Everyone has their limits when it comes to stomach capacity, and I'm no different.
After eating four pieces of chicken, I get full and find it difficult to eat more.
Though lately my capacity has increased a bit, so I might be able to eat up to five pieces. But as Gabi said, the amount I can truly enjoy is inevitably less than that.
The feeling of fullness is generally pleasant, but sometimes it can be a hindrance to enjoying food.
So four pieces of chicken.
That's what I've determined to be my appropriate portion size.
Each piece has a different ratio of bone to meat and varies in size.
There might be slight variations in quantity, but when your stomach gets too bloated, that becomes uncomfortable in its own way.
But drinks are different.
Whether it's meat or rice, those things leave you feeling stuffed until they're digested.
Liquids don't stay in your stomach for nearly as long.
It's not for nothing that people drink porridge or electrolyte drinks when they have digestion problems.
So while Gabi and Jaemin were eating chicken,
I, having already satisfied my portion, sipped on alcohol.
As a result, I emptied my glass faster than the two of them, and Jaemin kept refilling it.
I couldn't just sit there doing nothing.
While the two of them ate chicken, I matched their pace by taking sips.
That vicious cycle naturally led to me drinking more than both of them.
Ah, it's not really bad, so "vicious cycle" isn't the right term.
The mood is good anyway, right? Let's have another glass.
"Noel, aren't you drinking too quickly? Should we create some breaks for you?"
While pouring me more drinks, Jaemin expressed her concern.
"Come on, what breaks? I'm fine. I'm good at controlling my alcohol. I know exactly when to stop if it gets too much for me."
I know my limit.
Or more precisely, I know the feeling of being drunk.
When I feel appropriately tipsy, I can stop drinking on my own.
"Noel, stopping when it gets too much isn't really self-control, is it? Isn't that just passing out and being unable to drink more?"
Ah, that's Gabi for you.
No matter how close we are, facts are facts.
But my position is firm.
I'm not drunk yet, and there's no way to prove that I am.
"Ah, there's a specific feeling. You know, that moment when you realize drinking more would be too much. And I don't particularly enjoy feeling drunk anyway... There's an objective way to test it too. They use it sometimes for DUI checks. Walking straight along a line with your arms outstretched. Oh, but I can't do that since I only have one foot. Hehe."
"..."
I said it jokingly, but neither Gabi nor Jaemin responded.
Hmm, was it not a funny joke?
"Anyway, you don't need to worry too much about that. Vodka doesn't have acet... what was it? That thing that causes hangovers. Anyway, vodka doesn't have it, so it's fine."
"Well, I guess we don't need to worry too much since we're at your place. But when you drink outside, don't drink like this. Got it?"
"What am I, a child? I can control myself when drinking outside too. When others down their drinks in one go, I just take small sips. Oh, was that something I shouldn't say because it sounds like I'm being sneaky...?"
"You know it well. Noel, weren't you known as the 'snack thief' in your department?"
I hadn't actually been to many drinking gatherings, but this strange nickname was new to me, so I just blinked in response.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
While others filled their stomachs with alcohol, I filled mine with food instead.
So maybe I was a snack thief, as Gabi said.
I don't know if it was an existing joke or something Gabi came up with, but it was funny either way.
Thanks to that, I could even laugh out loud.
"Hahaha, a snack thief, they say. Was I? Am I being punished for it now? Not being able to eat much snacks and having to drink a lot instead."
"Ah... I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry."
But what's this?
She makes a joke, but when I try to joke back, the atmosphere turns awkward.
Of course, Gabi might have felt I was forcing myself to be cheerful because she knows about my past.
But I'm genuinely having fun.
My disability, my situation—honestly, I think they've become things I can joke about without any issue.
So I grabbed Gabi's hand as she sat next to me,
looked into her eyes seriously, and said:
"Gabi, let me be honest. I'm really not bothered at all. I've gotten used to not having one foot. I get around comfortably in my wheelchair when I'm outside. So you don't need to be careful about these things every time. I even joke about it with my viewers."
"But still..."
Seems like I hit the mark.
Gabi was apparently struggling with this aspect.
Thinking about it, it must have been hard for them not to be conscious of it.
They walk while I move in a wheelchair.
It was the same at the beach.
They deliberately matched their pace to mine as I walked slowly with crutches.
There were probably many other considerations I didn't notice.
I felt newly grateful for those small gestures.
But I don't want them to become exhausted from being too considerate of me.
So I continued, still holding Gabi's hand:
"I'm so grateful for how attentive you and Jaemin are. But I don't want you to be too conscious and tired when dealing with me because of that. Just now, the mood got weird because you were filtering what you say."
"Still, we should be careful with our words. No matter how innocent the intention, how can we know if a casually thrown remark might hurt someone?"
"That could be true. I also tend to think before speaking, and you might have been hurt by something I said thoughtlessly. But if there's no malicious intent, I'm fine with it. Even if you tease me saying 'Gabi, you've gained weight,' I'm okay with that."
I think she understood well enough by now.
Of course, there are boundaries even among friends.
But being extremely cautious all the time isn't necessarily healthy.
Now that I've said it, they should both understand.
So I let go of Gabi's hand and was about to drink my vodka mixed with strawberry milk, but Gabi didn't let go of my hand.
I looked up, wondering what was wrong, and Gabi asked me in a serious voice:
"...Noel. Have I gained weight?"
Ah. I just used it as an example for a joke.
But it seemed to be a serious complex for Gabi.
So I answered honestly:
"Hmm? No, I was talking about the past, not now. Even then, it's hard to say you were really overweight, but you were under a lot of stress. That's why I remember it."
She's prettier now that she's lost the baby fat, but back then, Gabi had her own kind of cuteness.
"Heh. They say everyone gains weight during exam preparation. You're stressed from studying with nowhere to release it, sitting all day—it's inevitable."
Jaemin tried to comfort Gabi in her own way.
But that seemed to irritate Gabi a bit.
Maybe she found it difficult to accept the idea that she had gained weight.
Perhaps that's why, despite her smile, there was a strangely menacing tone in Gabi's voice:
"Hahaha. Jaemin, you talk like it's someone else's story. Didn't you gain weight?"
"Hehe, I've never gained weight."
"Really? What's your secret?"
Thanks to Jaemin's blatant boasting, Gabi immediately looked at her with envious eyes, trying to extract her secret.
"First, you need to get plenty of sleep. And I play games for 10 hours a day, but I make sure to stretch in between. Especially muscles you don't normally use. That way, your posture doesn't get twisted when sitting for games, and you can play longer."
"Huh? You slept that much even during your senior year?"
"Yes. I didn't study. It didn't suit me."
"Oh."
So Jaemin takes care of herself like that.
Stretching—it might not be a bad idea.
Actually, it seemed like a really good method.
Stretching your arms and legs while waiting for a match might provide a bit of exercise.
It would be unreasonable to expect muscle growth from that alone, but loosening up the joints could be beneficial in the long run, especially for someone like me preparing to be a professional gamer.
It was quite helpful advice for me, but maybe not for Gabi.
Gabi's expression looked a bit dissatisfied.
Probably because it wasn't an easy way to avoid gaining weight.
"Gabi, you're pretty even without losing weight."
"Really? Then which is better, now or when I was heavier?"
"Well..."
I took a moment to look at Gabi.
Gentle eyes, a straight nose bridge, and an oval face.
Now she had a face that anyone would call beautiful, but in her senior year of high school, she was just cute.
Objectively speaking, she's prettier now, but that doesn't mean her previous appearance was lacking.
That wasn't the case at all.
...Maybe I'm just being very subjective because I like Gabi.
Still, emboldened by the alcohol, I spoke honestly:
"Either way, you're always beautiful to me. But gaining weight increases the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, and other complications, so it's better to maintain a certain level of weight management..."
"I've never been that overweight! You're suddenly slandering me!"
"Hahaha."
Just as I said earlier, with a bit of harmless joking mixed in.
Like when I was a man, Gabi hugged me tightly and playfully pretended to strangle me with her arm.
Since she wasn't actually trying to hurt me, just playing around,
I wasn't suffocating, but being shaken while drunk made me feel a bit disoriented.
Maybe because Gabi had been drinking too, I could smell the alcohol beneath the sweet cocktail scent.
And being in her embrace, I could detect her natural body scent that couldn't be masked.
I thought I had forgotten it with the chicken and cocktails.
But because of that, I truly felt dizzy.