Chapter 154

My head…

I felt blank. Literally.

I felt blank. Literally. Just blank. Not like I was dazed or anything.

I felt dizzy, and it was as if a fog had settled in my brain. I wasn’t even sure if I was awake right now. Anyway, I opened the door. The doorbell rang. Or was it the other way around? And right now, I was lying down. Cradled in someone’s arms.

My vision was… narrow. I was looking at the sky, but I couldn’t see it; all I saw was a beige sweater.

“Did you get him drunk?!”

“No, I didn’t make him drink. I drank alone.”

“Then why is he like this?!”

Uh… was that Han-bom?

“After I fell asleep…, it seems he drank alone.”

“So you’re saying you had a drinking party together, but you only drank alone, fell asleep, and Seol-guk drank alone, undressed, and was in his underwear?”

“…It sounds weird, but that’s how it is.”

“Don’t you think that sounds unbelievable?”

Ah, was that why my vision was narrow? Han-bom was big. Really big. So that’s why I couldn’t see the sky. Was it the ceiling instead?

“What are you gonna do about it if that’s true?”

“…Then why did you wash him?”

“Well, he fell asleep drunk, so when he wakes up, he can wash. What else would I do? Just leave him there with the smell of alcohol?”

“At least if he’s like this, shouldn’t you put some clothes on him first?”

“How can I change his clothes when he’s kicking off the blanket saying he’s hot?”

“Next to?! The blanket?! You’re telling me you covered with one blanket?!”

“Seriously, this is maddening.”

And in front of me was Hwa-won. My friend. Gang Hwa-won. He looked like his head was aching a lot. Were those two fighting? Why were they fighting? It was loud.

“Well, there could be a misunderstanding, but I fell asleep first. While I was sleeping, Seol-guk crawled in after drinking.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t do anything, but Seol-guk seduced you first?”

“No, are you crazy?”

It really was Han-bom. She managed to get Hwa-won to say that he’s crazy right after they met. At this point, it would consider a world record.

Moreover, Han-bom was exactly Hwa-won’s type. First off, she had a huge chest and looked pretty and young. Yet still getting Hwa-won to call her crazy at such speed was honestly impressive. This was also a talent—a talent for making people angry.

But why were those two fighting?

“I was just sleeping alone, and he crawled in while he was drunk. I had no clue, and when I woke up, he was like that, so I decided to leave him in bed and went to shower.”

“So right now… you’re saying you’re not responsible because you didn’t know?! You’re claiming to have done nothing?”

“It’s not a claim, it’s the truth, you crazy woman.”

Oh, the word “crazy woman” had already been used twice. If it stacked three times, it might explode, like in a game. Typically, things would pop out if hit three times.

“How much did you drink for Seol-guk to wake up like this without any sense?!”

Uh… it was starting to get noisy. I felt a bit annoyed, and somehow, it seemed like Han-bom was about to call me something weird again.

“How would I know if I drank alone? And Seol-guk? You call him that? Earlier, you called him Seol-guk.”

Hwa-won also seemed to be losing his cool. Now he was completely dropping formalities. And seemingly, Han-bom did call my name weirdly again. I told her not to do that, but she really sneakily calls me that whenever she gets the chance.

“It’s cuter to call you like this! And this isn’t even the important part!”

“It is important.”

…Both of their gazes landed on me. Wow, their eyes were really wide.

“Did… you wake up?”

“I’ve been awake this whole time.”

“What? Then why were you just silent?!”

Hwa-won shouted with an unfair expression. But my head was feeling blank.

I said my head was blank.

“My head is blank.”

“How much did you drink….”

“Name is important. Don’t call me strangely.”

Han-bom muttered something under her breath in a small voice instead of answering.

“I was trying to subtly get you used to it when you were out of it….”

I couldn’t hear exactly what she was saying.

“Hey, why don’t you say something? Did I make you drink?”

“No. I drank myself.”

“See! It’s true!”

“But why are you two fighting?”

“That crazy woman!”

“Don’t fight.”

Hwa-won looked like he was about to explode, but when he listened to my words, he opened his mouth as if he was speechless. Then he held it for a moment before finally letting out a sigh. Fortunately, the use of “crazy woman” didn’t result in anything exploding this time.

“Ha… I get it.”

“Yeah.”

Good job.

Either way, Hwa-won bowed his head, so it should be fine now, right? I wish this would be the end of it. I don’t like noise.

“Then… did Seol-guk really get into the same bed?”

“Same bed?”

“…Seol-guk? No way.”

“We slept together?”

For some reason, the atmosphere suddenly turned chilly again. Soon, Han-bom raised her voice.

“You! Seol-guk doesn’t even remember! Isn’t everything a lie?!”

“Crazy woman, for real.”

“Don’t call me like that.”

I guess the fight wasn’t over yet. It exploded on the fourth round.

~

The hangover had lessened a bit. My head still felt cloudy, it was still blank, and I was slightly dizzy, but it wasn’t to the point of not being able to think normally. When I was in a pretty bad state earlier, it seemed like I couldn’t even speak normally, but fortunately, it seemed I didn’t say anything weird.

“…Well, for now, I’ll believe you.”

“Believe this or that…”

Somehow, it seemed like a dramatic agreement had been reached between the two. They still seemed to distrust each other, but since I mediated, they finally let it slide.

By the way, we were currently sitting at a table having a three-way confrontation. I was pouring cold water over my head to cool it down. By the way, wearing just my underwear still felt a bit off, so I had changed my clothes. No matter how this condition was, I still knew a bit about shame.

If I had been entirely sober from the start, I probably would have tried to kill myself quickly when Hwa-won saw me in women’s underwear.

“But… it’s still dangerous. The fact that an outsider is getting drunk at a kid’s house!”

“He’s not a kid.”

“Is this woman usually like this? Does she act like this regularly?”

“Usually.”

Hwa-won looked really terrified. At the same time, Han-bom looked sulky.

“This is too much! I was worried about Seol-guk!”

Sure, that wasn’t a blatant lie. Han-bom was genuinely worried about me. There were a bit of personal feelings mixed in, but it was true that she acted because she was worried about me. But it was unnecessary concern, at least regarding Hwa-won.

“Thanks for your concern, but you don’t have to worry about this friend.”

“…Why?”

I looked at Hwa-won, who was sitting next to me, grabbing his head with a horrified expression. Our eyes met.

Did I mention we were sitting at a table? Hwa-won and Han-bom were sitting across from each other, and I was sitting next to Hwa-won. In the beginning, Han-bom tried to get me to sit next to her, but I refused. The reason was simple.

“It’s safer this way.”

I’ll probably never forget that face Han-bom made when she felt betrayed. I think that was the start of her pretending to believe Hwa-won’s words. But it couldn’t be helped that I felt sitting next to Hwa-won was safer. It was a result of extremely reasonable logic. It was too firm a belief.

I had known that guy for almost ten years now, and I knew him too well.

“I trust Hwa-won.”

“…Hey, is that a bit touching?”

Really?

“If she has a small chest, he doesn’t treat her like a woman.”

She should have listened to the end of that story.

The moment I said that, the mood changed. Hwa-won had a face like he’d been hit in the back of the head—like a puppy—and Han-bom’s face was instantly colored with disgust toward Hwa-won. Then she raised her hand to cover her chest. I guess it was a bit big.

In reality, Hwa-won was glaring not at Han-bom’s huge chest but at my face.

“…You, damn it. Is that the only defense you have? Hearing that, you’d make it sound like I’d just do something if you had a big chest!”

“Seriously, how can you talk like that?”

Now, Han-bom really looked exhausted, her expression becoming a bit more rugged.

Both of their expressions were quite entertaining. Did I say something weird? Isn’t this common sense?

“If I had a big chest…?”

Hmm, what would it have been like? Honestly, there was no need to think about it. The answer was already set. I trust Hwa-won.

“Still, I would’ve believed you.”

“…Really?”

“But back then, I wouldn’t have shared the same bed.”

“You know what I think of you, don’t you?”

Hwa-won made a face like he was giving up. It didn’t seem he was really angry, more like a sense of absurdity. I was saying this because I knew. For now, this wasn’t a joke or a lie. And Hwa-won wouldn’t get angry about something like this.

“Honestly, it’s true. Do you see me as a woman?”

“Are you out of your mind? Did you catch a mental illness from that woman?!”

“That’s rude! Be careful with what you say!”

That was the exact answer I expected. So I replied accordingly.

“See? That’s how it is. So whether I sleep in the same bed with you or not, it doesn’t matter. I don’t remember.”

“That last part wasn’t necessary.”

If I had woken up in Hwa-won’s arms, I would honestly have been a little surprised. I might have felt a bit embarrassed too. But when I partially regained consciousness hearing the doorbell, I was the only one in bed, and after that, hearing the conversation in a daze, I surprisingly didn’t think much about it.

By the time I felt embarrassed, that time had already passed while I was dazed, and I think I’ve started to view the situation a bit more soberly. Well, thinking back, being in my underwear was a bit embarrassing.

“Of course, it was a bit… embarrassing to be in my underwear. I was definitely wearing shorts yesterday.”

“…That’s suspicious.”

As mentioned before, Hwa-won couldn’t have possibly taken off my clothes seeing my clingy figure. No, honestly, even if he had, it wouldn’t have mattered. If he did, it wouldn’t have been for some lust but for some necessity. Hwa-won was a guy who couldn’t have any lust toward a body like this.

So Hwa-won’s alibi was clear. I really must have thrown my clothes off because I was hot, and if not, someone would have had to threaten him with a knife to get him to take off my pants.

“By the way, how much did you drink for you to still not come to your senses?”

“I’ve come to my senses.”

“Sure you have.”

Right now, my mind is actually completely clear. I’m still a little dizzy, but it’s within a normal range. Speaking of alcohol? How much did I drink… I didn’t even need to think about it. It was way too obvious.

“I had one drink.”

“One… drink? Oh, you mean one bottle?”

“One drink.”

Today, Hwa-won’s expressions were quite entertaining to watch. It’s a bit funny. I never knew this guy’s expressions were so variable.

“…You’re banned from consuming alcohol from now on. Never drink. Not a drop.”

“I plan to. I don’t remember anything after having one drink. I just drank because you left one drink behind, but it tasted really bad.”

“…So one drink can bring you to this state…?”

From the front, Han-bom murmured in a small voice, but it was almost audible. Hwa-won added one more thing.

“Ban that woman from coming near as well.”

“I was joking! You trust me, right, Seol-guk?”

“I’ll positively consider it.”

Leaving behind the fidgeting Han-bom, I added a clause to the Gang Hwa-won Treaty.

I made sure not to forget the note of positively considering it.