THE BABY PROJECT || HUANG RENJUN

CHAPTER 7

The trek to the department store took place in near silence, except for a quick decision to visit the one within the campus instead of venturing outside. 

Neo Cultural University expanded over an area of 1500 acres some 12 km from the heart of the main city. The little town incorporated everything necessary to be self-sufficient, from stationery shops and convenience stores to restaurants and malls. Dormitories and housing units for students and staff were scattered through the expanse with varying magnitude neighborhoods, some upscale and trendy like the Pinegrove neighborhood in the north that housed the professors. 

The dorm complexes, however, despite standing ringed in healthy, watered gardens and clean streets, lacked vigor. The buildings were somewhat maintained, and the sidewalks were cracked by old-growth trees and their ever-growing root system.

A strangled breath escaped Sieun's lips.

The walk from Starbucks to the department store was a chore. It choked her chest like a corset around her torso, while needles of pain swaddled her thighs in a blanket of prickling knife points. Sweat dripped from her temples and pooled at the small of her back, staining the t-shirt under her hoodie with round patches of grey. 

The fifteen-minute distance was thoroughly excruciating.

From the corner of her eyes, she looked at Renjun to check his condition as he trailed behind her without a word, and balked. Not a hint of sweat marred his features or hunched his shoulders. No exhaustion pinched his brows. In fact, he looked blinding under the spring sun, all five feet seven inches of his frame doused in an immaculate gleam. One would think Renjun, infamous for his detestation towards physical activity, couldn't look so at ease— but he did and Sieun's traitorous mouth immediately cursed him for being so fit.

She clicked her tongue under her breath. "Stupid, Renjun."

Sieun was thoroughly exhausted by the time they reached the departmental store. Located just outside the "The Eden," an all-girls dormitory housing aspiring athletes, Urban Goods and Chattels upheld its unimpressive verdict with an equally unimpressive exterior and interior. The dingy red carpet laid across the entirety of the floor, however, couldn't hold a candle against the white-washed walls and fake plants made of rubbery plastic. Sombre, light brown shelves separated the place into different sections.

The man behind the check-out station was startled by their presence. "Oh!" he said, glancing at the trio, his gaze lingering on the baby in Sieun's arms for a minute too long before going back to his game of solitaire on the computer.

Renjun stepped away from the door and shuffled to the stacks of baskets in the entrance corner. "Were to?" he asked Sieun.

Without answering, she began walking and Renjun followed. Shelf by shelf, she hounded the place and stopped in front of the baby section. "I'll go pay for the formula and diapers first," she said as she swung her shoulder to make her backpack slide to the front. Opening the zip, she pulled the notepad out and handed it to him. "Here's the list. I'll be waiting by the check-out station." Before he could protest, she was already gone.