The Sun to my Moon

Chapter 32: Love potion

Tae-ung spoke first. "You're in love with Go Hae-ri?"

"Ne. Majayo," Ri-byung said. He looked at Hae-ri adoringly. "How could I not be?"

"Mwo?" Hae-ri spluttered.

"I'm in love with you," Ri-byung said seriously. "Surely you know that by now."

Hae-ri knew no such thing, but couldn't think of a reasonable response. She gaped at Ri-byung in disbelief.

Ri-byung's mother put a hand on his arm. "Adeul. Agent Go Hae-ri is a very beautiful woman, and I can understand you having a huge crush on her. But don't you think she's a little old for you?"

"That's just close-minded, old-fashioned thinking," Ri-byung said dismissively. "True love is not bound by such antiquated restrictions."

"So you're saying you haven't put anything in Hae-rissi's coffee?" Dal-geon asked.

"Well, I have been putting something in her coffee," Ri-byung said blithely. "But it's not poison."

"Ya Jin Ri-byung!" his mother said, aghast.

"It's totally harmless!" Ri-byung insisted. "I told you, I would never hurt her."

"Except for making her sick for weeks," Tae-ung commented her.

Dal-geon looked at Ri-byung intently. "If it wasn't poison you were putting in her drink, what was it?"

"It's a special chemical compound. But it's not poison. It wouldn't hurt anyone. Here, I'll show you."

"You have it with you?" Tae-ung asked.

"Sure," Ri-byung said. He pulled a small flask out of his pocket and handed it to Tae-ung. "See? It's not poison."

Tae-ung handed it to Dal-geon, who poured a sample into his bottle of clear liquid. It turned blue. "Looks like poison to me."

"Aniyo! I told you, it's a special chemical compound. It hasn't even been released on the market yet."

"How often have you been putting it into her coffee?"

"Whenever I see her."

"How often is that?"

"A couple of mornings a week. I arranged my schedule at school to let me take more morning shifts so I'd be more likely to see her."

"Jin Ri-byung!" said his mother, scandalized. "You told me you wanted to take that afternoon shop class to broaden your horizons."

Tae-ung looked at Ri-byung, unblinking. "You said the stuff you've been putting in her coffee is a special chemical compound."

"Ne."

"What's the purpose of this special chemical compound?" Dal-geon asked.

Ri-byung blushed. "It's designed to lower a woman's inhibitions to make her more… receptive to a person she might not be attracted to at first glance."

"You're saying you thought you were giving her a love potion," Tae-ung said flatly.

"Ey, aniyo. Don't be ridiculous," Ri-byung scoffed. "There's no such thing as a love potion."

"Aphrodisiac, then."

"Or a rufie," Dal-geon suggested.

Ri-byung looked outraged. "It's not a rufie! I would never put a rufie in a woman's drink. That's a despicable thing to do."

"Ri-byungah, why did you put anything into my drink at all?" Hae-ri asked, upset. "Even if you didn't think it was going to hurt me, you should never have put something in my coffee without my knowledge."