[Protagonist’s POV]
Crash bang!
’...Guess she’s got a lot to tidy.’
The commotion went on for a while before—
Creak.
"C-Co in..."
Dang Ayeong appeared, her face oddly hinting at so quick cover-up.
"Long ti no see. How’ve you been?"
"I-I’ve been fine. Haha..."
’What was she doing in there to freak out like this?’
How ssy could it be to make her this flustered?
She never seed the type—maybe she’s secretly a slob at ho.
"C-Co on in."
"Pardon the intrusion~"
With plenty to catch up on, I stepped inside.
Like last ti, the house’s vast interior—too big for one—hit all at once.
Clank.
’?’
A tallic sound caught my ear, but I started comparing it to my last visit, looking for changes.
’New wallpaper?’
Sothing felt different, but I couldn’t place it—
Last ti was at night, so I hadn’t really scoped it out.
"W-What? Is sothing wrong?"
"Huh? No, nothing’s wrong."
"T-Then that’s good..."
She fidgeted like she’d committed a cri, trembling slightly—though I chalked it up to my imagination.
"S-Sit here, then. Have you eaten? I haven’t had lunch yet... If you’re okay with it—"
"Sure, let’s eat together."
I sat in the chair she pointed to.
"Y-Yes?"
But despite suggesting it, she looked startled.
"What? Weren’t you asking to eat together?"
Worried I’d misheard—
"N-No no no! It’s nothing! Haha... Just awkward seeing you after so long..."
"Oh..."
That made sense.
After months, mories blur—
Unlike , she probably has plenty of friends here.
"Then maybe lunch later—"
Thinking she might find a bother now, I started to rise—
"No! Sit down!"
Thud!
"...You startled ."
I felt Dang Ah-young’s firm grip on my shoulders as she pushed back into the chair. For a brief mont, her breathing seed ragged, and an odd glint flickered in her eyes.
"Haha... J-just wait a second. I’ll grab so food in no ti," she said with a nervous laugh.
"Okay..." I replied softly.
"Stay! Right! There! And wait for !" she emphasized, pausing between each word as if to hamr it in.
"...Okay."
Her insistence left no choice. I clasped my hands on my lap and sat still, counting sheep in my head to pass the ti. True to her word, Dang Ah-young soon returned with a tray of food. The spread was simple—pancakes and so at—but my eyes weren’t on the al.
Swish, swish.
"You still love your liquor, don’t you?" she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.
"Of course!" I answered eagerly.
In her hand was a glass of rich, red wine, its surface shimring temptingly under the light. I couldn’t help but lean forward, drawn in by its allure. Surely, this wasn’t tea.
"I’d prepared it to share with you when you got back, but you took so much longer than I expected. We’re drinking this late now. If you’d been any later, I might’ve finished it all myself," she said with a playful pout.
"Thank you for waiting!" I bead.
"...You really get like this whenever alcohol’s involved," she muttered, shaking her head.
If she could’ve seen my face, my eyes were probably sparkling with excitent. That’s how fixated I was on the drink.
Swish.
Dang Ah-young moved the bottle out of my line of sight, and my head instinctively followed it.
"...Pfft."
"Why’re you laughing?!" I protested.
"No reason... Just thinking how you haven’t changed a bit," she said, her tone softening. The initial awkwardness between us seed to lt away, and she slipped back into the familiar Dang Ah-young I knew.
"...I did it on purpose," I admitted. "You seed a little uneasy, so I figured I’d lighten the mood."
I puffed up my chest a bit, trying to salvage so pride, but—
"Then should I put the wine away?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.
"...Please let drink it," I relented.
"Pfft."
So much for pride—I’d lost that round before it even started. When I was with Sword Mistress, her maturity made hesitant to act childish, but with Dang Ah-young, who felt more like a friend, being treated like a kid stung a little. Not that I ever won these little spats.
"Just kidding. Drink as much as you want and tell about your travels. We’ve got plenty of liquor," she said with a grin.
Glug, glug.
She poured the wine into my empty glass, and my earlier grumbling vanished, replaced by a surge of anticipation. What would it taste like?
"By the way, this one’s a bit strong, so take it slow—"
Gulp.
"—or not?!" she exclaid, startled.
I’d tipped the glass to my lips before she could finish. Her flustered voice reached , but the liquid was already sliding down my throat.
"Mmm..."
The alcohol burned its way down, sending a sharp, electric tingle through my body. I closed my eyes for a mont, savoring the sensation, then—
"Ahh!"
"This is so good stuff!" I declared, thrusting my glass toward her for more.
Dang Ah-young stared at , dumbfounded.
"I told you to go slow! Good thing I only poured a little—if I’d filled it up—"
"Then it’d be even better! I love strong drinks!" I interrupted, grinning.
"Ha... Fine, it’s been a while, so let’s catch up properly. But seriously, sip it from now on. Try so of the pancakes and at I made too," she sighed.
"Yes, ma’am!" I chirped.
"...It’s already hitting you, isn’t it?"
She wasn’t wrong. The liquor was potent—my head was starting to feel hazy after just one glass. To think a single drink could do this to ... What kind of brew was this?
"Don’t you want so, Lady Dang?" I asked.
"...I’ll have my own," she replied, pulling out another bottle. It looked identical to mine—sa deep red hue. Though, for a second, it seed to have a faint pinkish tint. Probably not a big difference.
Nom.
I picked up one of her pancakes with my chopsticks and popped it into my mouth. For a sheltered noble girl, she’d done a surprisingly good job—it was tasty. As I chewed, she spoke up.
"So, what happened out there? Why didn’t you send a single letter all this ti?"
"Oh, well..." I began, launching into a vague explanation.
I didn’t ntion Sword Mistress by na or title. Instead, I said I’d tead up with a swordsman who was heading to Anhui to find soone.
"Was this person a woman?" Dang Ah-young asked abruptly.
My brain scrambled for an answer. It was true, but admitting I’d traveled alone with a woman might spark unnecessary questions or teasing.
"...No, a man," I lied.
"Hmm..." She narrowed her eyes but didn’t press further.
"Does their gender even matter that much?"
Sure, there’d been that... healing incident, but that was between and Sword Mistress—none of Dang Ah-young’s business.
"Go on," she prompted.
"So, we got to Anhui, and while my companion went to et soone, I got kidnapped by a vampire. They ca to rescue , but sohow, I ended up blasted all the way to Guangdong."
Her reaction to my heartfelt (mostly) true tale?
"...You expect to believe that?"
Cold skepticism.
"But it’s true!" I insisted.
"...That’s actually what happened?"
"Yes! Really!"
Aside from fudging the gender, I’d stuck to the truth.
"..."
Dang Ah-young fell silent for a long mont before speaking again, her voice low and heavy with emotion.
"...Can you answer one thing for ?"
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