Chapter 37 : You haven’t forgotten my warning, right?
“Huh?”
Her vision started to blur. Before long, Kang Bada noticed her body swaying from side to side.
‘Was I always this bad with alcohol?’
She wasn’t much of a drinker—whiskey or anything else—and even after turning 21, she’d only had a few drinks here and there. But she’d never felt this out of it.
Thinking back, it had been a pretty exhausting day. She had stayed up all night picking out a dress, grabbed it early in the morning, then went to the salon to get her hair and makeup done. And she hadn’t even had a proper meal.
‘This… isn’t good.’
She tried to keep her eyes open, but she was slowly losing consciousness. It felt like her body was floating, and she was about to drift off to sleep.
“Bada-ssi.”
At that moment, someone grabbed her shoulder. Her mind snapped back briefly, and through her hazy vision, she just barely recognized Kim Ha-neul’s face.
But something was different—Kim Ha-neul had animal ears on his head. And behind him, a tail was wagging back and forth.
‘What the—? That’s so cute!’
Pat, pat—
Before she knew it, Kang Bada was stroking Kim Ha-neul’s head. He froze in shock, but she kept on petting him.
“Bada-ssi, you’re really drunk.”
Kim Ha-neul sighed softly and reached out to help her up. But instead, Kang Bada pulled him into a hug.
“Aww, were you worried about you noona?”
“You should really sober up before you regret this tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay, do you want a treat from noona?”
“…”
They were clearly not on the same page.
Kim Ha-neul realized that Kang Bada was way too drunk to be reasoned with. Trying to talk to her was like talking to a wall.
‘Let’s see where this goes.’
Now that he knew she couldn’t handle alcohol well, he figured this was a good chance to see how she acted when she was drunk.
On the bright side, it was kind of funny to see her being so forward.
“Shake hands!”
The only problem was that she was treating him like a puppy. When he didn’t give her his hand, she shot him a fierce look.
Given her stubborn nature—especially since she was based on a princess character—she wasn’t going to back down until he gave her his hand.
“Good boy!”
“…”
Kang Bada ruffled his hair again. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but it wasn’t exactly enjoyable either, leaving Kim Ha-neul with mixed feelings as he sighed.
Then, Kang Bada pulled something out of her bag. It was a piece of chocolate shaped like a liquor bottle.
Without saying a word, she unwrapped it and shoved it into Kim Ha-neul’s mouth.
‘Wait, is this…?’
As soon as he bit into the chocolate, the strong taste of alcohol hit him. That’s when he realized what had caused this whole situation.
It was a ‘whiskey bonbon,’ a chocolate filled with real alcohol. The alcohol content was low, but the proof was high enough that eating too many could get you drunk.
“Bada-ssi, how many of these did you eat?”
“Do you want another one?”
“No, that’s not what I—”
“Ah—”
Gulp!
Kim Ha-neul let out a deep sigh as he swallowed the chocolate. With all the wine, cocktails, and whiskey-filled chocolates she’d had, it was no surprise someone with a low alcohol tolerance would end up drunk.
While Ha-neul was trying to figure out what led to this, Kang Bada clung to him like he was a big, soft teddy bear.
“Hehehe.”
“…”
How many more embarrassing moments was she planning to create today? Of course, considering he’d handled all sorts of drunk people since college, this level of drunkenness was almost cute.
And maybe it was just because it was Bada, but everything she did seemed kind of adorable.
“Ha-neul.”
“What?”
“Why are you talking so casually?”
“You’re doing it too.”
“But Noona is your senior!”
“Then act like it.”
“…You jerk.”
With a huff, Bada pushed Ha-neul away. She glared at him through half-closed eyes, and he didn’t look away.
“Whatever. Just answer me one thing.”
“…?”
“Do you actually want to kiss me?”
“What?”
Startled by the sudden question, Ha-neul asked again. Bada looked away awkwardly and continued.
“You made me drink that, remember?”
“That?”
“You know, that… that sex… thing.”
“…”
Could she be talking about “Sex on the Beach”? What was she even getting at? Ha-neul tilted his head, still confused.
Seeing his confusion, Bada pouted and looked away as she spoke.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“Knew what?”
“Don’t play dumb. I heard it all! They say if a guy orders that drink and a girl accepts it, it means they want to kiss!”
“What? Who told you that nonsense…?”
In the middle of his sentence, Ha-neul suddenly thought of Park Sujeong. Her suspicious behavior flashed through his mind, and everything started to click.
Sure, there was such a rumor.
But who really pays attention to that when ordering a cocktail? Most people just order it out of curiosity because of the strange name.
‘…She got me.’
He should’ve seen it coming when they suggested that specific drink. He had only thought they were trying to tease Bada with a cheeky name.
‘Well, I’ll deal with that later.’
Right now, he needed to handle the situation. A rumor was just a rumor, and Bada was clearly drunk. The best thing to do was smooth things over and get her home.
“That’s just a misunderstanding. How many people do you think actually order drinks with that in mind?”
“So, it’s not true?”
“Why? If it were, would you kiss me?”
“Well, I *am* part of the Dae-han Group, you know!”
He wasn’t sure how that was relevant, but arguing the details wasn’t going to help. What she needed right now was empathy.
‘Seems like she’s got some insecurities.’
Her tone had a certain vibe to it. She was probably feeling hurt about being left out of the internal politics of the Dae-han Group.
Instinctively, Ha-neul reached out and gently patted Bada’s head.
“To me, it doesn’t matter if you’re part of the Dae-han Group or not. You’re still the same Kang Bada-ssi to me.”
“…”
“If you really want to be a true member of the Dae-han Group, I’ll help you.”
Kim Ha-neul truly meant what he said.
Sure, as just a web novel author, he probably wouldn’t be much help, but what mattered was that his heart was in the right place, right?
Kang Bada stayed quiet for a moment, her gaze turning cold and serious as she looked into Ha-neul’s eyes.
“…So cocky. And clueless. He has no idea what he’s talking about,” Bada muttered to herself.
Ha-neul couldn’t help but suppress a small smile as he watched her. She looked just like the proud princess character he’d envisioned in his stories.
“Well, I *am* your husband, after all—” But before he could finish, Bada covered his mouth with her hand. The soft, warm touch made Ha-neul’s eyes widen in surprise.
As his thoughts started to swirl, Bada’s body suddenly went limp, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“B-Bada-ssi?”
“I’m your noona, remember…” she murmured.
And just like that, Bada fell asleep, completely out of it from all the alcohol. No matter how much Ha-neul tried to shake her awake, she didn’t budge.
The scent of her alluring perfume, mixed with her natural scent and a faint hint of alcohol, filled Ha-neul’s senses.
“Hah.”
Without thinking, Ha-neul licked his lips. Maybe it was the chocolate she had fed him earlier, but he could still taste a lingering sweetness.
Looking down at Bada, now resting her head on his lap, Ha-neul’s mind was racing with thoughts.
“…This is crazy.”
Even now, the security team was probably still waiting for them in the parking lot. And who knew if Kang Taeyang’s people were keeping an eye on them too?
At this point, he didn’t have many options. But as his status grew, so would the possibilities.
If he became a world-famous author, wouldn’t that be enough to be acknowledged as part of the Dae-han Group’s family?
‘Do I really need to go back in time or something?’
Ha-neul couldn’t help but chuckle at how absurd that thought was. No matter how many times he thought about it, it seemed like an impossible goal.
But looking at Bada’s peaceful, sleeping face gave him a strange sense of determination. Gently, he brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen across her face.
* * *
After the after-party ended, Ha-neul handed Bada over to the security team and headed home.
The next morning, Bada called him.
-Did I, uh, do anything stupid last night?
“I told you, nothing happened.”
-Really? We didn’t, like, do anything?
“Why? Did you dream about kissing me?”
-D-Don’t say weird stuff like that!
It was hard to tell if she genuinely didn’t remember or if she was just pretending. Judging by her reaction, it seemed like her memory was a bit hazy, like a broken tape with gaps in it.
“Seriously, don’t worry. Nothing happened. You passed out, and your chief took you home right away.”
-…Alright then. I guess I’ll take your word for it. I have to get to work now, so I’ll talk to you later.
It was probably best to go along with her story for now.
Even if Bada’s memory was a little fuzzy, Ha-neul remembered everything clearly, so those moments wouldn’t just disappear for him.
He didn’t want their first kiss to be something that just got brushed aside. One day, they’d do it properly—when they were both fully aware and couldn’t make any excuses.
-Ugh… Alright, I understand. I have to go to work soon, so I’ll hang up now.
“Be careful on your way.”
-Yeah. You do your best too, Ha-neul-ssi.
click
The call ended. Ha-neul stared at his phone for a moment before opening his messaging app, where he noticed a bunch of notifications waiting for him.
: Did you get home okay, Mr. Author?
: I didn’t mean to intrude, but the moment was just too sweet not to capture, so I took a few photos. If this bothers you, I’m really sorry!
: Photo 1.jpg
: Photo 2.jpg
The photos showed a faint image of Kang Bada resting her head on Ha-neul’s lap, with him gently fixing her hair.
Even though she took the pictures without asking first, they captured a genuine moment that couldn’t have been staged. Instead of being annoyed, Ha-neul felt grateful.
‘She really looked out for us.’
Ha-neul figured Park Sujeong must have kept people from coming over to where they were sitting. Otherwise, it would’ve been impossible for them to be left alone for so long.
And when Ha-neul carried Bada out, Soo-jung had made sure they got to the parking lot without drawing any unwanted attention. There was no point in nitpicking over something so small.
: Is it okay if I keep these photos?
: I promise I won’t share them anywhere! I just think you two look great together…
The message made Ha-neul smile. It was clear she truly supported them, and that warmed his heart.
He quickly replied, telling her she could keep the photos. He knew Bada might scold him if she found out later, but that was a worry for another day.
“Hmm, I feel like writing.”
The soft sensation still lingered on his lips…
Ha-neul decided to jot down his thoughts before the feeling faded. But even after finishing, he didn’t plan to share this episode right away.
‘It’d be bad if our little princess figured it out.’
There would be a time to reveal it.
Maybe when they were a little closer.
*The only thing allowed for me is just so difficult~♬*
Just then, his phone rang loudly. Whenever he wrote, he usually kept it on silent—except for a few important contacts.
For those special people, he had set specific ringtones so he could instantly know who was calling just by the sound.
‘Why would *she* be calling…?’
Even if the future is rough~♬
As he hesitated, the intense beat of the song played on, its lyrics full of determination to keep going despite the odds.
Hoo—
Finally, Ha-neul took a deep breath and answered the call. Given who was calling, ignoring it wasn’t really an option.
“I’m here.”
– You haven’t forgotten my warning, right?
On the other end, Kang Taeyang’s voice was icier than ever.
