AC! – Chapter 6

Sowon stared so hard at the familiar combination of letters that she nearly dropped the pot.

She set the pot and the paper bag containing the T-shirt on the wooden platform. Eyes wide, she checked the tag again, but that didn’t change anything.

Attached to Kangjun’s T-shirt was the label of an Italian luxury brand Sowon knew very well.

A brand that competed with nothing but fabric and silhouette—no flashy logo play.

‘Is this real…?’ she thought.

Steeling herself, Sowon pulled out her phone. She went to a portal site and searched for the product number. A flood of headache-inducing text filled the screen.

This year’s S/S new release.

A limited edition.

Twelve pieces are stocked in Korea.

Retail price: 1,620,000 won.

“What kind of nonsense is this…?”

An article said the current domestic stock had already sold out, and to get another one, she’d have to add at least another million won on top of retail. And that was just speculation—if she managed to find a seller at all, they would probably ask for even more.

Only now did the details of the T-shirt come into focus. The seam lines. The stitching technique.

Can I even compensate for this?

Her chest felt as if a stone had been placed on it. Dizzy, Sowon sank down onto the wooden platform.

“What are you doing?”

The low question came flying in just then.

Startled, Sowon looked up. Kangjun was walking past the wall in the same outfit as the clothes hanging on the line.

“Oh, you must’ve gone somewhere.”

She scrambled to her feet. He set down the toolbox slung over his shoulder and nodded. Meanwhile, 1,620,000 won plus alpha continued to float above Sowon’s head.

Why isn’t he asking me to pay for it? Should I bring it up first? Maybe I should at least suggest we eat first. Does he like soft tofu stew?

It was the dish she felt most confident about. But now she found herself wondering if she should’ve made Korean beef steak instead.

“Do you like one million six hundred twenty thousand won?”

She had meant to ask if he liked soft tofu stew, but with so many thoughts swirling in her head, the wrong words slipped out. The moment she realized it, Kangjun stopped and turned around.

“I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

Her eyes had nowhere to land. The cold sweat beading on her forehead felt like it might trickle down her cheek at any second.

“Ah… I asked if you like soft tofu stew.”

“I do.”

She picked up the pot that had just entered her line of sight and gave an awkward smile. Kangjun strode over and brushed past her.

Hurriedly grabbing the paper bag and the pot, she followed him inside.

“Excuse me.”

The sides of Woo Kangjun she’d discovered that differed from her first impression no longer surprised her.

From the moment she’d seen the tidy interior of the Porter truck, from the moment she’d seen the yard, and from the moment she’d stepped into the annex, she had vaguely guessed his house would be like this too.

Polished wooden floors that gleamed. Low bookshelves lined neatly against the wall. Curtains drawn just enough to let in the right amount of sunlight. For a house where a man lived alone, the atmosphere was impeccably neat.

Of course, she had never really gone in and out of a man’s house before, but imagination wasn’t something to be underestimated. In the vague image Sowon had always held, a typical bachelor’s house was piled with dirty dishes and filled with dust.

Based on that image, not a single thing about Kangjun’s house matched.

Though then again, a young man living like this in the countryside wasn’t exactly ordinary either. Having placed Kangjun inside her own assumptions, Sowon suddenly recalled that he was still biologically a man and came to an abrupt halt.

Had she been too careless because she knew he wasn’t any good in that department?

The men she’d encountered so far had all lived in their own delusions. Brush a speck of dust off their clothes, and they’d confess out of nowhere. Exchange one greeting, and they’d ask if they could come over to her place.

What if Kangjun also took this as a sign of interest?

She stared blankly at his back as he reheated the soft tofu stew, then cautiously walked toward the kitchen. Several books lay on the dining table.

There were plenty of books in the annex too. He must really like reading.

Without thinking much, she checked the titles—and her eyes flew wide open.

Cough.

Unable to hide her embarrassment, Sowon coughed repeatedly.

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. What kind of book titles are these…?

“They’re farming books.”

Kangjun handed her a tissue as she wiped at the corners of her reddened eyes. He pushed the books to one side of the table and began setting down the stew and side dishes neatly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. It just went down the wrong way for a second.”

After placing her water glass down, she cast a sidelong glance at the now-cleared stack of books.

She’d heard in passing from Granny Eulnyeon that Kangjun grew chili peppers, but she’d assumed it was more of a hobby.

But… looking at the titles again, they all sounded so desperate, as if he’d poured his entire soul into chili farming.

“You must be very serious about farming.”

There were a few books in between that didn’t seem to be about farming, but she pretended not to notice and sat down.

“If you’re not serious, the peppers won’t grow. Anything you raise takes devotion.”

“Oh, devotion… right, devotion is important.”

The automatic reply slipped out. Without even knowing what she was saying, Sowon focused on the food in front of her to keep other thoughts at bay.

Boil. boil.

The soft tofu stew, warmly reheated in Kangjun’s kitchen, bubbled appetizingly atop the wooden table. What caught her eye even more were the side dishes taken out from his refrigerator.

“Why is there so much?”

Even flustered by the strange book titles, her body reacted honestly. Her stomach growled, and saliva pooled in her mouth.

“Wow… thank you for the meal.”

It felt less like she was treating Kangjun and more like he was treating her, but she was too hungry to worry about that… and for some reason, she didn’t want to continue the conversation toward books that might not all be about chili farming.

Sowon silently moved only her spoon.

She gulped down the broth and picked at the side dishes one by one. Before she knew it, her bowl was completely empty.

Now she should bring it up.

Setting down her spoon, she lifted her head—and saw Kangjun’s T-shirt, far more spotless than the one outside.

After hesitating, she carefully opened her mouth.

“Um, I wasn’t trying to look, but I happened to see it.”

Kangjun, who had just finished eating, raised his head.

“That T-shirt… is it real?”

The hand holding his spoon paused midair. As if caught off guard, one of his brows ticked upward.

“I was just wondering if it might be a knockoff. No—never mind. Please forget I said that.”

The unbelievable price floated back into her mind, and the words hidden deep inside her had burst out. Flustered, Sowon dropped her tissue and cleared her throat repeatedly.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just… why would you wear something like that in the countryside…?”

She hadn’t intended to say that either. Her unfiltered choice of words left her pupils wandering without focus.

Kangjun stared at her for a moment, then let out a deflated laugh.

“You make a long speech when you say thank you, and a long speech when you say sorry too.”

The tips of her ears burned. She quickly held out the clothes she had prepared and bowed her head deeply.

“I’m really sorry about what happened to your clothes. This is something I prepared as an apology, so please accept this for now, and I’ll compensate you somehow… Please calculate the rent for the time I’m staying here too. And if there’s anything I should be careful about—”

“If you’re that sorry, help me with some work.”

“Work?”

Her hand, extended with the paper bag while she rambled on, froze in midair.

“Consider it the price for staying here too.”

Kangjun took the paper bag and lifted the corners of his lips in a bright smile.

Their fingertips brushed for an instant. Startled, she quickly pulled her hand back, but he casually shook the paper bag.

“I’ll gratefully accept this, since you gave it.”

Sowon slowly closed and opened her eyes.

At most, it would probably be helping out with a small vegetable patch or running errands for the elderly.

For someone like Sowon, who found sitting still the hardest thing in the world, it was almost welcome. She could repay her debt and learn a bit about farming while she was at it.

It was strange that he would settle something as costly as that T-shirt and her stay in this house with mere labor, but she decided to think of him as someone whose motto was living at a loss.

“Will that really be enough?”

“Yes, that’s more than enough.”

Fearing he might change his mind, she quickly nodded and extended her hand. The worries that had clouded her face just moments ago had completely vanished beneath her bright smile.

“No going back on your word.”