Chapter 197 – Alcohol and Sex. Trees. (1)
“Why did you come?”
“Just… thought I might have a meal.”
She took a long plane ride just to have a meal.
“…Drinks?”
She nodded.
I smiled and pulled my face away. Lee Se-Young’s face, hidden in the shadows, sparkled in the light of the telephone pole. It was a dramatic expression, flushed with color.
“…You’ve become so damn cheesy.”
“Ah, whatever. Get up quickly.”
Lee Se-Young stood up, holding my hand, and vigorously fanned her face with her other hand. I hooked my arm around Se-Young’s arm, and she uttered a small sound of protest but accepted my affectionate gesture without resistance.
It was the kind of affectionate gesture the stars used to show me.
‘…To instill confidence.’
What should I do?
I decided to give it a go, my own way.
After all, our relationship wasn’t anything extraordinary resulting from a fateful encounter.
“…Hey.”
As we were walking arm in arm like lovers, Se-Young asked from beside me.
Now there was a slight height difference, so Se-Young had to look up at me.
“So, did you do it with her?”
“With Azalea?”
“Yeah.”
“Why would you ask something like that? Are you jealous, perhaps? …Ouch!”
– Thwack!
As I joked, immediate retaliation followed.
“Do you want to die?”
It felt like two of her fingers dug into my side.
Right… This is Lee Se-Young.
For a while, she had been so gentle that I mistook her for being meek.
As I released her arm, held my side, and feigned pain, Lee Se-Young looked at me with a mix of pity and disdain.
“You seem more serious, but in a way, nothing has changed about you.”
“I consider it a strength.”
“If being foolish is a strength, then I suppose it is.”
“Ouch!”
“…Why is this guy so popular? Heo Woo-dae is fine, so girls just flock to him. So, did you sleep with him?”
Should I ask whether or not she kept sleeping with Jindalrae? It was Lee Se-young who made such a fuss at the retreat. When I nodded without answering, Lee Se-young replied bluntly, “Is that so?”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“…Well, yes. He’s a man, after all.”
“Ugh, I thought he had his dick in place of his brain.”
“If I had accepted your confession back then, I doubt any of this would have happened.”
I asked, harboring resentment in my heart. Lee Se-young seemed to be looking back on that time as well, and she spoke with a hint of regret on her face.
“…Right. If I had known our plans would be canceled, I would have just lived happily with you.”
“Sweet and loving?”
“…Should I say squishy?”
“Hehehe.”
That wouldn’t be bad either, I thought.
Secretly meeting each other, I would do my job, and Lee Se-young would do hers. Then, after graduating from the academy, we would live as lovers.
Lee Se-Young was relatively free from the constraints of her family, so deciding on a marriage partner wouldn’t have been difficult.
And beyond all hardships.
A wedding to mark the end.
Having several children, including Shiba, and by that time Shiba would be older, so she would be able to take good care of the firstborn child.
It’s like a happy ending in a novel.
“Hey.”
Lee Se-Young whispered.
“Do you think my thoughts are idiotic too?”
“Which one?”
“When you scolded me during the retreat. Honestly, I was a little surprised then.”
“Ah… that one.”
Not saying anything to the person you like, and being hostile to Flower on your own.
I kept my mouth shut for a while.
Lee Se-Young’s eyes seemed uneasy.
Slowly, she opened her mouth.
“…Honestly, there are a lot of things I don’t understand.”
Unable to mix lies, I simply conveyed my opinion truthfully.
“I always seem to say this whenever the topic comes up. We haven’t known each other for very long.”
“…True. Even that was terrible.”
“From rape to sex. Then, falling in love and becoming lovers… It’s not an American movie, it’s astonishing. I can’t understand it by my standards. Suddenly dying in my place – this isn’t a fairy tale.”
I subtly let the truth slip.
“And I heard the story from Byul-noona.”
“…What?”
“What happened in the past. Those kinds of stories?”
“No, that Byul, she’s…”
“Don’t get angry. You’re talking to me right now. The teacher also told Byul-noona all about me.”
“…….”
Se-Young closed her mouth. She seemed to know very well what her mistake was.
The darkened shopping district.
And far away, only a bar open until late hours stood with its sign illuminated.
We continued our conversation as we headed toward that place.
“How much did you hear?”
“From when I was young, until I met Byul at the academy and graduated.”
“She said it all.”
Lee Se-Young grinding her teeth.
Still, it’s because she talks roughly, but she will cherish Byul.
As Lee Se-Young is about to die of affection for several months, it was clear that she also cherishes her relationship with Byul.
“Then have you been trying to hide it from me until now? I’ve told you everything.”
“That’s not true… It’s unfair to say that it came out of her mouth.”
“Really?”
Then you have to listen to it yourself.
I stopped in front of the bar and pointed at the door.
“Let’s hear it one more time, in detail over there.”
“What?”
It’s time to raise a glass, establish a relationship.
* * * * * * * * * *
“…No, what, is this a big deal?”
I got a room, and I ordered a lot of drinks and food.
I had a feeling this would last for quite some time, so I contacted Azalea in advance. After a long while, the teacher came to talk, and I informed her that I wouldn’t be returning home today.
– [Azalea]: (Emoji with a flower puffing out its cheeks)
– [Azalea]: ……Just this once.
She must have been notified as well.
To start, I poured a few glasses of soju for Lee Se-Young.
“Hey, do I really have to say it? You said you heard everything.”
“It’s different from hearing it directly. Drink it all. Go on.”
– Gulp.
Four shots of canned soju, one after another.
Lee Se-Young stuck out her tongue as if her mouth and stomach were stinging from downing it all at once.
It didn’t seem right to dive into serious matters immediately, so I began with more casual topics. As I drank a few glasses myself, I brought up the story about the star from earlier.
“Come to think of it… Byul said they would grant my sister a wish for helping me out. Is it a class reunion? I heard you’re going there.”
“A reunion? Ah… They’re strange. I know it’s stressful going, but I still attend.”
“Really?”
“Who would’ve thought that in middle school, there would actually be a destined partner! But now… there’s no need for me to go since you’re here. I just want to brag. Because you’re quite good-looking.”
I knew that.
Other than that, there wouldn’t be a reason to suddenly call for a reunion.
Truthfully, Byul had mentioned that was her intention.
“Byul’s charm is that she doesn’t hide her true feelings.”
“Hmm. I admit.”
Lee Se-Young agreed with me.
Then, she glanced at me, curious or perhaps harboring her own suspicions.
“…So. What are you doing behind my back?”
“It’s what the teacher intended to do.”
At my words, she narrowed her brow and let out a sigh.
“Do you realize how dangerous it is?”
“As long as I don’t encounter any higher-ups.”
“Have you witnessed a fight?”
“Yes.”
The first incident involved a pitiable group of fanatics.
The second time, I had to beg for help from the Ents. But from the third attempt onwards, I was able to hold my own, even against the deputy executives.
However, there was no way Lee Se-Young could have known about this.
*Thud.*
Se-Young downed her soju in one gulp, then picked up a piece of pineapple and put it in her mouth. She chewed it aggressively.
“…It’s too dangerous.”
“Dangerous, you say?”
“Flower, it’s not like you’re dealing with some foolish kids, nor is it just clearing widespread dungeons… These people treat human lives as if they were cattle in a slaughterhouse.”
She spoke up to that point, then suddenly seemed to feel that she had gone too far. Lee Se-Young closed her mouth.
“Ah… I’m sorry. I meant to just have a drink, but this conversation took a turn.”
I understood her concern. After all, wasn’t I worrying about Lee Se-Young in the same way? I filled Se-Young’s soju glass to the brim.
“I won’t die. Please, just focus on your own matters.”
“…Alright.”
She didn’t look entirely convinced.
Instead, it seemed like there was much to say, yet it appeared as though he was holding back. But having met after such a long time, he seemed to accept the situation, choosing to enjoy the present moment rather than dwell on bitter memories.
If left unchecked, there might come a day when the situation becomes too much to handle. What should be done about this person?
‘There is one method, however.’
It’s a somewhat underhanded approach. But it is also certain and fitting for the current situation. Although it means bestowing Lee Se-Young with a responsibility. It was more appropriate than suddenly stepping out of sight and engaging in a battle with the Flower.
– Glug.
Only after emptying about two bottles of soju each did Se-Young’s face show signs of intoxication.
How have you been? Just, well, doing what you always do. Anything dangerous? How could my job not be dangerous?
As the conversation flowed with such casual topics, I subtly changed the subject.
“Should we start reminiscing about the past?”
“Do I really have to talk about that?”
Se-Young, seemingly still hesitant, pursed her lips and wore a troubled expression on her face. Nonetheless, perhaps due to having had a drink, her countenance appeared somewhat more relaxed than before.
It needed to be said. Their time together had been brief, and they still had much to learn about each other. Se-Young might have believed she knew enough, but that wasn’t the whole story.
“Um…”
Lee Se-Young hesitated for a moment before gradually starting to unravel her bundle of stories one by one.
She described the life she had lived, the treatment she had received, and how she had struggled through manual labor, moving from place to place all by herself.
Thanks to her detailed account, the narrative Se-Young shared didn’t stray far from what I already knew. It was more about the emotions she had experienced during specific events in her life. Throughout our conversation, I continued to empathize with her.
“That must have been difficult.”
“Goodness, I can’t believe it.”
Our dialogue flowed like a heartfelt exchange, with a touch of empathy added to Se-Young’s otherwise dry recollection of events.
Of course, that alone drastically changed the atmosphere of the story, making it feel as if she was recounting a scene from a film that led directly to a tragic ending.
Melodrama.
If Lee Se-young’s life could be distilled into a single word, that would be it.
“…That’s all.”
She was rough, prone to cursing, yet despite her bark-like, thick exterior, she had an incredibly soft interior.
That’s why Lee Se-young never tried to let go of someone who had once touched her heart.
‘If it’s fortunate, then it’s fortunate.’
If the person she had met back then hadn’t been as kind-hearted as Byul, or if she had met someone else and been betrayed by that person as well – would she have truly become a villain when she met me? Upon reflection, just before the attempted rape, she had indeed been the villain, trying to steal my treasured keepsake.
“Did I miss any part of the story?”
“Can you still ask that, looking at my face?”
Embarrassed or saddened, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. There was nothing more heart-wrenching than her recounting the miserable life she had led.
“Ha ha ha. You’ve had a tough time, haven’t you?”
“…Are you sympathizing with me now? Ugh.”
Se-Young tapped my shin with her toe.
I continued speaking with a smile.
“You don’t go around taking advantage of other kids these days, do you? You can’t defend that. Neither can I.”
“Hey, that… I don’t do that anymore. I haven’t done anything since I met you.”
“You just need to be good from now on.”
Lee Se-Young let out a sigh.
She seemed to be reflecting on the narrow-minded life she had lived in the past.
It was indeed wrong.
And a crime.
I couldn’t say anything, having committed the same.
After all, both she and I were people from the shadows.
I reached out and brushed her bangs to the side.
Her familiar green hair made me realize that I, too, had become a part of this world.
The hair color didn’t bother me anymore.
Lee Se-Young accepted my touch without saying a word.
In fact, she brought her face closer as if asking for more.
I touched her soft cheek once and then pulled my hand away.
“Let’s put an end to the somber stories now.”
That should be enough.
From the moment she shared her story with me, she must have felt something to some extent.
I thought I understood why Lee Se-Young had gone to such lengths for me.
It felt as if her heart had slightly eased.
Now that I think about it, perhaps it was wrong to even try to understand in the first place.
They say it’s impossible to truly empathize with another person’s thoughts. Isn’t that the kind of serious talk that often comes up?
I believe that’s true.
I received love without reason, so I must reciprocate.
“Cheers.”
I raised my soju glass.
Lee Se-Young gazed at me intently, sighed, and then lifted her glass as well.
“Cheers.”
The two soju glasses clinked together in the air.