Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 307 - Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (2)

Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (2)

 

“It’s delicious…”

 

I tasted the appetizer in front of me and once again sank into a sense of defeat.

 

After confirming that the drink was whiskey, Han Woohyun began roasting the brie cheese whole, scoring it on both sides.

 

Once the cheese, roasted until crispy and split along the cuts, was steaming hot, drizzling honey over it and sprinkling nuts on top completed the snack.

 

It wasn’t anything fancy, but warm and slightly sweet, it was definitely a snack that paired well with whiskey.

 

Then came another snack.

 

Season the beef for yukhoe to pair with the strong liquor, then prepare the vegetables.

 

Toss the prepared vegetables and seasoned yukhoe beef with whole-grain mustard, press the mixture firmly into a small plate, then invert it onto a long plate to create a round-shaped beef tartare.

 

Serve it plated with well-toasted bread, and it becomes another perfect pairing that practically calls for whiskey.

 

“This is also delicious…”

 

I was sure I’d overate because of the side dishes Dad packed, but here I am eating more of the snacks than the alcohol?

 

With eyes full of defeat, I looked up at Han Woohyun, who seemed quietly proud.

 

Why is he always better at cooking than me…?

 

Even though I professionally study cooking too!

 

“Do you usually subscribe to cooking channels or something?”

 

“Subscribe? YouTube? Not really, but when I’m bored, I put on cooking shows and sometimes buy cookbooks to read.”

 

He placed the beef tartare on the bread, tasted it, and smiled softly.

 

It must be delicious.

 

There’s no way it could taste bad, even to him.

 

“It’s from a new bakery. Their bread is really good too.”

 

“So you even pay attention to sourcing the ingredients.”

 

No wonder his cooking keeps improving. 

 

I felt a strange mix of jealousy and something I couldn’t quite name.

 

“You like cooking.”

 

Chewing the bread Han Woohyun had fed me, I spoke. After a moment of thought, he nodded.

 

“Mhm. I like it.” 

 

“So, you’ve liked cooking since you were little.”

 

At my words, Han Woohyun made an unreadable expression.

 

Han Woohyun, who once said he started cooking to feed his hungry younger sibling, now ends up giving me this kind of joy through that very cooking.

 

To Han Woohyun, who once said he didn’t like anything, things to like are starting to appear one by one.

 

It was a pleasant change.

 

“Mhm. That’s right.” 

 

Han Woohyun replied. 

 

“I like it. I like the sound of the ingredients cooking, and I like seeing a smile appear on the face of the person eating—”

 

Han Woohyun chuckled. 

 

“You getting flustered is cute too.”

 

Oh my. 

 

You knew about that?

 

Overcome with an inexplicable anger, I poured whiskey into an On the Rocks glass. The round bottle with the yellow band was a liquor I liked.

 

“But is it really okay for you to drink?”

 

Han Woohyun frowned and pulled my glass toward himself.

 

I had already heard from Yoojun that it was fine for me to drink, but since Han Woo-hyun was uneasy, I had even put him on the phone to confirm it. 

 

“They said it’s just that my body goes back to being like a normal person because of the debuff effect. And so what? You’re right here with me.” 

 

“….” 

 

Noticing right away that the strength left Han Woohyun’s hand, I quickly tossed back the liquid in the glass.

 

I smiled at the oak aroma flowing into my mouth.

 

Han Woohyun, who had been staring straight at me, poked my cheek with his finger.

 

“Why?”

 

“No, it’s just that… your face looks a little red. Maybe it’s the lighting.”

 

“Maybe it’s because I’m drunk…?”

 

It’s strange that I’m already tipsy after five glasses on the rocks.

 

Feeling a drowsiness I hadn’t felt in a long time, I unconsciously rested my chin on the hand I’d placed on the island counter.

 

The way laughter kept slipping out of me—I was definitely drunk.

 

In truth, the taste and aroma of alcohol are no different now than they were before I became addicted.

 

It’s just that now, the only difference is that I can actually get drunk.

 

Surprisingly, this made a big difference in how enjoyable drinking was.

 

I don’t mean that I like the dizziness that comes with being drunk—rather, when I drank with the sensation of my body relaxing and a gentle warmth rising completely removed, alcohol felt no different from just any other beverage.

 

I’d always had a pretty high tolerance, but I could still feel the difference between one glass and two. Once that sensation disappeared completely, though, there were times when it felt like there was no reason to drink at all.

 

And above all, the drinking gatherings.

 

In fact, isn’t the best function of alcohol that it boosts camaraderie?

 

Everyone else would get a little tipsy and grow more sociable, while I sat there alone, clear-headed—it was so uncomfortable that I eventually stopped going out drinking altogether.

 

Since I wasn’t particularly outgoing to begin with, I missed that function of alcohol—the way it could help me feel a little more at ease—even more.

 

“Hehe.”

 

I think I’m a bit too drunk today to say “a little” comfortable, though.

 

So what?

 

“You haven’t even had a single drink, so why is your face turning red?”

 

With my chin still propped up, I pointed at Han Woohyun’s face. Just like he had done earlier, I lifted a finger and poked his cheek.

 

“It doesn’t even sink in. You’ve got no flesh at all. How can your body be this big when there isn’t a bit of flesh on your face…?”

 

“Mhm?” 

 

“What?” 

 

“I think I just said out loud what was supposed to stay in my head.”

 

Han Woohyun chuckled.

 

Is that so…?

 

But well, once the words are out, there’s no taking them back.

 

I let go of all the burdens on my heart—thanks to the drunkenness I hadn’t felt in so long, the space that felt safe, and the long vacation I’d finally been given.

 

The first day of a vacation is bound to feel exhilarating.

 

“So, are you saying it’s not good?”

 

Han Woohyun asked.

 

He adjusted his posture, shifting from leaning back defensively against the chair to bringing himself forward toward me.

 

As if asking, “Do you really not like this face?”

 

I think I finally understood why Dad sometimes says Han Woohyun is like a fox pretending to be a bear.

 

At times like this, it really was—

 

“…Pretty.”

 

I stared blankly at Han Woohyun.

 

Then his brown eyes flickered, and soon his cheeks turned red.

 

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to just drink?

 

While I was thinking that, Han Woohyun, as if reading my mind, made another glass of whiskey on the rocks and brought it over.

 

“I guess I’d better drink too.”

 

“Good idea.”

 

It was lonely drinking alone.

 

Han Woohyun, just in case anything happened, said he wouldn’t take even a single sip of alcohol.

  

“….”

 

I unconsciously stroked Han Woohyun’s hair as he sat down with his glass. 

 

Han Woohyun flinched and stiffened, but only for a moment—soon, he moved his chair to sit beside me.

 

Then, in an instant, he closed the distance between us.

 

“…?”

 

No way.

 

I hesitated when I saw him slightly leaning his head toward me.

 

Then I carefully stroked his hair.

 

Then I saw Han Woohyun’s chin tense up.

 

Every time something like this happens, I genuinely wonder.

 

Is this really what dating is…? Or is this more like… being tamed…?

 

Of course, it’s not that my feelings of care for Han Woohyun are being confused with love.

 

It’s just that I remembered what the manager said a few days ago.

 

‘You two seem to be in a very healthy relationship.’

 

‘Yes?’

 

‘No, no.’

 

‘What do you mean?’

 

It was the day Han Woohyun came down to Yeongchun-myeon and checked into the penthouse.

 

I had a simple meal with Han Woohyun and went straight down to the lobby, where the manager said something I couldn’t quite understand. 

 

 

‘You two are just like an owner and their pet… very wholesome… taking care of each other’s meals, looking after each other’s sleep…’

 

I don’t think it was meant in a bad way, but the truth is, I’ve been a little conscious of it ever since.

 

Taming and dating.

 

What exactly is the difference between the two?

 

While I was pondering these questions, Han Woohyun hugged me.

 

The guy, taller than me even while sitting, curled his body and hugged me, his breath brushing against the nape of my neck.

 

“…You’re prettier.”

 

The low voice in my ear made my hair stand on end.

 

Han Woohyun, who had held me tightly, looked at me quietly.

 

If this is taming, then it seems I’m being subjected to a very dangerous kind of taming.

 

‘Is this really supposed to be wholesome…?’

 

“It’s hot.”

 

I was so thirsty that I absentmindedly took an ice cube from my glass and bit into it.

 

Han Woohyun lowered his head and gently bit my lower lip before letting go.

 

A brief sound of friction echoed in my ear.

 

“I’m hot too.”

 

I haven’t even had any alcohol, but it’s so hot I feel like I’m going crazy.

 

Han Woohyun spoke as if in lament, then pulled me into a hug around my waist.

 

Unlike just a moment ago, when he had briefly bitten my lip and let go, Han Woohyun’s tongue now entered my mouth.

  

Since Han Woohyun hadn’t had a single drink, the smell of alcohol conquering my nose and mouth was entirely mine—but the scent of my own drink made me feel even more intoxicated.

 

As our tongues met, the ice slowly melted into water.

 

Even so, my thirst only grew stronger and stronger.

 

Without realizing it, I wrapped my arms around Han Woohyun’s neck and pulled him closer to me.

 

I wanted to get closer.

 

But in an instant, Han Woohyun grabbed the edge of the table behind my back and stood up.

 

He stared at me quietly, as if catching his breath, then pressed his lips to my cheek.

 

“….?”

 

I instinctively grabbed a fistful of Han Woohyun’s sweatshirt over his chest. 

 

“Don’t go.”

 

Han Woohyun hadn’t said he was going anywhere, but I didn’t want to be left behind.

 

Right now, I just want to get closer.

 

Han Woohyun spoke in a very affectionate voice, caressing my cheek.

 

“You’re not feeling well. I’ll get you some water.”

 

The sentence seemed to have completely forgotten the excitement from a moment ago, but even so, his face was still flushed with the same heat.

 

Bringing you water?

 

Isn’t this what the manager really meant?

 

We feed each other, make sure we sleep together, and bring each other water.

 

It’s taming, really—taming.

 

I pout and shake my head.

 

“…I don’t want to.” 

 

“About what?”

 

Han Woohyun asked, slightly taken aback by the grumbling.

 

I hugged Han Woohyun’s neck tightly and clung to his chest as I answered.

 

The posture might be a bit awkward because of our height difference, but so what.

 

I’m on vacation right now, this is clearly a private space, and at the moment, I’m in a very dangerous state, poisoned by alcohol.

 

“I don’t want to be healthy while on vacation.”

 

This level of whining isn’t bad, is it?

 

At my words, a vein stood out on Han Woohyun’s jaw.

 

Han Woo-hyun’s hand urgently searched for the glass of ice. In an instant, an ice cube went into his mouth, cracking loudly as it broke.

 

“…Open your mouth, Junghyo.”

 

“….”

 

“I told you it was hot.”