Ch.50Gimlet 1

“A few days ago, 30 tons of illegal aphrodisiacs were seized in Chinatown.”

“The domestic criminal organization Ilshim has occupied this Chinatown and is currently in a standoff with the Hunter Association.”

Troubling news pours out from the radio.

The man, seemingly tired of these reports, soon turns off the radio.

He then takes out his phone and browses the blog he manages.

It’s already time to post his next restaurant review.

“Let’s see… are there any places around here worth checking out?”

He searches for cocktails in the domain.

Information about a bar near Sindorim appears.

The blogger, Jung Gil, fiddles with his phone while checking the bar’s reviews.

These are evaluations of the bar ‘Moment.’

‘The bartender is delicious, and the drinks are friendly.’

Jaehi10.

‘The bartender sister is cute, and the place is pretty.’

Seah12.

‘This place has tasty Red Eye. Order a lot of it.’

Redsnake1sim.

2028.

In this era where the government has disappeared and associations have taken over the country,

He’s never seen a bar with such good reviews.

Is there something special about this place that makes people willing to pay for expensive cocktails?

Even the recently popular singer Jae-i verified her visit through a shorts video.

While skilled bartenders struggle to make ends meet, a place thriving on viral marketing like this?

Unforgivable.

It’s time to showcase the positive function of a power blogger.

I will expose the reality of this place and give it a cold, hard evaluation.

With this determination, he drove toward Moment visible in the distance.

Jung Gil smoothed his heavily waxed hair.

In his early thirties, he had another purpose besides writing a review.

The bartender’s appearance in the shorts video wasn’t bad at all.

Especially those cute tear moles.

He smirked as he began parking in front of Moment Bar.

Suddenly, he flinches at the sight of a Jaguar parked next to him.

A foreign car in these times…

The owner must be some nouveau riche who contributes nothing to society.

Grumbling, he carefully finishes parking away from the foreign car.

Even after getting out, Jung Gil alternates his gaze between his Avante and the Jaguar XJ.

Dissatisfied with the visual comparison, he deliberately turns his gaze away and opens the door to the bar.

The soft melody of Jae-i’s song “Hola” flows from the speakers.

He furrowed his brow.

Deduction from the start.

The moment idol music played, by his standards, Moment became a cheap unlimited cocktail bar.

Plus, this messy interior.

The ceiling reveals steel frames as if still under construction, and the walls seem unfinished, blocked by caution lines.

This industrial concept might be trendy these days, but this looks like an actual construction site.

Jung Gil enters the hall, contemplating which comment would crush the owner’s spirit.

There are no customers at the hall tables.

But two female customers sit at the counter with their backs turned.

A silver-haired woman wearing a hat and a black-haired woman in a suit.

Particularly, the suited woman’s clothes cling to her body, revealing her beautiful curves.

Staring blatantly at her figure, Jung Gil slowly approaches the counter.

And he thinks:

‘Could the high ratings be because the place has good-looking women?’

The blogger waits for an employee to appear, arms crossed.

Meanwhile, Jung Gil turns his head slightly to scan the two women.

Indeed, the woman in the suit has a beautiful profile as well.

Her distinct features under long black hair catch his eye.

Especially impressive are her ruby-red eyes.

The woman sitting on the left is equally striking.

Though wearing a hat, her mysterious silver hair and fair skin capture his attention.

Her hazy white pupils exude a strange decadence, and her rough hands seem oddly sexy.

Her shadowed features, suggesting deep thoughts, naturally evoke a protective instinct.

He considered speaking to them.

But while thinking of what to say, rustling sounds from the kitchen diverted his attention.

“—.”

Soon, a petite bartender emerges from the kitchen.

As if apologetic for not attending to customers, she hurriedly enters the counter area.

As she gets closer, a strange floral scent seems to emanate from her.

Something sensual and deadly.

“I’m sorry. I was just taking some medicine…”

She mumbled in an androgynous voice.

The bartender’s name tag reads “Siho.”

Though average in height, he catches glimpses of her above-average figure hidden under the apron.

A modest outfit concealing an immodest figure is as attractive as a swimsuit.

“It’s fine.”

He muttered, staring at Siho’s tear mole.

Seemingly more attractive in person than in the video, he looks satisfied.

“I’m Jung Gil.”

The man extends his hand.

Siho quickly wipes her hands on her apron before shaking his.

“If you’re a bartender, you must know ‘Jung Gil’s Cocktail Diary,’ right?”

“No, I don’t watch much TV…”

Siho awkwardly strokes her neck.

As she touches her skin, the floral scent seems to intensify.

“A bartender who doesn’t know me? You’re quite out of touch with trends.”

He throws out words as if disappointed.

“I’m sorry.”

“Well, simply put, I’m a power blogger, and my reviews can significantly help a place’s sales.”

The blogger arrogantly crosses his arms and looks around the interior.

The counter is ordinary, nothing special.

Only two beautiful women as customers.

To project a masculine image to the women, he holds his head high.

“Not many customers here… If you’d like, I can give you direct feedback.”

“Feedback?”

“Yes. I have 500,000 followers, you know.”

Siho tilts her head.

She seems burdened by his proposal and remains silent, fidgeting with her hands.

Finding her hesitation frustrating, Jung Gil promptly suggests:

“Make me a drink.”

“What would you like?”

“As a bartender, you should at least know how to make a Gimlet, right?”

Gimlet.

A very simple cocktail made with gin and lime, with taste varying by bartender’s style.

Ordering a Gimlet is said to gauge a bar’s quality.

As a self-proclaimed liquor expert, Jung Gil intends to test her with this.

Siho smiles gently despite his arrogant attitude.

As her tear mole moves, her feminine eyes become clearly visible.

Jung Gil clears his throat involuntarily at the sight.

This place definitely seems carried by the bartender alone.

Soon, Siho brings out dry gin and lime.

She begins bartending with gentle hand movements.

2 ounces (60ml) of dry gin in the shaker

1/2 ounce (15ml) of freshly squeezed lime juice

Then a dash of sweet sugar syrup.

Adding them in order and shaking.

After the lively shaking sound, she strains it into a martini glass.

<Gimlet>

Grade: ★★★

Effect: 10% increase in physical strength.

Info: Sweet sugar syrup, tangy lime, and clean gin meet in harmony. Due to her illness, Siho isn’t performing at 100% capacity.

Bonus ☆ added for Angelic Hands.

“Here’s your Gimlet.”

She slowly pushes the glass toward Jung Gil.

The pale green liquor ripples gently.

Looking at the color, Jung Gil thinks:

The color isn’t bad.

But…

No basic orange peel garnish…

And the glass wasn’t properly chilled.

The taste probably isn’t bad, but it definitely lacks detail.

Just the level of an average 8,000 won per glass establishment.

With these thoughts, he takes a sip.

A fragrant drink enters his mouth.

After the tangy lime taste, a subtle sweetness moistens his tongue.

“…”

What’s this?

It’s clearly an ordinary Gimlet.

But somehow, it makes him feel strangely good.

He looks around, trying to identify the subtle aroma he’s sensing.

On either side of him are only the two female customers and the bartender.

Is it because I’m drinking in a flower garden?

He tilts his head in confusion and takes another sip.

The petite bartender watches anxiously.

Finding her cute, Jung Gil feels the urge to tease her more.

The blogger calmly clears his throat and begins his prepared critique.

“Well, the taste of the Gimlet itself isn’t bad. However…”

“No garnish, and the glass is lukewarm.”

Jung Gil says, twirling the glass.

“With such ordinary taste, it’s hard to survive in this anarchic era.”

Siho’s expression darkens slightly.

She mumbles an apology.

“Well, there’s still a way to boost your sales.”

Siho looks up at him curiously at his words.

“If you show some ‘sincerity’ separately, I’ll give you a higher review score. Right now, it’s just at a 6-point level.”

He spreads his palm to make the number eight.

“Five bills per point, ten bills total, and I’ll raise your review score to 8 points.”

“Ten bills means 100,000 won?”

Siho asks with an innocent face.

Jung Gil smirks at her absurd question.

“No. Obviously 1,000,000 won.”

Siho’s mouth opens slightly at his quoted price.

She looks troubled, as if she hadn’t expected this.

“What should I do… Our place is short on money because of recent renovations…”

Jung Gil’s lips quiver at her pitiful expression.

But he quickly composes himself and manages his expression.

I need to push harder at times like this.

A girl like her will cower and comply if pressured strongly enough.

“Then there’s no choice but to give a rating befitting such a cheap bar.”

Siho seems hurt by his words, rubbing her mouth with the back of her hand.

Her disappointed gaze somehow makes him want to torment her more.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

Because he felt menacing gazes from both sides.

Before he could slowly turn his head, two hands suddenly landed on his shoulders.

It was the two women sitting on either side of him.

Red eyes and white eyes stare down at him penetratingly.

“Uh… do you have something to say to me…?”

He stammered in confusion.

The grip strength pressing down on his shoulders was alarming.

“Did you just call this a cheap bar?”

Jeoksa asks.

“Should I kill him?”

Anna asks.

Jung Gil’s body trembles at the sight of the two predators.

One is a massive panther, the other a large anaconda.

The bartender herself intervenes to stop the two killers.

With a plaintive voice.

“It’s okay. He’s a ‘famous blogger,’ remember? We shouldn’t show him anything unpleasant…”

Siho shook her head with a pitiful expression.

At this, Anna reaches into her inner pocket, seeing Siho’s unhappy face.

“Anna, sit down. You too, Jeoksa.”

Despite Siho’s words, Jeoksa grips his shoulder even more firmly.

Jung Gil’s spine chills in the frozen atmosphere.

Anna…

Isn’t she that famous killer?

The crazy murderer who kills anyone for money!

And Jeoksa…

She’s an executive of Ilshim, Korea’s largest organization.

These two women in the same space.

It’s simply unbelievable.

What kind of place is this?!

“It seems our blogger gentleman doesn’t understand the taste of liquor.”

Soon, Jeoksa’s arm wraps around his neck.

Like a snake.

She whispers to Jung Gil.

Very kindly.

“Taste it again. How does it taste?”

Anna stabs her blade into the table.

Then sits on the table, looking down at Jung Gil.

In response, the man’s trembling hand moves.

He slowly grabs the Gimlet and takes a sip.

But due to his shaking, most of the drink dribbles down his chin.

“How is it?”

“How does it taste?”

The two killers ask simultaneously.

“It’s… delicious…”

“How much?”

Both women lean in.

“To die for…”

He murmured as if entranced.

Jeoksa’s red eyes stare fixedly at the blogger, as if hypnotizing him.

“And the rating?”

“10 points… 10 points…”

Jeoksa directly takes out the phone from his pocket.

And kindly places it in his hand.

“Write. The review.”

Jeoksa smiles gently.

Siho watches the scene in bewilderment, covering her mouth with her hand.

The two killers looked like loan sharks presenting a physical abandonment agreement.

Caught like a debtor, Jung Gil slowly taps the screen with trembling fingers.

He was shaking so much that it took ages to correct typos.

“He-here, I’ve written it all.”

Jung Gil shows the review to Jeoksa like an offering.

Anna reads the text carefully.

“Three eat. One dies. Taste beyond words. The best. What? Dies…?”

Anna raises her sword again, seemingly angered by the word “die.”

But Jeoksa restrains her.

“Ah, it means it’s that delicious. In Korea, it’s high praise.”

Only after her explanation does Anna lower her sword again.

Jung Gil backs away from the counter, shuddering.

The blogger begins to run frantically toward the entrance.

Watching him, Siho quickly calls out to stop him.

“Wait a moment! If you write a review, I’ll give you these canapés too…!”

The bartender follows him, holding a plate with both hands.

But the blogger slams the front door shut, saying he doesn’t need it.

“Hah…”

As the rare precious customer flees, Siho sighs deeply.

Then she turns to stare at the two killers.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop scaring customers?”

At her admonishment, Jeoksa shrugs innocently.

Even the emotionless Anna mimics her, shrugging her shoulders.

“At this rate, we’ll get a reputation as a criminal den…”

Siho nibbles on the canapés she made, disappointed.

These days, she seems to crave sweets and lives on desserts.

“I hope the next customer doesn’t run away…”