Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 316 - Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (11)

Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (11)

 

In the end, Choi Minji snatched Lee Junghyo’s phone on her way to the bathroom. 

 

“This is a confiscation.”

 

Choi Minji took it to the bathroom and successfully sealed it tightly inside the pouch in her bag. 

 

“…This…” 

 

I wonder if I’ll be able to return it without forgetting. 

 

She felt a little afraid, but somehow returning it would work out.

 

‘If I leave him like that, he’ll call for sure.’

 

Whether to accept an apology or let go of lingering feelings, it has to be done soberly to avoid regrets. 

 

Choi Minji’s plan was flawless.

 

“Huh.”

 

The problem was that Lee Junghyo could drink more than Choi Minji.

 

Lee Junghyo easily outdrank Choi Minji and, while Minji was distracted, managed to snatch her phone.

 

And while Choi Minji checked the bus schedule and stopped by a convenience store, Junghyo took her phone from under the overpass. 

 

Choi Minji’s phone.

 

Yes, that’s where the problem arose.

 

Junghyo thought the phone was hers, but in reality, it belonged to someone else. 

 

To be precise, it was Choi Minji’s phone. 

 

It was common for people to lose their reason while drinking to the point of overwhelming the other person.

 

And Choi Minji, completely unaware that her phone had been snatched, was probably out right now buying a bunch of hangover remedies. 

 

“…Zombie.”

 

Lee Junghyo muttered to herself, recalling Choi Minji, who had gotten drunk far quicker than her despite her lower tolerance, yet kept bouncing back again and again.

 

Then she checked the call log on Choi Minji’s phone.

 

The thing at the top wasn’t a phone call but a list of messages, yet she didn’t think far enough to notice even the faintly visible keypad. 

 

Junghyo slid down the wall and sank to the floor.

 

“Whoo.” 

 

It felt like I was getting drunk even more from the smell of alcohol on my own breath.

 

And, helped by the alcohol, Junghyo finally managed to press the call button.

 

“!”

 

She made the call.

 

Junghyo’s eyes widened. 

 

Her shoulders hunched inward. What should she say?

 

[…]

 

She pressed her lips together, but when the dial tone stopped and the other person said nothing, she grew anxious.

 

“It’s me.”

 

So the words just came out—

 

“I miss you.”

 

Even words she didn’t mean—

 

“Apologize to me.”

 

The words she desperately wanted to say—

 

All her memories had vanished.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Junghyo turned on her laptop, suffering from a terrible hangover.

 

She searched the entire room but couldn’t find her phone.

 

“…If I ever drink again…”

 

The sentence didn’t continue.

 

Even so, she’d still have to drink.

 

She hastily tied up her messy hair and rinsed her alcohol-scented mouth several times.

 

And the moment she poured the iced tea from the large can she had at home to cure her hangover—

 

Tak.

 

The sound—like a beer can being opened—made her gag without even realizing it.

 

She quickly poured the drink from the can into a glass filled with ice.

 

And when she returned to her laptop, a “1” appeared on her messenger.

 

Choi Minji

 

Oh. You’re alive.

 

Can this… really be called being alive?

 

Junghyo pressed her hands against her forehead.

 

She barely remembered anything after getting drunk, but one memory from before she drank remained vivid.

 

Do you have my phone?

 

This person hid my phone.

 

It’s clear that she’ll be grateful for this for the next ten years.

 

Since she drank while badmouthing her ex yesterday, if her phone hadn’t been taken away, she’d surely be wishing she were dead by now.

 

Junghyo was still young and didn’t yet know how to cope with the aftermath of a breakup.

 

She hadn’t yet realized that the emotions between people who grow close and then drift apart couldn’t simply be summed up as “regret,” and that feelings of longing and anger come and go.

 

So even though she knew her ex deserved to be cursed, she still believed that the mix of emotions she felt was just her being consumed by “regret.”

 

But she would soon realize that wasn’t the case.

 

It wasn’t regret—it was irritation, with just a hint of anger mixed in, so there was no need for her pride to be hurt.

 

Choi Minji

 

(Photo)

 

The photo Minji sent showed a familiar subway station locker.

 

‘So this is where you put it.’

 

Even drunk, she still had this much presence of mind.

 

Junghyo, honestly impressed, slipped into her jeans and hoodie.

 

Bending over made her feel nauseous, so she put the clothes on like a mannequin, keeping the body unfolded as much as possible. 

 

Choi Minji

 

You were so cute yesterday.

 

(Photo)

 

Sitting under the overpass, in a posture that seemed like she was lost in thought.

 

“Ha.”

 

Lee Junghyo sighed at the photo, but couldn’t help but laugh.

 

Choi Minji

 

You even took my phone and made a call.

 

Thanks to that, I even got a text.

 

 

Text?

 

Junghyo frowned.

 

I actually took someone else’s phone and even called one of their contacts.

 

I was a nuisance… I’m sorry…

 

Choi Minji

 

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSo what?

 

You seemed much more human than before and was doing okay. 

 

I’ll buy you dinner. 

 

Choi Minji

 

Fine. Next time I call, you can come too.

 

Of course.

 

Lee Junghyo readily agreed to the debt collector’s question.

 

At this rate, that’s a generous attitude. 

 

Choi Minji

 

And there’s a gift.

 

What is this? 

 

Choi Minji

 

Turns out, your ex’s current girlfriend is the younger sibling of a friend of my friend.

 

If she’s a friend’s friend’s younger sibling, doesn’t that mean they’re strangers?

 

Junghyo sipped iced tea to rehydrate and pondered.

 

Choi Minji

 

So that’s what I heard—turns out that girl was seeing both guys!! Birds of a feather, I guess.

 

She said she’s dating a friend of a friend of a friend. 

 

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ hey, spread the word right away.

 

This is truly a gift. 

 

Junghyo thought this as she quietly stared at the messenger window.

 

Spread the rumor.

 

For a moment, she felt the urge to do it, but strangely, she didn’t really want to.

 

And at the same time, something came to mind.

 

‘I apologize.’

 

A rough voice.

 

An apology?

 

It definitely wasn’t a voice she recognized.

 

But it didn’t sound unfamiliar.

 

Hey, you know… yesterday, I… to someone…

 

Did I do something that deserves an apology?

 

What’s that?

 

It’s exactly the kind of question that would get the response, “Haven’t you sobered up yet?”

 

Junghyo erased the words she had just written.

 

Then, hesitating for a moment, she quickly wrote a different sentence.

 

Forget it. You don’t have to spread the rumor. Just hearing that is enough.

 

I feel like I received an apology.

 

‘Why on earth?’

  

She didn’t know why she felt this way.

 

But it was probably more likely that she was just feeling too lazy to care about anything because of the hangover.

 

She thought as she turned off her laptop. 

 

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter anymore.

 

Because I knew it wasn’t my fault.

 

Junghyo pulled her hood over her head, and the moment she stepped outside, the cool breeze brushed against her, helping her clear her head.

 

For some reason, it was a refreshing morning.

 

* * *

 

And returning to the present, Junghyo was now taking Choi Minji back instead.

 

“I’m going…”

 

“You’re not going far, right?”

 

Junghyo, dumbfounded, watched Choi Minji try to pull herself away in front of the elevator.

 

With a wistful expression, Choi Minji raised her thumb in a fist as the elevator doors began to close.

 

“I’ll be back…”

 

Don’t come back.

 

“My back hurts.”

 

Junghyo got into the car and muttered to herself.

 

Just how long has it been since her body ached like this?

 

A groan escaped her lips at the sensation she wished she could forget forever.

 

‘I guess I’ve repaid my debt.’

 

It finally came back to her.

 

She remembered the time, years ago, when Choi Minji had taken care of her while she was completely drunk.

 

It was a memory she’d rather forget, so she had even forgotten that they’d been drinking together back then—but now, thinking back, she also remembered almost having stolen Choi Minji’s phone.

 

‘A total thief…’

 

As Junghyo lowered her head, her hair fell out. 

 

Through the curtain of her hair, she saw the hand that had been holding hers tightly since earlier.

 

When she suddenly lifted her head, the car was already there.

 

“Home… my place…?”

 

“This is the parking lot.”

 

Han Woohyun answered, resting his head against the back seat.

 

Only then did she realize that she had dropped Choi Minji off and had dozed off.

 

“I’m drunk.”

 

She had no choice but to admit it.

 

She was drunk, and the guy, who had seemed completely drunk earlier, wasn’t drunk at all. 

 

‘I don’t want to let go.’

 

“So that was just an act, right? Pretending to be drunk.”

 

“I didn’t act drunk.”

 

Han Woohyun replied, leaning back to the side.

 

Sitting like this in the dark with the lights off, she felt as if the alcohol particles she exhaled were being drawn back in with each breath.

 

“I feel like I’d get even drunker if we stay like this.”

 

“…Mhm.” 

 

But Han Woohyun didn’t seem inclined to do anything about it.

 

As if to say, “So what?”

 

But then again, that seemed to be true.

 

Junghyo unconsciously buried her face in the seat.

 

Watching her quietly, Han Woohyun gently cupped Junghyo’s face.

 

“It looks like it’s going to hurt…”

 

After a moment, Junghyo looked up.

 

“Have you quit smoking?”

 

At that question, Han Woohyun’s brown eyes calmly settled.

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Yeah…”

 

Even though he believed it wasn’t a lie, Han Woohyun’s expression stiffened because it was something he “didn’t want to show.” 

 

The first time she learned to smoke was because of her uncle.

 

It all started when she took a cigarette from a crumpled pack her uncle had carelessly left and smoked it.

 

“Hmm…”

 

Junghyo let out a low moan and then withdrew her hand from Han Woohyun’s.

 

Seeing the hand that had been fiddling with her forehead lower, Han Woohyun felt a sudden sense of fear for some reason. 

 

But then Junghyo looked at Han Woohyun. In the darkness, her calm eyes flickered. 

 

“…Is this the end?”

 

Does this mean there’s nothing more to hide?

 

Han Woohyun bit his lip.

 

“Tell me more.”

 

“What?”

 

“There’s something about you. Uh…”

 

Junghyo, resting her head against the seat, gave a small, shy smile.

 

“This is fun. Interesting. I want to hear more.”

 

Junghyo’s pinky slid into Han Woohyun’s pinky. 

 

“Tell me more…”