Ch.51Gimlet 2

The clock hands already point to 9 o’clock.

The bartender stares blankly at the entrance before letting out a deep sigh.

“Is really no one coming today…”

At his gloomy voice, Anna glances at Siho.

She tilts her head like a cat pretending not to know about the trouble it caused.

Having grown accustomed to her expressionless face, Siho gives her a needless scolding.

“How long are you two planning to stay here? You’ve already seen me take my medicine.”

“We were just about to leave anyway.”

Anna rises from her chair.

Red Death also gets up, following Anna’s lead.

“I have a company dinner today, so I should get going too.”

The red-eyed woman adjusts her collar.

On her way out, she puts a cigarette between her lips.

“Light it for me outside.”

“So demanding. Why aren’t you calling me ‘unnie’ today?”

Red Death asks persistently as she walks through the hall.

Siho shakes his head vigorously, as if caught off guard.

“I told you I don’t use that word…”

As Siho mumbles, Red Death walks to the entrance with a sly smile.

On her way out, she stops abruptly as if recalling something.

“You said it so well back then…”

At her murmur, the bartender’s face turns bright red.

“G-Get out quickly! I haven’t sold a single drink today because of you two…”

The petite bartender pushes the two predators out by their backs.

They pretend to yield and step outside the entrance.

After the two killers have completely left, Siho could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“What are you doing here? Why are you getting in?”

“Too lazy to run. Give me a ride, bitch.”

“Wipe your feet first.”

The back-and-forth between the two predators can be heard from outside.

When their voices fade away, Siho leisurely returns to the counter.

“Are they gone?”

Jiwook peeks his face out from the kitchen.

He looks gaunt, as if drained by the murderous aura of the two women.

“Yes, they’re gone.”

“You were supposedly sick for a few days, but when did you get so close to them?”

Jiwook shivers as if he can’t believe what just happened.

It’s a normal reaction, just like Jeonggil’s.

“I wonder about that myself.”

Siho wipes up the spilled gimlet with a bitter smile.

The greenish liquor soaks the cloth.

The bartender stares blankly at the sticky rag.

Was my gimlet really that bad…

She briefly reconsiders whether there was a problem with her bartending.

There was nothing wrong with the recipe itself.

It must be a difference in the details.

Come to think of it, using illness as an excuse, she hadn’t added a garnish or properly chilled the glass.

Just as Jeonggil pointed out, the quality was too low.

She suddenly looks down at her ailing body.

Her face instinctively wrinkles at the sight of her more sensitive and enlarged breasts.

Though she’s finally shaken off the aphrodisiac that had pickled her brain, her violated body hasn’t fully recovered.

Siho shakes her head frantically, trying to cast away the memories of that day.

Her enlarged breasts mock her by swaying beneath her apron.

Jiwook stares at Siho and asks:

“Hey, Siho.”

“Yes?”

“This might be a sensitive question, but…”

Jiwook scratches his chin, his face reddening.

“Was your hospital visit for surgery?”

Siho tilts her head at the sudden mention of “surgery.”

Jiwook asks more directly:

“Your vibe lately… a lot of things seem different…”

At her senior’s frank words, Siho’s eyes redden.

Though she’d been trying to hide it, everyone had noticed her changing body.

Siho felt embarrassed, as if her private shame had been exposed to everyone.

Jiwook delivers the final blow:

“Especially your eyes—they’ve become prettier. Longer, somehow? My girlfriend’s been curious about it too…”

“Senior.”

Siho quietly interrupts Jiwook.

He tenses at the bartender’s darkened voice.

“Yes…?”

“Instead of asking such things, go chop some onions!”

Siho shouts with clenched fists.

Startled, her senior apologizes and immediately retreats to the kitchen.

“Seriously… men.”

Siho mutters without realizing it.

Soon recognizing the meaning of her own words, she slaps her cheek hard.

Get a grip.

I can’t forget who I am.

I’m a former military reconnaissance soldier!

My strange body will heal once I finish the medication…

The doctor said so, that I’ll definitely recover.

He continues to reassure himself.

But Siho already knew.

That today was the last day of the week-long medication.

The daily pills ultimately hadn’t produced any dramatic effect.

The clock hands soon point to 10 o’clock.

Out of boredom, Siho had turned on the TV.

The screen shows news comparing South Korea’s Hunter Association with those of other countries.

The key point is that there are significant differences between associations, with the American one being overwhelmingly superior to Korea’s.

From Gigas, monsters as massive as the Empire State Building,

to Poppers, small as children but capable of destroying cities with a single gesture.

To combat such creatures, America has cultivated 2,000 ranked hunters.

Their level is so high that they’re often dispatched to other countries.

When these ranked hunters are sent abroad, someone ranked 800th in America would typically be rated around 80th elsewhere.

“Wow, so anyone ranked 10th or higher in America would be top-ranked in other countries.”

Siho polishes a glass while watching as if it’s a fantasy movie.

Once aspiring to become a hunter while paying rent, he has now become an ordinary bartender marveling at the news.

The bartender soon picks up the remote.

While watching America’s TOP 100 ranked hunters, he turns off the screen.

Because he hears the entrance door opening in the distance.

“—.”

The bartender mentally prepares himself to greet the customer.

Soon, a woman with black hair neatly tied to one side approaches the counter.

She wears a modest suit, and her soft loafers make gentle sounds as she walks.

With mixed heritage, she has a mysterious and clean-cut face.

Similar to Anna, but unlike her sharp panther-like features, this woman has a neat rabbit-like appearance.

“Welcome to Moment–“

Siho greets the first customer with a bright smile.

However, despite the bartender’s cheerful greeting, the woman’s expression remains dark.

She just sits at the counter with a deep sigh.

Seeing her like this, Siho can’t help but feel tense.

“Hello…”

The woman mumbles, avoiding eye contact with Siho.

For her sake, the bartender politely asks with hands clasped:

“Is there any particular menu you’re looking for?”

The woman stares blankly into space.

Her large eyes have deep dark circles, as if she’s tired.

“I don’t know much about alcohol.”

A difficult question.

Someone coming to a bar saying they don’t know about alcohol.

Siho falls into thought for a moment.

Recently, he made a promise to himself.

Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t read others’ memories.

Instead, he decided to ask honestly.

“How are you feeling today?”

“My mood? As you can see, not good at all. Things have been tough lately…”

The woman mumbles with her chin resting on the table.

Soon, as if she’s made up her mind, she speaks:

“Just give me something strong. Something sour and potent that will wake me up.”

At her request, Siho raises the corner of his mouth in a slight smile.

That much of a clue is enough.

An excellent choice.

When women feel bad, they tend to seek spicy and stimulating things.

The same goes for alcohol.

When you’re feeling awful, something strong and potent helps.

Of course, Siho insists that he dislikes spicy things.

But she doesn’t know.

That recently, he thoroughly enjoyed eating tteokbokki near his home.

“Then I’ll prepare something suitable.”

Siho bends his knee and takes out lime juice.

He plans to try a different version of the gimlet he failed at earlier.

While he prepares, the female customer observes Siho intently.

She asks the busy bartender:

“Are you that wandering merchant? The one who sells potions…”

“Ah… yes, but I’ve been too busy to sell much lately.”

Siho wondered how she knew about that.

She definitely wasn’t among the people he met back then.

“Do you remember a girl named Seah?”

“Seah…?”

How could he forget her?

Always dejected at parties, but more dedicated than anyone else.

The girl who gave me wolf ear items for free.

“Of course I remember her. The girl with fire abilities.”

“Seah recommended this bar to me.”

Thanks to this, Siho could roughly deduce who she was.

At minimum, an academy instructor or staff member.

“Is Seah doing well? Come to think of it, I haven’t been out much lately, so I haven’t seen her.”

“Yes, she’s moved up from the supplementary class to the elite class.”

The woman’s expression brightens at the mention of Seah.

She looks proud, as if boasting about her own daughter.

“It was amazing. This always depressed girl with poor grades became so bright…”

She chatters enthusiastically with her chin propped up.

Just talking about her student seems to have lifted the gloom from her face.

Siho set down the bottle for a moment and listened attentively to the woman’s story.

News of Seah pleased her as well.

“She did whatever it took to win. Even in student duels, she threw firebombs. I’d never seen such desperation before.”

A flash of light gleams in the woman’s eyes.

As if recalling that fight, she recounts Seah’s heroic deeds with excitement.

“Korean hunters need that kind of desperation.”

“Right now, they’re too satisfied with just achieving a rank. Even though we don’t know when another monster might appear.”

The woman looks at the bartender with a bitter smile.

Soon, as if disappointed in Korea’s reality, her expression turns gloomy again.

“So I was curious about the bartender who gave courage to a failing student.”

Siho covers his mouth with the back of his hand, seemingly embarrassed.

A peculiar habit he’s developed lately.

“I’m afraid I’m not someone who lives up to expectations… I’m sorry.”

As the bartender mumbles, the woman shakes her head.

“No, I find you more interesting precisely because you seem weak.”

The woman speaks loudly, as if complimenting him.

Though slightly hurt by being called weak, Siho decided to take it as a compliment.

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself, have I?”

The woman reaches into her jacket’s inner pocket.

She takes out a business card and hands it to Siho.

<Lina Kim>

Occupation: Academy Supplementary Class Professor

Information: Hunter dispatched to Korea from the American Association

“Please tell me too, the secret to giving courage to children!”

This name, I’ve seen it somewhere…

Soon the bartender remembers the news he just watched on TV.

Siho’s hand holding the card begins to tremble.

He had seen the name on the card in America’s TOP 100 ranking.

An American ranker above 100th place is equivalent to a country’s TOP 10.

This means the woman currently before him has TOP 10 level skills.

Lina is certainly a pretty woman with rabbit-like features.

But among them, she was the strongest American rabbit.