episode_0165

“Hello, YouTube subscribers! This is Kang Yiseo— Achoo! Ah. I apologize, should I start again?”

“Wow. A place like this exists? I want to go too. Just a moment, another sneeze… Achoo!”

“Ugh. If my lover did that, I’d get mad too— Achoo! Phew. Thankfully, I covered my mouth when I sneezed.”

“Hehe.”

A YouTube video compilation of Yiseo Nuna sneezing during her streams.

The oddly unfitting cough sounds were funny yet cute, making an unpleasant chuckle escape my lips as I watched.

By the way, the landlord hadn’t arrived, even though it was long past their off-work hours.

She had clearly said she’d be home right after work when she rushed out this morning, but no matter how long I waited, the entrance remained quiet.

‘I thought she’d arrive soon and just stayed put, but I guess I should contact her.’

Just as I thought that, I turned off YouTube.

Finally, the sound of the door lock came from the entrance.

As I headed straight over, CEO-nim, looking exhausted, entered.

“CEO-nim.”

“Kyaa!”

She had been looking down, so she only noticed me belatedly, letting out a short shriek.

Her surprised eyes were nearly twice their usual size.

“Wh-what? Jihoon-ssi, why are you still here…?”

“I was playing a game, and time just flew by.”

“Surely you’re not planning to play with it again as soon as you get off work, after what happened last night, right?!”

That’s strange. Did she not hear my answer just now?

“No, it’s not that. I told you, I was playing a game and time passed.”

“…What’s this smell? Did you order delivery?”

“I was hungry and about to eat something before going home, but it was almost time for CEO-nim to arrive, so I waited to eat with you. It wouldn’t feel right if I ate alone after you got off work.”

“You were waiting for me?”

With a bewildered expression, she headed to the kitchen.

As I followed, CEO-nim was surprised again, seeing two plates of kimchi fried rice set on the table, and asked,

“Jihoon-ssi, did you make this?”

“Yes. But you said you’d be home right after work, yet you’re quite late, aren’t you? Given the distance, I thought you’d arrive about an hour ago.”

“Th-there was just someone I had to meet…. Anyway, why did you make mine too and wait? You should have just eaten alone and gone home quickly.”

“I told you. It wouldn’t feel right if I ate alone when you arrived, so I waited. I’m starving because I haven’t eaten anything today, so please hurry and change your clothes.”

CEO-nim reluctantly changed from her suit into comfortable clothes and returned.

She sat across from me at the table, quietly observing me, so to signal her to eat quickly, I took a spoonful first and put it in my mouth.

“Mmm. As expected, it’s all cold. It’s because CEO-nim was late, so just eat it. It’s still pretty edible.”

“…Alright.”

She put the fried rice into her mouth with the same somber expression she had when she first arrived home.

She chewed diligently, lips pressed together, then said,

“…It’s delicious.”

“Really? I thought you’d say it wasn’t good, that’s surprising.”

“Do I look like such a prickly person?”

“You are prickly, aren’t you? To me, at least.”

“…”

The other person, seemingly having nothing to say, quietly began to eat.

As I diligently filled my empty stomach, CEO-nim opened her mouth.

“Jihoon-ssi, do you know how to cook too?”

“Since I live alone, I cook everything except for difficult dishes.”

“That’s amazing…. I don’t know how to cook anything except ramen.”

“Isn’t it a bit much to call ramen cooking? Ah, do you add other ingredients to it?”

“No? I just boil it according to the instructions on the package, and that’s it.”

She said it as if it were obvious, which left me speechless, so I replied,

“Come on. If you just boil it according to the instructions, it’s not cooking.”

“What are you talking about? You make it yourself, so it’s cooking. I cook ramen well.”

It was unexpected for her to get defensive over just ramen, and because I’d heard something similar before, I chuckled unconsciously.

“You’re saying the same thing as Yuna.”

“Yuna is?”

“Yes. Yuna also says that since she makes ramen herself, it counts as cooking. And she has the same pride as CEO-nim.”

“It seems Yuna also cooks ramen well.”

Once, Yuna cooked ramen for me herself, claiming she’d show me her ramen-making skills.

The taste was the very ordinary flavor we all know.

After thinking about how to react, I overacted, saying it was incredibly delicious, and her proud expression then was so cute that I still remember it.

“Her pride is no joke. When I told her the ramen she cooked was delicious, she asked me to call her ‘Chef’.”

“…I see.”

The other person’s reply was somehow lacking vitality.

We’re not even particularly close, and it seems I’ve said too many unnecessary things.

CEO-nim didn’t seem to be in a good mood either, so I decided it was better to be quiet and just ate my kimchi fried rice without a word.

No, I *was* going to just eat.

“…”

CEO-nim’s expression, as if lost in deep thought, lingered throughout my spoon movements.

The way she looked since she entered through the front door kept bothering me.

We weren’t close, nor did I intend to become closer, but with the person sitting across from me during a meal looking like that, I felt awkward just eating.

“CEO-nim. Did something happen today?”

“Huh? Oh, no. Why?”

“Because your face has been dark since earlier. Is the reason you came late also because something happened?”

“…No. Nothing happened.”

No matter how many times I looked, her face didn’t say “nothing happened.”

At that very moment, the most probable reason, in my opinion, came to mind.

“Ah, you’re worried about what happened last night, right? I told you, if you took the birth control pill, there’s no need to worry.”

“I said it’s nothing.”

“None of my girlfriends got pregnant, did they? The birth control pills I give are definitely effective, so you can trust them.”

She listened to my words, fell into thought for a moment, then asked,

“…When you’re with Yiseo or Yuna, do you also finish inside a lot like last night?”

“Of course. I finish inside even more than I did with CEO-nim last night.”

“Even if the pills are effective, what if you have a baby when you’re still a student? There’s always a ‘what if’ for everything.”

I answered CEO-nim, who asked cautiously, without the slightest hesitation.

“If that happens, I’ll have to take responsibility. Regardless of whether I’m a student or not.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Even if CEO-nim gets pregnant, I’ll take responsibility.”

“Me? You’ll take responsibility for *me*?”

“Naturally. Of course, there won’t be a pregnancy, so there’s no need to worry.”

“…”

I said it to alleviate her worries, but it didn’t sound strange, did it?

However, I didn’t say something I didn’t mean.

If, by some remote chance, a baby were to be born, I would absolutely have to take responsibility.

“Alright, I understand.”

Following her nonchalant reply, she began to eat the remaining rice again.

Fortunately, it seemed she didn’t interpret it to mean more than I intended.

A moment later, both their plates were completely empty, and the meal concluded.

CEO-nim’s expression was still not bright, but she didn’t forget to express her gratitude for the meal I had prepared.

“Thank you. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten a meal prepared by someone else.”

“You’re so busy, so that makes sense.”

“…Right. Huh?”

She came out to the living room with me and stopped in her tracks.

“Now that I think about it, the living room is clean, isn’t it? The bed seemed clean earlier too.”

“What? You just noticed?”

“Oh? Oh… I was so surprised to see Jihoon-ssi here that I didn’t notice.”

Even so, not noticing that the house was cleaned…

It’s clear her thoughts were elsewhere all this time.

“Surely Jihoon-ssi didn’t clean it too, did you?”

“If not me, then who would have? It makes me uncomfortable to just leave a messy place, and you also showed me the computer, so I cleaned up.”

“Oh, I see…. Thank you.”

“Phew. We’ve eaten, so I’ll be going now.”

“Huh? You’re leaving?”

“Yes. I need to go home and edit the video to upload on YouTube. Why?”

“No. Just…”

Her trailing words showed she hadn’t expected me to say I was leaving just like that.

“Ah. Do you perhaps want to…?”

“M-me, not at all?! We did it too much yesterday, so I won’t even think about it for a while!”

“Really?”

“It’s true! If you have work, go back quickly. I’ll be working too.”

Her face, as she tried to make excuses, was full of embarrassment.

There was nothing bad about doing it right there, but the truth was I needed to edit the video and also contact my girlfriends, so I left CEO-nim’s apartment and went home.

===

After Han Jihoon left, An Chaerin, left alone, stood in the living room lost in thought.

Though she had replied that it was nothing when he asked, she had actually been in deep contemplation since leaving work.

It was only natural, as she had received a proposal from Kang Yiseo and Park Yuna, who visited her office just before she left work, asking her to date Han Jihoon with them.

And currently, her mind was even more complicated than it was when she heard that absurd proposal from her two close juniors.

‘I never imagined he’d clean up on his own and even prepare a meal…’

She had only ever considered Han Jihoon to be a bad boy, driven purely by instinct.

She thought Kang Yiseo and Park Yuna had fallen for him purely because he only pretended to be kind to his lovers.

But for him to show such goodwill to her, who was not his lover and merely a sexual plaything, An Chaerin couldn’t help but be confused.

Han Jihoon had said he did it because he felt uncomfortable, but a person with no consideration wouldn’t even think of doing such a thing.

“…”

Even when he spoke about Park Yuna, An Chaerin was quite surprised internally.

The smile that naturally spread across his lips as he talked about his girlfriend.

In that moment, Han Jihoon didn’t seem like a beast blinded by lust, preying on women, but rather a warm man who genuinely loved his partner.

[Even if CEO-nim gets pregnant, I’ll take responsibility.]

When he said those words during the meal, it was almost too much for her to hide her surprise.

It was such an unexpected statement, and coupled with his unusually different demeanor today, his words felt sincere.

‘Could Yiseo and Yuna really be right? That he’s actually a good person…’

When An Chaerin returned home from work and saw Han Jihoon still there, she thought he was waiting to sexually toy with her again.

But in reality, the man had waited after cleaning the house and preparing a meal, and even went home quietly as if he had no ulterior motives.

Thus, it was natural for An Chaerin’s image of Han Jihoon to waver and for her to reconsider what his lovers had said.

‘…No. Still, considering what he’s done to me until now.’

As she said, no matter what kind of person he showed himself to be today, his cowardly actions towards her in the past wouldn’t disappear.

Even knowing that fact, the unsettled feeling refused to go away.

Before she knew it, she kept recalling the meal they had just shared.

‘This was the first time I’ve eaten a meal with someone at home since I moved out…’

The warm smile he showed when he spoke of his girlfriend, and his words that he would take responsibility if she got pregnant, wouldn’t leave her mind.

Ultimately, An Chaerin’s mind was too unsettled, leaving her to simply stand still in the living room even after a long time.