Once. Twice.
And on the fifth and final time, I boarded the elevator.
If I just haul up the robot vacuum cleaner box in my hands now, that’s the last of the luggage from the car.
“I’m dying….”
Opening the door, I set the box aside and collapsed onto the floor alongside it.
The accumulated dust on the floor fluttered up, tickling my nose.
Reflexively, I coughed a couple of times, then let out a deep breath.
I didn’t even have the strength to take off my shoes, so I lay right there in the entryway and looked up at the ceiling; stars were floating across it.
Maybe because the entryway ceiling is black, they look even more like stars.
Counting stars like that, my pounding heart calmed a little, and I got up.
I kicked off my sneakers and dragged the pile of luggage stacked in the entryway inside.
“Good thing it’s only the 8th floor….”
If I had bought the 25th floor, wouldn’t I still be grunting and hauling things up?
I would’ve had to wait ages for the elevator.
Even with two elevators, if someone gets on and rides it up halfway, I’m left standing there staring blankly at the floor numbers like a dog that lost the chicken it was chasing.
When an elevator I missed went all the way up to the 40th floor, I even screamed internally.
Anyway, I’ve moved everything from the car, so today’s work is done.
It’s evening now, and watching the sun set, it really feels like everything is over.
It was a fulfilling day.
Bought a car, bought a house, ate steak, and even went shopping.
Had I ever had such an enjoyable and special experience in my life?
‘…Probably not.’
Seeing that I still remember going to an amusement park with Mom at a time so distant I can’t even remember when, it seems there’d been nothing enjoyable in my life since then.
Other than that, maybe Jeju Island?
I don’t remember anything except taking the plane, and if I recall that Mom was being rushed to the hospital while I was on that plane, I can hardly call it a good memory.
“…Shall I take a look at what I bought today?”
Not wanting to get sentimental for no reason, I shook my head and turned my attention to the items packed in several 3,000-won eco-bags.
Shopping is fun when you buy things, but it’s also fun checking what you bought.
Buying things with a few clicks online might be comfortable, but it lacks romance.
A person who pursues offline shopping in a world where you can buy everything from food to home appliances online.
That is me.
Anyway, I opened the robot vacuum cleaner box first.
“It’s an era where even robots clean for you.”
It’s an era where AI writes and draws, so in a way, it might not be such an amazing item.
Maybe this thing too wants to enjoy cultural life like other AIs, rather than cleaning.
Truthfully, I don’t particularly care about a robot’s feelings.
Since it’s the most expensive thing I bought today, I just hope it cleans well.
Doing your best in your proper role.
That is my motto.
“You’re a member of our household now, so you have to follow it.”
Finishing my nonsense while looking at the vacuum cleaner box, I tore the tape and opened it.
Taking it out, it was quite heavy.
The design is also quite clean and pretty.
Why did the one at the store look so smudged?
“Hmm… this is the power button…… this is the charging dock….”
I took out the manual and read it diligently.
They said it’s a product that normally comes with a separate technician installation, but I wanted to try it right away today, so I just brought it.
Even without that particular reason, giving the house a thorough cleaning once wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Saving on installation costs and time.
Well, it wasn’t like I particularly needed to save money.
“Install it here… pour in water. Then connect the power, and done.”
Spending about thirty minutes, I finished the installation.
It’s this simple; is there really any reason to call a technician?
Voicing a small question, I picked up the disc-shaped cleaner and set it in the charger.
They said a notification sound would play when charging started, and fortunately, it did.
Listening to the cheerful notification sound, I turned my gaze to the next item.
A camping folding table bought temporarily since there’s no furniture in the new house yet.
It didn’t fit in the bag, so I carried this one up in its box too.
Thanks to this and the vacuum cleaner, I ended up riding the elevator one extra time each.
“I should go camping later too.”
Should I buy a camper van?
Buy one and drive along the coast, grilling meat, sausage, and seafood right in front of it.
My heart pounds at how fun it would be.
“Hmm-hmm~”
Humming while making enjoyable plans, I took out the camping table.
Given the price, it looked quite professional.
There was a large hole in the center of the table for placing a fire pit.
And the sides of the hole were blocked off with something like a steel plate to keep sparks from flying.
“I could just take this one thing with me later, couldn’t I?”
Thinking I’d made a good purchase, I temporarily unfolded it in the kitchen.
Hmm… having it inside the house, somehow it looks very out of place.
“It’s just temporary, so whatever….”
Deliberately averting my gaze, I took out the next item.
This time, what I took out was a camping folding chair.
If someone saw, they might ask, “Did you want to go camping that badly?” but I didn’t particularly buy it because I wanted to go camping.
After all, this is something to use temporarily before buying furniture.
Even though they’re temporary items, I didn’t want to buy something crude that I’d just throw away after using briefly.
*What a waste of money.*
And most of those cheap things are poor quality even for temporary use.
There’s no reason to buy them and get stressed.
Instead, if you buy camping gear, you can use it sturdily, and it’s easy to store when not in use. You can just fold it right up.
You can even take it with you when you go somewhere for fun later.
The only downside is they’re a bit expensive, but I don’t need to worry about money.
*…Is this more of a waste of money?*
Feeling like my economic sense was getting strange, I pondered briefly.
And that pondering was resolved the moment I took out the beige folding chair.
“Wow… it’s freakin’ pretty.”
Well, rather than buying cheap stuff to use briefly and toss, buying something expensive to use for a long time later is better, right?
So……yeah. It’s love for the environment, love for the country.
Then I diligently opened the remaining items one after another.
A bug trap, a rug I bought because the design was pretty, a mood light I bought because I thought it’d look nice on a side table, a new flavor of my favorite cup rice came out so I grabbed a few of those too, and I bought a microwave.
There was more besides these, but looking now, it’s really a random mishmash.
*Next time, I should write a list of things I need before buying.*
If I keep shopping like this, my house might turn into a general store instead of a home.
I roughly organized the items scattered on the floor, heated up a cup rice in the microwave, ate it, and got back in the car.
I can’t sleep here since there’s nothing.
I have to sleep at the studio apartment.
Arriving at the studio with a drawn-out yawn.
Stepping inside, it looks unbelievably narrow.
“How the hell did I even live like this?”
The computer and bed are stuck together almost like they’re one piece.
The wardrobe fits amazingly under the bed too.
Seeing that, I was reminded of the days when I was Choe Minhu—stretching my legs out in bed only to have them smack against the wardrobe, forcing me to sleep curled up.
“…I lived pretty miserably.”
Letting out a short sigh, I plopped down onto the bed.
“Let’s toss it all.”
I turned on the computer and searched for a cleaning company.
####
“I’m here~”
“Oh, you’re here? Get ready to head out right away.”
“From the morning?”
I Sojin let out deep sighs at the fact that she had to go out right after arriving at the office.
She lightly shook her short hair and started packing up the things on her desk.
“It’s nice to get a job started in the morning. What, were you planning to lie down for a nap?”
At the supervisor’s words, she averted her eyes slightly with a quilty expression.
Seeing her like that, the supervisor laughed as if dumbfounded and got up, starting to head out of the office.
“Ah, Yeonseo and Taebeom are loading the equipment into the car, so get ready and come down.”
“Okay.”
With a cheerful face, the supervisor leisurely went down the stairs.
I Sojin couldn’t understand why he was so excited and just shrugged her shoulders.
I Sojin, a 27-year-old woman.
She hadn’t even been able to attend university properly, and never having experienced the common thing called dating, she was currently working as a full-time employee at a cleaning company.
“Sigh… I only slept four hours….”
Usually, there isn’t much work in the morning.
Partly because the company isn’t very big, and partly because they don’t handle special cleanings that you have to start in the morning to maybe finish by evening.
Sighing deeply, she packed her things and got into the van.
Seeing Yeonseo and Taebeom already dozing in the car, she greeted them lightly and sat down.
“So what kind of job is it today that we’re heading out right away from the morning?”
To I Sojin’s straightforward question, the supervisor answered with a grin.
“It’s a request to throw away all the stuff in a studio apartment, and if we finish before lunch, they’ll give us extra pay.”
“That’s going to be a hassle.”
*I was just curious since we don’t usually head out in the morning.*
“I Sojin, I think your true feelings are showing?”
She gave a small fake cough and slightly turned her head.
Though she might seem a bit rude, when it came to actual work, she did it silently and well.
The supervisor knew this fact, so he let out a short sigh and said,
“Even if you don’t want to work, what can you do? Did you think I want to be cleaning at my age?”
“You’re the one who founded the company, Dad, so what are you even talking about….”
At I Sojin’s words, the supervisor chuckled.
Yeonseo and Taebeom beside them, completely lost in dreamland. Those two were actually I Sojin’s younger siblings as well.
In other words, this was truly a family company where every member was family.
“Alright, let’s go!!”
Having nothing to say in response to I Sojin, the supervisor changed the subject as he stepped on the accelerator.
Seeing him like that, I Sojin let out a short sigh and shook her head.
And after a short time, when she arrived at the customer’s house.
“You’re asking me to just… throw all of this away?”
She was taken aback by the request to throw away such perfectly fine items.