Chapter 64 : The story of that night

Gu Yuri wouldn’t let my glass stay empty.
Whenever I finished a drink to match the mood, she would immediately fill my glass with an elder’s love.

Yuri smiled and raised her glass.
Responding with kindness, I raised my glass and downed the contents.

“You can really hold your liquor, huh?”
“I’m usually a good drinker, you know.”

That’s right. There’s no way I could be a lightweight.
I must have just been in bad condition last time, which is why I got drunk so quickly.

The alcohol even tasted sweet.
Tonight, my whole body was pulling me into the world of adults.
Hyelin looked at me with a worried expression.

“H-Haram, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“It’s okay. The alcohol tastes kind of sweet today.”

Gu Yuri chuckled at my words and retorted,

“Be careful tonight. I’ve never seen anyone who said that walk out of here on their own two feet.”
“Hehe, I’ll control myself.”

I spotted Dojun quietly sipping a drink in the corner.
I frowned and said to him,

“Hey, Han Dojun. Why are you skipping out on the alcohol?”
“I don’t really like it.”
“That’s why people say you have no tact. Hurry up and down it.”

At my words, he hesitated for a moment, then drank the glass he was holding in one go.
I was looking at him with a satisfied expression when Yuri senior pushed a spoon toward me.

“What’s this?”
“Our Daughter-in-law can’t handle her alcohol. Let’s drink with a baby spoon from now on.”
“I can handle my liquor.”

Gu Yuri looked down at me with an expression that clearly didn’t believe me.
I would usually just let it go, but the stress that had built up, combined with a bit of alcohol, made it impossible to ignore her taunt.

I emptied the glass of water in front of me and picked up the green bottle, pouring until I could see the bottom.
And then I said to her,

“…Bring it on.”
“Okay. Give me a glass too.”

Gu Yuri laughed boisterously and got a glass of the same size.
Someone grabbed my hand and I looked to the side to see Hyelin looking at me with trembling pupils.

“H-Haram, I d-don’t think you should do this.”
“Don’t stop me. This is about my pride.”

The fight went on longer than I expected.

One glass, two glasses.
One bottle, two bottles.

As the number of green bottles rolling on the floor grew, our eyelids grew heavy.
And the battle, which could only have one loser, unfortunately ended in a draw.
Hansongi had bought a limited amount of alcohol, and the soju ran out before either of us passed out.

Yuri said she would buy more alcohol, put on her slippers, and went outside, with Hansongi following her.

I was about to get up to get some water but stopped myself.
I couldn’t even use chopsticks properly, so if I got up now, something would definitely happen.
Just then, I spotted Dojun drinking a soda in the corner.

Come to think of it, this gathering was supposed to be for making up with him.
If I didn’t resolve things today and the cold war continued, only Hyelin, stuck in the middle, would suffer.

“Han Dojun.”
“What.”

My mind was hazy.
I hiccuped.
My voice, coated in alcohol, had a more languid tone than usual.

“Hiccup, why have you been acting up so much lately?”
“What?”

I would never have been able to say it normally.
But, thanks to the alcohol, my honesty had shed its shame and was slowly crawling out.

“Why have you been acting up so much? You’re not usually like that.”
“I don’t really know what you mean.”
“Hehe, come over here.”

Dojun sighed and came next to me.
I pressed his forehead with my index finger and said,

“You know you crossed the line this time, right?”
“…”
“I’ll let it go this one time, though. Because I did some things wrong too.”

I knew that.
The Dojun I remembered, the one I expected, and the Dojun of the present were different people.
It was only my fault that I couldn’t tell the difference.

“Hiccup, but it still hurt a lot, you know. So say ‘I’m sorry’ three times.”

Still, his mistakes were a separate matter.
I had to get an apology for all the times he’d hurt me.

He looked troubled at my words.
Then, as if he’d made up his mind, he opened his mouth.

“Lee Hyelin, cover your ears.”
“U-Um?”

Dojun bit his lip, let out a short breath, and repeatedly said the words I’d asked for.
I looked at him with a satisfied expression.

“Hehe, good job. Hold out your hand.”

Dojun frowned but held out his hand.

“You listened to me, so I’ll give you a reward. Open your palm.”

I placed the dried snack I had secretly grabbed onto his hand.

“…Am I a dog?”
“This is all I have to give you right now.”

I stood up to show him something.
I still hadn’t regained my sense of balance, so I staggered a little.
Hyelin was startled and supported me.

“H-Haram?”
“It’s okay. You guys stay there.”

I used the wall to steady myself and walked to the kitchen, to a place where there was space.
Relying on the alcohol, I started a small play that could become a dark history.

“I’m Lee Haram, an actor. The title is ‘Monster,’ the role is ‘Smiling Girl,’ and the scene I’ve prepared is Act 4, Scene 1.”

They both tilted their heads, confused.
That was because Monster only had 3 acts.

The fourth act that I was going to act out now was a story that I’d added while interpreting the script.
You could think of it as a side story.
And that story was what the girl wanted to tell the Monster.

I clasped my hands near my chest, like I was acting in a play.
A cold voice flowed from my mouth.

“The world has only allowed me to smile.”

The girl’s world only contained laughter.
That was true of my world too.

I forcibly lifted the corners of my mouth with my index fingers.
With a faint expression on my face and my lips curved, I created a worthwhile smile.

“So, I’m going to smile even brighter. I’m going to smile until the world gets tired of it and tells me to show a different expression.”

Laughter was the trial that the world had given the girl, and at the same time, it was the means by which the girl would take revenge on the world.

“I’m still well enough to laugh. I’m living in a comedy right now.”

There was something I had realized recently.
Unlike before, when I was acting out all of my daily life, I was now able to show a small, genuine smile.
As these unexpected days repeated, small moments of happiness were slowly building up.

“Please don’t see my life as a tragedy.”

What I was showing now was just a story or a play that an actor was showing.
So, I hoped that they would only remain as the audience.

There were people who lived looking up, and people who lived looking down.
But, I would feel the roughness of the earth with my two feet, and look up at the stars with my two eyes.
I wouldn’t give up anything, and I would embrace everything.

That was the girl’s attitude toward life.
That was Lee Haram’s way.

Hansongi and Gu Yuri, who had bought more alcohol and snacks, wore baffled expressions at the scene unfolding before their eyes.

Haram was sitting blankly with her knees drawn up to her chest.
Hyelin was being grabbed by Lee Haram and was standing in an awkward pose, at a loss.
And Dojun, who hadn’t even drunk that much, had his head pressed against the window and was sighing.

They had no idea what had happened.
Yuri asked Hyelin, who was at least somewhat sober,

“What’s going on?”
“Um… Haram drank alcohol and m-moved around, so she must have gotten really drunk.”
“What about Dojun?”
“He suddenly downed all the remaining alcohol and he’s been like that ever since.”
“What about you?”
“Haram won’t let me go.”

Yuri smiled and said,

“You have some unique drinking habits. Daughter-in-law, you shouldn’t drink recklessly.”

Haram hiccuped and opened her mouth.

“Hiccup, water.”

It seemed like she was thirsty.
Yuri gave a devilish smile and opened the cap of the green bottle she had just bought.
Hyelin was shocked at that sight.

“Y-Yuri Sis?”
“I’m curious. And you have to go all the way to the bottom once, when you have someone to take care of you.”

Gu Yuri poured soju into a glass and handed it to Haram.
Haram received the glass and gulped it down, belatedly realizing what she had just drunk.

“Mweh, this is alcohol.”
“That’s just water. You must be mistaking it because of the alcohol.”
“Really?”

Haram tilted her head and started drinking again.
And then, as if she had reached her limit, she slammed her head onto the desk.
Hansongi, who was next to her, added,

“You’re a bad adult.”

Yuri and Hansongi had sobered up a bit while going to the convenience store, so they started drinking again.
The three of them, including Hyelin, who was surprisingly good at holding her liquor, were chatting when Haram, who suddenly came to life, started writhing around and then went straight into Hansongi’s arms.

“Oh my, what’s wrong with her?”

Hansongi looked troubled and tried to push her away, but Haram started making a crying face while hiccuping.

“Hiccup, why?”
“Because you’re sitting on my lap.”
“But it’s warm here.”

Her crying face grew even more intense, and tears looked like they were about to spill out at any moment.
Gu Yuri smiled foxily and patted her own thigh.

“Haram. Sit here.”

At her words, Haram smiled brightly and snuggled into Yuri’s arms.
Songi sighed and said,

“She shouldn’t drink with guys.”
“That’s right. Hyelin, if Daughter-in-law ever drinks, you have to take care of her.”
“Y-Yes, I will.”

Gu Yuri was drinking with Haram in her arms when she suddenly wanted to go to the bathroom.
She tried to push Haram away and stand up, but Haram shook her head and resisted.

“Hah, she’s flirting.”

Haram, who usually had a cold impression, looked up with teary eyes, and a little bit of Yuri’s inner sadism awakened.

“Hansongi, bring me my phone.”
“Where is it?”
“On that sofa, and start recording a video right away. We have to save this for posterity.”

And that need that had been building up would be released when she sobered up.