Ch. 86 - I want to get drunk!!

"Sigh... This is crazy."

The morning after spending the night at a motel. I let out a deep sigh, covering my face with both hands.

Am I losing it? Have I actually gone mad?

No, I must've gone a bit crazy. I wasn’t in my right mind.

But even so... Spending the night with my favorite heroine and, to top it off, showing such an embarrassing side of myself during the process.

Did I always have this side to me? Is this the kind of person I’ve been?

Regret, surprise, and embarrassment mixed together, leaving me feeling extremely uneasy.

"...Ms. Hye-Rim, I’m really sorry."

Ha-Yeon, who had woken up around the same time as me, apologized while bowing her head.

"I think I must’ve lost my mind for a moment. I might’ve been a bit too forward."

"...No, it’s fine. I wasn’t exactly normal either."

We needed to clear our heads. Since it was too late for regrets, I decided to just accept the situation.

"Let’s just think of it as a temporary lapse. Yeah, this is all Silfin’s fault. That damned woman is to blame."

Blaming everything on Silfin is the way to go. People naturally feel better when they shift the blame.

Spending a night with the main heroine wasn’t my fault!

"But still... I was being serious."

As I was thinking that, Ha-Yeon gently hugged me from behind.

"It’s true that I like you, Ms. Hye-Rim. None of what I said last night was a lie."

"Ha-Yeon?"

"So, what do you think about me, Ms. Hye-Rim?"

I knew exactly what she meant by that.

"How about we date?"

It was a formal confession. Ha-Yeon sincerely wanted to be in a relationship with me.

Of course, this is the kind of situation I’ve dreamed about. Dating the heroine I love and adore most in the world? How could I say no to this? There’s no way I could refuse.

That is if it were the old me.

"I’m sorry, Ha-Yeon."

"...!"

Ha-Yeon’s body trembled at my apology. Not wanting her to misunderstand, I quickly added, "I’m saying this because I don’t want you to think I’m rejecting you. It’s not because I dislike you. In fact, I like you too."

"What? Then why..."

"It’s a personal reason. I just can’t bring myself to date anyone right now."

I don’t feel ready to give my heart to someone or rely on anyone.

Ever since I became like this, I can’t even imagine being in a relationship. The desire just isn’t there.

"So, let me sort out my feelings first. Then I’ll give you an answer. Would that be okay?"

"Yes. Of course."

Ha-Yeon nodded with a bright smile.

"I’m just happy to know you don’t dislike me, Hye-Rim. Since you didn’t reject my feelings outright, I’m okay with this."

She hugged me again, seemingly content despite the situation. I felt a bit sorry for her.

It’s usually best to give a clear yes or no to someone who confesses. But because of my stubbornness, I was making Ha-Yeon wait in this one-sided situation.

Was I always such a selfish person?

After leaving the motel, we headed straight home. While I wanted to grab a meal with Ha-Yeon first, my phone convinced me otherwise.

[Hye-Rim, when are you coming back?]

[Hey. I’m eating first if you’re late!]

[A bit slow, aren’t you? Are you planning to come back tomorrow?]

[...Is something wrong?]

Countless texts from Yoo Seo-Eun had piled up since last night, at least several dozen from the evening through this morning.

Just as Ha-Yeon and I returned home and were about to go inside.

Clunk.

"...Huh?"

We ran into Yoo Seo-Eun, who was just stepping out of the house.

"What the heck? Hye-Rim, where were you all night? You didn’t even reply! And Ha-Yeon, why are you with her?"

Yoo Seo-Eun bombarded me with questions, looking genuinely worried. I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I lied on the spot.

"Oh, about that. Seo-Eun, you heard about what happened yesterday, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. That a non-Awakened person suddenly became an Awakened?"

"Exactly. I was checking something related to that with Ha-Yeon, so we got delayed."

"Hmm, okay."

Yoo Seo-Eun nodded as if she understood.

"But still, you should’ve texted me if you were going to be late. I was worried because you didn’t respond at all."

"Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time."

I sincerely apologized and sent Ha-Yeon off before heading inside. It seemed Yoo Seo-Eun had just stepped out to take out the trash.

For now, it looked like her worries were eased.

After throwing away the trash, Yoo Seo-Eun leaned against the wall with a suspicious look on her face.

"Something’s off. I feel like Hye-Rim is lying to me."

She had already heard from Lee So-Young about what happened yesterday. The investigation into Choi Young-Hee supposedly wrapped up last evening.

But nothing about Ha-Yeon had come up in that story.

Plus, something else nagged at her.

"...I need to tell Team Leader 1 about this."

Yoo Seo-Eun quickly pulled out her phone. She allied with Team Leader 1 to share any information regarding this.

When Yoo Seo-Eun called, Yu Mi-Young picked up after a moment.

"Hello? Seo-Eun, what’s up?"

"Something’s fishy about Hye-Rim and Ha-Yeon."

"What? What do you mean?"

Yoo Seo-Eun briefly explained what had happened.

"Isn’t it strange? There’s no real reason for them to have stayed out together until the next morning."

"Hmm... That’s true. But Hye-Rim isn’t the type to lie about work, so it could still be plausible."

"Maybe. But that’s not my main point."

What really concerned Yoo Seo-Eun was something else entirely.

"I think Hye-Rim and Ha-Yeon might’ve stayed together at a motel."

"What?!"

Yu Mi-Young’s voice rose sharply, understandably shocked.

"When I saw them earlier, they smelled like the same shampoo."

"...That’s pretty telling."

"Right? And the fact that they stayed at a motel instead of somewhere nearby makes it even more suspicious."

"It is strange."

Yoo Seo-Eun also noted something subtle in how Ha-Yeon looked at Hye-Rim.

It was different now—a gaze filled with affection and happiness.

It reminded her of something. A drama where a heroine just started dating the male lead.

"This is bad. I don’t know what happened, but they’re way too close now."

"...We can’t just ask them, can we?"

"No. If my guess is right, they wouldn’t tell us."

If nothing had happened, Hye-Rim would’ve explained everything honestly. But Yoo Seo-Eun could sense that Hye-Rim was hiding something.

And her intuition was spot on.

"Team Leader 1."

"Yeah?"

"We can’t just sit back anymore."

"You’re right. Even if we’re wrong about their relationship, we can’t just keep watching from the sidelines."

They decided to take more proactive measures.

***

Back at home, I cracked open a can of beer.

I desperately needed a drink. After last night’s chaos, there was no way I could deal with this sober.

"Hye-Rim, I’m back."

While I was sipping on my beer, Yoo Seo-Eun returned from taking out the trash.

"What’s with the beer this early?"

"I just really wanted one."

"Even so. Couldn’t you wait until dinner?"

Yoo Seo-Eun scolded me, hands on her hips.

"What if you end up relying on alcohol?"

"Sorry. But I really wanted it. Just let me have this one can."

I gave her a bitter smile and kept drinking. As I scrolled through YouTube, Yoo Seo-Eun sat beside me.

"Hye-Rim, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you not interested in dating?"

"...Cough! Cough, cough!"

Her sudden question about relationships almost made me spit out my beer.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. But after Ha-Yeon’s confession, the memory resurfaced immediately.

"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

"Well, you know I love romance dramas, right? I want to experience that kind of amazing love. So I was wondering if you felt the same way."

"No, not really. Not right now."

"'Not right now' means maybe later? Like, your thoughts could change?"

"I don’t know. Didn’t I already tell you? I’m just not interested in dating."

Hearing my answer, Yoo Seo-Eun folded her arms and seemed to relax a little.

"Hmm... Was I worrying too much, then?"

What’s with her now?

Feeling puzzled, I kept sipping my beer.

Ah, I just want to get drunk already.

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