HFS 47

“What’s wrong?”

“I think it smells like alcohol…”

“Really? Let me take a look at it.”

When he sniffed it, there was indeed a faint alcohol scent, but Lee Cheong-hyeon had already drunk quite a bit, so he couldn’t tell if the smell was coming from the drink or from himself. He took a sip but couldn’t really taste the alcohol. When he returned the glass saying he wasn’t sure, Seo Hee-won said, “I must have been mistaken.”

As they were about to move on, Lee Cheong-hyeon noticed Kang Woo-jin sitting across from them. Although Kang Woo-jin was talking with Tae-young beside him, he kept sneaking excited glances at Seo Hee-won. When his eyes met Lee Cheong-hyeon’s, he shot him a mischievous smile.

It was clear who had spiked Seo Hee-won’s drink. Since it seemed weak enough that the alcohol taste wasn’t noticeable, Lee Cheong-hyeon just gave him a look of warning. Kang Woo-jin, however he interpreted it, nodded with a determined expression.

Kang Woo-jin went overboard when Seo Hee-won briefly left his seat. Standing up with a bottle of soju, Kang Woo-jin’s eyes bulged as he poured soju generously into Seo Hee-won’s water glass.

Yoo Jimni clapped and giggled, and others just watched without trying to stop him. Only Lee Cheong-hyeon attempted to stop Kang Woo-jin’s crazy behavior.

“Hey, Woo-jin, Woo-jin. Are you crazy? You’ll kill him.”

“Just once. He can’t drink. Let’s just get him drunk once! This is our chance!”

“Even so, this is too much. Can you please calm down.”

“You’ve changed! In the past, you would’ve been the first to spike it! Traitor!”

“No, you need to think about the consequences. Put it down. Let’s put it down first.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon managed to calm Kang Woo-jin down by coaxing him. However, he couldn’t stop him from secretly adding more alcohol later.

Fortunately, Seo Hee-won seemed fine with this level of alcohol, though his cheeks turned slightly red.

* * *

“Hee-won hyung, could you take a look at my equipment?”

“…”

“When you make such an obviously annoyed face…”

“What is it?”

“I want to upgrade but don’t know where to start.”

This conversation drifted from the living room while Lee Cheong-hyeon was in the bathroom. It wasn’t that he was annoyed, but rather shy, Seo Heewon used to enjoy looking at Lee Cheong-hyeon’s equipment and giving various advice.

The scheduled boss practice was naturally canceled. They had drunk more than expected, so there wouldn’t be much progress with the strategy anyway. Though Lee Cheong-hyeon felt they should focus on practice, compared to other parties, their progress was fast, and they needed a long-term view for clearing, so taking a day off seemed fine.

After rinsing his mouth one last time, Lee Cheong-hyeon finished brushing his teeth and left the bathroom. He roughly wiped his damp hands on his clothes.

Through the glass window, he could see several people still drinking on the terrace. Inside, Seo Hee-won and Tae-young were looking at the monitor, engaged in conversation.

And he said he was shy…

Seo Hee-won showed no signs of discomfort, which made Lee Cheong-hyeon wonder if he had lied. The two seemed quite close already.

While it was good they had become friends so quickly, Lee Cheong-hyeon found it strangely displeasing. He wanted to disturb them somehow…He couldn’t pinpoint the emotion exactly, but he felt somewhat hurt.

Thinking about it, this was unusual. When someone told Lee Cheong-hyeon they were shy, he typically helped them adapt to new groups. Keeping someone close and minimizing their interactions with others, like today. This was a first for him.

“Hee-won.”

When Cheong-hyeon called from a distance with his arms crossed, Seo Hee-won turned immediately. His previously cool expression instantly softened. Occasionally, Seo Hee-won would look at Lee Cheong-hyeon with such a gentle face that it masked his normally sharp eyes. Just like now.

“Want to go for a walk?”

“Sure.

“But not now. A little later.

“Okay. Five minutes should be enough.”

Though puzzled by the sudden suggestion, Seo Hee-won was about to get up right away. A twisted satisfaction rose in Lee Cheong-hyeon.

Shortly after, Seo Hee-won approached in his coat, saying they could leave now. Lee Cheong-hyeon quickly scanned Seo Hee-won’s outfit. Unlike Lee Cheong-hyeon, who had zipped his long padded jacket up to his neck, Seo Hee-won wore a coat that left his nape looking too exposed.

“Won’t you be cold dressed like that?”

“It’s not that cold.”

“Wait a moment.”

Although Seo Hee-won insisted he was fine, nights in the Gangwon-do mountains were much colder than in Seoul. Lee Cheong-hyeon went to his room to get the scarf he had worn that morning, planning to lend it to Seo Hee-won. He was sure he had put it somewhere in the room, but couldn’t find it despite searching everywhere. As he rummaged around, he found the scarf that had fallen and been pushed into a corner.

He also opened two hand warmers and came out of the room, but Seo Hee-won was nowhere to be seen. Thinking he might have gone ahead, Lee Cheong-hyeon put on his shoes and stepped outside.

Looking around, he couldn’t spot Seo Hee-won anywhere. As he was about to check the backyard, he saw Hyo-jeong sitting alone on a bench.

“Hyo-jeong, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, just…wanted to get some fresh air.”

“Did you drink a lot?”

“Haha. No. I just felt a bit stuffy inside. I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

Despite the cold weather, Hyo-jeong wasn’t even wearing an outer garment. Even when Lee Cheong-hyeon suggested she go inside because of the cold, she remained adamant about sitting there a little longer.

Lee Cheong-hyeon hesitated, looking at the scarf in his hand. He had originally intended to lend it to Seo Hee-won…but if he left Hyojung like this, she might catch a cold.

Finally, he handed her the scarf he was holding.

“Then at least wrap this around you. You’ll catch a cold.”

Hyo-jeong, who had been staring at the scarf while lost in thought, thanked him and accepted it. Lee Cheong-hyeon was about to go look for Seo Hee-won again when Hyo-jeong called out to him.

“Cheong-hyeon.”

“Yes?”

“You’re quite close with Hee-won, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Are you just as close with Jimin too? I was just wondering if the three of you might be close since Hee-won and Jimin are friends…”

It was hard to understand the intent behind her question. Even studying her expression revealed only calmness.

“No. I’m only as close with Jimin as I am with Woo-jin or you.”

“You don’t contact each other separately?”

“No. I don’t think Hee-won contacts Jimni much either. Actually, they often seem more like strangers than friends.”

“I see…Sorry for asking such a strange question.”

“I’ll be going then. Don’t sit out here too long, come inside.”

“Okay. Thanks for the scarf.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon waved goodbye to Hyo-jeong and headed toward the backyard to find Seo Hee-won.

* * *

Seo Hee-won watched Lee Cheong-hyeon’s back as he walked away after telling him to wait a moment. Since he’d asked if Seo Hee-won would be cold, he might come back with a scarf.

Today, Lee Cheong-hyeon’s actions had been particularly confusing for Seo Hee-won. It probably started when they were alone on the terrace. In that silence, as they faced each other, Lee Cheong-hyeon seemed different from usual. Seo Hee-won wanted to ask why he was looking at him that way and what he was thinking, but he couldn’t because of the interruption from the others. After that, Lee Cheong-hyeon seemed anxious to take care of him, fussing over him constantly. Seo Hee-won liked having all of Lee Cheong-hyeon’s attention. He wondered if he’d acted too childishly, but…wasn’t it more Lee Cheong-hyeon’s fault for indulging him? He was acting almost as if he was interested in him.

While waiting for Lee Cheong-hyeon to come out, Seo Hee-won heard movement from the side. It was Yoo Jimin coming inside from the terrace, humming an unintelligible song. Seo Hee-won clicked his tongue in disapproval at the sight.

“Tsk, what a drunk.”

“Ha! I’m not drunk at all!”

“…”

“…What did I come here for again?”

There was no point in dealing with a drunk. Seo Hee-won turned his attention to his phone. Undeterred by being ignored, Yoo Jimin looked Seo Hee-won up and down like a neighborhood thug. Then he swaggered closer.

“Where are you going anyway?”

“For a walk with Cheong-hyeon. Just the two of us.”

“Aish, why do you keep emphasizing unnecessary things…Well, how’s it going?”

At this question, Seo Hee-won glanced at the door Lee Cheong-hyeon had entered. There was no sign of him coming out soon. Seo Hee-won beckoned to Yoo Jimin and went into an empty room. After confirming no one else was around, Yoo Jimin followed with an excited expression.

“What is it? Something interesting?”

“Hey, Yoo Jimin.”

“Yeah?”

As Seo Hee-won lowered his voice, Yoo Jimin also reduced his volume. Seo Hee-won locked the door and spoke very secretly, just loud enough for Yoo Jimin to hear.

“I think Cheong-hyeon is interested in me.”

“…Are you drunk?”

“No. But some jerk spiked my drink.”

“…”

“It’s either you or Kang Woo-jin.”

“It wasn’t me. Must be Woo-jin oppa.”

Yoo Jimin immediately denied Seo Hee-won’s suspicion. In truth, he had secretly mixed soju into Seo Hee-won’s drink following Kang Woo-jin because it looked like fun, but he couldn’t take all the blame here. When Seo Hee-won continued to eye him suspiciously, he changed the subject.

“Wait, is that important right now? Hurry up and tell me what happened with Cheong-hyeon oppa.”

“Today…Do I have to spell everything out for you? Didn’t you notice anything strange today?”

“The only strange thing was you. Do you not have hands or feet? All day long, ‘Do this for me, do that for me’…Like some sort of princess. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up.”

Yoo Jimin bent over as if he was really going to vomit, causing Seo Hee-won to grimace and press himself against the opposite wall to maintain distance. While keeping a wary eye on him to make sure he wasn’t actually going to be sick, he began to boast.