Cheat day

Zero (4)

Thursday.

After pushing myself too hard yesterday, I could barely get up.

I couldn’t even attempt the last set of three and collapsed, and after all that effort, I didn’t get to eat the beef.

“Sigh.”

After lying there for a while, I finally managed to sit up just before it was getting close to noon.

Today, I needed to look at houses all day.

I’ve been looking for two weeks now, but I haven’t found a place I like, which is a problem. I decided today would be the day to find a place to live, and I even announced that I would take a break from training for the day.

Cha Ji-chan told me not to feel pressured and to relax, but I needed to find my own house soon so I could prepare meals like kimchi and watch movies late at night with my family.

I got into my car and called Mu-keun-ji.

Your call has been connected.

“Did you sleep well?”

As usual.

“Your voice sounds nice. I’m on my way now. It should take about 30 minutes.”

Take your time.

Deep down, I knew she wanted to see me quickly, but I could tell she was also worried about the possibility of an accident, which was adorable.

As I hurried, Mu-keun-ji was already waiting in front of the house.

“Did you miss me that much?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You came out to wait for me.”

“It’s just that if a car waits too long in a narrow alley, it can cause traffic issues, so I came out early.”

Seeing her embarrassed like this was cute.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because you’re cute.”

Mu-keun-ji fell silent.

“Today would be great if we could finalize something. House hunting is tough.”

“It’s because your conditions are too strict.”

Real estate agents or homeowners would explain various advantages, but they always fell short in my eyes.

That’s why my decisions kept getting postponed.

“It would be good to organize and check your specific conditions.”

Mu-keun-ji took out a tablet from her bag.

“Go ahead and tell me.”

“First, I’d prefer a south-facing house. Somewhere that gets plenty of sunlight.”

“South-facing.”

“I want to avoid newly built places too. I had atopic dermatitis as a child.”

“Are you still suffering from it?”

“No.”

“Then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“It could be hereditary, so you never know.”

“…Understood.”

“Next, I need four rooms.”

“Why do you need four?”

“One bedroom, two workspaces, and the rest could be used for board games or later as a baby’s room.”

“Board games.”

“You like them, don’t you? I read that for board game enthusiasts, having a room decorated like a study for games is a dream.”

“…Why do you need two workspaces?”

“You’ll need one when you work too. It’s good to have your own space, even if you don’t work from home.”

She was silent, showing no reaction.

I pulled over and turned to look at her, but she was staring blankly ahead.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“Were you thinking like that the whole time you were looking?”

“What kind of thought?”

“Thinking about living together with me as a premise.”

“Yeah.”

The traffic light changed.

“So, you want to go see places together?”

“Of course. It’s a house we’ll eventually live in together, so we should look at it together.”

“You were slow at first. This is too fast.”

“Right?”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“I haven’t proposed yet, and we haven’t made any promises, but I just felt that way. If I’m buying a house, I want it to be a place we can share.”

“What if I reject you? No one can guarantee the future.”

“For example?”

“Someone else might come into your life. If that happens…”

“That won’t happen.”

“…….”

“I can only marry Eun-ji. So, there’s no chance I would live with someone else in the house we picked together.”

Mu-keun-ji turned her head to the right and fell silent for a while.

***

The house we were going to see today was an apartment located in the Dongjak District.

It’s close to Yeouido, Yongsan, and Gangnam, and on weekends, it’s nice for a light stroll around the nearby park or the Han River.

Itaewon Station is also relatively nearby, and there are elementary, middle, and high schools in the vicinity.

When going back to my hometown, it’s a quick trip as long as I can endure a little traffic in Banpo, which is the case anywhere in Seoul.

Going downwards might even be faster.

I hoped the property would be good.

“…….”

“…….”

Both Mu-keun-ji and I were left speechless.

The kitchen was arranged in a “ㄷ” shape, with a white cabinet under a black marble sink and dark wood decor.

An air conditioner was installed in the ceiling, and I liked the partition that separated the living room from the dressing room, along with the spacious living room.

When I opened the window, I could hear the sounds from outside, which made me realize just how well soundproofed this place was.

“Don’t be fooled by the furniture.”

“It looks like a newly built place, but it’s just clean.”

“Still, it’s pretty, right?”

“It is pretty.”

“There’s a park nearby.”

“It’s convenient for getting around Seoul.”

“And to the countryside as well. Where is your hometown, Eun-ji?”

“It’s Anyang.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

Excited, I started talking about various things, but then I suddenly noticed the pleased expressions of the realtor and the homeowner.

***

“Then I’ll be in touch.”

After looking at a few more places, we headed to the office.

“Which one was the best?”

“The first one was the best. The locations were all similar, but…”

“Recent builds really are nice.”

“It was nice.”

“The smart things were surprising, right?”

“I didn’t even know that existed.”

“Neither did I.”

“But the price is a problem.”

32 pyeong for 1.3 billion won. I had been thinking of a maximum of 1 billion won, and it was well over that.

I could look into loans, but the interest rates are high right now, so there are many concerns on that front.

Most of all, there’s still the perception that housing prices are high, which makes me hesitate in making a choice.

When I brought that up, Mu-keun-ji nodded in agreement.

“I think the same. But I can’t keep relying on Cha-nyong’s place until prices drop.”

“That’s true. There’s also the issue of my belongings.”

I had piled up the furniture and appliances from my old place in one corner of my current office. Even if there are fewer people coming and going, I can’t just leave them there indefinitely.

Above all, it’s inconvenient not to have my own place.

“Come in.”

“Where to?”

Mu-keun-ji looked at me intently.

“Excuse me?”

“Why are you so surprised? We’ve been looking for a place to live together.”

“Still, it feels too sudden.”

“Anything sudden tends to come from your side.”

Thinking back, that might actually be true.

“Even if Cha-nyong is okay with it, there will be inconveniences. Since it’s already been over two weeks, why don’t you come out and sleep at my place?”

“But that would be inconvenient for Eun-ji.”

“There’s enough space for one more person to lie down.”

“You’re not an ordinary person.”

“I’m not ordinary either, so it’s fine. Together, we make up two portions.”

The expression that I and Mu-keun-ji together make two portions, with my 1.5-person frame and her 0.5-person frame, somehow made me happy.

“I like that saying.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

I smiled a little.

Before heading to Mu-keun-ji’s house, we stopped by the supermarket to buy groceries.

While thinking about what to prepare for dinner, I decided to ask directly.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Nothing in particular.”

“……How is that possible?”

“What do you mean by ‘how’?”

“How can you not want to eat anything?”

“Isn’t that normal? It’s actually strange to always have a craving for certain foods.”

“Is that so?”

“What do you want to eat, Chan-yong?”

“Right now, I want some seasoned fried chicken from my in-laws’ house with a bowl of microwavable rice.”

“That won’t do.”

I thought about grilling some meat but decided against it since I didn’t know how the studio apartment was laid out.

“By the way, do you have a frying pan?”

“I don’t have one.”

“What? Then do you have a pot?”

“I don’t have that either.”

“……Do you have utensils?”

“I don’t have those either.”

“Then how did you eat?”

“I’ve been on liquid food.”

“No, you’ve been eating solid food recently.”

“I just bought salads from outside and used disposable forks to eat.”

“Oh my. Instead of choosing food, we should be buying utensils first.”

“There’s no need for that. We can just buy a salad on the way in.”

“Is it normal for a person living somewhere to have not even a spoon or chopsticks? Do you have cups?”

“I do have cups,” Mu-keun-ji replied proudly.

How can she be so shameless?

“I need utensils. If I keep eating takeout, I’ll starve to death.”

“Then let’s just buy some and take them inside.”

As we headed towards the corner where the kitchen utensils were, I suddenly turned my head and saw the name “Zero” in the snack aisle.

“Hmm?”