Chapter 35: A Casual Bond

“How much do you need?”

“Why? If I tell you, are you going to lend me some money?”

“If you need it.”

“No thanks. You’re really drunk.”

Even as I tried to stop her, she still looked like she had more to say.

I reached out and firmly covered her mouth, cutting her off.

“Don’t say any more. I don’t like that kind of thing.”

“…….”

“This is something I can handle myself. It’s not like I’m desperate enough to ask someone I just met today for help.”

Thankfully, Hyejin didn’t push the matter further.

I knew she meant well.

But I hadn’t asked for help, and if I worked hard enough, I could solve this problem on my own.

I had no intention of clinging to someone else for support.

“Sorry… Yeah. We only just met today…”

“Come on. You’re not sulking over something this small, are you?”

“N-no…”

Her face said otherwise.

I let out a sigh and decided to cheer her up.

“It’s not about when we met, but how often we’ll see each other from now on, right?”

“…Huh?”

“We can just stay close from today onward.”

At that, her expression brightened instantly, and she returned to her usual beaming self.

She’s really simple.

“Oh, wait…!”

She suddenly started fumbling around in her pocket before pulling out her phone.

“Both of you, give me your numbers!”

At her insistence, the three of us exchanged numbers.

Even after that, the drinking continued.

Most of the conversation revolved around Hyejin.

She had an endless supply of things to talk about, like a well that never dried up.

Occasionally, Jisub chimed in, and I mostly listened, only responding when necessary.

Since we were forming a team for the tournament, we talked a lot about Ebae, but the conversation naturally shifted to real life.

“I finished my military service and am now in my final year of college, looking for a job.”

Jisub, who was also 25, was currently a fourth-year university student.

If I had stayed a man, would my life have been similar?

Probably not. I had skipped college entirely to pursue a pro-gaming career.

“I run a small café! Hehe.”

“You’re the owner?”

“Of course!”

Hyejin, who was 26, was a café owner.

Even if it was a small place, owning a business in your twenties was impressive.

Given how she casually mentioned money earlier, she probably had a comfortable financial situation.

Then it was my turn.

“I do deliveries for a Chinese restaurant.”

“…For real?”

“Yeah.”

A brief silence followed.

Their faces twisted as if they weren’t sure whether I was joking or being serious.

“That’s unexpected.”

“Right?! I totally thought you’d be a model or something!”

“Oh, same! You just have that kind of vibe.”

“A model? Please.”

I brushed it off and took another sip of my beer, but they didn’t seem ready to drop the subject.

“I’m serious! You totally have the look for a model or an actress!”

“Or what about being a YouTuber? You’re amazing at Ebae, so even just streaming a little would bring in tons of money.”

“No thanks. I’m not interested.”

Of course, I was aware that I was considered pretty.

Like Jisub said, I could probably make a lot of money easily just by streaming my gameplay.

But I had zero interest in doing that.

It didn’t suit my personality.

I wasn’t sociable, I wasn’t particularly friendly, and I wasn’t the type to entertain an audience.

“Then, are you planning to keep doing this job?”

“As long as the restaurant stays in business, yeah.”

“You must have your reasons, huh? Well, that’s a shame, but I guess I’ll just have to give up!”

She suddenly declared her defeat, making me tilt my head in confusion. Hyejin grinned.

“But if you ever need a job, just let me know! Our café is always open for you!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Not that I thought I’d ever need it.

I picked up the last piece of chicken and finished my beer.

Jisub, who had been watching me eat, let out a small remark.

“You eat more than I expected.”

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“Should we order more?”

I glanced at the time.

Before I knew it, the time had passed 8 PM and was heading toward 9 PM.

Honestly, I could have stayed longer.

Suah wasn’t a child—she was already in high school. Leaving her alone wouldn’t cause any issues.

But still, she was waiting for me. It wouldn’t feel right if I were the only one out here having fun.

Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I spoke.

“I think I should get going.”

“Huh… Already?”

“My sister’s waiting at home. Next time, let’s plan ahead and drink to our hearts’ content.”

“Well, I guess there’s no choice. Today was a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

Hyejin looked visibly disappointed but quickly perked up, already making plans for our next meetup.

“Alright! Then next time, let’s meet early, go to a PC café, then have dinner, and drink right after—!”

“You’re acting like we’ll meet again tomorrow. Let’s set a proper time later.”

I stood up, paid the bill, and left the restaurant.

It had been a while since I had alcohol in my system. The slight drowsiness from the buzz felt somewhat refreshing.

Not that I was bragging, but I considered myself to have a pretty high tolerance.

Back in my trainee days, whenever stress hit hard, my way of coping had always been drinking and smoking.

Of course, that habit had completely disappeared after I returned from the battlefield.

Even after my return, I still drank from time to time.

Especially when I was searching for my brother. I had drowned myself in alcohol quite a lot back then.

“See you next time!”

Since Hyejin lived quite far away, she left immediately by taxi.

“Tonight was really fun. Let’s meet again soon.”

Soon after, Jisub and I also parted ways at a crossroads.

He had been annoyingly persistent about walking me home, but I barely managed to shake him off.

The cool breeze wasn’t bad.

The slight dizziness from the alcohol felt tolerable.

Without realizing it, I started humming a tune as I took each step toward home.

It took about twenty minutes to get back.

The familiar sign that read Jjawang came into view.

The lights inside were still on. It was about time to close up for the night.

That meant she was still downstairs instead of heading up to the second floor.

I pushed open the restaurant door and stepped inside.

“I’m back!”

“Oh, Unnie, you’re home earlier than I expected.”

“…Huh?”

I tilted my head instinctively.

There was someone sitting next to Suah.

“Choi Hong Seol. Why are you here?”

“Welcome home, Unnie.”

Hong Seol greeted me with a polite bow.

“I had dinner with Hong Seol, just like you said.”

“I can see that. My question is, why is he still here? It’s already past 9 PM.”

“Well, you see… He insisted on waiting until you got back mmph!”

Suah couldn’t finish her sentence because a hand clamped over her mouth.

Hong Seol, having successfully silenced her friend, hurriedly came up with an excuse.

“Ahaha! Well, I thought Suah might get lonely being here by herself without you. As her childhood friend, I generously stayed by her side!”

“…Hmm. I’ll let that slide.”

Lick.

“Kyaa! You crazy bastard! Why the hell did you lick my hand?!”

“It was salty. Ptooey.”

“Damn it! Do you wanna die?!”

“Waaah.”

Suah and Hong Seol started squabbling, with her grabbing him by the neck.

Watching their playful bickering, I simply nodded.

They really did have a close bond, just like childhood friends should.

Of course, I didn’t just stand by idly.

As the elder here, it was my duty to intervene.

I flicked both of their foreheads—fairly and equally.

“Ah… Damn, that hurts.”

“Ahem.”

“Ow, seriously…”

“There we go.”

Hong Seol was a decent kid overall, but his mouth was way too foul-mouthed.

Suah had been working hard to correct it, but it seemed like his bad habit slipped out the moment he got worked up.

“Suah.”

“Yeah?”

“One bowl of spicy hangover jjambbong, please.”

Suah gave me a deadpan look and muttered.

“…Pig.”

“Yup. So please make it.”

It didn’t hurt my feelings in the slightest.

If I were actually overweight, maybe I’d take offense. But I was clearly slim, so it didn’t matter.

Unlike other girls, I wasn’t obsessed with my looks, so there was no reason to feel insulted.

Grumbling under her breath, Suah eventually headed into the kitchen to prepare the jjambbong.

She really was a sweet younger sister. That’s why I could never bring myself to dislike her.

Anyway, that left just me and Hong Seol in the dining area.

He immediately struck up a conversation.

“Oh! Do you remember what I showed you this morning?”

“Huh? Oh, that community post?”

“Yes! It actually got updated this afternoon. Wanna see?”

I hesitated, scratching my cheek.

It was definitely going to be my gameplay clip again.

How should I put it? He had no ill intentions, but I felt a bit guilty, like I was tricking an innocent kid.

I hadn’t expected him to be this enthusiastic.

Even now, Hong Seol’s sparkling eyes were making me uncomfortable, so I avoided his gaze.

“This was from today’s PC café tournament.”

At that moment, Suah peeked her head out from the kitchen and spoke up.

“Huh? Unnie, you went to that PC café tournam—”

“Wait a second!”