The Gathering (3): Sober Witch and Shattered Memories

Ever since transforming into my game character, my physical abilities had noticeably improved compared to before. Was it because I'd invested in the intelligence stat in-game? The biggest changes I felt were my quicker mental processing and sharper focus. Plus, every level-up boosted all my stats a bit, putting my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠baseline physical condition clearly a step above an average person's. Out of curiosity—and swayed by Yerim's absurd logic that skipping drinks after coming all this way would be a crime—I'd just gone along with it.

Yerim pulled a variety of alcohols and fruits from the fridge. Tequila, vodka, beer, brandy... wine... It was truly diverse.

She deftly grabbed the vodka and started mixing it with orange juice.

"Here you go, screwdriver~"

The screwdriver tasted nothing like I'd expected. It was based on vodka, sure, but it barely tasted like booze at all—just pure orange juice.

"Whoa... Unnie, were you a bartender back in the day?"

Sunwoo took a sip and looked impressed.

"Nah, just a hobby~ I don't have a huge tolerance, so I drink cocktails a lot."

From there, we sampled various cocktails as the mood gradually succumbed to the alcohol. Tensions rose one by one, cheeks and ears flushing red. Yerim, sipping as she mixed, started showing a rosy glow on her face too.

But the problem was me. There wasn't even a hint of tipsiness. To be precise, my body was loosening up from the booze, but my mind stayed crystal clear, creating this weird disconnect between body and brain.

"...This isn't necessarily a good thing."

I wasn't sure if you could call this a "high tolerance," but being able to hold your liquor had upsides and downsides. The upside: it was socially advantageous, and you didn't have to worry about doing something stupid drunk or getting taken advantage of. The downside: you couldn't rely on booze to escape tough times. ...I'd leaned on alcohol a lot since becoming an adult, so I knew this wasn't entirely a blessing.

"Ugh..."

I sighed and poured myself a shot of vodka, downing it in one go. A hot burn slid down my throat, but my mind remained sharp. Giving up on getting drunk, I started looking around.

Si-hwan was already blackout drunk, face planted on the table and snoring away. Sunwoo was still knocking back drinks, cheeks flushed red. Propping my chin on the table, I muttered to myself without thinking.

"Guess they hold their liquor well..."

"Hehe, me?"

Sunwoo had overheard, peering at me with slightly glazed eyes.

"Oh, did you hear that? I just saw you chugging away..."

"Haha, Juwon-ssi, you seem like you can handle it too. You don't look drunk at all..."

"Eh, I've drunk plenty before."

Sunwoo and I chuckled and clinked glasses.

"Same here... I don't lose to anyone in a drinking contest. Impressive."

I smirked and brushed back my hair.

"Right? Everyone else is already KO'd except us."

Si-hwan nose-deep in sleep, Si-gang passed out in a room. Serin was red-cheeked beside me, mumbling with her head on the table. Yerim was giggling away as she drank.

"Aigoo, gotta stop her."

I approached Yerim, grabbing her arm to cut off the drinks.

"Unnie, you've had enough. Time to stop..."

"Juwonnieee..."

Yerim set down her glass and yanked me into a hug by the waist.

"Eek?!"

"Heehee... My cute little Juwonnie~"

I smacked my forehead and excused myself to Sunwoo.

"Uh... I'll tuck unnie into bed and be right back."

"Sure, go ahead."

Thanking the agreeable Sunwoo, I half-carried Yerim up the stairs, leaning her against me.

"Ow... Can't hold your liquor and you drink this much..."

"Hehe... Juwonnie..."

Once out of sight, I secretly summoned my witch's broom.

"Broom, take unnie to bed."

I transferred Yerim onto the broom, and it slowly ferried her away. Snickering at the somewhat pathetic sight, I finally got her safely onto the bed.

"...Sleep well."

With that, I headed back downstairs.

Sunwoo was now sprawled across the table, drunk out of his mind.

"Pfft... Should I snap a pic or what?"

I immediately put thought into action.

Click—click—click—

I photographed the mountain of empty bottles and the raid members, red-faced and asleep. Then, one by one, I used the witch's broom to move them comfortably to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sofas—after magically blocking all the CCTV cameras, of course.

After shifting Serin to an upstairs bed, I paused before moving Sunwoo last, gazing at his face. Smiling at his flushed cheeks and mumbling lips, I whispered a thanks he wouldn't hear.

"Thanks for setting this up today. It was... a great memory."

With that, I broom-lifted him to the sofa.

"...Goodnight."

The only one still sober, I finished off the near-empty vodka bottle and slowly climbed to my room.

Yerim mumbling in her sleep on one bed, Serin giggling drowsily on the other.

"Whew, they really pounded it."

Carefully, I moved onto the bed where Yerim and Serin lay. Sitting on the edge, I watched them sleep for a while.

"Mmm... Juwon-ah..."

Serin's sleepy call for me looked kinda cute, so I chuckled and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smoothed her messy hair. Feeling my touch, she reached out toward me.

"...Ugh, her sleep habits are the worst."

I gently dodged Serin's hand and shifted to Yerim's side, perching on the bed. But something was off with Yerim. She was breaking out in cold sweat, like a nightmare, mumbling repeatedly.

"Don't hurt... You can't hurt..."

Seemed like a real bad dream, so I wiped her sweat. Sensing me, she suddenly gripped my hand tight. Breathing raggedly, face twisted, she clutched harder.

"Hic... Don't hurt... Ye-won-ah..."

Ye-won? First time hearing the name, but seeing Yerim so utterly heartbroken—nothing like her usual self—tugged at my heart. I softly held her hand and stroked her back.

"It's okay... Everything's gonna be fine..."

Only then did she calm a bit, her arms wrapping around my waist.

"Haa... No idea what's up, but..."

I lay down beside her on the bed, holding her gently. Patting her back.

"Ye-won-ee..."

Finally, she smiled her usual smile, breathing steady again. Her arms stayed locked around my waist—no escaping now. Well, I could if I wanted, but recalling her pained face sapped my strength.

"Sigh..."

I turned away with a sigh and slowly drifted off. Yerim's breath tickled my back, raising goosebumps now and then, but her warmth from behind wasn't so bad. The double bed crammed with three was tight, but chalking it up to another memory, I smiled faintly and fell asleep.

...Tonight's memories were ones I'd never forget.