Penthouse (2)
Penthouse (2)
After grocery shopping with A-ra and cooking our meal together,
we sank onto the sofa and talked about the apartment.
"So I can use all the facilities with this?"
"Yeah. There's a reading room, a public bath, and even a swimming pool and a golf course."
I was holding the ID card
I'd received when we moved in.
It served as my apartment pass, my door key,
and apparently also doubled as a pass for the complex's facilities.
This wasn't just some fitness center, either...
Maybe that's what came with a mixed-use residential complex?
Looking at it now, it seemed there was a gym and even a game arcade.
"I heard the game arcade is open to outsiders?"
"Well, game arcades do tend to run at a deficit, so..."
A swimming pool, a golf course, a public bath—
those could make money selling monthly memberships,
but a game arcade...
Day passes might work,
but monthly subscriptions would be tough.
In that case, drawing in outsiders, not just residents, would be the key.
Arcade machines weren't cheap, either.
"I wonder if they have Taiko no Tatsujin?"
That game where you physically bang a drum to the rhythm—
the kind you only find at a Japanese Bon Odori festival.
It had been beloved for a very long time.
I wanted to play a round for the first time in forever.
"Wait! We're having cozy, lovey-dovey time at home and you want to go play games?"
Tsk, I got caught.
Lovey-dovey, though.
Wasn't that too cute?
"Hey, no way. I'd have to sneak there at dawn."
"Right? Then for now... ...what?!"
Going to a game arcade alone at dawn had always been the best.
Go during the day, and it's mobbed with people. Go at night, and couples are camped out everywhere—
getting a single round in might take half a day.
But at dawn?
Paradise simply unfolded.
Every machine was on free pass,
and there wasn't a single screaming elementary schooler.
It became the perfect place to focus on gaming.
But A-ra was shaking her head.
Like a helicopter propeller, even.
"No! Where do you think a boy is going alone to a game arcade at dawn...!"
"It's inside the apartment complex, though?"
"Even so, no means no! What if something happens to you again?!"
Hmm...
She did have a point.
Even in that other world, there had been quite a few incidents
of women going to game arcades alone and getting into trouble.
Especially on streets lined with nightlife establishments.
But this was inside the apartment complex—
wouldn't it be much less dangerous?
Even if it was open to the public, no matter what, some idiot who'd cause trouble inside an apartment complex...
was apparently more common than I thought.
But A-ra scolded me firmly.
She must have been genuinely worried.
Well, I wasn't about to enjoy the game arcade by making her worry.
Still, I did want to play games...
"I'll just buy you a game console! Settle for that!"
I'd only ever played a round or two at an arcade—
I'd never once entertained the extravagant thought of buying a game console.
There had been one at the orphanage that the director bought for communal use,
but I'd never touched it.
But A-ra—
she was going to buy me the very first game console of my life?!
"Really?"
"You know that new game console that came out recently?"
It hadn't actually come out yet.
It had been announced a while ago and was scheduled to go on sale overseas on March 3rd.
If that were in my hands, I certainly wouldn't need to go outside.
I gulped loudly enough
for A-ra, standing beside me, to hear.
"So... you're really buying me an NS?"
"It's not like I can't afford it. You even drooled over wanting one, Seong-hwan-a."
"I... I did?"
This was news to me.
I guess the original me from this side had been quite into games.
Especially game consoles from company N.
I'd never owned one... but I liked their unique aesthetic.
Just watching playthrough videos on YouTube was enough to make me happy.
But one problem came to mind.
That game console...
"But that one probably won't have an official release in Korea, will it...?"
"Manager Yeji is in Japan right now. I'll tell her to pick one up on her way back."
"...Yasum, too?"
"Yasum? I don't know what that is... is it a game?"
"Yes... that's the one I want to play."
I probably looked like a little kid begging for a game, didn't I?
Since she was buying it anyway, could I indulge in just a little greed?
I should ask her to grab all the first-party games launching alongside it this time.
A-ra noona stepped away from me for a moment and made a call somewhere.
I did feel a bit sorry for the manager.
It would probably be hard to get one.
"Seong-hwan-a. She said she'll definitely get it for you."
"Noona!"
Overcome with emotion, I hugged A-ra.
A-ra stroked my head with a look that said she had no choice.
Then she cupped my cheek and lifted my face.
"It makes you that happy?"
"Yes, of course! You're the one buying it for me."
"Alright, alright. Our Seong-hwan is a good boy."
A-ra was nodding confidently, looking satisfied.
It felt a bit like I was being trained, but so what.
The outcome was good, so everything was fine.
"Th... that aside... Noona also has a favor to ask..."
"A favor? Like tonight's dinner, or something?"
"No... not that..."
A-ra fidgeted with her fingers, hesitating to speak—
starting to say something, then stopping, circling in place.
This was that thing.
That thing that's hard to bring up.
Or maybe a slightly different that thing.
"Noona... there's a car... I want to buy... hehe..."
As I thought, the game console was bait.
A bribe.
We now had a parking lot, and we'd moved.
It seemed she wanted a new car.
When I looked at the parking lot earlier, it had been full of absurdly flashy cars,
so maybe a fire had been lit in her heart.
Especially when she saw the limited-edition Lamborghini—I thought her eyes had rolled back into her head.
I'd heard there were only about two of those in Korea.
"What's the budget, roughly?"
"Um... 500 million?"
"Tax included?"
"Excluded...?"
"Well, for that amount, isn't once a year or so okay?"
I even found myself ridiculous as I said it.
That burning through 500 million won about once a year was okay.
But that was a statement only someone who didn't know A-ra's income would make.
If they saw her bankbook with the VVIP logo on it, that kind of remark probably wouldn't come out, would it?
"Really? No take-backs?"
"It's money Noona earned. What would I have to say about it?"
I gave a bitter smile, looking at A-ra
wearing a bright smile like the first time I cooked for her.
Did it really make her that happy?
How much had she been holding back on buying more cars?
She'd been holding it all in because she married me.
I grabbed A-ra's shoulder and pulled her close.
"Kyaak!"
Screaming and squirming like a baby cat in my arms, I took A-ra's chin.
Was it because she was happy?
Her two glossy eyes sparkled not like the city sky, but like the rural night sky.
First, I brought my lips lightly to her cheek.
Like a touch, not the playful kiss a child gives out of first curiosity toward the opposite sex.
And as if pressing fluffy cotton candy to my lips, delicately and unhurriedly,
I kissed her forehead.
A silent word that my love would never change, forever.
A-ra understood it well.
Since I'd marked her deep inside her body.
And then, like a honeybee wandering the world in search of sweet honey,
I left thick traces on her chest and neck.
This was a mark that she was mine.
A mark of subordination that I wouldn't let her go.
"Seong-hwan-a, it tickles."
"You don't like it? Should I stop?"
"Really...! Are you being mean?"
For the record, I didn't make hickeys.
I'd seen on Qtube that hickeys weren't good for the body.
No matter how much I indulged my desires, I didn't want to do anything bad to her body.
Ah, whatever.
It hadn't even been a day since we moved and we weren't quite settled, but wasn't this our home?
I pushed A-ra, who was sitting on the living room sofa, down.
As it happened, the cushion at the end softly wrapped around A-ra's head.
And my head, which fell along with hers, was also protected by the fluffy cushion.
Fluffy, fluffy.
It was A-ra's chest.
A little firmer than a bed, but trying acts of affection in a place like this
would be good stimulation between a married couple.
A-ra didn't refuse, either.
If anything, both her eyes were pestering me to intertwine our bodies.
Still, she was probably a little shy.
She was desperately covering her face with both hands.
The problem was that no matter how much she tried to hide it, it couldn't be hidden—
her whole embarrassed state was completely visible.
I let out a small chuckle.
But I wasn't the kind of person who would stop here.
I unbuttoned her top, slowly removed it,
pulled down the zipper at the waist of her skirt, and gently slid down the thin, thin fabric.
A-ra, who had high stamina from her idol activities, was now
unable to muster any strength—disarmed by me, whose body was so weak I often collapsed.
Left in nothing but her underwear, A-ra looked both alluring and dignified.
Out of this seven billion population, I was uniquely the only one who could see
this sight of her bare skin, and I felt a sense of conquest once more.
At this moment, I was Chinggis Khan.
I buried my face deep into that place she was bashfully covering with her hands.
The sweet, tangy flavor threatened to pierce me deep into the marrow.
Threatened, like a bee angered by a disturbed hive, I pecked her whole body with my mouth, tap tap.
This runaway rampage could not be stopped by anyone.
I was already a lone bee in a flower field.
***
I moved the exhausted, collapsed A-ra to the bed and came out to the kitchen.
Since I'd told the movers beforehand that I'd handle the dishware myself,
boxes that hadn't been opened yet were piled full.
"Let's see... frying pan... oh, induction is standard here."
Come to think of it, there was a secondary kitchen.
I went in toward the utility room and found it.
"Ah, it's a gas range here... thank goodness."
Induction is good for foods that need long-term cooking.
Things like jjigae, tang, or deep-fried foods—that kind of thing.
In comparison, a gas range is good for grilling or stir-frying.
Because fire taste controls the flavor of food more than you'd think.
And on top of the island table, I could see pots I'd never laid eyes on before.
They looked like quite high-end items.
Something about 1884 and vintage was marked on the pot.
A quick online search told me it was induction cookware that cost hundreds of thousands of won per pot.
It was an induction that used microwaves like a microwave oven, not one that transmitted heat through hot contact.
"Wow... are they seriously giving all this to the residents?"
Indeed, the apartment price was worth it.
I nodded in understanding.
That kind of quality would be worth the price.
I cleanly washed the newly opened stainless steel pot and stainless steel frying pan
and placed them on the induction.
Any pot or uncoated frying pan needs
to be cleaned and seasoned before use.
Absolutely—never use them immediately after purchase.
If you wipe a freshly bought pan or pot with a tissue, iron powder or residue will almost certainly come off.
I boiled water with baking soda in the pot and stainless steel frying pan,
and placed things like spatulas and scissors in hot water to disinfect.
I dissolved baking soda in that water as well.
While I was tidying up for a while, A-ra approached from behind
and let out a long, loud yawn.
"Huaaaahm... Seong-hwan-a?"
"Ah, sorry. Did I wake you?"
"Mhm, no. What were you doing?"
"I was cleaning these guys."
A-ra still seemed tired, only nodding her head
with her eyes closed.
Did we go at it too vigorously?
"Right. The dishwasher and air purifier deliveries are coming tomorrow, too."
"Got it. Around what time?"
"They said they'll come at 3 p.m."
"Okay. Go back in and sleep now."
"Yeah. You sleep well too, Seong-hwan-a."
A-ra stretched her arms wide and went into the master bedroom.
Since she had to go back down to Busan tomorrow,
she'd need to sleep early.
I felt a little sorry for having kept going until she was exhausted and collapsed.
"Haah... come to think of it, school starts soon."
A lot had happened in just three weeks since graduating,
but now I'd be starting university next week.
Vague anticipation, and also anxiety, mixed together...
"But since it's the Department of Social Welfare..."
I figured there wouldn't be any bad people.
Weren't they all studying with the same purpose?
It would be different from high school, where I'd had to study by force.
"I hope I can make some friends, too..."
I was married, but a sigh escaped me involuntarily
at my life without a single friend.
Eheu....