* * *
The next day, well past noon, I woke up.
My body felt refreshed.
It wasn’t hot during the night, and the blanket was soft.
I couldn’t believe I slept so comfortably at someone else’s house.
I rubbed my face a few times with my palm.
Last night was excessively comfortable.
That’s why it didn’t feel good.
I was worried about how I would sleep at the shop from tomorrow.
Sleeping at the shop… would be annoying.
This is why you shouldn’t experience happiness beyond your means.
It only leads to unhappiness in the end.
When I folded the blanket and stepped out of the room, I smelled soybean paste stew.
Chan’s voice came from the kitchen.
“Hyunoh. You’re up?”
“Yeah. Are you cooking?”
“It’s time for lunch. Come and sit down.”
Chan’s back, diligently cooking, looked very neat.
“I need to wash up a bit first….”
I felt somehow embarrassed and went into the bathroom.
Looking in the mirror, I was indeed a sight to behold.
My hair was a mess, and I had sleep in my eyes.
After washing my face and roughly wetting my hair with my hands, I came out.
I sat on a chair but felt inexplicably nervous and looked around.
Chanyi glanced at me and asked.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, I slept well.”
“What time do you need to leave?”
“I have to go right away. I need to stop by home, change clothes, and then it’s almost time for my part-time job.”
“That’s right.”
Soon, Chanyi laid out the side dishes and stew on the table.
I looked at Chanyi awkwardly. In front of him, instead of rice, there was a plate full of chicken breast salad.
“You’re not eating rice?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I’ll eat at the shop later. I tend to eat a lot there.”
“Then why did you make soybean paste stew?”
“I made it for you, Hyunoh.”
Chanyi answered while chewing on the vegetables.
His white cheeks were puffed out. I cleared my throat and picked up a spoon.
“Why did you go to all this trouble?”
I couldn’t easily say thank you.
“I don’t know if it suits your taste. I tried to season it.”
The soybean paste stew was delicious. It was perfectly seasoned for me—salty and spicy.
Chanyi would never eat such food. It was solely for me.
I ate faster than usual.
Chanyi, watching me quietly, spoke up.
“Hyunoh.”
“What?”
“But I won’t be able to come to the shop much from tomorrow.”
“I never asked you to come in the first place?”
“That’s true.”
Chanyi looked dejected. I drank a sip of water and asked.
“…Why can’t you come?”
“I have to help my professor with research.”
“Isn’t that what graduate students do?”
“They’re short-handed.”
“Is that so.”
The conversation paused for a moment.
Chanyi continued to chew on his raw vegetables.
I hate vegetables.
I might nibble on them if they’re grilled.
I can’t stand them raw.
What’s that reddish juice he’s drinking?
It looks like it’s made from carrots and tomatoes.
How can he drink that?
Shaking my head, I put the sausage Chanyi had grilled into my mouth.
“Hyunoh. So, about what I was saying.”
“Yeah.”
“Can I contact you sometimes?”
“Why bother.”
“If you don’t come to the store, we won’t see each other often anymore.”
“I don’t really want to see you often.”
“……”
“Feel free to contact me or not. But whether I reply or not, that’s up to me.”
“Okay, got it.”
Chanyi smiled, seemingly satisfied.
I couldn’t understand what he was satisfied about. As we finished our meal, Chanyi spoke again.
“Come over to my place often. You can even stay here all summer.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Did you feel uncomfortable?”
I kept my mouth shut for a moment.
Honestly, it wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was too comfortable, and that was the problem.
Part of me wanted to close my eyes and accept Chanyi’s offer to stay here for the summer.
I sighed deeply. Chanyi’s shoulders flinched.
“It was comfortable.”
As soon as he heard my answer, Chanyi smiled brightly.
“That’s a relief.”
“But if I come often, it might become uncomfortable.”
“No, it’ll be fine. If it becomes uncomfortable, you can stop coming. Just try staying for about a week.”
“Hey, I said no.”
“Or maybe just stay for two days and then decide?”
He was as skillful as a door-to-door salesman.
“No, just try it first and decide. Test it for a few days, just a few days. If you don’t like it, you can get a full refund.”
How is this any different?
I tried to keep my eyes wide open as I spoke.
“Chanyi. Don’t try to persuade me. If I leave my house empty for too long, it’ll get moldy.”
“We have a spare dehumidifier. I don’t need it because I use the air conditioner all summer. Should I lend it to you?”
A dehumidifier too? I’m wavering.
Chanyi must have noticed my hesitation.
“We won’t run into each other much anyway. I have to get up early and go straight to school.”
“So, you’re really just offering a room?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I told you, I want to help you.”
“But not for free….”
“It’s not free. I’m repaying my debt to Hyunoh.”
I lowered my head and rubbed my forehead.
Honestly, it wasn’t a bad deal for me.
I didn’t have a good reason to refuse.
Our schedules were completely different, so we probably wouldn’t see each other much.
“If it becomes uncomfortable, you can leave anytime.”
Chanyi whispered softly. I quickly lifted my head and looked at him.
“Oh, you really…”
Chanyi opened his eyes wide.
“Huh?”
“…Alright. I’ll try staying for a few days.”
“Wow. Thanks.”
Chanyi smiled warmly. His eyes and lips formed a kind curve.
Despite my anxiety, seeing Chanyi’s face made me think, ‘Well, what could go wrong?’
“Thanks, Hyunoh.”
It was a strange situation where Chanyi kept thanking me, even though I should be the one thanking him.
What on earth had happened between us?
A debt I don’t remember…. It probably wasn’t a big deal, and Chanyi was just overreacting.
I was curious about what happened back then with Chanyi, but I didn’t want to dig into it.
As always, I chose to run away from the past.
* * *
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