Chapter LXXII – Between Two Fires

“There was always something so soothing about thoughtlessly looking at the glittering sea under the pale moonlight,” Arthur said to Irene as she stood beside him on the deck while everyone else prepared for the party.

Turning around he noticed her standing silently while holding two drinks, observing what he had described to her. He was captivated by the sight of the moonlight illuminating her phantasmal mint green-colored eyes.

She caught Arthur staring, but instead of hastily averting their gaze, they both shared an affectionate smile.

Ever since I’ve reincarnated, I feared how those around me would react to the truth had I told them. I wondered if they would believe me and if they did, would they accuse me of stealing away their loved one. I decided I wanted to keep it all a secret and had I not met you, Irene, I would’ve stuck to that decision. I wonder what changed. Have I truly been bewitched by your presence in my life that I lost reason? Guess I’ll never know. However, tonight. . . I shall tell must everything once we’re alone again.

“The glittering sea under the pale moonlight?” she chuckled. “Who says something like that out of the blue right before a party? Maybe you should pick up writing.”

“Maybe,” he smiled.

“Here,” she handed him the drink.

“What’s this?” he asked, sniffing the transparent drink full of ice and two slices of lime that float within.

“One of my favorites, Gin and Tonic. If anyone mentions that it’s a girly drink just know that a lot of guys drink it. Besides, it’s not weak so don’t go chugging it like beer.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he chuckled.

“I hope you like it. . .”

“You made this, right?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s one of your favorite cocktails and personally made by you. . . There’s no way it’s not to my liking,” he claimed before taking a sip. “Woah. . . That’s really good.”

“Is it actually or are you just saying that because I made it?” she asked smilingly, leaning against the fence.

“Why can’t it be both?”

“Dork. . .” she shook her head, taking a sip of her drink before their attention was stolen away by the loud music playing in the back.

Everyone was ready for the party as Tjay finally finished setting up the music. Max was gesturing for them to come inside.

The party started a bit tame with everyone just chatting around. However, Arthur knew it was only a matter of time before the alcohol kicked in and someone came up with a crazy idea.

Seeing Iseul again in the kitchen, Arthur wanted to offer his help. Even though she probably didn’t want it, he still wanted to at least help carry the stuff she made over to the table.

On his way toward the kitchen, Yeona walked past him before slipping. He instinctively caught her with his free hand by grabbing her around the waist which made her blush. She kept her eyes averted at first, but upon regaining her balance, her gaze met his with a coy smile.

“Thank you. . .” she whispered affectionately.

“Be careful. . .” he sighed, but the more she stared at him, the more he realized just how into him she was.

“I’ll try, but I’m glad I have someone like you who can catch me when I fall. . .”

He wasn’t sure what to say. She had been flirting with him the entire day and he couldn’t necessarily say that it wasn’t flattering at all. If Irene wasn’t in his mind all the time, he was sure that Yeona’s boldness would intrigue him at the very least.

“Are you alright?” Irene interrupted their moment after noticing Yeona slip.

“Yeah. . .” she answered, smilingly glancing toward Irene before placing her hands on Arthur’s chest. “Luckily, Arthur was there to catch me before I got hurt.”

Irene doubted that it was an accident, but she refrained from saying anything about it.

“Just be careful. . .” she sighed before looking back at the group gathering around the couch. Iseul already finished prepping the snacks. “Let’s join the others.”

Arthur was the first to join them as he sat next to Sophie on the couch. Before Irene could make it, Yeona already joined by his side, leaving no room for her next to him. Clicking her tongue, Irene sat next to Amelia who was talking to Iseul. There was more than enough room for everyone after bringing a few chairs around the table.

“Irene,” Sophie called out to her. “Wanna switch places?”

“Nah, it’s cool,” she smiled sweetly before leaning against Amelia whose attention was on her conversation with Iseul.

Amelia instinctively grabbed her hand without looking and pulled it closer, making it easier for Irene to rest on her shoulder.

The party continued with Irene occasionally glancing toward Yeona and Arthur. Everyone sat in a circle, creating a good atmosphere for light conversation. While the guys kept talking about a new game that was coming out soon, Hyun, who wasn’t really interested, kept his focus on Nabi. The two lovingly sat next to each other with their arms entangled. Meanwhile, Sophie and Ari had engaged in a heated argument about K-Drama ships among the co-star cast.

This time around Yeona kept quiet while next to Arthur, trying not to be unbearably assertive.

“Hey, Ari,” Max called out to her. “Would you rather sleep with your boyfriend’s brother or your BFF’s?”

“That’s mean!” Sophie chuckled, glancing at Ari intrigued.

“Damn, that’s a good one. . .” Amelia mumbled.

“I can’t choose that!” Ari became flustered.

“Come on Ari,” Irene grinned, playing along with Max. “Would you rather cheat or sleep with your best friend’s brother?”

“Wouldn’t she be cheating regardless?” Tjay asked confused.

“It’s not specified that she has a boyfriend in the second option,” Iseul explained Irene’s line of thought.

Arthur couldn’t help but feel conflicted about how he should have felt at that moment. Everyone knew Sophie and Ari were undoubtedly best friends. While Irene found it amusing, Yeona couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous imagining Ari saying that she’d choose Arthur.

“I’d have to cheat. . .” Ari sighed. “I can’t imagine myself doing something that would make Sophie mad. . .”

“Why would I be mad at you?” Sophie acted confused. “I’d be mad at Oppa for being unable to keep his hands off of you,” she turned to Arthur. “Hear that Oppa? She’s mine.”

Regardless of it being obvious teasing, Ari couldn’t help but blush a bit after Sophie said that in front of everyone.

“What would you have chosen?” Amelia whispered to Irene.

“I plan to make both options the same, so it’s not a valid question,” she chuckled.

“We should keep the game going,” Nabi suggested.

Agreeing with her, the game continued as everyone waited for Ari to come up with the next question.

“I’m not as creative. . .” Ari sighed.

“Isn’t would you rather a bit tame for our first summer house party?” Tjay commented.

“It’s not really our first summer party though. . .” Nabi pointed out, raising one eyebrow in suspicion as Tjay always liked to do crazy stuff.

“It’s our first beach house party though,” he chugged away at whatever amount of Soju was left in his cup. “We should play a drinking game!”

“You sure do love drinking games,” Irene said letting out a sigh. “Though, I guess I’m no better.”

“He’s right,” Iseul added. “If you guys want I have a game we could play. My friends called it Chance but I believe it's actually called Odds. The rules are simple. One player gives a dare to another and then said player has to choose to either drink or play. If the player chooses to play, then both of them imagine a number between one and five. A third person will do a countdown from three after which they both tell simultaneously their number. If the numbers match, the person who got dared has to complete the dare, but if the total equals exactly five, then the one who gave the dare has to do it instead. You can’t skip a dare you accepted and lost.”

“Woah, I’ve never heard of that,” Tjay said amazed. “Oi, why is your Noona so much cooler than you?” he asked Max with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah. . .” Max brushed it off.

“So if the total is six, then nobody does it?” Nabi asked.

“Yes, as long as the players didn’t both say three,” Iseul clarified.

“So that means that no matter what, if you don’t want the risk of a dare to bounce back to you, you could just say five. And considering that the other player can’t say zero, you’re guaranteed not to do it,” Yeona deduced.

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After going through the rules once more and a bit more drinking, everyone agreed to play. Since it was Iseul’s suggestion, it was only fitting that she’d be the one to start the game off.

“Irene,” Iseul immediately looked at her.

“This’ll be fun. . .” Irene sighed, remembering Iseul’s last dare during the school trip.

“I dare you to sit in Arthur’s lap for the rest of the game unless he’s doing a dare.”

“Wouldn’t that be unfair to Arthur since he isn’t the one challenged?” Yeona spoke up, unhappy with the dare.

“If he wants to object, he can just drink instead,” Tjay teased knowing that Arthur wouldn’t do that.

“Doesn’t that also mean that if I fail, you’ll sit in his lap instead?”

“A risk I’ll have to take,” Iseul grinned knowing that Irene would likely accept.

“Fine, I’m game,” Irene smirked.

Both of them knew that Irene’s goal was to lose the dare and sit in Arthur’s lap. However, Iseul planned to make her work for it with the risk of it backfiring.

“Arthur, since you’re the one in question, do the countdown for us,” Iseul requested.

Yeona wanted nothing more than to drink in their stead, but that would appear far too pathetic so she resisted.

“Three, two, one. . . Now,” Arthur did the count.

“Three!” both yelled out at the same time.

“Seems like I lost. . .” Irene said quietly, trying her best to hide her smirk.

“Well, you know the rules,” Iseul leaned back.

Yeona gritted her teeth and averted her gaze as Irene stepped up to Arthur before sitting in his lap, her arm wrapped around his neck to support herself.

“Guess it’s my turn now,” Irene looked to the group before focusing on Max. “It’s only fair I return fire.”

“I wasn’t the one to dare you!” Max nervously smirked knowing that Irene doesn’t hold back either.

“You’re her little brother which makes the payback sweeter,” Irene smirked mischievously. “Dye your hair red.”

“What?!” Max yelled out in protest.

“Dude, it’d actually look sick as fuck!” Tjay yelled out.

“I can see that,” Hyun commented. “You’d look like an idol.”

“Right?” Irene chuckled.

“You know that means you’ll have to dye your hair red if you lose. . .” Max brought up the obvious.

“Would it look bad on me?” Irene turned to Arthur with her hand gently resting on his shoulder.

“It’s hard to imagine, but I’m sure you’d pull it off,” Arthur smiled looking at her irresistible gaze.

“Red, huh?” Max pondered.

“Do it pussy,” Tjay teased. “Prove that you’re as cool as your Noona.”

Max stared at Tjay annoyed before averting his gaze to Iseul.

“Don’t look at me,” she shrugged her shoulders, showing that she sided with Tjay on that one.

“Fine,” Max accepted knowing that if Iseul truly believed that it wouldn’t fit him, she’d warn him.

“Iseul, do the count,” Irene requested.

“Four!” both yelled after the count, resulting in Max losing.

“How did you know?!” Max looked shocked, knowing that Irene already tried losing against Iseul, making it theoretically a second win for her in a row.

“Intuition,” Irene stuck her tongue out at him, refusing to tell him the logic behind her choice if there was any. “Anyway, I can’t wait to see you with red.”

“I can help you dye it if you want,” Sophie offered.

“Sure. . .” he sighed, not realizing that she meant as soon as they went shopping the next day.

“It’s your turn Max,” Amelia reminded him.

“Right. . . Yeona,” he glanced to her, making her jolt as she was too focused on Irene having her arms all over Arthur. “I dare you to tell us who you truly like.”

“What do you mean by that?” she awkwardly smiled, hoping he changes his mind.

“You know what I mean,” Max crossed his arms. “Tell us who’s the person you said you liked but couldn’t tell us his name.”

“Could be a her,” Iseul corrected him.

Iseul’s comment sparked a conversation while Yeona was stuck thinking about what to do. If she drank, then it would confirm their suspicion that it’s someone from the group. Irene already mentioned that some might’ve figured it out. On the other hand, if she risked it and lost, she’d have to openly admit to everyone before getting her alone time with Arthur which would’ve made a poor confession. It was a true gamble.

“Fine!” Yeona yelled out, hoping that luck was on her side. “Be prepared to admit who you like.”

Hearing her say that petrified Max. He suddenly realized that if the challenge bounced back to him, he’d have to confess to secretly liking Sophie. While he was still conflicted about his feelings cuz of Arthur, it was obvious that some form of attraction was there. He knew what to do to survive.

“Alright,” Max took a deep breath, feeling thankful that she mentioned such a fatal flaw to his dare.

“Three, two, one. . . Now!” Don did the count.

“One-“

“Five!” Max yelled out penetratingly loud.

Both Yeona and Max let out a sigh of relief that a crisis was averted. Max had to go for a five to avoid the rebound and Yeona targeted the one number that was hard to match, making it a less likely choice. Breaking a cold sweat, Yeona smiled and looked at Arthur, glad that her chances weren’t completely ruined by the game. However, Sophie took notice to her constant glances that happened throughout the day.

“It’s a wash,” Irene mentioned. “Yeona, it’s your turn.”

“Yeah. . .” she took a deep breath to ease her nerves before smugly grinning. “Tjay, I dare you to kiss any guy in the room.”

“Ha! Where did that come from?” Max yelled out, bursting into laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” Tjay looked at him making kissy faces, making Max cringe so much that he wanted to gouge his eyes out. “Not like I’ll do it. Besides, I got nothing to gain from the risk.”

“We can easily fix that,” Irene spoke up. “If it rebounds to her, she has to kiss a girl instead.”

Irene set a fire inside Tjay, one that could not be quelled easily.

“But that’s not the challenge,” Yeona protests.

“It’s to make it fair,” Irene points out. “Besides, are you that interested in kissing someone here?”

Yeona let out a defeated sigh knowing that Irene figured her out. Had she lost, she would’ve simply kissed Arthur, however, it all went down the drain once pointed it out. Arthur felt the intense glances the two exchanged.

“I’m in!” Tjay threw all caution to the wind once he knew that he could potentially see some girl-on-girl action.

“Fine. . .” Yeona clicked her tongue, knowing that she can’t back down. While it didn’t feel as bad of a dare to her compared to Tjay’s, she still didn’t have a choice in mind if she lost. “Art, do the count. . .”

“Three. . .” Everyone intently listened. “Two. . . One. . . Now!”

“Three!” both yelled out at the same time.

“Fuck!” Tjay yelled out, falling to his knees while looking to the ground.

Yeona sighed out of relief, but it still left Tjay with a hard choice of who to kiss.

The girls kept laughing, imagining who he’d choose.

Looking up, Tjay saw Don repeatedly shake his head, on the other hand, Hyun was never an option as he’d rather die. Arthur looked completely unamused by the risk Tjay took and the cold stare Irene gave him felt like a life and death warning. He realized his only option was Max after looking at him.

“Absolutely not!” Max complained, stepping on Tjay’s head barefoot while he was on his knees, almost as if to humiliate him further. “Go to hell, creep. . .”

Tjay didn’t appreciate how Max talked to him and thus returned the favor by kissing his foot instead. It was a small peck but one that made Max jump up in disgust. His exaggerated movements made everyone burst into laughter, including Tjay who knew he’d act that way. While he found it disgusting to do, a dare is a dare and if he could get someone else caught in the crossfire, he was going to take it.

“I’m gonna have nightmares!” Max yelled out while downing a full drink of Soju.

”Tjay, it’s your turn,” Ari reminded him.

“Right! Who should I go for?” he deviously looked toward everyone. However, his gaze fixated on Irene who wasn’t feeling like enduring his bullshit. “Irene, I dare you to go to the beach since there’s nobody out there and skinny-dip.”

“What’s that?” Arthur asked confused.

“He wants her to go swim naked in the sea. . .” Sophie sighed.

“That’s a bit too much. . .” Amelia defended her sister.

“I just had to kiss a guy’s foot and you’re telling me that now we have limits?”

“No, no. . . He’s right,” Irene took the initiative. “Too many things happened already, so I doubt I’ll have to do it anyway. On the count of three?”

“Yeah. . .” Tjay focused, hoping to finally beat Irene at something. “Max, do the countdown.”

“Go die. . .” Max retaliated.

“I’ll do the count. . .” Hyun spoke up. “Three, two, one. . . Now.”

“Three!” Tjay yelled out, confident in his choice.

“Two. . .” Irene felt lucky, saying the first number that came to mind.

Unlike Arthur who is the pinnacle of misfortune when it came to luck-based games, Irene was the polar opposite.

“This is rigged!” Tjay complained.

“You’re basically admitting to being simple enough to be manipulated. . .” Iseul roasted him, making everyone laugh.

“Fuck this game!” Tjay yelled out before running out of the house, toward the sea.

While he was gone a few more dares happened, but they all ended in a wash. Eventually, Tjay was back all wet with an annoyed look on his face. He knew nobody was watching so it wasn’t that challenging to begin with. Meanwhile, Yeona and Irene took turns to flirt with Arthur as Irene would commonly whisper something into his ear and Yeona would try and get his attention through random questions, hoping to pique his interest.

“Nabi!” Iseul called out to her. “I dare you to make out with your boyfriend in front of us.”

“For real?” Nabi looked extremely embarrassed.

She thought about it for a bit before she reached for her drink.

“You’re not gonna drink to that, are you?” Hyun appeared a bit disappointed at how tame she was.

“Ah. . . I guess you’re right,” she lowered her voice. “I mean if you’re cool with it, I should be too. . .”

“So, pass or play?” Iseul asked.

“But if you fail, who’d you kiss?” Yeona asked.

“Hmm. . . How about anyone of her choice? She can even hold onto it and choose later,” Iseul offered.

“Sounds reasonable. . .” Irene mumbled.

“Fine. . .” Nabi said. “Someone do the count.”

Max raised his hand before starting the count.

“Three, two, one. . . Now.”

“Three,” Nabi said.

“Two,” Iseul sighed after her poor choice as the dare rebounded. “Damn. . . So, who’s it going to be?”

“I’ll decide later. . .” Nabi smirked, glad that she didn’t have to do it. “Anyway! Don. . .”

“Oh no. . .” he dreaded the idea, feeling lucky until that point that nobody pointed their dare toward him.

“Since we’re going with something more fun, I dare you to kiss a girl of your choice right now. . .”

Typically, everyone would protest to there being no downside to the one doing the dare, but everyone was on board with Don doing the challenge.

Don kept looking at her wide-eyed, unable to stop blinking before rubbing his eyes. He was stunned, knowing fully well that he wouldn’t dare do it. He didn’t feel like he had the guts to do what others might. Without thinking, he grabbed his drink and downed it.

“Aww. . .” Sophie looked at Don. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“What?” Don looked puzzled.

“Our hero didn’t have to shy away from a reward,” Ari joined in on the teasing.

Don turned red like a tomato, averting his gaze. For him, that was the highlight of the night.

“Hear that?” Yeona whispered. “Heroes don’t have to shy away from a reward such as a kiss. . .”

Knowing that Irene had a massive advantage, Yeona had to try harder, not realizing the one-sided battle she led. Her flirting got so obvious and forward that Arthur began feeling guilty that he was in no position to tell her no without ruining the night for everyone. Arthur noticed Sophie intently observing Yeona's actions ever since the start of the game. The look on her face was quite telling about her having something to say.

“Yeona,” Sophie called out to her. “Could you help me with something upstairs real quick?”

“Huh?” Yeona looked at her shocked, unsure if Sophie overheard her since she wasn’t paying attention to her.

“Could I help?” Ari offered.

“Thanks, but I need her specifically,” Sophie pointed out.

“Help with what?” Yeona nervously asked.

“I can’t tell you here. . .”

It was the first time Arthur saw Sophie looking so serious.

“Sure. . .” Yeona averted her gaze upon getting up, quickly trying to come up with a story that could save her during their chat.

Once they were gone, the game sort of fell apart as everyone agreed to wait for the two to return. Random conversations sparked and Irene who still sat in Arthur’s lap warned him that Sophie probably figured out what was going on.

“What are you gonna do?” Irene asked worriedly. “She might find out that you hid the truth. . .”

Arthur sighed, but then showed a carefree smile.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll find a way to deal with it later, but now I need you to come with me.”

“Right now?” she looked confused.

“Yeah. . .”

After getting up, Arthur proceeded toward the door to the deck.

“Where you guys going?” Max asked, noticing the two leaving.

Irene shrugged her shoulders before looking back at Arthur.

“We’re gonna go down to the beach. I wanna see the water up close at night. We’ll be back soon.”

Without waiting, he grabbed Irene’s hand and left the house. She never saw him as determined as he appeared now, leaving her to wonder what his plan was. They went northward across the sandy beach.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked now that they were alone.

“Somewhere more secluded. . .” he lowered his voice. “Somewhere I felt comfortable giving you an answer and telling you everything. . .”

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.

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