Big Trouble (3)
I’m screwed. Crazy bitch, crazy bitch, crazy bitch…!
Thud!
I slammed the door shut as if fleeing for my life and frantically yanked off my tank top. Warm air brushed against my newly exposed skin. My body, which had been chilled by the cold air, trembled violently.
“Ugh…”
A storm of embarrassment and shame surged through me, triggering an extreme impulse.
…Just die.
I hadn’t actually shown my bare skin, but the situation was far more humiliating than that. That embarrassed expression on his face, and those words he’d thrown out like he was testing me. Yu Jihwan had seen everything.
I deserved to die. No, I had to die. I couldn’t live like this!!!
I was pounding my head with my fists, wallowing in self-loathing, when I heard Yu Jihwan’s voice from downstairs.
“Soyeon! I’m coming in!”
Don’t come in, you crazy bastard!!!
I rushed out of my room to stop him from entering the house, only to realize too late that my chest felt strangely empty. If I had gone out like this and run straight into him…?
A chill ran down my spine.
Finally regaining my senses, I whipped myself into action and moved quickly. I snatched the bra I’d tossed into the corner of the room, put it on, then threw on a plain white t-shirt that had been hanging on the rack.
The moment I reached for the doorknob to leave the room, my mind suddenly went blank.
…W-what do I do…?
I couldn’t picture how I should act. What I should say… what kind of reaction I should show… I couldn’t think of anything at all.
“…N-no…”
I couldn’t go out like this. I spun around in a panic, sat down in front of the computer, and placed my hands on the keyboard.
EmperorOfSwords: Urgent. That guy came to visit me at home, and he caught me without a bra on. So I ran away. Now I have to go out there. What do I do?
The moment I posted, the rapidly scrolling chat window froze instantly. Countless question marks flooded the screen.
“Ugh, damn it…”
With time running out, I urged them for help again. Finally, replies started coming in…
These useless bitches.
There were some impure opinions mixed in, but at least a few actually helpful comments stood out. Say thank you, offer a drink… We only have soda and juice though. Is that okay?
The way they were cheering so excitedly was absolutely disgusting. Watching them, I regretted asking at all… but I had no choice. There was nowhere else I could turn to.
Leaving behind a message that I’d be back later, I repeated my mental rehearsal over and over before finally stepping out of the room.
*
After stepping into Min Soyeon’s house.
I had come inside, but I didn’t want to snoop around rudely, so I just peeked down the hallway from the entrance, observing the interior. From what I could see, the place was in terrible condition. My dissatisfaction with my wife was piling up when Min Soyeon finally appeared.
She was still wearing those extremely short shorts that revealed her thighs, but at least she had properly put on a white t-shirt upstairs. The faint outline of her bra strap was a little displeasing, but at this level, I could accept it as fashion.
“Sorry for barging in without permission.”
“…Mm.”
What was with that vague response?
I glanced at her expression, trying to read the room, and asked again.
“Are you feeling any better? You weren’t answering, so I just came over.”
At that, Min Soyeon’s eyes widened in surprise as she asked back.
“…Y-you… you contacted me…?”
From her reaction, it seemed she really hadn’t known. Reporters had swarmed me too, so I could only imagine how bad it must have been for her, the center of the controversy. Her phone must have been ringing nonstop.
“I did, but thanks to that I got to see your face, so it’s fine.”
If I hadn’t come in person, I never would have known she was living in such a mess.
Then Min Soyeon invited me further inside.
“…Since you came all the way here, I’ll at least get you something to drink.”
It was a genuinely touching offer. I followed her to the living room, my eyes darting around busily.
Oh… it’s better than I thought.
It wasn’t as filthy as I had feared, though it certainly wasn’t clean either. It looked like she had only cleaned the visible areas. Seeing the robot vacuum in the corner, it seemed she relied on that.
After guiding me to the living room, Min Soyeon headed to the kitchen to get drinks. Only after she disappeared could I comfortably examine every corner of the house.
“Hmm…”
There were no decorative items whatsoever. The furniture was arranged purely for practicality, making the home feel unusually bleak for a high school girl in her prime.
After a moment of looking around, Min Soyeon returned.
“…Here.”
She brought orange juice and a few cookies. I thanked her, took a small sip of the juice, and carefully broached the subject.
“…Do you live alone in this big house?”
I was trying to ask about my wife, Ju Yeonhee. She flinched slightly at my question, then gripped her glass tightly with both hands and answered shortly.
“…Yeah.”
She clearly didn’t want to talk about living alone. I should change the topic for now.
“I see… Have you eaten?”
“…I ate.”
I glanced at the kitchen visible over her shoulder and asked again.
“What did you eat? You need to eat properly to recover quickly.”
Min Soyeon avoided my gaze and tried to brush it off with a vague answer.
“…I ate well.”
“What exactly?”
When I pressed once more, pretending to be clueless, she answered in a tiny, shrinking voice.
“…Ramen… and… three-minute… curry…”
Oh my god.
“…Ramen? Curry? That instant stuff?”
“…It tastes good.”
She must have realized it wasn’t exactly great, because she added defensively that it tasted good.
This was the moment my worst suspicions were confirmed as reality. Unconsciously making a serious face, I asked her again.
“…Soyeon. What do you usually eat?”
“…W-why do you want to know?”
“I’m worried. You’re not seriously living off that stuff all the time, are you?”
Min Soyeon pressed her lips tightly shut and whipped her head away from my gaze.
Oh dear lord…
I shot up from my seat and told her.
“This won’t do. I’ll cook for you today.”
“…Huh?”
She let out a dazed sound, clearly flustered by the sudden suggestion. Leaving her behind, I headed toward the kitchen.
“The kitchen’s over there, right? Let me take a look.”
“W-wait…!”
Min Soyeon hurriedly followed me as I inspected the kitchen. Like the living room, it was decorated with practicality in mind. It wasn’t messy, but stacks of ramen and instant meals were visible everywhere.
I casually approached the cabinets and spoke one-sidedly.
“Mind if I open the cabinets?”
“…N-no, I can cook for myself…”
There’s a pot here… and a rice cooker too. It looks like she has all the basic tools. Most of them looked practically brand new, though.
“I know. But I want to cook for you.”
“W-why would you do that for me…!”
I met her eyes and answered with a slight smile.
“We’re partners, aren’t we?”
She stared at me blankly, then bit her lip hard and turned her head away sharply.
…Does she hate it that much?
It was a bit forceful, I admit… but there was no way I could just stand by and let her fill her stomach with this garbage food.
Leaving Min Soyeon behind, I scanned the entire kitchen and memorized where everything was. After passing through the surprisingly decent kitchen, I finally opened the refrigerator and…
“Hah…”
The sight left me speechless. The fridge was packed with soda, juice, and bags of snacks whose purpose I couldn’t even guess. What shocked me most was that there wasn’t a single side dish to be found.
At that moment, Min Soyeon, who had been watching from the side, hurriedly slammed the refrigerator door shut and shouted.
“T-that’s enough! Thanks for coming, but now please just…”
“That shopping basket over there, right? I’ll use that one.”
“G-get lost!”
I ignored the familiar verbal abuse, picked up the basket, and tested its weight.
“…Soyeon. Do you know how worried I was when you collapsed?”
“…Y-yeah?”
My suddenly lowered voice seemed to fluster her; her gaze trembled faintly. With the basket slung over my shoulder, I looked at her and said,
“Consider this repayment for making me worry.”
This time, she had nothing to say. She stayed silent.
*
I went grocery shopping with Min Soyeon. I told her she could rest at home, but… she stubbornly insisted on coming along.
We arrived at a large nearby supermarket.
“Let’s just take one cart.”
We grabbed a shopping cart from the entrance and entered the store. At that moment, a young couple caught my eye. They had their child sitting in the cart while they shopped.
Come to think of it, when Soyeon was little, she used to beg to ride in the cart too…
I glanced at Min Soyeon walking beside me. She must have noticed the young couple as well, because she was staring in their direction.
“…”
Was it just my imagination? It looked like envy was shining in Min Soyeon’s eyes. Since we used to go shopping together as a family of three back then, maybe she was reminiscing about the past.
As I watched her with a pang of sympathy, Min Soyeon noticed my gaze and quickly turned her head. We were so close I could see her eyelashes.
Seeing the faint melancholy in her eyes, I gave her a playful smile and said,
“…Want to ride?”
Min Soyeon glanced at the cart, her face twisting into a scowl.
“Hmph…”
She snorted and marched far ahead of me.
…Guess I can’t even joke around with her.
Feeling awkward, I could only smack my lips.