episode_0037

April, which passed by in the blink of an eye with no time to spare, was followed swiftly by May, the month of family.

Perhaps due to handling busy tasks in March and April beforehand, fortunately, this month was relatively calm with hardly any hectic schedules.

…Honestly, I felt like I was working myself to death for a while.

Adapting to my body, studying, learning how to make cocktails while working.

At first glance, it might seem easy, but… well, it’s not as simple as it looks.

If you’re a working adult, you’d know.

Working, coming back home, exercising rigorously for health maintenance, and then even studying—how challenging it can be.

Amid countless struggles, I relentlessly engaged in those insane activities without a break for a month and a half.

Every time I finished work and returned, I wanted nothing more than to lie down on the cozy, rumpled bed and drift into a deep sleep, but I couldn’t.

If you can’t adapt to your body, if you can’t find a way to live.

It was obvious that life would continue to be tough even without experiencing the hardship.

That exhausting month and a half passed by with relentless effort.

Due to being a trashy species, things were still tough, but undeniably, the quality of life had improved significantly compared to before.

Considering how pathetic our species is, I pondered on how to live a bit safer and more comfortably… and I found a way!

When the obsession kicked in, counting one by one turned into counting two by two.

After taking a deep breath, I could take orders without smelling garlic from the customer’s breath.

…Honestly, at times, I thought it was too shabby to call it a way, but who cares!

As long as I’m comfortable and content, that’s all that matters!

Two months.

A short period, yet a time during which many things could change.

Just as positive changes found their way into my life that was once filled with hardships, the world too had changed significantly from its early days.

Firstly, incidents related to different species decreased significantly.

The Special Law for Different Species played a role, but most importantly, different species were gradually adapting.

Although accidents still occurred due to mishandling their special powers, the frequency was lower than before.

Damage caused by accidents also decreased significantly as methods to control different species became widely known.

Secondly, there was a change in the number of different species individuals.

To be precise, rather than a change, it was more about those unaccounted for finally being tallied.

A policy where carrots were given to those who declared themselves mutants and lashes to those who didn’t.

Thanks to this policy, mutants began to voluntarily declare themselves, and after two months, the ratio was approximately 3000:1.

…If we include those not yet counted as mutants, the ratio might be even higher?

Honestly, considering the 10,000:1 ratio, there were quite a few different species.

When heading out to work in the evening, you could see a mutant at least once on the way to the cocktail bar.

Thirdly, there was a change in… well, let’s say the societal attitude towards different species?

Due to the high number of incidents in the early days, they were labeled as ‘time bombs waiting to explode.’

However, along with the decrease in incidents mentioned earlier, and the exposure of various weaknesses each species possessed.

Different species began to receive a gaze of ’empathy’ rather than ‘hatred.’

Someone once said.

Different species are like disabled people without disabilities.

…I couldn’t argue against that.

Reflecting on the two months of struggling to survive, I found myself nodding involuntarily.

Though it stung a bit not to be treated as a normal person, overall, the situation was quite positive.

I thought that if I endured just a bit more for another fortnight next month, I would truly walk on a path of roses from then on.

Reality, however…

As expected, things weren’t going as smoothly as I had thought.

“Jiwoo noona! Can you bring out a bottle of Baileys? We just ran out of Baileys!”

“Unni! I can’t find the ice scoop… Oh, sorry! I’ll look carefully again!”

“Guests? You shouldn’t be doing this here…! Hey, Han Jiwoo! Sorry, but could you move this guest! The rainbow is about to come out any minute now!”

“Haha, today is truly a mess.”

After all the busy work was done, I thought I could finally have a few peaceful days. But without realizing it, it seemed like some famous person had visited recently, as guests kept pouring in endlessly these past few days.

…When will I ever find happiness?

Shaking the shaker absentmindedly, the owner sighed as they watched me do so without any emotion.

“We should probably stop taking photos from now on. My cozy cocktail bar has turned into a market square… Oh, this can’t go on.”

“…How long do you think this will last? Judging by how the momentum shows no sign of slowing down, it seems like quite a famous person must have visited.”

“Sigh, I don’t know. I hope it’s less than a week. Should we just close the shop for a few days?”

“Well, considering May 5th is a Friday… I predict things will get crazy starting from the 4th, Mr. Manager.”

It’s only because it’s a weekday that the next day’s work is acting as a restraint. If that restraint were to be lifted… then I might end up being a cocktail-making machine until closing time, dealing with troublesome customers… Ugh, just the thought of it is dreadful.

“Sigh.”

Letting out a long sigh while shaking my head, the owner, who had been glancing at their phone, suddenly looked determined.

“…Wait, did a really famous celebrity visit? Well, there’s nothing we can do! Since it’s come to this, let’s just take a break from the 4th to the 7th!”

“Are you sure about this? Taking too long of a break might hit the business hard…”

“This is my building. Running the bar is just a hobby.”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”

Yes, this person was indeed a wealthy individual. They exuded so much humanity that sometimes they were mistaken for other owners or managers.

“Your Peach Crush order is ready. Enjoy.”

During the long day off, I pondered what I should do and handed a cocktail to a guest.

For some reason, the guest who ordered the Peach Crush started to feel strangely familiar.

…Even though it was my first time seeing this guest, why do they seem so familiar?

As I stopped making the next cocktail and stared intently, the guest playfully smiled and flicked their finger.

“So you finally notice me?”

With a sharp sound echoing, a slow transformation began.

At the end of that transformation…

“…Jung Hyun?”

“Correct.”

There was a devilish laughter coming from the demon.

—–

[These demon bastards are seriously lame, lol]

Author: Anonymous (211.36)

Working so hard to do bad deeds, but can’t even come close to my level of mischief, lol

Sponging off parents while being unemployed <- Honestly, just looking at this, am I not worse than a demon?

Ah lol…

(Frog meme with closed eyes shedding tears)

Mom, I'm sorry… This year, I will definitely get a job…

33 likes 56 dislikes

– Seriously worse than demons…

– Stop sponging off your parents;;

– I’m so sorry I’m so sorry I’m so sorry I’m so sorry I’m so sorry…

– Even demons would flee in terror from this, wow…

– Turn off the community chat and go study. Where do you find time to chat, idiot?

– (Believe in Mommy icon)

– But seriously, worse than demons. I saw them at the mart the other day, displaying scenes of inhumanity by just gaping their mouths wide open?

.

.

.

After the confusing events of White Day, it was truly a long-awaited reunion with Jung Hyun.

With a warm heart, I intended to ask how you’ve been all this time, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it after seeing the shadow on his face.

…Have you experienced something unpleasant? Or is it because Hye-eun has been bothering you too much like last time?

Carefully speculating the reason, I asked the devil with a bitter smile.

“Why did you come here? You never touch alcohol unless it’s during gatherings.”

“Just felt a bit suffocated and came… got even more suffocated. If I knew there would be this many people, I wouldn’t have come.”

“If you had said something, we could have found a quiet place for you. Then why didn’t you?”

“Hehe, that wouldn’t be any fun, right? Well, you seemed to see through me as soon as you arrived.”

Snap!

As soon as I flicked my finger again, the guy transformed into a bald anchovy man in an instant.

After serving another guest a cocktail, I returned to him and expressed my envy.

“I envy your transformation ability. Some can only transform into small bats.”

“Having a good ability comes with penalties… No, I shouldn’t talk about this in front of you, right?”

“…Are you teasing me?”

“Haha, sorry. But the penalties can be quite annoying. As I mentioned before, you have to fulfill your daily quota of misdeeds. Roughly…”

While speaking, he looked around and then transformed back into a demon, approaching a woman who suddenly turned pale.

He took something out of his pocket, swiftly unwrapped it, and shoved it into the mouth of the woman who had turned pale.

“Gulp… Gasp…?!”

Feeling like she swallowed something, the tipsy woman stared at Jung-hyun with a surprised expression.

She glared fiercely, starting to curse the demon with a twisted pronunciation.

“You, you! What did you make me eat…?!”

“Hehe, I fed you something really good! It works immediately upon consumption. Hahaha!!!”

“Cough, cough… What are these people trying to do to me…!”

“You can just watch! So, how’s your body feeling? Getting warmer?”

“Ugh…!”

As the woman shrank while letting out a strange moan, everyone’s attention focused on her.

Although pretending not to care, they were all quite curious.

Intrigued myself, I watched with another bartender, and soon the moaning stopped, replaced by the woman’s embarrassed voice.

“Did I… sober up? W-what did you feed me?!”

“Haha! I naturally gave you a hangover remedy! Made with elven magic, so the effects are guaranteed! Now… tell me how you feel! Devoid of that hangover feeling! That sense of being stripped bare!”

“Uh, um, ah…”

Embarrassed by the devil’s wicked plan, the tipsy guest stumbled over her words and rushed out with a flushed face.

The devil, satisfied as he watched her leave, returned to me as if his task was done and spoke again.

“That’s how it goes. But the problem is…”

“Let’s talk about it later.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Just because. Suddenly, I felt embarrassed that you’re my friend.”