episode_0044

The confidently led seaweed soup restaurant.

“Closed….”

There was no notice even on the Naver reservation, and when I came without worrying about the operating hours, the door was closed.

It was a bolt from the blue.

“Look here. I wonder what happened?”

[Closed due to urgent family matters. We are truly sorry.]

Unavoidable things always happen.

We should understand, what else can we do.

“This is… problematic.”

I wanted to taste the seaweed soup because it was said to be so delicious here.

Our luck, where even a solo birthday party is not allowed.

“Let’s go to the mart.”

“The mart?”

I’ve never properly boiled it before.

I know how to make egg pancakes and ham, and I can make fried rice decently, so it should be fine.

“I’ll try boiling it once. Seaweed soup.”

“… Haven’t we ever properly boiled it before?”

“Well, we haven’t. But we’ve seen it being done.”

“Oh.”

I roughly know the recipe.

Feeling sorry for Professor and his wife who always made it for my birthday, I started helping out from some point.

“Well, I guess. If we roughly recreate it.”

“Is that so?”

It was a conversation typical of a copy artisan.

However, even a copy artisan who seems to be good at everything may not be able to exert his strength when there is a problem with the original data he copied.

“Chaewon, can we eat all of this?”

“I don’t know?”

I bought a lot of seaweed thinking we could eat it for about three days.

After filling the pot with about half of the seaweed and pouring water, I left for a moment, and disaster struck shortly after.

That’s right. Come to think of it, I arrived at Professor’s house one step later than my mom, who always gets up early in the morning.

I’ve seen seaweed already soaked in water.

But I didn’t know how it swells before that.

“Wait, it keeps swelling.”

“Oh….”

The seaweed started oozing out of the pot.

Surprised, Siwoo quickly opened the cupboard and took out another pot.

The problem is, we ran out of pots to put the seaweed in.

Even two pots are too many for a single person’s house.

“This won’t work with just this?!”

“Try pouring out the water.”

“Wait. Oh!”

As I was about to pour out the water, some of the seaweed found its way to the drain.

Wow, seaweed grows in the drain.

It’s not an alien, it’s terrifying.

It’s even more grotesque because it swells slowly.

“Something else. A bowl! Do we have one?”

If we keep pushing the seaweed into the sinkhole, it will be a disaster. The entire small sink might be filled with seaweed.

“Here, quickly transfer it… Wait. What are we looking for?”

“A strainer.”

“We don’t have one.”

“… Oh right. I always meant to buy one but forgot.”

“Every time I tried to buy one, something happened and I couldn’t.”

“Anyway, let’s finish pouring out the water in the pot first!”

Before I knew it, I was busy dividing the seaweed here and there with Siwoo, forgetting completely that he had hurt himself.

“… Sigh.”

“I’m already tired….”

After dividing the green tentacles into the entire sink, the situation was finally resolved.

“It says it can swell up to fifteen times when dried….”

“You should have told me earlier.”

Siwoo looked at me with a resentful look.

It was me who started the cooking confidently and filled the pot with water.

“Uh… Sorry. Hehe.”

I tried to smoothly move past with an awkward smile, but there was nothing to say now that the cooking was ruined.

That’s why knowing things half-heartedly is the scariest thing in the world.

“Well, for now. It seems like the swelling has stopped, so even if there’s a bit of waste, let’s make an empty bowl and try to do something.”

“I’ll help.”

“It’s okay. You rest. Just helping me is enough.”

“You might make a mistake again like last time, so I’m worried. I didn’t know I was such a fool.”

“A fool? It was just because this body wasn’t used to it back then, right?”

“And now, are you used to it?”

“… Not yet.”

“I’ll be by your side. Know that.”

“This isn’t a movie or something…”

Bickering.

Thinking the same way about the same person.

Turning our heads in sync while cooking.

Our hands moving together.

When I felt the need, he was already there.

It felt so comfortable, as if using a doppelganger technique.

“Living together like this isn’t so bad—.”

“Hup.”

“…? What’s wrong? Did something get stuck in your mouth?”

“Ugh.”

I glanced at Siwoo with a raised eyebrow.

Fortunately, he seemed oblivious and just stared blankly.

‘… Living with Min Chaewon seems nice. Yeah.’

Well, it wouldn’t be bad to live together.

Our hands and feet match so well that he would move first without me having to ask when needed.

Even if there are collisions while running, there won’t be any laziness in helping each other.

Jung Siwoo focuses on his work and piano.

I take care of the household chores and support, isn’t it perfect?

Although I walk Strelka and manage NewTube regularly, there’s still some spare time.

‘I should practice the piano regularly… But I don’t need to work as hard as I did three years ago.’

Yeah. This is exactly the newlywed life I wanted with Chaewon.

Waking up to Chaewon’s face in the morning.

Eating breakfast made by Chaewon and going to campus.

Coming back to a dinner prepared by Chaewon…

‘Wait. I’m the one who’s supposed to be doing that.’

What am I imagining?

I should be the one giving, not receiving.

“… Why, why?”

“That jealous guy.”

“Why all of a sudden?!”

When Jung Siwoo ran towards the bed in embarrassment, I followed him, scolding him as he ran away.

“From now on, you do it. I’ll relax.”

“You said you would do it sometimes.”

“Anyway, you do it!”

He made a fuss, but Siwoo just smiled and moved to the kitchen.

He’s going to do it again.

He’s too kind.

Doesn’t he even think about his own pain?

“Stop.”

“What now? I said you do it.”

“No. I’ll do it after all. Just relax.”

“Stop going back and forth. You’re like a girl.”

I admit I’m indecisive.

But saying that being indecisive is like a girl is an outdated idea.

Men can be indecisive too.

It might make me look a bit weak, but still, huh?

“Honestly, wouldn’t it be better for you to look more like Min Chaewon than keep showing your Jung Siwoo side?”

“I never said that.”

“Oh~ Really~?”

I approached Jung Siwoo, who was sitting on the bed, and leaned over.

His hair swayed in front of his face.

“What, what are you doing?”

“Siwoo. Do you… dislike me acting like this?”

I can’t force him to act like Min Chaewon. But he must like this state that’s hard to distinguish from Min Chaewon.

My first love, who used to keep her distance, is now so close.

Wouldn’t he like it when I approach him so defenselessly—.

“Go back to your usual self. It’s uncomfortable.”

With his eyes wide open, Jung Siwoo, like an exorcist warding off evil spirits, stood up straight, showing his unwavering determination not to give in to my teasing.

His resolute will not to fall for my pranks made me burst out laughing.

“Haha. Haha.”

I chuckled as I returned to the kitchen.

It feels reassuring.

‘Even if I make a mistake, nothing dangerous will happen.’

Then. I know Jiung’s patience well.

He’s so gentle that he could be called the last gentleman of this era.

He will never suddenly rush at you, hug you, or go berserk.

‘Just don’t provoke him like a madman.’

As long as you remember that one thing, you’ll never be in danger of being suddenly thrown onto the bed.

***

“Yikes~ The smell of seaweed soup is overpowering.”

Jiung glared at his roommate with a face full of complaints.

“You said you’d come in late today?”

“Yeah. I was planning on it.”

Yoon Jichang lifted a transparent box and leaned in close to me.

“Chaewon asked me to buy a cake. It was just a quick stop at the bakery for a promise or something.”

The look of discontent shifted towards me.

Hey, it’s a birthday party, it’s nice to have more people around.

We sang the birthday song together because we didn’t want to sing it just the two of us.

“But seriously, you two aren’t twins, right? How can your birthdays be the same?”

“What are you talking about?”

“No.”

“…The way you react so quickly is getting more and more fascinating.”

Chaewon couldn’t possibly be Jiung’s twin brother, he’s a year younger.

It would be a disaster if they were identical twins.

Jiung’s favorite person would end up being his family.

“Come on, let’s hurry up and put on the hats.”

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

“Stop reacting the same way just because you’re getting goosebumps. Hurry up.”

I was about to retort about what kind of hat it was, but I held back for fear of saying the same thing.

Glancing at Jiung, his expression was the same as mine.

It seemed like we were both thinking the same thing.

Yoon Jichang, who had put us side by side with caps on, knelt down with a Polaroid camera he had stolen from the house like a professional photographer.

“Come on! Look this way!”

“Wait, the candles aren’t all lit yet.”

“I’ll light this side.”

Two large candles announcing our twentieth birthday.

Chaewon is nineteen, but it doesn’t really matter.

“Okay, kimchi cheese spaghetti~.”

What kind of dreadful combination is that?

Our faces crumpled simultaneously upon hearing it.

Click.

Yoon Jichang pressed the shutter, holding his stomach and rolling on the floor.

“Ah, ahaha… You two looked so funny just now.”

Jiung and I jumped up as if we had made a promise, and playfully slapped Yoon Jichang.

“Oh, Chaewon. Your skirt is showing. It’s white…!”

Oh no. I wasn’t wearing a skirt today.

“Eek!”

I stepped back, clutching my skirt, and Jiung, seeing it, started stomping on Yoon Jichang even more vigorously than before.

“Ow. Hey! Stop! Crazy man, it hurts!”

I had to intervene before someone got hurt, so I pulled Jiung away.

“Whoa, whoa! Jiung! Stop! Freeze!”