Ji-Eun's POV
Ji-Eun didn't expect the hardest part of surviving corporate scandals, near-kisses, and emotional whiplash to be… her mailing address.
After her mother was discharged, Joon-Hyuk didn't just help with the hospital bills—he handed over keys to a two-bedroom apartment in a clean, quiet part of Seoul. "For her," he said, shoving the keys into Ji-Eun's palm like it wasn't a life-changing gesture. "And for you, if you want."
But Ji-Eun wasn't sure what she wanted.
So, naturally, she did what any confused, emotionally exhausted person would do: try to live in two places at once.
---
Day One of the Double Life
At 6 AM, she was at the new apartment making juk for her mom, double-knotting Min-Jae's tie, and promising she'd be back to help with the grocery run.
By 8:30, she was speed-walking into the Kang mansion, where Halmeoni was sitting by the window like a queen plotting her next chess move.
"You smell like boiled rice," Halmeoni said with narrowed eyes. "And cheap shampoo. You didn't sleep here last night."
Ji-Eun forced a smile. "Family stuff."
"You're family now," Halmeoni muttered, sipping her tea. "Start acting like it."
---
Day Two
She accidentally put toothpaste in the fridge at the apartment and forgot to bring Halmeoni's meds from the cabinet at the mansion.
That night, she collapsed onto the Kang mansion's guest bed, fully clothed, phone buzzing with missed calls from Min-Jae. She'd left his lunch in the microwave and her heart somewhere around Joon-Hyuk's last eye-roll.
Speaking of…
Her door creaked open.
"You look like you lost a bet," Joon-Hyuk said, leaning on the frame.
"I think I lost at least three."
He stepped in, holding out a heat pack. "Min-Jae called me. You forgot dinner?"
She took it, eyes stinging. "I'm failing at both ends, huh?"
His voice softened. "You're not. You're just… stretching yourself thin."
"I don't know where I belong."
Silence.
Then—soft, certain: "With me."
---
Day Three
She overslept at the apartment. Burnt toast. Min-Jae spilled milk on her blouse. She changed into an old hoodie, tied her hair up like she meant war, and rushed to the mansion to find—
Joon-Hyuk. In a suit. Holding two iced americanos. Looking offended.
"You forgot our company brunch."
Ji-Eun blinked. "Today's Thursday?"
He handed her the drink. "It was going to be cute. Coordinated outfits. Light teasing. Maybe a hand touch."
"I'll reschedule my identity crisis next time," she said, sipping.
He didn't smile.
Instead, he stepped closer. "Why are you still running from me?"
Her throat tightened. "I'm not. I just... can't choose."
"I'm not asking you to choose me instead. I'm asking you to choose me with."
Her eyes widened. "That almost sounded romantic."
"Don't get used to it," he muttered, already turning.
---
That night, Ji-Eun found herself back at the apartment, curled beside her mother, listening to Min-Jae's new obsession with coding and trying not to cry at the comfort of home.
But when her phone lit up—
> [Joon-Hyuk]: "There's leftover tteokbokki. I put extra fishcake. Halmeoni called you three times."
> [Joon-Hyuk]: "Also... I miss fighting over the remote."
Ji-Eun smiled, heart aching in the most beautiful way.
She turned to her mother. "Would you mind if I… stayed part-time at the mansion?"
Her mom nodded with a knowing smile. "He's in your heart, Ji-Eun. Might as well be in your address book."
---
Day Four: The Decision
Ji-Eun arrived at the mansion at 10 PM, suitcase in hand, hoodie on, no makeup, and tears in her eyes.
Joon-Hyuk opened the door like he'd been waiting.
"I'm not picking one home," she said. "I'm building both."
"You always were overachieving," he muttered, pulling her in.
She didn't resist. Didn't speak. Just stood there, forehead resting against his chest like she belonged.
"You still owe me a proper espresso date," he murmured.
"Fine," she whispered. "But you're paying."
"For the coffee?"
"For everything."
He smiled into her hair. "Already am."
Joon-Hyuk's POV
"Why is there a floral banner in the living room that says 'WELCOME TO YOUR OTHER HOME, NOT-QUITE-MRS. KANG'?" Joon-Hyuk asked, standing in the foyer, horrified.
Grandma Kang looked smug. "It's festive."
"It's terrifying."
"She needs to feel appreciated!"
"She's not moving into a sorority house!"
But Ji-Eun stepped into the scene right then—suitcase in one hand, a box of snacks in the other—and stopped mid-step.
She read the banner.
Paused.
Then burst out laughing. "I love it."
Joon-Hyuk stared at her, betrayed. "You love that?"
"I'm sentimental and starving. I'll love anything that feeds me and doesn't make me choose my feelings right now."
---
Ji-Eun's POV
The housewarming turned into an unofficial Kang family dinner.
Min-Jae arrived halfway through with a USB full of memes to show Halmeoni. Ji-Eun's mom video-called in and declared the sofa "too white for snacks" like a true apartment owner. Joon-Hyuk, for once, wasn't in control. He looked vaguely stunned as everyone swirled around him.
"You okay?" Ji-Eun asked, passing him a plate of japchae.
"I've never seen this much... movement in my house."
"It's called life. Welcome."
He caught her wrist as she turned. "Thanks for coming back."
She tried not to melt. "I didn't come back. I multiplied."
"Still dramatic."
"Still into you."
The words slipped out. So casual. So light.
But they hung there—loud.
She blinked. He blinked.
"Oh my god," Min-Jae said behind them. "Did you just say—"
Ji-Eun threw a rice ball at his face.
---
Later that night, after Halmeoni had made Ji-Eun reorganize the medicine drawer and taste-test three kimchi batches "for her opinion," she found herself sitting beside Joon-Hyuk on the living room floor. The lights were low. The TV was playing reruns. No one was speaking.
Then—
"I think this is what home looks like," Ji-Eun said softly.
"Which one?" he asked.
"Whichever one you're in."
Joon-Hyuk turned to her. "You're not just saying that because I didn't burn the japchae?"
She laughed. "Partly."
He leaned closer. "And the other part?"
She looked at him. "You know."
His voice dropped. "Say it anyway."
She opened her mouth—then Grandma Kang's voice rang out from upstairs:
"If you're going to kiss, use coasters!"
They both jumped.
"I regret everything," Joon-Hyuk muttered.
"No, you don't," Ji-Eun said, laughing as she leaned into him.