Wanna Eat Chicken? (2)
Something was off. No matter how much Ppase had earned Lena's recognition, this was too much. What the hell was Lena thinking, suddenly inviting some outsider dude to her house?
"Uh... is big bro Elpi home?"
Lena, who had been leading the way with light steps, stopped dead in her tracks.
"Not right now."
Ppase bit his lip, as if a bad memory had surfaced.
"Then... he's coming back soon...?"
"......Probably not soon."
".............But is it okay if I go?"
"What do you mean 'is it okay'? Of course it is—what kinda question is that?"
But even Ppase, who had been about to raise the issue, realized it right away. Her eyes held only a desperate plea to just hang out with her.
"It's been forever since I brought a friend home. I've been alone for way too long."
Her flat tone carried a hint of loneliness. It reeked of adult maturity—the kind that hid pain behind a casual facade. Could he refuse her? No way in hell.
"Tch... fuck it. Let's go!"
The chicken box had been handed off to Lena ages ago. Ppase was now carrying a bag with a bottle of vodka and a 500ml beer can.
"But is that booze gonna be enough?"
"Yeah. That's plenty."
"You're a lightweight, huh?"
"Not a lightweight... I mean, I'm not!"
"Whatever, who cares how much you drink. Point is, it's our first New Year's party in forever~."
Lena flashed a goofy grin and did a little shoulder dance. She had no clue what she was doing right now. She'd been friendless for so long, apparently. Ppase showing up with chicken on New Year's must've made her day.
Yeah. No point comparing noona to that bitch Mingryu...
Ppase shoved down the rising PTSD. He trusted Elpi and Lena. Had either of them hit him up for collabs or cash from the jump? Nope. Had Lena gotten all flirty and forced skinship on him? Nope. Friends. That's all they were—friends who'd met through Elpi and lived nearby.
"You must have glasses at home since you like booze so much."
"Glasses?"
"Isn't collecting glasses a thing for booze hounds?"
"...Huh."
Lena tilted her head, deep in thought. Clearly not.
"No glasses. But I got a pourer."
"A pourer?"
"I always finish the whole bottle anyway. No need for glasses."
A bottle of vodka was roughly four bottles of soju. She'd said her limit was three and a half soju, so it lined up. Talk about a body optimized for vodka.
"Like... a straw or something?"
"You'll see when we get there."
"Now I'm curious."
The alley between the tall walls looked the same as before. But Lena easily found her place and swung open the gate. Even the door lock screamed luxury. High-end house vibes.
Lena headed straight up the stairs to the second floor. First floor was probably big bro Elpi's turf. In a house with just the two of them, they'd have their own spaces.
A quick glance revealed a spacious garden. The kind you'd kill to live in. Well-kept little trees and a pond caught the eye. But what the hell was that?
The unidentified stone tower smack in the middle of the garden.
"What's with that weird rock pile...?"
"Dad's hobby."
"—Whoa! No wonder it looks so grand and cool."
Ppase nearly fucked up. He let out a sigh of relief and closed the gate, hurrying after Lena up the stairs. That's when the tower's scale really hit him. How many stones was that? It'd be taller than him soon.
Lena reached the second-floor landing first and punched in the code—beep beep beep. Door unlocked, swung open.
She kicked off her sneakers haphazardly and bounded inside.
"Crispy yummy crispy chicken~♪"
By the time Ppase caught up, the crispy chicken CM jingle was echoing from her mouth.
"Fried batter delicious crispy chicken~♪"
Good that she liked it, but honestly, he'd picked crispy chicken for no reason—just the place doing a New Year's discount pickup. Her loving it felt like winning the lottery.
Taking good care of Lena would rack up trust points with Elpi. Plus one more. The day he'd earn Elpi's full trust felt so close now.
"Uh... noona?"
Ppase stepped inside, feeling great. But...
"You don't clean the boiler, do you?"
"I do."
For a cleaned boiler, the floor felt like ice. Even with thick socks, it was like walking on a frozen lake. Lena strolled around fine, but not Ppase. Koreans suffer without warm floors.
"Mind if I crank the boiler?"
"Do whatever."
"Cool, excuse me then. My feet are gonna shatter."
But that wasn't the end. The wide living room was barren like the Siberian tundra. Floor cold as snow. Not a single piece of furniture in the stark space. The ivory interior made it feel frozen solid.
Kitchen's empty too...
Fridge and all kitchen basics were there, but no furniture. Just a wooden dining table. Did she even eat here? Not a crumb in sight. Where'd she get her meals? Her room? Totally plausible. Stacking empty cans into towers by the