Ch.168Moment 5 (End)

I opened the door to Moment Bar.

Bright light streaming through the door gap.

And the laughter of women.

The complete opposite of Misha’s anxious state.

However, I didn’t give up.

I gently wrapped my arm around the shoulder of the girl with her hat pulled low and whispered.

“Be brave, Misha. I’ll be right beside you.”

The promise to stay by her side.

The blue eyes of the girl who heard those words flickered with emotion.

She clenched both her fists tightly.

Then, swallowing deeply, she opened the door.

“—————.”

The bar’s music gradually growing louder.

The voices of Jeksa, Anna, and Jisoo.

And even the laughter of the female students from the Academy.

Misha steps into the middle of it all.

“…”

The noisy Moment Bar immediately fell silent.

Everyone simultaneously stared at Misha who had appeared through the back door.

“Siho, who is that person…?”

Jisoo was the first to react.

She looked with interest at Misha, who had her hat pulled low.

However, Anna and Jeksa were different.

The two immediately tensed up upon seeing the familiar height and straight golden long hair.

Especially Anna.

Having fought directly with Misha before, she stared with a fierce expression.

“Why are you here?”

Anna recognized the mysterious guest.

With that, everyone in the bar focused their attention.

“I’m pretty sure I told you to leave this place once you recovered.”

“Do you know her, Anna?”

“Is she also from a mercenary background?”

“Such a small and cute girl? No way-.”

Hayoon and Sehee whispered among themselves.

Misha took off her hat.

Revealing her smooth forehead.

And the distinct Western girl’s features.

A visual that doesn’t look like a murderous demon or a Ranker at all.

“I’m sorry for coming back…”

Misha whimpered.

However, Anna and Jeksa’s expressions remained cold.

“Sister, I think I should just go…”

Misha tried to shake me off and run away.

But I didn’t yield and proudly showed her to everyone.

“No, it’s okay. You have every right to be here.”

I stared directly at Anna.

And spoke firmly to her turbid eyes.

“Anna, you know it too. That Misha did what she did deliberately to save me.”

The white-haired chef gave no response to my words.

After all, she was the one who ultimately guided me toward Park Shin-ae.

“Here, sit down.”

I seated Misha in the middle of the counter table.

Hayoon, who was sitting next to her taking care of the sleeping Sea, made eye contact with Misha.

“Ah, hello?”

“Hello…”

The girl who was bullied at the Academy.

And the worst villain from the research facility meeting in this moment.

All thanks to one person.

Seated at the counter table, Misha faced the Moment Bar she had longed for so much.

And she looked up at the two bartenders standing in front of her.

Jeksa and Siho.

Jeksa still wasn’t pleased with Misha, but since Siho had forgiven her, she decided to let it go.

After all, Siho’s happiness was most important to her.

“Anna, you sit there too.”

“Me too?”

“Yes, we have something to do.”

Anna sat at the counter with an expressionless face.

However, she didn’t give even a glance toward Misha.

“What is it, tell me quickly.”

“Why the rush? We don’t have any customers right now anyway.”

Jeksa smiled slightly as she gripped a bottle of alcohol.

I also responded by picking up a glass.

I exchanged glances with Jeksa.

And together we took out several bottles of alcohol and arranged them one by one on the counter.

Bottles of alcohol filling the table.

Misha and Anna looked curious about what we were trying to make.

After all, nine bottles of alcohol were lined up in a row.

“Now, we’re going to give you two a new opportunity.”

I smiled brightly.

And together with Jeksa, I began bartending.

1 ounce (30ml) of clear vodka.

1 ounce of fragrant gin.

1 ounce of strong rum.

1 ounce of golden tequila.

1 ounce of savory vanilla-scented bourbon whiskey.

1 ounce of elegant scotch whiskey.

1 ounce of orange-scented triple sec.

1 ounce of black, rich stout.

And finally, 1 ounce of cool lager.

All the various alcohols we’ve ever drunk went into one glass.

And finally…

<Graveyard>

Rank: ☆☆☆☆☆ (Artifact)

Effect: Increases composure by 10, increases composure by 50 after 5 minutes.

Information: A cocktail with deep and rich flavors. Made by mixing numerous alcohols in the right proportions. Graveyard means tomb. Indeed, what could be the reason Siho and Jeksa chose to serve this annoyingly complicated drink to these two people?

“Here’s your Graveyard.”

Two women in bartender uniforms.

Jeksa and I served the black cocktail to our guests.

“…”

The two Rankers stared down at the Graveyard they received.

A deep black color.

It was as murky as facing their own dark inner selves.

“Come on, drink up. After this, you’ll bury all that dark past in the grave!”

I squeezed between the two and put my arms around their shoulders.

Then with a bright smile, I confidently encouraged them.

“Anna as our beautiful chef at Moment, and Misha as a Western girl who just came to Korea!”

Anna gripped her glass.

But she was still pouting her lips.

“I can’t accept it. She tried to take advantage of you under the pretext of saving you.”

Misha shrank at her words.

So I firmly grabbed Anna’s shoulder and whispered fiercely.

“You did all sorts of things to me when I wasn’t in my right mind too.”

Anna recalled what happened in the cabin.

Her previously pale face began to turn red.

“…”

Soon Anna hung her head low.

“Ahem.”

I deliberately cleared my throat and composed myself.

Did she think I would just let it slide?

“Come on, Misha. Anna has done plenty wrong too, so don’t be intimidated.”

I patted Misha’s back.

“Yes, sister…”

The two Rankers calmly took their glasses with both hands.

And they drank simultaneously.

A rich and mysterious taste.

The flavors of various alcohols became one and poured onto their tongues.

Like the feeling of various emotions mixing together.

The women swallowed those emotions all at once.

“They say she looks young but is an adult inside, seems it’s true.”

Jeksa smiled as she watched Misha cleanly swallow half of the strong drink.

Anna also glanced at Misha.

Unlike Misha who had shed her past burden, Anna still looked awkward.

I gently wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

And with my face against her back, I whispered sweetly.

“Thank you, Anna.”

Only after hearing my whisper did Anna raise the corners of her stiff lips.

And pressing herself closer to my cheek, she asked.

“For what.”

“For forgiving Misha.”

“I haven’t forgiven her yet, I’m just pretending to because you asked.”

She’s so proud.

I playfully pressed my cheek against hers.

“Alright, then pretend to forgive her forever— for my sake.”

Anna chuckled.

Then she turned her head slightly to look at Misha, who was holding her half-finished Graveyard.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes?”

Misha froze at Anna’s call.

The white-haired Ranker pointed at the girl’s glass.

“Give me that alcohol, and drink this instead.”

Anna handed over the Kahlua milk that was placed at Sea’s seat, who was sleeping with her head down.

And she took the strong Graveyard for herself instead.

“Even if your mind is adult, that body can’t handle hard liquor.”

Anna took a big swig of Misha’s half-finished drink.

Then she neatly wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

As if shaking everything off.

“Great! Now everything’s resolved, right?”

I clapped my hands with a bright smile.

And I raised all the blinds that had been covering Moment.

Thanks to that, the cocktail bar opened up completely.

Sindonim’s night sky and the city landscape were all visible at once.

Sister Jisoo, who was wiping the tables, stared at the view.

The sports stadium visible in the distance.

Bright light poured from there.

“Sis, what are you staring at so intently?”

I approached Jisoo with my hands behind my back.

And standing beside her, I gazed at the night sky together.

“Just… I can’t believe we’ve returned to normal life like this.”

Jisoo stroked the top of my head with a wistful smile.

“And being here with you like this feels like a dream.”

The soft palm stroking my head.

I gently grabbed that palm.

And slowly brought it down to touch my cheek.

“I can’t believe it either. Being here together at the place we promised to go to.”

I looked up at her with a light smile.

And then she, who had always seen me as just a younger brother…

Started to blush.

“Hey, are you two creating a mood and leaving us out again?”

Just then.

I felt someone slithering around my waist.

Startled by that creepy sensation, I quickly looked up.

Jeksa, who was similar in height to Jisoo.

A woman with black, beautiful hair and ruby-red eyes.

Soon, a slightly tipsy Anna pressed her body close between them.

She no longer needed to be wary of anyone.

She looked down at me with half-lidded eyes, enjoying her intoxication.

Those eyes that once tried to kill me when we first met.

Now they look at me more lovingly than anyone else.

“Siho… where are you trying to go without me again?”

She poked my cheek with her slender finger.

And gazed at the horizon I had been looking at.

“I won’t let you run away this time.”

I smiled at Anna’s words.

And hugging the three women tightly, I said.

“I’m not going anywhere anymore. This is our home.”

The hair of the three women brushed against my neck.

Like a choker.

But I decided to enjoy that constricting sensation.

I was no longer scared or afraid.

Rather, it felt comfortable, holding me steady so I wouldn’t waver.

Surrendering to that comfort, I gazed at the stadium on the horizon.

Eventually…

Small lights shot up from the stadium toward the sky.

We all watched those lights together.

“—————.”

Fireworks launched upward.

Those fireworks burst in the sky, forming a phrase.

“Moment.”

The name of our bar.

“Wow, what’s that? That’s our bar’s name!”

“Amazing.”

“Siho, did you arrange this?”

The questions from the three women.

I chuckled at their questions and shook my head.

“No, I didn’t arrange it…”

I listened carefully to the sound coming from the distant stadium.

A familiar voice.

A familiar melody.

It’s Jae.

A small gift from her, who couldn’t attend Moment because of her concert.

Right now, at this moment.

Every place is filled with people I love.

Even the night sky.

“Siho.”

The last piece of my Angelic Hand fragment sleeping deep in my heart.

I heard its whisper.

“Yes.”

“How is it?”

“What?”

“Were you happy in this life?”

“…”

I looked at the Rankers clinging tightly to my side.

Everyone looks down at me with happy eyes.

I turned my head a little more to look at the Moment Bar.

The sleeping girls.

And someone singing for me from afar.

The memories I shared with them filled my empty heart once again.

I placed my hand on my chest.

It’s warm.

Drawing strength from that warmth, I said.

“Yes, I’m happy.”