“Yo yo yo, the bubbles are seriously delicious. It looks like it’s trying to fill the space with bubbles, but believe me, once you try them both with and without bubbles, the difference is huge.”
“Are you seriously doing this on purpose? It seems worse than before.”
“So you’re not just a talkative person, this is really you…”
“I don’t like bubble beer.”
“You probably haven’t been to a really good place. I’ve been hopping around since I was twenty, and in my judgment—”
“Let’s talk about it later; let’s toast first.”
“Cheers!”
Everyone raised their glasses, and soon a clink echoed.
The cold beer in the chilled glass was so cold it almost sent chills down my spine. The coolness sliding down my throat was refreshing. As I gulped a drink down, a pained voice floated in from beside me.
“Ah!”
I turned my head as I set down my glass, and Riri was looking at me with a surprised expression.
“Wow, do you drink 500 all at once?”
“You’re really thirsty.”
“Teacher, take your time drinking. If you chug it, you’ll get knocked out.”
Honestly, that was a bit insulting to my pride. It’s just beer. Who gets drunk over a bit of beer?
Hmm, but actually, that person is me? With my history, I had no room to argue.
Thinking back, I understood the team’s reactions too. If I got drunk like last time, and ended up unconscious, the aftermath would be a huge hassle.
“Yes.”
So I smiled and responded, not forgetting to order another beer.
I thought this would probably be just the right amount. After all, I hadn’t really drunk properly since the first gathering.
It was Riri’s guard’s fault. For some reason, she kept sitting next to me and snatching my drinks.
Now that the guard had loosened up, it was my chance. It was just beer, after all. This time, I was confident I wouldn’t get too drunk. I hummed a tune as I drank my beer.
Definitely, Han Kang had reason to be proud. This place is nice.
“Teacher, you can’t drink that fast— umm.”
While I was tipsy, I shoved some dried fish into Riri’s mouth to quiet her down. Worried it might be too dry, I dipped it in sauce for another bite.
After all, it’s the thought that counts, so she couldn’t just spit it out. Then, feeling thirsty, I took another sip from the beer beside me.
Mumbling, she was eating well. Looking at her, I think I understand why mothers used to force feed their kids. Isn’t it kind of heartwarming to see someone just eat what you give them?
“Here, just a second. Umm.”
And this was kind of a tactic too. Blocking Riri’s mouth was a surprisingly effective way to control her actions.
Every time I had a drink of beer, I fed her some dried fish. To change things up, I occasionally added some dried squid and fish snack as well.
Every time I took a sip, I spread some dried pollack. If I only stuck to one type, it would get boring, so I mixed in some dried squid and seasoned pollock every now and then.
As a result, Riri was too busy gobbling up the snacks I handed her, adjusting the corners of her mouth.
Feeling like things had gotten a bit too quiet, I turned my head to find everyone subtly glancing my way.
“Teacher, you spread it so nicely, it’s really easy to eat.”
“No, it feels like I’m breeding them….”
Now that I thought about it, maybe I was hogging the snacks a bit much. Realizing this, I put a piece of the dried pollack and seasoned pollock onto each team member’s plate.
One by one, from the left. It felt a bit like we were playing a mini-game.
Then, all of a sudden, a plate that wasn’t one of the team members’ was thrust forward.
I looked up to see a rather sturdy-looking young man awkwardly smiling while holding the plate.
When our eyes met, he inhaled sharply for a moment, and his eyes twitched before he raised his voice.
“I lost at the drinking game, so could I grab just one piece of the dried pollack?”
“The dried pollack?”
“Yes.”
What’s this? Not asking for a drink, but for the dried pollack?
Seeing through his intentions made me sigh internally. This had happened a few times back at the emotional pub, but I thought it wouldn’t happen here because it’s a small place in a back alley—turns out I was wrong.
An unexpected guest’s arrival brought silence to the table.
An oddly uncomfortable atmosphere settled in. Even though my team members cleared their throats and shot him warning looks, they were still smiling and looking only at me.
He seemed like a pretty strong competitor. He didn’t come off as oblivious; he probably knew what he was doing. Is this what they mean by people who are bold?
I couldn’t understand the situation. What was the point of him wanting the snacks I offered?
I thought I’d give him just enough dried pollack to send him away without giving him my number or making any after promises. That’s what I was planning when I picked up my chopsticks.
“Waaah.”
Riri, who had been quietly sitting next to me, had already finished all the snacks I provided her with.
To my surprise, she started to shove all the leftover dried pollack into her mouth. Then, with her face turning bright red, she began to munch on them defiantly in front of the young man.
For a moment, the young man’s poker face broke. I caught a glimpse of his dumbfounded expression, but soon after, his gaze shifted toward the remaining seasoned pollock.
“Would it be okay if I had just the seasoned pollock…?”
It wasn’t so different from being flat-out rejected, but the young man didn’t give up.
However, regardless of his determination, the seasoned pollock also became something he couldn’t have.
All the remaining seasoned pollock had gone straight into Riri’s mouth.
“What the….”
Riri’s fierceness was somewhat intimidating, so the man couldn’t keep smiling any longer.
“Oh dear, our Dahee must be very hungry.”
“I wanted to eat some dried pollack too, what a shame!”
“The dried pollack here is really good.”
The team members continued their banter.
I couldn’t help but let out a deflated sound while trying to hold back my laughter. Soon after, the man clicked his tongue and returned to his seat.
“Ahhahahaha! Riri, you are just amazing!”
“Did you see that guy’s expression? It was like he couldn’t believe someone like that existed!”
“Wow, but how are you pulling this off at a pub? It’s not like it’s a fancy place. The atmosphere here is totally different.”
Meanwhile, I couldn’t hide my unease. I started to feel like I was causing trouble for everyone.
“Excuse me? Why would you say that? This isn’t the teacher’s fault.”
“It all worked out well, so it’s fine, right? But I bet you must be really tired. With that face, people are probably bothering you a lot.”
“Next time, let’s drink at a completely private place like a restaurant. Today’s vibe was a bit off. I know this place well since I’ve been coming here since I was twenty.”
In response to my reaction, everyone smiled kindly and insisted it wasn’t true at all.
Having the body of Camilla and unique dynamic vision and reaction speed, I could tell these people weren’t lying.
When someone lies or tries to hide a sinister motive, you could read their quickly passing expressions. But these people had none of that.
For some reason, it made my heart feel warm. If I put it in Riri’s terms, maybe it felt like my heart was all fuzzy.
Speaking of Riri, I noticed she hadn’t said anything since devouring the dried pollack and fish strips earlier. I turned my head, puzzled, to look beside me.
“Uuugh.”
Oh no, this is bad.
*
“I’m sorry, teacher….”
“It’s okay. Have you sobered up a bit?”
Riri hung her head, covering her face with her sleeve. She didn’t need to apologize that much.
Wait, was she really apologizing or just embarrassed?
Maybe it was because I stuffed the snacks down her throat too much; Riri almost ended up making a pancake on the pub table.
I quickly caught that and dragged her to the restroom.
I patted her back and texted the team members ahead, telling them to go ahead and drink; it was all okay.
It wasn’t like she stained her clothes or anything, and her condition wasn’t that bad, so once we cleaned up, she could easily return.
However, for some reason, Riri couldn’t meet my eyes, as if she had the feelings of a teenage girl.
Is this really something to be embarrassed about? She said she was twenty-three; isn’t it normal for people to pat each other’s backs and throw up a little during university welcome parties or MTs?
“Is it that time? I mean, you’re twenty-three, so if we went to a welcome party or an MT, isn’t it normal to pat each other’s backs and have a laugh?”
“I’m a high school graduate…”
“Ah, I see.”
Because of that, I hadn’t experienced many situations like this, and it was also my first time getting totally wasted in such an exaggerated way. I’ve vomited before, but being led by someone else while sharing that liquid and sound with them was a first for me.
“Is there any mess or anything? There shouldn’t be…”
“I don’t think so.”
Since I didn’t throw up while being dragged here, I figured there wasn’t any additional damage. Still, seeing her tremble with anxiety made me check if there were any signs of harm.
Oh, and there was a strange mark on the handkerchief that had wiped her mouth earlier.
The color change indicated that this was also—
“Pl-please! I’ll wash it and give it back!”
“Uh, that’s not really necessary…”
“No! This has to be washed! It absolutely has to!”
In a split second, Riri snatched the handkerchief I was inspecting and quickly folded it into her pocket. With her desperately seeking to hold onto it, I couldn’t really refuse.
“Shall we head inside slowly? People might be worried.”
“Y-yeah…”
I took slow steps forward. However, despite saying my buzz was gone, Riri was wobbling, unable to keep her balance.
Actually, it wasn’t much different from before we came to the pub, but this time, Riri’s mind was clear.
“Be careful. You’re going to fall.”
“T-thank you.”
So cautiously, Riri grabbed my hand and walked with a slightly flushed face. We took slow steps, exiting the building where the restroom was located.
“If we walk for a bit, or if we stop by a convenience store for a hangover remedy, we should be fine. Oh, and we can grab something for the others on the way.”
“Y-yeah, let’s do that.”
Riri nodded and took the lead, still holding my hand as she guided us down the street.
As we walked while checking a map app for the nearest convenience store, I spotted something and stopped in my tracks.
It was a bright shop standing out in the dark night. To be precise, it was a self-service ice cream discount store.
Somehow, it sounded really tempting. I was craving something sweet. I recall hearing that ice cream helps with a hangover.
With that thought in mind, I turned to Riri and said, a bit too excited,
“How about we get some ice cream?”
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