episode_0093

Clang, clang.

“Mr. Haru, aren’t you going to the second round?”

“Ah, yes… I have to go now.”

As I was sitting blankly on the chair, chewing on squid, Im Seul-gi, her face flushed red, tapped me on the shoulder.

“Ah… That… Congratulations on your promotion. Thank you for everything… .”

“Hey, it’s not like we’ll never meet again. If we happen to meet, let’s grab a cup of coffee!”

Sometimes, I felt awkward because he was so sincere in his love stories, but most of the time, he was a good senior and colleague. It makes me sad to think that I won’t be able to see him again.

“Eugene too?”

“Ah, yes. I will also just hang out here. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yeah, thanks… . Then I’ll see you both at the guild.”

Im Seul-gi also looks flustered at Baek Yu-jin’s sharp greeting.

But, as expected of a senior, he kept smiling until the end, and when it seemed like he was going out with the guild members, he suddenly turned around and winked.

“Mr. Haru, I’m sorry for holding you back when you can’t even drink.”

“Oh, no. See you next time.”

I waved at Im Seul-gi. I don’t know what kind of man Im Seul-gi is dating, but he is definitely blessed. It’s hard to find someone so considerate and energetic these days.

“We should go now. Where does Baek Yu-jin live?”

As he said that, he got up from his seat and looked at the place where Oh Hyeon-seo had been sitting.

It’s empty… .

Did you go out while I wasn’t looking?

“… … .”

“Ugh… !”

I tilted my head and looked away again, and then my eyes met with Baek Yu-jin’s, who was staring blankly at me.

“Why, why? What did you ask?”

“… No. Let’s go first.”

Baek Yu-jin suddenly got up, grabbed the suit jacket she had taken off, and headed outside.

A gait without an inch of hesitation.

The tongue wasn’t even twisted, so it didn’t seem like there was much to worry about.

The problem is Hanna Yeon… .

“Hanna Yeon, are you feeling really bad?”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, sorry, sorry! I was mistaken!”

I knocked on the only locked compartment, wondering if I had had too much to drink, and heard a completely unfamiliar voice from inside.

Where did he disappear to when he said he was going to the bathroom?

After taking one more quick look around the inside of the izakaya, I poked my head out the door.

“Uh… .”

Two women standing under a streetlight.

A puff of cigarette smoke rising, a small laughter escaping from it.

I couldn’t hear exactly if they were talking at a whisper level, but I could see joy on Oh Hyun-seo’s face as she faced Hannah Yeon.

What are they talking about? What kind of expression is Hanna Yeon making?

There was no way to check because Hannayeon had her back turned. But somehow I felt like I knew. If it wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t have been talking for so long.

What the… Those two were on good terms… .

* * *

“That’s amazing, I’m jealous.”

In the end, the only thing I could talk about with Hanna Yeon was about Haru.

Things like how Lee Haru was at school while Hanna Yeon was gone, and how the other girls treated Lee Haru.

Of course, Oh Hyun-seo doesn’t know much about Lee Ha-ru at that time. As soon as Hanna-yeon disappeared, her interest waned and she remained completely indifferent.

But since she couldn’t tell everything, Oh Hyun-seo wrapped the story in a warm way.

Iharu had a smooth school life. Although the other girls bullied her a little, she got through it with determination.

And if you end it with a simple smile, you’ll have a plausible memory.

“Yeah… .”

Hanna Yeon listened to the story without any problems.

It was so bland, so dry that I thought maybe he wasn’t interested in Iharu.

However, Oh Hyun-seo did not approach Hanna-yeon to create memories that never existed before.

“You know, Haru came to our house a while ago.”

“… Yeah.”

One step.

In order to directly ruin the relationship between the two, Oh Hyun-seo entered their space.

“Somehow the atmosphere became a bit like that… .”

“Atmosphere… ?”

So, Hanna Yeon reacted differently than before.

It’s a clear expression of interest.

The answer came back not to end the conversation, but to continue it.

“Ah… That… I’m embarrassed to say it with my own mouth… .”

“Then don’t do it.”

A look of blatant agitation appeared on Hanna Yeon’s face.

As if he didn’t want to hear it, he turned his gaze to the corner of the dark alley.

He expressed his refusal with a slightly trembling voice.

For the first time, Oh Hyun-seo was able to read the emotions contained in Hanna Yeon’s expression.

Oh Hyun-seo’s luck didn’t stop there.

A pair of black eyes staring at me with only their head sticking out from inside Ikazaya. The automatic door, which had been closing for a long time because no one was around, opens again just before reaching Iharu’s head.

Oh Hyun-seo took advantage of the gap in Han Na-yeon’s gaze that was far away and gave Lee Haru a faint smile.

Then, Iharu’s eyes, which had been bright and round like a startled rabbit, suddenly shook violently.

‘It’s fun… .’

These two have a closer and stickier relationship than expected.

You can tell by looking at her eyes. Oh Hyun-seo’s smile is slowly starting to deepen.

“I almost did… that… sex… .”

I didn’t plan on writing this far.

A lie becomes more perfect when you mix in just a little bit of truth.

Especially if it is a lie created by taking away from what was originally true.

The words that came out of Oh Hyun-seo’s mouth had such sincerity that anyone could not help but believe them to be true.

“Why are you telling me that?”

“Okay… .”

Hannah Yeon has changed.

Hannah Yeon, who seemed to be indifferent to everything in the world, even to herself, who was loved by everyone, is no longer around.

And the person who brought about that change was, without a doubt, one and only Iharu.

“Ah, ah… .”

Oh Hyun-seo pretended to feel dizzy and hugged Hanna Yeon gently.

It’s trembling. Hanna Yeon’s hand, which was supporting my shoulder without me knowing, was shaking violently.

Even though she tries to hide so as not to get hurt, Hanna Yeon is shaking like this.

“I guess I’m drunk… hehe… .”

Hanna Yeon, who Oh Hyun-seo had been with, was always hidden inside a hard shell.

But now, because of this one day, all the shells have been broken.

Hannah Yeon is in a better position than ever to dig deeper.

“Hanna Yeon, can you please take me there?”

This time, I should be thankful to Iharu.

Iharu, who was trembling with an expression that looked like she might burst into tears at any moment, had disappeared without a trace.

* * *

“Hanna Yeon, can you please take me there?”

Oh Hyun-seo hugging Hanna Yeon.

Hannah Yeon doesn’t push away right away.

Are you really going to bring Oh Hyun-seo?

I had a strong desire to see it through to the end, but I ended up running away because I felt like I had made eye contact with Oh Hyun-seo.

I returned to the seat that had not yet been cleared and sat down on the chair.

If Hanna Yeon goes to Oh Hyun Seo’s house… .

‘Want to?’

Suddenly, I remembered something that happened at Oh Hyeon-seo’s house a while ago.

At that time, I was in a normal state, not even a single drop of alcohol in me. But I was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that I couldn’t move. Even now, didn’t Han Na-yeon drink a lot of alcohol?

Oh Hyun-seo is so drunk that she can’t control her body. Han Na-yeon looks fine on the outside, but you never know what’s on the inside.

If you lock two people in a closed room, an unwanted accident may occur.

“I hate it… .”

Not ‘No’ but ‘I don’t like it.’

I don’t know why I started whining like this, but I couldn’t deny the feeling of dislike.

A glass of beer in front of you.

Because I had prepared it in advance while waiting for Hannah Yeon to arrive, the glass was filled with golden liquid.

If I drink this and go out, will I be able to go home with Hanna Yeon?

By the time I started to worry about that, a lukewarm, bitter liquid was already gulping down my throat.

“Ugh… .”

I wish it had at least been cool.

The beer, which had been ordered for a long time, made my stomach churn as soon as I took a sip.

“Please be quiet… .”

Maybe it was because the room was so warm, but I got drunk quickly.

As I went outside, somehow controlling my spinning vision, I noticed a scary-looking blonde punk supporting a small girl.

“Hey, one word!”

Oh Hyun-seo, who had been laughing awkwardly since earlier, opened her eyes wide in surprise, as if she couldn’t even laugh.

“When did you drink it… .”

“Me too… I’m drunk… So take me here… .”

That somehow felt refreshing, so I hugged Han Na-yeon like Oh Hyun-seo had done and smiled bashfully.

“Huh… ? I’m… drunk… Ugh… .”

Did you drink too much?

No, I ate too much.

When a person who can’t drink joins a drinking party, there’s usually nothing to do but pick up some snacks and eat them.

In particular, side dishes have an addictive, stimulating taste and come in bite-sized pieces, so you end up eating them without even realizing how full you are.

It’s even oily, and you added alcohol to it.

“Ugh… Uweeek─.”

My poor stomach ended up spitting out all the food I had excitedly put in.

* * *

warm.

I remember having a glass of beer and going outside, but when I opened my eyes, my body was shaking slightly.

But it wasn’t uncomfortable, and rather, it felt good because my entire body felt warm wherever it was touching.

“Isn’t it heavy?”

Even without opening my eyes to check, I could tell that I was being carried by Hanna Yeon.

“Not really… .”

If it were normal, I would have been scared and come down, but maybe because I was feeling drowsy, I wanted to carry him a little further.

I hugged Hanna Yeon’s neck a little more tightly and pushed my body closer so that she could straighten her back.

“Oh Hyun-seo is…?”

“I took a taxi.”

Bustle.

Did I give you too much power and make you feel suffocated?

Hanna Yeon, who had been supporting my thigh with her palm, lifted me up and adjusted my posture.

“Hanna Yeon.”

“Why.”

“If I hadn’t been drunk, would I have gone to Oh Hyun-seo?”

Maybe it was because my head was blank, but questions that I would normally hesitate to ask came out smoothly.

“I guess I called you and went with you.”

“I see… .”

It was certainly strange that Hanna Yeon disappeared without a word.

First, he went back to the bar and took me to Oh Hyeon-seo’s house.

Anyway, Hanna Yeon and I have the same destination to go to.

“Leeharu.”

I laughed, saying that I was worrying about something ridiculous, but this time, it was Hanna Yeon who called me.

“Why…?”

“Did you do it?”

Even if you ask me out of the blue why I did it… .

“What did you do?”

“Sex.”

My face turned bright red at the words that came out so indifferently.

Ma, did you say that?

If that was the case, it would have been possible to realize that she didn’t do it, but it seems that the misunderstanding occurred because Oh Hyun-seo was drunk and couldn’t continue the conversation.

“Oh, I didn’t do it!”

Even though they are just women, I don’t think they have any doubts about that…

First experience… Is it your first experience?

“If you do… … .”

I thought it was a surprisingly serious topic, so I thought about it for a long time, and then my voice came out without me realizing it.

“I’ll get off!”

Did you hear? Didn’t you hear?

Hanna Yeon didn’t respond at all. When I struggled to get off, she just bent down to make it easier for me to get off. It seems like she didn’t hear me.

‘If you do it.’

What was I trying to say?

No answer to that came to mind.

Is it because of your conscience?

So here we have to choose the future?

But if the standard is the future, shouldn’t Tachibana, who confessed first, also feel guilty?

I don’t know. I shook my head vigorously, erasing from my mind the words I had just muttered.

Maybe it’s not something you were hoping for an answer to, and maybe it’s not something you need an answer to right now.

“All right, they’re all here. Should we go in?”

As I got off Hanna Yeon’s back, a familiar-looking front door greeted me.

“I’ve been using this hand cream every day since I got it. Oh, do you want to try the future one too?”

“Then just a little bit… .”

As I unlocked the door and went inside, I saw Na-rin and Mirae sitting happily on the living room sofa.

“You came quickly, Unnie? Was it fun?”

“Yeah… .”

Narin applying hand cream on the back of the hand of the future.

Mirae, who was holding Narin’s hand, was fidgeting as if she wanted to run towards me right away.

“How is it, does it smell good?”

“… Yes.”

Soon, Mirae, freed from Narin, jumped up from the sofa and strode over to me.

“Hmm… .”

Suspicious eyes turned towards me.

Oh, I said I would never drink alcohol.

I only had one drink anyway… and I’m still sober, so I should be okay, right?

But my eyes couldn’t lie, so they rolled around, unable to face the future.

“You drank alcohol.”

As expected.

What Mirae suspected was drinking, and in the end, she couldn’t avoid being caught.

“I’ll go.”

That day, I had to endure a long sermon about the future.

After the sermon, there was a natural sniffing, and I was able to get released only after being lightly marked.

“Hehehe… Future… .”

“Mom… Ha, don’t do that!”

But during that process, my body temperature rose rapidly, so the drunkenness that had subsided came back up again.

“Aum.”

Oh my gosh─!

When I came to my senses, I was sucking the soft cheeks of the future with all my might.

Yeah, the future is the best after all.