When Everyone's Asleep (Branch Point 01)

A night at the pension under a sky full of countless stars. The barbecue party was in full swing on the grassy lawn in front of the place. The savory smell of perfectly grilled meat whetted our appetites, and the crackling charcoal fire warmed our hearts.

An evening with my girlfriend Da-bin and my college buddies. It was a fun gathering, but right now, my head was filled with Oh Han-gu's inner thoughts I'd overheard at the beach earlier.

I didn't know exactly under what conditions I could hear their inner thoughts. But I could clearly make out Oh Han-gu's lecherous whispers, as if they bypassed the air and vibrated my cerebral cortex directly.

I'd been thrilled at first about being able to go back in time... But experiencing the perks applied upon regression for real sent chills down my spine, my hair standing on end. It was a physiological reaction. I'd meant to enjoy this... No need to get too scared, though.

I raised my glass to my friends. "Let's all have a drink, yeah?"

"Hell yeah! We don't get to hang out like this often!"

They filled their glasses and cheered my toast. And... Choi Hyun-woo poured Da-bin a drink too.

"Im Dda! You're drinking tonight, right?"

Da-bin glanced at me at Hyun-woo's offer, as if checking if it was okay. She wasn't weak with alcohol, really. But she was watching my reaction because the one pouring wasn't her boyfriend—me—but Hyun-woo.

I gave her a light smile. She took Hyun-woo's glass.

It was nothing much, but I was reading into it anyway...

We had a few rounds like that, sharing stories we hadn't gotten around to in ages. The chattiest ones were, predictably, Choi Hyun-woo and Oh Han-gu.

"Hey, Hyun-woo! You been working out?" Oh Han-gu asked him.

Come to think of it, Hyun-woo's body had looked pretty good when we hit the water. Not like that before...

"Started a while back. Noticeable? Heh."

"Yeah, dude, you bulked up nice."

Hyun-woo flexed his arm at Han-gu. "Wanna feel?"

"Whoa, fuck, it's solid!"

Hyun-woo, smug from his workouts. Honestly, no matter how ripped he got, he couldn't touch me or Jun-seo. But... the bastard flexed at Da-bin too.

"Im Dda! Wanna feel?"

"Eww... gross!" She recoiled.

"Why not? Me or Do-yoon—who's harder? Feel and see."

Hyun-woo dragged me into his taunt. I felt a twisted thrill at him indirectly pushing skinship on my girl. At the same time, I wanted to show him who was stronger.

Childish, maybe. But giving in to his provocation... was that just male instinct?

I grabbed Hyun-woo's arm and squeezed. "You gotten stronger? Prove it—break free."

I gripped hard; he strained with all his might to pull away. Bastard... definitely stronger than in college. But he was no match for me from the start. Only Jun-seo could rival me.

Hyun-woo groaned as he struggled. "Urgh... you're still a monster, Do-yoon..."

"Tap?"

"Tap! Tap!"

I released him after the submission. Our tussle cooled the mood a bit. To outsiders, it might look like dumb guy posturing for dominance.

Maybe I overdid it. I poured Hyun-woo a drink to lighten things up. He took it casually, like no big deal.

The meat grilled perfectly, and the vibe warmed up again. We poured drinks faster too. Hyun-woo refilled Da-bin's glass. Oh Han-gu spoke up.

"Yo, Hyun-woo, ease up on Da-bin."

"Do-yoon's cool with it—what's your deal?"

"I got the right. Right, Da-bin?"

"Huh? What's this about, Han-gu oppa?"

Da-bin's eyes went wide, her cheeks flushed from the buzz—adorably cute.

"Y'know... back in college, after-party!"

"Oh! That time?!"

"Yep!"

Da-bin chimed in excitedly. I was listening quietly, still clueless.

"What? Da-bin?"

"Sounds like the time after the department event early semester—we drank a ton!"

I remembered. Before Da-bin and I dated, at that after-party. Seniors had pushed drinks on her hard. Han-gu had covered for her.

He'd played white knight solo at first, dodging them with talk, but buckled under their pressure and called me for backup.

"Yeah, the day you begged me for help."

"That's it!"

"Thanks for that."

Han-gu couldn't handle the seniors pressuring Da-bin alone, so he'd roped me in. He'd already sniffed out Da-bin and I were hitting it off, which helped.

I rushed to her side right away and shut down the seniors pushing drinks. They were smaller than me anyway, and I was one of the strongest in the department.

That made me see Han-gu in a better light. If he just shut his trap sometimes, he'd be cool...

"Heh, treat me big at your wedding."

"That lead to marriage?"

"Duh—we started dating officially after!"

"Fine, thanks. Drink up."

We were all busy with work now. Weird quirks aside, catching up like this was fun. Nostalgic.

When did I fall asleep? Alcohol still floated in my veins. I pieced together the hazy memories.

Barbecue... then more drinks inside the pension. Great time chatting. Ignoring their lecherous stares, that is.

All night, they stole glances at Da-bin's body. With cleavage and thighs on display like that, no red-blooded guy could resist. Even Park Jun-seo snuck peeks.

I inwardly fumed at the looks but got aroused too. Eventually, I savored their gazes on her as my booze snack.

Were they doing the same with her? We kept drinking in the merry mood; Da-bin passed out first from the booze.

But... replaying their behavior toward her while drinking... it was way off from usual.

Even drunk, I'd never seen them ogle a girl like that. And Hyun-woo offering his arm? He was bold with dirty talk but strict about physical contact.

So... this must be the perk boosting men's lust for Da-bin by 20%...

They held back in front of me but still eyed her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cleavage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and thighs... That 20% wasn't trivial.

But... is it really okay she's sleeping like this? Guys and girls in the same place spells trouble. Drunk? Worse. And three other dudes here... with boosted libidos...

Before ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sleeping, I'd carried drunk Da-bin to bed... then came back to the living room for more drinks with the guys. And conked out on the sofa.

Sinister thoughts gnawed at me. My eyes snapped open. Vision spun. Heart racing, I sought Da-bin.

I'm screwed. Knowing this branch point pushes netorase, I regressed anyway and put her at risk. Snap out of it—get to her room fast.

I sat up. Then voices started echoing from somewhere.

My heart pounded. But my body moved sluggishly. I could dash, yet I crept cautiously...

These voices... I headed toward the room they came from. No locks inside, so if they crossed the line, I'd stop them cold.

The pension shrouded in darkness. Environment controls people. Lust warps behavior.

I cracked the door to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠room and peered through the gap to see what was happening.

"..."