Hyeok opened a beer with his teeth, making me shiver inside. The sight caused a sharp pain in my teeth.
"Shall we play something?" Min-seo suggested.
"For example?" Jeon looked away.
"Almost forgot," the girl pulled something small and wrapped in foil from her pocket. "Let's play strip games."
I'm out. The thought hit me immediately — I'm afraid something weird, really weird, might happen to my body. And knowing them, they'll probably play Truth or Dare, asking embarrassing questions that will make me uncomfortable, and I'll have to take off my clothes. What if I get an erection and Jun-ho sees it? I can't let that happen. No way.
"Si-hoon and Yoon, are you two playing as well?" Min-seo asked, amused.
Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Ummm… me?... I mean, I don't know… I've never played ummm… games like that," I replied, sweat beading on my forehead. Maybe it would be better if I just left with Yoon — surely he wouldn't play. I don't think he's capable of it in the slightest.
"I'll play," Yoon said, his eyes half-closed.
I widened my eyes in disbelief. Did he really just say that, or did I mishear?
"That's my boy," Min-seo grinned, shaking something that was in a small plastic packet.
Am I the only sane one here?
"So, Hoon, did you change your mind? You're in?" Hyeok smirked, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. I swallowed hard. My eyes drifted to Jun-ho, who at that moment had his gaze fixed on Min-seo's chest. Rage boiled up inside me, climbing to its peak. I wanted him to stop looking at her like that and to look at me instead.
"Earth to Hoon, you alive?" Hyeok pulled me back.
I shot him a glance and answered with a single word: "Yes."
***
"The rules are simple — we spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on either has to tell the truth, kiss one of the players, or strip. Their choice," she explained. But my focus was stuck on the last part. Kiss one of the players. Who even makes up rules like that? Does she really get turned on by watching two guys kiss?
Not that I'd complain… but still, that's what excites her?
"I'm not swapping spit with some dude," Jeon growled, immediately pulling out his phone and scrolling through it.
"Do we even have to agree to this?" Hyeok protested.
"You know, I'll kiss every one of you too if I lie — but I don't think any of you will mind," Seo teased.
I hated her explanation. It made no sense. She continued:
"So try not to lie too much."
"And what if I don't agree to this?" Jun-ho sounded… turned on by her. I'd never seen him act this way around any girl.
She leaned into his ear, the one with the piercing, and whispered:
"Then you won't see me naked." She said it loud enough for everyone to hear, encouraging us to play. Then she licked the metal stud, and that was enough to arouse him. They started flirting openly.
"And how will you know if we're lying?" I cut off their disgusting exchange.
"I've got an idea." She slowly pulled something out of the packet, little pebble-like pieces. "This is called truth serum. With this, no lie can hide."
I swallowed hard again.
"Drugs?" Jeon asked, surprised. Yoon tried to look away from it.
"Not exactly. They're not fully illegal, nor fully legal, but they've got plenty of helpful effects. I always take them to sleep — they help me knock out fast without even trying," she lied. No way. Those were definitely drugs. Nobody keeps 'normal stuff' in a white plastic packet, especially not little pebble-like things.
"Before we take them, I'll ask the first question, but one of you will have to answer after swallowing the medicine."
Her eyes wandered over us. I ducked my head down, praying she wouldn't pick me. I kept repeating in my head: Please, not me, please, not me.
"What day is it today?" Jeon interrupted her hunt for a victim. God, I hoped it would be enough to make her pick him instead of me for this sick game.
"March twenty-eighth, two thousand twenty-five. Why?" Jun-ho answered.
"Whose birthday is next?" Jeon pressed.
"Si-hoon's. April fifth."
Jun-ho, sometimes I hate you so much.
"Then maybe Si-hoon should go first," Jeon suggested.
Damn it.
"Alright, my question is…" Seo dragged it out, keeping me in suspense. "Who in this room do you like the most?"