“Hey, have you ever tried Soju?”

Halfway through our meal, Althea’s face lit up as she sprung an idea past me.

“Nope, never. I’ve always been a beer type of guy.”

From the first day, I turned eighteen, my favourite after dark beverage has always been beer. There were times where I was experimental and tried an array of hard liquors, but beer has always been my number one choice for alcohol.

“Haha, you should try it once! It’s honestly the best type of alcohol out there.”

“Really? You rate it that highly?”

“Yeap! Everyone from the university is drinking it!”

“Wow, I’d never thought that would happen.”

Soju was a relatively new drink in our country. It became more prominent five years ago when I was just graduating from Kofuku University. So, I’d never gotten to try it during any of our drinking parties.

Still, to think that the number one alcoholic drink in Kofuku University had been surpassed. I’m sure that beer-fanatic Len would be surprised.

“Should I order one?”

“... Always a first time for something.”

“Haha, alright! I highly recommend the Grape, Peach and Plum Soju! Fortunately, they have a buy-two-get-one-free sale today.”

“Woah, Woah, Woah! Three bottles? Are you sure that we can finish that?”

“It’s fine! It has a relatively low alcohol content, and each bottle is quite small. We can handle it.”

“Are you sure? It’s been a while since we’d last drank alcohol.”

I said that implying that both of us would have troubles but in all honesty… I was only worried about this underweight girl. I knew I could hold my liquor. Althea, on the other hand…

“Haha, don’t worry! It’ll be fine!”

Showed no care in the world.

Althea’s emerald eyes sparkled at the word Soju as she jubilantly called for the waiter. Usually, this neighbour of mine would be reserved and cautious about everything around her. But now, it seems like I had ventured into her natural habitat.

And a few minutes later…

“Ta-da! Try the grape Soju first! It’s my favourite!”

Althea shook the small bottle gently before pouring it into small shot glasses. Placing on glass in my hands, Althea raised her own shot and said: “Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Following Althea’s lead, I gulped down the drink in one single shot. The first thing I tasted was the hint of sweetness of the grape. It went down smoothly, unlike many hard liquors I knew, and there was hardly any afterburn.

And just like Althea said… I could hardly taste any alcohol.

It was as if I was drinking grape juice rather than an alcoholic beverage.

“So? How is it?”

“Hmmm… It’s a little too sweet for my liking.”

“A-Ah… Is that so?”

“Yeah, but it’s not bad per se….”

If I were completely honest, I wasn’t thrilled about this new drink. There wasn’t anything wrong with it; I just preferred my alcohol to be less sweet. Though, I could see its appeal, especially to young women who loved the sweeter things in life.

Looking up, I could see Althea’s face slowly becoming more depressed. She had planned this treat just to make me happy, and in her eyes, this restaurant had failed in many ways. If I were to voice my disinterest, Althea would probably take it to heart.

“No, it’s quite delicious...”

“Haha, I’m glad you like it!”

Beaming in delight, the black-haired girl turned vibrant once more. She grabbed the Soju bottle and poured yet another shot for the both of us.

“Come, eat the barbeque with the Soju! It’s perfect together.”

“Woah, Woah… Shouldn’t we slow down?”

Althea smiled and replied: “Don’t worry, I’ve been here plenty of times! I know my limits!”

“If you say so...”

Maybe I was overreacting. Althea was a university student, after all. I’m pretty sure she had trained herself through countless drinking parties, and bar stays…

Oh, how wrong I was…

“Deosare, asngaother glawrssr pwwease!”

“Yeah, yeah...”

I knew this was going to happen… Two hours after the first clink of our glass, Althea was now slobbering on the table. In the beginning, we had a decent time. Althea was going on about how she first discovered the restaurant and found her love for Soju.

Since I wasn’t a fan of the drink, I didn’t go crazy with the shots. Most of the time, I drank a sip with a bite of meat. Althea, on the other hand, drank most of the Soju shots in one gulp.

As a result, I only managed to down four shot glasses while the girl drank the rest of the three bottles all on her own.

It was my fault for not noticing her condition earlier…

“Deasarrr! Rrreeea yuiiiooo happeeii?”

“Yeah, yeah...”

“Deasarrr! Looooook attt Atheo!!!”

“Yeah, yeah...”

The drunken girl waved her hand in front of me like a cleaner wiping down a window. Although I couldn’t speak the language of the inebriated, I could more or less guess her intentions. After all, it wasn’t my first time dealing with drunkards.

Bzzzt… Bzzzt… Bzzzt…

My phone vibrated, indicating that the taxi I’d called had finally arrived. After I’d settled the bill, I gently lifted Althea up from her seat and hung her arms over my shoulders. Unsurprisingly, the girl was as light as a feather, so it wasn’t hard to bring her to the exit. Though, her tendency to sway in my arms wasn’t helping.

Seriously, this girl…

Wasn’t she supposed to treat me to this meal? Why am I the one footing the bill and paying for the cab ride home?

Hah… It’s hard being an adult.

As I contemplated my life decisions, I gently carried the drunken girl into the black sedan parked outside the restaurant. We quickly got into the back seat, and I’d adjusted the Althea accordingly.

I’d taken care of many drunks in my day. Some were screamers; others were biters. And who could forget the worst types of drunks… The vomitters.

Believe it or not, I’d been the victim of many pukes in my lifetime.

Fortunately, Althea was a demure drunk. While she would often giggle for no reason, there were no signs of screaming, biting or vomiting. In my experience, all I needed to do was to keep her safe, and she’ll fall asleep on her own. So, after putting on her seatbelt and letting her relax, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Of course, that didn’t last long.

“Sir, could you please put on your masks?”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking about it.”

“Haha, no worries!”

Now, there were new regulations that mandated the use of a mask when one was outside, including riding in cabs. Since I was so preoccupied with Althea, it slipped my mind, and I’d forgotten to put one on.

“Ah, don’t forget to put one on your girlfriend as well!”

“Huh?”

“She’s asleep now, but it’s still mandatory for every rider to have one on. Sorry about that.”

“O-Oh...”

That wasn’t the point I was shocked about… I wanted to say that, but the words rolled down my tongue.

Did that driver just call Althea, my girlfriend?

No, no, no…

If you think about it from his perspective, he’s absolutely right.

Both of us came out from the barbeque restaurant alone, and Althea was even drunk. Furthermore, we’re going back to the same location. From an outsider’s perspective, Althea certainly looked like my girlfriend. Alas, that was far from the truth.

“No, we’re not in that kind of relationship.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she’s just my neighbour.”

“Oh, so you’re not yet boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“No, that...”

“Haha, I gotcha!”

“...”

This driver… Argh, whatever. It’s not like I get a prize for convincing him otherwise. I’ll just let him live in his delusions.

After steeling my resolve to ignore the man for the rest of the night, I took out a spare mask from my bag and moved towards the stoned girl. As my fingers brushed away her ebony black hair, I was able to get a full view of her gorgeous face.

This girl… is really a beauty.

Althea’s once fair skin was dyed in a pinkish hue, making her look more sultry than usual. Her perfectly symmetrical face lacked any sort of excess facial fat. Her sharp cheekbones that could cut through a diamond. Her rosy lips that never seemed to understand the dryness of winter.

… I’d thought that I’d gotten used to her exquisite looks, but it seems like I was mistaken.

Even as someone who had sworn to be single, my heart skipped a beat at her otherworldly charm.

Still tipsy, Althea nudged her head towards my shoulders, seemingly seeking warmth in this chilly sedan. Like a kitty cat, she purred in bliss once she’d found her comfort spot and gradually… her consciousness slipped into the Garden of Hypnos.

Good grief… I guess I’ll let myself be a pillow just this once.

And cab driver! Don’t smile and nod your head in satisfaction! I can see your stupid face through the rear mirror! Don’t force me to give you a bad review!