# Chapter 83
The club activity, which had seemed overwhelming when I heard I had to cook, was coming to an end. Although it’s been almost a month since I came here, I hadn’t been able to participate properly in activities due to various incidents. I felt strange because my first real club class ended up being more fun than I expected.
Setting aside how enjoyably it ended, there was still one problem remaining.
“Let’s each take what we want to keep.”
“I’d like to take Sunbae Seulbi’s snack bars.”
“Sure. There’s plenty left, so take as much as you want. I should also give some to the teacher.”
Oh Seulbi selected the best-looking pieces from the cut snack bars and put them in a bag. Then she immediately approached Teacher Jaewon and handed them to him.
I looked around as I took off my apron.
On the table, which had been washed and tidied up, were the leftover foods made by the team members. Oh Seulbi’s snack bars were the most popular, but there was so much that there would still be plenty left even after everyone took some.
Since they weren’t difficult to pack like Kim Junwoo’s smoothie, they were easy to handle. The same went for Lee Jinyoung’s food—everyone except me, who couldn’t eat carrots, took one of the vegetable powders packed in ziplock bags.
I received an awkward question about when I became unable to eat carrots, but that wasn’t the important thing.
While everything—including Kim Yuna’s salad and even Kim Junwoo’s smoothie—had been completely devoured, my food remained almost untouched. I had made enough for all the team members, but they had each taken just one bite and left the rest.
“Um… Taeho, if it’s okay, can I clean up the rest of these?”
Lee Jinyoung asked, pointing to the remaining food. After thinking about it, I nodded, figuring I could take the untouched portions.
“I’ll take all of these that haven’t been touched.”
“Oh, really?”
Lee Jinyoung awkwardly raised the corners of her mouth, as if trying not to show her surprise. Her doubtful eyes trembled slightly. It was as if I could hear the unspoken question of whether I was really going to eat all of this myself.
“It’s almost dinner time anyway.”
Although my stomach was half-full from eating various things, I had no choice. It would be too wasteful to throw away perfectly good food.
Thinking I’d take it home to eat, I casually swept each item into ziplock bags. It looked exactly like food waste, but the taste would be the same, so it didn’t matter.
Lee Jinyoung, who had been watching me with narrowed brows, asked if I needed anything else. I was about to smile and say I was fine, as she seemed like she wanted to give me something more.
Just then, I noticed a ziplock bag sitting alone on the table. It was the vegetable powder that remained after everyone had taken their share. Next to it were crumpled snack bars, all gathered together like crumbs.
After hesitating for a moment with my mouth twitching, I smiled awkwardly.
“Can I take all of those leftover things too?”
* * *
I now had numerous ziplock bags cradled in my arms. There were too many to carry in both hands, so I had to hold them against my chest.
I could feel students who were leaving school glancing at me. It was understandable that I’d draw attention, carrying so many pouches—their contents unidentifiable from the outside—enough to cover my entire upper body.
When I returned to the bench where Moon Seoheon should have been waiting, I stopped in my tracks with a bewildered feeling. Moon Seoheon, who I thought would be sitting quietly, was nowhere to be seen. He had personally said we’d go together, so he wouldn’t have left on his own.
Thinking he might have stepped away briefly, I thoroughly scanned the surroundings. I thought I’d find him quickly since he’s so noticeable, but he had truly disappeared somewhere—not even a strand of hair was visible.
“Should I call him?”
I tried to carefully put down all the food items I was carrying to take out my phone.
“Hey! Did you hear about the fight at the backyard storage shed?”
“Looks like it’s starting again.”
“It hasn’t been long since exams ended. Seems like some guys who’ve been holding grudges deliberately dragged someone there.”
I froze at the conversation coming from below the bench. Craning my neck to look down, I saw what appeared to be a group of sports club members stepping over the stands and crossing through the bushes.
Though they weren’t close, they must have had good voices because their words pierced my ears even though I tried not to pay attention.
After watching the group chattering about ordinary things like being hungry, I turned around with an uneasy feeling.
Looking toward the backyard beyond the building, I walked quickly with an anxious heart. In the process, one of the ziplock bags I was holding fell, causing me to stop and go back.
“Phew.”
As I bent my knees and lowered my waist to pick up the fallen item, an irritated sigh unconsciously escaped me.
My eyes widened at just hearing there was a fight, but why did it have to be at the backyard storage shed? With Moon Seoheon nowhere to be seen, I was on edge. Surely the student who was dragged away isn’t Moon Seoheon?
I tightened my arms to prevent the items I was holding from falling and readjusted my grip. As I reached out one hand to pick up the fallen ziplock bag, someone’s hand suddenly appeared in front of me.
With surprised eyes, I just lifted my head, and a sigh of relief escaped at the figure I saw.
“What is all this?”
Moon Seoheon, who had picked up the fallen ziplock bag for me, asked as he straightened his waist. He held me steady as I got up cautiously.
And when he tried to return the ziplock bag to me, I shook my head and took a step back. My movements were careful for fear of dropping things on the ground again. Before answering his question, I just shrugged my shoulders, moving only my upper body.
“Take this with you.”
“This?”
“No, the one that looks like a snack.”
I nodded toward Oh Seulbi’s snack bars, which I had pointed out with my chin as his finger touched the ziplock bag with the white mass inside. I had deliberately placed it at the front for easy access, but I was a bit flustered as he tried to extract it from where it was buried.
Realizing now that I was giving it to him, Moon Seoheon, who had been staring at me, stepped closer. He took the snack bar as I had indicated and held one in each hand.
“What is this?”
“It’s something we made in the club room. Vegetable powder and fruit snack bars.”
At my words, Moon Seoheon lifted the ziplock bag to check its contents. After briefly glancing at the dangling pouch, I watched Moon Seoheon as I simplified the explanation I’d heard in the club room.
“You mix this with water or milk, and you eat this when you’re feeling peckish.”
“Did you make these?”
“No.”
Moon Seoheon raised his eyebrows when he asked, but at my answer, the tightly stretched facial muscles relaxed. Quickly responding to his expressionless face that showed no emotion:
“They’re good for health. The team members made them, and they’re really skilled. The taste is… good, and just a little makes you full.”
Realizing that whether it tasted good or not was of no concern to him, I quickly emphasized other benefits. Despite good intentions, my disorganized speech didn’t seem to reach his heart, as Moon Seoheon just nodded his head as if unimpressed.
“Ah.”
I felt deflated at his dry response. I had specifically kept it for him, but did he not like it? I didn’t expect him to be moved, but when he seemed neither pleased nor displeased, my shoulders drooped in disappointment. Still, I maintained an expressionless face as if it didn’t matter, but perhaps noticing my reaction, Moon Seoheon added a word as his lips loosened.
“Thank you.”
“…Sure.”
Is this what it’s like to receive a bow while lying down? I bit my lip to suppress a burst of laughter, and Moon Seoheon tilted his head.
“This looks exactly the same.”
“Huh? Ah, yes. It just looks this way, but it’s identical.”
Moon Seoheon lifted the ziplock bag containing the snack bar and pointed with his raised index finger at one of the ziplock bags I was holding. It was the one containing crushed snack bars that were left after everyone had taken their share.
Originally, the one Moon Seoheon was holding was what I had planned to take. Thinking it would be better to give him the prettier ones, I had intended to keep the bag of crumbs I had collected at the end.
Moon Seoheon looked back and forth between his bag and the one I was holding, then turned his attention to the other food items.
“What about the rest?”
This time, Moon Seoheon nodded toward the food I had made. He seemed to have developed curiosity after I had stopped him from taking what he initially reached for.
I smiled gently as I looked at the mushy white lumps. One corner of my mouth twitched upward awkwardly.
“It’s tofu. Mixed with yogurt.”
In the club room, I had described it as cake, thinking it would sound better, but now that I thought about it, it seemed like nonsensical logic, so I explained casually.
I felt embarrassed as it seemed shabby compared to the foods made by the other team members. This wasn’t a presentation, and I deliberately spoke matter-of-factly to avoid embarrassment if Moon Seoheon looked incredulous, as if hearing something ridiculous after I called it cake.
“You made this?”
“Yes.”
Moon Seoheon sighed softly, then moved what he was holding in both hands to one side and extended his empty hand. As I looked at his wide-open palm in confusion, he said:
“You’re not giving me that?”
“Huh? I told you this is what I made.”
“That’s why I’m asking if you’re not giving it to me.”
Seeing him wave his hand as if asking for it, my mouth felt dry for some reason. Thinking perhaps he hadn’t heard my explanation, I was about to repeat myself, but his action was faster.
Moon Seoheon reached out and quickly took the ziplock bag containing the tofu cake. As other ziplock bags were pulled along and became disarranged, he even helped hold them to prevent them from falling. His hand brushed against my chest area. I straightened my flinching waist and hugged the contents in my arms tightly.
“Can I try it?”
I nodded my head, holding back the saliva that was about to form, and Moon Seoheon opened the zipper with a long pull. Just as I was wondering how he would eat it, he tilted his head back and began pouring it into his mouth.
It wasn’t a small amount, but seeing the contents emptied by half in an instant, I stared blankly at Moon Seoheon. After wiping the yogurt from the corner of his mouth, he chewed as if savoring it.
“It’s soft.”
He soon gave a brief review, as if he could feel the texture, if not the taste.
