Chapter 168: Hotel, Cocktail, Bikini, Massage, Part 1

Hayoon’s alcohol tolerance was average.

She could handle about a bottle of soju before hitting her limit.

This meant she could also manage a few cocktails.

Had they been drinking the same cocktails, Hayoon would have likely outlasted Hong Seo-hyun.

But…

“Huu…”

Unfortunately for Hayoon, that wasn’t the case.

Hong Seo-hyun, aware of her low tolerance, had announced upon entering the bar, “I’m a lightweight, so I’ll order something mild.”

Hayoon had readily agreed, assuming Hong Seo-hyun would order a low-alcohol cocktail.

Instead, Hong Seo-hyun ordered a variety of non-alcoholic cocktails.

Hayoon, meanwhile, indulged in Apple Martinis, Midori Sours, and Junebugs, all with relatively high alcohol content.

So, Hayoon steadily consumed alcohol, while Hong Seo-hyun sipped fruit juice disguised as non-alcoholic cocktails.

Even with a significant difference in tolerance, it was impossible to win a drinking contest against someone who wasn’t drinking alcohol at all.

Furthermore, Hayoon, not a frequent drinker, tended to drink quickly.

Her cheeks flushed.

“Why don’t you seem drunk?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you…”

Hayoon, no fool, started to suspect something.

“Let me see that.”

“H-here…”

“Hmm…”

Hayoon took Hong Seo-hyun’s “Florida” cocktail and examined it.

Hong Seo-hyun nervously swallowed.

Hayoon took a sip through Hong Seo-hyun’s straw, her expression unreadable.

The carbonation tickled her throat, and she wondered if it was actually alcohol.

A tense silence hung between them.

“It’s alcohol…”

“Right? It’s… alcohol.”

Hayoon slumped, defeated.

Normally, she would have berated Hong Seo-hyun for tricking her into drinking while staying sober herself, but…

Her senses were dulled by the alcohol.

She could barely tell if there was alcohol in the cocktail or not.

Hong Seo-hyun thought she had successfully averted the crisis, but…

“Huu…”

Hayoon exhaled, popped a cheese cube into her mouth, and took a large gulp of her Junebug.

She continued drinking.

This was her drinking habit.

Once she started, she couldn’t stop until someone told her to.

She even tended to accelerate, drinking faster and faster.

And she wasn’t drinking bland soju or beer.

She was enjoying delicious, expensive cocktails.

Even though she could handle a decent amount of alcohol, she lacked self-control.

Her intoxication intensified.

And it was the older person’s responsibility to intervene…

“Slow down, Hayoon. Slow down.”

“Slow down…?”

“Should we order more snacks? Anything you want?”

“Nachos… I want nachos… something crunchy…”

“Okay, okay, I’ll order some nachos.”

“Okay…”

Instead of stopping Hayoon, Hong Seo-hyun, completely sober, encouraged her drinking by ordering more snacks.

However…

‘Just one more snack, and then we’ll leave. This is getting dangerous.’

Hong Seo-hyun had some semblance of a conscience.

She didn’t want to completely destroy Hayoon’s liver.

She planned to take Hayoon to the suite on the top floor after this.

‘It’ll be around 8 PM by then.’

They had arrived at the bar in the early evening, so it would be sunset when they left. They could enjoy the deepening twilight while swimming in the rooftop pool. The timing was perfect.

“Nachos…”

Hong Seo-hyun brought the nachos, and Hayoon grabbed the bowl and started eating.

“…”

She was completely drunk, instinctively trying to sober up by eating crunchy nachos, but she had already consumed far too much alcohol for that to work.

“Mmm, slurp.”

Hayoon finished her Junebug.

“Nachos…”

She stuffed a handful of nachos into her mouth.

“Mmm…”

Another sip of Junebug.

She repeated this cycle.

Hong Seo-hyun, barely touching her own drinks, watched Hayoon’s ritual of nachos and cocktails.

“Heehee…”

As Hayoon finished her last sip, not even bothering with the straw this time, and set down the glass…

“All done?”

“Yeah… all done…”

Hong Seo-hyun sat next to the slurring Hayoon, placed the nacho bowl on the table, and wiped Hayoon’s hands with a tissue.

It was a temporary fix, but better than having nacho dust everywhere.

“Come on, stand up.”

“I’m up…”

“Let me brush you off.”

“Okay…”

Hong Seo-hyun brushed the nacho crumbs off Hayoon’s clothes. Then…

“Ugh…”

“Be… careful.”

“Sorry…”

Hayoon stumbled, and Hong Seo-hyun quickly caught her.

It was a sweet gesture, almost sickeningly so.

Had she not been the one who got Hayoon drunk, it would have been incredibly romantic.

“Let’s walk slowly.”

“Okay…”

Hong Seo-hyun supported Hayoon as they walked to the counter.

Since the bar had a mix of tables and counter seating, they hadn’t been making a spectacle of themselves in front of the bartender.

“Check, please.”

“Yes…”

The waitress, who had been serving them, accepted Hong Seo-hyun’s card with a slightly strained expression.

She had seen what they had been drinking.

The monitor at the counter displayed their order: a long list of cocktails for one, and non-alcoholic drinks for the other.

‘This woman is crazy.’

She was genuinely impressed.

‘She’s drinking non-alcoholic drinks while getting the other girl completely wasted. This is…’

It was a classic playboy tactic. But both of them were women.

‘Or maybe she just can’t handle alcohol?’

It was best not to jump to conclusions.

The waitress carefully maintained a neutral expression, hiding her shock.

“Your payment has been processed.”

“Thank you.”

Hong Seo-hyun helped Hayoon towards the elevator.

“I must be imagining things…”

The waitress watched them leave, muttering to herself that surely a woman wouldn’t do that to another woman. But…

“Hayoon…”

“Ugh… uncomfortable…”

“Just a little longer.”

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Hong Seo-hyun embraced Hayoon from behind, holding her close until they reached the top floor, where their suite was located.

Hayoon, too drunk to stand on her own, couldn’t protest.

The waitress’s suspicions had been correct.

Back in the suite, Hong Seo-hyun pleaded with the intoxicated Hayoon.

“Hayoon, let’s go swimming. Swimming.”

“Our mom?”

“No, not that kind of swimming. In the pool.”

“Oh, that…”

Getting a drunk person into a swimsuit was a challenge in itself.

Logic didn’t apply here.

Hong Seo-hyun needed to convince Hayoon to put on a bikini, by any means necessary. The oil massage would come later.

“No…”

“Hayoon, I paid for everything today.”

“Oh, right…”

Hong Seo-hyun appealed to Hayoon’s sense of obligation.

It was effective.

They had split the cost of their last vacation, but this time, Hong Seo-hyun had insisted on paying for everything.

Of course, for Hong Seo-hyun, who was earning millions, it wasn’t a significant expense, but…

“Okay, I’ll change.”

Hayoon couldn’t refuse after Hong Seo-hyun had spent so much money.

She started undressing, quickly becoming completely naked.

“Woah…”

“Bikini… bring me my bikini… I’m tired…”

She collapsed onto the bed, asking Hong Seo-hyun to fetch her bikini.

While she had agreed to swim, she was too drunk to move.

“Okay!”

Hong Seo-hyun’s eyes lit up as she rushed to Hayoon’s suitcase.

The suite was spacious, and the distance to the suitcase felt unusually long.