episode_0006

Warm meat stew.

Soft bread.

With each swallow, the hot warmth spreads throughout the body.

Watching someone hastily eat in a corner of the kitchen, Jiwook gazes at them with pity.

He is a curly-haired, handsome young man and the sole chef of the Moment Inn.

Since the innkeeper abandoned the shop, he has taken charge of everything in the store.

“What have you been up to for a month to show up now? Have you been homeless somewhere?” he asks as he hands me a cup of warm milk.

“…”

I pondered how to respond to Jiwook but ended up just sealing my lips shut.

Perhaps due to my first meal in three days, my head wasn’t working well, and I didn’t want to delve into this girl’s gloomy past.

Observing my awkward expression in silence, Jiwook eventually let out a deep sigh.

“Never mind. At least you’ve shown up at the store again.”

Wiping his hands with a dry towel, he instructed me to take over the hall once the meal was finished.

I nodded and popped the remaining piece of bread into my mouth.

As some food filled my body, I began to feel a bit stronger.

Following the momentum, I tied on the apron hanging in the corner and leisurely made my way to the hall counter.

In reality, this place seemed to be the same Moment Bar that my sister had always talked about.

However, it was on the verge of ruin due to severe financial difficulties and the owner’s neglect, ultimately transitioning into an inn rather than a bar.

Even though there were only three rooms available for lodging…

And even those weren’t occupied, resulting in minimal income.

Yet, the hall boasted a grandeur of the past with as many as ten tables.

However, despite the spacious establishment, there were only two guests present.

The guests seemed relatively mild-mannered.

A middle-aged man and a Hunter Academy girl in uniform.

They appeared to have some sort of relationship.

They chatted happily, seemingly satisfied with Jiwook’s cooking.

Indeed, his food was delicious, even after three days of hunger.

Why were there so few customers in such a decent inn?

Quietly, I wiped the tables with the towel.

The tables were so old that the grease stains were stubborn and hard to remove, causing me trouble.

Each time I pressed hard with my hands to scrub off the black grease, my heart felt weighed down.

In movies or novels, when people get reincarnated or regress, they usually gain dramatic abilities or embark on new adventures.

Here I am, just a part-time worker wiping tables…

Come to think of it, compared to my past life, this one seems even worse.

Being smaller and weaker now, I’m at a greater disadvantage in raids.

Once the grease stains were finally removed, I straightened my sore back.

Every task felt like a struggle after lying down for three days.

I gazed at the entrance of the store.

Should I just toss the towel and leave like this?

Suddenly, I frowned at the thought.

No.

I decided to live stubbornly.

Am I going to run away again?

First, let’s earn money here and pay the rent.

Then, equip myself and register with the Association.

“—.”

Dark shadows loomed at the door I was staring at.

Eventually, the door opened, and five male guests strode into the store.

Dressed uniformly in black suits, they resembled a single army.

Not only were they all huge, but their eyes lacked vitality, appearing dark.

Among them, a man stood out at the front.

With thin, long eyes, he shrugged off his black leather gloves.

There was a snake tattoo around his neck, vivid as if a real venomous snake was coiled around it.

The discomfort emanating from his tattoo made my hair stand on end.

The other two guests seemed to feel a similar unease and avoided eye contact with them.

The warm air in the store quickly turned as cold as the outside world.

“May I help you…?”

Summoning courage, I asked.

But my voice trembled, and I faltered, feeling intimidated.

“…”

He glanced at me briefly, then ignored me and sat at the counter table.

The other four quietly took seats at nearby tables.

“Hasn’t the owner shown up for work today?”

This owner…?

Perhaps talking about the innkeeper.

“Yes… He hasn’t shown up.”

“This is awkward. It’s been three months since I last received payment.”

He takes off his gloves and looks at his fingers.

His fingers are so white and long that one might doubt they belong to a human.

The eerie sight sends shivers down my spine.

“Would you like a drink, perhaps…?”

When I ask, he absentmindedly responds while stroking his fingers.

“Just the usual.”

How could I know what you usually drink…

“I-I’m new here, so I don’t know. If you tell me, I can…”

As I try to explain in detail, the man stares right through me.

Meeting his snake-like yellow eyes, my words get stuck in my throat.

He then narrows his eyes and smiles slyly.

His sharp, uniform teeth revealed when he smiles are chilling.

“Yes, got it. I’ll prepare what you usually have…”

I stutter and flee to the kitchen.

I complain to Jiwook, who is cooking, in a trembling voice.

“A strange man came to the inn asking for his usual drink. What should we do? He won’t tell us even when asked…”

“Could it be Jeksaga? Damn it, of all times…”

He pauses from frying and wipes his forehead.

“For now, just bring out any bottle. Whoever he is, he’ll occupy the place all day.”

Even the veteran Jiwook seems tense as he sighs.

Did he resort to extortion with this establishment…

“We… We should do something quickly.”

His sigh indicates the seriousness of the situation.

So, this is why the popular restaurant has no customers.

Even the few jobs available are now at risk.

We need to turn the situation around somehow…

“For now… I’ll try making something.”

“Making something? Do you even know how to make cocktails? Jeksaga is one of the top villains in Geumcheon. Don’t provoke him without reason…”

He asks with a worried tone, considering the poor reputation of the inn so far.

But it’s okay.

This time will be different.

“I can make a few things.”

I secure my apron tightly.

After all, can that guy be scarier than the counters?

Come to think of it, I’ve even knocked out one of them before.

Alone, the man with yellow eyes gazes at me intensely.

Meeting his gaze, the courage I had moments ago vanishes.

He’s truly terrifying…!

I take a deep breath.

Then, I calmly survey the bottles displayed in the shop.

What should I make to satisfy this ruthless man?

Nevertheless, I’m quite familiar with alcohol.

Liking to drink and liking to create drinks are two different things.

Since Jisoo liked alcohol so much, I tried making cocktails several times to give her one someday.

Someday…

It’s probably impossible now.

Thinking of her makes my heart ache.

That faint feeling flows through my fingertips, creating a subtle light.

“You.”

Jeksaga’s cold voice pierces through me.

At his single word, I tense up.

“Give me something strong.”

“S-something strong. Of course.”

I pick up a small knife from the counter.

Why am I suddenly looking for a knife, how scary…

As I hand the knife to Jeksaga, our hands touch.

In that moment, a small light flowing from my fingertips transfers to him.

“Angelic Hand.”

In my mind, an image of Jeksaga begins to form.

Like a scene from a movie, his experiences of today replay like film.

He enters a restaurant.

Upon opening the door, he is greeted by numerous hunters waiting to kill him.

However, Jeksaga simply smiles at them.

He effortlessly dodges the charging hunters like a boneless creature.

Simultaneously, he inserts his long fingers into their sides, chests, and shoulders.

The hunters contort grotesquely and fall as he touches them.

Their decaying, purple-hued skin prevented them from even uttering a single scream.

In just ten minutes of combat, the twenty hunters had all met their end.

The once bustling restaurant now stood silent, with only one enemy left standing.

He staggered, reaching for the beer bottle on the table.

Feeling suffocated, he gulped down the beer, his turtleneck sweater tight around his neck as he chugged the bottle.

Despite the refreshing beer, his expression remained grim.

“I wish it were sweeter.”

Nonchalantly, he dropped the beer bottle to the floor.

The loud shattering of the bottle echoed through the bloodstained restaurant.

“Beer just isn’t my style after all.”

With those final words, his memory shattered.

I rubbed my throbbing temples.

The past I saw in him ends right here.

Perhaps it was what happened earlier today at noon.

This person… is more ruthless than I thought.

He meticulously trimmed his nails excessively that I gave him.

Looks like I won’t be able to use that excessive kindness again…

Maybe he’s as strong as the Counters.

Having watched a horror movie, I swallowed nervously.

But it wasn’t entirely unskilled.

Thanks to that, I learned that he dislikes beer and prefers something sweeter.

Something as cool and flavorful as beer.

There’s only one thing I can make right now that fits that description.

I pick out a familiar bottle from the displayed liquor.

Yes.

Let’s give this a try.

A clean glass filled with clear ice.

A fresh ounce of gin (30ml).

Top it up with tonic water.

Finish by gently dabbing the rim of the glass with fresh lemon juice.

Rating: ★★★

Effect: Restores 10% of the consumer’s vitality.

Information: A flawless gin tonic made according to the recipe.

Its fresh and tangy taste is excellent.

It’s fantastic to drink after a hard day’s work.

Received a bonus ☆ thanks to Angelic Hand’s effect.

“I’ll serve you what you usually drink.”

I hand him the glass calmly.

The arch of Jexa’s eyebrow flickers as he takes the glass.

“This is what I usually drink?”

“You’ll be drinking this from now on.”

I forced a smile and adjusted my hair.

At that, Jexa, finding my response amusing, gives a sardonic smile.

A truly sardonic smile indeed…

His long fingers wrap around the glass.

I hold both hands together, watching anxiously as he drinks.

“Please…”

A snake coils around his throat.

After drinking about half the glass, Jexa gazes at me sharply.

The corners of the man’s mouth, resembling a snake, twitch.

Enough…

I clenched my fists under the counter.

Eventually, he lightly flicks the finger holding the glass.

The glass falls to the ground like the beer bottle seen in the illusion.

The quiet inn fills with the sound of shattering glass.

Everyone in the shop froze in place.

“What a disappointment?”