First Soju with Noona
We were strolling through the university district alongside Noona, who had an inexplicably angry look on her face, and before I knew it, we were standing in front of a bar. I wanted to point out that we were supposed to be heading for mala xiang guo, but one glance at Noona's scary expression... well, they sold mala xiang guo here anyway, so it didn't matter.
"Shall we go in?"
"Uh, sure."
Did I do something wrong? Was it because she hesitated a bit when I asked if she had a boyfriend?
I pondered it all the way to our seats, but I still couldn't figure out what was on Noona's mind. The place was packed with college kids chattering away with flushed, drunken faces—it was that slightly late dinner hour when bars fill up.
While I was scanning the room after sitting down, Noona had already started tapping away at the kiosk screen like a pro.
Mala-Packed Mala Xiang Guo x1 | Ilsul Soju x1
Soju? Last time, two cans of beer got me wasted—could this body really handle soju?
"N-Noona? Don't you have work tomorrow?"
"One bottle's fine. And our little Yoon needs to try soju sometime, right? That way, you can handle yourself when you're drinking with those college guys later... er, boys."
Noona's words felt a tad aggressive, but she had a point, so I nodded. It definitely wasn't because she scared me—why would I be afraid of my own little sister's face?
"O-Okay."
"Your first beer was with Noona, so your first soju should be with me too, right?"
"Yeah?"
Noona, who had been glaring just moments ago, broke into a satisfied grin and nodded at my words. Was I imagining the extra emphasis she put on "first"?
I averted my eyes from Noona's dangerously gleaming gaze and started looking around. In one corner, some folks were already chugging like maniacs, while others were all over each other.
Sigh, what's the point of freshmen acting like that these days...
I grumbled inwardly like some old fogey, but honestly, half of it was envy. In this state, forget a boyfriend—I couldn't even make a guy friend.
I was blankly people-watching at the other tables when suddenly a tiny hand started waving in front of my face.
"What're you staring at, Yoon?"
"Huh? Oh, just looking around."
Noona turned to where I'd been gazing, furrowed her brow slightly, then looked back at me. Her face shifted from angry to smiling and back—it really was impossible to read a woman's mind.
"...You wouldn't do that, right, Yoon?"
"O-Of course not! I wouldn't even... er, couldn't date a guy to begin with!"
"For real?"
At my words, Noona smiled and reached out to stroke my hair. Something must've gotten twisted when my little sister face turned into Noona's.
"Better than those guys, anyway..."
Otherwise, she'd never say something like that. Or maybe I'd already gotten tipsy from the booze smell? Right around then—
"Here's your mala-packed mala xiang guo and one bottle of cold soju."
The server set the steaming mala xiang guo and chilled soju bottle on the table. The savory aroma made my mouth water involuntarily.
"Here, my pretty little sis. Noona'll pour your first shot."
"Ah, okay."
I held my glass with both hands, watching Noona pour. Maybe because it was this body's first soju, but I felt a twinge of tension.
This freakishly low-tolerance body got smashed on two beers—could it survive one shot? It was a little scary, but since it was Noona in front of me... actually, that made it more scary?
"Alright, now you pour one for Noona!"
"Got it."
With shaky hands, I gripped the soju bottle and carefully tilted it into Noona's empty glass. She propped her chin on her hand, staring intently like my pouring was the cutest thing ever.
"Cheers?"
"Uh, yeah."
*Clink.*
A clear chime rang out as the soju slightly overflowed, and I squeezed my eyes shut, tossing it back.
"Urgh...!"
I'd never tasted it this bitter before, even if I wasn't great at drinking. Was it extra harsh today, or was this body just alcohol trash?
"Pfft, Yoon, aren't you too cute?"
"You handle it like a pro..."
"Well, I've got a tolerance forged in my college days."
It felt unfair. I'd built up my own tolerance through college and the army.
A bit sad, but at least my liver got a reset—I shoved some mala xiang guo in my mouth to wash it down. The numbing mala spice spread across my tongue, finally chasing away the bitter aftertaste.
"Good?"
"Yeah, it's delicious. Try some, Noona."
"Sure."
Noona picked at the veggies with her chopsticks while keeping her eyes on me. As we clinked glasses—first shot, second—the fuzzy lift in my body made me feel like I'd reclaimed my old tolerance.
Yeah, this is how you drink. Two beers? That wasn't my limit. Gotta go harder...
Ha-yoon definitely only had three shots. So how...?
"Yaa...!"
Did she get this cute? Same as last time with the beer—turning into a total aegyo machine when drunk was just too good.
*Snap.*
I snapped a pic of her adorable face first, then stroked her hair.
"Our Yoon's suddenly full of aegyo, huh?"
"Not aegyooo...!"
"Sure, sure, you're always cute."
"Hmph...!"
Pouting at the compliment while smiling was devastating. I slid over next to Ha-yoon, fiddling with her hair.
When she first said she wanted to stream, I worried if a shy, cute homebody could pull it off—but seeing her enjoy it, I'm glad I pushed her. Sure, the kid who only wanted to grow for me ended up blooming differently, but I like it even more.
"Ehehe, try this—it's yummy...!"
"Okay, will our Ha-yoon feed me?"
"Yup!"
It tasted way better when Ha-yoon fed me. But those bug-like creeps spamming chat during streams—what to do about them?
I manage on weekends, but weekdays I'm at work, so I can't watch properly. If some trash chat hurts our Yoon's feelings, I couldn't stand it. As I mulled over handling viewers—
"Um..."
A guy spoke up right next to us.
"Yes?"
"W-We have two people... mind if we join?"
"Sorry, we're sisters, so no."
His guts were admirable, but I wasn't handing my precious sister over to these bar wolves. Actually, I'd never hand anyone to wolves.
"Ehehe... who's thaaat?"
But the guy wouldn't back off, mesmerized by Ha-yoon looking up cutely. He just stared at us.
"Huh? Nothing, just some passerby."
"Your sister's pretty drunk. We can stick around till she sobers up. It's not great for girls alone, right?"
"Excuse me."
Was this idiot insane? I get mistaken for the little sister since I'm smaller than Ha-yoon, so I could tolerate that.
But I couldn't stand him ogling that part of my sister with lust-filled eyes. Even if it was a guy who only had eyes for her, no way—but this? Absolutely not.
"Beat it."
"P-Pardon?"
"Go."
My icy tone made his face stiffen; he awkwardly bowed and scurried back to his seat.
"Yaa... more booze."
"Think you can handle more?"
"Yup! Back in the day, I did three bottles!"
The bad mood vanished at Ha-yoon's nonsense. Three bottles? Last beer session, she whined it tasted bad and why eat this crap.
"Alright, alright. One last shot, then home?"
"Mmm...!"
I filled Ha-yoon's glass, about to switch the bottle to mine—
"Hey! Self-pour means no love life!"
Ha-yoon snatched the bottle and poured into my glass, hands trembling adorably. No way I'd let anyone else see this.
"Ha-yoon trying to marry me off?"
"Ehehe...!"
She beamed and shoved her soft cheek against my shoulder. My lips twitched involuntarily.
Driving me crazy. All that aegyo from booze makes her so defenseless—dangerous. But since I'll always be glued to her, maybe it's fine?
"Mmm... drink up alreadyyy...!"
"Got it, got it. Gotta finish what Ha-yoon poured. This is the last one, then home, okay?"
I downed the overflowing shot in one go; seeing that, Ha-yoon chugged hers too.
"Now, really time to go home? You've got a stream tomorrow, Yoon."
"Stream...? Oh right! I'm streaming tomorrow toooo!"
I wrapped an arm around her wobbly waist as she stood, pulling her close. It stung a bit being the small one at home, but feeling her fit perfectly in my arms? Even better.
"Uuu...!"