By Zephyria 
Clink—.
Just as the man was about to bring the glass to his lips, Mo Yeon-hu swiftly reached out and snatched it away. The man turned his gaze toward Mo Yeon-hu a beat late, but the situation was already over.
Gulp, gulp… Mo Yeon-hu had downed the contents of the glass in one go.
‘What the… why does this taste like this…?’
Having drained it all, Mo Yeon-hu set the empty glass down and coughed. He had expected it to be simply strong liquor, but contrary to his expectations, a repulsive taste—like chewing on sticky clumps—made him frown instinctively.
“Mo Yeon-hu?!”
“Why the hell did you drink that! What is wrong with you?”
“Yeon-huuu, when did you get here?”
Lee Seung-hwan and his group, caught off guard, stared at him in unison.
“Just…”
Mo Yeon-hu paused, trying his best to sound nonchalant. But what was this?
“…I was craving a drink.”
He felt like his stomach was turning. He felt a surge of nausea, but Mo Yeon-hu forced the corners of his mouth up as he spoke. Lee Seung-hwan and his friends exchanged glances before shrugging.
As he watched them, Mo Yeon-hu turned his head and locked eyes with the man once more.
“…….”
The man seemed slightly surprised, but his face returned to an expressionless mask in an instant.
“Give it back now.”
At those words, Lee Seung-hwan burst into laughter.
“This doesn’t count. You weren’t the one who did it, right?”
With that, Lee Seung-hwan pointedly dropped the watch he was holding—plop—into the glass filled with strong liquor.
“If you drink this, I’ll actually give it back. How about it?”
Lee Seung-hwan smirked, holding out the glass containing the watch. In that moment, Mo Yeon-hu saw it: a flicker of panic crossing the face of the man who had remained motionless until now.
‘The watch is going to break if it stays in there.’
It looked like a watch with some age to it. To soak it in liquor like that… If it wasn’t washed with water and sent for repair quickly, the interior could corrode. But more than that.
‘His expression….’
The way he stared blankly at the watch made him look like someone who had lost their soul. However, Lee Seung-hwan didn’t wait. He took a few steps and extended the hand holding the glass outside the window.
‘What is he doing?’
Then, he shook it as if he were about to drop it right into the dense trees below.
“Anyway, what’s so great about this piece of junk? Honestly, a watch like this is just… uh.”
In that instant, as if the strength had left his hand, Lee Seung-hwan also looked flustered.
—Snap!
The one who caught the falling glass was neither the man nor Lee Seung-hwan, but Mo Yeon-hu. Stumbling and nearly falling, Mo Yeon-hu barely managed to regain his balance, his hand now drenched in liquor.
“Seung-hwan! Long time no see!”
Lee Seung-hwan tried to say something, but Mo Yeon-hu was faster. Still holding the glass, he threw an arm around Lee Seung-hwan’s shoulder. He could feel the man’s gaze piercing through him, but Mo Yeon-hu deliberately looked away and stared straight into Lee Seung-hwan’s eyes.
“Mo Yeon-hu, you—.”
Lee Seung-hwan raised his voice, seemingly displeased that Mo Yeon-hu was blocking his path, but his expression changed instantly at the next sentence.
“Seung-hwan. Isn’t there something you asked me for?”
“…Ah! That’s right!”
He immediately grabbed Mo Yeon-hu’s hand.
“Hey, hey, will you ask your mother for me? You said it was difficult last time.”
There was an event for which Lee Seung-hwan had been repeatedly asking for an invitation. The problem was that the organizer was a stepmother he wasn’t particularly close to, so Mo Yeon-hu had no intention of granting the request.
“I could ask. But there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
“This.”
Mo Yeon-hu gave the glass a light shake and beamed.
“I’m taking this.”
Mo Yeon-hu intended to use this as leverage to get the glass out of his hand.
“That?”
“Yeah.”
But perhaps the rift between that man and Lee Seung-hwan was deeper than he thought.
“…Why do you want that?”
Lee Seung-hwan’s attitude, which had been friendly just a moment ago, shifted. Though the sharp tone was enough to be startling, Mo Yeon-hu just smiled brightly, pretending it was nothing.
“Hmm? It just looks interesting…. Everyone seems to want it, so I want it too.”
As if to say he was on the same page as the others.
“I’m curious about the taste, too.”
With his characteristic clear face and a foolish smile, Mo Yeon-hu drank the liquor containing the watch. Seeing this, Lee Seung-hwan finally burst out laughing.
“Hey, why are you drinking that! Mo Yeon-hu, you crazy bastard, ahaha!”
“Huh? Why can’t I drink it?”
“It’s dirty, you idiot.”
“Whoa! You’re right! Because there’s a watch in it.”
It was a smile that felt devoid of any intention or malice—beyond harmless, it looked downright stupid. Even the suspicious Lee Seung-hwan soon let his guard down. And the moment he locked eyes with the man who had been watching the entire process silently.
“Ah, but I think my stomach feels a bit off… I’ll be right back from the restroom.”
The moment he saw those glass-like pupils, he felt a sudden abdominal pain. Lee Seung-hwan, still laughing, nodded as if he understood and lit a cigarette. Mo Yeon-hu, waving cheerfully as if everything were fine, turned around and….
‘Whoa, what is this?’
His expression froze the moment he turned his back.
‘I think I’m going to throw up….’
The mysterious liquor seemed to be the problem. All the way to the restroom, his stomach felt as if it were engulfed in flames, and his head throbbed as if it were about to split. In particular, the floor seemed to sway as if there were an earthquake, making him feel like he would collapse at any moment….
“Hey!”
Grab! Just as he was about to fall, someone gripped Mo Yeon-hu’s shoulder firmly.
‘Oh, this person is….’
It was that flamboyantly handsome man from before. Even through his blurred vision, the man’s striking face shone with particular clarity.
“You….”
“Ugh.”
However, Mo Yeon-hu had no time to properly look at that face. With a pale face, he immediately pushed the man away and ran. There was a loud noise behind him, but Mo Yeon-hu had no room to look back.
‘Vomit. Vomit. Vomit. Vomit. Vomit!’
His mind was filled with nothing but the thought that he had to purge this crazy stomach. After running frantically to the restroom, Mo Yeon-hu paused as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.
‘Is this even a human?’
He didn’t usually get this red even when drinking, but right now, he was bright red all the way to the crown of his head. But he had no more time to look in the mirror.
“Ugh, ugh.”
It’s rushing up…!
‘Right, the watch!’
Even as the vomit rose to his throat, the watch came to mind. Mo Yeon-hu poured the watch from the glass into the sink and turned the water on full blast.
Swoosh—! Thump!!
And just as he rushed to the toilet to empty his stomach, the door swung open with a loud bang, and someone grabbed Mo Yeon-hu’s shoulder and slammed him against the wall.
“…Uh, ugh.”
Wha—what. That hurts like hell.
“Where is the watch.”
It was this person again.
“I asked where the watch is!”
The strangely handsome man from before. But right now, he couldn’t explain anything about the man or the watch.
“I, vo—vomit….”
“What?”
“I think I’m going to vomit…!”
“Tell me where the watch is.”
This crazy bastard wouldn’t let go of his shoulder! Knowing he would inevitably get vomit on his favorite clothes if this continued, Mo Yeon-hu covered his mouth with one hand and urgently pointed toward the distant sink with the other.
“Ugh, over there, ugh… it’s over there!”
Only then did the man let go of his collar. Mo Yeon-hu immediately emptied his stomach into the toilet.
‘Crazy, crazy… I’m dizzy. What is this.’
His stomach felt terrible, and the world was spinning. However, not much actually came out of his mouth, and the fever continued to rise, making him dizzy. As Mo Yeon-hu clung to the toilet, panting, the man rattled the door and stepped into the stall.
‘Ah, what. Is he coming to thank me for saving the watch?’
But Mo Yeon-hu was.
“Who the hell do you think you are.”
Just grabbed by the collar again. The man hoisted him up by the collar and shouted in a voice full of rage.
“Why the hell did you put this in water on your own!!”
“…….”
“Speak. You and Lee Seung-hwan were in on this together, weren’t you? Fuck, nothing ever just goes quietly.”
I really wasn’t. He wanted to answer because it was unfair, but he couldn’t.
‘The world is spinning. I feel like I’m gonna die.’
Because even while the man was screaming, Mo Yeon-hu was busy dry-heaving.
But since he was being held by the collar, his stomach felt worse and worse. Mo Yeon-hu urgently tapped the man’s hand on his collar, trying to explain.
“No, that.”
“Fuck, get… lost.”
The man only muttered fiercely.
‘I’ll get lost once you let go….’
This only amplified Mo Yeon-hu’s sense of injustice, but.
“Why on your own, this, why….”
The moment he saw the man’s utterly devastated expression, his mind went blank. The man’s face, which had been filled only with rage until a moment ago—his eyes.
“Why…….”
He looked so sad, as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment. Captivated by that deeply distressed face, Mo Yeon-hu stared blankly before unconsciously opening his mouth.
“That’s because if alcohol gets in, the interior can melt and it might break….”
The voice was very small, but the man seemed to hear the murmur, paused, and looked at Mo Yeon-hu.
“If there were any sugar in that liquor… the watch gears would all get sticky…… so I poured water on it for now….”
While dangling from the man, barely able to breathe and panting, Mo Yeon-hu stubbornly explained. His white, round face was flushed deep red from the alcohol, squashed like a steamed bun, and his eyes were swollen and pressed long.
“If you loosen the strap, and quickly… ugh…… wipe it, take out the crown, put in a desiccant and seal it… ugh…… you should be able to save it… blegh….”
Even while consistently dry-heaving, he continued to speak stubbornly.