Chapter 9: Unreasonable(3)

Several days passed after that.

Kyunghee was slowly getting used to my apartment.

She still clung to her spot in the corner of the living room, but other things had improved a lot.The biggest change was that she started expressing her likes and dislikes, even just a little.She liked moderately rich food but found overly rich flavors a bit much.She enjoyed drinking but didn’t like chugging on an empty stomach.When I remembered her preferences and reflected them in meals, she’d flash her signature smile.A bright, happy smile, with her ears perking up and her hair getting fluffy.I could honestly say I was addicted to that sight.

“Can you do the dishes? I’ll handle cleaning.”“Yeah.”“And after that, let’s hang the laundry together. Then maybe go out for a bit?”“Sounds good.”
Kyunghee smiled brightly.She put on an apron and started washing dishes carefully.Following the method I’d taught her, she mixed detergent in a basin and rinsed the dishes well.It was important to keep giving her chores like this to make her feel she was contributing.With that in mind, I decided I’d teach her cleaning next time and started vacuuming.Then I wrung out a rag, wiped down the floors, and joined Kyunghee to hang the laundry from the washing machine.

While hanging clothes, I noticed she barely had anything to wear.It seemed like buying a few cheap outfits would be a good idea.Sacrificing some of my allowance wouldn’t be impossible, but with no extra income, it stung.Getting a part-time job was out of the question.My parents supported me so I could focus on studying, not working, so getting a job because I was short on cash would be absurd.I’d have to find another way to make extra money beyond my allowance.Maybe because I mumbled this worry to myself, Kyunghee looked at me curiously and asked,
“You write, don’t you?”“It’s not earning money yet. I get some support, but I haven’t done much because I think my skills are lacking.”“Then I could write.”“…Huh?”“I can’t rely on you forever, Siwoo. If I can make money somehow, I want to try.”“Oh…”“I’ve always been interested in writing or drawing.”“Should I get you a sketchbook then? Maybe a spiral notebook too.”“I’d appreciate that.”

I was a bit happy.Normally, Kyunghee would’ve beaten herself up, but now she was trying to help by doing something new.If she kept progressing like this, it felt like she could overcome the scars from her family and truly blossom.Of course, she didn’t know why I was happy and looked puzzled, then shrank back.She seemed to think I was upset that she was only now thinking about earning money.I explained that wasn’t the case, and her ears perked up right away.After hanging the laundry, we grabbed some things and headed out.

“Siwoo, maybe I should get a hat.”“Yeah, you can’t keep wearing hoodies forever.”“Right. I could tuck my ears into a hat. By the way, the weather’s nice.”“It is.”
Kyunghee naturally linked her arm with mine and clung close.Her determination to stick by me no matter what stood out.It was good that she was less bothered by people’s stares, but this was a bit risky.As I’d thought before, I wanted her to become independent without me.I didn’t want her to obsess over me and push everything else aside.But I’d already become a big presence in her life.So, I needed to start reducing my significance to her.Like this.

“I’ll probably have to go to university alone soon.”“Oh…”“If that happens, I’ll be out in the morning and back in the evening. Can you look after the place?”“Yeah…”“I’d love to stay with you more, but school’s starting soon.”“I understand…”

As expected, her eyes wavered.But thankfully, she didn’t outright reject the idea.She just clung to my arm tighter, biting her lip to express her displeasure.She seemed to understand in her head.That I had to continue my university life and couldn’t always be by her side.But her heart didn’t accept it.I could see the selfish desire for me to stay with her.
I planned to cheer her up today since she seemed down, but luckily, she brightened up soon after.She said she wanted to study, aiming to earn a scholarship.The reason was clear—she wanted to go to university to stay close to me.Her determination was heartwarming but also worrying.I was trying to distance myself so she could live without me, but this might make things worse.For now, all I could do was watch how things turned out.

We went to Daiso and bought a sketchbook for drawing manga, along with a few spiral notebooks.We also got pencils and refills, and since we were there, I figured we’d grab some household items.Bathroom supplies, hygiene products, and probably women’s products too.Laughing about how much money we were spending, we started picking out items.Kyunghee seemed apologetic about it.I told her not to worry, and we headed home.I thought about taking a walk since it’d been a while, but it seemed better to drop off the stuff first.Then a familiar voice called out from behind.

It was Park Jinsu, a high school friend.He went to the same university and was staying at a relative’s place.We were close enough that he’d come over to my apartment to drink sometimes.He immediately pointed at Kyunghee and spoke.

“Whoa, is she your girlfriend? Nice one, Siwoo!”“Something like that. She’s staying with me due to some circumstances. Same age.”“H-hi… I’m Choi Kyunghee…”“Park Jinsu. His friend. High school buddy. Haha.”

Jinsu teased me with his eyes, implying I’d scored a great girlfriend.I glared at him to stop joking as he kept throwing playful looks.He laughed heartily and changed the subject.
“Siwoo, school’s starting soon. Gotta buy books together, right?”“Oh, right.”“Yeah. Pick a day, and let’s hit the campus bookstore.”“Sounds good.”“And drink too. Let’s hang out—it’s been a while.”

I felt Kyunghee’s gaze.She probably wanted me to say no and come back early.But I’d already made my decision.

When I agreed with Jinsu, the grip on my arm tightened.
“Huh? Karaoke and PC bang too, right?”“Oh, yeah.”“Of course, if you wanna head back early, just say so. I’ll be considerate! Haha.”“It’s fine. It’s been a while since I hung out with a friend, so

Kyunghee will understand.”“Y-yeah…”

Kyunghee nodded weakly.Like before, she understood in her head that it was normal for me to hang out with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while.

But her heart didn’t accept it, and she was whining to me.I wasn’t sure if this was a good sign.But expressing her feelings was probably positive.

After finishing the conversation with Jinsu, we headed back to the apartment.While walking, Kyunghee kept sending me pleading looks.

Her eyes begged me to stay with her.She didn’t seem brave enough to say it out loud.Well, if she had that courage, she’d have spoken up to Jinsu already.

Maybe I was expecting too much from someone who was only just starting to express her preferences.

Still, seeing her unpack the items we bought and immediately open a notebook made me proud.
If she kept learning step by step, she’d move forward.And eventually overcome everything.Of course, I couldn’t just sit still either, so I texted my parents that I’d visit soon.I wanted to grab the books I used in my final year of high school.My memory was getting fuzzy, but reviewing them would probably help.I also opened my major textbooks from the last semester and started studying.

Some of the upcoming courses required reviewing material from prerequisite subjects, as my seniors had warned.

So, I hurriedly dove into studying.

How much time passed?After focusing for a while, I was hungry.I went to the living room and saw Kyunghee asleep.She looked exhausted, so I carried her to the bed and covered her with a blanket.Then I opened her sketchbook to see her drawings.

As I’d suspected.
Page after page was filled with drawings of my face.