The Terror of Potent Shots
Shots of strong liquor are terrifying. Groooan... The sweet, heavy liquid slid down my throat. A hot surge spread through my esophagus. How many glasses had it been already? My body was heating up nicely. I glanced at the bottle on the shelf I'd improvised from snow. Green square bottle, Jägermeister. It had been full, but now more than half was gone.
'Whoa... we've drunk a lot.' Half a bottle between two people didn't seem like much, but this was over 35% ABV liqueur. And the bottle was pretty big—alcohol-wise, it was easily equivalent to two or three bottles of soju.
I looked across at Im Nana, sitting opposite me.
"Hooo..." Im Nana set down her empty glass with a long exhale. Her cheeks were flushed pink. Her eyes sparkled more than usual—clearly, the buzz was hitting.
"Nana, you want more? We've already had quite a bit..."
"Yeah! It's sooo good! Doesn't taste like alcohol at all!" Im Nana beamed innocently and grabbed the bottle. It really was delicious. Honestly, liquor this sweet was cheating. One reason people hold back on drinking is that harsh alcohol smell, but this had strong herbal notes and sweetness that masked it almost completely.
Glug glug glug. Im Nana filled her glass without hesitation.
Gulp. "Kyaah..." She downed it in one go like a pro. Unease washed over me. Out here in these mountains, in this freezing weather—if she got blackout drunk, we were screwed.
"You're drinking too much... Take it slow."
"Psh, it's fine! I'm eating lots of meat too!" Im Nana mumbled around a mouthful of pork belly dipped in ssamjang.
"...?" What kind of miraculous logic was that? Alcohol is alcohol, meat is meat, right? Did mixing them neutralize the booze or something?
'Sigh... this is making me nervous.' Should I stop her? But splashing cold water on someone enjoying themselves felt wrong... Plus, I was feeling pretty good myself, a nice buzz going.
Fine, just for tonight. Enjoy now, hold back starting tomorrow. With that thought, I refilled my own glass.
"Maximus! Snowball fight! Snow! Snow!"
"Woof! Woof!"
How the hell did it come to this? How do I stop this runaway train?
Im Nana had been sipping one glass, two glasses... until she crossed the tipping point. Maximus seemed thrilled to have a new playmate. Exactly at that level. She'd turned into a dog. Loose eyes, flushed red face, voice pitched an octave higher. And now she was bolting out of the shelter, rolling in the snow.
She looked like a movie scene—or maybe just the neighborhood idiot big sis. The main difference from the movies? The heroine's face was beet red, like it might explode.
"Nana... come on in and rest. You'll catch a cold."
I called from the shelter entrance, but she ignored me.
"Wheee! Snow! Snow!" She spun in circles, scattering snow into the air.
"You've been seeing snow this whole time... Aren't you bored yet?"
"No way! It's so pretty! Sparkly!"
Sigh. No hope. Guess I'd have to play along until the booze wore off. I stood with a sigh, zipped my puffy jacket all the way up, and stepped outside.
In the meantime, Im Nana had lost her balance and faceplanted into a snowdrift.
"Pffft! Eugh!" She popped her head out, white snow stuck to her mouth.
"Nom nom. Smack."
"...Why are you eating snow? Stop it. It's dirty."
I rushed over in horror and hauled her up. Im Nana smacked her lips regretfully.
"If only there was syrup... strawberry syrup..."
Even now, thinking about food? She was ready to make shaved ice.
I looked around. Pitch-black darkness blanketed the mountains. Only faint firelight spilled from the shelter entrance—no other lights. Clouds covered the sky, dimming the stars. It felt even colder and more desolate.
'Gotta get her inside quick.' I approached Im Nana, who was playing with Maximus in the snow.
Then—something whooshed past my face.
Pheeeew! A sharp whoosh cutting the air.
"...?"
I turned. Whatever had grazed my ear thudded into the tree trunk behind me. The impact shook the tree—or so it seemed.
'...What the?' Unidentified flying object?
I turned back to Im Nana.
"Tsk~"
She clucked her tongue in disappointment, a baseball-sized snowball in her hand. Packed hard as a rock.
'J-Just now...' Cold sweat trickled down. If it'd hit, I'd be dead. That wasn't a normal snowball sound.
"Nana? What are you—"
"Next!"
Before I could finish, Im Nana wound up. Left leg high, torso arched back—perfect pitching form. Her arm whipped like a lash.
The snowball charged. Shwooo—!
"Gyaack!"
I dodged on instinct. Snowball! Incoming! Splat!
The snowball that missed me cratered the ground where I'd stood, exploding snow everywhere.
'I'm really gonna die.' This was no joke. Drunk Im Nana's power limiter was off. I could die here today.
But I couldn't just take it lying down. I couldn't die without landing a single counter!
I ducked behind a natural snow wall and hastily packed a few snowballs. My hands ached from the cold, but I endured. This was survival.
I spotted Im Nana packing snowballs on the other side.
'Now.' Strike while she's off-guard.
I popped out and hurled with all my might.
"Take this!"
Hnnngh...! I threw the snowball with everything I had. It sailed through the air.
Whiiiine~ Thuuuud~ Eeeee~
...Yeah. As expected. Way too slow. Anyone could dodge blindfolded at that speed.
'Ugh... my puny arms...'
I watched the result, cursing my weak muscles. Im Nana just stood there blankly, not even trying to dodge.
The snowball arced slowly down.
Plop.
"Yip!"
"..."
"Whaaat?!"
The slow-arcing snowball... nailed Maximus right on the butt as he dug enthusiastically at Im Nana's feet.
Uh, wait. Hold on.
Maximus? You know your big sis didn't mean it, right?
Maximus startled, leaped away, and shot me a betrayed look. Not a face a dog should make.
And then—Im Nana's eyes changed. The playful glint vanished, rage filling her gaze.
"Y-You... heartless monster...!" Im Nana trembled with fury.
"Daring to target Maximus! That small, precious butt!"
"No, it wasn't on purpose! It was a miss!"
"Shut up! Enemy of Maximus's butt!"
Im Nana gripped snowballs in both hands.
And then—Pheew! Pheew! Pheew!
Snowballs rained down like carpet bombing. Each one screamed with murderous velocity.
"Guh! Ack!"
They slammed into my back, thighs, shoulders.
"Ow! That hurts too much!"
Did she pack rocks in them?! Why do they hurt so bad?!
"Stop! Please! We'll all die!"
My screams echoed through the mountains. But the rampage didn't stop.
And I nearly became a snowman.
Luckily, after playing around a bit, the booze seemed to wear off enough that Im Nana returned to the shelter. Thanks to that, my whole body throbbed like hell.
How could snowballs hurt that much? No lie, they had to be clocking 100 km/h. Each hit made an 'eek' pop out of me.
I soothed Maximus with snacks and calmed Im Nana down.
'Gotta sleep before it gets colder...'
Would Im Nana crash right away? She'd tired herself out with the chaos and was already dozing off in her spot.
I layered insulating sheets two or three thick on the snow bed I'd made earlier. Then foam mats on top, sleeping bag unrolled. I cracked hot packs ahead of time and tucked them inside. Around the fire, I piled snow like a barrier—just in case embers flew while we slept. Of course, I'd get up periodically to add wood.
Prep done, I slipped into my sleeping bag. Maximus curled up on his doggy heated mat beside me under a thick blanket. Im Nana had wormed into her bag on the other side, caterpillar mode engaged.
It was cozier than expected.
'This'll do nicely.'
I closed my eyes to sleep, but rustling came from beside me.
"Ugh... so cold."
Im Nana's voice. She was shivering, curled tight.
"You moved around a ton... Now the sweat's cooling off, so it's worse."
The booze fading must've let the cold hit harder. Plus, rolling in the snow had dampened her clothes.
More hot packs? I started to sit up for them, but Im Nana bolted upright.
"Nope, can't do it."
"Can't what?"
"I saw it in a documentary. Gotta thaw with body heat."
"...?"
What the—? I glanced up at her face. Eyes unfocused, cheeks patchy red.
Shit. She's still not sober.
A bad premonition flashed through my mind.
"C'mere...!"
"Gyaaah!"
Im Nana charged my sleeping bag. She unzipped it without pause and burrowed in.
"W-Wait! Nana! It's too cramped!"
"Hold still! I'm cold!"
A fierce struggle erupted in the narrow bag. Pusher vs. intruder.
But the outcome was decided. No way human jelly beat MegaNana-mon strength.
I ended up pinned helplessly in the corner. My winter bag was oversized enough for two women, sure... but this was way too close.
Im Nana snuggled into my arms. Cold clothes and hot body heat hit me at once.
"Haa... warm..."
She sighed contentedly. Booze breath mixed with shampoo into a weird scent.
"O-Okay, now go to your own bag..."
"Gonna sleep..."
Her voice trailed off. She was out in seconds, soft snores rising.
...Sigh. What could I do? Couldn't wake a sleeping person and kick her out.
It was warmer. Just sleep. I gave up and closed my eyes.
Squeeze—.
"...?!"
Air caught in my throat. Im Nana hugged me tight in her sleep. Or rather, crushed me. Like an anaconda coiling prey.
My ribs screamed. Crack. Crack.
Bone-creaking sounds rang clear in my ears.
"Gaaah! Maximus! Save me!"
I screamed, but Im Nana didn't budge. She squeezed harder.
"Mmm... warm..."
That night, I fought a desperate battle for survival till dawn.