9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 37 - Another World Tavern Owner (2)

Early March, when the gentle spring breeze began to blow from the southeast.

A new tavern opened in the shopping district near the residential area that could be considered the wealthy neighborhood of District 13, which was mostly populated by commoners and the poor.

A golden sign hung above the door, and a large window faced the street. The interior was finished with warm wood tones and accented with gold touches here and there. Newspapers covering Lucas Redan’s heroic exploits were plastered all over the place.

Past the long bar at the front, the corridor curved sharply, leading to a space hidden from the view of the street windows.

Walking down the modest corridor and opening the soundproofed door revealed chandeliers and expensive tables scattered throughout.

A space for VIPs, so to speak.

“The most important part is over here.”

I led the members down to the underground wine cellar.

“Remember this: 3-3-5, 6-7-7.”

When I pulled a few ordinary beer bottles and wine bottles forward from the display rack in the correct sequence, the bottles that had been stuck tight to the shelf flipped over and the mechanism moved.

With a smooth whirring sound, the shelf rotated silently to reveal a secret door.

“Welcome to our hideout.”

“Wow!”

“Impressive.”

“So this is why you were looking for tight-lipped workers?”

Everyone made their comments as they looked around inside.

The interior was decorated more plainly than expected. Just in case we were discovered, we could claim it was an employee break room.

As soon as you entered the small room, you could see sofas, armchairs, and tables. On one side was a faucet, and we’d also brought in a refrigerator.

“I don’t know how the tavern business will turn out, but at least securing a hideout was successful.”

Richard remarked with what could have been either praise or criticism.

“Well, what do you think I went through all that trouble for? You understand, right? This space must never be revealed to anyone.”

“That’s obvious.”

Next, we went up to the second floor.

“You’ve seen this before, right? Erika, this will mainly be your living space. Is it too shabby?”

“It’s fine. I like it.”

We remodeled the warehouse-like space on the second floor into a studio apartment with a bedroom and bathroom. In Korean terms, it would be like a commercial-residential building?

Erika, who had eloped, had been staying at the boarding house for nearly a month.

Though I offered much more than a month’s rent and politely asked, Mrs. Schmidt refused, saying this wasn’t an inn, just like with Oscar, and let her stay anyway.

Without asking or questioning what had happened.

Honestly, by this point I felt bad about it, but whenever I said I was sorry or grateful, the lady just smiled and waved her hand.

Anyway, that Lucas fellow—despite being worthless, he was born with good fortune when it came to people.

“Sometimes Daniel and I can sleep over too.”

Compared to the luxuriously decorated lower floor, the patternless walls, simple wardrobe, and metal bunk bed looked shabby.

However, Erika seemed satisfied. She had poured all the money she brought from home into me—that is, into the tavern.

As an unofficial investor and business partner, she had also helped with the startup preparations.

Buying an empty commercial space, meeting with contractors and giving them detailed requirements, signing contracts with breweries, selecting furnishings…

We ran around so much over the past month that our feet were blistered, and I even caught a cold recently.

Of course, it was me who got sick, not Erika.

Four people would work at this tavern in total.

Me, in charge of overall operations and customer service; Erika and Daniel, handling serving and clerical assistance; and Ameli, the head chef.

Erika had abandoned everything and run away, so she was unencumbered, and Daniel had cut ties with the newspaper without regret after the company removed his name from articles due to pressure from the District 13 office.

Though it was intentional, his distrust of the media seemed to have deepened even further.

After that, he was wrapping up the freelance work he’d been desperately taking on.

Finally, Ameli was…

***

“Hello, Amel—”

Smack!

“I told you not to come around!”

Uh, this feels like déjà vu somehow.

“Lucas, are you out of your mind? A hero? Did you really want to become a hero that badly? Was all that nonsense you kept spouting actually serious? What were you thinking, fighting kidnappers? You nearly died!”

Ah, so that’s what this was about.

I rubbed my stinging cheek and quietly listened to her scolding. I had done too many terrible things to her.

Wasting entire days on useless activities while being a parasite, drinking and smoking despite all her worrying and pleading, and even during our occasional intimate moments, spitting as I praised the Supreme Leader…

Though it was all Lucas’s doing, not mine.

‘Wow, she fed and housed someone like that as a boyfriend. She’s a saint, a saint.’

The more I dug through the memories, the more pathetic incidents emerged, so I decided to stop.

“Are you listening to me?!”

“…I’m listening. I’m sorry, Ameli. For always causing you trouble.”

“What’s wrong with you? All of a sudden.”

“Were you worried?”

At that, Ameli looked exasperated.

“You keep doing things that make me worry!”

When she fell silent, the empty hall became quiet.

“Ameli, actually, I came today because I have a proposal.”

“What now?”

“Let’s go into business together.”

“What?!”

I carefully explained, trying not to upset her.

“You want to run a liquor business? Do you even know how difficult that is? And why are you quitting your civil service job?”

“Something came up and I couldn’t stay at the office. Instead, I received compensation money and thought I’d try my own business.”

“But why do you want to partner with me specifically? What dark scheme are you plotting?”

“As expected, you know me best.”

I chuckled and looked around her tavern. Even after several years, it was still clean and had a comfortable atmosphere.

“Even if you learned by watching, it’s different from having an experienced person. Ameli, you’re a veteran. If you picked the top 10 out of 100,000 tavern owners, you’d definitely be in the top 10. Even when I was acting pathetically and causing you grief, you never showed it to customers or ran the business carelessly.

If you help me, I can feel at ease. Teach me what I need to know. I’ll pay plenty for lessons. If you want, we could even run it together. In other words, I’ll be the financier and you’ll be the madam.”

“…Do you think I’d accept that?”

“Yes, because you worry about me. Aren’t you scared I’ll ruin the business and become a beggar?”

“Ha!”

Ameli snorted as if incredulous and spoke with a stern face.

“Get lost, Lucas.”

It took a full two weeks to convince Ameli.

I went every day, spreading out tavern blueprints and business registration forms, drawing roadmaps, swearing I would never lay a hand on her, emphasizing repeatedly that this was purely a business proposal based on entrepreneurial instincts, and boasting that we could definitely make big money…

“Hello Amel—”

“Fine.”

Finally, Ameli surrendered.

“I’ll help you. You seem to have become somewhat more responsible, so I’ll trust you.”

“Thank you, Ameli.”

“I won’t invest a single penny. I’ll just teach you some simple tricks and only work in the kitchen, so understand that. And please drop the delusion that I’m partnering with you out of lingering feelings.”

“Of course.”

We wrote up a contract on the spot, and that’s how Ameli became the head chef of our tavern.

Of course, since she was suspicious of me to the end, she didn’t give up her own shop. She made one of her waitresses the madam to handle things and decided to commute to our place.

“Ameli, just so you know, there won’t be any women for that. It’s different from your place.”

“Lucas, how many times do you think you’ve explained that about the tavern?”

“Oh, and no men either, and no drugs. You know that, right?”

“Please shut your mouth.”

***

Spring had come, and the opening ceremony was held.

Though we didn’t line up flower wreaths or have a dance team perform like in Korea.

「Hero who rescued Miss Brightner, Lucas Redan, retires and opens a tavern!」

Since promotional articles like this had been published, word had already spread, but today was a day when we weren’t accepting regular customers.

“I’m sorry. We officially open tomorrow, so please come back then.”

I politely turned away the crowds that had gathered. Some people stayed at a distance, peering curiously to see what was happening.

Five o’clock in the afternoon.

Carriages began appearing one by one on the wide road in front of the shop.

“It’s been so long!”

“Haha, you look distinguished!”

Empty pleasantries passed as people shook hands or embraced warmly.

“Wow, you’ve succeeded!”

Friends I’d met while being a kept man chattered noisily. Most were trash on the same level as Lucas, but they looked like proper gentlemen on the surface, so the atmosphere was good.

“Clerk Assistant Redan—or should I say Owner Redan now? Thank you for the invitation. You look much healthier, which is fortunate. Hohoho!”

Walter Schlik, the director who was my former supervisor, laughed heartily, pretending to be jovial.

After gauging my reaction and offering a promotion, when I handed in a medical certificate and resignation letter, he couldn’t hide his relief.

“Welcome.”

But I greeted him with a bright business smile equipped.

I’m an entrepreneur now.

“Thank you for inviting me. I wish you prosperity.”

Richard handed over his invitation with his characteristic gentle expression.

“Of course I had to invite my lifesaver. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest.”

He was introduced as a doctor who had become acquainted with me during the kidnapping incident.

“Welcome.”

When Erika appeared to greet guests, the atmosphere that had been gradually heating up exploded with excitement.

I could see people secretly gossiping about the relationship between Erika and me.

‘How vulgar.’

To fawn over the actual victim of a terrible incident like she was a celebrity.

An unexpected figure also appeared.

“…Redan.”

A sturdy man in his thirties who seemed slightly awkward as he got out of his carriage, holding his military cap.

“Second Lieutenant Schuster! Or should I say First Lieutenant now?”

I ran over with a smile of genuine joy and clasped his hands.

Dominik Schuster, the recruitment officer who had gotten Lucas the civil service job.

If not for this man, I would have been living in a much more rotten state, so I owed him proper gratitude.

“My word, I was shocked when I saw the newspaper. But suddenly sending an invitation saying you’re opening a tavern…”

“I should have visited to thank you properly sometime, but I’m sorry I didn’t. Please, come this way.”

The opening party was lively.

Under the brilliantly warm chandeliers, everyone freely enjoyed drinks and appetizers.

Music flowed from the gramophone, and I moved around chatting with acquaintances.

Daniel carried the food that Ameli had worked hard to prepare. Richard and Erika, surrounded by crowds, were also faithfully playing their roles.

In one corner, people played card games, while in another, they danced elegantly.

Just as the party’s excitement reached its peak, a fancy carriage stopped in front of the shop.

The moment a well-dressed, well-built gentleman stepped out, I spotted his face through the window and twisted my lips.

“Finally arrived.”

Emmett Brightner strode over, managing his expression but unable to hide his angry demeanor.

“President Brightner.”

“Redan.”

I could see the invitation in his hand was completely crumpled.

Stepping outside to avoid the boisterous atmosphere, Emmett glared at me while breathing roughly.

“Return my daughter.”

“I’m not sure what you mean…”

“My daughter Erika, who’s playing madam in there! She disappeared, leaving only a letter saying she loved you. I was hesitant about whether I should come find you, but you shamelessly sent an invitation saying you were opening a tavern. Are you in your right mind? Stop dragging down mine and my daughter’s honor any further and return that girl!”

“I see that happened. But Miss Brightner came to me saying she wanted to repay her debt. No matter how much you’re her father, President Brightner, she’s a proper adult and a university-educated intellectual. I can’t betray her just based on your words.”

“Are you calling that an answer?!”

Unable to contain himself any longer, he shouted loudly. I glanced back. The guests were watching this way with interest through the windows.

‘Yes, spread rumors. Spread rumors that we had a ridiculous lovers’ quarrel.’

“Redan, no matter how much you’re my daughter’s benefactor—”

Just then, an ear-splitting wind sound suddenly began.

“Ugh!”

My recently recovered eardrums protested in pain again.

“Wh-what?”

Emmett also looked around in confusion, then looked up at the sky with wide eyes.

Against the backdrop of the evening glow, a massive creature was flying gracefully.

“It’s a dragon!”

Customers, people from nearby shops—everyone rushed out pointing at the sky and shouting.

The dragon, its green scales glittering in the sunset light, grew larger and larger.

“Get back!”

When the pilot riding the dragon shouted, people scattered in alarm, and the dragon landed lightly on the road in front of the shop.

A young man with a familiar face jumped down from the saddle and removed his goggles.

“Congratulations on the opening!”

Air Force Lieutenant Ian Keller, whom I’d met at the factory where Oscar worked, grinned and waved his invitation.