I Wished for Non-Face-to-Face Lectures

After spending some soft and fluffy time, the brown fox encouraged me and then left the cocktail bar.

It was an incredibly informative conversation compared to the cheap price of 13,000 won.

If what she said was true, I made a mental note to buy her another drink the next time we met, and resumed enjoying my cocktail.

“What were you two talking about? The atmosphere looked pretty good?”

“Just sharing some species stories. She had a relaxed and comfortable personality, so I didn’t feel much resistance.”

Talking with another transformed species while drinking cocktails made me realize once again how unfavorable being a vampire was.

Fox beastmen hardly had anything that could be called penalties.

Apparently, if they don’t absorb life force each cycle, they enter a heat period and pounce on any male in sight, but if you have a husband, that can’t really be considered a penalty, can it?

Besides that, she mentioned that there were some inconveniences because they follow certain fox characteristics, but to me with all my deadly weaknesses, it was just laughable.

Becoming mischievous, or disliking baths—such minor traits were all taken care of at the level of my counting compulsion.

“I’m envious. How nice it would be if I had become a species with fewer weaknesses.”

“If you had become a fox beastman, wouldn’t that be bad in its own way? If what that person said about the penalty is true, you and I…”

“Ugh, don’t say such horrible things. I just imagined it, you jerk.”

I make a disgusted expression and try to imagine.

Being under that guy of all people, whimpering.

Well, putting aside how revolting it would be… would I even be able to avoid suffocating from the garlic smell first?

Sex, that is, sexual intercourse, is the act of two people, male and female, bringing their bodies close together and mating.

Having sex with that guy, a Korean, was, to put it simply, equivalent to telling a mosquito to mate on top of mosquito repellent.

My tendencies were changing one by one as I became a female vampire.

Someday my gender identity would change too, and maybe I might even come to like men.

But even if I were to date someone, I would probably avoid Koreans. Unless I developed some resistance to garlic from living in Korea for a long time.

What was it called, Jack and Coke? As I slowly savored the last cocktail that tasted like cola, Jaehyuk folded his arms and asked me a question.

“So, do you think being a bartender would be worth trying? After being here for about two hours, you should have a general feel for it.”

“Since there aren’t any parts that trigger my weaknesses, I think I could do it. Getting used to alcohol would be quite a struggle though.”

If you asked whether the job looked easy, it wasn’t.

Having conversations with customers, making cocktails, washing dishes.

Just from what I could see, it looked quite challenging, and who knows what annoying tasks were waiting in places I couldn’t see?

But there was nothing I couldn’t do. Even before becoming a vampire, I had experienced most difficult tasks, and after becoming a vampire, at least during nighttime, I had unlimited stamina.

“I should talk to the boss before leaving later. Looks like you’ll be pretty busy for a while?”

“…You’re exaggerating when you’ll adapt quickly anyway. I bet a day’s worth of late-night snacks that you’ll be making cocktails within ten days.”

“Hmph, then maybe I should be a bit lazy? I can’t resist a day’s worth of late-night snacks.”

Giggling and making jokes with a slight tipsiness, he brought a small glass about the size of an index finger filled with a green cocktail.

“Here, drink this. It’ll be good as a palate cleanser.”

“Just looking at the color, it looks like poison. Is it really okay to drink this?”

“It’s a newly developed signature menu. I’ve been having customers taste it, and they all gave positive reviews.”

“Really?”

It felt like something I should down in one gulp.

Without hesitation, I downed the contents of the glass, and I realized that he had deceived me.

“…You said it received only positive reviews, you Shiba dog bastard.”

“Why, is something wrong? None of the customers who visited the bar said they disliked it?”

“Stop the bullshit! How can you claim it received only positive reviews when you’re serving something with such a divisive taste!”

“…Maybe it’s just because you have no taste?”

“Argh!!!”

What remained in my mouth was a combination of mint’s refreshment and chocolate’s sweetness.

A truly awkward and mysterious taste like no other.

I glared fiercely and exclaimed:

“You don’t put toothpaste in alcohol, you bastard!”

Why not just pour cola into rice while you’re at it?

I will not associate with him at the dining table for a while.

I.

That’s what I pledged.

Securing a job wasn’t difficult.

The boss had proposed it first, and one of the employees at the store was my friend.

Unless I showed an exceptionally stupid side of myself, it would be strange not to get the job.

The hourly wage was set lower than other employees, but I didn’t particularly mind.

Before understanding cocktails and becoming familiar with the work, it seemed like what I could do would be quite limited.

If the quality and quantity of work were different, wouldn’t it be strange to receive the same pay?

As I was filling out the contract without raising any questions, the boss asked me curiously.

He asked if I was agreeing too easily, and why I wasn’t negotiating for better conditions.

To which I responded:

Isn’t this already excessive for a newcomer? Aren’t you overestimating my value?

I reviewed the contract several times, but indeed, there were only good conditions.

This would be considered a high-tier job, yes. Honestly, I’ve never encountered better conditions than this in all my part-time jobs so far.

After saying that if he was so concerned, we could discuss the hourly wage again after a month, I finished signing the contract and left the cocktail bar, starting to walk toward my apartment.

The alley was quiet, perhaps because it was the early morning hours.

Looking at a flickering streetlight that seemed to be nearing the end of its life, I sank into thought.

“I need to get blood packs as soon as possible.”

Due to the remaining awareness of being human, there was still resistance to the act of consuming blood.

But if what the fox beastman said was true, I needed to properly feed on blood as soon as possible.

If the passive charm was activated, it meant I was starting to attract prey like a hungry carnivorous plant.

“…But there’s no particular way to get blood packs. And I need to find foreign ones too, but how do I find a supplier?”

Blood selling is strictly illegal.

All I could do, having lived an ordinary life, was either ask a passing foreigner for permission to take a sip, or drink animal blood.

…I don’t want to eat animal blood, it seems unhygienic somehow.

“This is driving me crazy, aren’t there any kind foreigners willing to sell me blood?”

Sighing with a feeling of hopelessness, I was walking slowly when I felt a vibration in my pocket.

Who could it be at this late hour? Jaehyuk should be busy working right now?

Taking out my phone to check, the caller was my brother.

Receiving a call from someone I hadn’t expected, I answered with wide eyes.

“What’s up at this late hour, bro? Is there an emergency?”

When someone who never contacts you reaches out, worry arises rather than joy.

As I asked in a concerned voice, my brother inquired about my well-being in a tired voice.

[“…It’s not urgent, I just called to check on you. Have you been doing well? Are you feeling okay?”]

“Well, I’ve been doing alright. I’m in the process of getting used to my body. What about you?”

[“Same as usual. Helping our parents with farming, coming back at sunset, and lazing around in my room.”]

His voice was much softer than when we first met.

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief at the somewhat closer relationship, my brother delivered some bad news in a stiff voice.

[“Ah, right. This isn’t the important part, but Mother said she’s going to visit your apartment tomorrow.”]

“Mother? Isn’t that too soon?”

[“She said she’s worried, what can I do? I tried to stop her, but… you know how stubborn Mother is.”]

“Is that why you called?”

[“Yeah, if your place is a mess, you’ll get nagged endlessly. And then I’ll feel the repercussions too, so I’m giving you a heads up.”]

In summary, he was telling me to handle it at my level.

But the moment I heard about my mother’s visit, my first thought was that things wouldn’t be resolved easily.

“Bro.”

[“What?”]

“Actually, my apartment disappeared so I’m living with Grumbler. Mother won’t have a problem with that, right?”

[“…”]

After a brief silence, my brother soon sighed and spoke.

[“By Grumbler, you mean Jaehyuk? That friend who always grumbles.”]

“Yeah.”

[“Hey, Han Jiwoo.”]

“…Yes?”

His voice instantly turned cold.

Not knowing why I felt uneasy, I answered quietly, and my brother started pressing me, asking if I was in my right mind.

[“Common sense dictates, would a mother worry or not worry if her son and a girl are sharing an apartment?”]

“B-but we’re just friends! And Mom knows him too, so wouldn’t that make her less worried?”

[“You really… never mind, my mouth will just get sore if I say any more. Anyway, Mother is coming up tomorrow, so behave yourself? I’ve told you, so I’ll be going…”]

“W-wait a minute, bro! I have one more thing to ask!”

[“What else?”]

My brother asked back in a voice tinged with annoyance and fatigue.

I lowered my voice as much as possible, afraid someone might hear, and asked my brother.

“By any chance… do you know how to get blood packs?”

[“What?”]

“Ah, never mind. You wouldn’t know. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

A slip of the tongue that came out due to my urgent need for blood.

However, my brother’s response was something that easily exceeded my expectations.

[“Why do you need those?”]

Words that sounded as if he would get them for me if I provided a valid reason.

I stared at the phone screen with a dumb face for a moment.

Are you really my brother?

There’s no way my brother could be this capable, right?