NTFT | Volume 1.20

Yo, what’s up, did Euijong get drunk?

What, what?

Wow, where is he now?

He’s handsome!

Damn, he’s super handsome!!

Are you guys drinking together?

Birds of a feather, science? Both so handsome.

Hyung, you’re so handsome!

I want to join the fun ㅜㅜ

Lucky! Where are you playing?

Why are both wearing shower robes?

I saw the chats. It hadn’t been long, but watching the situation reflected through the chats and their enthusiastic responses made my heart race.

Maybe it’s an occupational hazard. Or maybe it’s my true calling.

Suddenly, a rush of endorphins surged.

”Hmm, this might be fun.”

I had done broadcasts, but managing them was a hassle, so I hadn’t done any SNS on my own. I wasn’t good with machines.

Broadcasts were only done when necessary, so I wasn’t used to anything beyond that. I wasn’t very interested either.

”Everyone’s just saying how handsome you are, hyung. You really are handsome. To me, you look pretty.”

His cheeks were blushingly ripe like a plum, and he was giggling with good humor even though he couldn’t open his eyes properly due to the intoxication.

”Wow, showing your face and suddenly the viewers are skyrocketing? How about we do a drinking mukbang like YouTubers now? What do you think?”

It was an intriguing suggestion.

I hadn’t been broadcasting for a while, and my life felt too diligent, peaceful, and bland.

It was fun to strip down and spread my legs in the shadows. This might be a somewhat brighter spotlight, but an Instagram Live wouldn’t draw a large crowd unless you’re a celebrity, so it seemed fine to lightly kill time.

”Let’s do it. Bring all the remaining booze. I’m thirsty.”
”Oh! Bro’s proactive! I’ll bring it right now! Everyone, I’ll try a cozy drinking mukbang with hyung now!”

Quickly, Euijong busily prepared for the drinking mukbang, and I leisurely crossed my legs and watched the outside scenery.

It wasn’t long before the phone was set up quite impressively, and a full-fledged Instagram Live began.

”Alright! Let’s have fun with hyung!”

I listened to Euijong’s booming voice and grabbed a freshly opened beer can. It wasn’t my favorite type of alcohol, but I went along with the mood and situation and took a big gulp.

That action was broadcasted live like a commercial.

”Ha, why does it taste so good today?”

It was dangerous.

The beer, which I didn’t even like because it was too carbonated, strangely hit my throat refreshingly and was very sweet.

It’s dangerous when alcohol tastes sweet.

”Oh, hyung, you drink well? Shall we do a love shot? Huh?”

I couldn’t push away the attached Euijong, and with my spirits high, I willingly linked arms and slammed a love shot.

”Kyah! Perfect!”

I made a sound like an old man as foam smeared over Euijong’s mouth, making it seem like he had grown a beard. Seeing his innocent look, I couldn’t help but laugh.

”Hey, you got a beard.”

I laughed and wiped the foam from his lips with my thumb. Euijong flinched and turned his head away in embarrassment.

”I, I can wipe it myself?!”

”Then wipe it yourself.”

After all the trouble I took, where did he get that temper? He’s so hard to understand.

I casually made a face and drank the remaining beer. Meanwhile, the live chat was a frenzy of hot reactions.

”Definitely fun. Yeah. This is the taste.”

It seemed to suit my nature. Killing time by showing my face to a bunch of strangers I didn’t know over the screen kept my idle thoughts at bay and felt good. After drinking a couple of beers properly, endorphins really surged. Then stupidly, my memory got snipped and disappeared after that.

Mi Hong’s memories had been erased by alcohol, and in that gap, old memories briefly took their place.

Since the time couldn’t be revisited, these memories played gently in his mind, borrowed from the illusion of dreams.

”Human beings really laugh and cry over the smallest things. There’s nothing particularly great about it from our perspective.”

Yeah, just like you said, humans really are pitiful and foolish beings, experiencing all sorts of emotions in their short lives over trivial things, utterly incomprehensible.

”I wonder what it’s like to feel as full as them. Maybe being human would let me feel more intense emotions.”

Cut the nonsense.

That’s rich coming from a gumiho. Humans don’t do it because they like to, you foolish friend. Why can’t you be satisfied with what you were born with and long for such petty things? Isn’t my being by your side enough for you?

”Mi Hong, if you became human, maybe you’d laugh and cry even more. I’d like to see you laugh more.”

His friend’s face, obscured by shadows, seemed blurry.

Was it because of you that I cried today after so long? Is that why you appeared in my dreams, huh? Did you even care about me in the afterlife?

You silly guy. Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself…

I’m doing fine, really.

The dream was unstable. It seemed like it was about to end soon.

His figure slowly faded away, dispersing like smoke, and Mi Hong was left alone in a vast space, feeling cold water touch his feet with each step.

”Ugh, ah… shit…”

This is why I shouldn’t drink. Instead of being bathed in pleasant morning sunlight, it felt like a laser burning my face.

”Ah… the curtains… ugh…”

No matter how much he tried to shield his eyes with his forearm or turned his body, it didn’t get any better. He had fallen asleep on the floor without properly laying down a blanket, and the hard, cold ground had left his body aching everywhere.

”Ah… my back…”

He groggily sat up and surveyed his surroundings. His head felt like it was going to split open.

”Shit, my head hurts like hell.”

He looked at Euijong, who was hugging a beer bottle, blissfully asleep on the couch.

”Ha, sleeping on the couch by yourself?”

The thought annoyed him, but all he needed now was to get some more sleep in the bed.

”The bed’s all mine.”

The thought of using the large, comfy bed brought a smirk to his face. As he stepped towards the bed, his foot kicked a liquor bottle, which then struck Euijong’s cellphone, sending it rolling.

”What a mess this room is.”

He remembered having a blast drinking and livestreaming the night before, but his memory was foggy from the middle onwards. His head throbbed and his stomach churned from mixing different types of alcohol.

”Ugh, I need a hangover cure later…”

As he slowly walked, a familiar sound came from Euijong’s phone on the floor.

Ding-!

”Huh?”

That clear and bright sound.

He doubted his ears for a moment, wondering if it was an auditory hallucination. But instinctively, his head turned instantly toward the sound, which had come from the phone lying amidst the bottles on the floor.

”…The phone…?”

It was unclear why the phone was lying there, but one thing that came to mind was that they had used it for a live SNS broadcast last night.

”Didn’t the live turn off…?”

It seemed plausible, but was that familiar, clear notification sound really coming from here?

Why would that sound be here?

Ding-!

Again, the notification sound. He had responded to this sound countless times like Pavlov’s dog. There was no doubt about it, and the sound couldn’t be mistaken. This was definitely the notification sound for sponsorships during a broadcast.

”Shit… What’s this ominous feeling…?”

A chill ran down his spine, making his already headache-filled head feel numb.

No way, right?

Nah, it couldn’t be. It’s just because I drank a bit. Could something really have happened?

Ding-!

Again, that sound.

It definitely came from the phone on the floor.

Listening again, it was a sound he was very familiar with.

Unable to ignore the clear and bright notification sound, he slowly walked over to the phone and carefully bent down to pick it up.

Ding-!

[YongdudongBuildingOwner donated 100,000 won]

[Pretty one, good morning]

”Shit!”

He let out a curse as if he had seen a ghost. The shock was so sudden it felt like his heart might leap out of his mouth.

It was unbelievable. He rubbed his eyes and blinked, wondering if he had seen an illusion.

His hands trembled as if shaking from the cold.

”Shit, shit… What is this…? Uh…?”

It was hard to grasp the situation. What had he done last night? Why was the broadcast on this guy’s phone? And why was this guy sending morning greetings?

Shit, what was going on?

He bit his nails while checking the screen. A red light was clearly on in the top right corner of the phone screen.

[Live Broadcast Ongoing]

”Ah…”

Air escaped his lungs as he felt a cold, dry sensation throughout his body. It was proof that the situation was not a dream but a real-time reality.

It felt like his spine was freezing.

Ding-

[YongdudongBuildingOwner donated 100,000 won]

[Pretty one, leave the door open. I’m almost there.]

”This fucking lunatic!”

Heat surged through him, and his hair stood on end. Everything was because of this damn phone.

”Just because of this one thing!”

His eyes felt like they were flipping inside out. In a rage, he threw the phone toward the entrance. It crashed loudly, shattering the screen and scattering fragments everywhere. The loud noise woke Euijong, who was sleeping on the sofa.

”What, what’s going on!”

Saliva, not fully swallowed, dripped from the corner of his mouth as he looked at Euijong, anger surging wildly.

”Hey! Where are the car keys?!”

”Wha, what?!”

”Where are the car keys, hurry up!”

”Uh, uh… maybe, on the dining table….”

Euijong, clueless about what had happened, barely managed to point toward the dining table, where the car keys were slightly hidden under a black bag.

”Hyung, what’s going on, huh?”

”Shit, we’re screwed! That guy is coming!”

”What? What are you talking about?”

Euijong stood dumbfounded, trying to understand the situation. He rushed to the dining table to grab the car keys and then headed to the bathroom to get dressed, with Euijong hastily following behind.

”Hyung, why, what’s happening?”

Euijong looked terrified.

”Do you remember doing a live last night?”

”Yeah. I remember. You started it on my phone, right?”

”What?!”

Euijong’s unexpected words made him grab Euijong’s shoulders and shout.

”Why did you just leave it on! You idiot!”

”But… you said it wasn’t fun and that real broadcasting is all about the sponsorships. Don’t you remember?”

”I said that? Ha…!”

He wanted to bite his tongue and die. This stupid, foolish guy.

Was he crazy for sponsorships? Or was he desperate for money? What was he thinking, turning on a live broadcast on someone else’s phone and causing this mess?

”No time for long talks. We have to run away now! We have to escape!”

”What?! What do you mean…”

”He’s going to arrive soon! That guy is coming to get me!”

Fate always had a way of being ironically playful and perfectly timed.

Ding dong!

Bang bang bang!!!

”What, what’s that?”

”Shit!”

It was too late.

The overwhelming sense of dread and doom.

It couldn’t possibly be wrong.

The ‘YongdudongBuildingOwner’, who had just been on the phone, was now right at the front door.

”Pretty one, time for a walk is over. Time to go home?”