“…….”
“What the—! …Kang Taeyoon?”
Kang Taeyoon was bending over, picking up the items from the floor. It seemed he had dropped the tableware.
As if he had swept everything off the table, there was quite a lot scattered around.
Under Kang Taeyoon’s unhurried movements, the small plates and utensils returned to their proper places.
“You dropped a lot. Taeyoon, just push that aside. I’ll get you new ones.”
“Yeah.”
In the brief moment he accepted the new tableware from Go Heemin, Kang Taeyoon looked this way and moved his lips.
…That’s far enough, right? Even though it was only the shape of his lips, I understood it instantly. And in that moment, reality struck me.
I snapped back to my senses and shoved Min Siheon’s body away with all my strength. His focus broken by Kang Taeyoon, Min Siheon slipped off easily, as if he’d lost his footing.
“You’re heavy, you bastard.”
That had been close. I didn’t know why, but alarms had been blaring nonstop in my head.
Yeah—fear. It had definitely been fear. For a brief moment, I’d been seized by a primal fear of being devoured.
If it hadn’t been for that commotion, something really might have happened. Flustered, I blinked and noticed the countless eyes fixed on us.
I had instinctively turned toward Kang Taeyoon, but even before that, our classmates had been glancing this way, gauging the situation. Some of them seemed to have even seen me gasp like I’d been startled by something.
An icy atmosphere lingered, like cold water had been dumped over us, and determined to change the subject, I brusquely lifted my glass and raised my voice.
“Why are you all spacing out? Not drinking? And Min Siheon, seriously, don’t drink any more. Quit acting drunk. There’s no one here big enough to carry you.”
Yoo In-ho might have started it, but this guy had played along.
He was never the type to get swept up in jokes like that, yet today he’d been acting strangely. I smacked his shoulder blade in mock reproach, and a dull thud echoed out.
Seeing Min Siheon give no particular response, I turned my attention to the others. My main target was Yoo In-ho, who had taken the lead in this whole incident.
I grabbed a puffed rice snack from the wooden bowl on the table and tossed it at him. He was usually playful, sure—but he’d never joked like that before, so I was honestly taken aback.
When I snapped at Yoo In-ho, asking if he was drunk, he clasped his hands together and bobbed his head. It seemed like he’d gotten carried away with the flow of things. I figured I’d just let it slide this once.
“You’re drunk.”
“Haha, did I go too far? Sorry~”
Even as Yoo In-ho repeatedly gestured that he was sorry, he shot a glance at Min Siheon. I thought he might apologize to him too, but instead he lifted a brow, as if something felt off.
Of course, it wasn’t long before he was back to his usual joking grin.
I wanted to hear something from this guy too—the one who’d been keeping his mouth shut since earlier.
“Why are you sitting there all tight-lipped?”
“…I think the alcohol’s getting to me a bit.”
“So you were drunk after all.”
“What? Min Siheon, his drinking habits are seriously dangerous!”
“Why? I’d welcome that. Siheon, it felt like watching a drama. Hey~”
“If it’s Min Siheon, he’s better than most actors. Even now, doesn’t it look like he’s filming something?”
With the conversation from our classmates farther away, the scene quickly heated up again. But I felt a dull ache in my chest.
It was probably because of Min Siheon looking at me. The faint smile he showed as if to say sorry felt strange to me.
His lips were definitely curved upward… yet he didn’t look pleased. If anything, there was a discomfort, like a fishbone stuck in my throat.
His eyes hadn’t softened one bit — that was the proof.
Truthfully, I too was feeling an unidentifiable thirst. I kept clinking glasses without pause, trying to forget it.
***
After that, I had no idea how much time had passed. I frowned, the heated atmosphere and the bloated feeling from drinking too much water weighing on me.
“Haha! Drink, drink!”
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the attention had shifted toward Go Heemin, the star of tonight’s gathering. With Yoo In-ho adding just the right amount of showmanship, things seemed to ease up on this side.
Some of our friends disappeared after saying they were going out for a smoke or heading to the convenience store, and I glanced at the scattered empty seats.
My head was starting to pound; I’d clearly exceeded my limit.
Deciding I couldn’t go on, I quietly set down my glass. Min Siheon, sitting beside me, turned to look at me. Ever since I’d cut him off earlier for going too far with the teasing, he’d only been wearing that odd smile.
This had been a rare chance to broaden his social circle. I remembered how he’d responded to others’ questions with awkward, short answers. Since that earlier incident, the atmosphere around him had been chilly.
No wonder conversations hadn’t lasted. Still, it seemed like his image had improved somewhat. But if someone asked whether he’d grown closer to anyone, the answer would be ‘no.’
Compared to before, he seemed more easygoing, but he still appeared to have his own strict boundaries. Whenever silence threatened to fall, I’d had to struggle to keep the conversation going.
I was already tired, and having to read the room while drinking had exhausted me even more.
Letting out a small sigh, I heard Min Siheon speak in a low voice. It wasn’t like he’d been staring at me the whole time, yet his reaction speed was ridiculous.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just a little dizzy. You? Is your body feeling better?”
“Thanks to you, it’s better.”
“Are you sobered up?”
“I think you’re worse off than I am.”
“Half of that’s your fault.”
In the edge of my vision, Min Siheon, sitting under the bar’s dim lighting, began to blur. Like fog rolling in, his outline smeared at the edges, and my arms and legs felt heavy, like waterlogged cotton.
I worried the accumulated fatigue would turn into a brutal hangover.
It was true—I wasn’t in great shape. I needed to pull myself together somehow before the others came back.
I shook my head a few times and rubbed my face with both hands. The warmth pressing against my palms told me I was fairly flushed.
“Hey, Siheon.”
“Why? Are you feeling really bad? Want to head out first?”
“Not that bad. Hey, I’m just going to lean back for a bit. If the others call me, tell them I’m resting.”
“Sure. Here.”
“…That doesn’t mean I was going to lean on your shoulder.”
I’d been about to recline against the sofa’s backrest to rest. But Min Siheon pushed his shoulder forward and slipped his arm behind my head. Then he pulled me in, catching my upper body as it tipped over.
Drained of strength by the alcohol, I was easily maneuvered by his hands.
My naturally tilted head settled against something firm and warm.
When I came to my senses, I found myself leaning against his broad shoulder. What exactly is this situation?
My hazy vision made it hard to judge properly. Strands of messy hair fell over my eyes, adding to the confusion.
In the end, I realized that even outside of drinking gatherings, this was something we’d often done, so I just stared blankly into the air.
There were plenty of classmates leaning on each other drunkenly; this much probably wouldn’t become fodder for teasing, I told myself and let it go.
Though, because of that earlier joke, I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.
I was just lamenting that I’d drunk too much when Min Siheon muttered in a low voice.
Maybe it was because it was late, but his voice sounded rougher than usual. I could hear the dry scrape of his breathing mixed in.
Was it because of how close we were? A heartbeat—someone’s—pounded loudly. With the bar’s music blending with the pulse, the sound of breathing felt strangely ambiguous, like it wasn’t his or mine.
“This reminds me of that time.”
“That time?”
He’d mentioned it briefly earlier too. I couldn’t remember at all. But it seemed there was some incident that overlapped with this situation for Min Siheon.
When I raised a hand to rub my bleary eyes, Min Siheon caught my wrist and lowered it, whispering,
“Don’t remember? After midterms, at the department gathering….”
“Oh, that day.”
“Yeah.”
His warm breath brushed my cheek, and something flickered through my mind. Right—the day Min Siheon was talking about. A faint memory surfaced. It had been a drinking party like this one.
It was some time after midterms ended. It was also around when I’d just gotten to know Min Siheon.
***
Whether by coincidence or fate, as I gradually came to know the novel’s main and supporting characters one by one, my head had started to ache. Becoming a college student with a stiff, unaccustomed brain and taking midterms had been agony too.
Amid a campus life that felt like it was drifting without direction, a large drinking gathering was organized. The news had been hurriedly passed to me by a classmate whose name I barely knew.
“A department gathering? The entire Business Administration?”
“Yeah, the department head hosts it once a year to build unity. Why’re you pretending you don’t remember? You went your freshman year too. You can’t skip this~ you have to go.”
“It’s just fuzzy, that’s all. But wow, he really likes that kind of thing, huh.”
I brushed it off, saying it was just something I’d forgotten over time.
It seemed there was a professor at this school who supported youth culture pretty enthusiastically. And since it involved someone connected to a required major course, it looked like an event we absolutely had to attend.
With no choice, I headed to a bar in Daehangno at the specified date and time. The interior, rented out entirely, was packed with undergraduates from the College of Business Administration.
Under the dim lighting and loud music, I tried to find familiar faces. It didn’t take long to realize there was no hope of that in this crowd.
This is hopeless. I’ll just hang around a bit and slip out when the timing’s right. Naturally, I signaled to Go Heemin and Kang Taeyoon, who were beside me.
“Let’s sit as close to the corner as possible. Near the entrance—somewhere we can make a quick escape.”
“You’re thinking about ditching before we’ve even sat down? Cha Jungwoo, you’re already mysterious as hell. You’ll probably start another rumor today.”
But the reply didn’t come from the one I’d asked. Yoo In-ho, who had arrived late, cut in. He still had his bag slung over his shoulder, like he’d just come in.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now, you stingy bastards. I get Kang Taeyoon and Go Heemin, but you too? You were going to abandon me?”
Relieved that I didn’t have to go looking for Yoo In-ho, I watched as his overly excited self draped an arm over my shoulder.
“You staying till the end?”
“No. You know I don’t like this kind of thing. I barely slept after exams. I’m going to hang around for a bit and then dip.”
“Yes, yes~ do as you please. But we should at least sit down first. You have to show your face before you bail so it’s not awkward. Hey, let’s sit over there. There’s a table perfectly empty.”
Yoo In-ho shrugged off my scolding and led the way. He waved at familiar faces here and there before stopping to guard an empty spot in the corner.
I was just about to head over when someone grabbed my shoulder from behind.
