LA0S | Chapter 26

Lee Jinha had been leaving his stuff at a Korean pub and sleeping in the library for four days now. He washed his face and brushed his teeth at school, borrowing money from Yoon Sejin to shower at a nearby jjimjilbang.

On the days he went to the jjimjilbang, he could finally lie down. But whenever he tried to sleep in the sleeping room, the snoring of the person next to him thundered through the space like a storm. Even with his ears covered, the sound pierced through, forcing him to move to another sleeping room.

It wasn’t much different there. In the end, he stayed awake all night, feeling just as tired.

Naturally, his condition was far from normal. Both his body and mind felt hazy and heavy. The only silver lining was that he looked fine on the outside, so no one noticed anything unusual. Even Yoon Sejin, who was close to him, didn’t pick up on it—meaning he was hiding it well.

“Is something going on with you lately? Why do you look so bad?”

Except for Kim Chayoung.

Maybe he was just naturally observant, but Kim Chayoung had always been good at noticing changes in others.

“What’s up?”

“Anything.”

“There’s nothing, so shut up and eat.”

“If that were possible, I’d have won a Nobel Prize by now. The first Korean Nobel Prize winner. In the field of shutting up and eating.”

At the ridiculous comment, Lee Jinha couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, which he immediately regretted. Ah, how embarrassing.

He quickly tried to control his expression, but the annoyingly perceptive guy didn’t miss it.

“Lee Jinha is laughing? Is this a sign to buy a lottery ticket?”

Kim Chayoung stretched his eyes into a long smile.

Despite his life being a mess, at least he was eating lunch properly—thanks to Kim Chayoung. Starting with the art department cafeteria on the first day, their dining radius gradually expanded to include restaurants outside the school.

Today, it was a Chinese restaurant.

Lee Jinha ordered jjambbong, while Kim Chayoung ordered ganjjajang.

“If you win, two-thirds is mine.”

“Huh?”

The guy pouring the ganjjajang sauce looked up.

“If you win the lottery, I mean. I had a part in it, right?”

He said it like a madman. That’s how desperate he was for hope in his current situation.

“You can have it all.”

“Bull. You’re not even going to buy one.”

“I will. I’m going to buy ten tickets. I’ll send you proof later.”

Kim Chayoung declared, placing a fried egg on the plate of pickled radish without a word.

Lee Jinha often ordered jjajangmyeon just to eat the fried egg. So when he met Kim Chayoung, he ordered jjambbong, and when Kim Chayoung ordered jjajangmyeon, he would give the fried egg to Jinha.

“I know a hyung who’s also preparing for a contest. The protagonist gets possessed by a low-level character in a game he used to play and clears dungeons one by one. But it turns out the ally he thought was a hero is actually the mastermind. So later, he fights the mastermind, who was once a hero, over the world’s destruction.”

“Hmm. So it’s a fantasy game? Sounds fun.”

Though the genre and atmosphere of their works were different, the theme of overcoming crises and the protagonist’s growth was similar. Just from the keywords alone, it was a trendy fantasy. The twist—that the hero was actually the mastermind—was quite plausible.

As someone in charge of the story, it piqued his interest, if only a little.

“They’re working as a team of three. We should probably speed up too.”

“Not even officially serialized yet, and they’re already impressive.”

There was just over a month left until the contest submission deadline. With a minimum of five episodes required and finals approaching, the schedule was anything but leisurely.

Moreover—“We have to think about finals too. We can’t ignore the number of uploads then.”

Kim Chayoung seemed to be thinking the same thing. If they were only aiming for the preliminaries, they wouldn’t have started in the first place. Based on last year’s contest, there would likely be about a month between the preliminary submission and the finals. Considering that, the timeline was uncomfortably tight.

Just then, a call came from his mom. Honestly, he didn’t want to answer, but he couldn’t ignore it either. With a sigh, he picked up.

“Yes, it’s me.”

[Are you doing well? I called because I wanted to hear your voice. Are you eating well?]

“……I’m the same as always. Nothing’s happening at home, right? If Dad comes by or contacts you, please let me know. Don’t keep it to yourself.”

[He hasn’t contacted us lately. Mom and Seon are doing well, so don’t worry. We paid for Seon’s school trip too.]

He let out a long breath after hanging up. He had worried she might bring up money, but thankfully, she didn’t. Relief washed over him—yet at the same time, a wave of self-loathing followed for even having such thoughts.

Finding a place to stay was urgent. He couldn’t keep wandering between the school library and jjimjilbang. He searched for a goshiwon he could move into without a deposit, but nothing suitable turned up.

“It’s time for my part-time job.”

The already cramped staff room, which doubled as a storage space, was even harder to move around in because of his stuff. Even changing clothes required him to contort his body just to manage it. The boss didn’t seem to mind, but he felt uncomfortable.

To ease his conscience, he worked an extra hour at the store beyond his scheduled time.

10:30 PM. Normally, the hall would be packed with customers, but today there were only a few tables occupied.

“Woochae, do you have any headache medicine?”

“I’ve never had a headache in my life. I don’t even know what headache medicine looks like.”

He’d never envied Jung Woochae before, but right now, he was incredibly envious.

That morning, he had woken up with a throbbing headache. It wasn’t the first time—he had been suffering for days. It was something he occasionally experienced when he was stressed. Usually, if he just endured it, it would eventually get better, so he thought it would be the same this time.

But contrary to his expectations, the headache only worsened as time went on. Now, it felt like his head was going to explode—as if someone were pounding his brain with a hammer and stabbing it with an awl, over and over again.

To make matters worse, nausea crept in. Maybe it was indigestion. He really shouldn’t have eaten the fried chicken the boss gave him as a late-night snack.

“Hyung, you have a headache? You look perfectly fine.”

Jung Woochae asked, puzzled.

“Really?”

“Yep. You look as handsome as ever. Still the unrivaled top at Hanguk University…….”

Jung Woochae stopped mid-sentence.

“Why’d you stop talking?”

He usually let Jung Woochae’s comments about his appearance go in one ear and out the other. But ending it so vaguely made him curious, so he asked.

“I don’t think you’re the unrivaled top anymore.”

Jung Woochae scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“You saw him too, right? The customer at table 3. I honestly thought he was a celebrity. So now you’re the top two at Hanguk University.”

“That’s kind of annoying.”

He immediately realized that the person Jung Woochae was talking about was Kim Chayoung. It felt unsettling to be demoted for no reason—especially when the cause was Kim Chayoung.

Lee Jinha slowly rubbed his palm over his chest. Please, let nothing happen until I get off work.

Enduring the headache that felt like his head was splitting, he waited near the counter with Jung Woochae.

Rustle.

The orange curtain parted, and a group of customers walked in. It looked like they were having a company dinner, and there seemed to be quite a few of them. Starting with that team, people began pouring in as if they had been waiting.

Break time was over.

ꕥ

Lee Jinha tapped the call button. Before the ringing sound could even finish once, the other person picked up.

[Did you press it by mistake?]

“Is that what you say as soon as you pick up?”

[It means I was surprised. If you don’t like hearing that, call more often, every day.]

There was a metallic sound mixed with the slightly inhaled voice.

“What are you doing?”

[Working. Someone’s been nagging me so much that I’m working my butt off on a Thursday night. You’re probably at your part-time job, right?]

“Yeah. I’m taking a short break. Are you at school?”

[No. At the studio. Do you want to come over after your shift……?]

“Why would I?”

[I just thought I’d ask. Honestly, you’re curious about the work process too, right? How the stick figure you drew gets reborn.]

“Do you want to get choked by a stick figure?”

A short laugh echoed from the other end of the line.

Though he spoke curtly, the truth was that Kim Chayoung was right. Lee Jinha was fortunate to be good at panel division, character placement, and dialogue composition. But when it came to drawing—he couldn’t do it well, not even as a compliment.

So he was a bit curious about the work process. But right now, he had a mountain of things to do more than visiting the studio.

[Hmm. If you want, I can even play hard with you.]

Does he mean he wants to work a lot? No, it seemed like the usual nonsense he spouted.

[So come over and choke me.]

“Are you really busy?”

[Not busy. Not at all!]

The response was faster and louder than expected. It was followed by a small scream and the sound of something crashing, like a chair falling or something dropping. What on earth is he doing?

“Seems like you’re busy now?”

[The mouse just fell. Anyway, why? Did you call because you’re really curious about what I’m doing?]

“……If you have time, come out for a bit.”

It was well past 10 PM. After handling three groups of customers in a row, it had just become quiet. Lee Jinha drank water from the dispenser. His mouth still felt dry, so he cleared his throat.

His phone, tucked in his apron, vibrated.

Kim Chayoung (Contest Illustration)
Arrived. (10:37 PM)

Almost simultaneously with checking the message, a tall man walked into the store. Without looking around for anyone, he headed straight for Lee Jinha.

Lee Jinha held his phone in his hand, slightly parting his lips.

He definitely said he was working. But for someone who just came from the studio, he looked too…….

“Are you going on a blind date at night?”

“Are you going on a blind date? With who, when? What time? Don’t.”

The question was answered with another question. He frowned noticeably and spoke firmly.

“I mean you. You.”

Ah. Kim Chayoung let out a short sigh and checked his outfit. His head lowered slightly before quickly turning back to Lee Jinha.

“What’s wrong with this? It’s comfortable.”

In high school, it had always been either a school uniform or gym clothes. When they met again, it was neat cotton tees and pants, sometimes a hoodie. That had been Kim Chayoung’s style.

But now, his hair was neatly combed back, revealing a clean forehead. Thanks to that, his already distinct features stood out even more. He wore a crisp shirt and black pants that accentuated his long limbs, and the navy coat draped over him made his face stand out even more.

Admittedly, his face was something to acknowledge.

His face.

Crazy. Today, he’s really insanely handsome.

Jung Woochae’s murmured admiration slipped out. Kim Chayoung, who must have heard it too, smiled shamelessly.

“Do you dress like this at home? Are you filming something?”

“You’re saying I look like a celebrity? I know.”

“Is he crazy?”