[ 58th Chapter ]
I bought a house.
Of course, it’s not my house. It’s accurate to say that while I did buy the house, it’s not the one I will be living in.
As weekdays approached, I rushed to finish work at headquarters in the morning and worried if the property we had seen with Hayang would still be available. I quickly called her and headed to the real estate office.
“…….”
“Isn’t this too obvious?”
I paid the earnest money with her funds, and all other expenses were covered by the support money I received. The support money came quickly and generously, as if compensating for my long military service.
“But it’s not my money.”
Hayang was still bewildered by the swift completion of the house purchase.
If I were in her shoes, I would also be confused and maintain a blank expression.
However, the contract was already completed, and the spacious apartment we saw on the rooftop is now hers. We drafted a simple contract stating that when she sells the house, she will return the support money I provided.
The real estate agent said the contract has legal effect, but honestly, I don’t care. Since I have little desire for material things, I wouldn’t mind if she took the support money and ran away.
Actually, I do care. Not financially, but emotionally, it would be a significant issue. Regardless, I believed Hayang wouldn’t recklessly take others’ belongings, and I helped her out of sympathy. If she betrayed me, it would hurt deeply.
This is hypothetical; I don’t think Hayang would run away or do anything like that right now. The information I got from Yubin, Yura, and Green was limited, but even the little I heard suggested she is a good person.
And through meeting her directly, I found out she is genuinely kind.
“There’s a contract, and a house. Now we just need to move in. Don’t worry; I won’t suddenly ask for the support money.”
I patted her shoulder to ease her concern about spending the support money on her behalf. Her face softened into a faint smile, relieved by my words.
“When can we move in?”
“She said we could move in the day after tomorrow since it’s a new house.”
Then, an important issue I hadn’t considered until now occurred to me.
“What about furniture?”
She had been staying at her older brother’s place, and I wasn’t sure how much of her own stuff she had. Moving from a smaller to a larger place meant her furniture might not be complete.
“The model house we saw didn’t have any furniture, so there probably won’t be anything.”
This was a problem. Even if we matched furniture now, it might not fit the day of moving. She could end up in an empty house for days.
“What about the furniture you’ll bring when moving?”
“We don’t have much furniture. Just a futon, pillow, desk, and chair. They’re all from my older brother’s place… Ah.”
She realized she hadn’t given furniture any thought and looked at me with panic. Despite my influence, I’m not a powerful person who can solve everything alone. I need help from others.
“Hold on.”
I stepped away and called Kirk on my smartphone.
“Hey. Got any good furniture that’s available soon?”
“What’s going on?”
“I know, I know.”
With no time to spare, I got straight to the point.
“Hey. Got any good furniture that’s available soon?”
“Yes, there’s a decent place I used when I got married before.”
“Where is it?”
He immediately gave me the name and approximate location of a furniture store. Though he’s been married for several years, he couldn’t remember the details. But knowing the name and general area made finding it easy. Even if the store had changed, contacting them would lead us to it quickly.
If the store had completely disappeared… let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
“I checked one place already. Should we go there first?”
Seeing Hayang waiting anxiously, she nodded. She hadn’t thought about this either, and it was urgent. But as we calmed down, it seemed less urgent.
In Korea, they deliver quickly, so explaining the situation should get us fast delivery.
“Yes.”
I took a taxi to the furniture store with her answer.
Checking on my phone en route, I found the store was still there. When we arrived, I gasped at the inside.
I’ve moved a few times but never bought furniture at a store. My current bed and desk are standard in the places I’ve moved to.
“Why isn’t there furniture in the house?” Hayang might wonder, but renting versus buying makes a big difference.
“What furniture do we need?”
“Well, there’s nothing, so we need to look at everything.”
Without a rice cooker or basic furniture, we could expedite delivery, but choosing items would take time.
“Since it’s like this, let’s take our time and choose carefully.”
If rushing isn’t an option, it’s better to relax and think calmly. Naturally, it depends on the situation, but forcing a schedule when time doesn’t allow it is futile.
“We definitely need a bed, table, and refrigerator, right?”
People living alone often don’t cook much, but since she enjoys cooking, it’s best to buy what she needs. It’s best to prepare thoroughly over today and tomorrow.
“Yes. And…”
Listening to her list of necessities made me feel there was an endless amount to buy.
“How much budget is left?”
Hayang showed me her smartphone screen. The savings she had accumulated over ten years seemed insufficient for the house, but they were enough for cheaper furniture.
But we can’t spend it freely. Until her income is secured, it’s best to save where possible.
“Welcome. Looking for something?”
A salesperson approached with a business smile. Since she was overwhelmed, I spoke for her, mentioning what I thought was most needed.
“First, let’s see some beds.”
“Sure, I’ll show you.”
Neither of us knew much, but since it was her decision, I wanted to help her fully. Helping her might also benefit me in the future.
Maybe due to being close during house hunting, she grabbed my coat and we moved to the floor displaying beds.
Various beds lined up, and unsure which to look at first, I watched her check their condition.
“This bed is what size?”
“That’s a super single, but there are king and queen sizes over there.”
Watching her check the beds, the employee noticed and turned to me.
“Couples usually take a queen size. Those wanting more space use larger sizes.”
Hearing “couple,” I debated how to respond. Saying no would embarrass both of us, and saying yes would be dishonest.
Hayang froze hearing “couple.”
After hearing “couple” so often during house hunting, I had gotten used to it, but the term still felt awkward.
“Come here!”
Startled, Hayang’s face turned red, contrasting with her blue hair.
Considering the employee might be uncomfortable, I chose to follow her lead.
“Yeah, okay.”
I sat next to her, blushing, on the bed.
“Since they think we’re a couple, just here…”
Though unfinished, I understood her intention. I felt embarrassed too.
“Yes. Oh, yeah, okay. Let’s do it this way.”
Switching from formal to casual speech made me feel awkward.
There were many pieces of furniture to consider, and this awkward situation seemed to last.
“Do mattresses come separately?”
“Most buy them together, but some purchase separately.”
But I found myself genuinely interested in Hayang’s bed and carefully selecting one for her.
“Is the mattress bad?”
“No, the second mattress I saw seemed better.”
We naturally switched to casual speech and discussed furniture choices, unaware of our situation.
Focused on furniture, we acted like a real couple, not noticing the awkwardness.
“What about you?”
Our eyes met, and embarrassment surged.
Hayang blushed, and I averted my eyes. Despite our discomfort, she answered my question seriously.
“I think everything’s fine, including storage space. Let’s choose what you like.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Though we talked, we avoided eye contact, and I ended up choosing a queen-size bed for her. It was only after days that I noticed we had bought a queen-size bed.
“For the frame, this one, and for the mattress, that one, how much would it cost?”
Embarrassed, I asked the employee for the price. Since it was her furniture, Hayang joined me to check the prices. Sensitized to costs, we refocused on buying furniture.
“Need anything else?”
I glanced at Hayang.
“It’s better to tell him everything you want.”
“Yeah.”
Since she needed the furniture, I let her decide. We visited furniture stores all day, checking most of what she needed, and except for the bed, everything was her choice.
Even during the final payment, we remained sensitive about money. Actually, it was more intense focus than sensitivity.
“Total price drops with discounts. How much?”
Looking at the final price tag, Hayang and I met eyes. We were focused enough to not feel embarrassed.
“Is this okay?”
“Yeah, it seems fine.”
“Anything else to buy?”
“Looks like we need to check again tomorrow.”
At the furniture store, we bought furniture, and the next day, we planned to check electronics.
After confirming delivery on the moving day with her card, we left the store and recalled the awkwardness we had forgotten.
“Tomorrow, we…”
Unable to meet eyes, Hayang asked if we could check electronics together tomorrow. I nodded, but couldn’t look at her. As earlier, the situation felt awkward, making it hard to meet her gaze.
“What time?”
“I think it’s better to go early in the morning…”
“Yeah, let’s start in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Realizing we had been speaking informally in the store, we apologized to each other outside.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“No, it’s my fault.”
We realized switching back to formal speech after informal conversation would make things confusing.
“Since it’s like this, let’s just talk casually?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
To avoid the awkwardness, I suggested switching to casual speech, and Hayang quickly agreed, feeling the situation was uncomfortable.
“Shall we head home?”
“Yeah.”
“… Shall I drop you off?”
“Uh, uh… Yeah.”
Our awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere persisted until we reached her place by taxi.
When Blue and A left the furniture store.
A woman passing by noticed them.
“Blue?”
The woman tilted her head, watched them get into a taxi, and left.
