Ch.4646. Crisis and Opportunity: A Hair’s Breadth Apart

The darkness had fallen over the VIP lounge, and in that silent space devoid of any human presence.

“……”

…We were holding each other, and this strange situation suddenly struck me as surprising. How did things end up like this?

Frozen by Hwa Nabi’s heart-pounding statement, I finally gathered my wits and opened my mouth.

“…Are you serious?”

“Do you think I’d joke about something like this?”

“Hey, you really…”

“…What? Is ten seconds not enough for you?”

“Sigh, that’s not it…”

…How do I explain this? Honestly, I was somewhat surprised, but also felt burdened at the same time.

The reason for my surprise was obvious—I never expected Hwa Nabi to say something like this, so I couldn’t help but be shocked.

And the reason I felt burdened was… well, this whole situation of Hwa Nabi urging me toward physical contact was burdensome in itself.

“If that’s not it, then what is it?”

“It’s not that…”

My voice trailed off as I struggled internally. Men’s thinking is both simple and unexpectedly complex—when someone actually lays out an invitation, we tend to hesitate.

Of course, not everyone is like that, but I certainly am. I don’t have the bold initiative to just touch someone even if they’ve told me I could.

“Haaah…”

A sigh escaped me, my chest filled with anguish.

Honestly, I think I’m being really stupid.

Even if I can’t make the first move like some playboy, if the other person has given permission, shouldn’t I be able to do as I please, at least a little? She probably won’t remember properly anyway since she’s drunk.

…That thought suddenly crossed my mind, but I quickly pulled myself together. No matter what, this isn’t right in this situation.

If Hwa Nabi had said this while sober, with a clear mind, I might have gone along with it. But right now, Hwa Nabi isn’t in her right mind.

Acting on the words of someone who’s completely intoxicated would be truly wrong.

“…You shouldn’t say things like that to a guy so carelessly.”

So the words I chose were, even by my own admission, really uncool.

“Why? What would happen if I say things like this?”

“Something serious would probably happen.”

“Nothing serious happened before though.”

“…What do you mean?”

She seemed to be implying this had happened before. When I didn’t immediately understand, Hwa Nabi snickered and muttered.

“We slept in the same bed yesterday and nothing happened. So now, just for touching me a little, what serious thing could possibly happen?”

She’s bringing up that incident now. I had no rebuttal to that logic, so I offered a transparent excuse.

“That was… unavoidable, wasn’t it? You said you’d pay me back with interest later, right?”

“Really? Then I’ll take that interest right now.”

As soon as she said that, Hwa Nabi pressed herself even closer against me. I gently pushed her back a little and responded.

“…This product hasn’t accrued any interest yet, customer.”

“What? Why not? It’s already been a day. Why isn’t there any interest?”

“Siwoo Bank has different interest rates than Nabi Bank. If you want to receive interest, you’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

“Tsk, such a low interest rate. I shouldn’t have made this deposit.”

As we exchanged playful banter, her body suddenly seemed to sway a little, as if her tension had eased.

Startled, I quickly tightened my grip to hold her steady, and she let out an excited sigh.

Judging by how red her entire face was, she was having trouble handling the alcohol. Time to stop joking around.

“Hwa Nabi, can you stand on your own?”

“…No, I really don’t think I can anymore. The sky seems to be spinning…”

“You should have said so earlier.”

It might be an inappropriate observation in this situation, but seeing Hwa Nabi unable to control her body due to alcohol actually reassured me.

As expected, what she said earlier was just drunk talk. I was glad I didn’t take it seriously.

“Do you want to go to your room?”

“Yes, but I’m really sorry… could you possibly take me there? It’s hard for me to walk.”

“Alright. What’s your room number?”

“Hmm… what was it again…”

“…Don’t tell me you can’t remember?”

Hwa Nabi carefully nodded. The alcohol seemed to be confusing her memory.

“…”

Forgetting things after drinking is common, but this was a bit troublesome.

I couldn’t let her sleep in a man’s room, so I needed to take her to the women’s rooms. But if I didn’t know her room number, that wouldn’t be possible.

“Sigh, what should I do?”

I could ask the girls in our class and somehow find out, but asking such things late at night would obviously lead to misunderstandings.

“…This is a problem.”

“Why is it a problem?”

“Why? I need to take you to your room, but I don’t know where it is.”

“Ah… I see.”

…What does she mean, “I see”? She smiled slightly, oblivious to my feelings. I wanted to say something, but scolding a drunk person would just be taking out my frustrations on her.

As I was trying to figure out how to resolve this situation, Hwa Nabi suddenly muttered.

“Oh, but my room is here too.”

“What? Where here?”

Brightening at her unexpected words, I looked up. Somehow, Hwa Nabi managed to slightly raise her right hand and point somewhere.

“…”

And in that moment, I was at a loss for words.

That’s because the place Hwa Nabi was pointing to was inside the VIP lounge.

In other words, toward the reservation-only VIP rooms. Actually, they’re more like two-person bedrooms than VIP rooms, but anyway.

“…You have a room in the VIP section? How?”

Given the facility’s policy, it should be impossible to use it on the same day without a prior reservation, right? My question was answered by Hwa Nabi’s next words.

“Oh, the second floor is exclusively for employees of our group’s affiliates. My dad permanently leased it for employee welfare.”

“What exactly does your father do?”

I had suspected as much since he chartered the entire cruise, but he really is a big shot with an extraordinary scale of spending. I’d like to meet him someday if I get the chance.

“What does he do? He’s going to be your father-in-law, Siwoo.”

“…Well, that’s not wrong, but could you not say things like that in that outfit?”

“Why? What’s wrong with my outfit? It’s extremely decent.”

“…No, never mind. Let’s drop it.”

Talking with a drunk person just makes me frustrated. I shook my head to end the conversation and looked at the VIP lounge, our destination.

The physical distance isn’t actually that far. It would take less than five minutes if walking normally. But for someone who can barely stand, it’s quite a distance.

“You still don’t think you can walk?”

“Huh, nope.”

Hwa Nabi cutely rolled her tongue as she answered, then relaxed her body and wrapped her arms around my waist. A clear indication that she couldn’t walk on her own.

“If you really can’t walk, do you want to get on my back?”

“Um… is that okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“…Then, then. May I trouble you a bit?”

“Not at all.”

It’s much better than forcing her to walk and risking a fall. Having made my decision, I knelt on one knee and carefully guided Hwa Nabi’s hands to wrap around my neck.

This created a completely opposite dynamic between us—me looking up at Hwa Nabi instead of looking down at her as usual.

She seemed to realize this too, as she playfully fiddled with my neck area and smiled mischievously.

“With you sitting like this, I feel like I’ve grown taller.”

“…That’s normal when you drink. You often see things that aren’t there.”

“Really? Then I should drink more often.”

“How did you arrive at that conclusion from what I just said?”

“You said people see things that aren’t there when they drink, right? The illusion I’m seeing looks like a prince, so I can’t help but want to drink more often.”

“…”

Maybe because she was drunk, she was saying embarrassingly flirtatious things with a smile… my cheeks were burning just listening to her.

She’s just saying whatever comes to mind without any filter. How is she going to face me tomorrow when she sobers up? Such questions swirled in my mind.

“What prince…”

“Heh, Siwoo is embarrassed. Now that I look at you, you have an unexpectedly cute side too.”

“…Are you going to keep this up? I might just leave you here.”

“Ah, alright. I’ll stop. So please don’t leave me behind.”

“…Sigh.”

I suddenly felt pathetic for arguing with a drunk person and let out a long sigh.

Let’s just get on with it. With that thought, I turned my body around. Still holding her wrist, I adjusted my height so Hwa Nabi could easily get on my back.

“How is it? Can you get on?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

-Swoosh.

As Hwa Nabi leaned her body against me in earnest, I felt the weight of a person on my back.

“I’m getting up.”

“Okaaay.”

I don’t know who she takes after, but she responds so well. With a slight smile, I stood up with Hwa Nabi on my back.

And immediately regretted it.

“…”

Just as I was about to take a step forward… something large and soft began pressing against my back.

I hadn’t anticipated this.

I immediately thought I should have carried her in my arms instead, but it was too late to change positions now.

I’ll just have to go like this.

“…Let’s go now.”

Forcibly cutting off my attention that kept wanting to focus on my back, I walked forward.

“Um, Siwoo.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“…I think your hands keep touching my bottom.”

“……”

Since we were both in swimwear, there wasn’t a good place to support her, so my hands ended up there unintentionally—it definitely wasn’t on purpose.

“…Ah! S-Siwoo? You didn’t just touch me on purpose, did you?”

“…No.”

Really.