Ch.1515. Under One Roof

In front of Hwa Nabi’s apartment door.

“It’s here.”

The unit number on the nameplate was 1301. After committing those four digits to memory, I turned around to avert my gaze. It’s always uncomfortable when someone watches you unlock your door.

“Oh, I got a call. Just a moment.”

“Take your time.”

Even with my back turned, I felt strangely anxious. The reason was obvious—I’d never been to a girl’s apartment before. I’d invited male friends to my place before, but being invited to a girl’s apartment who lived alone was a first.

…When I put it that way, it sounds like I have impure motives. Of course I don’t have any indecent intentions, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

There’s something about the phrase “a girl’s apartment” that has a magical power to stir a man’s heart.

“…What am I saying?”

Even though I was the one who said it, I realized how ridiculous it sounded. I guess I really was nervous. I was in the middle of reflecting on my corrupted thoughts when—

“Sorry about that. It was my parents.”

Hwa Nabi, who had been talking on the phone a short distance away, approached me. She must have finished her call. When she spoke from behind me, I reflexively turned around.

But at that moment—click, click, click.

As if timed perfectly with my turning, Hwa Nabi quickly worked her fingers to unlock her door. She did it right in front of me without any concern.

“Is it okay to show your password to someone else like that?”

I asked Hwa Nabi, momentarily dumbfounded.

Her response was even more outrageous.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you know it, right?”

“…Excuse me?”

“It’s not like you’re going to do anything weird.”

That’s true, but I still thought it was excessive trust. It wasn’t the kind of faith you’d show someone you’d only met a few days ago.

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to be careful?”

“Careful about what?”

“I mean, you shouldn’t share personal information like that with others.”

“Are we really ‘others’?”

“Others… I guess not.”

“Then it’s fine.”

With just those words, Hwa Nabi went inside through the open door. Following her, I stepped into someone else’s entryway with a strangely pounding heart.

“…Excuse me for intruding.”

“Why are you greeting when no one’s here?”

Ignoring her distant rebuke, I took off my shoes and looked around the apartment.

The first things that caught my eye were the spacious living room and light-colored furniture. The interior seemed to follow the owner’s personality—vibrant and lively everywhere.

“Siwoo, I’ll take a shower first and come out.”

“Huh? Why?”

“What do you mean why? We got soaked in the rain today, so of course I need to shower.”

Ah, right. Her words somehow sounded suggestive, and I momentarily misunderstood.

I nodded in response, and Hwa Nabi, looking at me like I was strange, gathered some items in her arms and went into the bathroom.

From what I glimpsed, they looked like toiletries. As someone whose skincare routine ended with soap and lotion, it was a sight beyond my understanding.

“Wait in the living room for a bit. I’ll be out soon.”

“Okay.”

With her silhouette visible through the bathroom door, her voice sounded strangely indecent. I took a deep breath, gave a short reply, and went to the living room.

In front of the spacious sofa was a low table, and beyond that hung a wall-mounted TV. The furniture arrangement was perfect for watching variety shows while eating. I know because my own apartment is set up the same way.

“Sigh.”

She said she’d be quick, but being a girl, it would probably take at least thirty minutes. I sat down and unpacked my bag first. My shirt and pants would dry eventually. The contents of my bag were more important.

Inside was a notebook with all my future schedules written down. I carried it in my bag in case someone might see it, but now I wish I’d just hidden it on my bookshelf at home.

I opened the snap on my bag and checked inside. The outside was soaked with rain, which made me nervous, but fortunately, the inside was completely dry and clean.

Expensive bags really are worth their price, I guess.

But is it actually expensive? I’m sure it is. I don’t know much about luxury brands, and since I didn’t buy it myself, I can’t be certain, but I doubt Han Siwoo would carry something cheap. The guy uses a wallet that costs more than two months of my salary, despite being just a student.

As I was lost in these thoughts, I suddenly felt uncomfortable in my rain-soaked school uniform shirt.

Since I couldn’t just strip in someone else’s home, I compromised by unbuttoning the top two buttons. That felt a bit better.

…Though not really.

“I wonder when she’ll come out.”

In the end, without a shower, there was no way to get rid of this clammy feeling. Just as I muttered that—

Click. The bathroom door opened. Hwa Nabi emerged from the bathroom, having only just gone in. She came to the living room while drying her hair with a long towel.

“Siwoo, you can use the bathroom now.”

“Oh, why did you come out so quickly?”

“I told you I’d be quick, didn’t I? Didn’t you hear me?”

I did hear her. I just didn’t expect her to actually be this fast.

Hwa Nabi had already changed her clothes in that short time, now wearing a simple t-shirt and what looked like sleep pants—a casual outfit.

“No, it’s fine. Can I go in now?”

“Yes. You’ll find towels in the bathroom cabinet.”

She preemptively answered what I was about to ask. With “towels in the bathroom cabinet” etched in my mind, I got up. As I passed by Hwa Nabi on my way to the bathroom—

“Ah, Siwoo. Wait a moment.”

Hwa Nabi stopped me with her words. I turned around wondering what was up, and she said something strange with a calm face.

“Leave your clothes here before you go in.”

“…Leave what? What are you asking me to do?”

“Your clothes. Leave them here before you go in.”

Seeing my suspicious look, Hwa Nabi smiled slightly and added:

“Don’t get any strange ideas. I’m going to dry them for you.”

“Ah. Right…”

What I was thinking in my mind is too embarrassing to say. I followed Hwa Nabi’s instructions.

Of course, I didn’t undress in front of her—I left my clothes outside the door before entering the bathroom.

“…Good thing I bought underwear in advance.”

Otherwise, I would have had to reveal what color underwear I was wearing to a girl from my class.

With a sigh of relief, I placed the underwear I’d secretly brought on the shelf and started showering.

“Phew.”

The essential shower ritual of zoning out under the water was skipped today. This wasn’t my home, and taking a long shower in someone else’s place would be inconsiderate.

With lightning speed, I washed my hair, soaped up, and rinsed off the bubbles. The whole process took about five minutes by my estimation.

Considering it usually takes me over twenty minutes, this was truly remarkable progress.

After finishing the shower, I dried my wet hair and body with a towel. After changing into my underwear and coming out, I found a familiar object placed in front of the bathroom.

“Oh.”

It wasn’t there when I went in, but now a hair dryer was plugged in at my feet. Though she hadn’t said anything, she must have meant for me to use it. Impressed by Hwa Nabi’s thoughtfulness, I let out a small exclamation and finished drying my hair.

Click. When I turned off the noisy hair dryer, a voice came from the living room.

“Siwoo, are you done showering?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll leave your clothes right here.”

I was uncomfortable going out in just my underwear, so her consideration was touching. As she said, I stepped forward a bit and grabbed my shirt and pants. I didn’t need my jacket indoors, and since I hadn’t left my underwear out, there was none.

After getting dressed, I finally looked presentable again.

“Sorry. Did you wait long?”

“No. You came out quickly. I didn’t wait long.”

“I see, but how did you dry the clothes so fast?”

It was an abrupt question, but I was genuinely curious. Ten minutes was far too short to wash clothes and run them through a dryer, yet my shirt and pants were almost completely dry and fluffy.

“Oh, that? I put the clothes in a dry cleaning bag and used the hair dryer. It dries super fast that way.”

“Wow… that’s impressive.”

It was pure admiration, not sarcasm. Despite her somewhat scatterbrained image, she seemed quite capable when it came to household matters.

Acting as if it was nothing special, Hwa Nabi shrugged her shoulders. I sat down on the sofa next to her, keeping some distance between us.

The sofa was wide and soft, which was nice.

Now what do we do?

“So what should we do now?”

I was startled. For a moment, I thought she had read my mind. Surprised, I responded curtly.

“What do you mean? You asked me to help you study. So we should study.”

“…Ah, right.”

“What? ‘Ah, right’?”

“Huh? When did I say that?”

The way she pretended not to know and avoided my gaze was quite cute. But I wasn’t going to let it slide.

A high school student at Chungha Highschool not knowing logarithmic functions? That’s unheard of. That was partly why I offered to help her study.

A high school student not knowing logarithmic functions is impossible by my standards. And if I left her like this, she’d be in big trouble. Forget college—she’d be lucky not to repeat a year.

I got off the sofa and sat at the low table. Then I tapped the spot across from me.

“Student. Come sit here.”

“Student? Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to? Is there someone else here?”

When I spoke sternly, she sat down hesitantly. I asked Hwa Nabi, who was watching me nervously, in a soft voice:

“Well, student? Can you explain how to graph logarithmic functions?”

“…Is that voice really appropriate right now?”

“What’s wrong with my voice?”

“You should try ASMR YouTube sometime. I think you’d be a hit.”

With her lips pursed as she spoke, I couldn’t tell if it was sarcasm or a compliment.

“Don’t change the subject. Be honest. You don’t know, right?”

“…Yesh.”

“Answer loudly.”

“Yes. I don’t know. Happy now?”

Her boldness left me momentarily speechless. How could there be such a brazen student?

If my high school teachers had seen Hwa Nabi, they would have been absolutely flabbergasted.

“…Fine. At least your voice is loud and clear. Do you have any workbooks you’ve been using at home?”

“I might have some if I look. But why?”

Why? To check your level, of course. What people don’t realize is that when studying from scratch, you don’t just dive in blindly. That would just waste time.

As the saying goes, “more haste, less speed.” Like a doctor prescribing medicine to a patient, you need a delicate and systematic approach. Take it from someone who’s been tutoring throughout college.

“Why do you think?”

“…You’re not asking me to go get them, are you?”

“What, too lazy to look by yourself? Want me to help you search?”

“No, no. Just wait there. I’ll find them quickly.”

“Okay.”

Less than a minute later, Hwa Nabi returned with a workbook.

The cover of the workbook was, as I expected, immaculately clean. If you put the plastic wrap back on, you could pass it off as new.

“You’ve never worked on this, have you?”

“No, I’ve been busy with various things lately.”

How busy could a high school student be, especially without evening self-study sessions? It was an absurd excuse, but I let it slide. Pointing it out would only waste my breath.

I opened the workbook to the first page. I thought it would be better to explain while solving problems directly, showing through action rather than words. But at that moment, I heard a yawn.

“Now, look here. This part is—”

“Yaaawn.”

I froze mid-sentence. Like a poorly oiled robot, I creakily lifted my head to look at Hwa Nabi across from me.

“…Oh my.”

Knowing she’d done something wrong, she awkwardly avoided my gaze.

After watching her silently for a moment, I spoke:

“Don’t expect to get much studying done today.”

For some reason, Hwa Nabi blushed.