My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 198

197. A Family’s Independence

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Heena and I carefully chose this place.

It was practically a new apartment; only one tenant had lived there before us. We made sure there weren’t any major problems, considering it was only three or four years old.

Honestly, this 25-pyeong (approximately 82 square meters, or 883 square feet) apartment wasn’t objectively small. It just felt smaller compared to Heena’s spacious family home.

Moreover, we didn’t move to some far-off place. The apartment complex was less than a 20-minute walk from Heena’s parents’ house, all things considered.

Initially, I wanted to move somewhere that considered Heena’s commute, but ultimately, we had to think about Sarang and Somang’s schooling. The farther away we went, the more worried we’d be about their safety, and it would be harder for them to see their friends.

Because of that, the rent was pretty steep. It was in the heart of Seoul, the location was great, and the apartment was practically brand new. The basic layout and interior were clean and attractive, with a modern style.

But we loved the place so much that we couldn’t give it up, and Heena and I spent days agonizing over it.

“If we max out our loans… it’ll still be a bit tight. And we can’t apply as newlyweds…”

“We’re like a middle-aged couple.”

“I know, right.”

We registered our marriage very early, and more than anything, our combined income was quite high, so it was difficult to get favorable government-supported loans. Plus, we were thinking of buying, not renting.

In fact, these issues were so complicated that we consulted with my father-in-law and my dad in many ways. Even looking at the contracts and loan documents made my head spin because there were so many things I didn’t understand.

Eventually, we ended up receiving some financial support from our families. Thanks to that, we were able to buy our own home, albeit with a lot of debt, and complete the purchase without any major issues.

And we spent nearly a month seriously choosing appliances one by one, unlike when we were just living together. We also carefully considered the kids’ beds and desks, which were the most important.

That shopping wasn’t always pleasant. We bought things while worrying over every detail. Still, the excitement of decorating ‘our house’ made it bearable.

After filling the place with our belongings, the day finally came to leave Heena’s parents’ house completely.

“If anything happens… make sure to call… You’ve both done so well, so I’m not worried…”

“We will. Don’t worry too much. We’ll visit often.”

“Yeah, Mom. It’s super close~ I’ll come by a lot.”

“Grandma… don’t cry…”

My mother-in-law was crying. The mother-in-law who always smiled and brought bright energy. She couldn’t overcome the emptiness and loneliness of the house where she would now be alone with my father-in-law.

And while comforting my mother-in-law, we ended up crying together. Except for a short period of living on her own, Heena had spent her whole life there, and I had lived there for over 10 years since I was twenty.

Of course, we were excited about the new house, our new home, but the sadness of leaving this place also settled in a corner of my heart.

It was a place that was no different from my own home.

After spending a day with everyone sobbing, including my father-in-law who was secretly wiping away tears in the corner, we left for our new home.

—

So, the biggest event recently was our move, but the second biggest was my job. Regarding this, I had been agonizing over it for almost several years, not just recently, but since I first decided to become independent.

And what I chose was to renegotiate my salary and work from home. The reason for this decision was that I didn’t want to rely entirely on facilities like daycare centers or family when it came to the children.

More than anything, I thought it was really important for children to have a family member always waiting for them at home, emotionally. But it didn’t make sense for Heena to quit her job for that, and I couldn’t quit either.

To pay off the borrowed money and loans, both Heena and I had to work hard. But I thought it would be okay if I could choose a stable work-from-home arrangement, even if it meant a slight reduction in salary.

Actually, I was a member who had worked hard with the company since its early days, so they gave me a lot of leeway. Plus, since it was an IT job, this kind of work arrangement wasn’t impossible.

Of course, Heena immediately opposed when I first brought it up.

“Then you’ll have too much trouble. You’ll have to do housework, take care of Somang, and work…”

“Hey, you and Sarang always help with the housework. And taking care of Somang is… well, he’s very quiet as long as he’s around me.”

“But… still…”

“Heena.”

“Yeah…”

“You’re smiling.”

“No, I’m not. I’m not… Hehe…”

But she was just saying that. I could tell from her expression that she welcomed my decision very much. It might sound like I’m bragging, but I felt like she would have thrown a party if I had said I was going to become a full-time homemaker.

I have a desire to work, and realistically, I have to think about loans, living expenses, and future savings, so becoming a full-time homemaker was out of the question.

Heena was probably happy that even though we lived together, there were times when we missed each other when we were busy, but now that wouldn’t happen.

Of course, with this work-from-home thing, I wondered if I was rushing into it alone. So, I consulted with my family and friends in addition to Heena, and they all said it would be a good idea if the circumstances allowed.

It’s definitely important for parents to spend as much time as possible with their children.

“So, Dad’s going to be home all the time?!”

“Yeah. After we move, I’m going to work from home. Are you happy, Sarang?”

“Super happy! So, Dad will definitely be there when I get back from school?!”

“Well… unless I go out to buy groceries, probably?”

“Yay!!!”

“Somang, do you like guarding the house with Dad?”

“Like it. Wanna be wif Daddy.”

“What! I’m jealous of Somang! I want to be with Dad all the time, too!”

I couldn’t say for sure that my actions were the right answer, but seeing how happy the children were, I thought it was as close to the right answer as possible.

Like this, after moving and with a completely changed work environment, our new life started.

—

A few days after moving.

What does it feel like to switch to a completely work-from-home arrangement and spend most of your day at home every day?

If someone asked me that, I could confidently answer.

It’s awesome.

All those things about it being easy to relax at home, so it’s not easy to create a work environment, and working from home being harder than you think were just excuses in my opinion.

No matter what reason you give, it’s honestly impossible for it not to be more comfortable than going to work. Just the fact that there’s no commute takes care of half of it.

My salary is reduced by that much, but even considering that, it’s so, so good. It’s really the best. Thrilling.

So, today too, I woke up early in the morning, enjoying the leisure. The bed still smelled new, and Heena was asleep, turned towards me.

And next to our bed, there was also a small bed where Somang was sleeping. Somang also has his own room, but he still doesn’t like sleeping alone.

Come to think of it, Sarang isn’t here today. Sarang still often sleeps with us or comes into our bed in the middle of the night.

Anyway, as soon as I opened my eyes, I immediately got up.

“Haaam…”

*Click*

Yawning widely, I carefully closed the door and went out to the living room.

A quiet house with all the lights off. Our house that Heena and I bought with effort, though we received some help. Every time I wake up in the morning and look around the house like this, a strange sense of fulfillment fills my heart.

It was like when I was a kid and used a big box as a secret base. That feeling of having my own space.

After being immersed in those feelings for a while, I slowly headed to the kitchen. The neatly organized induction stove, sink, and the ㄱ-shaped [L-shaped] kitchen that can also be used as a dining table were also currently my own space.

Since I often cook, I adjusted the placement of various tools to my liking. The only things I can’t do as I please here are the small photo frames placed in various locations.

Only Heena and Sarang can touch those. I wonder if they’d get upset if I moved them without permission.

~♬♪♬

I turned on the kitchen light, put on some music quietly on my phone, and started preparing breakfast quite skillfully. Heena said I could just eat cereal if it was too hard, but I liked this time.

This time of preparing meals for my wife, daughter, and son.

“Let’s see. Melt butter over medium heat… flour and…”

Today’s breakfast menu is Western-style cream soup and French toast. I added soup because I thought it would be a shame to just have bread and milk in the morning. I looked it up and it wasn’t that difficult to make.

Especially the toast, if you sprinkle some sugar on it after it’s done, there’s no snack like it. It’s also a menu that Sarang likes very much. Actually, Sarang asked me to make it last night. I was originally going to make rice balls.

It was my first time making soup, but the recipe was simpler than I thought, so there were no major difficulties.

“Here, mix the roux [a mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces] with milk and simmer over medium heat… add cheese and mix… then just simmer it a little more.”

I learned to cook from my mom in the past, and I’ve been doing it steadily while living at Heena’s house, so I can confidently say that my skills are as good as any housewife. It’s just that I don’t know how to make that many dishes yet.

After making the soup and the much simpler French toast, I took a picture to brag to my mother-in-law and mom later.

Shall I wake up Heena and Sarang now?

*Click*

“Oh, you’re awake. Did you sleep well?”

“Ugh… smells good… what is it?”

“Soup and toast. Sarang said she wanted to eat it yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s right~”

“Do you want to taste it first? I’ll wake up Sarang.”

“Okay. Thanks~”

Heena sits at the kitchen table with a dazed face. I left my cute wife behind and headed to Sarang’s room.

When I opened the door, Sarang’s bed, full of cat dolls, came into view. She’s sleeping with Spotty today.

I approached my daughter, who was sleeping with an angelic face, gently shook her, and whispered.

“Our daughter~ you have to wake up?”

“Ugh… Daddy… just a little more…”

“Dad made Sarang’s favorite toast. Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“…No… Wanna eat… I’ll wake up…”

I took Sarang, who was acting cute while still sleepy, to the kitchen, where Heena was putting soup in a bowl and setting out spoons.

I sat Sarang down, who was still half-asleep, and sat next to her, then asked Heena.

“How is it? Did you taste it?”

“It’s delicious! Did you have a hard time making it?”

“No. It was easier than I thought.”

“Daddy… the sugar…?”

“Here. Don’t sprinkle too much.”

“Thank you…”

Sarang, who sprinkled sugar on the toast and put a spoonful of soup in her mouth, smiled brightly and opened her mouth.

“It’s delicious…”

“Eat a lot, Sarang~”

“Honey, we have to leave some for Somang, right?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m going to make rice balls for Somang when he wakes up later. With the leftover rice from yesterday.”

Even though Somang isn’t that active, he’s still a boy, so he’ll get hungry quickly if he just eats bread, so I usually feed him rice. And the rice I made yesterday happened to be just enough for Somang to eat.

Wow~ I’m totally like a housewife?

Heena will go to work in a little while, Sarang will go to school, and Somang will go to daycare, and then it will be work time.

Still, I could definitely feel the hearts of other homemakers.

I felt very energized when I saw my family eating the food I made deliciously. I felt proud and pleased.

“I’ll do the dishes. You rest a little.”

“I want to help too!”

“Then shall we do it with Mom?”

“Yeah!”

Moreover, it’s not just me suffering alone, but everyone is trying to help as much as they can.

That’s why I can enjoy this newly started work-from-home and homemaking life.

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