Ch.130130. Drunk Driving Carries Enhanced Penalties

I woke up with a late morning, opening my eyelids after a night filled with heat. I felt a kind of headache I had never experienced before.

“…Phew.”

The cause was the tremendous hangover, a backlash from emptying a bottle of high-proof wine in just twenty minutes. Since I rarely drink, I hadn’t expected to get drunk so quickly.

Taking a deep breath to clear my mind, I rubbed my eyelids with my right hand and assessed the situation. When I looked around to check the time first, I was startled.

The sunlight leaking through the small gap in the living room window, which the curtains failed to cover completely, was extremely bright.

“Huh…?”

Right, I’m in the living room, not the bedroom. I’m certain I was drinking wine in the bedroom and doing various things, but why am I on the living room sofa when I open my eyes?

Thinking about this, I touched my sore collarbone but felt nothing there. Confused, I lowered my gaze.

I was half-naked without a stitch of clothing on. Fortunately, I was at least wearing underwear, but…

“…Mmm.”

My girlfriend lying on my chest was in an even worse state. Judging by her smooth back, she seemed to have gone one step further and wasn’t wearing anything at all.

“You’ll catch a cold like that.”

Knowing she couldn’t hear me since she was sound asleep, I still nagged her once, gently stroking the back of Hwa Nabi’s head while leisurely shifting my gaze.

More noticeable than her white, smooth back was the complete mess of our skin conditions.

What on earth happened last night? My collarbone and shoulders were covered in kiss marks, and Hwa Nabi had several distinct lip marks around her nape and chest area.

“……”

What could have possibly happened to leave us both in such a state? Looking at our bodies marked by each other, I could guess what happened…

Maybe it’s because I drank too much. Only fragments of memories remain, and I can’t recall the overall flow of events.

“I think I said a lot of strange things…”

I can’t tell if this was the content of a dream I had last night or words I actually spoke. I can’t pinpoint it exactly.

And I can’t directly ask Hwa Nabi about this either, which makes the situation quite troublesome.

“…I should have drunk in moderation.”

Continuing my monologue, I looked down again. Deeply asleep, Hwa Nabi was straddling my chest, pressing her body tightly against mine with her eyes closed.

Judging by her regular breathing, she seems to be in a deep sleep, but the problem is that her chest is being uncomfortably pressed.

If she was going to sleep in such an awkward position, we should have slept in the bedroom. After silently complaining, I carefully held her waist.

As I tried to adjust her sleeping position for her comfort, at that moment, quite coincidentally, Hwa Nabi drowsily opened her eyes.

“…”

“…”

With eyes that seemed not fully awake yet, Hwa Nabi stared at me silently with her sleepy gaze. I wondered what kind of morning greeting I should use.

‘Did you sleep well?’ lacks charm.

‘Good morning?’ is too cliché.

While I was seriously contemplating such trivial matters, Hwa Nabi spoke first.

“Husband, are you awake?”

“Yeah, I’m awake, but why are we here… huh?”

I was so surprised that I thought I had misheard and asked again. After all, “husband” is a rather strange form of address. Am I still dreaming? Or is this the aftermath of excessive drinking?

I remember Hwa Nabi didn’t drink much. Is my memory wrong? Suppressing my startled heart, I swallowed dryly. There was much I wanted to ask, but first, let’s get the facts straight.

“…What did you just say?”

“Hm? I didn’t say anything special. I just asked if you were awake, that’s all.”

“No, that’s not it… you just called me by a title.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say the word “husband.” So I just fumbled with my words, and Hwa Nabi cutely tilted her head.

“Title? Oh… you mean ‘husband’?”

“Y-yeah, that. …Why are you calling me that?”

“What? Don’t you remember? Last night, you said that ‘Siwoo’ was a bit formal and suggested changing it. That’s why I’m calling you ‘husband’.”

“Uh… really?”

…Did I say something like that? I pressed my lips together, trying to recall what happened last night. But there’s no way I could remember everything I said while drunk.

While I was struggling, Hwa Nabi folded her arms on top of me. She’s so light that I don’t feel any pressure, but she seems to have something she wants to say.

With a very relaxed expression, Hwa Nabi looked down at me and said:

“Do you really not remember?”

“I remember talking about changing how we address each other, but I don’t remember asking you to call me ‘husband.’ Maybe it’s because I drank too much…”

“Then, you probably don’t remember what you said while holding my wrist either.”

“What did I say?”

“You said you wanted to make a baby with me.”

“……”

What kind of crazy things was I saying last night? I froze in shock at this unexpected revelation, a statement that easily surpassed my imagination.

Hwa Nabi looked at me calmly, then reached out her finger and poked my forehead.

“Just so you know, this isn’t a joke I made up.”

“Ah… I see.”

After her kind confirmation shot, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Not knowing how to respond, I just held her waist and remained still.

I was vainly hoping that if time passed, she might forget about it… but then Hwa Nabi suddenly rested her face on my chest.

“How many children should we have?”

“…Well, that.”

“We should use generation names, right? I heard it’s not trendy these days, but if we have more than one child, having similar names creates a sense of closeness between them.”

She’s already thinking about baby names. If I told her I didn’t remember, it seemed like there would be trouble. The excuse that I was drunk would only work in a courtroom.

…A child between Hwa Nabi and me. I’ve vaguely imagined it many times, and it’s something I’ve always wanted, but honestly, things seem to be progressing too quickly, which is a bit overwhelming.

“You look really surprised.”

Noticing my feelings, Hwa Nabi chuckled and poked my cheek. Her mischievous smile and curved lips were incredibly lovable.

“I’m not… surprised. Just a bit, startled, that’s all.”

“What’s so startling?”

“…That you agreed to it without hesitation?”

Having children inevitably places more burden on the mother. Despite everything, pregnancy is ultimately experienced by women, and all I can do during that process is offer conventional words and actions.

So, in other words, having this conversation itself could be burdensome for Hwa Nabi… yet she’s advancing the conversation as if she’s been waiting for it. That’s what surprises me.

“Why? Did you think I would back out?”

“Well, you never know with these things, so I thought it was possible.”

“If I had, what would you have done?”

“Well, I guess I would have respected your opinion?”

This isn’t something that can or should be forced. I had no intention of doing so. After my immediate response, Hwa Nabi hugged my torso.

Then, lifting her face slightly to meet my gaze, she smiled beautifully and said:

“When I look at you, Siwoo, I think you really say such beautiful things. How can there be a man like this in the world?”

“Is that a compliment…?”

After responding reflexively, I realized that the title “husband” had reverted back to “Siwoo.” When I pointed this out, Hwa Nabi chuckled and continued:

“Oh, that? It was a joke.”

“…Huh? What was a joke?”

“That you asked me to call you ‘husband.’ I just wanted to try calling you that once.”

“Hey… you really.”

Even when joking, she does it in a way that’s perfect for causing misunderstandings. I thought I had a blackout. Of course, that couldn’t have been the case.

As I was inwardly relieved, Hwa Nabi belatedly added:

“Oh. But it’s not a joke that you were the first to suggest making a baby. I just mentioned it, remember?”

Looking at her more and more, she showed a strange smile, staring at me intently as she spoke, and I thought for a long time.

Was she serious, or was it just a joke?

“…Didn’t you say you had contraceptive procedures? Then even if we wanted to make one, we couldn’t, right?”

“That’s why Siwoo needs to try harder. One percent means it’s not completely impossible, right?”

That’s just saying one percent. The actual probability is likely much lower. I was about to say that, but Hwa Nabi moved faster.

She unfolded her arms and pressed down on my forearms with both hands, looking down at me quietly.

The force holding me down wasn’t very strong. I could easily break free if I wanted to, but I didn’t and waited quietly. Her pink hair fell down, touching my face.

“…Ah, Siwoo. Remember when you promised to grant me one wish for a day of my choosing during our Japan trip? You haven’t forgotten, right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“I’m going to use that wish starting now. Is that okay?”

“Sure… it’s up to you.”

A wish at this timing? Did she find somewhere she wants to go? I just hope it’s not too unreasonable a request.

“First, we won’t leave the room all day today. That includes meal times, of course.”

“You want to have meals in the room?”

The ryokan has room service, so that’s fine, but isn’t that a bit modest for a wish?

…I was about to say that when she suddenly leaned her upper body forward.

“And second.”

She brought her face close to my ear and whispered quietly.

“…The entire time we’re in the room, you and I will be together.”

“That’s your wish? I don’t mind, but… what about the bathroom?”

“We’ll go together. We can just cover our ears.”

“…You’re joking, right?”

I tried to laugh it off, but Hwa Nabi just stared at me silently.

…She’s serious. Finally realizing this wasn’t a joke, I gulped.

“And the third and final wish.”

After staring at my face for a long time, she carefully opened her mouth.

“…You will make a baby with me.”

“……”

I’ll do my best.