episode_0025

The inn door swung open.

Today, it felt like it had been a while since the last moment.

Even though it had only been two days.

Jiwuk was already in the kitchen.

He was singing along to the song playing on the television.

Come to think of it, that song has been quite popular on the streets lately.

Even in this lawless era where monsters roam, there are idols, huh?

Well, some guests who idolize psychopath killers might as well idolize idols.

I guess it makes sense now.

“Shiho, you’re here?”

He stopped singing and turned off the TV as if embarrassed when he noticed me.

Then he greeted me with a cool smile.

“I like the song, you can keep singing if you want.”

I grinned and took off my windbreaker.

“Should I?”

He turned the TV back on in response to my expression.

I hummed along to the lively song.

Slowly tying an apron around my waist.

Jiwuk gazed at me intently.

Then he suddenly spoke.

“You seem different today, compared to usual.”

“Me?”

He scanned me up and down with a faint smile.

“I don’t know, before, you seemed stiff and gloomy…”

He pondered carefully, choosing his words.

“Now you seem softer, with gentler eyes?”

I looked back at him silently.

“I didn’t mean anything by it, just that your gestures have become more delicate, making you look somewhat like girls these days.”

He chuckled as if it were nothing.

“…”

But his words left me quite shocked.

I could accept being described as softer and gentler.

That could happen.

I’m getting more accustomed to this body little by little.

But being told that I have delicate gestures and resemble girls these days.

It doesn’t sit right with me.

Am I really turning into a girl?

I glanced down at my body.

The curves of my body were clearly visible.

Goosebumps rose on my arms.

“Don’t say strange things, do you have something to eat in the store?”

“You didn’t eat lunch?”

“Someone finished everything…”

I shrugged at his question.

A woman who always eats everything came to mind.

“So, you’re living together with someone.”

He smirked and tilted his head.

Seems like he’s guessing that the reason I’ve become softer lately is because of my cohabitant.

His words made my face flush.

I stuttered, cutting him off.

“No, it’s not like that…”

I turned my head away, not wanting to show Jiwuk my blushing face.

Then I muttered.

“I just shared some food with a stray cat.”

“A stray cat…?”

He came out of the kitchen with freshly baked bread, looking puzzled.

It’s understandable.

Which cat would finish a plate of fried rice?

Should I have said it was a leopard or a Bengal cat?

I checked the alcohol that came in today while nibbling on the bread Jiwuk baked.

With a sorry expression, Jiwuk approached me, clasping his hands as if he had something important to say.

“Um, you see… Could I leave work an hour early today?”

“What’s going on?”

I asked, tearing the bread into small pieces.

Warmth emanated from the bread Jiwuk baked.

“Well, it’s my girlfriend’s birthday today, and I promised to make it special…”

So, Jiwuk has a girlfriend too.

With such a neat appearance, it’s natural for him to have one.

“It’s fine, anyway, there aren’t many customers these days, so I’ll manage alone.”

“Are you sure? If something strange happens again like before…”

It’s a valid concern.

The scene of Anna’s massacre was brutal.

If Jiwuk had seen that gruesome scene firsthand, he would have surely fainted.

“It’s okay. Anna promised not to do such things in front of me anymore.”

I smiled lightly and waved the bread at him.

Then I realized that what I just said might have been a slip of the tongue.

“She even made a promise?”

Jiwuk seemed amazed that we were on speaking terms up to this point, scratching his head in wonder.

“Still, he’s a friend with a story,” I muttered quietly.

Suddenly, her name came up, and memories of the morning resurfaced.

The moments nestled in Anna’s arms…

Why did she ask about his finger back then!

My body trembled.

Since then, I’ve felt more sensitive.

As Jiwuk said, even my gaze and body have softened.

I held my breath and tensed my body to erase those thoughts.

I’m someone who has been to the military.

Get a grip, really.

“—.”

Was it when the store playlist repeated for the tenth time?

It had already become late evening.

The moments of late night were quiet.

People who used to visit because of Anna’s reputation had started giving up after a month of her absence.

Moreover, the poorly made Black Velvet due to performance was truly tasteless.

It’s rare for someone to drink an unpleasant cocktail twice.

I wiped the glass with a bitter feeling.

“But it’s a bit frustrating when customers don’t show appreciation.”

There was an hour left until closing time.

I had planned to listen to music absentmindedly during this time.

But that plan was soon shattered.

Because the front door creaked open.

A woman wearing a pressed hat walked in with her hands in her pockets.

Her steps were graceful, almost rhythmic.

It felt like watching an excited girl.

Yes, the feeling of coming to a bar as an adult for the first time.

“Excuse me-.”

The girl sat down at the counter and called out to me.

I calmly wiped my hands with a towel and responded to her call.

“Yes, welcome.”

She raised her face towards me suddenly.

Then, discreetly covering her mouth with one hand, she asked,

“Is this the bar where ‘Miss Anna’ is supposed to come?”

I involuntarily squinted at the question I heard every time.

Well, that’s right.

“Anna hasn’t been here for over a month now.”

I replied nonchalantly.

At my irresponsible attitude, the girl’s mouth lifted into a smile.

“It’s okay, you never know. She might come today.”

This could be trouble.

Is she going to ask me to dance at the inn again?

Her words, oblivious to style, sent a chill down my spine.

I instinctively cleared my throat.

“I’ll wait. Is that okay?”

“You won’t have anything to do until closing time.”

“Alright, I’ll leave accordingly!”

The girl narrowed her eyes as if she understood something.

But she completely misunderstood the meaning of my words.

I meant I wanted to leave since closing was near…

Sitting on a high chair, the girl swung her legs.

I carefully observed her.

The checkered short skirt caught my eye first.

Are skirts this short in fashion these days?

Sehee too, so defenseless.

But soon, black shorts showed through the skirt.

That’s a relief.

The top was even worse.

It’s nearly 5 degrees outside, yet she wore a long-sleeved tee that clearly revealed her belly button.

Thankfully, she had a fleece jacket on top, but just looking at her made me feel cold.

Seems like she enjoys dressing up.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

The girl propped her chin on her hands and asked me.

Her gaze, looking up at me, was cat-like.

“Just looked cold.”

“You’re worried about me? How kind.”

The girl smiled brightly.

Each word she spoke felt draining.

It felt like being on a TV show without interest.

My nose tickled.

Since earlier, a strong scent seemed to emanate from her.

Is it perfume?

No.

It’s not an artificial smell but a natural scent.

The closer she was, the stronger the fragrance became, making my mind hazy.

To shake off that feeling, I asked her,

“While waiting, would you like some milk or something?”

“What milk? This is a bar, right? Give me a drink.”

She grinned while looking at the display shelf.

Like selecting a pretty doll, she points at the bottle with her finger.

“We don’t sell alcohol to minors.”

As I avoid her gaze, the girl chuckles and claps her hands.

“I’m an adult, unnie.”

“Well then, can you show me some ID?”

“Oh.”

The sudden question causes the girl’s tension to drop.

I knew it.

Usually, students looking to buy alcohol freeze at this question.

“Um… I left it in the manager’s car…”

“You can go get it from the car.”

Confidently, I cross my arms and speak.

Upon hearing this, the girl fidgets with her hands.

“The car has already left.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that. How about some milk-.”

I nonchalantly take out milk from the fridge.

It suits her cat-like appearance very well.

“Unnie… My wish is to try alcohol here once. It was where Anna was…”

The girl sniffs and curls up her body.

As she tugs at my apron and gazes at me intently, a strange scent intensifies as the child gets closer.

I firmly shake my head.

“Absolutely not.”

Her attempted aegyo doesn’t work, and the girl lets out a deep sigh.

Her face seems slightly flushed compared to before.

“Well, then, please just leave.”

I close my eyes slightly and wait for her to leave.

However, no matter how long I wait, I don’t hear the sound of the girl getting up from the chair.

Instead, she speaks to me.

“Now you believe me, right? That I’m an adult…”

Her words make me even more uneasy.

What is she going to do now…

I blink and look at the counter table.

The girl, with her hat off, smiles broadly at me.

With her black hair shining and everything.

Yes, she’s pretty.

She’s quite beautiful for an ordinary minor.

But what does she want?

My face involuntarily scrunches up at her repeated antics.

Did she come here for medicine or something?

Come to think of it, her eyes seem slightly glazed.

“What… is it?”

As I show confusion, the girl’s confident eyes waver.

She seems quite flustered.

“Unnie, you really don’t know?”

Placing both hands on the table, she stands up abruptly.

Then, leaning in, she says, “You don’t know?”

I pull up my falling apron and reply.

The girl, perhaps feeling humiliated, leaves her seat and heads towards the spacious hallway.

And then she starts doing some strange movements.

“Like this? You must have seen it on TV. There are so many channels these days…”

I dumbfoundedly shake my head.

In response, she takes a deep breath and looks at me accusingly.

“Give me your phone.”

“Why do you need the phone?”

“I left mine in the car.”

So she left a lot of things in the car when she got out.

I casually take out my phone and hand it to her.

Skillfully, she opens YouTube.

After a while, a song starts playing on the speaker.

She casually shows me the music video.

“Do you see me here?”

My eyes widen.

I alternate between the idol in the video and the girl in front of me.

Satisfied with my reaction, the girl smiles broadly and crosses her arms.

An idol group made up of A-rank hunters, Eimer.

Among them, the youngest member and dancer, Jaehee.

The girl in front of me right now is none other than that Jaehee.

Finally, I could understand her flashy fashion.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“What satisfaction will that bring? It clearly says nineteen years old.”

My eyes narrow as if my mind is racing at her statement.

It seems like she prepared some sort of trump card, but in the end, she only revealed her age.

You’re still a kid.

I’m an adult.

Even with the mention of being an idol, she doesn’t care, causing her to clench her fists.

Then, in a much lower voice than the nasal tone she had shown so far, she sighs.

“It won’t work. I tried to be nice.”

With a husky voice, she questions me again.

“Did you also read my abilities when you looked at my profile earlier?”

Abilities?

At her words, a chill runs down my spine involuntarily.

Come to think of it, she was also listed as an A-rank hunter…

Could it be that she’s trying to threaten me with her abilities?

I swallow once and scan through her personal information thoroughly.

As I do so, I come to a halt at the abilities section.

Pheromones?

The moment I mutter that, Jaehui grabs my wrist firmly.

I never knew such strong strength could come from a girl who is similar in height to me.

Gradually, a pink hue flashes in the eyes of the idol.

“Uh…?”

I blankly stare at those eyes.

It’s a sensation of warmth spreading through my body.