15 – Assist of alcohol (2)
Some minutes later.
A modest meal was laid out on the small coffee table placed in the middle of the living room.
Thankfully, most of the side dishes served were things sent by the mother at the main house.
Especially in the case of kimchi, we never ran out as she always sent various types.
The only thing I personally prepared was the main dish, stir-fried pork, placed at the very center of the table.
A man’s cooking.
It was a cost-effective meat dish that could be perfectly explained in just one line.
“This might be a little bit spicy, is that okay?”
“If it’s something you’ve made, I can eat anything. Even if it has loads of capsaicin!”
“But don’t overdo it.”
“hehehe, thank you, I’ll enjoy it~”
We then immediately started our meal.
This was my first time eating face to face with someone else in this house.
And this meal, with a girlfriend who ended up living with me somehow…..
Her mind was as simple as it gets, almost painfully so.
Well, eating isn’t anything spectacular, per se.
In dramas or comics, they always seem to spend more time doing anything other than eating, right?
But the woman in front of me, my girlfriend,
“mmm~! The stir-fried spicy pork you made is delicious, as well as the radish kimchi and stir-fried anchovies!!”
She was thoroughly relishing our house’s generous meal, tossing her chopsticks from one side dish to the next without a pause.
“Here’s some water.”
I passed her the glass of water that I had prepared earlier.
“I was just getting thirsty! Thanks, babe!”
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
“Pu─haa!”
Luina, having robustly downed the approximately 180ml glass of water in one go.
She was really finding pleasure in her meal, quite ordinarily.
And wholeheartedly.
“Were you really hungry?”
“Hm? Not really. We had lunch together earlier.”
Her words and actions were poles apart.
With my mouth agape,
I let my gaze drift to Luina’s nearly-empty rice bowl.
Only then did Luina seem to become aware of how voraciously she had been eating.
Her cheeks fiercely flushed, she forcefully placed her chopsticks down on the table.
“Ah, no, no! I’m not some kind of pig that eats a lot!”
“No one said you were…”
To add my own comment to this, apart from her bust and hips, Luina is exceptionally slim.
It’s almost peculiar.
“So, I mean, can’t I just be? It’s been so long since I’ve had a normal meal… I didn’t even realize how exciting it is to use chopsticks…”
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, that was true.
Luina had a condition that prevented her from having a decent meal.
She could hardly manage to eat within a horrifying 10-second limit.
“hehehehe. I wouldn’t have had this experience if it hadn’t been for you. I can’t thank you enough.”
“I’m sorry, Luina….”
“Eh? Why are you apologizing all of a sudden? Did I say something strange just now?”
“No, it’s not like that. Just eat a lot. There’s plenty.”
“Uh, uh-huh. And if I make a mistake or something, you need to tell me right away, okay? I’ll listen if you’re speaking…”
“You really didn’t do anything wrong. Here, let me give you another bowl.”
I casually touched Luina’s hand as I passed her the rice bowl, resetting the timer of her spell.
Luina accepted the refilled rice bowl and gave an awkward smile.
She truly was something else.
Just when I was about to forget, she always reminded me of the countless thoughts that filled my mind. She was my adorable and affectionate girlfriend.
After the meal was over, Luina actively helped me.
If I cleared the dishes, she wiped the table.
If I washed the dishes, she put them away.
Division of household chores was an experience I had never had before.
Tears were about to well up in the eyes of Jo Seong Hoon.
“Luina. You are really the best woman…….”
“Hmm…? I don’t quite understand what you mean, but I’m glad to be complimented♡”
Thanks to her, I quickly finished washing the dishes and promptly gave Luina lots of affection.
It was an emotion I had never felt in all the decades of living in my parents’ house.
If only my younger sister was even half like Luina…
When I was busy washing dishes, she might have casually hopped onto the sofa and leisurely watched TV.
Or if I was vacuuming, she might have lazily lifted her legs and munched chips.
Or perhaps she’d be angry why her underwear was mixed in with the laundry after a load of laundry.
Or on a day off, she might have woken up from the smell of cooking ramen, gulped it down and left.
Well, the last one doesn’t exactly relate to house chores, but anyway.
“Luina. You won’t get mad if your underwear gets washed with everything else, right?”
“I don’t think I will ever get angry with you……. U-underwear. hehehehe.”
“Ah…, uh-hem.”
I neglected and crossed a line without realizing it.
Subconsciously applying my sister’s character to Luina, I had to stop myself.
“Shall we take a break now and enjoy a leisurely drink?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Without any thought, I took out the items I had stored in the refrigerator.
Alright, now is the main event.
An opportunity to uncover hidden information about Luina.
I had finished preparing myself to dive into alcohol for the sake of my candid questions.
Luina was inspecting the chilled can of beer from different angles and touching it.
And then, while idly stroking the rim of the can with her fingertips, she playfully teased me.
“You’re not trying to do anything weird after getting me to drink this, right? Like, this. hehehe.”
“Wh-why would I do that!?”
I immediately refuted the accusation.
It really is just a process to rely a little on the power of alcohol to make conversation flow better.
I hadn’t even considered a rose-tinted scenario where the atmosphere would get a little more heated.
…Although I might have considered it, maybe just a minute amount.
“I don’t really mind if you do something weird, if it’s you…♡”
“E-Ehem!”
I’m being tested. A harsh test.
Of course, we’ve already crossed the barrier of a kiss a while ago.
Whether to proceed to the next stage is all up to…
Surely, even if I were to express my affection for Lucina after getting to know her better, it would not be too late.
No!!
On the contrary, I wanted to know everything about Lucina.
Even meaningless desires like s*xual appetite for the sake of a goal.
I could easily give in to it.
“Oh… Your expression seems determined.”
“Nah, it’s nothing. Shall we have a shot then?”
“Oh! That’s exactly what I wanted to do! Let’s take a shot!”
With a solid clink, two sturdy cans collided and made a resounding metallic sound.
Although the sound was completely different from what Lucina had expected from a shot, she still had a satisfied expression on her face.
“I always wanted to do this at least once. People clinking glasses in the nightlife.”
Ho-ro-ro-ro-ro-rok.
Lucina bravely downed her beer.
However, it was a bit too much for just one sip.
“Phew… If it weren’t for you, I couldn’t have done a shot or even hold the can for this long.”
“Is it a habit to drink a lot at once?”
“Yeah. If I’m going to drink, I have to finish it all within 10 seconds.”
As expected.
Even though everything was fine now that I was here, Lucina still conformed her actions to the limits she had set for herself.
“If I don’t handle everything carefully, poof! It will all disappear.”
As she murmured to herself with downcast eyes, there was a hint of sadness in Luina’s profile.
That saddened face soon leaned on my shoulder.
“I sincerely thank you, for making me an ordinary woman.”
“Luina….”
Watching Luina as she blushed, I took several sips of beer.
The drink that I had not tasted in a while was rapidly heating my head.
This guy was what they call a lightweight.
It’s the kind that gets drunk easily with just a little drink.
“I want to know more about Luina.”
“About me? Like, parts of my body?”
“No, not like that!”
Although I was getting drunk, my conviction would not waver that easily.
I gently stroked the shoulder of Luina who was close to me and continued speaking.
“All I know about you is that you’re Villain Luina. I just want to know more about the human Luina.”
“Oh… you mean that.”
“Is it a bit awkward to talk about?”
“Not at all. I’ll tell you if you want. After all, I can always cover the topic.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Let’s ignore what Luina casually slipped into the conversation.
“Oh, by any chance, is this because Team Leader Itaeseok asked you?”
“Team Leader Itaeseok? Why would that person suddenly come up?”
“Because he’s still out there.”
Right after Louisna’s muttering had reached my ears.
I had approached the living room window, heart pounding, looking down outside intently.
Just then.
A familiar black van timely started its engine and drove away.
“……..”
Swish!
I roughly drew the curtains shut.
Even if they are the ones helping us from the shadows.
It was a disease how they warned and kept us in confinement.
I absolutely had no intention of surrendering my privacy to such people.