I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

「A few days ago, 30 tons of illegal aphrodisiacs were seized in Chinatown.」

「The domestic criminal organization Ilshim has occupied this Chinatown and is currently in a standoff with the Hunter Association.」

Various troubling news pours from the radio.

The man, feeling weary from the news, soon turns off the radio.

He then takes out his cell phone and browses through his blog.

It is time to post the next review for a shop.

“Let’s see… is there any place nearby worth ripping off?”

He searches for cocktails on the domain.

Information about a bar near Sindorim then appears.

Blogger, Jung-gil, fiddles with his phone and checks the reviews for the bar ‘Moment’.

‘The bartender is tasty, and the alcohol is friendly.’

Jaehi10.

‘The bartender sister is cute, and the store is pretty.’

Seah12.

‘This store, Red Eye is delicious. Order a lot.’

Redsnake1sim.

2028.

Now that the government has disappeared and the Association has taken over the nation.

This is the first time seeing a bar with such high ratings.

Could there be something special about this store that people would specifically buy expensive cocktails?

Even the currently popular singer, JEI, confirmed her visit with a Shorts video.

Capable bartenders are also struggling with living expenses, and there are stores that ride the viral wave without effort.

Unforgivable.

It’s time to show the positive effects of being a power blogger.

I will expose the true state of this store and provide a cold, hard review.

He makes this resolution as he drives towards Moment, which he sees in the distance.

Jung-gil adjusts his heavily waxed hair.

In his early thirties, he has another purpose besides reviewing.

The appearance of the bartender he saw in the Shorts video was quite appealing.

Especially cute was her teardrop mark.

He snickers and starts parking in front of the Moment bar.

Suddenly, he flinches at the sight of a Jaguar parked next to him.

A foreign car in these times…

Obviously, the car owner must be a rich snob who is of no help to society.

He grumbles as he carefully finishes parking, avoiding the foreign car.

Even after getting out of the car, Jung-gil looks back and forth between his Avante and the Jaguar XJ.

Unsatisfied with the comparative visuals, he forcibly turns his gaze away and opens the door to the store.

A faint song by JEI, ‘Hola’, flows from the speakers.

He frowns.

It’s a deduction right from the start.

At the moment an idol song plays, to his standards, Moment becomes a cheap unlimited cocktail bar.

Moreover, this messy interior.

It looks like it’s still under construction, with the steel frame exposed on the ceiling, and the store walls not fully repaired, blocked off with a barrier tape.

Though this construction site concept is trendy, this is just a real construction site.

Jung-gil ponders what comment to make to break the owner’s mental state as he enters the store hall.

There are no customers at the hall tables.

However, two female customers are sitting at the counter, their backs turned.

A silver-haired woman with a hat pressed down and a black-haired woman in a suit.

Especially the woman in the suit, her beautiful curves are clearly visible as her clothes cling to her body.

Staring intently at her figure, Jung-gil slowly heads towards the counter.

And he thinks.

‘Could it be, the store’s water is so good that it has such high ratings?’

The blogger waits with his arms crossed for an employee to appear.

In the meantime, Jung-gil glances over at the two women.

Indeed, the woman in the suit was also beautiful from the side.

Her sharp facial features under her lush black hair caught his eye.

Especially striking are her ruby-like red eyes.

The woman on the left was no less remarkable.

Even though she wore a hat, her mysterious silver hair and pale skin captivated his gaze.

Her blurry white pupils exuded a decadent beauty, and her rough hands felt sexy.

Her shadowed features seemed to evoke a protective instinct.

He contemplates whether to speak to them.

But as he was thinking of a line, a rustling sound from the kitchen diverted his attention.

“—.”

Soon, a petite bartender appears from the kitchen.

She seems apologetic for not attending to the customers sooner and hurries to the counter.

A strange, fatal fragrance seems to emanate from the approaching her.

“Sorry. I was just taking some medicine…”

She mutters in a neutral voice.

The bartender’s name tag is engraved with the name Si-ho.

Though of average height, he catches a glimpse of an above-average figure hidden under her apron.

Her plain outfit contrasted with her not-so-plain figure, as attractive as a swimsuit.

“It’s okay.”

He stares intently at Si-ho’s teardrop mark and mutters.

Was the real thing better than what he saw in the video? He looks satisfied.

“My name is Jung-gil.”

The man extends his hand.

Si-ho hastily wipes her hands on her apron before shaking hands with him.

“If you’re also a bartender, you must know ‘Jung-gil’s Cocktail Diary’?”

“No, I don’t watch TV much…”

Si-ho scratches her neck awkwardly.

As she touches her skin, the scent of flowers seems to intensify.

“The bartender doesn’t know me? You’re insensitive to trends.”

He throws out words, feeling slightly offended.

“Sorry.”

“Well, to put it simply, I’m a power blogger, and my reviews greatly help the business.”

The blogger arrogantly crosses his arms and looks around the inside of the store.

The counter is ordinary, and nothing special stands out.

There are only two beauties on either side as customers.

To appeal to the women with a masculine presence, he stands up straight.

“There aren’t many customers in the store… if it’s okay with you, I’ll give you direct feedback.”

“Feedback?”

“Yes. I have 500,000 followers, you know.”

Si-ho tilts her head, looking burdened by his suggestion, and fiddles with her hands.

Jung-gil, frustrated by her response, promptly makes an offer.

“Make me a drink.”

“What would you like?”

“If you’re a bartender, surely you can make a Gimlet?”

Gimlet.

A very simple cocktail made with gin and lime, varying in taste depending on the bartender’s style.

Ordering a Gimlet can gauge the level of the store, as it is a sensitive cocktail.

Jung-gil, somewhat of a liquor expert, plans to test her with this.

Despite his arrogant demeanor, Si-ho smiles sweetly.

Her teardrop mark shifts, revealing her feminine eye shape more clearly.

Jung-gil involuntarily coughs.

It seems this house is definitely a one-man bartender carry.

Soon, Si-ho brings dry gin and lime.

She begins bartending with smooth hand movements.

In the shaker:

Dry gin 2 ounces (60ml)

Freshly squeezed lime juice 1/2 ounce (15ml)

Then a dash of sweet sugar syrup.

Add them in order and shake.

After a lively shaking sound, strain it into a martini glass.

Rating: ★★★

Effect: Stamina up 10%.

Info: The sweet sugar syrup and sour lime meet clean gin to create harmony. Si-ho’s 100% skill didn’t come out because she’s still unwell.

An extra star is added by Angelic Hand.

“I’ll serve you the Gimlet.”

She slowly pushes the glass towards Jung-gil.

The subtle lime green liquor ripples.

He thinks upon seeing the color.

The color isn’t bad.

But…

It lacks even a basic orange peel garnish…

And the glass wasn’t properly chilled either.

The taste might not be bad, but it definitely lacks detail.

It’s just a typical 8,000-won cocktail you’d expect from an ordinary bar.

He thought this as he sipped from the glass.

A fragrant drink enters his mouth.

After the tart lime flavor, a subtle sweetness moistens his tongue.

“…”

What is this?

It’s definitely just a regular Gimlet.

But somehow, it tastes strangely uplifting.

He looks around, feeling the subtle scent.

The only people around him are the two female customers and the bartender.

Is it because it’s like drinking in a flower garden?

He tilts his head and sips again.

The petite bartender watches him anxiously.

Finding her look cute, Jung-gil feels even more mischievously inclined.

The blogger calmly clears his throat and starts reciting his prepared comment.

“Well, the taste of the Gimlet itself isn’t bad. But…”

“There’s no garnish, and the glass is lukewarm.”

Jung-gil twirls the glass as he speaks.

“With such an ordinary taste, it’s hard to survive in this lawless era.”

Si-ho’s complexion darkens a bit.

She mumbles an apology.

“Well, there’s still a way to boost sales.”

At Jung-gil’s words, Si-ho gazes up at him intently.

“I’ll give you a higher review score if you show some ‘goodwill’. Right now, it’s just a 6 out of 10.”

He opens his palm and shapes it to show the number eight.

“Five bills per point, a total of ten bills will get your review up to 8 points.”

“Ten bills is 100,000 won?”

Si-ho asks with an innocent face.

At her ludicrous question, Jung-gil chuckles.

“No, of course, it’s 1 million won.”

His quoted price makes Si-ho’s mouth drop open slightly.

Her expression is troubled, as if she hadn’t anticipated this.

“What to do… Our shop has been under reconstruction recently and we’re out of money…”

Jung-gil’s mouth twitches sympathetically.

But soon, he steels his resolve and manages his expression.

This is when he needs to push harder.

Just a girl, after all; push hard enough and she’ll have to comply out of fear.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do then, I’ll just have to rate it as the cheap bar it is.”

Si-ho seems hurt by his words and rubs her mouth with the back of her hand.

His disappointment in her eyes somehow makes him want to torment her more.

But that feeling doesn’t last long.

Because Jung-gil feels a chilling gaze on either side of him.

Before he even turns his head, two hands land on his shoulders.

It’s the two women who were sitting next to him.

Red eyes and white eyes both piercingly look down at him.

“Uh… do you have something to say to me…?”

He stammers, unnerved by the strong grip on his shoulders.

“Did you just call this a cheap bar?”

Executor asks.

“Shall I kill him?”

Anna asks.

Jung-gil trembles at the sight of these two predators.

One a giant leopard, the other a large anaconda.

The bartender stops them with a pained voice.

“It’s okay. He’s a ‘famous blogger’, after all. It would be troublesome to show him in a bad light…”

Si-ho shakes her head pitifully.

At that, Anna, moved by Si-ho’s miserable look, slips her hand into her pocket.

“Anna sit, Executor you too.”

But despite Si-ho’s words, Executor grips his shoulder even tighter.

The atmosphere turns icy, sending shivers down Jung-gil’s spine.

Anna…

The infamous killer.

Kills anyone for money, a crazy murderer!

And Executor…

A high-ranking official of Korea’s largest organization, Ilshim.

These two women in the same space?

It’s unbelievable.

What exactly is this place?!

“It seems our blogger friend here doesn’t know the taste of alcohol.”

Soon, Executor’s arm coils around his neck.

Like a snake.

She whispers to Jung-gil very kindly.

“Try it again. What does it taste like?”

Anna drives a blade into the table.

And perches on the table, looking down at Jung-gil.

Responding, his trembling hand moves.

He slowly takes the Gimlet to his mouth.

But he trembles so much that most of the drink spills down his chin.

“How is it?”

“What do you think?”

Both killers ask at the same time.

“Tastes… good…”

“How good?”

The two women lean in closer.

“To die for…”

He mutters as if enchanted.

Then Executor’s red eyes fix on the blogger, hypnotically staring.

“Rating?”

“10 points… 10 points…”

Executor pulls out his phone from his pocket.

And kindly hands it to him.

“Write. The review.”

Executor smiles slightly.

Si-ho watches, covering her mouth with her hand, the two killers looking like loan sharks forcing a debt waiver.

The indebted Jung-gil, fingers trembling, slowly taps on the screen.

He was so nervous that correcting typos took forever.

“I… I’ve written it here.”

Jung-gil shows the review to Executor as if offering a tribute.

Anna reads the text emphatically.

“Three eat, one could die and still not know. The taste is the best. What? Die…?”

Anna gets angry at the mention of ‘die’ and raises her sword again.

But Executor stops her.

“Ah, it means it’s really good. In Korea, it’s high praise.”

Only after hearing her explanation does Anna lower her sword.

Then, Jung-gil shudders as he backs away from the counter.

The blogger starts running towards the entrance.

Si-ho quickly calls out to stop him.

“Wait! If you write a review, I’ll give you some canapés…!”

The bartender follows him with a plate in her hands.

But the blogger, saying he doesn’t need them, roughly closes the entrance door.

“Ha…”

As the rare visitor flees, Si-ho sighs deeply.

Then she turns to look sharply at the two killers.

“I told you to stop scaring the customers.”

Executor shrugs nonchalantly.

Even the emotionless Anna mimics her shrug.

“This will turn into a den of criminals if this keeps up…”

Si-ho regrets as she nibbles on the canapés she’d made.

Lately, she’s been craving sweets and lives off desserts.

“I hope the next customer doesn’t run away…”