arm.

Then slowly opened the door to the bar.

“Welcome.”

An unfamiliar voice.

The woman, a regular at the bar, tilts her head curiously at the female voice she’s hearing for the first time.

After all, the bartender here had always been a man.

Finding it strange, the woman slowly looks toward the counter.

And she tilts her head at the sight of a small bartender she’s never seen before.

“Oh, is Juho oppa taking the day off?”

“Yes, I’ll be filling in for him for a few days.”

The woman stares intently at the bartender who’s wiping glasses.

A pretty, feminine figure.

Alluring eyes with a teardrop mole.

She’s more attractive than the women at our place?

Her face wasn’t extraordinarily prettier than theirs, but she had a uniquely feminine aura.

“What would you like to order?”

She smiles with her eyes.

The woman, who had been absently staring at the seductive black choker hidden beneath the bartender’s shirt, finally snapped back to reality.

“Um… a Midori Shower, please.”

“Hmm-. Midori Shower-.”

The bartender raised the corners of her mouth at the woman’s order.

The customer couldn’t help but smile at how the bartender playfully repeated her order.

“What’s so special about a Midori Shower?”

“Nothing-, really. It just seems like a drink that suits you perfectly.”

The bartender points at the customer’s eyes.

Her eyes, with colored contacts, were also green.

“Your eyes are a beautiful Midori color.”

“Ah, thank you…”

The woman shyly lowered her head.

The male bartender never acted like this…

Are all female bartenders this friendly?

It gives her a warm, comforting feeling.

“—.”

Soft R&B music plays.

The woman hums along to the music.

The bartender placed a small snack at her seat.

It was a chocolate cookie recently advertised by a female singer.

“You like this song, don’t you?”

“I’m sorry… was I too loud?”

The woman blushed at the bartender’s question.

The bartender waved her hand dismissively, saying it was fine.

“Not at all. It sounded so good, just like a professional singer!”

“It’s a song I love. Jay’s Hola…”

The woman smiled shyly, pointing at the speaker.

The bartender nodded in agreement at the customer’s response.

“I once wanted to be like that too…”

The woman’s face is reflected in the Midori bottle the bartender is preparing.

A pitiful and bitter expression.

The bartender recognized that expression.

It was the same face as her past self who couldn’t achieve her dream.

“What do you do now?”

She carefully asked the customer.

The woman pressed her lips together for a moment, hesitating to answer.

When she finally opened her mouth again.

She answered with a bitter smile.

“I sing at a club. Sometimes I sell my body too.”

At those words, the bartender momentarily paused.

Then looked at the customer with a sympathetic expression.

“Don’t look at me so pitifully. It was all my choice.”

The customer avoided the bartender’s expression and took out her phone.

She checks the time.

“I became a regular here because my client lives nearby.”

The woman bitterly placed her phone on the table.

Then rested her chin on her hand, staring at the bartender.

“Funny, isn’t it? Becoming a regular because of a client…”

She smiled faintly.

But the bartender knew.

That smile wasn’t one of happiness, but one born from despair over a reality that couldn’t be changed.

Because without smiling like that, she couldn’t endure.

After making an awkward joke, the customer just stared at her phone.

As if ready to dash out the moment a message came.

Her face looks extremely anxious.

Concerned about her, the bartender calmly asked the customer.

“Excuse me, may I ask your name?”

“My name…?”

“Yes.”

The customer gave a suspicious look at the sudden question.

Then she told the name she used at her workplace.

“Call me Yeji.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

The bartender clearly knew that her name was an alias.

But she complimented it as if it were her real name.

“Why are you suddenly asking for my name?”

“Because you’ll debut as a singer someday. I should at least know your name so I can brag about it later.”

The bartender smiled sweetly, matching her appearance.

Yeji stared blankly at that smile for a moment.

“A singer….”

She murmured to herself with her head down.

As if imagining herself as a singer.

Soon Yeji raised her head again.

And showed the bartender an equally bright smile.

“Alright. When I succeed, you’ll be the first to know.”

Yeji leaned forward to examine the bartender’s clothes.

But there was no name tag anywhere on her outfit.

“What’s your name?”

“Ah… me?”

The bartender hesitated to answer the question about her own name.

After thinking for a moment, she covered her lips with her palm and whispered.

“It’s Siho. Han Siho.”

Han Siho…

Yeji repeated the name in her mind.

What a pretty name.

While she memorized the name, a brief silence fell over the bar.

During that time, Siho was busy taking out ingredients to make the Midori Shower.

Yeji was just waiting for a text from her client who would arrive soon.

Eventually, her phone screen lit up.

“Take painkillers before coming. I’m in a good mood today.”

A cold and stern text message.

The moment she saw it, Yeji’s face turned pale.

Despite it being the message she had been anxiously waiting for.

“Yeji, what’s wrong? You don’t look well…”

Siho, seemingly noticing the customer’s face immediately, carefully asked.

“I need to leave in about 20 minutes.”

Yeji’s voice trembled subtly.

She wanted to hide it from Siho, but the instinctual fear wouldn’t let her.

“I see, then I’ll make it quickly for you.”

Siho hurriedly prepares the bartending.

However, she paused when Yeji called out to her again.

“I have a small request.”

“Just tell me.”

“For my Midori, please use only half the amount of soda.”

“Half the soda…?”

The bartender tilted her head at the unusual request.

The customer immediately explained the reason.

With an extremely tired face.

“I can’t handle this job sober. I need it strong to make it somewhat bearable.”

The bartender’s hand, about to pour the Midori, stopped abruptly.

And as if she herself felt suffocated, she slipped a finger under the choker around her neck.

“Your client must be rough…”

“He’s a lunatic. Works at a drug factory, and business must be good because he always pays triple to see me.”

“Drugs…?”

Siho asked, removing her hand from the choker.

Her calm brown eyes sparkle.

“Yes… he was originally banned from using our hostess services because he’s so violent…”

Yeji murmured with a deep sigh.

“But since he pays more, the boss ended up forcing me to go to him.”

The plump lips of Siho, who was listening, twitched.

Seeing her expression, Yeji smiled as if to say not to worry.

“It’s okay. I’m doing this because I can handle it! At least he pays well…”

Soon she stopped talking, as if tired.

The perceptive bartender didn’t press the customer further.

“I understand…”

The bartender placed a glass on the counter table.

Something as beautiful and elegant as the customer before her.

Into a transparent glass…

Beautiful green Midori. (30ml)

Tangy lemon juice and lime juice. (10ml each)

And sweet sugar syrup. (10ml)

Mix it all together with a gentle stir.

Pour refreshing soda over it.

Finally, float a sweet cherry on the surface…

<Midori Shower>

Rank: ★★★★(Epic)

Effect: Increases Focus by 10 for 1 hour. Permanently increases Composure by 5. (Not stackable)

Information: A Midori Shower made with the classic recipe. Its original name is “Sour,” but many people call it “Shower.”

Although the customer clearly asked for only half the soda, the bartender didn’t follow this instruction.

“Here’s your Midori Shower.”

A beautiful green cocktail in a transparent glass.

The dazzling emerald-like drink was placed in front of Yeji.

As if it was too precious to drink, she just stared blankly at the glass.

Forgetting even the fact that she had to leave within 20 minutes.

“It looks like there’s quite a bit of soda…”

“Yes, I’m sorry… I don’t know how to make that custom version yet…”

Siho apologized, holding the tray neatly with both hands and bowing her head.

But Yeji didn’t accept the apology.

After all, using less soda wouldn’t make her less drunk.

It was just a quirk she had to try to escape reality.

“I won’t charge you for it instead.”

Siho mumbled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

Yeji relaxed her expression, reassuring the bartender.

“It’s fine, I’m actually looking forward to trying the original after so long.”

The woman slowly brought the glass to her lips.

And savored the sweet cocktail flowing down her lips.

She closes her eyes.

The tangy freshness like melon soda and the subtle alcohol spread throughout her body.

A feeling where the taste of childhood and adulthood coexist.

The child who wanted to be a singer and the adult who despaired at reality.

The fully filled soda eased the despair of the adult who had given up.

And it encourages her not to give up on her dream of becoming a singer.

“Delicious…”

Yeji soon opened her eyes.

In front of her was an empty glass.

And the bartender smiling wistfully…

“Yeji… I’ll support you. Don’t give up on your dream.”

Maybe it was the alcohol in her system.

Yeji’s nose tingled without her realizing it.

Her parents were killed by monsters, and she grew up as an orphan her whole life.

She became a prostitute to survive, but no one sympathized with her.

As those days continued, her emotions naturally dulled.

Thanks to that, she could avoid crying even when abused by regular clients.

But of all things… to tear up over a cocktail that only kids would drink.

How ironic.

“Thank you… I really do still…”

Her voice didn’t come out well because she was choking up.

But Yeji somehow managed to tell Siho.

“I really love singing.”

A smile with tears in her eyes.

That poignant smile made Siho’s heart ache too.

Could she help this person somehow?

After being lost in thought for a moment, she spoke as if a good idea had come to her.

“Yeji, have you ever auditioned?”

“I’ve been rejected from all public auditions because of my current job. So I just send recordings by email. Of course… no one reads them.”

Yeji smiled wryly, as if it was all her karma.

Siho wiped the tears from her eyes and said:

“May I borrow your phone for a moment?”

“My phone…?”

The woman tilted her head for a moment but handed over her phone willingly.

Siho then wrote down an unknown phone number.

“If you get a call from this number, make sure to answer it.”

“Who is this person…?”

Yeji asked with a stunned expression.

Siho winked as if it was a secret.

“Someone looking for talented people like you.”

“—.”

Yeji left the bar.

And walked down the stairs with a sullen expression.

She still held her phone in her hand.

On it was the phone number the bartender had given her.

“Who could this possibly be…”

As she stared blankly, her phone rings.

Thinking it might be the person Siho mentioned, Yeji focused all her attention on the screen.

But…

It was someone else.

Someone she knew all too well.

Her regular client.

It feels as disappointing as waking from a sweet dream.

Yeji swallowed deeply and slowly answered the phone.

“H-hello…”

“Hey, you bitch… why are you so late?”

A rough male voice.

Startled by the voice, Yeji hunched her shoulders.

“I-I’ll be right there…”

“If you’re even a minute late, I’m extending your time.”

The call ended.

She immediately started running toward the hotel, their meeting place.

She ran so hurriedly that one of her heels broke.

But Yeji didn’t care and rushed into the hotel.

“Haa… haa…”

Arriving at the hotel corridor, she caught her breath.

And steadied her breathing in front of room 104, their meeting place.

“…”

She hesitated for a long time before grabbing the doorknob.

Should she just run away now?

Run away and start a new life as Siho suggested.

Toward becoming a famous singer like Jay…

But that glimmer of hope soon faded.

Because in the moment she hesitated…

The firmly locked doorknob began to move on its own.

He’s coming out…

The beast-like man who would violate her.

Yeji clutched her chest and trembled in fear.

She trembled so much that she couldn’t even swallow properly.

Bright light pours through the crack in the door.

Since the corridor was somewhat dark, Yeji closed her eyes.

“Huh, what’s this? Is she part of the gang too?”

What?

Yeji had expected to hear the harsh voice of the man.

But the voice that came while her eyes were closed was that of an attractive woman.

“She doesn’t look like someone who works at a drug factory.”

Another woman’s voice.

Relatively awkward Korean.

“Could she be the call girl the target was going to meet? It looked like he was preparing to sleep with her…”

A warm voice that felt less threatening than the other two.

At that voice, Yeji slowly opened her eyes.

And saw three beautiful hunters she had never seen before.

“Come in. We have mountains of questions to ask about this guy.”

Jeoksa opens the door with a calm voice.

Anna, who was leaning against the wall, makes way.

And…

Jisoo, sitting on the bed, moves the unconscious man’s body aside.