LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 193: Cohabitation
Creeeaaak!
“Welcome, Yu-seong.”
“……”
Thud!
After the school trip ended, I took the subway home. When I arrived, I couldn’t immediately comprehend the situation before my eyes. I closed the door and stepped outside to look at the sign hanging outside again.
[Mikoya]
It’s definitely my house.
But for some reason, instead of going home, the President, who had taken the Shinkansen to Tokyo, was sitting in our restaurant eating with a calm expression.
I took a deep breath outside, then opened the door and went back into the restaurant.
My mother, who was just setting kimchi and other side dishes on the President’s table, looked at me incredulously and said,“If you’re home, you should at least say you’re back. Why did you go out and come back in again?”
“Why is the President here?”
“She said she thought of us while passing by. Why? Is it wrong for her to come to our place?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Unable to explain everything that happened in Kyoto, I looked at the President with a frustrated expression, hoping for an explanation.
My confused mother also naturally looked at the President, who was eating calmly.
Finally, the President, who was chewing on some spicy stir-fried pork, swallowed and spoke.
“The moment has finally come.”
“The moment?”
The President slightly turned her body and bowed slightly to my mother, who was standing in front of her.
“Mother, if it’s not too much trouble, may I stay here for a while?”
“Whaaaat?!”
Why are you reacting like in a manga? You’re making me embarrassed.
Having missed the timing to be surprised, I thought that and covered my face with my hand.
This was already the second time someone had come to our house claiming to be a lodger.
The first lodger was Mei Ling, who had lost her wallet in a distant land and had no choice but to stay with us for a few days.
The second lodger was the President, who had just come to Tokyo after ruining an important engagement ceremony.
The President, with a calm expression, put some spicy stir-fried pork in her mouth in front of my shocked mother and me.
My mother asked with a puzzled expression,
“President, what about your home? Did you run away?”
The President, after chewing on the spicy stir-fried pork in her mouth, swallowed hard and said,
“Yes, there are unavoidable circumstances.”
“Unavoidable circumstances?”
“I ruined the engagement ceremony with the person my grandfather chose for me and ran away.”
“Engagement! Ran away!”
My mother quickly became engrossed in the President’s explanation.
Because the topic of engagement in a chaebol family is a common theme in Korean dramas.
“Why did you run away?”
The President blushed shyly and said,
“Because I liked someone else.”
“Oh my! Oh my!”
Judging by her reaction, Mrs. Imija was almost convinced.
It felt like she was watching a chaebol love story from a drama come to life.
“My parents died in a plane crash when I was young, and I was raised by my strict grandfather. When I was younger, I thought it was natural to follow my grandfather’s words, but not anymore. I want to find my own happiness.”
My mother held the President’s hands tightly and said,
“With such a reason, I can’t refuse! Stay as long as you want at my house!”
“Really?”
“Of course! I don’t take back what I say!”
“Thank you! Mother!”
The President hugged my mother with a touched expression.
And my mother embraced the President with a loving expression.
Anyone would think they were mother and daughter.
My father, who came out of the kitchen after rolling up the blind, asked me with a puzzled expression,
“What’s up with your mom?”
“I don’t know. She must have binge-watched another Korean drama.”
“I told her to watch those dramas in moderation.”
My father and I, gossiping about my mother, naturally separated, worried that Mrs. Imija might notice.
“Is the food enough? I’m not sure if the side dishes suit your taste.”
“No, it’s very delicious, Mother.”
Watching the two of them naturally get along, I shook my head and went outside.
‘First, I should unpack.’
Come to think of it, I had just returned home.
That evening.
“The President can use this room.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
“Ohohoho, this is nothing.”
The President took over the room that Mei Ling had used for about four days.
My mother had decided to keep it as a guest room just in case, and it turned out to be a wise decision.
Since no furniture was brought in, it was an empty room except for the bedding.
The President looked around curiously and said,
“This is my first time living in such a small room.”
“That makes sense. Yes.”
When else would the daughter of one of Japan’s most prestigious noble families have stayed in a place like this?
It was clearly my familiar house, but today it felt embarrassingly different, making me fidgety. The President noticed and asked with a playful smile,
“Why are you so nervous?”
“What? No, it’s not that… No, I’m definitely nervous. Yes.”
I decided to admit it honestly.
I’m now living under the same roof as the person I like.
Even if it’s temporary, I couldn’t help but feel my heart pounding.
“Hehe, you’re cute.”
Hearing my explanation, the President said that and covered her mouth with her sleeve, laughing.
She looked so delicate, like a well-made hina doll.
I asked while sitting upright.
“How long do you plan to stay at our house?”
“That… I don’t know either. Probably until my grandfather acknowledges my relationship with you?”
“Do you think he will acknowledge it?”
“Probably not. You’re Korean, and I’m Japanese.”
Even though international marriages had become more common these days, there were still many Japanese who disliked mixing blood with foreigners.
The President’s grandfather was probably one of them.
Seeing my expression darken, the President patted my shoulder as if to reassure me.
“Even if that’s the case, I have no intention of giving up on being your lover. If my grandfather, as the head of the Saionji family, doesn’t allow my relationship, I will become the head of the Saionji family myself.”
The President said this while confidently puffing out her chest.
It wasn’t baseless confidence.
With the skills of the President I knew, she could definitely rise to the top of the family.
The President usually acts a bit quirky, but she gets things done when it matters.
I looked straight at the President and said,
“If you aim to be the head of the family, I will take responsibility and support you. After all, I was the one who ruined the important engagement.”
“Hehe, it’s reassuring to hear you say that, Yu-seong.”
The President said this with a soft smile, then reached out and held my hand.
“Then there’s one thing I’d like to ask you first.”
“A request?”
“Can you give me a kiss of oath?”
“What?”
I was so taken aback by the President’s unexpected request that I stuttered.
But the President, showing no intention of backing down, said with a bold expression,
“You said you’d take responsibility, right?”
“……”
How could I back down when she said this?
I gulped.
The President’s eyes slowly closed.
I hadn’t noticed before, but the President’s eyelashes were very long.
Her white, delicate features were so noble that even touching her seemed daunting.
But I mustered up the courage.
It would be foolish to kick away such a rare opportunity.
I cautiously tilted my head.
The President’s face slowly approached.
Now almost close enough to touch, I was about to reach the President’s pink lips…
“Son! Come out and eat!”
This is driving me crazy.
The President’s eyes, which had been closed, opened wide like a goldfish’s, as if my mother’s voice at such a perfect timing had spoiled the moment.
“President, let’s continue this later– uh!”
As I tried to step back, the President suddenly leaned in, leaving me speechless.
Chu!
The distinct feeling of soft lips.
Even though it was just skin touching skin, it felt like a lightning bolt had struck my mind.
“Pwah!”
Her lips finally parted from mine.
It was just a brief touch, like a child’s play, but both of our faces turned bright red, and we couldn’t meet each other’s eyes.
“H-How was it?”
The President asked first.
Caught off guard, I looked away and replied,
“I-It was nice.”
“That’s a relief. I thought it would be clumsy since it was my first time.”
The President said this with a giggle, then stood up first.
“Your mother must be waiting outside. Let’s go quickly.”
“Ah, yes.”
I quickly stood up and followed the President, who opened the firmly closed door and went into the living room.
Following her small back, I thought to myself,
‘The girl is more proactive.’