LA0S | Chapter 38

Kim Chayoung (Contest Illustration)
TA summoned me ㅠㅠㅠ (12:38 PM)
Heading to the department office now…ㅠ (12:39 PM)

After reading the messages, I slipped my phone back into my pocket.

“Not running off today? You’ve been disappearing every lunch break lately.”

Yoon Sejin grumbled, making me hesitate.

Lately, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Kim Chayoung had practically taken responsibility for my meals. There was even a day when he was the only person I ate with. I used to hate owing people favors, but in reality, pride was just a fragile excuse.

“Nowhere to run off to today.”

“Good. Come with me somewhere. Actually, no, you’re coming with me even if you have plans.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Over the past few days, I had left Yoon Sejin alone to eat with Kim Chayoung. He was the one who had lent me his notes without hesitation when I was feeling unwell, so I figured I owed him one. Then again, his handwriting was so awful that deciphering it was nearly impossible.

I quietly followed him.

Something about the route felt oddly familiar, and soon enough, we arrived in front of a building I saw almost daily.

The library.

“Hey, Yoon Sejin.”

“What?”

“Are you sick or something? Should we go straight to the hospital?”

“The hell are you talking about? You’re so damn annoying.”

He swore at me for making a joke in a serious tone.

“Are we eating here?”

“We are, but not in a cafeteria.”

Was there another place to eat besides the cafeteria? I eyed him suspiciously, but he simply jerked his chin in a follow me gesture. His steps were filled with confidence.

“Ah.”

He had brought me to the photography club.

Now that I thought about it, I needed to return the camera to the club president. So much had happened in the past few days that I’d completely forgotten.

“I’m here.”

Yoon Sejin pushed the door open with a loud announcement. Someone inside stood up, likely having arrived earlier. I followed behind him, bowing awkwardly.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh? You came by last time too, right? Nice to see you again.”

Had we met during that chicken party? Unfortunately, I had been too overwhelmed at the time to remember.

“Yeah. Hello.”

Returning the greeting with slight awkwardness, I sat next to Yoon Sejin. Most of the club members had probably gone to class, leaving only one person behind in the club room.

“Yoonchul, where’s the club president?”

“Stepped out to take a call. Oh, speak of the devil.”

Right on cue, the door opened, and the club president walked in. Upon seeing me, he greeted me with, “Long time no see. You’ve gotten even better-looking since I last saw you.”

“Hyung! Do I not exist? Your precious little Sejin is right here!”

“I see you way too often. The new guy is more interesting.”

“Are you seriously playing favorites?”

Yoon Sejin feigned betrayal, grumbling under his breath. Their expressions made it clear they were just joking around. They seemed close.

While they bantered, Yoonchul grabbed his bag and stood up.

“Hey, Yoonchul. I ordered jjajangmyeon. It just passed the main gate, so stay and eat before you go.”

“For real? But I’ve got a group project. And today’s our presentation.”

Yoonchul sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging as he trudged out the door.

Not getting to eat his food and having to deal with the nightmare that was group projects? Yeah, I felt for him.

After Yoonchul left, Yoon Sejin excused himself to the bathroom, leaving just me and the club president in the room.

“I should’ve returned the camera sooner. Sorry about that.”

“Huh? I told you it wasn’t being used. More importantly, did you take any pictures?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Take pictures of everything and show them back slowly.”

“Thank you.” Lee Jinha gave a small bow.

“Don’t people often say you’re different from their first impression?”

Often? That was an understatement. Every single person who interacted with Lee Jinha, even briefly, had the exact same reaction.

“I also get told a lot that I look like I’d be fun to hang out with. Back in high school, my classmates even said I seemed like the type to make people buy bread for me from the snack bar…”

Looking like a jerk had basically become a greeting at this point.

“That much? But you were cute even on the first day. And now, you’re even cuter.”

The president started laughing. It wasn’t even a particularly funny comment, yet he burst into laughter, even tearing up. Lee Jinha stood there awkwardly, watching the man wipe his eyes.

Fortunately, Yoon Sejin returned from the restroom quickly, and their jajangmyeon arrived. With tangsuyuk and fried dumplings on the side, the meal felt extravagant. He wasn’t exactly starving since he had eaten breakfast, but the moment the aroma hit, his mouth watered. The delivery seemed slightly delayed—the noodles were a bit soggy, and the tangsuyuk had lost its crispiness—but eating like this on campus still felt oddly refreshing. It was his first time doing something like this in college.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“You’re sure you had enough?”

“It was just right. Thanks for always treating me.”

Lee Jinha expressed his gratitude again, gathering the trash into a single bag. He also remembered to clean up the newspaper they had spread out on the floor.

“If you’re that grateful, come to our afterparty. Or at least join us for the photo outing.”

After being treated to tangsuyuk, it wouldn’t be right to just walk away. When was that outing again? Since he had borrowed a camera, it made more sense to go to the outing rather than the afterparty.

“Next Saturday. The festival is coming up soon, so we’ll stay on campus instead of going somewhere far.”

“What time?”

If he could adjust his tutoring schedule, he might as well join.

“I’ll be there from the morning, but non-members can come whenever. Just don’t be too late.”

“I’ll check if I can reschedule work and let you know.”

“Got it. See you then.”

“Alright.” Lee Jinha nodded.

Leaving behind Yoon Sejin, who wanted to lounge around the clubroom a little longer, he stepped out. In the short time he had been inside, he’d missed three calls. All from Kim Chayoung.

Kim Chayoung (Contest Illustration)
I’m finally freeㅠ (12:59 PM)
Where are you? Did you eat? (12:59 PM)

Ate. He was about to hit send when his phone rang again.

“What?”

[Where are you?]

“Club building.”

[Why? You don’t even have a club.]

“I had something to do. Why are you calling?”

[Just wanted to see if you’d eaten. I’m supposed to buy your meals for a month, remember?]

Honestly, he’d assumed Kim Chayoung would stop after a meal or two. Turns out, he had more sense of responsibility than expected.

“I ate.”

[With who?]

The next question shot out immediately. Taking two steps down the stairs at once, he replied.

“Yoon Sejin’s club. The photography club.”

[Ohhh. Alright. As long as you ate. I’ve got a group project, so I’ll be late today.]

Everyone seemed to be drowning in group projects. Jinha simply responded with an “okay” before hanging up.

Thankfully, he managed to reschedule his Saturday tutoring. His first session at noon remained unchanged, but the second one was moved up three hours to start at 3 PM. That meant he’d finish by 5 PM—just barely making it in time.

When he asked Yoon Sejin if it was okay for him to be late, the response came swiftly:
“We’ll probably be drinking until dawn anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

Jinha simply nodded, saying he’d let the club president know.

Thursday.

It was the day he dedicated entirely to preparing for the contest with Kim Chayoung. Normally, they’d pick a location based on the day’s situation—whether it was the library lounge, the humanities building, or the art building. But that wasn’t necessary anymore.

“Let’s go to the studio. No point wandering around when we have a quiet space.”

Kim Chayoung motioned toward the main gate with his chin. He had a point—why bother raising their voices in a noisy place when the perfect environment was available?

Neither of them bothered taking off their backpacks as they headed toward the entrance.

“…It’s been a while since we’ve walked together like this.”

A while? Four years, maybe? Back in high school, it had been natural for them to walk side by side through the school gate. Now, it had been long enough that the phrase “it’s been a while” actually fit.

“Really? I didn’t even notice.”

Jinha deliberately kept his tone curt. Normally, Chayoung would have made some sort of remark, but this time, he stayed silent. So Jinha walked in silence as well.

After about ten minutes, the familiar gate came into view. Chayoung entered the passcode on the door lock and held it open for him.

Apparently, in some countries, holding the door open was basic etiquette.

For Jinha, it felt unfamiliar—he couldn’t remember anyone doing something like that for him.

Stepping inside first, he heard the door close behind them. Click. The lock engaged automatically.

“Let’s get to work.”

“Aren’t we eating first? I was thinking of ordering jokbal.”

“Let’s finish the meeting first.”