ᑎOᖇTᕼ: ᕼOᗯ ᗰᑌᑕᕼ Iᔕ YOᑌᖇ ᒪOᐯE?

Chapter 1: If I didn't get drunk

[>> North <<]

 

I opened my eyes with difficulty. I swear to God, I'd never drunk enough to get such a terrible headache. Unconsciously, I gritted my teeth, trying to endure the pain that coursed through my body. The first thing I saw was the white ceiling, but it was still blurry.

 

"Hmm..."

 

Why is my whole body aching like this?

 

"North."

 

Huh?

I turned around at the sound of the voice.

 

“Ter,” I called out the name of the person whose voice it was. No matter how battered I was, the first person I saw when I woke up was Ter. “Ugh, damn it.”

 

"Why are you trying to get up? Don't you have time to look at your own body?"

 

"I wasn't planning to get up, just intending to move a little... damn it, my whole body aches." 

 

Even though the wound at the corner of my mouth was still throbbing with pain, I still had enough strength to groan.

 

"Sigh, looking at you like this, I don't even want to scold you anymore, but I don't know where to begin," Ter frowned, his face full of annoyance.

 

"Yeah, yeah, leave the cursing for later. Thanks for coming to pick up my corpse," I said, but my memory was hazy. I only vaguely remembered getting completely drunk, having a fight with Temp, and then losing all my memories.

 

"I'm not a body picker; open your eyes and look carefully," Ter said. I frowned in confusion at his words and glanced around. This isn't my room.

 

“Surprised? I’m not telling you.” Ter snorted and threw a wet towel in my face. “How annoying, you bastard.”

 

"What are you so upset about?"

 

"Do you even need to ask? Don't make me beat you up again!" After saying that, he pressed his thumb hard against the wound at the corner of my mouth really hard!

 

"Ow, ow, ow! What the hell are you doing? I'm in pain!" I yelled, then turned to see Hill sitting on the sofa next to me. His face was as calm as ever.

 

"Hello, P’Hill," I greeted. P’Hill only offered a slight smile in return.

 

"Wait a minute, what's going on? Is this P’Hill's room?" I asked. Looking around this luxurious room, it certainly couldn't belong to anyone else.

 

"No. This is the room of the person who braved the rain and wind to retrieve your body last night." Ter sighed, placing the small towel back in the basin of water.

 

His words surprised me even more.

The person who braved the storm to find me?

 

“What are you spacing out about again?” Ter sighed again. “Just looking at your face makes me angry. Looking at the wounds on your face makes me even angrier. I’ve never complained about your drinking before, but this time you started it, North. I really want to beat you up so you’ll never forget it. Do you know how worried I am about you, you bastard? Damn it. From around eleven o’clock to midnight, Kkyu called me, saying you were drunk and fighting in the bar. I wanted to come to you, but the storm was too big to go out. You should think before you act! What if something had happened?!”

 

"Ter... calm down."

 

I didn't know what to do when Ter suddenly started yelling at me, and he looked like he was about to cry. I know Ter is always worried about others, and he worries about me a lot, too. If I remember correctly, no matter how busy he is, he never leaves me alone in my room because he knows I can't handle it.

 

"You really are... I hope that next time Temp brings his whole gang to beat you up again, and this time you end up in the ICU, then maybe your hot head will finally cool down."

 

"Do you hate me that much, Ter?" I sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll be calmer next time."

 

"This won't happen again next time," Ter assured.

 

"I'll control myself better next time," I retorted.

 

"Well, you probably won't dare drink much anymore anyway. I warned you."

 

"Why is that? Wait, what exactly happened? Tell me." I said, adjusting my position for comfort. This bed is so soft.

 

"Yesterday the storm came; it rained from early evening, so I couldn't pick you up," Ter began to explain. "I went to Hill's place when it started raining, and I called you, but you didn't answer."

 

"Oh, so you went to sleep with your boyfriend while I wasn't there, huh?" I blurted out a teasing remark, which only made the narrator look more annoyed.

 

"Is this the time for jokes?"

 

"Excuse me, please continue."

 

“Ikkyu called and told me to pick you up, saying you got beaten up at the bar. He said you were the one who started it. Both you and Temp are equally hot-headed when you drink. Only Ikkyu was sober, but he wasn’t strong enough to carry you home.”

 

"So how am I going to get back? By teleportation, I guess?"

 

“Hill said he’d take care of it,” Ter said, glancing at Hill. The man he was referring to remained silent. “I only asked Hill this morning to take me to see you.”

 

"This morning? Is it still morning?"

 

"It's four o'clock in the afternoon. Are you going to sleep or practice until you die?"

 

Damn, did I really get this drunk? 

 

"So, it was Hill who came to pick me up, after all?" I asked, frowning. Was Ter's explanation unclear, or was it because I was still a little tipsy?

 

"No. He's a friend of Hill's."

 

"Huh?" I drawled, utterly surprised. A friend of P’Hill's? At first, I thought it was strange that P’Hill himself was picking me up, and now it's his friend?

 

“Johan. Do you remember him?” Ter said, his voice just as surprised as mine.

 

“I remember. But why him? Why did he come to pick me up? And damn it, don’t tell me I threw up on him!” Vague memories of last night gradually surfaced. Oh no, just thinking about it makes me want to disappear into the ground!

 

"Nothing was left out."

 

"Damn it." I covered my face with my hands.

 

"You don't remember anything at all?"

 

"I remember a little. But I think I probably threw up on Ikkyu, so I didn't pay attention."

 

"Damn it, how awful must you be to even think like that?" Ter cursed, raising his hand to press on my wound again, but luckily, I managed to block it in time.

 

"Hey, I was just kidding," I quickly said. "What am I going to do now? I've bothered him and made him angry, too."

 

"Yeah, he's really angry," Ter replied, making me even more worried.

 

"But why is Johan the one picking me up?" I asked again. Ter didn't answer, but Hill spoke up instead.

 

"His apartment is near the restaurant."

 

"But this is Johan's house, right?" Ter wondered. Oh, so I'm at Johan's house now?

 

"North must be in such a bad state that he thought it was better to bring him home," Mr Hill said.

 

"Oh, that's right, I even saw the maid wiping you down this morning. If we took you back to the apartment, he'd have to take care of you himself, so it's better to bring you here."

 

That's true... Taking him home is better than going back to the apartment and making him wipe me down himself. Before I could ask any more questions, P’Hill's phone rang. He excused himself to answer it, leaving Ter and me alone in this unfamiliar room.

 

"I don't understand," I said. My head was full of questions. Besides the questions, the lingering effects of the alcohol were still present. If it were just because the apartment was nearby, it would be understandable, but if it were me, I certainly wouldn't go out to meet a complete stranger who was drunk and ready to fight.

 

"I find it strange too. Initially, when Hill said he would handle this, I didn't expect him to call Johan to pick you up. What surprised me even more was that Johan agreed. You know, there was a really big storm last night."

 

"Um. So, how did things end last night?"

 

"I don't know about that. Try asking Ikkyu."

 

"Where's my phone?" I asked, secretly hoping it was still intact.

 

"Here." Ter turned around, got my phone, and handed it to me.

 

The phone is still there…

But that's not good at all.

 

"Why?" I stared at the shattered, broken phone screen. My heart sank. I didn't have the money to buy a new one! And I didn't have the money to repair it either! 

 

"Whyyyyy!"

 

"It probably wasn't this badly damaged at first."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Until Johan threw it against the wall."

 

"WHAT!?" I gasped, utterly shocked, "Johan threw my phone!?"

 

"Yeah. He said he threw it himself. He said it was annoying because someone kept texting you. He was probably busy dealing with your vomit at the time."

 

"Damn it! Is he really that angry at me? And now he's taking his anger out on my phone! I don't have the money to fix it! It won't even turn on!"

 

"When P’Hill found out about this, he didn't say anything at all. At first, I thought he would have something to say."

 

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked.

 

"Ah ha. I'm scared too!" Ter said, his voice sweet as sugar, with puppy dog ​​eyes.

 

"Think you're so cute? I'm not Hill, don't try any tricks." I chuckled, gave up, and put the dead phone down. 

 

Actually, I was still angry about being thrown the phone. No matter how much trouble I caused, they should have at least talked things out properly first.

 

"Where's Johan? I haven't seen him yet," I asked.

 

"He's been busy since noon, saying he won't be back until evening. Oh, and he also told me to stay and keep an eye on you."

 

"My clothes?" I repeated. "You're afraid I'll run away, aren't you?"

 

"Why are you running?" My question made Ter pause for a moment, as if he suddenly remembered something. Then he turned and went outside, returning a short while later with a piece of paper in his hand.

 

"Hey, I guarantee you won't dare drink so much anymore." Ter handed me the piece of paper. I glanced at it and saw it was a long list. I skimmed through it, but still didn't understand anything. I was about to open my mouth to ask, but the owner of the room had returned.

 

Johan opened the door and walked in without saying a word. He went straight to the sofa behind Ter, where Hill had been sitting earlier. Soon after, Hill returned and sat down in his usual spot.

 

Johan looked at me, his eyes devoid of emotion. At first, I thought he would be very annoyed. But then I thought, I'm not even close to him; I've only met him a few times when he came to pick up Ter from the dorm.

 

The entire room fell silent. It seems only Ter and I are feeling awkward. Your boyfriend is sitting right behind you, and you're still feeling uncomfortable? It's a stranger, and I'm the one who caused all this trouble; I should be feeling awkward.

 

I glanced at Ter, my eyes filled with a pleading look. Why is nobody saying anything? They should at least ask something, like, 'Oh, you're awake? How are you feeling?' Or maybe even scold me! Why the silence? Should I be the one to speak first?

 

"Um... I'm sorry." I mustered up the courage to speak, my voice barely a whisper.

 

“…” Johan looked at me, as if waiting to see what I would say next.

 

"I'm sorry about yesterday, and thank you too."

 

"Hmm."

 

Why does he suddenly seem more irritable?

 

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to... um."

 

"Vomit?" Johan raised an eyebrow.

 

"Yes." I bowed my head in apology.

 

"It's okay. Just pay the money."

 

"Pay?"

 

"Compensation," Johan said, gesturing towards the paper in my hand. I looked at it, then turned to Ter, waiting for a clearer explanation.

 

"Here's a list of the things you broke. You have to pay for everything," Ter replied.

 

“…”

 

"Are you kidding me?! That's hundreds of millions of dong! What did I smash to make such a big deal out of nothing?! It was just a fight in a bar!" I unconsciously shouted. Normally, I'm not this hot-tempered, but the number on that piece of paper was truly outrageous!

 

"No way. I even helped check the list this morning. You really messed it up," Ter said seriously, looking guilty. That look made me feel guilty, too.

 

"And what about this list of alcoholic drinks? I don't remember drinking that much."

 

"You didn't drink, but you broke them. They were all expensive bottles."

 

"Huh!? How is that possible!?"

 

“They put it on someone else’s table at the time. How did you manage to…?” Johan said.  Just that one sentence was enough for me to understand. I’m doomed…

 

"And what is this 'hush money' all about?"

 

"The money was given to the staff and customers to keep quiet about it. If the school found out, they would at least be suspended, or even expelled."

 

"What about the treatment costs?"

 

"They're demanding money for hospital bills, not to mention compensation for emotional distress," Johan said dejectedly. It sounded like he was being scolded.

 

"And these clothes? Why are they so expensive? Over ten million dong!?"

 

"That's Johan's shirt, the one you threw up on."

 

"That's ridiculous! A shirt that costs over ten million dong?!" I muttered, trying to keep my voice low so he wouldn't hear. At most, I'll just wash it for him, right? 

 

"I've put everything that got damaged in the shop under this 'other expenses' section," Ter said, pointing to the last line. Good heavens, just three words, and it hurt so much.

 

"But why should I pay alone? Those guys fought with me too!?"

 

"They've already paid," Johan replied.

 

What bad luck… Temp’s family is incredibly rich.

 

"And what about these? Vases? Wine? Household items?"

 

"You broke a whole bunch of things in Johan's house. You threw up all over the floor, broke a vase, made a mess of this and that, and the maid hasn't even finished cleaning it all up yet. She said you woke up last night looking for the bathroom, stumbled around, and dropped things everywhere."

 

“…”

"You even knocked over the liquor cabinet."

 

"It's really expensive."

There's nothing more to say except two words: ‘total disaster!

 

I took a deep breath to calm myself. If only this were just a dream. But everything felt terrifyingly real. Just one night out drinking and I woke up owing hundreds of millions of dollars!? I should have listened to Ter and not drunk so much…

Oh, North! My life is over!

 

I glanced down at the number on the paper one last time, then immediately turned away, unable to face reality. Why was the number so long? The thought of having to find enough money to pay it back sent shivers down my spine.

 

"Um... but you also broke my phone." I suddenly remembered. Wouldn't it be nice to get a few million off the bill? With the amount on this piece of paper, a few million is nothing.  Hearing me speak, Johan threw a bag towards me. I couldn't catch it, so I bent down and stared blankly at the bag that landed on my lap.

 

"That doesn't count towards the debt," Johan said. I opened the bag to check...A new phone! It's so new that the seal hasn't even been broken yet!? He bought a new one… just to say that the phone was a minor thing?

 

"Just pay for the repairs," I said. Even though he broke it, I felt bad that he had to buy a whole new one. Repairing the old one would be much cheaper.

 

"Annoying." He frowned, looking slightly annoyed.

 

"Oh, dear."

 

"Just take it, it's no big deal." This time, P’Hill spoke up, probably noticing my hesitation.

 

Hearing that, Ter and I turned to look at each other…That's impossible… What do you mean by 'it's nothing big'?

 

You guys can't use that phrase with a phone that costs tens of millions of Dong!

 

I was silent for a moment, trying to sort out my thoughts. I had to tell Johan the truth: I simply didn't have the money. Who could possibly have it? I was just a student! No, even if I had a job, where would I get such a large sum of money?!

 

Asking for a reduction in debt is probably out of the question. After all, I was the one who started the trouble, so Johan is just paying it off for now.

 

"...can I pay in instalments? Like... one million dong per week...?"

 

"Okay. But there's interest."

 

!!!

"What's the profit?"

 

"Not very high. probably." Johan pretended to think, "Twenty per cent?"

 

"NO!" I yelled, interrupting him. Is he crazy?! Twenty per cent?! Is this the kind of exorbitant interest rate a loan shark charges?!

 

He smirked slightly, seemingly pleased to see my strong reaction. He's still joking around in this situation?!

 

"Well, let's think about it later."

 

"I'm leaving."

 

"Are you leaving already?" P’Hill asked when he saw Johan stand up from his chair.

 

"Yeah, keep an eye on him for me," Johan said briefly before leaving the room. What the hell? Just leaving out of there?

 

"He has some business to attend to," P’Hill said. "Do you want to go home now?"

 

"Let's go home!" I nodded repeatedly, which made Ter laugh.

 

"That's so urgent."

 

"Go home quickly; if you stay any longer, you'll only end up with more debt."

 

"Hahaha, that's a shame, but let me laugh first. Don't make that gloomy face."

 

"Just try waking up and finding yourself in debt of hundreds of millions like I am," I muttered dejectedly, then leaned on the bed frame to stand up. The hangover headache was still there, but it was nothing compared to the aches and pains all over my body.

 

"Still standing? You're incredibly strong. When Ikkyu told me, I thought you were in a much worse state," Ter said, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. Judging from the feeling, I probably had a cracked lip, a torn eyebrow, and bruises all over my body.

 

"It's nothing special," I said, raising an eyebrow playfully, then asked, "But whose outfit is this?"

 

I looked down at myself. Instead of asking where the old ones went, it would be more practical to ask whose new ones were. I need to know that I need to wash them and return them to the rightful owner. And I didn't even ask who had changed my clothes.

 

Ter said the maid wiped me down, so she probably changed my clothes too. Thinking about it makes me so embarrassed. It's best not to think about it anymore.

 

"It's Johan's, of course. That's a silly question."

 

"Maybe it belongs to the housekeeper. And you're letting me wear something this expensive?"

 

"You're incredibly good at sarcasm."

 

"Let me say a few words; there's nothing else I can do anyway," I said, then left the room with the other two.

 

Honestly, this place can hardly be called a house anymore; it should be called a villa or a castle. Now I believe it; those rumours weren't exaggerated at all. I glanced around, but not for long because I needed to focus on the path ahead, lest I trip and damage even more things.

 

On my way out, I encountered quite a few butlers and maids. They all turned to stare at me. Feeling embarrassed, I hid behind Ter, muttering to myself:

 

'Sorry, everyone, for causing trouble.”

 

P’Hill's luxurious car slowly rolled away. Soon after, I arrived back at the dormitory. I let the couple say goodbye briefly before going up to my room with Ter.

 

As soon as I lay down on the bed, I heard Ter say:

 

"Oh, add Johan on Line."

 

"For what?"

 

"You're the debtor, so don't make a fuss."

 

"What the heck is this...?" I grumbled, picking up my new phone, still not quite used to it. It's so fancy, I don't know what to do with it at all.

 

"You don't seem too stressed. I initially thought you were going to cry. That's a shame," Ter teased.

 

"What more can I cry about? I'm completely exhausted!" I sighed. "It wouldn't be true to say I'm not stressed, because who wouldn't be worried? It's just that I still don't want to believe it."

 

"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen Johan's living room with my own eyes. It looks like Godzilla just ransacked it."

 

"To that extent?"

 

"That's right. You're never usually this mischievous."

 

"It wasn't that bad. It's probably just a fit of anger... I've never been that angry before."

 

"You tend to get hot when you play games, don't you?"

 

"Those are two different things, Dad," I sighed. 

 

"Actually, I feel more guilty. In the end, he only gave me an advance. In essence, it's like I borrowed money from him... just a little more."

 

"So what are you going to do? That's not a small amount of money."

 

"If your boyfriend’s friend is generous and doesn't charge interest, I'll pay one million dong per week."

 

“Damn.”

 

"Hey, I'm serious, my current job is pretty good."

 

"One million a week would mean paying it all the way through the tuition," Ter shook his head at my plan. "And as for the interest, a little bit would be reasonable. That's a lot of money, so you have to understand his situation. He earned his own money, and then suddenly losing hundreds of millions in his account without getting anything back, for a businessman, that's a huge missed opportunity."

 

"Did Hill tell you to say that?" I asked. There was no doubt about it, because if Ter said something that sounded so logical, it must have been Hill who taught him.

 

"Yes, and initially his explanation was even longer. I only remember the gist of it. Otherwise, I would have yelled at him about the interest calculation for my friend."

 

"It's so expensive."

 

"Okay, I understand," I sighed. "Maybe I should just sell this phone? I could get at least tens of millions, and these shirts too."

 

"Are you crazy, North? Use it; he bought it for you. And remember to wash the clothes and return them."

 

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding." I was only joking. Selling the phone he bought to get the money back would be incredibly rude. But… “Why did you have to send Johan to pick me up? I still don’t understand.”

 

"I told you I don't know, but I'm guessing it's because he's responsible for taking care of you, right?"

 

My face went blank the moment I heard the word 'care' from Ter's mouth.

 

"I mean… I don't know all the details; go ask Ikkyu. But if I were to guess, Johan probably stepped in to sort out the fight for you. You see, he probably took care of the hospital bills and the hush money, so you don't need to worry anymore. If you had to handle it yourself, you'd be kicked out of school before you even got your degree."

 

"Don't curse me, but it's true. I never had anything like this in college, so it's definitely more troublesome than in high school."

 

"Learned from your mistakes?" Ter's voice sounded sarcastic. Or maybe I was just imagining things.

 

"That's it! I'm not touching alcohol again, I swear," I said, running my hands through my hair in frustration.

 

"Good. Call Nao and the others; they must be worried," Ter reminded me. That's when I remembered I needed to ask how they were. I quickly opened Line and logged into my old account. There were a bunch of unread message notifications. But most importantly…

 

Jaja: (120 unread messages)

 

As soon as I clicked to read them, messages started pouring in again. Could this be the person who was spamming me like crazy, the one Ter mentioned right before Johan threw my phone against the wall...?