Arena

Chapter 77 – Leaving the Nest (Part 1)

“Oppa, do you notice anything different about me?”

If you want to scare a man, just ask him this question.

But thankfully, the thing that was different was very noticeable.

“You cut your hair?”

“Hehe, yeah.”

Min-jeong spun around in a circle.

Min-jeong, who had long straight hair, was now sporting a brown tone dyed bob.

Whether it is a C-curl perm or whatever, I wasn’t positive, but it sure was pretty. It’s been a year since I’ve seen her so, no matter what, she’s lovable.

“Why change your hair all of a sudden? Did you get dumped?”

Min-jeong giggled.

“I’ll be graduating college soon.”

The graduation is next year but classes are over in a few days so in reality, that was the end of college she said.

“Are you going to move up north as soon as you graduate?”

“I’m still looking for a place. I’ll move as it becomes available.”

I thought for a moment then said.

“I was thinking of moving out too, want to go to the same neighborhood?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s about time anyway. I have enough money too.”

“Wow! So, we’ll still be together then?”

“Hur hur, I will chase after you no matter where. Didn’t you know I’m a bit stalkerish?”

“I don’t know about the stalker thing but you definitely have a little bit of a whipped husband thing.”

“Kuk, I cannot deny that.”

“Hehehe.”

Min-jeong stuck right by me.

The scent of her hair is so good. I was smelling Min-jeong for the first time in a year.

Then Min-jeong suddenly looked at me and tilted her head.

“That’s weird.”

“What is?”

“Why does it seem like we haven’t seen each other in a while?”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, it kind of feels like you’ve gone to the army and you’re a boyfriend out on your first break.”

I flinched.

“What about me feels like that?”

“The point that you’re very touchy?”

“…”

Her sixth sense is really sharp. Is she a ghost.

We watched a movie and drank coffee as we talked, and we mostly discussed about which neighborhood to move to.

Min-jeong said the company she’ll be working at is in the Gasan Digital Complex.

“My relative oppa says Bucheon is a good place to live. There are a lot of malls and supermarkets and good amenities.”

“Yeah? Then should we find out right away about Bucheon?”

I downloaded a real estate app on my smartphone and checked out Bucheon.

Min-jeong was hard at work tapping away on her smartphone too.

I searched in order of most expensive.

At the top is an efficiency apartment (a newer condo basically), the highest penthouse. The price is a sum of $1.14 million USD.

Perhaps the maintenance fees are a lot but there’s a lot of chatter on it about it feeling like a rental.

‘Well, I’m crapping money so.’

Progressive tax or not, it doesn’t have anything to do with me.

4 rooms, 2 bathrooms, the city scene is spread out like a screen.

More than anything, the size is more than 60 square meters. The vast terrace was very cool. Looking at the photo, it was called a terrace but it was no different than a lawn.

‘It’s cheap, I should get one.’

It was not cheap at all but in my swiss account I have more than $26 million USD, so.

“Oppa, what are you looking at?”

Suddenly, Min-jeong looked at what the house listings I was looking at and was shocked.

“Heek! Oppa, you’re going to buy this?”

“Yea, I think I might.”

“Isn’t it too expensive?”

“It’s only 1.14 million.”

“Only…”

Min-jeong looked at the penthouse pictures, one by one, with a strange look on her face.

“Nice, right?”

“Oppa, I’m so jealous! How nice would it be if I could live somewhere like this!”

“Between us, what do you mean. Come over any time.”

“You mean it?”

“Of course.”

Honestly, I wanted to move in together.

But let’s start out with coming over.

If she comes over a lot, there will be more days where she stays at my place instead of her one bedroom, and eventually, it will natural for her to move in.

‘Hur hur hur.’

From living alone for 12 months, my head went down treacherous paths very easily.

“I should use this one as my bedroom, huh? Since it has an attached bathroom and dressing room.”

“Yeah! And this room would be good for your office.”

“Office? I don’t really have anything to work on.”

“But you can put your computer and books and it can be an all-purpose room.”

“Ah, that sounds good.”

“And the one remaining room can be the guest room! How about a room for sleeping in guests? Decorated like a hotel room.”

“That’s nice.”

“Hehe, isn’t it?”

Min-jeong’s eyes were sparkling and she put up opinions passionately as if it was her house.

And every time she did, I would agree and smile at her. Ok, Min-jeong, this house is your house.

“Angg, oppa, you must be so happy. It’s like a rich person’s house from a drama. Look at this terrace. It’s a total trail!”

“Don’t you think it would be good for raising a big dog here? Maybe a Siberian husky.”

“Aw, that would be the best.”

Her face looked as if any second now, she’ll run out of breath.

I thought that this was the moment and I slipped in my words.

“This room, I can make it up as a guest room like you said, and you can come over lots and spend the night there, no?”

But Min-jeong’s face suddenly changed.

“Guest room? You won’t have me sleep next to you but you’ll send me away to the guest room?”

“Huh? Uh, no.”

“Hmph…”

Min-jeong pretended to be sulking. Yep. She’s definitely pretending to be sulking.

I have to find out why she’s suddenly pretending to be sulking.

‘What is it?’

It was definitely a coy act to get some kind of answer.

‘Hmm, is it that?’

I gave her the most exemplary answer I could think of and tried it out.

“I thought it would be too much pressure if I asked you to live with me, so.”

“Oh, oppa…”

Now Min-jeong was pretending to be surprised, pretending to be moved. Cute thing.

“But isn’t it too fast for us?”

… look at this child?

I gave her the response she wanted but instead of grabbing it, she’s toying some more?

If she’s going to be this way, that changes it a bit.

“Is it?”

“Yes…”

“You’re right, I think I was being too selfish. I’m sorry I pressured you.”

“Uh, no, that’s okay.”

Min-jeong had a reluctant face.

If this is what you want, lets pull and tug a bit.

The boyfriend has a luxurious penthouse, see if you can go back to your one room place.

As the talk of us moving in together ended like that, Min-jeong’s face became full of regret.

We finished all the coffee and got up when Min-jeong said.

“Let’s go to my place today. I’ll make you food.”

It looked like her face was full of spirit.

“Okay, are you going to make me something good?”

“I’ll make you what you like the most. We can pick up groceries on our way.”

“Okay.”

On our way, we stopped by the store and grabbed some groceries.

Pork, carrots, onions, they all went in the basket. Min-jeong seemed full of determination.

‘Hang in there.’

I just felt so happy.

We got back home and Min-jeong got busy in the kitchen and made a sweet pork stew for me.

‘How long has it been since I’ve had meat.’

I ate only produce with the elves for a year and I was moved as I ate my meal. I emptyed two bowls of rice.

“Are you full?”

“Yeah, that was really good.”

“Then do you want to wash up together?”

“… Huh?”

Min-jeong grabbed my hand and headed to the bathroom.

That day, from being coy in the wrong direction, Min-jeong cooked a generous meal then went off to the bed, a full course of making me happy.

Naked, she was cuddled in my embrace and whispered.

“Was it good?”

“Yeah.”

This one day, today, was like I had gone to heaven.

“Hehe, us being like this, it’s like we’re a married couple, huh?”

I got it, so you can stop nagging.

“Let’s live together, Min-jeong.”

“Aw, bringing that up again.”

Like a habit, being coy again. Is this a bad habit of yours? It’s a conditioned reflex?

“Whew, sorry. I said I wouldn’t but there I go again.”

“What?”

Min-jeong was in a dilemma.

“I won’t bring this kind of stuff up anymore. I’m really sorry.”

Then,

“Crap!”

In a sudden rage, Min-jeong pinches me on the thigh.

I screamed out in laughter.

***

First, we made the decision, and having money was no problem.

I gathered the family together to tell them I was moving out and they all agreed.

Unlike my past of being a jobless man, now that I have a proper job now, moving out is not an issue at my age is what they thought.

“And you’ve got a place?”

At mom’s question, I nodded my head.

“There was a decent one room.”

Of course, the scale of my net worth remained a secret to my family. Because they’ll definitely want to know the origin of my money.

Unlike stupid Hyun-ji, mom and noona won’t believe the story I made up.

After informing my family, I quickly headed up to Bucheon the next day.

I met with the real estate agent that I had contacted earlier and together, we inspected the penthouse for sale.

“It’s nice.”

The house was much cooler than how it had looked in the pictures. The feeling of grandness could be felt.

“There isn’t a property like this elsewhere. If you’ve got the money, this is the house that everyone would want to live in.”

“I can pay cash in a lump sum but can you cut it down to 1.08 million?”

“Whew, even now, it is already pretty cheap…”

“Then there’s nothing?”

At my question, the real estate agent said

“Hmm, I’ll put in a good word and cut it down as much as I can.”

Saying I’ll pay cash right then, the owner said he’d take 1.1 million.

It isn’t that I’m stingy about this but if it can be done cheaper, then it should be done for cheaper.

I signed the papers right away and wire transferred the money and the penthouse becames mine.

“Can you find a decent one room for me as well?”

“Why a one room?”

“To use for lots of things.”

If mom or noona visit, Min-jeong’s parents ambush, a break up with Min-jeong. All these situations need this extra one bedroom just in case.

In the penthouse, basic amenities like a fridge, gas range, electric range, oven, and drum washer were included but other than that, it was completely empty.

Having bought it in a flurry in one day, I didn’t get the feeling that this was my house.

I shook my head and mumble.

“Should I buy a bed first?”

I might as well get a king size.

Using the smartphone memo app, I made a list of things I needed as I thought of them.

Bed, desk, computer, TV, table, sofa.

What else was there?

I attached the memo and sent it as a text to Min-jeong.

In a little bit, Min-jeong sent back a text.

[Yoo Min-jeong^^*: cooking utensils, tableware, toiletries, bath items, bookcase, oh and do you have a dresser?]

[Me: Yep each room has a closet installed and I have the dressing room.]

[Yoo Min-jeong^^*: Can’t we pick out furniture together?]

[Me: Why not, we’re living in this house together]

[Yoo Min-jeong^^*: Aww ?]

Just like that, I became independent.

***

The next day, I went to the mall with Min-jeong and wandered around and did some fortune shopping.

King sized bed.

A modern style desk and table, sofa, amidst other things.

I got a vanity desk for Min-jeong but, thinking about it, I needed a something too for doing my hair and rubbing things in my face and whatnot.

“Ah hungg (Ahhh), I’m so happy!”

Min-jeong was drunk in the fun of throwing all this money around.

Not being restrained by money, but buying the things that appeal to you the most, how sweet that is.

At the electronics store, we decided to get an 85-inch TV.

“Watching dramas on this will be like a movie theatre.”

“A theatre…”

Then booming sound is required.

Why not, I buy an audio system too.

I don’t have much desire for a computer so I get a decent all-in-one PC.

The great march of impulse buying!

We bought everything we needed in a day.

“I think we’re crazy.”

The excitement was still not gone and Min-jeong’s face was flushed red.

“Well, it’s all stuff we needed anyway.”

It was just that each thing was expensive.

That day, we got home and waited and the items we ordered started to come in like a moving truck.

Every time the employees brought the ordered items and set them up, the completely empty penthouse started to turn into a house with people living in it.

“Wow! I have to take a picture of this!”

The giant screen TV and audio were being set up and, seeing that in the living room, Min-jeong took a selfie and couldn’t contain herself.

“Wait, you’re not sending it to Hyun-ji, are you?”

“Oh right, I won’t send it.”

Can’t relax.

Hyun-ji knew that I had lots of money, at least she got the gist of it when we went on the Europe trip, but she didn’t know yet that I’m actually this rich.

If she were to see the sum in my account, there’s no telling how clingy she would become.