What Do You Think about Living With a Gaming Addict Girlfriend and Having Pure Love?

Chapter 24: Permission to Hug

—–CROW—– 

“Ughhh Sung-Hyeon-ah~ I’m so tired~”

Park Da-Hye collapsed as soon as we got home.

We stopped by the supermarket in front of our building to buy some groceries. I told her I could carry everything myself, but she insisted on taking half the bags, and now look at her.

She barely managed to drop the bags at the entrance before collapsing onto the sofa, completely knocked out.

The fate of a shut-in.

“I told you I could carry it all myself. Why did you push yourself?”

“No, no~. It’s a party play; how can I let you carry everything alone~?”

“I’ve always been the tank. We should each do what we can; you don’t have to help with the heavy lifting.”

“Is that so? But what can I do… Ah, then should I wear this now?”

Park Da-Hye pulled out the chemise again, waving it like a flag and grinning.

Was it really that amusing?

She’d been teasing me with it all day.

“Seriously, stop it.”

“Heehee, you don’t have to be so sensitive~. Just think of it as healing~. I’m a healer, you know.”

“I’m being serious. I’ll be angry if you actually wear it. And I’m serious about the ‘no physical contact’ rule, too. If you want to live here, you have to follow the rules.”

“Really? For real?”

“I’m not kidding.  I’m dead serious.”

“If you’re so serious, why were you acting like that earlier?  Grabbing my hands all the time?  Saying ‘Let’s go, PokDaughter!’ and squeezing them?”

Park Da-Hye mimicked my voice, teasing me relentlessly.

She was acting like an elementary school kid, both at the lingerie store and now.

She was twenty years old, for crying out loud.

If I retaliated, I’d be stooping to her level, but…

I suddenly remembered a wise saying:

If you’re going to be an idiot whether you win or lose, be a winning idiot.

I would be a winning elementary school kid.

“No, I didn’t grab your hands. It was a Bluetooth grab.”

“No, you grabbed them.  They were so soft.”

“No, that was moisturizer emulsion. Just lotion.”

“No, it wasn’t just lotion.  They were salty.”

“Crazy, how do you even know that?”

“…”

“It’s a secret.”

What was that pause just now?

Park Da-Hye still had a smug look on her face as if she’d won, but she was blushing furiously.

What had just happened?

I was curious, but I was also afraid to ask.

I should just put the groceries away and avoid eye contact with this strange girl.

“I’ll take care of this, so you go rest.  You must be tired after being out for so long.”

“Ugh… I think I walked too much after being inside for so long.  My legs are wobbly, even though I just walked.”

“You’ll probably have terrible muscle aches tomorrow.”

“Really? No way, I was planning on catching up on three days’ worth of gaming.”

“So rest now.”

“Okay… Sorry I can’t help you.  I’ll just rest for a bit. Sung-Hyeon, make sure you wake me up when I fall asleep…”

**

I put the groceries in the refrigerator and soaked the short ribs for the galbi찜 (braised short ribs).

I looked at the clock; it was 3 PM.

I was going to wake her up in thirty minutes, but an hour had already passed.

Da-Hye was still lying on the sofa, seemingly unconscious, just like before.

She’d fallen asleep wearing the hat and sunglasses, like a kid after a field trip.

Seeing her like this…

I didn’t want to wake her up.

Her hair was neatly trimmed, her cheeks had orange blush, and her lips… was that lip tint?

Anyway, right now, Park Da-Hye looked like a normal twenty-year-old girl, not a shut-in burdened by financial worries.

Like she’d just come home from hanging out with friends in Hongdae on a Saturday afternoon, collapsing onto the sofa without even washing up.

And if her mom yelled, “You lazy bum! Wash up before you sleep!”,

she’d probably retort, “Ugh! I’ll do it myself!”, in a childish rebellion.

When I first met her, Da-Hye was an outsider, awkward and uncomfortable in her worn-out clothes.

Now, at least in this house, she looked like she belonged.

She wasn’t afraid to act childish and whine, and she teased me more often, too.

I felt relieved that she seemed comfortable.

I stealthily approached Da-Hye and brought the camera close to her face.

She looked cute, sleeping with her sunglasses on and drooling slightly.

*Click!*

She’d be furious if she caught me…

But she had an embarrassing picture of me, too, so I was keeping this one.

Suddenly, Da-Hye flinched and woke up.

“Uh, uh huh! What? What time is it?”

Phew, I almost got caught.

“It’s 3 PM.”

“Ugh… already? My legs are stiff. Ouch, my back too… What’s wrong with me…”

“How little exercise do you get?  You’re sore from just walking?”

“No way… I have to play games… Sung-Hyeon, can you carry me to the computer room?”

“How am I supposed to carry you?”

“You can hold me from behind, or just carry me on your back… or a princess carry…”

“Stop trying to be cute and walk there yourself.”

“Right… I can’t just ask, can I?  I’ll wear the slip, so… wait a minute…”

“Oh, come on!”

“Heehee.  Almost had you.”

“That didn’t work at all.  Just go and play your games.”

“Huh? Aren’t you going to play?  Let’s play together, Sung-Hyeon.”

“I’m going to cook. I’m making galbi찜, and it takes a long time to simmer, so I’m starting now.”

“Oh, really? Then I’ll help.”

“You said you’re sore, so just play games. I can do it myself.”

Hearing that, Park Da-Hye pouted.

She made the same face at the supermarket when I told her I’d carry the groceries.

I knew why Da-Hye was acting like this.

She was trying to find her place in this house.

I was currently doing all the housework, but now that we were living together, she wanted to contribute and become a part of this household.

She could have just relaxed.

You were a good kid.

Then should I give her another quest?

“Do you really want to help?”

“Yes!  Give me anything.  I’ll work hard, Chef!”

“Then, Kitchen Assistant Park Da-Hye.  Are you interested in learning the art of knife skills today?”

“Knife skills, Chef? I’ve never handled a knife before.”

“Don’t worry too much.  I, the Sword Master, will teach you everything from A to Z.”

“Whoa.  Then please… guide me on the path of the sword!”

“Wow, aren’t you embarrassed?  You’re really getting into this role-playing.”

“Hey, you started it! Just play along!”

“Ahem, alright. Welcome to the world of swords, Kitchen Assistant Park Da-Hye.  I shall now impart the secret techniques of our family.”

“Yeah~ you’re really immersed in this.  Having fun?”

“I’m going to kill you.”

**

I was glad I chose galbi찜 for dinner.

It was a simple dish; you just had to cut the ingredients and simmer them.

I’d teach Da-Hye how to use a knife and have her do all the prep work.

“Lightly grip the back of the blade with your thumb and index finger… how’s that?  Can you feel the force on the blade?”

“Yes. But I’m scared I’ll cut my fingers.”

“It’s okay.  Once you get used to it, you’ll never cut yourself.”

I taught Da-Hye how to hold the knife and how to place her knuckles against the side of the blade.

Da-Hye’s focus was truly remarkable.

She’d been joking around just a moment ago, but once we started the lesson, her eyes changed.

Her gaze, fixed on my hand, was so intense that my hand felt hot.

Thanks to her focus, she picked up the technique quickly, even though she’d only practiced a few times.

“Now let’s try cutting the onions.”

“Okay.”

After watching my demonstration once, Da-Hye started imitating me.

Her movements were still slow, but she tucked her thumb in just like I showed her, and there was no hesitation in her handling of the knife.

Now I understood how she was able to draw perfect illustrations without any training.

With that kind of focus, she could do anything.

She’d probably master digital drawing in a few days if I taught her.

Come to think of it, I should teach her digital drawing to prepare her for when she moved out.

I should look for a teacher when I had time.

After that, Da-Hye became so focused that she didn’t even speak, so I just watched her hands from behind.

In fifteen minutes, she’d finished cutting the radish, onions, and carrots.

Having completed her mission, Da-Hye let out a breath she’d been holding and looked at me.

Her face was full of accomplishment.

“Oh, that was fast.”

“Did I do well?”

“The sizes are uniform, you didn’t hurt yourself, and you followed everything I taught you.  100-point knife skills.”

“Really? Then what’s my reward? You have to give me a reward, Chef.”

Oh, right.

The reward for yesterday’s Chef game was two head pats.

Da-Hye tilted her head towards me, a challenging glint in her eyes.

*What are you going to do about the “no physical contact” rule?* her expression seemed to say.

But it wasn’t going to work.

I wasn’t going to be swayed by Park Da-Hye anymore.

“Here you go.  You’ve successfully completed the quest, so I shall reward you with two pieces of chocolate.”

“What? That’s so unfair.”

“It’s not unfair at all, so just eat that and get lost.”

Why did she look so devastated over not getting a head pat?

But I couldn’t help it.

No matter how insignificant the physical contact, if I kept indulging her without thinking, we’d cross the line.

I needed to build a strong defensive wall before I was devoured by this warmth-craving monster.

**

While the galbi찜 simmered, we immersed ourselves in gaming.

At 6 PM, we had dinner with steamed rice and galbi찜, then focused on gaming again until midnight.

It was the third night since Da-Hye came to my place.

We slept in the same bed yesterday because of her wish, but that wasn’t happening again.

“Really? I have to sleep in the small room?”

“Why are you asking as if it’s so surprising? Isn’t it obvious?”

“But… we’ve already slept together twice; what’s the difference if we sleep together a third time?”

“The first time was an accident, the second time was your wish, and the third time is returning to normal. Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep.”

I firmly sent Da-Hye to the small room and lay down in my bed.

Yes. This was it.

Finally back to normal.

It was absurd to sleep together just a day after meeting.

It felt incredibly comfortable to lie in bed alone after so long.

My shoulder was stiff yesterday from being her pillow all night.

Mwahahaha.  I could finally sleep comfortably.

But…

Why?

*Why can’t I sleep?*

I went to bed at midnight, and it was already 2 AM.

Sleep evaded me, and time kept ticking by.

What was going on?

I thought my insomnia had improved after two nights of good sleep.

Instead of feeling sleepy, I felt increasingly alert.

What was wrong?

This was the familiar insomnia that had plagued me for the past few years.

It had been fine for two days, but…

Just then, I heard a strange sound from the wall.

*Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.*

It was clearly the sound of someone tapping on the wall with their fingers.

That was the cry of the warmth monster.

I’d just ignore it and try to sleep.

Hopefully, I’d fall asleep before sunrise.

* * *

—–CROW—– 

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