episode_0105

First year of college.

When my parents cut off their support due to my poor grades in the first semester, I had to work hard at part-time jobs to pay for tuition and rent.

Perhaps I looked pitiful, as my friends would come over to my place under the guise of seeking advice and bring delicious food.

How could I not treat them at all in my position as the landlord?

I had no choice but to offer them the beer in the fridge, and so whenever my friends came over, I had to endure the awkward atmosphere.

During those times, I could hear many stories from them.

As the mood heated up with alcohol, they would unconsciously reveal stories they had hidden deep inside.

Embarrassing past stories that they could never reveal when sober.

Annoying and frustrating current worries.

Or trivial concerns about the future.

I remember hearing Jaehyuk’s first love story back then.

He came to me in a drunken state, crying and lamenting unexpectedly.

Perhaps it was such a pathetic sight that, except for that memory, I still vividly remember it in my mind.

…Despite causing all sorts of trouble and falling asleep, I clearly remember the hardships I endured in the middle of the night.

Thinking back, it was a memory that made me irritated.

At that time, Jaehyuk’s first love story felt truly pitiful.

I had been watching him since our first year of high school.

I knew how hard he had tried to change.

The girl who rejected his confession felt cruel to me.

But even if we were to meet again, I had vowed to face it without bias.

Even if they were friends, it was wrong to listen to one side and make judgments.

Humans tend to tell stories in a way that benefits them.

Yes, I had definitely made that vow…

“…We’re in the middle of talking as old classmates, so could you not interrupt?”

Even though I made it clear that this was my place, the shameless attitude of this man made me rethink my thoughts.

“Haha…”

Someone said that.

When something is so unbelievable, laughter comes out instead of anger.

Honestly, I had dismissed that saying as nonsense and didn’t believe it.

Unless you were crazy, there was no way you could laugh in such a situation.

But now, I realized.

The words someone had said to me were definitely not false.

He was asking me to open my eyes and see, right?

I laughed awkwardly for a while, then fixed my gaze on the shameless fox in front of me.

And.

“Oh my! It seemed like we were making each other uncomfortable from a distance… I must have been mistaken! I’m sorry…”

“…”

“Well, that’s strange, isn’t it? I heard there was only one girl you were close with… Jaehyuk, could it be her?”

Unable to complain, pretending not to know anything, I started to turn the tables on her.

One slap.

Another slap.

With each heavy blow, the face of my classmate contorted mercilessly.

But she couldn’t dare to argue back, only chewing on her lips and glancing at me.

So I closed the distance with Jaehyuk even more, looking down at her with a mocking gaze.

What can you do besides staring at me like that?

Stop hanging around here and go find another guy.

Don’t try to stir up trouble at someone else’s table.

“Hmph, even if you have no shame, you should at least have some decency.”

“What did you just say?”

“Oh, did I say something?”

“…What?”

No matter how many times I think about it, she really seems like an unscrupulous woman.

What did she gain by trying to hope for another chance?

Honestly, if nothing was given, shouldn’t she at least behave properly?

But what if I had accepted her back then?

She’s really going overboard, that damn woman.

I never had any intention of seeing her in a good light, but the more I think about it, the worse my high school classmate looks.

I opened my mouth with a bright smile, intending to crush the small hope she had.

“Oh, by the way! I saw earlier, it seems like you rejected a confession a long time ago.”

“…”

“It’s really a shame, but it’s best to get rid of any lingering feelings, guest!”

Because…

“As you can see, she’s already mine. Hehe…”

Slipping my finger into view, the guest couldn’t contain their anger any longer and exploded in a fit of rage.

As if waiting for this moment, I called the police and had her thrown out of the store.

It was a truly satisfying end to a long and exhausting day.

—–

“Enjoy your drink and take care.”

“Thank you, guest! Have a safe trip ~”

As the tiring day came to an end, I finally reached closing time.

Stretching to relax my tired body, I realized that the store was unusually quiet.

“…I can’t believe this.”

Except for Yejin, who was a dragon shapeshifter, everyone else looked completely defeated.

Among them, the owner looked particularly devastated, with tears welling up in his eyes as soon as I saw him.

…He was always calm and composed, so how did he end up like this?

I told Yejin that we would clean up in a bit and approached the owner quietly.

“Um, are you okay, sir?”

“…Me, is this… okay, to you?”

“No, I misspoke. I’m sorry, sir.”

“Huh…”

The owner let out a disappointed smile, slowly getting up from the couch.

After silently examining his body with a pained look in his eyes, he let out a sigh and groaned.

“My arm won’t move.”

“…”

“I don’t know how many ice cubes I’ve shaved. I might become a sculptor at this rate.”

Thud!

The owner, lying back on the couch, looked at me with a fierce gaze.

But soon, he averted his gaze and expressed his frustration in a weak voice.

“It’s the first time a vampire has become frustrated like this, really.”

“Should I ask? If you haven’t had garlic in four days, I can turn you into one of us.”

“Enough, you rascal. I don’t want to become a light-loving peach species no matter how hard it gets.”

“You’re going too far, you’re not that much of a trash species.”

“Activate the continuous magic, no garlic rule, and end the turn.”

“Oh, I have to admit that.”

Eating nothing but bland food for nearly four months was truly torturous.

As I nodded my head and chuckled, the owner covered himself with a blanket that I didn’t know when he brought it and cast a sleep spell.

“Clean up properly and leave on your own. I need to get some sleep.”

“Have a good morning, sir.”

“Yeah, thanks for your hard work yesterday, and if you can, see you tonight…”

“Yes, understood.”

As the owner fell asleep, all the bartenders, including myself, quickly and quietly began preparing to leave.

Of course, when we finished preparing, it was much later than usual.

But we still had plenty of time until sunrise, so I leisurely walked towards my apartment after bidding farewell to my colleagues.

“…I’m tired.”

All day long, whether it was because of the hard work or because the sunrise was near, I walked with my shoulders slumped, feeling heavy. As I walked, Jaehyuk, who had been watching me for a moment, tapped my head lightly.

“If it’s too hard, why don’t you turn into a bat and ride on top of my head?”

Just hearing it made it sound sweet and caring. But as I saw his teasing expression, my head involuntarily drooped.

Does he not know what he’s doing right now?

With a puzzled look on my face, I stared at him blankly, then burst into laughter and declined his offer.

“Next time, give me a ride when I’m feeling energetic. It just doesn’t feel right now, no matter how much I think about it.”

“Do I look that tired to you?”

“Yeah, maybe not as much as the boss, but you also seem to be in a pretty serious mood. When you get to your place, take a shower and go to bed right away.”

“…”

With a hesitant expression, he took out his phone, checked his face in a selfie, and nodded as if he understood.

Was he smiling slightly because he found the whole situation amusing?

“…Han Jiwoo.”

“You called?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

Perhaps thinking now was the chance, Jaehyuk, who had been watching me carefully since earlier, cautiously asked me a question.

“About the last thing you said to Park Harin, was it sincere?”

“…Phew.”

I had been curious when he would ask, but now he finally did?

Taking a moment with a sigh, I pondered in front of Jaehyuk, who seemed like he might confess right away.

…Should I just close my eyes and say it?

As a matter of fact, like the thought that just came to mind, being positive was the best choice.

What I hadn’t expected was that he would confess again.

But.

“Well, why don’t you take a guess? Whether that statement was true or false.”

Suppressing my desire, I playfully said ‘pending’ without any particular reason.

I just didn’t feel like it.

Receiving a confession right now.

I’m exhausted from working all day and about to drop dead, who would want to receive a confession in this situation?

Even if we love each other.

At least in a decent state of mind.

And in a mature atmosphere.

Shouldn’t we become lovers?

I hope Jaehyuk understands my intentions.

Leaving him to ponder alone, I started walking again.