〈Chapter 17〉 

The Ex-Girlfriend and the Childhood Friend Engage in a Drinking Battle

* * *

First, a shot for Yerin.

“If you’re jealous, just be honest and say you’re fucking jealous. You’re always getting in the way—do you know how much you piss me off?”

Gulp.

Next, a shot for Chae-yeon.

“Stop with the bullshit. Why the hell would I be jealous of you?”

Gulp.

They had only managed five shots so far, but their faces were already as red as beetroots.

As the two goddesses of the Tourism Management dept—both famously terrible with alcohol—went head-to-head, everyone’s eyes were fixed on them. Si-hyeon slapped his forehead and braced himself the inevitable fallout.

Yerin shoved the soju bottle forward again, her voice full of bravado.

“Have another. What, you chicken? If you’re scared, then just fucking die.”

“Who’s chicken? Just pour it already.”

It was hilarious hearing them talk about being “scared” or “chicken” when they’d barely drunk anything. Laughter began to leak out from the surrounding students.

After gulping down the soju, Yerin coughed as the alcohol burned her throat. In a buzzed, slurred voice, she turned to the equally struggling Chae-yeon.

“I’ve known Si-hyeon for a whopping fifteen years… In that time, we’ve slept together, ey! Went to the sauna together, ey! Even bathed—!”

“Shut the hell up! Are you trying to fucking ruin me?!”

The “bathing” comment sent a wave of screams rippling through the classmates.

Si-hyeon clamped his hand over Yerin’s mouth. She flailed and struggled as if telling him to let go, while Chae-yeon watched the scene with a look of utter contempt.

“You were with him for fifteen years, but what did you actually accomplish? I was his first girlfriend, and I’m the one who took his first kiss.”

“Mmph! Mmmph!!”

Yerin’s reaction to Chae-yeon’s provocative remark was borderline convulsive. If her mouth had been free, a torrent of vile language surely would have come pouring out.

Holding Yerin’s lips shut tight, Si-hyeon called out.

“Sohee, take Chae-yeon away. Something’s gonna happen if we leave them like this.”

“Sorry, Si-hyeon… my stomach hurts, I need to hit the bathroom for a bit.”

Sohee, who had been picking at her pork belly until a moment ago, clutched her stomach and made her exit.

‘Chae-yeon, now’s your chance.’

To Sohee, this situation felt ideal. She was hoping a drunk Chae-yeon would finally lay bare her true feelings for Si-hyeon.

“What? You’re going to the bathroom all of a sudden…”

“Pwahah..!”

While Si-hyeon was caught off guard, a Wild Yerin broke free from her restraints. Her eyes were bloodshot, matching her beet-red face. Glaring at Chae-yeon with murderous intent, she pointed a finger right in her face.

“That’s only because you seduced Si-hyeon with your fucking dirty body!”

“Listen to this bitch talk. The one doing the seducing with their body isn’t me, it’s you. You giant lump of fat!”

“Lump of fat…?”

Yerin dazed out for a second, then lowered her gaze. She looked back and forth between her own chest and Chae-yeon’s, and then…

“Pffft…”

Her lips curled up into the smile of a winner.

“What was that laugh just now? That was seriously fucking annoying…”

“Oh, it’s nothing. My shoulders are just a bit stiff, you see.”

Yerin swung her arms around as if loosening her shoulders, then said in a mocking tone,

“I’m so jealous of you. Since you’ll probably never have to deal with shoulder pain in your entire life.”

“What… are you fucking done talking?”

Objectively speaking, Chae-yeon was on the larger side, but compared to Yerin, her size was practically pathetic. Having already developed an inferiority complex because of the bikini incident, a comment about her chest was a critical hit.

Slip.

With a sneer, Yerin pulled Si-hyeon’s right arm into a tight hug, leaning her upper body forward as she asked,

“Si-hyeon, you like ’em big too, don’t youuu? The kind you can’t even fit in one hand.”

At Yerin’s aggressive body-first offensive, every man inside the pension swallowed hard. Glares of envy and jealousy poured toward Si-hyeon.

Struggling to peel Yerin off of him, he let out a sigh and filled a paper cup with water, holding it to her lips.

“You’re wasted. Stop talking shit and just drink some water.”

“Hmph…”

Finding Si-hyeon’s reaction unsatisfying, Yerin nevertheless gulped down the cold water.

Chae-yeon, who had been staring fixedly at the scene, held out an empty paper cup with both hands and spoke.

“I-I’m thirsty too. Give me some water.”

“What, are you missing hands or feet? I’ll give you the bottle; pour it yourself.”

Si-hyeon’s response was chillingly cold. Back when they were dating, he used to refill her cup the moment it was empty, but he no longer looked after her.

While Chae-yeon’s insides burned at that sorrowful reality…

“Mmm… I’m sleepy…”

After drinking the water, Yerin began to blink rhythmically. As her consciousness gradually faded, she leaned her head onto Si-hyeon’s shoulder.

“Whew… finally some peace and quiet.”

Si-hyeon let out a sigh of relief. He looked down with tender eyes at Yerin, who had fallen into a peaceful slumber on his shoulder.

Brush.

He tucked her stray bangs to the side and supported her body with his hand…

“You should stop drinking and go inside too.”

After giving Chae-yeon that blunt piece of advice, he lifted Yerin up in a princess carry.

Then, he began to move further and further away from Chae-yeon.

“Ah…”

In the past, Si-hyeon used to give the drunken Chae-yeon piggyback rides all the time… She remembered the feel of his broad back every time he did. The scent of his fabric softener. The way he would walk her home and gently tuck her in.

It had all been snatched away by Yerin.

‘Si-hyeon…’

Without realizing it, Chae-yeon was reaching out her hand. She sat there drinking until the very end, clinging to a sliver of hope that Si-hyeon might come back to pick her up, too…

“Chae-yeon, we have to go in now…”

“I don’t want to…”

…but Si-hyeon never came back out of that room, leaving it up to Sohee to drag her back.

* * *

Si-hyeon entered the room while still carrying Yerin. Since the drinking party was in full swing, the room was empty. He laid her down on the bedding that had been laid out in advance.

“I told her so many times not to drink…”

Letting out a deep sigh, he pulled the covers over her. Then, he leaned down carefully to untangle Yerin’s arms from around his neck, but…

“Huh?”

In that instant, something wrapped around Si-hyeon’s back. Realizing it was Yerin’s legs, he let out a hollow laugh.

“Seriously… her sleeping habits are as nasty as ever.”

Whenever they used to nap, he’d wake up to find Yerin had practically teleported right next to him.

Si-hyeon had experienced her terrible sleeping habits many times before, so this wasn’t anything new.

‘I better get out of this before someone gets the wrong idea.’

Currently, Si-hyeon’s entire body was held captive by Yerin. After ducking his head to let her arms slide off his neck, he reached his hands toward her thighs to lift the legs wrapped around his back.

Just as he was about to lift them and break free from her hold—

“Oh…”

He realized that Yerin, who had opened her eyes at some point, was watching him with an intrigued gaze.

“What the—When did you wake up?!”

“Just now. I felt someone touching my body, so I was going to give them a piece of my mind, but…”

Yerin glanced at Si-hyeon, her voice trailing off with a hint of disappointment.

“If I’d known this was going to happen, I would’ve just kept pretending to be asleep even after I woke up.”

“Hey… don’t go getting any weird ideas, okay? This is all because of your sleeping habits…”

“No. You don’t have to say it… I already know everything.”

“You know what, exactly?”

“What else could it be? About your… specific tastes, Si-hyeon.”

Yerin dodged Si-hyeon’s gaze as it darted around, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson as she spoke.

“I don’t particularly mind if you… do it while I’m sleeping, you know? As long as my first time happens while I’m actually conscious…”

“Hearing you make jokes like that, I guess you’re still not sober yet.”

Overcome with embarrassment, Si-hyeon grabbed Yerin’s lips and gave them a playful wiggle. Then, he tried to get up and return to the drinking party, but…

Whoosh!

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Yerin locked his face just inches from her own. Then, she spoke in a dead-serious voice.

“I’m not joking. I really mean it.”

“Yerin, you…”

Yerin pulled Si-hyeon’s neck even closer, until their noses were touching. Staring at the person she loved at point-blank range, Yerin swallowed hard and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Kim Si-hyeon, I love you. I’ve loved you since long before you ever started dating Im Chae-yeon, and I love you so much I wouldn’t lose to anyone else…”

A faint scent of alcohol drifted from her lips. However, Si-hyeon knew this wasn’t something she was saying because she was drunk; this was her true heart, welling up from the depths of her soul.

Because the Yerin standing—or rather, lying—before him now… looked exactly like his past self.

He was thinking of the version of himself that had been head-over-heels for Chae-yeon.

‘So this is what it feels like to be loved by someone…’

For Si-hyeon, who had spent his entire life only offering love up to others, Yerin’s confession felt like it was finally filling a hollow void within him.

Her sincere affection began to warm his chest. Moved by this, Si-hyeon was just about to offer his response when…

“…You’re asleep?”

Pickled in alcohol, Yerin had simply said what she needed to say and drifted back into slumber.

Si-hyeon was about to flick her forehead for it, but stopped himself and carefully slipped out of her embrace.

As he tidied her messy hair, he spoke softly,

“You’re always nagging me about how I have no taste in women… but seeing as you’ve fallen for a guy like me, it looks like your taste isn’t much better.”

With her hair tucked away, her face came into clear view. Looking at her sleeping like this, the memories of performing CPR on her came rushing back.

“Anyway… thank you so much for coming back to me safe and sound.”

His hand, which had been stroking her cheek, eventually brushed against her lips. These were the same lips he had touched several times today already.

Without realizing it, Si-hyeon swallowed hard, staring at her pink lips as if he were possessed.

And then…

Peck.

After stealing a secret kiss from the sleeping Yerin, he lay down beside her and fell into a long, deep sleep.

* * *

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