# Chapter 19
“If you’re uncomfortable, you can just leave. You have living expenses, right?”
Yes, I do. The problem was that from Dohyun’s position of needing to save his living expenses as much as possible, he couldn’t afford to spend them carelessly.
He didn’t want to be indebted to anyone if possible, and especially not to Haegang. There’s no such thing as help without reason, not to mention help from someone who doesn’t even like you. It would all become debt with compound interest.
Still, it was true that this was like a lifeline. By staying with Haegang temporarily, he could increase his part-time work to save more money, and the conquest settlement would be distributed soon… When all of that accumulated, wouldn’t he have a bit more leeway?
Dohyun, lost in thought, bit his lip tightly. As they say, all roads lead to Rome—what mattered was surviving, especially since he was already living in Seoul. The guild master, hearing Dohyun’s words, said incredulously:
“Dohyun.”
“Yes.”
“Is money everything to you?”
Yes, sad as it may be, money is the answer for me right now. Dohyun calmly turned his gaze away.
❖ ❖ ❖
“It’s only until I can find a proper place to live. Strictly speaking, until I can use my ability properly.”
Though uncomfortable, Haegang’s words were a good stimulus. Once he could use his ability properly, he could do anything. Though he had no idea what his ability was, if he could utilize even the most insignificant Esper power… could he someday live in a house as large as this guide’s house? Overwhelmed by the size of the house, Dohyun stood at the entrance, just swallowing his breath.
After deciding to move into Haegang’s house, everything happened quickly. Since he was penniless with no belongings anyway, Dohyun came to Haegang’s house with only the clothes he was wearing, his phone, and his wallet.
Haegang showed him around every corner of the house. From the outside, it looked like a two-story building, but surprisingly, it even had a basement. Judging by the height and shape of the roof, there seemed to be an attic too, but Haegang didn’t guide him above the second floor, suggesting he didn’t want Dohyun to go up there.
The house was not only spacious but also perfectly decorated like model houses seen on the internet. The sofa in the living room looked wide enough to be used as a bed, and the large TV, ceiling air conditioner, subtle lighting, luxurious flooring, paintings on the walls, and elegant vases decorating the large table were all impeccably arranged.
The garden visible through the living room’s panoramic window was also neat. It looked as if someone had taken good care of it. The plants scattered throughout the living room were full of life. Even to Dohyun, who knew little about interior design, it seemed like a lot of care had been put into it. Like the strange pressure he felt when he first rode in Haegang’s car, he blinked, slightly stiff.
“I live on the second floor, so don’t come up from the first floor. I don’t eat late-night snacks, so if you’re hungry after midnight, don’t eat snacks outside; eat them in your room. I work out in the gym room on the first floor until 8 AM, so don’t come in then. If you want to listen to music or watch TV, do it in your room or use the audiovisual room next door. Don’t watch in the living room. You can eat any food, but don’t cook yourself. It gets messy. Always put used items back in their place, and don’t change the arrangement of furniture. If you need anything, write it on a note and stick it on the refrigerator, and I’ll buy it for you. The same goes for snacks. Use the bathroom towels starting from the left, and always put used ones in the laundry basket. Don’t leave personal items outside your room, and make sure to ventilate twice a day. You can use any facility on the first floor except the kitchen as you wish. The same goes for the gym room. Just don’t use it when I’m using it, and keep it clean and tidy.”
Haegang listed the rules to follow. The house rules were so detailed that it was overwhelming. There were so many prohibitions that Dohyun wondered if coming to this house was a good decision. He had never seen Haegang talk this much before.
“Esper Baek Dohyun. You can use this room. Use this laptop if you need it. Any questions?”
“No…”
“Then, let me know if you need anything.”
The room on one side of the first floor that Haegang showed him was also very neat. As if there was nothing more to explain, Haegang closed the door indifferently, and Dohyun, who had been looking at the door for a moment, surveyed the room. It was even larger than the studio apartment he used to live in, and with a laptop on the desk and all the simple furnishings needed for daily life, it almost felt excessive. The bathroom was outside, but there was a separate private toilet inside. It only had a sink, so showering seemed unlikely.
“The bathroom I saw earlier was really big…”
The bathroom was also bigger than Dohyun’s studio. There was a bathtub too, but he was a bit hesitant about whether he could use it. But since Haegang said he could use anything on the first floor as long as he kept it clean, the bathroom should be fine too. Dohyun decided to use the bathtub. Not every day, just when he was a bit tired.
He lay down on the bed, which was so soft and fluffy that he felt unworthy to lie on it. I need to wash up…, he thought, but he could feel himself drifting off to sleep involuntarily. He didn’t want to move at all.
Thanks to the large bed and warm blanket, his tension gradually eased. Lying on his side and looking at the wall, Dohyun recalled the things Haegang had told him not to do. As these were important for someone who was living as a guest, Dohyun pondered them, folding his fingers one by one, and briefly frowned.
“I don’t really need to listen to music, and I don’t need to watch TV in the living room. Cooking… is a bit of a shame, though. Bathroom towels from the left…? But isn’t that a bit too detailed?”
Just as he clicked his tongue at the somewhat strict house rules, Haegang’s words flashed through his mind. Wait, he’s going to stay on the second floor? In a state between wakefulness and sleep, Dohyun, who had been recalling Haegang’s routine that he had heard for a long time, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
“He does guiding in the afternoon… Since he said he exercises, he doesn’t eat breakfast, and if we have completely separate meal times… Wow.”
Except for guiding time, their living radii hardly overlapped. Dohyun murmured with a blank face.
“This is sweet as honey.”
Literally, it was truly sweet as honey.
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After routinely skipping breakfast, Dohyun walked outside discreetly, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the refrigerator door. His eyes wavered at the sight of the refrigerator filled with salad vegetables and fruits.
“Um… hmm…”
The fresh ingredients all looked healthy. There was meat, and sauces he had never seen before. Blinking, Dohyun closed the door. It was too intimidating to eat. When he opened the freezer, Dohyun was surprised to see it filled with chicken breasts and quickly closed the door. This is not for me to eat.
Dohyun opened the refrigerator again with trembling hands. Although Haegang had said he could eat anything, he wasn’t sure how to approach it. He knew how to cook. Having lived alone for a long time, he was actually quite used to it.
But isn’t it awkward to eat? Someone else’s food… After just taking some water to wet his lips, Dohyun went out for a moment and came back.
“What are you doing?”
Seeing that Dohyun had gone out and returned, Haegang, who was coming down from the second floor, stared at Dohyun with an incredulous face.
“Hello…”
In the awkwardly greeting Dohyun’s hand, there was a wooden chopstick. On the kitchen table were cup noodles and a lunch box. For Dohyun, it was a feast of sorts. It wasn’t just a lunch box—there were even cup noodles. Counting the sandwich he had slipped into the refrigerator, he could manage until dinner tonight.
“Hah…”
But why does that guide have such an incredulous expression?
“Didn’t you look in the refrigerator?”
I did. Vegetables, jam, milk, and so on filling the refrigerator. There was an overwhelming abundance of food. But…
“It’s not mine.”
“Didn’t I say you could eat any food?”
“…That may be true.”
But how could I just take it freely? Dohyun had never seen a refrigerator so fully stocked. Watching Dohyun, who was rather confused, Haegang raised his hand to slowly massage the back of his neck, then approached. Dohyun’s expression, which had been watching Haegang with some tension, became ambiguous.
“……”
“Um…”
“Make sure to wash the dishes.”
Haegang took out kimchi from the refrigerator and put it on a plate. After placing the kimchi plate in front of Dohyun, he put the kimchi container back in the refrigerator and left the kitchen with his brows furrowed as if he had a headache.
Dohyun stared at Haegang’s retreating figure for a moment, then lowered his gaze. He picked up his chopsticks to look at the small plate neatly filled with well-fermented kimchi and put a leaf of kimchi in his mouth.
Crunch. When was the last time he had eaten well-fermented kimchi, apart from what was served in school meals? With a slightly flushed face, Dohyun placed kimchi on top of his ramen. For the first time, the ramen that he had always eaten just to fill his stomach adequately felt delicious.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
