Chapter 24

Yoon-woo slowly regained his awareness and noticed that the surroundings were different from usual.

The bed he was lying on was not the usual hard and rough bed, but a very elastic and soft bed.

But the strangest thing was that someone was sleeping on Yoon-woo’s right arm.

‘Where am I? Who is this person? Why can’t I remember anything… .? Oh my head hurts… ….’

I remember that the lamb skewers were delicious.

I was amazed at the machine that automatically rotated and grills lamb skewers just by inserting them, and I remember that while eating meat, Ji-eun exclaimed how good soju was with the skewers.

Seeing Ji-eun like that, Yoon-woo thought, ‘This person can live happily with just alcohol.’

I had several thoughts. Is drinking so much fun?

The impression Yoon-woo had about alcohol as a child was quite negative.

In Saint-Exupéry’s ‘The Little Prince’, there is a drunkard who drinks alcohol to forget his shame even though he is ashamed to drink.

At first glance, it seems contradictory, but it seems like a story that fits reality sufficiently.

Because Yoon-woo’s father drank every time something bad happened to him, and he did something bad every time he drank.

Cursing his mother, swearing at Yoon-woo, running out of the house and not coming back… … .

However, after entering university, Yoon-woo’s impression of alcohol has changed 180 degrees.

For college students, alcohol was a symbol of joy.

I remember that one time I was drowsy after taking medicine, and I heard loud noises made by drunken college students outside the window.

It was like they were trying to show off how much fun they had.

In the beginning of the first semester, at 3 in the morning, in front of Yoon-woo’s room, a few students shouted ‘Ogenki Desuka! Choushi wa dou desu ka!’. They were shouting after coming from a party.

It was a famous line from a famous Japanese classic movie. ‘How are you? Are you doing well?’

He really thought at that time that they were doing that to make fun of him.

The voice that woke Yoon-woo from sleeping in his narrow bed where he can’t even stretch his legs properly at dawn.

He was not doing well.

The uplifting voices of happy people felt like they were violently stabbing Yoon-woo.

Why does Ji-eun like alcohol? Maybe it’s because it’s so popular?

Ji-eun’s cell phone vibrates non-stop when she is in Hye-rim’s house.

It means that there are many people looking for Ji-eun.

The reason Ji-eun drinks alcohol often is because there are so many people who Ji-eun wants to meet, people she wants to talk to, and people she wants to be friends with.

Because she is such a person, she has a lot of free space in her heart, and she wants to buy Yoon-woo a drink.

After drinking alcohol, she won’t hate others or use violence, right?

In Yoon-woo’s eyes, the little Ji-eun seemed too big.

To Yoon-woo, alcohol was an unidentified poison that increased human violence and turned one into an animal. He was a real adult who lived happily without that thing.

In front of Ji-eun who was drinking like that, Yoon-woo was ashamed of himself.

Compared to Ji-eun, he wasn’t even an adult.

He doesn’t get along well with people, he leans on someone he doesn’t even know, and he’s a coward who can’t contact his senior first because he’s afraid that he will be rejected.

He is a young boy pretending to be a college student.

He felt sad to see Ji-eun, an adult, constantly shouting ‘Sweet~’ and bumping her cup with his.

I was nervous, so I didn’t even feel the bitter taste of the drink.

At first, I was going to drink with Ji-eun in moderation, and then go back, but strangely, the words that ‘I would stop drinking’ did not come out of my mouth as I was feeling anxious and ashamed of myself.

Yoon-woo’s last memory was that of a plate of dumplings being served as a service.

Yoon-woo noticed that part of his memory was blank.

It was a very disturbing and unpleasant experience.

He was upset because he didn’t know what he had done, and how he had ended up in this situation.

He wanted to swallow his saliva, but his mouth was so dry that he couldn’t.

Fortunately, several bottles of water were placed under the night lamps besides the bed.

Yoon-woo reached out and grabbed a bottle of water, careful not to alarm the person who was resting on his arm.

He had a hard time opening the lid with one hand, but when he put the mouth of the plastic bottle in his mouth, the water kept pouring in and he drank about two-thirds of the bottle at once.

As he drank the water, his spirit seemed to come back a bit.

“Emm… …. Why are you moving like that… …? Be still… ….”, said the person resting on his arm.

Drowsiness and irritability dripped from her words.

He must have moved his body a lot more than he thought because it was difficult to open the bottle of water with one hand.

After saying that, the person hugged Yoon-woo’s arm tighter and buried her face in his arm.

Her hair brushed against Yoon-woo’s arm and the breath that touched his wrists tickled.

It was definitely a woman’s voice… ….

In an instant, a scene was created in Yoon-woo’s head in which, behind the back door of his university there was a large billboard titled ‘I condemn Lee Yoon-woo from the Economics Department xx!’.

He had been disciplined for being drunk and molesting a senior, but the punishment was too light and the higher-ups had decided to expel him.

That would be a huge problem… ….

If I commit suicide in this situation, no one will sympathize with me.

I will only be pointed out as a molester who fled to death.

Actually, I have no idea what exactly happened… ….

Yoon-woo felt as if his scenario would turn out to be reality because of the blank memory in his head. The person sleeping next to Yoon-woo clung tighter to him.

Strangely, Yoon-woo’s life seems to continue and only flow in a direction which he couldn’t even think of.

In a direction that he can’t even describe with words… ….

Yoon-woo carefully lifted the blanket.

She was wearing a t-shirt and sleeping pants that were oversized for her size, and she was too small, even after considering that she was curled up.

In that case, it was highly probable that this person was Ji-eun.

So, is this Ji-eun’s room?

On the day of watching the movie, even when he came to Ji-eun’s house, he did not enter her room.

The end of a drinking party based on goodwill, which settles debts in each other’s hearts has been shattered.

What Yoon-woo should do now is to get rid of Ji-eun as soon as possible and apologize to her diligently.

But in order to do that, he inevitably had to wake her up.

“Noona, noona… …? Ji-eun noona, are you okay? Hey, why don’t you get up for a second?”

“Ah… …. Um… …. Why… …?”

Just like before, Ji-eun’s tone was full of irritation.

“Uh… …. I’m sorry, I can’t remember why I’m so close to you, shouldn’t we be apart for a while?”

“Why… …? Want to go to the bathroom? Come quickly… …. I’m sleepy, so….”

“Oh, not that… ….”

“What is then? Why are you waking me up?”

“Noona … … Maybe it’s because you’re drunk, but you’re sleeping too close to me right now.”

“Why? No? Don’t you like me sleeping while clinging to your arms?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it… ….”

“Then what the hell is the problem?”

“Uh… …?”

Did Ji-eun drink so much that she went insane?

Yoon-woo was at a loss for words because it was so different from the conversation he had expected.

‘Why am I sleeping like this? Get up!’

‘What did you do to me? ‘

Yoon-woo thought that such a conversation would continue.

“That… …. If you keep sleeping like this, noona will be uncomfortable. … .”

“Ha… … It’s not like that. Actually, it’s the other way round… … . Oh, is your arm numb? Shall we go with the other arm?”

“No, it’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

“I don’t think I even took a shower and I thought noona would be offended if I was like this….”

“Uh… …. Yoon-woo… ….”

“Huh?”

“Why are you waking me up like that… …. It’s okay, so go to sleep… ….”

“Uh… …. Still, I’m a male too, so after drinking… ….”

“Today, I think of you as a pillow, not a man. Does a pillow wake up a sleeping person?”

“… … Alright.”

“Then don’t wake me up now. If you wake me up again, I’ll bite your arm. Good night.”

“Yes… …. Good night.”

‘What is this… Not as a male…. But as a pillow? Pillow…’

Hearing that, Yoon-woo didn’t feel bad.

For Yoon-woo, he didn’t obsess or care about the inanimate objects such as chairs and desks even if they are good or bad unlike other people who are picky about them.

There are cases where he pretends to care, but isn’t that also a case he has to involve with people?

Besides, a pillow is an object with a fairly positive image.

Ji-eun is actually using Yoon-woo as a pillow right now, so it’s not uncomfortable.

Although Ji-eun seemed reluctant to respond to Yoon-woo, she gave Yoon-woo, who does not speak, the value of a pillow.

From all the evaluations Yoon-woo has received in his life, isn’t this quite generous?

It could be that because Ji-eun is drunk she did not care much about him, or about the fact that he hadn’t showered. Whatever it is, Yoon-woo decided to live up to Ji-eun’s expectations as much as possible.

‘Pillow, I am a pillow that cannot speak and cannot move… ….’

Mumbling like that inside, Yoon-woo also fell asleep in the end.

A few more hours passed like that, and Yoon-woo, who could not sleep well, woke up earlier, but could not get up.

Because Ji-eun was still in a deep sleep.

Now even Ji-eun’s legs were on top of Yoon-woo’s body.

The part of her arm where Ji-eun’s breath touched was damp.

Yoon-woo still had a headache and was dizzy, so he quietly closed his eyes.

But after a while, I heard the sound of someone pressing the door lock password.

As if this house was familiar, I could hear the person putting her shoes in the shoe closet.

A thief cannot put her shoes in a shoe closet.

Then maybe that person is Ji-eun’s family or friend?

But whoever it is, Ji-eun and Yoon-woo shouldn’t be seen like this.

It will be very difficult for Ji-eun.

So, Yoon-woo gently shook Ji-eun’s body and tried to wake her up.

“Noona, noona, wake up, someone is here.”

“Ah… …. You, don’t wake me up… ….”

“No, if someone sees us, noona… … Ouch!”

‘Are you really going to bite? … .’

Ji-eun nervously bit Yoon-woo’s arm, and soon fell asleep again.

Someone who entered the house seemed to be making something in the kitchen without entering the room.

I could hear the sound of knives on the cutting board and the sound of boiling water in the pot.

I don’t know what it is, but when the dishes are done, and when the boiling stops, won’t that person open the door?

Guess I’ll have to wake up Ji-eun soon… …

However, contrary to Yoon-woo’s thoughts, the door swung open even while the sound of boiling water was still heard from the pot.

Yoon-woo supported Ji-eun’s body with the other arm that Ji-eun was not hanging on, and barely raised his upper body to look at the door.

And when the person opened the door….

“Hye… … Hye-rim.”

“Are you two showing affection? Hugging and sleeping together… …. Did you two finally decide to date? How long has it been since you two met…?”

It was scary. Her voice was cold and sharp, like when Bunny talked about her father.

However, unlike Bunny, who could only be heard, Hye-rim had a cold expression with which she looked at Yoon-woo with a fierce gaze and Yoon-woo was scared.

The sentiment was understandable. Ji-eun, who is her best friend and unnie, is sleeping with Yoon-woo, the friend she just made a few days after all.

“We’re not dating… …. absolutely not. This is just… ….”

“Just what?”

Maybe it was because he drank a lot, and his throat was dry even though he drank water and slept.

So, while he was speaking, his throat was blocked sometimes, making it difficult for him to speak clearly.

He was afraid to drink water at this time, and Hye-rim was eager for him to answer, so he quickly continued his words.

“That is… …. just… …. Because my noona wanted to use me as a pillow… ….”

“… … Does it make sense?”

“It’s true… ….”

“Yoon-woo, why would you give me such a nonsensical excuse… ….? Why did you hide from me that you’re dating unnie? Do you think I will do anything?”

In fact, even Yoon-woo thought it was a strange situation.

He won’t believe it if he is like her, too.

In order to protect Ji-eun’s honor, he would have to be good at making excuses, but he couldn’t explain enough because he didn’t know why Hye-rim was doing this.

He would have liked it if Ji-eun talked directly to Hye-rim, but she was sleeping soundly even in this situation.

“Hye-rim, hey, I know this sounds weird, but we’re not dating. And, it’s not going to happen in the future.”

She is Ji-eun and she never asked him to go out with her, and as for the latter, it makes perfect sense as it will never happen.

“It’s not going to happen? Then, Yoon-woo, how are you in noona’s bed?”

“Uh… …. Actually, I don’t even remember anything… …. When I came to my senses, I was like this, so I don’t know what happened… …. Also, Ji-eun noona doesn’t see me as a man, she just thinks of me as a pillow, so it’s okay. Don’t wake her up. ”

Before Yoon-woo could finish speaking, Hye-rim approached Ji-eun and started shaking her to wake her up.

“… … unnie. Unnie! Ji-eun unnie! Get up now!”

“Ah… …. How many times have I told you not to wake me up.…. OMG! Hye-rim-ah!?”

As soon as she saw Hye-rim, Ji-eun jumped up and got her body up like a cat that saw a snake.

“No, that, that, that, you know. Hye, Hye-rim, this isn’t it, it’s not like.… … .”

“I’ll listen, so speak calmly, unnie.”

For some reason, Ji-eun seemed to be more scared of Hye-rim than Yoon-woo.

Yoon-woo thought it was something else that was caused because of something he did, so he thought he should help Ji-eun not be unfairly scolded by Hye-rim, but… ….

I couldn’t help because I didn’t really know what was going on.

When he was young, when his mother and father were arguing, it was best for Yoon-woo to just shut his mouth and hide himself in an inconspicuous place.

This was because if he wandered in front of the two for no reason, the fight between the two of them would get more intense because of him, and he would be either kicked out or beaten.

I thought it was still the same. But he had nowhere to hide, so he decided to shut up.

“That’s… …. After hanging up with you yesterday… ….”

“By the way, was what you said on the phone call true? Or you were lying then too?”

“Ugh, of course not… …. And after that, nothing happened. Really… ….”

“It’s nothing, so why have you been hugging Yoon-woo so tightly? Unnie, are you okay? To be honest, what do you think I will do if you two are dating?”

“It’s not like that… …. And nothing happened, ok? As soon as I hung up the phone, I started drinking … …I thought about why I was sleeping on the sofa with the wide bed, so I just rolled over on the bed while sleeping next to Yoon-woo. Really… … .”

“You roll over in your sleep and hug and sleep with him like that? Even use his arm as pillows? Does that make sense?!”

“Uh… …. When I sleep, I usually hug a pillow, but I gave it to Yoon-woo to sleep on it yesterday. I thought I was feeling a bit empty when I was sleeping. So, I tossed and turned and hugged Yoon-woo’s arm, but as I slept, I started to stick… …. I didn’t even know I was sleeping with my legs on… ”

“Really? Didn’t you two just go to sleep after being exhausted?”

“Crazy, what the heck… …. What are you saying? Look! Yoon-woo and I are wearing tops and bottoms tightly!”

“… … Then, what about you, Yoon-woo? Yoon-woo, you’re not even dating her, so why would you let her use your arm as a pillow?”

Even though he was doing his best, the arrow returned to Yoon-woo.

“Uh… … What…?”

“Really? Yoon-woo, letting someone sleep with your arm as a pillow means nothing to you?”

“Yes, it’s nothing.”

Really, what is it worth?

Even the same action done by two different people has completely different values ​​from person to person.

The situation in which a celebrity holding a free hug sign is completely different from the situation in which a 130 kg middle-aged man holding a free hug sign, who smells bad after not washing for a few days, is completely different.

In the latter situation, people will complain, or even the police may come, depending on the location.

“Then, Yoon-woo, would you do it if I asked that for myself?”

“Uh, huh?! What are you saying Hye-rim?”

“Are you going to do it?”

“Uh… …. Why?”

“Why, what why? Will you do it or not?”

“Yes.”

“Okay? Then give me your arm, so I can lie down too.”

“Uh? Now?Really?”

“Why? Didn’t you say yes? You can give your arm to Unnie to sleep on but not me?”

He felt it when he went to the cinema and when he left Hye-rim to pay for his food, that Hye-rim never stops interrogating him until he comes up with a really valid answer, and until even a small question is completely resolved.

“Well, I slept without showering yesterday, and my body smells like alcohol… … .”

“Ji-eun unnie had the same conditions, didn’t she?”

“It’s not that I didn’t do it, but I didn’t know anything about arriving at Ji-eun noona’s room… … . If I knew, wouldn’t I have showered?”

“Right! Yoon-woo was sleeping, and he almost fell on the street, but I forced him to come into the house and make him sleep!”

Yoon-woo was grateful to Ji-eun for helping him.

To be honest, Hye-rim’s request was too burdensome.

Even if the king wanted something delicious, would he feel comfortable for the lower class to hand him over the scorched rice instead of gourd?

It won’t go down his throat because it’s dirty.

In fact, he would have thought the same if he was Hye-rim, but in the case of Hye-rim, there was no room for Yoon-woo’s intention to intervene.

“Okay? Then, whether Yoon-woo sleeps or rests, lie down and take care of yourself. Because I will forcefully hold you and make you my arm pillow whenever you lay down.”

“… … that’s a bit… ….”

Yoon-woo was speechless.

Is it compulsion if you do the act that you promised to do by force?

Isn’t that just a clever pun? Meanwhile, Ji-eun intervened.

“Hye-rim… …. Anyway, now you know that we two didn’t have anything going on, right? It’s not like we’re dating… ….”

“… … Are you two really not dating?”

“No, we are just friends. We are just close seniors and juniors.”

Last night it was a pillow, but within a few hours, he was promoted to a friend.

Do you really think they are friends? What is a friend?

Is Ji-eun the kind of person who just mixes words and calls anyone friends?

Even if that were the case, Yoon-woo met someone who called him a friend after a long time.

It really was a few years ago.

“Okay. I got it. When I think about it a bit calmly. … . None of your clothes are ruffled, and when I entered, there was nothing in your room’s trash can, and looking at Yoon-woo’s attitude, it doesn’t seem like that.”

“Isn’t it getting better now… …? Anyway, I’m glad you trusted me.”

The conflict between Ji-eun and Hye-rim seemed to have been resolved.

“But that’s it, Yoon-woo, why don’t you give me your arm to sleep on? Why are you only doing this to unnie! Why are you discriminating against people?!”

“Uh… … ?”

If the fight with Ji-eun is over, isn’t it right that this story should end together?

“(Yoon-woo, there’s no end to that, so just say you’ll do it later.)”

Ji-eun whispered. But Hye-rim had better ears than Ji-eun thought.

“Yeah, I promise there will be no end to this.”

“Hey… … .”

“Uh… … . okay. I will.”

What if there is no end?

Hye-rim is not angry right now.

Seeing Ji-eun and Yoon-woo lying down, she got angry and said whatever that came to her mind.

I’m sure she’ll forget about this as time goes by. This thought made me feel better… ….

“Yesterday, Ji-eun unnie hung up the phone at 10:30 pm and I came at 7:30… … About 9 hours. It’s 9 hours, okay? You can’t object to it later okay?”

“Uh… … ? Emm… … . Why… … ”