Lirim and the Beast ☆4
"Yeah. How's the work?"
Kim Seong-hee, carrying a box and walking in from the parking lot, approached Seohyun with a suspicious expression, as if she already knew everything but was asking anyway. Seohyun, who was doing the dishes, lifted her head and glanced at the wall clock. The rare spring-driven pendulum clock indicated that it wasn't even 6 p.m. yet. She hadn't even completed half of today's work shift.
"It was hell. Dealing with people… I've dealt with people before, but dealing with them without resorting to violence is exhausting. You can't threaten or coax them, and there's nothing I can really do for them."
Seohyun gave a bitter smile. Until now, he had believed there was nothing he couldn't do, filled with baseless confidence, and had even proven that confidence in practice. The secrets of sorcery and magic, the pinnacle of which was the existence of Lilith's direct descendants—the most primal lycanthrope prince, the primordial being of creation—if such a being were a little arrogant, it wouldn't be surprising.
But for human Seohyun, it was a flaw worth noting. As he continued washing dishes, he muttered:
"I don't know how low you think of me to make me do this to 'tame' me. I could understand if it was just you, but for my younger sibling to do it too… honestly, it's insulting."
"Still… don't you see your own shortcomings after trying it?"
"That's irritating too. You inflict this kind of humiliation just to make me aware of my shortcomings?"
"But in reality, this is something everyone experiences. Look at the streets. Everyone else is living like this."
He had no argument there. Of course, Seohyun had a lot more to say. Especially since the person who directly imposed this trial on him was none other than Kim Seong-hee. Even if he considered it a good experience, her additional comment made him angry.
"There's still plenty of time until the end of the shift. But aside from peak hours, there aren't many customers, huh? Isn't this place doomed?"
Seohyun changed the topic. The female staff who had endured the worst customers earlier had already changed clothes and left.
"The interior's too old. The occult theme is outdated. But I don't want to renovate the shop just to attract more customers."
Arjuna's main income didn't come from selling tea. At night, Café Arjuna transformed from a place for regular customers to one for vampires and wizards. Its main business involved purchasing vampire blood, selling magical potions, and enchanting various equipment.
"If there were some troublesome customers today, it's fine to finish the dishes and leave early. Often, your customers arrive closer to evening anyway."
"Your customers" referred to vampires or wizards. To them, Seohyun's presence was clearly alien. In fact, by origin alone, he could even be considered an enemy.
However, the current dominant force in the dark world was the vampires, so lycanthropes who didn't harm humans were tolerated. More importantly, ordinary lycanthropes weren't profitable. Vampires, exchanging blood to sustain life, turned the entire body into magical ingredients. Blood, flesh, bone—everything could be monetized.
Lycanthropes, on the other hand, were more primal and simple. While shamanistic sorcerers might need their remains, the main current of the wizarding world was Gnostic. Lycanthropes were hard to kill but offered low rewards.
Even if it might seem selfish to discuss bounties while a murderous human-eating monster roamed among humans, most vampire hunters didn't fight out of a desire to protect humanity. Even if they did, the harsh world of the night would wear them down, turning their initial ideals into something closer to drug-dealing mercenaries.
Kim Seong-hee essentially advised Seohyun to move freely after work, meaning to avoid vampires and wizards. She had no personal prejudice against him, but others weren't so easy to meet safely. Danger outweighed the path.
"But…"
At that moment, Kim Seong-hee tossed something to him. Seohyun caught it—a small plastic container.
"Your movements are very refined."
She admired Seohyun's skill. He drew his hand from the water and caught the container without splashing a drop. By controlling the water with his other hand while withdrawing, he received her throw at a steady speed.
"I understand you've spent time with Sylvester and Han Se-gun. What's so different between them and me? Unless it's combat, why be impressed by such a trivial action?"
For Seohyun, it was simple, but it left a deep impression on Kim Seong-hee. Considering she had seen renowned vampire hunters and demon hunters of the dark world, it was intriguing.
"Well, Se-gun would have just flicked the water off his hand. Sylvester… probably wouldn't have done it at all."
"Wouldn't do what?"
"The dishes."
"...."
He was momentarily speechless. They don't do dishes? Then why was he doing this now? Minimum wage? He sighed.
It seemed he still lacked experience in life. He looked at the plastic container and asked:
"This is?"
"Colored lenses. Your eyes probably bother you, right?"
"I don't care."
"Even if you don't, the people around you will. You can't walk around with an eye patch forever. It's not good to attract attention, is it?"
"Well, if you say so…"
Seohyun quickly put in the lenses and blinked. Though he acted reluctant with his mouth, his movements were fast, like a child unwrapping a Christmas gift. One could mistake his action for excitement.
"Didn't your hands have detergent on them?"
"Ugh…"
It must have stung briefly. He rinsed his eyes and looked at the display window.
Seohyun had heterochromatic eyes—blue-gray and red. His red right eye could see through illusions, and his left blue eye had incredibly fast motion vision. To ordinary people, it just looked unique. Attractive, perhaps, but for Seohyun, drawing attention was not a benefit.
"All brown?"
Seohyun seemed slightly disappointed. He never took pride in his heterochromia, but choosing the most common color? Kim Seong-hee giggled at his remark.
"The blue eye's also noticeable. Koreans aren't used to light-colored eyes. Other colors would look even stranger."
Seohyun clicked his tongue.
Though twins with Serin, Seohyun had more Slavic—or rather, ancient Sogdian (West Asian Caucasian)—traits. His gray hair, like a gray wolf's, combined with exotic features, drew attention. Even if lenses hid his eyes, what about the rest?
"I don't understand why people stare just because I look foreign."
"Wasn't it like that where you lived?"
"In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the population is very diverse. But if people carry guns, skin color and eye color hardly matter. No one judges you by your skin when there's a gun involved."
Hearing that, he wondered if someone with that mindset could safely navigate a peaceful civilized society.
"So how long do I have to do this work? It's a chaotic time among vampires. Do vampire hunters just sit idle?"
Seohyun finished cleaning the dishes and wiped his hands. If Tetra Anax underwent a generational shift and produced a potion enabling vampires to withstand sunlight, vampire hunters would be the first to feel it. In this world, they were the most vulnerable—sensitive to rumors.
"Don't worry about vampire hunters. Your first task is to safely manage the café, and eventually, handle customer service."
"…You're joking, right?"
When she first told him to work, Seohyun nearly killed her in rage. But this time, he didn't strike—good sign. Today's troublesome customers had definitely helped him grow.
Still, he couldn't understand her motives. He looked at her, seeking an answer.
"Sadly, I'm not joking. Seohyun, we want to believe you can control your inner beast among humans and won't harm anyone. In that sense, some argue vampire hunters should send you to bars or entertainment establishments—places with a higher hurdle."
"Bars or entertainment establishments?"
"Customer quality is much worse than a café. I heard about today's troublesome customer—it'll seem tame in comparison."
"...."
Seohyun's hands were still damp with cold sweat despite wiping them. If today's troublesome customer was considered mild, he could only imagine what worse ones would be like.
"So, you want to see my patience and self-control."
That made sense. Weak humans couldn't tolerate a beast among them. Sure, humans had their killers, but lycanthropes were far more likely to kill than ordinary humans.
Asking for equal treatment with humans was madness.
"Serin spent her school days diligently. She worked part-time… Though she was born a lycanthrope, Serin was a model student. It wasn't hard for others to trust her. But you, Seohyun, are different."
"I didn't choose this. My sibling lives in peace while I'm abused by fate. So they trust my sibling but not me? If our positions were reversed… no, I don't want them to accept me anyway. Those vampire hunters judging me couldn't pass their own standards—they're drug-addicted lawbreakers carrying illegal weapons."