Chapter 91: Chapter 91

「As you can see, I was just on my way back from buying some food at the convenience store.」

I said, pushing the bag forward.

Then, Yoon Hye-yoon looked at my hand, but since the bag was black and opaque, she kept peering inside.

I mentioned it was food, but she seemed particularly curious about what was inside.

「It’s nothing special. Just bought some instant rice and drinks.」

「Didn’t buy anything else?」

「There wasn’t much worth buying. I didn’t really need anything urgently.」

「Urgently.. seems like you bought quite a lot. Well, you work part-time at a convenience store..」

At my words, she briefly looked surprised and then her expression turned meaningful.

She trailed off, and her mouth twitched as if she had more to say.

「Alright. I’m off then. Have a good time.」

Her tone was cold, as if there were knives hidden in it.

Eventually, without saying what was on her mind, Yoon Hye-yoon briskly walked past me.

I felt embarrassed by her sudden change.

I thought she would be happier to see me after a week.

Especially since the last time we met, the atmosphere was good. What could be the problem?

It seemed too risky to ask her right now, so I just watched her leave.

Considering her severe dark circles, she might have had some trouble or lacked sleep.

Given her sensitive state, I decided to talk to her slowly later and pressed the elevator button to go up.

Clunk.

When I returned to the room, Shin Ah-young was hanging laundry on the drying rack.

Still in her no-pants fashion, every time she bent down, her two holes were clearly visible.

She finished hanging what she was holding and turned to look at me.

「You’re back? Please make some food quickly. I’m hungry.」

「I’ll make it now. Just wait a bit.」

I microwaved some instant rice and started to fry some eggs.

As the oil sizzled, Shin Ah-young came over.

Then she looked at the frying pan with a slightly suspicious voice.

「Do you cook well? You can flip this, right?」

「I’ve been living alone for a long time, so I’m quite confident. Just don’t be surprised later.」

「People usually mess up when they say that.」

A little later. I mixed the rice and eggs with some seasoning.

It smelled decent and looked appetizing, so I handed it to Shin Ah-young.

She looked at the food and then scooped a spoonful into her mouth.

Chewing cutely, she soon swallowed it.

「Oh! This is delicious. For something made so simply, the seasoning is just right and it’s good.」

「I’m glad. It’s my first time cooking for someone else, so I tried hard.」

「I’m your first? That’s kind of nice to hear.」

It was a relief she genuinely enjoyed it.

As we sat side by side on the bed eating, Shin Ah-young looked at the back wall and asked.

「I just remembered something. Is this place well soundproofed?」

「Well… to some extent. But it’s the best among the places I’ve lived.」

「Really? Then maybe only you heard me raising my voice all last night?」

That comment made me realize the source of the anxiety I had been feeling.

It was this.

Could it be that Yoon Hye-yoon’s cold attitude and heavy dark circles were because of what I said about having a good time?

Thinking about it, when I masturbated in my own room before, I could barely hear the sound from her room.

But if she heard louder moans until morning…

I could imagine what Yoon Hye-yoon must have thought.

Caught up in the reality of first-time sex with Shin Ah-young, I hadn’t considered it.

I felt overwhelmed about how to handle this situation.

「Why are you silent? Surely it’s not that poorly soundproofed?」

「It’s a bit uncertain… it’s a studio, so.」

「…Are you saying my moans were heard next door?」

「Maybe?」

Her expression turned confused at my hesitant answer.

But soon, she returned to her usual playful demeanor.

「Well, it can’t be helped. It’s already happened.」

「Seeing as no one came knocking… maybe they didn’t hear?」

「It’s okay if they heard. And since noise will happen often, consider this a heads up. Our hot nights.」

Typical ironclad mentality.

Such a Shin Ah-young-like response.

Thus, after finishing our meal and doing the dishes, I relaxed.

The laundry on the window side caught my eye.

「Are you going to leave those there? It might take a while.」

「It’s good if they take a while. Means you can stay with me longer. Would you prefer I leave quickly?」

「No, not that. It might take at least a day to air dry.」

「That’s true. Isn’t there a dryer or something?」

「There isn’t one in the apartment, but there is a coin laundry nearby. Should I go there?」

「That sounds good. Let’s go together.」

「No need for you to come. You don’t have any clothes on.」

If I were to go out with Shin Ah-young as she was, it would definitely attract a lot of attention.

I was still quite uncomfortable with that much exposure, so I declined politely.

「It’s just a 5-minute walk. I’ll go and come back quickly.」

「Thank you. Then, I’ll rest here.」

I put the laundry into a suitable bag and headed out.

I was nervous about bumping into Yoon Hye-yoon, but I didn’t see her or anyone else I knew until I got to the coin laundry.

Relieved, I found an empty dryer, inserted some coins, and started it.

The estimated time was about 40 minutes. It seemed too long to wait there.

Since it wasn’t urgent to retrieve the clothes immediately, I decided to head back home and rest.

When I opened the door, Shin Ah-young was lying on the bed.

Seeing no reaction as I approached, I realized she had fallen asleep.

She must have been exhausted from waking up early.

As I watched her sleep soundly, I felt my own eyelids grow heavy.

I couldn’t risk waking her by getting into bed, so I laid my head on the desk for a quick rest.

It wouldn’t be long.

Outside the window, the sunset was fading.

I intended to rest for just 30 minutes, but my body resisted.

「Ugh…」

I stayed still, lying facedown until I felt strength return to my body.

The steady breathing from the bed indicated that Shin Ah-young was still asleep.

After a while, I quietly got ready to leave.

That was as much as removing sleep from my eyes.

Back at the coin laundry, the clothes were nicely dried when I opened the dryer.

Since time had slipped by considerably, I quickly packed the clothes and headed home.

I punched in the code and entered, and this time there was some movement inside.

Shin Ah-young peeked out just her head to see me.

「Ah.. you’ve done a lot. I was just sleeping…」

「That’s fine. Think of it as a return favor for the cleaning earlier.」

「Thanks for saying that.」

「Here are your clothes. They’re completely dry so you can wear them right away.」

I placed the clothes on the drying rack, handing her the skirt separately.

She felt it here and there before handing it back to me.

「It’s all fluffy. But… it took longer than I thought?」

「I fell asleep for a bit, so I got back late.」

「I see.. uh, may I stay in bed a little longer? I just woke up and feel a bit weak.」

「Of course. Don’t worry about it.」

With my permission, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

It was 5:30 PM now… it seemed like she might stay for dinner. What to do next?

I started using my phone quietly at the desk, not wanting to disturb her.

Such a peaceful Sunday.

It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, we had experienced a wild night here.

Sitting like this, we almost seemed like a couple living together.

…Speaking of which, what exactly was the relationship between Shin Ah-young and me?

When I had appeared as a ghost at her place yesterday, she had definitely said she liked me.

She must have known it was me at that time.

Does she really like me then?

Considering her actions up to now, it seemed likely.

It was hard to believe such a woman could like someone like me.

Especially since it wasn’t said face to face in reality, I wasn’t sure.

No matter how much sex we had, it was too complicated an emotion for me, who had been a virgin until recently.

Suddenly, my head became cluttered.

To clear my thoughts, I stood up and headed to the fridge for some cold water.

While I was zoning out, Shin Ah-young softly asked a question.

「Excuse me, manager. Can I ask something? Who lives next door?」

「The room by the desk seems to be empty, and someone from the same school lives on the bedroom side.」

「From the same school? Do you know them?」

「We go to the gym together and talk occasionally. We’re quite close.」

「You’re close with the neighbor… going to the gym together, that’s a good friend to have.」

「Uh… yes?」

She seemed to be misunderstanding something.

Should I clear it up?

I opened my mouth to speak but then hesitated.

It was better not to stir up unnecessary trouble.

The conversation trailed off.

Shin Ah-young looked out the window for a while before getting up from the bed.

She then headed straight to the drying rack and picked up her panties.

「You’re leaving?」

「Yes. It’s about time for dinner, and I wouldn’t want to impose by staying for another meal.」

「You could have stayed for dinner.」

「I know when to give people their space. Plus, I saw you catching a quick nap at the desk earlier.」

She must have noticed me dozing off.

I didn’t press her to stay longer since I also felt a bit like having some time to myself.

Soon, Shin Ah-young had dressed completely and walked towards the shoe cabinet.

Before opening the door, she turned back and said, 「I’m heading out now. You don’t have to see me off.」

「I won’t insist. Take care on your way home.」

「Thanks. See you later.」

Although saying it’s okay not to come out might feel a bit disappointing, that’s just human nature.

I followed her and waited together for the elevator.

Ding. 5th floor.

As the door opened with a mechanical sound, a familiar face was inside.

The person alternated looks between me and Shin Ah-young, then widened their eyes and began to make an odd noise.

「Huh? Uh… Oh!?」

I sighed internally.

This person hadn’t appeared during the earlier back and forth.

Why did they have to show up just now with such perfect timing?