Chapter 37

Da In and So Ah had planned to hang out with Seol Yun until she got drunk to figure out her alcohol tolerance.

Even though they had a delicious whiskey at home, they intentionally bought cheap soju because it seemed like the kind of alcohol Seol Yun would commonly encounter in college.

However, there was something they hadn’t considered.

You don’t necessarily become a better drinker just by drinking a lot.

It’s not something you improve at through training.

Being resistant to drunkenness and not blacking out are more about innate talent.

And the now exceptionally healthy Seol Yun possessed quite impressive liver function.

But Da In and So Ah, who got drunk first, failed to notice how unusually fine their youngest was.

The drinking session continued.

Until they could ascertain Seol Yun’s alcohol tolerance.

“Excuse me, madam, could you bring us one more bottle of alcohol?”

“What should we do? The boss, all the alcohol we bought is already gone. Should we buy more?”

“No, no. There’s plenty at home.”

The six bottles of cheap soju they had stocked up on were all gone.

Da In approached the whiskey display and retrieved a high-end whiskey that had been cherished.

It was a treasure he had saved for drinking during significant events.

But isn’t the first drink of his precious youngest daughter a significant event?

Da In picked up a tasting glass, optimal for experiencing the whiskey’s aroma.

It was a sight that would make any connoisseur panic.

If you drink whiskey and lack money, filling in with soju might be forgivable, but drinking this expensive liquor after being drunk on soju?

And to properly appreciate the aroma?

But Da In, already drunk, hadn’t considered that.

He only wanted to continue this drinking session.

“Adults need to teach drinking. Seol Yun needs protection. The world is full of wolves. She needs to know that. Yes.”

It was a rather grotesque scene.

The student, who was supposed to be taught how to drink, was fine, but the two teachers were both completely drunk, and they hadn’t even realized it.

“I’m not trying to do anything strange! No one understands me! Hiccup!”

“Our family is healthy. Don’t get sick. Your mom isn’t bad, she’s just been through a lot, hiccup.”

“Both have similar drinking habits, don’t they? They both have a lot they want to say.”

These awkward people, only revealing their true feelings after getting drunk.

After two bottles of soju and about four glasses of whiskey, the two had lost control.

Seol Yun was still perfectly fine.

Because alcohol broke down faster in her system than it would normally, making it difficult for her to get drunk.

“Both of them are so cute.”

Actually, Seol Yun already knew her tolerance for alcohol.

She’d secretly tested herself before.

She drank two glasses of soju, waited five minutes, and wrote down her mood in her notebook.

Then she drank another two glasses, waited five minutes, and recorded her mood again, methodically.

Through this process, Seol Yun confirmed that she essentially had no limit.

She could stay awake while drinking soju because her liver was just too efficient.

It was a rare constitution.

Even with alcohol above 40 degrees, she could only feel slightly tipsy for a moment before quickly sobering up.

She couldn’t just chug enough alcohol to reach a state of full intoxication either.

That would be close to a lethal dose.

She wasn’t immune to alcohol—it simply broke down quickly and efficiently within her.

Drink too much, and she’d still die like anyone else.

Isn’t it ironic?

The person who has the highest tolerance for alcohol is the one most likely to end up in the emergency room.

Seol Yun thought, “I should make this family feel more like family.”

She whispered into So Ah’s ear.

“Sis, because dad is dad, it’s okay to hug him. And because you’re the daughter, it’s okay to throw a tantrum with him.”

“Ang, noo, I c-can’t. Mom would be disappointed.”

“It’s different from mom. Dad is waiting for you to throw tantrums. Go comfort him.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s being filial, being filial.”

Amazingly, So Ah reacted at the mention of filial piety.

What an adorably pitiful creature she turned out to be.

Seol Yun helped the staggering So Ah and guided her into her father’s arms.

“Hmm?”

“Sister said she’s been feeling lonely. She wants you to hold her and pat her back.”

Then, Seol Yun whispered to Da In.

Da In’s drunken, narrow eyes widened to the size of rice bowls.

Our So Ah! Of course she was lonely outside the house!

“Seol Ah, I love you! Forgive your awkward father for struggling to express himself! I’m sorry!”

Da In pulled her close and gently patted her back.

“Really? Even though I don’t work, don’t attend school, and do nothing? Aren’t you mad at me?”

“Of course not! You’re our daughter! Do whatever you want! You can play all your life!”

“Hic!”

In the past, Seol Yun had patted and hugged So Ah many times, but when Seol Yun tried, So Ah always darted away like a proud cat.

“Because you’re ‘younger sister’ and ‘female’, that makes it hard to be held comfortably,” Seol Yun thought.

Even now, with her current body, So Ah’s remaining pride as ‘elder sister’ prevented her from cuddling comfortably with Seol Yun.

Da In’s slightly enviable situation came to Seol Yun’s mind.

If Seol was a boy, would So Ah have relied on him too?

Such a warm but slightly embarrassing scene.

When Seol Yun’s eyes met with the housekeeper, she raised her forefinger to her lips and said “Shh!”

“Please leave this scene to memory. It might be awkward for them if brought up after they’re sober.”

‘Second miss is truly mature,’ the housekeeper thought.

“Then who can dad rely on when he’s tired? There’s no one older than dad, hic! Poor dad!”

So Ah understood.

Adults weren’t invincible. They got tired too, and they struggled.

She could rely on her dad, but who could her dad rely on?

“I am fine. Just seeing your smiles gives me strength.”

“Don’t pretend, how is that okay!”

Seol Ah kept pressing.

The act of pretending to be okay even when troubled.

That’s how her mother was deceived.

She convinced her oldest child that he was invincible.

Ordinary people don’t have mind-reading abilities.

If you don’t say you’re in pain, struggling, or lonely, no one will know.

The price of a foolish man pretending to be fine for so long – the mask breaking, his wife turning away from him.

Denying that her son would ever be like that, and the guilt of a mother who didn’t notice her own child’s struggles.

So he ran away and kept running.

Now there’s no one sitting beside this dining table but her.

So Seol Ah thought.

Someone must understand father’s pain too.

A person who never complains must be in a tremendous amount of pain.

“You wouldn’t be tired if we were healthy, and with Seol Ah growing into such a fine young woman, I’m so proud that I’m close to tears.”

“Lies! It’s because you’re tired that you’re crying, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m crying because I’m happy!”

“Alright, then this time, let me hold dad.”

Seol Yun intervened.

“It’s not shameful. Because we’re family, it’s fine for a father to be held by his daughter.”

Hearing these words, So Ah thought to herself.

Yes, I want to hold dad.

And she did.

And sandwiched between the hug came Seol Yun’s body.

“Huh?”

“It’s fine for an older sister to be held by a younger sibling because we’re family.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, sure.”

So it’s alright.

The eldest daughter hugging her father, and the younger sister cuddling her older sister.

Logically, there was no problem.

‘Success.’

So Ah, who normally would dart away when hugged, stayed in Seol Yun’s arms for a long time tonight due to the influence of alcohol and the mood.

…And the housekeeper watching the scene was beet red.

Why was the embarrassment hers?

Just how warm a family were they?

Except for one person, that is.

That would probably be the family’s homework to figure out.

“…Haa. I should’ve stopped earlier.”

When the hangover hit, she wanted to die.

Rather, I wish I had blacked out.

‘I remember clinging to my dad and whining excessively…’

If knocking my head against a wall could erase those memories, I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.

‘Such a girlish act!’

That wasn’t the only reason she went to the United States, though.

She had hoped that world-leading American medicine might offer a treatment of some kind.

But the result was the same—still a disease that human science cannot even begin to fathom.

Maybe I’ll have to live and grow old like this forever.

‘Will I even age?’

For some reason, I don’t feel any older than I did three years ago.

My younger brother Seol Yun has grown a lot, but why am I the same height?

In fact, I was once over 180 centimeters tall.

Is this a disease where tall people shrink, and short people grow?

It’s a completely incomprehensible sickness.

Anyway, the conclusion is that I will probably live as a woman.

However, the values, personality, and sense of self accumulated over a lifetime aren’t easily changed.

Imagine this.

A youth over 180 cm hanging on his father’s waist and sobbing.

It’s a grotesque scene, isn’t it?

“What time is it…”

Checking my phone that only functions as a clock, I noticed an odd message.

Payment completed? Overseas purchase agency?

What did I buy? Was it something random I bought while drunk?

[Woman’s/Cosplay Fake G-Cup Suit: 181,000 won]

What is this?

Did I really buy this?

My memory was fine, but some parts must have faded.

I don’t remember buying this.

Where’s the cancel button?

‘But isn’t this… actually okay?’

To someone like me who’s addicted to disguises—hoodies, sunglasses, masks—this item seemed unexpectedly appealing.

If I disguise myself to avoid attention and then put on something that draws attention…

Hmm, but wouldn’t this guarantee that no one would ever figure out that I am me?

It would be highly effective as a disguise.

Let’s just receive the item first.

If it’s not something I like, I can always throw it away later.

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