Chapter 219

Right now, I wasn’t in my right mind.

I couldn’t view myself objectively at all, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was feeling strange.

I just wanted Monday to come quickly. Even though nothing would change when that day arrived, it felt like something might.

After spending the night, it was Sunday. After staying up all night, I seemed a bit more emotionally stable than yesterday.

“Well then, I think I’ll be going now.”

Eun-a seemed to want to stay a bit longer, but since she had already been here for two nights and three days, it was probably too much to stay until night.

“Okay, take care.”

“Don’t worry too much about the writing. It’ll settle down soon.”

“I hope so.”

In reality, it wasn’t anything significant enough to settle down. It was probably Eun-a’s way of being considerate.

With Eun-a gone, it was just Mira and me left at home. Now, perhaps it was time to talk again about Mira’s future. We had discussed it beforehand, but it needed to be clarified.

“First of all, we agreed you would return tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll keep my word. I’ll cover all the costs for your exam preparations. If you want to attend a school, just tell me. We need to consult a bit, but I’ll do my best to accommodate what you want.”

“What if I ask you to send me to an expensive prep school that costs a few hundred thousand won a month?”

“Well, that would probably be too much.”

“I’m just joking, so don’t be scared. I don’t plan on attending prep school. Honestly, I’m fine studying alone. In fact, receiving this support is quite a burden for me. So I’m not expecting a lot, just enough for living expenses and study materials. Of course, I’ll pay it all back later.”

On this point, I didn’t particularly discourage Mira. There was no reason to force her when it was something that would weigh on her. Besides, Mira had excellent grades, and she could do well on her own. She was quite sharp, after all.

“…Your parents must really love you, even treating you like that.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

She immediately understood the words I said as a precaution against potential trouble and smiled at me.

So, should we take it easy on this last day?

“How about today… we don’t study and just take it easy?”

“Suddenly?”

“It’s the last day. You said you just studied after I went out last time.”

“Then let’s do that. I like taking a break for a day.”

What I said was meant to convey my wish for Mira to relax on this final day, and thankfully, she didn’t refuse my suggestion. Of course, that didn’t mean we would be playing games or anything.

Usually, when the two of us were together, we often talked, and if there was a gap in the conversation, we’d just space out and do our own things. Since it was my house, that was natural, but Mira appeared to be comfortable enough to do so even in someone else’s home.

In fact, that was more than enough for us.

Still, I wondered if we should go out somewhere, so I asked her, and the response I got was this.

“I’m going to read this.”

On Mira’s phone, my novel, “The Girl Who Stole the Name,” was open. As expected, since it was a free novel, anyone could read it, and it seemed like Mira was already reading the early parts.

Thinking back to that disaster yesterday, I felt my face flush with embarrassment, but I tried to hold it in and said, “I hope you enjoy it.”

“Since it’s your novel, it should be fun.”

Please stop with that meaningful expression…

Anyway, we would spend today leisurely without going anywhere. It didn’t seem like anything was going to happen. In fact, nothing occurred until night.

After we had a nice dinner and some time had passed, the doorbell rang. At the same time, a voice could be heard.

“Seol-ah~~~~ I’m here~ Let’s play together~”

…Han-bom was drunk.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, you know.”

With Mira’s permission, I opened the door. Han-bom, completely intoxicated, rushed into my arms. Usually, I would avoid it, but today, I just let it happen.

“Oh, our Seol-ah, so cute!! Ah, this feels good… you’re not running away today?”

“What did you drink to get this wasted?”

“Yeah, I had a little drink with friends to celebrate something good!”

Why was she coming to our house instead of going home? Even in this state, leaving her alone would be dangerous, so this was probably better. I struggled to help Han-bom and laid her on my bed. The moment she lay down, she started rubbing her face against my blanket.

“Ah! Seol’s bed! Mmm, it smells so nice… is this Seol’s scent?”

“If you’re drunk, sleep nicely, please.”

Eun-a wouldn’t have acted like that.

The last bit of summer was being covered by the final spring weather. Naturally, Han-bom was lightly dressed, so there wasn’t much need to undress her. Seeing her very lightly made up on her face, it looked like it had been a light gathering. I brought a wet towel and roughly wiped her makeup off.

“Need help?”

“I’m fine. Just rest.”

Still, I couldn’t make a guest do that. After making Han-bom at least look somewhat human, I tried to cover her with a blanket when she grabbed my hand tightly.

“Will our Seol sleep with me?”

…Could it be that she was trying to do something with me under the pretense of being drunk? It was a very reasonable suspicion that crossed my mind, but I let out a sigh and sat by the edge of the bed.

“What’s up with you drinking so much?”

“Uh… something good! I was keeping it a secret from Seol, but actually….”

“Actually?”

“Secret!”

I pinched Han-bom’s arm, and she let out a strange scream, finally starting to speak again.

“Actually… ta-da~ this Han-bom will be releasing a new book!”

“A book?”

“I wrote a poetry collection~ It probably won’t sell much since it’s just a poetry collection, but this Han-bom is still alive~~”

“Are you publishing poems you’ve written until now?”

“Right!! Novels are hard, but poems have been somewhat recognized….”

It was undoubtedly something worth congratulating. Realistically, poetry collections rarely become hits and earn a good income. Considering the low royalty rates in the publishing industry, the money that would come Han-bom’s way would likely be incredibly meager.

But publishing a book is never something that can be valued solely by money. Bringing out your own book is always a joyous and thrilling experience. At least it was for me. I didn’t know what would happen over time.

So it was only right for me to celebrate with her.

“Congratulations. That’s great.”

“Yeah… it is great, right? Hehe. In this era where poets are viewed as cheap jokes! This Han! Bom! Will traverse the desert!”

“I don’t think that was how the novel was written.”

“It’s cool~”

It is cool. People who write poetry in this day and age are always either cool individuals or born with a silver spoon in their mouth. In that sense, Han-bom was indeed an amazing person. Except for her failed attempt to switch to novels.

“Good job, good job.”

“Today, for some reason, Seol is being kind? Hehe.”

“You really overuse that name after getting permission.”

“Because it’s cute!”

“Sure, go ahead and use it as much as you want.”

Due to the conversation about the name, my tone turned a bit cynical. Did she interpret my seriousness as something else? Suddenly, a look of confusion appeared on Han-bom’s face.

“Wow… why is Seol acting a bit? Sharp? Kind of?”

Was I kind?

“What does a name matter? Since I’ve already given you permission to use that name, feel free to call me whatever you want.”

Regardless, Han-bom’s discomfort was not something to discuss right now. I skirted around the issue of what happened two days ago, and Han-bom seemed to accept it. Anyway, considering how drunk she was, she was holding it together pretty well. Was she good with alcohol?

“Hee, then, can you grant me one wish?”

“What is it?”

“Call me Han-bom unnie! Summer and winter only know how to call me unnie out of head size, and I’m really glad that you don’t.”

With such a request, I wondered how she could be holding herself together. Moreover, I wasn’t even sure why that thought followed. Did she mention having two younger sisters? It didn’t seem like she received much respect from them.

Anyway… there was no reason to refuse such a request now.

“Han-bom unnie.”

“Who are you?”

With that one word, a miracle happened—Han-bom’s drunkenness vanished, and she seemed completely sober. Could it have been an act all along? Did this single line pull her out of her drunken state? That didn’t make sense.

“Wait, I think I’m going to… throw up.”

Wait, not here! Not after she had already rubbed her face against the bed and it smelled like alcohol; throwing up would be disastrous.

I immediately led Han-bom to the bathroom. About ten minutes later, she returned with a slightly pale face. She looked clean, so she must have washed her face well.

By the way, during that time, I had taken the seat next to Mira, who was sitting on the sofa, and the moment Han-bom saw that, she sat next to me.

“Ugh… my head is spinning.”

“Did the alcohol actually wear off? Just like that?”

“Partially… No, wait a minute, wait a minute, was that earlier really true? Seol? Did you really call me unnie? Am I dreaming?”

“It’s not a dream.”

“Do you feel unwell?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“You seem serious… Could it be that you’re upset about me calling you Seol too much? Is this a last supper kind of thing?”

It was ridiculous how exaggerated Han-bom’s reaction was about something so trivial. Calling her unnie wasn’t exactly life-altering.

“Thinking about it, yesterday you even said I should call you unnie.”

“Good grief.”

With Mira’s snitching added in, Han-bom’s expression grew seriously concerned—like I might need to be taken to a hospital. Thankfully, Mira seemed to notice and didn’t mention my name.

“Are you really sick?”

“I told you I’m not.”

“Then can you say it just once more?”

I wondered if she genuinely wanted to hear it again.

“Han-bom unnie. Is that okay?”

“Huh.”

Han-bom’s reaction of clutching her heart was so dramatic that if I had seen it for the first time, I might have called an ambulance. How could she be like this?

“Honestly, it’s nothing. From now on, I’ll just keep calling you that.”

“…This isn’t something normal. It feels like Seol is possessed by an evil spirit…”

Now, with the serious expression she wore, it was getting scary. I hoped she wouldn’t call a shaman or something. I really didn’t want that.

“Stop talking nonsense and go sleep.”

“Is this really a dream?”

I dragged the uncertain Han-bom back to my room and laid her down. While she still looked at me as if she couldn’t believe it, I covered her with a blanket. Even if she had briefly sobered up, the effects of the drink were probably still lingering.

“Rest well, Han-bom… unnie.”

“…If you’re having a hard time, let me know.”

Han-bom left that one line and fell asleep. Honestly, she was being really cowardly.