episode_0138

2 hours ago.

“Is this really okay?”

“You’re an adult. It’s fine then.”

“…I guess so.”

“The police won’t come to our house to check our IDs, right?”

I pondered in front of the delivered pajeon and the makgeolli that Siwoo had just bought from the convenience store.

“It should be fine.”

Yeah. Before I die, I was twenty-three.

Anyway, I’ll be an adult in a few months, right?

Having a glass of makgeolli won’t kill me.

“Okay. Just for today. It’s our 100th day…!”

“But just one glass.”

“Why?!”

“You might be fine, but I’m a bit worried.”

“…Tsk.”

Siwoo placed the soup bowl on the table and said, “Just one glass. Promise.”

I replied as I filled my empty bowl with makgeolli halfway.

“Alright. Just one glass.”

And I completed the surface tension in my bowl.

“Hey, just one gla…!”

“Why? This is also one glass, isn’t it?!”

Before Siwoo could interrupt, I brought the glass to my lips and took a sip.

Gulp.

The fizzy carbonation and tangy fermented taste went down my throat.

It’s so refreshing, this taste———.

“Bitter…!”

Why is it so bitter? Was alcohol always this bitter?

“I knew it.”

“Ugh.”

“That’s why I told you to have just one glass. You’ve never had alcohol before.”

“Well, this is my first time with this body…”

“If the body is different, the senses are different too. Are you a fool?”

“Well, yeah!”

Darn it. I poured so much, but I can’t drink it.

Makgeolli tastes bad. The pajeon is right in front of me. It’s a golden combination.

“I knew this would happen, so I bought this. Try this.”

Siwoo took out a can from the fridge that I had never seen before. It said makgeolli on the outside, but is there such a thing as non-alcoholic makgeolli?

“It’s non-alcoholic makgeolli.”

“There’s non-alcoholic makgeolli too?”

“I read the reviews, and it says it tastes similar to milk soda. Give it a try.”

“Ugh. That’s not milk soda, it’s makgeolli.”

“You’re good at complaining even though you can’t drink real makgeolli.”

I have no choice.

I took the can Siwoo handed me and tasted it.

It was slightly different from the makgeolli taste I remembered. It felt more like a kids’ drink.

Still, it was strangely warm and had no bitterness, so it suited my taste buds.

“Is it good…?”

Curious, I poured it into a mug and found it to be quite diluted. Is this soju or a soft drink?

“Kids’ taste buds, as expected.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your taste buds are like a kid’s.”

“Then yours are like a kid’s too.”

“I have adult taste buds.”

“What are you talking about?”

Despite my protests, Siwoo slowly pulled my bowl towards him, which was full of makgeolli.

Then, he quickly downed the whole bowl of makgeolli.

He hasn’t even touched the pajeon yet. Is he planning to watch a movie after getting drunk?

“Hey, if you drink like that, you’ll get drunk!”

Having drunk alone a few times, I know that drinking like that will quickly reach the limit. My tolerance is at most one bottle of soju.

“We agreed to watch movies all night, but if you pass out first, it’s really unmanly.”

“You can’t sleep with Min Chaewon next to you. That’s not manly.”

“…What are you saying?”

Trying to act manly but ending up fainting alone, is that more manly than watching movies all night?

“If you fall asleep, I’ll go home.”

“It’s dangerous to go out late at night.”

“I have to go if you’re not going to have fun.”

“I won’t sleep. Don’t worry.”

“Even if I want to trust you, your credibility took a hit with that one-shot of makgeolli.”

“…You know me too well.”

Siwoo scratched the back of his head and looked at me.

No matter how I tried to brush it off, it was not right to pretend not to know what I knew.

Should I have pretended not to know?

Was I being too oblivious?

Is this how a good girlfriend gets dumped…?

“I’ll just pretend I don’t know. Trust is restored.”

“Saying that now is too late.”

“Ah, anyway, I feel better. Pour me another drink!”

With a bitter smile, Siwoo put a pancake into the air fryer and then went to the sink to shake an empty bottle.

It was a hangover cure drink.

“When did you drink this?”

“I drank it earlier because I thought I might drink today.”

“You were determined to get drunk, huh?”

“But… honestly, I think I could have done without this.”

Siwoo rolled up his sleeves to his shoulders and flexed his arm muscles unnecessarily.

It wasn’t the thick arm I remembered Siwoo having. The agile Siwoo was starting to become more like a muscle man.

“I walked with Reka every morning. Thanks to that, I gained stamina and lung capacity, so I can do more exercises now.”

“I extended my 30-minute workout routine to an hour… and this happened. With enough arm strength, I can focus more on practicing. It was beneficial in many ways.”

Reducing the time spent in meaningless agony in front of the piano and investing in health and exercise had amazing results.

Of course, if you become too muscular, you may lose flexibility, so the current level of skeletal muscles is just right.

It was exactly the perfect Siwoo I had hoped for.

“So I’ve been drinking a bit more lately. I tried drinking alone when you weren’t around, and now I can easily handle two and a half bottles of soju.”

There are people who exercise to drink. That saying wasn’t a lie.

I used to drink alone at least once a week. So Siwoo wouldn’t lie about his drinking capacity. He must have even conducted experiments himself.

“Since I drank a hangover cure drink, don’t worry about sleeping first tonight. I won’t wake up for real.”

“Okay. I’ll count on you.”

“You go to sleep first. Just try to fall asleep. I’ll tickle you awake.”

“No. Isn’t that too much for a guest?”

“If I promised to entertain you, I’ll entertain you to the end.”

“Okay….”

Ding—.

Just then, the air fryer stopped working.

As I pulled the handle, the crispy pancake greeted us. Perhaps because there was a paper towel underneath, it looked less greasy and more wholesome.

“I’m choosing a movie. I’ll set it up.”

While Siwoo put a new piece of paper towel and another pancake into the air fryer, I rummaged through Siwoo’s iPad connected to the projector for a movie to watch.

There were many movies on my wishlist, but the first one I chose was ‘Train to Busan’. It was a well-made zombie apocalypse film that opened the Korean zombie movie era.

I had planned to go to the theater to see it because everyone around me said it was fun, but I was too busy preparing for the youth concours and couldn’t make it.

There was also the fact that I was a bit scared to watch it alone. But today, isn’t Siwoo right next to me?

So today is the day to watch this movie.

“Train to Busan?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s been five years since it was released, hasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

It was a straightforward choice without any hesitation.

It was a choice and focus that was possible because it was us.

No matter what we choose, it’s a perfect match for each other. How convenient is it to have such perfect picks without even needing a wishlist?

“I kept saying I had to watch it back then, but I never got around to it. Now we’re watching it like this.”

Siwoo finished setting up and sat next to me, fiddling with the iPad.

I made sure his shoulder touched mine and then pressed the play button.

“But are you okay with this? I’m not good at watching scary things.”

“Maybe it’ll be okay if we watch it together.”

“What’s the difference between two scaredy-cats watching it together…?”

“…I don’t know! So are we never going to watch it? Or are you going to take someone else to watch it?”

“I could choose not to watch.”

“If you want to see it, you have to watch it!”

People sometimes forget their fear in the face of curiosity.

— Aaah!

“Wow!”

I found the jump scares in zombie movies too funny.

The zombies suddenly popping out with screams amidst the silence.

Being on edge, I had no choice but to cling to Siwoo every time.

Startled, Siwoo would embrace me whenever that happened.

“A-Are you okay?”

“Uh… uh……”

How is it that a zombie movie has more jump scares than a horror movie?

My heart can’t take it.

“S-Sorry. I was so startled.”

“N-No… I was startled too……”

I fell away from Siwoo with a sheepish expression.

“Haah…… What kind of zombie movie is this, it’s like a horror movie——.”

— Kyaaaah!

“Eek!”

“Ugh.”

And another jump scare.

Startled and disoriented, we tumbled to the ground intertwined.

“Are you okay?”

Since the mood wasn’t right, we looked at each other with perfectly clear minds. But despite our clear minds, our positions were confusing.

Siwoo, trying to prevent my head from hitting the ground, was in a half-folded position on top of me. His knees were between my legs. Our chests were touching.

Our noses were so close that they could touch with a slight movement. Our bodies were always warm and close when we hugged.

On the screen projected on the wall, the horde of zombies was running around like crazy. We, intertwined, couldn’t say anything as our hearts raced like crazy.

Gradually, we couldn’t hear the sounds of zombies or people screaming.

Did our ears block out all external sounds?

Why can we only hear our heartbeats?

Siwoo subtly tightened his grip on the hand supporting my head. Our faces, already close, became even closer.

It feels like our lips are about to touch.

What should I do? What should I do?

Should I just stay still like this? Close my eyes? Keep them open?

Oh, I’ll just close them for now!

What should I do next? Can someone please tell me.

I really don’t know anything…!