A Brief Stay in My Room
After eating dinner with Hyeji, I walked home, my steps heavy and dragging.
It was unfair to Hyeji. Because of me, she hadn't even finished her meal and had to come outside...
I should treat her to dinner again next time. But when I overheard the female staff member insulting Hyeji, I got so angry that I ended up speeding up without realizing it.
In the original world, I would have stayed put... Why was I acting like this? Did something affect my mind when I came to this world?
At first glance, my body looked the same, but the content was completely different. Even though my memories had changed, perhaps my habits and speech patterns from the original world remained.
Well, I had fun watching a movie with Hyeji before dinner, so I guess that's enough. The movie was a bit hard to watch, but the content itself was okay.
Checking the time, it was almost 8 PM. The weekend was almost over.
Walking lost in thought, I eventually arrived near my house.
Climbing the stairs slowly, I entered my home, took a quick shower, and was debating whether to play online games or go to bed when I reached the third floor and stepped into the hallway. I discovered a squatting figure and was instantly startled.
The hallway lights in this building were dim, creating a creepy atmosphere like a horror movie, and with an unknown object squatting against the wall, I couldn't help but be surprised.
I approached cautiously, mindful of my footsteps. If this situation was being watched as a scene from a horror movie, I would have shouted to run away.
But movies are just movies, and the squatting figure didn't move at all until I reached my door.
Wait, this person...
Opening the door, I looked closely at the figure and realized it was the person from the next door.
But since she was squatting with her head on her knees, her face was completely hidden, making it hard to be sure.
It seemed like something was wrong... but since it was none of my business and I didn't want to meddle unnecessarily, I opened the door and went inside.
Because I had slept in late today, the room was a complete mess from rushing out. I should clean it up before showering...
While roughly cleaning and doing the dishes in my messy room, it took over an hour. I was about to finish when I grabbed the trash bag and went outside... The woman from the next door was still squatting there.
She was still like that while I was cleaning? And nothing had changed from earlier.
Feeling something was off, I threw the bag in the trash and went back to the door. She was still there.
Should I just leave her? It's not winter, but it's March with spring chill. The temperature is dropping as the sun sets, and if she stays out like this, something bad might happen.
I was about to go in without noticing when I made up my mind and approached the squatting woman from the next door. I didn't know why she was squatting in the hallway, but she looked pitiful.
"Excuse me..."
"Y-yes?"
The woman from the next door, with her head bowed so low I couldn't see her face, reacted to my voice and looked up at me with a startled voice.
"Are you okay?"
"A... ah, yes! I'm fine."
The woman from the next door waved her hand saying she's fine. From her expression and appearance, she didn't look fine at all...
Just from the voice, it seemed like something was wrong, but since she said she's fine, maybe I should just go? She's older than me, so she probably knows what to do.
"Then..."
I was about to return to my room, leaving the woman from the next door.
"Haa..."
As I opened my door and entered, a big sigh came from behind from the woman next door. No matter how I looked at it, something was wrong with her.
Unable to ignore it any longer, I brought a cup of warm mix coffee outside.
"Excuse me."
Again, the woman from the next door looked up at my call, and I offered her the coffee I just made.
"Why is someone who says they're fine squatting here? You'll catch a cold. Stop doing that and drink this."
"Eh? A... ah... Thank you."
The woman from the next door took the coffee and sipped it slowly. I didn't know what happened, but her face was full of fatigue.
"Why are you here?"
"That... My door lock is in this state right now..."
The woman from the next door pointed at the door with her finger, and when I turned my head, I saw that the door lock was broken.
Why is the door lock broken...? Did a thief break in?
"Eh? Why is this broken?"
"Haa... I arrived home after work today... The door lock number wasn't pressing well, so in a fit of anger, I hit it once..."
The woman from the next door lowered her head in embarrassment and muttered.
No matter what, even if that's the case, how hard did she hit it to break the door lock? This person is really amazing...
Feeling my pitying gaze, the woman from the next door sighed and continued muttering.
"Haa... At work, I get scolded by my boss, and at company dinners, I have to drink like crazy. When I get home, the door lock is broken... Nothing goes right..."
It seemed like there were many difficult things for a company worker.
"Why don't you call the owner? Tell him the door lock is broken and you can't get in."
"Ah, that... Since the door lock wouldn't listen, I called this morning and the owner said he had business and would come tomorrow."
"Eh... Then, is there anyone nearby you can contact?"
The woman from the next door shook her head and took out her phone from her pocket.
"As soon as I arrived home, the battery died completely... I forgot the contact numbers and don't remember them..."
In the end, not only couldn't she enter because the door lock was broken, but she couldn't even ask for help.
"Moreover, because of the company dinner, I left my car at work and came home without my wallet, so I don't have even a single coin right now... haha..."
Wow, even begging is begging.
The house door lock is broken, phone battery is dead, wallet is in the car at work? It's like a sitcom.
Without a wallet and phone, it's impossible to stay out all night at a PC bang or jjimjilbang.
I checked the clock again. It was already past 9:30. Was she planning to stay here all night like this?
This person... If I leave her like this, won't she come out as a frozen corpse tomorrow?
"Then... Can you stay in my room for a bit and then leave?"
"Eh? What does that mean..."
I suggested it because I couldn't just leave her there.
"It's already 9:30, do you plan to stay here all night? Instead, come into my room for a bit, charge your phone. Then you can use the internet."
"Eh, eh? No! I can't do that!"
The woman from the next door was startled, stood up, waved her hand at me, and strongly denied it.
"How can a woman just enter a man's room she doesn't know?"
"I'm fine, so don't worry."
"Eh... that... um..."
The woman from the next door thought for a long time, then nodded.
"If you say it like that... I'll take you up on your offer for a bit today..."
With that, the woman from the next door entered my room.
"By the way, I don't know your name. What should I call you? I'm Lee Minho."
"Ah, I'm Shin Sujin."
"From the way you work at a company, you seem older than me, so you can speak casually."
"Eh... really? You can speak casually too."
"Really? Then I'll call you noona."
When I called her noona, Sujin noona flinched.
"Ah, aha ha ha... No, noona... It's been a while since I've heard that. Then, I'll take my leave for a bit?"
Then, something surprising happened.
"Then... Can you stay in my room for a bit and then leave?"
What? What is this?
For a moment, I thought I was hearing things because I was too tired now.
"Eh? What does that mean..."
"It's already 9:30, do you plan to stay here all night? Instead, come into my room for a bit, charge your phone. Then you can use the internet."
I shook my head desperately.
"How can a woman just enter a man's room she doesn't know?"
"Even if it's a man I know, but fundamentally, it's strange to have a woman I don't know enter my room."
"I'm fine, so don't worry."
"Eh... that... um..."
Is it really okay to go? It didn't seem like empty words... I had already been given permission, and since I only need to charge the phone, I can do it somehow...
Yeah, let's stay for a bit and then go.
"If you say it like that... I'll take your word for it and intrude for a bit today..."
With that, I entered the man from the next door's room. A man's room... I, who had no connection with men since middle school, high school, and university, thought this was my first time entering such a place, so it was both surprising and tense.
"By the way, I don't know your name. What should I call you? I'm Lee Minho."
"Ah, I'm Shin Sujin."
"From the way you work at a company, you seem older than me, so you can speak casually."
"Huh... really? You can speak casually too."
"Really? Then I'll call you noona."
For a moment, I flinched without realizing.
Noona... This is one of the top 5 feelings I like when women hear from men.
I had never heard it from a man before, and it felt better than I thought?