Chapter 15: Crafting Their Rules

“Do I really have to know that? Huh?”

“Why are you suddenly getting annoyed?”

After coming all the way to pick him up, it was mildly irritating that the first words he got upon entering the car were nothing but that.

“No, I mean, whether you get makeup done, style your hair, or shave it all off, why should I care?
Anyway, you’d look good no matter what.”

“…….”

Wooju pouted and sharply turned the steering wheel.

As he spoke, his anger gradually started to build up.

And of course, the road was unnecessarily difficult.
Everything just felt frustrating.

“Or is it some kind of smug attitude of the privileged?
You think, ‘I look good, so I wish others noticed me too,’ or something like that?”

There’s that saying, isn’t there?
A good-looking person will look good no matter what they do.
Thinking about it, Won Jitae must have known that too, which is why he threw those absurd questions.

At that moment, the traffic light ahead changed from yellow to red.

Wooju gently pressed the brake and stopped the car precariously at the line.

As the wheels came to a halt, his reason started returning.

Ah, right.
It wasn’t just him and Jitae in the car; the camera directors were here too.

And yet he had started a childish argument in front of them.

Normally that might be a regular occurrence, but this time he even got angry over it.

Strangely, Won Jitae stayed quiet.

By now, Wooju expected some kind of retort, maybe “What nonsense are you saying?” or “Don’t insult me,” but none came.

Taking advantage of the red light, Wooju glanced at the passenger seat.

All he could see was the back of Jitae’s head.

Like before, Jitae had turned sharply away, staring out the window.

‘What’s with him.’

The light turned green again.

Wooju averted his gaze from Jitae, missing the fact that the rim of his pale ear was slightly reddened.

On the way back, Wooju thought about it.

Jitae hadn’t said a word and had turned his head because he probably felt embarrassed.

He couldn’t keep showing them fighting in front of the cameras, after all.

From that point, they reached home in silence.

Even though they’d only been out for a few hours, their bodies felt like lead.

“Kang Wooju.”

“What?”

“Look at this.”

As Wooju washed his hands in the bathroom, Jitae was standing in the living room, motioning to him.

Waiting for them on the wooden table in the living room was a familiar envelope—the mission envelope they had seen even on the first day of moving in.

Back then, it had instructed them to choose which room they wanted.

Now, the envelope’s presence seemed to heighten the tension between the two who had been living together without much thought.

Wooju and Jitae naturally sat around the table.

Jitae opened the envelope first.

For some reason, it felt thicker than it had on the first day.

He unfolded a half-folded sheet of paper.

Wooju leaned closer to see.

As Jitae’s grip tightened on the paper, Wooju realized he was putting more strength into his hold.

[Please create your own set of living rules from now on!
(Write down the agreed-upon rules on the enclosed sheet and place it somewhere visible.)

※ Once established, these rules must be followed during your stay here.]

Another sheet inside the envelope was quite large, completely blank.

It seemed intended for them to write down their rules directly.

“So, what do you think?”

Jitae asked Wooju as he unfolded the paper.

No wonder there was a black marker alongside the envelope.

“Then let’s make them. The rules.”

Wooju had actually been thinking it might be good to establish some rules.

He had been meaning to mention it to Jitae, and now the opportunity had come by chance.

“Such a hassle……”

In contrast, Jitae’s expression sank like a rotten fish eye.

He clearly intended to just scribble something quickly and be done with it.

But Wooju wasn’t going to let him.

He uncapped the marker and wrote at the top.

“Hey, you……”

Meanwhile, Jitae’s expression twisted gradually with every letter Wooju wrote.

“Wait a minute.”

Then he grabbed the pen from Wooju’s hand.

“Why?”

Was it really just because he didn’t want to write the rules?

If so, Wooju had no intention of backing down.

He glared sharply at Jitae.

Yet Jitae’s face was painted in sheer shock, far from casual laziness.

“Why is your handwriting still like this after all this time?”

“My handwriting?”

“Even elementary kids nowadays write better than you.”

Both their eyes landed on the blank sheet.

The thick, childish letters didn’t look like they had been written by a twenty-seven-year-old man.

Jitae thought it resembled the handwriting of a young elementary school boy.

“As long as it’s readable, it’s fine.”

“But we have to put it somewhere visible, and you’re letting me write it like this worm script?”

“Worm script? Hey, it’s not that bad……”

Jitae flipped the paper and rewrote in neat, printed letters.

Seeing Jitae’s neat handwriting, Wooju couldn’t help but shut his mouth.

“No complaints?”

Wooju simply glared at him.

Yeah, you think you’re great, he thought.

“So, how do we decide the rules?”

Jitae asked, and Wooju paused for a moment before speaking.

“Let’s start with chores.
We’ll take turns with meal duties.”

“I can’t cook.”

“Then use this opportunity to try.”

Pouting slightly, Jitae wrote down the number ‘1’ and the corresponding task.

They decided to alternate meal duties weekly and mark it on the calendar to avoid confusion.

Next was cleaning.

Though the house was big enough that daily cleaning wasn’t necessary, Wooju suggested at least a weekly deep clean.

“Why a deep clean every week?
Just clean when it gets dirty.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?
Cleanliness is directly related to health.”

“What is this, a cleaning program?”

Jitae sighed lightly and wrote down the task.

They also decided on a rotation for recycling and garbage disposal duties.

In the end, four basic rules were established.

Jitae wrote evenly and neatly on the large sheet, showing Wooju that he was skilled with his hands, not just on the volleyball court.

“Next, let’s each say one personal wish.”

A month might seem short, but living together made it a significant period.

Since this was a broadcast, ideally only their best and most entertaining sides should appear.

To achieve that, unnecessary conflicts should be avoided.

Though they had already collided plenty, it seemed necessary to set things straight.

“Then I’ll go first.”

Jitae spoke solemnly.

“Don’t wake each other up, no matter what time we get up in the morning.”

He clearly still remembered this morning.

Wooju, unaware of how sensitive Jitae was about sleep, could accept this.

“Then I’ll say one.
When shopping, make a list and buy only what’s necessary.”

Jitae flinched, realizing his own weak points.

They alternated, stating wishes one by one.

Initially, they mentioned reasonable rules, but soon, odd requests appeared:

“Don’t make food too spicy.”
“Don’t swing your fists when surprised.”

By the time they noticed, they had passed ten items.

“…Are these really living rules?”

At Jitae’s innocent question, Wooju clamped his mouth shut.

“Let’s just leave it at this.”

They started looking for a place to post the sheet when Jitae insisted on adding one more rule.

“There’s already plenty.
Why add more?”

“Share our daily schedules.”

“Huh?”

He had expected a childish rule, but this one made sense.

“As housemates, we should know if the other has plans, when they come and go.”

Indeed.

Even though their days would revolve around filming, on unavoidable work days, knowing each other’s schedules would be helpful.

“Alright.”

After Wooju agreed, Jitae busily started writing again.

Wooju stood awkwardly, watching him finish, slightly amused at how seriously he treated even the smallest rules.