LA0S | Chapter 32

When Lee Jinha opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. It wasn’t the yellowed wallpaper covered in mold spots that he had stared at for the past three years. Nor was it the high ceiling of a jjimjilbang. Instead, it was a clean, white-papered ceiling, neatly decorated.

Where… am I? He blinked slowly before suddenly sitting up. Oh, right. This was Kim Chayoung’s workspace. His last memory was of closing his eyes on the sofa. He had no idea when he had been moved to the room.

Was it because he had taken fever medicine? Or because he had thrown up everything in his stomach? Either way, his body felt light. In fact, he hadn’t felt this good in ages. As he ran a hand through his hair, something stuck to his forehead. He peeled it off—it was a pink cooling patch decorated with a drawing of a princess wearing a crown.

Holding the used patch, he stepped out into the living room. The clock on the wall read 8 a.m. Morning sunlight poured quietly through the windows. Last night, exhaustion and body aches had kept him from noticing, but now he could see—it was a nicer place than he had expected.

On the dining table sat a food cover shaped like an umbrella. Lifting it, he found a bowl of porridge in a ceramic dish. Next to it were small side dishes—jangjorim and tofu, by the looks of it.

“I didn’t make this.”

The neat handwriting on a bright yellow post-it caught his eye.

Yeah, no kidding—it was obviously franchise porridge. What a ridiculous guy. He scooped up a spoonful while standing. It was just the right temperature, pleasantly lukewarm.

Kim Chayoung had gone home around 2 a.m. last night. Even if he had heated it up before leaving, there was no way it would still be warm now. Which meant… Chayoung had stopped by in the morning.

Jinha went back to the room, grabbed his phone, and checked his messages. Other than Yoon Sejin’s usual unnecessary chatter, there was nothing.

His finger hovered over Kim Chayoung’s name for a moment. He should say thanks. But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to type it out. In the end, he put the phone down on the table without sending anything.

I’m really pathetic, huh.

Whether it was pity or something else, the fact remained—Kim Chayoung was looking out for him.

The porridge was tuna-flavored. Of all things, he had gotten tuna porridge—Jinha’s favorite. That realization made him feel… strange. He had barely eaten anything the day before, so the food went down smoothly. Before he knew it, the bowl was empty, and he had scraped up every last bit of the side dishes too.

When he went to wash the dishes, he noticed the sink was completely dry—there wasn’t a single drop of water. It was a clear glimpse into how Chayoung lived. He must really only use this place for work.

Jinha finished cleaning up and shook the water off his hands. After taking a shower, a new problem arose. His own clothes were drenched in sweat and completely unwearable. But heading out in the clothes he had borrowed from Kim Chayoung wasn’t exactly an appealing option either.

As he debated what to do, his phone chimed.

Kim Chayoung (Contest Illustration)
First shelf in the closet. There are clothes. (8:30 a.m.)

This guy… Is he watching me or something? Otherwise, how was the timing this perfect? Feeling a little paranoid, Jinha glanced around before heading to the room.

When he opened the closet, he was surprised by how neatly organized it was. The only issue? Most of the clothes were light-colored knits—not at all his usual style.

Kim Chayoung (Contest Illustration)
Picked out something for you. Wear it if you can’t find anything else. (8:37 a.m.)

Jinha tried to find the darkest T-shirt possible but, in the end, had to settle for what Chayoung had picked—a pale beige knit sweater and jeans. He had always been told he had a solid build, but the shoulders and sleeves were a little roomy. In high school, they had been almost the same size… Did Chayoung get bigger since then? Somehow, that hurt his pride.

“This looks ridiculous on me.”

Muttering to himself, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. But there was no helping it. He’d grab his things and some proper clothes after class.

Thankfully, he had his bag with him, so he could head straight to school. Before leaving, he took one last look around the quiet apartment and closed the door.

On his way to the gate, he spotted a tiny garden—or rather, a vegetable patch might be a better description. Small green sprouts peeked out from the soil. What’s this little farm doing here? He was curious but had no time to linger if he wanted to make it on time.

Jinha arrived at the lecture hall at 8:40 a.m. He usually killed time in the library before class, meaning he was always an hour early. But today, he was running later than usual.

Already seated, Yoon Sejin greeted him with a comment.

“What, no varsity jacket today? It’s only May.”

Jinha and his varsity jacket were practically inseparable. Even people who didn’t know his name recognized him as “that good-looking senior from Creative Writing who always wears a varsity jacket.” Given that he usually wore it until mid-June, it was unusual for him to ditch it this early.

“Your whole look is different today. Got a blind date or something?”

“What even is ‘my style’?”

“Come on, Lee Jinha is all about the varsity jacket and either a black or white T-shirt. But today? A knit sweater and jeans? That’s total ‘boyfriend material’ fashion. Did your girlfriend pick it out for you?”

Sejin’s remarks were sometimes sharp, but ultimately, he was clueless.

“For the last time, I don’t have a girlfriend. I don’t even have time for that.”

“Well, our department’s guys wish you’d just get one already.”

“Maybe they’re still single because they waste time thinking about pointless stuff like that.”

Sejin groaned, clutching his head as if Jinha’s bluntness had physically hurt him.

“Oh, right. The student council president wants you to come to our get-together.”

“The president?”

“Yeah. Guests don’t have to pay the participation fee—you just come and hang out. If you like it, you can officially join later.”

Jinha was reminded of the camera tucked safely inside his bag.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.”

With that short reply, Yoon Sejin started typing rapidly. He was probably messaging the student council president about it.

Jinha absentmindedly checked his phone, too. Right on cue, there was a message from Kim Chayoung: “See you at 2.”

Chayoung was already there, waiting. Since they were meeting at the art department, he must have left early. Their eyes definitely met, but unlike usual, Chayoung didn’t wave exaggeratedly or acknowledge him. His expression seemed a little different, too. Feeling slightly awkward, Jinha walked up to him.

“Sleeping with your eyes open?”

“Nah. Just surprised you actually wore the clothes I picked.”

Dark eyes swept him up and down in a quick scan.

“Looks good on you.”

Chayoung smiled.

“Well, the hanger makes the clothes.”

“True.”

That was where he was supposed to protest, wasn’t it? But instead, Chayoung nodded with a serious face. The unexpected reaction only made Jinha feel more awkward.

“The person who picked the outfit clearly has great taste, too.”

“Oh, come on. So this was just an excuse to compliment yourself?”

Jinha muttered in disbelief, but Chayoung just smirked and tapped the table in front of him. Jinha almost tossed his bag down as usual, but then he remembered—his camera was inside. He carefully placed it on the empty chair instead.

The storyboard for chapter 4 was ready. It was the scene where the protagonist, having returned to the past, awakens their original powers just before being killed by a monster. The frames and composition were roughly divided, and speech bubbles were marked out. Both the rough sketches and dialogue were penciled in.

“What should the boss monster’s design be? If it’s too grotesque, people might be put off.”

“Since its weakness is getting stabbed in the eye, the body should probably be made of something hard.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

That was the end of today’s meeting. This much could have been handled over text, but Jinha didn’t bother pointing it out.

“I’m heading off to work on my assignment.”

“With who?”

“Who does assignments with people? I’m doing it alone.”

Jinha’s blunt response earned a simple nod from Chayoung, as if to say, Figures. Seriously, what a weird guy.

“See you later.”

Jinha almost snapped back, Why would I see you later? But then he remembered—he was staying at Chayoung’s workspace for the time being.

“Hey. You coming to the studio tonight?”

“Of course. It’s Friday night. Late nights are the best time to work, and I need to grind over the weekend. With the festival coming up, things are going to get hectic.”

“You…”

The words that nearly left his mouth were, Are you not participating in the student council stuff? Have you talked to Shin Yoona since then? But instead, something completely unrelated came out.

“Your workflow is way too slow. Are you sure you’ll make the deadline?”

“What are you even saying?! I’m literally bleeding out trying to do everything—inking over stick-figure roughs, coloring, backgrounds, effects, typesetting—all by myself!”

Chayoung’s voice rose in protest, his face full of injustice. Okay, that was kind of harsh. Jinha cleared his throat and adjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulder.

“Lee Jinha.”

Just as he was leaving the lounge, he turned back. Chayoung, resting his chin on one hand, was staring at him.

“What?”

“Nothing. Go on.”

What a weird guy.

Jinha pursed his lips and left the art department building.

After school, he headed to the pojangmacha. As soon as Jung Woochae saw him, he made a big fuss.

“Whoa, did you have a photoshoot today or something?”

Every time something like this happened, Jinha imagined locking Woochae and Yoon Sejin in a room together just to see who would be more over-the-top.

Customers came in waves—rushing in all at once, then clearing out just as suddenly. Considering it was a Friday evening, the turnout was a little low.

“Is some bar nearby running a discount event? Business has been sluggish the past two days.”

The owner poked his head out of the kitchen, looking puzzled. It was true. The real exam season hadn’t even started yet, so it was unusual for things to be this slow.

“Guess I’ll have to pull some special move or something.”

Muttering to himself, the owner disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Honestly, this is more comfortable for us. Right, hyung?”

“If there are lots of customers, time goes by faster. If there aren’t, our job is easier. Win-win.”

As long as there weren’t any nightmare customers, the number of patrons didn’t really matter.

Just then, the door rustled open. Out of habit, Jinha started to greet the newcomer.

“Welcome—”

His face instantly twisted.

Why is he here again?

“Gasp! Jinha-hyung, did you come here to pick a fight with that ridiculously handsome hyung?”

“Who knows.”

Chayoung subtly glanced around before plopping down into an empty seat.

“Hey. What are you doing here?”