Ch.172Side Story) Dream of China (6)

Where should I take this drunk woman? Several thoughts crossed my mind, but the place Suhyun ultimately decided on was his own home.

Taking her to a motel would likely cause misunderstandings. If Irene woke up midway, it would be awkward. He had headed to the Han River to make her feel comfortable, and he didn’t want to ruin that.

“…If you can’t handle alcohol, you shouldn’t drink.”

Irene, lying in the passenger seat, seemed unaware she was even in a car. She was sleeping with such a peaceful expression that it made him worry about what might have happened if someone else had found her in this state.

Being this careless would surely lead to trouble someday.

But they weren’t close enough for him to lecture her, so he could only sigh deeply.

After driving for quite some time, around midnight, Suhyun finally approached his home and glanced at Irene. Her face was flushed from alcohol, and she still hadn’t regained consciousness, which made him smile bitterly.

“Irene, when are you going to wake up?”

“…Mmm.”

Since she hadn’t woken up by the time they reached his house, Suhyun carried her on his back and started walking toward his home.

She wasn’t heavy. Though limp from intoxication, she felt surprisingly light. He wondered how she could practice for such long hours with such a light frame.

When he carefully opened the door to his completely dark house, it was quiet inside, suggesting that Sujin had gone to bed. He had texted earlier that he would be late, so she must have gone to sleep already.

It was fortunate she wasn’t awake to see this scene, as it would have caused a commotion.

“Mmm…”

Suhyun carefully entered the room, trying not to wake Sujin, and turned on the light to reveal a neatly made bed. He laid Irene down and covered her with the blanket up to her waist, finally able to catch his breath. The room was quiet.

Only Irene’s soft breathing could be heard, creating a strange atmosphere in this otherwise silent space.

Thinking about it, this was an odd situation. He had essentially brought a drunk woman to his room after drinking together.

When that thought crossed his mind, his face grew hot, and he brushed his cheek before slowly rising from his seat.

As he stood up, he saw Irene sleeping peacefully on the bed with her long hair spread out. She looked so comfortable and worry-free that he didn’t want to wake her anymore.

Was it really okay for her to sleep so defenseless in someone else’s house? Without thinking, he poked her cheek, causing her to furrow her brow as if ticklish.

This room that he always used alone suddenly felt awkward with just Irene lying there. He had never imagined bringing a drunk woman home to sleep.

Rustle-

Suhyun noticed that one of the buttons on Irene’s shirt had come undone, and he groaned, closing his eyes. It was just one button, but in this strange atmosphere, even that small detail made him uncomfortable.

With his mind filled with inappropriate thoughts, he decided he needed to cool his head.

#

With a splitting headache, Irene’s eyebrows furrowed at the light seeping through her eyes. Covering her eyes from the fluorescent light directly above her, she sat up, noticing the unfamiliar feel of the blanket.

The throbbing pain in her head was clearly a hangover. Her vague memory was of buying soju at the Han River, so she must have gotten drunk.

“…Ugh.”

On the table beside the bed was a hangover remedy drink. Without even wondering who had placed it there, she instinctively gulped it down and finally managed to exhale heavily.

She knew she was weak with alcohol, but honestly, she hadn’t expected to get drunk after just two glasses. Even wine didn’t affect her after two glasses, so the soju must have been much stronger than she thought.

Pressing her aching head while drinking the remedy, after some time passed, she was finally able to look around. This was a place she had never seen before. Since she had gone somewhere after getting drunk, she thought it might be a motel, but it seemed a bit odd for a motel.

After briefly wondering where she was, Irene slowly got up from the bed and began to examine her surroundings, staggering slightly.

“…This looks like a man’s room.”

And on the table was a family photo. It seemed incomplete for a family photo—the top part was torn off, leaving only a young brother and sister. As she examined it closely, she noticed a piano in the corner of the room and felt a strange sense of déjà vu. If this photo showed a man… and there was a piano…

“What are you so curious about?”

“Eek!”

Startled by the sudden voice behind her, Irene screamed, but Suhyun covered her mouth and signaled her to be quiet with his finger.

After recognizing Suhyun’s face, Irene nodded, and only then did he remove his hand. Taking the frame from Irene’s hands, he spoke slowly.

“My little sister is sleeping. Anyway… are you sober now?”

“My head still hurts. So, is this your house?”

“I had nowhere else to take you, so I brought you here. The car keys are outside, so you can take them if you want to leave.”

But since the effects of alcohol hadn’t completely worn off, Irene closed her eyes tightly and plopped back down on the bed. She wondered if Suhyun had also left the hangover remedy. Grateful, she looked up again, but suddenly her face turned bright red at the sight of Suhyun’s body.

“Are you crazy? Why are you half-naked?”

“You’re quick to react now. I’ve been like this the whole time, and you’re only surprised now?”

Though he was wearing pants, he had nothing on top except a towel. His body, which had always been hidden under clothes, was as toned as an athlete’s. Irene covered her flushed face and bowed her head.

His body was sculpted like a statue. She wondered how much he worked out and how he found time to maintain such a physique while pursuing music.

“P-put some clothes on. How can you be like that in front of a woman?”

“It doesn’t matter. This is my house, after all.”

Suhyun smiled at Irene’s reaction and put on a thin t-shirt. The contours of his body were still visible through the slightly wet shirt, but it was better than before, allowing Irene to finally control her expression. Stroking her pounding heart, she sighed deeply and looked at Suhyun again, carefully moving her lips.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was that weak with alcohol.”

An apology came first. Who would have known she’d get drunk after just two glasses when she was trying to lighten the mood? She was simply grateful that he hadn’t taken advantage of her while she was drunk and had brought her to his home, even giving up his bed for her.

So she bowed her head, and Suhyun sat down beside her, saying it was fine.

As Suhyun suddenly came closer, the scent of his shampoo rose, and Irene tightly closed her mouth and moved her seat slightly. Her heart, which had been pounding since earlier, showed no signs of calming down. The closer they got, the longer their eyes met, the worse the symptoms became, causing Irene to exhale a heated breath.

“I’ll just stay here for a bit and leave when I’m sober—”

“You can sleep over.”

When Suhyun said this with an indifferent expression, Irene turned her head blankly, her eyes widening. So… when he said she could sleep over, did he mean what she was thinking?

With her face burning hot and her ears turning red, Irene stammered and moved slightly away from Suhyun.

“Um… I don’t think I need to stay overnight…”

“You just got drunk a moment ago, and you’re not even completely sober. How can I let you go alone? I can’t let you leave.”

He could still vividly remember her mumbling while collapsed in the passenger seat. If it were someone else, he might not have cared whether they stayed or left, but Suhyun didn’t want to send Irene away like this. To be honest, he was worried about her. Though he knew she was a grown adult, to him, she was just like a younger sister—young and concerning.

At his refusal to let her leave, Irene bowed her head, and Suhyun chuckled before slowly getting up from the bed and heading to the window. From there, the heart of Seoul was clearly visible, and after briefly losing himself in the night view, he slowly began to speak.

“Does it make you uncomfortable? Me doing this?”

“N-no. I was just a bit surprised. I thought… you were keeping some distance from me.”

Distance—perhaps she had felt that way. Irene Yuris was a woman who made him feel emotions he had never experienced before. Because it was unfamiliar and new, he might have been unconsciously drawing a line. But that wasn’t his true intention. It was merely a defense mechanism he had put up because he found it difficult to accept such feelings.

If someone asked if he disliked Irene Yuris, he would probably firmly shake his head.

“I’ve never kept my distance. If anything, I’d like to get a bit closer.”

“…What?”

“I never disliked you from the beginning. Sometimes your messages were a bit annoying, but now even that doesn’t seem so bad.”

Irene frowned at his comment about finding her messages annoying, but when Suhyun turned to face her, she could only bow her head. The sound of her pounding heart was now filling the silence of the room. Thump-thump—where was this sound coming from? The sound that Irene thought was only coming from her chest was actually coming from within Suhyun as well.

Suhyun leaned his head against the transparent window and closed his eyes tightly. Then, opening them again to look at Irene, he thought that now he was a little… ready to open up about his feelings.

“Did you go to the Han River because the atmosphere became awkward?”

“I thought I had asked something inappropriate… I’m sorry about that. I think I misspoke.”

“Why are you apologizing? It’s okay for you to be curious.”

When Irene tilted her head at his statement that it was okay to be curious, Suhyun slowly approached her and sat down beside her again before speaking. Though his expression was nonchalant, the words that came out of his mouth were anything but trivial.

“Because it’s you. I think I’ve developed some interest in you.”