LA0S | Chapter 37

Someone stood in front of the upside-down Lee Jinha. Even though the weather had warmed up, most people still wore light jackets or long sleeves in the evening. But this guy had bare legs. Instead of thinking they looked hairy, the first thought that came to mind was how fitting and natural they seemed.

Kim Chayoung.

Before I could even say his name, the guy crouched down. His pale face suddenly filled my vision.

“I could do anything to you right now, and you wouldn’t be able to react. If you let go, you’d fall.”

Kim Chayoung was standing close enough to prevent me from straightening my body and getting down. Blood rushing to my head had turned my face bright red. Even upside-down, he was still annoyingly good-looking. Normally, wouldn’t this angle highlight someone’s double chin and nostrils?

Still crouched, he leaned in another inch. His face was way too close. Maybe it was because of the blood pooling in my head, but I felt a little dizzy.

“You shooting a Spider-Man scene or something?”

I’d seen a similar moment in a superhero movie where the guy shoots webs from his hands. The only difference was that I had zero reason to be making any kind of physical contact with this guy.

“Should I? Sounds like a great idea.”

Yeah, he’s definitely lost it. He had always been unpredictable, but now he was downright unreadable. Or maybe he’d always been like this, and I was only now realizing it.

Smiling faintly, he reached out. His neatly trimmed fingers lightly brushed against a vein that had bulged on my forehead. Heat rushed up instantly.

Instead of straightening my body, I just let go.

“Ah!”

Our foreheads smacked together with full force. A sharp, stinging pain spread through my skull, making my eyes water. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself up.

“It’s not like that was a dangerous height.”

“Yeah, well, I think you just split my forehead open.”

Muttering, Kim Chayoung stood up, brushing off his now dirt-covered butt after having fallen backward.

“You’re already in great shape without even trying. It’s rare to see someone with such balanced proportions.”

What the hell was he on about now? I looked at him, puzzled. He continued dusting off the sand stuck to his elbows and palms. Since he was wearing shorts, the sand clung stubbornly to his bare skin, making a loud rubbing sound as he brushed it off.

“I meant, there’s no need for you to be checking out your own biceps.”

“…….”

Did he see that? My mouth opened and closed soundlessly in sheer embarrassment. The way he spoke so casually only made it worse.

“When did you even get here?”

“Right when a guy who normally hates the cold suddenly took off his university jacket and started flexing.”

So, almost from the very beginning.

If he was here, he could’ve at least made some noise. How much had he been laughing at me internally while I was acting like an idiot? Even the comment about my body didn’t feel like a compliment.

“It wasn’t time for our meeting yet, and you looked pretty serious, so I left you alone. Besides…”

His words trailed off as he lowered his eyebrows slightly.

Besides what? If I pressed him, he’d probably tell me, but I wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible. I hurriedly shoved my arms into my jacket sleeves, slung my bag over my shoulder, and started walking toward the mart without looking back.

It had been a while since I’d been to a proper supermarket. Most of the things I needed for daily life either came from small stores or cheap discount shops.

“Let’s use a cart.”

Seeing me reach for a shopping basket, Kim Chayoung pulled a cart from the neatly lined row. I wasn’t sure we needed a whole cart, but I nodded anyway.

“Just so you know, I have zero cooking skills.”

I could already tell that just from looking at our fridge, which only held rotting vegetables, instant ramen, and pre-cooked rice. Grocery shopping was naturally left up to me.

“What kind of food do you like? Korean? Western? Chinese? There’s a lot to choose from.”

“You seriously don’t know?”

It was pointless to even ask him that. That guy could probably chew through a metal bar and still say it was delicious.

Fine, then I’d just buy what I liked—mostly Korean food.

I started with the essentials: onions, carrots, green onions—the kind of ingredients that go in anything. Then came the staples like soy sauce and gochujang. Our kitchen had almost nothing, so even just the basics filled up the cart fast.

“Let’s buy some alcohol. Beer and soju.”

“I have no intention of drinking with you.”

“Well, you can think what you want. And I’ll think what I want.”

With a quick retort, Kim Chayoung disappeared toward the alcohol section.

While he was gone, I picked up some easy-to-eat side dishes like dried seaweed, canned tuna, and corn. Before I knew it, I had wandered into the household goods aisle. That’s when I spotted a watering can.

I checked the price of the one that caught my eye. Too expensive. Guess I’d have to keep using a cup or a bucket for now.

“There you are.”

Kim Chayoung returned, his arms full—not just with canned beer, but also bottled beer and soju. He quickly closed the distance and dumped them all into the cart. At some point, he had also grabbed snacks like jerky and shrimp crackers.

When had he even picked those up?

Since he was paying for it himself, it felt pointless to argue. I put the watering can back and headed toward the checkout.

“Did we get everything we need?”

“Did you buy any meat? I don’t eat meals without meat.”

“……?”

Then what the hell have you been eating all this time? I shot him a baffled look, but he didn’t seem to care and walked straight toward the butcher section. The staff at the sample station were busy promoting the products to passing customers.

“Can I try this?”

Kim Chayoung pointed at the sizzling pork belly on display.

“Oh, of course! This is premium Jeju black pork—super tender and delicious.”

With a green toothpick, Kim Chayoung picked up a piece of the pork belly and held it out to me. Instinctively, I shook my head.

“If you don’t eat it, you’re the one missing out.”

The toothpick hovered dangerously close to my face. The staff also chimed in, urging me to try it since it was really delicious.

“Fine, I’ll just eat it myself.”

As soon as I hesitated and opened my mouth, the crispy, grilled pork belly slipped right in. Damn it, I fell for it.

“Hey.”

Grinning, Kim Chayoung popped a piece into his own mouth.

“Oh, this is good. How should we cook it? Just grill it as is?”

“You can fry it up in a pan with some salt and bracken, or stir-fry it with squid for a spicy dish.”

The staff eagerly listed different ways to prepare the pork belly.

“By the way… Are you guys celebrities? Is this a filming? If so, I’ll cheer you on!”

The employee, after chatting for a while, cautiously asked the question, eyes darting between me and Kim Chayoung.

“Thank you! Please support us lots.”

Without missing a beat, Kim Chayoung answered smoothly and tossed five packs of pork belly into the cart. The staff, taking the bait, handed over a free container of anchovy sauce as a special service. Unexpected bonus.

“You’re still a scam artist, huh.”

Back in high school, he used to get tons of freebies from snack bars using that same trick.

“What scam? I just said thanks for the support.”

He bought five packs of beef without even sampling it. The cart was so full it looked like it was about to overflow.

“Are we going on a two-night, three-day MT or something?”

“Wanna go on a team retreat?”

I clicked my tongue at how quickly he responded to my joke. What kind of ‘team bonding’ was he talking about when it was just the two of us? I ignored his nonsense and headed straight to the register. As I did, he casually pressed his shoulder against mine. Startled by the sudden warmth, I froze just long enough for him to take over pushing the cart.

The receipt was ridiculously long—practically half a year’s worth of my living expenses. We had to pack everything into boxes because it was too much to carry with just our hands. The rice alone made it quite heavy, but I figured I could count this as an alternative to a workout.

I glanced at the person walking beside me. His short sleeves revealed firm, toned arms, the veins bulging slightly as he carried the boxes.

Yeah. I really need to start working out again tomorrow.

I looked straight ahead and kept walking.

Sunday’s tutoring session was in the early afternoon. Since there was no extra lesson this week, I headed straight home afterward.

“You’re back? Finished early, huh.”

After neatly placing my shoes by the door, I stepped into the living room. Kim Chayoung, lounging on the sofa, waved at me.

“…Didn’t you say we wouldn’t see each other much?”

Back when I was debating whether to use the workspace, he had assured me there wouldn’t be many chances to run into each other, so we wouldn’t fight. Yet here I was, staring at that polished face for four days straight—Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

“What do you want me to do? I’ve got a lot of work. Can’t just set up shop somewhere random when I have a whole studio here.”

He gestured toward his tablet with his eyes. He wasn’t wrong.

After showering, I stepped out of the bathroom and realized I hadn’t grabbed a change of clothes.

I considered asking him to fetch them but decided to just go get them myself. I thought about wrapping a towel around my waist, but since I was already wearing underwear, adding a towel on top felt unnecessary. Instead, I draped it around my neck and exited the bathroom.

On my way to pick up my laundry, I passed through the living room, where Kim Chayoung was still working.

“What are we doing for dinn—uh…?”

“I made kimchi stew before I went out. Just fry up some eggs and ham to go with it.”

I quickly answered and opened the washing machine lid—only to find it empty. It had been full in the morning, but now there was nothing inside.

“Where’s the laundry that was in here?”

“I folded it.”

I returned to the living room empty-handed. Beside the sofa where he sat, my clothes were neatly stacked.

No choice but to walk past him to get them.

Then again, what’s the big deal?

I wiped my collarbone with the towel around my neck, pretending to be nonchalant as I walked over. The problem was, I was looking for a black tracksuit—but most of my clothes were black. Plus, his clothes were mixed in with mine, making it even harder to find.