Chapter 179: Choi Arin got drunk again

Hayoon glanced at where Choi Arin had been standing just moments before and smirked.

She knew why Arin was reacting that way.

‘She’s afraid of messing up again.’

It was obvious.

Choi Arin was worried about making another mistake and ending up in the same embarrassing situation.

Hayoon, having figured out the situation, headed back to her room.

This place was smaller than a hotel room, essentially a motel-sized accommodation.

However, since there were no other tourist attractions or associated activities nearby, they provided not only lodging but also meals.

“Wow, this looks delicious.”

“Ooh…”

After waiting until dinnertime, Hayoon and Choi Arin went to the dining area and were served the chef’s special Japanese-style pork cutlet.

It came with omelet rice, an exquisite combination.

“Wow…”

“This is it…”

Hayoon and Choi Arin exclaimed in succession, savoring the true taste of Japanese home cooking.

The seasoning was definitely stronger than in Korea, and most of the sauces were soy-based, but…

If one could tolerate that much, Japanese food was generally familiar to Koreans, so they wouldn’t have to worry about meals while traveling.

Anyway.

“That was delicious.”

“Phew, that was a good meal.”

Hayoon and Choi Arin finished their delicious dinner and were about to head back up to their room.

However, Hayoon, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, stopped in front of the beer vending machine.

Then, with a clatter, she inserted yen into the machine…

With a clunk, she pressed a button and retrieved a beer.

“Hmm…”

Choi Arin had already fled back to the room.

Just like before, she seemed incredibly reluctant to touch alcohol.

If she could comfortably handle a bottle of soju, surely a single can of beer wouldn’t cause any problems…

“If she doesn’t want to, then she doesn’t want to.”

Hayoon wasn’t the type to force alcohol on someone who didn’t want it.

She simply grabbed a can of a Japanese beer brand she had liked in her past life and headed up to their room.

“Oh, Hayoon, you’re back?”

“Yeah, I’m back.”

When she entered the room, Choi Arin had already brushed her teeth and washed her face, changed into pajamas, and was getting ready for bed.

If she was expressing her aversion to drinking that strongly, there was no need to push her.

Hayoon simply sat down in the rocking chair by the window and sipped her beer while watching the horses run in the paddock.

The beer can itself was small, so she didn’t need any snacks.

She just planned to enjoy the mood for a bit, then wash up and go to bed.

“Uh, um…”

Choi Arin, perched on the edge of the bed, found herself strangely drawn to Hayoon.

It’s a common phenomenon: when people try to force you to drink, you don’t want to, but when they tell you not to, you suddenly feel a rebellious urge to try it. Choi Arin was a grown adult, but even grown adults weren’t immune to such contrarian logic.

‘Why does she look so atmospheric… she’s just drinking alcohol…’

Of course, this was entirely Hayoon’s fault.

Her tall, slender physique.

Beyond just slender, a well-proportioned, curvy figure.

And the face that was the cherry on top.

Simply put, beautiful.

Such a person was sitting in a rocking chair by the window as dusk settled, holding a silver beer can and sipping.

Hayoon herself was exuding an enchanting aura.

‘This is annoying…’

Why was she so pretty?

Choi Arin knew she wasn’t unattractive herself, but whenever she saw Hayoon, she felt a pang of jealousy.

Still, on the other hand, Hayoon also made her crave a drink.

It was as if Hayoon was unknowingly filming a commercial targeted solely at Choi Arin.

However…

‘Ugh,
… I can’t just ask for a drink now.’

If Choi Arin asked for a drink now, it would look strange.

A person has their pride. How could she say, “I didn’t want to drink before, but watching you drink made me want to”?

In the end, Choi Arin gritted her teeth and decided to drink beer tomorrow.

There were still two days left in their trip.

It seemed okay to drink once during those two days.

No, maybe twice? Wouldn’t twice be better?

‘Yeah, I can probably drink twice. It’s not like I’m drinking a lot, and I won’t make a mistake with just one small can. I’m not childish enough to mess up with just one can.’

And so, as Choi Arin rationalized and prepared her excuses for drinking beer tomorrow…

“That was good.”

Hayoon had already finished her can of beer and headed to the bathroom to wash up and get ready for bed.

“Ugh, um… hmm…”

Choi Arin wondered if there was any beer left and considered checking the can Hayoon had left behind…

“Aww…”

Of course, there was none left.

If, by some chance, there had been some beer left, Choi Arin, after taking a single sip, would likely have said, “Alcohol tastes like alcohol, what else,” and wouldn’t have touched alcohol for the rest of the trip.

But as it was, this day only intensified her craving for alcohol.

“Morning.”

The next morning.

Hayoon woke up considerably earlier than planned and went for a morning walk.

The bus to the city center didn’t start running until 9 AM, so she had some time to kill. She got up early and took pictures of the horses.

“Pretty. Good girl.”

She took many pictures of the white horse that had supposedly won six major competitions.

When she pointed her phone lens at it, the horse stuck out its tongue and made a funny face, a cute creature that made her laugh just by looking at it. After taking a fair number of pictures, she had breakfast with Choi Arin, left the ranch, and boarded the bus to the city.

“Hmm, so… today we’ll go to the deer park to see the deer, and have lunch at a famous udon restaurant. Then we’ll go shopping at a shopping center, and finish up at a famous sushi restaurant…”

Hayoon explained the rough plan. First, they arrived at a hotel located right where a single bus could take them directly to the deer park and checked in.

This hotel, where they would spend their last night in Japan, was larger than the one they had stayed at on the first night.

However…

“There’s only one bed…”

“Yeah. Just one.”

“Huh…?”

“Why? There was nothing I could do. It’s the New Year holidays, everything was fully booked. This was the best I could find.”

The biggest difference was that their room was a couple’s room with a single king-sized bed.

The spa bathtub was large, and the room was spacious, but there was only one bed.

“You’re not, like, thinking weird thoughts, are you, Hayoon?”

“What’s weird?”

“Never mind, nothing…”

Choi Arin, momentarily worried about her virtue being threatened, eyed Hayoon suspiciously, but then shook her head, thinking it wouldn’t happen.

She secretly harbored thoughts about such a relationship with Hayoon, but unless she herself begged for it, Hayoon wouldn’t cross the line.

Even if Hayoon had a somewhat radical side, she was usually clear about boundaries in that regard…

‘Was she…?’

No, it didn’t seem like it, did it?

A sudden wave of anxiety washed over Choi Arin, but…

“D-deer! Deer!”

“Yeah. There are so many.”

The moment she saw the sika deer roaming freely throughout the deer park, her worries vanished, and she became as excited as a child.

She had enjoyed seeing the horses at the ranch too. Choi Arin surprisingly seemed to like four-legged animals.

She spread deer feed on her palm and, cooing “ogu ogu,” waited for the deer to approach and eat, then took pictures at the opportune moment.

“Heehee…”

She also hugged a deer that silently approached her and took pictures.

Hayoon took those pictures, and Choi Arin also took pictures of Hayoon hugging a deer.

And so, the two of them enjoyed the deer park for a while, then headed to a famous udon restaurant.

“Wow, the broth…”

As expected of a place famous for Japanese-style udon, the broth was exceptional.

It had a depth of flavor that made comparing it to instant meal kit broth feel disrespectful. As Hayoon marveled and slurped up the noodles with a spoon…

“Hooo…”

Choi Arin let out a groan.

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

“You want to drink? This broth is perfect with alcohol.”

Then, she kept giving Hayoon pointed looks.

Finally, Hayoon, unable to stand it anymore, said something.

“No, well, I’m not necessarily saying let’s drink…”

“We still have things to do, so just one can. A small one.”

“Yay!”

“Mine too.”

“Okay!”

Choi Arin asked the shop owner and got two cans of beer.

Then, they each opened a can, ordered a few side dishes with their udon, and enjoyed a delicious daytime drink.

“Wow! This is really pretty! Hayoon!”

“Unnie, please, quiet down…”

“Hehehe…”

The amount itself was small, but perhaps because she drank it too quickly, she already seemed tipsy, her energy level skyrocketing.

Maybe, this person…

Her tolerance wasn’t actually a bottle of soju…

Maybe she got drunk around the time she finished a bottle of soju because she drank too fast?

Perhaps her absolute limit was actually just one can of beer…

“This is dizzying…”

If she was like this already, she would probably throw a tantrum and demand sake at the sushi restaurant later…

Hayoon was at a loss as to what to do.

Yesterday, she had been so grumpy about not wanting to drink, and now today, why was she like this?