Overspending
It was Sunday. That meant it was the day I visited Oppa’s house. I finished getting ready early in the morning and headed for the pet supply store. I wanted to pick up some snacks and toys for Lara.
“Excuse me~. Are you looking for anything specific?”
“No thanks. I’ll just look around by myself.”
I cut off the employee before she could launch into her sales pitch. The extra stress on by myself was deliberate. Please, just leave me alone. I was the type who couldn’t browse comfortably once an employee latched on. That was why I never shopped for clothes or cosmetics in person either. Everything went through online orders.
But the employee didn’t seem satisfied with my answer.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She looked like she really wanted to help. In moments like this, the only move was to raise an iron wall.
“Yes. I’m perfectly fine!”
“All right. Just call me if you need anything.”
I flashed the brightest smile I could manage and radiated the strongest possible I can do this alone energy. The employee finally retreated with a disappointed expression. I let out a long breath. I survived. Today’s battle against offline retail staff went to me. Time to browse in peace.
I wandered the aisles with a silly grin, picking out everything Lara might need.
“Wow, this is adorable~.”
The pet clothing corner was packed with heart-melting outfits. Hats, accessories, even tiny shoes. Every single piece was so cute I nearly clutched my chest and collapsed on the spot. Huff, huff. Too much cuteness. Just imagining Lara wearing any of them made my heart race.
Without thinking I reached out, but reason slammed back in at the last second.
No. A lot of pets hate wearing clothes. Especially cats—many of them despised anything that wrapped around their bodies. Buying something she’d never wear would be pointless. Since I had no idea what type of cat Lara was, there was no reason to get any of it.
Right. I’d decided on snacks and toys only. I pulled myself together and grabbed the items I had planned to buy.
“This looks good… maybe this one too?”
I mindlessly piled decent-looking things into the basket until it was overflowing. When I carried it all to the counter without a second thought and finished checking out, the total hit me.
“That comes to 52,600 won.”
Excuse me? Had prices skyrocketed? As I stared at the mountain of goods I’d dumped on the counter, understanding slowly dawned.
...Ah. I really went overboard.
“Yes, here you go.” I handed over my card and completed the payment. Well, when it’s time to spend, you spend. Since I’d already done it, I’d just enjoy the purchases.
“Thank you. Have a nice day~.”
When the employee handed me the oversized paper bag, its weight surprised me again. This much? Won’t Oppa feel burdened? The grip in my hand already felt different. If I dumped all of this on his floor, he’d probably jump out of his skin. But the deed was done. I wasn’t the type to march back and demand a refund.
“Good stuff is good stuff, right? Yeah.” I rationalized it to myself all the way to Oppa’s house.
After a short walk from the store I started up the hill toward home. Oppa’s place sat a little higher than ours. As I walked I caught my reflection in a store’s full-length glass door.
This looks okay, doesn’t it? I’d done well to buy a few new outfits after that PC room trip, just in case. The skirt might be a little short, but Oppa would understand.
That thought brought back yesterday’s phone call with my sister.
“You’re really going to that guy’s house?”
My sister’s startled tone was still vivid. I couldn’t understand why she was so shocked.
“Yeah. Is that really so surprising?”
“Yuna, you’re bolder than I thought.”
“Huh? What’s bold about it? I’m only going because I want to see the cat.”
When I failed to follow, she sighed and asked again.
“Have you considered how the other person might interpret this?”
“Umm… not really.”
“Aigoo. Yuna, Yuna… What am I going to do with such a pure child? Seriously.”
It was the first time in my life anyone had called me pure. I didn’t think I was that innocent.
“Okay, imagine your crush tells you he’s coming over to see a cat. What would you think, Yuna?”
“Um… that he’s using the cat as an excuse to see me?”
“Golden correct answer, Yuna.”
Once I looked at it that way, it made sense. Put yourself in their shoes—that phrase existed for a reason. When I turned it around in my head, taking his words at face value suddenly seemed unrealistic.
“And Yuna, that’s not all. He’s probably expecting a little more than just the cat.”
“No way. You just don’t know him, Sis. Oppa isn’t like that.”
I knew I sounded like a lovesick fool defending him, but I genuinely didn’t think Oppa would read anything else into it. From the way we’d talked, he had taken me at my word. The conversation had stayed completely about the cat.
“Pure. Our Yuna is really so pure~.”
“It’s not like that. I’m seriously just going to see the cat.” I shook my head hard, trying to erase the conversation from my mind. Thinking about it made my palms sweat for no reason. I suddenly remembered exactly which underwear I’d chosen today.
“Ah! Sis is making me think weird stuff!”
To banish the useless thoughts I started singing the national anthem in my head all the way to Oppa’s house.
I forced my heavy eyelids open. Still half-asleep, I reached for the phone beside my pillow and checked the time.
“Weeeong.”
Lara’s cry came from beside the bed. It was already eleven.
“Wow. I almost screwed up. For real.”
I’d stayed up late watching V-Tubers last night. No time to waste. I had to start cleaning immediately. Today was the day Yuna was coming over to our house.
Even if she was my favorite streamer, I didn’t want to show her a complete disaster. One glance around the room drew a heavy sigh out of me.
“Haah… I really should clean more often.”
Clothes strewn everywhere, delivery food containers, empty cup-ramen cups. The dishes I’d kept putting off, dust drifting across the floor. I hadn’t noticed until yesterday just how badly I’d been living.
I washed my face and dove into cleaning to turn this trashy studio into something presentable. I tidied the room, emptied the trash, sprayed deodorizer on the bedding and hung it outside for a while, then tackled the dishes and the floor.
“Now it actually looks like a human lives here.”
I’d lost track of time, but the place was finally decent. I gazed around with a satisfied smile. I wasn’t bad at cleaning after all.
When I swept my eyes across the room one last time, the mug on my desk caught my attention. Ah. I hadn’t put it away. That could have been a disaster.
It was Yuni’s self-character illustration—a girl with long white hair and perky cat ears. Seeing it now, I realized even her persona carried her love for cats. The mug had been part of a limited broadcast standby screen merch drop.
“That really was incredible luck.”
Yuni had released it as a limited edition. Only a hundred people received one. I’d somehow won it. I’d screamed loud enough to wake the neighbors that day. I treasured it so much that I kept it beside me every time I watched her streams or played games, sipping water or drinks from it.
“Sorry, but you’ll have to disappear for a while.”
I couldn’t possibly let Yuna see it. After thinking about where to hide it, I decided on the cupboard. She wasn’t going to be eating here, and there was no reason for her to open it. I slid the mug in among the bowls.
...That should do it.
Once I felt ready to receive a guest, my phone rang. It was Yuni. I cleared my throat and answered.
“Oppa. I’m nearby, but where exactly is your place?”
“Ah. It can be a little tricky to find the first time, so I’ll come out. Where are you right now?”
“There’s a convenience store in front of me.”
“Okay. Wait there.”
Our house was tucked inside an alley, so newcomers always had trouble. I slipped on my sandals and headed out to meet her.
When I reached the convenience store, Yuna was standing there holding a huge paper bag.
“Yuna! Over here!”
“Oh. So that’s where you are.”
When I called out loudly, she walked slowly toward me. As we headed back to the house together I asked,
“What’s all that?”
The paper bag was stuffed full. It looked heavy, so I took it from her.
“Thanks, Oppa. These are snacks and toys for our Lara.”
“Our Lara?”
Since when had Lara become our cat? The words made me strangely embarrassed, as if Lara had become a link between us. More importantly, why was this bag so heavy? When I peeked inside, the amount was far more than I’d expected.
...Just how much did she buy?
“This is way too much. How much did you even get?”
Yuna hesitated for a second, then answered.
“...It came to about fifty thousand won.”
Hey. For fifty thousand won you’re supposed to react a lot harder than that. I could only shake my head at Yuna’s spending habits.