“Come in. Did you wait long?”
As if adhering to the setup of having arrived too late to tidy up, medicine packets lay scattered across the table. Cha Eui-sung hurriedly swept them aside and busily carried cups and ice.
Then, thunk—a large bottle of liquor was placed in front of Moon Tae-young.
Across every era and culture, alcohol has always been a truth serum. Cha Eui-sung was curious just how much he would have to make Moon Tae-young drink before breaking down his rationality.
Cha Eui-sung poured out strong moonshine—something even Hunters usually diluted—straight over ice, handing it over.
“Liquor as soon as I arrive, huh.”
“You brought fruit as snacks anyway.”
“Do you usually drink alone like this?”
“Yes, well… I don’t really have a choice. Who else would I drink this stuff with?”
He smiled faintly and sat opposite Moon Tae-young, who silently raised his glass. Cha Eui-sung clinked his own glass against it, producing a crisp ring, and stretched his lips into a deep, playful smile.
“As you know, I’m used to being alone. Aren’t you similar, Tae-young?”
Prompting sympathy, he watched Moon Tae-young take a sip. Was this his way of avoiding an answer?
“There are lots of things I’d like to try if given the chance. Drinking together like this, watching movies, staying up all night… Though honestly, I don’t really know what to do even if we tried.”
He rattled the glass lightly as if to say drinking was all he knew. Moon Tae-young quietly observed Cha Eui-sung with calm eyes.
Gulp. His drink diminished slightly.
“What do you usually do when you’re alone?”
“Well… It’s more mundane than you’d think. Time flies when I’m at the computer.”
“True. You can do almost anything with just a computer or a phone these days. TVs have become pretty redundant if you think about it… Though personally, I mostly just lie around.”
“No wonder your first question was about a place to lie down.”
“In that respect, I’m normal.”
Moon Tae-young chuckled softly. It was his usual slight twitch of the lips—hard to tell if it was genuine or fake.
For someone who smiled easily at work, he laughed very little in Cha Eui-sung’s presence, leaving him honestly confused.
“Oh right, you’ve saved my spot, haven’t you?”
“Well, you didn’t come for quite some time.”
“It’s only been a few days, and I wasn’t even here during that time.”
“It still takes up a lot of space.”
“Wow… So will you clear it away every time I leave?”
Moon Tae-young exercised his right to remain silent. He tilted his glass again as though serving himself punishment. Gulp. The clear liquid disappeared into his mouth.
It felt strange. Why did this conversation, seemingly normal, feel so unusually intimate? Every exchange felt oddly comfortable.
Cha Eui-sung fell silent for a moment, crunching an apple slice he’d casually cut, lost in thought. Moon Tae-young calmly asked:
“Are you done interrogating me now?”
“Interrogating?”
“You usually don’t ask this many questions. Figure it out yourself.”
There was an edge to his words. Had he come off too differently from usual by attempting to dig deeper?
“You got me. I was just laying some groundwork because saying it outright felt awkward.”
Pretending to confess, Cha Eui-sung slightly furrowed his brow and glanced down at his glass. Alright, that’s one glass down. One or two more, and pretending to be tipsy should feel natural.
His lips opened hesitantly, finally getting to the point.
“So, uh, since you’re here anyway… want to watch a movie before you leave?”
Moon Tae-young’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Was the invitation unexpectedly fresh this time? He looked receptive.
“I mean, there’s a nice big TV here for once. Plus someone who won’t mind if you break something out of surprise.”
Cha Eui-sung spoke carefully, but his face brightened visibly. His round eyes sparkled with anticipation despite pretending otherwise.
Faced with an expression impossible to reject directly, Moon Tae-young briefly rubbed his forehead.
“No wonder the conversation dragged on…”
He murmured, though it didn’t sound annoyed. Despite the hesitation, he seemed somewhat tempted.
Growing impatient, Cha Eui-sung quickly refilled his glass, prompting Moon Tae-young to finally concede with a faintly downward curl of his lips.
“If it’s not too long, that should be fine.”
There was a peculiar sigh mixed into his answer.
His reply might have been slow, but the preparations were swift. The liquor and fruit quickly moved to the tea table.
“Here, come sit over here.”
Following the eager gesture, Moon Tae-young eventually relocated to the sofa. When Cha Eui-sung promptly sat down beside him, Moon Tae-young’s expression stiffened slightly.
“What do you want to watch?”
“Anything’s fine.”
“I might literally just play ‘anything,’ so choose carefully.”
“I’m not picky. Watch whatever you want.”
He wasn’t very cooperative, but he was at least responsive to being pulled along. Then again, it had been Moon Tae-young who first said he’d been waiting to spend time together.
Cha Eui-sung kept stealing glances at him and eventually selected a movie featured on top of the OTT site. As he munched on another crunchy apple slice, he felt a gaze from beside him.
“This is pretty tasty.”
“Glad you like it.”
“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to bring anything.”
“Because I wasn’t sure you’d accept it. You barely touched the tea earlier… You don’t seem to have much of an appetite generally.”
Moon Tae-young’s eyes briefly scanned the kitchen. It was certainly untouched by human hands.
Yet, honestly, wouldn’t the normal reaction to receiving something in such a situation be to first suspect if it had been spiked?
Bang! Dududududu—
Bang! Bang!
―Freeze! Hands up! Hands u……!
Bang!
As the movie progressed, their conversation dwindled. Cha Eui-sung sipped quietly on his third glass, eyes fixed on the TV.
Every time he poured himself another drink, he subtly shifted closer, little by little, until less than half a palm’s width separated the two of them.
Pretending to be drunk by loosening the focus in his eyes had, ironically, made him feel genuinely flushed, even though he was perfectly sober.
“Aren’t they shooting an endless number of bullets?”
“Yeah. Haven’t even seen them reload.”
“And the villain’s Awakened again.”
“The hero boss is a Hunter too, though.”
“I guess, but still…”
In the midst of intermittent small talk, he clicked his tongue and reached out.
Yet, as if possessing a will of its own, the liquor bottle slid smoothly away from his hand.
His eyes snapped open wide. Moon Tae-young was suddenly holding the bottle.
What’s with him? What’s he doing?
Considering this was their third bottle, Moon Tae-young himself had drunk quite a lot too.
Expecting to see him somewhat tipsy, Cha Eui-sung glanced at his face—but there was no trace of redness at all, and his face was surprisingly close.
Abruptly, Cha Eui-sung reached out again. But his hand grasped only empty air instead of the bottle.
Half-lidded eyes filled with annoyance, he murmured sourly:
“What are you doing?”
“You seem a bit drunk.”
“I’m not drunk. Besides, we’re drinking at home. What’s the big deal?”
Cha Eui-sung waved his hand dismissively, and now the bottle moved entirely into Moon Tae-young’s possession.
Maybe he grew tired of dodging; Moon Tae-young silently tilted the bottle.
Splash. All the remaining liquor poured neatly into his glass.
“You know I still have more alcohol, right?”
“Do we really need more?”
Cha Eui-sung frowned slightly at Moon Tae-young’s peculiar actions. Though upon reflection, his tone hinted concern about Cha Eui-sung’s condition.
Perfect. Cha Eui-sung’s expression cooled, as if encountering an unwelcome topic. His eyes narrowed openly.
“Why? Are you worried about me?”
The loaded question lingered meaningfully. Moon Tae-young habitually remained silent. Yet when Cha Eui-sung reached toward his glass, Moon Tae-young didn’t simply let it go; childishly, he grabbed it first.
Swish! Swipe!
Despite possessing formidable physical prowess, they engaged in a trivial bout of hand movements—one trying to grab the glass, the other swiftly pulling it away.
Still, thanks to their precise, restrained movements, the alcohol sloshed but somehow didn’t spill.
Clack!
At last, Cha Eui-sung successfully snatched the glass from him. Just as he smugly lifted it to his lips, Moon Tae-young lightly grabbed his wrist, pulling it gently toward himself instead.
“……?”
Holding Cha Eui-sung’s hand steady, Moon Tae-young pressed his lips to the glass and drank every last drop of liquor from it.
Cha Eui-sung felt the soft, damp sensation brush against his fingertip.
Speechless, he stared blankly at Moon Tae-young. The subtle, rhythmic swallowing transmitted faint vibrations through his hand, creating an oddly intimate feeling, causing him to release the glass involuntarily.
Clink! The remaining ice cubes spilled onto Moon Tae-young’s lap.
“Ah…”
Flustered, Cha Eui-sung absent-mindedly began picking up the ice cubes. When he raised his head, they were face-to-face, close enough to feel each other’s breath.
Maybe it was the strong scent of liquor, but Cha Eui-sung noticed a faintly sweet fragrance emanating from Moon Tae-young’s warm proximity.
What is this? Why do I feel… dizzy?
The ice melted in his hand, dripping cold water onto their clothes. For a brief moment, Moon Tae-young’s eyes held a mysterious glint.
He’d seen those eyes before. As if spellbound, Cha Eui-sung gazed into Moon Tae-young’s face, reaching out unconsciously.
This is…
His cool, wet hand gently brushed Moon Tae-young’s cheek. Moon Tae-young’s eyes widened slightly behind his glasses.
Something’s off with this atmosphere…
His fingers slowly traced downward, gliding toward Moon Tae-young’s lips. Moon Tae-young looked faintly startled. Although his reaction wasn’t exactly welcoming, he didn’t dodge Cha Eui-sung’s approaching hand this time either.
Even if Cha Eui-sung couldn’t know exactly what Moon Tae-young was thinking, one thing was clear: if he had disliked this contact, he would’ve avoided it much earlier. Emboldened, Cha Eui-sung gently teased Moon Tae-young’s soft lips before pressing down on them firmly, rubbing lightly as their eyes met.
Moon Tae-young’s throat moved slightly as he swallowed nervously.
