The Cure and the Curious Vigil

“This will be a proper hangover cure.”

“It’s good for a hangover, and it makes for a great drinking snack. Uh…”

Their eyes met for a moment, and Han Gureum, pausing his task of deboning the fish, asked,

“Do you drink?”

“I do.”

“Are you alright with day drinking?”

Strictly speaking, it was more like morning drinking.

“I’m fine with it. Are you allowed to drink, though?”

“Of course.”

Han Gureum promptly rose from his seat, retrieved a bottle of soju from the refrigerator, and then called out to the kitchen, “I’ll take a bottle of soju!” before returning with a soju glass and a beer mug.

He placed the soju glass in front of Seo Dowoon and the beer mug in front of himself.

Seo Dowoon’s gaze flitted between the glass before him and the one Han Gureum held, when suddenly, the ‘Herbivore Guild Outing Witness Account’ flashed into his mind.

It was one of the rare accounts that had circulated online.

[Chat] Herbivore Guild at this pork belly place lol 391

It’s a pork belly restaurant in Dongjak Market.

Looks like the Herbivore Guild is having a company dinner lololol.

It’s a total mess.

Woof woof

(Photo: Soju bottles stacked in cases visible behind guild members.jpg)

(Photo: Uncleaned soju bottles on and under the table.jpg)

Comments

└ Look at those liquor bottles lololol

└ Who is that???

└└ Poster: Han Gureum, yep.

└ Insane lololololololol

└ Are they having a company dinner for the first time?! lolololol

└ Are all those empty bottles next to them?

└└ Poster: Yep, all of them were drunk lol. There are even more behind those lololol.

└ Who’s the one drinking alone??

└└ Poster: Han Gureum lololol.

Many more comments followed.

One comment, from someone working as a supermarket cashier, claimed that people in Herbivore Guild robes had bought three whole shopping carts full of soju.

Becoming an Awakened did not, in itself, grant civilians a higher alcohol tolerance. While their physical capabilities and recovery rates certainly improved, these advancements bore no relation to their ability to metabolize alcohol. At best, they might possess a slightly better tolerance than an average person. Furthermore, with so few members and even fewer public sightings, very little was truly known about the Herbivore Guild.

None of their members were active outside, they had no dedicated supporters, and their most recent public engagement had been the lecture Seo Dowoon attended. Even after clearing dungeons, they were not known for giving interviews. Thus, whenever such a sighting appeared online, it inevitably garnered a significant number of comments.

‘Han Gureum, this person… he was called the final winner, wasn’t he?’

As Seo Dowoon watched him pour, he instinctively reached out his arm, but Han Gureum held the bottle upright and spoke.

“It’s best to pour your own drinks if you want to pace yourself. I’ll pour you this one, but after that, drink according to your own tolerance.”

Seo Dowoon accepted the glass with both hands. His large hands made the soju glass appear even more diminutive.

Han Gureum, without so much as a toast, downed the contents of his beer mug in a single gulp. Seo Dowoon, observing this, merely moistened his lips with the drink and set it back down. Though it was a hangover soup that seemed to beckon for more alcohol, it was his first time tasting it, and he intended to savor the meal properly before anything else.

Han Gureum ate with gusto, audibly crunching on his kkakdugi. He finished the radish kimchi he’d portioned onto his small plate, then promptly refilled it. Despite the large size of the cubes, they seemed to fit perfectly into his rather small mouth.

“The kkakdugi here is even more delicious because they make it themselves. If you don’t care for it, we also have napa cabbage kimchi—would you like some?”

Seo Dowoon assured him it was fine and sampled a piece of kkakdugi. It, too, was incredibly delicious. The seasoning had permeated evenly, leaving no soft spots, and the satisfying crispness as it yielded to his teeth was particularly pleasant.

Hangover soup with rice, accompanied by kkakdugi.

It was a flawless combination.

In a flash, Han Gureum emptied his earthenware bowl, having also finished his drink. Seo Dowoon, after taking his final spoonful, likewise drained the alcohol he had initially only touched to his lips.

“Boss, I’ll put it on the tab.”

“Alright. Go on.”

“Yes. We should probably… go now?”

Han Gureum, having spoken towards the kitchen, turned around only to find Seo Dowoon’s head already lolling downward. His completely limp posture was deeply unsettling.

“…Seo Dowoon?”

Pushing aside his growing unease, Han Gureum called Seo Dowoon’s name repeatedly, but no answer came.

“……”

He stood beside the table for a moment, gazing down at Seo Dowoon, and let out a short sigh.

‘If he can’t drink, he should have just said so…’

He felt a pang of guilt for having offered alcohol to someone so clearly unable to handle it. To pass out from a single glass of soju—shouldn’t he have avoided alcohol entirely? As a university student, surely he would have known his own limits, whether he could drink at all, and what his tolerance was.

‘Did he just drink it because I was the one offering?’

Han Gureum had also noticed Seo Dowoon’s interest in him. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was mere goodwill for having been rescued, or if it held a deeper meaning.

Fortunately, the restaurant was close to the office; had it been further, he would have immediately called for help. Kim Ajun, or Kim Ajun, or perhaps Kim Ajun.

“Seo Dowoon. Try to snap out of it. Hello?”

“……”

“Is he completely out cold?”

His even breathing confirmed it; he truly seemed to have passed out from a single glass of alcohol.

Han Gureum simply hoisted Seo Dowoon over his shoulder and exited the restaurant. During guild dinners, he was always the last one standing, so tidying up inevitably fell to him. His guildmates, trusting him implicitly, would drink their fill, making him quite accustomed to such situations.

Seo Dowoon’s long legs proved a bit cumbersome as they ascended the stairs, but Han Gureum carried him with the utmost care. Entering the office, he carefully laid Seo Dowoon on the long sofa. Seo Dowoon’s large frame made the sofa appear somewhat small, but it was the only available spot in the office. Had it been a fellow guild member, he might have simply tossed him onto it, but for a civilian, he couldn’t bring himself to be so rough, so he lowered him gently.

Despite his unpracticed, somewhat clumsy touch, Seo Dowoon remained deeply asleep.

“What should I do?”

He didn’t know where Seo Dowoon lived, so he couldn’t take him home. There was no one to contact, and he felt it would be improper to touch Seo Dowoon’s phone to reach someone else. He was at a loss.

“…He’ll wake up on his own, I suppose.”

It wasn’t even noon yet, so he figured Seo Dowoon would surely wake up by evening at the latest.

Han Gureum glanced around the office. He needed more sleep for proper recovery, but having relinquished his usual sleeping spot to Seo Dowoon, his only options were the single sofa or the floor.

He wasn’t particular about where he slept, so the location itself didn’t matter. However, with a guest present, he felt he ought to stay awake for a while longer.

‘It would be a bit strange if I just went to sleep while he’s unconscious…’

He had already slept for twenty hours, so even if he dozed off now, he’d likely wake up quickly. He wasn’t sure how long Seo Dowoon would sleep, but he expected them to wake around the same time, or for him to stir first. Regardless, as Seo Dowoon was a guest in his office, Han Gureum felt he wouldn’t truly relax until he saw him safely depart.

Han Gureum retrieved the thin blanket he had tucked away in the cabinet earlier and gently covered Seo Dowoon with it.

‘He wouldn’t want to catch a cold.’

Han Gureum, as an Awakened, would be fine, but Seo Dowoon was a civilian. Although it wasn’t yet autumn and not particularly cold, he worried that if Seo Dowoon caught a cold after passing out drunk, it would be a nuisance.

As if satisfied that he had done all he could, Han Gureum nodded, then pulled out another blanket and settled onto the single sofa.

He had fully intended to stay awake… yet, in less than three minutes, his breathing deepened, becoming calm and regular.

****

Seo Dowoon sat on the sofa, observing Han Gureum for a considerable time.

‘He sleeps soundly.’

Two hours passed, yet Han Gureum didn’t stir once. One might expect him to shift or fidget even slightly, but he remained utterly motionless.

Initially, he hadn’t noticed the passage of time, simply absorbed in watching Han Gureum. But eventually, a new curiosity took hold: how long would he sleep without moving? This prompted him to continue his vigil.

‘…How strange.’

How could such a creature exist?

Seo Dowoon’s life hadn’t been exceptionally long, but few people he had met evoked such a feeling in him. This made Han Gureum all the more fascinating.

The office carried a faint scent of old mold, mixed with Han Gureum’s unique aroma.

Seo Dowoon took hold of the white cloth covering the sofa and brought it to his nose. As he slowly inhaled, the expected scent was indeed strong.

‘This is good, but…’

Seo Dowoon, who had been perfectly still, finally rose from the sofa. He moved without making a single sound.

Seo Dowoon crouched in front of Han Gureum and continued his observation, propping his chin on his hand. Covered by the blanket, only half of his face and his ankles were visible.

‘This scent is wonderful.’

The scent clinging to objects was fine, but nothing compared to smelling it directly. The difference was clear. The smell of alcohol, a remnant from earlier, mixed with it, yet it wasn’t unpleasant.

Moreover, when he had feigned unconsciousness after a single drink at the hangover soup restaurant, Han Gureum hadn’t abandoned him or tried to forcibly wake him. He had shaken him and called his name a few times, but soon after, he had carried him over his shoulder to the office.

At the hangover soup restaurant, when Han Gureum’s touch reached him, he had experienced the tinnitus vanishing, as if by magic, once more.

‘This must be it.’

Seo Dowoon focused on Han Gureum’s even breathing, his gaze fixed on his ankle. He wanted to snatch that ankle immediately, but he held back, carefully extending his hand. The tips of his index and middle fingers barely brushed against the pristine white ankle.

‘It’s true.’

As their bare skin touched, the tinnitus immediately faded.

At this moment, having found a solution to the tinnitus he had thought he would carry forever,

a new path opened in Seo Dowoon’s world.