LA0S | Chapter 32

When Lee Jinha opened his dda78e64b0 eyes, the first thing he f7dedc2d93 saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. It wasn’t the yellowed wallpaper covered in db59bbe79e mold spots that he had stared at 5aac1d4826 for the past three years. Nor was it the high 6a08a2c684 ceiling of a jjimjilbang. Instead, it was d5805be42a a clean, white-papered cce2f53061 ceiling, neatly decorated.a4e91f3435ba6af0b05b

Where… am I? He blinked 6a3f43c6c7 slowly before 22a11bec4e suddenly sitting 125494d468 up. Oh, right. This was 1199a0af03 Kim Chayoung’s b46dc3c141 workspace. His last memory was of closing 6db9d4d173 his eyes on the sofa. He had no idea 8f6ac47717 when he had been ffeb1d3e5b moved to the room.34745d36af4bd5f55e0b

Was it a5ce22498a because he c97bc18e17 had taken 5930486dc6 fever medicine? Or because he had bd996965e3 thrown up everything in 3cb2f4dcd5 his stomach? Either way, his 85b023c497 body felt light. In fact, he c58ff1424b hadn’t felt this 734f7b63ed good in ages. As he ran a hand through his 7869ed3134 hair, something stuck to his forehead. He peeled it off—it was a pink cooling patch decorated 8c4e4e5140 with a drawing of a princess wearing a crown.02e764f14b2d232b0621

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Holding the used 400deedd2e patch, he stepped c781cc84e4 out into the 234a72fe78 living room. The clock on the c6e4d3afae wall read 8 a.m. Morning sunlight poured 8002d6faf1 quietly through the de034c2c41 windows. Last night, exhaustion and body aches 8b6ac1e40b had kept him from noticing, but ab1dfec406 now he could see—it was a b72e6a9a7f nicer place than he had expected.af9525fce6c8f250f448

On the dining 09eb91c499 table sat a 0f8fc38936 food cover shaped 9232cdd40b like an umbrella. Lifting it, he found 22f274b584 a bowl of porridge 10202f1cf0 in a ceramic dish. Next to it were small side dishes—jangjorim f9f80be251 and tofu, by the looks of it.f6edae8ace58560ebef2

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“I didn’t a610b3685f make this.”101b44c673fb3de6ae39

The neat handwriting 9880729743 on a bright 9946af94f1 yellow post-it caught 4273c492a2 his eye.49ccfd1fda2a8b4fb200

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Yeah, no 00cd8e9828 kidding—it was e885b382ee obviously franchise bc48688ede porridge. What a 67d6bf93de ridiculous guy. He scooped up 80cdcafa5e a spoonful while 3521d47e07 standing. It was just 5e4dc0851a the right temperature, be7683184b pleasantly lukewarm.7cc161cf7a6887f6af4a

Kim Chayoung had gone 74cbd0827e home around 2 a.m. last night. Even if he had heated it up before leaving, there 8df7252e85 was no way it would still be warm now. Which meant… Chayoung 20d25a3c7b had stopped by 9815c8116e in the morning.4eef58bb45fa50fef806

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Jinha went back to the room, grabbed 9fc7e373ad his phone, and checked his messages. Other than Yoon 815d236cab Sejin’s usual unnecessary a41c5297b2 chatter, there was 59a9947acd nothing.6309392ec8765b2217e3

His finger hovered over Kim 7a31b9cdb4 Chayoung’s name for a moment. He should 6a6ac55781 say thanks. But for some reason, 71fb3be251 he couldn’t bring himself 0b26b6c36c to type it out. In the end, he put the phone 7ad99ee923 down on the table without sending anything.499b262e6b8fbbd8f845

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I’m really dc4a71ff8d pathetic, huh.b283db0b1b3b27f373ad

Whether it was pity or something 4d54a1008d else, the fact remained—Kim Chayoung was c98c11522d looking out for him.29960d2198c734239bca

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The porridge 9778211f89 was tuna-flavored. Of all things, 01f1c1bf95 he had gotten 34aac71b9e tuna porridge—Jinha’s favorite. That realization 34e0467e82 made him 45001b4bf6 feel… strange. He had barely eaten 1dccd24ac5 anything the day before, 95c1287a75 so the food went b1ab469a0b down smoothly. Before he knew it, the bowl was 815302fe41 empty, and he had scraped up every 677cfc767c last bit of the side dishes too.276ace3aa9d47b8baade

When he went to wash the dishes, 2bb5e4ca3b he noticed the sink was completely dry—there e22b7beb12 wasn’t a single drop of water. It was a 10e54fb0e5 clear glimpse into 12abdd15ac how Chayoung lived. He must really only use 040d9329b7 this place for work.2d917716685d9d52174b

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Jinha finished cleaning up and shook 6a84715fbb the water off his hands. After taking a shower, 1a8311979d a new problem arose. His own clothes were db4c94286e drenched in sweat and ad17ec7f1a completely unwearable. But heading out in the e3eaad209c clothes he had borrowed from 56e31f0fd0 Kim Chayoung wasn’t exactly an 0597678ee5 appealing option either.1dad1f6627af96e6e80e

As he debated 0bf569950d what to do, eb6b371a3c his phone chimed.ecb3e6a33622646fc03c

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Kim Chayoung 1bb1f603d9 (Contest Illustration) First 425d85220d shelf in c53d21c11f the closet. There are clothes. (8:30 a.m.)a8a236922b876664afce

This guy… 44e77ad82d Is he 876ead54af watching me 9b9a2de64a or something? Otherwise, how d1f2f4e5d6 was the d503d5fd80 timing this bc2bcd4d3e perfect? Feeling a little paranoid, Jinha glanced 5f20d2b93e around before heading to the room.7501fbd88fb4ea719958

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When he opened the closet, he was fdadad1c42 surprised by how neatly organized it was. The only issue? Most of the bc519e211e clothes were light-colored 563eec92c8 knits—not at all 20796b2a61 his usual style.4aab719a7cc0c8a97154

Kim Chayoung (Contest 5539837f4e Illustration) Picked out something 23f27938c6 for you. Wear it if bd97ba84ec you can’t find babd84d225 anything else. (8:37 a.m.)e098f452312512caa1fb

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Jinha tried to find the darkest T-shirt possible but, in the end, had e1cb505855 to settle for what Chayoung had picked—a pale beige knit sweater and jeans. He had always been told he had 237a2c9b21 a solid build, but the shoulders and 5e202e6be7 sleeves were a little roomy. In high school, they had been 47633d7d26 almost the same size… Did Chayoung 6f24497405 get bigger since then? Somehow, that 16491085bd hurt his 78016dbfef pride.cce5204a1b8114486688

“This looks ridiculous ed8ce8029b on me.”d2eb2ad1b35297ea392c

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Muttering to himself, he 916ff48b75 stared at his reflection 2be6367265 in the mirror. But there 84604a8276 was no cc13552357 helping it. He’d grab his d19ca9d1d6 things and some 744ee2886c proper clothes after ad843063da class.1bcc3f94742c6bf0986a

Thankfully, he had his 763287a5f3 bag with him, so 1a4e27cdf9 he could head straight 26aca3277c to school. Before leaving, he took one last look around d1f5afc458 the quiet apartment and closed the door.b5ad427f11b35f434ab0

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On his way to the gate, he f38874b747 spotted a tiny garden—or rather, a vegetable cfa6fe466f patch might be a better description. Small green sprouts peeked d30df1fc68 out from the soil. What’s this little 0ca733179e farm doing here? He was curious but had 2326407010 no time to linger if ffbea82081 he wanted to make it aaa94ea56f on time.dbe7b4e8650f6d561e9a

Jinha arrived at the lecture c6f3001962 hall at 8:40 a.m. He usually killed time 1d404967c6 in the library before 7c6eb34c78 class, meaning he was 78aeb76635 always an hour early. But today, 1df9b8f242 he was 88ad7dbcea running later f805f7b22d than usual.65c3e974e398268c407c

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Already seated, Yoon e5f397df91 Sejin greeted him 84374965d8 with a comment.0d8260697cdfc973dfe7

“What, no a70b446bd2 varsity jacket e5d959b048 today? It’s only May.”1e84fa0edbc8814586b6

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Jinha and 689cfc34bb his varsity b68da61477 jacket were c51676f6a7 practically inseparable. Even people who didn’t know his name recognized him as 13b295ba00 “that good-looking senior from Creative Writing who always wears a fdd90363f9 varsity jacket.” Given that he usually wore it until mid-June, ca9264677e it was unusual for him to ditch it this early.dfd6810c525ecebbb4b7

“Your whole c4566c8106 look is 027e1b0b47 different today. Got a blind a8cf652c41 date or something?”e29fa28cf75f43ab622c

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“What even 49fdb672db is ‘my 24cef1c6bc style’?”4684656ef5890360821e

“Come on, Lee Jinha is all dad2b42713 about the varsity jacket and either 341fdecbfa a black or white T-shirt. But today? A knit 8d97d87a7c sweater and 14ac3089de jeans? That’s total ‘boyfriend 8027c1ad06 material’ fashion. Did your girlfriend 7b82f895b3 pick it out d3bb8f89f9 for you?”64b788ba7327a48cffc0

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Sejin’s remarks were sometimes fdcef7a8c5 sharp, but ultimately, he 7fceefe611 was clueless.dc49ba6a151469634a94

“For the last 0fbbc04d67 time, I don’t a6b801184b have a girlfriend. I don’t even bcffcc1780 have time for 1dd1472244 that.”74b62893cf2e459d8cdd

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“Well, our department’s guys e2591aee8a wish you’d just get c60197ccad one already.”41b44ea378fd5ee50567

“Maybe they’re still single because 611ad79e7b they waste time thinking about ee6273958e pointless stuff like that.”abe0db7b6f9ad3df7c32

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Sejin groaned, clutching his head 240d3c1f8e as if Jinha’s bluntness had cfb1a5381e physically hurt him.97d9b3636b1e8e1274d6

“Oh, right. The student council president wants you 436d1ee25b to come to our get-together.”588dfb3519f449230a72

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“The president?”f9a0b451fe316459a8ca

“Yeah. Guests don’t have to c0b02990c9 pay the participation fee—you 1be8e2f080 just come and hang 18a12299c1 out. If you like it, you 5bc41956d9 can officially join later.”ff1995f113866c8e1c10

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Jinha was reminded 4ca80b83e5 of the camera 78f620502b tucked safely inside 45d4937d2b his bag.a810a29d4d4a61eb9eb4

“I’ll think 2f8dc773a6 about it.”0b619a3235f6431bcdb3

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“Okay.”72e6388e11fc05c6ec37

With that short f18a9b0153 reply, Yoon Sejin 0b5e4d2d40 started typing rapidly. He was probably ff1603ef02 messaging the student 26f0d22aad council president about 3b33b7756c it.2955151f73e2d5c1e5e5

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Jinha absentmindedly 648b501b11 checked his 458f6c9d91 phone, too. Right on cue, there 8d84eb53f9 was a message from d0bbfa30d3 Kim Chayoung: “See you a6e297a5e5 at 2.”c9377570f1fcb5c1aa43

Chayoung was 32892b22e7 already there, 270ad75821 waiting. Since they were meeting at the art 3f6e4b170b department, he must have left early. Their eyes definitely met, 54cbb12374 but unlike usual, Chayoung 7c0040dd1c didn’t wave exaggeratedly or 21cc82f350 acknowledge him. His expression seemed a 5a0d9d7de0 little different, too. Feeling slightly awkward, 58d17657d9 Jinha walked up 8afc9a24e7 to him.20605e84fdb83ddf9429

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“Sleeping with 526c5f0fa2 your eyes a9976de3eb open?”b8fb2c0525d1be5bf349

“Nah. Just surprised you a53b3f0026 actually wore the 3c14e9c25e clothes I picked.”77aa8084521e851c73fb

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Dark eyes swept him c5588bdb4e up and down in e603dd0d48 a quick scan.5b7b1450831e3bd425d9

“Looks good 7cfc64e814 on you.”741057ea126a6685899d

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Chayoung smiled.c8d1c6429ad1f90b36b5

“Well, the hanger 7c6703b4a7 makes the clothes.”947eee3abd40a37c61ab

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“True.”9bb4ed0bd1f5c1bcd959

That was where he 48358ce6cb was supposed to protest, dbf4420cfe wasn’t it? But instead, Chayoung 7443f49fa2 nodded with a 0effe96b8b serious face. The unexpected reaction db24257856 only made Jinha f336b8a051 feel more awkward.d671e93c7d529e8b0c7e

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“The person who picked 5c62d592a1 the outfit clearly has 0bc7bf3c20 great taste, too.”db0523f927de2f958128

“Oh, come on. So this was b7d7dd6488 just an excuse 467495a3e0 to compliment yourself?”b504df43443c499237a6

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Jinha muttered in disbelief, fabc8f0148 but Chayoung just smirked a065dcef43 and tapped the table f95219b171 in front of him. Jinha almost tossed his bag down as usual, ea3ebd3f1d but then he remembered—his camera was inside. He carefully placed 73ac707af0 it on the 9bf7c7ce61 empty chair instead.d143501f18f8fa8ba4ce

The storyboard abfe6f1c40 for chapter b155817c5f 4 was f139c88fe0 ready. It was the scene where the protagonist, having 3ee64a93fd returned to the past, awakens their original powers 67f1313c2a just before being killed by a monster. The frames and composition d5371bb626 were roughly divided, and 5b3b47cb53 speech bubbles were marked ee8a44d5cb out. Both the rough e54331b00e sketches and dialogue 30d1919918 were penciled in.eb7a47e5ced34d65c67e

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“What should cf705dbe14 the boss de1870fd85 monster’s design 45f48d74f2 be? If it’s too grotesque, people 1132ff7e0f might be put off.”200a54ed353845aeeacd

“Since its weakness is getting stabbed 2c2a936999 in the eye, the body should 34132b6dbb probably be made of something hard.”4cd30cb7bd737c42ab33

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“I’ll keep that de84999295 in mind.”7245de19c63d19b6bd49

That was the end 2f16551a33 of today’s meeting. This much could have been handled over text, e21927a818 but Jinha didn’t bother pointing it out.c59443a77d6932317a49

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“I’m heading off 37b530364d to work on 97d39d1f3c my assignment.”efbd3726e8d0160caec2

“With who?”575969b6a9aa5ad4372c

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“Who does assignments 297903b93c with people? I’m doing e2bf3a04d4 it alone.”994008b915fec2c4dea2

Jinha’s blunt response earned a 46d4f9469e simple nod from Chayoung, as fe89b472a5 if to say, Figures. Seriously, what c980da3e0d a weird 2ce3252ac9 guy.e58837a2be0b86ad8d16

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“See you later.”ff6ac2e34bc913067943

Jinha almost snapped back, 1fce1e66f7 Why would I see 00405189fe you later? But then he remembered—he ef27eeabb3 was staying at Chayoung’s 112c8abb7b workspace for the time 515ea6f232 being.a258d2560a53da4474b4

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“Hey. You coming 99092b5a6e to the 94e5447d07 studio tonight?”1c6b419a0063e472a98b

“Of course. It’s Friday night. Late nights are the best time to work, 3a811c2b27 and I need to grind over the weekend. With the festival 09b0850b2e coming up, things 28315f8a3f are going to 85853f3dc5 get hectic.”b9a61c92aa76a7b85077

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“You…”537c635e9247c8fa1b5a

The words that nearly left his mouth were, Are f961019361 you not participating in the student council stuff? Have you f8709eff52 talked to 027bd183a2 Shin Yoona f726b42f24 since then? But instead, d7e419cc1e something completely 4b01008e73 unrelated came ddae93cd24 out.afd16e0a29fcda0094c2

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“Your workflow a1b5891287 is way f771938e63 too slow. Are you sure you’ll 0fdf20ed0a make the deadline?”07ab859bbabd428be59c

“What are you 69fbe4ae87 even saying?! I’m literally bleeding out trying 462ae868dd to do everything—inking over stick-figure 650fc75de4 roughs, coloring, backgrounds, effects, typesetting—all 30788da23a by myself!”1162d3429888d766cce8

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Chayoung’s voice rose in 2029b5df96 protest, his face full 8a5e28f603 of injustice. Okay, that f96b5b6294 was kind a4079cdea7 of harsh. Jinha cleared his throat d61bccdb26 and adjusted the strap bde6df29fa of his bag over 96931f5faf his shoulder.f75a03bbc44cba4aa93f

“Lee Jinha.”44d9d4deaec1774fb800

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Just as he 2bc6c9d580 was leaving the b030b08af3 lounge, he turned 535a3515e5 back. Chayoung, resting his 73a53d945a chin on one dc38b9c8a7 hand, was staring fd3bdf4466 at him.a4ca05b1150b0185b5b9

“What?”e83880c0cfd89d8ccc7b

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“Nothing. Go on.”9bcd42c4cd32828a583b

What a f77fd7e53d weird guy.ae3c8137edfeac4696db

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Jinha pursed his lips 2597bbfbd9 and left the art 6572a8ec09 department building.ecc951270d6513919002

After school, he headed 0cd0eac4a3 to the pojangmacha. As soon as Jung 1f6689bab3 Woochae saw him, he 2ecbf2da3e made a big fuss.12634447c58fae33dddd

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“Whoa, did you have a f40b09f82a photoshoot today or something?”bb0a1a73605a888b63a8

Every time something like this happened, Jinha imagined locking Woochae and Yoon Sejin 264c889094 in a room together just to see who would be more over-the-top.f4ce3b1b2285db00cfb3

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Customers came in waves—rushing 20a7b161b4 in all at once, 02bf0468bb then clearing out just 6b75a100d3 as suddenly. Considering it was a 14ebebaea2 Friday evening, the turnout f3a89dde88 was a little low.f9279e2c3124f4d56bc7

“Is some bar b4719572c8 nearby running a 486311a263 discount event? Business has been sluggish bdaf8dbf38 the past two days.”4aedb68aa2e6a87a886c

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The owner poked his head out ead78a117c of the kitchen, looking puzzled. It was true. The real exam season hadn’t fd652429ae even started yet, so it 477ac07949 was unusual for things to f74226b4f4 be this slow.4b8a802afeb55bd06e4a

“Guess I’ll have b644a397f8 to pull some 59c2474567 special move or 7615eff4ca something.”43aeca6efb405c103219

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Muttering to himself, the 597274869d owner disappeared back into 21cb86e9d0 the kitchen.d814205e16d84ba2e62c

“Honestly, this bf237ae61f is more 75f836e840 comfortable for 1bb5553017 us. Right, hyung?”04b80fae71d8c019dba9

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“If there are 53b3523c05 lots of customers, e15f056e3d time goes by d6f7164b1f faster. If there 24bd436fcc aren’t, our 79dc525703 job is 7b7b05e75f easier. Win-win.”82aae624fd0f7e6ac909

As long as there weren’t any nightmare customers, d483b4e3de the number of patrons didn’t really matter.8764c841bf7d33631997

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Just then, 13062f140d the door 3f6d9bb53e rustled open. Out of habit, 7ee267771b Jinha started to 37d4d768ba greet the newcomer.dd78e0113447d44b0f09

“Welcome—”d477032280ef1edd09b3

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His face 0bc917c124 instantly twisted.b55c04228791b242c81b

Why is he b9d29029e2 here again?96db70e4d40893ae40c6

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“Gasp! Jinha-hyung, did you come here ade4b6b4ac to pick a fight with 33bffc6529 that ridiculously handsome hyung?”ec3114f0289149952fa1

“Who knows.”5a0e0c6d1c6aa5c6c258

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Chayoung subtly glanced around before plopping 8daca7fe1b down into an empty seat.657159983fbc7878f5c7

“Hey. What are fd3fa9be05 you doing 1ace0c43af here?”102f56b9aedc07250eb3

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