DI Ch 66

“Ah!”

“How cute. You say it’s cutely.”

As I groaned in pain, the senior said with a mischievous tone.

“Sunbae just told you to drink in moderation. Hmm? Even if I send you to the hospital, you won’t go, saying the hospital won’t help anyway. You won’t even take the herbal medicine I send. You won’t listen when I tell you to drink moderately My words don’t seem like words to you, huh?”

“Ugh…”

“I said you’re a good boy because you listen to me well, dammit. You’re the one who said that you’re not a kid, but here you are acting childish.”

Tears welled up as my body felt like it was falling apart.

“Ugh. Sunbae, it hurts…”

“This is killing me. Pull yourself together.”

For someone who talks like that, his hands were pretty gentle as he helped me up, but his tone was really harsh. My body must be heavy because I’d lost strength, but he didn’t mind and hugged me tightly. Hot. But aside from the heat, it’s excruciatingly painful.

“Sunbae… this really hurts…”

“It’s not like I’m hitting you and making you feel uncomfortable.”

While lying down with my face pressed against a sturdy arm, I slowly opened my eyes in response to the groaning sounds. It was quite a struggle to lift my heavy eyelids in the dim lighting of the late hour, revealing only the silhouette of a figure in front of me.

A large hand brushed away the hair from my forehead. It was a gentle and comforting touch. I stared at it for a moment before blinking my eyelids slowly. Something felt odd. Was my senior trying to talk to me now? I looked around, trying to make sense of the situation

There was no young me here. No siblings, no friends; truly no one else. Just a group of people enjoying drinks and revelry among themselves… It struck me that this dream was somewhat different from my usual dreams. In my usual dream, I was like a transparent figure, invisible to everyone around me, unable to draw any attention.

So, what kind of dream was this? Or was it a memory? It felt incredibly vivid. Oh well, my current reality is in shambles, so does it really matter if the form of my dreams has changed a bit? I rolled my eyes around and then nodded to myself as if coming to an understanding.

As I stretched my arms and legs on my own accord, I heard my senior mutter with an irritated tone.

“Aside from Sunbae, what the hell is it again?”

The muttering complaints were not directed at me for an answer. Wondering what it was, I slightly furrowed my brows. Then, his thumb started brushing my eyebrows as if to soothe the furrowed space. Feeling better in some way, I relaxed my expression but suddenly remembered that this wasn’t appropriate and furrowed my brows even deeper.

“What. Don’t touch me.”

“You’ve been acting like a jerk since earlier.”

“I have a boyfriend.”

“…Damn it. Just do one thing.”

I was going to point my finger at my senior, but I couldn’t bring myself to treat the person I once admired like that. I clasped my hands together and spoke.

“Sunbae, please listen.”

“You’re being so damn annoying.”

“No, please listen.”

Shaking my hands to get his attention, he pinched my cheek firmly and began pulling it.

“Ouch, that hurts.”

“How much did you have to drink to not come to your senses?”

“Just a bit. People with dignity shouldn’t be touched like this without permission.”

I slapped the back of his hand and quickly wrapped my tingling cheek around and huffed. Unlike the 17-year-old me, I didn’t love my senior. Because of that, I could give him a piece of my mind without hesitation, thanks to my sharp tongue. In an instant, the world seemed to light up.

“Oh…”

I held my throbbing forehead and hunched over. It felt like my head was splitting in two, causing the alcohol to quickly leave my system. Oh god, did I just hit him? Damn it, Sunbae. No, wait, why does my head hurt so much? I groaned while wriggling in pain, and Sunbae slowly opened his mouth with a provocative tone.

“Ah, come on. You can’t even recognize the person you’re hitting because you’re so drunk?”

“Ah…”

“If you’re going to lie through your teeth, do it sober. Making a fuss already and saying alcohol is good. It’s quite a skill.”

He said it in a grumbling but laughing tone. Laughing? My eyes widened, and I quickly lowered the hand that had just hit him. Wait a moment, isn’t this silhouette larger than Sunbae’s? Oh, this isn’t Sunbae. No, this isn’t a dream either. Like someone who has realized a profound truth, I let out an exclamation, then changed my posture and stared at the man.

So, what’s this punk doing, fooling around with a drunk person. Who does he think he is, coming over, talking, hugging, hitting, and all that nonsense? I remembered Tae Seong-je’s merciless fist from before and swung my fist with the same speed and power.

Whoosh.

I heard the sound of the wind splitting and the sound of someone falling with a thud. I realized that I had punched the grass that was gently cradling my cheek. Unfortunately… my opponent seemed to have quick reflexes.

“I thought you were totally an innocent kid, but surprisingly you know how to use your fists.”

Despite almost getting hit by my punch earlier, he lightly tapped my forehead as if he found it amusing. Why does he keep hitting me when I’m feeling so bad… I really didn’t want to look at him this time, so I quickly hunched over and covered my mouth to prevent vomiting.

Then the man quickly approached and spoke to me. Unlike before, he was serious, devoid of any playful tone.

“Why. Are you going to puke again?”

“Ugh. I really feel like I will…”

“Come here. The hospital…”

“Ugh. Don’t shake me. I feel like I’m going to vomit for real, ugh.”

“…”

I fumbled around, hoping to find some kind of remedy. I crawled around on the grass, feeling like I had left something here, but it was pitch black and I couldn’t see anything. Where on earth did it go? I muttered in frustration, and the man sighed deeply and ground his teeth.

“Ha. This brat, seriously. Such a handful.”

His annoyed tone was evident, but I also sensed his frustration. Just as I was starting to think he was a funny troublemaker, he approached me and lightly massaged my back while speaking.

“Hey, your lover said he wants to see you. Get your act together and sober up.”

“Huh.”

“Do you come to your senses now?”

“Did my hyung send you?”

“You, seriously.”

I sense a vibe like I’m about to get hit, so I quickly rolled away from the man. However, before I could get away, the pottery hit me, forcing me to stop. While I was retching, the man who had bent his knees approached me and lightly poked me with the tip of his foot. This guy was so annoying… whether he said anything or not, I stared at him as he stood in a crooked posture while keeping his hands in his pockets. He tilted his head and smirked.

“Who. Who are you looking for this time?”

“My hyung…”

Tae Seong-je… I muttered his name to myself and quickly came to my senses at the flash of his text message. I had been lying down with my eyes closed, but I opened them distinctly to face the man.

“Judging the amount of alcohol is relative, I think.”

“What kind of nonsense are you blabbering now?”

“So, this amount could be considered a little bit, and this much could also be considered a little bit.”

“Can’t you shut up?”

I looked at the man with the hand that had been waving in the air calmly placed on my chest. Perhaps because my eyes got used to the darkness, I could see quite a lot of his features. Even though it was dark, he seemed pretty handsome.

“I had an agreement with Seong-je hyung that I would drink moderately. Sir, could you please tell hyung that I only drank a little?”

“Oh.”

He caught on quickly. His soft chuckle sounded pleasant, so I laughed along with him, expecting he’d listen to me. However, contrary to my wish, the man leaned forward and sneered as if to tell me to listen.

“Why? What’s so great about you?”

I sulkily plucked the tender grass from the ground. Well, he almost got hit by me earlier, so he probably wouldn’t want to say anything nice. No, but even if he hadn’t revealed who he was from the beginning and hadn’t annoyed me, I wouldn’t have thrown a punch. As I thought about this, the man seemed oddly irritating.

Ah, I want to punch that arrogant man’s nose. I had an idea and stretched out my arms and legs as I lay down on my stomach. Tae Seong-je must have told this guy to bring me along, but I’ll be stubborn and will refuse. Even if it’s petty and childish, he can understand it. Usually, revenge is petty.

“I wouldn’t move a single step here unless it was Seong-je hyung. You know that.”

“What are you going to do if he comes?”

Ah, this guy’s coming on strong.

“That’s good.”

Let’s see which side that person is on. There’s a high chance he’ll be on my side… he might even listen… probably…? No, that won’t work. I should probably complain about how much it hurt. I wanted to get revenge because the finger flick was quite painful. Even if the guy were in pain, I’ll pretend I don’t know.

If Tae Seong-je complains annoyingly about something like this, then I’ll also say I’ll just hit him once and be done with it. I’ll use that opportunity to twist his nose while he’s off guard. He probably didn’t expect me to pinch his nose, so he’ll be quite taken aback.

Just that thought was satisfying enough; I didn’t need anything else to wish for. Tae Seong-je would find it amusing, and the guy wouldn’t be able to say anything even if his pride was hurt. Chuckling evilly, I suddenly felt like I was finally going to meet that busy aristocrat.

I hope we can spend some more time together. The last time we met was probably last week, and we only had a meal and parted ways, which was quite disappointing. Ah, I miss you. Overwhelmed by weariness, I closed my eyes. Amid faintly audible curses, a soft sensation touched my cheek. I jolted awake, opening my eyes quickly.