Chapter 58
Having no idea that he was the subject of Ji-won’s concern, Kwon-ju followed him home and neatly arranged his shoes after taking them off. He hadn’t been able to see properly during his rushed entrance last time, but now he noticed the shoe rack was filled with all kinds of shoes. Does he actually wear them all? It did seem like Ji-won wore different shoes each day depending on his outfit.
“Let’s just eat in my room.”
Ji-won ordered a spicy stew and a chicken to serve as side dishes, and brought out a small table he only used when guests came over. It wasn’t very large, but it was big enough to hold the side dishes, bottles, and individual plates.
Insisting that Kwon-ju stay put since he was a guest, Ji-won efficiently set everything up himself. The way he skillfully spun the freshly removed soju bottle from the refrigerator showed he was no amateur drinker. Ji-won handed Kwon-ju a can of beer as he watched, unable to take his eyes off the show.
“This is for you.”
Since the claim that he drank occasionally was probably 99% a lie, Ji-won couldn’t give him a soju glass. Actually, even this beer had a relatively high alcohol content, which worried Ji-won slightly, but he figured one can wouldn’t be enough to make Kwon-ju drunk. Just a pleasant, slightly tipsy feeling.
That’s what he thought… but it seemed he had miscalculated.
“You really can’t handle alcohol.”
Ji-won had thought Kwon-ju probably disliked drinking, but he didn’t expect him to get drunk so quickly. Despite being so tall. It appeared that body size and alcohol resistance had little correlation. Ji-won skillfully opened another bottle and filled his glass to the brim before downing it in one go.
“I barely… drink.”
Most people become honest when drunk. With their mind hazy, their speech slurring and slowing down, there’s no room for lies. Just look at how he was honestly saying he wasn’t much of a drinker. Seeing that sincere conversation might finally be possible, Ji-won asked what he had been wanting to know.
“You don’t like fruit, right? You also dislike fresh fruit juice.”
“Yes, not really…”
“What about chocolate?”
“I like it.”
See, how honest. Having discovered the truth, Ji-won sighed softly while using his chopsticks. After spearing a warm rice cake from the chicken and putting it in his mouth, Ji-won asked again.
“Then why did you drink it?”
“Because I… like it.”
Didn’t he just say he didn’t like it? Ji-won let out an incredulous laugh at this sudden flip-flop answer. He didn’t know someone could still lie while drunk. This guy’s tough.
“Am I making you uncomfortable? Because I’m your senior?”
“No, they say a two-year gap is just friendship once you’re in the real world.”
It wasn’t wrong, but it was funny hearing something like this from someone who was always so respectful. Ji-won wanted to ask if he always just agreed with whatever his seniors suggested until he entered the workforce, but seeing how drunk Kwon-ju was, he gave up. It was his fault for giving him a whole can without knowing his alcohol tolerance.
Ji-won silently watched as Kwon-ju, already drunk, continued sipping, observing his changing state. His reaction time gradually slowed, his voice diminished, and he seemed unable to properly hear or understand what Ji-won was saying.
“Sleepy?”
“……”
Now he wasn’t even responding. His head bobbed back and forth, looking like his forehead might hit the table any moment. Concerned he might face-plant, Ji-won cleared the plates from the table to the floor and tilted his head, curious to see how long Kwon-ju would nod off, while refilling his own glass. He planned to eat by himself until Kwon-ju woke up on his own.
1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. Eventually, Ji-won started checking the time in 10-minute increments, but Kwon-ju showed no signs of waking. By then, Ji-won, who had emptied two bottles by himself, was also in a rather relaxed state. Though he knew Kwon-ju’s address, he didn’t have the energy to take him home. He also doubted whether Kwon-ju would be able to tell him the door passcode properly.
“Are you sleeping?”
“Yes…”
It was more surprising that he hadn’t fallen asleep after 30 minutes. His voice was deep in slumber, but his mind seemed to still be somewhat awake. He answers well. Ji-won forced himself up, went to the kitchen, filled a glass with cold water, and handed it to Kwon-ju.
“Drink some water.”
Despite Ji-won’s kindness in bringing water and helping him drink it, Kwon-ju showed no signs of sobering up. Rather than trying to make him sober enough to send home… Ji-won, who had always been firm about kicking out friends who passed out at his place, either by waking them up or leaving them outside his door until they came to, decided to make an exception for the first time.
“Just sleep here tonight.”
Although he wasn’t thrilled about letting someone sleep in his room, he couldn’t just throw a drunk person out. What if someone kidnapped him with that face? Making this ridiculous assumption, Ji-won willingly decided to give up his bed.
This is definitely special treatment because of his face. Though there was also gratitude for all the help Kwon-ju had provided.
“Let’s never drink together again.”
One gets drunk after a sip, the other gets drunk trying to finish the rest. Deciding their drinking chemistry didn’t match at all, Ji-won resolved never to share drinks with Kwon-ju again as he used his arm to pull him onto the bed.
“Ah.”
A fully-grown adult male who had completed his military service had enough strength. However, not if the blanket he was standing on slipped.
“Ah, shit.”
As Ji-won pulled up the blanket, he slipped, and Kwon-ju collapsed on top of him. The weight—beyond any comparison to wet cotton—fell directly on top of him, forcing Ji-won to swallow the curse that nearly escaped. I’m only holding back because it’s him. As Ji-won tried to wiggle his way out, he shifted his gaze forward to catch his breath. And their eyes met.
That surreally beautiful face was suddenly right in front of him. What, you’re not sleeping? Because his eyes were so big, Ji-won hadn’t noticed before, but his double eyelids were thinner than he’d thought. The mole perfectly placed like some internet novel protagonist was fascinating too. It was as if God had made him, challenging anyone to deny his beauty.
As Ji-won absentmindedly took in the face before him, he belatedly realized this was quite an awkward position. It’s not normal to be examining someone else’s face like this. Thinking it was truly fortunate that Kwon-ju was drunk, Ji-won shifted his gaze away. Though he deliberately tried not to look, he felt a persistent gaze following him. Is it because he’s not in his right mind? As the air grew strangely tense, Ji-won’s lips parted.
“…move away a bit…”
Just as he was about to push him away politely, something strange touched his lips. He felt something extremely warm and soft. Ji-won’s eyes widened in shock. Their faces were incomparably closer than before. No, this wasn’t just close… By the time he realized what was happening, his lips were already half-consumed.
The sensation of his lower lip being gently sucked snapped Ji-won to attention, and he turned his head. As soon as their lips parted, he urgently exclaimed:
“Hey, are you cra—”
His unfinished words were swallowed up. Through his blurry vision, Ji-won saw the owner of the lips that reconnected with his, not giving him even a moment to speak. Ji-won thought, Is this a dream? There’s no way I’m kissing Kwon-ju. The unbelievable reality blurred the boundary between dream and reality. He felt an indescribable sensation, as if his body were floating.
Despite the clumsy movements that made Ji-won wonder if Kwon-ju had ever done this before, his mind rapidly grew distant. As he gradually slipped into a daze, Ji-won unconsciously closed his eyes. He felt long, beautiful fingers briefly stroke his closed eyelids. Kwon-ju, half-covering Ji-won’s trembling body with his own, reached out and gently held his face. It was such a careful touch that it was hard to believe he was drunk.
With nothing visible, his other senses became more acute. The palm holding his cheek was cold, his entire body was burning hot, and the smell of alcohol was strong. Hot saliva didn’t quite make it into his mouth, flowing between parted lips instead. Though his hands weren’t restrained, for some reason, Ji-won couldn’t push Kwon-ju away. It was a feeling he’d never experienced before. Being kissed like this, pinned down.
“Huh.”
In the end, Kwon-ju lost consciousness before Ji-won could push him away. As Ji-won silently watched him collapse to the side, he belatedly wiped his lips with the back of his hand. What did I just do? Covering his mouth with his right hand, Ji-won got off the bed, holding his breath as if escaping. Then he sat on the floor, unable to move.
After struggling to calm his trembling legs, it took more than 30 minutes before Ji-won could finally get up. In a dazed, half-conscious state, he moved the plates to the sink. Even though he could have stacked them all together, he took them one by one. He kept taking deep breaths and exhaling carefully, trying to regulate his breathing.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
