Seeing her friend rolling on the ground, Lee Ji-yeon grabbed her head.
Although the circumstances were different, the Joo Seo-yeon from middle school and the current Joo Seo-yeon shared a similar aspect.
For example, the fact that one never knew what she would do next.
And, Joo Seo-yeon just waking up looked quite similar to that.
"Is Seo-yeon really that strong?"
"Shh."
When Seo-hee, experiencing cognitive dissonance after seeing the beer can explode just now, asked that, Ji-yeon brought her index finger to her lips, signaling for her to be quiet.
Stealthily turning her gaze, fortunately, Seo-yeon was still rolling around in the spilled beer.
She was mumbling something while rolling around, but that wasn't particularly important.
'What is Joo Seo-yeon's drunken behavior like?'
Actually, this was something even Lee Ji-yeon couldn't know.
How could one know what kind of drinking habits a person displaying drunken behavior for the first time in their life would have?
It would be good if she were the type to just quietly pass out, but seeing that figure, that didn't seem to be the case.
There are many types of drunken behaviors.
Those who become violent, and those who become talkative.
Those who pointlessly cling to the person next to them.
Of these, Lee Ji-yeon thought Joo Seo-yeon's drunken behavior would be either the former or the very latter.
"In the past, I played a game with Joo Seo-yeon."
"A game?"
"It was a game where you catch monsters like dinosaurs... You set traps and stuff, you know."
Ji-yeon picked up a few empty cans rolling nearby.
"Somehow, it feels similar to that."
Joo Seo-yeon has sharp hearing.
Not just normally sharp.
Actually, if it were the usual Joo Seo-yeon, she would be able to hear everything they were whispering here.
But seeing that she wasn't reacting right now, it seemed she couldn't hear them.
It was clear that her senses had dulled from their usual state due to the alcohol.
"But she's kind of cute. Like a cat."
Jo Seo-hee said as she watched Seo-yeon trying to wipe the floor with the hem of her pajamas.
Somehow, her movements were cat-like.
She was saying something intently, but it was a bit of a shame that she couldn't be heard well because of the distance.
'Should I get a little closer?'
As Seo-hee moved her feet stealthily with that thought, Ji-yeon raised her hand to stop her.
"Hold on. Let's check with this first."
"Huh? A can? But why that can?"
"Just be quiet for a sec."
Anyway, since she was drunk, they needed to see what her reflexive actions would be.
Feeling like a beast tamer, Ji-yeon went out the door and rolled a can she picked up from a distance toward Seo-yeon.
To check the distance at which she reacts.
The rolling can reached 3 meters.
And, the moment it came within 2 meters.
Smash!!
"Hmm?"
Seo-yeon's palm struck down on the can quietly rolling behind her, showing a puzzled reaction.
The flattened can was caught in Seo-yeon's hand.
At the impact that rang out on the floor just now, Jo Seo-hee, who had flinched, swallowed dryly.
It didn't sound like a noise a human hand could make?
It was the sound of hammering a nail into the floor.
No, even when she moved, it was like some wild animal.
"The reaction distance is roughly 2 meters."
"That's almost the entire room."
"If you move to the corners, she won't react."
Fortunately, it seemed she didn't completely lack control over her strength.
Thinking back to middle school, this was quite manageable.
Anyway, if they moved slowly from a slight distance, fortunately, Seo-yeon didn't react much, though she did babble.
The can Ji-yeon had just rolled.
She was playing with the flattened can as if doing origami, but that didn't really matter.
"Tigers are part of the feline family, after all."
Ji-yeon muttered such things and fell into thought.
She couldn't just leave her like that.
She had to clean her up somehow, but there were a few problems.
First of all, Joo Seo-yeon was heavy.
She would get mad if she heard it, but it was the truth.
Well, she thought they might somehow manage with two people, but it wasn't certain.
Besides, there was no guarantee she would stay still, so carrying her was out of the question from the start.
"Should we just leave her like that?"
"We still have to move her. Her clothes are all soaked, won't she catch a cold?"
At Ji-yeon's half-hearted words, Jo Seo-hee urged with a flustered face.
At Seo-hee's words, Ji-yeon was also bewildered.
Did she really think Joo Seo-yeon would catch a cold looking like that?
Ji-yeon had never seen Seo-yeon sick.
Let alone the hospital, she had never even been injured.
However, Joo Seo-yeon rolling around in beer certainly made one wonder if it was okay for a human.
'Then how do we move her...'
Thinking like that, Ji-yeon suddenly looked at Jo Seo-hee's face.
A truly pretty face.
Maybe because she was an actress, everyone around Lee Ji-yeon was pretty.
Especially Seo-yeon and Jo Seo-hee had the aura of actresses, so they had quite a presence.
But that wasn't what was important right now.
"Jo Seo-hee, come here. This might work."
"Huh? What will?"
Jo Seo-hee answering with a blank face was not the look Ji-yeon was hoping for.
She usually had an arrogant face when with other people, but was exceptionally blank when with them.
Ji-yeon slowly swept Seo-hee's hair forward, covering her face.
Then, she turned off all the lights in the surrounding rooms.
Finally, she placed the light of her phone under Seo-hee's face.
"This is it."
"What is it?"
"Like that, try walking toward Joo Seo-yeon."
"?"
Wait, do what?
Seo-hee inadvertently turned back toward Ji-yeon.
At Seo-hee's face like that, Ji-yeon couldn't help but flinch for a moment.
'Girl, you look terrifying.'
It was just a marvel that she had such a wide network of friends.
With a face that makes it so hard to make friends.
"You said we can't leave her like that? It'll be safe if you go like this. Ah, keep your back a bit hunched."
"Huh? Why the back?"
"There's a reason for everything. Just make your hair fall forward."
She didn't know what it was, but anyway, Seo-hee decided to do as Lee Ji-yeon instructed.
Since they couldn't leave Seo-yeon like that anyway, they seemed to need to move her to another room.
To change her clothes, and clean up the messed-up room.
Thinking such things, she walked toward Seo-yeon.
Within the 2 meters where Seo-yeon had shown a reaction.
The moment she stepped into that radius, Seo-yeon's head snapped around.
Jo Seo-hee couldn't help but flinch at Seo-yeon's reaction.
Because the beer can Ji-yeon rolled on the floor earlier came to mind.
The moment she wondered, 'Will she do that to me too?'.
"……."
Seo-yeon began to slowly move backward.
'Huh?'
Why is she acting like that?
As Seo-hee thought that and slowly approached, Seo-yeon flinched and started to run away.
When she tried to get closer, Seo-yeon naturally moved away even more smoothly.
Like Achilles and the tortoise.
She just couldn't get close to her at all.
Seeing the two of them like that, Ji-yeon realized her idea was correct.
'As expected, Joo Seo-yeon is completely paralyzed by fear.'
Honestly, Ji-yeon was also scared.
Jo Seo-hee's appearance—hair falling completely over her face, walking with a phone light shining under her chin—was at a level that would make any ghost flee in terror.
Indeed, it made sense why they said Seo-yeon looked like she came out of a horror comic.
It hadn't been long since Ji-yeon found out that Seo-yeon was scared of ghosts either.
She had only inferred it from the behaviors shown on the entertainment show she appeared on.
'Like that, lure Joo Seo-yeon to her room.'
Ji-yeon sent hand signals earnestly toward Seo-hee.
Circle around the room like that, and make Joo Seo-yeon flee to another room.
Roughly that meaning.
'? What is she saying?'
Of course, Jo Seo-hee hadn't learned telepathy or anything.
She roughly understood that she was supposed to circle around the room and bring her out, but.
'Is she telling me to bring her out like this?'
Honestly, Seo-hee was shocked at first to see Seo-yeon running away from her, but seeing Seo-yeon slowly backing away from her, she started to feel a strange sensation.
'C-cough.'
Especially, with the light from the phone, Seo-hee could see Seo-yeon's face clearly.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Seo-yeon's expressions were more visible than usual, and seeing her slowly backing away with a startled face, how should she put this.
It felt a bit ticklish.
Was that why she got a little carried away?
Jo Seo-hee took a big step toward Seo-yeon.
"Kya!!"
And let out a short scream.
Then, Seo-yeon literally jumped up and bolted out the door.
"Huh?"
Lee Ji-yeon, who happened to be standing in front of the door, was terrified to see Seo-yeon rushing toward her.
No, this girl Jo Seo-hee, I told her to just bring her out, why did she scare her!!
"Ramiel, help me!!"
"No, I'm not Ramiel..."
At Seo-yeon's shout, Ji-yeon's words couldn't continue.
Because she was tackled by Seo-yeon right then and there.
***
"Hey, Jo Seo-hee. Aren't you going to get this off me right now?"
Ji-yeon sighed as she looked at Seo-yeon clinging to her body.
Seeing Seo-yeon throw her entire body at her, Ji-yeon felt like her vision was going white for a moment, but fortunately, nothing else happened.
As confirmed earlier, it seemed she didn't completely lack control over her strength.
She was just quietly holding Ji-yeon.
However, she wasn't just staying still.
"Hehe."
Humming strangely through her nose and constantly moving around was incredibly annoying.
She looked almost like an octopus or a squid.
"I've been practicing romantic acting lately. Should I show you?"
"Pass."
"You're so mean."
Anyway, the two of them were moved onto the cart Jo Seo-hee brought and were able to quietly move to another room.
Lee Ji-yeon wondered what in the world was going on.
Jo Seo-hee was looking at the two of them, enthusiastically taking pictures with her smartphone.
"Why are you taking those?"
"I'm going to show them to Seo-yeon when she comes to her senses."
"What are you talking about."
After being tackled by Seo-yeon, a lot had happened.
Mumbling about Ramiel and being scared was kind of cute, but.
Feeling like a tiger was hugging her, she also felt a sense of terror.
"Actually, I think she's half sleep-talking."
"She must be the type to fall asleep when drunk."
"...That's a fortunate thing."
She worried about what would happen if she kept acting drunk like that, but fortunately, Seo-yeon, moved to the cart, fell right asleep.
Looking down at Seo-yeon, who fell asleep making purring sounds, Ji-yeon sighed.
That was a real scare.
I wish she'd let go of the hug.
It was just scary how she didn't budge even when she tried to pry her off with force.
Wouldn't she snap me in half while acting out her sleep-talking?
"……Mom."
Then, such a small voice came from Seo-yeon's mouth.
Seo-hee also flinched for a moment when she heard those words.
Seo-yeon's voice uttering the word 'Mom' was strangely subdued.
"...Next... time... I'll do... well..."
Words containing a strange nuance.
At those words, as Jo Seo-hee's eyes narrowed, Lee Ji-yeon waved her left hand, which she could barely move.
"It's not like that. Don't get the wrong idea."
"Huh? Oh, no, it was just a remark that caught my attention."
Well, it would catch one's attention.
It was a part Ji-yeon also empathized with.
This was only her second time seeing Joo Seo-yeon like this.
To be precise, mumbling such words in her sleep.
At that time, she too had slightly misunderstood, just like Jo Seo-hee was now.
'Probably, that was the night at the retreat when we lit candles and did weird things.'
They say it doesn't exist anymore, but back then, there was such a thing.
Anyway, back then too, Joo Seo-yeon mumbled such things when she fell asleep.
'So, I misunderstood spectacularly, but.'
Until then, Ji-yeon hadn't particularly met Seo-yeon's mother, Soo-ah.
So she ended up thinking, 'What if?'.
So she had even committed a slightly discourteous act.
Of course, it was a given that she couldn't even lift a finger against Soo-ah after that.
"It's just simple sleep-talking."
Looking down at Seo-yeon, who fell asleep in her arms, Ji-yeon eventually couldn't push her away and patted her back.
Then, Seo-yeon's slightly melancholic expression visibly relaxed.
"Sigh."
Seriously, what am I going to do with her.
Ji-yeon thought so and patted Seo-yeon all night.
Until Jo Seo-hee, who was filming it, naturally fell asleep next to her.
Of course, she almost fainted because Seo-yeon hugged her tightly in her sleep, but that's a slightly different story.
***
And the next day.
"……Huh?"
Seo-yeon turned pale at the scene she saw as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning.
When on earth did I come to another room?
No, leaving that aside.
'Why is everyone sleeping on either side of me?'
Moreover, the important thing was that she was tightly hugging Lee Ji-yeon.
No, what in the world is going on.
What happened all night?
Startled, Seo-yeon slowly distanced herself from the two sleeping girls.
'I clearly remember drinking beer up to a point...'
Did I really get so drunk that I passed out?
Ah, is this the so-called phenomenon of blacking out?
Seo-yeon found it fascinating, but honestly, she was also terrified.
She felt cold sweat forming on her back.
'……I didn't cause some kind of accident, did I?'
She was already worried that she might have done something while drunk.
Hadn't she just been treating Lee Ji-yeon almost like a pillow she was hugging?
'I-I'll have to ask them when they wake up.'
If she had really caused an accident, would they be sleeping together like that?
She would have woken up in a holding cell.
Vrrrr.
Thinking such thoughts, upon returning to the room where she played with the two yesterday, she saw her phone ringing.
It seemed she had left her phone there and moved to another room.
Seeing the smartphone screen, Seo-yeon was momentarily flustered.
That was because it was a call from her manager, Park Eun-ha.
Looking at the number of missed calls, it seemed she had called at least over ten times.
"Hello?"
[Seo-yeon, did something happen? Why aren't you picking up the phone?]
"Ah, I fell too deeply asleep..."
[Eum, then it can't be helped. I'm not saying anything. It's just that I have some rather surprising news.]
"Surprising news?"
[Ah, well.]
Manager Park Eun-ha paused for a moment, then calmly opened her mouth.
[Seo-yeon, do you happen to know Asher Baldwin?]
At the sudden mention of that name, Seo-yeon couldn't help but turn pale.
A master shining with two Academy Awards for Best Director.
She never expected that name to be suddenly mentioned.