LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 188
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“Wow…! A house with a garden, that’s amazing! Da-eun is the best!”
Surely, you didn’t expect such a reaction from me.
…Well, maybe Da-eun could have.
“Are you calm now?”
“Yup….”
Having declared my surrender, I got off Da-eun.
I thought it was just a typical Da-eun behavior, but this time she was particularly wild, which made it quite a struggle to rein her in.
I asked Da-eun, who was dusting herself off with an unusually calm demeanor.
“Let me ask first. What whim are you having this time?”
“Just….”
Da-eun hesitated and then answered, fidgeting with her lips.
“Our current house is in the city, right? Even if we go for a walk, it’s just to the nearby park, and it’s not like there aren’t people there.”
“So?”
“…Um, Kana doesn’t like to be seen, right? That’s why she rarely goes out at home, and when she does, she bundles up tight.”
Squirms and fidgets.
Her delicate fingers moved non-stop.
When her hands finally stopped moving, it was as Da-eun opened her mouth again.
“I thought maybe it would be more comfortable for Kana to go somewhere less crowded.”
“…Me?”
“Yeah. If we had a house with a garden, we could enjoy the breeze freely, right? And just like over there, we could grow a flower garden.”
“A flower garden….”
“It’s not just because of Kana. I’ve vaguely been thinking about this for a while, anticipating that something like this might happen. I figured, why not take this opportunity to move?”
So there’s no need for Kana to feel burdened.
Da-eun said that, but I didn’t take her words at face value.
Even if it’s true that she’d been thinking about it for a while, the biggest reason must be me.
Honestly, when I heard about the flower garden, I felt a slight tug at my heart.
But after thinking a bit more, there was no real reason to grow a flower garden.
The times I worked in the dirt and got flower pollen on my hands were to show my dad, not because I enjoyed gardening.
Sometimes, when the wind blew, it was quite delightful seeing the colorful flowers dancing together.
But to do all that hard work again just for that…
Pulling out the weeds growing between flowers, fertilizing the wilting ones, catching pests that munch on the leaves or suck up nutrients, and cutting dead flowers.
Just listing those made me feel overwhelmed.
Honestly, I didn’t want to do that.
“Hmm.”
I scratched my cheek, lost in thought.
Given all the negative vibes I was sending out, it felt wrong to say anything, but Da-eun’s suggestion wasn’t all bad.
Leaving aside the desire to not be seen, my own nature leaned more towards preferring a quieter atmosphere than a bustling one.
So if Da-eun had said, “I don’t want to live being pushed around by people anymore. I want to go somewhere with less people and live quietly,” I would have accepted it without hesitation.
It’s not like I’m spending my money, and the landlord is suggesting it, so what could I possibly say about it?
As the saying goes, if the temple is bothersome, leave the monk; if the landlord’s decision doesn’t sit well, then the tenant should leave.
Of course, in this case, it’s something that suits my disposition too, so I wouldn’t have left anyway.
And, while browsing the internet, I learned that it’s not uncommon for people exhausted from city life to choose to go back to farming.
“So, Da-eun, do you want to become a nature person?”
“Huh? A nature person?”
She tilted her head, momentarily curious.
“Wait, are you talking about that program that aired before? The one that featured nature people living in the wild?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
Technically, I was referring to the image of nature people that became known through the show, but I figured Da-eun understood well enough to not need clarification.
“I’ve thought about it, but… I don’t think I could live like that. Life without proper infrastructure would be too tough… But why?”
“Isn’t that what you were saying earlier?”
“…Huh?”
Only then did Da-eun’s face change as though she had realized something.
“No, I think Kana is misunderstanding something. When I said that, I meant somewhere with fewer people than this city, not saying we should hide away in the mountains.”
“Would that really solve your worries?”
“Um… Maybe it would be less so than now?”
“Yeah, it would be less.”
“Then wouldn’t that be okay?”
“Uh-huh.”
The end of my words stretched out long.
If I shook my head here, it would be a perfect expression of refusal, accomplished.
Once again, the phrase ‘the answer lies within the problem’ was proven true.
“But it’s just less, right?”
Not a full solution.
In the end, to completely erase what Da-eun worries about, the fundamental solution would be retreating into the mountains and cutting ties with society, which she already said she didn’t want.
It feels a bit off to spend my money and time moving just to make things slightly better.
Besides, in such places, the infrastructure that Da-eun mentioned would inevitably be lacking.
“But still, being less painful is better than being in pain.”
“Who’s in pain?”
“Well, Kana is….”
“…Why would I be in pain?”
That’s what I kept trying to explain: what she thinks isn’t necessarily the truth, but she wouldn’t listen.
Now, seeing her eyes widen like that, I sighed.
“It’s a bit frustrating, but…”
That frustration is pretty much the same little annoying feeling anyone in society feels.
“Do you think I seem like the kind of person who would just keep putting up with it?”
“Definitely not. Unless you turn everything upside down.”
“….”
I might have intended that reaction, but hearing her say it so decisively annoyed me a bit.
“…If I really hated it, I would have thrown away all of Edel’s advice and walked around proudly.”
In fact, I knew it’s been a while since I had to beat down some noble brats who were being annoying for the sake of reputation and social standing.
If walking around proudly means causing Da-eun trouble, that’s something to worry about.
‘What if I just dress up as cosplay and make it work somehow.’
Or I could just overshadow it with an even bigger issue.
After a long silence, Da-eun finally broke it.
“Well, Kana has always been like that.”
“I’m not a kid.”
“You look like a kid to me.”
“…I wish I could be older.”
“You little rascal! Is this a bad mouth mocking a lady’s age?! Ugh!”
“Dah-eun, you idiot!”
Maybe sensing my mood had shifted, Da-eun’s stiff expression returned to normal.
But there was no need for her to pull my cheek like that.
As Da-eun happily played with me, I rubbed my cheek, regaining my freedom.
And I added something I hadn’t said before.
“If we live in a house with a garden, bugs will come in a lot.”
Would Da-eun really be able to handle all those bugs?
As I remembered Da-eun’s horrified expression at the moth stuck to the elevator wall, I thought she wouldn’t calmly face a swarm of bugs.
Da-eun’s face momentarily flashed with disgust.
“…Yeah, people should live in the city. Send the horses to Jeju and the people to Seoul. Ever heard that saying? Oh, now that I mentioned it, I feel like going to Jeju again. Right, Kana said we should go on a trip, so should we go to Jeju this time?”
“You’re all over the place.”
Yuki, who had been quietly listening until then, suddenly chimed in with a sharp remark that precisely captured the situation, making it hard for me to retort.
“You hate bugs that much, yet you want a house with a garden?”
“But… but…!”
Da-eun feigned a sulking expression.
“That’s my… dream! Living in a standalone house with a garden is a dream and ideal for every Korean!”
At those words, I silently looked at Yuki.
Shaking her head.
Yuki silently shook her head.
Then she subtly stepped away from Da-eun as if she didn’t want to be treated the same as her.
Da-eun watched me closely.
“…Can’t Kana catch all the bugs?”
“Wake up.”
“That’s harsh…!”
Seeing her bury her head and cry out fake tears made a bad idea flourish in my mind.
Specifically, the urge to catch a bunch of bugs and unleash them in Da-eun’s room.
The fact that we shared a room made it impossible, however.
“Anyway, does that mean we’re done with that discussion?”
“Yeah. I would never say I dislike Kana!”
“It’s not that you dislike it; you just think there’s no reason to move.”
“Well, that’s not important, so let’s move on.”
Da-eun winked.
“What’s important now is ‘where we’re going for fun,’ right? So, I’m starting the travel destination voting meeting now! Yay!”
“Yay!”
“You’re actually responding? Kana, you’re so kind.”
“It’s just a service.”
Since I brought it up first about going on a trip, I was just showing minimal sincerity.
If not, Da-eun would’ve just brushed it aside like she always does.
Even so, I didn’t think it was particularly sincere, but to Da-eun, that minimal response seemed to be more than enough.
All pumped up, Da-eun began chattering away, while Yuki and I quietly listened or threw in the occasional remark.
It felt less like a meeting and more like Da-eun’s presentation.
Snap!
“Oh!”
In the middle of her excited explanation, she suddenly paused.
“This time, do you want to go together, Yuki?”
“Huh?”
Yuki blinked, taken aback by the unexpected question.
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