[No Title]
Yoo Seol-ah, clearly flustered by Lee Seo-yeon's onslaught, started exploring the house on her own in a walkthrough-style rampage. She crossed the living room with uncharacteristically quick steps, but even at that pace, she was still only halfway through. It was spacious enough for a short sprint. Exaggerating a bit, it felt less like a living room and more like a gymnasium or athletic field.
She hurried along with quick tap-tap-tap footsteps and finally reached the far end, then turned her head and got captivated by something, drifting off toward one side like she was entranced. And apparently, that wasn't even the end? If you're curious, ask the homeowner.
"What's over there?"
"That's the kitchen. It was custom-built from the start, so it's different from most houses. I put the most effort into it. Even my parents say it's way better than the company headquarters kitchen whenever they drop by."
"No wonder you're good at cooking... But how great does it have to be to beat a company kitchen?"
"You'll see when you check it out."
I followed after the vanished Yoo Seol-ah at a leisurely pace. When I reached the other side of the living room, one wall had doors, while the other opened into yet another vast space. Yoo Seol-ah was wandering around the kitchen, gaping in awe, unable to close her mouth. I realized my own jaw had dropped unconsciously.
"...It feels like a high-end bar from the movies."
"Right? That's exactly what I aimed for. It's a front-facing U-shaped layout with an added island counter, making it super bar-like."
"I bet cooking here would actually be fun."
"You cook at all?"
"Not as well as you, but I manage a bit."
Yoo Seol-ah sidled up to join the conversation.
"You can cook too, Baek Sion?"
"Gotta eat sometimes when you're living alone. Can't just order takeout or microwave frozen stuff every day."
Yoo Seol-ah suddenly rolled her eyes and clamped her mouth shut. From her reaction, it seemed like she couldn't cook. But cooking isn't that hard to start, right? You begin with simple stuff like fried rice or pasta and gradually tackle harder dishes.
"Do you ever not cook at all?"
"...It's not like I can't."
"What have you made?"
"Ramen."
Lee Seo-yeon and I both sighed in unison at her answer. There's been endless debate about whether ramen counts as cooking. Some say microwaving instant fried rice is no different, while others argue that adjusting water amounts, noodle cooking time, and add-ins creates wildly varying flavors, so it definitely qualifies. Both sides have merit, but I've never heard someone claim "I can cook" and cite ramen as their example.
"Do you at least make killer ramen?"
"Or maybe you've got your own special recipe?"
Under our combined assault, Yoo Seol-ah looked like she was shrinking.
"...I just follow the instructions on the back..."
"This won't do. We need to hold a cooking class tonight for dinner."
"Wait, think about it—she's amazing at magic, so how does not cooking make sense? They're kinda similar, right?"
Deriving results from various ingredients and processes, with outcomes varying wildly by skill level—they really were alike.
"...Why are you picking on me? It's not like I want to suck at it!"
She raised her voice, sounding genuinely indignant, like a sparrow chirping away. It was oddly healing, making me want to tease her even more. She was a born sandbag.
"Recipes keep you from failing if you follow them."
"Recipes aren't beginner-friendly... They don't explain exactly what 'low heat' means or when to turn it down."
"Induction stoves make it easier, though?"
"It goes from 1 to 9, but 'low heat'—is that 1? Or what?"
As Yoo Seol-ah vented her frustrations and my "why is that hard?" stance widened the gap, Lee Seo-yeon stepped in to mediate.
"Usually, low heat on induction is around 3 or 4? It varies a bit, but just bump it up or down by one."
True experts look out for beginners best. Thinking back, I struggled a ton when I first tried cooking.
Lee Seo-yeon continued in her even tone.
"Your studio has induction too, huh, Seol-ah? I didn't know."
Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Yoo Seol-ah blinked rapidly and exchanged glances with me. They say casual slips are the scariest—couldn't agree more. With someone as sharp as Lee Seo-yeon, this was probably a probe to see if I'd been to Seol-ah's place.
But it wasn't unsalvageable.
"Most studios don't use gas anymore, so probably induction. Mine is."
I didn't hesitate much, so it shouldn't sound like a sudden excuse.
"Yeah, mine's induction too. Safer than gas, I guess? Seems standard."
Thankfully, Yoo Seol-ah backed me up without missing a beat or acting shocked. As I'd noticed before, her acting skills kicked in when needed.
"Oh, I just said it so confidently, I thought maybe you'd snuck over without me..."
"What are you talking about? When would I have time?"
"I'd be hurt if you went without me, so let's all go together sometime."
"My place isn't tiny, but after this, would you even be satisfied?"
"That's the cozy charm."
It passed smoothly, but I really need to watch my words around Lee Seo-yeon. She eyed Yoo Seol-ah's bag and changed the subject.
"Seol-ah, isn't that bag heavy? Better drop it off upstairs in a room."
"It's not that bad, but yeah, let's head up. You said the second-floor rooms aren't used much?"
"Yeah. Just beds and basic furnishings—nothing else."
We followed Lee Seo-yeon up the stairs from the living room side to the second floor. Even the stairs felt luxurious, but thank god no elevator. An elevator in a house would shatter reality.
"Whoa... This is almost as big as my whole place."
It was genuinely comparable to Yoo Seol-ah's studio—way bigger than mine.
"Each room has its own bathroom and mini dressing room. Seol-ah, you take this one, Baek Sion, the one opposite."
Having to go through the dressing room to reach the bathroom was a fresh concept. Yoo Seol-ah tossed her bag on a chair and started poking around the dressing room.
"One side for cosplay outfits, the other for casuals—perfect."
"Live here, and I'll waive rent if you cosplay occasionally."
"...Just to check, there's rent here too?"
"Yep. Deposit five hundred million, monthly about 2.4 million."
Yoo Seol-ah and I exchanged stunned looks and burst out laughing simultaneously. We could gloss over the tens-of-billions sale price, but 2.4 million monthly rent? It was so absurd, the laughter came naturally.
"My deposit's barely twenty million..."
"I'm seriously considering it. Living here."
"You're welcome anytime. Oh, the community facilities are pretty nice too."
"You mentioned earlier. Like what?"
High-end apartments usually have indoor pools, right?
"Gym and pool are standard, plus party rooms you can rent. Oh, and a basketball court—it's clean and nice."
I tossed out my personal hope.
"Any spa?"
"Spa goes without saying. Outdoor communal bath and sauna too—super nice."
Did they lack anything? Living here, you'd never want to leave the complex.
"I could live here forever."
"There's a hotel-run buffet, other restaurants and shops—no need to go out if you've got money."
Money's the key issue. Fewer units than a regular apartment means sky-high maintenance fees for all those amenities.
"Anywhere you wanna check out? We could stroll the walking paths, or the Han River Park's close."
Yoo Seol-ah pondered, then surprised us.
"The gym."
"...Seriously?"
"Just checking—you don't mean gym as in that, right?"
She smacked my shoulder. Totally unexpected.
"Don't you hate exercise?"
"Hey, I like working out? I just hate plain walking—sports are fun."
"Whoa... Bigger shock than reuniting on Earth."
"Don't exaggerate. I've liked PE since elementary school."
Her competitive streak made sense for sports. Guys like PE too—finding ones who don't is harder.
"So, good at any sports?"
"Decent at most. Did dance club briefly, gymnastics too."
Super confident. We'd see if it was bluff. Gymnastics isn't easy to pick up.
"You did gymnastics?"
"Just briefly... Why, you too?"
Ah, why do words keep slipping today? But no need to lie—it was just freshman welcome talk.
"...One of my cohort's in the gymnastics club."
"Girl?"
"Yeah."
Nursing major—mostly girls. Just facts, no jealousy, right?
"Pretty?"
"......"
Maybe. I'd noticed during hair-drying last time—she was the jealous type. But I had Lee Seo-yeon's skill from earlier.
"Honestly, yeah, but you're way prettier."
"...Ugh, what? I was kidding. That's rude to her."
She bolted out of the room. We followed. Lee Seo-yeon called to the wandering Yoo Seol-ah.
"Seol-ah, that's just storage—no entry. Nothing there."
She froze, refusing to turn for a long while. Embarrassed by my words? Or ashamed of veering off? Probably both.
Lee Seo-yeon whispered to me alone, like ventriloquism.
"See? What I said works. Straight balls are the answer for tsunderes. She's totally flustered."
"You've played some visual novels, huh."
Worthy of master status.