“Tto-yul’s glass is empty!”
“Ah, come on… enough….”
“Enough? What do you mean, enough? You’re still fine.”
Lim Haeyul’s mind was scattered, leaving no room for thought. He held the glass of soju that kept filling up and made a miserable face. Regardless, Jo Ha-eon pushed the glass directly to Lim Haeyul’s lips with unnecessary kindness.
“I’m seriously going to die….”
“Alright, alright. Drink and then die.”
“Nooo…!”
His vision blurred. The figures in front of him multiplied chaotically, appearing as two, then three. If he counted the heads he saw, it was almost like being at a college MT gathering.
“Drink more so you can sleep well.”
Kim Sol sipped his drink from a distance and said. No one objected. They were all in on it. At this point, anyone would try to stop them. It was brutally cruel.
“Eat more snacks too. Huh? You need to gain some weight.”
Lim Haeyul desperately tried to ignore the snacks being pushed towards his mouth. He was on the verge of throwing up everything, so gaining weight was the last thing on his mind.
He shook his head vigorously to refuse, but he couldn’t stop the snacks from being forced into his mouth. Shaking his head only made him dizzier.
……I’m dying.
It was utterly miserable. Just a moment ago, he was worried about Cha Jae-woo returning, but now he couldn’t even think straight. Today was surely the day his life would end.
“I think I’m going to throw up, damn it….”
Lim Haeyul grumbled as he chewed and swallowed the snacks in his mouth. His stomach churned, but the bathroom felt too far away.
Even if it wasn’t, he didn’t want to throw up if he could help it. He remembered when he was just twenty, not knowing his limits, drinking excessively, and repeating the cycle of vomiting and drinking until he developed reflux esophagitis.
“Really? If you feel queasy, you should eat more to settle your stomach.”
“Ah, come on. Please…!”
Jo Ha-eon paid no mind to his pleas. Lim Haeyul was almost begging, shaking Jo Ha-eon desperately. He was truly on the verge of death, but Jo Ha-eon’s eyes were completely glazed over.
Lim Haeyul grabbed Park Yeon-ho instead of Jo Ha-eon, who was trying to hand him another full glass. At least Park Yeon-ho seemed more sober than Jo Ha-eon.
“Why? Want to throw up first and then drink?”
However, contrary to his hopes, Park Yeon-ho also spoke with firm resolve. He was determined to make Lim Haeyul drink until he passed out.
Honestly, Lim Haeyul admitted his fault. He had already been scolded for the sudden communication blackout. But did they have to be this relentless? Were they really trying to kill him?
Of course, he knew it all came from a place of concern. They worried about him gaining weight or getting enough sleep. But their methods were wrong. Who forces someone to drink this much?
“Please, save me….”
Either way, with everyone determined to make him drink, the best strategy was to beg for mercy. Lim Haeyul tried to look as pitiful as possible, hoping they would finally realize he had reached his limit.
“Go on, go throw up.”
Unfortunately, no one listened to his pleas. They were either determined or too drunk to care.
Empty bottles littered the floor, too many to count. They must have bought them by the crate. Either way, with so much alcohol consumed, it was clear that everyone was far from sober.
Trying to reason with them was impossible. Lim Haeyul struggled to think straight, desperately trying to find a way out of this situation.
“Alright….”
Lim Haeyul nodded heavily. The thought that he shouldn’t have moved his head came too late, as he was already feeling dizzy. He forced his eyes open and steadied himself on the floor to leave his seat.
“I’ll throw up and come back.”
Fortunately, no one stopped him as he staggered towards the bathroom. He planned to lock himself in and rest for a bit—a good idea, he thought.
The house felt even larger than usual, and he barely resisted the urge to collapse on the floor. He finally made it to the bathroom, locked the door, and slumped down.
Ah, thank goodness the house is big.
He realized how fortunate he was to have a spacious bathroom to lie down in. Usually, bathroom floors are cold, but not in Cha Jae-woo’s house. He was grateful for that.
“Phew….”
The bathroom light was unusually bright. He lay on his back, blinking his eyes. Despite the discomfort, lying down helped settle his queasy stomach.
When will Cha Jae-woo return?
Now that he was away from those tormenting him, Cha Jae-woo’s face came to mind, along with a mix of worry and fear. He wasn’t sure if he was worried about Cha Jae-woo’s safety or afraid of his return.
But did it matter? Either way, Cha Jae-woo was a source of worry. He wished he could just disappear.
The bathroom could be smaller, and it didn’t need to be this clean. He had lived just fine in a dusty, unmaintained place before. He didn’t need a nice house or good food.
He just wanted to escape this place. But he knew it was impossible; Cha Jae-woo wouldn’t let him go.
What if something happens? What if Cha Jae-woo’s powers go out of control again? Shouldn’t he seek guidance from another Guide?
But that thought brought its own worries. He realized he didn’t want Cha Jae-woo to become stronger because strength comes with sacrifices.
“He doesn’t need… such power….”
Cha Jae-woo didn’t deserve to have such power if he would misuse it and harm others. But Cha Jae-woo didn’t directly harm people; he just didn’t use his power to save them, which was just as bad.
People feared Cha Jae-woo’s power, and that fear created victims, regardless of his intentions.
“Oh, dear….”
Lim Haeyul knew Cha Jae-woo wouldn’t understand his thoughts. He admitted that his belief—that Cha Jae-woo should save others with his power—might be arrogant.
Cha Jae-woo himself had never been protected. Lim Haeyul knew about Cha Jae-woo’s parents and the involvement of Jo Gyeong-hoon and Jang Gijun. He was almost certain now. Cha Jae-woo’s actions were driven by revenge, not reform.
Telling someone who had never been protected to protect others was hypocritical. But Cha Jae-woo’s methods were wrong. Just because he had suffered didn’t mean he could create more victims.
“…….”
Alcohol had a strange way of clarifying thoughts. Lim Haeyul finally understood why he felt so disillusioned about guiding Cha Jae-woo.
He didn’t want to guide Cha Jae-woo anymore. He wanted to escape from him. Kim Sol had seen right through him.
“……I need to go home…….”
He struggled to his feet, but his vision was still blurry. He wanted to leave right away, but he was too drunk to move.
‘……Maybe I’ll rest a bit.’
He decided to nap briefly before leaving. It seemed like a good idea. He would take everyone and leave Cha Jae-woo’s house. He couldn’t guide him anymore.
His eyelids grew heavy, and he quickly fell asleep, determined to leave as soon as he sobered up.
* * *
“Ugh…….”
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain. He couldn’t remember why at first, but then he realized he had fallen asleep on the hard bathroom floor.
But that wasn’t the important part. He was being carried by someone, dangling in the air.
“Ah, damn it…….”
He squirmed in annoyance, but the person carrying him didn’t budge.
Lim Haeyul was certain it was Kim Geon-ung carrying him. Kim Geon-ung always handled him like a sack of rice whenever he got drunk, ignoring his protests about feeling sick. He would say it was Lim Haeyul’s fault for drinking so much.
“Hey, put me down!”
But not today! Who forced him to drink when he said he didn’t want to? Lim Haeyul shouted angrily, filled with a sense of injustice.
“Hey! Put me down! I’m busy!”
“…….”
“Damn it! How did you get into the bathroom……. I locked the door…….”
“…….”
“Hey! Let go! We can’t just be drinking right now!”
Fortunately, his memory hadn’t completely vanished. He remembered his grand plan from just before he fell asleep. They shouldn’t be sitting around drinking at Cha Jae-woo’s house.
“Kim Geon-ung! We need to get out of here……. Before Cha Jae-woo comes back, right? We need to escape…….”
He softened his angry tone to a pitiful plea, trying to convince Kim Geon-ung to put him down. They needed to leave the house, and he had to take everyone with him. He couldn’t just leave them behind for Cha Jae-woo to do who knows what.
“Ah!”
Thankfully, his plea seemed to work, and Kim Geon-ung stopped in his tracks. Lim Haeyul’s head, which had been swinging back and forth, bumped into the back of the person carrying him. He briefly wondered when this guy’s back had become so firm, but the thought quickly vanished.
“What are you doing?”
He had no choice but to stop. The cold voice that responded was not Kim Geon-ung’s, but Cha Jae-woo’s.
