Chapter 216: Yesterday's Best Friend, Today's... (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 216: Yesterday's Best Friend, Today's... (3)
“…Hey, eat this too.”
Food was piling up on my plate like a mountain.
No sooner would a pair of chopsticks dart in from my left, dropping a piece of food onto my plate…
“I think this one’s tastier, here…!”
…than another would swoop in from my right, not to be outdone.
I’m by no means a slow eater, but even as I ate without pause, the mountain of food on my plate didn’t shrink. Instead, it just kept growing taller.
At this rate, I’m seriously going to explode…
Chewing on a mouthful that was about to burst, I glanced to my left.
An intense gaze that looked ready to shoot lasers darted between me and Kim Eun-bi.
“……”
After coming back from the restroom, Ryujin’s behavior had done a complete 180.
Unlike before, when she’d seemed indifferent to everything I did, she was now pulling her chair closer without me doing anything, refilling my plate, and pouring me more of the wine we’d ordered to cleanse our palates.
What had she been thinking during that short time? What kind of change of heart had she gone through?
Well, for me, this was a welcome development.
As they say, it takes two to tango. If one side is on high alert while the other remains lukewarm, it’s hard to get a fire started.
But now? For the flames to truly roar, when one makes a move, the other has to answer in kind. Isn’t that right?
“Mmph…!”
In the midst of their food-based rivalry, Kim Eun-bi puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
She seemed to be feeling immense pressure from Ryujin’s sudden change in attitude.
I felt a little guilty for driving a wedge between two good friends, but it couldn’t be helped.
To make my dream of having both best friends at once a reality, a little madness like this was necessary.
Their time at odds with each other wouldn’t last long.
In fact, I was certain that this very conflict would serve as a catalyst to make their bond even stronger.
All within the palm of my hand, of course.
But to get there… I had to stop eating.
“Whew, I’m so full I can’t eat another bite.”
As I mentioned, there was enough food on the table for three grown men. But with the two of them piling food onto my plate to one-up each other, I was so stuffed it felt like I’d just been tortured.
“…You did eat a lot.”
Ryujin clicked her tongue as she noted how much the food had dwindled.
Then she looked at me, a smirk spreading across her lips as she said one word.
“Pig.”
“……”
A pig. She called me a pig.
Unbelievable.
She’s the one who kept feeding me, and now she has the nerve to call me a pig.
“Hehe, look at your little belly sticking out.”
Beside me, Kim Eun-bi reached out and giggled as she stroked my bulging stomach.
Ryujin’s sudden counterattack must have put her under a lot of emotional strain.
For her, who was usually too shy for her own good, to boldly reach out and initiate physical contact like this…
“Aren’t you two hungry? I feel like I’m the only one who’s been eating…”
“We’re fine as long as you’ve eaten.”
“R-Right… I’m okay too!”
Their replies made them sound like older sisters doting on their much younger brother.
“Let’s get going, then.”
I dragged my heavy body up and left the restaurant with the two of them.
We’d spent quite a while eating, but it was still too early to call it a night.
The two women who followed me out just stared blankly at each other, neither suggesting we go home.
In times like these, I had to take the lead.
“It’d be a shame to go home after just having dinner, don’t you think?”
“…You’re right. And I could use another drink.”
“Yeah, I want to hang out more too!”
After confirming their enthusiastic responses, as if they’d been waiting for me to say it, I looked around.
We were in Apgujeong.
As a street popular with the younger crowd these days, it was overflowing with places to eat and drink.
Since I was stuffed, I ruled out any place with heavy food…
Right, that place looks good.
“How about we grab a light cocktail?”
I pointed to a rooftop bar in a nearby building. The response was positive.
“Yeah, I love cocktails!”
Kim Eun-bi, who wasn’t much of a drinker, was all for it.
“Well… a cocktail now and then isn’t so bad.”
Ryujin, who preferred hard liquor, didn’t seem thrilled but nodded obediently.
A typical reaction from a novice who likes to drink but lacks experience.
She has no idea how dangerous cocktails can be. Tsk, tsk.
“Let’s go, then.”
The moment I started walking, the two of them stuck close to my sides as if on cue.
They didn’t link arms with me, but we were walking so close that people passing by started whispering.
“Fuck, if he’s walking around with two of them, what are we supposed to do?”
“Such a fucking unfair world… Ptooey!”
The jealous remarks of men who had failed to pick up anyone and were now getting drunk with their buddies followed us like a shadow.
It felt good, but also a little awkward.
One man, one woman.
Perhaps it was because I was openly defying that fundamental rule.
From now on, even more eyes would be on me.
The higher my Hunter rank climbed, the more women I had by my side.
So I had to get used to it.
What others found strange now would soon become my normal, everyday life.
We took the elevator to the top of the building, where we were greeted by dim lighting and a stunning view of Seoul’s nightscape through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
“Wow… it’s beautiful.”
“The perfect atmosphere for a drink.”
A staff member guided us to a table with a good view, and we ordered a fruit platter and cocktails.
The first one we ordered was a mojito, a familiar choice even for those who don’t drink much.
A refreshing and zesty drink with a perfect blend of lime and mint.
Truthfully, I wasn’t a cocktail expert myself, so I didn’t know much.
I just knew a few types that both lightweights and heavy drinkers could enjoy.
“Alright, cheers!”
Kim Eun-bi, the lightest drinker of us all, was the first to raise her glass.
Perhaps the familiar name ‘mojito’ had given her a boost of confidence.
After a light clink of our glasses, she started gulping down the drink as if it were juice.
“Mmm…! This is so good.”
Ryujin watched her with a worried expression.
“That’s probably stronger than you think…”
“Hehe, it’s fine! I’m still totally sober, yep!”
“……”
It’s fine. I’m totally sober. I’m not drunk.
The classic words of a drunk person came pouring out of her mouth.
“I’m gonna try something different this time!”
Having finished her mojito while we were still only halfway through ours, she boldly ordered another drink.
A margarita.
Another cocktail that was easy for beginners to drink, and also one of the go-to drinks guys use to hit on women.
It’s easy to get lost in the sweet and sour taste and drink it happily, only to get knocked out by the alcohol when it suddenly hits you.
“That’s even stronger than the last one…”
“Hey, it’s fine! I’ll just have this one and then stop!”
Despite my and Ryujin’s attempts to stop her, Kim Eun-bi happily sipped her margarita.
“Hehe… delicious.”
Thud!
And just like that, she collapsed onto the table and fell asleep.
She’d been downing a fairly strong drink not in sips, but in gulps. There was no way she wouldn’t pass out.
“Haa… I told her to take it easy.”
“Mmm…”
Ryujin sighed softly, then pushed some empty chairs together to make a makeshift bed and laid Kim Eun-bi down on it.
She even took off her own leather jacket and draped it over her.
“Haha!”
Watching her, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Just a moment ago, they were so wary of each other that the word ‘friend’ seemed meaningless.
Hearing my sudden laughter, Ryujin frowned.
“…What are you laughing at?”
“It’s just… funny.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Who knows.”
When I deflected her question with a vague answer, she sighed and reached her hand out to me.
“Whatever. Give it to me.”
“…What?”
“Your jacket.”
I obediently took off my jacket and handed it to her. Ryujin immediately slipped it on.
I stared at her, dumbfounded, and she glared back as if I were the one being unreasonable.
“What.”
“If you were going to do this, why’d you give your jacket to Eun-bi?”
“…Eun-bi gets cold easily when she sleeps.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to cover her with my jacket? It’s bigger.”
“I don’t want that.”
She clutched the front of the jacket and crossed her arms tightly, as if afraid I might take it back.
“Besides, you Hunters don’t feel the cold or heat as much as normal people, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
As she said, Hunters are generally less affected by heat and cold compared to ordinary people.
This is thanks to the mana concentration in their bodies, which is at least several times denser than that of a normal person.
The mana helps regulate their body temperature to adapt to the surrounding environment.
This phenomenon is more pronounced in higher-ranking Hunters.
In fact, when I was Son Si-woo, my body was fine even if I went out in a t-shirt and shorts in the middle of winter.
“…But you started talking informally to me as soon as Eun-bi fell asleep.”
Ryujin glared at me, annoyed.
“Last time, you said you didn’t like formal speech.”
“Still, from now on, use formal speech.”
“Why?”
“…Because I said so.”
Her intentions were so obvious.
It was probably because my informal speech hit closer to home for her.
And the more she found herself liking me, the higher the chance her friendship would fall apart.
“I’ll have another.”
“Suit yourself.”
She ordered a new cocktail.
A Black Russian.
A strong cocktail with a sweet coffee aroma.
The moment it arrived, she tilted the glass back and drained half of it in one go. Then, she stared at me, her eyes slightly unfocused.
“…What’s your reason?”
“Reason for what?”
“The reason you insisted on inviting me to a dinner you were supposed to have with Eun-bi.”
Her question was laced with a fierce determination to get an answer.
My reason?
Isn’t it obvious?
“Because I like you.”
“Wh-what…”
Her face turned bright red.
Like a vibrant neon sign glowing against the nightscape visible through the glass wall.