It was already our fifth day living under one roof, and surprisingly, Bo-ra and I were doing fine. We had our own worlds inside the house, existing like distant planets in the same solar system—no interference, no fuss. We had divided the chores fairly, and as for cooking, that was all her.
Not that I couldn't cook. I could. But she volunteered—said she liked it. And honestly? I was curious to see if she really lived up to her big talk. Did she cook because she loved it… or because instant noodles were her definition of "cuisine"?
Every morning, I'd be up first, quietly having breakfast before heading to the office. Bo-ra, on the other hand, woke up like a hibernating bear disturbed mid-dream—around noon. I never dared wake her. Our bedrooms were off-limits to each other, a rule we both silently agreed on.
But that peace shattered like a dropped plate on the morning of Day 5.
I was mid-chew on a piece of toast when a panicked shriek echoed down the stairs, loud enough to stop my heart.
"YUL!!!"
I nearly choked.
There she was—Bo-ra—racing down the stairs in a storm of bed hair and wild eyes. She hadn't washed her face, let alone brushed her teeth. She looked like she just survived a horror movie.
I blinked, fork halfway to my mouth. "W-what? What happened?"
"My mom!" she yelped, breathless. "She's coming. Like, right now!"
I paused, still not grasping the emergency. "Okay… and?"
She stared at me like I'd just said I hated puppies. "And? What do you mean 'and'? She can't know we're not actually sharing a room!"
Ah. That.
The bite of toast slid from my mouth as the full horror hit me.
"WHAT?!"
"She's bringing food! And she wants to see us!" Bo-ra clutched her head like the sky was falling. "What do we do?"
Panic surged up my spine. But I forced myself to breathe. Someone had to stay calm. "Okay, let's not freak out. Why didn't she tell you ahead of time?"
"She said it's a surprise visit to 'check in on her newlyweds'—that's literally what she said."
Great. Just great.
We had no time to waste.
"Alright," I said, shifting into crisis mode. "First, I'll move my stuff into your room. If she sees two bedrooms with our things in each, we're toast."
"Good call," Bo-ra nodded, already halfway up the stairs.
Lucky for us, we hadn't brought too many things when we moved in, so relocating was manageable—though not without chaos. I nearly slipped three times rushing with my box of things. I swear the universe is out to get me.
By the time Bo-ra went out to fetch her mom at the gate, I had transformed into the perfect househusband cliché: sitting in the living room, legs crossed, reading a random home magazine I found under the coffee table. A mug of coffee in one hand. Looking effortlessly charming.
Hopefully.
Moments later, the sliding door opened. Enter Bo-ra, followed by a petite, fashionable woman with immaculate skin and the unmistakable aura of someone you don't mess with—Mommy Jae-hyun.
I stood up immediately, bowing with every ounce of politeness I could muster. "G-good morning… Mommy."
The word felt foreign in my mouth. I hadn't said "Mommy" since I was, what, thirteen? But it made her smile warmly.
"Oh, you're not used to calling me Mommy yet?" she cooed. "You should get used to it! You're part of the family now, remember? My son-in-law!"
Son-in-law. Right.
Bo-ra slid me a sideways glance, and I took that as my cue. Time to go full drama mode.
Without warning, I slung an arm around her shoulder. She flinched. Hard. Her eyes screamed what are you doing?! but I just smiled through clenched teeth.
"Honey," she said through gritted teeth, voice sugar-coated in sarcasm, "Don't you have work today?"
She pinched my side—hard. I bit back a wince.
"I called in," I replied, still grinning like a lunatic. "I couldn't miss a visit from Mommy."
Another pinch. I swear, if she weren't a woman, I would've—okay, not really. But still. That hurt!
Her mom beamed. "That's so sweet! I'm glad you both are happy."
Then she laughed. Loudly.
We laughed too. Painfully.
"So, Mom…" Bo-ra began, voice sweet as syrup. "What time are you heading back?"
I nearly choked on my coffee.
Mommy Jae-hyun's smile froze. "Oh dear. Are you trying to send me away already?"
Bo-ra flinched. "No! I just thought… don't you have your cooking class with the ladies today?"
"Nope," she said brightly. "It's my day off! So I thought, why not spend the whole day bonding with you two?"
I felt the air leave the room. We both stared at her.
"W-what?" we said in unison.
She looked delighted. "Aww, you even speak in sync! So adorable."
No. No, no, no. This was not adorable. This was a disaster.
She was staying. For the entire day.
Which meant one thing: I had to sleep in Bo-ra's room. Again.
Night came too quickly. I found myself awkwardly standing in her bedroom, my pillow clutched in my hands like a shield.
She was brushing her hair by the vanity, completely ignoring me.
Maybe if I stood there long enough, she'd take pity on me and offer to share the bed.
Yeah. No.
She turned to me with a deadpan look. "Are you waiting for me to invite you to bed?"
I tried to act casual. "I mean… it's a double bed. We could just—"
"No."
"Bo-ra—"
"Get a blanket. Sleep on the floor."
And that was that.
I made my little nest on the floor, wondering what horrible karma I was repaying in this lifetime.
To make things worse, I could hear Mommy Jae-hyun outside the room, clearly eavesdropping. We had to speak in hushed tones, pretending to be in love, when really, we were plotting murder—of each other.
"Oh my god," Bo-ra whispered from her bed. "She's talking to my dad on the phone. I think she's reporting us."
I groaned. "Does she think this is a spy movie?"
We both lay there, silent for a moment. The lights dimmed. The air felt heavier than usual. Maybe it was the stress. Or the fact that I was lying on the floor with a neck cramp forming.
I closed my eyes and let out a breath.
When would this nightmare end?
To be continued…