2 – Song Ah-ra (2)
We arrived at the mart and started shopping.
Since I hadn’t really checked the kitchen, I didn’t know what we had or didn’t have, so I decided to ask Ah-ra.
“Ah-ra, do we have soy sauce at home?”
“We probably don’t, right? I’ve hardly ever cooked at home.”
“….Sorry.”
“What’s there to be sorry about? I’m the one who should be sorry.”
It seemed like the situation made it difficult for me to cook directly because Ah-ra was often out late or frequently left the house, rather than me being a trashy person as she claimed.
But still, it was too careless of her not to have cooked a single meal.
“I’ll start cooking regularly from now on, so let’s buy all the seasonings.”
“Really! Then buy everything you want!”
“Okay, first, can I have regular soy sauce, brewed soy sauce, and soup soy sauce?”
Soy sauce, doenjang, sesame oil, salt, sugar, red pepper powder, gochujang, vinegar, and so on—all were placed in the cart.
And in the kitchenware section, I also purchased a seasoning container and a 4-compartment spice dispenser.
There’s no soy sauce at home, though.
“What about a knife? Don’t we need a kitchen knife?”
“There might be a broken one somewhere…”
“We can throw it away when we get home.”
A broken knife for no reason.
It’s not something useful for cooking.
“After all, a kitchen knife should be in good condition for cooking to be convenient.”
“Really? In a variety show I watched before, they cut kimchi with a tuna can.”
“That’s an outdoor situation, so it’s possible.”
—Welcome, everyone. We will now begin the one-hour discounted sale of pork foreleg.
“Unnie, unnie! Hurry up!”
“Huh? Why?”
“They’re discounting the forelegs. If we don’t go fast, all the ajummas will grab them, and we’ll miss out!”
“Sung-hwan, calm down. I’ve told you many times not to be obsessed with such things just because I have money, right?”
“D… did you?”
Come to think of it, I checked earlier. There was a substantial amount of money deposited in the bank account under my name.
Since I’m still young, it seems my sister has been managing the finances, but I’ve been receiving and using the living expenses.
“My sister wants to eat beef. Is it okay?”
“Mu…Of course. Then shall we have galbi jjim?”
“If it’s made by Seong-ha, I’m fine with anything.”
“Nuna…”
He’s fine with anything as long as I make it.
He’s too devoted…
I should take this opportunity to show him what a proper galbi jjim is.
“Auntie, please give me 1kg of bone-in ribs.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“You always used to buy hind legs, why ribs today?”
“Excuse me?”
It used to be a cheap cut that I often bought, even after marrying Ara and having plenty of money.
But did I really only buy hind legs, feeling sorry for spending money every time?
“You always said you felt sorry for spending money, so you only bought hind legs.”
“Oh…right…”
“Is that from your side?”
“Yes…”
It seems he wasn’t just a brat after all.
***
“Wow…did Seong-ha really make this?”
“Yes, please try it.”
Not only galbi jjim, but also various side dishes like pickled vegetables and japchae.
If my memory serves me right, Ara seems to have a metabolism that doesn’t gain weight, even if she inhales various things all at once.
Perhaps because of that, although there were occasional antis on the internet in that other world, there seems to be hardly any reaction here.
In that regard, it gives off a strong feeling of a world turned upside down between men and women.
The moment Ara forked a piece of braised ribs and put it in her mouth was truly nerve-wracking.
I grew up in an orphanage, so I worked hard to be independent.
Especially, the certification that scored the highest in the independent living evaluation was the Korean cuisine cooking certification.
If this side of the world hasn’t changed much, I would still have the cooking certification.
“It’s delicious…”
An exclamation escaped from Ara’s mouth.
It seems to suit her taste.
“I often went to Korean restaurants because of work, and I know… Can this be sold?”
“Really?”
“When has noona ever lied to you?”
Unexpected praise came, and it made me feel good.
Discovering that the ability I used only for solo home-cooked meals also appeals to others brought an unnecessary sense of joy.
“Stop staring and eat already.”
“Yes. I’ll enjoy it.”
And so, I finished two bowls of rice.
It’s been a while since I overate.
***
“Ah, I’m full.”
“You ate well.”
Unable to avoid the sudden kiss on the cheek, her face turned red.
“Why are you embarrassed? It’s bland.”
“………..”
“I’ll shower first. You can do the dishes later, I’ll do them.”
“No, I’ll do it.”
“It’s okay… You cooked the meal, didn’t you?”
“You earn money too. Relax and rest.”
“Seonghwan…”
This time, I managed to dodge the kiss that came towards my lips.
For a moment, seeing Ara’s deeply hurt face made me feel sorry.
Well… I guess that’s just how it is for a married couple.
“You smell like garlic from your mouth… Go wash up.”
Pretending to be embarrassed, I quickly left the room.
Peeking through the crack in the door, I saw that Ara’s face was also red.
She’s cute, but maybe a bit too cute.
When I opened the closet in the dressing room, I found my clothes inside.
There were some clothes that I didn’t have before, and some that were missing, which gave me a headache, but it seemed that our tastes didn’t differ much.
But…
There’s something strange…
There were quite a few things commonly known as sleepwear.
Just so you know, I dislike feeling uncomfortable when I sleep, so I’m a man who wears short sleeves and shorts even in winter, let alone pajamas.
I’ve never worn such cute sleepwear even once.
When I put on summer clothes and came out, Ara was sitting on the bed wearing a white gown, drying her hair with a towel.
“Sis, I’ll help you dry your hair.”
“Thanks.”
I stood behind her, dried off all the water from her hair, and blow-dried it little by little.
It’s one of the skills I acquired from frequently drying the girls’ hair at the orphanage.
Seeing her enjoying the hair brushing, I felt quite amazed.
What was lacking in a person like her that made her marry someone like me, who came from an orphanage?
Moreover, from the situation, it seemed that I must have been the one who confessed and proposed.
I decided to ask a probing question.
It might be a line used by women in the other world, but in this reversed gender world, it’s the men who ask.
“Sis, what did you like about me that made you marry me?”
“Huh? Oh, hahahaha… It’s embarrassing to be asked so suddenly… You might think it’s a thoughtless answer, but I like everything about you.”
“Everything?”
“Do you remember when we first met?”
When we first met…
It had been two weeks since I moved into the house next to Ara’s.
After finishing school and coming up to the apartment, I found Ara crying while looking at her phone.
Her parents had passed away in a truck accident on their way to see their daughter.
After the funeral, when we got back home, she couldn’t bring herself to go inside and just cried in front of the house.
I sat next to Ara, unable to enter the house, comforting her and talking to her all day long.
When we finally got home, it was around 4 p.m., but Ara didn’t go inside until around 11 p.m., when the night was deep.
“At that time, the only one who truly comforted me by my side was Seong-ha… The people from the agency tried to comfort and take care of me, but it was a little different from you, who sincerely empathized with me.”
“…….I see.”
I was feeling a bit down myself at that time.
It was on my way home with my ruined exam scores in hand.
I also needed someone to confide in because I was a loner with no friends…
“I fell for you that day… Yeah…”
Ara looked like she could burst into tears any moment, with a faint smile in her eyes.
Her smile contained not only regret, sorrow for her parents, but also a pitifulness that made my heart ache just to look at it.
“Sister…”
I gently stroked her cheek.
At that gesture, tears welled up in my sister’s eyes, and a drop rolled down her cheek.
“I may not be enough, but I’ll always be by your side, sister.”
“Will you give it to me? If I don’t have Sung-ha, I’ll go crazy.”
“Now I’m the same. If I don’t have Nuna, I’ll go crazy too.”
Living on each other’s support.
It may seem simple, but it’s a step towards true marriage.
Originally, Ara may have relied on me unilaterally, but since I came here, I hope our relationship has become a lifelong line rather than a vertical line.
Maybe, I had feelings for Ara even in the other world.
The Ara over there… I don’t know well.
No, it doesn’t matter now.
Where I am is a world where the roles of men and women are reversed.
It’s not right to think about a place where I may never be able to return and shed tears in front of her right now.
Ara caressed the hand that was caressing her cheek.
The wound that seemed to have been hurt by running around the playground slightly stung.
I have to stop her from asking if she’s hurt before she does.
I’m going to press my lips against hers to give her the kiss I didn’t give her earlier.
I feel like I’m hearing “I Will Love You” by Band Animal in my ear.
When my hot lips touched her soft lips, our tongues and saliva intertwined and flowed back and forth.
How should I express it?
I had only just brushed my teeth, so it tasted like mint toothpaste, but it was an exciting taste because saliva was flowing back and forth.
When our lips parted and our silver legs tangled, idol Song Ara’s feelings for me became true love, no longer unrequited love.
How quickly i accept the situation :/