LA0S | Chapter 4

“That’s why you should have come out when I called you outside. If you had, I wouldn’t have needed to come all the way to the lecture hall.”

“Why should I?”

“We have something to talk about.”

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“I already told you, I don’t.”

Lee Jinha responded curtly and glanced at his phone to check the time. There were about three minutes left until class started.

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“No, I’m sure there’s something.”

His patience, which was already thin when it came to Kim Chayoung, wore out almost immediately.

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“I said there isn’t, so why are you being such a pain? Are you doing this on purpose to provoke me?”

Anyone listening would recognize his tone as downright rude. His expression likely matched his biting words. Kim Chayoung’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but that was all.

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“Lee Jinha. I—”

Just as he was about to continue, the front door of the lecture hall swung open. The professor entered, attendance sheet in hand, right on cue.

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“I’ll leave for now.”

Muttering softly toward Jinha, who clearly looked uncomfortable, Chayoung left the lecture hall. Suppressing the urge to flip him off, Jinha ruffled his sleep-mussed bangs irritably.

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How did that guy even know he was here? Did Shin Youngmin tell him? Well, once he knew the department, finding the lecture hall wouldn’t have been too hard. Still, he hadn’t expected him to actually show up.

At least now that he’d seen Jinha’s reaction, he probably wouldn’t come back.

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ꕥ

“I’m here.”

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Contrary to Jinha’s wishful thinking, Kim Chayoung showed up again in the next class. To make things worse, today was a full day of core classes in the same building, leaving Jinha with no chance to avoid him.

Chayoung repeatedly asked him to spare some time, and Jinha refused with unyielding coldness. He didn’t have anything to say, didn’t want to say anything, and certainly didn’t want to hear anything from him. They could just act like they’d stepped in something unpleasant and avoid each other, but why was this guy so persistent?

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Was he trying to maintain his image as a “good person” to the bitter end? If so, he was truly a despicable bastard.

“If you don’t want to keep seeing my face around Humanities, think carefully. I’ll be back next time.”

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Leaving behind words that could be interpreted as either a request or a threat, Chayoung left the lecture hall, just one minute before the class started.

“Hey, do you know that guy?”

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Jinha turned around. Yoon Sejin, who was busy playing a mobile game, came into view.

“Who?”

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“Don’t play dumb. The guy who was just looking for you. Isn’t he that Kim Chayoung from the CD department?”

Without looking away from his screen, Sejin kept tapping his phone furiously. The colorful mechanical sounds—beep beep beep—filled the air.

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“How do you know his name?”

“Huh? He’s super famous.”

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Sejin glanced up at Jinha briefly, as if it were strange that he didn’t know.

“He is?”

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“There was so much buzz about him when we started. I told you before, didn’t I? That there’s a crazy good-looking guy among the new students this year. Don’t you remember?”

Did he? Maybe he’d heard it in passing, but he hadn’t cared enough to pay attention. If someone had mentioned the name, it might have been different.

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“That jerk… Is Kim Chayoung really that famous?”

“Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone at Korea University who doesn’t know him. Especially the girls.”

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Even in high school, he had his own little entourage of admirers, and apparently, college wasn’t much different. It was annoying as hell.

“Oh, and he dropped out of World University and transferred here. It’s basically on par with our school, right? Why did he transfer?”

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“My point exactly!”

Seriously, his thoughts exactly. He should’ve just stayed at his old school. Of all places, why did he have to end up here? This kind of coincidence wasn’t welcome in the slightest.

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What was going on in that guy’s head? Jinha couldn’t make any sense of it.

“So, how do you know him?”

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“I don’t.”

“Liar. If you’re just acquaintances, why would he come all the way to your lecture hall? And it’s been almost a week now. He even knows your name.”

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“He must be crazy.”

Jinha muttered dismissively, and Sejin finally put his phone down entirely. The twitch of his lips betrayed his amusement at finding something entertaining.

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“This is suspicious. Something’s fishy. You, who are usually indifferent to everything, are reacting differently.”

“What’s so suspicious? If you’re going to talk nonsense, just shut your mouth.”

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Normally, Jinha would’ve brushed it off, but anything related to Chayoung put him on edge.

“Why are you so touchy today? Nervous?”

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Jinha ignored the comment and looked away.

Nervous? Who’d be nervous? He was avoiding him because it was bothersome, not because he was scared.

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To Jinha, Chayoung was no different from that kind of nuisance.

ꕥ

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“….”

“Studying at the library in the morning? You used to sleep all day in high school.”

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“That was you.”

Ah, he answered without thinking. He should’ve ignored him.

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Jinha spent every day at the library unless he had a morning class. Sometimes it was barely dawn; other times, it was when the sun was already high. Compared to his freezing or stiflingly hot off-campus apartment, the school library was a much better option.

It was 6:10 a.m. now, a time when few people were around since midterms had just ended. That’s why he had no choice but to bump into Chayoung, who was standing by the library entrance.

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“Yeah, I was always late.”

Up until just before the college entrance exams, Chayoung used to dash through the school gates at the last minute. Jinha once asked if he stayed up all night studying, but the answer was no—he just liked to sleep in.

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Seeing him here before dawn, it seemed that wasn’t the case anymore.

“Have you changed because you’re in college now?”

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Jinha mumbled quietly, but Chayoung caught it. “What? I didn’t hear you.”

“I said it’s like stepping on crap first thing in the morning.”

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There was no way someone as sharp as Chayoung wouldn’t realize Jinha was referring to him. However, he just shrugged in response.

Jinha brushed past him to enter the library. He heard footsteps following behind him. Surely, it wasn’t Chayoung, was it? Turning around, he saw that it was, indeed, him. As their eyes met, Chayoung blinked with a feigned innocence.

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“Don’t follow me.”

“I’m going to the library too. Unless this building is yours?”

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“….”

It was an uncomfortable response, but maybe they really had just run into each other. Jinha stepped aside, signaling for him to go ahead. With a smirk, Chayoung walked past him and disappeared.

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Maybe he really was headed to the library. Jinha scratched his nose awkwardly and walked to reading room 2 in the opposite direction.

ꕥ

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Just as Jinha reached the bus stop, the bus pulled away. Out of breath, he trudged up the stairs toward the lecture hall and froze. At the far end, near the lecture hall entrance, stood none other than Kim Chayoung.

If Jinha hadn’t been delayed, they would’ve run into each other.

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Clutching his bag tightly, he held his breath. Chayoung glanced around while checking his phone. Jinha barely managed to duck around a corner in time.

After a few more minutes of lingering, Chayoung sighed and left. But, as luck would have it, he walked in Jinha’s direction. Did he notice him? Panicked, Jinha darted upstairs. He narrowly avoided being seen as Chayoung walked past.

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Relieved, Jinha entered the lecture hall.

“You’re late. That’s rare for someone who’s always first.”

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Ignoring Sejin’s comment, Jinha set down his bag.

At least one thing was clear: if he arrived right when class started, he could avoid running into Chayoung.

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…That plan lasted until Jinha saw him standing at the Humanities building entrance.

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Chayoung smirked when he spotted Jinha. This time, Jinha stopped in his tracks. A brief, tense silence passed between them.

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“Looks like you’ve been busy lately. You’ve been coming late a lot.”

It was Chayoung who spoke first, his tone dripping with sarcasm. By now, Jinha couldn’t help but wonder what his intentions were.

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“Why are you doing this? Why are you so persistent?”

Didn’t he have classes? How did he manage to show up here every time? He’d heard art students were overwhelmed with projects. Was that an exaggeration?

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“All I’m asking is for a little bit of your time. That’s not an unreasonable request.”

“Yes, it is. I told you, I don’t want to. Seeing your face makes me uncomfortable. Isn’t it the same for you?”

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Jinha’s bottled-up frustration finally exploded. Chayoung stood there silently, his expression stiff, as if swallowing his words. The uncomfortable silence weighed heavily between them.

Jinha rubbed his face and sighed. If he’d just backed off earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. Why keep acting like this was some kind of fateful encounter?

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“I hope this is the last time we see each other. Goodbye, and don’t come back.”

“Do you think this is easy for me? Do you have any idea how much I—”

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Chayoung’s murmurs were almost inaudible, and Jinha didn’t catch them.

“You’re going to be late for class. Let’s talk later.”

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Without waiting for a response, Jinha brushed past him, their shoulders almost touching.