Drunken Antics
I couldn’t remember how many drinks I’d downed. That was probably the case for everyone sitting at the table. Bang! Bang! The sound of beer mugs slamming down echoed throughout.
The inside of the inn heated up intensely. The voices of tipsy men mixed with the voices of children running around, creating a raucous din. It was so noisy that even people sitting at the same table had to raise their voices to the fullest to have a conversation.
“Heh. Heheh.”
“…….”
Bang!
A beer mug noisily slammed down onto the table. The beer, filled to the brim, sloshed and splattered in all directions.
After Ren drank over ten mugs the size of his face, Ruman began chuckling “heh heh” with a foolish grin.
Though he smiled often normally, the smile he wore while flushed red with alcohol was different. While not as pale as Ren, his usually white face now had a subtle rosy vitality that was enough to make young girls’ hearts flutter. The village women who had rushed over after hearing rumors kept stealing glances at Ruman’s face.
“Hello, ladies. Nice to see you.”
When Ruman winked and waved his hand, the women squealed “Kyaa!”
“What do you mean ‘kyaa’?! You womenfolk should be home cooking instead of being here!”
“Don’t you want dinner tonight?!”
“N-no, what I mean is. Here when your husband is right here…….”
“What did I do with that man! I can’t even look?! Living with your scary face, I just want to see a handsome young man’s face for once!! Instead of buying that young man a drink, you’re scolding me now?! Do you know how much work I do at home in a day……”
“A-alright, I was wrong, I get it, I get it!”
“Kwahahahaha! You’re really getting it good, aren’t you.”
“Hey, isn’t this all your fault?!”
“Haha, my apologies. I seem to be particularly dashing today.”
When Ruman swept back his gorgeous, beautiful blonde hair, chaos erupted again. His cascading hair stirred the women’s hearts.
Gepetto watched him with curious eyes while slowly sipping his beer, and Temarr made a face that said he was pathetic. Even so, the way he smirked showed he was enjoying this scene.
Ren… had an expression that said “what kind of person is this?”
Now he was mostly just watching with his chin propped up, but Ruman didn’t spare his service for Ren either. He kept winking and flashing bright smiles at every opportunity, to the point where the women who had come in to see his face all crowded behind Ren in a rush.
“Excuse me, Ruman.”
“Hm? Heheh. Why are you calling me, Ren?”
Ugh! It was such a sickly sweet voice that even the soup he ate the day before yesterday might come up! Urgh!
“Kyaaa!”
Ren and the women screamed for different reasons.
“Why would our Ren call me?”
“……I forgot.”
“Oh my. Was my smile too cute after all? They say people’s memory gets worse when they see cute things. I guess it’s true! Hahaha!”
Gulp gulp gulp.
Temarr’s Adam’s apple moved up and down refreshingly. Temarr, who had downed a face-sized beer mug mixed with hard liquor all at once, set his glass down on the table.
Kwang! It seemed like the table had even cracked.
Though he didn’t seem to have put much force into it, the table shook as if it would break, startling Gepetto who grabbed onto it. Swoosh! The overflowing beer soaked the table thoroughly. At that loud sound, the inn, which had been heated up and noisily clamorous enough to shatter the windows, became qui-et. Flushed faces wondering what had happened looked at Temarr.
However, the person who had caused this didn’t seem to notice others’ gazes, or didn’t care, and looked at Ren with a solemn face.
“……Ren.”
“Huh……?”
The heavily settled bass tone was unusual.
Ren shrank back and pulled his hood down deeper.
Wh-what is he trying to say acting so scary like this?! Did I do something wrong? Is it because I laughed at Ruman?!
Ren’s pupils shook wildly.
Temarr’s serious amber eyes stared intently at Ren.
It was a masculine face with thick eyebrows close to his eyes. When he frowned, it quickly became frightening, but even a slight smile was a face that could melt a person’s heart. Seeing his face head-on for the first time in a while, Ren thoughtlessly thought things like ‘As expected, hyung is handsome!’
“Ren!”
Temarr called Ren’s name again, very vigorously.
“Mmm?”
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing came out.
No, what on earth is he trying to say calling him so solemnly and energetically like this?!
If he was planning to scold Ren over something trivial, this time he would have to scold Temarr, Ruman thought just then.
Temarr’s thick lips finally opened.
Everyone in the inn focused their attention on Temarr!
Even Tomi, who was carrying glasses, the inn’s grandmother owner who was roasting who knows which number pig in the kitchen, and the flushed-faced men and women!
“Really?”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean ‘really’?”
“I, I don’t know either.”
“Aren’t they just continuing a conversation they were having among themselves?”
Ren couldn’t understand either and just blinked his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Those eavesdropping on the conversation also whispered among themselves.
“Kheuk……”
The one who made a sound at Ren’s questioning was Ruman.
With his face completely red, he covered his mouth with his hand and giggled. No, did he laugh so much from drinking too much that his laughter broke?! Why is he laughing like that?! Ren looked at him bewildered, and now even Gepetto started grinning.
“I’m asking if it’s really true, Ren.”
Somehow the drunkenness seemed to be creeping into Temarr’s voice too.
“Hyung, speak so I can understand……”
“Is Ruman cute? So, is that why you forgot?”
“Huh? Hyung, what kind of bullshit……”
“Puhahahaha! Puhaha! Euhahaha! I’m, I’m dying!”
Kheuhahaha! Ruman made all kinds of laughing sounds while cackling.
It was truly rolling on the floor laughing. As Ruman burst into loud laughter, Gepetto couldn’t hold back either and buried his head on the table giggling. The inn, which had been flowing with silence in bewilderment, filled with laughter again.
“No, what is that supposed to mean?!”
“Euhahaha!”
“Good grief, how absurd!”
Ruman laughed so hard his face turned red as if it would burst.
“Ren. Hyung is asking you.”
While everyone else was dying of laughter, only one person, Temarr, was serious.
Wh-what answer does he want?! Is that important?? No, why are you asking such an absurd thing?! Ren said grumpily.
“Hyung, are you perhaps drunk……”
“Is it difficult to answer?”
“What?”
Ren sneaked a glance at Ruman.
Perhaps he’d finished laughing, because now Ruman also had a serious expression.
No, why are you all like this?!
As their companions became serious, the inn’s atmosphere quietly stirred once more. People craned their necks trying to catch even a glimpse of Ren’s eyes sparkling from under his hood.
Hah…… So this is what alcohol is!
Ren, having realized a truth of life, stuck out his lips sullenly.
“Ren! Hyung is ask……!”
“No! It was so absurd I forgot what to say. Happy??”
The answer hyung wants, I think this is it!
As Ren finished speaking, Temarr’s mouth relaxed loosely.
Looking now, a faint flush had risen on his face too. It was just less noticeable because his skin was slightly dark.
“Ren, that’s too much. Temarr, you too. Did you really have to hear an answer?”
Ruman grumbled and ordered more alcohol.
“Hyung.”
While everyone was absorbed in their own conversations and Temarr, Gepetto, and Ruman were all drunk and out of it, only Ren’s mind seemed to clear up.
Hyung! This is the first time you’ve looked so pathetic.
If you’re drunk, just go in nicely and sleep! Ren was about to sharply say what he’d often heard in the village…….
“Yes. My little brother Ren.”
“…….”
This time he completely forgot what he was going to say.
Bang! Bang! The surrounding commotion that had felt distant all at once came rushing in. Ren, who had been boringly just watching, disconnected from the heated atmosphere, finally mixed into this hot atmosphere with that one phrase from Temarr. His face was hot.
Only then did Ren seem to get a little drunk too.
The hot atmosphere, the smell of alcohol from here and there, and even the food—there was enough to get drunk on without eating. Especially, Ren’s mood heated up indescribably at Temarr’s words.
My little brother, Ren.
He said.
The word little brother, hyung said it…….
So affectionately!
Alcohol, it’s not all that bad, is it?!
“Yes, Ren. My little brother. Tell me. Hyung will listen.”
“……I-I’m fine!”
“Huhu. My little brother. Ren.”
Ren, who had stiffened blankly in bewilderment, trembled and shook his head.
N-no, save that for normal times!
Ren wanted to run away to the second floor from embarrassment. His face hidden by the hood, of course, but also his ears, hands, and the nape of his neck all flushed red. Even though only the lower half of his face was visible under the hood, it stood out particularly because of his white skin.
“Tomi~ Can you bring four beers all at once?”
“Yes! Coming!”
Looking bored and uninterested, primly pouting…….
Now as if it was getting interesting, the corners of Ren’s mouth twitched. Even covering it with a juice glass, it was all visible! Those fidgeting hands and shoulders, that body flinching left and right as if happy!
Naturally, the cause was Temarr. That annoying bastard. Will he remember tomorrow? I hope he doesn’t remember. Because it’s annoying! Ren is Ren too. Are you that happy about those few words? Ruman, who could have spoken hundreds more sweet words than that, ended up feeling a bit wronged. How about writing a love letter and showing off dazzling eloquence?! Huh?!
The corners of Ruman’s mouth crumpled.
“Tsk.”
“Oh my, Ruman-nim. What’s wrong?”
After continuously sipping beer, perhaps the reins had loosened after laughing so much earlier, Gepetto’s tongue began to twist.
Good grief, he said if I collapse on the table he’ll cover me with a blanket, but it looks like I’ll be escorting him to bed! Ruman bitterly lamented his fate. He’d played a prank for nothing and didn’t even break even. While lavishly giving service smiles to the women and teasing Ren, he’d been so happy!
Who knew Temarr would interfere like this. He should have just quietly drunk his alcohol like usual.
He drank alcohol tirelessly. Ruman filled Temarr’s glass with hard liquor to his heart’s content, filled with spite. Since what he was already drinking wasn’t enough, he pulled out three more bottles from his breast pocket and secretly added them whenever Temarr drank, avoiding Ren’s eyes.
Only then did he feel a bit more comfort-able.
Still, he could achieve his goal. No matter how much of a Hero one is, drinking this much would inevitably cause a hangover. It’s hard liquor specifically for Heroes! After getting him thoroughly drunk, he’d go on a village outing with Ren. Come to think of it, this would be a first for Ren in everything.
Half feeling sorry, half feeling happy that he was sharing these firsts…… Actually, this feeling was very complicated to explain.
His stomach felt like it was bubbling, he wanted to run around wildly, he was a little excited but somehow his mood sank at the same time? What was he even talking about?
Ruman couldn’t explain what he was talking about, what on earth he was thinking.
