“What are you doing today?” Soo calls early in the morning. I barely slept after I came back at around 3AM and when I finally out, Soo calls to wake me up.

 

“I’m not doing anything,” I struggle to say. My throat is dry and my eyes burn.

 

“You went to Han River again, didn’t you?” She sighs audibly. “Got it, I’ll leave you alone today.” And she hangs up. Pushing my phone under my pillow, I roll back to sleep.

 

It’s 11AM when I wake up again. The sun shines in my face, screaming at me to get my lazy out of bed. I pull the blanket over my face to block the light and just lie like that for a while until I finally find the will to move. When I do, I take my time showering and pull on my comfiest sweatshirt and pants. Rarely do I get an off day like this so I decide to sloth the day away. The idea is scraped when I open the fridge for ingredients to cook instant noodles and find nothing. Absolutely nothing. I curse under my breath and slam the fridge shut.

 

Putting on a thick coat, I grab some money and my keys before leaving the house. The supermarket is just a five-minute walk away – there’s no need to get all dressed up for it. On the way there, I make a mental list of what I have to buy. Eggs, sausage and maybe more instant noodles. With a basket, I go straight to the aisle where the instant noodles are first.

 

“Byeol-ssi?” Someone taps my shoulder. I whirl around and take a cautious step back when I see a man in this weird beanie, his face almost fully covered by sunglasses and a mask. But his voice strikes a bell in my head,

 

“Rap Mon-ssi?”

 

“Coincidence meeting you here,” he says, pulling down his mask and allowing me to confirm his identity. I raise an eyebrow at him.

 

“What are you doing here?” The answer is obvious seeing his basket and a bunch of groceries in it but I just had to ask.

 

“Grocery shopping?” He lifts up his basket to prove his alibi. Then, sensing the real question, he says, “We live in the neighbourhood. Really, should I show you my ID card?” I roll my eyes.

 

“I didn’t say anything, geez. You’re making me sound like someone with serious trust issues,” I joke.

 

“Sorry,” Rap Mon laughs too. “But you live around here too?”

 

I nod. “Just up the slope.” I don’t know why I told him, but I did anyway. Rap Mon takes a quick look at my basket.

 

“Instant noodles aren’t healthy,” he tells me.

 

“It’s the easiest to cook.”

 

“You should try other food.”

 

“Says the dude who can’t even cut an onion properly.”

 

Silence.

 

“I admit defeat,” Rap Mon says, laughing. Unknowingly, I smile, too. Sheepishly, I throw another pack of instant noodles into my basket.

 

“You should go back if you’re done,” I tell Rap Mon, nodding at his basket.

 

“I’ll help you,” he offers instead.

 

“With shopping?” I shake my head. “No, it’s okay.”

 

“You’ll need someone to help you with the bags later too anyway. Besides, I’ll just be bored if I go back so early.” Without waiting for my reply, he takes my basket and walks down the aisle.

 

“I need eggs!” I call after him.

 

“Oh, so you’re on term break now?” Rap Mon asks as he puts a small carton of eggs into my basket. “When is school starting?”

 

“Next week,” I tell him. “And sausages.”

 

“What are you studying?”

 

“Business.” We stop in front of the processed food freezer.

 

“Really?” A look of disbelief crosses Rap Mon’s face as he places a pack of sausages into my basket. “That’s unexpected.”

 

“It just kind of turned out that way.”

 

“So, what else do you need?” He changes the topic, for which I’m grateful.

 

“I don’t know. Maybe… onions?” I tease. Rap Mon smiles for a while until the corners of his lips fall, his eyes locked on me.

 

“What is it?” I ask. “Is there something on my face?” I turn to look at my reflection on the freezer door but don’t see anything.

 

“No, it’s just…” Rap Mon seems to be finding the right words to say. “It seems like we’ve gotten a bit closer, huh?” He smiles hesitantly. Have we… really?

 

“I… think I really need those onions.” I quickly turn the other direction towards the vegetables. I grab an onion, some scallions, and a small pack of carrots.

 

“Here, pass them to me,” he says, holding out a hand.

 

“So, what do you like to eat?” I ask, pushing his hand back and throwing the veggies into the basket myself.

 

“What?” He seems a little taken aback. “Knife noodles.”

 

“I can eat fried rice for seven days straight,” I tell him. “I think I’m about done with my groceries.”

 

“Checkout?” Rap Mon asks, and I nod. At the counter, he queues in front of me at the counter, still holding on to my basket. When it’s his turn, I try to pull my basket back but he stops me by placing his hand on mine.

 

“Two baskets?” The cashier asks.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Wait, why are you-” He cuts me off by pointing to the people around. He has his mask back up even though I told him it just makes him stand out more. He swipes his card and when everything is packed, he carries all the bags and walks off as if I’m invisible.

 

“Lead the way.” When he sees my blur expression, he says, “Told you I’d help carry these back for you.” I sigh.

 

“At least let me carry a light one,” I insist. Looking down at the bags, he passes me the one with just the eggs inside. I roll my eyes. He smiles his dimply smile and nods towards the slope that leads to my apartment.

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