Chapter 220: An Unexpected Love Call (4)
Chapter 220: An Unexpected Love Call (4)
Watching her friend roll around on the floor, Lee Ji-yeon clutched her head.
The circumstances were different, but the Ju Seo-yeon of middle school and the Ju Seo-yeon of now shared a striking resemblance.
For instance, the way you never knew which way she’d bounce.
And the way she looked right now was exactly how she appeared when she’d just woken up.
"Is Seo-yeon really that strong?"
"Shh."
When Seo-hee asked, still suffering from cognitive dissonance after witnessing the beer can explode, Ji-yeon brought her index finger to her lips, gesturing for silence.
Turning her gaze back cautiously, she saw that Seo-yeon was, fortunately, still rolling around in the spilled beer.
She was mumbling something as she tumbled, but that wasn't the important part.
What are Ju Seo-yeon’s drunken habits like?
In truth, even Ji-yeon didn't know.
How could she know the drinking habits of someone who was getting drunk for the first time in their life?
It would be nice if she were the type to just fall asleep quietly, but looking at her now, that didn't seem to be the case.
There are many types of drunks.
Those who become violent, those who become talkative.
And those who cling to whoever is nearby for no reason.
Among these, Ji-yeon figured Seo-yeon’s habit would be either the former or the very latter.
"A long time ago, I played a game with Ju Seo-yeon."
"A game?"
"It was a game where you hunt dinosaur-like monsters... You had to set traps and stuff."
Ji-yeon picked up a few empty cans rolling nearby.
"Somehow, I’m getting a similar vibe right now."
Ju Seo-yeon had sharp ears.
Not just sharp—normally, she’d be able to hear everything they were whispering from here.
But seeing as she wasn't reacting, she clearly couldn't hear them.
Her senses were definitely dulled by the alcohol.
"But she’s kind of cute. Like a cat," Jo Seo-hee said, watching Seo-yeon as she tried her best to wipe the floor with the hem of her pajama skirt.
Her movements were strangely feline.
She was saying something fervently, but it was a pity they were too far away to hear.
Should I go a bit closer?
As Seo-hee tentatively moved her feet with that thought, Ji-yeon raised a hand to stop her.
"Wait. Let’s check with this first."
"Huh? A can? Why the can?"
"Just be quiet."
Since she was drunk anyway, Ji-yeon needed to see what her reflexive actions would be.
Feeling like a beast tamer, Ji-yeon stepped out of the room and rolled a can she’d picked up toward Seo-yeon from a distance.
It was to check her reaction range.
The can rolled three meters.
Then, the moment it got within two meters—
THUD!!
"Mmm?"
Seo-yeon’s palm slammed down on the can that had been quietly rolling up behind her, and she let out a puzzled sound.
The flattened can was now caught in Seo-yeon’s hand.
Jo Seo-hee, who had flinched at the impact vibrating through the floor, swallowed hard.
That wasn't a sound a human hand should make.
That was the sound of a hammer driving a nail into the floor.
And the way she moved—she looked like a wild animal.
"Reaction range is roughly two meters."
"That’s almost the whole room."
"She won't react if we move along the corners."
The silver lining was that she hadn't completely lost her sense of power control.
Compared to middle school, this was manageable.
Anyway, as long as they moved slowly from a distance, Seo-yeon didn't react much, even if she continued to babble.
She was currently playing origami with the flattened can Ji-yeon had rolled, but that didn't really matter.
"Tigers are felines, after all," Ji-yeon muttered, falling into thought.
They couldn't just leave her like that.
They had to move her, but there were a few problems.
First, Ju Seo-yeon was heavy.
She’d be angry if she heard that, but it was the truth.
Well, maybe the two of them could manage? But it wasn't a certainty.
Besides, there was no guarantee she’d stay still, so carrying her was out of the question from the start.
"Should we just leave her there?"
"We have to move her. Her clothes are soaked; she’ll catch a cold," Jo Seo-hee urged with a worried face.
Ji-yeon looked at Seo-hee with a bewildered expression.
After seeing that, did she really think Ju Seo-yeon could catch something as trivial as a cold?
Ji-yeon had never seen Seo-yeon sick.
Forget hospitals—she’d never even seen her injured.
However, seeing Ju Seo-yeon rolling around in beer was certainly... questionable for a human being.
Then how do we move her...
As she pondered, Ji-yeon’s eyes fell on Jo Seo-hee’s face.
She was truly beautiful.
Perhaps because she was an actress, Ji-yeon was surrounded by nothing but pretty girls.
Seo-yeon and Jo Seo-hee, in particular, had that "actress aura," giving them a significant presence.
But that wasn't what was important right now.
"Jo Seo-hee, come here. This’ll work."
"Huh? What will?"
Jo Seo-hee’s blank response wasn't exactly what Ji-yeon was looking for.
She usually had such an arrogant face around others, but she was uniquely airheaded when she was with them.
Ji-yeon gently brushed Seo-hee’s hair forward to cover her face.
Then, she turned off all the lights in the surrounding rooms.
Finally, she placed her phone’s flashlight under Seo-hee’s chin.
"This is it."
"What is?"
"Go toward Ju Seo-yeon just like that."
"?"
Wait, do what?
Jo Seo-hee instinctively turned toward Ji-yeon.
Looking at Seo-hee’s face, Ji-yeon couldn't help but flinch for a moment.
Man, this girl looks terrifying.
It was a miracle she had such a wide social circle.
With a face like that, it should be hard to make friends.
"You said we can't leave her like that, right? You’ll be safe if you go like this. Oh, and hunch your back a bit."
"Huh? Why my back?"
"There’s a reason for everything. Just make sure your hair stays forward."
Seo-hee didn't know what was going on, but she decided to do as Ji-yeon said.
They couldn't leave Seo-yeon like that; they had to move her to another room.
They needed to change her clothes and clean up the mess.
With those thoughts, she walked toward Seo-yeon.
She stepped into the two-meter radius Seo-yeon had reacted to earlier.
The moment her foot crossed the line, Seo-yeon’s head snapped around.
Jo Seo-hee couldn't help but flinch at the reaction.
She remembered the beer can Ji-yeon had rolled earlier.
Just as she wondered if the same thing would happen to her—
"..."
Seo-yeon began to slowly shuffle backward.
Huh?
Why is she doing that?
As Jo Seo-hee slowly approached with that thought, Seo-yeon flinched and began to flee.
Whenever Seo-hee tried to get closer, Seo-yeon moved away even more naturally.
It was like Achilles and the tortoise.
She simply couldn't get close.
Watching the two of them, Ji-yeon realized her theory was correct.
I knew it. Ju Seo-yeon is completely helpless against scary things.
To be honest, even Ji-yeon was spooked.
With all her hair pulled forward and the phone light shining under her chin, Jo Seo-hee looked like a ghost that would make even other ghosts run for their lives.
She finally understood why Seo-yeon had said Seo-hee had the visuals of someone from a horror manga.
Ji-yeon had only recently learned that Seo-yeon was weak against ghosts.
She’d deduced it from Seo-yeon’s behavior on variety shows.
Keep going, lure her to her room.
Ji-yeon frantically signaled Jo Seo-hee with her hands.
Lead her in a circle and make her run into the other room.
That was the gist of it.
? What is she saying?
Of course, Jo Seo-hee hadn't mastered mind reading.
She roughly understood she was supposed to lead her out of the room, though.
Is she telling me to bring her this way?
Initially, Seo-hee had been shocked to see Seo-yeon running away from her, but watching Seo-yeon scuttle away, she started to feel a strange sensation.
Ahem.
Because of the phone light, Seo-hee could see Seo-yeon’s face clearly.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Seo-yeon’s expressions were more vivid than usual. Seeing her back away with a startled face felt... how should she put it?
A bit ticklish.
Maybe she got a little too into it.
Jo Seo-hee took a large step toward Seo-yeon and—
"Eek!!"
She let out a light shriek.
At that, Seo-yeon literally jumped and bolted straight out the door.
"Huh?"
Ji-yeon, who happened to be standing by the door, was horrified to see Seo-yeon charging toward her.
Dammit, Jo Seo-hee! I told you to just lead her out, why did you have to scare her!!
"Ramiel, help me!!"
"No, I’m not Ramiel—"
Ji-yeon’s words were cut short.
She was tackled and flattened by Seo-yeon.
*
"Hey, Jo Seo-hee. Get her off me right now."
Ji-yeon sighed, looking at Seo-yeon clinging to her body.
When Seo-yeon had thrown her entire weight at her, Ji-yeon felt the world go yellow for a second, but fortunately, nothing serious happened.
As she’d confirmed earlier, Seo-yeon hadn't completely lost her sense of power control.
She was just quietly hugging Ji-yeon.
However, she wasn't just staying still.
"Hehe."
She was making strange humming noises and constantly shifting around, which was incredibly annoying.
She was like an octopus or a squid.
"I’ve been practicing romance acting lately. Want me to show you?"
"Forget it."
"So mean."
Regardless, the two of them were placed on a trolley Seo-hee had brought and were quietly moved to another room.
Ji-yeon wondered how her life had come to this.
Jo Seo-hee, meanwhile, was busy taking photos of the two of them with her smartphone.
"Why are you taking pictures of that?"
"I’m going to show Seo-yeon when she wakes up."
"Whatever."
A lot had happened after being tackled by Seo-yeon.
It was quite cute to hear her babbling about Ramiel and being scared, but...
It felt like being hugged by a tiger, so there was a fair amount of terror mixed in.
"Actually, I think she’s half-talking in her sleep."
"I guess she’s the type to fall asleep when she’s drunk."
"...Thank goodness for that."
Ji-yeon had worried she’d keep acting out, but fortunately, Seo-yeon had fallen fast asleep once they moved her.
Looking down at the snoring Seo-yeon, Ji-yeon let out a sigh.
That was a real heart-stopper.
She just wished Seo-yeon would let go of the hug.
It was terrifying how she didn't budge even when Ji-yeon tried to pry her off.
She’s not going to snap my ribs in her sleep, is she?
"...Mom."
Just then, a small mumble escaped Seo-yeon’s lips.
Seo-hee flinched at the sound.
The voice that uttered the word "Mom" was strangely subdued.
"...Next time... I'll... do better..."
The words carried a peculiar nuance.
As Jo Seo-hee’s eyes narrowed, Ji-yeon waved her left hand—the only one she could move.
"It’s not like that. Don't get the wrong idea."
"Huh? Oh, no, it’s just... it was a curious thing to say."
Well, it would be curious.
Ji-yeon understood.
This was only the second time she’d seen Ju Seo-yeon like this.
Specifically, saying such things in her sleep.
Back then, she had made the same mistake as Jo Seo-hee.
I think that was the night of the candlelight ceremony during the school retreat.
She heard they didn't do those anymore, but they had them back then.
Anyway, Ju Seo-yeon had mumbled something similar in her sleep then, too.
And I totally got the wrong idea.
Until then, Ji-yeon had never met Seo-yeon’s mother, Sua.
So she’d started to wonder, What if?
She’d even done something quite rude because of it.
Of course, after that, she’d ended up completely under Sua’s thumb.
"It’s just simple sleep-talking."
Ji-yeon looked down at Seo-yeon sleeping in her arms and, unable to push her away, ended up patting her back.
At that, Seo-yeon’s slightly melancholy expression softened.
"Sigh."
Seriously, what was she going to do with this girl?
Ji-yeon thought as she patted Seo-yeon throughout the night.
Until Jo Seo-hee, who had been taking pictures, naturally fell asleep beside them.
Of course, Seo-yeon hugged her so tightly in her sleep that she almost fainted, but that’s a story for another time.
*
The next day.
"...Huh?"
As soon as Seo-yeon opened her eyes in the morning, she was aghast at the sight before her.
When did I move to another room?
No, aside from that.
Why are they both sleeping on either side of me?
More importantly, she was hugging Lee Ji-yeon tightly.
Wait, what on earth happened?
What happened last night?
Startled, Seo-yeon slowly and cautiously backed away from the sleeping pair.
I remember drinking beer, but after that...
Did I really lose consciousness from being drunk?
Is this the 'blacking out' I’ve heard so much about?
While she found it fascinating, she was honestly terrified.
She felt cold sweat breaking out on her back.
...I didn't cause any trouble, did I?
She was already worried about what she might have done while drunk.
She was currently treating Lee Ji-yeon like a body pillow, for heaven's sake.
I-I’ll have to ask them when they wake up.
If she’d really caused a scene, would they be sleeping together like this?
She’d probably have woken up in a holding cell.
Vrrr, vrrr.
As she thought this and returned to the room where they’d been hanging out the night before, she saw her phone vibrating.
It seemed she’d left her phone behind when they moved rooms.
Looking at the screen, Seo-yeon was instantly flustered.
It was a call from her manager, Park Eun-ha.
Judging by the number of missed calls, she’d called at least ten times.
"Hello?"
[Seo-yeon, did something happen? Why aren't you answering your phone?]
"Oh, I was just in a very deep sleep..."
[Mmm, well, that can't be helped. I’m not scolding you. It’s just that I have some surprising news.]
"Surprising news?"
[Ah, well.]
Manager Park Eun-ha hesitated for a moment before speaking calmly.
[Seo-yeon, do you happen to know who Asher Baldwin is?]
At the sudden mention of that name, Seo-yeon couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
A master director who had won the Academy Award for Best Director twice.
She never expected that name to come up so suddenly.