Chapter 71
Yesterday was the kind of day that wrung every last drop out of me. Truth be told, since I'd slept soundly in the afternoon, I'd been wondering if I should pull an all-nighter. But after drinking with Jia noona and coming home to make love with Yoo Seol-ah all over again, I washed up roughly, closed my eyes for a bit... and when I opened them, it was already lunchtime the next day.
Our first round yesterday had been pretty intense, so when we got back, we went with the face-to-face sitting position she wanted—the easiest for kissing. We barely moved our hips, just kept our lips locked in endless kisses. Of course, even in slow sex like that, Seol-ah must've climaxed just as many times as usual. That's why my body is still covered in her nail marks. She can't help clenching up unconsciously at the peak.
As I slowly opened my eyes, Seol-ah met my gaze for a split second before turning away and mumbling. She must be embarrassed, remembering yesterday.
"Y-Yesterday was... uh. Anyway, are you okay? You look exhausted..."
"I'll be fine after lying here a bit longer."
Yesterday satisfied my lust, hunger, and sleepiness in one perfect package, so I'm probably back to normal already. The wildly seductive Seol-ah from last night is nowhere to be seen.
"...Sorry."
"What're you sorry for?"
We do it because we love each other, and sex is basically the deepest expression of affection. The fatigue, though—that's unavoidable. Sex burns a ton of calories, but if it were just physical stamina, I'd shake it off in no time. I can run marathons for 24 hours straight with basic body reinforcement. The problem is the semen depletion on top of it all; it just makes me not want to move.
"Oh right, Lee Seo-yeon called a club meeting today?"
"When?"
"Evening. At school if possible."
School instead of the party room this time? Makes sense—renting it out every time adds up. Sure, it's pocket change for one of us, but the other three would put a stop to Seo-yeon footing the bill alone every time.
I groped around the nightstand for my phone to check the exact time and saw it was already past 1 p.m. The club group chat was full of Seo-yeon's energetic messages. She's talking about getting serious with club activities today—classic overachiever Seo-yeon, the most active of our quartet. Not that I mind; setting clear goals for the club sounds great. Anything we four do together is bound to be fun, no matter what.
"Then we should head out around 5:30."
"Sounds good."
I closed my eyes again, savoring the blanket's warmth, and when the fatigue finally started to lift, I asked Seol-ah,
"Seol-ah, anything you wanna eat?"
"Hmm... whatcha gonna make?"
"Yeah."
Eating out too often isn't great value, and I'm confident in my cooking, so whenever I can, I like making whatever she craves. Especially after how much she loved that bean sprout stir-fry last time.
Her voice lit up as she asked,
"For real?"
"For real."
"Then... what should it be?"
Someone who loves food this much makes me want to cook for her. She pondered forever, so I added,
"But I'm not cooking alone, and we don't have much in the fridge. Gotta hit the nearby mart quick. Pick whatever—I'll grab the ingredients anyway."
"...The freezer and drinks are about half Eum brand stuff."
"Homemade beats frozen any day—tastier and healthier. Don't eat too much frozen food."
"It's all Eum brand?"
"......"
Back in the day, I'd have shrugged it off, but suddenly a bunch of thoughts hit me, leaving me speechless. It's like when I was a kid, griping "Who the hell made this?" about some food, only to hear "That's my mom's cooking." Ironic that her parents are so involved with the brand.
Seol-ah smirked at my reaction and continued,
"Just kidding. It's mixed. But yeah, Eum stuff is tastier? That's why my fridge is stocked with their competitors now—the leftovers I haven't touched."
"Eum has a ton of tasty options. Probably better nutritionally too?"
Most of my go-to instant foods growing up were Eum brand. I even fed a lot to Baek Sia, so I hunted for healthier alternatives... and ended up with the same stuff. No wonder I was extra shocked when Seo-yeon revealed her identity.
"Oh, I know! Stir-fried udon. That okay?"
"Perfect. Not hard at all. Watch once and you could make it yourself."
"Really?"
Stir-fried noodles are harder to mess up than most dishes. As long as the noodles are good, even random ingredients taste great.
"Super quick. Oyster sauce base or chili oil base—which?"
"Hmm... both sound good. You pick."
"Oyster sauce first, then. I'll make the other later."
She loved the bean sprouts, so oyster sauce base should hit the spot. I meant it to reassure her, but she latched onto the "later" part. We'll be married and living together forever—she'll eat my cooking for life. Is it that exciting? Or maybe just the marriage talk making her grin like that.
Clearing her throat, Seol-ah fixed her dopey expression and sat up a bit.
"Ahem. Mart time?"
"Yeah, before we forget and end up lounging forever."
There's a decent mart closer to my place than hers—not huge, but it has everything. I've been a few times, but this seems new for Seol-ah.
"Bigger than I thought."
"Yeah. When my parents were away long, I'd stock up here."
Overseas trips meant I played house husband young, which probably built my self-sufficiency.
"How'd you get so good at cooking?"
"You get good when you have to."
"...Got it."
We got a generous living stipend for trips, but not enough for delivery every meal. Homemade vs. delivery? The price gap is four or five times, no exaggeration.
I grabbed a basket and headed to the produce aisle.
"Gimme that. I'll carry."
"I got it."
"...Fine, one handle each."
She snatched one side. Not efficient—we have to move in sync—but feeling like a goofy couple isn't bad. First time grocery shopping just us two; total newlywed vibes.
"Name something we have at home."
I listed stir-fry udon basics; all the sauces were stocked. Makes sense—Jia noona brought parents' banchan, and they probably filled the fridge when she started living alone.
"Grab a pack of udon over there."
"Got it."
I prefer the slightly pricier pre-packaged udon over loose noodles—better quality, and leftover broth makes soup. Added veggies and seafood mix, then headed to checkout. Seol-ah casually pulled out her card and handed it over.
Sharing home and money already? We'll adapt to marriage in no time.
"Aigoo, you two live nearby, right? Such a handsome couple..."
"...Thank you."
The mart owner uncle—one of the couple running the place. He recognizes me from frequent produce runs. Seol-ah gave a quiet thanks to his friendly chatter.
"Already 1:30. Hungry?"
"...A little?"
I wasn't—midnight snack kept me full—but for hungry Seol-ah, I prepped to cook right away. Then she pulls an apron from somewhere.
"...We have an apron?"
"Bought it. With the robe."
"You don't cook."
"I bought it for you to wear."
"......"
Like the robe, she's casually assigning me household stuff. We're basically cohabiting already. No discomfort living together; might as well stay here for real.
"Why the apron idea?"
"...Just, y'know..."
She mumbled evasively, gesturing for me to lower my head. Slipped the neck loop on, grabbed the ties... and pulled me into a full frontal hug to knot it.
"......"
Why's she so bad at this? Ten seconds in, she's still glued to me. Her arms aren't hovering—they're wrapped around my waist.
That's when it hit me: reason non-cooking Seol-ah bought an apron.
"...Hey, just ask for a hug. I'll give one."
Legal excuse for hugs. Obvious now. Must've loved tying aprons on each other last time.
She finally jolted away at my voice, flustered.
"Wh-what? Oh, done now. So hard to tie."
"......"
Her clumsy acting just to hug me? Ridiculous... but cute. Gotta make that stir-fried udon extra delicious.