Yuna didn’t tell her anything. She didn’t open up, either.
She simply kept devouring the fish cake skewers in front of her, washing them down with increasingly frequent swigs of soju. As if food and alcohol could drown out everything tangled up in her head.
“Slow down, babe. You’ll choke.”
Yerim pushed a small bowl of fish cake broth toward her, but Yuna only gave a brief nod before reaching for her glass again.
One swallow after another slid down her throat.
She paid no attention to the burning sensation beginning to spread through her chest. She didn’t care that her cheeks were growing redder or that Yerim’s gaze never left her.
Yerim stayed silent.
She had known Yuna long enough to tell when her friend was genuinely fine and when she was pretending to be strong.
And tonight, Yuna was clearly hiding something.
Yerim lowered her gaze for a moment before looking back at her friend’s face.
Yuna’s eyes were glistening.
Yet not a single tear fell.
As if the girl had made up her mind to swallow everything on her own.
Yerim let out a quiet sigh.
She didn’t ask.
Not because she didn’t want to know, but because she knew Yuna would tell her when she was ready.
So for tonight, Yerim simply sat beside her, letting her friend eat, drink, and stay silent as she pleased.
However, at a table not far from them, a pair of eyes had been watching Yuna’s every move for some time.
Nearly two hours passed.
Yuna’s eyes began to droop. The flush in her cheeks had grown more pronounced, while her hand occasionally drifted aimlessly through the air. She could no longer sit completely upright, and her body swayed several times before settling back against the chair.
That was enough to tell Yerim that Yuna was thoroughly drunk.
“Babe…”
Yuna patted her chest twice, then pointed at herself.
“You know… in my chest…” She paused, frowning as if searching for a lost word. “It’s full.”
She let out a long breath.
“And it feels… really painful.”
Yerim nodded slowly. Her hand quickly reached for Yuna’s glass before the girl could pour herself another drink.
“Yes, I know. Hang in there, okay?”
Yuna shook her head repeatedly. The hair falling beside her face swayed with the movement.
“I really hate money…”
She pouted, then raised one finger in the air.
“Because my money’s in trouble.”
Yerim fell silent for a moment, simply listening without interrupting.
Yuna nodded emphatically, as if the statement made perfect sense.
“Yeah.”
She picked up a piece of fish cake, bit the end, and chewed slowly.
“I also have to pay compensation for that walking ice block’s car.”
Yerim gave a small sigh.
“But you don’t have to pay anymore, hmm?”
She already knew the contents of the contract between Yuna and Noah. In fact, she had read part of it herself.
Yuna fell silent.
A few seconds later, she let out a small laugh. She raised a finger and wagged it in front of Yerim’s face.
“No…”
She wagged her index finger again, this time more slowly.
“I agreed to sign that contract because…”
Yuna stopped.
Her eyes narrowed as if she were trying to remember something extremely important.
“…I wanted to buy some time.”
She tapped the table lightly with her fingertip.
“To save up money…”
A small smile appeared on her lips before she continued in an increasingly quiet voice.
“To pay for the damage.”
Yuna continued pouring out everything bottled up inside her, while Yerim, as usual, tried to calm her friend down. Every so often, she rubbed Yuna’s back and told her to stop drinking, but the girl paid no attention at all.
The lights along the street had begun to blur in Yuna’s vision. Several tables inside the street food tent were already empty, while the stall owner began clearing away the scattered plates and cups.
Yerim glanced at the time on her phone and sighed.
“It’s late. Let’s go home.”
Yerim stood first and reached for her handbag. Yuna tried to stand on her own, but the moment she straightened up, she staggered forward.
“Hey, Yuna!”
Her foot caught on something.
Her body would have hit the ground if a hand hadn’t swiftly curled around her waist, stopping her from collapsing completely.
Yuna froze.
She was now leaning against someone’s chest.
“Tsk!”
A man’s voice came from above her head.
“You can’t hold your liquor, but you keep forcing yourself to drink. Then you get drunk.”
Yuna frowned. Her heavy eyes forced themselves as wide open as possible.
Who was holding her?
She slowly lifted her face.
Her vision was blurry. She blinked several times, trying to focus, and the man’s face gradually came into view.
Yuna’s eyes flew open.
“Y-you!”
The man merely raised one eyebrow.
Yuna stared at him for several seconds, as if trying to make sure the man standing before her wasn’t just a hallucination brought on by drinking too much.
Yet the man’s hand was still around her waist.