CHAPTER 66 – Midnight in Paris (Part 4)

"Hey… Now that I remember, that's not a mansion, that's a goddamn castle."-I said to Hajin while looking at the castle where the Masquerade was taking place.

"Well… I didn't say it was a mansion… It was the club leader…"-Hajin said while shrugging.

"*sigh…* You're right… That idiot should have been confused while thinking with either his heart or his dick… Oh well… I'm not insulting him… We all go through that once or twice. Heck, I've gone through it a lot of times."-I said while sitting on a rock.

Both Hajin and I were on a hill that had a perfect view of a castle in Paris a kilometer away from it. I was wearing my demonic mask with my coat totally closed and with the hood up, while Hajin was wearing a panther mask.

"So… You remember the plan?"-He asks me.

"Yeah, we wait for the ring to appear and steal it. You steal it from whoever appears while I protect you in case something happens. After that, we both take different ways and reunite on the meeting place with the rest of the group, as if nothing ever happened."-I said. "By the way, why does this party start so early?"

"Mm? What do you mean?"-He asks me, still looking at the castle.

"I mean… It's only 5:30… For it to be a Masquerade party, it starts quite early…"

"Well… I guess I just wrote it like that out of convenience… And maybe because I didn't go to too many parties, so I don't know too much about them…"-He said scratching his head.

"Oh, that could be the reason. Well… For your next novel, if you ever write another one, remember that the great parties start after 7:00 PM at least. Heck, for a moment I thought we were reuniting at the meeting point to go to that party… Also… That idiot of Oh Hanhyun… If he's going with his girlfriend to a party… Two hours isn't that much time to truly enjoy… Not that I'm one to enjoy parties, I usually drink my life away there, but he should have some decency and at least dance for a while with her. *tch…*"

"And why does it even bother you?"

"Meh…"-I shrugged. "It's more like, I don't know… It just irks me, I guess it's the thing about waiting that gets me irritable."

"To me, it seems you're always waiting."-He says. "Either that or you're just plain jealous."

"Ha, ha, so funny. Look there. Isn't one of those Yun Seung-Ah?"

"Mm? Oh, right. And she's with Jain…"

He says while looking towards a man and a woman coming down from a car. One of which was Yun Seung-Ah, Vice Guild Leader of Creator's Sacred Grace, number one guild in the world, along with a man, that was truly a woman using a Gift to disguise herself as a man. Jain, from Chameleon Troupe.

"Mm? Jain?"-I ask him.

"Well, she's disguised as a male companion."

"Yeah, I saw her too. But who is she anyway? I just remember she fought with that Yun Seung-Ah for some reason."

"Oh, it's a member of the group I told you before, Chameleon Troupe."

"Ah, the one with the hot Boss!"

"…"-He looks at me. "Yeah… That one…"-before turning away.

"Mm… I guess this will be a fun fight to watch."-I said.

After a little while, Yoo Yeonha, Yi Yeonghan, and Kim Suho got to the party.

"Mm?"

"What?"-Hajin asks me.

"Wasn't Chae Nayun with Yoo Yeonha?"

"Now that you mention it…"-He said, before turning on his smartwatch and hacking into Chae Nayun's smartwatch. "… She's just… Running around the city…"-He says.

{Don't joke with me… There's no way she got lost when coming here with Yoo Yeonha…}-I thought to myself.

"Maybe she got lost… I mean… She is really bad with orientation…"-He says, still looking at the smartwatch.

"She was with Yoo Yeonha… There's no way she'll get lost…"

"Well, knowing Yoo Yeonha dislike for her… She may have ditched her or something…"

"Nah, she worries too much about appearance and connections to do that to one of her best connections, I would bet it was Chae Nayun that went to do something and then got lost…"

"Oh well, it's better this way… I mean, the plot already changed with the addition of Yi Yeonghan… So, who knows what would happen if Chae Nayun also came?"

"At most, if a fight breaks out, it would be more intense, we just have to wait for the ring to appear for you to take it away."

"That's true."

We stood there waiting for a little while. Until it was 6:00 PM.

"Mm?"-I looked towards somewhere on the other way of the castle, afar from where the party was happening. "Something's appearing there."-I said to Hajin while pointing towards the said place.

"What do you mean-"-He was going to ask, but interrupted himself. "Oh…"

[Homer's Ring – Mythical grade artifact. It doesn't make sense that only a few people would aim for it just because it hasn't fully awakened its power.]

[Modified setting – The Djinn group, Evil Society, has identified its origin and will interfere in the story.]

"Good that I came."-I said with a smirk towards the message that appeared through Observation and Reading. "I guess Djinns will appear here."

"Yes…"-He said.

What appeared at the other side of the castle was a magic portal, one created by Djinns. What I felt was the disturbance of the surrounding magic power in the place.

"So… Every Djinn can do that?"-I played the ignorant.

"Not really… Just those that are truly loved by their contracted Devil…"

"And humans?"

"… Just one."-He says after pondering for a bit. "He's also a member of Chameleon Troupe, his name is Khalifa."

"Mm… It's okay I guess."

"You can do portals too?"

"Yes, and no."

"What do you mean?"

"I know how to… But I'm limited in magic here. I can only use basic magic and anything with fire and lightning, and maybe runes and seals. I haven't tried, but they're not strictly a specific type of magic, so I guess I could stretch the rules over them."-I said while rubbing my chin. "The closest thing I could do though, would be fire blink or lightning move, fire blink isn't that hard, if I find clothes that won't burn each time I do it, but the lightning move would require more speed for me to actually use it. Apart from that, I would need runes or seals, and good equipment."

"Wow… Just… What do you not know how to do?"

"Bring dead people back to life."-I said while looking at the Djinn move. "Of course, there are other things, but now they're not coming to me right now."

"…"

"Oh, for the record I do know how to create skeletons and some undead creatures. Not my thing though."-I said while shrugging. "Now focus. Things are starting."

Just as I said, Jain already separated from Yun Seung-Ah and the rest of the party and was currently stealing the Ring of Homer. Any kind of scanner for iris or fingerprints, any password secured lock, or basically anything that would keep things protected from a thief, were totally useless in front of her Gift.

"That's a cheated Gift for stealing…"-I murmur.

"Look who's talking about…"-Hajin said while glancing at me.

"I at least had to train to do what I can do."-I said while shrugging. "I guess we're stealing it from her then."

"No."-Hajin said with a pensive stare.

"Mm?"

"We're leaving it to her."

"But we came all the way here for that ring, right?"

"Well… Actually, I just wanted to be sure that everything would go exactly as in the story… I was thinking of stealing it if something actually happened and it wasn't Jain who took it… But it looks like she's actually doing it. So, it will all end well if she escapes. The ring would eventually get into Chae Nayun's hands"

"…"-I looked at him with a frown. "*sigh…* Just… I won't say anything…"-I said while raising my hands.

As I was answering to him, Jain got back to the Masquerade party and was about to go out, if it wasn't for Yun Seung-Ah grabbing her arm.

"Yoren, where are you going?"-She asked Jain who was disguised.

"I went to the bathroom."-Said Jain, going back to her acting.

"Oh, well, I have something to talk to you about, follow me."-Yun Seung-Ah said while dragging her from her wrist out of the Masquerade party.

"You know… 'Observation and Reading' it's a really cheating Gift too… For me to be able to listen to them all the way from here just because my visual range is 5 kilometers… It's just cheating… And you can even look further…"

"Again… You shouldn't be one to talk…"

Yun Seung-Ah dragged the disguised Jain all the way towards an empty room on the second floor.

"Um… Vice Leader…"-Jain started while looking at the empty room that only had a single bed and a few lanterns, slightly worried. "Why… here?"

"You know why."-Yun Seung-Ah said coquettishly while shoving Jain on the bed before closing the door.

"This is getting good!"-I muttered.

"I, um…"-Jain, disguised as Yoren, was totally lost with what to do. While Yun Seung-Ah put her hair in a ponytail.

"Yoren…"-Yun Seung-Ah whispered while mounting Jain. Taking out her mask and slowly and seductively getting closer to her face. "You won't trick me a second time."-She finally said while letting all her killing intent flow out.

"Ow, man… It was getting good."-I dejectedly said.

"Shut it. Be ready. I'll act soon."-Hajin said.

Meanwhile, both Jain and Yun Seung-Ah were fighting in the room, with the Vice Leader of Creator's Sacred Grace using a sword she took out from the bedsheets and Jain using a dagger she took out from who-knows-where.

They fought incessantly all around the room, until Yun Seung-Ah finally got on top of Jain once again, ready to strike at her. If it wasn't for a whip that caught the sword.

"A lover's quarrel shouldn't be so noisy."-Said Yoo Yeonha while wearing a cat mask. "I'm a Hero cadet from Cube. If you put your weapon down, I'll make sure there won't be bloodshed."-So she said.

"*whistle~* The girl sure can talk…"

Yun Seung-Ah immediately used her magic power to ignite her sword in flames and burn the whip that caught her sword, leaving only ashes behind.

"Huh…"-Yoo Yeonha took a step back once it happened, finally realizing she wasn't a match against them. "Um… I'll be on my way back, please do continue with what you were doing before…"-She said before stealthy walking back, waiting for a moment to rush out of the room.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA… That's priceless… I wish I could record that…"-I said while sweeping a tear from my eyes.

"DIE!"-Yun Seung-Ah shouted, once again resuming their fight, with the noise they were making bringing more spectators and even the security guards, even stopping Yoo Yeonha's escape of the place.

"Would any of you just help me!!"-Jain started to ask for help, but sadly, not even the security guards could do anything against Yun Seung-Ah. After a few more hits, the dagger of Jain finally couldn't resist any more under the constant pressure of the flaming blade, and broke.

But before Yun Seung-Ah could strike her, a white light interfered between them. It was Kim Suho, who stole a sword from one of the guards and cut between them. Stopping Yun Seung-Ah sword.

"Who are you?"-She asked him. "Back off before I cut you down."-She said, not knowing she was talking to Kim Suho.

"I refuse."-Answered the boy, who also didn't know it was Yun Seung-Ah behind that mask.

"…Don't say I didn't warn you."-A cold and brutal retort came from the masked Yun Seung-Ah.

"I don't know the reason you want to kill him, but- AGH!"-He started to preach, but got kicked away on the solar plexus by the furious Yun Seung-Ah, who immediately went towards Jain, while Kim Suho staggered on one knee due the pain.

"Ah! Hey! You stop right there!"-shouted Yun Seung-Ah.

Sadly, for her, Kim Suho got Jain enough time to escape.

"See you later, crazy bitch!"-Jain shouted while running towards the window to finally escape. "Eh?-"-But was stopped before she could make it thanks to a sudden shadow that covered the floor from beneath the window, engulfing her and then spitting her out a few moments later.

"I guess it's time to act."-I said while standing up. "I'll be on alert. I don't think that Djinn would have come here alone."-I said to Hajin, who was also preparing the Arachne's Thread and Aether.

"Okay."-He answered.

The darkness in the room turned all the lights off, and from it, a man appeared.

"So, this is the ring containing ancient wisdom…"-He said, making everybody, from Yun Seung-Ah to the escaping Yoo Yeonha and the groaning Kim Suho, stop to look at him.

"Ah, when did you take- Ack!"-Jain said while looking at her pouch, but was quickly interrupted by Yun Seung-Ah, who grabbed her by the hair and pointed her sword against the man.

"Put that down."-She said slightly nervous.

A Djinn's transformation could give you an idea of its strength, the stronger or loved they were by their Devil, the more hideous and demonic they're body turned when they transformed into their Djinn form.

"Haha…"-The Djinn laughed "This item isn't something that suits people like you."-He said. "Now… Then…"-He was about to leave, but Hajin had already moved.

*swish*

A white streak of light got curved itself on the ring and pulled it out of the hand of the Djinn.

"What!?"-The surprised Djinn turned to look at us, but the only thing he could see was a man wearing full black clothing and a demonic mask, and a man with a panther's mask holding a wire-like object, with the ring at the end of the wire.

"Nice shot."-I said to Hajin.

*Rumble*

"A really nice shot…"-I said again.

The wire Hajin threw with the help of the stigma passed through the walls of the castle, and combining the Aether with the Arachne's Thread it seems that it made insane damage to the place. What's even more, while pulling it out, part of the columns of the place was also sliced, making the part of the second floor where everyone was, crumble.

"You sure did a number there…"-I said while patting the open-mouthed Hajin. "Well, let's go."

With my urging we both started to move, running through the premeditated escape path that would get us out of the hill, from where we would then separate and reunite in the meeting point.

"Mm?"-I stopped Hajin with my hand once we were almost out of the hill.

"OY!!"-A sudden shout resonated.

*boom*

And right in front of us, a Djinn fell from the sky. He then glared at us before taking out some kind of handle.

"You two better hand out that ring, if you know what's good for-"-He started talking some nonsense, but I just dashed towards him, grabbed his face, and pressed him down on the floor.

*BOOM!*

"Leave."-I said to Hajin.

"…"-He just nodded and started to escape with all his strength.

"Now…"-I said while looking at the Djinn that was slowly standing up. "Let's finish you."

"Ugh… You…"-The Djinn raised his hand, but the handle he had before was now on the floor, as he dropped it when I pushed him down to the floor.

"Sorry, I don't have time, you see."-I said, spreading both arms, one orb of fire the size of a basketball formed over each of my palms, and right when the Djinn tried to reach towards the handle, I threw both orbs towards him, both of which made an impact on him and then mixed, turning into an even bigger orb of fire that burned the Djinn to ashes.

"Well, that's it. Hope it adds more info on any of the Devils I have on my Devildex instead of the name of another Devil…"-I said to myself while going towards where the hilt was to pick it up and leave the place.

With the Djinn death and the hilt in my hands, I started to run out of the place, towards another escape route different from Hajin. With reinforcement on my legs, I easily made it out of the surrounding area of the castle in a few moments, evading any chance of people finding me out, if they even had the time to go look for the culpable causing the damages to the castle instead of taking care of said damages and any injured.

***

"Where the hell is this guy…"-I ask while waiting for Hajin to appear at the meeting point. {I changed the story a lot… And even if Chae Nayun got lost again, it wouldn't be possible for him to get to her… Right?}-I thought, still waiting for the guy, or well, for anyone to appear, as it was already past 7 and nobody was here.

"Hey you!!!"-A sudden shot woke me up from my wondering.

"…"-I looked to the shouting girl. {If that's not having a red thread around you, I don't know what it is.}-I thought while standing up from the bench I was sitting on and walking towards Chae Nayun, who was carrying a passed out Hajin on her back.

"The heck happened to him?"-I ask her.

"I don't know! You tell me, you're his friend!"-She says before dropping Hajin on a bench.

"We weren't together, remember?"-I say to her while looking at the guy. {So he was really tired from the run, and not from the fight with the Djinn…}-I thought while remembering the scene in the novel.

"Oh, right! Well, he just came to where I was sitting close to here and almost fell over me."-She said while looking at him.

{I have my doubts on how the hell did she get here and not lost herself on the way.}-I thought.

"Well, he just seems to be tired. With a little rest, he should be okay."

"Hey, guys!"-Suddenly Oh Hanhyun's voice came to us "Come on, let's go! Mm? What happened to him?"-The club president came forwards along with a girl.

"I don't know, he seems to be tired. He came to where I was and just fell there."-Chae Nayun answered. "Also, where's everyone!? Weren't we supposed to meet here at 7?"-She asked him.

"Well, a lot of things happened in the Masquerade party, didn't you hear about it…? Kim Suho, Yi Yeonghan, and Yoo Yeonha-ssi are all being interrogated but should be left out soon thanks to their identities being clear. Everyone else is already back at our host's mansion. Either way, babe, can you take a look at him?"-The club president said to the girl that was beside him.

"…"-She nodded and went towards Hajin with a slightly worried face.

"B-babe!?"-Chae Nayun got surprised.

"Yes. He's my girlfriend, Natasha, I introduced her to everyone before, remember?"-He answered with a lifted eyebrow.

"Oh… R-right…"-She averted her eyes.

"He seems to be well, just fainted out of tiredness."

"Well, let's go back to the mansion first."-Said Oh Hanhyun. "The limousine is a little bit over there, let's go, I'll carry Kim Hajin-ssi."

***

Once we were back at the mansion, the president took Kim Hajin to what would become his and Kim Suho's room along with the rest of us. Everyone else got curious when we put Hajin on his bed, but a few moments later left the room to eat, I took the first turn to take care of him while the rest ate, and while I went to eat, Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, and even Yoo Yeonha took care of him, Yi Yeonghan was there just to talk but left a few moments later to his own room.

Natasha, the club leader's girlfriend came and go every few times to check on him. We stayed there talking about what we did in the day and what happened at the party while we waited for the guy to wake up, though, it seems no one can talk too much as the investigation is still ongoing. That said, I just listened and laughed a little bit about what they were talking, while Chae Nayun was shouting saying how she wanted to be there or about how good the food was in De Jubon's restaurant.

Around 10 PM Chae Nayun noticed him squirming a little bit as if trying to move with a frown on his face.

"Mm?"-She said "He's waking up, I think…"

"I'll go look for Natasha."-Yoo Yeonha quickly went to look for Natasha.

"What's wrong with him? Why's he moving so much?"-She said while standing up and slowly walking towards him. "Mm? Is he okay?"-She said once she got close to him, while Natasha came through the door.

"…"-Hajin opened his eyes and looked at Chae Nayun.

"Ah, he just woke up!"-She said while pointing at him. "Eh? He's crying? *snicker*"

"…"-Kim Hajin just raised his hand to touch his eyes.

"Did it hurt too much? Did you catch an illness or what?"-She said, still snickering while Hajin just glared at her.

"W-what?"-She shouted at him.

"*sigh…* Move, idiot. Let Natasha check him."-I said to her.

"Who are you calling an idiot?"-She turned to glare at me.

"… Just get back."-Kim Suho intervened before the bomb exploded.

"H-hey! Wait!"-She tried to free herself, but was finally dragged away by him to a corner.

"Hello, Kim Hajin-ssi, how are you feeling?"-Natasha asked him.

"Oh… yes…"-He answered while raising his upper body.

"You collapsed from exhaustion."-She said with a great fake smile.

"…"-Kim Hajin nodded. "Where are we?"

"It's your room, you'll be sharing it with Kim Suho-ssi."

"Are we in the large mansion that's supposed to be our lodging?"-He asked her.

"Yes, that's right! It's already 10:00 PM and everyone already ate, but they said that they would prepare you dinner if you wanted to…"-She said with a worried face to him.

"Oh… No… I'm fine."

"Then I'll be going out. Come on, Yoo Yeonha-ssi, Chae Nayun-ssi."

"Eh? Why? I'll stay…"-Chae Nayun said.

"Come on, this is the boys' room. You cannot stay here so late."-She said before turning at me. "Cristopher-ssi, will you stay a little more?"

"Yes. I'll talk to him a little while before going to my room."-I nodded at her.

"Okay, remember not to stay up so late, and you already know where's your room."-She said.

"Yes, don't worry, it'll be quick."-I said.

"Why can he stay but I not!?"-Chae Nayun shouted.

"Because he's a boy, now, let's go."-She said while pushing her out, while Yoo Yeonha only threw a few glances at us before leaving.

"Now, good night."-Said Natasha while closing the doors behind her.

"…"

"…"

"…"

We all went silent once the girls left the room.

"So, how are you feeling?"-I asked Kim Hajin.

"Well… A little lightheaded."

"It's okay, man. It happens to everyone. Just rest."-I said.

"Yes, Hajin, you just have to rest, and you'll be back to top condition."-Kim Suho said with a smile while sitting on the chair beside Hajin's bed.

"Okay…"

"Oh, right, you should listen to this, someone attacked the Masquerade party. Man, I'm glad I wasn't there."-I suddenly said.

"Mm? What happened?"-He looked at me with confusion in his eyes.

"It seems some Djinns destroyed the castle where the Masquerade party took place and then escaped."-I said with a smile.

"Oh… Really?"-He then turned to ask towards Kim Suho.

"Yes… *sigh…* As I said before, we cannot talk too much about it, but well, the Djinns responsible escaped the place…"-He answered with a dejected expression before talking about what happened.

"Oh… Well… Sadly, they didn't catch the culprits."-Kim Hajin said with an awkward smile.

"Yeah… So sad…"-I said also with a smile while looking to the windows.

"Mm?"-Suddenly Hajin murmured something. Turning at him, he was looking at Kim Suho, more specifically at a scar that was left with his match against Yun Seung-Ah. "Take more care of your body."-He suddenly said.

{…}

"Huh?"-Kim Suho just looked at him.

"You're the main character. You can't get too hurt."-He said.

"…"-Kim Suho turned to look at me with a questioning glance.

"…"-I just shrugged while moving my head sideways, giving him the 'I-don't-know-what-he's-talking-about' look.

"Main character? There's no such thing…"-Kim Suho finally said.

"…Really?"-As if it was something weird Hajin answered.

"Yes. If I'm a main character, you're one too. Cristopher's one too. Everyone should be one."-He said with a smile.

"He's right, everyone is a main character in their own life."-I said to Hajin while nodding.

{Wake up dude… You're in a daze.}-I thought to myself. He should have dreamed of something hurtful and that's what has him like that. But still, it's weird to see it happen in front of you.

"…"-Hajin just stayed quiet while looking down.

"Um…"-Kim Suho started. "By the way…"-He said while stealing some glances at me.

"What? If you have something to say, say it."-I say.

"Well…"-Kim Suho frowned. "I don't think is something that should be said in front of others…"-He said.

"Don't worry about him. It's okay with whatever you have to say, so, go on."-Kim Hajin said while nodding towards Kim Suho.

"*sigh…* Well…"-He then got a stern look. "The report you wrote for Chae Nayun, I saw it. You were a bit harsh?"

"…"-I lift my eyebrow. Seeing this twist of plot happening right in front of you sure is a majestic feeling.

"…"-Kim Hajin frowned. "I wasn't harsh. Chae Nayun isn't a borne archer. She needs to drop the bow and pick the sword."

"… Is that why you made that bet with Chae Nayun?"-Kim Suho also frowned while retorting.

"Yes. If I won. I'm going to make her give up the bow. After all, she said she'll do anything."

"…"-Kim Suho frowned further. "But that's the path she decided on. I don't think it's something someone else should decide for her."

"Then what?"-Kim Hajin's voice got a bit louder. "Should I let her go on, encouraging her while fully knowing she's going to a dead-end?"

"No, that isn't wha-"-Kim Suho started, but was interrupted by Kim Hajin.

"You can't succeed just by hearing encouraging words. What if you reach a dead-end after endlessly toiling away? What if the only thing waiting at the end is greater despair? Will you take responsibility?"

{That´s true. There're things that aren't for you. And no matter how hard you try, you'll only get to a dead-end. You can effort as much as you want… But there are some things that effort alone won't help you with…}-I thought to myself.

"*sigh…*"-A deep sigh from Kim Suho woke me up again. "How can you be so sure that Chae Nayun isn't talented with bows, but swords? Are you saying all this because you can take responsibility?"-He said with a stern look.

"…"-Hajin just looked at him. "…I've been thinking about her for far longer than you… And I've been watching over her all this time."-He said after a little while with a slightly angry look. "So, I know far more about her than you."

"What…?"-Kim Suho just opened his eyes wide, as a strange light flickered in them.

{There it is. The misunderstanding that leads to half of the fanbase of this novel getting angry at one character and at the author's choice…}-I thought to myself.

*thud*

A faint noise from outside the room took everyone's attention. Looking through the door and walls of the room, Chae Nayun was running out of the place, probably also misunderstanding Hajin's words.

"*clap*"-I clapped catching their attention. "Now, girls. While I do love your silly talk about who's had a crush for the longest time and confessing and whatnot. This tension isn't good to sleep, so, just relax, why don't we drink a little bit so we can all relax?"-I said while standing up and going towards my backpack.

"Wh-What!? Who's confessing!?"-Hajin shouted.

"Mm?"-I took out a bottle and three shots from my backpack. "Weren't you? That now sounded like one for me."-I shrugged. "Don't you agree, Kim Suho?"

"…"-He just scratched his head's back.

"I-I-I wasn't! I-It ju-just was-"-He said before shutting himself.

{You're not putting this easy for me. I gave you an easy way out for this, at least with Suho. Why the heck are you stuttering now?}-I thought while moving a small table towards the bed.

"*sigh…* Calm down, man."-I said before grabbing a chair and sitting close to them. "Here."-I gave him one shot. "You too."-I gave Kim Suho another one.

"Um… I'm not into drinking…"-Said Kim Suho with a frown.

"Mm?"-I lift my eyebrow. "Are you sure? It's just some fruit wine. I took shots because it's everything I have on me, and I don't want to go down to look for glasses."

"Mm…"-He looks at the bottle. "It isn't strong?"

"As if!"-I shrugged. "It's like juice. Even more for people like us."-At my words, Kim Suho sighed and finally accepted the shot, which I then filled before he cowered.

"Look. I-I didn't con-confess. Okay?"-Hajin said after calming down a little bit.

{And why the fuck would you bring that up when all attention was away from the topic? *sigh…*}-I thought while facepalming on my mind.

"Whatever dude."-I filled his shot before putting the bottle on the table. "Now, cheers!"-I raised my cup.

"Cheers…"-Kim Suho did the same, albeit timidly and awkwardly.

"…"-While Hajin just averted his eyes somewhat embarrassed for the thing about Chae Nayun while also raising his cup awkwardly.

"…"-I look at them both after downing my shot of fruit wine. "*sigh…* This isn't good…"-I said while shaking my head.

"Mm?"-Kim Suho. "The wine isn't good? I liked it… It truly has a fruity flavor."-He said while looking at the buttle.

"Not that."-I said, frowning at them.

"U-Um…"-Kim Hajin turned to look at me. "Then what's the problem?"

"You two!"-I said while pointing at them. "You don't know how to toast! You can't be that down when toasting! You do it with energy!"-I shout at them. "The world's falling on you? Toast with energy! You're dying? Let your last toast be with energy! You're heartbroken? Raise that cup for the loss of love with energy!!"-I said while standing up.

"…"

"…"

They both looked at me with lost eyes.

"Now. You two. Welcome to drinking 101, where you'll learn how to toast like champions!"-I said while refilling the shots. "Ready?"

"Um…"-Kim Hajin just looked at me.

"I don't think drinking is something I would like to learn…"-Kim Suho said.

"Relax. Alcoholism and how to fall into it comes in the third semester. This is just the introductory class."-I said.

After that. We just drank and talked about a few things from Cube and the world of heroes. Well, they did the talking. Except at the start, when I lectured them on how to toast properly. It can't be that kids that are going to stand in social events sooner or later don't know how to toast.

All night, I successfully evade the theme of love and crushes. I hope that this at least would clear up the misunderstanding about Chae Nayun with Kim Suho.