“Isn’t chicken the perfect match for alcohol?”
“I guess this time I have to admit the commander’s words.”
For sure, chicken goes well with alcohol.
Right.
Just like coffee pairs with bread and meat goes with kimchi, when drinking, chicken is definitely the way to go.
Of course, drinking whiskey today felt a bit off, but it didn’t matter much.
Honestly, I didn’t even know the brand, and I usually only drink cheap stuff, right?
“I was actually thinking about getting fried chicken, but grilled over charcoal sounds nice too.”
“I’m okay with anything. After all, the person who brought it was you, Commander. What can I say when my superior treats me?”
“Considering how you usually treat me… You don’t treat me like a superior, do you?”
“Ahem.”
Well, that’s understandable.
It was all in good fun, meaning I wanted the commander to do well, so I was teasing them a bit.
Honestly, I don’t think it was teasing at all.
“Well, that’s fair. If I pamper the commander too much, it could be bad, right?”
“This time, maybe I did tease a bit.”
“Anyway, make yourself comfortable on the floor. I personally don’t use chairs much.”
It was the same in the commander’s room, but in my room, there were even fewer chairs.
To be precise, there were no tall tables to sit at, so I had to eat sitting on the floor.
Well, it’s not like I’m not used to eating on the floor, so it wasn’t a problem.
If it bothers you that much, buy me a chair and a tall table.
Of course, since they get paid more than me, that’s possible.
“It doesn’t matter. Eating is the same whether I sit on the floor or on a chair.”
“That’s true.”
Anyway, the commander placed the chicken on the small table, and I started setting up the rest.
Plates, utensils, gloves, and more.
Since we were eating, it felt a bit off to just eat with bare hands without preparing anything.
By the way, the smell was incredibly strong, probably because it was grilled chicken.
It wasn’t just ordinary grilled chicken, but over charcoal, so the smell was bound to be powerful.
“By the way, this is your second time coming to my room.”
“?”
“I was just saying that. It felt boring to say nothing while preparing.”
I really just said it casually.
We were going to share dinner and drink, and it felt too quiet.
Honestly, quiet isn’t necessarily bad, but talking unexpectedly isn’t too bad either.
There was no reason to feel awkward just because the other person was a man, and we had been having ordinary conversations up until now.
“Is there anything else you need? I have drinks in the fridge, too.”
“Then… could you give me some cola? I’m not planning to drink much alcohol anyway.”
“Hmm… Alright.”
It was a bit disappointing that my drinking partner wouldn’t be drinking much, but I understood.
After all, the commander isn’t much of a drinker.
The last time they went out for drinks with Midori, they didn’t drink much either, and then…
“I suddenly remember how I had to carry the commander back to the room when they passed out from drinking. That was tough.”
“…….”
“Well, things like that happen in life, don’t they? It wasn’t like anything strange happened that time.”
“Hah….”
I was really surprised back then.
Yeah.
Thinking back, I was pretty embarrassed in many ways at that moment.
I usually stay calm, but that time, I was a bit all over the place.
Well, thankfully, things were cleared up without misunderstanding.
“Anyway, everything is ready now.”
On the table were chicken, utensils, plates, and a few other things, and I turned on the TV to have it on any random channel.
I felt it was about time to start eating something.
Since it was Friday, we could drink slowly without any issues, and since it was whiskey, it was all good.
It wasn’t like soju; drinking whiskey fast would lead to problems in many ways.
“Hmm… Let’s pour the drinks and start eating.”
“Just do as you please. Anyway, aren’t you the one who will be drinking more than I will?”
“Personally, I’d prefer to drink with someone else… But since the commander really can’t drink, it can’t be helped.”
“…….”
If only the commander could drink a bit more, I’d have poured them at least two glasses.
Last time, they had such a light response to soju, so whiskey was definitely pushing it.
If they drank, they might genuinely end up in rough shape tomorrow.
“Macallan 30-year… Hmm, I’ve never heard of this brand. Do you know it?”
“How would I know if I can’t drink?”
“That’s true.”
I didn’t know what it was, but it was definitely an expensive whiskey.
I felt a bit guilty drinking it with chicken, something that the boss brought, but it was a gift, so…
If I kept saving it, it would just become useless.
So, I thought it would be better to drink it while I could.
Also, I wondered how much an expensive whiskey like this cost; maybe tens of thousands won?
After all, I didn’t know much about alcohol.
“Oh… The color is pretty. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“It’s a color of alcohol.”
“That’s true, but it doesn’t smell bad.”
I poured the liquor into a glass and sneaked a glance.
Brown… it felt a bit high-class to say that.
The aroma was more subtly pleasant than I expected.
Sure, the alcohol smell was strong, though.
“Anyway, let’s toast. It’s not stylish to just eat without doing anything, right?”
“It’s already un-stylish to eat expensive whiskey with chicken.”
“Stay quiet and just drink your glass.”
Cutting through the awkward atmosphere, I lifted my glass.
It wasn’t one of those tiny glasses used for soju but rather a glass slightly smaller than a beer glass.
Since there wasn’t a whiskey glass available in the room, I had no choice but to use a fairly large glass.
Well, if it bothers you that much, someone will buy it for us.
“The commander should make a toast.”
“There’s only two of us, so what kind of toast is that? Just clink the glasses and drink.”
“If you do that, you won’t be popular with the ladies.”
“I’m too busy these days to have that time.”
Just some idle chatter.
Really just chit-chat… that brief conversation passed for a moment.
“Heh…”
“Phuhut…”
-Cheers!
We lightly chuckled at the trivial banter as we clinked our glasses.
On one side was cola, while on the other was whiskey—a bit of a silly combination, but I was just planning to drink moderately anyway.
I wasn’t really trying to get drunk; just having some good liquor, and since drinking alone seemed too lonely, I called the commander to join me.
“……”
“What’s wrong? Is it bad?”
“Oh. It’s good. Definitely better than diluted soju or such. The aroma is subtle but strong, and it tastes sweeter than I expected.”
I realized there was a reason that expensive alcohol felt different.
Absolutely incomparable to the cheap soju or beer that you could get anywhere.
Of course, since the alcohol content was high, if I drank too much… I felt like I’d end up in serious trouble.
“By the way, could you start tearing apart the chicken? The smell has been too good, and I’ve been wanting to eat.”
“Can’t you just eat it yourself?”
“Normally, this is something a man should do.”
It wasn’t really some set rule, but I said it anyway.
The relationship between us wasn’t just an ordinary superior and subordinate one, and the commander had gotten used to this treatment too.
Honestly, I just wanted to eat the chicken, and I was too lazy to pull it apart myself.
Still, the commander did tear off some meat from the chicken legs and handed it to me.
Since they were going to do that anyway, I didn’t get why they resisted; it was exactly what made them popular with the ladies.
“This is delicious. You picked well.”
“As long as it’s tasty, that’s all that matters.”
There was a slightly mixed tone in those words, but I thought it was fine.
After all, I’d helped the commander out a lot from the time they were just a rookie till now, albeit still a rookie.
Since those days, I helped them work hard, and I still worked hard now.
Once the boss goes back to headquarters, it would be hard to take it easy like this anymore.
“…Hah.”
“What’s up now?”
“I don’t think I’ll get to relax like this for a while.”
“Well, it can’t be helped. As operations increase, so will our work.”
“That’s true.”
But I really started to dislike only working without a break.
I didn’t mind working hard, but I hated not having time to rest because of it.
Well, I was doing well at my job, so it wasn’t really a problem.
“I’ll trust that the commander will help with the increasing workload. You’ll assist the vice commander, who has been by your side since the start, instead of new Dolores, right?”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t overthink things.”
Am I crazy?
“Just kidding. After all, I’ve always relied on you for help, so why wouldn’t I?”
“Then that’s settled. Let’s stop talking about work and talk about something else. What do you think about the new game that just came out?”
“That’s not bad either.”
Honestly, being with the commander wasn’t that bad.
It might have to do with me being a guy, but the commander’s personality wasn’t the kind that was annoying.
They let things slide when they needed to and helped out when necessary.
Though I felt like I did more than my share.
“Ah… It’s definitely more enjoyable than drinking alone.”
“Then I’m glad.”
“Yes. Indeed.”
I hadn’t emptied my glass yet and was just sipping slowly.
After all, whiskey has high alcohol content, and mindlessly drinking it would get me drunk quickly.
So, we meticulously chatted while sipping our drinks.
Really pointless, but the one benefit of this was drinking slowly and comfortably.
“……”
Well, drinking together like this was definitely better than drinking alone in my room.
For now.
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