Chapter 19
19.
By the time I came to my senses, I found myself sitting in a corner of a gukbap restaurant I'd never been to before.
It was only five in the afternoon, but Hong Ye-na ordered soju, gukbap, boiled pork, and all sorts of other things without hesitation.
“Hehe, I've always wanted to order a bunch of different things here and try them.”
That remark came with the unspoken assumption that I'd obviously be paying.
It was a little galling, but I decided to think of it as an investment and let it go today.
Though I was an illegitimate child, I was still a third-generation chaebol with my father's blood in my veins, and paying for a meal at a place like this didn't faze me at all.
I'd spent tens of millions of won, sometimes even hundreds of millions, in a single night at clubs, bars, and other upscale drinking establishments reserved for the top one percent.
I thought the me from back then was pretty foolish now, but the point was, I had no financial worries.
I'd never made a point of dividing people into the upper and lower classes, much less looking down on anyone.
Everyone simply had different circumstances. Wealth was just a tool, not a measure of a person's worth.
That was one of my father's lessons, too.
“By the way, Ha-won, have you ever eaten somewhere like this?”
I'd already told Seo Geon-woo that Hong Ye-na had figured out who I was, so he wasn't surprised to see her with us.
“I've eaten here plenty.”
“Oh, really?”
“Just because I'm rich, you think I eat steak at fancy restaurants every day?”
Hong Ye-na gave me a sweet smile at that.
She had such a pretty smile.
‘Would I look that pretty if I smiled, too?’
I'd never looked at my smiling face in the mirror, so I had no way of knowing.
I glanced at Seo Geon-woo, sitting beside me and sipping his water.
‘Should I ask him?’
But I immediately shook my head.
Why would I ask Seo Geon-woo something like that!
Get a grip, Jeong Ha-won.
“I know. Even back then, you weren't the type to flaunt being a chaebol or make a big deal out of it.”
Was I?
I did hint at it a little….
It did attract a lot of flies, after all.
Of course, I hadn't hated school back in high school. If anything, it was the opposite.
I liked going to school, seeing my friends, and killing time chatting about meaningless things.
It made me feel like I wasn't alone.
‘I should've opened up more to my friends back then and shared my feelings with them….’
I sank into those thoughts as I watched Hong Ye-na's eyes sparkle with excitement at the soju bottle.
‘Yeah. I can still do that now….’
“Here, Ha-won, you first. Let me pour you a drink.”
Hong Ye-na held the neck of the soju bottle out toward me.
I picked up a small glass and let her pour me some soju.
Come to think of it, if I hadn't turned into a woman, would I ever have thought of people like Hong Ye-na or Woo Da-yeon and gone looking for them?
I probably would've kept drowning myself in alcohol and chasing women.
I would've continued living for momentary pleasures that meant nothing and gained me nothing, as if there were no tomorrow.
“But is that gentleman okay standing out there?”
Hong Ye-na said, glancing toward the outside of the gukbap restaurant.
At the end of her gaze stood Seong Ji-hoon, motionless as a pine tree.
I'd told her he was my personal bodyguard, but apparently his presence was bothering her. To be honest, he'd been getting on my nerves, too.
I'd told him to go home before we came here, but he said he couldn't follow my orders this time because I was drinking.
Well, I figured it might be nice to have someone around to drive, so I let him do as he pleased.
“Yeah, it's fine. Don't worry about him.”
“Mmm~ I feel kind of bad for him.”
“I told him to go home, but he's as stubborn as a statue. Just leave him be.”
“Then why don't we have a drink together?”
“He can't. He has to drive.”
Hong Ye-na pursed her lips slightly and continued.
“Hmm, so this is what life as a chaebol is like….”
Once all the food had been brought out, we started passing drinks around and really digging in.
The food tasted surprisingly good.
Now I understood why the place was so crowded this early in the evening.
Having drinks with food that suited my taste for the first time in a while made the alcohol go down more smoothly than usual.
We chatted about this and that.
We mostly reminisced about high school, but I could only laugh along and react since I could barely remember any of it.
“You know, I…”
Hong Ye-na said with a radiant smile, a faint flush rising on both cheeks.
Her slightly reddened cheeks seemed to add a touch of cuteness to her already pretty face.
“I think it's a good thing that you ended up like this, Ha-won.”
“Oh? Why do you think that?”
“Well… It's been a long time since we last met, and we've only been together for a few hours, but somehow you seem a lot gentler than the Jeong Ha-won I knew before.”
Was she just trying to say I'd become easier to push around?
Seo Geon-woo quietly took a sip of his drink beside me, closing his eyes slightly as if he didn't quite agree.
“Should I take that as a compliment?”
“Of course!”
She nodded emphatically.
Anyway, was this girl going to be okay?
The three of us had only just started our third bottle of soju, and she was already this tipsy.
She'd acted like a real drinker on the way here, but her tongue was already starting to slur.
Fortunately, after turning into a woman, I'd developed an extreme aversion to cigarettes, but not to alcohol.
I could drink just as much as before without anything unusual happening.
So with only one bottle per person so far, it felt like I'd just had a few glasses of water.
“Actually, back then… I mean, in high school. I wanted to get closer to you~”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. Maybe I even liked you!?”
I awkwardly smiled and scratched my cheek with my index finger.
“Haha… But now we're both girls, so that's too bad.”
“Aww~ No! I'm still happy. Actually, I'm even happier!”
“I get it, so could you lower your voice a little?”
Hong Ye-na's voice kept getting louder, and I could feel uncomfortable looks being thrown our way.
Maybe he was a little worried, because Seo Geon-woo looked at Hong Ye-na and said,
“Ye-na, you should take it slow.”
“Hey! Geon-woo!”
Good grief, that startled me.
She suddenly screamed, and my shoulders jumped before I knew it.
Seo Geon-woo also made a calming gesture, lowering his palm toward her.
“Yeah, yeah, I can hear you. Just take it down a notch, Ye-na.”
“You little punk! Are you gonna follow Ha-won around for the rest of your li↗fe?”
Judging by how many drinks we'd each had, we'd barely made it past one bottle apiece.
And she was already like this.
From now on, I was going to make sure Hong Ye-na drank in moderation.
“Shall we get going soon? Haha….”
Seo Geon-woo started gathering our things and getting up.
“Heyyy~ Where are you going! I haven't even stahted yet!”
Haven't started? You're already done.
While Seo Geon-woo held Hong Ye-na back, I got up first and paid the bill.
When I returned, the two of us supported Hong Ye-na—no, more like dragged her out as if we were arresting a criminal.
“Hey, Ha-won. We haven't seen each other in so long, and you're already leaving?”
I learned a lot of things today.
I even picked up on Hong Ye-na's feminine intonation and tone—and what you might call her unexpected charm.
I also learned that alcohol could turn her into a completely different person.
Well, it was cute, and not so bad.
But if we went any further, she'd become a nuisance.
That was absolutely not what I wanted.
“I don't think we can do anything else with you in your current state.”
“Nooo! I'm really fine!”
I might've pretended to believe her if she could at least stand straight without swaying.
Hong Ye-na was rocking from side to side like someone on a ride.
“Then! Let's go over there and get some ice cream! How's that?”
To think she got this defenseless after only a little alcohol.
She wasn't some plain-looking girl, either, and like this, she'd be a target for all sorts of men.
‘Can't be helped.’
Hong Ye-na practically lunged at me, wrapped her arms around mine, and clung to me.
Then she looked at me and grinned foolishly.
“Hehe~ Ha-wonnie. We're going, right? To get ice cweam.”
“Sigh, fine, let's go.”
“Niiice!”
It wasn't even eight in the evening, and this pretty girl was drunk as if she'd downed ten bottles of soju.
Well, among the women I'd hunted, almost none had been able to drink as much as I'd expected. No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say none of them had.
But for some reason, Hong Ye-na seemed different from the women I'd hunted until now.
Was it because she'd been my high school classmate?
Or because there was a different kind of connection between us?
Whatever the reason, right now Hong Ye-na seemed pitiful, and I wanted to protect her.
“Will you be all right?”
Seong Ji-hoon, who'd been standing a little way off, came over and asked.
“I'm fine. My friend just got a little drunk, so
….”
“Whoa! A handsome oppa!”
Hong Ye-na suddenly pointed at Seong Ji-hoon and shouted.
I hadn't even drunk that much, so why did my head feel like it hurt?
A foolish bear, a materialistic drama queen, and now a pretty drunkard, huh?
“She certainly doesn't look like she's doing very well.”
“Woooow, handsome oppa, how much does Ha-won pay you!?”
I nodded at Seong Ji-hoon to show I agreed.
In the end, our trip to the ice cream shop was called off.
Hong Ye-na had passed out and fallen asleep.
I didn't know where she lived and wondered what to do, when Seo Geon-woo, who was carrying Hong Ye-na on his back, casually suggested,
“There's a park just a short walk from here. Why don't we go sit there for a bit before we leave? I don't think Ye-na will sleep for that long.”
Ugh.
Can't be helped.
It wouldn't be right to leave someone like her just anywhere.
“Shall I drive you?”
Seong Ji-hoon asked.
I shook my head.
“No. Let's walk and get some fresh air.”
“Understood. I'll follow a little way behind.”
The sun had set, so it wasn't as hot as during the day, but perhaps because he'd carried Hong Ye-na all the way there, sweat was running down Seo Geon-woo's face by the time we reached the park.
We laid Hong Ye-na, who was completely out cold, on a bench and sat on a nearby wooden platform with Seo Geon-woo.
“Here, wipe that off. Don't drip sweat all over the place.”
I held out the handkerchief I had with me.
He must've been exhausted, but he hadn't shown even a hint of annoyance. Even now, he looked almost moved.
“Thanks, Ha-won.”
He smiled and reached for the handkerchief in my hand, and his hand brushed against my fingers.
“Ah!”
I wasn't hurt or anything, but that sound slipped out of my mouth.
I let go of the handkerchief without realizing it.
Before it could fall, Seo Geon-woo caught it.
“What's wrong, Ha-won?”
“N-no, it's nothing… Maybe there was some static electricity.”
There was no way static electricity would build up between someone sweating in the summer, but I just blurted out whatever came to mind.
Seo Geon-woo smiled again and wiped his face with the handkerchief.
After that, neither of us said anything for a while.
For some reason, an awkward feeling hung between us.
It was hard to think of anything to say.
Today, there were no families or children in the park. Everywhere I looked, it was nothing but couples practically oozing affection.
‘You damn lovebirds. This park isn't here for you to canoodle in!’
“Still….”
Seo Geon-woo broke the silence first.
“I'm glad things seem to have worked out. Ye-na doesn't seem to have any strong feelings against you, either.”
He seemed relieved and proud at the same time.
Technically, I was the one who'd wanted to meet Hong Ye-na, but he seemed to feel like he'd been the one to introduce us.
“Yeah. I was worried, too… Though I didn't expect her to be this bad at drinking.”
“Yeah, right. That surprised me, too.”
I smiled back at him without any awkwardness.
Then I froze.
I quickly turned my head away.
My face was heating up again.
‘Ah, seriously, what's wrong with me!’
I turned so Seo Geon-woo couldn't see and pounded my chest with my fist.
Seo Geon-woo's quiet voice came from behind me.
“I feel the same way as Ye-na.”
I answered without looking at him.
“About what?”
He paused briefly, then continued.
“That you've become a little gentler?”
“N-no, I haven't!”
I whipped my head around without thinking.
Oh no, the heat still hadn't gone out of my face….
He placed his hand on my forehead.
I jolted as if I'd had a fit, but I didn't swat his hand away or run.
His hand was slightly warm, but for some reason… I didn't dislike it.
My heart kept pounding away.
“You don't have a fever… Are you all right?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah… I-I'm fine.”
His hand moved away.
I couldn't move for a while.
I stared at him, frozen as if I'd been given an anesthetic, panting softly.
Thump, thump.
The pounding of my heart rumbled in my ears.