"Cheers!"
The sound of glass meeting another glass rejuvenated in the area. This restaurant has been reserved for their Company tonight. Different restaurants than before because now, they sat down on cushions rather than the chair.
Everyone was having their leisure time drinking and talking with each other.
"Time is moving so fast. Who knows that it has already been a year since we met."
Lee Byul grinned.
"Luckily, I prefer to stay after another negotiation with the Chairman."
Lee Soohyuk laughed at that.
"Nobody can touch our Team Leader of the Special Division Team, even the Chairman."
"Stop talking like you are not one of the people he feared, oppa."
She smirked and he replied back with his own.
"Fortunately, I'm not interested in his position. Cheers?"
"Cheers."
Clank!
"Did you have a plan to start your old job, Byul?"
Choi Jungsoo came towards them with another bottle of beer, pulling the ring pull cap and pouring the liquid into her glass.
"Hm, maybe not at the moment. I have been spending my time before roaming around killing monsters for years. By having a stable job in the Company at one place is kind of nice."
She took the glass and gulped down the content.
"Hm about that. We never ask about what your group did before. I just know that you guys are killing monsters and saving people, but where did you get the supply and the funds to move around? Surely you need a lot of money to fund those people you've saved."
Lee Byul scrunched her nose.
"I never told you guys all this time?"
"We got no chance to indulge in your previous job."
Kim Roksoo gave her the answer. Well, that's basically true. They never mentioned it and she also didn't think of mentioning it.
Their current predicament has always been the topic of their conversation.
"Okay then. I'll tell you now. We may be a separated group from the government but the government still needs us."
She thanked Kim Roksoo after he poured her another glass.
"We were actually a hired group. We got paid that way. When a guild or government wants a hand from us, they would hire us to do their bidding by paying us."
"Oh, you got paid? I thought that you did the job because of the request. I never know about it."
"You could say that not many people know about this matter because we would always communicate with the higher-up of the guilds or government and not want any information about us being spread too much."
"A silent agreement. If your information was spread, that could endanger you guys."
She nodded.
"True, that is why every time we leave a trace somewhere, we would hide it using Libra's ability."
"How about now? Celestial Arcane associated with the Company might make your ally think you have chosen a side."
Her lips rose upwards after hearing what Choi Jungsoo said.
"For your information, Jungsoo. We have no allies."
The brown-haired tilted his head.
"We do have foes but we have no allies. We are not needed for someone to rely on and to rely on us based on kindness. It is a business, they want something, they will get it through paying us. If not, my group would not be associated with anyone."
She put the glass down.
"Besides, I am the leader. I can do whatever I want without the need for anyone's approval. If I wanted to cooperate with an evil guild, I could do that even if I would get more enemies."
"You choose the Company because of the agreement you made with the Chairman."
She grinned and poked Kim Roksoo's cheek with her finger.
"Ding ding ding! Besides, I got many benefits when coming here."
She pointed at Lee Soohyuk.
"I got to meet my idol."
She then pointed at Choi Jungsoo.
"I got to meet my new best friend."
She then pointed at Kim Roksoo.
"More importantly, I got to meet you. I am the lucky one here."
The three men smiled hopelessly at her remarks.
A year of being in the same Company and a neighbour next door, these four people have become inseparable.
Lee Soohyuk viewed her as his own younger sister. Choi Jungsoo viewed her as his best friend, if not he would want to be her older brother too based on how he treated Kim Roksoo but he got to know that she was older than him by a month.
Unfortunately he can't do anything about this but no fret, Kim Roksoo is still the youngest!
"Aren't you guys drinking too much?"
Choi Jungsoo blinked his eyes when the couple kept filling up their glass with beer and soju without stopping.
"We make a bet."
"Who has the highest alcohol tolerance among us two."
Lee Soohyuk and Choi Jungsoo can't say no more but watching the couple fill up their glass one after another. After a bottle finished, they would ask for another and another and another.
"Should we stop them? Their faces have turned red."
"I think both are drunk right now."
"Kim Roksoo!"
Kim Roksoo glanced at her with half-lidded eyes, finishing his drink before he spoke.
"What?"
"You, you, you know?"
The man propped his cheek on his palm with his head turned towards her.
"I don't know."
Both have been talking in slur sentences.
"You, when will you.. I can't wait. Stupid Roksoo!"
Kim Roksoo frowned when his cheek was pinched by her. He slapped her hand away.
"You are stupid, not me. Stop that."
"I want to drink more!"
"You are drunk already, I win."
She glared at him.
"Who says that?"
She snatched the bottle and gulped down the drink before she let out a satisfying sound and wiped her mouth.
"You can't even look at me properly."
She pointed at him accusingly. He slapped her hand away.
"I'm looking, Stella."
"No, no. Don't see."
He shuffled near her and grabbed her head, trying his best to open his eyes wide but he was too tired to even open his eyes now.
"Look, I see. Stop drinking, you are drunk."
"No!"
She pushed him away before she grabbed the bottle from before. She stood on her knees before she grabbed the back of his neck.
"Hey hey what are you doin—!"
"Drink more, Flōs."
He pushed her hand away after he had taken five swigs of the beer.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
"Oh no, you can't die before we get married!"
He snorted, snatching the bottle from her before he gulped down all of it.
"Wow, Roksoo. All? You, alcoholic!"
She grabbed the bottle upside down to see that it was empty.
In the moment, both of them were silent. The two men watching the exchange from the beginning begin to feel odd.
"Are they okay?"
"I have no idea."
"Kim Roksoo."
Her voice turned serious. She sat crossed-legs while facing him. Back straight and chin up.
"What is it?"
"Let's get married."
He watched her in the eyes, looking at the two shocked looking men and onto the table. He looked back at her with his lips forming a thin line.
He gazed for a moment at the table. He picked up the bottle ring cap before he turned his body towards her.
"Okay."
He took her hand before he slipped the bottle ring cap on her ring finger.
"Here is your ring for now."
She raised her hand to her eye level before she nodded in satisfaction with a puff of cheeks.
"Okay, now the vow!"
"Vow? Hm, in health—"
"Cliché. Make your own. It's our wedding, Flōs."
Kim Roksoo pursed his lips for a moment before he held her hands and cleared his throat.
"I will stay by your side, taking care of you and always make you happy. Ah maybe you might get angry with me too sometimes. So, um, I will make sure to not leave you alone and be your blooming flower even in winter."
"More, more."
"You are greedy. Okay hm, I also will er I don't really know, Byul. I will be a good husband, friend and family to you. Your turn."
"Pfft, okay. Lee Byul will shine your day especially at night because I am your star. You can't get rid of me forever because I will stick with you like a, hm whatever. I will make you happy sometimes, I also may make you angry sometimes but I'll take care of you, don't worry."
"I started to feel worried now."
"Shut up. Okay, lastly. Even after death, you can't get rid of me. What do people always say? Hm, ha! Even death can't pull us apart!"
"You are vicious."
"Shut up. So now the kiss!"
"Erm, right now?"
"What is a wedding without a kiss? The last act. Come on."
"Fine."
He pulled her face and pecked her lips for a second.
"There, the kiss."
"Okay, now you are my husband, Kim Roksoo."
"And you are my wife. Hm it sounded nice."
He nodded his head with half-lidded eyes and a small smile.
She started to stand up and pulled him along. Kim Roksoo absentmindedly followed.
"Let's go!"
"Huh? Where?"
"Home, of course. It's night, we should have our wedding night too."
"We should register our wedding first, right?"
"We can do that tomorrow, it's day off tomorrow."
"Do we need a witness for it?"
Lee Byul hummed.
"I don't know. Do we?"
Kim Roksoo is dazed for a moment before snapping his fingers. He turned to the stunned men.
"Choi Jungsoo, team leader. They can be our wedding witnesses."
"Right. Good thinking, my husband."
"I'll text you guys tomorrow."
"Come on, husband! Let's get going. Wait, yours or mine?"
"Yours. Those two need to sleep too."
"Precisely! Move your legs fast."
"Slow down."
The couple– newlyweds went out from the restaurant.
Choi Jungsoo and Lee Soohyuk's mouth agape.
"We.. we should do something right?"
Lee Soohyuk stifled a laugh.
"Why? They are adults already and they are married just now."
"You can't think that they are serious, hyung. They have finished five bottles each!"
"Jungsoo, Jungsoo."
Lee Soohyuk ruffled the brown hair.
"They are not drunk at all."
"Huh?"
"They are tipsy but not to the point of drunk yet. So to say, they are serious just now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yup! Let's just wait for Roksoo's text tomorrow."
Choi Jungsoo let out a sigh. He experienced a weird night.
×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! (◕ᴗ◕✿)
[Chapter 13 : Nuptial]
(31/12/2023)