Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Snack
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"Here."
A leisurely weekend afternoon. Si-eun came into the room without knocking and held something out.
Wondering what it was, I looked closer and saw she was gripping a bowl. It was filled with apples neatly sliced into pretty shapes.
"What?"
"What do you mean, what? It's a snack."
Her tone made it sound so obvious. Well, sure. It wasn't like she was telling me to take out the food scraps that had piled up or anything.
But that wasn't what I was curious about.
"Why a snack all of a sudden?"
"They say fruit's packed with vitamins and good for the body."
Si-eun set the bowl down on my desk as she replied.
"You eat meals, drink coffee, barely exercise, and stare at the monitor all day long. Living like that's bad for you, so I figured I should at least bring something like this."
"So, you're saying you bought fruit because you're worried about my health?"
"Yeah."
Si-eun nodded without a hint of hesitation.
I hadn't even asked, but she'd gone out of her way to look after my health too. She had her commendable side. A strange warmth bloomed in my chest.
I was about to thank her when she added, in all seriousness:
"If you die, I won't make 500k a month anymore."
Scratch the thanks.
I wished she'd just let the misunderstanding slide in silence.
"Eh, I'm not gonna die."
"You might. Death doesn't wait its turn."
"Plenty of people will go before me. Plus, with you cooking lately, I actually feel healthier."
"Maybe your body's just putting up one last fight?"
"No."
My friend was one thing, but why was she always trying to kill me off too?
Moments later, Si-eun leaned her head in close to the monitor. Her long hair brushed right past my nose, leaving a fresh, crisp scent lingering in its wake.
I followed her gaze to the screen. It was cluttered with all sorts of graphs, equations, and source code. Nothing fun to read there.
Then she turned her face toward me and asked:
"You make money with this?"
"Something like that."
"I have no idea what it is, but it looks impressive."
"It's not that big a deal."
"You make that much money, and it's not a big deal?"
Si-eun let out a little chuckle and pulled her head back from the monitor.
I glanced sideways, thinking she was about to leave, but instead, I caught sight of her settling lightly onto my bed.
What the...?
"Got something to say?"
"Nope."
"Then why stick around in my room?"
"Can't I?"
Her puzzled tone left me at a loss for words.
Was it normal to barge into someone's room and plop down on their bed? No clue. I didn't have friends, so I'd never even been to one of their houses.
"It's not that you can't."
But there was no real reason to chase her out, so I figured I'd just keep working. As long as she didn't bother me, it didn't matter if she stayed or not.
That thought didn't last long. Soon enough, a bored voice drifted over from behind me.
"You must stay cooped up at home even on weekends. You were like that last week too."
Looks like sitting still quietly wasn't her plan.
Come to think of it, she had said something like that before. She had a knack for chitchat on random topics and offered to keep me company. This might be part of it. Without asking me first, of course.
I tapped away at the keyboard while replying.
"No one to run into if I go out. Might as well stay home."
"Yeah?"
Her response sounded like she wasn't all that interested. Then why bother asking?
"What about you?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. You were home all last week, and this week too. You one of those types who hates going out?"
"Nah. I love heading out anywhere and hanging with friends. Gets boring just stuck at home."
"Eh, can't say I relate."
"'Cause you got no friends."
Fair enough.
Si-eun was the total opposite of me in every way. She preferred groups over solitude, the outside over staying in. And she had tons of friends. Being stuck in a room probably made her antsy.
"Why not go out and have fun? I'll call if I need you."
I tossed that out like a generous offer, but she shot it down flat with a single "No."
"Fun costs money. Can't do it when I need to save every penny."
"Hmm... fair."
I turned my head slightly to look at her.
Si-eun was sitting with her legs tucked up and her chin resting on her knees. The pose alone screamed boredom.
So, going out would cost money, huh? Guess she'd chat with me instead. She'd said she'd be my conversation partner, but really, she was making me hers.
"Doesn't all this computer time get boring?"
"Shouldn't someone in the Computer Science Department know better than to say that?"
"Yeah, you're right."
Si-eun burst out laughing like it was the funniest thing.
"Still, I don't really get it."
"Get what?"
"I just picked this place for the biggest scholarship. Honestly, no idea if computers or programming are fun."
"Hmm."
Yeah, that tracked.
Her attitude in class and the rumors about her grades never gave off that vibe.
But when I thought about her circumstances, it made sense.
Handling all the housework since she was little—cooking, cleaning, laundry, getting good at it all. Holding back on fun to save money. Entering a department she didn't even want just for the scholarship.
That was Si-eun's life.
"Don't take it too seriously. Just how it is."
She brushed it off casually.
No good comeback came to mind, so...
"Yeah."
I shut my mouth after that.
Soon, silence settled over the room. The clacking of the keyboard, the occasional bed creak, even the whir of the computer fans—it was that quiet.
At least the nuisance was gone. Time to dive back into coding.
Right as I was getting focused, a soft thud came from behind.
I turned around to see Si-eun sprawled out on my bed.
"...What're you doing?"
"Lying down."
"I can see that."
"Then why ask?"
"That wasn't the question."
"Then what?"
"Why lie down on my bed?"
"You against it?"
Si-eun tilted her head while still lying there.
Well? Was I against it? No, not really. It wasn't dislike. More like... if I had to put a word to it.
"Just seems too careless."
"Huh?"
She blinked at me like she didn't get it for a second, then...
"Oh, that's what you mean?"
Once she caught on, she smirked right at me.
"You said you wouldn't do anything weird, right?"
"Well, I'd never, but... ever consider your judgment might be off?"
That's how the world worked.
You check the light's green, cross the street, and bam—a truck comes out of nowhere. Driver's fault, but you're the innocent one who dies.
So, wasn't it smarter to at least suspect there might be a tiny chance I'd snap?
But Si-eun just scoffed, one corner of her mouth curling up.
"Nope."
Her expression was downright provocative. Like she was beckoning me with a "try it if you dare."
Not long ago, she'd said living in a guy's house made her tense. Just how much reassurance had my words and actions given her?
I couldn't take it anymore.
I shot up from my chair and strode toward the bed.
"W-what are you doing?"
Si-eun flinched at my movement and tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't cooperate—she couldn't budge.
"W-wait a sec...!"
Her face drained of color the closer I got.
I ignored it and closed the distance with firm steps.
And finally, right in front of Si-eun, I...
"See? This kind of thing isn't out of the question."
...sat down right next to her and said that.
Hope that woke her up. I eyed her, but the fear from moments ago was gone. Now her face was full of annoyance.
"You scared me!"
"That was the idea."
I'd meant it as a lesson, but she was pissed instead. Figures. Good deeds are wasted. Should've just ignored her and coded.
Si-eun let out a sigh, then pushed herself up to her feet. A sharp glare stabbed down at me.
"Still."
A beat later, her expression softened as she continued.
"I get what you're saying."
"Doesn't look like it."
"Getting scared counts as getting it."
"Ugh, sorry..."
No choice but to apologize. Si-eun turned away with a dissatisfied look and headed for the door.
So damn willful. Right as that thought crossed my mind, she turned back toward me for some reason.
"And... the boredom went down a bit."
"Good to hear."
Having fun talking to me? What a weirdo.
She still had more to say—her lips moved again.
"Got any favorite snacks?"
"Don't snack much. Fruit if it's around."
"Yeah?"
She smirked at my answer.
"If I get bored again, I'll drop by sometimes."
"Huh?"
With that sudden declaration, she left the room.
After that day, Si-eun started dropping by my room now and then, fruit in hand.
She really hadn't gotten the point at all...