81 – Love (5)
081.
After finishing all the academy work,
Jin So-yeon visited her childhood friend’s house for the first time in a while.
A detached house of about 30 pyeong. Memories of playing there like it was her own house when she was young came rushing back.
It was an ordinary house, but because they had spent over 10 years together, memories with Lee Jin-hyuk permeated throughout.
“It was really fun back then.”
As a naive child, she was able to play without any complicated thoughts.
But at some point, the visits became less frequent and eventually stopped altogether.
“Is this the first time I’m visiting Jin-hyuk’s house after entering the academy?”
It really feels like it’s been a long time.
He must have felt quite lonely living alone in this spacious house, without his parents.
Just the thought of Jin-hyuk being abandoned in this house, without his parents, made her heart ache.
At that time, she had helped Jin-hyuk, who was lost in a sense of loss, in various ways, but in the end, he must have felt even more alone when he returned home.
Because Jin So-yeon had been somewhat neglected, she could empathize fully with Jin-hyuk’s feelings.
But now, he won’t be alone anymore.
Because she intends to be there for Jin-hyuk so that he won’t feel lonely.
“To be there for him.”
Suddenly, the thought of her visiting the home of a physically healthy adolescent boy alone gently brushed through her mind.
A house where there are no parents present, and a girl and a boy alone together?
Hm, hm.
Back in the day, whether she was with Jin-hyuk alone or not, she didn’t pay much attention to it, but once they started to be perceived as a boy and a girl, her cheeks started to blush inexplicably.
Her foolish heart is beating wildly again.
Ah, seriously.
Why is this happening, really!
Being alone with Jin-hyuk is not something that just started yesterday or today.
“…But. It seems that Jin-hyuk doesn’t really care.”
Is it true that only Jin So-yeon is conscious of being a boy and a girl?
Even though she stole a glance at Jin-hyuk, he had an expression that showed he didn’t really care, silently opening the front door.
He seemed to have no special thoughts about being alone with her. Once he liked her, but now he probably didn’t even think of her as a girl.
It’s a little sad to think like that.
But the sadness is only temporary.
Jin So-yeon shook her head to dispel negative thoughts. Yes, stop these foolish thoughts and think about how to confess.
Whatever happens, whatever the outcome, let’s give it a try.
“Ahem. Excuse me~.”
“You know there’s no one here.”
Jin So-yeon entered the house slowly, along with a slightly reluctant greeting.
And there, the beautiful patterns on the snowy white wallpaper and the ivory-colored floor caught her eyes.
In the living room, there was a luxurious sofa and a 65-inch wall-mounted TV. When Lee Jin-hyeok turned on the lights, a warm glow settled down, creating a subtle atmosphere.
What’s this? There are quite a few unfamiliar furniture pieces.
It was a familiar sight of a house, but at the same time, unfamiliar.
Jin So-yeon carefully looked around the house. They must have purchased various things with all that money they have.
“Did you buy all this with stocks?”
“Yeah.”
Lee Jin-hyeok nodded nonchalantly and casually placed his coat and bag on the sofa.
“But where did you get the money to invest in stocks?”
“Well, I have the inheritance. It’s in the range of billions.”
“…Ah, really?”
Jin So-yeon blinked her eyes rapidly.
Investing the inherited fortune in stocks?
Well, whatever, it’s their own decision on how to use their inheritance.
But investing such a fortune in stocks seemed uncomfortable in many ways, so Jin So-yeon had no choice but to erase her awkward expression.
If it were Jin So-yeon, she wouldn’t have treated the precious fortune like a gamble or something.
Because if things go wrong, she could lose all of her inheritance.
“Oh well. What’s with that look as if you’re looking at a gambler? Did you forget what special ability I have?”
“Uh… clairvoyance?”
Lee Jin-hyeok smiled and nodded.
“Thanks to that, I was able to make a fortune.”
Of course, there was no clairvoyance, but through the memories in the game, he was able to almost grasp the rise and fall of stocks, so it was somewhat similar to having clairvoyance.
“These days, I’m also investing in real estate. It’s the best to earn money without working, right?”
“…The Gold Inspection Bureau doesn’t know anything.”
“Hmph. What can the Gold Inspection Bureau do, anyway? It’s not like I committed fraud. Isn’t that right?”
“…If that’s not fraud, then what is it, hmph.”
Jin So-yeon pouted her lips in response to Lee Jin-hyuk’s playfully sarcastic comment.
“Anyway, are you hungry? Should I order food? I’ll treat. What do you want to eat?”
“Anything will do.”
“Are you sure you want me to order anything?”
Finally, Jin-hyuk suggested ordering raw fish, spicy soup, and sushi, and she nodded approvingly. Raw fish and sushi didn’t sound bad.
A little while later.
Ding-dong! The sound of the doorbell rang, and all of a sudden, the raw fish, sushi, spicy soup, and more were delivered.
Jin-hyuk and Jin So-yeon neatly set up the food on the table and took their seats.
“The drinks are in the fridge, so help yourself.”
“Do we have grape juice?”
“Well, it’s because we have children with different tastes.”
“Leave it.”
Jin So-yeon eagerly ran to the fridge and swung open the door.
But…
“There’s alcohol?”
Inside the fridge, wasn’t there a plethora of different types of alcohol? Well, what’s this?
Whiskey, soju, beer, and more. They were quite diverse, so Jin So-yeon couldn’t help but laugh. Alcohol? Minors are how…even if they have a hero license, it’s still not allowed!
“Oh, damn. I completely forgot there was alcohol.”
Jin-hyuk scratched the back of his neck.
As a social worker in his past life, he quite enjoyed alcohol, so he had bought various types of alcohol and put them in the fridge.
He wanted to try drinking them when he was bored.
“…Jin-hyuk?”
“Hmm?”
Jin So-yeon turned around with a smile.
Although her lips were curled upward, her eyes didn’t show any signs of laughter, giving off a rather eerie sight.
It felt as though her gaze was piercing through him.
Her expression was similar to a mother who had caught her young son secretly smoking.
“At your age, why are you drinking alcohol?”
“In Germany, you can start drinking at the age of 14.”
“But this is Korea? And how did you even get so much alcohol in the first place? This much.”
After softly asking Yu Seol-hyeon, she made an incredulous expression and sighed before providing it.
“Ah, Jinho, still, alcohol is a bit… alcohol.”
“Don’t overreact. Didn’t you secretly drink with the other kids during the math trip?”
“That’s different from this!”
Jin So-yeon furrowed her brows.
“Why did you buy this much alcohol….”
“I only drink a little on weekends. And it’s mostly beer, so it has low alcohol content.”
“And you’re telling me that now?”
Jin So-yeon, who was pressing her temples as if she had a headache, let out a deep sigh in the crevice of the window.
“Of course, I can’t lecture you on drinking, but still, Jinho, it’s a bit concerning.”
“Ugh, okay, I’ll drink a little, so just bear with it.”
“Whether I bear with it or not is none of your business. Sigh.”
Knowing well that he was complaining while worrying, Jin So-yeon didn’t strongly argue back.
It’s not like he was completely oblivious to the point where he would say in a confrontational tone, “What does it matter to you if I drink or not, even?”
As I mentioned, the two of them were like family.
A nagging like that was only to be expected from Jin So-yeon’s perspective, and from Jinho’s perspective, he could only listen.
“Drinking alcohol isn’t illegal, you know.”
“It’s not illegal? …Just because there’s no punishment regulation.”
“Then it’s fine.”
“In the first place, how did you get the alcohol, really.”
“Even if you report it, only the seller will be punished, you know?”
“If you report it to the academy, won’t you also be punished?”
“Are you saying that you would report the person who saved you at the risk of their own life? Ah, unless you’re an ungrateful person. Isn’t that right, So-yeon?”
Of course, it was Jinho’s fault that So-yeon was kidnapped, but still.
“Even if you can’t say anything, you shouldn’t be hateful. Sigh.”
Jin So-yeon thought about the alcohol that was in the refrigerator while tightly furrowing her brows.
Honestly, the Hero Trainees had bodies that were close to superhumans, so even if they drank a little, it wouldn’t cause any big problems.
However, for a hero trainee to secretly purchase alcohol, isn’t that crossing the line? Underage alcohol sales and consumption are illegal, illegal.
… Well, even so, Jin Soyeon wasn’t a person without any flexibility.
If the actions weren’t harming others, she could be considered quite understanding.
Furthermore, Jin Soyeon drinking alone at home, it seemed pointless to continue nagging her about it, and telling her to get rid of them now would only lead to an unnecessary argument.
‘… I was planning to confess subtly if the mood improved today, but if I keep nagging about the alcohol, the mood will only get worse. I have no choice. Should I just go for it now?’
Although Jin Soyeon secretly purchasing and drinking alcohol didn’t sit well with her, continuing to nag her about it would only damage their relationship.
After all, Jin Soyeon was currently listening obediently, but if she kept hearing nagging, she would become annoyed.
‘Why do you drink alcohol anyway?’
I remember trying the alcohol my mom gave me a few times, but it didn’t taste good, it made my head hurt, and it made me lose my senses… Huh? Wait a minute.’
‘Ah, come to think of it, there’s a saying that if you drink alcohol before confessing, you won’t shake.’
Commonly, there is a saying, ‘Alcohol gives you courage.’
It could be due to alcohol clouding judgment and reasoning, but it might be helpful for Jin Soyeon, who kept hesitating whether to confess today.
Using alcohol as a boost before confessing was something that only happened in dramas.
Coincidentally, there’s alcohol too, should I give it a try?
“… Jinho, are you going to drink now?”
“Well.”
Jin Soyeon glanced at the table.
Fresh raw fish and spicy seafood stew were prepared.
“To be honest, I do feel like having a little soju, but if you don’t like the smell of alcohol, you don’t have to drink…”
“No, I’ll drink.”
“Huh?”
Jin Soyeon brought the soju and beer from the fridge.
“Why beer?”
“Since we’re already here, let me try it too.”
“… You?”
“Yeah. Jinho, I’m curious about what kind of taste you prefer.”
“What about the academy tomorrow?”
“It’s a day off.”
“Well, I guess there shouldn’t be a problem with just beer. Honestly, beer isn’t really considered alcohol. It’s just a drink with alcohol in it.”
“… But that’s still alcohol, you idiot.”
Jin Soyeon stared at him as if puzzled, then finally grabbed a can of beer. Ugh, the smell of beer.
“Let’s make a toast, cheers.”
“Mm.”
With a wry smile, Lee Jinhyuk opened the beer can and teased her.
Honestly, I was a little worried about Soyeon drinking alcohol, but I let it go because I could somewhat anticipate why she was drinking.
Based on what I’ve seen so far, it seemed highly likely that Jinhyuk was thinking the same thing.
‘… By the way, wasn’t there a setting that Soyeon is weak to alcohol?’
But surely she wouldn’t get drunk after just drinking one can of beer, right?
The alcohol content of beer is at most 4.5%, right?
Compared to the makgeolli which children used to secretly drink in the past that had an alcohol content of over 6%, it was common sense to think that a hero trainee like Jinhyuk wouldn’t get drunk from just one can of beer.
***
“Ttak!” Hey! Jinhyuk! Aren’t you going too far these days? Always playing around with different girls!”
“….”
“Are you listening to me?! Hey!”
“….”
Jin Soyeon had been repeating nonsensical words with her face turning red since earlier.
What’s wrong with her,
Is she really drunk?
With just beer?
“Soyeon, are you pretending to be drunk? Right?”
“Hah! That’s right, I’m pretending to be drunk. So what?”
“… You have a bad drinking habit.”
“But I’m not actually drunk.”
“… Yeah, yeah.”
Jinhyuk chuckled bitterly and took a sip of his beer.
Along with the thought that he shouldn’t let Soyeon drink alcohol from now on.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Anyway, Soyeon, do you have anything to say to me?”
“Humph~ I don’t have anything to say.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
Jinhyuk locked eyes with Soyeon.
And she spoke softly, smiling.
“I thought you were going to confess something under the pretense of being drunk, didn’t I?”
“Aha, hahahaha… but I wouldn’t do such a thing, would I?”
In an instant.
Jin So-yeon’s body stiffened.
“Oh, just a moment, Jin-hyuk. What did you just say…?”
“I said that I thought you were going to confess something accidentally while pretending to be drunk, why?”
The words of the composed Jin-hyuk made Jin So-yeon’s confusion from the alcohol-induced tipsiness disappear in an instant.
“What, So-yeon likes you?”
Jin-hyuk rotated the beer can, smiling.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know at all?”
these two are always straight to the point lol
Omoshiroi