Chapter 196: Moving
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Moving
Morning dawned after I had fallen asleep in bed, holding both Yubin and Hayoung in my arms.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt the warmth of my girlfriends pressed against me. But before I could savor it, my mind jumped to the housing problem I had forgotten in the heat of last night’s passion.
Lying still and staring at the ceiling, I racked my brain for the best way to handle my wrecked apartment.
I had intended to move eventually anyway, and since I’d decided to settle it as soon as possible, I figured I might as well push forward with everything now without hesitation.
The moment I resolved to get things moving and sat up, Yubin and Hayoung, who had been clinging to me, opened their eyes.
“Oppa... did you sleep well?”
“Yeah. I’m going to go wash up, so sleep a bit more.”
I tucked the covers around Yubin, who looked utterly drowsy, and she drifted back off. As soon as I got out of bed, Hayoung stood up and stretched, and I gave her a light kiss.
“You’re showering?”
“Yeah. Do you want to go first?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll get breakfast ready while you’re in there.”
“Thanks.”
I headed to the bathroom to wash away the traces of last night’s entanglement. While the hot spray of the shower hit me, I could hear the sound of the refrigerator opening and closing, followed by the rhythmic thud of a knife on a cutting board.
When I stepped out after my shower, Hayoung was preparing the meal, wearing an apron over her pajamas. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, feeling her warmth. She felt like a quintessential young bride.
“I need a little more time. Should we let Red keep sleeping?”
“I told her to sleep, but... I’ll try waking her up.”
After giving Hayoung a kiss on the cheek, I went into the bedroom and sat beside Yubin, who was buried under the covers.
“Yubin.”
I placed my hand on the duvet and shook her gently. A soft moan of protest, “Mmm-gh,” came from underneath.
“Are you going to sleep more?”
“Nooo...”
She answered as if she intended to get up, but unlike her words, her body showed no sign of emerging. She remained motionless under the blanket.
“Looks like you’re staying in bed.”
Teasingly, I began to feel her form through the duvet before starting to tickle her. Yubin jolted instantly and kicked the covers aside.
“Gah! You startled me!”
Startled by the sudden tickling while she was still half-dreaming, she stared at me with wide, alert eyes before half-closing them again.
“You actually tickled me?”
Feeling wronged that she was the only one targeted, she raised both hands to retaliate. I had no intention of losing, so I raised my hands to block her.
“Go ahead and try if you think you can.”
The atmosphere turned into the kind of playful bickering couples have when they're alone. I lunged at her on the bed, and we scrambled back and forth, trying to tickle each other.
“Hahaha!”
As Yubin’s laughter rang out and we became a tangle of limbs and blankets, I sensed someone at the bedroom door. We both turned our heads at the same time.
“I thought you went in to wake her up. Were you just playing around?”
“Ah. Sorry.”
When I didn't come out after saying I’d wake her, and only Yubin’s laughter echoed from the room, Hayoung had come to check on us.
In the heat of the moment, I’d completely forgotten that I told Hayoung I’d be right back.
“Red, are you getting up?”
“Yeah. I’m wide awake now, thanks to him.”
Fully conscious now, Yubin stretched and climbed out of bed.
“Breakfast will take a little longer, so go wash up. Honey, you tidy up the bedroom.”
After giving her orders, Hayoung returned to the kitchen. Yubin followed her toward the bathroom, leaving me alone to straighten up the room where our heated tryst had taken place the night before.
Once I finished tidying up, I went out to the living room and ran into Yubin, who had just finished washing. Hayoung had finished breakfast just then, so I helped set the table.
After Yubin changed and joined us, the three of us sat down for a meal. Once we were done, I went back into the bedroom, got fully dressed, and put on my coat.
“Where are you going?”
“Oh, just to take care of the house situation.”
I could have told them right then, but since I hadn't spoken to the person involved yet, I just told them I had somewhere to go and left.
Yubin tried to follow, but I told her it was fine and that she should rest more with Hayoung. It wouldn't have been a problem if she came along, but I felt like handling this on my own for now.
Once outside, the first person I contacted via smartphone was Su-ah.
「What?」
Surprisingly, Su-ah was awake early and answered immediately. When I asked if I could come over, she gave a concise “Yeah,” so I hung up and headed straight to her place.
“What brings you here so early?”
Since I had come right after breakfast, it was still quite early.
“I have something to talk to you about regarding the house.”
Su-ah, who had been lifting noodles out of a pot of ramen with her chopsticks, paused at the word 'house.'
“Eat first.”
She finished the ramen in the pot in the blink of an eye, tidied up, and finally created an atmosphere where we could talk seriously.
“What about the house? What’s the problem?”
When I first mentioned moving, Su-ah was the one who told me to come to her place immediately. Of course, my other girlfriends had said the same, but after much thought, I had decided on her home.
“I can’t put off moving any longer. I was wondering if it would be okay if I moved into your place.”
“It’s fine. When do you want to come?”
Her reaction—as if she had expected me to move in from the very beginning—made me chuckle.
“I want to get ready as fast as possible. I’m thinking within a day or two.”
“Then do that.”
“What should we do about rent?”
“Rent? What rent? Just move in.”
I couldn't tell if she just didn't want to deal with the hassle or if she truly didn't care about the money.
I hesitated when she told me I didn't have to pay rent.
Her home was massive, perfectly fitting the title of a 'penthouse.'
With eight rooms, three half-baths, two full bathrooms, and two living rooms, Su-ah only actually used a few areas of the enormous space.
Me moving in wouldn't even be noticeable. Naturally, living in a place like this for free was an incredible deal I wouldn't find anywhere else.
However, precisely because I was Su-ah’s boyfriend, I didn't want to move in without any conditions.
They say money complicates close relationships, but handling financial matters clearly can actually prevent other types of trouble.
Having lived in rentals ever since I came to Korea, I felt it would be uncomfortable to live somewhere without paying. Moreover, I wanted to contribute at least a little to Su-ah’s household, as her only income was her paltry salary from the Earth Defense Union.
“I’ll pay rent.”
“I said it’s fine.”
“Then I’m not moving in.”
“What?”
When I bluntly stated I wouldn't move in unless she accepted rent, Su-ah looked at me with wide eyes, clearly caught off guard by my stubbornness.
“I want to keep things clear.”
“...Fine. You and your pride.”
I wasn't going to change my mind. Seeing the unwavering look in my eyes, Su-ah nodded, conceding that she couldn't break my will this time.
“But I’m not taking much.”
A discussion about finances followed. To summarize, we agreed that I would pay her monthly rent. Su-ah, who hadn't intended to take anything, suggested I pay the same amount as my current place, but even then, she claimed it was too much.
In the end, I couldn't beat her stubbornness on that point, and we settled on an amount that was about half of what I was currently paying.
“Use the empty room next to the master bedroom. It’s completely bare, so you’ll probably need to buy new furniture.”
“Yeah. I have a lot of things I need to buy new anyway.”
“...But why the sudden rush?”
Sensing something was off about how quickly I was pushing the move compared to my previous hesitation, Su-ah asked the question. I explained the events at my house yesterday in detail.
In the process, I also added the explanation that Seira and I were old childhood friends. After hearing the whole story, Su-ah sighed as if she couldn't believe it.
“They’re out of their minds.”
“It’s a relief nothing worse happened.”
“True. Well, I know the reason now. Are you leaving?”
“Yeah. I need to contact my landlord and apologize.”
Paying the repair costs was one thing, but I couldn't just leave after turning the place into a disaster zone without an apology.
After leaving Su-ah’s place, I contacted the landlord to discuss terminating the lease and the state of the apartment. Naturally, I apologized profusely. Even though I was covering the repairs, I couldn't avoid a lecture from the landlord, who was furious to hear the place had been trashed.
The move itself proceeded smoothly after that, but the real trouble started afterward.
Since I didn't have many belongings, everything fit into a few large boxes, bags, and a suitcase. I sent the boxes to Su-ah’s place via courier and brought the bags and suitcase myself. That was the end of the move.
Of course, I informed all my girlfriends that I was moving into Su-ah’s.
“A!”
While I was placing boxes in the empty room and checking what furniture would fit best, I heard footsteps in the hallway followed by a familiar voice.
“Oh, Yura. You’re here?”
“‘You’re here?’ Is that all you have to say?! Why did you move into Yellow’s house?!”
I knew that if we all sat down to discuss the move, the conversation would never end. So, for once, I had finalized everything first and then notified them.
Having heard the news after I had already moved in, Yura had rushed over to Su-ah’s penthouse. It was only natural that Yura, who had been the first to support the harem, wouldn't look kindly on me moving into the home of Su-ah, who opposed it.
She stood there waiting for an answer, her eyes filled with a mix of conflicting emotions—one part of her thinking I must have a good reason, and the other part reeling from the shock of me suddenly moving in with Yellow.
I knew Yura would understand once she heard a valid reason.
However, there was no immediate fix for the fact that she was upset about being notified late. I had acted knowing this would happen. In a situation where I needed to move immediately, I couldn't afford to keep having conversations that just went in circles.
“My place was a mess, so I had to move quickly. And Su-ah’s place is spacious.”
By 'spacious,' I didn't just mean it was a nice place for me to live. It hadn't been long since all my girlfriends had gathered to have sex together, and the location for that had been Su-ah’s house.
The other girls had their own places, but the reason Yura, who led the initiative, had chosen Su-ah’s was because of its size.
No matter where I lived, my girlfriends would visit constantly. That meant four people would be coming and going all the time; Su-ah’s house was the only one that could comfortably accommodate that many people.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to get it over with in one go without overthinking it because it was urgent.”
Hearing my explanation, the anger seemed to drain out of Yura, and she stood there with a slightly pouting expression.
She understood that if I had brought it up, everyone would have argued for hours to get me to move into their own homes. She understood, but that didn't mean the hurt feelings vanished instantly.
“I’ll go to your place often to drink and sleep over, too.”
Just because I moved into Su-ah’s didn't mean I intended to stay cooped up there. Only my residence had changed; how I treated my girlfriends wouldn't.
When I told her that while Su-ah might naturally spend more time with me, nothing else would change, the corners of Yura’s mouth twitched upward.
“Fine.”
Yura wasn't truly angry or even that hurt.
She knew that if I wasn't living alone, Su-ah’s house was the most practical choice.
She just wanted confirmation that even though I’d moved in without telling her beforehand, things wouldn't change between us.
Only after looking into her light purple eyes, which were now smiling, did I realize the true intent behind her behavior.
After that, the rest of my girlfriends stormed into Su-ah’s house one by one. I explained everything to Eunha, who didn't know the full story, and I had to put in quite a bit of effort to soothe Yubin and Hayoung, who were sulking because they’d been notified rather than consulted.
It felt like I’d just added more work to my plate for the future, but I was relieved that the move had gone so smoothly despite the suddenness.
One week later, on a Saturday.
When I opened my eyes that morning, I instinctively thought, Su-ah must be playing games in the living room, and rolled over.
As I pulled the duvet back slightly, the cold morning air hit my face. I grabbed my smartphone and retreated back under the covers.
When I turned on the screen, the message that met my eyes was: [All personnel from every team at Seoul Headquarters: Assemble at HQ by 1:00 PM today.]
Since my mandatory rest period was coming to an end and the repairs to the headquarters were nearly finished, I knew instinctively that something was about to begin.