episode_0268

…My head hurts.

Of course, it’s not because I obediently poured alcohol into my stomach as Yozora told me to.

At most, I only had about two glasses—there’s no way I’d be drunk from that.

I have a rough idea of my alcohol tolerance, after all.

The real reason my head feels like it’s about to split open is something else entirely.

That thing right in front of my eyes.

Yozora.

Her recent antics over the past few minutes are to blame.

“We barely had a few drops… Let’s drink a little more~…”

“Yozora. You just dragged us along because you wanted to drink, didn’t you?”

“Nooo…?”

“What do you mean ‘no’? While the two of us were taking sips, you were downing whole glasses.”

“That’s because… you guys were drinking too slow~…”

“…Normally, you’re supposed to match the slower drinker.”

“Match what~… If we run out, we can just order more~…”

“Sigh… Why did you even take us to a bar in the first place? Last time, it was dinner at a bar… Ugh…”

I could somehow understand her stopping at just asking me to “get closer to Han Soo-ah” despite knowing my embarrassing secret.

Given the years of history between us, I figured she was just teasing me this time and would let it go… Thinking about it that way, it made some sense.

So, I thought I’d just play along with her little game until graduation in a few months when I’d leave this place.

But then she wedged herself between me and Han Soo-ah only to chug drinks one after another by herself.

…What the hell?

Did she just not want to drink alone, so she dragged anyone nearby along?

What was she even trying to do?

Don’t tell me she wasn’t thinking at all?

“I told you… I just wanted to help Soo-ah make a new friend…”

“…”

So, what does chugging alcohol with a new friend have to do with anything?

I wanted to grab Yozora’s tiny ears and yell, but I couldn’t do that in the middle of a crowded street, so I swallowed my frustration and let it go.

…Seriously, if I’d just kept my mouth shut while waiting for the taxi, I wouldn’t have been dragged around like this.

For a brief moment, I even resented Seo Woo-jin, who was with me at the time, out of sheer irritation. I let out a deep sigh and glanced at Han Soo-ah beside me.

“…Sorry about her.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine…”

If there was one saving grace, it was that Han Soo-ah, who had only had about four or five glasses, was still as composed as before.

Last time, when she was completely drunk and leaning on me, she was… well, let’s just say she talked a lot—asking questions, sharing stories, you name it.

Right now, she just seemed a little giddy, nothing like before.

Maybe she was still shy—she could barely meet my eyes…

And yet, she was holding onto Yozora, who was swaying drunkenly, making sure she didn’t fall…

Unlike Yozora, who was acting out, she was completely normal.

As I watched her, I was about to add a few more scathing remarks about this alcoholic, but…

I completely forgot what I was going to say.

“…”

In the distance.

Over Han Soo-ah’s shoulder, who was tilting her head as if asking what was wrong.

A man I’d grown quite familiar with lately,

and a woman walking briskly beside him came into view.

“…Huh? Isn’t that Woo-jin over there…?”

“…”

Of all times,

Yozora, who was right next to me, also noticed.

…Despite being so short,

her eyesight was annoyingly sharp.

268

Of course,

I don’t really know what Woo-jin does outside.

At best, we’ve only had sex once because he was in heat—how would I know anything about his personal life?

Unless it’s something I can use, I wouldn’t bother.

But given the circumstances I’m aware of, just seeing his back and the woman next to him was enough to figure out what was going on.

The woman beside him was definitely Lee Ha-yoon, one of the girls Yozora had been curious about before.

The fact that he was walking around the city with her late at night meant, in other words…

He was up to his trashy antics again where we couldn’t see.

Not surprising.

He had sex with Han Soo-ah,

had sex with Yozora,

and even got hard with me under the guise of “treatment”—of course he’d be eyeing another girl like this.

Like a damn dog craving attention, shoving its head into anyone’s lap.

…Yozora probably thinks the same.

But the one person left besides me and Yozora—

“Teacher…?”

—I wasn’t sure about Han Soo-ah’s thoughts.

I tried to pretend I didn’t see anything, just in case things escalated.

…At least, until Yozora cluelessly brought it up. Seriously.

“Uh… Isn’t that the nurse? Where is he?”

“Right there. Can’t you see?”

I awkwardly played dumb, pretending not to see, but Yozora, with zero tact, pointed vaguely in Woo-jin’s direction.

“There. There.”

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Someone like him would stand out a bit.”

“He’s right thereee~!”

“Where exactly?”

“There, there! The guy in the black coat who just passed by the girl in the light blue beret!”

Please take the hint, you idiot. Han Soo-ah’s right here.

I tried signaling Yozora, but it backfired—she only pointed more accurately at Woo-jin.

Maybe she meant that even if Han Soo-ah saw, it wouldn’t matter.

The thought crossed my mind, but I couldn’t be sure, so I shelved it.

Normally, Yozora might’ve meant it that way, but right now, she was just tipsy and giggly.

At this rate, even Han Soo-ah, who wasn’t great at spotting people, would soon see Woo-jin and the girl next to him.

So, I decided to forcefully change the subject by accusing Yozora of being too drunk.

“…Ah, he is there…”

Well,

it was already too late for that.

“Right? Teacher?”

“Yeah. It’s hard to see from this far, but… seems like it. Is he alone…?”

“Guess so? Or maybe he’s on his way back after meeting someone.”

“…”

The one saving grace was that the conversation revolved solely around Woo-jin.

Neither Han Soo-ah nor Yozora seemed to notice Lee Ha-yoon beside him.

Looking back, Yozora was too short to see anything beyond Woo-jin, and Han Soo-ah…

…Just oblivious? I’m not sure.

Either way, things could’ve gone much worse, but this was the best-case scenario.

So, I let out a sigh of relief and lightly nudged Yozora’s sneaker with my foot.

“Let’s drop the nurse talk for now. What do you wanna do?”

“Uuuh… Dunno? I didn’t plan anything~…”

“You never plan anything, but anyway, you wanted us to get closer, right? Me and Soo-ah.”

“Well, obviously getting wasted together solves everything, no~? If I wanna get close to someone, I’d just drag them to a drinking party~…”

“…Is that why you kept calling me after getting drunk?”

“Of course! Honestly, I was just being affectionate!”

“Stop, that’s disgusting.”

I grimaced, but Yozora just laughed like an old man, teasing me further.

As I stared at her in horror, I decided to ignore the drunkard’s nonsense and turned to Han Soo-ah.

“So… Soo-ah, anything you wanna do?”

“…I, uh, don’t really have anything…”

As expected, Han Soo-ah stayed quiet, standing awkwardly to the side.

To put it nicely, she’s introverted. To put it bluntly, she lacks confidence.

I’ve met people like her before, so I roughly know how to handle it.

I’d thought about it before—if I brought up a topic she’s interested in, she’d probably start rambling about everything she knows.

But given what Han Soo-ah is into, thanks to the devil beside me…

…It’d probably be perverted stuff.

“…”

After a brief pause, I nudged Yozora’s sneaker again as she whined about her legs hurting.

“…What time is it?”

“Huh…? Hold on… 11. Why? Sleepy?”

“I am, but… more like…”

…Yozora’s words.

I think 99% of what she says is nonsense, but…

There’s that 1% that makes sense.

For example…

“It’s getting late.”

“…”

“…Let’s just grab a beer and call it a night. Convenience stores sell them.”

Thanks to the alcohol—even if it was just a few glasses—

I managed to talk a little more with Han Soo-ah.

Given that no one contacted me, it seems they didn’t notice.

…But what kind of idiot am I, making sure they never meet, only to have to run away to avoid being caught?

Yozora wouldn’t care how many more sex partners he adds, and Baek Seo-yeon already knows I’m a pervert, so whatever.

But if Han Soo-ah and Lee Ha-yoon had met before—

If I’d at least made sure they knew each other as friends—

Then today’s interrogation by Seol Da-bin and the near-miss with Han Soo-ah would’ve been nothing.

Might’ve even been fun.

…And yet, here I am, spouting nonsense about wanting to mess with Seol Da-bin too. What the hell’s wrong with me?

Pathetic bastard.

After getting home and washing up, I turned off my phone and flopped onto the bed.

The thought stuck in my head like a knife:

I’ve been running forward without looking back.

Trying to clean up the mess now is just because I was too busy quenching my thirst to care about anything else.

Maybe my mindset reverted to that of a 20-year-old who just graduated high school, but that’s just an excuse.

I was just too stupid to think straight.

Like a castaway who hadn’t had a drop of water all day stumbling upon a shallow stream—my entire focus was on the women in front of me.

There’s no telling who I’ll meet next, but if I stay like this, the same thing will keep happening.

This can’t go on.

So, starting now—even if it’s late—

If I want to find the most reliable connection to tie everything together…

“…Sigh.”

…Shamelessly, one person comes to mind.

The same person who, just moments ago, was laughing between Han Soo-ah and Baek Seo-yeon for reasons unknown.

Yozora, whom I once told to get lost because I didn’t like her, quietly circled in my thoughts.

Pathetic bastard.