Chapter 35: What shall we do from now on?

“Ah, ah. Hold on tight. You’ll fall if you’re not careful. But if I fall, you’ll fall too, oppa, so in the end, we’ll both be lying on the floor. Ah, my head will hit first. Hehehe.”

Is this woman really the Yu Garyeon I know?

The Yu Garyeon who had spent the last few years with me was a woman who would spray deodorant on the seat I had just vacated, and call me ‘hyung’ in an annoyed voice.
No, even during our more amicable college days, she wasn’t this reckless.

Alcohol is truly terrifying. This is the first time I’m seeing it firsthand, but this is enough to completely change a person, just as Chae Seolha said.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t touch weird places.”
“What’s wrong? Don’t act all pricey when you’re just a worthless clearance item.”

No, now is not the time to worry about such trivial things. This bizarre posture itself, where I could fall at any moment, is a problem, but more than that, my head is in big trouble.

Until now, Yu Garyeon had been like a younger sister to me.

A pure and innocent younger sister who evoked protective instincts, whose every action felt like the playful antics of a child rather than an adult woman.
Even after Yu Garyeon’s atmosphere completely changed after graduating from college, that impression remained deeply ingrained in my mind.

It should have been like that.
“Heehee, heeheehee… Oppa…”

Yu Garyeon once again buried her face in my neck and started nuzzling.
Slender, smooth arms wrapped around my upper body, silvery hair constantly tickling my chin, a strange scent emanating from her, the peculiar warmth of her soft thighs flowing through my hands, and finally, the soft sensation of a certain curve pressing against my chest.
Everything about her was rushing at me, as if to devour me.

And for the first time in my life, I recognized Yu Garyeon not as a younger sister, but as a woman.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face? It’s creepy.”

My entire vision was filled with Yu Garyeon’s beautiful face. Her lips, tinged with a crimson hue, were quite beautiful. Her eyes, still holding the same purity as her college days, gently caressed my face.
Suddenly, a sense of guilt from somewhere enveloped my entire body.

I’m crazy, I’m really crazy. To Garyeon, of all people. I bit my lip hard and practically ran up the stairs.

“Wow~ A bed.”
“Garyeon, you’re drunk right now. Hurry up and sleep, tomorrow—”

In the second-floor bedroom, just as I bent my upper body to gently lay Yu Garyeon on the bed, her hands, wrapped around my back, tightened their grip.
Losing my balance, I fell onto the bed with Yu Garyeon.

“What should we play now?”

Yu Garyeon’s face, only a finger’s width away, felt like it would touch mine with the slightest movement, and her voice, constantly whispering, tickled my ears.
My face, already burning hot, was on the verge of exploding.

“…Play what? If you’re drunk, hurry up and sleep. Don’t regret it tomorrow.”
“Ah, oppa. Don’t go.”

I barely managed to shake off her hand and got off the bed.
Yu Garyeon tried to follow me, but perhaps the alcohol had gotten to her more on the way here, as she couldn’t even stand up properly and just thrashed about.

As I escaped the pit of temptation and caught my breath, a thought flashed through my mind.

What on earth was Han Yeoreum doing while things got to this point? Just a little while ago, she was helping Yu Garyeon clean up in the dining room.

Feeling an uneasy premonition, I rushed out of the bedroom and ran to the dining room.

“Han Yeoreum!”

The dining room was empty. However, I heard some clattering sounds coming from the kitchen, so I headed in that direction.

“Hey, what on earth were you doing while Garyeon got into that state?”

Han Yeoreum was sitting in front of the refrigerator, gulping down something repeatedly.

“Huh? Oh, it’s you.”
“What do you mean, ‘Oh, it’s you’? You… No, wait. What are you drinking right now?”

I snatched the plastic bottle she was holding.

“Why, you want some too? Then don’t snatch someone else’s, there’s plenty left in the fridge, so get it from there.”

Stuck to the plastic bottle was a label with the logo of a familiar orange juice brand. The golden liquid sloshing inside also clearly proclaimed itself to be juice.

“That’s delicious. It’s the best juice I’ve ever tasted.”

Empty plastic bottles were rolling around Han Yeoreum. Suddenly, a chill ran down my neck. Yes, something was seriously wrong.

I tilted the plastic bottle I was holding and tasted the juice inside.
What I felt on my tongue was the characteristic sweet and sour taste of orange juice. However, when I realized the subtle bitterness lingering within it and the strange heat traveling down my throat, I finally understood.

“Hey, I told you not to eat someone else’s, get your own.”

Han Yeoreum grumbled, taking out juice from the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

“…”

This is alcohol.

Screwdriver, a cocktail made by mixing vodka and orange juice.
Despite its high alcohol content, the taste of alcohol is barely perceptible, so if you keep sipping it, you’ll black out at some point. It’s notorious as a “date r*pe” drink because of that.

That brat, how is she holding up? Even if it was made with weak soju instead of vodka, she would have blacked out long ago if she drank that much.

I snatched the plastic bottle Han Yeoreum was holding and spoke.

“Hey, stop drinking. That’s alcohol.”
“Alcohol? What are you talking about? It’s not bitter, and more importantly, I’m not drunk at all. If it were alcohol, I’d be drunk.”
“That’s just how that alcohol is. Putting that aside, did Garyeon drink this too?”
“Yeah, she chugged it down after one sip.”

So this is what you meant by “look forward to it,” Oh Minseo. You really prepared thoroughly.

“Anyway, it’s fine. If I had known it was alcohol in the first place, I wouldn’t have even touched it.”

Han Yeoreum said, handing me the plastic bottle filled with alcohol. I expected her to throw a tantrum like Yu Garyeon, but this was surprising.

“But you know, only adults can drink alcohol, so if I drank alcohol now, does that mean I’m an adult too?”
“What?”
“Forget it, just sit here.”

Han Yeoreum said, patting the floor.

“I told you to sit down so we can talk, why aren’t you listening? Or are you ignoring me now? Uh-oh, look at those glaring eyes. You’re going to hit me, huh?”
“No, what are you suddenly talking about?”
“What do you mean, what am I talking about? That, what you said earlier! That, I thought about that a little. What. Suddenly a dinosaur appeared and started munching on my head. I took out the refrigerator and drank juice. It felt good. But then that crazy woman stood up unsteadily, and the floor collapsed. So I kept taking out juice and drinking it, and it felt good. Uh. Hmm. So what were we talking about? Oh, right. What you said earlier. That, that I just a little.”

She’s done for. She seemed fine on the outside even after drinking so much, so I had my doubts, but of course.

“You’re drunk. Let’s go sleep and talk tomorrow.”
“No, I’m fine. Ga-da-ra-ma-ka-sa-ha. Have you ever seen such a sober drunk? Actually, you’re ignoring me too, right? That’s why, right?”

I grabbed Han Yeoreum’s arm and pulled her up.

“Guess who~!”

Suddenly, with someone’s voice, the world plunged into darkness. A comforting warmth enveloped my eyes.

“Garyeon, I told you to lie down. What are you going to do if you fall like that?”
“Ah, more nagging. You’re really a person I dislike from A to Z. Not only are you ugly, but even your behavior is completely unlikable, really.”

Yu Garyeon’s fingers stretched my lips. As I frowned at the sudden pain, she giggled as if she found it amusing and rubbed her cheek against mine.

“How did you know I was here…”
“Huh? Like this.”

Hearing my words, Yu Garyeon got on all fours and started sniffing the floor. Her wriggling hair resembled a puppy’s tail.

“It’s such a terrible smell, it would be strange if I couldn’t find it.”
“Alright, get up.”
“What smell? It just smells like soap.”

Han Yeoreum muttered, peeking over my shoulder and bringing her nose to my neck.

“That’s not it~. There is. A foul smell wafting up from inside. Smell it again. Th-That, it resonates, that’s what.”

At those words, Han Yeoreum tilted her head and sniffed again, and Yu Garyeon, for her part, buried her face in my stomach and sniffed.
My brain was on the verge of shutting down from the soft and warm sensations pressing against me from both front and back.

“Cut it out already.”

Biting my lip hard, I smacked both their heads and then grabbed their wrists and dragged them to the bedroom.

“Now you’re even resorting to violence… The more I see of you, the more ridiculous you are.”
“That’s not it, you’re looking down on people. You’re ignoring me because I’m a kid. Does it wear out if I smell it a little? You are ignoring me, right?”

All sorts of curses blaming me rushed into my ears, but I ignored them all.