Chapter 64: Dissolve: His Last Choice

“How would you like your cocktail? Here, you can choose from these eight categories.”

Song Hyunsoo showed the prepared cocktail list to the two of them.

“Hmm… I’ll go with whatever you recommend among the gin-based cocktails, Hyunsoo. What about you, oppa?”

“I don’t really know much about cocktails. Can I just leave it up to you, Hyunsoo?”

“Shall we do that? Since you like wine, I’ll prepare a cocktail that has wine in it.”

“There’s a cocktail with wine in it?”

While quickly preparing cocktails for the two, Song Hyunsoo continued the conversation.

“I didn’t know either, honestly. I found out while getting ready for this event. It’s called a New York Sour. I’ll be making a little twist on it, though.”

“New York Sour?”

Han Jooyoung, who was from Boston, not far from New York, showed interest.

“It’s called a New York Sour, but it actually wasn’t created in New York. The most accepted theory is that it originated in Chicago in the 1880s.”

“Then why is it called a New York Sour?”

“It went by several names— Continental Sour, Southern Whiskey Sour— but after it became popular in Manhattan, New York, it eventually settled as New York Sour.”

“How do you know all that, Hyunsoo?”

“If you’re a bartender, knowing the origins of cocktails is the basics.”

“Did you get formal training?”

“No, I just taught myself.”

“You’re like a total pro.”

“Seriously, Hyunsoo. You look so skilled.”

He’d been in charge of cocktail prep since first coming to Seoul, staying behind after closing to make cocktails alone, gripping a shaker for eight years. Honestly, he had the career to be called a pro.

After finishing the cocktails, Song Hyunsoo placed a glass on each coaster for the two of them.

“A gin-based Aviation. And a New York Sour made with Malbec.”)

“The colors are gorgeous. This is the kind of thing you have to take a picture of.”

Shin Hyojin started snapping photos of the violet-hued Aviation cocktail. In contrast, Han Jooyoung tasted hers first. After a careful sip, her eyes widened.

“Mmm! What is this? It’s amazing! I always thought cocktails were neither here nor there, but this is totally my taste!”

Only then did Han Jooyoung pull out her phone and start taking pictures of the cocktails, too.

“Hyunsoo, you’re a total genius!”

Who orders red wine with fish dishes, anyway? That’s not just common sense, it’s more basic than that.

When Han Jooyoung had said that to him, even the thick-skinned Song Hyunsoo had felt his face burning. He knew she didn’t mean any harm, but he was still mortified.

And unlike usual, when he would always have something to say, Yoon Jooho had simply watched the situation that day, which left Song Hyunsoo feeling a little hurt. Not that Yoon Jooho was obligated to do anything.

But today, seeing Han Jooyoung snapping photos of the cocktail he made, showering it with praise, Song Hyunsoo felt as if he’d already received her apology.

There was no resentment left from that day’s feelings.

Recognition was a greater revenge than a few words of apology.

『What are you all doing on the 10th next month?』

Instead of saying anything to Han Jooyoung at the time, Yoon Jooho had invited the three of them to his birthday party on the spot. And he’d entrusted the bar to Song Hyunsoo.

Maybe Yoon Jooho had this ending in mind from the start. Telling him: show off what you’re good at, with confidence, in front of everyone.

Song Hyunsoo looked around for Yoon Jooho again.

He was the guest of honor who had arranged this gathering.

More than anyone, Hyunsoo wanted to make him a cocktail. If he spotted him, he planned to wave him over.

This time, it wasn’t hard to find him.

Striding in from the entrance, tall and striking, he was instantly noticeable. As long as he was in the room, finding Yoon Jooho was never difficult.

He was walking slowly through the crowd, chatting with someone.

Jin Seoyeon. Fifteen years since her debut, a top actress the same age as Yoon Jooho.

Back in high school, she’d debuted alongside Yoon Jooho, both playing the child roles of the leads in the same drama.

She’d shot to fame as the Nation’s First Love and had maintained her top star status ever since.

Spotting her walking beside Yoon Jooho, Song Hyunsoo swallowed dryly and moistened his lips with his tongue.

『It’s simple. Just sleep with a top star. People with a lot to lose keep each other’s secrets.』

Yoon Jooho’s secret to avoiding scandals. Why did that line come to mind at this moment?

Even as he prepared a cocktail for the next guest, Song Hyunsoo’s gaze kept following the two of them.

Standing at the tall table by the huge windows, the two of them looked out at the night view for a moment.

Then Yoon Jooho took Jin Seoyeon’s coat from her shoulders himself.

Dressed in an off-shoulder evening gown, Jin Seoyeon was even more beautiful than the city lights outside.

As Yoon Jooho handed her coat to a waiter, he suddenly glanced this way.

Their eyes met.

He was definitely looking at Song Hyunsoo. But instead of waving him over, Hyunsoo instinctively averted his gaze.

“Hyunsoo. We meet again.”

The next guest took a seat at the bar.

“Oh? Sunbaenim.”

It was Jung Sungwon.

“I was a little disappointed we didn’t get to talk earlier.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I wanted to chat a bit more, so I aimed for the last spot on purpose.”

Now that he thought about it, Jung Sungwon was the last guest in line.

Glancing at Yoon Jooho and Jin Seoyeon, Song Hyunsoo pulled himself together and put on his business smile.

“You’re the last guest, so I have to do an extra good job. What would you like?”

“Hmm, could you recommend something romantic, Hyunsoo?”

“How about a vodka-based ‘Kiss of Fire’? If you prefer stronger drinks, I can lower the sweetness and up the alcohol.”

“I’ll just go with whatever you make, Hyunsoo. Tonight, I’m in your hands.”

Jung Sungwon, known for his gentle, soft image in his roles, seemed much the same in real life. He was well-built and had a rugged, masculine look, but his gentle tone and gaze made him easy to talk to. It was a relief that, despite being a top star, he didn’t act arrogant.

Song Hyunsoo rubbed the rim of the V-shaped martini glass with lime and coated it with sugar, then began adding ingredients to the shaker.

“Wow… Hyunsoo, you’re way beyond hobbyist level with cocktails, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been at it for a while.”

“I thought so. The way you handle the shaker isn’t ordinary.”

Even as he listened to Jung Sungwon’s compliments, Hyunsoo couldn’t help but keep glancing at Yoon Jooho and Jin Seoyeon. Whatever they were talking about, the mood seemed serious.

“Is your first project, Hyunsoo?”

“Until now, I’ve only ever had bit parts or been an extra.”

“So even someone like you had to struggle. I’ve been there too.”

“I spent years in obscurity.”

“Wow, I feel a real sense of kinship.”

Jung Sungwon had started out as a child actor around the same time as Yoon Jooho. His career had quieted for a while, but he’d started acting again as an adult.

“But now you’re a leading actor, sunbaenim.”

“Me? I just got lucky joining Look Planning, and people still say I’m just agency-backed.”

Leaning his elbow on the bar, Jung Sungwon shrugged his broad shoulders with a wry look. He was one of the hottest actors these days, so Hyunsoo hadn’t expected him to feel that way.

As he poured the contents of the shaker—ice, vodka, sloe gin, lemon juice, and more—into the glass, Song Hyunsoo offered a word of comfort.

“Come on, don’t say that. In this industry, they say luck only lasts five years at best.”

“Five years? It’s been exactly five years since things started going well for me. Maybe I should start playing it safe?”

Hyunsoo handed the finished cocktail to the joking Jung Sungwon—a ‘Kiss of Fire’ with extra vodka and less vermouth.

“Wow, this is great. The high proof gives it a fiery first sip, but the finish is sweet… mm, it’s really good.”

Raising his thick eyebrows and nodding, Jung Sungwon set down the glass and asked Hyunsoo,

“But who says that? About luck only lasting five years.”

“Yoon… Jooho sun… baenim.”

Hyunsoo’s voice faltered mid-sentence. At some point, Yoon Jooho had appeared behind Jung Sungwon.

“What are you drinking?”

Yoon Jooho met Song Hyunsoo’s gaze directly as he leaned against the bar and asked Jung Sungwon.

“Oh, sunbaenim. You’re here? ‘Kiss of Fire.’ I asked Hyunsoo to recommend something romantic.”

Holding up the vivid orange cocktail, Jung Sungwon smiled at Song Hyunsoo. Dimples creased his masculine face. Fixing his gaze on Hyunsoo, he added,

“It feels more like a sexy cocktail than a romantic one, though.”

1. Malbec: An Argentinian wine.