Chapter 40: The Value of Something Small

Wait, but why did I want to pat that guy’s head in the first place?

Woo-joo’s hand froze midair.

Even when Choi Seok-hyeon had been crying over malicious comments, he had only told him not to bawl like a baby.

He had never once thought about patting his head.

But with Won Ji-tae, he had wanted to.

For a brief moment, he had felt the urge to ruffle that messy hair of his—the guy who said he had struggled to adjust.

At that realization, Woo-joo felt his face grow slightly warm.

“Ah, hurry up and finish eating—”

Right at that moment, Ji-tae lifted his head.

Seeing the hand suddenly hovering in front of him, he blinked.

At the same time, Woo-joo’s reason returned.

Their eyes met in midair once again.

Under Ji-tae’s questioning gaze, Woo-joo brought his palm down and smacked the top of his head instead.

“Ah!”

A dull thud echoed from the dining table.

“Kang Woo-joo!”

Startled, Ji-tae grabbed the crown of his head and bit down on his lip.

“Uh… well, there was a bug on your head. I was getting rid of it. Did it hurt? Sorry.”

Woo-joo made up an excuse about a nonexistent bug.

How could he possibly admit that he had suddenly wanted to pat his head?

He must have lost his mind for a second.

Wanting to stroke Won Ji-tae’s hair, and out of sympathy at that.

Why?

No clear answer came to mind.

Only the strange heat lingering around his ears.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you? Damn, my head’s ringing….”

Ji-tae grumbled irritably.

Regardless, Woo-joo just wanted to escape this ridiculous feeling as quickly as possible.

“Hm, by the way, what were you about to say earlier?”

He smoothly changed the subject.

Ji-tae shot him a glare and scooped up a large spoonful of rice.

“We need to go grocery shopping. The fridge is running low.”

“Oh, really?”

Since they were almost done eating anyway, Woo-joo stood first, placed his empty bowl in the sink, and opened the refrigerator wide.

It was definitely emptier than before.

Recently, the two of them had been cooking inside most of the time without outside schedules, so it made sense things ran out quickly.

“You’re right. Let’s tidy up and then go shopping later.”

Ji-tae nodded without even looking at the fridge.

He seemed slightly sulky about having his head smacked.

Woo-joo scratched his cheek.

He did feel a little guilty.

Considering his job required him to spike volleyballs with full force, he was much stronger than the average person.

Maybe he would let Ji-tae buy his favorite snack at the mart later.

With that thought, he was about to close the fridge door when something caught his eye.

In the drink compartment was the hangover relief drink he usually drank before or after alcohol.

Had the staff restocked it?

Still feeling a slight burn in his stomach, Woo-joo opened a can without hesitation and drank it down.

That was when it happened.

A clatter sounded from behind him.

Turning around, he saw Ji-tae standing frozen, chopsticks fallen from his hand.

His mouth was slightly open, staring at Woo-joo as if he couldn’t believe what he had just seen.

“Why… what?”

If anything, Woo-joo was the one confused.

Ji-tae looked as though the world had just collapsed.

“You…”

Ji-tae slammed his bowl down on the table and strode over.

He snatched the can from Woo-joo’s hand.

“You drank this…?”

The can was already empty.

Ji-tae’s expression gradually turned desolate.

The smiling man on the can seemed almost to be mocking him.

“Was I not supposed to? I had the company dinner yesterday, so I thought the staff left it for me. Was it yours?”

Woo-joo scratched his head awkwardly.

He should apologize for taking someone else’s drink, of course.

But was it really something to look that devastated over?

If he had to describe Ji-tae’s expression, it looked exactly like his own when he had ended a match with a service error on the opponent’s match point as a rookie.

“Sorry. I’ll buy you another one. Was it really that important? Why do you look like the world ended…?”

Fidgeting, Woo-joo began earnestly consoling the grown man over 190 centimeters tall.

“I thought since you weren’t that drunk yesterday, it’d be fine if I drank it…”

He found himself thoroughly explaining how he had ended up drinking a five-thousand-won convenience store hangover drink.

Ji-tae stared at him for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.

“Forget it. You’re always like this.”

“I said I’m sorry.”

But despite Woo-joo’s efforts, Ji-tae didn’t soften at all.

Woo-joo slowly began to feel irritated too.

“I said I’ll buy you another one. Should I go out and get it right now? Huh?”

Still, he endured it and continued coaxing him like a mother calming a child.

“Buying one now won’t fix it. This is… ha, never mind. You don’t even remember anyway.”

Ji-tae muttered with heavy sighs like an old man who had seen it all.

What did he mean by not remembering?

Had he ever told him not to drink it because it was his?

At this point, Woo-joo was going crazy too.

It wasn’t like he had eaten something rare and impossible to replace.

It was something you could find anywhere at a convenience store.

“Sorry. Hey, really, I’ll buy you another one.”

“I said forget it. What’s the point of buying it after it’s already gone? Is saying sorry enough after hitting someone? Oh right, you did that earlier too.”

Woo-joo’s eyebrow twitched.

He had apologized, explained himself, and offered a solution.

What was with this stubborn attitude?

“Why are you talking like that? I’m apologizing because I feel bad. I really didn’t know it was yours.”

Ji-tae didn’t even respond.

“Won Ji-tae, what exactly is the issue? Is that hangover drink made of gold? Is it some limited edition you can’t get anymore? It’s not. They’re everywhere at convenience stores. What’s with… something so trivial.”

Woo-joo sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Ji-tae stopped what he was doing and looked at him again.

“Trivial? Why are you talking so rudely. Value depends on the person who feels it.”

It was philosophical and correct.

But why did that apply to a hangover drink?

“I know! I do. That’s why I apologized. Since we’re already here, just tell me. What kind of value does that have to you?”

Woo-joo pointed at the now-empty can.

“…It was given to me.”

“What?”

The voice was so quiet he couldn’t hear properly.

Woo-joo stepped closer.

Without a valid reason, he felt like he might really get angry.

“A precious person gave it to me.”

“……”

That was unexpected.

Woo-joo found himself at a loss for words.

“Who… was it?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Ji-tae shook his head as if he had expected that question.

Then he told him to call him when the dishes were done and disappeared into his room.

Left alone in the kitchen, Woo-joo stood blankly for a moment before walking to the sink.

He turned on the water and slipped on rubber gloves.

Cold water splashed down.

He picked up a sponge and squeezed out detergent, working it into foam.

As he scrubbed the dishes, his gaze remained unfocused.

Ji-tae’s words kept echoing in his ears.

A precious person gave it to him?

That hangover drink?

‘Who was it?’

Ji-tae had rudely said he didn’t need to know, but questions kept surfacing in Woo-joo’s mind.

First of all, it was strange that those words had even come out of Won Ji-tae’s mouth.

The phrase “precious person” didn’t suit him at all.

Since when had that drink been in the fridge?

Did he get it after yesterday’s company dinner?

If so, was that “precious person” someone from the filming team?

And what even qualified as “precious”?

As if trying to relieve the tightness in his chest, Woo-joo scrubbed the dishes harder.

The stains on the plates disappeared, but his thoughts remained messy, like sauce smeared everywhere.

Even after finishing the dishes, he couldn’t find an answer.

In the end, he wondered why he was even thinking about it so much.

Whatever kind of person it was, there was no need for him to care.

It could have been a fan.

Or even if it was someone from the filming team, it had nothing to do with him.

Woo-joo yanked off the rubber gloves a bit harshly.

His actions grew rougher despite his rational conclusion.

He wrung out the dishcloth with force and tossed it onto the table.

He scrubbed the table like a madman until it squeaked.