Five minutes before I die

12. Touch me more.

Ah….. that bastard Choi Yeonjun, for real.

He suddenly kicked into booster mode, drank three glasses of beer, and passed out face-down on the table.

“Hey—aren’t you getting up soon?”

“I mean, why did you drink so fast?”

“You said you were good with booze, but you’re making yourself look bad.”

Of course, I had three bottles of soju and two glasses of beer. Still fine—♡

I kept poking Choi Yeonjun’s head with my finger.

“Hey, mister?”

“If you sleep here, your face will get twisted.~”

“….”

Ugh, no answer.

Well, what’s the point of waking him up-

I turned on my phone and looked at the time.

PM 11:06

It was only 11 o’clock, and he was already out cold like that?

…The mood suddenly went quiet because the guy who’d only been babbling excitedly fell asleep. Of course, the people around us were still loud.

“Mmm….”

And even in that state, he talks in his sleep.

I snorted, dumbfounded.

But then, if I thought about it….

This situation was kind of surreal.

I drank all that alcohol with my own student.

Honestly, you live long enough and you see everything.

Then I fell into deep thought.

That student had somehow grown up so much, and when I was about to die, he’d saved me somehow.

Then I somehow kept living, and ended up throwing a drinking party like this.

And then he collapsed and fell asleep like this.

…Come to think of it, if it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t even be in this world right now.

If I hadn’t called that time, if Choi Yeonjun hadn’t become a cop, if I’d just jumped right then,

and on top of that, if Choi Yeonjun hadn’t answered my call. No, if he had answered but hadn’t said that to me, I really would’ve died.

Seeing it like this, he’s my lifesaver.

As I thought that, before I knew it, a faint smile formed at the corner of my mouth.

And I muttered to myself.

“You’re pretty admirable.”

Then, unconsciously, I reached out with my right hand and stroked his head as he lay face-down.

When the soft strands of hair brushed my fingertips, Choi Yeonjun shifted.

…What? He’s not asleep?

I was just about to slowly pull my hand away from his head when he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

I was so flustered I didn’t know what to do. I just asked him with my expression what he was doing.

And then he showed his face.

We locked eyes for about 5 seconds. We just stared at each other in silence.

Choi Yeonjun’s face was red. Honestly, red like someone who’d been drinking.

His cheeks were so red his ears were red too. He looked like a tomato.

Then at that moment, Choi Yeonjun opened his mouth.

“Touch me more, more.”

I sat there wordlessly, dumbstruck.

Touch….him more?

…..

Me….? What….?

In the quiet air that had settled for a while, hearing his voice made the mood change.

“….What are you….touching…?”

Choi Yeonjun lifted one corner of his mouth and smirked.

What, why….is he smiling?

“What were you thinking about?”

“I mean, touch my head, my head-”

Ah, shit.

Ah…

I want to hide in a mouse hole.

Bea-eun, are you seriously insane?

What the hell were you thinking when you said that?

I deliberately didn’t make eye contact. No, I couldn’t.

I kept staring at the floor.

I was at peak humiliation.

What is this, me being the only one thinking something weird?

No, but he was the one who said it weirdly in the first place-!!

“Pfft.”

…

Did he just laugh?

And why does he keep holding my wrist in the middle of all this?

I shook his hand off.

Then, embarrassed, I took a sip of beer.

“Ba-eun’s type check~”

“Ah, no, it’s not like that!!!”

“Hey, you, you. That, uh, what was it.”

Ah, words won’t come out…

“Say itㅋㅋ.”

Choi Yeonjun looked at me with an easygoing expression. Like, go on, try it once. That kind of vibe.

“You…weren’t you drunk?!”

“Why, why are you….I mean, why did you come back….?!”

Ah, what am I even saying.

“I slept for a bit, so I think I’ve sobered up some.”

“You barely slept for, like…. 5 minutes.!!“

“I was sleeping just fine for those 5 minutes, and then you suddenly touched me.”

“Hey, wha- what do you mean touched you-”

“I just…..I just poked you!”

“Oh… I see.”

Hah, seriously annoying.

Losing an argument to some kid way younger than me.

Whenever I talk to him, I always lose.

“Thank you, mister, have a good one~!”

I practically carried a drunk Choi Yeonjun, took a taxi, and arrived in front of his studio apartment.

Between the flashy buildings and apartments, Choi Yeonjun’s place was a villa.

Not too shabby, but not too stylish either. A slightly old place.

Ah, but that’s not the important part.

This bastard reeks of alcohol.

No, and right now he’s basically dead.

No, he barely even drank, so why is he like this?

Even when he insisted on going for a second round, I barely talked him out of it and put him in a taxi.

“Ah, shit, so heavy….”

I somehow managed to open the front door and went into Choi Yeonjun’s studio.

This is my first time at a guy’s place….

For a place where a guy lives alone, it was pretty tidy.

I didn’t really have the spare attention to care about that right then.

No, why is he so damn heavy when his face is so small?

I practically threw Choi Yeonjun onto the bed.

I couldn’t breathe.

“Haah…ha….haa….”

I flopped onto the floor too.

“Wow… seriously….”

“Choi Yeonjun….don’t….drink….”

“Huff…. If you ever…. even so much as say…. let’s drink again….”

I couldn’t tell whether he was asleep or not, whether he was listening to me if he wasn’t. Choi Yeonjun just had his eyes closed peacefully.

“….”

“I should go now.”

I sprang to my feet.

Getting up suddenly after lying down made me insanely dizzy. Damn orthostatic hypotension.

….

I’m still kind of tired…?

Well, I did carry a man over six feet tall here (drag him here).

Maybe I should rest a bit and go….

I sat lightly on the edge of Choi Yeonjun’s bed.

And looked at Choi Yeonjun.

“Hey.”

“Are you asleep?”

He slept so soundly no one would’ve known if someone came to take him away.

Seeing him like this, he really does seem like a kid.

….

He is a kid, huh?

If you’re 22, you’re still pretty much a kid…

I just zoned out and kept staring at him.

I should go now….

Then, I heard a voice.

“…Ba-eun.”

“Huh?”

“Did you call me?”

I was flustered..

He wasn’t asleep…?

No, why is he so good at pretending to be asleep?

“….”

Why isn’t he saying anything.

Is he dreaming?

I couldn’t hear him well, so I leaned my ear toward him.

“That man….“

That man? What man?

…Could it be Mr. Seungwoo?

I held my breath and kept listening.

”Can’t….meet….him?“

…

Did I hear that wrong?

I heard wrong.

I’m drunk too, yeah.

Fuck……..I definitely heard it, yeah, shit.