Chapter 252 – Traps (3)
About 10 minutes away from the Haenam Observation Battalion.
For safety reasons, you can see a pub built right in front of the space that is blocked from entering the commercial district.
“It’s bigger than I thought… ?”
The size of the building is considerable.
At this level, the monthly rent seems to be quite high, no matter how provincial it is.
“I guess that’s how much I earn.”
I heard that this place is like a hideout for the members of the Haenam Surveillance Battalion.
After work, it’s a pleasure to have a drink here with a pretty waitress and madam.
In addition to that, the residents of the nearby area, especially the few young people and the old people who still have the strength to stand up, say that they are all looking for this place.
Thanks to the existence of the Haenam Surveillance Battalion, this area has a relatively high level of commercial activity and high population density compared to other places.
If you think that you are monopolizing customers in a place that is no different from a net exhaust, you even think that you are eating a huge amount of money with cheap monthly rent unique to the province.
“The impression ends here…”
I open the door, which seems to be quite elaborately decorated, and step inside.
The distance between the lights is quite far, creating a dim atmosphere under the soft light.
Hard tables and soft chairs that hug your back.
Even dense jazz music flowing at a moderate volume there.
Looking at the interior of the bar, which seemed to have put a lot of effort into creating the bar atmosphere, my thoughts about the woman named Kim Ji-won changed a little.
“… It doesn’t look like you just made money.”
It seems that he is not a person who makes money comfortably by selling his face.
Of course, as it is my biggest weapon, I use it sparingly, but at least as a business person, I feel that I am putting in an effort that is not ashamed of.
If you just thought it was a business and tried to eat it raw, you wouldn’t have put so much effort into decorating the interior.
“I can see why you called it a hideout.”
The members of the Haenam Surveillance Battalion are not all local residents, but those who have been dispatched.
Since the only thing around is a savory restaurant and a long-established store full of men, a pub with such an atmosphere has entered, so it has to be.
“Your interests are properly aligned.”
The guards’ salary is higher than expected.
This is because the priority given to this position is greater than expected in that it is a position dispatched to a province that is avoided by all others.
What they need right now is a place to spend the money that is piling up in their bank account.
Kim Ji-won provided such a place.
I don’t know if it was aimed at, or if it was snatched, but the interests were perfectly matched.
“Oh, are you here?”
Kim Ji-won appeared in the kitchen, which was covered by a thick curtain that came down to her waist.
The nape of his neck was revealed thanks to his long hair being tied up.
Once again, the beauty that has become thicker with the makeup that properly brings out my bewitching atmosphere.
Another red off-the-shoulder dress that exposed her shoulders and collarbone.
A total of three times her eyes are directed at her from top to bottom.
“I just finished preparing snacks… , Did you come at the right time?”
When I said that the snacks were ready, I smiled bitterly without even realizing it.
I guess she didn’t reply to her because she apparently came right out of her and she told her.
It’s very interesting how he behaves indifferently, as if it’s only natural that his prediction came true.
“How were you sure I was coming?”
Then she said with a light smile.
“It’s boring, here.”
“…”
It sounds like you sent a message at the most boring time for the men here using the big data accumulated through the guards so far…
She’s a smarter woman than you think.
“Sit in a suitable seat. I’ll bring you some good drinks and snacks. Do you have a particular favorite drink or snack?”
“No, not really.”
“It’s nice that it’s not picky.”
Kim Ji-won leaves the last words and goes into the kitchen.
Something is roasted over the fire, and the delicious smell stimulates the stomach along with the sound of roasting.
It’s been a while since I ate dinner, but I feel hungry.
“I told you to sit down…”
I took a quick look around and found a spot I liked.
A table placed in the center between distant lights and lights.
I like it because it’s darker than the other seats.
In a place like this, you can do things a little more boldly while paying attention to what others think.
Of course, there is no one here except her and me, but isn’t that what her atmosphere is like?
I sat with my back leaning back in a wide chair that would fit one and a half more hips in my normal size and looked toward the kitchen.
Kim Ji-won, who came out just in time, walked towards her, holding a fairly large tray with several plates on it in her hand.
Seeing me sitting in her dimly lit seat, she curls up one corner of her mouth.
“Your positioning is very blatant.”
He spoke as if he knew why he was sitting here.
The playful Donghae shakes his head with an innocent expression as if he doesn’t know anything.
“It’s not blatant… ? Well what you mean…”
Then she laughs
“Ahahaha! Maybe it’s because her face looks so innocent… ? Or am I good at acting?”
Seeing that the smile on my lips grew thicker, it seemed that he liked my appearance very much.
I shrugged and answered.
“Maybe both.”
I don’t know about anything else, but I’m pretty confident about acting in my life.
How difficult it is to live as a show-window couple.
You have to know how to naturally wrap up skinship that you don’t normally do, and you have to look at the other person as if you’re lovable while not even exchanging glances properly.
In that sense, I think Han Joo-hee deserves to be called a master of acting.
Unlike me, who still had feelings for me even if I did the same thing, she probably wouldn’t have.
Snacks were placed on the table while smiling bitterly at an old memory that briefly came to mind.
Jjambbongtang and green onion pancakes filled with all sorts of fresh seafood, grilled cod roe with a faint buttery scent, and steak grilled with thick sliced sirloin and vegetables.
After putting down what seems to be a lot of food for the two of them, she takes a light blue porcelain bottle from her shelf and waves it at me.
“The alcohol is distilled soju given as a gift by the owner of a nearby brewery. Although the alcohol level is quite high… , Does it matter?”
He shook his head, saying, “Don’t worry.”
“I don’t get drunk before important events, so I don’t have to worry.”
“Oh.”
Kim Ji-won, as if slightly surprised by the blatant tone, smiled while covering her mouth with her round eyes.
It’s so strange.
Sometimes she looks like a worn-out woman, and other times she doesn’t.
The place where she walked holding her bottle and sat down on her hips was next to her, not across from her.
Pong!
She vigorously opened the stopper of her bottle, which was blocking her spout, and she came out leaning her upper body, filling her own glass with a splash, and then she lifted her glass.
“I’m fed up, but… , Cheers to our meeting.”
She clinks her glasses with a toast that is both boring and excellent at raising the mood.
As I put it to my mouth and tilt the glass, the fragrant smell and strong taste unique to distilled soju flowed down my throat.
“Come on, stay here.”
He asked, staring blankly at the woman sitting next to her, soothing her stomach with a piece of her greasy beef that she picked up with her chopsticks.
“The service is good. I can see why men only come here.”
If you feed them a bite of a snack like this, our fathers die happily, die.
When she is convincing herself, she shakes her head.
“Not at all. Do you think I will serve other guests this much?”
Squeeze
Kim Ji-won refills an empty glass with a light smile.
“Among the men living here, there is not a man who wants to treat me so hospitably. Unfortunately.”
He has a knack for saying that he only provides this kind of service to me.
Without saying anything, they tilted their glasses while looking at each other’s faces.
The snacks I picked up with my chopsticks were not mine, but the other person’s.
Then, I suddenly became curious.
“What were you doing before you came here?”
“Similar. I worked at a private bar in Seoul that only served VIPs. I opened my own pub with the money and know-how I collected there.”
“But why aren’t you doing it in Seoul?”
“Because Seoul is already a red ocean. You don’t have enough capital to succeed there.”
“But.”
Since the beginning of the Hunter Society, the population density of Seoul, the capital city, has intensified.
This was because in the early days when first-generation hunters were active, local cities suffered a lot from monsters or villains.
Those who lost their home in an instant flocked to Seoul.
Even if you fell asleep on the street, it was safer on the streets of Seoul than in areas infested with monsters.
Now that decades have passed, the system has been established and perceptions of the provinces as livable cities are gradually changing, but it will take a long time to compare to Seoul’s stronghold.
Anyway.
As people gather, it is only natural that the commercial district will develop.
To succeed in Seoul, which is already packed with stores, it is difficult unless you carry out aggressive marketing with characteristics that are not found in existing commercial districts or with capital that can surpass them.
After emptied her glass once more, she brought up her story.
“I quit my job and traveled all over the place during my short break. After wandering aimlessly, I came across this place… , As soon as I saw it, I immediately thought, ‘This is the blue ocean I was looking for.'”
I pictured in my head the atmosphere of a neighborhood without a pub here.
Unlike other areas where the number of young people is overwhelmingly small, the area is full of energetic men thanks to the Haenam Guard Battalion.
The only things there are simple convenience stores, restaurants, and old pubs.
“Fortunately, I was more successful than I thought, and now I live comfortably in my own way.”
“Take it easy…”
Her expression didn’t look very good as she spoke her delightful words.
To be precise… , Looked a little boring.
She met the needs of the civil servants in the Haenam Observation Battalion.
Thanks to that, you’ll be making more money than most pubs in Seoul.
But, that’s what I thought.
In this place where there seems to be nothing to do other than making money, she wonders if she is feeling the same boredom that the guards felt before the tavern opened.
“Being human is so cunning.”
She brushes off the strong drink and gets her words out.
Humans are truly cunning.
When I’m standing I want to sit down and when I’m sitting I want to lie down.
What if you lie down?
Want to sleep
Even after she wants to sleep, she keeps wanting more, more, more.
Humans never settle down.
You are happy with what you have now, but as time passes, even that becomes dissatisfied.
So is she now.
At first, the only goal would have been to succeed with the hard-earned money.
While her business was going well, she would have been delighted to see her bank account piled up beyond the money she had invested.
And now while cruising…
“Are you bored? Same life now.”
If you’re pretty crazy about money, you might just be happy.
But for those who don’t, it’s time to start wanting to enjoy something more than this.
I wonder if she is like that now.
Days of doing business, earning money, and taking a short break.
It must be that you want to make a little bit of a crack in a smooth, peaceful treadmill-like moment.
She laughs
“Ahaha! Right, right. You are right.”
As if it was cool to have been hit hard, the smile that bloomed at the corner of his mouth was brighter and more beautiful than any smile I’ve seen today.
She asked me in her coy tone.
“The diagnosis was correct, but… , How will you prescribe it, doctor?”
It’s a prescription
If that’s the case, it’s not difficult.
“Good luck, you.”
“Whoops… , Why?”
“The prescription appeared right in front of your eyes.”
The atmosphere built up calmly by tilting a glass of wine finally came to an end.
