Chapter 36 : Drunken Rambling (1)
by fnovelpia
After we sat down, the two hunters—excluding Hanyul, who was underage—raised their glasses.
‘…Can I drink this?’
Of course, I didn’t know a thing about drinking etiquette, nor what alcohol would do to me, so I hadn’t taken a sip yet.
And eating raw liver or yukhoe felt a bit too much too, so I just sat there hesitating.
“Um, Gumiho-nim.”
That was when Hunter Hanseong spoke up.
“This might be a bit of a rude question… but, back then, why did your personality change?”
“…Ah, that?”
It was a bit of an awkward question to answer.
But it wasn’t like I couldn’t talk about it, so I replied.
“…Ah, well, thanks to someone, I passed out, so my mother ended up… taking my place.”
When I glared at Hunter Chanseok, who was eating yukhoe, he suddenly started coughing and apologized after taking a swig of makgeolli.
“…It’s okay.”
“Y-you gritted your teeth though.”
“…Seriously, it’s fine……”
“…I’m sorry.”
Somehow… this was fun.
There was something satisfying about messing with him a little.
Anyway, after I told the truth, Hunter Hanseong’s face turned red.
“Hunter-nim?”
“…Yes?”
He seemed to have a low tolerance for alcohol.
When I spoke to him, he flinched and his hands started trembling.
“Did you drink too much? Is makgeolli usually this strong?”
“No, uh… wait, do you not remember?”
“Remember what?”
Avoiding my eyes, the hunter brought the makgeolli to his lips.
I tilted my head, confused, watching him.
“…Is it normal not to remember when you’re possessed?”
“Nope, I got all the memories.”
“…Then why are you acting so calm……?”
As I tilted my head, still not getting it, a message popped into my mind from my mom.
“Back then, um… your mom told me I was candidate number one for son-in-law……”
“…?!”
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
I don’t remember anything like that!
“W-what are you talking about?”
“W-well, I was wondering if maybe Gumiho-nim had feelings for me because of that… A-ah! I mean, I don’t! I swear I don’t!!”
“What the heck are you saying!!”
What in the world did my mom say to my friend?
She knows I used to be a guy and she still went around saying things like that?
[…I just want a grandchild to hold…….]
‘Don’t call me your child.’
[Isn’t that too much?! How could you say that to your own parent!!]
‘…Shouldn’t you be apologizing first?’
[…]
Of course, no apology.
Possessing my body and wrecking my social life.
What kind of mom does that?
“…I have absolutely no thoughts like that.”
Even though I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, my face was flushed red as I muttered that.
“…What’s going on between you two~”
Hanyul giggled to herself off to the side.
She was unbearably annoying at that moment.
The mood instantly turned awkward.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
I felt like I was going to lose it.
Should I just try drinking?
I sat there, watching Hunter Hanyul and Hunter Chanseok chatting away and eating yukhoe.
‘…This looks fun.’
I wanted to join in on the excitement too.
But I wasn’t completely in a good mood yet, so I couldn’t raise my tension too much.
I lowered my head and stared at the white liquor placed in front of me.
When I gave it a gentle swirl, it shimmered slightly, giving off a sweet yet sour scent—makgeolli.
‘…I haven’t even tried soju yet.’
I had only tried beer once.
It was when the director offered it to celebrate me becoming an adult.
‘It really tasted awful.’
I remember scrunching my face and asking why people drank such a thing, and the director just laughed heartily.
“…Is makgeolli tasty?”
When I asked that, Chanseok Hunter, whose mood had lifted a bit, answered,“Yes, it’s tasty! It has a slightly sweet and sour flavor—kind of like yogurt?”
“Wow, this makgeolli is really good though. You could sell this, seriously. Right, Master?”
Chanseok Hunter nudged Hanseong Hunter playfully, who flinched in surprise and then nodded.
“…Yeah, it’s good.”
“What’s with that reaction? Don’t tell me you turned on poison immunity?”
“…I didn’t.”
So S-Rank Hunters have that kind of ability too.
Interesting.
[…That one seems to be more of a gourmet than I expected.]
‘Just because he said the makgeolli tastes good?’
[Of course! I brewed that makgeolli myself!]
The text felt full of pride.
Even without a voice, I could somehow tell what tone she was using.
‘…Makgeolli.’
I remember hearing that it causes bad hangovers.
But isn’t that only if you drink too much?
“…Hmm.”
After pondering for a while with my chin resting in my hand, I finally made a decision.
‘Let’s drink it!’
I mean, shouldn’t I try this at least once in my life?
Besides, unlike in my previous life, there’s no doctor to stop me now.
With that thought, I lifted the bowl and gulped it down.
Then came the sour and sweet flavor that filled my mouth.
And that distinct taste unique to alcohol.
It was like an alcoholic yogurt.
It was better than I expected—my eyes widened as I continued to gulp it down.
Personally, I thought it tasted better than beer.
“…Pwah!!!”
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious.”
“Right?”
Smiling, Chanseok Hunter offered me some liver and yukhoe (raw beef).
To be honest, I hesitated a bit—eating raw meat felt a bit barbaric.
‘And if I eat liver and yukhoe right now…’
Wouldn’t I really look like a gumiho?
Well, it’s not exactly wrong either.
“Try it, try it!”
“…Then, just one bite each.”
After some negotiation with Chanseok Hunter, I agreed to try a piece of liver and yukhoe.
“…I dip it in this, right?”
“It’s better to use the seasoned sauce rather than the sesame oil for your first try.”
“Then…”
I picked up a piece of yukhoe and dipped it into the red sauce.
“…I’ll give it a try.”
I opened my mouth and put the yukhoe in.
And the moment I took a bite.
“…!!”
“Tasty, right?”
“Mm!! Mmm-mmm! (It’s really good!)”
My eyes widened.
It tasted better than I expected.
The texture was pleasantly chewy, but then it suddenly melted away in my mouth.
At the same time, the flavor of the sauce hit—also exquisite.
“Try wrapping it with seaweed and pear.”
“…Okay!”
Next, I tried it wrapped with pear and seaweed.
That was delicious too.
As my throat started to get dry, I took a big swig of the makgeolli next to me.
“Puhah! Kkuhhh…”
“Unnie… you sound like an old man.”
“…”
It was so refreshing that I let out a sound without thinking, and Hanyul giggled next to me, saying I sounded like an old man.
Old man?
I’m only 23, you know.
“…I’m young.”
“How old are you? If you’re a gumiho, aren’t you at least over a hundred?”
That’s a stereotype starting today.
Because I’m not even 100 years old yet.
“How old are you?”
“Me? Eighteen.”
When I asked, Hanyul pulled out a student ID from who-knows-where and proved her age.
Her ID photo looked stunning, probably because she was just naturally pretty.
‘…It’s not easy to look that good in an ID photo.’
“There’s not much of a gap between us.”
“Huh? How old are you then?”
“Twenty-three.”
When I said that and took another sip of makgeolli, Hanyul looked genuinely surprised.
The reactions from Hunter Hanseong and Hunter Chanseok next to her weren’t much different.
“You’re not a grandma… but a noona?”
“…You’re younger than me?”
“Whoa, you’re really young.”
What the hell—are they saying I look old?
I suddenly felt like a monkey in a zoo.
“…Are you saying I look older than I am?”
When I asked that, Hunter Hanseong hurriedly explained.
“No, it’s just… I didn’t expect you to be younger than me.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I’m twenty-seven.”
Almost thirty.
Must be tough.
I looked at him with pity, and Chanseok burst out laughing next to us.
“Pfft! Even Master Gumiho says you’re getting old.”
“…Shut it, you little brat.”
“What? Boomer.”
Maybe they were a bit tipsy—Hunter Chanseok was cheekier than usual, and Hunter Hanseong more serious.
‘…They really don’t get along.’
Thinking that, I kept drinking the makgeolli.
The liver I tried in the middle wasn’t really my taste.
It was more pungent than I expected?
Though the hunters seemed to like it.
Especially Hanyul, who loved the liver.
“…You be the gumiho.”
“Give me a tail, and I think I can pull it off?”
She giggled and popped another piece of liver in her mouth, chewing with a blissful expression.
After drinking for a while.
“…What the…?”
I found myself lying in my room, fully changed into different clothes.
“Urgh?!”
My head throbbed like it was splitting apart.
My stomach churned like crazy.
“…Ugh!”
Barely covering my mouth, I rushed out to the hallway looking for the hunters.
“Ah, you’re awake? W-wait a second! I just cleaned the floor! Please, don’t throw up!”
Only the Sword Ghost was there, rushing to get a washbasin, and there wasn’t a single other person in the tower.
The air was oddly cool, like the early morning chill.
‘…What is this…?’
As I tried to recall what happened.
A sharp pain stabbed through my head.
And at the same time.
“…Ueeegh.”
“Kyaaaaah!! Master!!!”
A rainbow shot out of my mouth.
‘Oh, hello there, floor? Why are you so close all of a sudden…?’
Bang!!!
At the same time, my head smacked into the floor.
A moment later, the Sword Ghost rushed in with a washbasin.
Right in front of her, I started throwing up and, for the first time in my life, experienced the true horror of a blackout and hangover.
“Uweeehhhkk!!”
“Here, drink some water.”
“I-I feel like my stomach’s turning inside out…”
“…So why did you drink so much makgeolli?”
The Sword Ghost looked at me with a mix of pity and disbelief.
“Hrrrk… I’m already miserable, don’t look at me like that…”
“…Do you know how shocked the other Hunters were yesterday?”
“…I don’t remember.”
“You were a total fox, seriously.”
“…?”
I was slowly becoming terrified of what I might’ve done last night.
[Next time you consume alcohol, please activate the poison immunity function.]
[It’s adjustable, so you can choose to get just the right amount of tipsy.]
A notification window that only now tells me something useful.
[Top Coins: 1,243,879 coins]
“…My coins went up?”
A huge increase in Top Coins.
‘…Wait, did I stream like that yesterday?’
I was starting to become scared of my past self.
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