episode_0213

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Ughhh.

Soo-chan, you’re weaker with alcohol than I thought.

Judging by your looks, I figured you could chug vodka straight and be fine, but who’d have thought you’d pass out before finishing three bottles of soju?

If you’d shown any signs, I would’ve cut you off sooner…

And somehow, I don’t think you even know your own limits…

“Soo-ah. Soo-ah.”

“Uwehh…”

Don’t tell me you’ve never had alcohol in middle or high school?

Thinking it’s been a while since I’ve had to clean up after someone like this, I shake Han Soo-ah’s shoulder.

But all I get in return are some cute, incoherent mumbles that don’t match her face.

Wondering what to do, I decide to settle the tab first and head to the counter.

Thank god I trusted Soo-chan and didn’t pick an expensive place. Seriously.

“……”

Maybe that’s why I felt those glances from the other tables.

Every now and then, I’d catch the stares—turns out they were just drunk guys at other tables eyeing her like prey.

Ugh. Letting out a tired sigh, I approach Soo-ah before any of them get any bright ideas about groping that chest of hers.

Why are they all the same?

Even earlier at the manga café, some creep pretended to walk by while peeking into our room. Pfft…

Come to think of it, Seo Woojin—who lied about wanting attention but didn’t even try to rape me before ditching—feels kinda weird in comparison…

Maybe he’s actually gay? But then again, he definitely banged Soo-chan, so that’s kinda frustrating…

The only things I feel inferior to him about are height and money…

Japanese girls are supposed to be popular in Korea, right…?

Maybe I’m a little drunk too, lost in useless thoughts, as I munch on the leftover butter-grilled squid and try to wake Soo-chan up.

“If you don’t get up, I’ll grope your chest…?”

“I’m up…?”

“No, no, I mean get up from your seat.”

“…Lemme rest a lil’ more…”

“Just a little longer”—I’ve heard that about five times now.

Honestly, it’s way better than her doing some crazy drunk antics, but I don’t feel like waiting around all night.

If I were as desperate to bang Soo-chan as Woojin, maybe. But I’d rather go home and play with my massage machine.

…Anyway.

How am I supposed to get this girl home?

I like alcohol, not drunk people.

“Soo-ah. Can you walk?”

“I can walk…?”

“Never mind. You can’t.”

“Uuu…”

“Hmmm. Maybe if you just wrap your arm around my neck…”

Now that I think about it, last time I drank with Woojin, I was the one who passed out first and had to be carried.

Recalling that memory from around December when it was even colder, I struggle to support Soo-chan.

Just in case she drops it, I slip her phone into my handbag.

“…Mmm…”

But—wondering if Woojin might show up—I put a little effort into my outfit.

Not that I have any lingering feelings or anything.

I do plan to find a guy who’s way better in bed, has a bigger dick, is hotter, and is a complete trash person compared to him, but…

…Just in case, I dressed up a little, and now it’s biting me in the ass.

Specifically,

the heels I wore to barely scrape 160 cm on a good day.

“…Shouldn’t have worn these. Ugh…”

I’m not used to heels, and just walking around a bit already hurts my feet…

Trying to support Soo-chan like this is torture. Oww.

“Haah…”

At least once I get her in a taxi, it’ll be fine.

Pulling up a taxi app, I walk her to the main road and start asking her questions to confirm things.

“You don’t know your address?”

“Yeah…”

“How do you not know your own address…?”

“Never had a reason to use it… I kinda know the way, though…”

“How do you know the way? Have you been around here before? Then maybe the taxi driver…”

“It’s just… if I focus on my sense of smell for a bit…”

“…Sense of smell?”

“Yeah…”

“Are you a dog? Huh? A dog?”

“Uwaaa…”

She doesn’t know the address of the officetel she lives in alone.

When I ask her to at least remember the name of the building, she just tilts her head.

I ask if there are any famous landmarks nearby, but she just tilts her head again and mumbles something like, “Dunno…”

So, what? Use her supernatural canine senses to sniff her way home?

That only works if we’re walking. Useless in a car.

The exhaust fumes on the road would make it hard anyway,

and compared to an actual animal’s sense of smell, hers is lacking,

and even if it were possible, the taxi driver would find it incredibly annoying.

Sigh… Soo-chan probably doesn’t even have a delivery app on her phone.

Might as well just contact Woojin, who’d definitely know her address…

“…”

But if I do, he’ll probably misunderstand and think I got Soo-ah drunk just to see him like this…

“…Ugh…”

Letting out a deep sigh, I call the one person who’s probably free to help right now.

If I’d worn comfortable shoes, I could’ve just carried her on my back,

but my feet hurt too much to support her alone.

I don’t want to make a scene either,

so I might as well ask for help.

“…”

…Well,

two birds with one stone.

If something good comes out of it for me,

even better.

213

…What is this?

“Seoyeon-chan… Oh, right. You hate that. Seoyeon. Hi.”

“…”

“Were you working out? Jogging? Oh, wait, did I interrupt your exercise routine or something?”

“…I was on my way home. Anyway, what? Why’d you say it’s an emergency and tell me to come quick?”

“It’s exactly what you see!”

“I’m asking because I don’t get it! You stu—, I mean. Ugh.”

Stupid bitch.

Even though I try to watch my language in public, why do I always feel like cursing when I see her?

Swallowing the reflexive insult, I lock eyes with the dazed orange irises staring back at me.

“…”

Han Soo-ah.

Before, she was just some vague chaebol daughter,

and Yozora’s target—that was all.

But now, the first thing that comes to mind is “Seo Woojin’s sex partner.”

Because there she is, completely wasted, sitting on a bench by the roadside with Yozora—a bench I doubt is even properly maintained.

“…Hello.”

“…Ah, yes.”

The thick scent of alcohol is palpable even in that short greeting.

And if I focus even slightly on my sense of smell, the sharp stench of hard liquor is unmistakable.

…The culprit? Obvious.

Yozora, sitting right beside her, grinning like an idiot.

She must’ve kept refilling Soo-ah’s glass every time it emptied, just like she did to me a few times.

“Yozora, what the hell? Why’d you let her drink this much?”

“Ahaha… To be honest, I didn’t mean to get her this drunk…”

“Didn’t mean to. Right.”

“She just kept matching me shot for shot, so I got carried away… I thought she could handle it since she was drinking so well…”

“Haah…”

“And honestly, she looks like she can hold her liquor. Soo-chan.”

She does give off that impression, but judging people by appearances is kinda messed up.

Having been misunderstood myself just for being a gumiho, I briefly empathize with Soo-ah.

Then, from the quiet Soo-ah, I hear an “Ah,” like she’s realized something, so I glance over.

“That student council president… from freshman year…?”

“…Yes. That’s me.”

“…Ah.”

“…”

Of course, the conversation doesn’t last more than two lines before dying again.

Even drunk, she seems capable of recalling memories, but holding a long conversation seems difficult.

“Anyway, as you can see, it’s an emergency because there’s no one to take my adorable Soo-chan home.”

“…What kinda bullshit is that? You take her home.”

“Nope. She doesn’t know her address, so we can’t call a taxi, and we’d have to walk while she sniffs her way back.”

“And you want me to do that?”

“Yep yep.”

“Even if it weren’t me, you could do it…”

“I want to, but I can’t. Today, I’m… ta-da~ wearing heels~”

“…”

So the “emergency” was bullshit after all—not that the thought lasts long.

Honestly, I expected it to be nothing major from the start.

Just another dumb fight with a drunk, huh?

“You wore heels to meet a friend instead of slippers?”

“Something like that? I usually drink like a total slob, so… Anyway, my feet hurt too much to walk.”

“…So if I help take Han Soo-ah home, that’s it?”

“Yep yep.”

“…Haah…”

At least she’s self-aware about how she usually acts.

Then why did she wear a T-shirt and slippers when drinking with me?

The thought crosses my mind, but saying it out loud would make me seem petty, so I just grumble internally.

“You’ve been behaving lately, so you can handle this much, right?”

“…Just hurry up and go. My head already hurts from talking to you for two seconds.”

“We have to wait for the taxi, dumbass. If your head hurts, take Soo-chan and go first. She probably lives near the academy, so it shouldn’t be far.”

“…”

If it’s near the academy, it’s about a 10-minute walk from here.

Even accounting for her drunken stumbling, 30 minutes should be enough.

I’ll get home a little late, but… whatever. It’s not like I’m busy.

But Yozora’s smugness irritates me, so I sigh loudly enough for her to hear, zip my jacket up to my chin, and offer my hand to Soo-ah.

“…Which way should we go? Soo-ah.”

“…Pfft. Calling her ‘Soo-ah’ makes you sound like an old man. She’s two years younger—just drop the formalities.”

“Shut up. You.”

“So you were friends…?”

“No. We’re not close enough to be friends, but a little more than acquaintances. How could anyone be friends with Yozora?”

“Uh… I’m friends with Yozora, though…?”

“…I’m a third-year, and she’s a first-year. That’s what I mean.”

“Ah… Oh, but how come you dropped formalities…? It’s not just a one-year gap, but two…”

“Two years…?”

“Yeah… Third-year and first-year, so…”

“Oh, no, I never told her to. She just started doing it on her own, saying it’s ‘Japanese style.’”

“Uhm… That’s weird… Is that really a thing in Japan…?”

“…”

I thought she was shy at first…

But maybe it’s the alcohol. Or maybe this is her real personality.

Han Soo-ah talks way more than I expected.

And most of it is random questions.

At first, I thought her compliment about my blue-white hair was just awkward small talk,

but then she suddenly asked what perfume I use, saying it smelled nice—not shampoo, but perfume.

Personally, I dislike this type.

Thanks to a certain second-year guy who monopolized the student council sofa, I suffered for a year—and it’s still ongoing.

But it’s not like I can tell a stranger to stop asking so many questions, right?

Besides, if it’s Han Soo-ah—

“Ah, I got a call… Auntie…?”

“…”

“Yes, I’m almost home… Drank with a friend… Ehehe…”

—as the eldest daughter of Hansol Group, it’s not like building a connection with her would hurt.

Might as well get familiar after today.

Roughly mapping out the future in my head, I follow Soo-ah’s directions and turn right around the building.

After about five more minutes of walking:

“If we turn left here, my place is right there… Hehe…”

Even with my mediocre sense of smell, I can vaguely tell we’re close.

That building a few steps ahead must be Soo-ah’s…

“…”

“…”

…home.

Except there’s already someone waiting in front of it.

“Huh? Teacher…?”

Seo Woojin.

“I thought you were busy until tomorrow… What are you doing here…?”

“I saw your texts and figured you were pretty drunk, so I came. If you’d just replied, I wouldn’t have had to ask the housekeeper where you went.”

“…Ah. You’re really here… Sorry…”

“It’s fine. I saw you’re okay with my own eyes.”

The man Yozora pretends not to care about but still holds in her heart.

The man who slept with Han Soo-ah while also seeing Yozora.

By my standards—

Trash.

“…You brought her home?”

“…Yes.”

“How’d that happen? I assumed she was drinking with Yozora.”

“It’s a long story… She was drinking with Yozora, but she wore heels today and couldn’t walk, so I helped her.”

“Heels? Yozora did?”

Standing close enough to reach out and touch him, I stare, but I feel nothing.

Just like when I deliberately talked to him while jogging by the river.

Gumiho are sluts.

All eight recorded gumiho in history—

men or women—

without exception, loved sex.

With that in mind, I stood before Seo Woojin,

but I felt nothing.

“…She always says heels hurt her feet and refuses to wear them no matter what.”

“…”

“Anyway, thanks. …Looks like Yozora’s dragging you around too.”

“…Whatever.”

Soo-ah, either too drunk or not bothering to hide their relationship.

Woojin, who probably already knew, naturally pulls her into a one-armed hug.

Unlike his usual indifferent demeanor when alone, he speaks gently, as if conscious of Soo-ah beside him.

But I feel nothing.

A decently handsome guy. That much I can acknowledge,

but nothing like the lust-driven reactions Yozora has…

No matter how hard I try to force it, it’s impossible.

Maybe, like Yozora said, gumiho really do have their own radar.

Y’know, like standing in front of a guy with a big dick who’s good in bed makes your heart race and tempts you. That kinda thing.

But judging by the results, using that to find Yozora’s type seems impossible.

“…I’ll head out first. It’s getting late.”

Well, it was obvious anyway.

The idea that gumiho are inherently more perverted than normal people is just a pervert’s sexual fantasy.

“…”

…What a stupid thing to do.

Really.