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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Choi In-wook didn’t come back for a while.
Ye-ji unnie and I, with the seats in front of us empty, drank together.
“No, Ye-na. There are many guys better than In-wook, you know?”
“That’s why. I’m telling you, unnie, you’re misunderstanding.”
Unnie kept trying to explain to me how many men there are in the world.
“I know your heart~ completely~”
Unnie raised her glass towards me.
Honestly, I’m not very good at drinking. I don’t like it either.
But today, it went down well.
It must be because of that person.
I clinked glasses with Ye-ji unnie and gulped down the soju.
It’s bitter…
If I drink one or two more glasses here, I think I’ll be on the verge of blacking out.
Tae-su oppa, who had been playing with the other senior members for a while, came and sat in the empty seat in front of us.
“What? Where did Choi In-wook go?”
“He went to put Si-hwa to bed.”
Unnie answered for me.
“Really? I thought Si-hwa would be good at drinking, based on her image.”
The president refilled our empty glasses and started talking nonsense to me.
“Hey, hey. Ye-na. It’s okay. You don’t have to be ashamed of losing to Si-hwa.”
“I’ve never lost to her? Why are you making me a loser?”
“That’s because…”
He trailed off and held back his laughter.
Sigh… really… these people.
“Really. Don’t do that. Everyone. It’s not what you seniors think it is.”
I shouldn’t have come to something like an MT.
If it weren’t for Tae-su oppa’s circumstances, I seriously had no intention of coming.
Why do I have to be here and feel these emotions?
When I spoke seriously, the seniors apologized and started talking about other things among themselves.
“Now, survivors!”
The president suddenly stood up from his seat.
“My comrades! The last course of today’s MT is left!”
…I think there are only about 5 people alive in total, but he’s shouting so loudly.
The seniors seemed to be quite drunk too.
“That is nooone other than the bonfire time!”
“Yeaaaaah~”
Everyone seemed to like lighting the bonfire, so the reactions were good.
“Now, the one who will bestow fire upon us, like Prometheus! Choi In-wook… is still not back.”
You’ve already exploited him enough during the day.
You really need to have some conscience. Senior.
“Can’t help it. Let’s do it among ourselves for now! Everyone, advance outside!”
At the president’s words, the seniors put on their shoes and went out one by one.
I also slowly got up from my seat and was about to go outside.
The feeling of my balance being slightly dulled and my reaction speed slowed down was telling me that I wasn’t normal.
I’m drunk.
I went to a secluded corner in the opposite direction of where people had rushed out and took out a cigarette.
Click. Click.
Damn it. Why isn’t this lighter working?
I kept trying, but it didn’t work, so I was getting annoyed when I heard someone approaching me from behind.
“I’ll do it for you.”
Choi In-wook naturally snatched the lighter from my hand and lit it for me.
In a normal situation, I should have said thank you, but I felt spiteful and snapped at him.
“What? Didn’t you go to sleep with her?”
“No. Si-hwa is just a friend. And Si-hwa is very weak to alcohol.”
Do friends these days look at each other with such deep gazes?
I took a deep breath with the cigarette in my mouth and exhaled.
“Go and sit by the fire. Why did you come?”
The night had darkened.
The stars that seemed to pour out in the night sky were shining down on us.
Tae-su oppa and the seniors were circling around the fire like some primitive tribe, happy that they had succeeded in lighting it.
I thought about it in my previous life too, but if I didn’t really have a passion for monster drawing, I would never have joined this club.
“It’s lonely to smoke alone.”
“What does a guy who doesn’t even smoke know?”
I always say harsh things.
Choi In-wook was only bigger than me in size. He was like a big dog.
Without even knowing what I think of him.
Why do you always take care of me? Talk to me?
It’s really annoying.
It’s annoying.
Does Choi In-wook know how I feel?
I turned my head and looked at his side profile.
He looked at the sky and said to me.
“Wow! Ye-na, look at the stars. There are so many. Right?”
I couldn’t see any stars.
All I could see was him, who kept approaching me despite my hysterical behavior.
Maybe you…
“Hey. Choi In-wook.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you like me?”
…What did I just say?
Ah. I should have drunk in moderation.
The words that flashed through my mind without filtering came out as they were.
Choi In-wook’s pupils dilated for a moment and then returned to normal.
“…I like you.”
…Is he in his right mind?
No. But do you really like me? Why? For what reason?
You were getting along well with Yoon Ha-rin, and today you even brought Yoo Si-hwa in front of me.
Ah… What should I answer…?
It felt like my thought circuits had stopped.
But as they say, you have to listen to Korean until the end.
“Of course, as a friend.”
I felt embarrassed for getting excited for no reason.
You’re really trying to ruin my mood today.
But I couldn’t spit out the curses I had prepared at his next words.
“Ye-na. You.”
He looked me straight in the eyes.
“I think you’re a good person.”
“Of course, there are times when you act cold, as if you don’t like me.”
“But I know.”
“The fact that you’re actually taking care of me in various ways.”
“You taught me monster drawing sincerely.”
“You listen to my concerns properly, even though you speak as if you don’t want to hear it.”
“And above all, when you’re drawing.”
“I think it’s cool to see you focusing and being absorbed in a field you like.”
What? That.
Why are you answering my ridiculous question so seriously?
You should have just stopped at saying you like me as a friend.
Then I could have hit you on the head and ended it.
I didn’t know how to respond to his serious words.
And the first emotion that rose up was…
Guilt.
The things from my previous life were, after all, things from my previous life.
I thought that I might be hurting him without knowing anything.
I really hate him to death, but…
I took the last puff of the cigarette that was almost finished.
“What are you saying?”
In the end, I couldn’t suddenly apologize to him for feeling sorry until now, so I replied to him in my usual attitude.
I crushed the cigarette on the ground and turned my back to him.
“…Choi In-wook.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go see the bonfire.”
With those words, I proceeded towards the bonfire where the seniors were noisily gathered.
Choi In-wook’s shadow cast in front of me felt particularly large.
* * *
Ugh… My head hurts.
After putting Si-hwa to bed, we continued drinking by the bonfire.
Why are they drinking so well?
The president could be called a heavy drinker without any problem.
I thought he drank well at the welcome party for new students, but he was a monster.
I thought I was pretty good at drinking too…
I couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculous alcohol tolerance.
Scratching my messy hair, I got up and went outside.
I needed some fresh air.
I left the accommodation and went out to the yard, where I saw someone stretching before me.
“Choi In-wook.”
Si-hwa looked very neat, probably because she went to bed early.
“Ah. Yeah. Si-hwa. Did you sleep well last night?”
“…Yeah.”
Si-hwa nodded.
Does Si-hwa know that she drank way beyond her limit yesterday?
In my previous life, Si-hwa’s alcohol tolerance was half a can of beer. 2 or 3 shots of soju was her limit.
And yesterday, it was slightly revealed, but her drunken habit was…
Acting cute.
But very few people knew what her drunken habit was.
I found out what her drunken habit was only after we started dating.
Because Si-hwa really hated drinking gatherings.
There were several reasons, but to summarize, she didn’t really like crowded and noisy places.
The next reason was that alcohol was bad for health.
“Choi In-wook.”
Si-hwa walked up to me.
“Did I do anything weird?”
She spoke in a tone that wanted confirmation.
“No. Not really.”
Except for the part where you lay in bed with me and pulled my arm, saying let’s sleep together.
“That’s a relief.”
Only then did Si-hwa let out a sigh of relief.
She seemed to have been worried that she might have made a mistake.
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth.
“I think we should start waking up the others.”
Even though there wasn’t much time left until the checkout time, it seemed that only the two of us were in our right minds.
“I’ll go to the car for a bit. Go inside and wake them up first.”
Si-hwa left those words and walked towards the parking lot.
Returning to the accommodation, I let out a deep sigh.
The accommodation had turned into a mess.
Still, to wake these people up, I desperately needed Ye-ji nuna’s help.
I knew very well that the president wouldn’t listen even if I tried to wake him up.
The girls used separate rooms, so I tried knocking first.
Knock knock knock.
There was no answer.
Do I really have to wake them up?
I quietly opened the door and entered the room.
I was going to wake up Ye-ji nuna right away, but I stopped and looked at Ye-na, who was lying on the opposite side.
A ray of sunlight was shining on Ye-na, who was sound asleep.
The small breathing sounds that could be heard.
[Do you like me?]
I remembered her asking me with a flushed face, as if she was drunk.
I slowly knelt down in that spot and caressed her cheek, almost touching but not quite.
Ha Ye-na. I thought I knew you well.
But now I don’t know what you’re thinking at all.
“What are you doing now?”
Behind me…
Si-hwa was tightly grasping the doorknob with a coldly stiffened expression.
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