episode_0012

A day filled with peculiar customers.

Amidst the chaos, only the sighs of the staff and the owner could be heard.

“…You’ve all worked hard today, go and rest.”

“Are you really planning to clean up alone? It’ll take quite a while…”

“Just taking it easy while tidying up. Why are you guys being so meticulous about leaving work on time today of all days?”

As we hesitated at the playful urging, the owner pushed us out of the bar, even nudging us with their back.

“Oh, right. You don’t have to come in tomorrow night. Let’s take a day off since you’ve been working hard. Got it?”

They went as far as declaring a day off and locking the shop door.

After being ushered out, silence settled in front of the shop.

The youngest employee who recently joined nervously approached me.

“…Jaehyuk hyung.”

“What is it?”

“Is our boss okay? I’ve never seen them like this since I started working here.”

“They’ll be fine. Do you think our boss would collapse over something like this?”

“I know, but… Aren’t you worried? You’ve been here the longest among us.”

How could I not be worried?

I slowly shook my head at his words.

Lately, with an increase in hybrid customers visiting the bar, incidents have been on the rise.

While there were always polite customers like the laid-back fox beastman or the pixie who was always chased by Nero, there were also quite a few troublesome customers like the dwarf causing a ruckus looking for beer or the elf who couldn’t eat anything processed.

It was strange that it wasn’t more challenging.

The people working at the bar weren’t suffering from severe trauma, so wouldn’t they enjoy mental anguish?

“…What decision will they make?”

“What? What do you mean?”

Most of the recent difficulties at the bar were due to the hybrid customers, right? They might decide not to accept hybrid customers in the future.

“…Wouldn’t that cause social controversy? People might accuse us of discriminating against hybrids, and the business could suffer, right?”

“Our boss doesn’t care about that. They got rich from cryptocurrency and started running the bar out of boredom.”

“Oh, then everything should be fine.”

The youngest let out a relieved sigh.

Even though they pay well, it seemed absurd to work here for life. I gently teased the young one.

Smack!

“Ouch! Why did you hit me out of nowhere?”

“I hit you to snap you out of it! Our boss isn’t some protagonist; they won’t keep lazy employees like you around forever.”

“At least I won’t complain as much as you do every day… Haha… Sorry, sorry…! Hyung! Vio-violence stop!!!”

“Stop the violence? Who do you think you’re talking to, someone who’s actually going to hurt someone.”

After tousling his hair and letting him go, I suggested dispersing the crowd gathered outside the shop.

“If you stay in front of the shop, the boss might get agitated again. I’m heading out first. See you tomorrow, everyone.”

Waving goodbye, I slowly walked towards my studio apartment.

My mind and body exhausted from dealing with troublesome customers all day.

Gazing at the sun slowly revealing itself beyond, I exhaled the hardships of the day.

“Ah, it’s tough.”

Once I reach my studio, should I have a drink with Jiyu?

No, he’s probably not in bed yet at this hour.

Turning on my phone, I checked the time: 6:50 PM, slightly later than my usual return time.

When I go back, it seemed like I could see someone happily spending their bedtime on a cozy La Kkura Kkura bed.

“If I’m sleeping, might as well have a drink tonight, nothing urgent.”

To forget the hard day’s work, I hummed a tune and soon arrived at my small studio.

Opening the door, I was warmly greeted by a vampire reading a novel while eating popcorn.

“You’re late today? Anything going on?”

“Just had a lot to tidy up, so I left work late. What about you? Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“Oh, I found a really interesting new novel after a long time. Got caught up in it… yawn…”

With a tired face, the guy yawned widely.

Seemingly finding it tough to have a drink right away, I cautiously asked the guy crawling into bed, “Hey, are you free tonight?”

“At night? If it’s night, time is abundant, but… why?”

“Just thinking of having a drink. The boss told me to take a day off, and I have nothing else to do.”

“What happened to you today?”

“Nothing, why?”

Though he tried to act nonchalant, Jiwoo already sensed something and slyly smiled.

However, unable to shake off the fatigue, he stopped teasing and waved his hand lightly.

“Alright, I’ll clear my schedule. I have something to tell you too. Well then… see you later tonight.”

“Sure.”

Thud –

The door closed weakly.

Staring at the closed door for a while, I felt a vague sensation dissipating and shook my head vigorously.

“…He’s been like this a lot lately. Why does he keep doing this?”

Am I exhausted from dealing with increasingly difficult clients lately?

Yes, that must be the reason.

There couldn’t be any other reason for feeling both tired and hazy.

“…I’ll be fine if I rest for a day. The boss will probably come up with a solution by tomorrow.”

Whatever the reason, the issue will be resolved soon.

Succumbing to the overwhelming drowsiness,

I collapsed on the bed.

—–

“…What’s that smell?”

Early evening.

Roused by a sharp yet sweet scent, I reluctantly got up from my lethargy.

We were supposed to have a drink at night, but is he already making snacks?

Rubbing my eyes, as I stepped out of the room, I saw Jaehyuk diligently crushing something in a bowl.

Sensing my presence, he briefly glanced at me while continuing his task.

“Woke up quite early? Should’ve slept a bit more.”

“The smell is quite strong. By the way, what are you making? With lime and lemon?”

“Oh, just trying to make a cocktail. Realized I made everything except yours.”

“So, what are you making?”

“You might have heard of it once, it’s called a Mojito.”

After a brief response, he poured alcohol and soda water into the glass with crushed ingredients.

A slightly tangy smell wafted through the air.

Seeing the rather appetizing cocktail, I took the glass he handed me and sat at the table.

“Why are you making a cocktail all of a sudden? Last time, you never bothered when I asked.”

“Just felt like trying it today. Maybe it’s professional habit.”

“Wow… hey, this is subtly delicious. So refreshing, it woke me right up.”

“Well, with lemon and lime in it, how could it not be refreshing?”

Grinning while grumbling, he replied.

Having quickly emptied half the glass, I playfully asked him, “So, why do you think our Troublemaker Teacher has come looking for me again?”

“As usual, because of some difficult client.”

“It’s been unusually quiet lately, though. What exactly happened last night?”

“…Five suspicious bastards who couldn’t decide whether to come or not came in a single day. And they were all different species, damn it.”

“…Just hearing about it seems exhausting. Hey, just by listening to that, I feel like I know why you wanted a drink.”

With a contemptuous gaze, as if checking if the ignition was properly set, the guy started rampaging in earnest.

“Wait, seriously messed up, right? The damn dwarf comes to a cocktail bar looking for beer! And this elf crazy woman throws a fit because she was fed processed food! No, shouldn’t they tell us about that in advance? How am I supposed to know without them saying anything! It’s not like they’re regular customers! And there’s no other race as disgusting as an incubus. No, damn it, why is he telling me, a man, that he’ll give me the best night ever? Seriously!”

“Hey, did you get it if it was a succubus?”

“MILF is definitely OK, loli is definitely OUT.”

“Consistent bastards, anyway.”

Despite the disdainful gaze, he casually ignored it and let out a deep sigh as if exhausted.

“Anyway, that’s not important. It’s just tough these days. With the increase in different species customers, the number of suspicious ones has also increased significantly.”

“It’s hard to handle different species. Each race has special abilities, making it extremely dangerous.”

“It’s damn dangerous, really, if the pixie customer hadn’t cast a protective spell today, I would have been injured because of the dwarf customer, right?”

Shaking his head vigorously as if he didn’t even want to think about it, Jaehyuk.

As I tried to comfort him, he emptied the glass of Mojito.

“Phew…”

As I gulped it all down at once, a refreshing yet slightly warm aroma spread rapidly in my mouth.

Feeling somewhat improved, I slowly opened my mouth and spoke.

“Actually, I stayed up all night until morning. I had something to tell you, that’s why I endured.”

“What do you want to say?”

“I’m thinking of learning some bartending. Honestly, there’s not much else I can do for a living.”

“…”

Nodding thoughtfully while playing with the Mojito, the guy finally nodded as if understanding.

“Listening to you, it seems so. Can’t seem to do any decent job, huh?”

“Well, there are internet broadcasting and creative fields, but you know. I’m not good at talking, nor do I have any skills. That’s why…”

Shaking the empty glass, I spoke seriously.

“Could I visit the bar where you work? Maybe learn a bit about the job. Is that possible? I could be a huge help to your bar.”

Maybe I could help deal with those difficult suspicious customers you mentioned. Isn’t that right?

With a puzzled expression, as I added more words, he made a nonchalant face and took something out of the drawer next to the table.

Afterward, he extended the item he took out towards me.

“Hu, h-holy crap?!”

A sensation of nerves tingling throughout my body.

As a fierce warning sent by instinct, I screamed and fell to the floor, and seeing this, the guy burst into laughter, teasing me.

“Geez, what kind of idiot gets subdued by just this?”

…No, this guy is insane.

Using chopsticks is cheating.

How does any lunatic carry that around as self-defense?