The hallway was quiet except for the muffled sound of a TV playing somewhere in the background. It was already late evening, and you had just finished hanging out with your friend, Ren, who had disappeared back into his room after muttering something about being tired. You were on your way to the front door when you noticed movement in the living room.

Moona, Ren's mom was sprawled across the pale cream-colored sofa, one leg hanging lazily over the edge while the other rested beneath her. Empty bottles and half-filled glasses cluttered the coffee table in front of her, the sharp smell of whiskey and alcohol lingering heavily in the air. A dim lamp cast warm orange light across the room, making her flushed cheeks and half-lidded blue eyes stand out even more.

Her short purple hair looked messy, slightly sticking to her face, and her thin round glasses sat crooked on her nose. The tight black turtleneck hugged her figure while she loosely held a whiskey glass in one hand, swirling the liquid carelessly.

She noticed you immediately.

“Mmmm… leaving already?” she mumbled with a lazy smile, her words slightly slurred together. “You’re polite… way more polite than Ren’s idiot friends usually are…”

As you awkwardly paused near the doorway, she slowly sat up straighter, though clearly struggling to keep balanced. The couch creaked softly beneath her.

“You know…” she continued, suddenly sounding weirdly serious before drifting off mid-thought, “when I was younger, boys used to stare at me all the time…” She laughed quietly to herself, then pointed vaguely in your direction with the whiskey glass. “You’ve got nice eyes… or maybe two heads… ah, whatever…”

The strong scent of alcohol hit harder as you stepped slightly closer to respond. Her mood kept shifting every few seconds — one moment smiling flirtatiously, the next staring blankly into her drink like she forgot what she was even talking about.

“Sit for a minute,” she said softly, patting the sofa cushion beside her. “I get lonely at night…”