Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Hero Yoon Seol (3)
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"Wow...."
A comment section filled with malice. It wasn't just those two comments either. Some were so vile with sexual insults or personal attacks that they were hard to even look at.
Of course, not everyone was like that. There were plenty of comments cheering on the hero or ripping into the ones above...
"Harsh."
Yeah, way too harsh.
"Fame really is a curse...."
My head started to throb, so I turned off the monitor.
What, had Yoon Seol come at them with a knife or something? I couldn't understand why they hated her so much.
'What time is it...?'
I got up from my chair and glanced at the clock on the wall. The hour hand was pointing at 5.
Looking out the window, the sun was already dipping low. When had it gotten this late?
"Time to get the shop ready to open..."
I'd gotten so wrapped up in surfing the net that time had flown by unnoticed. Dinner might even be a rush job at this rate.
"Ugh."
After stretching out my stiff body from sitting too long in the computer chair, I started grabbing my scattered clothes and getting dressed.
'...Will she show up today?'
After that, Yoon Seol never came back to the shop, but a few days later, something astonishing happened.
The shop got noisy!
Not with empty TV chatter, but with the buzz of actual customers.
'Knew it felt good from opening time today.'
I was serving more customers right now than I'd had total since opening the place.
With the empty tables finally filling up, it was starting to feel like I was actually running a business.
'...Busy.'
There were five groups of customers inside right now. Six more had come before them... Nothing like what I'd seen up till now.
Maybe word of mouth had spread...
'...Oh yeah, there's a festival in the park nearby...'
It was 10 p.m. now. The festival was probably wrapping up, so folks looking for a casual spot afterward must have stumbled in here.
"Over here! Ready to order!"
"Yes! Right away!"
...Lots of customers was great, but it was busier than I'd imagined.
Especially trying to handle orders and food all by myself without a single part-timer.
"Excuse me! Boss! Has our order gone in...?"
"Yes. Just a moment longer, please."
...Should I hire some help?
"Excuse me...?"
"Yes!"
Ah. No time to think. I'd figure it out later.
Worst case, I could cut down the number of tables...
"Boss?"
Coming!!!!!!!!!!!
"Alright then... have a good night."
"Hey. Pull yourself together. I'll pay by card."
"Thank you."
A guy barely managing to haul out his thoroughly wasted friend after bidding me goodnight.
Only after they left did the shop fall quiet again.
'Phew. Finally, a breather.'
Slumping into a chair with my exhausted body, the tension drained away, and sleep tugged at me hard.
"Ow."
My arm was tingling and numb from shaking the shaker nonstop.
No way it'd get busier than today.
...If it did, I'd definitely have to consider hiring help.
Making cocktails wasn't a big deal, but taking orders and dealing with customers... it was tougher than I'd thought.
"Maybe I underestimated running a bar...."
But what could I do? I'd already committed.
Anything was better than moping at home in some dark corner.
"...Just clean up and head home."
With all the traffic, the inside of the shop was pretty trashed.
'Gonna be late tonight... Ah.'
As I scrubbed the tables, something I'd forgotten popped into my head.
'...She didn't come after all.'
To be fair, a cocktail bar wasn't somewhere you'd drop by multiple times a week, and it wouldn't be weird if she never showed again.
"Was hoping for an autograph if she did."
A twinge of regret, but that was it.
The clock showed the hour hand at 2 a.m.
"Finally heading home..."
The cleaning was almost done, and I was about to close up and go when—
Ding.
The door opened.
"Um, are you still open by any chance? It's not quite 2 yet, but..."
...There she was, peeking through the door crack with a familiar face.
Yoon Seol.
"...I was just about to close, but come on in."
"Heh. Sorry. Work ran late..."
She slipped inside with an awkward smile, hood pulled up like always.
"Boss?"
I took a good look at her.
Blonde hair peeking from the hood, blue eyes. And that voice.
...Definitely the one from TV.
'Holy crap.'
A hero showing up at a nothing spot like this. Unbelievable.
As I got lost in that thought, she gave a wry smile and said,
"I really am too late, huh? Maybe I should head back..."
She must have thought I was staring because I wanted her gone.
Nothing could be further from the truth, so I waved it off.
"No, no. I was just lost in thought for a sec... Sit wherever you're comfortable."
"Then, if you insist..."
She flashed another sheepish smile and took her usual seat.
I mentally ran through words that described the woman in front of me.
'Ice Princess. Bitch. Tomboy...'
Somehow, more bad nicknames than good ones came to mind.
Come to think of it, I'd heard somewhere that bad memories stick around seven times longer than good ones... Probably that.
'Doesn't seem like it, though.'
Were people just not what they seemed?
As I mulled that over, Yoon Seol spoke to me in a voice thick with fatigue.
"I'll drink quick and go. Just really in the mood tonight..."
"...Something up?"
She paused at my question, then gave a wry smile.
"Just some stuffy business. Sigh. Oh, and I haven't ordered yet. Craving something sweet..."
Sweet, huh...
"How about a Kahlua Milk?"
Kahlua Milk. Milk mixed with Kahlua, a liqueur with caramel and coffee notes.
Sweet, no bitter finish, and crucially... dead simple. Just milk and Kahlua.
'Not because I'm lazy.'
Purely tailored to the customer's craving. Definitely not because my arm was killing me from the shaker all day.
"Milk? Like, with milk?"
"Yeah. Think of it as coffee milk with a kick. Pretty sweet. Caramel vibes too."
"...Sounds good. One, please."
I got to work on her order right away.
Layered Kahlua over ice, then slowly poured in the fresh white milk.
The dark brown Kahlua blended softly with the white. My favorite part of making this drink.
How to describe it? Like a single drop of ink hitting water. Mesmerizing.
"So pretty."
Yoon Seol, propped on the bar with her elbows, watched intently. She seemed charmed too.
'And a sprinkle of cocoa powder to finish...'
Kahlua Milk, complete.
"Here's your Kahlua Milk."
"Wow."
Yoon Seol admired the finished cocktail.
After taking a sip, a smile spread across her face.
"Mmm. So sweet. Bliss..."
She loved the taste too.
Watching her, I thought to myself again.
'Whatever. Hero Yoon Seol or Hero Association Chair, who cares.'
Just another customer. As long as she enjoyed what I made, that was enough.
Heck, even if she were a villain.
'...Nah, I'd report a villain.'
Figuratively speaking.
I flipped on the bar TV while entertaining those silly thoughts.
To avoid staring and making her uncomfortable.
[Tensions are rising between the U.S. and China amid escalating trade disputes, straining relations between their heroes as well...]
Late-night news was on.
Not super engaging, but decent background noise—like radio.
[Next up, hero news. Hero Yoon Seol has flatly denied rumors of a scandal with popular hero Silver Crow. Dispatch, where the allegations first surfaced...]
'Of all the news, why this?'
I glanced carefully at her.
"... "
She was trying hard not to look at the TV... but her face was visibly stiff.
Seeing that, I just knew.
'...We're screwed.'