SRSBO: Chapter 12

Like that, I stayed up all night and went to work the next day in the same condition.

I barely managed to gather my depleted energy to finish my work, and while changing clothes in the locker room, a female part-time worker, who was changing clothes next to me, pointed at my clothes.

“Huh? Sister, isn’t that from brand A?”

“What?”

“Wow, that seems to be it. And also the limited edition one? I heard it’s priced at a premium right now, but I actually got to see it. Did you buy it?”

“…… No. It’s my friend’s clothes.”

“I guess your friend must be really rich. I’m jealous~.”

“…….”

I wonder if this is how Monk Wonhyo’s heart felt when he accidentally drank water from a skull.

[T/N: Wonhyo (617–686) was a renowned Korean Buddhist monk and scholar, considered one of the most influential figures in Korean Buddhism. The story of Wonhyo accidentally drinking water from a skull is a famous anecdote from his life. According to the legend, he was traveling through a desolate area and, thirsty, drank from a stream that appeared to be water. However, after drinking it, he realized it was the water from a skull.]

After leaving work, I headed straight to the officetel I went to yesterday to return the clothes.

I refrained from washing the clothes. Normally, it would be polite to wash and return the clothes, but if something were to go wrong with such expensive clothes, I wouldn’t have the confidence to bear the consequences.

When I pressed the button I remembered in front of the large glass door, the entrance immediately opened with Joo Yunwoo’s urgent voice.

As the door opened, the security guards who had their earphones for their walkie-talkie plugged into one ear said they had received a call from above and opened the elevator for me.

The day before, when I carried the half-conscious Joo Yunwoo, they let me pass through as soon as they confirmed his face. But now, with my state of mind clear, the solemn atmosphere and the gorgeous scenery from the hall to the corridor caught my eye, making me feel a bit awkward.

“Have you arrived?”

Even before I could get off the elevator and press the doorbell, the door to his officetel opened.

Unlike Joo Yunwoo’s usual appearance at the café, he was dressed casually in a white t-shirt and a cardigan.

“How did you know I was here?”

“I heard footsteps.”

It seemed the soundproof system wasn’t great for such an expensive place.

“Well, Mr. Yunwoo, I came to return the clothes you gave me back then-.”

“Come in. Aren’t you cold? I remember you liked sweets, and luckily, a friend gave me a cake from Memoria as a gift. I heard that place is really famous.”

“The cakes from there are really delicious.”

Cakes from Memoria were not only expensive, but it was also hard to get them. It takes a lot of effort just to make a reservation.

Even though many customers begged them to open a chain store, they refused to do so. Claiming that they were committed to maintain the original taste.

I tried to get one several times, but I failed every time, so my eyes were naturally drawn to the cake.

“I rarely receive gifts, but I’m not really fond of cakes. It’s too much for me to eat by myself… If you don’t mind, would you like to have some before you leave?”

A hint of awkwardness could also be felt in his encouraging tone.

Well, I did need to explain the reason for not washing the clothes. Although I wish there were cream tarts.

“Ah… then, since I happen to have something to say, please excuse me for a moment.”

I entered the house as if I was possessed.

The house, which had been a mess the previous night, was clean again overnight.

When he asked what I would like to drink, I turned my gaze toward the kitchen and was surprised to see a commercial coffee machine in such a regular home.

Was there something like that yesterday too? As I recalled the hectic day before, I suddenly remembered the clothes I had been handed at that time.

“Oh, right. I came to return these clothes. I was originally thinking of washing them before giving them to you, but I was worried that I might ruin them by mistake, so I just came to return them.”

“You can have them.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“If you don’t like them, would you like me to buy you something else? Oh, by the way, I wonder what your name is…….”

Joo Yunwoo trailed off, as if he couldn’t find a word to refer to me.

“Ah, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I’m Kim Eujung.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-five.”

“I’m twenty-three…… Is it okay if I call you Sister?”

“I don’t particularly mind…… but do you really have to?”

“It makes us seem closer.”

The way he smiled as he said made him look like a well-drawn picture. It was more like the atmosphere that was felt than in literal sense.

“You look a bit pale, did something happen yesterday?”

“Ah…… It was harder than I thought to find a new place to stay. Making a reservation on the same day is expensive so-”

“Didn’t you say you’re going to stay at a friend’s house?”

“Well…… My friend wasn’t at home yesterday. I also broke my phone so I couldn’t contact her……. But I’m thinking of going back to her place later.”

I spoke while cutting the piece of cake with a fork. Something sticky, perhaps mousse or jam, stuck to the fork as I cut it.

Joo Yunwoo tapped the armrest of the sofa with his finger for a moment.

Then he started slowly while looking at me cautiously.

“Since that’s the case…… I mean, if you don’t have a place to stay, how about staying here? There are a lot of empty rooms.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, I don’t really come home often. And even when I do, I’m usually just in my room….. The security guards in this building are quite skilled, so the security is not bad either.”

Joo Yunwoo, who had been talking for a while, slightly turned his gaze and cautiously started speaking again.

“If you don’t like that…… would you like me to find a place for you to stay? I told you I wanted to repay you. The security around here is pretty decent.”

After checking the price for a one-night stay at the hotels on the screen that Joo Yunwoo showed me, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.

What kind of repaying favors is this… Was this person some kind of magpie in their past life, repaying debts…..?

I wondered if I should accept it as a natural reward, since I did save his life.

If I were Amelia right now, I would have accepted it without much thought.

That was how things were in the Hermann Empire.

Kassen also once offered me to stay at his house after I had just escaped from the Count’s house for helping him with the magic that was giving him a headache during our first meeting. And there was even a noble who said he was willing to offer me half of his fortune as compensation for saving his sick daughter.

But now, it was Kim Eujung. It felt strangely realistic as it was completely two different worlds, so I hesitated.

“But I can’t pay you back.”

“You don’t have to pay me back. Rather, it should be me to pay you back.”

“No, but this is a little…….”

It would take time to get used to it.

Considering the 8 million worth of coat I had ruined and the warning he had given to avoid a dangerous place, I felt he had already repaid his favor.

He even revealed some confidential information to me just because I had saved him.

After that, we started a few rounds of arguments.

The person who was usually so cautious wouldn’t back down on this matter.

No matter what, the hotels he recommended were too expensive. The price seemed too unreasonable to stay just for one night in my opinion.

But he was being too comfortable with me. I guess it was better for me to stay here.

It was not that I was being comfortable. In fact, I thought he probably should be the one who would be uncomfortable because of me.

“I really don’t come out of my room often.”

The argument ended with me staying at Joo Yunwoo’s house.

The phrase ‘the price is too high’ led to the thought that if I stayed here, there wouldn’t be any additional costs, so it wouldn’t be a problem.

As I was about to say that there was no need for that and I could just find a place on my own with my own money, the balance in my bank account immediately flashed through my mind.

“…….”

Very…… cute and adorable.

Reality wasn’t far away. I could tell just by looking at my wallet.

“Then…… I’ll stay for a few days.”

Regardless of whether it was about pursuing common sense or not, the bigger issue was that the situation just wasn’t favorable for me.

After finishing the argument, I took the access card key that Joo Yunwoo handed me.

* * *

Perhaps because it was a place with a lot of foot traffic, the motel only deducted a small fee and refunded the money, even though it was on the same day.

‘Well, it’s not like I reserved it for many days anyway.’

The interior of the apartment was quite big, you could think of it like staying in a private room in a shared house on an Airbnb with the host.

I had thought it was no big deal, but when I went to the café for work, I realized what was wrong.

What I had forgotten was that Joo Yunwoo had also started visiting the café every other day recently.

“You finish work at 10, right?”

He, who arrived in the café in the late afternoon, had been staying at his seat as if waiting for me.

I spent my entire time treating him like a stranger, but a crisis arose 10 minutes before I left work.

Joo Yunwoo suddenly spoke to me.

“W, wow, oh…….”

Just five minutes ago, the female part-time worker, who had been chatting about how her eyes felt comfortable today, was now staring at me with her mouth slightly open, like a fish waiting for food.

Feeling the intense gaze filled with questions, I thought it was fortunate that tomorrow was a day off.

“Oh, yes……. That’s when the café usually closes.”

“Then I’ll wait. I brought my car today—”

“Crazy.”

I quickly covered his mouth and watched his reaction.

‘……Did she hear that?’

The female part-time worker’s face was shouting ‘Eureka!’ like Archimedes discovering buoyancy.

‘She heard it.’

I sighed quietly.

After that, everything went smoothly. The female part-time worker, since she had already decided to clean up, pushed me out, saying I could leave first.

Joo Yunwoo naturally picked me up in his car.

“I’m asking just in case, but you didn’t come to pick me up, did you?”

“It just happened to be the right time. Our destinations are the same, after all.”

“That’s true, but…….”

I frowned, trailing off.

He might have just suggested going together because our destinations were the same, but thanks to that, I was going to suffer the next few days.

“Next time, you can just go ahead without waiting for me.”

It would be better to just walk. I nodded to myself with a firm face.

* * *

After I received permission to use the things in the house as I pleased, I decided to relax a little since it had already come to this.

The first thing I did after receiving permission from the landlord was to watch a movie. The TV was so big and nice that I had wanted to try it ever since I first saw it

The movie was a thriller horror movie called ‘And I Was Alone’. After asking for permission, I turned off most of the lights in the living room and sat on the sofa.

Joo Yunwoo, who had been watching the screen from a distance, seemed to become interested in the movie and sat down in a spot a little farther away from me.