Can I Smell You?
"Can I smell you?"
After my shift ended, I was on the road home.
The time was, of course, around eleven.
A large paper bag swung heavily in my hand.
"It's heavier than I expected...."
The contents were, naturally, the bottle of wine I'd received at the start of my shift.
On top of that, I'd picked up cheese, nuts, and various other snacks to go with it.
"I hope she likes it."
Anticipation tugged the corner of my mouth upward.
I'd never tried it myself, but white wine was supposed to have a basic sweetness close to fruit.
According to what Heewon had explained, it was "the kind of alcohol popular with women."
At least, that was what the coworker who'd gifted it had told her.
Alcohol popular with women. Would Cecilia like it too?
I felt nervous and excited at the same time.
I wanted to see what kind of reaction she'd give.
Even if it wasn't to her taste, just drinking it happily together would be more than enough.
"But, um...."
A sudden thought made me pull out my phone.
The displayed time was exactly 11:12.
The next shift had come late, so I'd gotten off a little later than usual.
"Hmm."
The problem was that Cecilia usually fell asleep before eleven.
If she'd taken a long nap she might stay up later, but for the most part she got sleepy once the sun went down.
In other words, there was a high chance she was already asleep by now.
"...Well, then we can just drink it next time."
Drinking at night would make for a nicer atmosphere, of course.
But I didn't want to wake her up just for that.
If she was sleeping, letting her sleep came first.
Thinking that as I walked, my apartment building soon loomed right in front of me.
I climbed the stairs.
Took hold of the doorknob and opened it slowly.
"I'm ho— huh."
"...Ah, welcome back."
The room I stepped into was unexpectedly bright.
The lights were on.
And on the bed in that brightly lit room, Cecilia was sprawled on her stomach, reading a book.
When I came in she offered a faint smile and a greeting.
"You weren't asleep? Not sleepy?"
"Hmm? Yeah~... not really? I thought about going to sleep first while I waited, but for some reason I just couldn't."
"That so?"
We exchanged light words as I set the paper bag on the table.
I shrugged off my coat and changed into something comfortable.
"What's this?"
In the meantime Cecilia seemed to have taken an interest in the bag's contents.
She stuck her head in and sniffed.
I wondered if she could actually smell anything that way, but then again, she was a cat, so maybe she could.
"Something sweet.... Alcohol?"
The fact that she'd gotten it right meant she really could smell it.
Amazing, honestly.
"Bingo. Alcohol. White wine."
"White wine?"
"Got it as a gift from someone I know. They said it'd be nice if we tried it today or tomorrow and told them what we thought...."
I'd been about to ask whether she wanted to drink it today or tomorrow.
But it looked like there was no need.
After peeking into the paper bag, Cecilia turned to me with sparkling eyes.
Pure surprise and excitement shone in those clear sky-blue irises.
"It's white alcohol, Eunhyuk!"
"Is that really so amazing?"
"Yeah! It's not just white—there's like a golden shimmer mixed in. ...It's so prettyyy."
Beaming, her expression half wonder and half delight, she purred.
Then she suddenly went "Ah!" and came back to her senses, glancing my way.
"I thought alcohol like this was really precious...."
"I don't know what you're mixing it up with, but I don't think so? It depends on the kind, but white wine itself isn't all that expensive."
Of course, the bottle sitting in that bag was the expensive kind.
I decided there was no need to mention it and kept it to myself.
It was a gift anyway.
"Really...? Ah, come to think of it, if it's wine, is it like that red alcohol from before?"
"Yeah. Same type."
"Aha.... So even the same alcohol can be different colors...."
Looking intrigued, she nodded.
While she did, I quietly approached the table and pulled the bottle out of the bag.
"Ohhh, the bottle's pretty too."
Cecilia's soft exclamation brushed my ears.
Her gently swaying tail told me just how excited she was.
"So...."
Looking at her, I slowly opened my mouth.
"Want to try it now? Or later—"
"I want to drink it now."
She answered with a firm nod.
At the expected reply I smiled and started setting out the snacks.
"There are bubbles rising?"
"It's called sparkling wine, uh.... Just think of it as alcohol with carbonation."
"Like beer?"
"...Similar, but it probably feels pretty different."
Various snacks were lightly arranged across the table.
At either end sat two glasses filled with pale golden liquid.
For the record, I'd bought the opener at the convenience store.
With light conversation we finished getting ready, and both of us looked at our glasses with expectant faces.
"It's pretty...."
"Yeah. Hope it tastes good."
"Yeah. Then... shall we cheers?"
"Yeah."
We each lifted our glasses and lightly touched them in the air.
"Cheers."
"Cheers~."
A clear clink rang out pleasantly.
We brought the glasses to our lips and took a sip.
"Aum..."
"Aum..."
Two voices sounded side by side.
The sound of wine filling our mouths, then sliding down our throats.
"Puhah..."
"Puhah..."
Enjoying the lingering carbonation, we exhaled in unison again.
As for the taste evaluation....
"...♪"
"Ohh."
There was no need to put it into words.
"...It's sweet♪"
Cecilia smiled brightly, looking thoroughly satisfied.
The way she licked her lips as if savoring the aftertaste was alluring.
"Mmm, this is good?"
I let out a similar sound of admiration at the excellent satisfaction.
It really was delicious.
Neither the flavor nor the alcohol content was particularly strong, but for me it seeped in just right.
It felt more like juice than alcohol.
"Hehe...."
"Don't drink it too fast—have some snacks while you go."
At my advice she quietly set down the glass she'd been about to tip back again.
Then she reached for the table and picked up a piece of cheese.
"Aum."
She popped it into her mouth and closed her eyes.
After chewing for a bit, a happy smile settled on her lips.
"Mmm...♪"
"Tasty?"
"Mhm."
The way she smiled with half-lidded eyes was incredibly pretty.
Then she tilted her glass again and took a long drink.
After two swallows she let out a satisfied breath through slightly wet lips.
"Puhah...♪"
"You drink well."
Watching her, I tipped my own glass too.
A refreshing sweetness, with carbonation and a light buzz that stretched the aftertaste long.
Excellent flavor.
Worth accepting the gift for.
"Is it okay if I pour?"
Cecilia suddenly asked.
With a faintly flushed face, her finger pointed at the wine bottle on one side of the table.
"Huh? Yeah, of course. Or should I pour for you?"
"No."
The moment I answered she casually picked up the bottle and poured a thin stream into her own glass, which had somehow emptied.
Then she did the same for my nearly empty glass.
"I've only been receiving while we drink so far, so I wanted to pour for you sometimes."
"...Thanks."
A faint sense of pride tickled my chest.
I bowed my head in thanks.
Then we each lifted our glasses and lightly touched them again.
"Cheers."
"Cheers."
A clink rang out.
The snacks that went with the alcohol were cheese, occasionally nuts, and biscuits.
They were delicious separately and even better together.
It was an evening drink decided on a sudden whim, but it wasn't bad at all.
In a pleasant atmosphere we chatted softly and enjoyed the wine and snacks.
"Hmmhm...♪"
The mood had deepened, and I could feel a light buzz settling over both of us.
We weren't very drunk, though.
It was only one bottle of wine—there was no way we'd get properly wasted.
"...Eunyuk♪"
"Yeah, yeah. Here, aah~."
"Aah~...."
Still, it was enough to lift our spirits.
Cecilia opened her mouth wide. I slipped a piece of cheese into it.
She chewed, eyes smiling happily.
Watching her, I smiled happily too.
We grinned at every little thing the other did and exchanged skinship that bordered on teasing.
Things that would normally feel too embarrassing to do became easy once we were tipsy.
And since we weren't completely drunk, the bashfulness that still crept in added spice to the fun.
"Eung~...!"
Suddenly Cecilia stretched with a very tired look.
I was sipping my wine when I decided the timing was perfect and asked the question that had been on my mind.
"By the way, Cecilia—aren't you sleepy?"
"Ung?"
"Normally by this time you're all drowsy, but today you're fine."
At my question she tilted her head.
Then she fiddled with her chin and spoke quietly.
"Mmm, because I can't sleep?"
"Can't sleep, huh."
Come to think of it, she'd said the same thing earlier.
I'd let it go then, but... was she really okay?
"Any particular reason? Did you secretly drink the coffee in the cupboard or something?"
"Coffee?"
"That stuff. The black beans."
Cecilia thought for a moment, then blankly shook her head side to side.
She definitely wasn't lying.
"Then why can't you suddenly sleep...?"
The more I thought about it the stranger it seemed, so I pondered with a fuzzy head.
Was Cecilia originally someone who didn't sleep much?
No. From what I knew, this was a girl who could sleep more than half the day.
She'd even said it was just her constitution—if anything, she was the type who slept a lot....
"Eunyuk~."
"Huh?"
In the middle of thinking, a voice suddenly calling me made me look over.
Looking a bit more tipsy than I was, Cecilia spoke with a coaxing little aegyo.
"Can I smell you?"
"...Huh?"
Before I could even answer, Cecilia dove straight into my arms.