episode_0032

The jjimjilbang outing was a pick that was not only a cool-headed but also a blatant failure.

It was so exhausting that Yeonseo couldn’t sleep much in the cave room, and I had a headache but couldn’t sleep, so I just kept my eyes open and held on.

Perhaps because she had been in the amethyst room for so long, Yeonseo took off her underwear and went in again a few times, but she couldn’t last as long as the first time.

The original plan was to spend the small, everyday happinesses with Yeonseo, while sweating it out and eating a bowl of shikhye or a jjimjilbang-specific stew with just the right amount of seasoning, but we both ended up leaving after only a few hours, both of us feeling even more exhausted.

But the funny thing is, I finished taking a bath in an hour, but Yeonseo took another hour to get out.

I was sitting alone in the hallway at the entrance to the sauna when I finally started to nod off.

“Jinhyeon-ah.”

Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

When I raised my eyelids, it was Yeonseo.

Yeonseo, who had changed into new casual clothes, had a somewhat shocked expression on her face.

“I paid for the hair dryer and got yelled at for holding it for too long.”

“What?!”

“And I sat down in the empty seat in the bathhouse, and they cursed at me for not seeing my stuff.”

My head was pounding.

This is probably the first uncomfortable and unpleasant situation that Yeonseo has experienced since coming to this world.

“I was surprised there… I couldn’t say anything and apologized, but he kept saying something….”

Yeonseo, who was feeling depressed, confided her complaints to me.

Hearing this story, I started to regret that I had been too hasty in suggesting that we go to the sauna.

I got angry at myself when I saw the gloomy letter.

This wasn’t the jjimjilbang I came to feel like.

I’m so annoyed by this shitty situation.

Her head was still tired and Yeonseo wanted to avoid it for no reason and relieve her frustration.

I looked at my smartphone and saw that it was a little past 5pm.

We should be open for business by then.

It’s Sunday, but there won’t be many people at this time.

I turned off my smartphone and said to Yeonseo.

“Let’s go.”

“Where? Home?”

“Let’s leave our luggage at home and eat out today.”

“Eating out?”

“Yeah, eating out.”

I held Yeonseo’s hand and helped her carry her bag.

“Let’s go for a drink.”

—

It’s been a really long time since I’ve eaten out. When I was at my parents’ house, I would eat out every day because they would notice me eating at home, but after I ran away, I tried to eat at home as much as possible for my health and to save money.

I haven’t eaten out at all since I came out, unless it’s really necessary.

Yeonseo said that she had already spent money at the jjimjilbang, so there was no need to spend more, but I convinced her that I wanted to do so.

Yeonseo, who had been hesitating, couldn’t hide her excitement as soon as she entered the restaurant, saying she had seen it on YouTube.

“It was interesting that it wasn’t grilled or steak, but grilled directly on the grill. It also looked really delicious.”

“It’s actually delicious.”

It’s not for nothing that it’s one of the leading K-food brands.

The price of pork belly has risen worldwide to the point where Koreans are feeling a sense of crisis rather than nationalism.

I sat down and immediately ordered two servings of pork belly.

“Here, one soju and one beer!”

“Want to drink?”

“Yeah, I said let’s go for a drink from the beginning. When you’re feeling down, it’s not a bad idea to drink to relieve your stress.”

When Yeonseo asked in surprise, I told her in a casual tone that it was nothing, and the saintess didn’t say anything else.

Instead, he carefully watched me.

“Did something bother you today?”

Are you worried that it might be because of you?

Seriously, that kid is so kind.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Then?”

“This week’s school was just rough, and I’m in a bad mood because you said something bad happened to me at the sauna earlier.”

“I’m okay.”

“I’m not okay. What would I have said if I had met that lady outside?”

“It’s really okay. You shouldn’t take that to heart. And if I was really angry, I would’ve hit you.”

“Huh? You hit me?”

“Yeah. If you don’t like it, just beat it.”

“No, no, no, you can’t use violence here.”

That doesn’t work in Ascraia either.

“Who said they really do it?”

Contrary to what she said, Yeonseo secretly avoided my gaze.

“And the goddess said that since there is a two-year adjustment period, she will let it be easy to respond in the Askria way when you are treated unfairly.”

Here, the Askrian diet is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. In French, it is called Taléon.

And there’s one more thing: make sure to step on anyone who tries to climb up clumsily.

Of course, since our Yeonseo is a saint, she has never responded in the Askria way.

“But he really said to use it only for self-defense. He said that if I were to harm others with malicious intent, I would be punished twice along with the god of Earth.”

“…You hit me when I’m mad.”

“There’s no malice there, right?”

Yeonseo asked back, answering innocently.

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“No, there isn’t. I like it because I always think of it as a whip of love and get beaten here and there.”

“There is no soul in words?”

“Oh, the meat is here!”

I deliberately made a fuss and accepted the platter of meat.

Cheeek

As I placed two strips of pork belly on the grill, it began to cook with a delicious sound like the sound of rain.

Since alcohol was available, I performed a performance of opening the beer cap with a spoon.

Boohoo-!

“Wow!”

Yeonseo is amazed and even screams loudly.

Okay, we got out of the crisis okay.

One conversation technique I learned from Askria: When you are cornered, dazzle the other person’s eyes and ears.

Always valid.

He skillfully poured soju into a beer glass and, to make it look like he was there, he tapped the bottom of the glass with a spoon instead of chopsticks.

Then, white foam appeared and the soju was completed.

“Wow, wow!”

Even though it was a trivial show, Yeonseo was excited and accepted the drink.

“Let’s have a toast! Cheers!”

I also smiled at that sight and handed him my glass.

“Salty.”

“Jjaan!”

I clinked my glasses lightly and downed everything in one go.

Because it was only one bite, Yeonseo also took a shot and her eyes widened.

“Wow, it’s so refreshing without being too flashy.”

“Are you okay?”

“Okay! Give me another drink.”

I quickly poured myself a glass of soju and turned over the pork belly.

Yeonseo continued to drink soju in one shot while still being single.

“One more glass.”

“Too fast?”

“Just one more glass~.”

This time, I had no choice but to fill up more than half of the glass.

In the meantime, the pork belly was cooked just right.

The meat is cooked, so I can’t not drink it.

“Ta-da!”

After Yeonseo took a sip, he wrapped a piece of meat in seaweed and put it in her mouth.

Yeonseo, who quickly accepted the food, waved her arm holding the chopsticks excitedly, just like last time.

“Wow, it’s really delicious.”

“It’s all cooked here, so eat it all before it burns. If it’s not enough, just order more.”

“Yeah!”

While doing so, they drank alcohol, giving and receiving.

Yeonseo ate the meat almost as if she was inhaling it.

I saw in the video that he was wrapping and eating ssam himself, and his chubby cheeks and small lips were puckering, which was really cute.

As I was looking at the car with a happy look on my face, my eyes met with Yeonseo’s.

“Heh heh~.”

Yeonseo looked at me and smiled.

Then, perhaps feeling embarrassed, he started drinking soju alone again.

He pretends to watch the large TV attached to the store, then glances this way.

Our eyes meet.

She covers her reddened face with her shoulder.

After a while, he glances at me again and our eyes meet again.

Yeonseo bowed her head again.

“Yeonseo, what are you doing?”

In response to her incomprehensible behavior, I quietly pulled the glass Yeonseo was drinking from towards me.

Then Yeonseo looked at me openly and smiled.

“I’m embarrassed because I made eye contact with Jinhyun.”

Our saint’s body was slowly shaking from side to side as she answered.

Why did you drink so quickly…?

When I wrapped some ssam and brought it to his mouth, telling him to at least eat some snacks, he obediently took it with his hand.

“Jinhyeon~.”

But then he gives it back to me.

“Eat Yeonseo.”

“Eeeeek~ Why, I’m the one giving it to you~.”

The saintess pouts and looks extremely disappointed.

I was so taken aback by this annoyance that I quickly accepted the offer and ate it.

If it were my original country, I wouldn’t have fallen for such coquetry and coquetry.

When I was a sophomore in college, I was always the type of guy who would come to his senses and abandon drunk kids on the street somewhere. But now, it just so happened that my current opponent was Yeonseo.

That alone was unbearable for me.

“Jinhyeon-ah~.”

“Yeah, Yeonseo. When did you bring the alcohol? Give it to me.”

When I snatched the glass away from her again, Yeonseo flailed her hands.

“Hey, please. Please give it to me.”

No matter how much you love me, I can’t give you any more alcohol here.

While I had two glasses, Yeonseo finished a bottle of beer.

Moreover, it was dangerous to drink it with soju.

“Isn’t our Yeonseo nice?”

“Yeah! I’m good. I have to be good.”

I was startled by the sudden words.

Yeonseo stared blankly with her eyes wide open and muttered slowly.

“I like Jinhyun. He’s a good person. Huh….”

Yeonseo let out a sigh that reeked of alcohol and nodded.

“I want to be by your side. I only have you, so I came here only to see you… I want to be with you. That’s why I have to be good. So that Jinhyeon doesn’t hate me… I have to endure it even though there are a lot of women in the workplace… I have to endure it even if I hear that other women are flirting with Jinhyeon… It’s not your fault, so it’s natural….”

Yeonseo reached out and poked my chest.

“Please wait until I tell you my story of being trapped here….”

Yeonseo smiled bashfully.

“Please stay by my side, I’ll be good.”

I already knew that.

“I… I’m confident that I can live my whole life adjusting to you. Because that’s how I’ve been up until now… Because that’s how I grew up in the church since I was young….”

Alcohol makes people clumsily honest.

This honesty, which is sometimes helpful, leads to regret nine times out of ten.

But I think this time it gave us something to think about seriously about our relationship.

I felt like we needed to move forward after getting to know each other better, even if it took longer.

I gave Yeonseo back the glass.

She and I clinked our glasses in silence and took a single shot.

Soju is bitter.