Today, Hyejoo and Yerim are invited to their friend’s, Haseul’s, birthday bash along with some other people. Yerim begs and whines at Hyejoo to come along with her. It’s not that Hyejoo is not a party person, but whenever there’s a huge party and Yerim attends it, that girl lets loose and goes completely wild with the alcohol. As Yerim socializes, she mindlessly drinks the alcoholic beverage in hand like it was orange juice or something. Not even an hour in, and Hyejoo will find her girlfriend in either three circumstances:
One, she plays stupid games like beer pong which speeds up the process of her getting drunk. She’s well aware that she’s absolutely trash in party games, yet she’s always trying to prove otherwise.
Two, she gets all over someone else. Hyejoo had apologized to countless people about Yerim’s behaviour. Somehow, everyone is a Hyejoo to Yerim when she’s wasted. (Also, Hyejoo doesn’t like seeing her Yerim flirting with anybody else that's not herself.)
Three, Yerim just passes out. Most of the time she will be sleeping soundly on a couch or slumping over a table, but there’s this one time she almost got trampled on if Hyejoo hadn’t drag her out of the dance floor in time.
And it’s not that Hyejoo finds carrying her girlfriend home a burden, it’s just that Yerim can’t seem to control her alcohol consumption, and Hyejoo is worried that Yerim’s liver won’t be able to take it anymore one day. Ever heard of alcohol poisoning? Hyejoo will always chide her, but Yerim waves it off with a, I have a high alcohol tolerance! Yerim isn’t wrong, but that doesn’t mean she ought to drink without a care in the world.
“Please, please, pleaseeeee! We haven’t seen Haseul and the rest in so long! I promise this time I won’t drink that much.” Yerim pleads as she shakes Hyejoo’s arm.
“Stop that! You’re going to shake my arm off. And fine. We’ll go. But I’m making sure you hold on to your words.” Hyejoo finally gives in.
And that’s how they find themselves right at the doorsteps of the Jo’s property, and Yerim presses the doorbell excitedly, kind of like a kid who is attending their very first birthday party. As soon as the door swung open, the blaring music and the chattering of people amplify, and the birthday girl is standing right at the entrance with a smile that reaches her ears.
“Come on in! Haven’t seen you two in quite a while!” The short-haired woman gives both of them brief but warm hugs, before stepping aside and letting them in.
Yerim feels a light tap on her shoulder, and her face lights up upon seeing her friend, Jiwoo.
“Jiwoo unnie! Nice to see you again!”
Jiwoo, being the ever cheerful and amiable individual (much like Yerim), reveals a bright smile and starts to babble animatedly about what has happened ever since the last day they met. And when Jiwoo starts to talk, you can’t stop her. You can try, but her powerful voice is just going to overlap your own.
Yerim nods everytime Jiwoo makes a point, and pretends to understand whatever she is saying because the girl talks at a hundred mile per second. She isn’t the one speaking, yet her throat feels dry for the girl in front of her.
“Phew! I think I talked too much. Anything from you?” Jiwoo sucks in a well-needed breath, ten minutes later.
Before Yerim can utter a word, a cheer begins, with people shouting “Chug! Chug! Chug!” Both of them turn their attention to the source of the voices, and there seemed to be a drinking competition happening outside in the backyard.
Yerim recognizes the two current candidates. One of them is Kahei, the popular scholar from Hong Kong who had aced all the subjects back in college. The other one is Jungeun, another well-liked student who brought glory to their Blockberry College’s swim team from the very first year until the last.
Kahei gulps down what seems to be her second big cup of beer. She wipes her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt, and just when she’s about to reach for her third cup, Jungeun flops on the table surface, waving an imaginary white flag.
The crowd roars again, applauding and whistling for the winner, who stands up with pride and bows.
“Who’s next?” Kahei asks, confidence evident in her tone.
Everyone in the cluster exchange glances, but nobody is showing signs of taking up the challenge.
“Wouldn’t it be kind of unfair to you? You did just drank two big cups of beer…” Yerim says, genuinely a little concerned.
“How about you come here.”
Kahei smirks. Her sentence comes out as more of a demand rather than a question, as she proceeds to pour more of the bubbling yellow liquid into two identical cups.
It is a great opportunity to showcase her “talent” and deflate a former senior’s ego at the same time, so of course she isn’t going to pass up a chance like this. Yerim’s eyes glint with determination, but before she can accept the challenge, her own voice plays in her mind.
I promise this time I won’t drink that much.
Yerim gapes her mouth, and then shuts it. She swallows down her words along with her pride. She is dying to challenge the cocky competitor, wanting to wipe that smirk off her pretty face, but she knows better not to disappoint her girlfriend.
“I will, but my girlfriend doesn't really want me to drink that much today.”
“Aw look at you, such an obedient girlfriend.”
Yerim sucks in and huffs the air. She could have phrased it better and not made it seem like she is an idiot in love, but the thing is, she is. So she turns to the crowd, intending to make her way out, not wanting to stir up a petty conflict. After passing through a sea of sweaty bodies, Yerim comes face to face with none other than her girlfriend.
Hyejoo notices Yerim’s slight pout.
“Why? What happened?”
“Oh nothing. Someone wanted me for a drinking competition. I declined. Are you proud?”
“A what? Drinking competition?”
“Yeah.”
Hyejoo looks behind Yerim and sees what the commotion is all about. There is a huge table displayed outside covered with a red tablecloth with beer cups and beer bottles lining neatly in rows on top. Kahei is busy teasing Jungeun who is still very red from the alcohol and leaning on the table for support.
“Hey. I’m up for the challenge.”
Kahei looks up, and sees Hyejoo towering over her. Kahei stands up and sends a sly smile to her. She notices Yerim behind Hyejoo.
“Ah, so this is the girlfriend you were talking about?”
“So are we going to drink or not?” Hyejoo cuts to the chase.
“Woah, what’s the rush for? I was just thinking about how to include your girlfriend there without her getting too drunk. Say, how about this? We drink in pairs. Whichever team drinks the most, wins. Doesn’t matter who drinks how much. You can drink three cups and she can drink half a cup.”
Hyejoo doesn’t give an immediate answer, but then she nods as she takes Yerim by her hand to the other end of the table.
“Birthday girl! You’re with me!” Kahei shouts as she points her finger towards Haseul, who is just passing by.
“Oh! I would love to, but I-“
Haseul didn’t have the chance to finish her sentence because Kahei had pulled her down to the seat next to her.
“Jungeun! Countdown.” Kahei commands.
“Huh? Oh… 1...2… Go..” Jungeun says sloppily.
Yerim cannot believe the scene that is unfolding in front of her. As soon as it starts Hyejoo gulps the beer without even stopping to catch her breath, and the cup clink loudly on the table as Hyejoo licks the beer foam from her upper lip in one swift motion. Yerim slaps herself lightly on the cheek. Not the time to get distracted by Hyejoo! She thinks.
Kahei finishes behind by a few seconds, while Haseul is already starting to get visibly redder. Yerim finishes her cup, but before she reaches out for another Hyejoo puts her hand down. Hyejoo reaches for the cup, and starts to drink again.
“I won’t get drunk just from two cups…”
“No.”
Hyejoo is already on her third cup, while Haseul is looking too pale now. She grabs the trash bag that is attached to the side of the table and she gags into it. Kahei begins to struggle after her second cup in this round. She underestimated Hyejoo and overestimated her own abilities.
“Right side… three down… Left side…. four down…” Jungeun tries her best to count.
Hyejoo raises her eyebrows teasingly towards Kahei, who seems like she’s going to pass out. Yerim is half way through her second cup when hers is taken away by Hyejoo who downs the remaining liquid inside.
“Left… five down…”
“Erm, those two look really sick…” Yerim points out.
“Hah! Then we..won…” Hyejoo mumbles, and she tries to stand up but is too tipsy to do so, so she falls into Yerim’s embrace instead.
Kahei bursts into laughter seeing Hyejoo fall.
“Okay, fine. You’re good, I’ll admit.”
Kahei reaches over to give two lazy slaps on Hyejoo’s back, and Hyejoo yelps even though it isn’t that painful. Hyejoo seems more irritable when she’s drunk.
“O-kay, I think we should go. Bye Haseul unnie! Bye everyone!” Yerim says as she drags a drunk Hyejoo out of the place.
They are out in the streets, and Yerim puts her girlfriend on a nearby bench as she catches her breath. She can’t possibly drag Hyejoo by her arms all the way back to their house. It’ll be great if they had a car but Yerim hasn’t gotten her license yet so there’s that.
“Yerim? Where did Yerimmie go?” Hyejoo mutters all of a sudden, loud enough to be heard by Yerim.
“I’m here… just catching my breath.”
“Right...because I’m breathtaking.
“You’re really drunk. Let’s go home.”
Yerim bends down so that she reaches Hyejoo’s level, and pulls Hyejoo’s hands in front of her. She tells her to lean forward and lift her legs up. Yerim inhales a deep breath before she lifts Hyejoo up on her back. Her legs wobble at first, but she steadies herself before trying to take a few steps. She praises herself for being able to do it, because before this she had always doubted her own strength.
Usually, Hyejoo will always be the one piggybacking Yerim after a party. Yerim thinks that this is a little fun, carrying Hyejoo on her back.
“Hye, why did you agree to challenge that senior?”
“Because I know… you wanted to.. but you couldn’t… because of what I said….”
“Aw, so you did all that for me?
“Yeah…Any… anything for you…”
A smile forms on Yerim’s lips. She thanks whatever that brought her and her girlfriend together.
“Really? Anything? But I’ve been wanting to get a pet and you didn’t let me.”
“Shut up… you know that... I will end up taking care...of it instead of you.”
“It’ll be our pet! We can take care of it!”
Yerim finishes her sentence, and waits for a reply, but none has come because the younger woman is completely out. Yerim sighs. She’ll bother Hyejoo again when she’s sober.
After a rather arduous journey for Yerim, they finally reach home. And no, it’s not because Hyejoo is heavy, Yerim thinks she needs to work on her stamina more.
Yerim faces her back towards the bed, and settles her girlfriend down on it before she unwraps the arms on her shoulders. But the more she tries to pry open the hands, the tighter the grip.
“Lie down with me.”
“I will, but later, okay? I need a shower. I smell like alcohol.”
Yerim turns her head and plants a soft kiss on Hyejoo’s cheek. Hyejoo grumbles before she lets go of her hands, and collapses on the soft mattress. Yerim chuckles, as she grabs whatever she can find in Hyejoo’s closet and a clean towel before proceeding to shower.
After she is done, she sees Hyejoo sprawling on the bed, her eyes closed half way. Yerim notices that the room still reeked of alcohol. So she takes a new set of clothing and tells Hyejoo to sit up on the bed.
“Hey! We’re not doing this when I’m drunk!” Hyejoo tries to push Yerim’s hand away from her, making the latter chuckle.
“Babe, I’m just going to get you changed. You stink.”
“Oh so you don’t like me now? I see. I see how it is.”
“Nooooo I didn't mean it like that…”
“Then stop flirting with other people… you’re mine…”
“I didn’t?”
“Yes you did! I always have to carry your drunk ass home…”
“The tables have turned today, though.”
“Yeah… I could’ve turned that big table over…”
“Of course you could.”
As they spoke, Yerim helped Hyejoo change into more comfortable clothes. When they are finally done, Hyejoo falls face first down to the bed again. Yerim turns off the lights before she joins Hyejoo.
Hyejoo shifts herself closer to Yerim and puts her head on top on Yerim’s chest. Yerim giggles as her fingers run through Hyejoo’s hair gently. Drunk Hyejoo is clingy Hyejoo. And that must be the most adorable thing in the world. And instead of getting pampered, Yerim figures that she enjoys pampering, too.
“You’re so cute, you know that?” Yerim whispers.
“Don’t call me cute.”
“But it’s the truth.”
“Fine. But only you get to say that.”