episode_0045

Makgeolli.

From being dragged to unfamiliar places in the morning, flipping blood and shooting guns, to immediately squatting down after a battle and healing my waist to the point of exhaustion.

I was given excessive rewards that were more than satisfying.

The thought of the well-cooked kimchi stew with pork, sliced green onions, sprinkled with red pepper flakes, and the fantastic pairing with a bowl of makgeolli already made my mouth water.

But more than that, after over a month of not being able to take a sip of alcohol since coming here, the anticipation of finally accepting alcohol today made my whole body tremble with excitement and my heart beat faster.

This is life, this is living.

This is the right way to support the people…!

However.

“No, you can’t.”

Ah… Dakota. Let’s be more careful and act with some sense.

“What, are you going to bring up some trivial rule about alcohol not being allowed?”

“Why are you trying to sneakily overlook it when you know well?”

“Let’s live nicely. Why are you being so strict?”

“Can you continue working in the afternoon after drinking? What if a monster pops up while you’re drunk? Drunk shooting?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. Have a glass of makgeolli. Drink a glass of alcohol while working, it’ll make things a bit easier.”

“No, you can’t.”

Ugh, if their tier was just lower than mine, I would have punched them.

Then.

“If you don’t want to drink, you don’t have to, don’t feel pressured.”

Grandma slowly approached Dakota with a smile.

“I’m sorry. But we shouldn’t do anything that would tarnish the dignity of an academy student outside the regulations.”

“It’s not allowed to drink alcohol, right?”

With a smile but sharp words, Grandma’s comment made Dakota swallow hard for a moment.

“Well, it’s because drinking alcohol is likely to tarnish the dignity…”

“Just drink in moderation so it doesn’t reach that level, right?”

Of course, it was just a joke. Dakota knew that. Why would such a comprehensive rule exist in the first place?

But unable to find a reply to the kind advice of the elderly person who was smiling kindly, Dakota could only purse their lips in embarrassment.

“It’s okay. The academy isn’t as strict as you think.”

Laughing heartily, Grandma turned around and slowly walked towards the rice cooker. Lena was already sitting in front of the rice cooker, tapping the spoon and chopsticks together.

“Grandma, I want to eat quickly!”

“Kimchi stew? Or makgeolli?”

“Both!”

“Okay, Grandma will bring it soon, wait.”

Watching Grandma hand over a bowl of makgeolli before the meal, Dakota rolled their tongue. But it was a difficult task to resist until the end. In the end, Dakota also took a step back at this point.

“I’ll make sure not to get too heated.”

And so, after twists and turns, the lunch began… or so we thought.

Once again, Dakota and I silently struggled over who would sit next to Lager. Avoiding sitting next to each other, we hesitated until I made a clean suggestion.

“Just go and have a bowl of makgeolli. Then I’ll sit next to Lager.”

“Why do you keep trying to make me drink? It’s suspicious.”

“I’m not trying to make you drink, but it’s not good to be so standoffish, it kills the mood.”

“Don’t you think at least one person should be sober?”

“Don’t worry. I can handle more alcohol than you think.”

As Dakota shot me a suspicious look full of doubt when I confidently boasted, it was the truth. Like most artists, I could hold my own when it came to drinking. Whenever my friends who also drew like me gathered, we were all broke, so we would order a pot of jjambbong and keep pouring water while drinking soju as our only side dish, naturally leading to more drinking.

I decided to skip the part about explaining this to Dakota.

“Anyway, it means don’t worry too much.”

“Just one bowl for me.”

I nodded, and as Dakota sat next to Lena, he confidently filled a bowl of makgeolli in front of me, swirled it around, and downed it in one go.

“Phew.”

As Dakota frantically looked for more side dishes, the grandmother offered him kimchi stew. I sat next to Lena as promised and started eating.

Of course, starting with a bowl of makgeolli.

“Phew!”

It felt invigorating all over my body. Moreover, the sweetness and freshness were exceptional, as if the fermentation had been done perfectly.

It felt more like a soft drink than alcohol. In fact, Dakota, who had downed a whole bowl, didn’t look too bad.

“Hey, are you going to stop drinking now?”

When the grandmother offered Dakota another bowl of makgeolli, he smiled slyly and handed him the bowl.

“Just one more bowl, please.”

“You can drink three or four bowls. Eat without worry and work hard.”

“Don’t worry about work.”

His response was more refreshing than usual, with a subtle difference from the usual Dakota. Come to think of it, his complexion was slightly flushed and there was a liveliness in his expression, unlike his usual dry face.

Is he already drunk?

I was worried, but I lightly shook my head. Just one bowl couldn’t do much harm.

As Dakota filled the bowl, Lena, who had been watching, proposed a toast excitedly.

“We often gather with this combination, let’s toast!”

Despite the sudden proposal, Dakota not only didn’t show any hesitation but also cheerfully offered his bowl.

“Then let me give the toast.”

“Oh, what’s gotten into you, Mr. Leader?”

“Sometimes we need days like this.”

Lena, who was unfamiliar with Dakota’s unusually sociable smile, looked pleased and happy. Anyway, she always admired and looked up to strong people, which was a problem.

Still, it was fortunate that Dakota was now able to match Lena’s energy level to some extent.

Standing up with a beaming face that he never showed before, Dakota raised his bowl and shouted loudly.

“Cheers to Lager Godin and Ale Cloie! For the birth of the beer couple!”

But what’s with the state of the toastmaster…?

Lena, who was in high spirits, was about to drink her bowl happily but paused to glance at Lager and Dakota’s expressions.

“Are you… okay?”

I started to feel more concerned about Dakota’s state rather than annoyed at why he was saying such nonsense.

He really can’t handle alcohol. It’s my fault for persuading him to drink a bowl of makgeolli in one go.

Dakota downed the second bowl as well, happily singing a tune and slurping up the kimchi stew. His eating speed seemed faster than usual.

Maybe the film has already been cut. I subtly gestured to the grandmother, silently asking her not to offer Dakota any more alcohol.

Fortunately, the grandmother seemed to understand and discreetly took away the bowl from Dakota.

That’s when it happened.

“Hehe, Grandma. Makgeolli tastes so good.”

“Our Miss Saeng is really weak when it comes to alcohol.”

“No, no! I-I’m totally fine with alcohol. Look, I’m perfectly fi-”

Thud.

As Dakota tried to get up, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, her eyes unfocused, and she collapsed to the side.

Desperately supported by Lena, Dakota soon drifted off to sleep, exhaling a mixture of alcohol-laden breath.

It was not the bustling streets of Daehangno at 9 p.m., but a quiet bean field at 12:30 p.m.

When will they ever get through this endless field? It was enough to bring to mind an untimely line of poetry.

A sense of calm after a storm passed.

The remaining group of us clinked our glasses of makgeolli together, casually sipping and continuing our meal.

“But, Ale,”

Lena, receiving another serving of kimchi stew from Grandma, took a sip of makgeolli and asked me.

“What did Director Seondo say earlier?”

“What about it?”

“About the birth of a couple, or something like that.”

“Just nonsense from being drunk.”

“You really have no feelings at all?”

Why is she suddenly like this again? I shot Lena a warning look, but her slightly glazed eyes made it clear that my eye contact was not getting through.

Lager silently sipped on his makgeolli.

“I think the two of them look good together.”

“I don’t know why it seemed that way, but definitely not.”

“How can you know without even meeting them?”

Lena is so innocent.

Perhaps she believes that if there are signs of a potential relationship, everyone should become a couple, supporting me with a clear and beautiful heart.

Feeling the need to explain this, I took a gulp of makgeolli for no reason.

Lager, who had been listening, suddenly interjected.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Lena. There’s no chance of us developing that kind of relationship.”

“Why not?”

“Well, because she doesn’t like me.”

Casually stating this, Lager returned his focus to his meal.

I couldn’t just let that comment slide, so I set down my chopsticks and bowl, turning to face Lager.

“Why are you suddenly making excuses for me?”

As I asked coldly, Lager didn’t back down, turning to meet my gaze directly.

“I-I didn’t mean to ask you that way…”

Feeling a bit sorry for the bewildered Lena in the middle, but at this point, I needed to clarify things.

“Explain yourself. Clearly.”