Chapter 07
The Clumsy-Handed Dreamlight Barista~☆
What on earth did I say with my eyes that the system window filtered it out on its own?
Considering that the system window usually treats most profanity as something cute, the fact that it even used special characters to censor it meant it definitely wasn’t ordinary swearing.
I knew this would happen.
Who would look at someone they’re interested in with a gaze that murderous?
Because of a messed-up favorability window, I was about to be labeled a terminal case of princess syndrome.
“Hey, I’m kidding, I’m kidding. So relax your face a bit. If a stranger saw us, they’d think I scammed you out of a huge sum of money.”
Only after I brushed it off lightly as a joke did Haeryeong withdraw his harsh glare.
“I’d rather lose a huge sum of money.”
[The Constellation ‘Ruler of the Hot Springs’ shudders as if they don’t even want to imagine it.]
‘That bad?’
At a glance, Haeryeong’s favorability toward me was rock-bottom.
Maybe it was better that the favorability window was bugged.
I sincerely found myself hoping the error would never be fixed.
Otherwise, it felt like the lock on my stat window would never open.
“So, are you finally done with all that nonsense?”
“Yes, sir, all done.”
To Haeryeong, who asked with a serious face, I answered halfheartedly.
“Yeonggye, come in.”
“Yes, coming in now!”
Heave-ho!
Through the door that opened at Haeryeong’s call, Yeonggye—tiny in stature—came in, straining as they carried a table.
A small, fluffy chick was carrying the table.
So cute!
I don’t react strongly to most things, but the one thing I’m weak against is “small and cute things.”
Yeonggye, as they were now, satisfied both conditions.
Swallowing back the exclamation that almost burst out of my mouth, I watched with a fond gaze as Yeonggye set the table down in front of me.
[Guide ‘Yeonggye’ feels uncomfortable with my gaze.]
‘I won’t hurt you.’
[Guide ‘Yeonggye’ senses danger from my eyes and takes a step back.]
“Yeonggye.”
At my call, Yeonggye’s small body flinched.
“Why are you calling me?”
“Your feathers look incredibly fluffy, so I was wondering if I could touch them just for a moment?”
When I reached my hand toward the soft-looking feathers, Yeonggye quickly put some distance between us.
“I refuse.”
So firm.
While I was regretting it as I looked at Yeonggye now standing far away, a savory aroma caught my attention this time.
This is pork cutlet!
At the smell that stimulated my appetite, I whipped off the cover over the table, revealing a mouthwatering pork cutlet.
If nothing else, pork cutlet is something I can recognize instantly just by the smell.
After all, it’s my absolute favorite food.
“Eat it and don’t let your stamina drop again and cause trouble.”
Even while grumbling, Haeryeong put chopsticks into my hand.
Then I won’t hold back!
“Thank you for the meal!”
Crunch!
As I picked up a piece of pork cutlet and put it in my mouth, the crispy texture of the breading came through.
“The breading is insane! This is seriously delicious!”
Watching me bask in happiness, the corner of Haeryeong’s mouth slowly lifted.
Starting with the first bite, I devoured the pork cutlet in no time.
[You have eaten ‘Hot Spring–Style Pork Cutlet.’ Stamina is fully restored. Stamina (30/30)]
I just ate an ordinary pork cutlet, and my stamina is fully restored…?
I once heard Park Siwoo say this:
Potions that restore stamina are extremely rare, and their prices vary wildly depending on their effectiveness.
Which means—if I sold the pork cutlet I just ate to hunters, I could name any price I wanted, right?
The fact that I’m clumsy is a concern, but if I follow the recipe, wouldn’t it work somehow?
If I could recreate that hot spring–style pork cutlet exactly as it was, becoming filthy rich would be easy.
If I made as much money as possible and hired more hunters with it, maybe I could find Mom and Dad faster.
I decided to casually ask Yeonggye about the recipe for the hot spring–style pork cutlet.
“Yeonggye, the pork cutlet you made was so delicious—do you have some kind of special secret for making hot spring–style pork cutlet?”
“I didn’t make it.”
I naturally assumed Yeonggye made it, but if not, then who on earth…?
My eyes naturally turned to Haeryeong.
‘No way… seriously?’
“I went to the trouble of making it for you, and what’s with that lukewarm reaction?”
“You really made this?”
At my astonishment, Haeryeong frowned in displeasure.
At a glance, his hands were white and delicate, like they’d never touched a drop of water—unexpected, to say the least.
“Yes. You should taste it beforehand and know the flavor before you try making it yourself.”
“I’m the one making this?”
Still staring at Haeryeong’s pale, beautiful hands, I pointed at myself with my index finger and asked back.
“The owner of a hot spring makes the food sold at the hot spring. And that’s not all. This hot spring also sells tea and treats patients. If you’re the owner, you need to be skilled at making food and tea, and you must be able to make medicine as well.”
Isn’t this a hot spring?
Fine, I can concede food and tea a hundred times over.
But what kind of hot spring owner makes medicine?
“That’s a funny joke.”
Ha, ha, ha. I laughed in short, staccato bursts and waved my hand, but Haeryeong’s face didn’t have a trace of humor.
“Does it sound like a joke?”
No.
The problem was that it didn’t sound like a joke at all.
“Isn’t medicine-making something just anyone can’t do? I don’t even have a license—if I make it, it’s illegal. Totally illegal.”
“That’ll be taken care of, so stop worrying about pointless things. Drink this.”
Ignoring my attempt to reduce the workload by even a little, Haeryeong handed me a steaming cup.
“What’s this?”
“Mugwort latte. It’s a popular item at the hot spring.”
Mugwort latte… this is my first time.
Hesitant about the unfamiliar drink, I cautiously savored the aroma first.
It smells pleasantly of mugwort.
The green, monster-like color made me recoil for a moment, but drawn in by the appealing scent, I took a sip of the mugwort latte.
Damn it.
This is good too!
I expected it to be bitter because it’s mugwort, but it was mildly sweet, as if sugar had been added.
“Looks like you like it.”
By the time Haeryeong’s words registered, I had already finished the entire cup.
[You drank one cup of ‘Hot Spring–Style Mugwort Latte.’ With the refreshing energy of mugwort, stamina increases by 5. Stamina (30/35)]
All I did was sit here and drink a delicious mugwort latte, and my stamina went up by five.
Does that even make sense?
Countless hunters undergo intensive training with professional trainers just to try to increase their stamina, yet stamina doesn’t rise that easily.
Just where is the limit of this hot spring?
This feels like only the tasting stage, yet it already far exceeds the ordinary.
Is this what makes an EX-grade hot spring different?
As I marveled silently, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of a potion that increases stamina, have I?
If I sold mugwort lattes instead…
It’d probably be less work than pork cutlets, and above all, it’d be rare.
And since it’s a mugwort latte, even someone clumsy like me might be able to give it a shot.
“Haeryeong! Could you teach me how to make mugwort latte?”
At my call, Haeryeong covered his face with one hand.
I couldn’t tell if his hand was big or his face was small, but his expression was hard to see.
I only caught it for a moment, but he seemed a bit flustered.
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“My name. I don’t think I ever told you.”
Ah, so that’s why he was surprised.
“When we made the contract, the system window told me.”
“It did?”
Since it felt awkward to say I saw it in the favorability window, I brushed it off vaguely. Haeryeong nodded in agreement, his face looking oddly bashful.
“There are still ingredients left, so it wouldn’t be bad to try it as a test. Take this.”
Haeryeong held out a golden scroll.
What’s this?
The moment I took it, the scroll vanished from my hand.
[You have obtained ‘Hot Spring–Style Mugwort Latte Recipe’ from the Constellation ‘Ruler of the Hot Springs.’]
[Hidden Skill ‘The Hot Spring Owner Is a Dreamlight Barista’ has been unlocked.]
[Make Hot Spring–Style Mugwort Latte]
[Hot Spring–Style Mugwort Latte (0/1)]
[Reward: 1,000,000 gold / Additional Reward: ???]
As the recipe unlocked, a mission window popped up.
Just getting the mugwort latte recipe was already a win, but one million gold?!
Burning with determination to make it no matter what, I immediately opened the recipe.
[Hot Spring–Style Mugwort Latte Recipe]
[Ingredients: Mugwort powder 10g, hot milk 170ml / sugar 1 spoon]
[Add sugar (1 spoon) and milk (170ml) to mugwort powder (10g).]
I read through it, but… this just sounds like “throw everything in,” doesn’t it?
If anything, reading the recipe made my head feel even more complicated.
That’s when I remembered something Jiho—our household’s golden-handed cook—once said.
Jiho always said cooking was about “feel.”
I threw in the ingredients Yeonggye gave me by feel, then poured in the hot milk.
I definitely followed the recipe, but the color of the mugwort latte looked duller and thicker than the one I’d seen earlier.
Even though I made it myself, the appearance made me uneasy.
Still, it’s green, and it has mugwort and milk in it, so at least it should resemble a mugwort latte, right?
“Haeryeong, could you taste the mugwort latte? It’s my first time making it, so I don’t know if it’ll be good.”
I grabbed Haeryeong by the collar as he was trying to quietly slip away and made him sit down.
“I have something urgent to—”
“You saved me today, and you made me a meal too. I wanted to treat you to something as well. Would that be so bad?”
I honestly expected Haeryeong to snap at me and storm out, but unexpectedly, he obediently picked up the cup filled with the mugwort latte I made.
After taking a breath as if bracing himself, Haeryeong drank the latte resolutely. His right eyebrow twitched unstably.
“Well?”
Seeing that he was still fine even after drinking it gave me hope.
When I looked at him with eyes shining with anticipation, Haeryeong silently finished the cup.
“For a first attempt, it’s not bad.”
“Really? Thank goodness!”
I actually managed to make mugwort latte!
When I smiled brightly in accomplishment, Haeryeong replied with a faint smile of his own.
Since it was a success, maybe I should try making it for Jiho and Park Siwoo too?
“Yeonggye, is it okay if I take the remaining ingredients with me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The moment Yeonggye gave permission, I wrapped up the ingredients in a cloth and packed them away.
Park Siwoo, I’ll make sure you can never tease me for being clumsy again!
“I should head home now. I’ll completely master mugwort latte by tomorrow and come back.”
“Alright. I’ll leave seeing you off to Yeonggye.”
Encouraged by Haeryeong’s not-bad evaluation, I stood up with renewed motivation, bundle in hand.
Maybe he really did have urgent business, because Haeryeong quietly disappeared outside, leaving things to Yeonggye.
He must be pretty busy.
I thought Constellations just lounged around doing nothing, but I guess that’s not always true.
“The exit is over there. If you open the door while picturing the place you want to go in your mind, it’ll take you there.”
Yeonggye pointed to a door behind the hot spring desk.
A door that takes you anywhere?
Just as I grabbed the doorknob and was about to turn it while picturing home—
Tap tap tap tap!
Urgent footsteps rang out from somewhere.
[The Constellation ‘Ruler of the Hot Springs’ sprints toward the restroom with all their might.]
