CH 332

“Han Yi-gyeol.”

As soon as I entered the living room, Kim Woo-jin rushed to me carrying something. It seemed he had been waiting for me to come back.

“Try drinking this.”

“What is it?”

The glass was filled with a reddish tint of wine. Did he make cocktails?

Kim Woo-jin, who blushed slightly at my puzzled appearance, said shyly.

“You said you didn’t like cola mixed with soju. So I made it.”

“Oh, really?”

After taking a sip, the moderately sweet and refreshing taste spread throughout my mouth. It tasted much better than the cola that Park Geon-ho made roughly.

“How did you make it?”

“Mixing the juice and alcohol in moderation. It’s not difficult.”

After hesitating for a while, Kim Woo-jin opened his mouth again.

“I learned it at the store. That, the bartender you know. The tattooed on the neck one…”

“……”

In the explanation that followed, I also thought of someone like Kim Woo-jin. Right. The two of them used to talk pretty friendly.

I forcibly erased the bitter smile that came out without me knowing and tapped Kim Woo-jin’s shoulder lightly.

“It’s delicious. Thanks, I’ll drink it.”

Looking back now, it was a miraculous time. That my precious people in the present met, laughed, and chatted with my precious people of the past.

Of course, the end was painful and terrible, but… it was an event that I couldn’t stop by myself and it was already in the past, so I thought it was important to put down a little bit of heavy heart and accept it.

When I returned to my seat, sipping the cocktail glass given to me by Kim Woo-jin, empty bottles were lying around in the living room. I couldn’t believe that more than half of the alcohol was gone…

I stared at Park Geon-ho and Cheon Sa-yeon, who were drinking like water endlessly. Ha Tae-heon and Woo Seo-hyuk, who sat in front of them and drank as soon as the glassed were filled, were the same.

“Ahaha, really?”

Min Ah-rin, who smiled brightly in a tone that was about half higher than usual, was also clearly to be drunk. Time had passed and the food on the table was showing some bottom, so it would be good to organize the seats by looking at the time.

‘Has it achieved its original purpose…’

I looked closely at Cheon Sa-yeon and Ha Tae-heon, Park Geon-ho and Woo Seo-hyuk. But the four of them just kept drinking and they didn’t look drunk at all.

They should get a little drunk to give their honest feelings and get closer, but I was dying of frustration. The four of them, who were no different than the reason for creating this place, showed no sign of changing, so I let out a sigh.

Alright, how could I get a satisfactory result on the first shot? Still, the overall atmosphere wasn’t bad this time around, so I thought it would be okay to try a second attempt later when I had time.

When I drank Kim Woo-jin’s cocktail while planning the second party in my head, the glass was soon empty. It wasn’t a small cup, but the amount must have been quite a bit and maybe it was because the drinking speed was fast, so when I finished drinking it, my head started ringing.

‘I shouldn’t drink anymore.’

I knew right away that my body reached its limit. It was a problem even if the alcohol tasted too good. If it wasn’t for the limit how much I could drink alcohol, I would ask Kim Woo-jin the drink one or two more.

When I was contemplating how to end this party, putting down my drink to relieve my disappointment, the refreshing scent of lilies passed my nose. Sararak, Elohim’s long silver hair shone in the light of the room.

“Se-hyun-ah.”

“Yes?”

I could feel an ominous feeling for an unknown reason from Elohim’s face, who smiled as he looked at me. What is it? Is it just imagination?

“Actually, there’s something I want to show you.”

“You want to show me?”

Elohim picked up a new clean glass and a water bottle from the corner of the table. Then, the glass was filled with water from half to a little more.

“In the past, when we were together at the temple, there were a lot of things we had already made, so we couldn’t show them.”

Elohim raised his arm so that I could clearly see the water in the transparent glass. Soon after, the red colour of the water in the glass began to flow and the colour began to change rapidly.

Before long, the water had completely turned a deep red colour. In that state, Elohim handed me the cup.

“Maybe this is… wine?”

“Yeah.”

As soon as I received the glass, I was greeted with a bitter wine aroma. My mouth opened automatically to the extraordinary sight I had never seen in my life. I couldn’t believe that ordinary water turned into wine with such a fragrant aroma.

“Wow, it’s so amazing. Is this an ability?”

“It is the ability that only me and Elahah have.”

Following Min Ah-rin, who couldn’t hide her surprise, Park Geon-ho asked.

“Of many alcohols, you chose wine… it’s extremely religious. Can I have another drink?”

“No. There’s only one drink available.”

It was the wine I drank only once while staying at the temple. It was very tasty. As I reflexively shut my mouth again, Elohim slowly crossed his arms and opened his mouth.

“Drink it, Se-hyun-ah.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s my gift.”

A gift? But I, who was already drunk to the limit, smiled awkwardly and shook my head.

“That, why am I drinking it now…”

“I purposely made it lighter than last time.”

“……”

Elohim looked at me with anticipation. Confused, I slowly looked around.

As expected, everyone was waiting for my choice with a curious look. The glass of wine in my hand grew heavier and heavier.

‘How can I refuse this…’

It had been a while since I had gotten more comfortable, but anyway, Elohim was far superior to me… nothing like me, and in this case, he paid the price for us to help and made it lighter on purpose.

Elohim’s image, who was struck by lightning and collapsed with his body covered in blood, kept stabbing my conscience. He had suffered so much and wanted to spend time with us, so he wasn’t fully healed yet, but I didn’t have the courage to say no because I was so grateful to Elohim who came.

“…thank you for the drink.”

When I answered after a lot of thought, Woo Seo-hyuk, who stood behind Elohim and watched the situation, touched his forehead and Park Geon-ho let out a small sigh. I was embarrassed by the reaction of the two people who knew my drinking habits and helped me completely as I lost my mind.

“I’m glad you liked my gift. You like the wine I made.”

“Yeees…”

It was true that I liked it. To be honest, the last time I drank it at the temple, I thought it was the first time in my life that I had tasted such a delicious wine.

So, even in the current situation where I was forced to receive it, I was honestly a little happy. The wine made with Elohim’s ability was perfect.

I swallowed my tears and put my mouth on the glass. The dark wine aroma spread through my mouth.

* * *

Seeing Han Yi-gyeol receiving Elohim’s wine, Woo Seo-hyuk sighed inwardly.

Han Yi-gyeol, who drank the alcohol Kim Woo-jin gave him, was in a state of dread. His slightly flushed cheeks and a strangely limp body showed his limitations.

It must have been a long time since the limit had already been crossed even before drinking wine that seemed to have a high alcohol content just by looking at it. The good news was that he was still sitting quietly and drinking.

To be honest, Woo Seo-hyuk didn’t want Han Yi-gyeol to receive wine. He struggled to swallow the warning not to drink that came up to the end of his throat… It was thanks to the reason that remained until the end.

He wouldn’t dare to stop what Han Yi-gyeol had done. It was a decision that Han Yi-gyeol made after much thinking, so all he could do was respect his choice and help him not to suffer as much as possible.

“Han Yi-gyeol, are you okay?”

Cheon Sa-yeon, who was sitting opposite Han Yi-gyeol and watching the situation, asked quietly.

Woo Seo-hyuk wasn’t the only one who looked at his condition with a nervous look. Except for Elohim, who was smiling all the time, everyone in the room was paying attention to Han Yi-gyeol, with expectations and concerns about how Han Yi-gyeol would change.

“Of course, I’m fine.”

The answer that came naturally was the same as usual. The calm voice, the eyes that stared straight at Cheon Sa-yeon, and the unshakable hands were fine, not like a drunken person.

Was he really okay? That was when Woo Seo-hyuk had a ray of hope.

Han Yi-gyeol, who had blinked his eyes, suddenly smiled softly towards Cheon Sa-yeon. The smile created the illusion that he was shining.

“……”

Cheon Sa-yeon was also quite surprised by the smile of affection that was poured out on him, so he couldn’t respond and was mesmerized. The team members who saw it thought the same thing at the same time.

‘He’s indeed drunk.’

Woo Seo-hyuk, who became complicated, touched his forehead. He could tell that Park Geon-ho, who had a dry face, felt the same way even if he didn’t have to say it.

Fortunately, Han Yi-gyeol still had the spirit to answer. He drank more than half of the wine so there was only a little left. He drank the leftover wine and thought that it would be good to do anything whether he went into the bathroom or the bedroom.

“Yi-gyeol-ssi, are you okay?”

“Of course.”

Min Ah-rin must have been insane because she drank too much, but in the meantime, she was worried after she noticed that Han Yi-gyeol’s condition was unusual. Surprisingly, Han Yi-gyeol answered again with a smile on his face.

“Han Yi-gyeol, first…”

It was at that moment when Park Geon-ho, who was anxious, finally couldn’t stand it and was about to intervene to put down the wine he had in his hand.

Clack.

Before Park Gun-ho could speak, Han Yi-gyeol put the glass down on the table first. Then he started unbuttoning his shirt one by one as if it was quite normal.

“…Han Yi-gyeol.”

“Yes?”

Ha Tae-heon, who narrowed his eyes at the shocking sight, slowly and accurately asked a question as if to confirm something.

“Why… are you unbuttoning it all of a sudden?”

Han Yi-gyeol was currently wearing only a white shirt. He must have known that, too, but he replied with a slight hint of insignificance.

“It’s hot.”

“……”

After hearing the answer, Ha Tae-heon didn’t know where to start and what to point out. In the meantime, Han Yi-gyeol, who was unbuttoning the buttons without hesitation, didn’t realize at all that his behaviour was strange.

He was shocked and hated it when he heard that others had seen his body and he had a habit of taking off his clothes when he got drunk. Somehow, a headache came over and Ha Tae-heon touched his forehead just like Woo Seo-hyuk.