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“What is this?”
Those were Si-Eun's first words after opening the refrigerator. It was a natural reaction. There was nothing in the fridge - not metaphorically, but literally nothing.
Si-eun let out a dry laugh after hearing that I wanted her to make lunch. But she didn't refuse. Rather, she agreed coolly, saying, "Okay."
"Since I got hired, this is part of the job now. I have to do as I'm told."
"Yeah. Thank you."
"Is it okay if I just make something with the ingredients in the fridge?”
After that, Si-eun opened the refrigerator without saying a word. The inside of the refrigerator was surprisingly empty.
And that led to this situation.
"Even I'm not this broke when I'm short on cash. But you actually have money? So why is your fridge in this sad state?"
“I have my reasons.”
“Reasons? What are they?”
"It's just too much hassle."
Si-Eun shot me a glare. As someone who had lived the life of a recluse for over 20 years, I had no skill in dealing with this. Unable to bear it, I turned my head away.
"What did you eat yesterday?"
"Instant ramen."
"And the day before that?"
"Instant ramen."
"You probably had instant noodles the day before that too."
"No, I didn't."
"Then what?"
"Cup ramen."
Si-eun let out a short sigh at my response.
Is there anything as glorious as ramen? It's a dish created by wise scholars. It's bound to be delicious. Plus, even if you order delivery, it takes at least several tens of minutes, while ramen is ready in a few minutes. There's no food as convenient and tasty as ramen.
I was tempted to give a rebuttal, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.
Soon after, I heard a rustling sound coming from the side where Si-Eun was sitting. When I glanced up, Si-eun was opening the cupboard with condiments and cooking utensils.
“All you have is chili powder and a pot. It's strange that you even have this.”
"I need it to boil ramen."
"I guess so."
Si-eun nodded as if she had given up, then suddenly raised her head, "What am I supposed to do? No one in the world can cook without ingredients or tools.”
"Uh, well, what? You can go to the mart right in front of you and buy it and I'll pay you back later…….”
"I'm sorry…… I don't have the money for that.”
Hmm, right.
“I wasn't going to buy it and keep it at my house in the first place. It's something you'll keep using at this house, right? Isn't it right for the landlord to go with me and choose it?”
Si-Eun said so and closed the cabinet door. She had a point. If Si-Eun quits, everything here becomes mine. Moreover, I don't really feel like handing over my card to the part-time worker I just hired today. It's better to go together, choose, and pay.
The only problem is…
The suggestion to go together implies that I have to go out, doesn't it...
I hired her to save me a lot of trouble, but it turned out to be a hassle. I should have just eaten ramen.
But, oh well. If I just bear with it this time and go out, it will be convenient for a while.
"Okay."
————- ❈ ————-
Numerous households reside together in the large apartment complex. It's the prime commercial area, bustling with consumers with purchasing power. This was, of course, the supermarket located within the apartment complex. Perhaps I should consider investing in a place like this in the future.
"What are you thinking?" Si-Eun, who was walking a few steps ahead, turned her head and asked.
"I'm just wondering if I should buy something."
"You seem to be full of motivation now that you're out of the house. What do you want to eat?"
"No, I was thinking about whether or not to buy E-Mart stocks."
"You're on a whole different level than me..." Si-Eun said self-deprecatingly, pressing her temples.
Anyway, we entered the supermarket.
Perhaps it was because it was Sunday, but the supermarket was crowded.
On one side, a couple with a child was pushing a cart, and on the other side, two people who looked like a young couple were holding a basket.
It felt like I was making others do everything, which made me feel guilty. So I tried to walk ahead and push the cart, but she shook her head.
"Why?"
"I feel like I'm just ordering you around."
"So what if you are? It is just part of my job. You can order me around as much as you want."
Si-Eun just smiled and replied. It's cool. She didn't seem like this in school.
With that thought in mind, we arrived at the food section. Frozen foods were gathered in front of us. To the left were condiments, and to the right, it seemed there were vegetables and meat. It was indeed a large supermarket.
However, Si-Eun, holding the cart, didn't seem to have any intention of moving. She remained frozen like ice, not budging an inch.
What's going on?
"That seems to be the condiments aisle."
"......."
Even when I tried to talk to her, she remained silent.
Curious as to why she was behaving like this, I followed her gaze, which was fixed on something. Following her gaze, I saw a lady grilling dumplings at the tasting corner.
In other words, it was a tasting corner.
"If you want to eat, go ahead and have one."
Si-eun, momentarily startled, raised her eyebrows in response, "I don't particularly want to eat."
"Then let's go quickly. Time is money."
"Okay."
However, she once again glanced at the dumplings. Her steps remained still.
"Just go ahead and eat."
"......I'm not looking at it because I want to eat it."
What am I supposed to do?
Well, I like things like dumplings too. Frozen foods are dishes made by brilliant people gathered at food companies. They can't help but be delicious. Not as good as ramen, though.
I opened the small freezer next to the tasting corner and took out a pack of dumplings, placing it in the cart. Upon seeing this, Si-Eun looked surprised and then looked at me.
I wished she wouldn't look at me like that, it was unnerving.
"Let's go quickly."
I spoke up to break the strange atmosphere. Si-Eun seemed like she wanted to say something, but soon took the lead again, pushing the cart forward.
"Do you want any particular food?"
"Anything is fine."
"Then what's your favorite food?"
"Ramen?"
"But you can just boil and eat ramen yourself, can't you?"
"That’s true......."
The words were so right that there was nothing to say back.
As I pondered over my taste buds, Si-Eun let out a chuckle.
"You're so unusual. Is that why you made so much money?" She snorted. After a brief pause, she continued, "Never mind. I'll just cook what I want."
With these words, she started putting various food ingredients into the cart.
From spices to various vegetables and meat. As I watched the cart being filled with various groceries, I secretly thought that I had made the right decision to hire a housekeeper.
≿————- ❈ ————-≾
After buying cooking utensils, our grocery shopping finally came to an end. It was already past lunchtime. Cooking now would probably serve as both lunch and dinner.
That prediction was not wrong. As I was trying to hold back my growling stomach, Si-eun called me about an hour later.
When I went to the kitchen, there was a sumptuous feast laid out on the table — stir-fried pork, tofu stew, various vegetable side dishes, and even egg fry.
It had been a long time since I had such a meal. My memory of it was even vague.
"You seem to be a good cook."
"How do you know without even tasting it? ... I am confident though. I've been cooking a lot since I was little."
I see.
Si-Eun said she lost her father early. Her mother couldn't have been home all the time either. She must have had to learn to cook early.
I nodded to myself and sat down, and she sat down across from me.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Are you eating with me?"
"Do you mind?"
"No. I thought you might be uncomfortable if I ate with you."
"It's better to eat it all at once and clean it up all at once."
It made sense when I heard it.
I bowed my head slightly to express my gratitude and picked up my chopsticks. Let's try the pork stir-fry first. I reached out with my chopsticks and picked up a piece of meat and put it in my mouth.
Chew! Chew!
Let's savor the taste for a moment.
"How is it?"
Eyes filled with anticipation flew in. Even though she said she was confident in her cooking, it wouldn't be common for her to be evaluated by others.
After chewing and swallowing the meat, I opened my mouth, "It's delicious."
"Isn't it?"
Hoo hoo hoo. She gave a small smile as she hummed.
To be honest, it was delicious. For me, who usually only ate ramen and greasy delivery food, I could eat several bowls of rice sitting down.
Only then did she pick up her chopsticks. Then she took a bite of the pork stir-fry she had made and said, "Mmm~ This is good!"
She put one hand to her cheek and smiled happily.
It was a gesture as if she had bitten a lemon. Well, since she was so engrossed in the tasting corner, she probably didn't eat proper meals on a regular basis.
As I looked at her face, I was lost in thought when I made eye contact with her. Si-eun, startled as if just remembering my presence, cleared her throat and composed her expression.
"Anyway. Is this okay?" Si-Eun asked in a composed voice.
"Well, I think it's fine. The food is delicious. Hmm~ this is good! good enough."
"Can I hit you once?"
I quickly turned my eyes away because I didn't want to be hit. Sorry.
"When do I start working?"
Shi Eun asked, sounding a bit pouty, as if she had accepted my mental apology.
"You'll need time to prepare too. Come from Friday night. Next time you come, you just have to do some cleaning and laundry with the food. I'll order the washing machine and vacuum cleaner today. Oh, and send your luggage by courier. Or you can bring it yourself."
"Okay."
Si-eun replied in a dignified tone. It was a far cry from the way she was eating pork stir-fry just now.
I raised my head slightly and Si-eun met my eyes.
"I'm counting on you going forward."
"Yeah, sure."
As I averted my gaze again to respond, I heard a soft pffft of laughter from across the table.
✦••✦••✦
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