Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Afterparty - People Who Hide a Lot Don't End Well
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"More! Bring more, Kim Si-woo!"
Baek A-rin shook her glass, completely wasted.
Just thirty minutes ago, she had been all about some fancy chateau whatever.
She'd sworn she wouldn't touch anything less than premium wine.
And now here she was, chugging soju with her snacks.
"Hey! Kim Si-woo! Say something before you go!"
"Right you are! Your face needs... hic! Half and half or it'll be fine!!!! You need a beating!!"
Erina and Baek A-rin shook me from both sides.
This place was utter chaos.
'Baek A-rin aside, why is Erina so weak to booze?'
She'd been bragging about her tolerance before we even started.
"So what do we do with these two?"
The dorm was halfway up the mountain, so some noise was fine.
But my ears hurt.
Why were their drunken antics like this?
"Si-woo must be having a tough time."
"Thanks for noticing."
Kang Hwa-yeon spoke to me, sitting primly.
She'd drunk more than me, yet she looked perfectly fine.
'That's unexpected.'
Who would've thought she had the strongest head here?
Erina, who'd come from America and bragged no one could match her in drinking, what happened to her?
'Never underestimate Koreans forged in the fires of K-diluted soju, the hand sanitizer made for getting smashed, Erina!'
Then Kang Hwa-yeon looked at me and said,
"Want to step outside for a chat? I could use some fresh air."
...
"It's cold."
Kang Hwa-yeon, who'd come out first, cupped her hands and breathed. Her breath fogged the air.
'She's feeling the chill.'
Dawn was still winter-cold, and the dorm's mountainside spot made the air crisp.
I handed her a mug of hot coffee.
"Here, drink this. It'll warm you up."
"Ah... Thanks."
I pointed upward.
"Look up."
"At what?"
She looked, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"The stars are great here. Sipping coffee under them is the best."
She took a sip and said,
"It's sweet."
"Told you."
It would be.
Coffee mixes swiped one per day from the student lounge.
Back in my sweet home, cooling off in the breeze while stargazing with a mug of mix coffee.
That was my joy, so I saved them for home instead of drinking at the academy.
I'd wanted to show off this dorm-exclusive vibe, but never got the chance.
So when Hwa-yeon suggested fresh air, I was secretly thrilled.
'Too bad Erina wouldn't come out, whining about the cold. I'll force her to see it someday.'
Kang Hwa-yeon looked my way and said,
"It's weird. I thought I was the only one A-rin let loose like that around."
"She's just weak to alcohol."
She shook her head at my words.
"No, A-rin isn't stupid. She wouldn't unwind that much unless she felt safe."
Maybe Hwa-yeon was overestimating her.
Baek A-rin had her airheaded moments.
Kang Hwa-yeon wrapped her hands around the mug.
"It's warm. Did you reel in Erina and our A-rin like this?"
"Never reeled them in once. They never fell for it."
She shook her head again.
"If you're oblivious, that's even worse."
"This isn't some web novel."
"Web novel? Yeah, it's not like a novel. I can't believe it, but here we are."
"That's what I've been saying..."
Come to think of it, this was a web novel world.
"So you just wanted fresh air?"
"What, afraid I'll eat you?"
"You seemed curious about something."
She pondered my question, then spoke.
"Personally, I was curious what kind of guy A-rin hangs out with."
"That's it?"
"Persistent. Is that your oblivious flirt secret?"
Oblivious flirt machine? What was that?
My weird nicknames were piling up.
"You look like you want to say something but you're holding back."
She gazed at the sky.
"But you pick up on vibes sometimes. You're odd."
She looked at me.
"Why didn't you use it in our spar? That move you showed."
[Bunny Hop], huh.
Hwa-yeon had been hung up on it.
"I didn't not use it—I couldn't."
"Couldn't?"
"I planned to block your attack and counter, but you got me before I could blink. Blade was at my throat."
I could've forced it, but no need to say that.
"Hm, sure."
"Why would I throw on purpose?"
She nodded.
"Fine, I'll buy that for now. Can't scold my lifesaver anyway."
She'd figured it out.
But I was careless. In a real fight, my head would've rolled first—fair loss.
"And while we're at it, I have zero ties to your dad."
"Didn't ask."
"You're thinking it. Ask Baek A-rin if you don't believe me. I'm in her boat. I'm heading to Snow Mountain Clan, not Inferno. Zero interest in Inferno."
She murmured, surprised.
"A-rin trusts you...? She's hooked good..."
"I can hear you."
"Then why did Dad..."
"Just checking on a victim from an Inferno case."
"No way."
She sighed.
"You never give straight answers. Can't blame you, but keep it up and it'll bite you. History shows hiders don't end well."
"Don't curse me softly."
Don't end well, huh.
She finished her coffee and handed me the mug.
"Oh, right. Something I wanted to say."
"What?"
"Thanks for saving me and A-rin. Meant it sincerely."
...
Back at the dorm, Baek A-rin and Erina were passed out on the floor.
I'd planned to send them home before dawn, but half a bottle of soju did this? Unimaginable.
"No sending them home now."
"Yeah. Can we crash at Si-woo's sweet home tonight?"
"Why you?"
"It's night. Dangerous for a girl like me alone."
She'd be the danger.
Kept that to myself.
No choice but to let them stay.
'Move them to beds first.'
The dorm was built for multiples, so spare bedding existed, even after my tweaks.
"I'll handle Erina. You and A-rin take that bed."
"Oh, special treatment for Erina?"
"No, she's heavier."
Hwa-yeon's strength might struggle.
My call.
Time to move.
-Heave!
"What are you doing...?"
"Moving her?"
By rolling.
"She'll be roly-poly bruised tomorrowww."
"Yeah, roll faster then."
"Unbelievable..."
I left a shaking-headed Hwa-yeon and rolled Erina to the room.
...
Finally got heavy Erina on the bed.
"Billing for back pain."
Her outfit looked tight, so I removed ribbons and accessories, setting them aside.
'Boil some kongnamul guk tomorrow morning.'
K-hangover cure vibes had me grinning—until.
Erina slept soundly, her face lit by blue moonlight.
'She's a beauty, no doubt.'
Her looks still stole my breath sometimes.
Though inside was a 40-something uncle vibe.
"Responsibility."
We used each other for mutual gain. To survive here, nothing more.
'Dipped too deep.'
Useless attachments formed.
'Not just liking her.'
Erina's care went beyond fondness. No idiot me could miss that.
'Though she seems oblivious.'
Even so.
Hwa-yeon's words echoed.
-You never give straight answers.
Too deep now to be honest. Getting tangled in my mess meant mortal risk. Especially for untalented Erina compared to A-rin or Hwa-yeon.
'And the more she knows, the more she'll try helping.'
My chest tightened.
Familiar ache.
Past life, now—haunting visions.
-Oppa, happy now?
-Killed me with your own hands?
[I hope oppa's happy]
Again.
That moment.
Sleeping Erina grabbed my hand.
The black shapes clutching my heart vanished.
"Haa... haa..."
I see.
Already caught by these guys.
Fine, my greed.
Got close to use her for my needs. Now I wish she stays out of my mess.
So I'll keep chasing my greed like always.
Long break over, back to academy classes.
No promotion ceremony yet, so no stares my way. Buzz was all Purity Faction terror.
"Heard?! Lee Seong-hyeon took down Purity guys solo. Six of them alone."
"He's a different league..."
Someone else chimed in.
"Rumor is, besides him, someone soloed over twenty Purity goons."
News to me. Who?
"E-rank, they say..."
"An E-rank with that skill...? Wait. Isn't there one?"
Why look at me?
How could I beat twenty?