NOVEL NEXT chapter 124
124 – 9.5 Afterstory – You should drink with close friends.
Jena’s cold face seemed to pierce my lungs.
The nun skillfully covered the children’s eyes, all while smiling at me without forgetting.
Even someone without intuition could tell. That smile was not an ordinary one.
Only Vivian held me tight, not letting go, and wore a bright smile.
With that smile, she whispered in a voice so soft that only I could hear.
“Our magpie has gained a lot of friends while we weren’t looking~.”
“…It seems like there are many misunderstandings.”
“Is it just a coincidence that only people of a certain gender are visible? Magpie, do you want to become a bird with torn wings?”
“……”
“Do you want to live a life of being locked in a nest, eating only what’s given to you?”
As she said that, she strongly pinched my side. I felt like I was going to faint.
It wasn’t like my body was in good condition, having absorbed the Behimos.
The noisy situation was somewhat settled, and the guests took their seats.
Since we had made a lot of money from selling pojangmacha, we had moved to a decent place. Thanks to that, the space wasn’t too cramped.
“…..”
The table was filled with various foods, desserts, and fruits, but no one touched them. The children from the orphanage, who were usually full of energy, were glancing around nervously, licking their fingers.
The awkward time continued to that extent.
“It’s been a while, Diarus. I heard you broke through a very dangerous dungeon, so I was worried and came to visit. The kids wanted to see you too.”
“Is the Ghost Opinue at the orphanage?”
“Yes. We need someone to take care of the kids who couldn’t come.”
The first to break the silence was Sister Trezia, who loved money and children, with her dyed pink hair.
As soon as she finished speaking, the kids rushed to me, hugging me tightly and opening their mouths.
“Right, Diarus oppa! We walked from the stream to see you!”
“I was worried about you, hyungnim, and came to visit. I’m really happy to see you’re doing well.”
“Hyung!”
“Oppa!”
I stroked the kids’ heads and said, “There’s plenty of food, so eat as much as you want. Just don’t eat too much and get a stomachache.”
Then, as if they had been waiting, the kids cheered and grabbed the desserts.
“Yes! Diarus oppa is the best! The strawberry desserts are all mine!!”
“I was going to eat that too…! If you’re greedy, this cream will all melt!”
“I’m so happy to be eating this snack.”
As I watched the kids stuffing their faces with snacks, Sister and I exchanged a warm smile. The atmosphere was truly joyful.
It’s done. If we leave it like this, the unpleasant incident from earlier will soon be forgotten. I’ve overcome many life-or-death crises in the 13th-floor dungeon.
Avoiding this kind of threat is no big deal.
But I, who was so confident, was caught off guard by an unexpected surprise.
“Mom can’t eat all the sweet things! It’s only Dad who can…”
Dad.
Mom and Dad. Usually, these terms refer to a married couple.
“D…”
“Dad…?”
“Is Diarus Dad, and Sister is Mom?”
Jena’s face, which had slightly relaxed, turned cold again. Her expression demanded an explanation from me.
Vivian, who was clinging to my side, placed her hand on my thigh and returned to her neutral expression.
“Ahahaha. We’re not really a married couple, so don’t misunderstand.”
Only Sister smiled comfortably, patting the kids on the head.
“When the kids call Diarus ‘Dad,’ people often get the wrong idea. So, I’m used to it now.”
“……”
“Well, people often say that we match well, or that we’re enviable as newlyweds, but I get embarrassed every time I hear it.”
No one asked, but Trezia answered anyway, her face reddening.
I was taken aback. It was true that I had heard her say such things before, but she never showed much embarrassment.
On the contrary, she would confidently play the role of a newlywed, haggling over prices with merchants. That’s why the market vendors still think we’re a newlywed couple or engaged.
The problem is, why did she bring this up at this timing? When someone is struggling, you should try to help them.
After Trezia finished speaking, an awkward silence fell again. This time, it was Vivian who broke the silence.
“It’s indeed embarrassing. It’s weird to hear people say that when we’re not even a real couple. You seem like a devout person, judging by your attire.”
Sister, who couldn’t hear, interpreted Vivian’s words by reading her lips. Trezia, who was slow to respond, finally opened her mouth.
“Yes. As a devout person, marriage is a bit of a burden. But since people around us say we match well, I’m always grateful. In fact, I’ve seen us look like a couple a few times.”
“Haha.”
“Hehe.”
The two women exchanged gentle words, smiling warmly at each other.
I sweated profusely, watching Trezia and Vivian exchange glances. Jena seemed uninterested in their conversation, coolly picking up a fruit and staring at me.
“I’m also curious, as a devout person, about the people who are sensitive about ‘marriage’ or ‘romance’?”
A direct question came. Trezia seemed to think that this was the right time, closing her eyes tightly.
“There are many people with old-fashioned thinking. However, these days, things are changing and becoming more accepting. Whether it’s marriage or romance… if you find someone who matches your heart, what’s wrong with that? That’s not a sin.”
“Ah, I see. That’s indeed true. As a devout person, you have a strong sense of faith.”
“On the contrary, if there’s a sin, it’s the sin of ‘greed.’ According to the teachings, those who covet others’ possessions will surely be punished.”
Trezia emphasized her words, covering her expression with her sleeve.
The woman clinging to me, who wouldn’t let go, responded with a sly smile.
“Hmm… I really like that teaching. I recently had my most precious treasure stolen, and I wish the culprits would admit their mistake and receive their punishment.”
The two people’s smiles crossed each other in mid-air. Trezia seemed extremely frightened, sweating profusely as she stared at me. It was an unspoken request to quickly end this strange atmosphere.
In the end, I couldn’t help but open my mouth.
“Let’s divide the story into parts, and since we’re all gathered here, why not play a game?”
“A game…?”
“Diares, that’s a great idea!…”
“Oh, does Kachi like games too? What kind of game should we play?”
I threw out a suggestion, and to my surprise, I got reactions from multiple people. Only Jena kept her mouth shut, staring at me steadily.
I ignored her sharp gaze and got up to grab a cup.
It’s true that playing drinking games is the best way to get awkward people to bond.
.
My tolerance is two and a half bottles of soju. I’ve never tried beer, so I’m not sure how much I can handle.
One thing I realized from drinking cheap soju at a gathering is that it really helps adults bond.
At first, people who couldn’t even talk to each other were laughing and clinking glasses together by the end of the night.
“…There are kids, so let’s not drink too much.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll just drink enough to have fun. We can control ourselves.”
“…..Then let’s just have a little?”
To my surprise, Trezia didn’t dislike drinking that much. She was just being cautious because she had to take care of the kids.
With her consent, the drinking game began. We didn’t play games like “Bani Bani” or “I’m Ground,” which were really annoying.
“What game should we play?”
“There are a lot of options. We could play ‘Handsome Boy’ or…”
“…Or what?”
As I thought about it, I realized that they didn’t know much about games.
“…Did you really think we could just play a game without planning anything?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
How do I explain this?
Bibi looked at me, seemingly frustrated, and opened her mouth.
“Why don’t we start with something I know? Let’s play a game where we talk about people’s characteristics. We’ll pick one person and talk about their traits until the end, and the last one standing wins!”
“That sounds fun.”
“…Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun.”
“I’m okay with anything…”
Bibi got everyone’s consent, excluding me, and started pouring drinks. Unfortunately, I was the one who got picked.
“Let’s talk about Diares! I’ll start! He actually had black hair, and wow, everyone applauded!”
No one applauded.
“…Is that really true?”
“Yes, it is.”
It seemed like the game was going to drag on.
.
The game of talking about people’s characteristics eventually ended with Bibi winning. She also won most of the other drinking games.
Pu-reun was already lying down, looking green, and Trezia’s face was red as she barely maintained her composure. Jena, at some point, started banging her head on the table, muttering something to herself, which was eerily unsettling.
It seems that drinking to bond is a myth. You should only drink with people you’re already close to.
“…Ugh, damn it…”
“Everyone’s had too much to drink~.”
“..Ah, I’m not drunk yet, though..?”
“Their faces are already giving it away, what’s the point.”
In the end, even the nun-like Vivian couldn’t resist and became one with the table.
Vivian smiled victoriously, leaning her body on my shoulder.
“I’ve defeated all my evil enemies, and now I’ll take you as my reward!”
Vivian brought a grape to my lips.
“Eat it, little bird. Ah~”
“…What are you doing?”
“Hurry up! Ah~”
She hurriedly pressed her face against my shoulder, chirping away. I had no choice but to accept the grape and eat it.
As the sweetness spread in my mouth, she laughed satisfactorily.
“Hehehe.”
One more thing I found out was that Vivian was unexpectedly weak against alcohol. Despite drinking the least, she was quietly getting drunk.
The drunk Vivian tightly hugged my body.
“I…see…”
Jena, who saw the scene, let out a stifled laugh. Her face turned bright red as she stumbled and got up from her seat.
“Dia…senpai…!”
She tried to say something to us but gave up and turned around.
“I’ll…be right back…”
“…Okay.”
It seemed like she was going to the restroom.
I let Jena go without much thought.
But 30 minutes passed, and she still didn’t return.
I began to worry and went to look for her.