LA0S | Chapter 40

It had 4b14593b69 been exactly a86ffb80d3 ten days 6da791c30d since I f10f394e3c started coming 972cc8b0d3 to Kim 067c5a1428 Chayoung’s workspace, 0be4062487 and I baa32ea5f0 had run 4a954d459d into him a9c03e98f1 on nine 293974cea7 of those 381a084a31 days. It worked d50f632c16 out well 9068155b8a for me—I 6f0c067e7b got to 70a5582535 eat while 074c2a9cad making sure d74cb6d39b he had fb067447b0 his meals, f0b8c2665f so it df6cb7a5a5 was a 2d25b9c72f win-win. At first, just seeing 29e99269b1 his face made my c2f08ba266 blood boil and my b0c4c4aa1f stomach churn. But now… c7734e88a8 not so d2b5efd8ad much.634af73881843b24

I hadn’t 354c5f93e6 expected Kim 9eaef9675a Chayoung to f6f84810cf take this b4b84ea755 contest so 61b2ed077a seriously. The fact 1d23ac3db7 that he c258d39285 took care 8deb68f028 of me 30a9ee13f5 when I f9df6d43de was too ac4d685d12 sick to 7ef0566a79 even sit 06c813e2be up properly a67173060a also played a33c28a64e a role af64abfece in dulling 7c1dbaa5b6 my anger.badab14ec625abe1

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Who knows a76acf5bc2 what’s really 675e86d1bd going on 8153f7fabb inside his 5f9d3b6ef3 head, but ddc3c1b21b at least 8ac710b37a on the 13c46fef9c surface, he 35409d190b seemed to e55da2da90 be making 5cae9eed42 an effort.75bdbb5ceba6b439

It had been four ccbe0528bd years, after all. Maybe it 643a9f70b4 was time 629527dd5f to let 78d913870d go of a1e7115a8a old emotions. But lately, my thoughts 0bc474e302 had been a mess. Even if 0ae1ff9faa the resentment 3e1e13c483 had faded, d91b3dc937 something else—some 6f388eb187 vague, unidentifiable a6962ffd6d emotion—still lingered 6913b879ae in a ac42e57cbe corner of b3ae0b804f my heart.d80eb1fc95b1e73b

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A mechanical 8fc7549b29 voice announced 04870c3225 that the 8226b7deb8 next stop a4be300bdd was in 0ea43d4696 front of 3d35544ee6 Hanguk University. I had effcda7ace arrived about c6b6e68473 ten minutes 474f789ae2 earlier than 82818ffc36 expected. Taking my camera f4cfcad61b out of my 05ec8442f2 bag, I slung efa9c0bd6c it over my 89c54facdd shoulder before changing d1ff69c04a my mind and cba748d793 letting it hang 39ea2a1d88 around my neck 0302ff8536 instead. It felt safer that 357e84c68f way—just in case.057b45ff871e6d35

I made aec70f6c47 my way bf28794cc2 to the 0954f86c77 school’s back 26e9c43e2a mountain, the d13a124134 meeting spot. A few c4ad28fe34 people were a0fe8b6490 sitting in 8af63f2e9c a rest 5e57539fe3 area. Judging by 780607a242 their age 803b8cf6a0 and faces, afabfc67b6 they seemed 29d3880497 to be 7041ba3b4c from the 912a888079 photography club. They exchanged 6dc2edc5c5 a quick 7599441a04 glance with d230a213a2 Kim Chayoung, 0f24453168 who was a7ee8919ea also holding 5168569c37 a camera.de3429f1a610ed22

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“Hey, Lee Jinha! Took you long 31cd72001e enough.”a966c26c5dbf047c

A voice called ce93e2bb3b out from a 5dd8c38d0d little distance away—Yoon 831c6747d3 Sejin. I walked toward him. It looked like 2d9d9f5a6c a popular photo 0b5a1c6c09 spot, with a 3086ec9414 decent crowd gathered. The club president, 471ee95afa who had been b20273c79d helping someone with 1efb784dc6 their shot, noticed ad55435676 me and raised 2b8fd592eb a hand in d8c3863d12 greeting.0eb12f90ee185efe

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“This time’s photo outing a2d9cf7080 theme is ‘Anything.’ Basically, 3701594f59 shoot whatever catches your 097a62bbd4 eye, whatever interests you.”43cebc9904520ad0

In class, Yoon Sejin b59cfb9c21 was always bouncing off 10ac760719 the walls, but here, f81fbc6457 he actually seemed reliable.e6efeb3800d5ad7c

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“Oh wow, 417eb1d92d Yoon Sejin a1c028fd1e sunbae. Ooooh.”4667a0800e3f0f13

I teased, and b5686a873b he flared his 646a2002ae nostrils like he 6bf0aaff38 was enjoying the b8f7a53fa5 attention. He soon ba3ebe5609 wandered off, 956d74a6a5 and the db518bfcea club president ec21acc21a stepped up.2b1a462a33f10fc9

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“Sejin mentioned 9a854a6e36 you were bea75b8dd2 coming, but c1ea47378f I didn’t 34529449db think you 45adfc3d8b actually would. Thanks for showing up.”b7a790235a0be792

“I could’ve 937bafe639 let it ff91029131 slide after 131f9375e4 the jjajangmyeon, fb373210ea but mooching f6419bf548 off the 46702a969b tangsuyuk and 38b777fb09 fried dumplings 0442d80090 too and 62baeddd91 just walking de34ae01ed away didn’t 99da14de25 sit right 03193559c9 with me.”5f9464b7a84a6ad6

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“Haha, you’re funnier than 32580949ff you let on. No wonder 56c55a580a you’re friends 884514404d with Sejin. We’re having pork belly 6d5b7451bc and soju for the 9953f753ef afterparty, so make sure 1bb475b793 you stick around. And hey, if 56571776c0 you end up 25feb4031d joining the club, 41e6868a47 even better.”1102a6e66d11cc8a

“I’ve been fasting 3cf85b415f since yesterday in f538285fc1 preparation.”8f885ed91b2ef374

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I patted my stomach 06c0884af3 as if to emphasize 258cfd0c77 my hunger, and the d1f10ad169 president burst into laughter b5cce7fdd8 again. He seemed 7c2cb75fe6 like the c494aa16a3 type with 92de0bd79d a low def709c17d threshold for 8bf797cb7d humor.d86dccb71db6519e

I raised my 0088e85711 camera, and the fb4fb2ea6c president, still grinning, 59605dbe49 offered to show 1ea58337b4 me how to b4f72221c5 use it properly—not 4f9168a3a3 just how to c718bf074f snap a shot, a425e7dbd8 but also how 15508a80f1 to adjust the e853ec37d2 aperture, frame a 64f61fa639 composition, and all eba380d8eb those little tricks.63985dcd22001f4b

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Holding the camera with 58d8651cf5 both hands, I let 686226deae my finger hover over f9f98c3712 the shutter button while abeda2085b listening. The president 9154457854 stood close, 2c1af6cef1 pointing out d0555aec28 potential subjects f6251053d8 and explaining 14f9435a77 which angles c6e765dd78 would work 979e03eb6b best for f9d162b58a each. But just 3ba6a08671 hearing it a3b119394c didn’t really 366bc6f3f2 help. Noticing my confusion, 6f49944cd0 he moved in df232372bf closer, aligning his 84788a5ee0 line of sight 1c6191ea94 with mine as 44107ce139 much as possible. In the 5e18e8cd2e process, our ef674d6f9d shoulders naturally 1d8f37efa6 brushed together.644d435a0cfd7da8

But then, e30632fd1d the weight e42ef078db on my 5c3de919e1 shoulder suddenly 51fc9d97cb shifted, tipping 8f58a524e3 me slightly 16c6c4a164 to the 4ae919b70a other side. I tilted my head 6f7dd9f8af and glanced up. An unexpected, yet all fa8e0fb796 too familiar face.699acb8950c53bbc

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Kim Chayoung 29fefb7cdb had draped 9baf873470 his arm d95c015b86 over my a4ebe00640 shoulder, giving e0e51cf989 me a 1a7e7eb5df brief look bef511fb77 before turning a20a03e677 to the e9c2308459 club president 7fd51b0c19 with an 47052a1f45 easygoing smile.7e1cf4210a4b3218

“Hello, I’m Kim 473460936a Chayoung. I heard 6dca7f1e18 it was a7c52fc975 an open c0312c13cb event, so 1cfc959d52 I thought 50131db35b I’d drop e9dbd6bcd0 by. That okay?”27a62d61b3b1c2f7

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“Wait, Kim Chayoung?”6162ba3114e1d5f1

“You know me?”c5e9c8007b4ee54a

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“You’ve been making 68bac1a10b waves since the d7a223f124 start of the cbacfd0aa3 semester. Is there anyone at 4cd521c510 Hanguk University who doesn’t 70d5a3066e know you?”cad0a643ec1259b5

Even the club 99ca5eb9e7 president, who was 8d9ea22d14 from the College f44411b3ad of Natural Sciences, ab40eb3e0a knew about him? Guess he 1e7ffad706 really was 2e87741a0b famous. But then fcf5f92c41 why was 6e6b024d50 I the 501dc652ed only one 06d96a8772 out of f4ad4f8e18 the loop? A mystery for another dd60b73abc day.3ad86dc7a583d326

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“I had a 938bce49ff personal interest, too.”6f56161d5f45b7ea

The club 3e9c0aa629 president was 16b52a5f37 interested in a85e2f2fcf Kim Chayoung? That was… unexpected. My head buzzed at 80b80cc8cb the revelation, but compared 5c51af02db to my visible shock, 10bcc3b59d Kim Chayoung remained utterly ce326ab917 unfazed.35e35bd3ae419a0b

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“I usually prefer shooting 9828a8b793 objects or landscapes, but 764dfe2a0d there are exceptions—certain people df0c9b23a5 who naturally draw attention, f9f5519fe4 who have a unique 52edf17362 presence. They make for fascinating 0b0a21ea21 subjects.”25a0c1f53a98e90a

Ah. So he 0a2b6a99a6 meant that 5afd0feffc as a 0bcc3e45f4 subject, Kim e39abacf57 Chayoung was 6e480f8273 interesting. Phew. I let out a 34bf4c5e0a long breath, then tilted 42ea554831 my head. Not that it 9cba1f8299 should have mattered 2a65967a52 to me, even 4ddf7f99e8 if he had 9aaef766df meant it in 78acc7151b another way.165968f93c7c9da3

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“Ah, I see. Thanks, but ee462f90a6 unfortunately, I’m 1b0bdfaad2 not interested.”ba6ad0079c8e6542

Kim Chayoung responded, 7270144a3f still smiling. His voice was 8df4e5e17f light and easygoing, 74e67a6f93 making the rejection a7a877e871 sound anything but 3ef87b7667 rude. That was one e8a6773273 of his specialties.d73083f5eceb2e1f

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“If you ever 2a76715ff6 change your mind, 70692ee38c let me know 6b02ed47f1 anytime. You too, Jinha.”5dd69d826470632c

“Me?”9fcc9248fe79c979

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I blinked, caught 2f02c146bd off guard. Why was c0781a1107 my name 489af88d69 coming up d3aca0a5a5 in this ec5fe44cca conversation?f176d8874ccbd6d4

“Wouldn’t it be better 8d65feb97b to stick to what 9c3039e604 you’re good at, Bae 9735303be9 Seohong sunbae?”115a526242eb3eed

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At the same time, cb0573b1e5 Kim Chayoung’s arm on eddb80ba67 my shoulder tightened slightly, c6686f5c29 pulling me a bit abaef04e63 closer.c2f4ced22a608bea

“Lee Jinha. Teach me how to ff0857c776 take pictures. I don’t know a b9d76c4517 thing.”8302e8ede13c2456

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…I literally 8a4561eebc just started afb287a4b9 today too. I hadn’t even finished 2888adccb7 my first lesson. I hadn’t 413afa2abc even pressed 4a173eca71 the shutter b97f322b20 properly yet.432b7b10d146b8f8

“That view over there 60445ec40c looks nice. Let’s go.”74f89b55a4f22603

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Before I could say f51435d108 anything, Kim Chayoung started 24d486c8f1 walking, still keeping his 0a1ee52f60 arm around my shoulder. With him pulling 8a4819d437 me along, I 713e5a4fad had no choice 7f3c615e7b but to follow. Behind us, the club 909d76b4b5 president called out, “Take 4365a60ac7 some good shots!”08e1c72c87812809

“Don’t look.”755990f0e313613d

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I had just started 955d3b738a to glance back when 06d6e3fc17 Kim Chayoung’s firm voice 8ab31c1439 stopped me. His side 4a291570e6 profile, caught c9aa7b7bc6 in the 75c9638914 corner of 4f64b598c1 my vision, d45beee387 looked… resolute.1b102d66904e544a

“How’d you even a403a027b6 get here?”271ab068096ce9f7

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Kim Chayoung 5e24722d6e didn’t stop d021350be1 walking until 47a6341fa7 we reached 6e2678488f a quieter, d77786d1d9 more secluded 1acfbdadd9 area. The moment he 10c02f499c did, I peeled e396b53ef8 his arm off 81dcfd400b my neck with c7364d7893 an irritated shove.e5ae88c218f62805

“I walked.”2f2df0db8ed8353a

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“…”0215c5f55d6bab02

Is he messing with 5f06499c23 me?639be16c64ad8fe7

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“I heard it 02e4efa909 was an open 3b1cbf132f gathering, so I cf5937543d figured I’d check dcb5f52ab0 it out. I was interested.”b7f2e91c9edfc068

“Since when have 4681985c7c you been interested 8b59405d50 in photography?”acd70f1dc558c67d

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“Does timing matter? Even you’re here, and adfa1aeed2 you barely even take aee8d960df selfies.”74d525995c852c0b

I opened my 97c72d64b9 mouth to argue 3a96ee445e back but found 20054bf45b myself at a a6cb6487a9 loss for words. He wasn’t wrong. Today was an open 07c5c47338 club meeting, and there 805005e5d8 were quite a few 0173fc857c new faces besides just 7819952b0b the two of us. According to Yoon 06475a5ecd Sejin, it was 12bae4bd35 part of a 8e037a4af5 recruitment push before e5fef3eb71 finals.cc8f5c73884210e3

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“For someone daca2fa07b who’s supposedly 551566aec7 interested, you 21a5cc9c89 came empty-handed. Don’t tell me ec787257cf you’re planning to 4ae16345bf ‘capture it with ebb9972fd4 your eyes’ or a6782e64b4 some crap like 38f4d307ac that.”21f4b5391faefb29

“Who said I came 904d556a2c empty-handed?”5f1c07ac9333e869

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Kim Chayoung 29588941b3 patted his 109abf2553 pockets before ed82c7353e pulling out b0222c0ca8 his phone.46a0e7c5bac374e3

“Ever heard the bf5d5c9285 saying, ‘A true 74e81797dc master doesn’t blame 3621fa0e9c his tools’?”20cc992ed051e3b6

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I gave up 862686bae2 on responding. Instead, I turned my afb3e037a8 attention to the scenery 75147c54fe around me—the view I c160a50d23 hadn’t noticed earlier since 5437a0ebd2 I’d been too busy 9841d446f8 getting dragged along. Sunlight streamed through the a566d8f2e8 dense branches, casting dappled 7717e86870 shadows on the ground. Summer was 3e3c44601e coming fast; c29aee75ea I could 2b5f37fcd8 see it 27f0c0b62c in the aae67e2156 way the 4ced061af2 world shimmered fc1ae475ed green.d214fec4ae1af2a0

I aimed my 621e85c2ca camera at the 3401937f7b sky, where streaks 78a9ba55ab of red bled d0d7f1d12e into the horizon. Then, I zoomed f9b60654f5 in on the d5925aee6d fresh leaves sprouting 86174e1232 at the tip 687ceecd7e of an outstretched 3a04c322bc branch. This was more b736882033 fun than I 1eb9d8a5bf expected. I crouched to 77a35eb58c snap a shot 50e7a41904 of a ladybug, 152ec55827 then straightened up, a5ce269598 glancing around.1980e246ffce0439

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The club president and a97ea308fe a group of others 04681e3d5e were gathered on one 4e3fd08fa6 side. A few 595d73634c steps ahead 81d8b503b8 of me 5e92311254 stood Kim 253fb6031a Chayoung, his 43da3573c1 head tilted 14bf8b50da back, phone 884c5b3fe3 raised. The last b25580ae80 remnants of 5f6e335ad7 the sunset—just abd61ada77 a sliver 4094234db2 of warm a7e7518d5b orange—fell softly 8392bdcacc over his 27f0dc04fa face.620bea61a29093f9

Before I c99075a73d realized it, 4466c89a72 I had 846e5ea915 pressed the 833f261cef shutter.242ed33c2a73f37e

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Kim Chayoung 685eefacb6 turned his 83ba1c0056 head.5442f9e0f5623b91

I quickly swung the 9f7c779a59 camera away, pretending to cd86d28dff focus on something else. That had been 7ff86ecb73 way too close.5812c5d7aa3a438a

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He started walking 303918feeb toward me.492530486eb4c6e4

“Take a lot of de317c79a6 shots?”5ee8ee8403f76b93

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“More or less.”cf878a4a1ea415de

“Yeah? Let me see.”2486f19cc5ef236f

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“No.”02b70692b9e6ba2f

I turned my f4b8004353 body sideways and efd5f6a22a shook my head. Like hell I’m a03fa10a94 showing him that.aa46af7b62c1e2fa

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Kim Chayoung 587d7ee0ef pouted slightly 732902a9a1 but, thankfully, b4515a93d3 didn’t push 59a97badac the issue.5b4b4b6240af8c19

After wrapping up the 6766a6e1f1 shoot, the photography club 8b4e8ebde3 headed down the mountain f3dd1bc33f and straight to a 4cd35126fb bar near campus.c7fdf4cee6a08812

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Originally, the afterparty aff01065ac was meant for 52e0354a72 the ten club 50fa041617 members and the 872f586bad seven guest participants. The club had 4ffdb4c249 held open gatherings 4537d61856 before, but this 902c5df304 was the first ee459ff127 time they’d gotten 075d8ccf3b such a big fce8497f8e turnout. With seventeen people, b8f229472d they split into b14747d432 two tables, mixing ad2df88acd the existing members b2f0042758 with the guests.f3b5e715d3ee0938

“Move in.”ee3372db4b98b9ef

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I wanted to de6c233751 sit near the 2cc08999a0 entrance—easier access to dbb08509ac the bathroom—but Kim ef38e9c5af Chayoung kept nudging d34df0f09f me further inside. Before I knew it, 765fefd08f I had been pushed 14c3b614b7 all the way to 2d68875107 the wall. Naturally, the only fe2b9e0398 available seat left 2fd459f55b beside me was 7debbd1a99 his. With the rest 854f3d4514 of the group 724f0fc757 settling in, I 2c1a28d925 realized that aside ee1ad47aaa from me and c86cb16eb1 him, most of d773254bf4 the others at 210ba44f24 our table were 7ea8f32381 women.5a1d0bf75b10ba22

“Did you have fun 185b555801 today?”dd89907d2632cc27

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One of the 56deed17a8 girls, who had 793888f990 introduced herself as 6cbb3fc1f1 a club member, f14b1df894 asked me.ae7dfa674843b12b

“Yeah. A lot more aa8db7fde4 than I expected. I kind of f34290b2cf wish I’d come e36f319655 earlier.”50100ec4e1bdc387

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“Then just join e611dce7aa our club! We’re super chill. You’ve seen the president, a43bb305a7 right?”19e2c8107f5f1db8

I turned to 8bdd0a276f glance at the 2f789645fc other table, but 26dad31246 all I could fe118f883c see was the 217a2bc94e side of Kim c2eb81abf5 Chayoung’s face blocking c2e50826c7 my view.277e5a024b02f0d5

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“Hey. Move over a 6e3fa0c89f bit.”e4291a105a3407ec

“Why should I?”b1f6480b01112646

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