MCB Chapter 20

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Chapter 20662eaa1a60fabbc6

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The system seemed determined not to allow me even a moment’s rest, going so far as to provide real-time updates.ad761834fdaf0adb

‘I just want to rest!’1a752cebdd73bdd1

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Desperate, I dashed a6b6b3bf37 down the stairs b3e4fe817c and blocked the f07b38103d door with a 84a8eb4902 table. Piling chairs on top 71020ca030 of it created a 91acbb3776 formidable barricade.660abae28971691f

Thud. Thud.0aaaafc6b4b36d70

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Someone tried opening the door from outside, but it wouldn’t open in the end. Success in the first defense.97f5969212edcb6c

“I said I want to rest…..”ea751edce76ce578

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I sat on eb7569b8b9 the table, blocking 7f051c6e08 the door, hugging 30acfe5eac my knees.bd4b2c18181561b0

I recently learned that once I start business hours, I can’t close the bar as I please during operating hours.f467ada82428b016

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‘Damn system forcing me to work, I’ll just refuse once I’ve had enough.’760cb1b7d9778583

Although I still needed 9,800 coins, that was a problem for tomorrow’s me to handle.e703d5ea9d830c2c

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Knock knock.811a15beac9dc5b9

Bang.b7a0e79c9ac01dad

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Even after that, someone kept d2e57f9558 coming, but the door never 2779d4f0be opened.37050692d79405a4

An hour before closing time,9b829ae9cc0ec237

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Bang!18f1fc60393d2e9a

The door shook, and the a6f95600e8 stacked chairs wobbled. Half-asleep, I snapped awake.51369cb5b596c709

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“What’s going on? Is a bear trying to get in?”c7c40664236c9404

Bang!1bd3729cf82d6e87

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The stacked chairs finally 5ea541c1f7 tumbled down.191cf7d60dc5ea2a

Bang!2c65ef719b9cf6a7

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The door burst open, de1391d043 flipping the table over a298947e92 and sending me sprawling e6c20b080a to the floor.80602126a476e80e

Whoever this visitor was, ba17344444 they possessed immense strength.d6a77ad26667ac90

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“Oww…”996d365f6277e4a3

But is that really d846dbfd3f important right now?33ecef5bb8a88f2d

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The problem is that I’m rolling on the floor with chairs right in front of the customer.b69464fccc45f99a

‘How embarrassing.’b8ae617f97908391

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I must look really strange 93f90d3a79 now.0c39151cce48c2af

If I look up, I’ll be met straight-on with looks like they’re seeing a weirdo.51af2f0ab5921821

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“Are you alright?”3ba02b03412486d7

That stern yet b5216c1176 gentle voice—I squeezed 5c6dcda7ea my eyes shut d9fbd6d21b tightly.23568c9171d667e8

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“I thought the door was stuck, so I pushed a bit hard, didn’t realize you were there.”c0072bb80df0a448

Yes. It was Johan, of course.a3586aaa27850ec6

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‘Of all people, why did I have to make a fool of myself in front of the wealthy duke?’cc7904b833589e39

I was not alright at d992340275 all.485dac067a08d868

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I was so 4ad427059f embarrassed that I c69803dd47 felt like pretending a0e7b64831 to be injured.1e9cc337b48c53a6

If he asked what I 1e45b28721 was doing, I was planning bddfb52d91 to keep my mouth shut ac303d324a and run away.f812b88123c5d42f

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But I couldn’t just lie there forever, so I slowly lifted my body up.5480e035f930f2c2

“My apologies. I seem to have come at a bad time.”863fc4a746bf30b6

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The wealthy and kind Duke 4804287c91 extended a hand to help 0d0dea9141 me up. Unable to ignore his courtesy, fd8f0bfb0a I grasped his hand and d0db701754 stood up.313c1769699478ca

“Ah, thank you. That was……”067991485eee3f8d

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I rolled my eyes around, 93bdd56e2f searching for an excuse.212808bb0d629be7

“Um, well…there was a bug up there, so I was trying to catch it. But I couldn’t reach it, so I got up on the table and…well, you saw what happened. Haha.”d4a4ddc3ab2a5e7c

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“I see.”c517716955acd806

Even though my excuse made no sense, Johan didn’t question or probe further. He simply helped pick up the scattered chairs.d7adf93689404437

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‘He really is an adult.’c18a193c535b4205

Johan’s consideration warmed my heart. Only then did I realize how foolishly I had acted.a1b8ad193cc9dd3f

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‘Even if I was drained, barricading the door was going overboard.’ffaff4b1e037166d

I should have just hung up the “Closed” sign instead.3fce1b3270cfe82b

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While I briefly b7f1279beb reflected, Johan approached c9b8068e6e me after finishing 771498ff0d cleaning up the bfff7346cb table area. His large physique struck me c120c1c050 anew—those broad shoulders, and his 8010097a64 height must be around 2 1d297cd528 meter tall, maybe?7cc5bc80c3e189e6

‘If we stood side-by-side, the difference would be immense. I wish I could take just 5 cm of his height.’695d98c9a25567f2

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It would make things so f3f5ed7fce much easier when retrieving bottles 3b0ee0e9e2 from the top shelf.8c89acae393ff481

Johan glanced at 620d2815df me once before acb245fca1 unexpectedly starting to 1768e7a03d loosen his tie.ace5623cbf1f7ea3

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“Y-Your Grace?”4b710fd7b401d0c9

Before I could say 25e3b00706 anything to stop him, a991d35a2d he had already undone 675a28cdbb a couple of buttons. The sight of aef632609a his collarbone peeking 9867ebf00a through his shirt 8a1635c511 was both distracting 39d84f2a51 and stimulating.e8b410566151d8fe

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“Please, call me by my name instead of ‘Your Grace.’ Or have you forgotten?”1d25e17c1bde7538

“N-No! I mean, Johan, sir, you really shouldn’t be doing this here…”b9b6a4b6442c2eaf

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“It’s nothing. I thought I’d match today’s dress code.”c618f86e855354c9

I was so c257488ade flustered that I 9a532eac45 stumbled over my 21971b695d words, while Johan b0293ba26e looked straight at a25c1741ac me with an 4fd3a0b247 amused smile.853d3a01fee881b1

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‘Wait. Dress code?’8ece1b04b0d1ceae

I suddenly recalled 4a7e3fbc0f Johan glancing at 8b328c322c me before loosening 6c673cd061 his tie. Slowly, I lowered b2d828f61f my head to 45e6f2a1f8 check my own 96247d0f24 attire.8c538d16a3e21529

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‘Ah.’7422025d5717000d

I had forgotten—in my desire 5896bcd89c to rest, I had carelessly 117becd912 removed my tie and thrown 7d6add0024 it aside. A few buttons 5e88e04e1c were also undone, 63d95609bb exposing my disheveled 1fee547056 state.69512e3fe8541ac0

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It was already embarrassing 5a78e48035 enough, but re-buttoning now 649936c526 would only make it d514430fdd more awkward.c45f9d34fe038d0b

As I had that 07de48ce82 thought, Johan casually spoke e9790bb6d4 up.66ad0d21dde27c9b

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“It’s been a while.”b878f8d1e684cb0a

“Ah, yes it has. Have you been busy? Dealing with troublesome monsters?”4817ce72191d3225

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“Yes. That’s why I could only come now. In fact, I’m still in the midst of a battle.”252f9d591ada08c8

We naturally moved the conversation 076f467653 to the bar counter as d935603057 we spoke.9821be26c1011aeb

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“It seemed my visit would keep getting postponed, so I came on an impulse.”dcb7f9f654a33be0

“So you’re saying you acted on a whim?”15881a1c0f3ca6bd

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“So, you’re playing hooky?”20906175e49442bd

It was surprising to see e0e913e9d8 that even someone like Johan f2035c3410 played hooky. I felt a sense of fc82da8737 camaraderie and relief at the 41b9191a0f same time.c889b8b84f80116c

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“You could put it that way.”044a0895d3db518e

“And even drinking on the job, no less.”c7f021772c5153f7

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At my remark, Johan, who 1c8661e519 had been consistently calm until d5a41aafa6 now, flinched slightly as if 8b3051f8e8 I had hit the mark.a15cc3095425f92a

“Well, that’s…”812075b9d180dbb4

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“The best drinks are always the ones you sneak. Let’s make sure this is the best hooky ever.”901185a98cbf5cbb

I grinned as I grabbed b98550b918 a bottle of soju.b0257721a98e0f10

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‘I really wanted to take a break today, but given the situation, what can I do?’d0f139dc6ca110fe

Both Johan and 40d418e7e6 I were stressed c46ddc9a6a out from our b1ab0ae390 respective duties. The perfect drink for such de6049d62f an occasion was undoubtedly,72c7bb1278d0b16a

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‘Let’s have a somaek!’c86ed55f397b87a7

It was time 877101a8eb to bring out 4a986ac839 somaek, the ultimate 96fa3442be comfort drink for 00547ed241 Korean office workers.e1fccba85c81f13c

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I brought beer from 44ce375af4 the kitchen. It had been taken 87dea123e6 off the display shelves 820444d757 due to its bland, e44af3b4fd unassertive flavor.68dc63a3e97ff054

Since I’d be adding flavor with soju, the beer could afford to be a bit plain.790d33740369027a

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‘No, that’s even better!’de02c57d5367b026

I laid out e2b7bdee11 the soju and d04caf2911 beer on the 738f567272 bar counter.6bc22eafc14e4eff

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The golden ratio 597d14ca48 for somaek is 55e297e240 3:7.657c5c930009c4a4

I floated a half-filled 85a87d81e2 soju glass like a feb4a00e7f little boat in a f054e046a4 glass filled with beer.0fa2999d0b61ba6c

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“Are you not using your usual tools today?”a519a8c8a7daee9d

“Nope. Today’s drink method is actually a traditional technique from where I used to live.”c7ea206a48bb9d40

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I tapped the beer glass with chopsticks, causing the foam to rise up and engulf the soju glass. Johan’s blue eyes slowly widened as he watched.16bb8e0238d2a872

“Here, I’ll serve you a somaek.”210e5dcce52f532e

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“A glass within a glass. Quite a unique method.”94a07e964d314bd1

Saying that, Johan took a ffd25b42d4 big gulp of the somaek.14d31cd496b24552

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‘He has really large hands.’2aab01914422e421

His fingers looked cf8c3ed647 thick and sturdy. In contrast, the ee166f03aa man I carelessly daf2e60ec5 picked up had 2ecce7e23b long, slender fingers.9caa0434d382534d

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If the two men sat 8b60af35cc side-by-side, the contrast would be 5c71a7a53c quite striking.0620280a8b037acf

“It’s delicious. The sweet yet tart and clean taste is addictive. Another glass, please.”8a4e23c8587028b4

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“Yes, I’ll prepare it right away.”cf899d339607141a

As I was preparing 3b10248367 the somaek, the door 8f78043d20 opened.3cc5c51b909f4e85

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“Welcome!”f077410b07037bb4

Into the small bar that ddfe6db890 could barely fit ten people, afa7b0a7e8 customers started trickling in one 1d1fa1bbe1 by one.b7b543d259361cf4

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Was there some aa4cf70934 special occasion today? For some reason, the bar 015bfef021 was packed with customers.b4adf856ccf41cfd

“Please wait a moment. I have other orders to take.”9212a2072a575a60

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“Hold on a second.”b1e1e2f8b10791db

Just as I was about ef75d7a41e to make the somaek, Johan df4a68dcbe called out to me.da74dd29da960d02

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“Yes?”29b5a5f7ff1230ef

“I’ll cover everyone’s drinks for today.”f69abc19e0f19427

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Johan took out a eea1116ae4 fistful of silver coins 10688c19d9 as he spoke. Before I could react, 9b5830afcc he had already poured e85d224c5c a clinking stream of d0dfcb2046 coins into my apron a94108c53a pocket. The weight felt substantial.6bb143b9a5f063ec

‘Whoa.’469e21ccd85b4d5a

My jaw dropped. I had never 54b003d6b5 received such a cebea47167 large amount at 15be287cff once.00e7cd8a368acc7e

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As expected from a wealthy a41be63b77 duke.77295a25480acdb8

“Is this enough to have you exclusively to myself?”a0196ec3d3584dcf

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“Pardon?”009c112654fbef3a

Unlike my flustered reaction, Johan 7a615d5e84 calmly opened his lips while 8c94d787aa stroking his chin.7c4c89866728024f

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“My offer for you to become the bartender at the duchy still stands.”101646ccdba62ddc

Ah, so that’s what he meant.e7d7707242eb0331

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“Since you didn’t seem satisfied with the previous amount, I thought… Considering you’re sparkling over just this much…”64af1d4999d3fadf

A thousand coins werejustto him? I suddenly grew 374e77a438 curious about the 54e168d224 body price the 2fb314ac69 system had censored 45a7aa355d from me when b73a72f4c7 he made his 0ea6c3c2c0 initial offer.33f2a317da3b0000

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“But does Your Grace really need a personal bartender? I think it’s fine if you just visit like you normally do.”3e84623f67c382ec

Johan didn’t seem like the kind of person who needed to drink every day. He seemed to drink maybe once or twice a week at most.15aeb86b8b97406f

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“It’s a matter of personal desire. I don’t like sharing what I cherish.”b467fc9ddda4cd65

So this is about the duke’s bartender offer, right? Feeling a bit dazed, I silently nodded.60f38844d9abf426

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Meanwhile, the excited 6f96ca57bc customers who heard 79cd01be39 about an open 3fb41669c5 bar started whistling.33e265e98f9935e8

“Anything is fine, just serve us already.”870bad46e4706a28

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“The best booze is the one someone else pays for.”051549887d53b086

I shrugged and took 21f4d214da out four beer glasses.79c02329ba98c34b

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“One more.”5dffb2d24296a4b8

“Huh? Yes.”5f94d39fffb34d39

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At Johan’s words, I took out one more beer glass.cc5ddf810819bb24

Lining up the five ab2cc0bc35 glasses, I poured beer bc4e8f0cfd into them.ddd1a9080ba25e86

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“Ooh? What is that lady trying to do?”b6ec7e051ac960ad

“Don’t you know cocktails? You’re supposed to mix drinks.”6baeef4f54ca41f4

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The customers murmured while watching e92330cf2f me.d173aa78437f8671

I placed a b2b7f033f1 soju glass in 26b79b4eb2 each beer glass.769bab89734813e1

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After pouring soju into the ff9a74cb15 soju glasses, I picked one 005a9788c7 up and—clink!—plopped it into the beer glass.5dcb2e29c0c58715

With a swift motion, the soju glass fits perfectly into the beer glass, and the customers’ eyes widened in amazement.8de98d17c3a6a6a6

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‘Nice. I haven’t lost my touch.’476c6853179747c1

🫧ab2993fad30e6fb0

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