Chapter 5
By the time we left the library, my brain felt like microwaved noodles. Sun-woo was still talking. Obviously.
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
Hyung, what if we just dropped out and opened a café in Paris?
Jae-hyun [MC]
You'd bankrupt us in a week.
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
Rude. My aesthetic lattes would bring us millions.
Jae-hyun [MC]
You're latte art looks like dying cats.
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
*Gasp*
I glanced at my phone—almost 5 pm. Which meant...
Jae-hyun [MC]
I gotta go. Shift starts in thirty.
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
Again? Just quiet. Be my kept man.
Jae-hyun [MC]
Keep dreaming.
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
*Pouts and tuggs on his sleeve like a kid*
Jae-hyun [MC]
*Swat him off*
We split at the campus gate. I took the bus to the convenience store near my apartment — the one with flickering lights and a heater that never worked.
I clocked in, tied on my apron, and forced myself to smile at my reflection in the freezer door.
One more shift. Rent doesn't pay itself.
Kang Ha-eun [Min-ho's young sis]
*Appears from outside the counter*
Oppa!! You work here too?!
I jumped. She was peeking over the counter with that toothy grin.
Jae-hyun [MC]
Ha-eun? Why are you here?
Kang Ha-eun [Min-ho's young sis]
Snack run! For Sun-woo oppa. He was sad you ditched him.
Jae-hyun [MC]
He'll live. What does he want?
She dumped a basket full of junk food on the counter. I stared.
Jae-hyun [MC]
He eats all this alone?
Kang Ha-eun [Min-ho's young sis]
And wonders why he can't see his abs anymore.
I snorted and started scanning her stuff.
Kang Ha-eun [Min-ho's young sis]
You're working too hard, oppa. You should let Sun-woo buy you dinner sometimes.
Jae-hyun [MC]
Don't give him ideas.
While i bagged her snacks, I spotted a tall shadow near the instant noodle aisle.
Black hoodie. Standing too still.
Jae-hyun [MC]
...Did you see someone just now?
Kang Ha-eun [Min-ho's young sis]
Huh? Just you, me, and ramen ghosts.
She giggled and tapped her phone to pay. I forced a laugh.
Kang Ha-eun [Min-ho's young sis]
Say hi to Sun-woo oppa if he calls you later~
She bounced out into the cold. The bell above the door jingled, then silence.
Two more hours. I stacked boxes in the back, trying to forget the hoodie guy.
My phone buzzed. Of course it did.
Sun-woo sent me a photo with him buried under blankets, only his forehead showing along with a text. I stared at it before typing the reply.
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
💬 Hyung. Come save me. The grumpy gorilla is yelling at me to 'grow a spine.'
Jae-hyun [MC]
🗨️ Good advice. Grow one.
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
💬 Rude! I'm delicate and rich. That's my job.
I was still grinning when the chime rang again. A new customer. I stepped back to the counter — and there he was.
Same black hoodie. Up close, under the harsh lights, he looked... softer? Wide eyes. Neat hair. Hands in pocket.
Lazy Author
😔 Blud ain't changing clothes anytime soon.
He set down a bottled coffee and two onigiri. Didn't say a word.
Jae-hyun [MC]
*Clears his throat*
Hey. Again.
No reply. Just that stare, so focused it made my skin itch.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something — then didn't. Just nodded and left, plastic bag swinging at his side.
What was i supposed to do with that?
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
💬 Hyung. Movie night tomorrow? Or are you abandoning your poor Sun-woo again?
Jae-hyun [MC]
🗨️ I'll think about it.
Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]
💬 Think faster. I'll bring expensive wine you can't afford.
By the time my shift ended, the street was empty. Cold wind. Cheap neon lights flickering.
I checked over my shoulder three times before unlocking my apartment door.
Still alone.
Still pretending I wasn’t looking for someone in the dark.
![Lee Sun-woo [MC bff]](https://up-pic.mangatoon.mobi/contribute/fiction/11098017/avatar/51975898/1750796548502.jpeg-s200webp?sign=42c9b14c194f4d69a55463e955b0d64d&t=68972d07)
![Jae-hyun [MC]](https://up-pic.mangatoon.mobi/contribute/fiction/11098017/avatar/51975898/1750796569622.jpeg-s200webp?sign=3ad2449f5b0dbc21678f006ffcf7c31d&t=68972d07)
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