“Hey, just accept this one. If you exclude yourself now, I’d feel terrible. Just drink this and I’ll leave quietly, okay?”
Given his plea, writer Yang Eun Oh refrained from intervening any further and turned her attention away.
Won Seok, who was discreetly observing the situation, pushed the glass towards the uncomfortable Kang.
“Thanks, junior, for preserving my dignity. I promise no more scenes.”
However, it was Shin Hwi who took the glass in her stead.
“Senior.”
“Huh?”
“If one drink doesn’t hurt, can I drink it on her behalf?”
“…”
“Is that okay?”
…Look at this jerk.
Kang Won Seok momentarily showed a dark look but appeared genuinely taken aback.
Yet, he couldn’t ignore the surrounding gazes and begrudgingly nodded.
“Well, a white knight is nice. If you can handle it, go ahead.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“Hey, but let’s be clear before you drink. I didn’t force you, alright? Don’t twist words later. Everyone here is a witness.”
“Of course. Why would a man say one thing and mean another?”
The sharp-witted Shin Hwi gave a sly smile with sparkling eyes.
However, Kang wasn’t pleased with the turn of events, fearing any untoward incidents since she stepped in unnecessarily.
“Mr. Shin Hwi, you don’t have to…”
“It’s okay, senior.”
She tried to deter him, but he responded with a reassuring smile.
He genuinely meant it was okay.
As their eyes met, he conveyed his genuine assurance that there was nothing to worry about.
However, as her worries persisted, Shin Hwi slightly leaned in and whispered to Kang.
“But in return, please grant me a wish later.”
“…”
“Understood?”
With a laid-back smile, he emptied the second glass.
Then, with a flourish, he tipped the empty glass over his head, concluding the episode.
Sighs of relief flowed from the audience who watched in the subtle tension, and he cheerfully handed back the empty glass to Won Seok.
Kang Won Seok, who had been glaring at Shin Hwi, eventually accepted the situation but clung to the last word.
“Hey, stop that smile of yours.”
“Ah, sorry. My lips are naturally upturned.”
“Good grief. Whatever. Enjoy your meal.”
Saying so, he got up from his seat.
But just as he was about to leave, Shin Hwi grabbed him again.
“Senior?”
As Kang Won Seok looked down in confusion, he said with a teasing grin.
“Where are you going?”
“…”
“You need to take my glass too.”
Given Shin Hwi’s cheeky remark, laughter erupted from all around.
However, writer Yang Eun Oh intervened.
“Mr. Shin Hwi, that’s enough. What if something really happens tonight?”
“Haha. I’m just kidding.”
He laughed while putting the bowl away, but for Won Seok, his patience had already worn thin.
He took Shin Hwi’s behavior as a provocation.
“You…!”
“Kang Won Seok.”
Writer Yang Eun Oh stepped in.
“This is your last warning. Get back to your place. Before I write you out of the script.”
It was a voice more chilling than a threat of dismissal from the cast list.
Unable to resist, Won Seok took a fleeting glance at Shin Hwi and quickly backed off.
If it wasn’t for today, he could’ve picked a day to put him in his place.
Kang, sitting beside him, looked at Shin Hwi with a bewildered expression.
‘What was that? Was he showing off? Or was it a genuine favor?’
Whether he was clueless or fearless, it was hard to determine.
Thanks to that, the table from which Kang Won Seok disappeared had a relatively comfortable ambiance.
Some time passed.
The veteran actors seated in front began conversing, glancing somewhere.
“Oh my, she drinks alcohol like water.”
“Right? Is that really alcohol? Not water?”
When they looked, far away, Lomi was guzzling a mix of soju and beer as if it were water.
And opposite her, Kang Won Seok, now completely drunk, was slumped over the table.
Others watching the scene seemed to scarcely believe what was unfolding.
From the ambiance, it seemed Lomi had dispatched Kang Won Seok with alcohol. Now, being the hero, she was livening up the mood, dancing, singing, and flaunting her talents.
Given the rate she drank, one could only wonder if her stomach would burst.
She enjoyed the alcohol, her face not even turning red.
Perhaps the best drinkers at the table were Shin Hwi and Lomi…
Boom!
‘Boom?’
Kang, lost in thought, turned his attention to the side.
Shin Hwi, who had been fine while drinking, had suddenly slumped headfirst onto the table.
“Oh dear, this gentleman’s gone too.”
“Lord, another one’s passed out.”
The senior actors opposite mumbled, looking at the inebriated Shin Hwi.
Kang, taken aback, checked on Shin Hwi’s condition but, thankfully, he was still breathing.
Thus, the final victor was Lomi.
…
“Damn it.”
Barely regaining consciousness, Won Seok staggered out of the bar and into a dimly lit alley.
He then took a cigarette, leaned against the wall, and unzipped his trousers.
When had he lost consciousness?
He remembered jovially sharing drinks with a petite girl seated opposite him, but his pride was hurt knowing he had unknowingly passed out.
“Younger ones these days have no manners. Back in my day, huh?”
Mid-sentence, he was interrupted by his outdoor urination.
A tall shadow cast behind the heavily intoxicated Kang Won Seok.
Sensing a presence, Won Seok swayed back and forth, stealing a quick glance behind him.
His semi-closed eyes widened in horror upon spotting something.
“…A-Aargh!”
Won Seok’s short scream echoed through the dark alley.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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