Self-Destruction (10)
Gulp—gulp— “Phew…”
After chugging the liquor in one refreshing go and licking the corners of my mouth, Soyeon, sitting across from me, poked at some snacks and slid them over.
“Ah. Thanks.”
She accepted my gratitude with cool indifference and naturally picked up my empty glass, starting to mix a fresh drink. …This pace is way too fast….
Even if I complained about how quickly she was going, she probably wouldn’t listen. I had planned to drink slowly, but with Soyeon constantly urging me to keep up, I had no choice but to match her rhythm. At least I seemed to handle alcohol better than expected, which was a relief….
Resigned, I popped a green grape into my mouth and glanced around the room, trying to steady the fuzzy buzz creeping up on me.
A bed far too large for one person. A desk cluttered with all sorts of random items. Clean white walls accented with thoughtful touches here and there. The place where we were drinking was Soyeon’s room on the second floor.
She had insisted we drink here, so I’d followed her upstairs. The room was far neater than I’d imagined. As expected, she really does take after me in that regard.
Thinking about it, I was currently living one of those classic fatherly dreams—drinking with my own child. The timing might be a little early, but fulfilling a fantasy I never thought I’d experience in my lifetime made all the effort of keeping up with her feel worthwhile.
As I looked around the room, Soyeon set a fresh glass in front of me and spoke.
“…What are you staring at so hard?”
“Hm? Oh, I was just thinking you keep your room really tidy….”
I flashed Min Soyeon a wide grin with the compliment. She returned a faint smile and poured liquor into her own glass. The blue bottle must have run out; she was filling it with clear alcohol now.
Glug—glug—glug—glug—
I watched her in a daze, then let out a long sigh, subtly rose from my seat, and slid over to sit right beside her.
“…Why?”
Ignoring the way she looked at me as if asking what I was doing, I settled down next to her.
“…Why are you…”
“Soyeon-ah.”
I cut her off and casually draped an arm around her shoulders. She flinched, then slowly lifted her gaze to meet mine.
Those red eyes, exactly like her mother’s. It hit me again just how much she resembled my wife. Whose daughter is she? She really is beautiful.
As I admired her with that thought, her already flushed cheeks grew even redder. Her eyelids drooped halfway, and she began giving me a strange, hazy look.
Yeah… she’s pretty drunk.
Realizing how far gone she was, I gently pressed down on her shoulder and pulled her firmly into my arms, then took the bottle from her hand.
“…Huh?”
She let out a dazed sound, clearly flustered by the sudden move, and squirmed against me.
“That’s enough drinking for now.”
“…What? No, wait… I haven’t even drunk that much!”
What does she mean, not that much? She’d already downed four glasses straight.
I had let her keep going until now because I thought she needed to feel the danger of alcohol for herself, but this was the limit.
Ignoring her protests, I picked up the water cup that had been abandoned on the floor and held it out to her.
“Drink this and I’ll think about it.”
She glared at me with her flushed face, but eventually took the cup obediently.
Gulp—gulp—
“Hoo…”
I took the empty cup back, set it down, and gave her arm a few light pats as if to say good job before releasing her. Her face was burning red, and the nape of her neck had taken on a faint pink tint. Judging by her condition, stopping here was the right call.
They say you have to suffer a hangover to learn your lesson, but… getting some fresh air, drinking water, and maybe picking up some hangover medicine wouldn’t hurt.
With that in mind, I subtly moved to end the drinking session. “Let’s take a little break before we drink more.”
Min Soyeon gave me a meaningful look and turned the question back on me.
“…Are you drunk?”
Her eyes were subtle, almost like she was testing me.
“No? I feel fine.”
She let out a deep sigh, visibly disappointed, then said she would get more ice.
Worried about her navigating the stairs while intoxicated, I asked if she would be okay. She told me she was perfectly fine and that I should just wait quietly.
Thud—
After Soyeon left the room, I let out a long breath.
“…Phew…”
Maybe because I had let my guard down thinking it was over, the alcohol hit me harder. I leaned back against the bed and rested my head on the mattress. The soft, sinking sensation felt like my head was floating pleasantly.
As I rested there, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier until they finally slid shut. The intoxication seemed to be catching up to me late.
“…Ah…”
A low sigh slipped out. It was a good thing I had stopped when I did.
After grabbing some ice and opening the door, I saw Jihwan leaning against the bed.
“Uh, Soyeon’s hereee?”
His words were starting to slur. He was clearly much drunker than before.
I swallowed hard, pretended nothing was wrong, closed the door, and walked over to him. I set the ice bucket down at a distance and subtly studied his face.
“…Are you… okay?”
I lowered my head to peer at him. His eyes were completely unfocused, far more intoxicated than earlier.
“Uhh? Me? I’m fineee…. What about yooou…?”
“…I’m still fine.”
I had taken the medicine Midori sent me, so I wasn’t drunk in the slightest. In fact, my mind was perfectly clear.
My ‘friends’ had told me that once his speech started slurring, the night was basically over or about to be. One or two more drinks and he’d be completely out….
My original plan had been to knock him out cold and create an undeniable fact—one he could never deny.
But… remembering how Jihwan had suddenly pulled me into his arms and tenderly made me drink water, leaving him somewhat conscious didn’t seem so bad.
…What should I do….
While I was watching him and worrying, Jihwan, who had been staring at me blankly, slowly wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“Eep…”
Startled, I let out a small gasp and turned my head. He was looking at me with eyes full of affection.
“Haa…. Our Soyeon… who did you take after to turn out this pretty? Hmm?”
He pulled me in tight, cupped my face, and leaned in without hesitation.
Uh… uhh…?
My heart plummeted even as it hammered wildly in my chest. I trembled with strange anticipation and quietly accepted his touch.
And then….
Smoooch—
The moment his soft lips touched my cheek—
“Hngh…”
An overwhelming rush of pleasure swept through me, so intense I thought I might lose consciousness. My body shook uncontrollably. My brain felt like it would melt from the sheer ecstasy and satisfaction, stronger than anything I had ever felt.
After pulling away with another soft kiss, Jihwan hugged me tightly, as if he couldn’t contain how adorable he found me, and buried his face against my neck.
“Haa…. Our Soyeon……”
The hot breath against my neck made my heart race at the thought that we were finally moving to the real thing.
…A k-kiss, starting with a kiss…!
To fulfill my long-held dream of beginning a relationship with a kiss, I carefully took hold of the hand he had around my neck.
But then—flop. His hand fell limply to the floor.
“…Huh?”
The moment I froze in confusion, Jihwan’s body, which had been leaning against me, slowly collapsed.
He ended up sprawled across my lap, breathing softly with no movement at all.
It seemed… he had fallen asleep.
“…Uhh?”
Extremely flustered by the sudden turn, I quickly pushed the drinking table into the corner and laid Jihwan flat on the floor.
“…Hey, Jihwan…”
No answer.
“…Jihwan-ah?”
I waited a little longer and called again, but he remained sound asleep. He had completely lost consciousness.
Gulp—
I swallowed nervously, rubbing my thighs together anxiously as I tried to steady my breathing.
“…Haa… haa…”
C-calm down….
I approached on silent steps, crouched beside his head, and carefully reached out.
Poke— I prodded his cheek, but he didn’t stir.
“…Haa… haa…”
My hands trembled wildly with excitement. I slowly moved my fingers to his lips.
Tap— The soft, plush sensation at my fingertips. I checked his face again, but he was still deeply asleep.
“…Haa… haa…!”
I touched his lips, ears, forehead, chest, hands—everywhere—but he showed no reaction whatsoever.
“…Hehe, hehehe…”
After the long confirmation and finally believing he wouldn’t wake up, I swallowed hard and slowly leaned toward his face.
The first step was a kiss. Little by little… little by little….
The moment our lips met—
“Huu…”
A full-body shiver ran through me. The happiness was on a completely different scale from the kiss on my cheek. The immense pleasure gave me courage. I grabbed his face roughly and opened my mouth.
His inviting lips parted weakly, revealing a soft tongue inside.
With a snap, my reason broke. Without hesitation, I pressed my mouth to his.
“Haup…!”
The sweet pleasure at the tip of my tongue—
“Slurp—smooch—slurp—munch… slurp…”
It was so intense it felt like I could reach climax.
“Smooch… smack—slurp… slurp—”
The wet, obscene sounds in my ears excited me even more. His warm, comforting scent filling my lungs set my body on fire.
I kept my eyes wide open so I wouldn’t miss a single second, burning the sight of his sleeping face into my memory—
Then his eyes slowly cracked open.
“…Uup!”
Even in my panic, I couldn’t stop my tongue. As I continued devouring his lips—
Suddenly—!
Jihwan grabbed me and pulled me into a fierce embrace.
“Uup!”
Startled, I stared at him with wide eyes.
Through his half-lidded gaze, he looked back at me without focus. He seemed dreamy, like someone lost in a dream.
Jihwan closed his eyes tightly again and kissed me with practiced skill.
“Uup!”
“Slurp… slurp… hngh… smack…”
It was completely different from the one-sided kiss I had given him. This time it felt like he was gently, erotically teasing my tongue and lips.
As I twisted and writhed against him, he held me tighter and began moving his tongue with fierce intensity.
“Bup… smack… slurp… smack… smooch…”
He gently caught my tongue between his lips and sucked on it softly.
The overwhelming pleasure I could never feel alone made my waist go completely weak.
While I stupidly kept my tongue out, savoring every touch of his hands on my skin, Jihwan pulled his lips away and spoke in a slurred, sleepy mumble.
“……Hey…”
“…Yes?”
I doubted my ears at the word that left his mouth. It sounded like he was calling for someone.
“……Heeya…”
No matter how I listened, it wasn’t my name.
Jihwan continued searching desperately for someone, then slowly released me as if slipping back into sleep.
“…Who? Jihwan. Who did you say?”
I shook him, asking desperately, but he gave no answer. I trembled in his arms, my body gone cold, and stayed there silently.