Chapter 9: Dangerous Neighbor

If you asked people to name someone they wouldn’t want to run into on the street, who would they usually pick first?

The answers would vary, but I can guarantee that at least bosses and ex-lovers would be at the top.

” ….. ”

” ….. ”

And right now, I’ve run into both on the street: my boss and ex-girlfriend.

The embarrassment I felt couldn’t compare to the bewilderment of opening a treasure chest in a game only to find it was actually a Mimic monster disguised as a chest.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed I wasn’t the only one flustered. Even though Team Leader’s expression remained the same, I could see her body stiffen.

“Uh… um… that…”

What to do? What should I do about this awkward atmosphere?

Mee-ow—

Ah, right.

“D-Do you… happen to have a cat…?”

Thankfully, I had a topic to break the ice. A very excellent and… cute topic.

“…Yes.”

As expected, the answer was exactly what I had anticipated.

“I couldn’t tell if he went out through the window or the door, so I was looking for him, but you had him, Hanbyeol.”

“Oh, well… I just found him myself…”

Team Leader was called in for a live broadcast today. With more work, she must have left the office later than usual.

This plump little guy must have gone out on his own, looking for his owner who didn’t come home after waiting for so long. They missed each other on the way.

“I’ll have to be more careful about locking up from now on. He’s already making things hard for his struggling owner.”

“Ahaha…”

Whether he knew how tired his owner was or not, the little guy remained silent in my arms.

“I’ll give him back to you.”

“Thank you.”

I’ve heard that cats usually don’t like being touched by people, but this one is unusually calm.

Even as he returned to his owner’s arms, he only turned his head and looked at me with round eyes, very quietly.

“The cat is very calm. So his name is… Maru…?”

“Yes. Even so, seeing him not move at all in a stranger’s arms, it seems he likes you quite a bit, Hanbyeol.”

What could he possibly like about a person he’s meeting for the first time?

Still, I didn’t feel bad. Thinking that I was being loved by such a cute little guy.

“By the way, Team Leader…”

“Yes?”

“…Ah, never mind.”

Anyway… I never imagined that voice would actually be Team Leader’s voice.

I couldn’t believe it at first, even when I saw it with my own eyes. Could Cha Hye-won really make such a voice?

A voice that was affectionate yet sad, with a desperate emotion so openly revealed.

The cat has been hearing a voice that I, as her lover, had never heard before. It feels strange.

“…Oh, right, now that I think about it, I should repay you for finding Maru.”

Team Leader, who had been holding and petting the cat like a baby, suddenly turned to look at me and said.

“….”

“?”

But Team Leader, who said she would repay me, couldn’t say anything for a while.

She opened her mouth and then closed it again, hesitating as if she was about to say something.

As if something was bothering her, Team Leader’s mouth was moving like a carp.

“…We didn’t have lunch together today, unlike usual, so…”

Ah.

“If it’s not too much trouble, how about dinner together…”

That’s what she was going to say.

“…I shouldn’t have said that. I’m holding onto someone who must be exhausted from work…”

It’s a very burdensome offer. Not just before leaving work, but having dinner with your boss after work? Especially now, when I’m exhausted both physically and mentally from working overtime?

My whole body aches, my eyelids are heavy, and I want to rest right away, but she’s suggesting dinner.

“Are you buying?”

“Just forget what I said… What?”

I don’t know why, but I didn’t feel that resistant.

“If you’re buying, I’m fine with it.”

Maybe I’m even…

…No, probably not.

—

“…Um… this is…”

The place Team Leader took me after locking the cat at home was quite unexpected.

“A… bar?”

A bar, or a pub, to put it simply. Among them, it was a rather atmospheric one.

“All the restaurants are closed… this was the only place I could think of…”

“Well… it’s about time for everything to close.”

It’s past midnight. A time when most restaurants are closed.

It’s hard to find places open 24 hours since COVID, and even if you do find one, the chances of it satisfying Team Leader’s picky taste are low.

“Even so… do they have a food menu… here?”

The problem is that this bar doesn’t look like the lively and noisy pubs you often find in college districts or on the streets.

Those pubs usually have a wide variety of menu items that go well with alcohol. They sell Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Western food, and sometimes even strange fusion dishes you’ve never seen before.

But this bar didn’t look like that kind of place. Considering its size and atmosphere, I couldn’t even visually confirm if there was a kitchen in the first place.

“Unfortunately, we don’t sell anything other than simple nuts. My cooking skills are outstanding in a different way.”

It wasn’t Team Leader who answered my question, but a bartender with a relaxed demeanor.

“…Should we leave now? We should at least fill our stomachs with something…”

“Um… I’m okay. I’m not that hungry.”

Actually, I already had dinner. While working overtime.

Team Leader probably did too. Would Head of Department really keep us working so late without feeding us?

Head of Department isn’t that heartless. Even if he is bald.

“I probably won’t have many chances to come to a place like this in my life. If you’re okay with it, Team Leader, then I’m…”

“…That’s a relief then.”

I’ve always had a bit of a fantasy about modern-looking bars like this. This bar was a space that perfectly sniped my musty tastes.

“I’ll have a Manhattan, and Hanbyeol will have…”

“Hmm… I’ll try this, I’ll drink this.”

The part I pointed to with my finger had the words Martini written on it.

The reason I chose a Martini is simple. I remembered a famous scene from a movie I saw a long time ago.

Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.

Is that movie too old? Still, it’s cool, James Bond.

I want to try it too. Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.

“…I wouldn’t really recommend it.”

“Why?”

But Team Leader’s expression after hearing my order wasn’t very positive.

“Martinis are high in alcohol and very bitter cocktails. The basic recipe is gin and vermouth, and the Vodka-tini you’re looking for is a cocktail that takes out the gin and replaces it with vodka.”

“…Ah…”

And after hearing Team Leader’s explanation, I couldn’t help but frown as well.

I’ve never really liked bitter tastes. No, isn’t it normal for people to dislike bitter tastes?

“I’ll have this. A Screwdriver.”

“The name is very… familiar. Is it rough?”

The cocktail that Team Leader chose for me instead was a Screwdriver, a cocktail with a very tool-like name.

“It’s probably named after that tool. One Screwdriver, please.”

“Yessir—.”

How can a cocktail be named Driver? I suddenly became curious about what it looked like. What does it look like to be named Screwdriver?

“…This is a Screwdriver?”

“Of course—.”

But the Screwdriver that was served in front of me was very ordinary and familiar, contrary to my expectations or anticipation.

“Orange juice…?”

If there wasn’t an orange slice on the cup, or rather, because there was an orange slice, it looked even more like orange juice.

“It’ll probably taste similar to orange juice too.”

“…It really does.”

It even tasted just like orange juice. If there wasn’t a slight, very slight, alcoholic scent at the end, I would have thought I was just drinking orange juice without thinking.

“Hmm…”

How should I put it, it’s a bit much to say this when I’m being treated, but… I’m paying this much to drink orange juice?

Is it impossible for a commoner like me to understand the hobbies of the rich? I felt a strange sense of disillusionment.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

“No, it’s delicious.”

Of course, it’s not that it doesn’t taste good. It’s just too familiar, but isn’t it said that familiar tastes are scary?

The fact that it’s not burdensome to drink as an alcoholic beverage is definitely an attractive point. If all the alcohol in the world was like this, I might have become an alcoholic.

“Next is… Blue Sky? Is it okay if I order this?”

“Yes, I’m paying for everything today.”

After finishing the Screwdriver, the name that caught my attention was Blue Sky. Blue sky, what a cool name.

Unlike when I ordered the Martini, there were no particular restrictions this time, so it must mean it’s a cocktail that’s easy to drink, right?

“Oh…”

And the Blue Sky that came out was definitely a cocktail that lived up to its name.

A beautiful visual, as if the blue sky and clouds were captured in the glass as they were.

“Blue Sky is a cocktail that you pour straight down and savor in your mouth.”

Faithfully following the bartender’s advice, I drank this small and beautiful cocktail in one gulp.

The refreshing scent of soda and peach, with a very faint scent of milk spreading in between.

This cocktail, like the Screwdriver, wasn’t difficult to swallow. If there were only drinks like this, I could drink several glasses.

Ah, now that I think about it, I forgot to say something.

I can’t drink alcohol.