章 4: Clean up

Making his thoughts clear, he stepped into the living room, only to hear his stomach grumble with hunger.

"Looks like this guy didn't even eat breakfast. Let's see if I can find something edible in the kitchen," he muttered, shaking his head as he made his way to the kitchen.

As Joon-won stepped into the small kitchen, his feet froze, and his lips twitched. It looked more like a garbage dump than a kitchen. Used utensils piled up in the sink, emitting a nasty smell. Various plastic wrappers and empty noodle cups overflowed from the trash can. Joon-won held his mouth, stopping himself from gagging, and quickly retreated to the living room, opening the balcony door for fresh air.

"Oh god. That was monstrous. This guy lived like a savage. No hygiene at all. Even I didn't live like this before I married Quin and became king. This guy left a disaster for me to clean up."

Even though he wasn't a clean freak in his previous life, he was used to the neatness of the palace. Seeing this mess made him realize how much he still had to adapt, despite the memories he had received.

"This is going to be harder than fighting a war," he sighed, grabbing a handkerchief from the coffee table and tying it around his mouth and nose as a makeshift mask.

"I hope this helps at least a bit, or I might die on the same day I was reborn," he muttered bravely as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Now this is better. At least I don't feel like gagging immediately. Let's start with the utensils in the sink," he thought, feeling relieved, and made his way towards the sink at the far right beside the small refrigerator.

Standing in front of the sink, he saw something that made him gag again: insects crawling over the utensils.

"Oh god, it's been almost a week. The insects are confident enough to roam freely. Hmm, there should be a repellent around here somewhere," he mused, opening the cupboards above the sink and finding a can of repellent.

Taking a deep breath, he sprayed the repellent all over the utensils. In seconds, the insects poured out, struggling before dying. After a minute, when there were no more, he turned on the water and reached for soap and a brush, cleaning all the utensils at least twice.

It took him an hour to clean all the utensils and put them back in the cupboards. He turned around to face the trash-strewn floor and began his work, taking out a larger trash bag and filling it.

After another 30 minutes, he placed the bag near the main door.

"Hmm, seems like we're responsible for taking the trash down to the bin outside the apartment. I'll do this later," he decided, then grabbed a mop and cleaned the floor.

After completing everything, he looked at the clean kitchen and removed the handkerchief, nodding to himself. If anyone had seen him, they wouldn't believe he was once the king of the strongest kingdom on his planet.

"Finally done. Ugh, I forgot my hunger while cleaning this mess. Now it's back with double the strength. Looks like it's already noon. I still need to cook lunch. Sigh." Clutching his stomach, he grumbled.

He opened the refrigerator to see what he could use for lunch. Sighing in relief, he saw some ingredients. Taking them out, he spread them across the kitchen counter and decided to make curry with plain rice.

He rinsed the rice and placed it in a rice cooker.

"Sigh, this world is indeed better. Even cooking rice is easier here."

He quickly prepared curry with the vegetables he found. When the rice cooker signaled, he scooped some rice and curry onto a plate and sat on the couch.

"Finally, after a hectic start in this new life, I can eat. I have enough for dinner too. It's been so long since I cooked my own meal. Hope I haven't lost my touch." He took a spoonful and ate.

"Hmm, it's not just the air, even the food here isn't as natural. Sigh, people in this world are so focused on development they've forgotten about the planet itself," he thought as he continued to eat.

Finishing his meal, he washed the dishes and sat back on the couch. As he stretched, he noticed the crumpled script on the ground and picked it up.