Once, then twice.
Finally, for the fifth time, I stepped into the elevator.
With only this robot vacuum cleaner box left to carry, all the luggage from the car would be unloaded.
“I’m going to die….”
Opening the door and setting the box aside, I collapsed onto the floor.
Dust, accumulated on the ground, fluttered up, tickling my nose.
This reflexively made me cough lightly before I exhaled deeply.
Too exhausted even to take off my shoes, I lay there in the entryway, gazing at the ceiling, where stars seemed to float.
Perhaps it was because the entryway ceiling was so dark, but they looked even more like stars.
As I counted the stars, my pounding heart gradually calmed, and I managed to get up.
I haphazardly kicked off my sneakers, then dragged the piled-up luggage from the entryway further inside.
“Thank goodness it’s only the eighth floor….”
Had I bought a place on the twenty-fifth floor, I wondered if I would still be groaning and hauling things up.
I would have had to wait ages for the elevator.
Even with two elevators, if someone got on midway and went up, I’d be left staring blankly at the floor numbers for a long time, like a dog chasing a chicken.
When an elevator I missed ascended all the way to the fortieth floor, I internally screamed.
In any case, everything from the car had been moved, so today’s tasks were complete.
It was evening now, and watching the sun set, I truly felt a sense of accomplishment.
I had spent a fulfilling day.
I bought a car, bought a house, ate steak, and even went shopping.
Had I ever experienced such a joyful and special day in my life?
‘…Probably not.’
Considering that I still remembered going to an amusement park with my mother in a time I couldn’t even recall, it seemed there had been no joy in my life since then.
Other than that, perhaps Jeju Island?
I couldn’t remember anything beyond flying, and recalling that my mother was rushed to the hospital when I was on the plane made it far from a good memory.
“…Shall I take a look at what I bought today?”
Shaking my head, unwilling to fall into sentimentality, I turned my attention to the items overflowing from several three-thousand-won eco-bags.
Shopping is fun not just when you buy things, but also when you check over your purchases afterward.
Clicking and buying things online might be convenient for the body, but it lacks romance.
I am someone who pursues offline shopping in a world where you can buy everything from food to home appliances online.
That is me.
Anyway, I first opened the robot vacuum cleaner box.
“A time when robots even clean for you.”
In an era where AI writes and draws, perhaps it wasn’t such a marvel after all.
Perhaps this device, too, didn’t want to clean but rather wished to enjoy cultural activities like other AIs.
Truthfully, I had little interest in the robot’s feelings.
Since it was the most expensive item I bought today, I simply hoped it would clean well.
To do one’s best in one’s duty.
That is my motto.
“You’re a member of our household now, so you must follow it.”
After finishing my nonsensical monologue to the vacuum cleaner box, I tore off the tape and opened it.
Lifting it out, I found it quite hefty.
The design was also remarkably sleek and beautiful.
Why had the one I saw at the store looked so stained?
“Hmm… this is the power button… and this is the charging dock….”
I pulled out the manual and read it diligently.
Apparently, it was a product for which a technician usually provided installation, but I wanted to use it right away, so I just brought it home.
Even if that weren’t the reason, it wouldn’t hurt to give the house a thorough cleaning, so there was no downside.
I saved on installation costs and time.
Well, I didn’t really need to save money, though.
“Install it here… add water. Then connect the power, and it’s done.”
I spent about thirty minutes on the installation.
It was so simple; was there really a reason to call a technician?
Voicing a small doubt, I picked up the disc-shaped cleaner and placed it on its charging dock.
The manual said an alert would sound when charging began, and thankfully, it did.
Listening to the cheerful chime, I turned my attention to the next item.
It was a temporary camping foldable table, bought because the new house had no furniture yet.
It didn’t fit in my bag, so I carried it up in its box as well.
Thanks to this and the vacuum cleaner, I had to take the elevator an extra time.
“I should go camping sometime.”
Should I buy a camper van?
Buy one and travel all along the Korean coast, grilling meat, sausages, and seafood right in front of it.
My heart fluttered at the thought of how fun it would be.
“Hmm-hmm~”
Planning joyful adventures, I took out the camping table.
Given its price, it looked quite professional.
In the center of the table was a large hole for a fire pit.
Next to the hole, there was a metal plate to prevent 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… it didn’t look quite right inside the house.
“Well, it’s just for temporary use….”
I deliberately averted my gaze and pulled out the next item.
This time, it was a camping foldable chair.
Anyone seeing it might ask, ‘Did you really want to go camping that badly?’ but I hadn’t bought it specifically because I longed for camping.
These were, after all, merely temporary items to use before buying proper furniture.
Even though they were temporary, I didn’t want to buy anything so shoddy that I’d just use it briefly and then discard it.
‘What a waste of money.’
Most such items were of poor quality, even for temporary use.
There was no reason at all to buy something like that and get stressed.
Instead, buying camping gear meant it would be sturdy and easy to store when not in use, as it simply folded up.
I could even take it with me when going out somewhere later.
The slight drawback was that it was a bit expensive, but I didn’t need to worry about money.
‘…Is this actually *more* of a waste of money?’
Feeling that my financial sense was becoming strange, I pondered for a moment.
And that contemplation was resolved.
“Wow… it’s really pretty.”
After pulling out the beige foldable chair, the dilemma vanished.
Well, buying something expensive to use for a long time later was surely better than buying something cheap to use briefly and then discard.
So… yes. It’s about loving the environment and loving the country.
Next, I diligently unpacked the remaining items one by one.
An insect trap, a rug bought because of its pretty design, a mood lamp that would look nice on a side table, several new cup noodle products I liked, and a microwave.
There were more items, but looking at them now, they were truly scattered and random.
‘Next time, I should make a list of necessary items before shopping.’
If I kept buying things like this, my house might turn into a general store rather than a home.
After loosely organizing the scattered items on the floor, I heated up a cup noodle in the microwave and ate it, then got back into my car.
Since there was nothing here, I couldn’t sleep in the new house.
I had to sleep in my studio apartment.
Yawning widely, I arrived at the studio apartment.
Stepping inside, it looked unbelievably cramped.
“How on earth did I live here?”
The computer and bed were practically fused together, as if they were one unit.
The wardrobe was ingeniously tucked beneath the bed.
Seeing that sight, I recalled the days during Choi Min-hoo’s time when, if I stretched out my legs on the bed, they would bump against the wardrobe, forcing me to sleep curled up.
“…I lived such a pathetic life.”
Sighing briefly, I plopped down onto the bed.
“Let’s just throw everything away.”
I turned on the computer and searched for cleaning services.
****
“I’m here for work!”
“Oh, you’re here? Get ready to leave right away.”
“First thing in the morning?”
Lee So-jin sighed deeply at the prospect of having to leave immediately upon arriving at the office.
With a light flick of her bobbed hair, she began gathering her belongings from her desk.
“It’s good to start early in the morning. What, were you planning to sleep on your desk?”
At the Director’s words, she flinched and subtly averted her gaze.
Seeing her reaction, the Director chuckled, as if finding her absurd, then stood up and started heading out of the office.
“Oh, Yeon-seo and Tae-beom are loading equipment into the car, so just quickly pack up and come down.”
“Understood.”
The Director, with a cheerful expression, leisurely descended the stairs.
So-jin shrugged, unable to comprehend why he was so excited.
Lee So-jin, a twenty-seven-year-old woman.
She hadn’t properly attended university, nor had she experienced even a single ordinary romance, and was currently working as a full-time employee at a cleaning company.
“Haa… I only slept for four hours….”
Usually, there wasn’t much work in the morning.
This was partly because the company wasn’t very large, and partly because they didn’t handle specialized cleaning jobs that would take all day even if started in the morning.
Sighing heavily, she gathered her belongings and got into the van.
Seeing Yeon-seo and Tae-beom already dozing in the car, she greeted them lightly and took her seat.
“So, what kind of job is it today that we have to leave right away this morning?”
To So-jin’s direct question, the Director smiled brightly and replied,
“It’s a request to dispose of all the belongings in a studio apartment. They’re offering a bonus if we finish before lunch.”
“How annoying.”
‘I was just curious since we rarely leave this early in the morning.’
“So-jin, it sounds like your true feelings just slipped out.”
She coughed lightly, turning her head slightly.
Though she might seem a little ill-mannered, she worked diligently and quietly when it came down to it.
The Director, aware of this, sighed briefly and remarked,
“What can we do if we don’t want to work? Do you think I, at my age, want to be cleaning?”
“You’re the one who started the company, Dad, so what are you talking about….”
At So-jin’s words, the Director chuckled.
Beside them, Yeon-seo and Tae-beom were completely lost in dreamland. They were, in fact, So-jin’s younger siblings.
Thus, this was truly a family business, with all members being relatives.
“Alright, let’s go!”
The Director, having no retort to So-jin’s comment, pressed the accelerator, changing the subject.
Observing him, So-jin let out a short sigh and shook her head.
And after a short while, when she arrived at the client’s house,
“You want us to just… throw all this away?”
She was a little taken aback by the request to discard perfectly good items.
