Ch.9999. There Are No Houses That Are Cheap and Good

The next day.

In the chilly air of mid-February morning, I was looking at my phone at a quiet meeting place.

The station near the university district should normally be bustling with people on weekends, but it was still vacation period, so there weren’t many people around.

[8:59 AM]

“She should be coming soon…”

If nothing else, she’s someone who strictly keeps her appointments, so she’ll probably arrive soon.

While I was idly analyzing why there weren’t many people around, I heard hurried footsteps in the distance, and Hwa Nabi, my date, appeared beyond the ticket gate.

Her outfit was a white oversized sweater with blue jeans. It looked casually put together, yet perfectly showcased her charm.

“Phew, Siwoo. I’m sorry, getting ready took longer than I thought… Did you wait long?”

When Hwa Nabi finally approached me, her breathing was quite rough. She must have run all the way here.

“Huh? No, I just got here too. But Nabi, did you run all the way here?”

“Ah, yes. I thought I might be late, so I ran as soon as I got off, but thankfully I wasn’t late.”

Seeing her bright smile as she said that made me feel guilty for watching. She could have come at a leisurely pace since being late by a minute or two wouldn’t even count as tardiness.

“Really? I thought you looked out of breath. But next time, just walk slowly. You might fall and hurt yourself if you run.”

I casually reached out and took her hand, and she seemed a bit shy before nodding.

“Yes, I understand. I will.”

“Well, shall we go?”

As we walked naturally with our fingers intertwined, I attempted some casual conversation.

‘Did you eat breakfast before coming, your outfit suits you. Your hair looks pretty, you smell especially nice today…’

“…”

It seems most of my comments were compliments for Hwa Nabi, but she seemed to secretly enjoy them, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

Anyway, while we were exchanging conversation, she suddenly brought up today’s main topic while gently tickling the back of my hand.

“Oh, right. Siwoo. About the apartment we’re going to live in together.”

‘The apartment we’re going to live in together.’ Though it’s no longer just passing conversation but an approaching reality, I still couldn’t believe it.

After all, the very idea of living in an apartment with someone was unfamiliar to me. Of course, I had been living at home for the past three years, but that obviously doesn’t count.

And to think that my first roomshare experience would be with Hwa Nabi, my girlfriend and fiancée. I really wondered if this was okay.

“…”

It’s a belated sentiment, but this really has become an absurd situation. Even thinking about it now, I don’t know how it came to this.

I think it started with me contemplating whether to live alone or not. As the conversation progressed, me living alone became a foregone conclusion.

And to top it all off, now we’re holding hands and wondering where to live together… It’s enough to give one a sense of how times have changed.

No, is “how times have changed” the right expression? Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m trying to act like it’s nothing, like it’s no big deal, but the truth is I’m quite nervous inside.

“…Siwoo?”

Hwa Nabi looked at me strangely as I licked my lips with my tongue, feeling my mouth go dry.

Hmm, I should come to my senses before any misunderstandings arise. I gradually returned to my senses and lightly responded.

“Oh, yes. Right, what about the apartment?”

“Well, it’s nothing else but the size of the place. I was wondering how big it should be.”

“The size… ah.”

After trailing off briefly, I realized.

Come to think of it, besides deciding to live together, nothing else has been determined, right?

Even today’s plan to look for a place was only decided yesterday, so details like the size of the apartment or the monthly rent hadn’t been agreed upon.

I stalled for a moment, thinking, then gave a reasonable answer.

“Well… it’s not like we’re going to stay there for long, and there’s just the two of us. I don’t think we need that big of a place, do we?”

“What? Why won’t we stay there long?”

“Why, you ask? We’re not going to keep living there after graduating from university, right? When we get jobs, we’ll naturally have to move. And since I’m a man, there’s also the military service issue…”

Since it came up, I should mention that my family is wealthy and my parents have connections. So getting out of military service would probably be no big deal.

But I didn’t want to do that. There’s no grand reason; I just wouldn’t feel right about myself if I didn’t go when everyone else does.

Well, someone who doesn’t know the situation might think I’m crazy. But that’s at least how I feel. Of course, from Hwa Nabi’s perspective, it means asking her to wait for a year and a half, and I know that’s a lot to ask… but still.

“…Ah, military service. Right, men have that issue too.”

Perhaps because of the military service topic that came up, Hwa Nabi’s expression darkened significantly. If someone saw us, they might think she was the one who had to enlist, not me.

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

“Yes, I see. Military service, military service…”

After repeatedly muttering the words “military service” and furrowing her brow in contemplation,

She suddenly snapped her fingers with a click and said:

“Okay, I got it. We should definitely get a big place.”

“…Huh? What did you say?”

Wasn’t Hwa Nabi just agreeing with me? Why is her conclusion like this? I opened my eyes wide at her incomprehensible statement.

If I’m away, a spacious place would only feel lonely. Though she has such a lively personality that it doesn’t show much, the truth is that Hwa Nabi already subtly shows signs of getting lonely.

“What, didn’t you hear me? The place we’re going to live in together. I said I think a big one would be better.”

“That’s not what I meant. Why do we need a big place? Like I said earlier, since we won’t be living there long, having a big place would be unnecessary…”

“No, forget it. Siwoo? From now on, I’ll take care of finding a place, so you just follow me around.”

“Huh? Wait, but we’re splitting the rent, right? So why are you doing this alone?”

“Then I’ll pay for all of it. No complaints now, right?”

Hwa Nabi squeezed my hand firmly and spoke forcefully, as if refusing any further objection. When she’s like this, I have nothing more to say.

“Uh, um… okay. I understand.”

So in the end, I nodded in agreement without thinking.

*

Moving to a new location, a real estate office near the station.

A middle-aged man with a severely balding crown, the owner of the real estate agency, brought two cups of coffee to us sitting on the sofa.

“So, students. You came to look for a place near campus?”

The broker sat down across from us with a thud and got to the point. He had a seemingly friendly smile, but used subtly informal speech. He probably adopted this attitude after seeing how young we looked…

“…”

Just as I was about to taste the coffee, feeling slightly annoyed, Hwa Nabi smiled slightly and crossed her legs elegantly.

“Yes, but I have some rather specific conditions. Would that be okay?”

“Conditions? At this time of year, looking for a place near campus, you’re not in a position to be picky. Well, let me hear them anyway…”

“The location can be anywhere near Gwanak Campus from Gwanaksan Station, but the apartment must face south. The water pressure should be good, of course, and there should be a park and a large supermarket nearby, with a separate kitchen and living room. Also, at least two bedrooms excluding a dressing room, and excellent soundproofing… These are my conditions. Is it possible?”

I was inwardly surprised as more serious conditions emerged than I expected for what I thought would be a simple apartment hunt. But regardless of my reaction, Hwa Nabi demurely sipped her coffee after finishing her statement.

“…Y-yes? No, um, miss? To meet all those conditions you mentioned, the monthly rent would be at least… Wait, are you newlyweds? If so, you might want to look into new construction sales rather than monthly rentals…”

The broker seemed equally surprised by the string of conditions and started rambling incoherently.

However, Hwa Nabi glanced at me briefly, then put down her coffee cup with a thud.

“As long as the place meets these conditions.”

“…meets these conditions?”

“Whether it’s monthly rent, a deposit, or as you suggested, a new construction… it doesn’t matter.”

“Y-yes? But ma’am, if you’re looking for a place with such good conditions, the price might be much higher than you expect…”

While the noticeably flustered broker was stumbling through his words,

Tap, Hwa Nabi tapped the table with her finger, cutting off the broker’s words.

“That’s fine.”

“Pardon? No, um… ma’am. These days, housing prices are much higher than you might think…”

Hwa Nabi turned her head slightly to the left as if to look at me, and confidently crossed her arms.

Then she glanced at me slyly, with a slight smile…

“…”

She looked so charming that I fell for her all over again.

“I have plenty of money.”