There's No Way I'd Get Drunk Off One Can
Once the livestream ended and the monitor went dark, the room fell quiet in an instant. The highball in my hand had just hit empty, too.
Ugh, I'm dizzy.
I'd only had one can, and already the buzz was creeping up on me. Was this another side effect of becoming a woman?
"…There's no way I'd get drunk off a single highball."
I still wanted more, though.
But if I wanted another drink, I'd have to go out and buy one. What to do…
"Just one more can. Okay, two."
I braced myself against the desk, swayed a little, and pushed up from the chair. Then I threw on the hooded zip-up hanging from the coat rack and headed out the front door.
My face stared back at me from the elevator mirror. The reflection was a little flushed. And even to my own eyes, she looked pretty damn good.
"Still can't get used to this…"
This woman was me.
Honestly, I'd have preferred being able to date a girl like this over becoming one myself.
A moment later the elevator doors opened, and cold night air swept in through the half-open glass entrance beyond.
Spring was on its way, but the nights still had a bite.
Should've worn something thicker.
Thinking that, I picked up my pace toward the convenience store.
Ding-a-ling—
"Welcome."
The little bell on the door chimed, and a voice greeted me.
A voice I don't recognize…
I turned toward the counter and found a part-timer I'd never seen before looking my way. Bright brown hair, round eyes, and a soft little smile — she looked just like a cute puppy.
Seeing her, I thought of the romance visual novel I'd been watching on stream earlier. That game had a heroine just like her. Gentle and adorable, like a golden retriever.
"She's really similar…"
I muttered under my breath and headed for the fridge with the highballs.
Lee Haneul, who'd only started her shift the day before, watched the customer approach with a highball in each hand.
Is she a celebrity?
Even in a thrown-on outfit with messy hair, the girl's face was so beautiful she stood out immediately.
Haneul snuck glances at her while scanning the barcodes.
"I'll need to check your ID."
"Okay…"
The girl rummaged through her pockets and held out her ID.
"Cha Yerin…"
The card told her the girl had only just become a legal adult.
After finishing the ID check and ringing up the purchase, Haneul bagged the cans and handed them over. Yerin took the bag and staggered toward the door.
I walked toward the little park in front of the convenience store. It had felt cold just a minute ago, but the longer I was out, the warmer I seemed to get.
It's not the alcohol. Nope.
The breeze felt nice, though. Drinking outside before heading home didn't sound half bad.
Maybe because it was so late, the park was nearly empty. I plopped down on a bench tucked off to the side and pulled a highball from the bag.
Pssst—
"Ahh. That's the stuff."
I looked up, and across the way the brightly lit convenience store came into view. Through the glass, I could see the part-timer from earlier restocking shelves.
I took a sip of the highball, propped my chin in my hand, and watched her. She really did look just like a heroine from a romance visual novel.
"Hmm…"
If she and I were characters in one of those games, which of us would be the heroine?
Before the change, I'd obviously have been the one doing the pursuing. But now?
"Heh."
Me, the heroine? As if.
I cracked open the second can, still entertaining those ridiculous thoughts. The moment I tipped back the last swallow, my eyelids started to feel heavy. I knew better than to sleep outside, but I slowly stretched out on the bench anyway.
"Just five minutes with my eyes closed, then home…"
"Finally done~!"
Before she knew it, the clock had hit midnight. Haneul peeled off her convenience store vest, stashed it in the locker, and grabbed her bag. After a quick goodbye to the coworker taking over, she stepped outside.
"Ugh, it's cold."
She rubbed her arms and turned toward home. That was when she spotted someone lying on a park bench across the street.
"Is that…"
It was the person who'd bought alcohol from the store a few hours ago.
Her name was… Cha Yerin, right?
Yerin was sound asleep on the bench. Leaving her there felt a little too dangerous — the night was cold, she was dressed thinly, and she was a girl passed out drunk alone.
In the end, Haneul crossed at the crosswalk and walked over to the bench.
"Excuse me."
No answer. Haneul stepped a little closer.
"Are you okay?"
She gave Yerin's shoulder a gentle shake. Yerin's eyelids slowly lifted. Her unfocused eyes drifted through empty air before settling on Haneul's face. She stared for a moment, then the corner of her mouth curved up.
"Noona… no, Unni, you're so pretty…"
The sudden compliment turned Haneul's face red in an instant.
"W-what did you just say?"
Yerin just smiled softly, saying nothing. Haneul tried again.
"Can you stand up?"
"Yeees."
But for all that confident answer, Yerin just sat there on the bench, staring at Haneul's face.
The way Yerin was looking at her made Haneul suddenly self-conscious, and she turned her head away.
"Haa…. Fine. I'll just take you home."
If she left her like this, the girl would probably sit there forever. So Haneul resigned herself to walking her home. She took Yerin by the arm and helped her up. Yerin's body tipped straight into her.
"Careful."
Haneul slipped one arm around Yerin's waist and held her arm with the other. Yerin rested her head limply on Haneul's shoulder and carefully looped her arms around her.
"Where do you live?"
"Home…"
"Can you tell me the address?"
"Addreeess…"
"……"
Haneul pressed a hand to her throbbing temple.
"Hey. Try to focus a little."
"I am focused…"
Yerin answered without even properly opening her eyes.
"You really don't seem like it."
"I'm totally fine…"
The second the words left her mouth, Yerin stumbled, and Haneul had no choice but to pull her close again to keep her upright.
What do I do?
She still hadn't gotten an address, and she couldn't just leave a girl alone out here in the cold. Haneul hesitated for a long while before finally making up her mind.
Her place was a ten-minute walk from the park. They were both women, and it was just one night on a bed. Come morning, once Yerin sobered up, she could send her home.
"Just… come to my place."
At Haneul's voice, Yerin slowly lifted her head.
"My house. Is that okay?"
"Unni's house… our house… heehee."
Yerin seemed to like the sound of that, giggling to herself.
"I'll go…"
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Yeees."
Yerin answered with a bashful little smile. Haneul let out a deep sigh.
By the time they reached her apartment, beads of sweat had formed on Haneul's forehead. Yerin had clung to her arm the entire way home like she might fall without it.
The moment the front door opened, Yerin tried to walk inside without taking off her shoes.
"Shoes."
"Yeees."
Yerin kicked off one slipper. The other stayed on. In the end, Haneul had to take the remaining one off herself and set it by the door.
"Haa…. Feels like I'm babysitting a little kid."
Haneul shook her head.
"Take off your outer layer and sleep on this bed."
"Mmh…"
"Come on."
Yerin slowly peeled off her hoodie, dropped it beside her, and crawled onto the bed. Then, with the most peaceful face in the world, she drifted right off to sleep.
"Sleeping like a baby in a total stranger's house…"
Haneul muttered, half in disbelief. She pulled a blanket from the closet and stretched out on the living room sofa.
"Huu… what even is this night…"
She shook her head and tried to sleep.
The next morning.
Sunlight slipped in through a gap in the curtains. I opened my eyes to a headache that felt like it was splitting my skull open.
"Ugh…"
An unfamiliar ceiling. The second I saw it, every last trace of sleep vanished.
"What the hell."
First, I checked myself over. Nothing hurt. The problem was… I wasn't wearing any clothes.
I scrambled to piece together the night before. I'd gone to the convenience store, bought drinks, sat on a bench drinking…
"Then I latched onto the part-timer and followed her all the way home…"
I really didn't want to keep remembering past that point, but the memories kept surfacing one by one anyway.
"I lay down on the bed, got hot during the night, and took my clothes off…?"
Just then, a rustling sound came from the doorway, and the convenience store part-timer from yesterday walked in.
"Mmm… you're up?"
Our eyes met. Her lips parted in a blank stare.
"Kyaaah!"
I frantically yanked the blanket up to cover myself. Haneul clapped both hands over her bright-red face and yelled.
"W-why are you naked?!"
"I-I… I got hot without realizing…!"
"Excuse me?!"
"I'm so sorry…!!"