My Princess

w. Hobinamu

01: The starting point of cohabitation

"This school year was a total disaster from start to finish."

It was a fine spring day. It was Wednesday, and the warm morning sun was pleasantly illuminating the road. Days and nights had become meaningless, and with the start of the school year just a week away, the reality of vacation was starting to sink in. Nothing had been done, nothing to do. It was a vacation similar to previous vacations. Until just a day before, that is.

Tuesday 12:53 PM, 8 days until school starts

"Hmm... I'm hungry..."

Yeoju woke up just after 12:30. She drew the blackout curtains tightly over the living room window and poured water, seasonings, and soup into a pot. This morning, ramen. Although she's gotten quite used to living alone, she still dislikes cooking for herself.

While the water was boiling, I did a quick wash and then added the noodles to the pot that had begun to simmer. At the same time, my phone, carelessly placed next to my pillow, rang loudly.

"Hey Seyoung-"

"Uh, why are you calling?" The caller was Mama. It was Yeoju's mother. She pressed the call button, put the phone to her ear, and then turned back to the pot. Yeoju's mother's voice came through the other end of the line.

- When did you wake up?

"I just woke up."

-Hey... wake up quickly-

"Did you call to nag me?"

- No, that's not it.

"Then tell me what you want to do quickly."

I stirred the noodles, which were gradually loosening, with my chopsticks. I placed the lid on the bubbling pot, steam rising from it. I turned away from the steaming lid and focused on my mother's voice, "How long have you been living alone?"

"About a year now?"

- You'll do well, right?

"Um... well... that's right."

- Then let's do it for him.

"Huh? What's your situation?"

- Living together.

"Living together...? With who?"

- There's a kid at school like you.

"How many students are there in our school?"

- No, you're my friend.

"A close friend? Yerim?"

- No, no,

Jungkook. He blinked at the name coming from the other end of the phone. Thinking he'd misheard, he pressed the speaker and asked again. "Who, who?"

-Jungkook. We've been close since we were kids.-

"... ..."

- Jungkook, your parents are overseas and haven't been able to visit for a few years. So, since you're going to be alone anyway, wouldn't it be better to live near the school? I'm looking into renting a place. As we talked, I found out that your place is pretty big, and the school is nearby.

We're close, you know. That's why the topic of living together came up. What I heard through the speaker was shocking. "Who am I close with? Who should I live with?" The female lead, who had been staring blankly at her phone, blinked, then opened her mouth wide and spoke.

"Me, me, Jeon Jungkook, we're not close, are we..?"

- Really? Then we can live together and become close.

"No, Mom,"

- I finished talking to Jungkook's parents, but I was so busy with work that I forgot to contact you. I'll be back soon.

"Wh, what, what's coming? What?"

- What could it be? It's Jeongguk.

"No, no, Mom!"

- Oh, hey... Mom's busy. I just got a call so I have to hang up.

"no,"

- I'll cut you off, my dear heroine~

Snap. The phone hung up and fell silent. Whether or not he knew the boiling insides of the female protagonist, the ramen was already boiling and spreading. What was this? No... what? What was the conversation we just had? Trying to organize the tangled thoughts in my head was as difficult as picking stars from the sky. A single word loomed large among those thoughts.

"I haven't washed my hair for three days!!"

I ran my fingers through my matted hair, turned off the light, and hurried to the bathroom. "Please come back late. No, tomorrow. No, come back after vacation. No, just don't come." Even as I frantically began to wash my hair, my mind was on the phone. Thanks to that, I couldn't tell if what I was rubbing into my hair was shampoo or conditioner.

' Ding dong- ding dong- '

Fortunately, the only sound I could hear while washing my hair was the sound of running water in the bathroom. After I finished washing my hair and roughly dried it with a hair dryer, I poured the spilled ramen from the pot into the sink with a tearful heart. Ah, my morning... Just before I heard the rumbling sound, the sound that filled the house wasn't the rumbling, but the doorbell.

"no way..."

"Aren't you at home?"

"... ..."

Ding-dong, ding-dong. The doorbell rang once more, and a familiar, low-pitched voice rang out. That was definitely Jeon Jungkook. The female protagonist, who had been standing there, frozen in place, slowly headed toward the front door. Jungkook's voice could still be heard outside the door.

Tiring - the door is open.