Between A and B C24

Chapter 24

The staff returned with an entire walnut pie, neatly cut into six slices. I handed one to Jung Woojin, took another for myself, and ate it with my hands. Unlike the nutty, understated flavor of Forest’s walnut pie, this one had its own richness, equally delicious.

Normally I wasn’t much for sweets, but when something tasted this good, I could eat plenty of it. Not cloyingly sugary, just delicately sweet—enough to be pleasant. Between Forest’s pie and the Walnut Factory’s, it was impossible for me to choose a winner; both stood equally unmatched in my mind.

One big bite, then another, then another, and my slice was gone. Woojin, who had been eating primly with fork and knife, watched with wide eyes as I devoured mine in three mouthfuls. Then, without hesitation, he too abandoned his utensils and picked up his pie with his hands.

So that was it—he was mimicking me. Of all things to copy, why this? Not fashion, not lifestyle, not anything significant—but wolfing down walnut pie by hand in three bites?

Watching him polish off his slice just as I had, I asked,
“Doesn’t it taste bitter to you?”
“……”

Half-concerned he’d spit it out again, I leaned back against my chair. Woojin’s cheeks puffed out, full of pie like a hamster’s, as he nodded vigorously. Then, still chewing, he placed another slice on my plate.

By the time I finished my second slice, he was still working through that same first mouthful, chewing endlessly. At lunch too, he had eaten in tiny bites, slowly, deliberately. Cramming in such a large piece now, it made sense he was struggling. At least his hamster-like cheeks had deflated a little.

He finally slid a third slice onto my plate, swallowed everything at last, and sipped his sweet potato latte. I wanted to ask whether his jaw was cramping, but instead forced a normal question.
“What kind of bread do you like?”
“I like walnut pie.”
“Besides that?”

He thought a while before replying,
“Salt bread.”
“Ah, salt bread? That’s good. Jinhyuk loves it too—he knows all the good spots. I’ll ask him next time and tell you.”

Woojin said nothing. Often during conversations, he would suddenly fall silent like this—no response, no nod, nothing, just eyes cast downward. It startled me at first, but since he always resumed talking later, I figured it was just a quirk.

“Are you close with your members, Sunbae-nim?”

He glanced up from under his lashes as he asked. The question was so unexpected I laughed.
“Of course. We’re in the same group—how could we not be? Aren’t you close with yours?”

Sometimes reporters or outsiders asked things like that—“Are you really all that close? Was anyone ever left out?”—but hearing it from Woojin surprised me. Still, his tone wasn’t suspicious, more… searching.

When he again said nothing, I hesitated, then asked carefully,
“Why? You’re… not close with yours?”
“……”
“……”

His silence deepened, and I immediately thought, Shit. The mood had gone heavy in an instant, leaving me awkwardly sipping what was left of my coffee—only ice. Woojin pressed the bell and ordered a glass of milk instead.

They even sold plain milk? With latte still in front of him? He must really love milk. When the staff left, Woojin looked at me.
“Don’t drink too much coffee. Have some milk instead.”
“…That was for me?”
“Yes. You said walnut pie with fresh milk tastes good together.”

Had I said that to him? Tilting my head, I decided to let it pass and asked,
“Do you all still live in the dorms?”
“No. Yuhan-gyeol and I moved out. Park Isak and Kim Jiwoo still live there.”
“……”

Hearing real names confused me. Seeing my expression, Woojin quietly corrected himself.
“Shahan-gyeol and I moved out. Ilmir and Isol are still in the dorms.”
“Ah…”

This time I nodded.
“Then do you live alone?”
“Yes. You should come visit sometime. I’ll cook for you. Or come when you’re bored. Or if you suddenly need a place to stay, come then. Day, night, dawn—whenever, it doesn’t matter.”

He was speeding ahead again, but I ignored it and asked,
“When did you move out? It’s been just over two years since debut, right? Doesn’t it feel awkward, not living together anymore? Especially now during hiatus…”
“When did you start living with your members, Sunbae-nim? Do you ever think about moving out?”

Was he avoiding his own story, or regretting bringing it up? Either way, he had turned the question back to me. I nodded slowly.
“No, I don’t plan to move out. There’s scheduling, finances… a lot of things to consider.”
“Why scheduling?”
“If we’re all in different places, our manager has to drive all over to pick us up. It wastes time. Even now we don’t have many joint schedules, but still—why complicate it?”

Truthfully, money was the main reason. Housing was expensive. And even if I had enough, I never felt the need to live apart. We’d been together since trainee days. At this point, they felt like family.

As I drank the milk the staff had brought and ate another slice of pie, I noticed Woojin hadn’t touched his pie since the first one. The memory of him spitting coffee earlier unsettled me. Did he not even like walnut pie? Was he only eating it because I was?

I watched him suspiciously. Our eyes met, and he quickly looked away, touching his cheek before giving me a sheepish smile.

“Why are you smiling?” I asked.
“You kept staring. Did I have something on my face?”
“No… Anyway, I don’t plan on living alone.”

Woojin nodded, still smiling.
“Well, if you ever do decide to live alone, or just want to try it, call me. My house has plenty of spare rooms.”
“……”

What? Was he… inviting me to live with him? Even if his house had spare rooms, wouldn’t that just be moving from one group dorm into his?

Woojin always had this odd way of speaking. Even with the tteokbokki before, he’d said things that felt too serious to be jokes, but too absurd to take seriously. His expression was always earnest, making it impossible to know how to respond.

So, as usual, I let it pass lightly.
“Fine, then. If I ever need somewhere, just rent me a room.”
“You won’t need to pay rent. Or utilities. Or living expenses.”

I blinked.
“Even living expenses?”

That was just… personal spending money. Yet Woojin nodded solemnly, and even added,
“I’ll cover your living expenses.”

At first I chuckled—until it struck me that this sounded more like sponsorship.
“Tell me whatever you need, and I’ll buy it all for you.”

At that point, it was less sponsor, more… servant. Looking at his serious face, I had no words. I only smiled faintly, nodding like a Buddha.

It seemed our senses of humor truly could not be further apart.