Arena Chapter 77:
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 .