Chapter 9: A Cart Full of Differences

Between them, the two tall, lanky men immediately drew attention.

And with people carrying cameras around them as well, it was only natural that all eyes gathered in their direction.

“You like meat, right?”

Jitae asked while looking over the meat section.

“Is there even anyone who doesn’t?”

Wooju, who had already been denied the right to make a shopping list, responded with open sarcasm.

Whether he cared or not, Won Jitae was busy cheerfully piling meat into the cart.

Pork belly, pork neck, even special cuts.

As the red slabs of meat kept stacking up, the crease between Wooju’s brows slowly deepened.

“Wait a minute.

Are we buying all of this?”

“Of course?”

“This much?”

“There are two grown men.

We’ll finish it in no time.”

Still, this was way too much.

Of course, Wooju also exercised, so he ate several times more than the average person, but no matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t the amount someone would buy on their very first grocery run.

“If we buy without any plan and just stuff it all in the fridge, it’ll definitely go bad.

Let’s put a few back.”

Wooju reached into the cart and returned several packs of meat to their original place.

But then, what was this?

Won Jitae, refusing to lose, put the meat right back into the cart.

“What are you… doing?”

“We can eat it all.

If you work out, you’re supposed to eat a lot.

Just buy it.

It’s not even our money anyway.”

The PD hadn’t placed any particular restrictions on using the company card.

They had simply told them to freely use it to buy whatever was necessary for living together.

“No… let’s just take a little out.

It’s too much.”

But Wooju wasn’t about to back down easily either.

Take some out.

Just buy it.

As the argument threatened to flare up again, the meat section employee who had been watching from the front approached them.

“This is on sale today.

It’s a special price, so it’s a better deal if you take it.”

At the employee’s words, light returned to Jitae’s eyes.

Perhaps unable to argue with someone much older than himself, Wooju shut his mouth with a sulky expression.

They had only stopped by the meat section, yet the cart was already full.

After that, it was just the same situation over and over again.

Whether to buy eggs by the dozen or by the tray.

Whether to get low-fat milk or fat-free milk.

And now, they were even arguing over the brand of seasoning.

“You handsome young men really get along well.”

At the grandmother’s comment from beside them, both men froze mid-action.

They felt an intense sense of shame.

Clearing their throats, they exchanged silent looks.

It was a signal to stop and just go home already.

Only in moments like this did they work well together, and after that, the grocery shopping proceeded relatively smoothly.

They bought cereal and breads they could easily make something with.

Yes, up to this point, everything was going fine.

However, when Wooju picked up the bean sprouts and tofu they had forgotten and approached the cart to put them in, he saw it.

Chocolate cookies, potato chips, and countless other snacks wedged in among the piled-up groceries.

Wooju snapped his head up and looked at Jitae.

Won Jitae, perhaps feeling guilty, awkwardly hummed to himself and turned his head away.

“We already bought a ton of stuff.

Shouldn’t we take these out?”

“Why?

We need snacks too.”

“What are we doing, emptying out the whole mart?

We can buy them next time.

Let’s just get the urgent stuff today.”

“These are urgent for me too.

I like sweets, so I always bring them when I work and stuff.”

“How old are you to still be eating sweets like that…….”

At the age jab, Jitae’s eyebrow twitched again.

“What does age have to do with liking sweets?

If you don’t like it, you buy some too.”

Jitae deliberately jerked his chin toward the snack aisle.

Elementary school kids were standing there, excitedly looking around.

Wooju was about to shake his head and say forget it, but then he hesitated.

That bastard would never take the snacks out no matter what he said, and if he just left it at that, wouldn’t he be the only one feeling unfair?

They were using the same company card.

Why should only Won Jitae get to buy more things?

By the time that thought reached him, Wooju was already running toward the snack aisle and grabbed exactly one item.

The moment Jitae saw what Wooju was holding as he came back with a flushed face, he let out a knowing snort.

“Such a grandma taste.”

Won Jitae’s review of the rice crackers Wooju put into the cart was short and sharp.

“You’re insulting every grandmother in the Republic of Korea who’s alive and breathing.”

“What are you even saying.”

Just as Wooju was about to push the now heavily loaded cart toward the checkout, a school-uniformed girl suddenly popped out in front of them.

“Oppa!

You’re Jitae oppa, right!”

The girl, her cheeks flushed bright red, was holding a notebook and a pen.

She looked exactly like one of Won Jitae’s young fans.

“I’m a huge fan!

This is crazy!

Can I please get your autograph!”

Wooju turned to look at Jitae.

The Won Jitae that Kang Wooju knew, at least back in their school days, wasn’t the type to enjoy things like this.

From middle school onward, with his outstanding looks and athletic ability, Won Jitae had never lacked popularity, regardless of school.

If he remembered correctly, there had even been a volleyball club fan club at Wonjang High.

More precisely, a group that followed Won Jitae around.

After official matches, students from other schools would always run up to Jitae, handing him things and striking up conversations.

And every time, Won Jitae would say, with an indifferent face.

‘Instead of following me around, how about you read even one more page of a book?

That’ll probably help your lives more.’

He would deliver those brutally honest words, making a few people cry.

And then he would walk straight up to Wooju and pick a fight.

“Wow, thank you so much.

How did you recognize me?”

But the current Won Jitae was different.

With a smile Wooju had never seen before, he naturally lowered himself to the girl’s eye level and continued the conversation.

“Of course I recognized you!

I loved so much that I watched it three times.”

“Really, three times?

That means so much to me.”

Taking the pen, Jitae scribbled his autograph into the notebook.

Wooju stared blankly at the scene.

The Won Jitae he knew, and the Won Jitae now.

Between them seemed to exist an unbreakable, insurmountable wall.

Everyone changes.

Even objects lose their nature over time, so how could imperfect humans remain the same forever.

Won Jitae was an adult now, and a public figure.

He absolutely couldn’t behave the way he had back in school.

Wooju understood that perfectly with his head, yet he couldn’t honestly say he felt completely fine about it.

Why was that.

After getting the autograph, the girl even asked for a photo, but Jitae declined with an apologetic expression, citing filming reasons.

Still, it didn’t matter.

Clutching the autograph to her chest, the girl wore a smile so happy it couldn’t be compared to anything else.

Just now, Jitae had practically given that girl the strength to live joyfully through the day.

“…Let’s go.”

After blankly watching the girl’s retreating back for a moment longer, Wooju pulled the cart again.

There was far less strength in his hands than before.

After returning home, the two of them began preparing dinner without either one needing to say it first.

They had spent quite a bit of time at the mart, and it was already close to seven.

Dinner was pork stir-fry, with the meat they had bought earlier as the main dish.

Since it was a food no Korean could possibly dislike, there wasn’t much disagreement when choosing the menu.

The problem was who would cook, and when asked whether he knew how, Jitae widened his eyes and shook his head.

“I can’t cook.”

Was that something to be proud of.

The words rose to the tip of Wooju’s throat.

Come to think of it, there was something Wooju often heard back in high school.

That among all things done with hands, the only thing Won Jitae was good at was volleyball.

“Then I’ll do it.

You can organize what we bought.”

“Okay.”

He wouldn’t say he was good at cooking, but Wooju at least had enough skill to make food that was edible.

A capability forged through long years of living alone.

First, Wooju efficiently started the rice.

After washing the rice and pressing the button on the rice cooker, he prepped the vegetables needed for the pork stir-fry.

He set a wok on the stove and stir-fried the meat, prepared vegetables, and various seasonings.

Beside him, Won Jitae was making a loud clatter as he organized the groceries.

Wooju cracked eggs into a bowl, added the leftover green onions, and poured them into another pan.

He figured he might as well make rolled omelets too.

After slicing the finished omelet and neatly plating it on the table, he went back to finish the pork stir-fry.

Strangely, it had gone quiet behind him.

When he turned around, sure enough, Won Jitae was picking up a piece of omelet with his fingers and eating it.

“Hey, you… no, I mean, what are you doing right now.”

“It’s good.

You’re a good cook.”

Jitae’s face brightened noticeably.

He had a mountain of things he wanted to say, but Wooju simply turned his head away.

At that moment, Jitae approached him with curious eyes.

“Did you learn how to cook separately?”

“No.

I’ve lived alone for a long time, so I just know how to make a few things.”

“Living alone… for a long time…….”