Jihoon smirked and glanced sideways at Seung-hyun.
"Yeah… the more the merrier. We like it that way."
Seung-hyun leaned closer and whispered back with a quiet snicker,
"My type, hehe."
The girl sitting with them didn't smile.
She stared at Aera with a small frown.
Jung Seung-hyun tilted his head slightly. "How old are you?"
Aera answered nervously, her fingers curling into the plush.
"S-Seventeen."
"Only a year apart,"
Aera's eyes wandered around the room, her grip on the plush tightening.
Why did I even follow him all the way here…?
They both sat down on the floor with the others.
The place felt unkempt, as if it hadn't been properly cleaned in a long time.
Dark stains spread unevenly across parts of the wall, making the space unbearable.
A small calendar hung crookedly near the window, barely holding onto a single nail.
Beside it stood a metal clothes rack, cluttered with layers of clothing draped over it
In the center of the them, snacks and drinks were scattered across the floor.
Giryang casually pointed his thumb toward Jang ji hoon. "The one who looks like a delinquent? It's his birthday."
Aera blinked and looked at him, then quickly bowed her head a little. "Ah… happy birthday."
Jihoon, who already had a cigarette between his fingers, took a slow drag before speaking, smoke slipping past his lips. "Oh, thanks~?"
Aera shifted slightly where she sat, shoulders tense as her eyes moved around the room.
The vibe here is… kind of intense.
You can tell at a glance they're not the type who actually go to school.
(Though honestly… I probably don't look any different from them right now.)
Her gaze drifted back to Giryang.
He had a cigarette resting between his lips, lighter flicking in his hand as he tried to light it.
I didn't expect him to hang out with people like this…I knew he wasn't exactly a good student, but still…
Jihoon eyes suddenly landed on the plushie in her arms.
"What's with the plushie? Is that my present? Lol."
Aera instinctively hugged the yellow plushie tighter, her expression turning guarded. "…It's mine."
"HAHA! Relax, even if you gave it to me, I wouldn't take it," Seung-hyun laughed, waving his hand dismissively.
Giryang glanced sideways at Aera, his tone softer this time.
"You sure you're okay to drink? If you can't handle it, you don't have to."
Aera's face flushed deeper, and she quickly nodded. "Ah- I'm fine!"
I'm a little scared… but still…
This is what I wanted.
This is what I wished for.
Someone cracked open a bottle, and paper cups were quickly passed around.
"CHEERS~!!!"
Smoke curled upward in thin spirals as laughter and the clink of cups filled the room.
Someone kept pouring more drinks, the liquid sloshing carelessly into paper cups as the pile of empty bottles slowly grew in the corner.
Jang Ji-hoon suddenly pointed at Aera and Giryang, grinning.
Aera blinked, then nervously pointed at herself.
Her face was completely red now, whether from the alcohol or something else, even she couldn't tell.
"Us…?" she mumbled.
Giryang chuckled under his breath, amused, and lifted his cup.
Aera hesitated for a split second before hooking her arm around his. Their arms locked, and they drank at the same time, the room erupting into cheers and teasing whistles.
Minutes passed.
More bottles rolled across the floor.
The laughter grew louder, messier.
Aera slowly raised her hand, four fingers sticking up unsteadily.
"If you're the most popular one here…" she slurred, squinting at Giryang. "…fold your finger."
Giryang laughed, leaning back slightly. "Why are you looking at me?"
"I said fold it~!" she whined, her voice dragging.
Her body swayed as she leaned closer. "Come ooon~ I said fold it~~"
Before he could react, she grabbed his hand with both of hers and forcibly folded one of his fingers down.
"Fold it, fold it already… you're the freaking popular one…" she mumbled, her words dissolving into a sleepy slur.
"…fine… slum-"
Her voice cut off as her head suddenly dropped onto his thigh.
Giryang blinked, then let out a quiet sigh.
He placed a hand on her head, gently patting and brushing her hair back.
Jang Ji-hoon with a faint smirk , watching the scene.
"She's totally out. She drank a ton, didn't she? Hope she doesn't throw up."
"Feels like she took ten punishment shots," Giryang muttered, glancing down at her. "You okay?"
"Mm…" Aera only hummed weakly.
"You should pace yourself," he said softly.
Just then, the girl who had been sitting quietly stood up, her expression sour.
Without warning, she kicked Aera's leg.
Then again.
Harder.
"Hey. Hey. Get up," she snapped, arms crossed. "I said get up."
Aera barely stirred.
The girl scoffed, irritation rising. "Who even is this chick, showing up in someone else's house like she belongs here? Not waking up? She's obviously flirting, this crazy bitch."
She kept kicking lightly at Aera's leg, her annoyance spilling over.
Giryang glanced up at her, his hand still resting on Aera's head.
"C'mon, noona. Don't be like that. She's not flirting."
The girl's eyes sharpened. "Are you stupid, Choi Giryang? That girl is such a fox. Why did you even invite me then? To show off her flirting? You just needed a place to drink, is that it? Who do you think I am, a pushover?"
Giryang let out a quiet sigh.
His expression cooled noticeably.
"Ha… noona,"
he said calmly, though his tone had gone cold. "That's kind of disappointing to hear. Are we really just that to you?"
"Huh…? No, I mean-" she started, faltering.
A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
She turned and saw Jang Ji-hoon standing beside her, a faint smirk on his face.
"Why's everyone fighting?" he said lazily.
He tilted his head slightly, still smiling. "Of course we invited you because we wanted to hang out with you~ You're important to us. That's why we invited you on my birthday… right?"
The girl looked away, a faint blush creeping onto her face. "She's just being annoying, that girl."
"You know better than to blame someone who's already out cold,"
Ji-hoon replied lightly. "Just ignore her. She's just a kid, lol."
Giryang didn't respond.
He simply shifted his attention back to Aera, gently caressing her hair.
"Wanna go out for some air?" he asked quietly.
"…yeah," Aera mumbled, her voice barely audible.
He helped her up carefully.
The moment she stood, she clung to his arm tightly, her head resting against his shoulder as they moved toward the door.
Just as they were about to leave, Jung Seung-hyun called out, his tone was playfully sharper than before.
"Hey, Choi Giryang. You better not talk to noona like that again."
Giryang paused, then turned his head slightly with a casual smile.
"Alright. We'll step out for a bit."
He gave a small smirk and a wink before walking out with Aera.
Ji-hoon smirked back watching them leave.
Glancing at the girl beside him. "Forget those idiots, Let's just drink, the two of us, noona. "…Yeah. You're the only one here who actually makes sense."
glanced at the girl beside him and gave a small shrug. "Forget those idiots. Let's just drink, the two of us, noona."
"…Yeah." She let out a quiet breath, "You're the only one for me.."
Choi Giryang and Aera stepped out onto the rooftop.
The night air was colder, quieter.
Giryang crouched beside her, a cigarette resting between his fingers as smoke drifted into the dark.
Aera leaned against the low ledge wall, her head drooping forward, still clutching the plushie tightly in her hand.
"Choi… Giryang…" she muttered drowsily.
"Hm? You called me?" he replied, glancing at her.
"Hehehe…" she giggled faintly, eyes still closed. "Even your name is pretty."
Giryang blinked."…Where's that coming from, lol?"
Aera swayed slightly, her voice soft and sluggish.
"Seriously… I can't believe this. You appeared out of nowhere in that exact alley… like you could… read my heart…"