I roughly told Yoo Seo-Eun what we do in the Awakened Crime Division. It would have been good for her if another villain showed up right away, but villains didn't appear twice in one day.
Before we knew it, it was time to leave the office, and we were getting ready to go home.
"Hye-Rim, it's been a while!"
Team Leader 1 came to our office, and as soon as she saw me, she immediately smiled.
"It's been a long time, Team Leader 1. How are you?"
"Not good; it's just been so lonely without you."
Team Leader 1 came up behind me and gave me a back hug.
"After all, it's not the Awakened Crime Division without Hye-Rim."
"I don't think that's true..."
"It is if I say so."
It was time to go home, so Team Leader 1 came to see my face while leaving her office.
It was a common occurrence, so the other team members were used to Team Leader 1's visits.
Except for Yoo Seo-Eun.
"Hmm......"
Yoo Seo-Eun looked at me and the team leader with a meaningful glance.
She looked back and forth between me and Team Leader 1 a few times, then stroked her chin and muttered.
"Is she also...?"
Noticing the stares, Team Leader 1 greeted Yoo Seo-Eun.
"Hello! You're the newest member of Team 5, right?"
"Oh, yes, temporarily."
"Hye-Rim has always said that she always wants new people to join the team. So it's nice to meet you, even if it's just for a short time. Her teammates are basically my teammates!"
Shin Yu-Sung responded with a bright smile.
"Is that so? Then please take me to Team 1, Team Leader!"
"Yu-Sung, how dare you try to run away? In a situation like this, I, as the deputy team leader, should go first......"
"Hey, you assholes."
There are two rats who are trying to escape from Team 5.
They're talking right in front of me. I feel frustrated.
Looking at us, Team Leader 1 burst out laughing, like she saw a funny comedy.
"Haha! Team 5 has the best atmosphere. I'm jealous of you, Hye-Rim."
"I feel uneasy because they're always trying to sneak away."
"That's why they can make jokes like this, because they're so comfortable with you."
I don't think that's necessarily true.
Team Leader 1 turned to Yoo Seo-Eun while I was thinking to myself.
"So, Seo-Eun, you should try your best in Team 5. You'll have more fun than you think."
"Yes, of course, I think I'll do well with the team leader."
"That's right, you'll be fine with Hye-Rim."
Team Leader 1 hugged me tightly, saying that she would see me again tomorrow. I feel like we're so close that her cheeks are touching mine.
I always feel this way, but I'm still not used to this distance.
"Uh... Hey. I was just thinking earlier, but you two seem pretty close, don't you?"
"Huh?"
Looking at us, Yoo Seo-Eun twitched her eyebrows.
"Of course we're close; we've been through all kinds of hardships together since the old days."
"Even if you call it a long time ago, it's only been three years... It's been eventful."
"Aha, I see."
When you know someone from the same workplace for a long time, you naturally become close.
Well, even if you say so, the only person who is close to me is Team Leader 1. In fact, even if we don't work together, she is the only one who is close to me.
I've recently gotten to know people from Hero Assocation, but honestly, that's about it.
The only person I have a personal relationship with is Team Leader 1.
"Hmm... Then I should take this opportunity to work together and advance our relationship......"
"...Hmm?"
Team Leader 1's eyes narrowed as she looked at Yoo Seo-Eun, who was muttering incoherently.
After observing Yoo Seo-Eun with her mouth closed for a moment, she nodded as if she realized something.
"Hye-Rim."
"Yes."
"You....are pretty amazing, too."
"What? Why all of a sudden?"
"Don't worry about it."
Team Leader 1 looked a bit miffed as she said that.
After work, we went home after having bought a blanket and a pillow for Yoo Seo-Eun. As we entered the house, I told her where to sleep and eat.
"My house is a little small because it's one bedroom, but it should be enough for two people."
I opened the inner doorway, laid a blanket on the floor, and told her she could sleep here.
Yoo Seo-Eun, who had just untransformed and sprouted horns, listened intently.
"If you can't sleep on the floor, I can instead."
"It's not like that! I've been sleeping on the floor for years in the demon realm. It's enough to have a blanket."
"Hmm, is that so? So don't you feel like sleeping in a bed after all these years?"
"Huh? I....don't deny it."
After years of sleeping on the ground, it's understandable to miss a fluffy, warm bed.
Since tonight is Yoo Seo-Eun's first sleepover, I decided to let her sleep in my bed.
"You can have the bed then. I'll sleep on the floor."
"No matter what, that's a bit too much. Making the homeowner sleep on the floor is a bit..."
"If I'm okay with it, then it's okay. Don't hesitate, just get in bed."
Half-forcibly, I pulled her arm and laid her down on the bed.
My bed is quite expensive. I've always heard that you shouldn't spare money on pillows or beds.
They were right. A quality bed, not a cheap one, makes you feel like you're melting into it just by lying down.
Yoo Seo-Eun sank into the bed and let the soft pillows cradle her head. The warm and cozy feeling that enveloped her entire body immediately relaxed her expression.
"Oh, this feels so good..."
After laying in bed for the first time in five years, Yoo Seo-Eun closed her eyes as if she were about to fall asleep.
She has a very happy face. How could I tell her not to sleep in bed after seeing this reaction?
"You like it, right? This is for you. I don't mind sleeping on the floor."
"Uh, look. Like I said during the day, we can just sleep in the same bed, can't we?"
"You look at it. This bed is too small for two people, and if I lie down with you like this......"
To make her experience it for herself, I crawled in next to her and laid down with her.
The bed, which was made for one person, was immediately filled with two people. Naturally, our bodies were pressed closely together, and our faces were right in front of each other.
"Look. It's so narrow. You don't want to sleep like this, do you?"
"Ah..."
Yoo Seo-Eun looked at my face, which was right in front of her, without saying a word. In hindsight, it was even closer than I thought.
I put her on the bed first, and then we lay down together. It was a bit....strange. I also feel a little guilty.
Maybe it would be fine if I were a woman, but I'm still a man inside. I don't think we should be lying in the same bed at such a distance.
"Cough."
Coughing, I hurriedly pushed myself up. I don't think I should stay any longer.
"Anyway. You get it, right? Two people can't sleep here."
"......Can't we just sleep together?"
Yoo Seo-Eun asked, looking a little disappointed for some reason, when I pulled away.
...Why is she like this?
"I don't like it. It's uncomfortable. I'd rather sleep on the wide floor."
"Tsk. Okay."
Why is she clicking her tongue?
"Seo-Eun, you stay in bed and rest. I'll prepare the food."
"Food?"
At the mention of food, Yoo Seo-Eun immediately sat up.
"You're going to cook?"
"I say cook, but I'm just going to roast some meat. Do you like beef or pork?"
"Anything is fine, but why don't I cook dinner? I'm a good cook, and I think I should at least pay this way. So let me cook!"
"Uh....I appreciate the gesture, but you see?"
It's faster to show than to tell. I showed her the state of my refrigerator.
"What, is this it?"
There is only meat in the fridge right now. There is always a limited amount of food in my refrigerator.
Meat. Instant food. Beer. That's it.
I couldn't be bothered to cook, so I grabbed whatever I could find as quickly as possible.
"See? I don't have anything you can cook with."
"Not even close. You don't even have vegetables?"
"We have vegetables for ssam."
"...Don't tell me."
Yoo Seo-Eun sighed heavily at the disastrous state of the refrigerator.
It's like having your refrigerator inspected by your mom when you've been living on your own for a while.
'Oh, you bum! I told you to eat some vegetables! You're an adult; why are you eating like this?'
She's staring at me with an expression like that, but I have nothing to say.
I don't even eat properly because it's really annoying. I don't eat often; I just drink beer.
"Why do you seem to have more beer than food?"
...I knew she was going to say that.
"What's with all the meat? Isn't it all first-grade? Isn't this beef Hanwoo 1++?! Are you just buying meat and alcohol?"
"I didn't buy the meat with my own money; it was a gift."
I'm a government employee with a lot of power, so I get a lot of things rolling in here and there. In fact, when I buy meat with my own money, I usually buy the low-end cuts.
"So that means you only spend money on beer?"
"Yeah."
"......"
In response to my answer, Yoo Seo-Eun was silent for a while, but then she crossed her arms and said.
"Hye-Rim."
"...Yeah."
"Let me buy the ingredients from tomorrow onwards."
Ah.
Somehow, I knew this was coming.
"Also, I think you should cut back on the alcohol."
"No, no matter how you slice it, banning alcohol is too much for someone in the workforce..."
"It's not a ban; it's a cutback. And Hye-Rim, your fridge is in a terrible state."
"......"
It's sad that I can't refute it.