Penthouse
Penthouse
A-ra had said they could come by often, but the two of them—busy with work and not the type to enjoy imposing on others—hadn't visited the house since.
Well, it was half a polite pleasantry anyway.
It was never easy to wedge yourself into a married couple's home.
After that, Yeji and I were called back to the police station once more each, but that was it.
Apparently, we'd only be contacted once more when 'that woman' was referred to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment, and then the prosecution would reach out one more time before the trial.
Something about a settlement had come up, but we had no intention of settling.
It seemed there were more than just one or two victims, and how could someone who injured people and committed the horrific act of rape be forgiven with money?
I was a victim too, but for the sake of the victims who were truly shedding tears of blood, it wasn't something that should be done.
It wasn't like I wanted money, anyway.
And so, we suddenly decided to move.
A-ra said that a place where an incident happened once was bound to have more incidents, and that she couldn't stand being there anymore—she was too anxious.
So, we were unexpectedly preparing for a move.
"Noona, what about this?"
"We bought a new sofa... Let's take the table."
"Hmm... Should we leave all the wardrobes behind too?"
"All of them!"
At this rate, it didn't feel like a move at all.
Maybe because A-ra had a lot of money, she said she wasn't going to sell the house anyway.
Well, it was our first nest as a married couple, after all.
A-ra, who cherished that fact and smiled shyly, was cute.
"Seong-hwan-a. Just pack the important things. We'll have to call a moving service anyway."
"Ah, really? I thought we'd be moving it ourselves with a truck or something."
"I tried it once before. It ruined my health—definitely not worth doing."
"....You tried it?"
When I looked at her in wonder, A-ra grinned back.
Her face said she found it amusing, whatever misconception I was under.
Was I having some kind of misconception?
Feeling awkward, I wiped the bridge of my nose with my gloved hand.
"Of course I tried it while filming a show. What are you so surprised about?"
A-ra came over with a handkerchief and gently wiped the bridge of my nose, her delicate hand moving as if she were stroking it.
I wondered if something had gotten on the glove.
To anyone watching, it must have looked like an older sister taking care of her younger brother.
It wasn't dust she was wiping off; it was the mess from a runny nose that had been dripping messily.
"Hold still for a second."
"Uweb..."
I decided to just stay still until A-ra was satisfied.
Later, I heard that what she wiped off had just gotten smeared back on, so she'd been essentially running in place...
***
Teol-seok.
I dropped the bag I was holding.
It was because I was marveling at what I was currently looking at.
When A-ra was looking for a place, the things she had her eye on were public safety and distance to school.
Especially when it came to public safety, it seemed she had searched diligently for a genuinely secure place, even if the maintenance fees were high.
I had even seen the vehicle barricade when we came in here.
On top of that, the apartment building had a large reception desk like something you'd see in a corporate building, and the elevators for residents and non-residents were separated.
It was partly because this was a mixed-use residential and commercial apartment, but the biggest reason was probably security.
Perhaps because of that, no one but residents could go up to the residential floors, so in the lobby there were unmanned parcel lockers and personal storage boxes for keeping delivered food.
Though, the downside was that you had to go downstairs to fetch your packages in person.
Since most things ordered for delivery were bulky, after all.
"If residents find it difficult to carry items up themselves, our staff will transport them for you, so you needn't worry."
I had clearly been talking to A-ra, but suddenly, someone who looked like an employee popped up from the side.
They even moved packages for you.
As expected of an expensive apartment...
"Ms. Song A-ra, is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Pleased to meet you. I am Kim Ha-neul, the move-in coordinator assigned to help ensure a satisfactory move-in for the two of you today."
The woman who introduced herself as the move-in coordinator gave a courteous greeting.
A-ra also took off her sunglasses and mask, put them in her pocket, and politely returned the greeting.
"The floor the two of you will be moving into is the 48th floor, this apartment's penthouse."
"Heeik... A penthouse."
Wasn't that, in movies or dramas, not a place of residence with constant incidents and accidents, but a floor of pleasure?
I had gotten chills watching a drama related to that not long ago.
"Haha, you're not the first resident to have that kind of reaction."
I thought she'd be a stiff and humorless person, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
The things the coordinator told us about the penthouse were truly amazing.
There were people who chose a large penthouse to keep pets, and people who lived in a penthouse just to get extra spaces in the residents' underground parking lot...
Were those people the ones with real money?
"......"
"Now that you mention it, A-ra Noona, you also have a car..."
I had found out recently that before she met me, the reason A-ra had been living in that shabby apartment was because it came with three parking spaces.
She said she used to fantasize about parking a Porsche in every spot and driving a different one each day, but she got busy, then got married, and apparently gave up on it.
Well, if she lived in an expensive place, there'd be people who recognized her.
There was probably also a reason she wanted to live quietly in a modest place.
I stroked A-ra's hair.
As expected, since we were outside, she seemed a little embarrassed, but she didn't brush me off or anything.
"If A-ra Noona wants to, I'm fine with it. It's money A-ra Noona earned, isn't it?"
"....Is that okay? It's not exactly a good thing to do, right?"
Pft.
I burst out laughing.
Sure, if she were buying dozens of expensive sports cars, that would be a bit of a problem.
But compared to the money A-ra earned, that was nothing at all.
Did she even know how much she earned in a month?
"Just consult with me once before you buy something."
"Really? You won't get mad?"
"Why would I get mad?"
A-ra let out a sigh of relief.
One of the reasons she moved into the penthouse was probably the parking spaces.
It was something she'd felt awkward bringing up to me directly, but the coordinator had let it slip.
For me, it was idle chatter, but for A-ra, it had been a happy conversation. By the time that conversation ended, we arrived at the top floor.
The layout had two penthouses in one building, one on the left and one on the right.
In the center, there was a small garden decorated with flowers and potted plants.
To put something like this in front of your front door...
I became intensely curious whose idea that had been.
When the coordinator held the card key up to the door lock, the door opened.
Was it like a master key?
"This is a single-use ID key. It's designed to lose access authorization after one use."
"That's incredible..."
"That is how seriously we take security."
Smiling as if praise for the apartment was praise for herself, the coordinator opened the door wide.
When we entered, the luggage already seemed to be sorted out.
That was because the ridiculously expensive thin wall-mounted TV from the old house was hanging up.
"What's this...?"
"Ah, this is a washbasin."
No, I could tell it was a washbasin, but I was curious why it was at the front entrance...
Upon asking, I heard it was placed at the entrance so you could wash your hands immediately after coming back from going out.
That meant the bathroom was a bit of a distance from the entrance.
Afterward, as we toured the interior, we were introduced to the built-in refrigerator and oven, washing machine, and such that came standard with the move-in. We were also told that in case of a breakdown, a repair technician was on standby on weekdays, so quick repairs were possible.
And then there was one item handed over to us—a device in a rectangular box with a wide touch display attached.
"This is the residents' tablet. It has a system installed for internal controls, an intercom, and the residents' community app."
"Now that you mention it, there's no separate intercom."
The spot where an intercom seemed like it should be had something like a dock where this tablet could be stored.
Sure enough... I guess you could say they crammed all those complicated functions into one device.
This was a truly smart apartment.
And after the resident registration was complete, we received what were called ID keys and stepped out to the front entrance.
It was to see off the coordinator who had explained everything so diligently.
"Then, congratulations on your move-in, and I shall take my leave now."
"Goodbye."
The coordinator, who had bowed her head deeply, departed. Once she disappeared, no one was there anymore, but we stared at that spot blankly for a moment.
But then, A-ra suddenly grabbed my hand.
She knew how to subtly take the lead with a guy, huh?
"Seong-hwan-a."
"Yes, Noona."
On the first day of moving in, when the two of us were left alone, what on earth would she say?
If the topic of cars came up, it would be a little funny, I thought.
"I'm hungry."
Growl growl..
A sound came from A-ra's stomach.
A very loud one, at that.
I burst out laughing.
She had grabbed my hand so seriously I'd wondered what she was going to say, and it was just that she was hungry.
"D-don't laugh. I haven't been able to eat anything since this morning."
"Ah... I laughed so hard... my stomach... ahahaha!!"
A-ra's face turned as red as a ripe persimmon, but since it was just cute, I kept laughing.
The laughter only stopped when A-ra, embarrassed, started pinching my waist.
I barely managed to quit.
"Alright, alright. Shall we go grocery shopping?"
"Yeah! Did you know that since this is a mixed-use complex, there's a mart in the basement?"
"Oh... Then there's no need to go far out of our way."
I had grown attached to that mart we used to visit, but it was far from the apartment before we moved too, and this place was on the opposite side of there.
I'd have to let it go, wouldn't I?
"Then let's go grocery shopping."
"Yeah!"
I held out my hand, but seeing A-ra link her arm through mine, I gave a wry smile.
If possible, I had wanted to hold hands, so it was a bit of a shame.