[ 60th Chapter ]
Hayang and I took a taxi from the apartment to her new home.
Entering the apartment where she would live, her new residence on the top floor was completely empty.
“It really looks like there’s nothing here.”
“But things will be added one by one.”
I followed her in, speaking to myself, and carried the luggage she had packed.
As expected, the house, which had no furniture at all, felt spacious enough that running around wouldn’t feel out of place. The high ceiling due to being on the top floor made the space seem even larger.
“The furniture is scheduled to arrive this afternoon, right?”
“Yeah.”
The furniture was scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, and after checking the furniture, household appliances were also reserved to arrive the next day from an electronics store.
“Do you like the house?”
“Yeah. It’s spacious and has a great view. I love it.”
Although the house was still unfurnished, thinking about filling it up bit by bit and planning her life made Hayang smile.
“What’s this?”
Most of the items she had from her old home were loaded onto a truck, but a few items were packed in boxes and brought along directly.
“These are cookbooks. Recipe books.”
Opening the box, several recipe books she had collected were inside. Although it didn’t matter if they were sent with the truck, she seemed to want to bring them herself. After getting off the taxi, she insisted I carry them, so I brought them, making these recipe books her most treasured items among the many things arriving today.
“Are you going to cook often from now on?”
“I’ll try my best.”
Living alone with an unstable income, cooking meals could be more inconvenient than convenient for her. However, as she had just started living alone, her determination was full, and the future looked promising.
“Let’s see where we should place the furniture when it arrives.”
We confirmed that she had books and that her belongings would soon arrive in a moving truck. With the furniture also on its way, even though she had already measured the house size before buying the furniture, it was necessary to confirm again.
“Yeah.”
Her house was a typical family home with a living room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
While it might be a bit large for her to live alone, it was much better than a cramped space. Most importantly, she seemed satisfied, so that was enough.
While checking the furniture placement in the rooms, the truck carrying her personal items arrived, and the movers unloaded all the boxes.
After confirming the arrival of the belongings, the furniture began to arrive one piece at a time. A wardrobe and hanger for the small room, bookshelves and desks for the middle room, and a dresser and bed for the master bedroom.
Among these, the master bedroom was the most sensitive area when it came to furniture. As it was her most precious private space, I found myself paying extra attention to each piece of furniture.
The movers only arranged the furniture, so after they left, it was our job to arrange everything.
“The window looks nice, doesn’t it? It gets plenty of sunlight.”
“But small lights coming in while sleeping might be annoying.”
“So what should we put by the window?”
“I think it would be good to leave the window empty and place the bed against the wall and the dresser beside it.”
We kept exchanging opinions while rearranging the furniture. Sometimes, what seemed good at first turned out to need a different direction.
Though it was a lot of work, Hayang and I couldn’t stop laughing while arranging the furniture.
“Can you reach the top shelf of the bookcase?”
“…I don’t think so.”
Her height was around 150cm. The top shelf of the tall bookcase required stretching and lifting the heels to barely reach.
“Did you buy a bookshelf that’s too tall?”
She thought it was a normal size, but upon seeing it at home, it seemed too high for her. Why didn’t the furniture store notice this?
“At the furniture store, they said it was fine because I could reach it.”
“Oh…”
Now I remembered. When buying the bookshelf at the furniture store, she checked the height by reaching the top and found it suitable, and then decided on the color without further confirmation.
Even though it had been just two days, many things happened in between, making her memory hazy.
“A step stool might be good in the kitchen. It would be inconvenient to reach dishes.”
“As long as I use a chair, it’s not a big deal.”
Even at 150cm, her height wasn’t so short that she couldn’t reach everyday places. While it was slightly inconvenient to reach higher places, I realized that I could always help her.
“Huh?”
At some point, I naturally started drawing a picture of the house. Hayang still called me “you,” and she didn’t seem fully aware of this situation.
Considering she had been saying “you” all day, I wondered whether I should correct her or let it continue. In the long run, it would be better to address it, but I didn’t want to ruin her happiness.
“Why?”
“No reason.”
Realizing the current awkward situation, I spoke softly, and Hayang looked at me. I dismissed it lightly and continued looking around the house, returning to the bedroom. Now, the bed was placed exactly where I wanted it. Is this okay?
“Is something wrong?”
I wondered if I had noticed something problematic, and Hayang followed me into the bedroom.
“Not really, it’s about the bed position. Is this okay?”
“You said you liked this one, right?”
“Yeah. I do like it, but…”
What should I say? My presence was starting to make the house feel like mine.
“When will the household appliances arrive?”
To avoid dwelling on this topic, I quickly changed the subject.
TV, refrigerator, washing machine, etc. She hadn’t received the household appliances yet, and upon hearing this, Hayang checked her phone for any messages.
“There’s no message. They’ll probably arrive on schedule.”
“Then shall we eat?”
There was still time until the scheduled arrival, and having lunch would be nice. Hayang nodded and rolled up her sleeves.
“I’ll cook something delicious for you.”
“Huh? You’re going to cook?”
Considering how busy the first day of moving would be, I thought cooking would be cumbersome, but Hayang, who had a strong desire to cook, had already made up her mind.
“It’s our first meal in the new house. Do you want anything specific?”
When asked, nothing particular came to mind. Something ordinary would be nice.
“I’m fine with anything. Do you have anything you want specifically?”
After saying that, I realized I had slipped back into calling her “you.” Though I didn’t show it, I was a bit flustered. Even in a two-person setting, the way I spoke to her had become natural, which felt strange.
“……”
Hayang’s face suddenly turned red, realizing she had been calling me “you” all day.
“Let’s think about what to buy while shopping.”
“Yeah, sure!”
Feeling the air get awkward, we decided to go to the nearby supermarket to buy ingredients for a simple meal. Although there was no rice cooker, she had brought several cooking utensils, so cooking wouldn’t be a problem.
At the supermarket, while pushing a cart and looking at various ingredients, we continued discussing potential recipes.
“We won’t start with a grand feast, right?”
“No, I want to cook, but I have a lot to do today.”
I asked if she was focusing too much on cooking despite not finishing the unpacking. Fortunately, Hayang seemed to plan a simple lunch.
“How about making miso soup and eating it with rice?”
“Sounds good.”
Whatever Hayang suggested, I was fine with it. Having lived alone for a long time, I was used to ordering takeout, so any meal she prepared was welcome.
After a quick trip to the market, we returned home, and Hayang started cooking. I peeked to see if I could help, and she smiled at me.
“Just wait here.”
“Still, maybe I can help.”
“It’s okay. Waiting is helping.”
She sat me down and told me to wait, and I complied.
As time passed, the smell of miso soup reached my nose.
I wondered when I last smelled something like this at home. Throughout the cooking process, Hayang kept checking the pot, and finally, her gaze shifted to me.
“Taste this.”
“Isn’t tasting something I’m good at?”
I approached and dipped a spoon into the soup, letting it cool before handing it to me. I took a sip and tasted it. Though I didn’t have much experience, my persistent desire to improve helped. Like during trips, I felt Hayang was skilled at cooking.
“It’s delicious.”
Seeing her tense expression relax at my approval, she immediately brightened up.
With the miso soup and leftover rice, we started our late lunch.
As we finished eating and tidying up, the household appliances arrived. A large refrigerator and washing machine, along with various items, filled the house. Again, Hayang and I talked a lot while arranging everything.
Unlike when placing furniture, we discussed where to put things in the refrigerator and how to move around efficiently after doing laundry.
Throughout this, Hayang kept calling me “you,” and I gradually got used to it, accepting it as part of our routine.
After arranging the household appliances, we started cleaning the entire house. Seeing the house fill up with furniture gave us a sense of satisfaction, making us feel even more excited.
The empty house now had items, and those spaces were cleaned as Hayang and I worked together. Sitting side by side on the newly decorated living room sofa, we felt accomplished.
“We’re done.”
“Really. It feels like we’ve been at this for ages.”
Even though we just ate, looking outside, the city was lit up with evening lights.
“We should eat dinner. I’m so tired.”
Sitting on the sofa, I glanced at her leaning on my shoulder. Meeting her gaze, our eyes met. The feeling of returning to reality from the idealistic world of decorating a new home was both embarrassing and awkward.
“Oh! We need to put the bedding in the bedroom.”
“Yeah! Let’s do that!”
Hayang broke the silence this time. As if realizing it late, she spoke, and I chimed in, pulling out summer bedding from a closet and laying it on the bed in the bedroom.
Placing the sky-blue bedding and pillows made the room feel like a newlywed couple’s room.
Seeing the bed set up, Hayang lay down and felt the soft cushion.
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah. Why don’t you lie down?”
Wanting to check the completed look of the bed I had chosen, I sat down to get a full feel. Everything from the bed’s cushion to the bedding felt perfect.
Smiling with satisfaction, I looked at Hayang lying down. A natural smile spread across my face, and our hands touched.
I couldn’t count how many times I felt the transition from fantasy to reality throughout the day.
But now, I truly felt like I was back in reality.
“Alright, we’re done. It’s time to go.”
This place was now her home, her own space.
Thinking I didn’t need to stay any longer in the settled space, I stood up, but Hayang held my hand.
Hearing A’s words to leave, Blue thought,
“Is this the end?”
Both of them felt the sweet, idealistic atmosphere of newlyweds all day, and the return to reality felt awkward. Despite feeling this way all day, Blue felt good whenever the ideal situation arose and wished it would continue.
Blue felt that A was a good person, and would always be a good person to be with. To her, A was a special person, and she wanted to keep feeling these moments with someone special.
For the first time, Blue, who had always adapted to situations, wanted to create an environment she could live in. Of course, A’s help was significant, making A feel even more special and good.
Then, she thought,
“Could I ask for a little more?”
She didn’t want to end this moment. A was a special and good person, and she was someone he loved.
That’s why she wanted to spend more time with him and turn the ideal moment into reality.
With a big heart, Blue, who had decided to be greedy once more, said to A, who was watching her, with a trembling voice,
“Let’s eat dinner first.”
“Okay…”
His response was joyful, but his heart raced.
Recalling the time spent together, his heart fluttered, and she blushed, smiling.
