Autumn Festival (1)
"Mm—!"
An exclamation slipped out on its own. The cheese fries we'd ordered as a side. Even though quite some time had passed, the crispiness beneath the gooey cheese was still alive and kicking. The perfect taste to pull you in for more drinks. I downed the yogurt soju sitting on the table in one go.
"Hee hee hee…."
Lee Soo-min, sitting next to me, had a face flushed bright red. She was letting out this silly giggle. I'd already been worried because she'd been drinking at such a fast pace. Sure enough, her pupils were half-dilated, and her body was precariously leaning against the table. Was she about to topple over?
I gently tapped her shoulder, suddenly concerned.
"Hey, Soo-min. You okay?"
"Me…? Of course I'm fiiiine…. Hee hee hee."
We're screwed….
There was nothing dumber than believing a drunk person's "I'm fine." She didn't look fine at all. And it was awkward because the rest of the group had stepped out. Min-jun had gone out with Seo-yeon and Ji-soo unnie five minutes ago to buy some ice cream for hangovers. Soo-min had already been teetering on the edge, and the moment they left, she'd started chugging drinks one after another until she finally tapped out.
Her limit was about one bottle of soju. But she'd downed over two by now…. This state was inevitable.
"Should've gone with them…."
Her voice dripped with regret. She weakly tapped the table with her thumb, then reached for the soju glass nearby. Her hand trembled as she grabbed it. If I left her like this, she'd probably end up facedown on the floor soon. I quickly snatched the glass from her grip.
"That's enough."
"Ah, whyyyy—."
I pushed her away slightly as she flailed toward the glass and shoved it to the far corner of the table, out of reach. She swung her arm through the air for a moment, then puffed out her cheeks and glared at me. She usually kept her emotions under wraps, but whenever alcohol hit her, her expressions got super animated. You could read her mind just from her face. Right now, she was blatantly showing how upset she was.
"…."
She glared at me for a long while, then stomped her foot hard enough to make noise, clearly still mad.
If you're that upset, just go after them….
The reason Soo-min was acting like this? None other than Kang Min-jun leaving with the other girls without her. Unlike the outgoing pair, Soo-min had an intensely timid personality. Earlier, when the two of them said they'd go with Min-jun, she couldn't bring herself to say she'd join. If she'd gone too, I'd have been left alone, which would've looked super weird.
Leaving her slumped over the table, unable to pull herself together, I took a light sip of my drink and texted Min-jun.
No reply after that. 'As soon as I can'—considering Min-jun's usual speech habits, that was basically a declaration he wasn't coming back.
Bailing in the middle of drinks? That wasn't like him at all. Something must've happened. As I pondered, a memory clicked.
Oh, right. Is today that day?
I casually checked the notes app on my phone where I'd logged key info. Two weeks into the fall semester, a little event on a boozy Friday night. Unlike usual, Ji-soo unnie failed to pace her drinking, so Seo-yeon and she ended up looking after her. It created an awkward, shy vibe with Ji-soo unnie and a sort of camaraderie with Seo-yeon. The first event of the fall semester, where their feelings for Min-jun, previously just at the fondness stage, started to develop seriously. A pretty significant episode. But I'd been so busy drinking lately that I'd almost forgotten.
This is a problem….
I glanced at Soo-min.
"When are they coming back…."
She mumbled in a totally deflated voice. In the original story, she'd probably end up ditched alone at the bar tonight. She'd felt resentful toward Min-jun for a while because of it. When I read the novel, I'd skimmed over it. Just one event in print. But watching it unfold up close? It didn't sit right.
Anyone sensitive would've cut ties over something like this. Yet after all that, she kept liking Min-jun. Was I supposed to admire her pure, unwavering love?
Letting her stew and resent him as per the original might be amusing, but….
I left that message for Min-jun and stood up. I decided to just help her out. This world was from a novel, but it was also the one I lived in. Even if sticking to the original plot helped secure info and chances to extend my life, I wasn't about to ditch my principles.
"Hey, get up."
"Ungh…? Min-jun's still…."
"Let's head home. Min-jun said something urgent came up."
I forcibly propped Soo-min up. Her legs buckled, so I quickly grabbed her arm and slung it over my shoulder. Her full weight pressed down, thanks to the booze. Luckily, she was slim, so supporting her wasn't too bad. At the same time, something soft brushed my arm…. I ignored it. No rational feelings for her anyway.
"Whew—I'm dying."
The station was about a five-minute walk. No uphill, thankfully, but carrying someone still left me winded. I sat on a bench in front of the closed shop to catch my breath and let her sober up a bit. Sending her home blackout drunk worried me. Last train was gone. Taxis lurked nearby for drunk customers.
"Can you get home okay?"
"Ugh…. Cold."
Shivering in the chilly autumn night air. I draped my jacket over her. Still not enough—she huddled tight, clutching it. Her eyes had zero focus. No way she'd make it home alone. Taxi wouldn't cut it.
"No choice…."
Waiting longer risked her catching a cold. I took her back toward campus. At night, security gates came down at entrances, but the engineering building's central basement stayed open. Down there, a decent sofa for crashing. No one else around—lucky. I laid Soo-min down with effort.
"Mmm…."
True to the school's rep for squeezing student fees, the sofa was pretty cushy. Fine for an overnight. I'd seen people crash there early mornings before. First time for me, but tomorrow was Saturday—no big deal.
"Min-juuun…."
She mumbled in her sleep, tossing. I pulled my jacket higher over her. Few people early on weekends, but I half-covered her face just in case. She soon dozed off with steady snores. I sprawled on a nearby sofa. Before sleeping, I checked my phone—Min-jun had replied.
That wrapped it up. Setting up a meal would satisfy her, probably.
"Kinda cold…."
I'd thought it'd be fine giving her my jacket, but the basement air was chilly. Should I take it back? Tempting for a second, but I shook it off. I'd warm up sleeping. Curling up tight, I drifted off.
"Ugh…."
Vicious hangover. Head throbbing, mouth dry and foul. No way to feel cheerful. A groan escaped naturally.
I got my jacket back from Soo-min first thing and split quick—awkward vibes otherwise. Back home, I slept till lunch, but no recovery in sight. Was my precious Saturday afternoon wasted on this?
As I rolled in bed miserable, my phone buzzed.
Short reply with the emoticon. I grabbed cold water from the fridge and chugged it. The chill spread fast. Headache lingered, but my mind cleared a bit. Still too rough to move. I lay back, killing time with short-form videos. That addictive stuff that turns your brain to "popcorn brain" if overdone. Limited to 30 minutes a day.
Swiping through clips mindlessly, one made me pause.
"Oh, this one's blowing up."
Over 10k likes. Views past a million. A familiar face dancing to trendy BGM in a familiar spot. Kim Ye-eun. Famous influencer with 100k+ followers, and my childhood friend I'd seen forever, like Min-jun. She went to a different uni, but we met often for work stuff. With Min-jun, it was chance encounters at our parents' places.
Feeling mischievous, I fired off a DM.
Straight-up invite from Soo-min to catch basketball—just us two.
Sulky Lee Soo-min (Image)
