Good Night, Brother! - Chapter 6.2

The interior was larger than it appeared from the outside, and several customers were already inside, drinking. Eunhyun, who had never been fond of noisy atmospheres, realized this was his first time at such a street stall. Drinking alone at a place like this felt like something out of a TV drama something he’d never imagined himself doing.

Settling into a corner seat, Eun hyun was promptly approached by the owner, who brought him water and carrot sticks as complimentary snacks.

Eunhyun turned his head toward the menu board hanging on the wall. He hadn’t come in with a specific craving, so he scanned the options with mild disinterest until one item caught his eye.

“Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken Feet , 15,000 Won”

Though Eun hyun wasn’t particularly fond of spicy food, his mouth began to water. Raising his hand, he called for the owner. The owner, having just finished serving another table, approached with a bright smile.

“Yes, would you like to order?”

“Excuse me, is the spicy stir-fried chicken feet very spicy?”

“Oh, no, it’s not too spicy. It’s just the right level to enjoy. It’s a popular choice.”

“Really? Then I’ll have that. And also a bottle of soju and a bottle of beer, please.”

The owner, checking off the order on their notepad, suddenly looked up and asked, “Are you waiting for someone to join you?”

“Huh? No, it’s just me.”

“Ah, okay. I’ll bring one glass for each drink then.”

“Yes!”

A short while later, Eunhyun’s order arrived. The glossy, red-coated spicy stir-fried chicken feet looked irresistibly appetizing. Alongside it, a clear fish cake soup was served as a complimentary dish.

Eunhyun mixed soju and beer into a cocktail and downed it in one go. The sharp, tangy fizz of the cocktail’s unique taste was familiar and welcome.

“Ahhh!”

Picking up a piece of chicken foot with chopsticks, he took a bite. As the owner had said, it wasn’t overwhelmingly spicy but just enough to whet the appetite.

One drink turned into two, then three, as empty bottles of soju and beer piled up on the table. When Eunhyun tilted the soju bottle, only a few drops dripped out. Shaking it a few more times yielded no different result. Frowning, he peered into the bottle’s opening as if to confirm it was truly empty.

“What? Already? I finished it already?”

Leaning against one of the metal tent poles, Eunhyun waved his hand lazily.

“Owner, another bottle of soju, please.”

Moments later, the owner approached, empty-handed, and spoke cautiously.

“Sir, I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

“Huh? No, I’m not drunk at all.”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t serve more alcohol to customers who seem too intoxicated.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”

“Sorry about that~”

Eunhyun, only registering the part about not being served more alcohol, nodded quickly.

“Well, if the owner says no, what can I do?”

With a face flushed from the alcohol, Eunhyun began eating the spicy chicken feet instead. What had initially seemed sweet and mildly spicy grew hotter with each bite. Despite the heat, he couldn’t stop eating. Tears welled up in his eyes, heightened by the alcohol’s effect.

“Ugh, it’s so spicy. They said it wasn’t too spicy, but it is.”

Rubbing his tear-blurred eyes roughly, Eunhyun felt an odd sense of betrayal, as if even the chicken feet had deceived him. A wave of unrelenting sorrow surged through him, leaving him at a loss for where to direct his feelings.

In his alcohol-clouded mind, Eunhyun found someone to blame. After fumbling in his pocket a few times, he managed to pull out his phone and opened the chat with Jeong Yi Hyeon. Seeing the read receipts next to his earlier messages only fanned his irritation.

“Jeong Yi Hyeon ignored me again? Seriously, this is so infuriating.”

Squinting to focus on the blurry, fluctuating letters of the keyboard, Eunhyun began furiously typing messages, pretending he wasn’t drunk.

“This is all your fault. It’s your fault the chicken feet are spicy.

What are you going to do about it? Fix it.

You chicken feet-like jerk. You fraud.

You, jerk!”

Of course, in Eunhyun’s drunken mind, the messages seemed perfectly coherent.

Having unleashed his frustrations through the haphazard texts, Eunhyun felt slightly better. Satisfied, his eyes began to close.

Thud!

The sound of his forehead hitting the red plastic table briefly drew the attention of nearby customers before they returned to their own conversations. Eunhyun’s phone slipped from his limp hand and landed on the cement floor.

Eunhyun rubbed his face so fervently against Yi Hyeon’s shirt collar that his nose repeatedly caught and slipped past the neckline. His breath, already heated from alcohol, scattered warmly across Yi Hyeon’s sensitive skin.

“Ah, it feels so good just a little more, more…”

It wasn’t enough. This much wasn’t enough. He wanted more, needed more.

Eunhyun’s dangling arms wrapped tightly around Yi Hyeon’s neck. Hot breath brushed against Yi Hyeon’s ear, and before he could react, Eunhyun’s lips caught his soft earlobe. Wet lips nibbled and bit lightly along its edge, his teeth grazing the delicate curve of Yi Hyeon’s ear.

Yi Hyeon’s body stiffened under the unexpected and unfamiliar affection.

Damn it,  if this keeps up, I might actually.

This wasn’t the gentle romance they had been tiptoeing around. It had abruptly transformed into something far more heated.

“Hngh,  Hyung!”

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