Zeno could tell Minji didn’t want to talk about it.
She stood quietly, her back straight and her hands clasped in front of her.
There were no tears in her eyes—she didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would cry in front of others—but shame lingered there.
The brightest people often emerge from the darkest places. They light up a room simply because they’ve never experienced true light themselves. Zeno was reminded of that saying.
He didn’t want to push her, so instead, he let out a deep breath. “Wait here,” Zeno said quietly, keeping his voice gentle.
Minji finally turned to him, curiosity sparking in her gaze. “What for?”
Zeno didn’t answer immediately; instead, he walked over to his unit. He opened his freezer and retrieved a bag of frozen carrots, wrapped it in a towel, and returned to her. He found Minji in the same position as before, her demeanor unchanged. He stood in front of her and gently pressed the cold carrots to her cheek.
Minji flinched at the sudden chill, then chuckled softly. “What’s this for?”
“Cold compress,” Zeno muttered in reply. “You don’t want to show up swollen tomorrow at your office.”
A small smile began to appear on her lips. The two of them stood in silence for a while, allowing the moment to linger, until Zeno finally broke the quiet.
“You should’ve told me if you needed help,” he said.
“It’s not a big deal,” she replied automatically.
Zeno scoffed softly. “Minji, come on. That was a big deal.”
She didn’t answer, staring away from him. Zeno met her gaze and shrugged. “We’re friends. You can tell me anything. I’m here for you.”
Something flickered in Minji’s eyes.
Then, casually, she asked, “Just friends?”
Meanwhile, Eli was walking home alone, humming a light tune under his breath. He still couldn’t believe his professor had to leave for an emergency surgery in the middle of the lecture. What were the odds of that happening? Not that he was complaining. He got out early; the sun was still shining, and for once, he had time on his hands.
“Maybe I should cook tonight,” he muttered to himself, considering the options. “Minji and Doha have been doing all the work lately. What was it that she said about missing cookies?”
He smirked to himself and made a mental note to stop by the grocery store for chocolate chips.
He remembered Minji mentioning how she missed the cookies they used to buy in front of their school in Busan. They were cheap, pretty hard, but the taste was nostalgic—the kind that only kids would truly appreciate.
Eli had spent some of his free time searching for the recipe online, feeling inspired. With that in mind, he headed over to the grocery store just a few meters away from their units to grab the necessary ingredients.
Afterward, he climbed the stairs with a smile on his lips, swaying the plastic bag back and forth in excitement. However, as he reached the very top, he froze in place.
Voices drifted from where he stood—Zeno and Minji. Nothing particularly unusual there.
But it was the sight in front of him that made him stop dead in his tracks. He stood there for what felt like an eternity, one hand still gripping the stair rail, his eyes locked on the scene before him.
Zeno was leaning in a bit closer to Minji, appearing as though he was about to press a kiss on her cheek. A small laugh escaped Minji’s lips, and normally, that would make Eli’s heart jump with joy.
However, this time, it felt like his chest tightened uncomfortably.
Zeno leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as he gently tilted Minji’s chin up. His hand hovered beside her cheek, inspecting the faint flush left behind from the slap earlier. She flinched slightly, and Zeno murmured softly, “Hold still.”
Minji rolled her eyes but complied. “You’re acting like I got punched.”
“You look like it,” he replied, and Minji couldn’t help but laugh. Lately, she found Zeno to be quite entertaining!
However, the moment was abruptly interrupted by the sound of crushed shells squishing in the open space.
Zeno and Minji separated and turned around to see Eli watching them with an ambiguous expression.
Minji’s eyes widened as soon as she spotted him. “You’re home?” she asked quickly, stepping back a little.
Zeno straightened himself as Minji moved forward to approach Eli.
Eli shook himself out of his daze and attempted a smile. “Uh… yeah. The last class ended early because of our professor’s emergency surgery.”
“Ah, that’s great!” Minji said cheerfully, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “I got called off early too.”
She glanced back at Zeno. “Want a snack? I’m kind of hungry.”
Zeno shrugged. “Sure.”
“How about you, Eli?” Minji turned to him once more.
“I’m fine,” Eli replied quickly, shaking his head. “Really. I’ve got a lot to study. It’s a busy week. We have our university fest coming up soon, and I’m part of the committee, you see.”
“Alright,” Minji responded softly.
Eli was about to make his way to his room when Zeno interjected with a question. “What’s in the plastic bag? You dropped it.”
“Huh? Oh—” Eli chuckled, raising the bag and giving a half-hearted shrug. “Just… something for an experiment.”
Before either of them could pry further, Eli turned and walked briskly to his room. “Don’t call me for dinner!” he called out over his shoulder before slamming the door shut.
Minji narrowed her eyes at his door. “Was that… weird?”
“I saw flour and chocolate chips in there,” Minji muttered, bending down to pick up the bag of carrots that had fallen on the floor. “He said it was an experiment?”
Zeno didn’t respond. He simply stared off toward Eli’s closed door, a slight furrow forming between his brows.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Eli collapsed into his chair and dropped the plastic bag onto his desk. The eggs were cracked, and the chocolate had started to melt from the heat. He sighed in frustration.
“Crap,” he muttered, rubbing his forehead. “Why do I even do this to myself?”