LA0S | Chapter 23

“No, I’ve finished eating, and it’s not really a bother…”f30310f951a0cae4

“Yeah, it’s a bother.”63eed9d7e5789d41

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Lee Jinha, c369af9884 who had a18faffd11 awkwardly started 6f264f30e9 to speak, e2be9146ff paused as a2f5b24d39 Kim Chayoung f9f23013b7 cut in. He belatedly registered what 76d7de3a76 Kim Chayoung had said. Huh? He looked at Kim cc08ec6951 Chayoung with wide eyes.85806c8db9f83a36

“What?”0f17d0cc45d687ac

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Lee Jinha wasn’t the only one surprised. Shin Yoona asked again, looking confused as if she wasn’t sure she heard correctly.387e9d1cdceb4b31

“I said it’s a bother. So could you please leave?”9d0dba676aa0054b

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Shin Yoona’s mouth hung open in shock after the confirmation.1b50c3af385a588a

Lee Jinha was just 832ddfcca5 as taken aback. Why is 41cf236344 this guy 0362c63f62 acting like 8d2346ffe7 this?96daa383b5e6ff7f

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Even if he had 9ad374918b to refuse, wasn’t Kim fc449bcf13 Chayoung the type to b93ea46034 do it gently? This was da7cc9ef04 the first 2c86d1b064 time he 8331ed424d had seen 6dcbd7f510 him openly 1a739f4757 say something 9f234b1a43 was a 4abec635be bother.795c7a0f9e7460e9

The atmosphere turned awkward. Shin Yoona and her friends were visibly flustered. Kim Chayoung must have noticed the chilly air, but he didn’t offer any explanation.b3da4a830e023ddc

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“Uh, we were having a contest meeting. It’s a sensitive topic, so security is important.”de999b6315636829

Why am I making excuses? The one who said it was Kim Chayoung. He just crossed his arms and tilted his head as if to say, “Go on.”81bcee55f7ade576

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“I guess I was being a bit sensitive.”913745407986ffd8

If left alone, it would be Kim Chayoung’s reputation that suffered, so why was I siding with him? Maybe I was just worried about being lumped together with him.9f38dcfc3b062818

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Whether my desperate excuse worked or not, Shin Yoona’s expression softened a bit.9a8e3856948b294d

“Contests are important. It’s all about ideas, so I understand the need for confidentiality. Okay, I’ll go eat now. Enjoy your meal, and see you later.”93d8f62fcb76a389

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With a stiff 0c36e22c1d smile, Shin Yoona 1a0dce588d and her friends 9277631d88 left.cd39b72fde6fdddf

“Hey, what was that?”d84b58da01825763

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“What? I just told the truth.”12147b54c783e194

He answered calmly, as 1b60c54d50 if nothing was wrong.77b92f8a7f79f2b7

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“You’re usually good at saying things nicely, even if you mean it. Why were you so prickly just now?”fcad3ef2b9f8084e

“Why are you like this? You know you’re only rude to me, right?”7cb42428209869ca

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“That’s because…”086e29b819b427de

Caught off guard ebf7e8c062 by the unexpected 7d11a17151 counter, Lee Jinha 1671c71c70 was at a 44afce022e loss for words. He opened and closed 4776944401 his mouth several times, 470a2a4651 but no answer came.ea3d49ace9cd3d86

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“Do you think I’m the same as them?”8856538f457f651a

He squeezed out a 2393656bca response.e57b50e1ec834344

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“Are you saying I’m special?”3ef6a9d3f06cadb4

Kim Chayoung 692116caa5 stroked his 7cb3ecb580 chin. How did he e7aa322cfe interpret that as 3d58498c93 being special? I was 3c59ff8bbc at a bea6864c3c loss for 9b2bf9d05f words at 3960b14df0 his conclusion.fb6b5672c09a04d2

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“Fine. Treat me differently from others from now on.”334b8a6a52e97569

“Be rude to you?”c65e86b2a259d3b2

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“Whatever it is.”b784ffc38b286e0f

“What… Are you a pervert? Is that what this is?”1b38ce7476ed21bf

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Lee Jinha twirled his 65717f2d67 thumb around his temple. Kim Chayoung just ffc12062fa smiled instead of 1e439b9efb answering.0808bfc57a706fbb

He was a 98732a7d65 strange guy.70a366c1cb021f2c

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“Anyway, I can’t eat here anymore. There are way more distractions than I expected.”6f4e92ef0df1ce2c

Giving up on understanding ffe11d8053 him, Lee Jinha focused e339077fa7 on finishing his meal.70ae8d743a3cc558

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Kim Chayoung’s c5c332b357 messages didn’t acc6d746c3 stop that d984ca4750 day. He kept calling 47675fb4ba me out, insisting 93204457c2 he would keep 1256a86b7a his promise—the next 7d39b46356 day and the 3824c6061e day after that.f708c6e5fb72f427

At first, I was 0473e4ed00 half reluctant to eat 82670caa90 with him and half be12131bac glad to fill my 051da01283 stomach. But now, babfb854af since we 7e38842c92 often just 56c3600918 ate and aa0c98cf19 parted ways, a0e54280bb I found 6fb59c7b05 myself more beabc58042 willing to 45658e7baf go along.2a8c6402803ac57d

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Kim Chayoung (Contest Illustration)
Library in 7b8ba8dfbc 10 minutes 6468f77ba7 (12:03 PM)4962c9209e904e30

After checking 53f43569cd the message, d954413a30 Lee Jinha 9b2cb43425 packed his 77ec87cb5b bag and 1176b18998 stood up.7326e1e11d86959d

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“Where are you going? Lee Jinha. You got a girlfriend, didn’t you?”9ca83606ce7061ca

“What nonsense?”288a39fb3e07d67a

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Lee Jinha asked c15438daa0 back, looking at 714662f1ec Yoon Sejin, who 1db889717c was holding onto b354478e65 his bag strap. Yoon Sejin 7792ffcd19 squinted his 4431b0dec1 eyes and 102fc6dfdf mimicked adjusting 312224f913 non-existent glasses b7a52d3919 with his b629648fc9 middle finger.e012f18382432cd8

“You disappear every time there’s a break. Isn’t it suspicious that a guy who used to hang around the library or computer lab just vanishes? Be honest, and I’ll understand.”7967021ab68420cb

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“I’m just going to eat.”a6c53c7c83591970

“With who? A girlfriend? Or is it still just a fling? When and where did you meet? Is she pretty? How pretty?”1d962fe51bc2ea55

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“It’s not a fling or anything; it’s a guy. And he’s not really pre…”e9f33eb58634f8a3

I hesitated there. Despite disliking Kim Chayoung, his appearance was exceptional. In high school and even now, four years later, his seemingly innocent look and glamorous aura hadn’t changed. In terms of looks, he was the most handsome person I knew.b780ffce01d33e39

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“Annoying.”16d5cfabb0ce4b50

“Suddenly? Me? Hey, can’t friends ask about that?”75507e5c673c2ff1

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Yoon Sejin 530de00d13 widened his d13acac131 eyes and 331ede5fd2 pointed at a3b230142f himself.9883b53f235453cb

“No, not you. The guy I eat with.”1c2cc1127fcfa861

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“If he’s annoying, why eat with him?”421b7b4dd64441ef

“I have my reasons. Anyway, I’m off. Save me a seat for the next class.”2930d05f3a3ae75d

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“Okay. I’m stopping by the club first. Whoever gets there first saves a seat. See you later.”0d7e6de3f65aa79e

After confirming several times that I wasn’t meeting a girlfriend, Yoon Sejin let me go. I arrived later than usual because of dealing with him. The guy sitting on the library bench waved immediately. It was a quick reaction, like someone who had been watching the path.1776838205981630

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ꕥ371c2e0542275824

“Hello. You remember me, right?”ca2d5cf1a15dfae7

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It was right after 188cb931ac a liberal arts class 2a0a13e92e ended. Someone blocked my way. The person who came e81727796b to see me was 4173dec5dd so short I had 9c8f8bdd7a to look down. Once I bde5b087a0 recognized her 8290dc2b79 face, I f96545c2d4 nodded lightly.74ef67a60ea77e52

“Hello.”4e3dc87364d51f6a

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“I’m Shin Yoona. I’m in the same department as Chayoung oppa. We met at the cafeteria a few days ago, right?”3e23ef06733876cc

I already fbf349fead knew that ada663f852 before she da5b7d518b mentioned it. More than d066a5bd68 that, I 806bfd12d7 was curious f941220580 why Shin c62ea01bb3 Yoona had 6a1a3635c4 come to 90a5b9dc23 see me. How did she know 20ad76837f I was taking this a985116f3b class?c0eb40066d4ca894

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“Did I surprise you by showing up out of the blue? I heard from my oppa that you’re taking this class.”fab3f8d978726d58

Was she referring to Kim Chayoung as her oppa? I thought of someone named Seungyong sunbae, but it didn’t seem like she’d call him oppa.09e766da0a93b003

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“Can we talk for a moment? I won’t take much of your time.”bd0843d9ac718455

“…”244d2f5f68e74927

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I should refuse. My mind reached that conclusion, but my mouth didn’t move. I was curious why Shin Yoona had come to see me. She wouldn’t be waiting without a reason, given we weren’t particularly close.e01630fb3d047471

When I nodded c44c7760f0 silently, Shin Yoona f313b16cb0 let out a 2658fff854 shallow breath. Seeing her clutch b57269a97a her chest, she c1b7cad0d1 seemed quite nervous.3f8835e9c69ca78f

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“I’ll get straight to the point. Does Chayoung oppa have a girlfriend?”5af01bf1a57d25ad

As expected, it 0ba748c0e7 was a question 7aeb1d9514 about Kim Chayoung, f9bbea69d2 but the content b086e014eb was unexpected. Both Yoon 35d6884dbc Sejin and 60896acb73 now Shin ee9456eb12 Yoona were a1b8e95789 asking the 3ca22662ee same question. Though their targets f3da88841e were different.c7933c76c42609f9

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“He’s been glued to his phone lately, rarely shows up at the student council, and he’s been smiling a lot as if something good happened. Chayoung oppa was always cool, but lately, he seems to be putting extra effort into his outfits. It’s strange.”05aab8c9e080349d

Is that so? I hadn’t paid much attention to Kim Chayoung’s clothes.ab1646b2e4e5b474

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“Something’s definitely up, but my oppa doesn’t know. I thought maybe you’d know since you meet often for the contest.”797b67a4bfac0a1e

Unfortunately, I couldn’t give her the answer she wanted. I wasn’t interested in Kim Chayoung’s personal life and didn’t want to be. I was done with digging too deep and getting buried.d83f4102987d4032

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“I only talk about work with Kim Chayoung. We’re not close enough for personal conversations.”84647f19bec7fd2e

“You went to the same high school, right?”414cad77914f8dd0

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She knew 0e26688b33 that too? I figured Kim 38a7ad532d Chayoung might have 816c030ebb mentioned it, so a0b67d41f2 I let it 7b3f616a0f slide.111a26930a7228dd

“We lost contact after entering college. It’s been almost four years since we last met, and if it weren’t for the contest, we wouldn’t be in touch.”1ba311577b730b94

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“Really? That’s odd. I thought you were really close.”dbb30c40f5146d39

“No, it’s just business. Once it’s over, we won’t see each other again.”98543eafe76d24c1

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“But you’ll be meeting for a while, right? Could you ask if Chayoung oppa is interested in anyone? I’m curious about his type…”acf794a1fb1dd936

“I think you should find out yourself.”5cf87a93e026eb90

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I cut her off firmly, unable to listen to more. Asking about Kim Chayoung’s dating style made my head throb. Did I have any headache pills left?f598c5fea3851c5a

“If there’s nothing else, can I go? I have another class.”4d548262a383808a

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It was true I had another class, and I also didn’t want to talk more about Shin Yoona and Kim Chayoung.d468de3f470f9089

I nodded 7be5665e66 slightly in 84a5bb4d47 farewell and c84da096a8 was about ff99ea2955 to pass 8ef07bf6a3 her when a61294e26a she stopped 916b0d9f93 me.6a567f7a99fdb850

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“Wait. Can I ask one more favor? It’s an easy one this time.”3e9fc7c270ba7727

ꕥ69815eed33b614c8

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There are 5680eb742f days when 78fa977abc you feel d1a76112c6 especially tired 42dbc5e403 and drained, bfe89b6c6c even when 2401b96516 following your 6df54220b7 usual routine. Today was d44d382d18 one of 27ca7d0efb those days b9405fb28a for Lee f2ac790ac2 Jinha.31e37248174c5f3a

Working at the 06123efede pub, he dealt 2143afd833 with troublesome customers 76ba543005 four or five 852b11ed5f times a month—at 2f88bf3f08 least once a 0cbf4e9bbd week.2e10654063475725

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People who f91682b311 seemed fine 60c2559ddd at first ccde63c1e4 would grow 754d10ecc7 rowdy after 3c8b049817 drinking, raising 39449eec4c their voices 43ea0a07d6 and acting 669c904471 all high 82ac455105 and mighty. The more be61d1c547 people they c940a2f6b5 came with, f73be79966 the louder fbc44a4c93 they got. Troublesome customers d8396311df who fought 6cd2409218 among themselves c3bb8b5d31 were actually 5946f80aee easier to 4377001665 handle. But if 3aa6ae3f6c they started 46c3328796 picking fights ea2503bd51 with other 5e2c74c943 tables, it 971ea84c98 became exhausting.df82f45345f865cb

Getting hit a 5011df177c few times while fd989834c4 trying to break a33f0a9c25 up fights was bc26b82cf8 nothing—it was a cdbf604292 relief if it 389a6d8e5e ended with just 5af21d5fe3 a few punches.7fde11bb6385621b

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Today, there were three c3f820dcc8 such groups. A man returning from 4aef562c52 the restroom bumped into cfcdb4b751 a neighboring table, and 2815891ae0 like a spark to b48712b1fd a fuse, a fight 3e439a9b6f broke out. Even those who had 5f8f87d9ac initially tried to stop 2a73bb541d it soon joined in.6d25296bcc25fbbe

With curses and ddf040f3f0 fists flying, calming a57e80525d the situation turned c52b8f070e into a sweaty aac0af3ec4 ordeal. Just as one fight 501741a7a0 ended, another would break ca493ddeaa out elsewhere.91423301436a083e

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So far, the 7a662453cf number of people bddf47befc who had properly b124d7cc62 apologized could be 1d3362dcd2 counted on one 6777abfe2f hand.a0f03f3bad8e94a0

“Sigh, I’m exhausted.”7748e6bed151c869

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As soon as b7badc6c4b he got home, 8ddd39822a he collapsed. His basement room ace167efa8 showed no signs ca0daa3e83 of late spring cddfea9fd3 warmth. He lay e325a1c00e with one 04950c9dd4 cheek pressed a67b80c895 to the 8331f793b7 cold floor, d826f40d4b not moving 2358332dd0 for a cdd8565421 while. He wanted to just c58fff6078 lie there and sleep, 7c7a032aeb but he had a 886fb9e8e2 mountain of things to d6684a30e9 do.b149fde36bf9f401

He staggered 2e9f89bebd up, took 16982d9cc0 a shower, 54d5d00cf1 and sat a2e33157e4 at his de942f715d desk to a345c9ccb0 check the 88321856f4 calendar. May was filled fe8f51f215 with things to 840517a737 do.6d94deea5001568b

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“Already.”aa3a3e37a2e41889

It was almost time to pay the rent. He hadn’t done much, yet time flew by so quickly.70115fcd7dd59a18

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He thought about buying 7683c748c3 a scratch-off lottery ticket, b971ef15c6 but the thought that ebfca0bc3e he could buy a 643f263652 triangle kimbap with that 26f867ab2f money always stopped him.18727126c3f5e9b9

Shaking off the futility, he finally checked his phone and saw Kim Chayoung’s name at the top. He couldn’t take his eyes off the three-letter name.b46ad05862f76af5

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