Riser
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29-11
🕑 Added 2025-06-07 21:49:11 +0000 UTCEpisode 11: Please Stay With Me Tonight.
Gumiho.
The bar Mina mentioned was in the middle of a university district.
Not quite as busy as Hongdae, but still bustling with people, as lively as any metropolitan area-a place I’d rarely have reason to visit.
Amid the crowded streets, a neon sign shaped like a fox’s tail caught my eye.
After double-checking the map, I opened the frosted glass door and stepped inside.
Ding-
“Welcome.”
Inside, the sound of the bell and the bartender’s dandy voice greeted me in turn.
The noisy street faded away, replaced by soft jazz music.
Under stylish, dreamy lighting, the conversations of earlier guests filled the bar.
Just crossing that one door felt like entering another world.
“Please, sit wherever you like.”
“Ah, yes.”
The bartender’s voice snapped me out of my trance.
Looking around, I saw that Mina hadn’t arrived yet.
Well, I did come straight from the office.
I glanced between the bar and the tables, then chose a secluded seat.
“You can order using the screen next to you.”
After sitting down and putting away my bag and coat, the bartender promptly brought a plate of basic snacks and pointed to the order monitor at the table’s corner.
“Thank you.”
After he left, I checked the snacks: crackers, tomato, blueberry cream cheese.
Not bad for a basic plate, though I’d never really been to a place like this before.
Bzzz-
Just as I picked up a cracker, my phone vibrated. Mina had messaged me:
“Senpai, are you here?”
“Yeah, just now.”
(Bear emoji sweating and running)
“I’m almost there.”
“No rush ^^”
Knowing she was almost there, my heart, which had just calmed, started racing again.
Regret for coming, worry I’d mess up, a bit of hope-my head spun with mixed emotions.
And I couldn’t help but think of Rizeta, waiting at home.
Trying to distract myself, I browsed the menu on the monitor.
From the cheapest beer to cocktails and whiskey.
“Oh, Godfather.”
Especially among the cocktails, there were many familiar names, which felt oddly comforting.
Then-
Clink-the bar door opened, and a familiar silhouette walked in.
“Oppa~ Long time~.”
The woman, greeting the bartender like an old friend, had orange eyes that darted around searching.
When I raised my hand, she spotted me and smiled, heading over as the click of unfamiliar heels grew louder.
“Sorry, I’m a bit late, right?”
“This is actually pretty quick. But…”
I trailed off, glancing over Mina’s outfit.
A thin white knit top showing a hint of cleavage, a sky-blue cardigan, and instead of her usual hot pants from work, a black tennis skirt above the knee and low-heeled shoes.
Not drastically different from her usual look, but somehow more mature.
“Senpai~, aren’t you staring a bit too much?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. Didn’t realize.”
At Mina’s teasing, I scratched my head and looked away.
“Well, if it’s you, I don’t mind a little staring. How do I look? Does it suit me?”
She spread her arms and spun slowly, her black skirt fluttering.
“Yeah, it looks good.”
“How exactly does it look good?”
Like at work, she came bare-legged, no stockings.
Not something I could say out loud-unless we were lovers, you’d get handcuffed for that kind of comment.
“It just suits your vibe.”
“Oh, come on. I dressed up and that’s all I get? Hehe. But I guess that’s very you, Senpai.”
Her familiar attitude put me at ease, but my eyes kept drifting to the bag where I’d stashed the condoms.
“Is this spot okay?” Mina asked, now sitting across from me.
She took off her cardigan, revealing the delicate line of her shoulders and arms.
“Yeah, it’s nice. The atmosphere is calm, not too noisy.”
“Right? It’s not far from my place, so I come here sometimes for a drink.”
“Alone?”
“I used to come with others, but these days I come alone.”
She picked up a cracker as she answered.
“Others,” huh. She glossed over it, but it was probably a guy.
With her looks and personality, there’s no way she’s never had a boyfriend.
“It’s been ages since I came here with someone.”
Oddly, that one line made my budding jealousy evaporate.
“Should we order? What do you want to drink?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only ever had canned beer or soju at home-this is my first time somewhere like this.”
“But you know the names, right? Martini, mojito, that sort of thing.”
“I glanced earlier, and most of them sounded familiar.”
“Hehe, I was the same at first. There’s even drinks called ‘Sex on the Beach’ and ‘Orgasm’ here.”
“That’s wild.”
Just from the names, I couldn’t imagine the taste.
Are they so good you could, well, “go” from them?
“I can’t actually drink much, though.”
“Come to think of it, you never could hold your liquor, right?”
“Yeah~. I love drinking, but my body can’t handle it.”
“At the welcome party, I thought you were a heavy drinker. You kept going without stopping.”
“Aah!”
Mina let out a small scream and covered her face.
“I was just starting to forget about that!”
She must’ve remembered something she’d tried to bury.
Back then, the other female employees had a hard time getting her into a taxi.
Even if she doesn’t remember, there are witnesses.
“Ugh. And you’re in no position to talk, Senpai. You’re just as much of a lightweight.”
“I never caused a scene in a restaurant like you.”
“Kyaa! Stop it!”
This is kind of fun.
The girl who always teased me now can’t even look up.
I’ll have to use this again sometime.
“Ugh. So, what’ll you have?”
Feeling good after my little revenge, I crossed my arms and answered,
“You’re the regular here, so I’ll just have whatever you recommend. I’m not picky.”
Even if I get drunk, tomorrow’s the weekend.
Weekend.
In front of that invincible word, there’s no room for hesitation.
“Don’t blame me if you regret it~. Let’s start with a Long Island and a Blue Hawaii…”
Back to her usual energy, Mina deftly ordered drinks and snacks.
We chatted about this and that while waiting for our order.
How long had it been since I’d had a drink with someone like this?
Since moving out, all my drinking had been at group dinners or work events.
Almost no private meetings.
Maybe that’s why?
Even though it was my first time at a place like this, chatting and drinking with Mina made the drinks go down easy.
Before I knew it, there were five or six empty glasses next to me.
Surprisingly, even after all that, I didn’t feel tipsy at all.
“Is this also thanks to 【Brutal】?”
My body had gotten so healthy, I must’ve built up a resistance to alcohol.
Still, the point of drinking is to get a little drunk-this was a bit disappointing.
“Ugh~.”
Mina, meanwhile, had drunk much less but was wobbling like a weeble.
Her face was bright red, her eyes unfocused.
“Mina, are you okay?”
“Yeah? I’m fine~. I’m just happy to be drinking with you, Senpai.”
She was so drunk her tongue kept tripping over her words.
“Stop there. Any more and you’ll be in trouble.”
“Senpai~.”
She didn’t seem to hear me.
“Why?”
“Senpai, why are you so nice to me?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“No, just…”
Mina trailed off, swirling the last sips of her cocktail.
“All the guys I’ve met were perverts who only wanted my body.”
Her language was rougher than usual.
“When we went to bars, they’d always try to get me drunk on strong drinks and put me to sleep. I was so fed up.”
“…So?”
“But you’re not like that, Senpai. I know I was the one who suggested we meet, but I came here kind of prepared for that.”
“Well, that’s…”
What guy wouldn’t expect something when a woman asks to meet alone at a bar?
Still.
“How could I do that to a precious junior?”
“Pfft.”
“Hey… I’m being serious here.”
“Pfft. Sorry, sorry. Haha. Senpai, your body’s gotten manly, but inside you’re still totally naive.”
Mina wiped tears from her eyes as she laughed.
“A pushover and a naïf. Like an old-school romcom protagonist. Though your face is a bit lacking.”
“What did you ever add to me being a pushover and naïve?”
All my worrying just got me teased.
“Senpai, are you mad? Sorry~ I was wrong.”
“Forget it, idiot.”
No need for a forced apology.
“…Still, I don’t dislike you. Guys like you, Senpai, who are pushovers.”
Embarrassed, I downed the rest of my cocktail in one go, but Mina’s muttering lingered in my ears.
It was similar to what she’d said on the rooftop earlier, but this time it hit different.
When I looked up, Mina was gazing at me with a deep look in her eyes.
Her white-manicured fingers traced the rim of her glass in a strangely sensual way.
The jazz music was drowned out by the sound of my pounding heart.
I couldn’t take my eyes off hers.
“You must be really drunk.”
“I’m sober, actually. Hehe.”
A brief silence.
A gaze that felt suffocating.
“Senpai, do you dislike girls like me?”
Her voice was suddenly subdued as she lowered her head.
“You know the rumors about me at work, right?”
“I heard them in passing, by chance.”
People always envy those better than themselves, but the rumors about her were especially widespread among the male staff.
“They say I flirt with guys, that I’m easy.”
Her laugh sounded self-deprecating.
“Do you believe those rumors, Senpai?”
I didn’t know the truth behind the rumors, nor did I care to find out.
I never had any interest in openly slandering others.
“I don’t believe them.”
At least, the Mina I’d come to know wasn’t the shameless person the rumors described.
“Ah…”
Before I realized it, I was holding her hand on the table.
It was an impulsive move, and I reflexively tried to let go.
But this time, Mina held my hand back.
Her hand was as warm as spring sunshine.
“Senpai, will you do me a favor?”
Her orange eyes, damp from drink, trembled.
Her pink lips parted as if searching for the right words.
“Please stay with me tonight.”
I couldn’t let go of Mina’s hand.
