Chapter 23: Mini Garden Battle

At that moment, the variety show they had been watching ended, and advertisements started playing on the screen.

Of course, Wooju hadn’t been paying any attention to the show, but with no audio filling the space between them, he felt strangely anxious.

“Wanna watch something else?”

Wooju picked up the remote that had been sitting on the table and started flipping through channels.

As the saying goes, “When it rains, it pours”—every channel he switched to was only showing commercials.

Then, on one channel, something caught his eye.

[With a powerful serve, he shakes the opponent’s defense!]

“….”

The channel had stopped on a broadcast of last season’s volleyball match.

Clenching his teeth, Wooju muttered curses under his breath and smiled awkwardly.

He quickly tried to switch to another channel, but…

“I’m gonna rest in my room.”

“Huh?”

Jitae, expressionless, stood up from the sofa and stomped up the stairs.

The door slammed shut, leaving Wooju alone in the living room.

No matter how gentle or healing the concept of the show was, shouldn’t they be watching it together?

He had endured his discomfort just to stay by Jitae’s side.

Wooju sighed deeply.

He had always liked things to be clear and definite.

He preferred math, where answers were exact, over Korean language, where interpretations could vary.

It was the same reason he had fallen in love with sports, especially volleyball.

Volleyball was clear. Within fixed rules and a limited space, you could score points by hitting the ball into the opponent’s court.

And the fact that there were countless techniques and ways to do so—that was what made volleyball fascinating and exciting for him.

“Seriously, I don’t get it.”

But Jitae in front of him was unclear.

Vague. Ambiguous.

In fact, he had felt this way from the first time he had stepped into this house and seen Jitae.

Every thought and feeling about him was an unknown variable.

He had felt this way before.

When facing a formidable opponent so strong that nothing else came to mind.

Someone who could read every attack and ruthlessly break through even the strongest defense.

Even now, not playing volleyball, Jitae remained a presence Wooju needed to figure out, a challenge he had yet to solve.

In the middle of being called out for a quick interview before leaving, Producer Kwon stopped Wooju.

“Have you gotten used to things? Any discomfort?”

“Yes. The house is great, and the staff have been very accommodating, so nothing is inconvenient at all.”

“That’s good to hear. Actually, you and Jitae have surprisingly good chemistry, so we’re really looking forward to this month.”

“Oh, yes.”

Wooju scratched his head awkwardly with a smile.

Was that really how people described “chemistry”?

He had thought about asking Kwon if they had intentionally paired him with Jitae for the show, but decided against it.

Whether they knew or not didn’t really matter.

Even if there were special reasons behind casting, he’d still be spending a month with Jitae. That wouldn’t change.

After talking a little more with Producer Kwon, Wooju stepped outside.

As he looked around, his eyes caught the small garden in the yard.

He remembered noticing it when he first moved in.

Living in an apartment rarely gave him a chance to tend a garden, so he had wanted to try something like this.

He took out his phone and messaged the writer in charge.

[Writer, can I use the mini garden in the yard?]

[Yes! Of course!]

A reply came immediately.

[Check the shed inside the yard. There are tools and seedlings—feel free to use them~]

Oh, if the equipment was ready, it seemed doable.

After finishing the conversation, Wooju paused.

He could go alone, but he couldn’t ignore Jitae, who was hiding in his room for no clear reason.

Wooju knocked slowly on Jitae’s door.

“…Why?”

“You watched the movie you wanted yesterday, so today we do what I want. Together.”

Besides, they couldn’t keep this uncomfortable atmosphere forever.

Of course, Wooju hadn’t known how to handle yesterday, so he stayed silent, but the same went for Jitae.

He could’ve asked why he acted that way yesterday, but if the other person reacted like that, the easier option was to ask casually and move on.

Wooju and Jitae stepped outside and headed toward the shed the writer had mentioned.

It was small, but contained tools like shovels, watering cans, and seedlings of lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

Apparently, the staff had prepared it for the show.

“So, we’re planting these?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you done this before?”

“Hmm, I’ve seen it a few times in documentaries.”

Jitae didn’t seem very enthusiastic.

Moving under the sun was the last thing he wanted to do.

But seeing Wooju excitedly inspecting everything, he couldn’t refuse.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

The two of them grabbed shovels and headed to the garden.

They started by turning over the hard soil.

Soon, the camera crew came out to film them.

“I’ll take this half, you do the other half, Jitae.”

He had been a bit worried about Jitae, but surprisingly, Jitae worked steadily with the shovel.

His white forearms and protruding veins looked striking under the sunlight.

“Don’t slack off, Wooju.”

“What! When did I slack off?”

Trying not to be caught, Wooju quickly got to work.

After loosening the soil, he mixed in fertilizer.

Though it looked easy on TV, doing it was quite tiring.

Sweating, they formed small mounds in the soil for planting.

“Hey, the shape is off. Redo it.”

Though Wooju had suggested the garden project, he was now constantly critiquing Jitae’s section.

“What, making art? This is enough, come on.”

Slowly, the awkwardness between them was beginning to ease.

Using small shovels, they dug holes for the seedlings and carefully planted them.

“Keep the spacing consistent.”

Jitae, a little flushed under the sun, pointed at a spot.

“You’re really picky.”

“Not picky. It’s obvious. I thought you’d do well, but it seems I’m better.”

Wooju snapped as he looked back.

Jitae’s spacing was precise, without a single mistake.

“Jitae, if you ever retire from acting, try farming. You’d be good at it.”

“What are you saying?”

After planting all the seedlings, only watering remained.

“The water source… oh, there it is.”

Wooju pointed to the well near the table where they had drunk coffee before.

The watering can was from the shed, so they could fill it there.

The problem was the well was on the opposite side of the garden, quite far.

The yard was large, and after almost two hours of digging, both were exhausted.

“….”

It was as if they had coordinated their glances.

The message was clear:

‘You go.’

After a brief exchange, neither stepped forward.

“Whoever doesn’t go loses.”

Jitae initiated.

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

Wooju followed automatically.

They threw their hands simultaneously.

“Yay!”

Wooju had won.

Jitae sighed and slowly carried the empty watering can to the well.

Wooju crouched beside the garden, relishing his victory.

But instead of filling it, Jitae fiddled with the faucet, tilting his head in confusion.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Wooju shouted.

“This isn’t working.”

As Wooju approached, he scolded him for being incapable, while Jitae kept trying different taps.

Finally, water gushed out through the hose with a loud roar.

“Yes, it works.”

But the problem didn’t end there.

Jitae had turned the valve too forcefully, and water spewed out with tremendous pressure, flipping the hose.

And the water was heading straight for…