After losing his job and everything that came with it, he's left with two boxes and a borrowed apartment. The girls aren't letting him stay that way for long — and one of them isn't leaving at all.
January 14th
The apartment looked smaller with four people standing in it.
“This is it?” Chuu turned in a slow circle, taking in the studio. Single room, small kitchen, bathroom barely big enough to turn around in. “This is where you’re living now?”
“It’s free,” you said. “Haseul’s family is letting me stay until I figure things out.”
“It’s depressing,” Heejin said, dropping the box she’d carried up. “Where’s your stuff?”
You gestured to the two boxes by the door. “That’s it.”
Jinsoul set down the bag of cleaning supplies she’d insisted on buying. “You own two boxes worth of things?”
“The company apartment came furnished. Everything in it belonged to them.” You shrugged. “Clothes, laptop, some books. That’s pretty much it.”
The three of them exchanged looks. The kind of look that meant they were communicating something you weren’t supposed to understand.
“Okay,” Chuu announced. “We’re going shopping.”
“I can’t afford—”
“We’re buying. Don’t argue.” She was already pulling out her phone. “Heejin, you’re on bedding. Jinsoul, kitchen stuff. I’ll handle everything else.”
“Chuu, seriously—”
“You spent months taking care of us. Let us take care of you.” She looked at you with those bright eyes that somehow made arguing impossible. “Besides, you can’t coordinate our careers if you’re sleeping on a bare mattress and eating ramyeon out of the pot.”
Heejin was already typing on her phone. “What’s your bed size? Never mind, I’m getting queen. You need room for—” She caught herself, grinned. “Activities.”
“Subtle,” Jinsoul muttered.
“I’m never subtle.”
They left you in the empty apartment with instructions to “clean and don’t be sad about it.” You weren’t sure how to follow the second part.
The group chat buzzed while you swept the floor.
🤫 Group Chat
Chuu
We’re furnishing Oppa’s apartment! Does anyone want to come help?
Yeojin
YES what does he need
Chuu
Everything. He literally owns two boxes.
Hyeju
That’s kind of impressive actually
Vivi
I’ll bring kitchen things tomorrow. Real ones, not whatever Jinsoul picks.
Jinsoul
Excuse me?
Vivi
You bought a garlic press last week and didn’t know what it was.
Jinsoul
It looked useful!
Haseul
I’ll stop by tonight to make sure the place is actually livable. Oppa, did you check if the hot water still works?
You
…I’ll check now.
Haseul
🙄
Gowon
…
Hyunjin
I can bring some plants! Living things make a space feel like home
Yeojin
Oppa will kill them
You
I won’t kill them.
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