Chapter 96
Jang Chae Yeon’s cooking skills were excellent.
Although not enough to bend the table’s legs, each dish required quite a bit of effort.
After finishing the meal, Yu Da On, who declared she’d do the dishes, headed to the sink with a mountain of plates while I was peeling fruit.
Jang Chae Yeon also offered to help, but even if I was letting her stay over, it felt a bit off just to take everything without contributing.
“…Chae Yeon, you’re a good cook, right?”
To my surprise, no, it was truly excellent.
Her expression slightly changed at my compliment.
With a proud look, she puffed out her chest.
“I cook well.”
“It seems like it.”
“And she helped.”
She pointed towards Yu Da On, who was washing dishes in the distance.
“Really?”
“Yep. She came by and helped out in between.”
I thought she was just chatting away behind me, but in the meantime, she also helped with the food.
That meant I was the only one just having fun.
“The one lending the house can relax.”
Reading my expression, Jang Chae Yeon casually remarked while watching me peel fruit.
-Swoosh…
The sound of rain pouring in through the window continued incessantly.
“It’s really coming down.”
“Yeah.”
I still couldn’t see a hand’s breadth ahead.
As I peeled the fruit, I listened to the sound of Yu Da On doing the dishes and the rain.
“…”
How long has it been since I’ve lived so peacefully?
It’s been even longer since I’ve had such an ordinary life with my teammates.
“It really felt busy,” I said.
“Yeah. Like the Isolation Team,” Jang Chae Yeon nodded, then picked up the fruit I had peeled and shoved it into my mouth.
It was a bit daunting.
When I shook my head to signal I was fine, she looked reluctantly disappointed and popped a piece of fruit into her own mouth.
“I really thought of myself as someone who brings trouble.”
“…”
Jang Chae Yeon stared at me blankly, as if to say, ‘Are you just realizing this now?’
“…I’m just unlucky.”
“…I’ll take your word for it.”
She seemed to understand my situation and gazed out the window.
“…”
“Are you worried your house might have flooded?”
“It already has.”
She responded calmly while eating fruit.
“And it was just an empty house anyway.”
“…”
Nothing was there.
Speaking of which, I remembered what Jang Chae Yeon said when I was hospitalized.
She visited me, saying those words.
‘…I left something here that I shouldn’t forget.’
“By the way, Chae Yeon.”
“Yeah?”
“You mentioned bringing something that you shouldn’t forget.”
At my words, Jang Chae Yeon paused before nodding.
“…Yeah.”
“Do you remember anything?”
“…”
She hesitated at my question and then shook her head.
“No. I don’t remember.”
“I see.”
“I’ll let you know if something comes to mind.”
“Well… um, is there anything that seems like it might jog your memory?”
There could be something like that. Certain objects or situations might trigger a memory.
“Um…”
With an unusually serious expression, she closed her eyes to ponder, and after a moment, opened them to respond.
“Farm.”
“Pardon?”
“It was a farm. I think everything ended there.”
A farm, huh?
I squinted, chewing over her words, but I couldn’t quite get a grip on it either, so I could only nod.
“Understood. If I see anything similar to a farm, I’ll contact you.”
“Okay.”
She nodded at my words, just as Yu Da On approached us with hurried steps and sat at the table.
“Wow, you peeled fruit! I was going to do that.”
“You did the dishes, so it’s my turn.”
“Come on… still…”
Yu Da On smiled apologetically while grabbing some fruit.
“But how will we sleep?”
“Um…”
I recalled my bed.
It was a big bed, after all.
“How about Chae Yeon and Da On share a bed and I sleep on the sofa?”
“Whaaat? But Jae Heon is the homeowner; you can’t do that!”
“True.”
The two of them nodded and looked at me.
“No, I’m saying it’s uncomfortable for me.”
As the homeowner, should I really make people younger than me sleep on the floor or the sofa while I hog the bed?
This was a matter of my pride.
“So the two of you can share a bed…”
“No way.”
“…Well, I usually follow Jae Heon’s words, but… ugh…”
If Yu Da On said this much, it really bothered her.
But should I really make those two sleep on the floor?
Or three of us all share the same bed?
Who would be the one not to sleep well?
“…Since we’re all together, how about we drink some alcohol for a change?”
Then I’ll send Yu Da On on her way.
I grabbed a few bottles of soju from the refrigerator and caught eyes with Yu Da On, who was looking at me with an unsatisfied expression.
“That just means I’m being sent off to bed, right?”
Was that too blunt?
-Beep!
A warning sound echoed from our three smartphones at once.
<Currently, a heavy rain warning has been issued in the city. Everyone, please stay indoors and on higher floors.>
“…”
I looked out the window.
The rain was still coming down endlessly.
Is there anything to see?
Squinting, I stared but still couldn’t see a thing.
Looking outside again, I saw the street was overflowing with water, and people were walking through it.
“…This doesn’t seem like a normal occurrence, does it?”
“Not really sure.”
As worries crept in, my heart felt oddly calm.
Thinking about it, I wasn’t even part of the Isolation Team; why did I feel the need to resolve this?
As long as I wasn’t swept into it, even if it turned out to be some abnormal phenomenon, I wouldn’t participate.
With that resolve, I set the soju bottle on the table.
“Let’s drink.”
“No…!”
Ignoring Yu Da On’s complaining murmurs, I cracked open the soju.
Not long after,
“Ugh…”
With Yu Da On passed out, Jang Chae Yeon and I exchanged glances.
“…”
To be honest,
I’ve never won against Jang Chae Yeon in a drinking contest.
It wasn’t even a competition; she’d handle me, Yu Da On, Song Ah Rin, and even the Team Leader, then casually call a taxi to send us home.
How could I win against someone like that?
“How about we just call it a draw?”
“Not confident?”
“Yeah.”
If I don’t have it, I don’t have it. What’s the point of putting on a show? I won’t win anyway.
-Swoosh…
The rain outside continued pouring, and as Jang Chae Yeon watched the scene, she blinked at me.
“Then let’s not.”
“Oh, really?”
“Since you don’t want to.”
With that, she began sipping from her glass alone.
If it wasn’t a competition, I could drink too.
As she sipped, I listened to Jang Chae Yeon.
“So, you…”
“Yeah?”
“What kind of girl is your type?”
“…Uh.”
What kind of girl?
Out of the blue?
“…I’ve never really thought about it.”
“But you must have a type, right?”
“…”
A type, huh.
“Um… well.”
It made me think.
“I’d like someone who gives good advice, helps when needed, doesn’t nag too much… mainly just being there next to me…”
“…”
“And it’d be nice if they quickly let go of any anger too.”
Jang Chae Yeon listened closely to me.
“Is that so?”
“Why?”
“Just curious.”
With that, she looked at me.
“Can I watch some TV?”
-Bang!
Now the thunder started rolling in.
“Of course, just a sec, I’ll move Da On first…”
“I’ll do it.”
With a simple wave of her hand, Yu Da On was safely lifted and landed on my bed.
That’s one person settled.
As Jang Chae Yeon turned on the TV, breaking news appeared instantly with red subtitles.
<WARNING! HEAVY RAIN ALERT!>
Then a rain-soaked anchor shouted as they reported.
<This is the north side of the river! Currently, due to heavy rainfall—>
Looks like it really is pouring down.
Sitting on the sofa flipping channels, Jang Chae Yeon sat snugly next to me.
I could feel her warm body, and Jang Chae Yeon turned to look at me.
As always, facing her made me feel like I had nowhere to look.
While I awkwardly fumbled for a way to respond, Jang Chae Yeon asked with a bit of tension in her voice.
“…Wanna watch a movie?”
“A movie?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure, do you have something in mind?”
“I do.”
She skillfully picked a movie with the remote.
“…A romance movie?”
Choosing the most recent romance film, she leaned back into the sofa.
“Let’s watch it together.”
“Oh, okay.”
A romance movie, huh? How long has it been since I saw one?
Thinking that, before I knew it, I had immersed myself in the movie.
Jang Chae Yeon slightly leaned against my shoulder.
“Chae Yeon?”
“…I’m just a bit tired. It’s okay, right?”
“…Well, it won’t wear out or anything.”
She chuckled softly, leaned on my shoulder, and gazed at the screen.
This feels a little distracting.
*
“…”
As the ending credits rolled, I mentally applauded myself.
This movie was well-crafted.
I realized I had been watching it without a single word.
After a long time, it revived the long-dormant romance cells within me.
“The movie was really good…”
“…”
Turning to look at Jang Chae Yeon, I found her already letting out a deep breath, fast asleep.
“…”
She was completely asleep, leaning onto my shoulder.
In the sound of rain, her hair shimmered silver, and her sleeping face appeared defenseless, a contrast to her usual self, inviting unwelcome thoughts.
“…”
Maybe it’s because we watched a movie, but all sorts of thoughts flooded my mind.
There were kissing scenes too.
I gazed at her lips.
“Here goes.”
I lifted her up and walked to my room.
Then, placing her beside Yu Da On, I exited my room.
-Swoosh!
The sound of rain continued reverberating until I lay down on the sofa and tried to sleep.
*
-Beep!
How long had I slept? I woke up to the emergency sound ringing by my head.
What the…?
I glanced at the clock; it was still three in the morning.
Still half asleep, I checked my smartphone.
<EMERGENCY DISASTER MESSAGE>
<Please be cautious of flooding.>
“…”
Naturally, I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
The newsroom, where an anchor should have been, was empty, and with a beep, red letters filled the screen.
