episode_0174
by fnovelpia
Whiuuu
As we left the airport, we heard the sound of an airplane taking off above our heads.
The only thing that blocks the sunlight is a single cloud floating leisurely in the sky.
Under the bright sunlight, the dry earthy smell of dry sand passed my nose.
Fortunately, apart from the strong sunlight, it was not that hot. A gentle breeze and the shade of a hat are enough to cool off.
“Let’s go quickly! If you miss the bus, you might have to sleep at the airport!”
“If you follow the timetable, you still have plenty of time, right?”
“Still! What if there are too many people and I can’t ride?”
Jeong Soo-jin, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, grabbed my hand.
The first place we had to go was Sujin Jeong’s father’s house, located between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Due to the nature of the United States, where public transportation is not as densely developed as in Korea, except for the city center, renting a vehicle for transportation was not an option but a necessity.
We boarded the bus safely, got off in downtown LA as planned, and rented a car.
Buzzing~
“Are you sure it’s okay? If I’m nervous, I can just drive.”
I looked anxiously at Sujin Jeong, who was sitting in the passenger seat and holding the steering wheel.
But she shook her head.
“Anyway, once my brother goes back to Korea first, I have to drive alone, right? Rather than trying to get used to it all over again, it’s better to practice while your brother is watching you.”
“… Yes.”
Although I am confident that I will not get even a scratch in an accident, Jeong Soo-jin’s words somehow made me check my seat belt.
Jeong Soo-jin, who carefully started the car, left downtown LA with surprisingly good driving skills.
Although he seemed a little nervous due to the unfamiliar appearance of the street, he drove calmly without panicking or panicking.
As the crowded streets became a little quieter, Jeong Soo-jin sighed with a relaxed expression.
“Phew… Now 1 hour and 30 minutes? It’ll just go that far.”
1 hour and 30 minutes is similar to the time it takes to go from Seoul to Pyeongtaek.
“It’s closer than I thought. I thought it took 2 hours to go anywhere in the US.”
“Because the roads are well paved here. It’s not like there aren’t actually houses like that. And they say that people who live in the city don’t travel that far.”
I nodded, looking at the buildings lined up along the road.
“So how long does it take from your home to San Diego?”
“It will be similar!”
“The house is right in the middle.”
While we were chatting and moving around, the height and density of the buildings around us began to decrease.
The buildings that were so high in the sky that it made my neck hurt when I looked up disappeared, and the gaps between buildings gradually widened.
After driving for about an hour, the surroundings had already turned into an ocher-colored field.
The sight of driving on a two-lane road with the mountains in the distance in the background made us feel like we were in a movie.
“This is a scene that looks like something out of a movie.”
Then Jeong Su-jin, who glanced at the map, said.
“It says that the area right next to it is a protected area. Maybe that’s why it’s underdeveloped.”
“Oh. Can the general public go to see it?”
“Well, I think I heard that there are places that work and places that don’t… Let’s find out when we get home.”
If it were a protected area, I thought I would be able to see plants and animals that cannot be found in Korea.
We moved on while talking about the things we wanted to see, and before we knew it, we had reached our destination.
“It’s here… ”
“It’s a quiet place.”
The place where Su-jin Jeong stopped the car was in front of a single-family home with sparsely planted trees around it.
The house was surrounded by a wall and the only way to enter the yard was through a large iron gate.
She opened the iron gate with the key she had received from her father.
Cheolkeongㅡ
Good profit…
“It looks like it needs some oiling.”
“… … .”
The gate opened with the sound of metal scraping.
The inner yard was overgrown with unidentifiable weeds, creating an almost grassy appearance. It was a landscape that was probably originally a lawn.
Fortunately, the road leading home was paved with flagstones, so it wasn’t impassable.
We passed through the yard, feeling the blades of grass brush against our calves.
“… It’s a good thing you came wearing pants.”
“Sure.”
There was a spacious deck installed in front of the front door.
When Jeong Soo-jin’s father lived here, there was a small table set up on the deck to drink tea, but it didn’t look good anymore because it wasn’t maintained.
‘this… I can somehow imagine the scenery inside the house… ‘
Clap~
As with the front door, Jeong Soo-jin opened the front door with the key she received from her father.
Squeak ㅡ
The door opened with a small sound, revealing a dark interior.
She goes inside and fumbles with the wall to turn on the light. But I couldn’t find the light switch and could only sneeze at the dust blowing in the air.
“Etch! Cough, cluck… ”
“The switch is next to here.”
In the end, I took her outside for a moment and turned on the light.
Blink blink… Pop!
“Wow… ”
The light flickered on, and the sight of the entrance came into view. A scenery that automatically brings out an exclamation from your mouth.
Of course, the exclamation was not meant in a good way.
Sure enough, a quick look around showed that the interior was full of dust and cobwebs.
“I need to look at the living room too.”
“Ugh… ”
Jeong Soo-jin, cowering heavily, came in after me, holding the hem of my shirt.
The living room was not much different.
Although they covered the furniture with cloth to prevent them from getting damaged, there seemed to be no traces of anyone taking care of the house while Su-jin Jeong’s father was deployed to Korea.
Sujin Jeong looked up at me and said.
“… Should I just get a hotel?”
She had planned to stay here for about two months, but she could not hide her tired expression.
I was planning to go see Comic Con in two days, but there was no way I could go out and walk around with peace of mind if my house was in this state.
If we’re going to stay, I think we’ll have to start cleaning today… Considering the size and condition of the house, it didn’t seem like it could be resolved in a day or two.
‘I guess it won’t work.’
In the end, I decided to resolve the situation and told Sujin Jeong.
“Sujin, is there a convenience store or supermarket near here?”
“Yes, it’s probably a 10-minute drive away.”
“Then, would you like to go and buy some food? I’ll roughly organize this here.”
“Oppa, are you okay alone? The condition of the house is a bit… Wouldn’t it be better to just eat at a restaurant today?”
“That’s okay, but I think I need to clean it up as soon as possible so I can sleep here today. Anyway, it would be good to buy breakfast tomorrow in advance ”
Drurruk-tak!
He said as he opened the window for ventilation. The windows were covered with shutters, which appeared to be a measure to prevent theft or break-ins while the house was away for a long time.
‘This is why it was so dark when I first came in.’
Jeong Soo-jin, who was standing still and thinking, nodded.
“Then I’ll come quickly and help you! Is there anything you want to eat?”
“I wish there was a menu with meat in it. It’s okay because there is no food to cover.”
“I understand! You shouldn’t overexert yourself for no reason?”
“Who says what to say… Be careful driving.”
Jeong Soo-jin walked out, letting out a mischievous laugh.
I only started moving when I heard her start the car and drive away from the gate.
First, I ran to the kitchen to check if the water was running.
Fortunately, the faucet turned while making a clicking sound and the water poured out coolly.
Likewise, I went to the bathroom, turned on the water in the bathtub and sink, and took out the Chosu Dongbaekjang from my inventory.
Then, I raised my energy in the dantian, closed my eyes, and concentrated.
Wow~
I could feel the detailed structure of the house as it unfolded. A feeling as if I were observing the structure of the house with my own eyes, touching it with my hands.
It was an advanced use of energy, one of the techniques written in 『Yeonhwaro’s Jagirok』.
Currently, the disadvantage is that you have to concentrate your mind in order to use it, but it was explained that once you get used to it, you will be able to recognize the surrounding space in real time.
‘There’s a basement too? ‘For now, I’ll have to clean it up except there.’
After revealing the entire structure of the house, I tapped the floor lightly while injecting my energy into the Chosu Dongbaekjang.
Tangㅡ
Wow!
And at that signal, the water turned on in the kitchen and bathroom splashed into the air.
The water, like a snake, penetrated every corner of the house and spread out in a carpet-like shape.
Boom~
Wow!!
At the sound of the floor ringing again, the water began to move.
It quickly removes thickly accumulated dust that sticks to walls, ceilings, and floors.
‘Quickly and precisely enough not to seep in… !’
If water seeps into the wooden structure and causes it to grow mold or rot, there would be no such inconvenience.
After washing off the dust for a few minutes, I also used the clean water that was continuously supplied to shake off the dust that had accumulated on the furniture.
Sigh!
Priority cleaning is completed by disposing of all dirty water in the backyard and turning off the water tap.
I raised my power to remove any remaining moisture.
Grumble!
All remaining moisture was evaporated by heating the air, taking care not to catch fire in the house.
Cleaning was easy because there was no household items in the house. If it were an ordinary house, it would probably have been difficult to pay attention to all the little details.
‘If it were an ordinary house, there would be no need to use this skill for cleaning… ‘
At that time, I was in the middle of drying out the house. I heard a car pulling in outside the gate.
I quickly retrieved the gift and pretended to dust off the window frame.
“Ugh… When I open the door, warm air suddenly comes out. Nothing much happened brother… It was… ?”
And Su-jin Jeong, who returned from grocery shopping, looked around with a blank expression on her face.
“What is this…? Did you finish cleaning in that short period of time? How on earth?”
“Luckily, I heard that it was okay because I ventilated and only a little dust came out, right? It seemed like my father took very good care of the house.”
Despite those words, Sujin Jeong tilted her head as if she felt something strange. However, there was no way an ordinary person could guess what happened based on their common sense.
In the end, she had no choice but to be convinced as she looked at the already clean interior with an uneasy look on her face.
“Is that so? It looked very serious earlier… ”
“It probably looked that way because it was dark. Oh, what is that? It looks delicious.”
“Ah, this. Looks delicious, right? It was sold at a store near the supermarket, so I bought it because I thought it would be good to eat it with my brother.”
Fortunately, it worked well for Sujin Jeong to turn the topic to the food she had just purchased. We quickly forgot about cleaning and prepared dinner, evaluating the food she had bought.
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