Chapter 13: Convenience Store Red (12)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13: Convenience Store Red (12)
The place was a total disaster. Usually, you only realize how messy your living space is once the filth exceeds your personal threshold of tolerance.
As someone who fit the quintessential image of a bachelor living alone, I wasn't the type to clean often, nor was I particularly tidy. I didn't live in absolute squalor, but I didn't exactly feel a burning need to keep things pristine, either.
However, with my girlfriend about to arrive, the state of my room was nothing short of appalling. Every single stray hair in the corners stood out, and the floor—which had looked perfectly fine before I headed out today—suddenly felt strangely sticky.
The standard trash bag in the corner was nearly full, and the bag for recyclables was failing at its job; instead of being inside, plastic bottles were piled up haphazardly next to it.
"Aaaagh!!"
Cursing my past self for not cleaning yesterday, I began scrubbing every nook and cranny. I had about an hour left. My ten-pyeong studio apartment, which usually felt cramped, suddenly felt cavernous.
After clearing the hair and dust and mopping the floor, I started worrying about the dust under the bed, so I expanded my cleaning radius.
I still had the kitchen and the bathroom to go. The future looked grim.
"Ah! The laundry!"
I yanked open the dryer door and checked the clothes I’d left sitting there for days. Thanks to the dryer, they didn't smell, but having been left in a heap, they had lost all semblance of their original shape and were covered in deep wrinkles.
"These are beyond saving."
Trying to fold wrinkled clothes would just be like organizing trash, so I tossed them straight back into the washing machine without hesitation.
"Next is..."
Since I’d always cleaned just enough to keep things from being "dirty," I didn't even know where to start now that I was trying to do a proper job.
I even forgot about the pain in my jaw from being hit earlier as I tackled the chores one by one. But no matter how small a studio is, cleaning everything perfectly in an hour was an impossible task.
Just as the hour was up, the doorbell rang. I checked the intercom. Yubin was standing at the building entrance. I took one last look around my still-unfinished room.
"I'm screwed."
The surface-level cleaning was mostly done. However, I hadn't taken the trash out yet, and the laundry running in the machine weighed on my mind. Even though I’d vacuumed the floor twice, I was paranoid there might be dust or hair hiding in the corners. But I couldn't just stand there thinking and keep her waiting, so I pressed the button to open the main door.
Less than a minute later, there was a knock. I opened the door to find Yubin standing there, wearing a long, beige high-waisted skirt and a white blouse.
"Hey, Oppa."
"Hey. Come on in."
Yubin stepped inside, a heavy shopping bag slung over her shoulder. We had been fighting as enemies barely two hours ago; I wondered when she’d had the time to pack so much stuff.
"I tried to clean, but the place might still be a bit messy."
I laid the groundwork just in case, but Yubin simply nodded as she scanned the room.
"It looks clean to me."
It seemed my efforts had paid off; nothing appeared to bother her. Just as I was starting to feel relieved, Yubin walked to the kitchen and set the shopping bag down.
"What's all that?"
"Ingredients. I wanted to cook for you."
"Cook?"
I was caught off guard by the sudden offer. As I stared at her blankly, she pulled an apron out of the bag.
"Tie this for me."
Yubin put the apron on and turned around, asking me to tie the strings. I stepped closer and did as she asked.
"Why the sudden urge to cook?"
"You're always eating at convenience stores or going out. I figured I should take care of you once in a while."
I was grateful for the gesture, but a fundamental question crossed my mind.
"Are you good at cooking?"
"..."
There was no immediate answer. One thing I’d learned from our messages was that Yubin also tended to buy food rather than cook it. Anyone with hands can technically cook, but I wondered if she was actually good at it. Her silence made me uneasy.
"I looked up recipes on the internet!"
She snapped back a bit defensively, and seeing her like that made me chuckle.
"Alright. I'll look forward to it then."
"Don't look forward to it too much."
She began rummaging through the bag to prep the ingredients. Even after she seemed to have taken everything out, the bag still looked quite full. I peeked inside.
"Pajamas, toiletries, clothes... wait, is that underwear?"
"Ah! Why are you looking through my stuff?!"
"I was just curious what else was in there."
She snatched the bag away and hid it in a corner of the kitchen. I’d already seen it, so hiding it felt a bit pointless, but she clearly didn't want it on display.
"...Are you staying over?"
When I looked up at her while she was washing vegetables, she simply nodded, her face flushing red.
The sequence of events was a bit overwhelming, but what was the problem? My girlfriend was staying over. That was a good thing.
"My part-time shift is tomorrow, and this place is close by."
"I see," I replied, backing out of the kitchen. I sat on the sofa and watched her back as she prepared the meal.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, she kept glancing back to see what I was doing. Every time she did, our eyes met. Not knowing what to say, I just smiled.
Seeing my smile, her face turned even redder, and she went back to cooking.
"What are you making?"
"Kimchi stew and rolled omelets."
They were incredibly common dishes, but that was exactly why I liked them. The first thing I’d eaten when I arrived in Korea was kimchi stew, and it had left such a good impression that I’d bought it many times since.
As Yubin got into the thick of it, I couldn't find the right timing to talk to her. Watching her move so busily made me just want to stare blankly rather than interrupt.
When she closed the lid on the pot of stew and started prepping the eggs, I walked over and rested my chin on her shoulder.
"!!"
Startled, Yubin turned her head, and our eyes met.
"I just wanted to watch. Is that okay?"
"It's not that it's not okay..."
"Then I'll watch."
I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close, and watched her work. My presence clearly made her nervous; I could see her hands hesitating every now and then.
"Oppa... you're too close..."
"Really? Should I move?"
Was I actually getting in the way? She wouldn't get hurt by something like a knife slip, but she couldn't exactly show off her superhuman Hunter Killer durability to me right now.
"No."
Despite her protest, it seemed she didn't actually want me to move. She was hard to read, but I decided to just stay there, holding her.
When she took a step, I moved with her. When she stepped back, I followed.
Once the omelets were finished, she grabbed my arms that were wrapped around her waist and turned around. We were now standing chest-to-chest, facing each other.
Seeing her tilt her chin up slightly and close her eyes, I read the signal loud and clear. I gave her a light kiss.
When I pulled away, Yubin opened her eyes and looked up at me, her eyes wide.
"Are you only going to do it once?"
"Not a chance."
I pressed my lips to hers again. We kissed repeatedly, starting with her lips, then moving to her cheeks, and gradually working my way down.
When I kissed her collarbone, visible through the open top button of her blouse, I heard her voice.
"Oppa!"
"Yeah?"
Her urgent tone snapped me out of it. I pulled back and looked at her. Her face was bright red, and she looked like she didn't know what to do with herself.
"Food first..."
"Right."
I’d completely forgotten that dinner was ready in that short span of time. Was I more excited about having my girlfriend in my room than I realized?
We sat across from each other at the table with the rice and side dishes. Yubin watched me with a tense expression, wondering if I’d like her cooking.
"Can I eat?"
Her intense gaze made me nervous too. Seeing her nod, I took a spoonful of the stew and tasted the broth.
"..."
In the heavy silence, Yubin waited for my verdict. After savoring the flavor, I gave her a short response.
"It's salty."
If it's right, it's right. If it's not, it's not. I’m the type who has to say exactly what I feel, so I told her the truth. Upon hearing my evaluation, her head dropped in defeat.
But I couldn't help it. Cooking is a delicate matter, and you have to be honest about problems if you want them to improve.
"Sorry..."
She’d clearly tried hard to prepare this, so the lack of success seemed to really get to her. I started eating as if nothing was wrong.
"Oppa, if it's too salty, you don't have to eat it."
"It being salty is one thing. You made it for me, so of course I'm going to eat it."
To my palate, it was definitely salty. I don't know how it would taste to others. Maybe someone who likes salt wouldn't mind, but for me, it was a lot.
Still, saltiness aside, someone put effort into this. It would be rude to toss it away just because of the seasoning.
"You don't have to force yourself."
She seemed to think I was forcing myself because I was eating normally after calling it salty. I had said it was salty, but it wasn't inedible.
"I'm not forcing myself. You eat, too."
"...Okay."
Yubin picked up her spoon and tried the broth.
"It is salty."
Since even the cook thought so, it was definitely a fact.
"I'll look forward to the next one."
"Huh?"
She looked up from her rice. Our eyes met.
"Are you not going to cook for me again?"
"I will! I'll make it really delicious next time."
I was worried for a second that I’d hurt her feelings and she’d refuse to cook again. Regardless of the taste, the very idea of a girlfriend coming over to cook is incredibly stimulating and heart-warming for a man.
"Good."
As we continued eating, the tension finally began to fade—and then my jaw started to throb.
"!"
I winced as I chewed. Yubin stopped eating, concerned.
"Did you bite something wrong?"
"No."
I’d felt the pain without thinking, so I had to come up with an excuse quickly. I couldn't exactly say, "My jaw really hurts from when you punched me in the face during our fight earlier."
"I think I slept on it wrong. My jaw's a bit sore."
I have no idea how one sleeps to make their jaw hurt. I’ve woken up with a stiff neck many times, but never a sore jaw. It was just the first thing that popped into my head, and I felt pathetic for saying it.
Who would actually believe that?
Even as the words left my mouth, I doubted they would fly.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
But she believed me. She probably wondered how I’d slept to cause that, but since she didn't know, she just accepted it.
"No, it just hurts a bit when I chew."
She stared at my jaw for a moment after I said that, then went back to eating. Once we were finished, she insisted on doing the dishes and tidying up.
Even though I offered to do them, she refused until the end. While she washed up, I folded the laundry that had finished in the dryer.
"Oppa, can I use the bathroom?"
Having finished the dishes, Yubin was holding her shopping bag.
"Yeah, go ahead."
I’d scrubbed the bathroom thoroughly, so there was nothing to worry about. After I gave her the okay, she stepped tentatively into the bathroom. It was only when I heard the sound of the shower running that the reality of the situation hit me.
Is it time?
We hadn't slept together since that incident at the motel. As I mentioned before, it wasn't intentional; we’d both just been busy with work and hadn't had the chance.
Had Yubin come over today because she’d grown to rely on me after that day and wanted to be intimate again?
But that might just be my own assumption. Maybe she really just wanted to come over, eat together, hang out, and then go to work in the morning.
That was a perfectly valid possibility. I couldn't act like some monkey who had just discovered the wonders of pleasure.
By the time I snapped out of my thoughts, I’d finished folding and putting away all the laundry.
I waited for her to finish, listening to the water. When the door finally opened and she stepped out in her pajamas, I found myself staring, completely dazed.
"What is it?"
Maybe my intense gaze was making her uncomfortable. I definitely was staring too hard.
"You're beautiful."
I said exactly what I was thinking. Yubin looked like she was about to burst with joy.
Seeing her like that, I felt my instincts starting to stir, but I did my best to keep my reason in control.
Time flowed slowly as we sat together and talked, until eventually, it was time for bed.
"Yubin, you take the bed."
My bed was a standard single—plenty of room for one adult male, but a bit cramped for two. I decided to give her the bed and sleep on the sofa.
"What about you, Oppa?"
"The bed's small, so I'll just sleep on the sofa."
Yubin, sitting on the edge of the bed, looked up at me silently. Stay calm, my instincts.
Just as I was about to head to the sofa, trying to settle my mind and heart, Yubin called out from behind me.
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
I turned around. Yubin, her face flushed, patted the mattress next to her.
"Let's sleep together."
I am not a monkey who has discovered pleasure.
I am not a monkey who has discovered pleasure.
I am not a monkey who has discovered pleasure.
Alright. I said it three times in my head, so I should be able to sleep next to her without doing anything stupid.