Content to just have Yoona on his back, Taec wandered in the streets for almost half an hour. Finally, he felt her stir.  She moistened her dry lips with her tongue and rubbed her sleepy eyes  “Oppa, how long was I out? I’m hungry. Oh and you can let me down now.  I’m ok” she shyly confessed.  He reluctantly let her off but held on to her bag.  As she reached for her bag, he said “I’ll hold that for you since your ankle is still hurting”.  She agreed grudgingly. 

They noticed a little eatery up the road and headed for it.  Taec held on to Yoona’s arm along the way.  As they settled down on a table, they ordered Dukbokki (spicy rice cake), da Kang Jung (sweet & crispy chicken wings) and a bowl of DoenJang Chigae (Tofu stew) to share.  They both realized that they are actually quite famished after a night of drinking.  In truth, she too did not have any dinner before the karaoke session.

Much to Taec’s disapproval, Yoona insisted on having Soju to go with their meal.  “Oppa..can we have some soju, please? pretty please?” she pleaded with her soft, lilting voice.  “Don’t you think you had enough already, Yoona?”  As he uttered those words, he cannot help but feel the irony as it is true that both of them do have a penchant for drinking.

.Unknown to Taec, the lingering effects of the shots she had earlier still coursed through her veins.  With her big, luminous eyes and rosy, moist lips, Yoona leaned forward and pouted prettily “No! Yoona wants Soju! Yoona wants Soju!”. 

How can any sane man refuse such a flagrant display of cuteness?  Taec loved it when Yoona is her dorky, adorable self.  He smiled warmly and conceded “Ok, just one bottle”.  She flashed her irresistible dimpled smile and settled down to wait for their food. Both were lost in their own thoughts when the stew came so they quietly shared their soup.  Then came the Soju, chicken wings and rice cake. 

“Oppa, you will drink with me, right?” Yoona asked.  “Of course. I can’t let you have it all.” Taec grinned, flashing his toothy smile as he noticed that her mood seemed to be better.   As they chomped on the wings and rice cake, they toasted each other with glass after glass of Soju.   When the last bottle was emptied, she said “Let’s have another one, Oppa. We have so much food” Seeing the still abundant spread before them, he agreed.

Before they know it, they had finished 5 bottles of Soju.  Yoona then asked for her bag which Taec handed to her.  He watched her pulled a hairclip from her bag, gathered her hair into a tight bundle, twirled it and attached a clip to form a topknot.  He gazed at the smooth, fair neck and dainty earlobes unveiled by her hair.  He continued to stare at her as she fanned herself with her hands.  “I feel so warm.  What are you looking at, Oppa?” she asked innocently.  Her incessant drinking has deepened her voice making it husky. Her sultry voice broke the spell as he looked back at her face with embarrassment.  “Oh, nothing” he mumbled ashamed of what went through his mind before that. 

Yoona wrinkled her nose and instinctively preened forward. Her hand slowly touched the left corner of his lips.  Taec froze.  With bated breath, he waited to see what comes next. Yoona grinned and cheekily said. “There’s gochuchang (chilli sauce) on your face, Oppa”   With that, she gently swiped the sauce off his lips with her finger and cleaned with a tissue.  He finally let out his breath, stunned at this sudden contact.

Although lacking in experience, Yoona has an inkling that Taec may be attracted to her.  Feeling extremely light-headed from the Soju, she eased forward in her seat. “Do you find me attractive, Oppa?” she asked as she propped herself on the table with one elbow and looked him straight in the eye.  Taken aback by her candor, he stuttered “You..you..you know I do, Yoona”.  “Really, Oppa?”as she brushed the stray hairs away from her face and unconsciously slid her left thigh against his right under the table. 

With an ardent look, Yoona continued ““Do you find Eunjung and even my unnie Jessica more attractive than me??”  Distracted by the warmth of her thigh, he was caught off guard and found himself at a loss for words.  Finally, he found his voice “What are you talking about Yoona?  I knew we shouldn’t have polished off the 5^th bottle of Soju!”