episode_0033

When I heard Ha-eun say she would buy me alcohol, two thoughts came to mind.

One is the question of where the money to buy alcohol comes from when he hasn’t even received his part-time salary yet.

Another concern was that since it wasn’t pasta but alcohol, something bad might happen.

And the next day I realized that it was a pointless worry.

“Ta-da! Oppa, look at this!”

As soon as we met in the downtown area, Ha-eun showed me her phone screen.

“Coupon? What is this?”

He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Because I had exchanged messages and talked on the phone with Ha-eun often, aside from last night, my attitude toward her had become much more comfortable.

“I won it in the draw yesterday! I did it the way my brother told me last time and it really worked!”

I kept getting asked to teach them the secret, so I just gave them some vague explanations, but I never thought I’d actually get it.

I don’t know if I learned it quickly or if I was just lucky.

From what I heard, it seemed like the doll grabber shop was having an event with a bar, following the pasta restaurant they had last time.

When you draw a doll, you are also given a piece of paper with a QR code printed on it. If you scan it with your phone, you will be entered into a draw.

“So you won first place?”

“Yes! The stores listed here are offering free shipping for up to 50,000 won. Isn’t that a jackpot?”

“Really?”

I followed him to the store, half skeptical and half expectant.

The interior design is nice with an izakaya feel, and in addition to the collaboration with the doll grabber shop, they also hold other events, so there were quite a lot of customers.

“Please ring the bell when you decide on a menu. And we haven’t been open for long. We’ll make it delicious, so if you like it, please spread the word.”

There seem to be a lot of events, it must be the opening of a new store.

The person who seemed to be the boss left, and only Ha-eun and I were left.

“It’s okay here.”

“Really? That’s lucky!”

The place we entered was a tatami room where we had to take off our shoes.

I also liked that I didn’t have to worry about what other people thought, and it was nice that it was spacious enough for two people.

There wasn’t much soundproofing effect, so other people’s voices could be heard, but it actually enhanced the atmosphere of the bar, so it wasn’t a big drawback.

“Brother, what do you want to eat?”

“Let’s choose together.”

Ha-eun smiled slightly embarrassedly.

“This is my first time coming to that bar, so I don’t know much about it.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Do you often come to places like this, oppa?”

“Not often, but I sometimes follow my friends when they call. So is this your first time drinking alcohol?”

“It’s not the first time, but I was curious so I bought some soju and tasted it.”

I guess it wasn’t a lie when he said he didn’t have any friends last time.

I ordered some soup and some skewers as side dishes.

Ha-eun said that since she had tried soju, she was curious about what beer would taste like, so we decided to drink beer.

After a while, the food we ordered arrived at the table, and Ha-eun, who had been excitedly saying that it looked delicious, put her hands together and closed her eyes.

“What did you pray for?”

“Thank you for meeting someone like you and giving me the opportunity to come here. Hehe.”

“I’m the one receiving it, so I’m grateful. I’ll eat well.”

The atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Ha-eun was very impressed by the taste of beer when she first drank it, but she started drinking it often because she thought it was better than soju.

The food was delicious and the alcohol was moderately effective, so our conversation continued without stopping.

“Do you like anime? You said you were watching Garen Lagann last time.”

“Yes! I like anything that involves fighting with robots or cool weapons! Like Gundam!”

“Really? I’m the one who did it?”

I’ve liked things like giant robots since I was little, so the web novel I’m writing now is also a mecha novel.

I haven’t seen Garen Lagann, but it’s been a long time since I’ve watched all the Gundam series.

By the way, Ha-eun also likes robots.

When I first heard about it, I just thought he was an odd person, but I never expected that we would have similar tastes.

“Brother too?!”

She also widened her eyes as if she was surprised.

While they were both talking in excited voices, Ha-eun took a sip of beer and said.

“I feel so good today!”

“Why? Because you’re drunk?”

“No. I think I’ve become closer to you!”

I can feel the sincerity in her face that smiles brightly like a flower.

Looking at that sight, I thought that maybe I could bring up the questions that I had been cautiously avoiding.

“Ha Eun-ah.”

“Huh?”

“When you first met the goddess, you asked her to grant you a wish. Can I ask what it was?”

At that time, Ha-eun readily had a relationship with me, even though we had only met a few times.

It was quite a strange thing for me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what her wish was that drove her to make that decision.

“I just asked because I was curious. If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to.”

Unlike me who was cautious, the other person still had a bright face.

“My wish is to meet Mom and Dad.”

“Ah, you said it was hard to meet.”

“Actually, we broke up when we were young and haven’t seen each other since.”

At the unexpected words, he asked back in a subdued voice.

“… Since you were young?”

“When I was in kindergarten, my father got into a huge debt. He couldn’t afford to raise me, so he left me with my grandmother. After that, I lived with my grandmother and I haven’t seen her since.”

“Oh… . If you’re a kindergartener, it’s been a long time.”

She shrugged her shoulders when she saw my expression mixed with regret.

“It’s okay. Mom and Dad promised to come pick me up when I grow up. Honestly, I don’t remember my mom’s face or voice very well, except that she was a foreigner, but I remember that promise clearly.”

Ha-eun, who had been speaking calmly, continued speaking.

“I turned 20 this year, so I think my mom and dad are trying to come see me. But it’s not easy. It’s been four months and they haven’t come.”

“Praying on a regular basis… .”

Her head moved up and down slightly.

“Yes. I pray to God that my mom and dad will earn a lot of money so that they can come find me quickly.”

“I see… How is grandma? She must be bored since her granddaughter is in the dormitory.”

“My grandmother passed away last year. She often said that she missed my father.”

I feel regretful for saying such useless things.

It was even worse because her expression, which had been calm until just now, changed to a sad one as soon as she started talking about her grandmother.

“Ah… .”

“Don’t worry too much. I was really lonely after my grandmother passed away, but now I’m not lonely at all because my brother plays with me!”

Even though he smiles at me out of consideration, my heavy heart doesn’t seem to lighten at all.

What would it be like to live without friends or family?

I never knew that there was such pain behind that bright smile.

It was understandable that he had been saving money because he had to go to school alone without any support from his parents.

“But how much debt do you have that Mom and Dad haven’t come yet? My grandmother said that if you pray earnestly to God, He will definitely let you meet. So I pray every day for Mom and Dad to make a lot of money.”

A child pouts his lips as if he is throwing a tantrum.

My voice sank to the floor in regret and pity.

“It seems like it’s taking a while. Should we order something else? If it goes over, I’ll pay.”

“Really? Is that okay?!”

Fortunately, the atmosphere quickly returned to normal thanks to the added snacks and beer.

Ha-eun was as excited as when she first arrived here, and I also had a relaxed expression as we talked.

“I want to go to Japan!”

“Japan is good.”

“Wow, have you been there, oppa?”

“Yeah. The food there is good, and strangely enough, there’s a convenience store there… .”

“When you close your eyes and head, isn’t it scary sometimes? It feels like someone is watching me.”

“I used to do that a lot when I was little. I would close my eyes to sleep, but then open them again because I was afraid someone might be there.”

“Really? That would be cute!”

After the fun ended, I left the store.

Ha-eun, who had been fine until the middle, was drunk at some point because she had been drinking too much.

It seemed like the alcohol wasn’t that strong.

“Oppa… .”

“Ha-eun!”

She was leaning against me, and when she tried to sit down, I quickly grabbed her.

I’m a bit dizzy, but I still have some sense left, so I should take Ha-eun to the dorm first.

“Ha-eun, where is the dorm?”

“Ugh… .”

“Wait a minute. Don’t sleep. Open your eyes. You have to go to the dorm.”

“I am… I am the god of lottery… .”

Don’t be arrogant just because you got lucky and pulled it out once… No, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be easy to bring it in this state.

Even if she knew where the dorm was, it was questionable whether she would be able to walk to her room on her own.

…what should I do?

As I was pondering while holding onto Ha-eun who was staggering, a sign caught my eye.

—

Iron Fist.

I laid Ha-eun, whom I had barely brought, on the motel room bed.

She closed her eyes and lay comfortably, not even realizing how much effort I had put into it.

“Ha-eun, sleep here and go back to the dorm tomorrow. I’ll call you when you wake up, okay? ”

“Now I’m the owner of the lottery shop… .”

Suddenly, his status dropped from god to president.

By the way, is it okay to leave it like this?

When I was struggling because my feet wouldn’t move, Ha-eun, who was lying down, grabbed my wrist.

“Brother. I want to do it.”

“… I’m really drunk, so I should go to sleep.”

“No, I don’t want to. I want to have sex with you.”

She raises her upper body and looks up with eyes filled with longing.

Perhaps it was because I heard that she had been living alone without family or friends that I found it difficult to shake off the hand that was holding me.

But I was determined.

Even if you become close with Ha-eun, don’t have a personal relationship with her.

Just as I was about to refuse again before my resolve wavered, a familiar voice rang in my head.

[Hello, Do-Hyeon and Ha-Eun. How have you been?]

“Oh, Goddess!”

Ha-eun, who heard the same thing as me, greeted the air happily.

Immediately afterwards, the goddess whispered in the minds of both of them.

[I’m sorry, but I have another favor to ask of you two.]