Ch.80Cocktail Chocolate 1

It’s a bright, clear morning.

I left the house wearing the backpack I used during my days as a wandering merchant.

I’m heading out to catch the shuttle bus sent by the Association.

I fiddle with my braided hair while staring at the glass of the bus stop.

“…”

While carefully examining my reflection,

I remember the Councilor’s instructions to come in comfortable clothing no matter what.

Honoring his words, I wore a tank top underneath with a checkered button-up shirt on top.

These were clothes Jaei picked out for me. The checkered shirt in particular feels familiar since I often wore it during my days as a man.

But this shirt Jaei chose is oversized and hangs loosely on me.

One side barely clings to my shoulder while the other has slipped down to my elbow.

When I asked how I could possibly go around looking so ridiculous, Jaei retorted that this was how it’s supposed to be worn and scolded me instead.

Young girls these days…

Thankfully, I’m wearing jeans for bottoms.

I was terrified she might pick out a skirt or something, but fortunately, she handed me blue jeans with slightly torn knees.

The completed outfit looks…

No matter how I look at it, I don’t look like a government employee at all.

Should I change clothes now…?

Anyone would think I look more like a college girl heading to a part-time job than an Association employee.

Just as I was stomping my feet anxiously,

the Association bus arrived without ceremony.

The doors open automatically.

Inside was a driver in a white shirt.

“Han Si-ho?”

“Yes, that’s me!”

“Get in.”

I slowly climb the bus steps following his gesture.

Several civil servants were already seated inside.

Am I the last pickup…?

Trying hard to ignore their burdensome stares, I searched for an empty seat.

Fortunately, there was one seat no one had taken.

I carefully sat down, hugging my thick bag.

“—.”

Two female employees are sitting diagonally behind me.

Dressed in formal attire, they whisper to each other after seeing my overly casual appearance.

But their whispers are loud enough for me to hear.

“That’s her, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I heard she got in through connections?”

“Seriously, why are there so many of these kids lately? Even her outfit is a mess.”

“Is she going farming? Did we get a Ministry of Agriculture too?”

Their back-and-forth is impressive.

Are they some kind of soccer team?

Their passing form is insane.

I tried hard to ignore their voices.

I just stared at the scenery passing by outside the window, my head turned away.

I planned to just wait until we arrived at my new workplace.

But then…

“Excuse me.”

Those women from earlier lean their heads toward me and ask.

Afraid of what humiliation might come next, I stared at them blankly.

“Yes…?”

“Which department were you assigned to?”

“Just curious.”

The two take turns asking.

Like mine, silver badges are pinned to their suit jackets.

At least B-rank hunters.

The two hunters seem ready to tease me thoroughly, their lips full of mischief.

“Um… the Hunter Research Institute.”

When I answer quietly, their expressions become strange.

Their smiles disappear, and they roll their eyes at each other without saying anything for a moment.

“Could it be… that institute managed by Councilor Park…?”

“Yes.”

Their previously knowing expressions turn pale.

They cover their mouths and whisper to each other again.

“I guess she’s not here through connections after all.”

“Yeah, poor thing…”

Poor thing?

Is going to the institute something to be pitied for?

I suddenly feel scared.

I neatly place both hands on my thighs and swallow.

“Is this your first assignment to the institute?”

“Yes…”

“You’ll have a tough time.”

“Hang in there.”

Unlike their earlier rudeness when they gossiped about me, they’re now smiling.

Is working at the institute so difficult that it completely changed their attitude?

Curiosity wells up inside me.

I cleared my throat and was about to ask them about the institute.

But at that moment.

“Next stop: Hunter Association, Gangseo Branch.”

The two women immediately stood up when they heard the announcement.

They hurried to get off the bus.

“Wait, please! What exactly is the institute like?”

I called out to them as they were leaving.

But the hunters didn’t give me any answer.

They just shook their heads with serious expressions before getting off.

But that was enough.

It was sufficient to explain how terrible a position the institute was.

My lower eyelids tremble.

Left alone, I slumped back into my seat.

Right, a position I got for free wouldn’t be comfortable…

I’ll have to endure it…

I chewed on my lip, lost in thought.

The Association employees who filled the bus gradually started getting off.

No matter how many stops passed, my turn to get off never seemed to come.

That emptiness made me anxious.

And that anxiety soon gave birth to longing.

I miss you, Senior Jiwook…

The Red Temple where I used to go for drinks every night… Anna too…

I closed my eyes briefly, thinking of them.

Until I arrived at my new workplace that would pay me 12 million won per month.

“Miss!”

“Miss…!”

A sudden voice snapped me back to reality.

I lifted my bent neck and quickly looked around.

“We’ve arrived at the institute.”

The bus driver had come right up to me to wake me up.

I wiped the drool from my mouth and stood up.

“Y-yes. Thank you.”

I secured my bag firmly.

As I stumbled off the bus, lush greenery greeted me.

The chirping of birds and the sound of cool breeze.

Wait a minute… where am I?

Before I could even enjoy the momentary greenery, I looked around.

In the spacious parking lot, there were only five cars visible.

And forests and mountains surrounding the parking lot.

The only building was a massive resort.

“Um… driver, is this really the institute?”

“Yes, it’s Councilor Park Shinae’s private research institute.”

I still couldn’t believe his words.

No matter how I looked at it, it was just a luxurious resort…

“Originally, most agents assigned here quit, so it’s not even an official stop.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes, so please quit quickly too. It’s really hard driving all the way out here.”

The driver muttered as if tired.

Then, sitting back in the driver’s seat, he says:

“Pickup time is 8 PM, so come out here by then.”

“Th-thank you…”

I bowed deeply toward the closing automatic door.

My loose checkered shirt stretched out as I did.

The bus soon left with a loud noise.

Left alone in the parking lot, I gripped my bag tightly.

And I stared up at the magnificent resort building.

“I guess I’ll go in.”

I pushed the large glass door with all my strength.

As I entered, the sound of my sneakers echoed throughout the lobby hall.

I approached the central desk.

But…

No one was there.

No staff or agents were visible in this spacious hall.

The desk and the hall were all dark.

Like a ghost resort.

“What’s going on…?”

I put my index finger in my mouth.

And looked around.

“Is anyone here?”

I called out loudly.

But only my echo returned.

“Is really no one here-!?”

I cupped my hands like a megaphone and shouted again with all my might.

“…”

I swallowed deeply.

The bus had long since departed.

I can’t just wait here from 9 AM until 8 PM.

I slowly walked toward the area with guest sofas.

Since the Councilor surely knows I’m coming, I plan to wait nearby.

As I was heading to the seats, I stopped abruptly at a faint sound.

“—.”

Game sounds?

Following the sound, I saw someone’s legs sticking out from a sofa.

A black mask and a black hat.

A boy in suspiciously all-black attire was lying on the seat playing a mobile game.

My lips twitch at the sight, reminiscent of Anna.

Drawn by the familiar feeling, I approached him.

As I fidgeted beside him, the boy rolled his eyes slightly.

He removed his AirPods and looked up at me intently.

“Who are you?”

Not a boy…?

His androgynous voice makes it confusing.

“I’m supposed to start working here today…”

The androgynous child sat up.

Then, while stretching, he muttered as if remembering something.

“Ah, the bartender Mother mentioned.”

That was all.

After saying that, he focused on his phone again.

Since he had removed his AirPods, only the sound of his game echoed through the resort.

Usually in this situation, someone would guide me…

But this child treats me like I’m invisible.

However, there was no one else in the resort.

With no other choice, I plopped down next to him.

But whether I sat or not, he didn’t care.

He only moved his fingers across the phone screen.

I glanced sideways to peek at his game screen.

It’s a defense game where you place hunter characters in specific areas to block incoming monsters.

I know this game too.

Back when I was an F-rank hunter, I would sit idly playing games when there was no work.

The lower your hunter rank, the more time you have for games, so my game rank kept rising day by day.

If that principle applies to others, this child would actually be an S-rank hunter.

That’s how terrible his gaming skills were.

He bought expensive hunter characters that are hard to obtain and placed them mindlessly.

He won’t be able to block anything like that!

“Damn it…”

The boy scratched his head as if things weren’t going well.

He tilted his head and moved his fingers irritably.

“Excuse me…”

“What?”

When I spoke, he frowned as if his concentration was broken.

I carefully pointed at his phone with my finger.

“I think you’ll beat it if you put an archer here-.”

I smiled at the boy.

He chewed his lip and looked back and forth between me and the phone.

The boy flipped his phone around.

And started changing the placement as he pleased.

Ah… he’s going to die again.

“Mission Failed!”

The hand holding his phone trembled.

I tilted my head with my hands behind my back.

My side hair tickles the boy’s mask as I got closer.

“Over there-. Try there. Trust me-.”

The boy cleared his throat.

And finally, obediently changed the archer’s position following my chin’s direction.

Soon the archer was firing arrows at the tree monsters.

The stumps, turned into porcupines, staggered and collapsed helplessly.

“Mission Complete!”

With a fanfare sound, a success mark appeared in the center of the screen.

I proudly put my hands on my hips.

“See? I’m a top-ranked player in this game-.”

The boy’s eyebrow twitched.

He muttered in a small voice.

“Well, not bad…”

“Let’s try the next round right away!”

I urged him excitedly.

The boy obediently clicked the next round button.

Following my guidance, the boy moved his fingers diligently.

Like a blocked meridian finally clearing, we went on a winning streak.

We only stopped when the stamina gauge hit 100.

“Whew… that was satisfying.”

I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

The boy, seemingly satisfied with our performance, straightened his previously arrogant posture.

“You’re pretty good?”

“Of course-. I used to play this all day while just eating-, though it was easy because your characters are good.”

I patted the child’s shoulder as if to say “well done.”

He brushed off the shoulder I touched and cleared his throat.

“You said you’re a bartender?”

“Yeah. But there’s no one at the desk so I couldn’t get in.”

He tucked his phone into his jacket.

Then, shrugging his shoulders, he told me:

“There’s usually no one here. Follow me.”

The boy said indifferently and stood up.

Then he led the way toward a dark staircase.

Following him, a damp basement soon appeared.

There was one emergency elevator there.

Is… is this the way to my workplace?

No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem related to bartending at all…

It feels like descending into a mine.

“But your outfit is too casual for a bartender. I thought you were a high school girl on a retreat.”

“The Councilor specifically told me to come in comfortable clothes…”

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

He nodded as if suddenly understanding something.

“Ah, because of him. Well… with that figure and that outfit, he’d probably go crazy too.”

The boy said while scanning my body carefully.

Go crazy…?

“When you go down, watch out for a bald guy. He might hit on you.”

“Sounds like a scary person… haha.”

“He’s not scary. Just effeminate. Be careful especially if you’re kind and meddlesome like you are—he might think you like him.”

Soon the elevator stopped at the 10th basement floor.

It’s the first time in my life I’ve seen the number B10.

That unfamiliarity makes my body tense up.

Eventually, the elevator slowly opens.

What could possibly be on the 10th basement floor that requires my presence?

I swallowed deeply and slowly moved my feet.

The bartending tools in my bag rattled.