Chapter 196: Cutting in Line (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Cutting in Line (3)
His vision spun, and the noise of the banquet hall faded like the distant sound of waves.
Jung Hae-in had reached the point where he could no longer tell if what he was drinking was alcohol or sweet honey.
He didn't even know how many glasses he'd had.
Forgetting even to count, he simply surrendered himself to the pleasure of the moment.
‘This is fun.’
That was how he felt.
In truth, all his anxieties had been resolved.
He had every right and reason to enjoy this moment.
In tune with his mood, Kang A-rin and Yu Hana were also getting into the spirit of things.
Carried away by the excitement, Jung Hae-in offered drinks to the women on either side of him.
“Aren't you two drinking?”
At his words, Kang A-rin and Yu Hana briefly met each other's eyes.
A silent battle of wits began.
A common goal—an unspoken agreement to conquer Jung Hae-in—clearly existed between them.
But, how to put it...
Having come this far, they both started to get greedy.
With a drunken rabbit right in front of them, a dark greed began to blossom in both their hearts.
‘If I could just… take her out of the picture?’
Wouldn't I be able to have Jung Hae-in all to myself?
The exact same thought flashed through both women's eyes.
“...Shall we have a drink, too?”
Kang A-rin was the first to make a move.
Forgetting the intoxicated Jung Hae-in for a moment, she offered a new cocktail to Yu Hana.
“...Why not?”
She accepted the glass Kang A-rin offered.
Their gazes left Jung Hae-in for a moment and locked onto each other's.
They emptied their glasses without a word.
Kang A-rin was the first to speak.
“I never thought we'd be able to subjugate Barcus and Belial so easily.”
Yu Hana raised her glass and smoothly replied.
“That's all... because of how hard Hae-in worked.”
Sipping her cocktail, she gazed at the drunken, sprawled-out Jung Hae-in with a fond, distant look.
The conversation continued like that.
Stories of the past. Talk of the present and plans for the future.
The atmosphere continued to deepen.
And whenever a brief silence fell in their conversation, Kang A-rin and Yu Hana, as if by prior agreement, would offer each other a new cocktail.
With a smile. To ensure the flow wasn't broken.
The two of them kept at it.
At some point, Jung Hae-in had already passed out and was sprawled on the sofa.
The banquet was over, and everyone else was likely fast asleep in their hotel rooms.
And as time went on, it was Yu Hana who began to show subtle changes.
The posture she always maintained began to falter slightly, and an undeniable blush bloomed on her cheeks.
Kang A-rin didn't miss the opening.
Her red eyes shining even brighter, she offered the final glass to Yu Hana.
“Here, this is the last one.”
As if it were nothing, Yu Hana accepted the glass and downed it in one go.
And then.
“……”
The light vanished from her sky-blue eyes.
Yu Hana quietly slumped onto the sofa.
Kang A-rin looked down at the woman who, just moments ago, had been her rival.
And she smiled, satisfied.
“Not bad at all.”
Your tolerance has really improved.
Muttering this, she slowly turned her head toward the sleeping Jung Hae-in beside her.
All obstacles were gone.
All that remained was the victor's time.
And then.
– Thump.
Kang A-rin's body collapsed onto the sofa as well.
Her mental fortitude, which had held on until the very last moment, snapped the instant she confirmed her victory.
Kang A-rin had a technique to convert alcohol into its base spirit and expel it from her body.
But she hadn't used it, worried that the quick-witted Yu Hana would notice and be on her guard.
She had been acting as if she were just barely holding on, trying to make her opponent lower her guard.
But before she could expel it, the complacency from having defeated Yu Hana caused her to lose control of the intoxication she'd been suppressing.
And it all hit Kang A-rin at once.
In the end, there was no winner among the three.
The three of them, a man and two women in a corner of the banquet hall, fell into a deep sleep before anything could begin.
*
“...Ugh, my head.”
I opened my eyes to a splitting headache, as if my skull were being hammered.
“Gasp!!”
And I shot up like a spring.
My last memory from the night before.
The scene of being caught between the two women and forced to drink came flooding back.
Then... could it be?
“...Huh?”
I frantically checked myself and my surroundings. But contrary to what I'd feared, I woke up in the very same place I'd passed out: on a sofa in a corner of the banquet hall, now empty except for the countless cocktail glasses.
– Rustle, rustle.
From far away, behind a massive pillar, I could faintly hear the sound of the cleaning staff clearing away the remnants of the party.
The party was over.
I turned my head.
Leaning their heads on both my shoulders, Kang A-rin and Yu Hana were sound asleep.
– Soft, even breaths.
I lifted my watch slightly to check the time.
4 a.m.
It seemed they too had succumbed to the alcohol and passed out next to me.
A relief, I suppose.
Just then, however, the footsteps of the cleaning staff seemed to be getting closer.
If morning came and a Hero of the Association was discovered passed out in a corner of the banquet hall with two women... it wouldn't be a good look.
They must have been assigned rooms, too.
I should probably guide them to their rooms.
Not guide, actually. I'd have to carry them there myself.
First, I shifted my hold on Kang A-rin, who was leaning more steadily against my shoulder.
I gently lifted her body from the sofa and settled her in my arms.
A princess carry.
“Mmmph…”
Once in my arms, Kang A-rin whimpered in her sleep and, like a cat, snuggled into my neck, hugging me.
Good girl, just sleep quietly.
With Kang A-rin still in my arms, I braced myself with my lower body and bent at the waist.
Then, I moved closer to Yu Hana, who was slumped beside me.
I pulled her upper body onto my back and carefully adjusted my posture to carry her piggyback.
“Nngh…”
Feeling herself being lifted onto my back, Yu Hana also instinctively clung on, wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders.
Kang A-rin in my arms.
Yu Hana on my back.
I was like a flower in each hand.
No, more like a handful of troublemakers. I started walking toward the rooms with staggering steps.
Thankfully, I managed to avoid the staff's eyes.
I safely reached the floor with the guest rooms.
Now I just needed to find out their room numbers.
Then I could finally get some rest, too.
“What room...?”
I whispered into the ear of the soundly sleeping Kang A-rin in my arms, holding my breath as much as possible.
“Honey…”
“……”
It seemed impossible to wake her.
I asked Yu Hana on my back as well.
“Hana... what's your room number...?”
“Nnngh…”
She whined, rubbing her cheek against my back.
Right.
Sigh...
I finally realized I had no choice but to take them to my room.
I couldn't just dump them in the hallway.
And I couldn't go around knocking on other people's doors to wake them up.
I'll just toss them on my bed...
...and I can just leave...
In the end, I headed for the room assigned to me.
Even taking out the key card was an ordeal.
Twisting my arms holding A-rin and my back carrying Hana, I barely managed to pull the card from my coat pocket and open the door.
– Thump.
The moment the door opened, I set the two women down on the bed.
Exhausted, I leaned back against the bed and sat down.
I understand why they did it.
I know what it means to offer someone a drink like that.
But, if I'm being honest, there was no need for it.
Even if they hadn't gone that far, I wasn't going to run away.
I never had the slightest intention of avoiding this.
It might sound irresponsible, but I was planning to take full responsibility for everything.
“Sigh…”
I sighed, looking at the foreheads of Kang A-rin and Yu Hana sleeping on the bed.
– Flick.
– Flick.
“Ngh…”
“Mmm…”
The two of them just whimpered softly in their sleep, showing no signs of waking.
With that, I got up from my spot.
*
“……”
“……”
It was the usual cafe... but today, it was the one in the hotel.
Yu Hana and Kang A-rin both had dark circles under their eyes.
They said nothing, just stared blankly at their cold coffee.
“Sigh…”
Cheon Yeo-wool let out a deep sigh, looking at the two of them.
“So you both passed out together. Is that it?”
Cheon Yeo-wool had gone out for a refreshing walk early that morning.
But there, on a sofa in the hotel lobby, she found Jung Hae-in, still in the suit he'd worn last night, looking completely out of it.
Theoretically, Jung Hae-in shouldn't have been there at that time.
Theoretically, he should have still been with one of the two women, having a passionate time.
But how...?
Cheon Yeo-wool had cautiously approached him.
After hearing the full story, Cheon Yeo-wool couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
They both got drunk and passed out, apparently.
And now, she was looking at these pathetic defeated soldiers.
“Losers who can't even take what's handed to them~”
Ha Sion, the only one enjoying the situation, hummed as she sliced a piece of honey bread dripping with sweet honey.
She popped a piece of bread slathered in cream into her mouth and mumbled happily as she chewed.
“I gave you plenty of opportunity, didn't I?”
Sion muttered.
In truth, she hadn't given it to them willingly.
It was just an opportunity that arose because Ha Sion couldn't attend the banquet.
Kang A-rin and Yu Hana had nothing to say for themselves.
They could only sip their bitter coffee.
As it happened, Jung Hae-in had to return home today because of the Vanquisher incident.
“You're the ones who couldn't seal the deal.”
Sion nodded.
Cheon Yeo-wool nodded as well.
'They blew a chance like this?'
Ha Sion had felt so wronged until now.
When she lost at Rock Paper Scissors and had to go to the USA alone, she never imagined things would snowball like this.
But God was on Sion's side.
“Ehehehe.”
Now, it was clearly Sion's turn.