Chapter 50 – There’s Always Trouble at a Drinking Party (3)

– My resolve is lacking.
– I used to be far more desperate… Could it be because of that incident?
– I understand that you’re troubled, but there’s nothing I can do.
– Don’t be complacent. How can the person who will eventually lead the Jinmok Group be incapable of taming even a single high-level spirit?

Exhausted.

Rubbing her aching shoulders, Azalea enters her dorm room.

– Sigh.

A lifeless climbing bag falls onto the entryway floor. Half-dead, Azalea yawns deeply and opens the refrigerator.

“Chocolate…”

She takes the chocolate from the refrigerator and puts it in her mouth. A sweet wave of satisfaction washes over her.

Savoring the taste while rolling the chocolate in her mouth, she carelessly removes her damp clothes and collapses onto the bed. The blanket, which usually felt ordinary, now feels like heaven.

“Ahhhh…!”

During her last mentor class, Azalea had to endure a grueling schedule on Spirit Mountain. Strength training was basic, and she completed dozens of magical power enhancement sessions, which forced her magic circuits into overdrive.

Additionally, there was the adaptation training for lignification…

In a hazy state, Azalea wearily closed her eyes.

‘I need to wash up.’

She was sleepy, but there was no help for it. The demanding schedule and long flight left her not wanting to move even a fingertip.

‘…Let’s wash up tomorrow. It’s a holiday anyway.’

Today was Friday. While cadets could be called from the Jeongjinban, it was unusual for them to be summoned on weekends. Missing it once or twice wouldn’t be a problem.

As she thought about this, Azalea felt her consciousness gradually slipping away amidst her drowsiness.

At that moment.

– Ring-ring~

Startled by the sound of the bell, her body twitched like an aspen tree.

“Ugh. Who on earth is it at this hour?”

Rubbing her half-closed eyes, she checked the screen of her smartphone.

[Si-woo]

…Jung Si-woo.

“Ah.”

A soft sigh escaped her lips.

Now that revenge had come to an end, he was a man left with only a sense of guilt for the information shared among friends. Of course, it didn’t mean he was a bad person. Si-woo was a good person by anyone’s standards.

The Jung Si-woo she knew was a man who could readily offer kindness to anyone. Azalea could no longer bring herself to treat him the way she once did.

Despite everything, Azalea had, in the end, tried to exploit Jung Si-woo’s honor and power for her own purposes. In her own view, her guilt was indeed severe. Consequently, even due to that guilt, she couldn’t treat him with genuine sincerity.

Thus, eventually, she donned a layer of mask, just as she had done before.

Forcing herself to speak informally, or playfully engaging in jokes. Azalea was not one to casually speak informally in relationships with others. As for joking around, it was something she would not do without reservation.

Rather, it suited her nature to treat each other with respect and gradually get to know one another.

In essence, all the spirited facades she had shown Si-woo up until now were nothing but fabrications.

These were merely contrivances crafted to advance their relationship—
the most crucial weapon in human interactions: acting.
However, weapons didn’t always yield positive outcomes.

– Startled –

“Ah, hey Azalea. Did you have a good time?”

A familiar voice reached her ears.
Azalea pulled her smartphone away and cleared her throat once.
Then, she spoke with a casual tone, as if addressing a childhood friend.

“Uh, what’s up?”
“No big deal, we’re just having a drink and about to head for the second round. Wanna join?”

Alcohol, huh…
She would have joined them tomorrow, but she was too exhausted at the moment.
This time, she spoke sincerely.

“…I just got home, you jerk.”
“Oh, really? It’s pretty fun here, though.”
“Mm, I’d rather get some sleep.”

With the phone nestled between her shoulder and ear, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. She thought she should hang up and get some rest.

[I called Si-heon after such a long time. Ah…]

The name of a man that reached Azalea’s ears.

‘Lee Si-heon?’

That name was something she could never forget, even in death.

A man who approached her first despite her skepticism about human relationships. A mad and peculiar person who leaped into her life with the mere thought of becoming friends. And lately… the person who occupied her thoughts the most.

Ah. Sleep had abandoned her. Azalea licked her dry lips and spoke to him with a teasing tone.

“Where are you?”

Today. Did she have any pretty clothes?

* * * * *

The karaoke room they arrived at for the second round exuded a very familiar atmosphere.

A karaoke room that seemed as if it had been directly replicated from a facility in Korea.

In truth, the establishment was more fittingly described as a karaoke or room bar than a mere karaoke room.

A dedicated kiosk for the sofas and tables was arranged in a reasonably spacious room. There were no windows, and the soundproofing was excellent, so there seemed to be no concern about any song leaking out.

“Who wants a drink?”

As soon as he sat down, Si-woo cheerfully called for drinks. Admiring his demeanor, I raised my hand.

“Me.”
“Okay. Next.”

“I’ll have chocolate milk.”
“Me too.”

Gu-seul raised her hand and shouted for chocolate milk, and Su-young, who was sitting next to me, chimed in. Most of the men who had followed the news of Azalea’s arrival seemed eager to drink.

Not long after placing our orders, a generous serving of snacks and alcohol arrived.

All that remained was to determine who would take hold of the microphone…

“Who wants to sing?”

Si-woo threw out the question. Having no song to sing, I remained silent.

In the past, back on Earth, I would have sung a familiar ballad, but in this world, there were no songs that I knew.

There were a few songs I had learned by meticulously studying YouTube videos. However, when asked if I could sing them, I hesitated. It was certain that no matter how I tried, I wouldn’t be able to perform them well.

“Me, me!”

Nonetheless, I felt relieved that those around me didn’t seem particularly interested in singing.

“Shall we start with Gu-seul then?”

Ah.

With my left hand, I manipulated my smartphone while my right hand controlled the status window. If I tried my luck now, would a talent related to singing emerge? Perhaps a magical voice or something similar.

As I searched for a song to passionately sing, Gu-seul’s performance began.

[AIST – “Gu-seul’s Rain”]

It was a song and melody I had never encountered before. My face stiffened with surprise, and Si-woo offered me an alcoholic drink.

“Cheers.”

…Let’s drink first.

– Cheers!

One glass of soju.

I picked up a piece of fish cake and ate it. Soon, Gu-seul’s lively voice tickled my ears.

“Make some noise!!!”
“Wow!”

Siwoo clapped his hands together and cheered loudly. Seeing that as the popular thing to do, I followed suit.

Upon noticing the enthusiastic response, Guseul chuckled and then began to sing with sincerity.

“In this world, there is you…”

Her melodious voice filled the room as she clapped intermittently and tilted her glass.

Men were captivated by the serious expression on Guseul’s face, a departure from her usual lively demeanor.

“Are you not going to reserve a song?”

Sooyoung poked my shoulder with her index finger. As I turned my head, I saw her holding out the remote control with a straw clenched between her teeth.

Unable to bring myself to enter a song I couldn’t sing, I decided to be honest.

“I can’t sing.”

“Ah, it’s okay. Just pick one song.”

Sometimes, a kind word can feel burdensome. As I pursed my lips and expressed my determination, she laughed heartily.

“Ha, what’s with that face? Let’s just drink.”

Sooyoung raised her glass.

“Cheers, hurry up.”

– Cheers.

After drinking so much, her mind grew hazy. She drank while flirting and hanging out with men. The alcohol in this world was quite potent, which made her feel even more intoxicated.

She poured and drank for a while.

As Gu-seul’s second song ended, a large man stepped onto the stage. Gu-seul approached the seat next to Sooyoung, making a V sign with her hand and offering it.

“Hey, how was I?”
“You sang really well.”
“Hehehe.”

A cheerful and lively melody played behind Gu-seul’s smiling face. Her unique sensibility, gained through years of experience, was evident. Sooyoung stopped talking to Gu-seul and stared blankly at the man in front of her.

**【Ai Aatsuka – Sakuranbo】**

Otaku.

‘Insane.’

“Phew-“

He took a deep breath and-

“Aisiau!!!!!!!!!!”

As if unleashing a wicked scream, he poured out the full force of his impressive singing talent.

* * * * *

Makeup. A pretty dress! Today’s most important activity with him:

‘Drinking with friends!’

Groggily waking herself up and getting dressed, Dallae confidently swung open the door to the karaoke room where they were meeting.

– Squeak.

The scene that unfolded before her eyes:

“Atashi Sakuranbo!”

A veritable cauldron of despair, if one were to describe it.

The first thing she saw was the plump Oh Deok-ha and the men with roaring laughter, passionately singing Japanese songs with enthusiastic claps. Following them were Si-woo and Soo-young, wearing bitter smiles on their faces.

Gu-seul cheerfully shook the tambourine, while Si-heon laughed, as if striking gold with every chuckle.

Azalea, who had been wearing a stern expression, smiled brightly upon seeing Si-heon’s mask.

She had to sit beside him. She wanted to share complaints and drink together as friends. And when the atmosphere was ripe, they would become more than just friends – they’d be close friends! That desire alone had brought Azalea here.

However, another woman had already taken the seat next to Si-heon. She seemed to be subtly clinging to him.

“Did you come, Azalea?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

While giving a vague answer to Si-woo’s question, Azalea gazed at Si-heon with a bewildered expression.

That woman… was her name Kim Soo-young? But why was she acting so close to Si-heon?

‘It must be their first time meeting today.’

Si-heon was looking at the far side of the karaoke room, where Oh Deok-ha was standing, wearing a rare smile.

So, he could smile like that too.

At the same time, the closeness between the two seemed almost too intimate. It wouldn’t have been as surprising if Gu-seul had been friends with him for a long time, but the fact that Soo-young was close to him was truly astonishing.

She compared the distance between herself and Si-heon to that between Soo-young and him. She felt disheartened for a moment, but quickly resolved to change her mindset.

She too wanted to become close friends quickly. After all, wasn’t that the purpose of this gathering?

“Azalea, what are you doing standing there so absentmindedly?”

Startled by Si-woo’s voice, Azalea’s eyes widened. The male students sitting next to him pointed to their seats, inviting her.

“Come here. Over here.”

The seat was on the completely opposite side from Si-heon. Although she was reluctant, she couldn’t refuse the invitation.

“Y-yes, I guess.”

In the end, she found herself seated next to a young man whose name she didn’t even know. She could feel curious gazes upon her, but she didn’t mind.

She had come to become closer, yet she felt as if she had been exiled.

– Cheers!

Sooyoung and Siheon clink their glasses together. Gu-seul and Si-woo are also present, but only those two appear in Azalea’s eyes.

Something feels off.

“Are we drinking? Can I speak informally?”
“Go ahead.”
“Oh, that’s bold.”
“And let’s drink.”

Something is needed to soothe her burning insides.

Without looking at the glass skillfully being filled and offered to her, she clinks it and downs the shot.

One glass, two glasses, three glasses.

It wets her chest, not her mouth.

“Wow, why do you drink so well?”
“Are you impressed?”

The men beside her speak in voices half surprised and half in awe. Azalea discreetly touches her forehead and extends her glass.

“One more drink.”
“Hey, are you okay? You said you were tired.”
“I’m fine.”

Despite Si-woo’s disapproval, she keeps drinking. She feels slightly tipsy, but her carefully honed manner of speech remains intact.

She just drinks.

“Shall I comfort you?”
“Make it wet.”

Could two bottles have gone straight into the stomach?

Perhaps due to fatigue, my vision started to gradually blur.

‘…Ugh.’

By the time I realized I was intoxicated, it was already too late. My sight skewed slightly. I heard a voice whispering into my ear.

-Should I comfort you? Why is she suddenly like this?
-She must have been under a lot of stress. It must have been tough, but I pushed too hard.
-Is that so… I’m sorry, what should I do?

Si-heon defending himself. He’s still such a pushover.

‘A kind person.’

He is a genuinely good person, to the point where he’s too embarrassed by yesterday’s mistake. A different person than myself who tries to exploit others whenever given the chance. And still, I want to become close.

I’m truly a selfish woman.
Closing my eyes with such thoughts in my drunken state.
.
.
.
-Si-heon.
-…Huh…?
-…Un…wrap…it.

.
.
.
.
A large hand wraps around my thigh.

The broad back brushed against the tip of his chin, and instinctively, he pressed his cheek against it.

His body swayed up and down at regular intervals. As he lifted his heavy eyelids, his vision wavered.

He could see a sidewalk block. The cool morning air cleared his mind.

Was someone carrying him?

“Uh.”

He groaned from the headache, and the man carrying him spoke up.

“Awake now?”

“…Huh?”

He widened his eyes at the recognizable voice, even in his inebriated state.

“Siheon, is that you?”

“You’re still using honorifics.”

Siheon’s slightly slurred speech made him appear as though he had cast something off, looking quite bright. It felt as if he had shaken away his worries and concerns with alcohol.

“Are you more awake now?”