De Novo

Chapter 34

Yongsun

Surprisingly, the night ended with a blast, but the image of moonbyul being affected by Taeyeon's presence every time they cross paths haunts me.

She still refused to talk about what was bothering her, and as much as I want to pry and force her to spill the details, I can't. I don't want to be persistent. I don't want to put pressure on her and force her to say something that is bothering her. She doesn't want to talk about it, and I don't want to sound so stubborn, because I, too, am hiding something. So, if she can keep a secret from me, I must respect that just like she respected me.

"Good night, yongsun."

Hearing hyejin speak behind me brought my senses back to reality. She had locked the door and was on her way up the stairs when she stopped to say good night.

We had just returned from the party late, and wheein was already upstairs, inebriated and wasted. In hyejin's case... s he's still a decent person who handled herself well. They both drank the same amount of alcohol, but I believe wheein exceeded her level, making her drunk and unable to perceive what was already going on in the real world. She even flirted with one of Moonbyul's employees, but Hyejin stepped in just as something saucy was about to happen.

"I'd say good morning," I said, looking at the wall clock behind her and noticing that it was already 3 a.m. We'd been partying and hadn't realized it was getting late.

Lisa and the others suggested we stay for the rest of the night because it was late and we had consumed alcohol, but the two declined, stating that they were uncomfortable sleeping in someone else's home. And as their friend—who dragged them here in the first place, it's my responsibility to accompany them wherever they go—I wouldn't let them get home alone, drunk and wasted. So we debated whether the three of us should return home.

Of course, Moonbyul would never allow that to happen. Would she let me go without intervening? Obviously not.

That's why here, sprawled on our couch, unconcerned about the world, her forearm covering her eyes, is moonbyul.

"Are you certain you can handle her on your own?"

Hyejin pointed to the wasted body on the couch, and I just nodded, honestly not sure. I drove Moonbyul's car here, and she was very polite in the passenger seat, just sleeping the whole time. But I'm not sure if she's drunk. When you ask her a question, she responds appropriately.

"She's pretty light. I'm sure I can get her to bed without bruising her perfect face," I said, and hyejin smiled as she rolled her eyes. She said her final good night before slowly making her way to the stairs, careful not to injure herself.

I'm sure she's dizzy.

My gaze shifted from Hyejin's receding figure to the woman on the couch once I was certain she was completely safe going upstairs. Moonbyul was still covering her eyes as if the light in the living room was blinding her, so I made my way to the switch and turned the lights off. It's not completely dark though. The moon is shining brightly and the curtains are open, allowing light from outside to shine in.

"Moonbyul?"

"Come on, let's go upstairs; can you still walk?" I said, gently nudging her lap as she slowly raised the arm that had been shielding her eyes and stared at me.

"I'm just dizzy, yong, not crippled. If you want, I can even carry you."

"Then stand up and let's go, or do you want to stay here on the couch?"

Moonbyul sat up straight and leaned back on the couch, her lips curved in a mischievous smirk. I raise an eyebrow at her and cross my arms against my chest, attempting to block her view of my chest but failing when my action just made my breast more noticeable, which made her even happier when her grin became wider than ever.