Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

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There were a lot of Korean dishes among the foods Kim Chae-eun had prepared.

In the center were neatly arranged mushrooms and meat, vegetables of various kinds placed in round dishes, fish that seemed to be cooked to the right doneness, side dishes like dongchimi that stimulated the appetite…

At a glance, they were all familiar foods.

However, what caught my eye were the upgraded high-end Korean dishes.

Especially the skewer-style beef in the center was a dish I had seen before.

Seolleongtang.

It was one of the popular foods during the Goryeo dynasty, beef cooked with proper doneness and seasoning.

Foods that couldn’t be left out for high-end Korean cuisine were placed all over the table.

“Since we eat Western and Japanese foods so often usually, I thought it’d be a bit special if we had Korean dishes – That’s why I prepared them.”

I nodded at Kim Chae-eun’s brief explanation.

“Good. It kinda breaks the fixed notion that Western cuisine is for Christmas, right?”

“Right, right?”

“Yeah. You prepared really well.”

Christmas was always the same repertoire – going to a restaurant, going to a cafe, or going to our own space.

But facing this fresh ‘home party with Korean cuisine’ made me feel quite good.

Then my eyes landed on one of the tables.

It was the table with the wines Kim Chae-eun herself had chosen.

Seeing that, I tilted my head.

“But don’t they not really match with Korean food?”

I really like Korean food, but…

I wondered if the prepared alcohol would go well with these dishes.

‘Ah, is this another fixed notion?’

Come to think of it, high-end Korean restaurants also paired wines with the food.

With Korean cuisine’s trait of harmonizing well with anything…

I didn’t know, the combination with wine might work unexpectedly well.

Lost in my own thoughts for a moment.

Suddenly, Kim Chae-eun got up from her seat.

She quietly moved to that table, then took out something that was hidden under the table cloth.

“Huh?”

It was something I knew very, very well.

A familiar sized, shaped glass bottle.

The green visual I had seen endlessly.

Korean’s most beloved alcohol…

Soju.

Kim Chae-eun lightly pressed the dewy soju bottle to her cheek and said,

“Hehe. I prepared this too, knowing you’d think that-“

“You really prepared thoroughly huh?”

I had drunk alcohol with friends before, but oddly, I hadn’t had soju.

It seemed to be because as a Holder who touched big money from a young age, I sought expensive imported alcohol first.

But soju and Kim Chae-eun…

It was an unbalanced yet suitable combination.

…Or maybe it was just because Kim Chae-eun was pretty, everything suited her.

“And if you want Western or Japanese food, tell me. It’s in the kitchen.”

“…You prepared all that too?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure what you’d want to eat today, so I got them just in case.”

That’s kinda touching.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly and said,

“Now I feel kinda sorry.”

“Ah. But I was the one who asked to meet you despite the sudden change of plans. It’s only natural.”

Kim Chae-eun smiled and returned to her seat.

Then she poured alcohol into our glasses set before us.

“Jae-hyun.”

Ah.

I can guess what she’s trying to do.

Kim Chae-eun pressed her glass to her cheek again and went ahead with that line.

“If we drink this, then we’ll…”

“That’s prohibited.”

“Ahhh whyyy – I wanted to try this.”

“Pfft-“

As expected, joking with someone I don’t usually do that with brings a very efficient reaction.

I smiled widely and picked up my glass.

Then I clinked my glass sharply with Kim Chae-eun’s, who had a wronged expression.

“Thank you for being with me this year, Chae-eun. Merry Christmas.”

It’s embarrassing, but I convey my sincere greeting.

After suddenly falling into this world.

Kim Chae-eun was the first person I got close with, and spent the most time together.

If not for her, adapting to this unfamiliar world wouldn’t have been easy.

Knowing that all too well…

I wanted to express my gratitude on this special occasion.

“Really, you’re killing me. I was gonna say it first.”

Kim Chae-eun looked at me with a sulky expression, then smiled and clinked her glass against mine.

“Thank you too, Jae-hyun. Merry Christmas.”

***

Ippotranslation

***

The night grew deeper.

And naturally, our drinking party also deepened.

At first, the atmosphere was cozy as usual.

Enjoying the meal Kim Chae-eun prepared, talking about our usual conversation topics, and clinking glasses here and there…

Since most of the items I got yesterday from the <Ice Garden> happened to be ‘ice-related’, I had also gifted them to her.

It was an ordinary home party on a special white Christmas.

‘…How did we end up like this?’

But as time went by, the home party turned into a drinking party.

At first, we set the mood by drinking soju, but under the pretext that it would be a waste not to open the liquors we bought ourselves, we started popping open hard liquors too.

One bottle, two bottles, three bottles…

We didn’t finish drinking all that much, but tried various kinds, sampling each type.

And when strong alcohol goes in, getting drunk is a given.

Some Holders with excellent alcohol tolerance could neutralize the alcohol in their bodies, but unfortunately, Kim Chae-eun didn’t seem to want to do that today.

“Jae-hyun, I’m sleepy.”

Thanks to those words, the location had already changed to Kim Chae-eun’s room.

After lying in bed for about 10 minutes, Kim Chae-eun…

Bolted up as if nothing had happened and started sprouting conversation flowers again.

…The main topic was about me.

“So… That’s why- Right then! When you appeared, I was like, whoa, surprised. Hehe. You were so cool then. I’m not kidding. Really.”

“I know, I know. That’s the fourth time you’ve told that story, Chae-eun.”

She decided she wanted to get drunk today.

If it was Kim Chae-eun, she must have been able to neutralize the alcohol with her abilities, but there was no sign of that at all…

“Cheers-“

…The problem is, that kind of Kim Chae-eun is pretty cute.

Drunk Kim Chae-eun showed an allure that made you get absorbed.

Since I was already clinking glasses with her, that said it all.

On top of that, even though she was quite drunk, the atmosphere didn’t get ruined because there weren’t any major faux pas that could be called mistakes. That also helped a lot.

“Cheers.”

“Cheers- hehe.”

The tart, bubbly taste of the Siraz goes down my throat.

Perhaps because it was a red wine with a particularly fruity fragrance, a sweet flavor could be felt amidst the tartness.

Of the wines we bought today, this seemed to be Kim Chae-eun’s favorite.

“Yawwwn- Sleepy again.”

Kim Chae-eun put down her glass and lay back down on the bed.

The structure we were seated in right now was very peculiar.

We brought the table with the food and wine into Kim Chae-eun’s room and placed it as close to the bed as possible.

And sitting on the bed like chairs, we were drinking.

It was due to Kim Chae-eun’s request to be able to lie down comfortably while drinking.

Looking at that, I let out a hollow laugh.

“You can sleep if you want. It’s gotten pretty late already.”

“Oh-”

But at those words, Kim Chae-eun bolted back up again.

And after briefly glancing at the clock…

She smiled softly at me.

“It’s late but… I want to drink more with Jae-hyun…”

…Is this a fox or a bear.

I suddenly feel like my heart is aching.

It’s an allure I wouldn’t have imagined from the Kim Chae-eun I knew.

I asked her as calmly as I could.

“You’re not even going to turn on the lights before coming in?”

“Tsk. I heard it from the kids too, you know? Jae-hyun, you know my feelings better than anyone.”

It was something that could be expected.

Kang Juyeong and Moon Ga-eun.

After getting involved with those two… It wouldn’t remain just a friendship with Kim Chae-eun, with whom I shared an even deeper relationship with.

Kim Chae-eun had probably liked me for a while, and I liked her too.

Perhaps realizing that fact about each other…

Made us even more careful.

Sssk-

Suddenly, Kim Chae-eun moved her body and sat on my thigh draped over the bed.

‘……’

My heart almost stopped in that moment.

Although it was just clothes touching clothes, I could feel her soft flesh…

And with both arms she hugged my neck.

And looked at me with slightly moist eyes.

“I like you.”

“Ah.”

Sometimes, even when you know what words will come out, hearing those words can still surprise you.

That’s how I was now.

“I like you Jae-hyun.”

When I heard her shy yet sincere confession.

It was as if my breath had stopped…

And couldn’t say anything at all.

At that moment, she was so beautiful it was hard to express in words.

“I like you so, so much… It took me this long to get here.”

Kim Chae-eun smiled.

And slowly drew closer to me.

The closer the distance between us grew, the closer her expressions became as well.

“So…the later it is… I want to pour everything into you. Everything… I want to give it all to you.”

I hope you feel the same way too.

That faint whisper rang by my ear.

I wanted to say I like you too, that I’ve been waiting just as long, but…

There was no time for that.

As if to prove her confession,

Kim Chae-eun kissed me as she sat straddled on me.

The sweet fragrance of the Siraz could be felt in our kiss as well.

Thud-

The sound of the bed and body colliding could be heard.

I fell onto the bed in the same position, kissing Kim Chae-eun.

Then I carefully broke the kiss and looked at Kim Chae-eun as she breathed heavily.

“I like you too, Chae-eun.”

Her eyes rounded in surprise for a moment.

What she had said, what feelings she had approached me with… I knew it all too.

And that the process of making that decision was absolutely not easy, I knew that all too well.

That’s why I wanted to cherish her even more.

That’s why I wanted to hold her even more preciously.

No amount of time would be enough preparation for that.

Careful not to startle Kim Chae-eun, I slowly moved my body and kissed her again.

Along with the snow falling outside the window…

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It was a Christmas night that grew even deeper.

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