Ch.102102. A Heart-Stopping Cohabitation

One week later, on moving day.

The packing and moving that started early in the morning finally ended just after lunchtime. After the king-size bed was moved into the master bedroom, the center staff all left, and I was alone in the spacious house.

“Phew.”

My body temperature rises after bustling around with the cleanup. Ah, it’s hot. I wipe the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and look around.

Moving boxes scattered throughout the house. I thought it would be simple since only two people were living together, but once I started packing for the move, there was much more than I expected.

Without going far, just the boxes of my seasonal clothes at my feet exceed four boxes. I left behind clothes that seemed too out of fashion to wear at my parents’ house, and it’s still this much.

If I, a man, have this much, what about Hwa Nabi who’s a woman? I’m not joking, without exaggeration, there were ten boxes just for her clothes.

“She’s not even a fashion model…”

I wonder if they’ll all fit in the walk-in closet storage. Muttering complaints, I crouched down. The outside of the box was marked “Winter Clothes” in permanent marker.

When I slightly opened the packaging with a box cutter, it was full of thick women’s outerwear. Since these seem to be clothes she’ll wear soon, it would be better to put them in the walk-in closet. With that thought, I picked up the box and stood up.

-Beep beep.

Just then, I heard the sound of someone pressing the doorlock keypad outside, and the front door opened with a clatter.

“Siwoo, I’m back!”

A familiar high-pitched voice. Holding the box, I turned my head toward the entrance. She seems to have returned already, even though it hasn’t been twenty minutes since she said she’d go grocery shopping.

“Oh, you’re back already?”

“There weren’t many people at the supermarket since it’s a weekday. Ah, thank you.”

I put the box down again, approached her, and took the bag she was holding. The plastic bag with the large supermarket’s brand logo was full of groceries.

“Didn’t you buy too much?”

“I only chose items with long shelf lives, so we can cook them slowly. Whew, it’s hot.”

I opened the refrigerator door and filled it with groceries, while she fanned her reddened cheeks and walked to the kitchen table.

“Siwoo, is this drink yours?”

“Yeah, but I’ve already drunk from it. I’ll get you another…”

I was about to take out a drink from the refrigerator’s home bar when I stopped abruptly. Perhaps because she was quite hot, Hwa Nabi emptied the can without even listening to the end of my sentence.

It’s like an indirect kiss in a way… but after everything we’ve already done, why worry about something like this now?

“Ah, that’s refreshing. Siwoo, this drink is really delicious?”

“Should I buy a few more later?”

It’s something I used to drink a lot during late-night study sessions in school, so I bought it out of nostalgia. She seems to like it quite a bit. I continued organizing the refrigerator while answering casually.

But then, suddenly I heard a low laugh from behind me.

“Is it because you drank from it? …Yap.”

Hwa Nabi, who had already taken off her outer clothes, clung to me. Then, with her arms wrapped around my waist, she gradually applied pressure, pushing her chest area against me….

“Nabi? I’m in the middle of organizing the refrigerator.”

Her playful skinship. Normally I would have happily reciprocated, but the situation is a bit different now. Groceries need to be put away quickly to maintain freshness.

“Hmm, is that more important to you than me?”

“…Of course not, but leaving the refrigerator door open for too long will increase the electricity bill.”

“Tch, fine.”

When I calmly reasoned with her, she grumbled but obediently let go. Looking at her like this, she’s not just a child. But her actions are so lovable that the gap is cute.

“Nabi, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Something I want to eat? Hmm, there are a few things… why do you ask?”

At my question, Hwa Nabi seemed to think for a moment, then tilted her head looking at me. I tapped the refrigerator and answered.

“We have plenty of ingredients, so I thought I’d try cooking something after a while.”

“Oh, really? You’re going to cook yourself?”

Hwa Nabi brightened at the word “cooking.” When we first met, she seemed quite skeptical of my cooking skills. But after tasting my homemade dishes a few times, her attitude completely changed.

“Yeah, we haven’t had lunch yet because of the move. Are you hungry?”

“Yes, I’m hungry. Are you going to fill me up?”

“……”

Technically she’s not wrong, but… does she have to phrase everything this way?

Hwa Nabi sometimes says things in a way that’s perfect for misunderstanding, and every time she does this, my heart sinks.

While I hesitated to answer, mumbling with my lips, Hwa Nabi looked up at me with innocent eyes as if she didn’t understand anything.

“…Pfft.”

It seems like she said it without any ulterior motive, and it’s a bit strange for me to assign a different meaning to it. Finding my own imagination amusing, I chuckled.

“Huh, why are you laughing?”

“…It’s nothing. So, what should I make for you? Noodles? Or something sweet?”

“Hmm, I want both… what should I do in this case?”

“Then how about combining them, making sweet noodles?”

“Yes, that sounds good. Will you make that for me?”

Normally, noodles would be the main dish and sweet food would be dessert. Is this a typical Hwa Nabi answer? Smirking again, I opened the refrigerator door.

“Okay, got it. Just relax and wait.”

“Can I watch you cook?”

“Watch? I don’t mind, but watch from a distance. Oil might splatter.”

“Okay.”

***

After the meal, having cleaned my plate of his homemade cooking, I burst out with sincere admiration.

“Wow… really, Siwoo’s cooking always tastes so good. How are you so good at cooking?”

To be honest, he seemed to cook even better than me, to the point where I felt a bit jealous. He was cleaning up the kitchen when he paused to think before answering.

“Well, isn’t this something anyone can do?”

“……”

That’s not something someone who whips up Napolitan pasta at home should say… but he seemed to genuinely think and speak that way, so I was at a loss for words.

Instead, I cleaned up my place and approached him.

“I’ll do the dishes. Go sit down for a bit.”

“No, there aren’t many dishes. I’ll just finish up.”

“No, stay still. Siwoo, you worked hard cooking, didn’t you?”

When I insisted strongly, he gave a wry smile as if he had no choice.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then.”

──And after a short while, the dishes were done. After a quick tooth brushing, I entered the bedroom and immediately threw myself onto the bed.

“Ahhhh….”

The new bed undulates up and down, welcoming my body. The sensation was so good that it felt like my whole body was melting, and I unconsciously let out a strange moan. He, standing at the doorway, smiled slightly.

“Do you like the bed that much?”

“Siwoo, come lie down too. The feeling is really nice.”

“A bed is just a bed.”

Despite his words, he didn’t seem to actually dislike the idea, as he approached the bed and sat down with a thud. Then, while checking my reaction, he pressed the bedspread firmly and tilted his head, making a comment.

“Oh, this does seem better than the bed I used to use….”

“Right? Do you know how much this bed costs?”

“Come to think of it, I didn’t ask about the price. How much was this bed? Judging by the feel, it seems quite expensive.”

“This? It wasn’t that much. About… 7 million won, I think?”

“Hmm, 7 million won? That’s more expensive than I thought… Wait, how much did you say this bed was?”

He mumbled with a blank face, then widened his eyes in surprise.

“I said 7 million won… why are you suddenly asking?”

“No, how can a bed cost 7 million won? Did you mean to say 700,000 won?”

“Why are you acting like this when you should know better? Beds these days all cost about this much, don’t you know?”

“…I didn’t know that.”

The fact that the bed cost 7 million won seemed to shock him, as he muttered in a disgruntled voice. I grabbed his waist, wrapped my arms around him, and pulled him slightly to lie down on the bed.

“Come on, don’t worry about such trivial things. Just lie down and try it.”

“Hmm….”

At that, he reluctantly put his back on the bed. I lay on my stomach on the bed, propped my elbows up to make a flower cup, rested my chin on it, and looked down at him.

“How is it? Feels good, right?”

“Yeah, it’s definitely… soft.”

As he muttered that, his gaze was directed not at the bed, but at my face.

Yet he pretended otherwise, seemingly trying not to get caught… but women are naturally sensitive to men’s gazes, so I could tell.

Come to think of it, he has a tendency to be dishonest at times. We’ve already done this and that, so if he wants to look, he should just look.

“By the way, Siwoo. Do you know something?”

“Oh, um… what?”

To him, still distracted by my lips, I whispered softly.

“From today on, you and I have to sleep in the same bed every day.”

“……”

He, who had been answering promptly until now, couldn’t immediately respond to this question.

Taking a sharp breath at my words, he looked at random places while moving his lips, then tried to act nonchalant as he finally managed to respond.

“Y-yeah, I guess so….”

“Oh, Siwoo. Your face is red.”

“…What are you talking about? It’s not red.”

“No, it’s completely red.”

“I’m telling you it’s not….”

Perhaps embarrassed that his face had turned red, he covered his lower face with his arm and gradually avoided my gaze.

Ah… really. Unlike his fierce appearance, isn’t it a kind of cheating to show such a cute side? I sometimes think that he might be doing this on purpose, as he often shows such adorable reactions.

“Oh right, Siwoo. Is there anything you’d like to receive?”

“Something I’d like to receive… hmm, why do you ask so suddenly?”

“Since you treated me today, I want to repay you?”

“I just cooked for you once, there’s no need for repayment. I did it because I wanted to do it for you. You don’t need to repay me.”

“Hmm, no. If something goes, something should come back.”

I jumped up from the bed. He tried to get up to follow me, but I stopped him.

“Oh, and Siwoo, you absolutely must not come out of the room until I say it’s okay. Got it?”

“…What are you planning to do?”

He seemed very curious. But if I tell him now, it won’t be a surprise gift, right? So I raised my index finger and gently blocked his lips.

“Just wait a moment. I’ll surprise you.”